pt 16 Facing the hatred, again

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"

pt 15 Meekha's Passage

"Move aside servant, we need to speak to Calmfury." the scary Blood Elf woman says to me as she enters the Sunstrider Pavilion.

We have been at the Argent Tournament grounds for a little over a day now, and I have been taking care of my Master. He fell ill during an expedition into some big city on a mountain. I stayed with the caravan outside, so I don't know what happened to make him sick.

I look into the cold, piercing stare of the Blood Elf everyone calls Squish.

"My Master is still sick, he mumbles about strange things." I say, trying to hide my fear of her.

"Has he opened his eyes?" she asks coldly.

"Uh, yes but..."

"Move aside!!" she commands as a nearby orc warrior picks me up off the litter that my Master is resting on. I struggle in vain.

"Calmfury" Squish says in a commanding tone "It is time for you to awaken!"

My Master stirs some, and mumbles something I don't understand.

Squish raises her hand and slaps him hard across his face.

"Stop it!!" I yell "He is sick!! Your gonna hurt him!!"

The Blood elf ignores my plea and slaps my master again.

"Calmfury, wake up!! We have business to attend to."

With that, my Master opens his eyes widely and gasps for air. I hear a growl in his throat as he sits up from his bed. He looks mad.

"Master!!!" I scream

His eyes roll wildly around the room as if he is trying to figure out where he is. Then, they settle on me. I see a smile come across his face and he breathes in a deep breath.

"Calmfury, the expedition will wait no longer. We have to divide the treasure. We can do it with or without you. But I cannot guarantee you'll get a fair share." Squish says coldly.

He sits there for a moment as if he is confused. Then he looks up at Squish.

"Very well, lets do this. May I have a moment?" My Master says in a low tone.

Squish smiles and nods at him, before turning and walking out of the pavilion.

"Meekha, please get our bags and bring me some food. I have to go outside to relieve myself."

The Orc sets me down and I smile at my Master. I am excited to see him up and about again.

Some time passes while my Master and I quietly eat some food. Meanwhile, everyone that is left from the expedition gathers in the pavilion around a large pile of gold, silver, gems, strange orbs, and racks of weapons and armor. They seem excited and have strange looks in their eyes, almost like they haven't eaten for a long time. Squish comes in holding a scroll.

"Members of Bloodlust, you are the sole survivors of our expedition into the titan city of Ulduar. All of you have fought hard and proven yourselves as worthy members of the Horde."

The dozen or so people gathered in the room break out in a loud cheer.

"Before you are the spoils of our expedition. This gold and these items will be used to strengthen us so that we may be prepared for future expeditions against Arthas and the cursed Alliance!!"

Someone yells out "For the Horde!!" and the room erupts into a louder chorus of laughter, cheers and sworn oaths.

Once it quiets down, Squish continues by reading from the scroll.

"Okay, according to my calculations everyone will get one share of the gold. That amounts to 280 pieces of gold per member that is left. Also..."

Squish goes on talking about some rules for dividing the treasure that don't make any sense to me. Meanwhile, my master sits in silence chewing on some meat.

"Master, why is gold and treasure so important to folks?"

He looks at me as if he is still in a daze. Then, he smiles and I see that familiar twinkle in his eye.

"Meekha, treasure is for fooling people to believe they have value, that is all."

His answer confuses me.

"Well then Master, what is it that gives people value if it isn't treasure?" I ask

He ponders the question for a moment as if he is the one that is confused.

"I don't know Meekha. Maybe it's honor, or maybe it is mercy and wisdom as Thrall says." he replies in a whisper. "I just know it is not treasure."

We continue to enjoy our meal as we watch the group of people argue and yell over the treasure. After some time passes, the people in the room begin to leave one by one carrying their bulging sacks of gold and beloved items they had acquired. At last, Squish makes her way over to us.

"Calmfury, you nearly missed out on the best items." she says with a strange grin on her face. "Here is some gold, I am giving you two shares for your hard work. Also, I saved these things for you."

She presents a strange looking spear, and a beautiful dagger to him.

"You can use a polearm I assume?" she says with a smile.

My master looks at the items for a moment, as if he is still out of his mind.

