How Rendir met Salaina (3 part short story)

[Quiv]

This story is about Rendir, male Blood Elf beast master hunter, and Salaina, female Human marksman hunter. Their daughter, Aylee, is not in this story.

This is my first real attempt at offering any of my writing to public scrutiny, so it is a bit daunting. I am a very novice writer, and at this point I am more interesting in perfecting the content of the story, more than the formatting. I also don't know the meaning of the word "brevity" so its a bit long and clunky, but here ya go. Reserved two more posts for part 2 and 3, which are coming a little later today.

PART 1 - The Finest Tavern in the World

"Ugh... Didn't you used to hate jungles?"

"Oh I still do, but there isn't a place in the world like Booty Bay."

"And what is so great--" Salaina has to stop talking to dodge a low hanging limb, "--about Booty Bay that you drag me half a world away?"

Rendir stops for a moment to consider Salaina's words, and looks back at her.

"Have you really never been to Booty Bay?"

Salaina shakes her head innocently, only to renew Rendir's zeal to reach the port town quickly.

"Then you are in for a treat! Granted, it is in a bit of disarray since the shattering, but it is still as lively as always!"

With that, Rendir grabbed her hand and broke into a near sprint. Salaina had no problem keeping up with his pace, only his fervency she lacked.

"There, I see the jaw!"

"The jaw? What are you--"

"The jaw is the entrance into the town," Rendir said as he came to a slow and pointed ahead. "See? Just there."

"Hmm, I see it."

Both walked up to the giant set of bone jaws encompassing the entrance to Booty Bay. A couple of bruisers stood guard, grunting and snorting as the couple walked past.

"Whattya lookin' at? Looking for trouble?" the bruiser spouted toward Salaina.

"Oh um no, sorry.." she responded in shock as Rendir chuckled to himself.

"Everyone is friendly here, but watch the bruisers. They may not have the best of manners, but they keep the order in this town well."

As they emerged from the other side of the entrance tunnel, Salaina looked at the sprawling town in amazement.

"Wow, this is incredible."

"You should have seen it when it was in its prime. If it wasn't for this humidity, this place would be perfect."

"Why do you like this place so much Ren?"

"The drink, the food, the people. So many people come through here, lots of interesting stories and tales to be heard. You'll see soon enough, I have quite the character in mind for you to meet."

Rendir led Salaina down the path to the other end of the town, heading toward the Salty Sailor Tavern.

"Wait, Ren... there..." Salaina points to a boat that had come to rest on some trees on a cliff side above the town. "...how did they get that boat there?"

Ren chuckled again, "They didn't. I have heard that a huge wave hit the town. That is merely part of the devastation." Ren points at various bits of destruction around the town. "It suffered a hard hit."

"I see." Salaina looked around more as they continued walking, the initial glory of the town giving way to the broken shape it was truly in. Workers were everywhere, the banging of their hammers drowning out the cries of the gulls.

"Here it is, the best tavern you will ever set foot in."

Rendir and Salaina walk into the busy tavern, even at mid afternoon it was alive with boisterous sailors and workers.

"Ahh there's Mangorn, just the dwarf I want you to meet. Mangorn, hail!" Rendir waves at the barkeep.

"Aye Laddy! Go ta' see ya again!" Mangorn and Rendir shake hands hardily like old friends meeting after a long absence.

"I want you to meet Salaina, my wife."

"It be a pleasure to finally meetcha, lassie, I've heard much about ya."

Salaina looked at Rendir shocked, then back to Mangorn.

"Nice to meet you to, Mangorn, this is a nice place here."

"The best tavern in these waters, aye! Come now, I have a table just fer ya!" Mangorn walked them over to a table with 3 chairs, 1 of which occupied by a goblin in a brew induced slumber.

"Off with ya, Glumb, ye been squatting too long! Paying customers we got here." Mangorn said as he shook Glumb from his chair.

The goblin roused, mumbled something and staggered toward the corner. Soon, he was slumped again and fast asleep.

"Aye some of these goblins cant hold their liquor!" Rendir laughed with Mangorn as he and Salaina took their seats. "So what'll it be boy?"

"Your finest junglevine, and tell me you have some fresh firefin back there."

"Aye, we got a fresh load just this morning! The usual then?"

"For both of us, I want to show her the best eating in the world."

Mangorn walked over to the bar and poured two drinks, and headed back to their table.

"The snapper will be out in a moment, aye!"

