"Are you sure it's safe?" A soft voice inquires from a Sin'dorei woman standing at the bottom of a trail, her tangerine-colored hair brought up into a high ponytail. The road leads up a hill, and further along stands a myriad of travelers: an armored orc man, a well-dressed goblin woman, another, lighter-haired elven woman, and a female tauren. The tauren, who had an overly sized backpack strapped behind her, beckons the inquiring elf forward.
"It's alright, Khisanthra. Please, come on. We're almost there."
"C'mon, toots!" The goblin pipes up. "We coulda' been makin' s'mores by now!"
"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" With a quiet huff, Khisanthra Sunspire makes her way up the trail, doing well to avoid any stray twigs or rocks that may trip her. After a few moments, they make it to the top of the hill; and what a view! Tall mountain trees, white, wispy clouds floating against a clear, blue sky- yes, this was what they had hoped for. At the very top of the hill, there was a small clearing surrounded by trees and foliage, as if the section of land had been deliberately shaped to make the perfect camping grounds. There were logs fitted around a circle, perfect for sitting on, and the perfect spot for a fire right in the center.
"Ey!" The goblin woman, clad in a fitted, purple suit and bedazzled sunglasses, nudges the arm of the orc. "Go get us some firewood. Time is money, and we aint payin' you to stand around and look pretty! Even if you are..., musculah'." She reaches for one of his arms, attempting to squeeze it- though he jerks and swats her arm away with a grunt.
"Ey!" The goblin woman, clad in a fitted, purple suit and bedazzled sunglasses, nudges the arm of the orc. "Go get us some firewood. Time is money, and we aint payin' you to stand around and look pretty! Even if you are..., musculah'." She reaches for one of his arms, attempting to squeeze it- though he jerks and swats her arm away with a grunt.
"You're not paying me to do grunt work. You hired me as a bodyguard, since none of you know how to fight off unwanted wildlife." He lowers himself to a seated position, leaning against a tree. "I'm staying here. Enjoy your..., leisure." The brutish warrior pulls out a flask, taking a brief swig before letting forth a loud, unruly belch. The tauren, at the other end of the camp, had already begun prepping the fire as the two Sin'dorei women sat on one of the logs and began to indulge in chatter.
"Where did you meet him, anyways?" The blonde asks, gesturing back towards the orc with a tilt of her head.
"I was helping Gravy out in Orgrimmar- tending to the inn, serving drinks..., and I overheard him talking about looking for work. I figured it may be a good idea to bring some muscle around, you know? Do you remember what happened when we were heading down to Ratchet, and that hyena took Libsi's hat?"
"I was helping Gravy out in Orgrimmar- tending to the inn, serving drinks..., and I overheard him talking about looking for work. I figured it may be a good idea to bring some muscle around, you know? Do you remember what happened when we were heading down to Ratchet, and that hyena took Libsi's hat?"
"Oh, don't even get me started, honey." The goblin plops down on the log beside the other two, removing her purple heels with a relieved sounding sigh. "Why would I wanna buy a brand spankin' new hat, when I had that gorgeous chapeau? It's not my fault the hyena led us right into a lion's den! Did you see that hat? Can ya blame me?"
"One would think you would have let it go when the hyena dropped it and the lion started sniffing it." Khisanthra shakes her head. "We could have been dinner."
"That was my property! I defend what's mine. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Like what you should be doin' with that Commandah' Alorisomethin. Go and claim that hunka' elf-meat."
"Hush, Libsi! Khis doesn't need to be going after a married man! Some..., military type."
"Enough, you guys! Stop bringing that up, okay? He's not ever going to notice me!"
"I brought you guys here to appreciate the beauty of these mountains, not to gossip." The tauren, who had just lit the fire, sighs as her nostrils flare. "Though I suppose I should have known better, bringing two elves and a goblin."
"Thank you for bringing us here, Natalu. Stonetalon is really breathtaking, especially up high." Khisanthra smiles, gesturing for Natalu to sit; she does, settling in on the adjacent log.
"Yea', until the orcs cut down all the trees." The goblin turns her head, looking towards the lazy-looking orc and sticking her tongue out for a moment.
"And who's helping with that?" The blonde remarks.
"Yea, yea..."
"Stop fighting, you guys. Natalu, will you tell us that story, again? About The Charred Vale?" Khisanthra looks to the tauren hopefully, hands smoothing out over the fabric of her pants.
