[Vicky]

The following is a background story I wrote for one of my WoW characters. Enjoy!
Please be aware this story contains some violence.

*****

The swoop sensed death approaching the small, dark speck on the hard ground below it. Spilling the hot Barren wind from its wings, it spiraled down for a closer look. As it descended, it was joined by two of its fellows also attracted by the blood scent and the prospect of an easy meal.

Landing lightly for such gangly-looking birds, the swoops tilted their heads in interest and hopped closer. One swoop got within striking range of the carcass and the largest squawked in protest, pecking the upstart sharply on the head. Spreading its wings and cawing loudly, the smaller swoop scuttled back, but only slightly.

The bigger swoop glared balefully at its smaller companion a moment, then turned its attention back to the carcass. The scent of blood was strong and death stalked nearby. The swoop gave a raucous call, but the creature did not move. Gaining confidence, the the carrion bird moved closer and pecked sharply on a leg.

A hoof landed a weak, but solid kick in its side. The swoop scurried back with an outraged squawk. Fluttering its wings, it settled on a nearby rock to wait with its fellows. The three swoop rasped and cawed low in their throats.

Why do work when the Barren's sun would do it for you?

*****

A dimly felt stab of pain and awareness begins its slow journey back...

Her eyes blinked open slightly and her nose inhaled a familiar floral scent. Peacebloom. She smiled weakly as she tried to focus of the lone flower struggling up from the Barren's arid soil. Her vision swam and she
remained still, marshalling her senses to her. Where was she?

Her hide felt hot. She could feel the sun beating mercilessly down upon her. She could feel sharp rocks and
gravel digging into her cheek, side, shoulder and leg. Aches clamored for attention all over her body. And
her mouth...she felt as if she'd swallowed liquid fire. EarthMother! She was thirsty! Why was there such a
strong taste of copper?

New sound penetrated the buzzing din about her ears. Hissing, rasping, harsh birdcall. What was that?

The neigh of a passing Zhevra reached her ears and terror closed icy claws around her heart. Her breath
faltered and confusion swept through her. Why did that sound frighten her so? What had happened? But as
quickly as the thoughts slipped through her mind, came the realization that she didn't want to know.

She fled from the knowledge, but darkness overcame her, filling her mind with the thunder of hooves, neighing laughter and smoke and fire.

*****

"When I be tell'in Master Vornal I be want'in ta get away frum i'tall, 'dis not be x'actly wha' I had in
mind," Ajan grumbled as he trudged along the dusty road. The troll paused a moment to mop his sweaty brow and tried unsuccessfully to adjust his heavy pack to a more comfortable position. Irritated, he uncorked a waterskin, deciding it was a good time for a drink.

The cool water refreshed him somewhat and he ambled on, taking occasional sips. Looking up at the cloudless Barren sky, he continued his grousing. "Hey, up 'dere! Ya spirits! Dis not be funny, mon! I be want'in a break frum all dis train'in! Ya know? Jus' som'tin good on muh path fer once...Like a good mug o' grog an' mebbe a gal or two...or 'tree..." Ajan chuckled to himself, but stopped as something up ahead caught his eye.

Dark shapes flitted about another dark shape on the ground. Ajan squinted against the bright sunlight, holding a hand over his eyes. Swoops! And from the looks of things, they had found a carcass!

Ajan rubbed his hands together gleefully. Things were looking up! He didn't like to brag, but Ajan considered
himself to make the best Carrion Surprise around! Stringing his bow, he nocked an arrow and ran forward. He'd just drive off the swoops and dinner was as good as served!

He loosed an arrow and a swoop fell to the ground. Ajan grinned and let fly a second arrow. It struck another swoop in the wing. The bird squawked angrily and, true to its name, swooped toward Ajan, talons outstretched.