"Yes, thank you Squish." He takes the items from her hands and places the spear on a nearby rack.

"So, Calmfury... it is time we talk about extending our agreement. I have big plans to assault Icecrown in the coming months." Squish says with a tone of authority.

"No Squish" my master interrupts her "I will not be extending my agreement with you. I have other matters to attend!"

The Blood Elf stares at him with an angry look on her face. Her fists ball up, and for a moment, I think she is going to strike him. Then suddenly, she seems to relax.

"If you intend to work for another mercenary group I will see that you are rejected. I have many connections. Bloodlust has been good to you and you spit in our face. This is an insult, Calmfury, Guardian of Cenarius!"

With that said, she turns and walks away from us.

We sit in the pavilion for the rest of the day. As he sometimes does, my Master just sits quietly, as if he is praying or thinking hard about something. Finally, he looks at me and breaks the silence.

"Meekha, I want you to have this." he hands me the ornate, glowing dagger. "You are getting big and it is time I teach you to fight."

I take the strange blade in my hand. They may call it a dagger, but to me it is more of a sword. It seems to hum a song to me as I stare at it.

"Meekha, you will be a great warrior of the Horde someday. You will be a hero to your people. I can see it."

As I stare at the greatest gift I have ever come to own, tears well up in my eyes. Though I am only an orphan, I am so blessed to have a master like Calmfury.

"Master, I have never told you this, but I don't want to be a warrior." I pause for a moment as the reality of my words hit me. "I want to be a druid like you Master. I want to find my Balance."

The mighty Tauren looks at me and smiles as tears well up in his eyes.

"Tomorrow my dear, you will start your training."

pt 14 Honor's lost child

My name is Orsin. I am a thief, and a murderer. That is why they love me.

Don't misunderstand, I am tormented and abused by my own people. I am told I am worthless, and that I have no honor. They are at least right about one thing.

I grew up in a place called Razor Hill. A tiny little Orc community in Durotar. My father is long dead, and my mother is one of the guards in town. I hate her. Growing up I was never good enough for her, I was too small and weak. I could barely lift an axe, while the other orcs my age where learning to fight and becoming warriors. I was a shame to everyone around me.

But, they still loved me. They adored me because I could do what they couldn't. I was not bound by honor.

What is honor anyway? A ridiculous code of conduct that makes the bold, and strong people feel good about what they do, and who they are.

I say it is an excuse to be weak.

No, what motivates me is something much more potent. As a child I was abused and tormented, as I said, but no one ever got away with it. It was vengeance that allowed me to harvest scorpid poison and slip it into my enemies food, and it was vengeance that allowed me to slit their throats in the night, and sleep like a baby the following day.

Vengeance is an excuse to be strong.

It is vengeance that has set my limbs in motion this night. You see I heard that there was a certain Tauren that was brought into the Argent Tournament Grounds earlier today. He suffers from some sort of dementia that has left his powerful, and honorable self as weak as a baby. This tauren has wronged me, and I have my excuse to be strong.

Normally, I would sneak in and just slice open his neck. But he is surrounded by a group of very powerful friends. So, I have to be more subtle.

"Who is there!! I can smell you." the mighty Taunka huntsman named Lokni yells into the arctic night.

I slip from the frosty shadows and make myself seen to him.

"It is me Lokni, I have come with the package you asked for" I quietly reply.

The mighty huntsman squints in the darkness for a moment before finally seeing me. I have noticed that the Tauren and the Taunka do not see in the dark very well.

"Orsin, I didn't think you would come back so soon. You say you have what I asked for?"

"Oh yes, I have brought you two full jugs of Kungaloosh. It will keep you quite warm and happy on a night like this. Now, do you have what I asked for?"

Lokni seems to get excited, obviously he has a weakness for strong liquor.

"Come here Orc, I will give you what you want." Lokni says with a grin.

He turns and walks to the side of a very large, very ferocious Jormunger. The massive iceworm rolls over obediently exposing his tooth filled maw to his master.

"Did you bring a crystal vial like I told you to?" he asks

I struggle not to wretch at the horrid smell of the creatures breath as I reach into my backpack and retrieve the vial for him.

