I have never felt as cold as I did on the trip to Winterspring. Kirden had laughed as we had come through the tunnel and I had froze. Literally, in my own mind. “Ah, lass, you really need to get a thicker skin,” he said, mounting his ram. When I still hadn’t moved, his bear Lager bumped me, nearly knocking me on my rump. This just made the dwarf laugh harder.
“Oh, bugger off,” I had said, jumping on my grey mare. The two of us had heard of a series of hunts going on out of a goblin city called Everclear, and thought we’d give it a shot. We would never finish them, though. Once I had a nice thick coat made out of a couple of white bears I had killed, we got into it with some Furblogs, which turned into a running battle with them into owlkin territory, which led to us hiding in a cave that had opened up into a hidden grove. Inside, moving among the owlkin, were small white foxes. It had been months since I had seen anything like them, and they had brought a wave of homesickness I somehow thought I was immune to. I hunkered down near the grove’s entrance to watch them play in the moonlight.
I was halfway through the first watch when Kirden came up behind me. “I’m thinking the beasties we need to be worried about are gonna probably come from the other direction, lass,” he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turned to him, and resisted the urge to hide in his huge blonde beard. It was an urge I had been fighting for a while. I honestly wondered if I could just crawl up in it and disappear. The thought brought a little smile to my face. He shook his head, and looked out at foxes. “O’course, your mind is about a million miles away right now, though.”
“Yes,” I admitted. “I used to do this at home. Watch the foxes play. Of course, I used to do it out of a window, curled up cozy and safe.” As much as I love the outdoors, I would have sold my soul to be back up in that window, smelling Mom’s lamb and cabbage floating up from the kitchen, mixed with the sound of Dad’s ax in the distance.
I must have shown in my eyes, for my trainer patted my shoulder and smiled. “Lass, I know you were hoping to take home something more… exotic, but give it a try. One of those will be a lot less conspicuous when I do get you home. It’s not like everyone else needs to know where you got it. You and him knowing, that’s what counts.”
“A fox,” I murmured. “I don’t know…”
Kirden muttered something, and the big brown bear disappeared. In it’s place was a grey fox. It looked at me, looked at the dwarf, and rolled it’s big green eyes. Then it stood up on it’s back legs, and started dancing. I couldn’t help but laugh. Kirden smiled too, and handed me a mug full of something warn and strong. I could never figure out how he did that. “Anything that can make you smile in this forsaken world is worth it. Meet Laird, by the way.”
“A pleasure,“ I said, holding out a hand and the fox put a paw in it, as if shaking it. And then he fell over. Kirden burst out laughing, but Laird ignored him, staring at the entrance to the glade. I glanced back and started giggling uncontrollably. “By the light,” I managed to get out. This got the dwarf to look, and he actually rolled onto his side, holding his ribs with one hand, somehow managing not to spill a drop of mead with the other.
At the entrance, standing in a shaft of pure moonlight, a vixen was dancing on her back legs, twirling around, shaking her fluffy tail right at Laird. Laird had that dumb look males of any species get when they’ve been bowled over by a beautiful female. Once I got over that, she started to hypnotize me, too. When she stopped dancing, Laird yipped a welcome. The vixen took a step in, then stopped, looking at Kirden and me warily, and yipped at Laird.
Kirden managed to get himself under control. “Ah, lass, sometimes a companion will just fall in your lap. She’s coming with us when we leave, I’d put a keg on it. Question is, is she walking next to me, or you?”
There hadn’t been a question in my mind. I dug out some chillwind meat I had in my pack, and placed it between her and Laird. Then I gestured Kirden farther back into the cave as Laird started toward it. The dwarf raised an eyebrow, but followed me. Sure enough, in a few minutes the happy couple was enjoying a romantic dinner. I took out another piece, and placed it by the fire, and sat back down. They finished that one off, too. Then Laird looked at Kirden, and Kirden made a shooing motion. “ ‘E said they’ll be back later,” he said with a tolerant smile.
