Plans for the Future

I've suddenly gotten an itch to write about these 2, probably thanks to a comment I got awhile back asking if there would be any more stories of them. Plus, I've been all but ignoring them for so long, it's about time they got caught up to current time. Enjoy!
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The private room at the Wayfarer's Rest was quiet except for the rustle and tear of wrapping paper. Kaled and Khaotic reclined on the bed and couch, respectively, and watched Kalenora unwrap her Winter Veil presents with nearly identical expressions of contentment.

Khaotic was just starting to doze when Kaled's quiet voice startled her awake again. "What would you think about hitting the road again, like we used to?" She lifted her head to blink at her husband in surprise, then her expression turned thoughtful.

"I've thought about it," she admitted. "But it didn't quite feel right, not while Kale was still so small." Kaled nodded. "But she's bigger now," he pointed out. "I think she's old enough now that she could get some good out of it. But what do you think?"

Khaotic eyed him curiously, then gave a small smile. "Are you really that anxious to be doing something?" she asked him. He shrugged, blushing just a bit. "It's.. it's not really that... or rather not just that," he answered, then gestured to his daughter. "I want her to, well, see things. I don't want her to grow up here all her life, in all this..." He waved his hand around vaguely. "I want her to get out and see different places and people, so she doesn't become like all the rest of our people."

Khaotic couldn't quite hold back her mischievous grin. "You mean snobbish?" His blush returned more fiercely, and she chuckled. "I know what you mean, dear heart, and I do agree with you. She does need to broaden her horizons a bit, but I don't think traveling during winter would be the best thing- for any of us." Kaled shrugged again, then nodded. "Probably not," he agreed, then paused.

As her parents spoke, Kalenora had unwrapped her last present. Now, the 2-year-old picked up her new favorite toy, a small rag doll, and carried it over to Ashke, where she offered the doll for inspection. The red lynx lifted his head to sniff at it with distant interest, then plopped his head back down to resume his nap. Satisfied, the little elfling went over to her father and reached up with her free hand. "Da?" Kaled smiled as he lifted her up, and she settled in his lap, sticking a finger in her mouth as she hugged her doll.

Kaled grinned as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "Winter wouldn't be the best, but we could head out once spring sets in," he continued, looking up at his wife. Khaotic was watching them both with a touch of affection. "Where would you want to go?" she asked him. His expression turned wistful. "Anywhere, really. We could head back to Outland if we wanted, or maybe Northrend- it should be safe enough with the Lich King dead. Or there's Hyjal, or Uldum..."

Laughing, Khaotic cut him off before he could go on. "All right, Kaled, I get the point. Look, we have at least three months before the weather turns warm again; why don't we take our time deciding where we want to go first?"

Kaled agreed, and for most of the rest of the morning they sat and talked over their options. Kale - slowly falling asleep in her father's lap - had no idea what they were talking about, of course, but it was enough that they sounded happy.

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So yea, Kaled and Khaotic have been enjoying family life. I have no idea why they would have moved... maybe the Reliquary made them an offer they couldn't refuse? (And drat Blizzard for moving NPCs into the homes of nearly all my characters. /grump) They are living in the Wayfarer's Rest now, where hopefully the RP-griefers will still leave them in peace.

I have 2 toons leveling in Northrend already- Rajast is coasting along at 74 already, and I got Davoss from 67 to 71 just in one day. O.o Pally tanking is still ridiculously fun, btw. I'd like to get them both out of Northrend before I start leveling Kaled and Khaotic, but that shouldn't take too long. I figure once it's actually spring, then wherever they set out will depend on what level I have them at by that point. (Hopefully that made sense....) And I will definitely be keeping a sharp eye out for Loque while they're in Northrend!

RP on Alliance has been a bit scattered because of crazy RL schedules, but there is still Stuff Happening. Lark's raid is still going- we've gotten the first 4 bosses down, but Ultraxion is still eating us for lunch; I will be so flipping happy when we finally kill him. And I've been tinkering a bunch on my other-server alts, with tentative plans on getting Andrano and Carienne to 30, and the rest of my lowbies to at least 20. No time frame for that planned, but it'll get done eventually.

I think that's about it for my rambling, and I need sleep now. Til next time, Happy Hunting!

Pilgrim's Bounty Boredom

An unexpected bonus of having a couple of my Hordies on Feathermoon- some cross-faction RP! This was just for amusement, as Khaotic scouted out the Horde tables for Shaur and Tadrith. Enjoy!
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The festival tables just outside Silvermoon City were empty. Occasionally someone would run up for a quick bite, but soon they were off again. The only constant visitors were the guards, and the lone blood elf standing there, her big black lion beside her.

Alti looked up at Khaotic and blinked slowly. She absently patted his neck. "We're just waiting to see if that kitty shows up again," she told him. He seemed to accept her explanation, as he just sat down and began grooming his tail. Khaotic peered around the tables, then sighed to herself and sat at a table to wait.

She must have dozed off, because she was startled when a shy "Mrow" came from behind her. She quickly got up and turned to see. It was the same druid-cat she had seen at Orgrimmar, and then at Undercity. "Oh, you did come! I was starting to wonder," she said, and the cat grinned at her (as much as a cat could grin) and started toward her. A shout stopped her though, and she looked wide-eyed at the guard running toward her before spinning and dashing off. Khaotic glared at the guard as he gave chase, but it was a wasted effort. She headed over to where Jess was tethered and pulled herself into the saddle, then nudged the raptor into a walk and followed.