"Oh no, Your gonna harvest this poison little orc. One drop of this stuff even on your hand will make you stiff as a board for an hour." Lokni says.

I try not to grin as I draw closer to the beasts stinking mouth.

"It's that potent eh?"

Lokni just grins at me as he points to an oozing spout inside the creatures mouth underneath his tongue. I uncork the vial and carefully place it over the spout to catch the caustic green fluid.

"So, what does Garrosh want this stuff for anyway?" Lokni asks quietly

"It's gonna be a new secret weapon for the Horde." I reply.

What I good liar I am.

Once the bottle is full I carefully cork the end, and stuff it back into my pouch. Then I hand the jugs of Kungaloosh to my eager friend.

"Don't drink this stuff too fast. You know how Trion hates a drunk" I say with a smile.

Lokni opens one of the jugs and greedily swallows the contents.

With no further business, I quietly turn and once again disappear into the night. My vengeance is at hand, and when it is, I am at my strongest.

pt 13 The Titans Anvil

I have never been so exhausted in my entire life. Honestly, I do not know how I survived the last few days of hell I have been through.

Before me lies the broken body of the monster they call General Vezax. He looks like a cross between a giant and some sort of sea creature. Certainly not something that is natural to this world.

From what our Blood elf leader has told us, he is the last horror to haunt these halls.

"Fan out everyone, I want you to search this room for any treasure." Squish yells to the reminants of our mercenary raiding party.

Let me tell you a little about Squish. She is a Blood Elf Noble of some sort, rumored to be related to Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider himself. These days she is hiding out and doing work for Garrosh in Northrend. She leads a mercenary outfit calling itself Bloodlust.

I've never asked her, but from what I hear she adopted an orcish name that sounds like something pleasant and nasty in whatever language the Blood Elves speak. Sadly, she doesn't realize the sorry implications of her name, and no one is brave enough to tell her otherwise. So, the joke kind of goes on behind her back.

"Ay Boss!! Dere is anoder passage down ere... I tink I can ear something." one of the orc warriors calls out.

The collective of the half dozen souls left alive stop their searching and make their way to the broken passageway. There before us is a strange room with a woman floating about the floor. She looks to be orcish.

"I sense a great power in the room, also a great evil" one of the other Blood Elves, a priest named Azzara, says.

"He he ha! Less go down dere boss, maybe dere is big fat treasure." the eager Orc warrior says.

I collapse on the floor, trying to catch my breath from the previous fight.

"No, we are done. It took us a week to get this far, and most of the outfit is dead or dying. Besides, Calmfury looks like the fight has been knocked out of him" Squish says.

I snort at Squish with disapproval, but in truth, I am relieved. This expedition has been frought with peril along the way. It has been my job to turn to a bear and fight each of the monsters we have encountered in here, while others attack it from behind or at range. Naturally, in this task I have been beat to all hell.

"Everyone, finish gathering treasure. Afterwards we will tend to the dead and wounded. I hope we can make it out of here tonight, and tommorrow we will divide the treasure." Squish calls out again to everyone. This time her words are met with a rousing cheer from the survivors.

"CALMFURY!!!!!!"

A ghostly voice cries out in what I first think is in the room, then I realize is in my head.

"CALMFURY!!! WHY DO YOU RUN!!!"

Despite my fatigue, I rise up and look back into the mysterious room. I can see the orcish woman floating in the air, her arm is raised and she is pointing at me.

I snort as I feel the anger rise in me again, giving strength to my limbs.

"CALMFURY WHERE IS DIOGENES!?!?!"

I stand frozen in place, puzzled and bewildered at what she just said to me. Who is Diogenes?

Suddenly, I feel a piercing jab in my mind. Before me the room melts away and grows dark. I roar with terror, but to no avail, it seems I am alone in this place. Then, light pierces the horizon and I see a grassy field before me. It looks as though I am in Mulgore.

In the grass, I see a human running for all he is worth. On his face is not the smug, arrogant expression I am used to, instead he looks terrified.

In the distance I hear a howl!!

The human looks as though his clothes are ripped and tattered, and he is not wearing any shoes.

Then, from over a grassy knoll I see a massive wolf running across the grasslands. He is black and ferocious looking with glaring yellow eyes and a foaming maw filled with rows of sharp teeth.