The repercussions of that hit suddenly. “Have you ever had a companion give birth?” I asked.
“Well, now that you mention it,” he said slowly, “no.” He patted my knee. “Good luck with that. Now, I think I’ll take over watch. You get some rest.”
I woke up later to a puff of breath in my face, and red eyes staring into mine. I lifted a hand, and she let me scratch her ear. Thanks for dinner, she said, leaning into the touch.
“Thanks for coming,” I replied sleepily. She licked my hand, went to curl up next to Laird, who was wearing a very male look of contentment.
I opened my eyes as Houndoom shifted against my legs. I didn’t need to sleep, and neither did Ariados, but the canines did, and I used it as an excuse to ‘dream.’ I simply let my mind go back to where it would, trying to find out what I’m missing. My newest dream brought up more questions than answers. How had ended up with a dwarf on the other side of the world, when leaving Gilneas had been strictly prohibited, let alone how I got back in.
It didn’t matter, though. I was headed back across the wall, this time as a Forsaken special agent. The trip across the wall was uneventful, if you didn’t examine the fact that I was carried there by an angel of death, carrying a very unimpressed demon dog. I wasn’t real happy about it, either. This wasn’t how I planned to get back in, I’m sure of it.
There were worgen everywhere. It was my first thought as we set down. Plague wagons lined the main road in. A piece of me mourned, but I viciously pushed it down, and then mourned the need to do it. Sylvanas was paying me what I considered undue attention, and I was sorta enjoying walking around again. I just didn’t get it, personally. So I killed a few worgen. Bombed a few murlocs. Whoop-dee-do. We’d been doing that for years. Quite honestly, these troopers that couldn’t kill a worgen on their own were a waste of a conversion. Seriously.
Anyway, I didn’t want to have the Banshee Queen’s eyes start to look at me with hostility. And feeling bad about what was happening to my old home would probably not be looked upon favorably. The fact that I was quickly sent away from the main camp to check out the outlying stations was a relief. It gave me time to focus my anger and sorrow, as welcome as they were, out on the enemy. The Gilnean forces were certainly doing a number on us. I took a certain amount of satisfaction in that.
More than that, I got a look at the land and the animals. The white foxes were still around, taking advantage of the now free-roaming herds of sheep. The large mastiffs that the herders and defense forces used to use were running loose in singles and packs, attacking both the sheep and foxes, and occasionally one of the combatants.
The worgen were fierce fighters, I’d give them that. Two of our three outposts were destroyed, everyone dead again. The third was different, and actually had me up in arms. Only one survivor, and it wasn’t the Gilneans that had destroyed this station. His account of the raid, and the prejudice that came with it, made my green blood boil.
“Alliance forces here?” I asked, incredulous. Houndoom looked back from where he was watching our backs. That’s not good, he said to me. I sent him a mental ear scratch.
“Yeah, I know,” the cowering commander said. “We’re screwed. It’s the seventh. They’ve been involved in every major defeat the horde has had.”
“We aren’t buggered yet,” I assured him. “Stay here and stay down.” Without a look back, Houndoom and I jumped out of the ruins and headed for the main city. Once I was out of hearing distance, I reported in. My new mission was simple. Go get the battle plans from the heart of Cathedral Square, which was crawling with Alliance marines.
Finally, a challenge, Doom said, eagerness filling his voice. I could see the excitement rippling though the muscles on his back.
“We’ll see,” I said. So far, none of my missions had been a real challenge. But then again, I was never solo. Doom held them down, and I picked them off. It might be a little more challenging, urban warfare, but we’d see.
I chose to avoid the main gate, instead taking a shortcut over the moat. Right as we were about to enter the city, I saw a large white shadow moving near the wall. A part of me reached out, a sudden yearning overcoming me. Houndoom grabbed my hand in his teeth, bringing me back to the present. I shook my head, and when I looked back, the shadow was gone. I turned back to the mission, and maybe a little lesson for the bigot that commanded the alliance forces.