The troll quickly dropped his bow and made an acrane motion with his hands. A small ball of lightning flew
from his fingertips and struck the bird full in the chest. It collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Ajan turned to the last swoop. He glanced at the bow on the ground, then shrugged and let fly with another
lightning bolt. The swoop swept toward him with a challenging caw and Ajan swung his staff from his back,
landing a solid clout on its head. The carrion bird fell abruptly to the ground and was still.

The troll checked to be sure the swoops were dead and gathered a few feathers which he tucked away in a
pouch. His stomach rumbling, he turned to the carcass with a grin and stopped short.

This wasn't some Barrens gazelle or deer,it was a young Tauren female, barely more than a calf!

Ajan sighed and glared up at the sky. "When I be ask'in ya ta put a gal in muh path, dis NOT be wha' I had in mind!"

*****

Redcalf didn't realize the camp was under attack until she looked up to see centaur charging down the embankment of the stream where she was filling a jug with water. She jerked up to her hooves, the jug slipping unnoticed from her fingers. The painted clay vessel shattered as it struck the rocks and Redcalf crazily thought how angry Brave White Feathers would be over the loss of her favorite water urn.

As the centaur galloped across the shallows, water spraying from their hooves, Redcalf gave a frightened bleat, then turned and ran. Scrambling up the rocky bank, she raced down the slope toward the camp and safety.

But the scene that met her eyes was anything but safe. Centaur charged about everywhere, attacking the braves and shooting fire arrows into the tents. Already the camp was ablaze, even the great tent of Chief Stormcloud Grimtotem. Smoke and flame swirled through the air, choking and blinding her. Redcalf stumbled over something and fell. Pushing herself to her hands and knees she realized she had fallen on the corpse of a brave. Strikes Like Lightning! She stared in horror at the once mighty warrior. A great gaping wound traversed his chest from one side to the other. His mate Five Striders,lay dead beside him, several arrows embedded in her chest and side. A little further away, another brave, Crazy Wolf, lay dead as well.

Redcalf looked up at a great cry that echoed across the camp. Chief Stormcloud stood with his great axe, Skyfire, battling several centaur warriors in a whirling savage dance. Several Grimtotem braves tried to rush to his aid, but fell slaughtered by a hail of centaur arrows. One centaur slipped through Stormcloud's defense and landed a crippling blow to the fierce bull's leg. Redcalf watched her chief fall to his knees as
the centaur neighed and laughed, prancing around him. Chief Stormcloud Grimtotem roared once in defiance before a centaur axe took his head from his shoulders silencing him forever.

The young calf took flight then, knowing with certain clarity no safety would be found by remaining in camp. A centaur witch spied her trying to escape and galloped after, motioning for several centaur warriors to accompany her. Laughing, they easily ran Redcalf down. One centaur wrangler threw a lasso about her neck and reared back, snapping the rope taunt and hurling the calf to the ground. His hoof kicked her over on her belly,then pressed heavily onto her back. Another centaur knelt awkwardly and tied her hands tightly behind her back as the wrangler stepped away and jerked her roughly to her hooves.

The centaur witch trotted up, nodding with approval in her eyes. Her smile could not be seen due to her veil, but it was obvious she was pleased. She poked at Redcalf with her staff. "This one will do well indeed! She
has an unusual colored pelt for a Grimtotem." She grinned. "Put her with the oth--"

The centaur witch gasped as Redcalf kicked her staff, snapping it in two. Enraged, she advanced on the calf, swinging the broken staff in her hand like a riding crop. It struck Redcalf across the face, leaving a stinging welt. The eyes above the veil glared with hatred at Redcalf and the centaur drew her dagger. "Pretty hide or no, I think you die this day!"

"Hold!"

The group of centaur looked about, the witch included, and bowed. Warlord Dez'Karoth strode up in bloodstained armor and flicked his tail in annoyance. He looked about his clan members, spared Redcalf the briefest of glances and jerked his head toward the camp. "Put the calf with the others. Quickly! We must go before the fires attract curious passerby or reinforcements."

"But my lord," the witch dared to object. "The calf broke my staff. I must have revenge!"