She passed the guard as he headed back to the tables, but he ignored her withering stare. She went on, and found a cheetah standing near the Dead Scar, panting as it looked around. Khaotic pulled Jess to a halt and peered at the cat, who blinked at her. Abruptly the cheetah was gone, and in it's place was the smoky blue-gray druid-cat from before. "Okay, it is you," Khaotic said as she swung down carefully from her mount and came closer. She stopped before the cat and studied her for a bit. "You know," she said conversationally. "You're a little skinny."

The tall (and rather cute, she had to admit) Night elf hunter that seemed to be with the druid quirked an eyebrow questioningly at her. She wished, again, that they had some way to communicate besides hand gestures. Well, she thought, I bet I can talk to this little thing just fine. She knelt down in front of the cat and began petting her. The druid immediately began purring, soft at first but quickly growing louder as Khaotic's fingers worked their way around to her ears and began scratching. She lay down in front of the hunter, to make it easier to reach, and Khaotic grinned to herself. This was too easy.

Alti suddenly snarled, nudging her leg with his nose. Khaotic freed one hand to pat him soothingly. "Go lay down, Alti," she told the jealous lion. He grumbled, but obeyed. She turned back to the young druid. "I bet Kaled would love to meet you," she said as she sat, pulling the cat's head into her lap as much as her bulging stomach would allow and continuing the ear scratches. The druid's purr suddenly grew much louder, and she pressed into Khaotic's hands, twitching one back leg a little. "Aha!" Khaotic exclaimed. "Found a good spot." She kept scratching at the spot, speaking nonsense to her softly. After a bit, she switched to Thalassian. "Okay, Orcish is tiring." The cat didn't respond, except to press into the scratches again.

After a few minutes, the other Night elf stirred and said something to the druid. Khaotic wished she had taken the time to learn Darnassian as she listened. Their languages weren't that different, but there was enough difference to make it too garbled to understand. The cat looked up at him, then nodded her head. He said something else to her, and she looked faintly disappointed. Looked like the visit was over. She tickled the cat's ear again. "I think he wants to go." With a final pat, she stood up with some difficulty, one hand trying to support her back. She would be so glad when the baby came and she didn't have all the extra weight.

The druid looked up at her, one eyebrow cocked. She purred uncertainly. "Go on home," Khaotic told her. "I have a husband to get home to." She waved at the druid to emphasize the point, then as an afterthought she waved at the other hunter too. He bowed politely, then headed to his saber mount, his pet following.

The druid purred at her again, then stepped over and rubbed her head against Khaotic's leg. Then she trotted after the other Night elf, tail twitching happily. Khaotic watched them go, then looked down to Alti, who had returned to her side. "They were a nice bunch," she told him, and he blinked at her. "Probably never see them again, but it was nice." She patted the black lion, then turned and headed back to Jess. Time to go home to Kaled.

Kaledain & Khaotic: Mischief

Still working on the longer stuff, but I came up with this shorter story. I had the first part written weeks ago but it didn't feel "finished" enough to post. Couple days ago I went back to it and added more to it, and here it is! Enjoy.

P.S. Kaled and Khaotic are both extremely ticklish. I wouldn't try anything or you'd probably get a blade to your face (>.<), but to each other it's fair game. /evilgrin

P.P.S. This is after their trip to Winterspring, but still a week or two before they head to Eastern Plaguelands.
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The early morning light shone down on Silvermoon, the sun just peeking out over the tops of the buildings. The city was still quiet, until you reached Farstrider Square, then the hush was broken by the regular hssstt- thnk of someone practicing their archery at the training dummies.

Kaled and Rajji stood at one of the dummies, pulling their arrows out. Kaled had his bow at hand; Rajji had set aside his rifle and was using an old bow of Kaled’s. Kechara perched on the wall nearby and Ashke lay underneath her, side-by-side with Rajji’s newest companion. Kaled still wasn’t sure what to make of the brightly-glowing, transparent, catlike creature, but Rajji had assured him that Wraith was harmless, to the troll’s friends, at least. Alti had followed them out as well, even though he had scarcely left Khaotic’s side in the last several days. But the scrawny cat-that-was-not-a-cat that also lay nearby had intrigued the young lion so much that he had come out with them, and he now sat grooming the stranger’s mane, his expression still confused. Bearkat took it all in stride, and let Alti be as he watched his two friends.

Kaled was continuing the conversation they were having as they practiced their archery. “It’s just that we’d like to know,” he was telling the troll. “We can’t call the baby an ‘it’, that’s insulting. But we don’t know whether to say he or she, and it’s just getting confusing.” Rajji stopped and thought for a bit. “I know what ya mean, Kaled, but I’m afraid that I’m not sure whether my priest or shaman brothas can do what ya ask. I don’t know enough about what they do, ya know.” “Well, what about a witch doctor? Do they have any different skills?” Kaled asked, and Rajji shrugged. Kaled turned to the cat lying nearby. “What about the druids? Do you have any spells or something that could help, Bear?” The druid closed his eyes as he thought, then opened them to look at Kaled. “We have no spells,” he answered, his voice a deep rumble. “Perhaps there might be something in the Emerald Dream, but I haven’t walked there for a long time, and it’s grown dangerous.”