The drinks sloshed a bit onto the table as Mangorn sat them down and rushed off to help other patrons. Rendir immediately grabbed his drink and took a large gulp. Taken up with all the merriment of the tavern and meeting his old friend, he hadn't yet noticed Salaina was sitting very still, very quiet. Her hands on her lap, she looked around in a bit of a stun.

"Its a bit messier than I expected." She finally said, causing Rendir to laugh a bit.

"Yeah, that's true. Its not the fine dining of Stormwind." He remarked with a bit of jest. Salaina smiled, and finally took her drink. She gave it the smallest of sips, Rendir watching intently to see her reaction, hoping his gambit wouldn't be a complete failure.

"Ooh that is good." She said, and took a bigger sip.

"Ha ha! I knew you would like it. Mangorn!" Rendir yelled, "She likes the junglevine!"

Mangorn, along with several other tavern goers lifted their glasses in acknowledgement, along with a hearty "Aye!"

"You still seemed shocked, Salaina. Do you not like it here? We can leave, it really wont be a problem."

"No no, it isn't that, Ren," Salaina said, placing her hand on his. "I just... wasn't expecting to see this side of you. I am so used to Rendir, weight of the world on his shoulders. Its good to see you so full of energy and life. Reminds me of the dwarven bars back home I used to visit."

"Bars? You?"

"I guess there's still plenty we don't know about each other." Salaina said, smirking as she took another sip.

"Firefin up! Mind ya heads, laddies!" Mangorn announced as he walked up to the table and laid down two plates. On them, a firefin snapper recipe that Salaina had never heard of. A stein of stout and a third plate, with what looked like a shank of pork, was placed at the third seat, and Mangorn plopped down to join his friends.

"I know ye'll enjoy that." Mangorn said as he took his stein. Rendir nodded in agreement and took a bite of his own.

"So, you never told me, how did ya snag such a beauty as this? It isn't often we be seein' a human and a blood elf walking together, even in Booty Bay, what with the wars going on and all."

Salaina started shaking her head, "No.. don't let him tell that story. He always embellishes, makes it sound like he is some hero, and me some helpless wanderer."

Rendir, laughing, replied, "Would you rather tell the story of how I saved you from the jaws of a devilsaur then?"

Mangorn let out a belly laugh, "A devilsaur ay? Sounds like some meeting!"

Salaina conceded and let out a playful sigh, "OK go ahead, I know how much you enjoy telling the story."

[Quiv]

PART 2 - The Tale of a Hero and a Helpless Wanderer

Rendir took one final sip of his junglevine wine, and set the cup aside.

"Well, ever since I discovered I have a gift to subdue and tame some of the most primal beasts in the world, I have wanted to try it on a devilsaur. I have heard stories of hunters being able to bring the beasts into submission, and have them as pets, much like a wolf or a lion."

"Aye, I have heard such myself. Never thought there was much truth to it though." Mangorn added.

"Well, apparently there is," Rendir continued. "But Un'Goro was simply to far away for me to just visit on my own. It was then that chance stepped in with an opportunity I simply couldn't refuse. A travelling expedition to Un'Goro was recruiting for crystal collection. I signed up, seeing it a perfect chance to take the trip. It was with a rough group of goblins, but it was my only shot."

"Get on with it boy! I want to hear about the lassie, not the snotty ol goblin!" Mangorn interrupted. Salaina laughed to herself a bit.

"I told you, Mangorn, he embellishes any story he tells."

"Can I finish the story please?" Rendir pleaded.

"Aye, if ye can finish it before the young lady passes child bearing age!" Rendir sighed and laughed a little himself.

"OK OK I will jump to the good part. I had been there about a week, and only had one sighting. It was a magnificent devilsaur, its skin was a rusted brown, and its roar was majestic and loud. I wanted to try to subdue it, but I saw a nearby nest, and as much as it pained me, I knew I best leave it alone. So there I was, in the middle of this hot humid jungle digging up crystals, day after day, when... "

--------------------------

The sound of running faintly crossed the air. Rendir looked up from the hole he had been digging. The jungle around him was thick, too thick to see anything. He thought he had imagined it, so he turned his attention back to the hole. Then he heard it again, this time closer. Still nothing could be seen, so he closed his eyes and focused on listening. He was stationed in a bit of a clearing near the southern edge of the crater, and figured at first this was one of those pesky silithids from the nearby hive. This sounded like footsteps though, not chittering legs or buzzing wings.

