Baine marched ahead of him, dressed in a relaxed but
dignified robe that indicated his status as Chieftain. Kelraxus did regret his hostility to his
friend, especially in the Tauren’s own home, but the image of the great warrior
garbed for politics only solidified Kelraxus’s convictions. The world had indeed moved on, and it felt
more and more like a place he did not belong.
It was this notion, more than any risk to his physical person, that gave
him reservations about Baine’s request.
All the scenic peaceful vistas in the world could not bring back the
life he once had, nor could they quiet the song of war in his blood. He flexed his hands and took a quiet, deep
breath. Reservations were for the weak,
he told himself.
Baine stopped and turned back to him for a moment. If the Chieftain held some annoyance or grudge
at Kelraxus’s manners earlier, he didn’t show it.
“This is your last chance to say ‘no’, my friend,” Baine
said.
Kelraxus looked him the eye and let silence reply.
Baine nodded and entered the hall, Kelraxus a step behind.
Inside the feasting hall, twelve Tauren sat at a round
table. Messy platters of food lay strewn
about on the table, with scattered goblets and tankards placed wherever their
drinkers could find room. Hearty
laughing and sarcastic grunting punctuated conversation as friends and
respected acquaintances caught each other up on world events and entertaining
anecdotes. A fist hammered into the wood
of the table, shaking plates and drinks, as one hefty Tauren bellowed his
enjoyment of joke. This was the side of
the Tauren that the other races hardly ever saw, a side most didn’t know
existed. The world thought the Tauren to
be brooding and reserved, qualities that combined with their size to make them
appear hostile. There was some truth to
that, but Tauren forged friendships and bonds harder than Orc steel as well,
and amongst good company, they enjoyed themselves as much as any raucous
greenskin. The sight provided a spark of
warmth to Kelraxus, but he waved it away before he let himself want to join in.
But it reached out to the warrior instead. Mugs and mutton raised in salute to the
Chieftain as the assembly acknowledged their leader without the pretense of
some lordly court. As Baine stepped
aside and revealed Kelraxus, eyes widened in confusion and surprise. One Tauren, slimmer and more athletic than
his fellows, stood before any could say a word.
Kelraxus recognized him immediately, and despite himself, smiled.
“You damned dirty cow,” the slim Tauren said, stepping away
from the table and rounding it eagerly.
He strode straight up to Kelraxus and embraced him with a bear hug that
the warrior could not help but return.
“Vothaga,” Kelraxus said, using his friend’s name as a
greeting. “How were the snows?”
“Baine had to order me back here,” Vothaga answered. “When this business is finished, I’m taking
you north to hunt drakes with me. And
Tanuka females.”
Kelraxus chuckled at the thought. A thought occurred, and he looked around.
“Where is Buho?” he asked.
“No point in keeping him cooped up in here,” Vothaga
answered. “He’s out hunting. Harpy, probably.”
Kelraxus nodded in understanding before another voice drew
his attention.
“Acknowledging that calf before me,” the voice said. Kelraxus turned and found the speaker to be a
seated elder shaman that he had known since childhood.
“Such disrespect,” the shaman said with a wry smile.
“Brahmaruk,” Kelraxus said, nodding with slightly
overemphasized politeness.
“Good to see you, boy,” the shaman said. “How’s your sister?”
“A child of the storm,” Kelraxus replied. “I had hoped to see her, but Baine tells me
she’s already off with wind.”
“Sounds about right,” Brahmaruk agreed. “Are you here to join in our merry little
quest?”
“He’s here to lead it,” Baine answered.
All eyes turned to the Chieftain, who had worked his way to
his own seat at the table.
“Kelraxus, please sit,” he said, and the warrior obliged.
Baine reclined in his seat, as if determined to convey the
information in a relaxed fashion.
“Brothers,” the Chieftain said, “I have to be serious with
you now. As I am sure you are aware, Hellscream
has sounded the horns of war. A new land
is discovered, and Garrosh intends to make it a battlefield. If it were within my power, I’d tell him to
go to hell and take this fight with him.
But I swore the oaths, as you all did, and I will be damned if I take
even a single step back from my word.
And there is my problem. I cannot
leave – not yet. I need some of you to
fight in my stead. I know many of you
have obligations here, and you have my word on this – no Tauren will be seen as
a coward for refusing this ‘honor’. But
if you do not answer this call, then the whole of our people must go and spill
our own blood in a strange land that has done no wrong to us.”
Baine paused and took a drink from his tankard.
“Who will answer the call?” he asked.
“I will,” Kelraxus said, surprised at the reassurance and
hint of enthusiasm in his voice.
“As will I,” Vothaga said not a moment after.
“I will answer,” another Tauren said. Kelraxus turned and saw a tattooed individual
with braids and miniature totems adorning his body. He looked slightly unfocused, as if his
attention were divided between the feasting hall and something no one else
could see. He was likely one of the Cenarion
Circle, Kelraxus guessed. The warrior
nodded at the druid, who smiled in return.
