Kennocha began walking out of the tavern, holding her staff firmly in her hands as the other patrons talked amongst themselves. Feeling a nip at the bottom of her robe, she glanced down to find Nisi following closely behind. She kneeled down to look the fawn directly and pet the top of her head.

Nisi was less than amused with this. Her eyes stared at the taureness, seeming to challenge Kennocha's stance.

"It is alright. I will back soon. I am sure you will be fine here. Please, stay here."

If the fawn had looked upset before, then she was freaking out by this point. She was rather skittish, continuing to edge closer and closer to the security of Kennocha's legs.

"Alright then," Kennocha sighed. "You can come with me."

She turned to meet Winoa's puzzled gaze. "Are you alright taking care of Faeren and Yadwi while I am gone then?"

Winoa simply nodded. "If I was fine taking care of three critters, then I can work with these two. We'll see you soon."

Kennocha smiled as she walked out of the tavern with Nisi walking side by side with her.

The three of them stayed and listened to the sound of the hooves clomping on the wood, then wet mud. They could hear the rain beginning to trickle down as the pitter patter of raindrops continued to grow heavier.

Such a wonderful sound.

The taureness looked down to check on the two critters she had to watch over. Yadwi had begun napping in her lap, her deep breathes soothing the taureness as she gently petted her soft fur. The other critter, however, had decided to less than peaceful.

Faeren had taken to wandering the tavern, much to the annoyance of the other people in the tavern. One large orc in particular was being served a glass of ale by a rather grumpy looking goblin when the wolf suddenly jumped on the bar counter. He walked over it, sniffing the wood for something. The goblin's hand was steady at first, pulling the beverage close to his chest so Faeren could not get to it. Faeren kept getting closer, however. Realizing this, the goblin took a swig of the ale. By the time his lips left the side of the glass, it was void of even a drop.

The orc watched the goblin do so. Rage consumed him as he cursed. "My ale! You dare to drink from my ale! Why you pathetic waste of a green-skinned life, you'll pay for this!"

Standing up so all could see his massive figure, he raised his chair above his head as he smashed it down on the goblin's head.

"Hey, it was that damn wolf! Can't blame me for taking something which was mine in the first place, especially when you haven't paid yet!" The goblin remarked, lifting his hand to touch where the chair had hit. His fingers felt along his hairline, finding it to be wet with something thicker than sweat.

Huffing, the orc clenched his fists. "I hadn't even gotten the first drink!"

"So? Yous gotta pay upfront for good service!"

The orc roared in anger, grabbing the limbs of his broken chair to smash against the goblin's face. He dodged the attack though, jumping backwards towards the shelves of lined bottles.

By this point, the other patrons had stopped watching. A troll woman rushed forward to intervene, only to step onto an area of glass shards and wooden splinters. Screaming in pain, she yelled at what they assumed to be the woman's mate in Zandalari. In any case, he went into action. Morphing his body into that of a panther, he leaped forward to the countertop. He growled, slashing his claws at the orc. The orc grunted as he took the hit before rushing forward with his axe raised to slice open the panther's side. He would have been hit if it had not been for his mate, standing over him with a thick wooden shield. Fights like this sprang up around the tavern, drowning out the noise of the rain with that of weapons being unsheathed and battle cries.

All this happened as Faeren leaped behind the counter. While the tavern keeper and his patrons were busy, the wolf scavenged through the stores underneath the counter. He once again hopped onto the countertop a minute later, but with a large slab of meat between his razor sharp teeth. He made his way back to Winoa while the others fought. Entranced with the meat he just claimed, he laid next to her as he began consuming it. Nobody seemed to notice Faeren until the wolf swiftly sat down. Thunk! The sound seemed to echo yet nobody seemed to care but the goblin recovering from his injury.

"Hey, you gotta pay for that!"

Winoa looked over to Faeren. The slab of meat he had was enormous. She knew she couldn't pay for that.

"Uh, sure. Just let me get my coin purse from outside!"

The goblin narrowed his eyes at her. "Better make it quick! You don't wanna see me upset lady!"