Suddenly, the man sees me and turns to run directly at me. Meanwhile, the wolf quickly closes in on him.

What am I supposed to do? I don't care about any human, I certainly won't do a thing to help him. If anything I'll enjoy watching him be torn apart by the beast.

The human falls before my feet and screams at me in his awful language. I feel the rage well up in me and in an instant I turn to a feral lion. How dare this waste of a life step foot in our lands. It was pigs like him that brought this war to us, it was him that tried to kill my beloved chieftan, it was him that killed my mother!!

With a furious roar I pounce on the human. My claws tear into his soft, pink flesh so easily. He screams in agony while I joyfully disembowel him on the spot.

As I revel in the smell of his blood and fear, the human looks up at me and manages to say something.

"You were supposed to save us from him"

Silence once again falls on the plains of Mulgore. The wolf is gone, and all that is left is me, the shattered remains of the human, and the howling wind.

"Naw boss ees dead. I git a share of ees treasure. Har har har!"

"Quiet, he is not dead, I can see his eyes opening" I recognise the voice of Azzara.

My eyes slowly open and I can see that I am on the back of a wagon filled with looted weapons, gold, silver and artifacts.

"Ahh goot. Hee can walk from ere. Im tired of pullin ees gutz around."

I sit up and see several of the mercenaries pulling the wagon I am on. It seems we are somewhere near the entranceway to this Titan city.

"Calmfury, lay down and rest." Squish says from the back of her Hawkstrider. "We are going to need you soon for our assault on Icecrown. By tonight we will be at the Argent Tournament grounds for a celebration."

All I can manage to say is no, before I once again fall unconscience.

pt 12 On the road to Orgrimmar

It doesn't make any sense to me. Yesterday my Master was upset about something. He didn't say what it was, but I know he saw something out in the valley the night before. After speaking to the Elder, my Master was furious. He told me to get our bags and we left Mulgore. He wouldn't talk to me about it. In fact, he wouldn't talk at all. Nor would we even ride our mounts. We just walked along the dusty road in silence.

I like the Barrens. Some of the other orphans would say that it is a nasty desert, but I think it is beautiful. The animals that graze in the endless fields sometimes make me laugh. Lions that sleep in the midday sun on their backs with their legs in the air, or Thunderlizards that make fart sounds when they swallow the loads of grass they stuff in their mouths.

I sorta wish there was some way that I could grow up and study wild animals. I like nature things alot. Maybe I can talk to the Elders and become a druid someday.

"Meekha, hide now!" my master exclaims.

We stop in our tracks on the winding road. Ahead, I can see a pair of riders coming up from a gully. Immediately, I jump into the nearby grass. My master stands openly in the road, making no effort to hide or even defend himself.

Soon I hear the sounds of the approaching riders. Then, my nose is accosted by a wretched stench.

"Har har har!! Look wut we got ere Slasher, its dah mighty Calmfury himsewf." One of the riders says. I dare not peek out from the grass.

"Weel, I tink weer in luk today Gore, Calm ere is a wunted basturd. Weer gonna git paid big fer iss hide."

My master continues to stand defiantly in the road.

"Slasherjoe and Goregreedy, what a sorry sack of crap you two make. Did Garrosh send you to kill me?" my master snorts. The urge to peek out is great, but I must obey my master.

"Har har har. Yer funny fer a big, dum Tooren."

"Naw, wee wurnt sent by Garrosh. Dah boss sent us. Yoo know, dah elf gurl that leeds the Merk outfit. She wunts us ta go tu some titan city to steel some artyfacts."

Both of the riders talk like the Orcs I remember in Orgrimmar. Though one of them sounds like he has alot of nasty goo in his throat.

"I'm guessing you mean Ulduar right?" my Master asks.

I can see from my hiding spot that my Master has relaxed. He stands in the road with his brow furrowed, pondering the situation.

"Aye Calm, weer is littul Meekha, ave you been treating er alright?"

Me?!? Why would this stranger ask about me? The suspense it too much to resist, and I sneak a peek out of the tall grass.