Kaled frowned in concentration. “I know our priests, paladins, and mages can’t help; I already asked them. I asked the orcs too, and they said the same thing. Their shamans don’t use the kind of magic that could help.” He sighed as he looked at Rajji. “I guess we’ll have to wait, then,” he said ruefully.

They took a few more shots before Bearkat asked Kaled, “So where is Khaotic this morning? Still sleeping?” “She was awake when I left,” Kaled replied. “But she hasn’t been feeling all that well the last couple days. I think the baby’s being kind of hard on her,” he finished with a worried frown. “Do you want me to come look at her?” the druid offered. “I’m no healer, but I know enough to help, maybe.” Kaled shook his head. “Thanks, but we have Harene taking care of her already. She says everything is okay, he’s just… active.” He watched as Rajji tried a few more shots, then as they pulled the arrows out of the target again, he said, “I think that’s enough for me. Thanks for coming out here, you two. I need to get back to her.” Rajji nodded and clapped him on the back, and they watched as Kaled headed back to the Royal Exchange and home.

* * * * * *

Khaotic was sitting in a chair with her chin propped on one hand, elbow on the armrest. She didn't look around when Kaled came in and stepped up behind her. “What’s wrong, love?” he asked her. She tilted her head back to look at him. “Nothing much, I just haven’t been sleeping well the last few days,” she answered as he started rubbing her shoulders. “Mmmm,” he said. “The baby?” She nodded. “It’s not really his fault; it’s just hard to sleep when it feels like a kodo is hopping around in your belly.” He snorted, trying not to laugh, and she eyed him. His expression changed to complete innocence, and she sighed at him.

He continued his massage, and she hardly paid attention when his hands moved down her back. She was completely unprepared when he suddenly started tickling her sides. “Kaled!” she yelped. “Stop that!” He laughed and went after her again, and she slapped his hands away, then retreated upstairs. He followed her more slowly, giving her time to prepare a defense. By the time he reached the top she was standing next to the bed, staring at him fiercely. “I’m warning you, Kaled,” she said when he started toward her.

She glared at him as he approached, then with a snarl she grabbed the pillow from behind her and swung it at him. He blocked the blow but she swung again. The third swing he managed to get a hold on the pillow and pulled it out of her hands, then dropped it to grab her wrist as she struck at him. He was laughing again by this point; she was still snarling. He forced her back to the bed, and she fell backwards onto it when the edge hit the back of her knees. She tried to hit him with her other hand, but he grabbed that wrist as well, pinning both her hands to the bed above her head while he crouched over her. She twisted underneath him in an attempt to throw him off, then tried to knee him between his legs. “Hey!” he protested, blocking the knee before it hit anything important. Growling under his breath, he sat on her, being very careful of her belly. Straddling her with his knees on either side, he hooked his feet over her legs, holding her immobilized.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, catching their breath, then suddenly Khaotic started giggling. “That’s much better, love,” Kaled said, but then she muttered something under her breath in Thalassian. He raised one eyebrow in mock reproach. “No thanks, love. That’s not really my thing, which you ought to know by now.” Khaotic smirked at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “Ready to behave yet?” he asked. Her grin stretched wider. “No.” “Good,” he murmured as he leaned down closer. “Neither am I.” His lips brushed her forehead, then he kissed her on her mouth. She returned it eagerly, hungrily. After a moment, he released her wrists, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her.

The need for air finally forced them apart. Kaled eased over so he was lying beside her, then ran his hand down her face, cupping her chin. “Su balah,” he said softly, then grinned at her, and she returned it. “You are impossible,” she murmured back. He kissed her again, and her last coherent thought for a good while was how much she loved him.

Kaledain & Khaotic: Plagueland

Kaled is not a morning person. >.>
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Khaotic yanked the covers off the bed. "Come on, Kaled. Time to get up!" she told him, then shook his shoulder. He groaned loudly, then buried his face in the pillow. "Kaled!" she said sharply. "We need to get going if we're going to make any sort of time. It's a long trip to Light's Hope." He half-raised his head and looked at her blearily. "But it's still dark," he mumbled. "Nonsense, I've got the lamps lit," she retorted, then grabbed his legs and pulled them off the bed. Kaled got himself to a sitting position, then blinked at her. "Outside, I mean." She sighed at him. "We need to be leaving Undercity by daybreak if we're going to reach Light's Hope early enough to do anything. You're the one that wanted to help that girl find her sister, remember? Now come on." He mumbled something unintelligible, but got himself up.

They did manage to be leaving the Undercity by the time dawn broke over the horizon. Alti paced at the heels of Khaotic's hawkstrider, while Argus followed Kaled. They made it to the Bulwark in good time, and passed through the Western Plaguelands without incident as well, having familiarized themselves with it before. Once they crossed the Thondoril River they relied heavily on their map and followed the road, until they neared the town of Corin's Crossing.

They stopped a healthy distance away. Even so, they could see the movements of the undead within the town. "Light save us..." Kaled said quietly, eyes wide. Khaotic said nothing, her gaze sweeping over the closest buildings. Finally she reached out and touched his arm. "Let's go," she said quietly. "We can find a way around. That's too many for us, and we have a promise to keep." Kaled nodded and followed.