"Of course not." Winoa put on her best smile before lifting the rabbit off of her lap. Holding Yadwi in one arm, she turned to the wolf.

Mustering her best motherly voice, she spoke up. "We have to go Faeren."

The wolf snarled at the taureness.

"Come now, we have to be leaving now." She shook the wolf's back, trying to get him to move.

Faeren growled even louder, trying to make himself a larger threat. Baring his teeth at her, she felt the threat was genuine. However, she had to keep trying.

"Please, we have to go." All patience was lost in her voice. "Come on, old wolf. We need to head out."

The wolf didn't seem to care. Continuing to bite into the meat, he rolled onto his side as to prove his point.

"Damn it Faeren! We are leaving now!"

The wolf paused for a moment to look at the taureness. His eyes bore into her, but Winoa stood firmly in her place. Staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity, the wolf huffed loudly before beginning to lift itself up.

"Good boy, Faeren." She tried to encourage. However, the wolf growled at her. "Or not…"

The three of them began walking outside of the tavern to escape the chaos. The rain was now pouring down hard. By the time they had all walked out to the outer gates of the post, the critters' fur was thoroughly soaked and Winoa had only a few dry spots under the small bags under her cloak. That didn't last long though, as within the next few minutes, the rain had completely claimed its conquest.

While the two critters were unamused by this, with Faeren constantly growling as rain hit his eyes and Yadwi tried to shake it off, Winoa loved the rain. Everything about it made her feel better. From the way it washed away all the dirt and grime from the previous few weeks to the way it weighed her clothes down, it made her think that everything might be alright.

Jafern always loved the rain too.

The thought hit her like a herd of kodos. She can't think like that. He is alive and well, she knows it. He will be waiting for her when she gets home, asking where she was. He'll tell her that it was just a long hunting expedition for their celebration and that it's okay. It had to be alright.

What if it isn't?

It has to be. It just has to be. He is simply missing, not gone. He would never leave her like this.

Winoa couldn't tell whether it's rain or tears running back her face, but she is certain that she can't let herself mourne like this. Looking around her, she sees that she has walked quite the distance in the time she had been thinking. They were on the other side of the post now, huddled under the zeppelin tower. Faeren had finally given in to the desire for sleep, lying down in the mud. Yadwi sleep on his neck like she had been before on Winoa's lap. She was simply standing over them, watching them as they slumbered. The guard had graciously turned the other way, but would glance at them when they thought she wasn't looking. The taureness decided that it could have been worse, letting herself sit next to the sleeping beasts.

She tried to relax with the raindrops falling, but her thoughts resumed where they left off. However, she let them run free. She decided that she could see what her mind was trying to tell her while she waited for Kennocha. Her eyes lowered as she rested her head on Faeren's back.

Colors beckoned her forward from the dark backside of her eyelids. They were a variety of shades, ranging from a soft orange to a deep brown. They were warm, relaxing her as she came closer to them. She didn't know how she was moving, but she decided that it didn't matter. After all, the colors were just so beautiful.

The colors swirl and change in brightness. Some dim while others shine brighter. They begin forming shapes. Brown mountains with hints of green grass. The tops of trees bathed in An'she's light as she rose from behind the mountains. A dark blue sky that became lighter with her presence. She finally recognized this place. This was her home. Their home.

Continuing to move forward, she looked around for any sign of anyone. An eagle or a tauren perhaps, but she found nothing but scarce bundles of trees and grasses. Forward she went on, but still there was nothing. That was until she heard laughter from behind.

Turning around, she saw familiar figures silhouetted by the light, but she knew them by heart. There they were, laughing about a comment one of them had just made. Kennocha, Jafern, and herself stood in a close circle at the base of the mountain peak. They were younger than they were now, probably around the time that Jafern was being taken on his first hunting trip.

She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she vaguely remembered the conversation. They were going to go hiking that day, climbing to the top of Stonetalon Peak.