Dez'Karoth waved her protests aside. "With the coin we shall receive selling these calves to the Bloodscalp or Skullsplitter Trolls, we shall be able to buy you a new magic stick, Shez'dal," he assured her, his tone patronizing. "Much better than the one you had."

The wranglers laughed. The witch glowered sullenly, but nodded. "As the Warlord commands," she rasped.

Dez'Karoth nodded curtly and trotted away. The wrangler tugged sharply on Redcalf's rope and headed back toward the camp. In despair she stumbled along behind him.


They tied her to a line of several other calves all looking as frightened and dispirited as she felt. They departed shortly after, the enslaved calves trudging along surrounded by their centaur captors.

As they left the camp, Redcalf glanced about, spying White Feather lying amongst the dead. She needn't have worried about dropping the urn after all.

*****

Redcalf struggled futilely as the wranglers drug her toward the centaur storm witch, Shez'dal. The equine
sorceress stood before a large flat stone, her eyes boring into Redcalf's own with gleeful malice. Shez'dal
motioned to the wranglers and they hurled Redcalf onto the rock, planting heavy hooves onto her small back.

Shez'dal looked down upon Redcalf and purred in a silky voice, "You were warned, young Tauren. When our group hid at the oasis, you were all warned to be quiet...very quiet. So as not to attract passerby and allow us to rest and refill our water skins." Shez'dal sighed and looked at Redcalf with insincere sympathy. "But you didn't keep quiet, did you?"

Redcalf stared up at the witch, her heart pounding in her chest. She shook with fright. She wanted to deny
Shez'dal accusation. It hadn't been her that cried out; it had been DarkHorn. But she knew Shez'dal was
perfectly aware of who had called for help before she'd had Redcalf taken away to be punished.

The storm witch grinned and motioned to the centaur guards. Strong hands grasped Redcalf's jaws and forced them apart. Redcalf's bleats of terror were abruptly silenced as Shez'dal grasped the calf's tongue and severed it with her dagger.

The guards released Redcalf and her head fell forward, pain consuming her. She struggled for breath as she
watched her blood spill out upon the dusty ground.

Shez'dal pranced about calling for the warlord. When Dez'Karoth appeared, she presented Redcalf's tongue to him with a bow. "Sweetbreads for you, my lord," she purred.

The warlord glanced down at the Tauren calf and suppressed a sigh. So. Shez'dal had gotten her revenge after all. He accepted the witch's gift with a nod as he pondered how to turn this loss into some type of gain. He motioned to some wranglers. "Bring the other calves! At once!" They cantered off to obey him.

When the young Tauren captives had been brought before him, Dez'Karoth turned to the centaurs standing by Redcalf's prone form. "Trample her!" he commanded. Grinning, the wranglers complied. After a few minutes, the warlord called a halt. He turned to the young Tauren cowering before him and brandished Redcalf's tongue in their faces. They shrank from him in fright. "Let this serve as a lesson to the rest of you!" he rumbled. "Any more noise! Any further disobedience or attempts to escape and you will meet the same fate!"

"We have tarried too long here already. We must go. Now!" Dez'Karoth motioned for the troupe to continue on its way, eyeing Shez'dal balefully and promising himself she would wait a long time indeed before her staff was replaced.

One of the wranglers intruded on his thoughts. "My lord? What of this calf? Should we bring her?"

Dez'Karoth stared at Redcalf's still form and bitterly thought of the coin he had lost due to Shez'dal's
thirst for vengeance. The stink of death was on the young Tauren. " Leave her for the scavengers," he said and trotted away.

*****

Ajan sat bolt upright and peered into the Barren night, his hand instinctively reaching for the dagger at his
hip. He'd heard something, but what? Ears straining for the slightest sound, he peered about, his eyes
adjusting to the dim light from his tiny fire.