They cut across country once they were clear of the town, but wound up too far south, at Tyr's Hand. They backtracked and, after studying the map more, finally found the Chapel. There they asked after the Redpaths, but no one knew what had become of them, save that most of the family was believed dead. That didn't faze them much, since the girl from Everlook, Jessica, had already said the same. They did find a member of the Argent Dawn who knew where Darrowshire was; he marked their map, then told them to be careful. They were preparing to leave Light's Hope when Kaled ran across a cat-formed druid, sitting near the inn and sniffing the breeze. It took Kaled only a moment to recognize him.

"Bearkat!" he exclaimed. "How have you been?" The druid purred at him. "Hello, Kaled. I've been well, how are you?" Khaotic came over and joined in the greetings, then Kaled said, "We were about to head out to find Darrowshire. We met someone who wanted us to try and find her family. Would you like to join us?" "Why not?" Bearkat replied. "I do know the area, though it's been awhile since I was here last."

The three headed out shortly. Alti growled at Bearkat once, but after a light cuff from his mistress and an admonishment to behave, he seemed to accept the druid. They had to steer clear of Corin's Crossing again, but reached Darrowshire without incident.

Kaled wasn't sure what he had expected. After what Jessica had told them, he didn't really think they would find a thriving town, but he hoped it would not be another Corrin's Crossing, swarming with undead. Yet, as they approached the outer buildings, and they saw the state of disrepair that the nearest house showed...

Khaotic whispered, "Kaled..." He reached back and took her hand as they all came to a stop. "It's... dead," he said, looking all around. There was no sign of life at all, not even Scourge.

Bearkat sniffed the air, then headed toward one house. "I think I smell something," he called back to them. "It smells odd, though." The two elves dismounted and tethered their hawkstriders, then followed the cat to the house. Alti was pressed against Khaotic's leg, growling softly as he watched all around. They got to the doorway and stopped again.

"Hello," said the little girl. "Have you seen my family? I've been waiting for them a long time. Do you think you could help me find my doll?" She looked at them expectantly, seeming to be completely normal except for the fact they could see right through her.

"Kaled," Khaotic gasped. "She's..." "Mmhmm," rumbled Bearkat. "That would be why it smelled wrong." "Light..." Kaled said softly. He reached out to pat her head, but his hand went right through her. He shivered slightly, then looked at the others. "Let's see if we can find her doll."

They found the pieces scattered throughout the other buildings, and Kaled did a fair job of stitching it back together again. He placed it on the ground in front of her and looked into her face. "Is there anything else we can do for you, Pamela?" he asked.

"Do you know where my family is?" the ghost asked. "Auntie Marlene told me to stay here, but then she left and never came back! And my dad... have you seen him? Maybe Auntie Marlene knows where he is. Can you ask her? She lives near Andorhal, in a house to the south. I think it was on a hill... she said it was on a hill. And sometimes, when it's nighttime, I can hear my Uncle Carlin crying. It sounds like he's far away, to the east. Will you find my uncle and tell him I'm alright? If you find him say I'm waiting for him, and I want to hear the funny story he used to tell." Kaled looked to the others, and at their nods, he told the girl, "Yes, we'll find them."

As they walked back to their mounts, Khaotic started mumbling to herself. "What's that, love?" Kaled asked her, and she said, "Uncle Carlin is to the east. Wasn't there a Carlin Redpath with the Argent Dawn at Light's Hope?" "That's it, love. You've got it!" Kaled exclaimed, then stopped and looked at Bearkat, then back to Khaotic. "Which do we go to first?" he wondered. Bearkat looked up at the sky. "We have enough time to get to Andorhal and back before dark. Shall we go the longer trip first?" Khaotic nodded, and Kaled said, "It's settled then. Let's go."

They were all quiet during the trip, although Kaled broke the silence once after they crossed the Thondoril River. "Never would have thought I'd consider the Western Plaguelands to be 'clean'," he said quietly. Khaotic grunted noncommittally, while Bearkat simply looked at him, then back to the trail ahead.

They found the house, right where Pamela had said. Bearkat went up the stairs inside ahead of the hunters. "Uh," he called back down. "Brace yourselves, elves." Curious, Kaled and Khaotic came up and joined him in a bedroom, where they saw what he was talking about. "It's another ghost," he said, unnecessarily. Marlene, like Pamela, looked at them all, quite plainly able to see and hear them. "Marlene Redpath?" Kaled began; the ghost nodded at him. "We've come from your niece, Pamela. She wanted to know where her family is, especially her father...?" The ghost's eyes turned sad at that. "I wish Joseph could be with his daughter again, but it cannot be so. His soul was twisted by the Scourge, and he became a monster," she told them. "But perhaps we can change his fate. Search the graves outside for Joseph's monument. His body's not there, for it was trampled and destroyed years ago, but under the monument is his wedding ring. Take that ring to Chromie... a strange gnome with very strange powers. She is staying in the ruined inn at the northwest corner of Andorhal."

Kaled and Khaotic had both had dealings with Chromie before, so they were able to go straight to her. The "gnome" was still where she had been last time they had seen her, and didn't really seem surprised to see them. After listening to them explain everything, she said, "To save Joseph Redpath, we must first discover his past. We can learn this in the Annals of Darrowshire, a book held in the city hall of Andorhal. Bring me that book. We can then learn Joseph's fate, and with luck... change it!"