There standing in the road are a pair of orc warriors on the backs of two ferocious looking black war bears. One orc carries a gleaming spear and looks like one of the most handsome and mighty orcs I have ever seen. The other looks old and decrepit, his armor is covered in cakes of blood and gore and a swarm of putrid flies circle the air around him. The very sight of him puts terror in my heart. I slink back into the grass.

"She's doing well Gore. I told you not to worry about her, or even ask about her anymore. We have a pact remember?" my master says forcefully.

The one he calls Gore manages a sickening gurgle for a response.

"So Calm, wuts dah plan, you comin wit us or ar wez gonna aff to club ya ova dah ead and drag ya to Dal-a-ran?" the handsome Orc says.

My Master replies "No, I'll go... I wouldn't want you bags to work too hard. Tell Squish that I am comin. Speaking of that did you ever tell her what her elfin name means in Orcish?"

"Har har har! Naw, we didunt. Eets too funny ta say nutin about eet." Gore belches out.

"Ahw, comon Calm, jist go wit us. Dat way we can git paid da fat loot she promised us"

"You'll get paid Slasher, I'll make sure of it. Now get going. I'll catch up." my Master pauses as they turn their bears around headed back to Orgrimmar "Hey one more thing. Where did you guys get the war bears? I heard they were being trained for a special project."

"Oh, har har har!" Gore replies in his disgusting voice. "Garrosh is givin dem out ta any Horde dat attack dah umie cities. Slash and I got ers fer bashing in some eads. Eets grate fun Calm, yu shoult git yers sum time."

My master stands in silence on the road as the pair ride off to the north. After they are out of sight I crawl out of the grass.

"Master, why did that Orc ask about me? Does he know me or something?"

My Master turns to me and softly replies. "No Meekha, you don't know him. Just forget about him."

pt 11. There's something about Charibdys

Life has basically returned to normal in Thunder Bluff. Despite the fact that many of our beloved neighbors are gone, the mood of the survivors is not what you'd expect from a city that has been attacked by foreigners. Such is the way of the Tauren, our faith in the Earthmother, along with our indomitable nature, see us through whatever hardship we are called to endure.

Today, I have decided to rest in my lodge. I have started a fast to cleanse myself and to focus my energy towards balance.

"Elder Hamuul, I need to speak with you at once." Calmfury exclaims as he barges into my lodge.

He seems agitated and angry, a hint of the rage he struggles with simmering on the surface, a characteristic so foreign to the Tauren.

"Welcome Calmfury, please sit and smoke a pipe with me" I say in a soothing tone.

"Elder, there is no time for this!" Calmfury exclaims "I have found a traitor in our midst!!"

A long, tense moment passes as we stare at one another. I can see he is breathing hard, and his fists are clenched like he is ready for a fight.

"Calmfury, please sit down and we can discuss this." With a motion of my hand I dismiss my two assistants.

The angry bull sighs heavily and sits down before me. It is important at times to maintain a sense of order and tradition, even in the face of treason, or at least the threat of such things. I load and light my new wooden pipe. Calmfury takes the pipe and inhales a deep dose of the sacred tobacco, instantly I see the angst melt from his countenance.

"Now, please tell me what it is that disturbes you Calmfury."

The young Tauren looks at me impassively for a moment.

"Elder, last night in the valley I tracked a stranger through the grasslands. When she stopped on the far side of the valley I realized it was Charibdys and she as carrying the body of one of the Alliance raiding party that attacked us."

As he speaks I can see the anger rising in his eyes again. I am such a fool, I sent her down to bury her friend when I knew Calmfury was resting in the valley. It didn't even dawn on me that they would come across one another.

"Calmfury, are you certain it was Charibdys?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Yes Elder, she dug the grave for the Night Elf hunter I remember killing the day before. She buried the invader in our sacred soil. She also spoke like it was some sort of funeral. She called the Alliance elf her sister!!"

Oh no, of all the Tauren in Thunder Bluff it was Calmfury that we did not want to know about Charibdys's secret. I am afraid there is no way to hide it now.

"Turak!" I call my assistant.

"Yes Master!" he exclaims from the doorway.

"Find and bring me Charibdys at once!!"