Suddenly from the edge of the thick jungle burst a young human woman running at full speed. Something like rope and a hook shot from her hand, grabbing onto lower hanging limbs and retracting to pull her off the ground, allowing her to swing short distances and gain that much more speed.

It was then that Rendir took note of the other sound, a much heavier thumping. It wasn't long until a devilsaur burst from the spot the young woman emerged from. It wasn't an adult, but not an infant either, and it was a striking black color, one he hadn't seen before.

Rendir jumped up, slung his staff around his back, and starting running along side the devilsaur, staying far enough away to not grab its attention. He kept an eye on the woman, watching as she flawlessly used the grappling hooks to weave through the clearing. It was then he noticed her take a bow off her back, and while keeping pace, notch an arrow, and shoot at a low hanging branch, causing it to break and crash down. She leaped over the branch with no effort, but caused the young devilsaur to take a short detour around it.

And she was fast to. Rendir could barely keep her in sight. That was until she made a mistake.

Shooting the hook from her hands, it latched onto a low hanging limb, but caused it to snap. It was too late to see she had made an ill choice, and she went tumbling toward the ground. Rendir, picking up his pace, saw the devilsaur bearing down on her. This was it, this was his chance.

He jumped from the path he was running on, and came closer to the creature. He put his fingers to his mouth, inhaled, and let out a piercing whistle as his running came to a halt. The devilsaur immediately reacted, shaking its head violently, and coming to a stop itself. It looked around and saw where its torment had come from... a dirty elf standing by a clear spot. The young creature began to walk toward him, and that is when Rendir noticed the wound on the left side of his face. That would make this tricky.

Rendir slowly took the staff from his back, but never broke eye contact with the creature. Slowly the creature came within a few feet of him. It was an awkward moment as the devilsaur and Ren locked eyes. Finally, the creature reared up and then lowered his head to let out a bellowing roar, as much as a young devilsaur could. Rendir quickly reacted, lightly smacking the creature on the right side of the face. It flinched.

That is when Rendir felt it, the faint warm red glow surrounding his body as he could feel the beast within. His eyes, normally a glowing green, became a red color. He reached out his hand and walked toward the creature, who stood motionless with eyes locked on Rendir's. The beast lowered his snout, and Rendir touched it, and with that the glow wore off. He had done it, he had subdued a devilsaur, albeit a young one.

Rubbing the snout of the creature, Rendir noticed the young woman walk up, but keeping her distance. As soon as Rendir turned his head, so did the devilsaur, who then turned and growled at her. Rendir gave him a quick tap on the nose with his staff, and a stern "No." and the devilsaur rested it's hostility.

"Beautiful, isn't it." Rendir remarked toward the woman.

"I didn't need your help, you know. I was fine on my own." She responded.

"Oh clearly," Rendir spoke in jest. "You were outpacing this little guy by quite a piece."

"I was just checking on his wound. I-I was trying to help him." She reasoned further.

"Oh sure sure. Running in panic from a rampaging creature is a world renowned human healing technique." Rendir couldn't hide his smirk as he sarcastically remarked. The young woman however did not find it to be so funny.

Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched. In a mere moment, she had drawn her bow and had an arrow pulled taut aimed right at Rendir.

"I didn't need your help, and I certainly don't need your lip."

Rendir ducked under the devilsaur's tail and pretended to use it's body to hide behind. "Yeah but if you kill me, that means this guy will get loose... then what will you do?" He replied, his smirk still showing. The woman's eyes widened this time, and her nostrils flared. She hooked her bow to her back and began to leave, clearly frustrated by Rendir's bantering.

"Wait, come on, don't leave!" Rendir pleaded. "This guy still needs help. He's hurt, remember?" The young woman came to a stop as Rendir reminded her of the devilsaurs condition. He could see her shoulders heave in a sigh, as she reluctantly turned and came back toward the creature. She opened a small pack on her hip and drew some cloth and an ointment. She slowly neared the creature, and gingerly applied the medicine.

"You're good at that. Must know what you're doing." Rendir spoke as he watched her dress the wound.

"When you've been around as many priests as I have, you tend to pick up a few things." She replied, short and to the point. "There, finished. It wasn't as bad as I thought."

Rendir watched her as she put her things away. He knew she wanted to stay with the creature, so he stood close by it the entire time.

"We need to get him to Marshall's Refuge. I know a few people there who can watch over him." She said.