The town hall was not easy to get to, as there was a large group of undead milling in the square nearby. There had been a lich as well, but with help from their friend Rajji, Kaled and Khaotic had dealt with him some time ago. Even without their leader, the remaining undead were still dangerous, so the three slipped into the big building as quietly as they could. Khaotic had to speak sharply to Alti as he tried to go after the closest group. He reluctantly returned to her side, rumbling deep in his chest. Bearkat eyed him cautiously before turning his attention to the books scattered everywhere. "Which one are we after?" he asked as the two elves poked through the mess. Khaotic picked one up, but it promptly fell apart in her hands. Almost as if that was a signal, a large ghostly shape sprang up from nowhere and rushed at her. Alti lunged at it with a snarl, finally finding a target for his aggression, and the shape scattered to wisps beneath his claws, then vanished.

Kaled looked at the others. "Um, I hope neither of you think any less of me for this, but to be honest, all these ghosts are starting to freak me out a bit," he said, rather shakily, and Khaotic managed a laugh. Bearkat continued to poke through the books on the floor. "I think I've found it," he said. "Come take a look. Hands are better than kitty paws for this." Kaled gingerly picked it up, expecting another ghost to attack, but nothing happened. He checked the first few pages. "This is it," he said. "Back to Chromie."

Chromie took the old book from Kaled and promptly started casting a spell over it. Finished, she handed it back. Khaotic quickly took it and started leafing through the pages. Chromie explained, "The Annals of Darrowshire, through my magic, has gained pages at its end, and now it extends its history beyond the battle. One of the extra passages tells of another Redpath, Carlin, who survived Joseph's betrayal. Carlin's now in the Plaguelands to the east, at the Light's Hope Chapel. Go, take the book and speak with him."

Kaled turned toward the door, then noticed his wife. He chuckled and went over to her. "Reading it already, love?" he asked. "Mm," was all she said. Kaled began reading over her shoulder, and even Bearkat's curiosity got the better of him. He changed to his Tauren form and came over to read over her other shoulder. She obligingly waited until they had caught up with her before turning the pages.

They read through the first parts quickly, then came to the chapter pertaining to their quest:

The battle continued, and Captain Redpath led his militia bravely. And it might have been won, had the captain not been corrupted by the death knight Marduk the Black.

In the middle of the fray Marduk rode up to Redpath, and with black magic he tore loose Redpath's spirit, twisting it into an evil shadow of the brave captain.

The corrupted Captain Redpath then spread his evil taint among the defenders of Darrowshire, who betrayed their allies and slaughtered them. They then turned on the town of Darrowshire and killed all who hid in their homes.

They finished reading in a state of shock. Finished, Khaotic closed the book with a thump. "Anar'alah belore," she said fervently. "I think I agree, love," Kaled replied. "So that's what happened to the town..." "Dor rini dath," Khaotic muttered to herself. "Uh, language, love," Kaled prompted her, as Bearkat raised a curious eyebrow at her. "Oops, sorry Bear," she said apologetically. "Sometimes I forget what language I'm speaking. The poor girl." Bearkat waved off her apology. "Yes, now we know what happened to her," he said, shifting back to a cat. Kaled cleared his throat. "Let's get back," he told them. "I don't want to be here when darkness falls."

They wearily rode into Light's Hope as the sun sank below the trees. After giving the book to Carlin Redpath, they stood and waited while he read it. "What is this book? The Annals of Darrowshire? That was my home before the war... my home before the battle that destroyed it! Why did you bring me this book? But look here! At the end there are pages that tell tales of the days beyond the battle! Here is a passage about me! And one about my brother Joseph! Is this book true? We must discover the truth!" He looked at them anxiously. "Will you help me?" Kaled looked at Khaotic and Bearkat, who both nodded at him. They had come this far, now they all wanted to see it through to the end. "Yes," Kaled told Carlin. "We'll help. What do you need?"

"The Annals of Darrowshire tells of the villains of that battle," Carlin told them. "It tells how the ghoul lord Horgus the Ravager was destroyed by Alliance forces during the battle. His body was cast into a lake, northwest of Corin's Crossing, and his skull remains there.

"Marduk the Black was never defeated, but his fabled sword was shattered and lost. It lies at the bottom of the gorge west of Corin's Crossing. Retrieve these items if you can. I know not why, but I am certain their fate lies with you." Kaled nodded. "We'll start in the morning, sir."

The trio walked back to the inn. It was crowded with Argent Dawn soldiers and officers, but Khaotic managed to get inside and order a couple bowls of stew and bread from the innkeeper. She brought them out to a quiet corner of the camp, where Kaled had already spread their bedrolls. He took his supper gratefully, and they ate in silence. Afterward, he took Khaotic's arm and pulled her close. They sat together for a long time despite their weariness, finding comfort in the other's warmth and presence. "Tomorrow will be even busier, unless I miss my guess," Kaled said quietly. Bearkat opened one eye from his sleeping place on a nearby wagon. "Yes, but we'll find out what happened here, one way or another," he replied. "Maybe we'll even help that little girl find peace." "I hope so," Khaotic broke in. "To think she's been alone here all this time, waiting for her father to come home..." She trailed off, but Kaled noticed her hand moving to her belly, and knew she was thinking of their own baby. He squeezed her reassuringly. "We'll help her, love," he whispered to her. "Come on, let's get some sleep before morning." She let him pull her down next to him on the blankets, and finally they all fell asleep.

Kaledain & Khaotic: Winterspring

I am attempting something a little bigger than what I've done recently. I'm going to chronicle the entire Darrowshire quest chain as they go through it, as a story. Hope you enjoy.
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Winterspring was a vast improvement over the Plaguelands. Well, if you didn't mind the cold, that is.