His eyes fell on the young Tauren lying on a worn tattered cloak beneath a makeshift lean-to he'd made
earlier from a piece of leather and he remembered. Oh, yeah. The Tauren calf he'd found. After he'd cast what healing magic he could, he'd moved her here and made a lean-to to get her out of the sun.

He remembered all the hoofprints that had encouraged him to move her as well. Shod hoofprints...and way too big for an undead steed or an Alliance horse. Centaur. Ajan scowled. He hadn't really cared one way or
another about centaur before, but after what he'd seen they'd done to this poor calf...

He grinned a little thinking of the string of curses that had flooded from his mouth. It was a good thing the
calf had been unconscious! He hated the thought of her picking up that kind of language! Not that she could use it now, he thought with a sigh.

He moved to the calf and crouched beside her. Gently, he felt her forehead. She didn't feel as hot as before,
but still seemed overly warm to him. Her eyes opened slightly and the troll reached for a small bowl resting
on a rock near the fire.

"Ah! Good! Ya be awake! I got som'tin ya need ta drink 'ere." Ajan lifted her head a bit and put the bowl to
her lips. The calf took a sip, then coughed and sputtered, nearly gagging. "Ya, ya, I kno'," Ajan murmured
sympathetically. "Tastes like kodo dung, ta be sure, but dis get ya feeling lots bedd'a soon."

Once the calf had finished, Ajan offered her another bowl. Weakly the calf tried to turn her head away. Ajan
chucked her gently on the chin."Hey," he said softly. "Ya be likin dis bedda, I tink. Jus' wadder."
Indeed, upon that revelation, the calf drank thirstily. Ajan had to pull the bowl away to get her to take
sips. "Hey, dere! Slowly now! Don' wan ya ta be gettin' sick...and trust me, YA don' wan ta be gettin' sick
eidder!"

The young Tauren took a few more swallows, then closed her eyes wearily, but Ajan wasn't finished yet. He
picked up yet another small bowl containing broth he'd made from boiling some meat from the dead swoops and tapped her shoulder. "Hey, one mo' ting, den ya can sleep some mo'."

After he fed her the broth, Ajan got up and stretched, scanning the surroundings warily. Seeing nothing
alarming, he put another few pieces of wood on the fire and sat, pulling his leather cloak about him against
the night's chill. He poked at the burning coals with his dagger a bit, staring into the flames, then looked
up at the star filled Barrens sky.

"Hey, up dere, spirits! Now wha'd I do?"

There was no answer, but Ajan hadn't really expected one. He leaned back against a rock and mused. "Godda come up wid a name for her," he said softly. "Don' suppose ya spirits got any ideas?"

A falling star traced a bright path across the dark night. Ajan gasped and fought the urge to dig the small metal tin from his pack that held his stash of dream dust.

It appeared the spirits had answered.

*****

"Hokay...now look 'ere," Ajan instructed the calf, as he sat beside her, drawing with a stick in the dry Barrens dirt. She leaned forward with interest and Ajan smiled. She was gaining more strength back with each passing day and could sit up for extended periods of time now, although she was still wobbly when she tried to stand.

The troll turned his attention back to the lesson. He scribed a letter in the dirt with the stick.

"Hokay...dis be an 'R', ya see dat? It sound like dis...rrrrrrrrrr...like da growl of a beast, see?"

The calf nodded.

"Dis ledder is a 'U'. It be like da sound people be makin' when sumtin' happens dat impresses dem, like dis...oooooooooooooooo!!!"

The calf nodded.

"Dis leddar is an 'A'. It can sound like it's called...'A'...or, as in dis case," he said, tapping the stick by the letters on the ground, "it can sound like when people be understandin' sumtin' dey didn't before, like dis...aaaahhhh!"

The calf nodded.

"Now dis next bit is a liddle trickier," Ajan continued drawing a 'T' then an 'H' in the ground. "Dese two ledders can have different sounds, but when dey be tagedder like dis, dey sound like someone doin' a bad job of stickin' dere tongue out at sumone, like dis!...'ttthhhhh!!!"

