It shames me to say that I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. The biting wind and the slippery snow seems to just add to poor Meekha's frustration, as she tries hard to swing the wooden sword at the training dummy.
"Oof!! lil Meekha, youf gotta swing yer hips wit dah sword"
Of all the people, Slasherjoe stayed at the Argent Tournament grounds to help me train my little Gruntling. He is an honorable and noble orc, and I trust him more than many others I know.
Meekha holds the sword high in the air and swings hard at the training dummy. She screams a battle cry as the blade impacts the shield. Unfortunately, she doesn't recover fast enough and the swinging pendulum of the dummies arm impacts her hard in the chest. Into the snowbank she tumbles.
Slasher looks at me and shakes his head.
"Eets okay Calm, shees learnin, eet won't take vewy long fer eer to pick eet up a goodin."
Meekha picks herself up out of the snowbank and looks at us with an angry stare. Then she grabs her wooden sword and heads right back to work on the training dummy.
"The little thing has tenacity, I'll give her that" I say as I try to stifle my laughter.
Slasher looks at me in surprise. "Of cours she dus. Shees da chiltren of heroes of da Horde! Sheel make a miyty warrior sum day!!"
A gust of wind blows up from the north, cold as icy death. The banners of the Argent tournament snap and wave in the wind. This place always makes me yearn for the warmth and peace of Mulgore.
"So Calm, wheen you gonna tell lil Meekha about er Father?" Slasher says in a whisper.
I look at him with every bit of harshness and disapproval I can muster.
"Well, look who we have here. It is the mighty Calmfury. I heard you were showing your face around here again but I could hardly believe it."
A chill of terror shoots up my spine, worse than any that Northrend's haunted wind could bring me. I cautiously turn and look into the grinning face of Garrosh Hellscream. He stands confidently in the snow with his elite guards, along with Trion Fordring himself.
"Garrosh, we have to finish our inspection of the tournament grounds and meet up with Thrall." Trion says with authority.
The Orc warlord sneers at me, and then turns to Trion. "Why don't you go ahead with my guard. I have seen enough of this place to be satisfied. Tell Thrall I'll be along soon." He turns back to me with a grin on his face.
Trion frowns with disapproval, then turns and continues his walk around the tournament grounds.
"So, Calmfury... I heard that you were part of an expedition into the titan city. My, you are such a brave hero."
Warily I stand in the snow looking at Garrosh. I feel my body tense up and my knees begin to shake a bit. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Meekha, she is focusing on the target dummy and oblivious to the danger at hand.
Garrosh looks at Slasherjoe, who also seems oblivious. "Warrior, why don't you go find something to do. I need to talk to our friend here." Garrosh says to him in a threatening tone.
"Uh, shur boss." Slasher says as he wheels about. "Calm, eyl be workin wit lil Meekha while yous are bizzy."
I am left in the snow with him.
"Calmfury, how about we take a short walk. I have something important I want to show you." Garrosh says as he motions me towards the edge of the moutain overlooking the north sea.
Cautiously I follow his command as my mind races on how to get out of this situation. I still don't know if Garrosh remembers who my gruntling is. I don't care if he hurts me, but if he tries to harm her I will give everything I am to kill him.
"Young Tauren, you don't need to be on your guard with me, I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I have big plans for you. We have a war coming and we need mighty warriors like you."
I ease somewhat, though I am still unsure if I can trust him or not.
"Garrosh, it had always been my intent to serve the Horde in any way I can." I say to him slowly.
"Ahh, this is good Calmfury. Because I have an important task I need you to perform for me."
As he says this, we come to the cliff edge overlooking the sea. Far below us I see the frozen waters of the Sea Reavers run.
"Calmfury, there is a war coming with the Alliance, and we need to be prepared. We have worked hard to break the bonds of peace with them and soon our glorious Horde will be cheering from the towers of Stormwind."
An icy gust blows up from the sea once again and I can almost hear the voice of Arthas laughing on the wind.
"My Lord, what about Arthas?" I say to him cautiously. "Aren't we still at war with him? Maybe we shouldn't be picking a fight with the Alliance until Arthas is dead."