Kaled was woken up by a kiss on his cheek. He opened his eyes to see Khaotic bending over him. "Wake up, love," she told him with a grin. "Time to see what the day brings." He grinned back at her, then hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her down next to him, mindful of her growing belly. "Oof," she said, then looked at the edge of the bed, which was right at her other side. "They didn't exactly plan these beds for sleeping double, did they?" she asked. "No, they didn't," Kaled responded. "And I had a very long, cold night last night." He kissed her soundly, then pulled back and looked at her. She smiled back at him. "So did I," she said softly, then abruptly she winced and put a hand on her stomach. "Kicking again," she said, then reached for his hand and placed it next to hers. "Feel it?" He was still for several seconds, then started grinning widely. "Yeah," he said softly.

The baby settled down soon, and Khaotic pulled Kaled out of bed and onto his feet. "Come on, love. We have to earn our keep here," she said, only half-joking, and he allowed her to help him into his armor before returning the favor for her. Finished, they went to find some breakfast.

In the inn's common room, they were approached by a young human. "Please," she asked them. "Can you help me find my family? We lived in Darrowshire, where the Plaguelands are now." Kaled looked regretfully at her. "We'd like to help, but we just left the Plaguelands not long ago. We weren't planning on going back so soon." Her face fell. "My name is Jessica Redpath. If you do go back, keep an eye out for them? Please? I'm really worried about my sister." Kaled nodded as they passed her and went outside.

Once outside, they both took a good look around. The little town was mostly populated by goblins, but there were a few others of different races; they all seemed to be keeping mostly to themselves. Khaotic stopped one goblin and asked if there was any work available. The goblin sized them both up, then said, "There's a dwarf out by the hot springs that needs help with the furbolgs here. Buggers have gotten nasty lately. Her name's Donova Snowden." Khaotic thanked the goblin, then turned to Kaled with one eyebrow raised. He shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Let's go." As they went to get their mounts and pets out of the stables, Khaotic sighed and muttered "More furbolgs."

They found Donova with no trouble. The story she told them sounded much like the problems in neighboring Felwood; the formerly peaceful furbolgs had turned vicious and were attacking anything that came near. The first thing Donova asked them to do was thin out the furbolgs nearby, as they had been keeping her from doing her research at the hot springs. Kaled and Khaotic looked at each other, then headed out.

As they picked through the belongings of a couple furbolgs they had killed, Kaled suddenly straightened up, an empty vial in his hand. "What's this, love? Looks like some sort of strange liquid." Khaotic peered at it, then shrugged. "Let's take it to Donova."

Donova's eyes went wide when they showed her the flask. "This greenish liquid... it reminds me a bit of the sludge I saw when traveling through Felwood. And I've seen some Winterfall runners passing into Timbermaw... Perhaps these things have something to do with the flask you found! There's a large group of furbolg just past Timbermaw Hold, in Felwood, called the Deadwood tribe. They have been corrupted and driven mad by the fel. Why don't you look around there and see if you can find any evidence of dealings between the Winterfall and the Deadwood?" The two hunters nodded and set out.

They found the camp with no problems; they had been there before. But this time they fought their way to the back of the camp, where they found a white Winterfall furbolg showing a few of the Deadwood something it was brewing in a cauldron. They had to kill the furbolgs to get to the cauldron, then Kaled carefully dipped out a sample for Donova, stoppering the flask tightly before stowing it in his pack. He looked at Khaotic. "If you don't mind, love, I'd rather you not touch any of this stuff." She just nodded.

They returned to Donova and gave her the sample, which she began studying carefully. Kaled and Khaotic took the opportunity to grab a quick lunch from their packs while they waited. Kaled was idly tossing bits of jerky to Kechara, watching her swoop after them and catch them, when the dwarf called to them.

"This is very interesting," she told them. "When this toxic substance is mixed with the water from the hot springs, it loses its toxicity, only retaining the ability to temporarily affect those that ingest it. This must be why the Winterfall protect the hot springs so fervently -- they need them to purify their firewater.

"We need to stop this -- cut off contact between the Winterfall and the Deadwood. A group of runners walks the distance between their village and Felwood. Find them and steal their shipment."

The group of furbolg, three of them, weren't hard to find. After sending in Kechara and Maelthra to distract one of them, the two hunters quickly dispatched the others, then finished off the third. They recovered the crate that one had been carrying and returned to Donova. She took the crate and set it aside, then looked at them, almost apologetically.

"You're probably not going to like this," she began. "While we still know very little about why the furbolg have been ingesting this strange substance, I do think it's best that we put a stop to it before it gets out of hand. The Winterfall furbolg are not a normally aggressive tribe, and this change in their behavior leads me to think that they must be under orders from their chief. We most likely can't undo the damage that has already been done, but I think that if their leader is slain, they will not get any worse." She took a deep breath. "Winterfall Village is to the east."

Kaled and Khaotic looked at each other, then without a word they went to their mounts and headed off. Kaled waited until they were well down the road before speaking. "Is it really necessary?" he asked. "Killing their chief just seems a little....excessive." "I think she's right, Kaled," Khaotic answered. "Without a leader they will stop the attacks on travelers, if only because they will be busy fighting among themselves to find a new leader." "But there's no guarantee of that, Veldora," said Kaled. "And when they do find a new chief, who's to say that he won't start up again where the last one left off?"