Ajan eyed the calf with mock gravity. "Trolls have a hard time makin' dis noise, but we be aces at stickin' our tongues out at folk!"

The calf put her hands to her mouth and giggled.

Ajan grinned and drew his last letter. "And dis is dat 'A' ag'in dat sounds like 'aaahhh', ya see?."

The calf nodded.

"So...we look at all dese ledders tagedder and dey be sayin' 'Ruat'a'." Ajan chucked the calf under the chin. "Dat be ya name frum now on, hokay? Da spirits gave it to me for ya."

The calf grinned with delight and hugged the troll tightly.

Ajan smiled and patted her little shoulders gently, but his smile faded as he remembered the vision that had accompanied the name.

A vision awash with the red of blood and fire.

(To be continued...)


Ajan rummaged through his pack, then upended it and shook it with a sigh. It was official. They were out of
grub.

He looked at his bow and quiver, then glanced at Ruatha thoughtfully. She was a short distance away, picking up scrub brush for their fire. He wondered if the calf was up to a short hunt. After a moment, he picked up
his bow and slung his quiver to his back. They would see.

"Ey! Ruat'a!," he called. "Come 'ere."

The calf looked up from her gathering and hurried toward him, her arms clutching the firewood she'd found.
She dropped the wood in a pile beside the lean-to and looked at Ajan expectantly.

Ajan held the bow up before her face. "Ya be knowin' how ta use one o' dese?"

Ruatha shook her head and Ajan grunted.

"Well, it be high time ya be learnin' den! We be goin' on a liddle hunt fer a deer or gazelle or sumtin like.
Ya tink ya up ta dat?"

Ruatha nodded with an eager smile and the troll grinned.

"Hokay den! Off we go!...And mebbe if we be lucky..." he chuckled, giving her ear a playful tweak, "...we be
findin' some wadder so's ya can take a bath!"

Ruatha gaped in outrage at Ajan, then pointed at the troll, wrinkling her nose.

Ajan laughed and held up his hands. "Hokay! Hokay! I be admittin', I could use one, too! And I tink I know a
good place for us to be bathin' and huntin'. But first..." He handed a sheathed dagger to Ruatha. "Ya be
knowin' how ta use one o' dese, right?"

Ruatha took the dagger with apprehension and nodded.

Ajan patted her shoulder encouragingly. "Good. I be hopin' ya don' be needin' ta use dat, but jus' in case,
hokay? Wadder attracts mo' dan beasts sometimes. Understand?"

The calf gazed at Ajan somberly and nodded.

Ajan returned her gaze, then chucked her under the chin.

"Hokay. Let's go."

**********

They approached the oasis cautiously, Ajan making sure Ruatha stayed close by his side. He pointed out a
wandering raptor which they skirted warily, finally making their way to the foliage surrounding the precious
pool of water.

Ajan had them take cover in a small grove of palms and pointed out a thorny plant growing at the tree's base.
He spoke softly. "Dis be a bria't'orn. It be quite useful fer makin' potions." He showed Ruatha how to
carefully gather some to avoid contact with the plant's wicked spines. He tucked the plant away in a pouch
and looked about warily. "Hokay. We be goin' jus' around dis rise and--"

His voice trailed off as the sounds of battle reached them. Angry neighs, shouts and snarls filled the air.

Ruatha gave an angry snort and drawing her dagger, bolted toward the noise.

"Ruat'a!" Ajan yelled, gaping in shock. "Come back 'ere!" When the calf did not obey, Ajan gave a low, angry curse and ran after her.

As he came around the gentle slope, Ajan saw a strange Tauren battling several centaur. The troll blinked and shook his head. The Tauren was fighting...with a fishing pole!?!

A wolf dodged among the centaur as well, biting and snapping, a ferocious gray beast with vicious fangs.
Ajan realized with a start the wolf was trying to protect the fishing pole wielding Tauren! He watched for a
moment as the Tauren dropped the pole and attacked the centaurs anew with axe and dagger.