She recalled that it hadn't been easy even getting to the base. They had to convince their tribe that the trip to the mountain ranges was vital. The tribesmen and many of the elders had been skeptical about it. The Peak was far out of range from where they normally roamed and it was valued as an important religious site by many tribes of the region, including them. It would dangerous as well, considering the plethora of dangerous beasts that roamed the mountain ranges. In addition, Jafern had wanted to bring Winoa and his sister along. Winoa and Kennocha, while resourceful and allowed on short trips though local ranges, had never been on any trip like this. Kennocha herself had just barely made it past her tenth summer. The trip would have been canceled had it not been for Elder Stonestrider. She was descended from the tribe's founder and highly valued for her wisdom. She had lost her life-mate recently as well, ensuring that no one would argue with the taureness. They had asked why she allowed them to travel by themselves there when everyone else had been worried about the idea., but all she had told them nothing.

They had promptly left the next morning. The next week had gone by, traveling up towards the valley below the Peak.

Now, they were at the base of the Peak, ready to hike up. She didn't remember the conversation too well, but she remembered Kennocha being fascinated by the wildlife around the valley. She had been looking at one plant in particular, a large bush full of blossoms, when it had started to drizzle.

Unlike her brother and Winoa, Kennocha had yet to find any beauty in rain. She cried out when on drop fell on her muzzle, asking her brother for a blanket to keep her warm. Jafern and her had laughed as they handed her the well worn cover.

Now ready to climb, they began to ascend the mountains. The dreaming Winoa smiled as her younger self followed Jafern while holding Kennocha's hand. She had had a crush on Jafern at the time, but she remembered Kennocha had only found out about it on this trip. She had always looked back on this memory fondly as she recalled the young girl's large grin and warm embrace as she decided that she would help the two get together.

She expected to see that scene play out now, with the dream fast-forwarding to Jafern leaving their make-shift shelter to gather some fish. Instead, she was shocked to find she had followed Jafern instead.

She knew she should of been confused, but decided it was alright. Winoa and Jafern wandered off to the calm river bend where he took his beloved spear and succeed in getting a few fish from the river. She had decided to look over at some herbs near the river when she heard a scream from behind.

She didn't know what happened, but now Jafern was in the middle of a roaring river. He begged for help, crying for Winoa to help him.

She wanted to move but she was stuck in place. She could only watch as he was swept away. His cries stopped.

Now she could hear Kennocha running towards them. No, she was running away from them. She was sobbing and running down the mountain range. Where was she going?

"Jafern!" She heard herself call out. "Kennocha, please!"

No response came from her young friend.

"Jafern!"

The forest was now quiet. The young Winoa collapsed on the ground, while the dreaming one watched. Suddenly, the river began overflowing. It was rising towards Winoa.

"Kennocha!"

Water rose to her ankle.

"Please, where are you Kennocha?"

The water was to her waist. The fish Jafern had hunted were biting her arms. She could feel other fish slapping her where the water had already reached.

"Jafern!"

Her cries grew louder, more desperate. The river had made it to her neck. She couldn't escape now.

"Please….."

It came out like a prayer, whispered to the heavens. She was submerged with no way out. She tried holding her breath, but she couldn't do it forever.

She opened her eyes once underwater. There, she saw a small calf with brown spotted fur and white horns. He stared at her blankly, seeming to wait for Winoa to respond.

"I am sorry."

Gasping for air, Winoa woke up to see Kennocha by her side. Dark marks glowed on her chest and left arm. Her face was streaked with tears and her eyes were wide with fear.

They stared at each other with wide eyes, trying to make out what had happened to them. Finally, Kennocha spoke.

"We have to go."

It was a rushed whisper, but Winoa understood. They walked to the top of the zeppelin tower once the others were awoken. The five of them rode the zeppelin back to Orgrimmar in silence, none of them daring to make a sound.

Author's Note- Sorry for the wait, but I'm back! I'm really happy with this chapter and the way it turned out. The next chapter will be about Kennocha's perspective of that night. Oh, and the italics are Winoa's thoughts. I hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day! As always, comments, questions, and concerns are appreciated.