"Ah, yes...The Charred Vale. Well, a lot more of the forest has been, 'charred,' since the day that Deathwing came. But long ago, there was another that set fire to this land." The femme-cow pulls a small sack from her belt, rising to stand over the fire as she reaches inside and procures a handful of bead-like rocks. She tosses them into the fire, the flames churning and rising. From her lips, a chant begins. The native Shu'halo language fills the air as the smoke and fire takes shapes, first depicting a lush, untouched vale. "The Vale was a great Southern forest, guarding the entrance into the desolate lands below. Birds, critters, and all the forest's creatures revered this land and called it home." As she speaks, the shapes shift and display the various animals mentioned. The onlookers stare in awe of the shamanistic showcase. "Though a powerful witch often visited the The Vale. She would come and admire the wildlife, and walk through the trees to find some solitude." A witch appears in the fire, radiant and smoldering like a molten goddess. "She was beautiful, and the envy of all who knew her. This witch had a lover, and she often brought him into the wood. But one day, she came to visit The Vale, and her lover was there with another woman."
"Another woman? Whata' scandal!" Libsi clasps her hands together in her lap.
"I have shown you this beautiful vale," The witch said. "Why have you betrayed me and soiled this place?" The man had no defense." The fire begins to boil up from the bottom, the witch burning brighter and appearing enraged, throwing her hands into the air. "You have made it so that I can never enjoy this place again. And neither shall you, she said." The flames begin to rush over the smokey forest, engulfing it. "She set fire to the trees, and the air. Her lover and his mistress burned in the fire, along with everything else. From the ashes, the witch's children were born. The smoldering hatchlings that roam the charred earth. The witch left, leaving the land as scarred as she felt within." After shifting with each scene, the fire now begins to subside and die down, returning to normalcy.
"Do you think the witch ever comes back to the mountains, here?" Khisanthra looks to the tauren searchingly as the hefty femme-cow takes a seat.
"Legends call her, 'The Immortal Witch.' And many a tale speaks of her. I do not know if she returns to these woods, but many say that men who are unfaithful find their souls wandering The Vale when they die, slaves to the molten hatchlings." Natalu nods sagely, bringing forth a canteen to drink from. She passes it down the line, each of the campers taking a drink. The elven women look upwards, admiring the sparkling stars that were now painting a blue-black sky. The blonde leans over a little, speaking quietly to Khisanthra.
"If your Alorinis would have you, his soul would end up in The Vale too, don't you think?"
"I don't know about-..." Suddenly, an ear-splitting, gutteral scream fills the air. The group perks up immediately- the orc! They run towards the front of the clearing to find the armored grunt with his arms splayed around a tree, clinging onto it as if he were trying not to be pulled. Natalu is first to speak.
"What has happened here? What has frightened you so?"
"A g-...gh-...ghost! I saw a ghost! It was coming right at me, with a big shadow! It...it was tall, and had antlers! A fearsome druid coming to attack me!"
"How much have ya' had to drink, shugah?"
"Is this your ghost?" Khisanthra points towards the clearing at what was, evidently, a fawn. It snoops around the camp, sniffing the nearby foliage. However, the orc soon gives an enraged guffaw, and the small critter scampers down a trail.
"How dare you insult a warrior of the Horde! Insisting that I was afraid of some..., some..., baby deer!" He spits out at the campers as he speaks, causing them to grimace.
"Well..., was that what it was?" The orc punches the tree in his rage, splintering some of the bark around his fist before he makes a one-eighty and turns to stomp down the hill. The group gives a lighthearted chuckle. "Some bodyguard he turned out to be! Come on, guys. Let's go listen to some more of Natalu's stories."
They make their way back to the campfire, singing songs and letting the stories of Stonetalon fill their souls and enrich their hearts, - blissfully unaware of the eyes that were watching them from afar.
"I don't know about-..." Suddenly, an ear-splitting, gutteral scream fills the air. The group perks up immediately- the orc! They run towards the front of the clearing to find the armored grunt with his arms splayed around a tree, clinging onto it as if he were trying not to be pulled. Natalu is first to speak.
"What has happened here? What has frightened you so?"
"A g-...gh-...ghost! I saw a ghost! It was coming right at me, with a big shadow! It...it was tall, and had antlers! A fearsome druid coming to attack me!"
"How much have ya' had to drink, shugah?"
"Is this your ghost?" Khisanthra points towards the clearing at what was, evidently, a fawn. It snoops around the camp, sniffing the nearby foliage. However, the orc soon gives an enraged guffaw, and the small critter scampers down a trail.
"How dare you insult a warrior of the Horde! Insisting that I was afraid of some..., some..., baby deer!" He spits out at the campers as he speaks, causing them to grimace.
"Well..., was that what it was?" The orc punches the tree in his rage, splintering some of the bark around his fist before he makes a one-eighty and turns to stomp down the hill. The group gives a lighthearted chuckle. "Some bodyguard he turned out to be! Come on, guys. Let's go listen to some more of Natalu's stories."
They make their way back to the campfire, singing songs and letting the stories of Stonetalon fill their souls and enrich their hearts, - blissfully unaware of the eyes that were watching them from afar.
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