Two hours later, I was leaving Gilneas, all thoughts of stealth being replaced with self-preservation. The commander and a good chunk of the first wave was dead, but that wasn’t what had us running full bore for our entrance point. The alliance fleet was here. It was all a matter of time before we were over run. I planted my feet and aimed for the last defender between me and the relative safety of the wall as Doom ran up and pinned him to the ground. The marine fell dead, and then we were out and headed to pick up the survivor.
We are sooooo buggered, Houndoom said as we ran along.
“Can’t argue with that,” I agreed. “We’ve-”
I was hit from the back, knocking me over. Doom leapt to my defense, all teeth and claws. The white fox threw up a dust cloud, blinding him for a second. And then she- she?- jumped into my lap, licking my face. It’s you it’s you it’s you! she exclaimed, wiggling and making happy little noises. My arms went around her, and I buried my face in her fur, too thick for this region of the world. “Ah, Espeon,” I said, holding her close, everything forgotten as my connection to her was flushed clean of the taint of death and distance. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Laird, luv?”
Laird’s dead, she said, somehow cuddling closer. Kirden couldn’t bring him back. He was too far away.
I blinked, opening my mouth to ask a thousand questions. Ask them later, Doom said, pushing Espy off me and yanking on me until I was on my feet. Now we run.
We didn’t stop until we go back to the forward base. We barely got a chance to catch our breaths before we were off again, this time accompanied by the base commander, and the Val’kul that had brought me. Bolstered by the alliance fleet, the worgen were running in packs five deep, and now I knew my real reason to be there. They wanted Godfrey, the traitor. Or at least his body, which meant all of him to Sylvanas. Godfrey was brilliant, as far as I could tell. If he could be trusted, he’d be asset.
The battle to the beach was rough. I was glad for the help to get to our target. As we looked up at the force that was descending to the beach after us, I felt regret. I could carry my companions, and the Val’kur could carry a person in each hand. For whatever reason, the commander had decided that I was to be flown out. It was the wrong decision in my mind. I watched him ready himself for the attack as Godfrey’s corpse and I were lifted into the air, and then he was out of sight. The trip was more annoying than the first, because this time I had two uncomfortable companions hanging from me. Espeon was wrapped in my arms, Doom in my legs. I squeezed tightly, and concentrated on them. After forever, we finally landed, but we still couldn’t slow down.
I got the honor of watching Godfrey and the others be reborn, then was sent to Ambermill, and then to the Sepulcher, in order to take care of the mages supporting the Gilneans. Doom kept Espy and me on focus, especially any time her time with Kirden and Laird even hinted at coming up. I was grateful for the break while Dawnweaver examined the book.
Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in, Ariados said as we walked into the stable. I thought you had abandoned us.
I meant to, Espeon said. But Kirden had troubles. He couldn‘t find Laird, so he sent me to find him. But I couldn’t find either of them, so I came back. But then I couldn’t find you, until now.
“He didn’t wait for you?” I asked, shocked. I couldn’t believe he would just abandon his companion, or mine, for that matter.
He said he was needed too much in Khaz Modan, and he couldn’t wait for us any longer. But he wanted us to try to find him there. She tilted her head and looked at Mightyena. My, you’re a tall one.
Mighty sat up and puffed out his chest, his tongue lolling out. Hello to you, too, little one, he said, before relaxing. And where have they been hiding all my life?
I just shook my head at the playful banter. I turned to leave, when Espy said So when do we leave?
“When we get our orders,” I said, confused. “Why?”
No, I mean for Redridge. That’s were I saw Laird last. We’ve got to find him, she said, her big red eyes pleading with me. I heard Aria explain to the guys what Redridge was, and the following demands for me to be smart, reasonable, and not suicidal. I agreed with all of them. And yet, my orders still hadn’t come in…
Redridge, here we come. Damnit.