"Watch over him? Hes cut up a bit, but he looks OK." Rendir patted the side of the creature. "Hes strong, I can tell."

"His mother was killed recently, some stegadons have trampled his nest. I suspect that is how he got that cut. I can take him from here, you can go back to whatever it is you were doing." She said as she tried to get the creature to move, but it wouldn't budge.

[Quiv]

cont...

"Im afraid we're a bit of a package deal." Rendir remarked, a bit more arrogant than he meant to. The young woman rolled her eyes and finally conceded.

"Fine, you can come to." and the two began to walk the devilsaur north.

"You want to ride him?" Rendir asked. The woman was taken by surprise at the audacity of the idea.

"Ride a devilsaur? Assuming he wouldn't throw me off immediately, there's still no saddle, and hardly nowhere to sit. Are you out of your mind?"

"Well..." Rendir began to reply as he slowly walked behind her. He grabbed her by the waist and effortlessly hoisted her onto the devilsaurs back between the second and third spine claw. She let out a shocked and agitated yell.

"...it wouldn't be the most comfortable ride, but its doable."

"Who do you think... You can't just pick someone up like that." she said angrily.

"Oh calm down, enjoy the ride." Rendir replied.

"Listen, you goofy little elf, you are getting on my last nerve."

"Come on, if you wasn't in such a bad mood, you might have a nice conversation with a new friend." Rendir heard her huff at the idea, clearly still agitated at him.

"So... what are those little hook things you were using. You had some nice moves."

She didn't reply.

"You don't have to talk," Rendir continued, "but I guess that means I will have to talk for both of us. I'm Rendir, and I'm supposed to be down here looking for--"

"My father was an engineer, he made them. Happy?" She finally relented.

"Yeah, but engineers can't train you to do the kind of shooting I saw you do. That was perfect form." She tried not to blush at Rendir's compliment.

"I was trained in Darnassus by some of the world's finest marksman." she gushed. "And you, how did you learn to tame devilsaurs? Who did you train under?"

"It just sorta came naturally to me, I don't know."

"That figures." she replied condescendingly.

They continued on for a bit, making awkward but progressive small talk. It was a little while, they reached the tar pits and stopped just shy of the path up to Marshall's refuge.

"We need to take him to Mairai WindHaven, she is here helping with the wildlife in the crator, I know her from Darnassus." the young woman said as she jumped off the devilsaur's back. Rendir nodded. "I wish I could keep him, he is beautiful." she said as she stroked his snout. For the first time, the creature returned the affection by nuzzling up against her. She smiled and laughed, much to Rendir's delight.

"See, he does like you. See we're not so bad after all. And hey, you can laugh and have a good time. I knew it." As much as she tried not to, it caused her to smile more, and she looked at Rendir, for the first time locking eyes with him. She quickly looked away.

"I never got your name."

"Hmm, I never gave it."

"I see..." Rendir replied, his disappointment showing.

"Leave him with Mairai, I need to be going. I will check on him later." she said, breaking the awkwardness.

"So that's it, huh? I save you and that's it?" Rendir asked, hoping to get another rise out of her.

"I suppose I can thank you for the help walking him back, but you didn't save me." She reached out her hand to shake his. "So thanks."

Rendir smiled, reached out and took her hand, but swiftly pulled it back. The woman spun around and Rendir caught her, leaning her back a little.

"You're sure that's it?" He smiled looking down at her, but she was having none of it. She smacked his chest, and released herself from his hands.

"You sneaky little... just when I thought you were decent and normal.. of all the cocky people I have ever met..." she continued to rant as she stormed off toward the refuge.

Rendir walked up beside the devilsaur, patted him on the side. "Nope, that's definitely not it."

It wasn't long till he saw a gryphon take flight out of the top of the hill, and Rendir noticed it was her. He walked the creature up the path, and asked for Mairai.

"So you're Mairai. The young lady said you could help us with our friend here."

Mairai smiled, "And you're the elf she was going on about. You must have done something to set her off like that."

Rendir laughed a bit. "Yeah we had a moment."

"I bet you did," Mairai replied. "So what do you want to name her?"

"Her? I thought it..."

"Its a her, a young female. If you want to claim it, you have to name it." Mairai continued.

Rendir thought for a moment. "Do you know her name, the lady that left?"

"Yeah, Salaina. Why, she didn't tell you her name?" Mairai responded in surprise.