Khaotic sighed. "There is no guarantee, you're right about that," she said. "But if we leave things the way they are, the attacks will continue, and will probably get worse. Sometimes, better to take the unknown rather than suffer under an already bad situation." Kaled was silent after that. She could tell that he still didn't like it, but she had at least partly convinced him.

They had to fight their way through the village, to the cave in the back where the chief lived. They found him there, with a shaman accompanying him. Sending thier pets in to distract the shaman, they both took aim at the chief, and loosed.

Kaled looked down at the fallen chief rather sadly, as Khaotic rifled through his meager belongings. "What is this?" she asked, straightening up with a small book in her hands. Kaled took it and leafed through it. "Looks like a journal or something," he said. "I certainly can't read furbolg, can you?" She shook her head. "Donova again?" she suggested, and he nodded. "We need to let her know the chief is taken care of anyway," he said, a trace of regret in his voice.

Donova took the journal carefully and began looking through the pages. "The Winterfall are no longer a threat to me, but if you still want to find out what was driving the furbolg to create and consume this strange firewater, I think you should seek out Kelek Skykeeper. He is part of a group known as the Emerald Circle, druids that are committed to their work in Felwood, healing the land from the corruption. Kelek has much experience with the furbolgs in Felwood, and may be able to tell you more about this log." She closed the book and handed it back to them. "Thank you, again, both of you."

Kaled and Khaotic took the Timbermaw tunnels up to the Moonglade, then hired a couple wind riders to carry them to the Emerald Circle's camp in southern Felwood. They arrived at dusk and gave the book to Kelek, who promised to study it and send them word if he was able to translate any of it. After that, the two elves wandered to the edge of the camp. Kaled sat down, then gently pulled Khaotic down too. As she settled into his lap, she asked quietly, "Now what, love? Where should we go next?" He was silent for a bit, and she turned her head to look at him. He was staring off into space, his eyes distant.

Finally he said, "You remember that girl at the Everlook inn? The one looking for her sister?" "Yes," she said, and waited. "I think, maybe we ought to go try to track down her family," he said slowly. "I'd like to do something helpful, like that." She took his hand and squeezed it. "Alright, my love. We'll go do that." He wrapped his arms around her, and they just watched the woods around them until it grew too dark to see.

Kaledain & Khaotic

Couldn't think of a title for this one. Oh well.

Oh, and I got Khaotic into her first battleground (Arathi Basin). It lasted all of about 5 minutes and we lost miserably. If I'm remembering correctly, they 5-capped us at the end. >.<

One mark down, 29 to go. Then 30 each from the other 2 battlegrounds. /dramatic sigh


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The relative quiet of the Western Plaguelands was broken by the sound of two people arguing.

"Come on, Kaled, if you really didn’t see that bear just because you were distracted by an herb,” Khaotic was saying, “what kind of hunter are you? If I wasn’t watching your back, where would you be?” “Home,” laughed Kaled. “And probably still camping in the woods because I’d be too anti-social to buy a house.” She laughed with him. “You’re probably right. Now aren’t you glad I found you?” she said. “Wait, who found who?” he countered. “I seem to remember I saw you first.”

Their banter continued until they reached the Bulwark, there on the edge of the Plaguelands, and turned in the samples they had gotten from the Scourge cauldron. Then they headed back out again. “What’s next on the list, love?” Kaled asked. Khaotic scanned the notes that the Forsaken priestess had given them. “Umm, the Writhing Haunt,” she said, then checked their map. “It’s further south, near Andorhal.”

They reached the field and began methodically thinning out the undead, so they could safely reach the huge cauldron spewing something out into the air. Once at the cauldron, they searched the Scourge bodies for the one that held the key to the cauldron's spigot, then gathered the sample they needed and headed back again. “On our next trip out,” Khaotic suggested, “let’s get the kitties. They need to stretch their legs.” Kaled nodded, and Kechara hooted from her perch on his shoulder, sounding like she agreed.

Once they had returned and gotten Ashke and Alti from the resident stable keeper, they realized how late it had gotten. They promised the Forsaken there that they would return the next day to finish up, then headed toward the Undercity.

As they rode back home, Khaotic said to Kaled, “I would almost like to know what they plan on doing with the cauldrons. Somehow I doubt they’re trying to cleanse them.” “Not likely,” Kaled agreed, “but I’m not sure if we’d want to know, love.” She conceded the point.

They trudged into the house together and immediately shed their armor. Kaled racked everything while Khaotic started looking for something quick for supper. “I’ll have to clean this before bed,” he told her while he examined a tear in the leather backing of his chain shirt. “It has Scourge blood all over it.” Khaotic shook her head. “I imagine it all does, love. Come eat, then we can both work on it.”

They spent an hour working on the armor after supper, then finally went up to bed. Kaled was standing beside the bed, pulling off his shirt, when he heard a low whistle. He glanced over to see Khaotic sitting on the bed, looking at him with a mischievous grin. He gave an answering grin and stepped over, bending down to kiss her tenderly. She grabbed his belt before he could move away and pulled him down next to her, determinedly unfastening the buckle. He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, making her pause and look at him; he was smiling broadly. “O fulo osa, su balah,” he said softly, and she grinned back, then leaned in and kissed him soundly. He returned it, with a good bit of heat, then moved to her neck and shoulder as he reached to help her with her own shirt. She moaned softly and leaned back on the bed, and he slid closer to her. That was when they both heard a deep, blood-chilling growl.