“I will answer,” another Tauren said. He was a strange Tauren, with a manner that
seemed entirely too peaceful for Kelraxus’s liking. His clothing was foreign and covered in
symbols that Kelraxus had never seen.
Moreover, he had more empty tankards in front of him than any other
person present, and he did not show any hint of being intoxicated.
Rather than inquire, Kelraxus looked around the table and
saw the rest of the Tauren doing the same.
They seemed to be waiting for someone else to speak. There was reluctance in their eyes, for reasons
Kelraxus assumed were varied and, to his mind, insufficient. He found a bad taste in his mouth as he
realized no one else at the table was going to speak up.
“We will answer,” a voice said, cutting in from outside the
tent. Kelraxus turned with the rest of
the Tauren, something unsettlingly familiar about the voice putting him on
edge.
Three more Tauren stepped through, a male flanked by two
females. Emotions set aflame in his heart
and went to war. His genuine happiness
to see the females was matched only by his anger at seeing the male. He rose from the table suddenly, knocking his
chair over as he did so. The females,
who had looked at him with warmth, became wary of his temper. The male’s eyes flicked over to him for a
brief moment, then went to the Chieftain, dismissing his display.
“Kelraxus, please sit down,” Baine said.
The warrior relaxed his muscles and temper slightly but,
rather than sit, he rounded the table and went up to the first of the
females. He forced his face to show his
gladness to see her, and she did the same.
They embraced tightly.
“Lomana,” Kelraxus said, naming her and letting the sound of
her name remind him that there was still something for him to look forward to
here. She was thin in his arms, as she
had always been, but what she lacked in brute strength, she made up for in
grace that many felt was unnatural for a Tauren.
She kissed him on the cheek and managed to whisper something
into his ear in the same moment.
“Behave, brother,” she said.
Kelraxus didn’t reply.
He stepped past the male, intentionally ignoring him, and greeted the
other female.
“Angalla,” he said with more warmth as he embraced her. Where Lomana was elegant and tall, Angalla
was strong and direct. She carried
herself with a deserved bravado that was instantly challenging and energetic. And yet, for all her traditionally forthright
manner, she too whispered into Kelraxus’s ear.
“Do what sister says,” she said.
Kelraxus didn’t let her see the rolling of his eyes. He turned away from her and looked at the
male. The male’s white fur were quite
the contrast to the browns and blacks in the room, as were his steely silver
eyes. When Kelraxus met those eyes, he
looked for an excuse to hit the male. To
his disappointment, he found none and returned to his seat. The Tauren around them looked on with a
mixture of interest and wariness.
“Arathane,” Baine said with a smirk, addressing the
male. “Thank you for answering the call.”
“No,” Kelraxus said flatly, in a tone daring contradiction.
Baine looked at him with the first hints of frustration in
his eyes.
“I serve at the Chieftain’s discretion,” Arathane said,
looking at the Chieftain.
“He can stay here and preach about the Light to his heart’s
content,” Kelraxus said with a dismissive gesture. “We will have no need for sermons on this
voyage.”
“Or he can decide for himself,” Baine said, glaring at
Kelraxus.
Kelraxus’s head inclined in distasteful understanding.
“You knew about this,” he said, practically spitting the words. “You asked me to lead this fight, knowing
full well he wanted to add his name to the honor roll?”
“Kelraxus,” Baine said, but the warrior wasn’t finished.
“Damnit, Baine,” Kelraxus said, his voice rising. “What else haven’t you told me? You ask these Tauren to go to war for you,
and you can’t even be open with us?”
“Kelraxus,” Baine said, his own voice shifting into a warning. Kelraxus pressed past it, pointing a heavy
finger at Arathane.
“His skills in battle are questionable at best,” he
said. “His loyalty to the Bluff even
more so. I was asked to tolerate his
taking my sister’s hand, but you will not ask me for this. I will not put my life or the lives of other
good Tauren in his hands.”
“Kelraxus!”
The name burst from two throats, hitting him hard enough to
make him flinch. He turned to the
sources and found his sisters glaring at him for doing the exact opposite of
what they had asked.
“Thank you,” Baine said politely to the two sisters, before
turning to Kelraxus with authority. “Your
objections are noted, and I don’t give a Quillboar shit about your issues with
Arathane. You gave me your word, and he
has answered my call. It is done.”
Without another word or looking any other Tauren in the eye,
Kelraxus stood and stormed out.
+ + + + + +
He heard the footsteps approaching him. They sounded at a steady, light pace, totally
different from the platter bearers who had been keeping their distance from
him. He did not need to look to know who
was nearing.
“Save it,” he said. “We’ve
been over this before.”
“And yet,” Lomana replied, “you never listen.”
“I am happy to see you,” Kelraxus said, turning to face his
sister.
“And?” she asked. “Is
that supposed to make up for your tantrum in there?”
His brow furrowed.
Her tone was even, conveying her serious displeasure without showing a
hint of anger.