"Of course not, you saw how angry she was. I'm surprised she didn't send a volley of arrows on me as she flew to Tanaris."

Mairai's confusion was enough to make Rendir take note. "Why is that shocking to you?"

"She was heading to Desolace, and uh-- nothing, no particular reason."

After a few more moments of Rendir thinking, he finally answered.

"Salaina."

"Salaina? Yes that was her name."

"No, for our pet. I want to name her Salaina. And Desolace, you say?"

Mairai sighs. "I don't suppose she told you that either. She is not going to be happy with me when she gets back. Listen, be careful with her. She has been down here for the better part of a year trying to tame one of these things and failing over and over. Imagine how it must feel for her to see you come up and do it with no effort."

Rendir smiled at her. "I'll be careful, don't worry. So... how does one go about getting a gryphon ride around here?"

----------------------------------

"And that's pretty much it." Rendir concluded. "Well, I could tell you how I chased her all over Desolace and saved her again, this time from those lightning stompers out there, but I can see the sun is setting. We mustn't be late for the evening boat."

"Aye, it'll be making port here within the hour." Mangorn confirmed. "That's a charmin' tale ya got there. Warms me heart to hear it!"

Salaina laughs a bit, "Well if you want to hear the real story, I will tell you when we come back."

The three got up, Mangorn gathering the empty dishes and taking them to the back, meeting up with the couple out front again a moment later.

"It was real good to see ya again, Ren. Ought not be such a stranger!"

"I will come again when I can, old friend. Thanks again for your hospitality."

"And it was all my pleasure to be meetin ya, Salaina. Nary a sunrise has such beauty as yours."

Blushing a bit, Salaina replied, "You're too kind, Mangorn. I hope we can come back soon."

With a hearty handshake, the two walk toward the pier and the boat dock waiting for the evening ship to arrive.

"Ren, would you want to move here? You really seem to like this place." Salaina offered.

"Oh no, I can't stand this climate. This would make for a rough place to live and raise a family, pirates and all. I think I will stick with visiting."

The sound of a bell filled the air as the ship slowly pulled into dock. Not many were coming aboard, so Rendir and Salaina were able to pick the best of rooms below deck. After settling their packs, the went to the top deck, found a spot and sat against some barrels watching the sun set as the boat took off into open waters. Salaina nestled into Rendir's chest, putting his arm around her.

[Airwyn]

Oooooo sounds interesting! Can't wait for parts 2 and 3

[gigandetsgirl]

Oh my gosh, I love it so far! Rendir and Salaina seem so real, I can just picture them. I can't wait for more!!

[Quiv]

PART 3 - Behind Those Blue Eyes

The sea was calm that evening. Rendir and Salaina were nestled together watching the sun set over the horizon, talking about this and that. Soon, conversation winded down, but a burning question wouldn't leave Rendir alone.

"Salaina... telling that story again reminded of me of something I have been meaning to ask you."

"Oh yeah?" Salaina replied curiously, as she shifted herself to look up at him. "What's that?"

"You've never really told me how you ended up being raised by those Night Elves."

"Ooh." Salaina shift back how she was, her head on Rendir's chest, facing the sea.

A few moments of silence passed, and Rendir noticed her hesitance with the topic. "It's OK, Salaina, you don't have to get into it. I will wait for as long as you need." And he kissed the top of her head to reassure her. "I am content just sitting here with you." For the next 10 minutes, nothing was said.

"My father, Thomas, was an engineer." Salaina finally spoke, breaking the silence. "He made a good living selling his inventions, my family lived comfortably in Stormwind. His job was demanding though, he spent more time in Ironforge with the tinkerers than in Stormwind." Salaina shifted a bit to get more comfortable.

"My mother's name was Aymee, she was a priestess in Stormwind, and for years was a priest teacher. She took on a small group of up and coming priests would teach them everything she could. It was tradition to take each class on a journey to Darnassus, to meet and study with the priestesses of the moon for a month. Most groups simply took a mage portal to Darnassus, but not my mother. She would sign for a boat to Theramore, and took the group by caravan through Dustwallow, north through the Barrens and Ashenvale, and took a boat from Darkshore to Darnassus. This was, of course, long before Auberdine was destroyed. My mother said getting these young priests out and seeing the world, as raw and wild as it is, was just as much a part of their training as learning to cast heals was."

"Doing things the long hard way, huh? At least I know where you get it." Rendir playfully interjected, trying to ease the tension. Salaina elbowed him gently.