I take a smoke from my pipe, savoring the rich flavor, before I pass it to Calmfury.

"Elder, what I don't understand is why she would do this. Charibdys has always seemed.. uhm, foreign to me. Shes not like other Tauren. Was she raised in Mulgore? I dont remember her has a young calf at all."

I pause for a moment, dreading what it is that I have to say.

"Calmfury... you shouldn't be so quick to judge her. You don't know the complete story." Again I pause, trying to decide just how to explain this situation. "Calmfury, do you know much about the Emerald Dream?"

"I know enough, I know what you taught me about it" he replies cautiously, as if he is sensing that something is wrong.

"You remember that druids sometimes seek a deep slumber, to disconnect from their bodies and to seek a deeper understanding of the Dream and of the way of Balance."

Once again I pause to smoke from my pipe.

"There was once a human, a mage from the Kingdom of Gilneas, of all places. He sought out us Druids to seek a cure for a curse that was placed on him by an associate who betrayed him. It was a curse of the flesh that changed him into a mindless, uncontrollable monster. He thought that our mastery of shapeshifting would help him overcome or even control the change."

I hand the pipe to Calmfury again. As I do, I see Charibdys enter the lodge behind him. Her face is saddened and drawn, even from here I can see her hands trembling. Turok must have said something to her.

"This mage, we could not help. We even instructed him in the ways of our kind. But, each night he would be overcome by the rage. It was then that we offered to help him into the Emerald Dream. Once in the sleep, he would be free of the curse while we sought a cure for him. However, something happened to him, he came back from the dream but in a different form."

"In different form?!? What do you mean?!? Are you saying that Charibdys is this human in disguise?!?" Calmfury exclaims

Charibdys takes a seat across the lodge from us. Close enough to hear our conversation, but far enough away not to be noticed.

"No Calmfury, that is not what I am saying at all" I sigh " What I am about to tell you only the Elders of the Druidic order know. I expect you to tell no one else."

Once again I pause and take a deep breath, wondering to myself if this is the wisest course of action.

"After this happened there was a Night elf Druid by the name of Charibeth Mooncloud that came forward to research this mystery. She sought out the advise of a Green Dragon named Dreamtracker, who guards a mysterious portal at a place called Seradane in the Hinterlands. With what he told her, she was able to traverse the Emerald Dream and come back as a Tauren, the Tauren we know as Charibdys."

Silence settles across the lodge. Calmfury sits quietly with his brow furrowed, deep in thought. Finally Charibdys stands and breaks the silence.

"Calmfury, I came here to seek a greater understanding of the Tauren. Not to betray you but to seek peace between our people. To prove that we are closer to one another than anyone could believe."

The hulking bull rises from the ground his muscles twitch with what I can only assume is anger. He turns to face Charibdys.

"Calmfury!" I exclaim "Charibdys is not a traitor, she is an ambassador. Can't you see that she means us no harm?! She helped you kill someone that was dear to her in defense of our people!!"

"She was my little sister, Elder Hamuul, and I am sorry to say that she was a fool to fall for the lies that are leading us to war. She paid for her foolishness with her life." Charibdys says softly, her head hanging down in shame.

Still, Calmfury stands there, staring at poor Charibdys with abject hate in his eyes.

"Calmfury! You will not harm her! Do you understand?!?" I yell commandingly.

The howl of the wind outside the lodge are the only sounds, their haunting moan adding to the tense standoff.

"Yes Elder Hamuul, I will not harm her as you say. But I don't have to trust her!" Calmfury finally breaks the silence. "I have one question though."

"Of course, what is your question." I say cautiously.

"Is this journey through the Emerald Dream what you meant when you said that you wanted to place people in the midst of the Alliance to prevent a war?" Calmfury says menacingly

"Yes it was Calmfury. It is a longshot but it may be our only way."

"And is this why you wanted me to enter the Emerald Dream?"

I hesitate with my answer, I am not sure he is ready for what I am about to say.

"Yes, young Tauren, it is. We want you to go as Charibdys did, as a sort of ambassador for your people"

Calmfury turns his head towards me. I see every ounce of rage and hatred he holds in his tortured soul painted across his face.