Ruatha ran forward and hurled herself at the closest centaur, dagger raised to strike. The sight of his ward in combat galvanized Ajan into motion. He raced forward and waving his hands in a mystic gesture, hurled a totem to the ground to protect Ruatha, himself and the stranger. Then he quickly hurled another totem to the ground which began blasting the centaurs with fire.

The centaur Ruatha had attacked whirled about angrily ignoring the strange Tauren for a moment. It swung its great sword at the calf. Ajan's heart was suddenly in his throat, but Ruatha ducked and the blade whizzed
above her head, clipping the hair of her mane.

That settled things for the troll on who his primary target should be. With a yell, he sprang toward the
centaur threatening his small charge waving his hands yet again. Fire erupted about the centaur and continued to char its hide as Ajan clouted it in the head with his staff. Ruatha fiercely drove her dagger into its belly just as Ajan's fire totem struck it again with a searing ball of flame. The centaur toppled to the ground.

Another centaur turned from the Tauren stranger to confront the two and again Ruatha charged rashly forward, evading Ajan's attempt to grab her arm and pull her back. Cursing foully the troll ran after her, glancing quickly at the stranger who had just felled a centaur and was whirling to face a final foe.

Ruatha struck at the centaur before her with her dagger. The wrangler blocked her blow easily and twisting
his sword, tore her dagger from her grasp. It flew from her hand in a glittering arc and landed in the pool
with a small splash. The calf stared up at the towering centaur with eyes wide. Ajan screamed for Ruatha to
run as he gathered power for a final spell, fearing the worst.

The centaur wrangler smirked at the tiny calf standing before him and began to bring his sword down in a
mighty arc when Ruatha's face twisted into a terrible snarl.

Bunching her tiny fists, she stamped a hoof.

The blast of the impact her hoof made on the ground stunned the centaur. Ruatha sprang aside as the
stranger's wolf leapt in with jaws agape and Ajan hurled his spell.

The wrangler had no chance. He fell to the ground in a heap.

Ajan's breath was raged as he stared about him. Four centaur lay dead. He glanced about warily, but saw no
others. Wearily, he sank to the ground. Ruatha ran over and hugged him seeking comfort, her eyes still wide with fright. Thoughts of beating her senseless briefly flashed through the troll's mind, but his relief she
was unharmed was so great, he sighed and settled for a swat on her rump.

"Don' ya be doin' dat agin, ya 'ere?" he growled. "Ya wan' ta be gettin' yerself killed?" He hugged her
tightly a moment, then gave the calf a shove toward the pool. "Go on. Go an' find yer dagger. I tink it fell
in da wadder over dere."

Ajan watched Ruatha wade into the water, then stood up and turned to the stranger. She was female, this
Tauren. You could tell that even with the armor she wore. Her coat was a soft tawny color. She stood patting
the wolf and feeding him a bit of meat. Ajan cleared his throat and she looked up. Her face which had just
moments before been a snarling mirror image of the wolf's, now looked quite friendly, her once fierce eyes now gentle. She smiled and Ajan couldn't help but smile back.

"My thanks to you both for your assistance," she said softly.

Ajan grinned. "Glad ta be o' help, miss. Our tanks ta ya, too. I be Ajan and dis be Ruat'a."

They both smiled at Ruatha as she splashed up the bank toward them waving her dagger. The calf smiled in
delight at the wolf and began to wrestle and run about with him, giggling when he licked her face.

The Tauren huntress smiled. "I see you've met my companion, Whitepaw."

She bowed. "I am Shumani."

(To be continued...)


This is as far as I've gotten. Hope you enjoyed it!

[frogythegreat]

hey, neat story. One silly question though. whypost a WOW story on Reaper boards? you definately have more talent than most of the stuff posted on WOW boards. Please post some Warlord or CAV stuff if you write any. I'll look forward to reading it.