Garrosh's grin turns into a scowl. He licks the ice off his tusks and then snorts at me in disapproval.
"In my Horde" Garrosh continues "I have no room for those who would fail me. You know this more than anyone Tauren! We have to be mighty, honorable and without mercy as our people has always been."
I turn to face him. A sinister look washes across his brown face.
"Garrosh, what is this task you want me to do?" I ask.
With that, a sharp pain pierces my side. The breath goes out of me in an instant as my lung collapses in my chest. As I turn to face my attacker, I feel my legs stiffen up, and I fall to my knees at the cliffs edge. Looking up, I see the smiling face of a weedy little orc holding a bloody dagger, he is missing one of his tusks.
I reach out for the assassin to no avail, my arms go stiff and I fall flat on my face in the snow.
"Vengeance Tauren, this is vengeance for knocking out my tusk. Now you die!!" the weedy orc yells as he lunges forward with his blade.
With a swift motion, Garrosh grabs the little orc by the scruff and tosses him into the nearby snow bank. Then I feel his hands on me as he turns me over.
"My task for you Calmfury, Guardian of Cenarius is to die!! You have insulted me in front of my Horde and for this you will pay with your pathetic life!!" Garrosh yells in triumph.
It just so happens that when Garrosh turned me over my face fell in the direction of Meekha. I watch as she swings her wooden sword in a mighty arc, striking the training dummies shield. Then, she expertly ducks below the swinging pendulum. With a proud smile on her innocent face she turns to Slasherjoe and cheers. Then, she looks around to see if I was watching.
Her eyes fall upon me and I see her proud smile turns to a look of abject horror.
"Lets see how a druid works when he's been chopped to pieces!!" Garrosh yells as he swings his huge axe down. The razor sharp blade cleaves into my upper arm, severing it in one clean blow. Whatever poison I am subject to does nothing to ease the pain.
I watch Meekha as she screams in horror. Slasherjoe turns around to see what she is screaming at in time to see Garrosh cut off my other arm.
The pain is so intense I nearly black out.
Meekha pulls out the glowing dagger I gave her and begins charging across the field at Garrosh.
By the Earthmother no! Save us from this horrible fate.
Slasherjoe begins chasing after Meekha. It is then that I see the weedy little assassin pull himself out of the snow bank. On his face is the smug grin I recognize from the Alliance murderers I have fought. He draws his dagger and starts out for my little gruntling.
Just before he falls upon her I see Slasher cleave downward with his poleaxe, cutting the spineless assassin in two.
"Get away from my master you honorless dog!!!" my little Meekha yells out at Garrosh, holding her glowing dagger at the ready.
I feel my heart break
Garrosh Hellscream, Overlord of the Warsong offensive, sneers at the little Orc. "An honorless dog am I?"
With that Garrosh kicks me hard in the side. I feel several of my ribs break as my armless body rolls off the side of the cliff.
I fall for what seems like an eternity before hitting an icy outcropping in the cliffside. Whats left of my body is crushed as I slide down a slope. Then I come to an abrupt stop on a precarious ledge.
Here is the place I am to die, not as a hero of my people, but as a shameful and forgotten soldier who dared to question his leader.
I stare out at the merciless sea, as the icy winds of death howl in laughter at me. Already the scavengers, foul birds, begin to circle me.
I think that Thrall was right. Wisdom and mercy are the things that give a person true value. Sadly, it is too late to tell this to my poor Meekha.
One of the scavengers lands on the ledge. The wretched bird hops about for a moment and then pauses to look me in the eyes. Perhaps it is mocking me before it feasts on my flesh.
My eyes begin to darken.
"Fear not Calmfury, your story is not yet told, fate has something else in store for you" I look up to see the smiling face of Charibdys. The bird was not a vulture, but her in stormcrow form.
A portal opens up next to me. "I am taking you to Moonglade" she says as she pulls my broken body through the portal.
With what little strength I have I am able to whisper just one word.
"Meekha"