“Angalla wanted to come out here and smack your teeth out,”
she continued. “And since you haven’t
seen her fight lately, I can tell you it’s no idle threat.”
He turned away again, running a hand over his scalp.
She spoke again, putting a hand on his scarred shoulder and using
the soft tone that always managed to find the chinks in his armor. Her touch instantly helped to calm him,
albeit slightly. She was the only person
he would tolerate such a magical intrusion from.
“Your heart burns,” she said, almost sorrowful. “I know your rage has served you in the past,
but you cannot let it smolder. There is
no need for it here. You are not amongst
enemies.”
He lowered his head, letting her power soothe its way into
his body. Part of him rebelled at the
thought of letting his guard down and of letting someone in this close, but he
forced that part into silence. He turned
and hugged his sister, grateful for the moment of partial peace.
He chuckled, mostly to himself, but loud enough to get her
attention.
“What?” she asked.
“Of all them, you had to marry him,” he said, his tone
humorous but with a pinch of bitterness.
She looked at him with mild chastisement, telling him she
was not to be drawn further on the subject.
“I’m going to get some sleep,” he said, letting go of her
and starting down the path.
He paused and turned back with a fresh thought in mind.
“Actually, can you ask Angalla to meet me at the Circle?” he
asked. “I could stand to lose a few
teeth right now.”
+ + + + + +
“First blood?” he said.
“Third blood,” his sister answered.
He saw the frustration in her eyes, but as was ever the
case, Kelraxus could not help but rise to the challenge.
“Afraid you might need an extra chance?” he goaded.
“I just want to hit you more than once before you back down,”
she hissed.
He flexed his hands around the twin wooden short swords in
his grip. Angalla spun the twin leather
maces in her grip as she rolled her shoulders.
“Rather hard to draw blood with a training mace,” he said.
“Like I said…I want to hit you,” Angalla said with an angry
smile.
Without warning, she launched herself forward. The last time they had sparred in the Circle,
she had been wild and undisciplined, unable to focus her battle fury into
anything productive. Enough to overwhelm
a mediocre opponent, but all too weak against a trained veteran. This time, she moved like lightning – direct
and incredibly fast. Her first blow, a
right handed cleave, went up and down before Kelraxus realized what was
happening. Only his natural combat
instinct saved him from first blood and likely concussion by throwing his body
back out of range. The second strike was
a left uppercut that came in far quicker than her momentum should have allowed
for. He punched down with his right
sword to block, but was amazed at the power he felt when wooden haft met wooden
blade.
The air around them began to rise in temperature, the
elements reacting to her mood. He
stepped aside and let her flow past him, only to be surprised again when she
spun on her heel and struck with both hammers in a sweep across her body. He blocked again, the power of the strike enough
to stagger him a single step. He pushed
back against the hammers and she rode the counter, spinning the other way. He raised his swords to block another sweep,
but she lanced out with the head of her left mace and jabbed him straight in
the snout, breaking bone and dislodging several teeth. With a grunt of pain, he recoiled and stepped
back, shaking his head to clear the sudden white flashes in his eyes. They disappeared just as the right mace
connected with the side of his face, blasting him with a solid impact and
ejecting three teeth from his mouth.
Kelraxus dropped to one knee, his head reeling. His vision returned in blurred afterimages, a
jumbled mess slowly resorting itself into coherence. When it finished, he saw his sister standing and
holding one mace. The other weapon, the
one that had just been introduced to his head in abrupt fashion, lay in broken
ruin next to her. He dropped his swords
into the dirt with deliberate show.
“I yield,” he said, his mouth already starting to swell.
“Third blood, remember?” she said.
He stood and walked clumsily over to where his teeth had
fallen. He picked them up and held them
out for her to see. Each one had a stain
of blood on it.
“Third blood in one hit,” he said with a pained
chuckle. “Has to be some kind of a
record.”
“Coward,” she said, tossing the other mace away.
“I can’t fight you seriously,” he said. “You’re too important to me.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Your excuses are hard to understand through that bruised
face,” she said, her tone still angry. “And
if I’m so important, why the hell didn’t you do what I asked in there?”
“You don’t understand the history,” Kelraxus said. It was getting increasingly hard to talk.
“I don’t care about the history,” Angalla barked. “Lomana knows it, and she married him. Does that tell you nothing?”
“It tells me she is more forgiving than I am,” Kelraxus
said.
“It’s telling you that you’re a stubborn fool,” she
spat.
He let silence hang between them for a moment.
“Do you feel better now?” he asked.
“Much,” she said with frustration.
He reached forward and hugged her. She returned the gesture without hesitation.
“I should club you more often,” she said. “It’s cathartic for me.”
“I’d like to keep the rest of my teeth, thank you,” he said.
She released from the hug and looked up at her brother.
“One day, you have to let it go,” she said.
Angalla turned and began walking away.
“And you still have apologize to our Chieftain,” she called
out as she left Kelraxus alone with his thoughts.
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