"Moving on... It was thought that my mother was barren. For years they tried to conceive but were unable. So, a little more than 7 years before I was born, they adopted a son, my older brother Ranoll. However I was conceived naturally, and was hailed as a kind of miracle child. My parents loved Ranoll, but they clearly favored me. Mother stopped teaching the priests when I was born to spend time with me. That was, until nearly 3 years after I was born, my little sister was born, Aylee-Anne."

"Beautiful name."

"She was beautiful." Salaina continued. "But she was terribly sick. We hired a house keeper to help with the chores, as my mother had her hands full with two very young children, not to mention Ranoll, who was about 10 when Aylee-Anne was born."

Rendir lowered his head a bit, "What was wrong with her?"

"Nobody knew. As good as a priest my mother was, she could not heal her. She even had a high priest check her, but it was simply incurable. As I grew older, I felt more and more responsible for my little sister. I would feed her, change her, help my mother as much as I could. I could tell it wore on my mother heavily, and with my father unable to be home much, I knew I needed to help. I was so young though."

Salaina's story briefly paused in silence. Rendir was captivated at finally hearing about her past, but was taken back a bit at her sudden stopping.

"Aylee-Anne died 4 days before her 7th birthday. I turned 10 a month later." Rendir was absolutely shocked to hear this, he squeezed Salaina to comfort her more.

"Ranoll had left to join Stormwind military 2 years earlier, so I was alone. I tried to take care of Aylee, I did everything I could, but it wasn't enough. My whole life had be centered around her. I didn't go out and play, I didn't meet friends, I stayed and helped Aylee."

Another moment of silence from Salaina caused Rendir to keep holding her tightly.

"My mother waited a year after Aylee's death before going back to training. Not much had changed in the discipline of priesthood, so she was able to pick back up quickly. However that year, when it came time for the trip to Darnassus, my mother insisted on doing like she always did and taking the long way. She was urged that a lot had changed in 10 years, Barrens and east Ashenvale were particularly more violent with faction war. Still, she insisted. Even one of her childhood friends, a Night Elf priest in Darnassus named Braeune, took a portal to Stormwind to try and urge her not to go, but my mother would not back down. Braeune tried to convince her to let her come, but mother told her it really wasn't necessary. In the end, my mother only allowed a single mage to come with her. Turns out they lied to her, told her it was law for a mage to accompany any caravan of a certain size. I doubt she would have relented any other way."

[gigandetsgirl]

Oh, Ren and Salaina are so stinking CUTE together! I love it so much I do so love Ren naming the devilsaur after his newfound love, and their bantering seemed so realistic! I can't wait for the last part but I'm sad it's going to end!

[Quiv]

Part 3 cont...

"She sounds like a strong woman." Rendir said.

"She was a stubborn woman." Salaina remarked sharply. "And it got her killed. Her caravan was ambushed a short ways into Ashenvale by some Horde peons."

Salaina shook her head and wiped a tear away. "She wouldn't listen, she just wouldn't listen. The mage that accompanied them had to tell me what happened. He told me that my mother saved them. She cast a strong power word... barrier I believe it was called, over the caravan. Only a few priests in the world at that time could do that. It allowed for the mage to port the students out of the war zone. The mage tried to get my mother in the portal, but she pushed him in instead. We assume she died out there. There have been a few trips back to the area, but there was no sign of her, or the caravan. No one really knows what happened, but I know shes dead. She was stubborn, and selfish, and it killed her."

"Wow, Salaina, I'm really sorry."

"No!" Salaina raised off Rendir's chest, "Don't you say that. It's her fault this happened. She couldn't heal Aylee, and she rushed out and got herself killed." and with that, the strong front broke as Salaina collapsed into Rendir's arms crying. Her anger and pain echoed in every sob. Rendir didn't say a word, just held her as tight as she would allow.

After a few moments, she composed herself.

"My father was grief stricken for several months after hearing of her death. He was gone more than usual, leaving me with the house keeper. I later found out he had been working on a way to strike back, avenge my mother's death. Apparently he had gotten his hands on some sort of... goblin explosive, an engineering schematic that even the gnomes didn't trust. He built it, and he and some rogues he paid made a trip to Ashenvale. He was convinced it was an ambush by Splintertree. My father and crew set up in the hills above Splintertree, and aimed the explosive device at the biggest building in Splintertree Post. The device backfired, however, and exploded on my father. He was killed, and the rogues were injuried. The Splintertree guards quickly finished them off. At that point, having lost my little sister and mother, I was too far inverted to care. It honestly felt more like a distant relative dying, since he was gone more than home.