"I told you then, and I'll tell you again. Never in a thousand lifetimes will I betray the Horde. Never!! If you and the other Elders wish to walk this path of idiocy, you will do it without me. I am done with you all!!!"

With that being said, and the sting of his hateful words settling on me, Calmfury walks out of the lodge. Once again silence fills the room, as I wonder if I will ever see him again.

"Elder, I am sorry I brought us to this" Charibdys says in a broken voice. I see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Charibdys, it is okay. I am sure that fate has something else in store for Calmfury, his story is not finished." I ponder the situation for a moment. "Charibdys, I want you to follow him, he may yet need you."

Horror washes across her face at the thought.

"Yes Elder I will do as you ask" Charibdys replies as she slowly turns and walks out of the lodge.

Poor Charibdys, she is the child of two worlds. Perhaps she will never again belong to either one.

pt 10 with friends like these

A festering stink hung in the air like a foreboding storm of decay. Biting flies and crawling maggots covered his armor along with a thick layer of dried blood and diseased bits of flesh. The orc calling himself Goregreedy sat like a monument of filth, contrasting with the serene gardens of the city of Dalaran. By his side, an immense ancient maul, it too covered with the wretched gore of a thousand battles.

Of course, no one else was able to stay very long in the garden. But, that didn't matter to him. Goregreedy was a Death Knight, master of disease and decay. Once an unwilling servant of the dreaded Arthas, before that a proud warrior of the Horde. Now, he lives is life one day at a time, working for whomever pays the best, a mercenary. These days, he plies his trade both for the Horde, whom he once loved so much, and a mercenary band calling itself Bloodlust.

"Aye Gore, wut are you doing ere you nasty bastard?!" another Orc makes his way across the defiled garden. This one is a fine specimen of his race. Large and powerful with the face that could kill a kodo where it stands.

"Har har har!! Slasher, wut brings you to the umie city you dirty dog?" Goregreedy says in a phlegm filled voice.

Slasherjoe is a proud warrior of the Horde. He got his name from a human named Joe that he came to know in a prisoner camp in the Borean Tundra. The story goes that the now presumably dead human tried to plead for his life from Slasher, who was assigned to keep prisoners in line for exchanges with the Alliance. While begging he tried to speak to Slasher in Orcish. However, the word he used for mercy came out as the word Slasher, he loved it so much he adopted it.

"Has da boss showed up yet? Shee said shee was gonna meet wif us dis afternoon ere in da garden" Slasher says through his gleeming white tusks.

"Wut? da boss said shee wanted you ere too?!" Goregreedy replies "Uf dat slimy ittle elfling thinks shees gonna orda bowf of us around shees got anodder ting comin!!"

Like a razors edge, a stern voice cracks through the air. "What exactly is it that I have coming to me Death Knight?!?"

The beautiful Blood elf noble walks out from behind a nearby statue like a graceful pillar of strength and power. Quickly, the two orcs spring to attention.

"Oh, boss its goot to see ya. Oh, me and Slasher wer talkin about anofer elf boss we know, not you" Goregreedy manages to reply.

The timeless elf surveys the pair for a moment with her stern, unyielding gaze.

"Have either of you seen or heard from Calmfury?" she breaks the tense silence.

Slasherjoe speaks up. "Uh, no Master, no one has eard from eem in a few weeks. Evah since em and Garrosh faced off. I heard that da Garrosh had em cut in two and fed to da Worgs."

"No, I eard that da Taureen ave em hiding in Thunda Bluff" Goregreedy says with a smile.

No emotion plays across the Blood Elf nobles face. She stands in silence like the nearby marble statues.

"I want the two of you to go to Thunder Bluff and find Calmfury. Bring him here immediately! I don't care if Garrosh wants him dead. Bloodlust recruited and paid him in advance to help us with our assault on the Titan city of Ulduar. Do what ever it takes to bring him to me here in Dalaran."

"Uh, yes boss. Weel go now and bring him back." Slasher says confidently.

The two orcs break ranks and head directly for the portals back to Kalimdor, as the noble watches with cold, distant eyes.

"We will penetrate the defenses of Ulduar and unlock its secrets. I need all the strength and ferocity you can give me Calmfury, Guardian of Cenarius."