Rendir was taken in shock. For another few moments, Salaina was silent while she gathered her thoughts.

"I was delivered to the Stormwind Orphanage soon thereafter, but I didn't fit in. I was much older than most children there. I didn't play, didn't talk much. It was Braeune that came for me, and took me to Darnassus with her. I knew Braeune from when she visited my mother, she was all the family I had then. I met her daughter for the first time then to, Mairai, who was a little older than me. Braeune was a priestess, but after what I had been through, healing was the last thing I wanted to do. So she introduced to me to the rangers there. I guess it was an escape for me because I poured all my time into training, practicing my precision and skill. I even got to train under Ravenoak for a week, that was amazing. Eventually my father's gold came to me, along with a bunch of his inventions... some good, some... not so good. I had been living alone ever since... well, until you saved me from that devilsaur." Salaina looked up and smiled at Rendir, a smile he returned warmly. "I guess... I guess I just saw a little part of me in that orphaned devilsaur, and I so badly wanted to help her."

"Thanks for trusting me with this. I had no idea you had been through so much, so much pain behind those blue eyes."

Salaina didn't respond in words, but laid her head back on his chest. The moon had begun to rise by now, and the air cooled. He felt a slight shiver in her body, and knew they should get below deck.

"It's getting pretty cold out here, we better turn in." He said as he began to shift.

"I think I'm ready for a family." Salaina casually announced.

"What?! Wait... really?" Rendir replied in shock. He had been wanting a family since their marriage, but knew she wasn't ready.

"Yeah.. I think it's time." With that, Rendir stood up, grabbed Salaina's hand and helped her to her feet. The moon hung low in the sky, but still bright, and reflected off the water. They stopped for a final embrace in the moonlight before heading down.

"If you're ready, I'm ready." Rendir finally said.

"Heya, this is a real touching moment youse guys got going on here, but uhhhh... youse gonna catch your death if you stay out in this cold sea air too long." Salaina couldn't help but let out a laugh at how off color the goblin deckhand's comment was, but they both knew he was right. They both hurried down to their cabin to turn in.

"Oh I forgot something up top, you go ahead and go to sleep, I will be back in a second." Rendir said as he headed back out of the cabin and up to.

He didn't forget anything, he just needed a moment to process everything he just heard. He leaned over the edge of the boat, looking at the waves of water below as the bow cut through it.

"You know if you fall overboard, these waters are as black as pitch at night, we might not ever find ya." The same goblin deckhand remarked as he made another round. Rendir thanked him for the word of advice and back off a little, instead resting his hands on the side and looking at the moon. Learning about her past, and now a family. It weighed heavily on his mind.

"Theres the Rendir I know, weight of the world on his shoulders." Rendir's concentration was broken by Salaina's voice. He turned around to see her wrapped in a blanket. Rendir smiled as she walked beside him, placing his arm around her. "I just want to take care of you the best way possible."

"I know, Ren. You're the only goofy little elf that could ever do that."

"Okay, but hey, don't say I didn't warn yas when you wake up in the morning wit all sorts of sickness." The goblin deckhand said once more.

Salaina laughed at him again. "You know, you're really ruining our moments here."

"I just don't wantchas gettin sick all over the deck is alls I'm sayin. I don't like cleanin' that up, ya know?"

"We'll be going now." Rendir said as they walked back down below.

They blew out the lamp, rustled under the blanket, and finally tried to get some sleep on their voyage. As they laid there snuggled close together, almost falling asleep, Salaina broke the silence one last time.

"If we have a girl, I want to name her Aylee."

[Quiv]

Sorry these sections are so broken up into many parts, I guess I didnt know I had this much to write xD

and thanks tremendously for the kind words. I just hope the story comes through, thats mainly what I am concerned with.

[gigandetsgirl]

Oh my gosh... I am just about speechless, that was SO wonderful! I might just be a sap, but you had me in tears when Salaina was talking about little Aylee-Anne. That gives their Aylee's name SO much more meaning now, I love it. Ren and Salaina are just so sweet together. I loved this story and I hope you write more about them soon!!!

[Silivren]

I really like this! I love the fact shes a human female too. Not many humans get love in wow truthfully.