They both looked up to see Alti at the top of the stairs heading toward them, his eyes fixed on Kaled, an unfriendly glint in them. Kaled cursed softly and moved away from Khaotic, but she grabbed his arm. “Nuashdie, Alti!” she commanded, and the lion obeyed, coming to a halt. She proceeded to scold him soundly, with a few choice curses thrown in. Alti stood still, eyes closed and ears flattened, while he took it all. “Anord, Altiuiqo. Baar,” she finished firmly, and he looked at her, his eyes calmer now, then with a quiet rumble he turned and went back downstairs, where he lay down next to Ashke.

Kaled gave Khaotic a shaky grin. “Maybe we should put him outside when we’re going to do this,” he said, but she shook her head. “He’ll behave now, or else we’ll have a new rug,” she said firmly, then reached for his arm again and pulled him close. “Now, where were we?”

* * * * * *

Later, as Kaled cradled her spoonwise against his chest, she said quietly, “We’ll have to watch him for now. I don’t want one of my pets turning into a killer. I don’t care how protective he thinks he’s being.” Kaled kissed the back of her shoulder. “I think he’ll be alright, love. He listened to you right away, so he’s not turning mindless or anything. He just worries, like I do.” She turned her head to look at him, and sighed. Then she twisted around in his arms to face him and kissed him gently. “Naaru burn me if I’m going to let my cat keep my husband from touching me,” she said, then she slipped out of his grasp.

She started down to the main room, but stopped when Kaled said, “Ahem, love?” She looked back to see him holding out a robe. She gave him an impish grin, then continued down, ignoring the robe. Kaled sighed, then watched her as she went down and knelt next to Alti. She spoke to him quietly for several minutes, the cat watching her raptly. Kaled caught a few words now and then; she was just speaking nonsense to him, her equivalent of baby talk, but the big lion was paying attention to every word she said, not even moving except to twitch an ear or blink at her. Finally she stroked his head; he pressed against her hand with a throaty purr. Then she stood and made her way back to bed. Alti watched her go but stayed where he was, and shortly he laid his head down and closed his eyes.

Khaotic clambered back into bed, climbing over Kaled to get to her side, then snuggled back into his arms. “He’ll be fine,” she said sleepily, closing her eyes. She opened them again abruptly as Kaled began rubbing her back and shoulders with both hands, and looked over her shoulder at him in surprise. “What, again?” she asked, and he chuckled. “Hey, you’re the one running around without even a robe on,” he said quietly as he pressed closer. She managed one laugh before he silenced her with a very thorough kiss.

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Running through those quests got them both almost to level 57. I'm going to go back & finish up the cauldrons, then maybe take them to Eastern Plaguelands. That will definitely ding them.

I'm having thoughts of just getting them up to the next PVP level bracket & seeing if it's any better there. If they hit 60 before they get their mounts, I have no problems with them buying the epic hawkstriders. Although Khaotic will be pretending she is NOT on a big pink/purple/what-have-you bird...

The commands Khaotic uses are not what you would get from speaking Thalassian in-game. I used a translator for them. Apparently what comes up in-game is different from "real" Thalassian. O.o

Khaotic: Zul'Farrak

I meant to post this a few days after their last story, but it took longer than I thought (darn cold). But better late than never, right? So yea, this is from a couple weeks ago
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Khaotic stood in her underclothes in front of the mirror they had hanging on the wall, examining herself critically. “It’s starting to show, isn’t it?” she asked Kaled. He looked over from where he lay on the bed, reading. “Yea, if you had waited another week or two, we wouldn’t have needed Harene to tell us,” he said. She grimaced. “I still can’t believe I didn’t figure it out myself. Ugh, I’m naïve.” “Don’t worry about it, love,” Kaled told her. “We know now, that’s all that matters.” “I suppose,” she said distractedly.

Kaled watched her for a few minutes longer. “Love,” he said finally. “You’re supposed to meet Rajji today, to go to Zul’Farrak and scout it out. You really ought to get dressed.” “True,” she sighed, and turned around to go get her clothes and armor. “Besides,” Kaled added with a mischievous grin; she paused to look at him. “If you stand there much longer, I may not be able to behave myself.” She laughed at him as she pulled on her shirt.

Kaled helped her buckle on the last of her armor, then she belted on her swords and grabbed her bow. Kaled stopped her long enough for a kiss, then she turned toward the door. “Be careful love,” he said seriously. She paused at the door and looked back. “I would rather you were with me,” she said softly, and he nodded. “So would I, but Rajji will take care of you. I have to go see about my business back in Orgrimmar. Good luck, love, and Light go with you.” She smiled back at him as she stepped out the door.

Khaotic met Rajji in Gadgetzan, and after saying hello to his pet warp stalker, they mounted up and rode to the gates of Zul’Farrak. "It doesn't bother you, to kill your own kin?" she asked the troll as they rode. "Nah," he replied. "These aren't my kin, see. They would kill me wit'out a thought, so why would I hesitate to return the favor, eh?" She had to concede his point.

They entered the city of the Sandfury trolls cautiously, keeping to the cover provided by the rocks and dunes. They were able to bypass the first few groups of trolls without being seen, but then they came to a long, narrow corridor. Up ahead Khaotic could see the movement of a patrol. Rajji turned to her with a wicked grin. “Ya ready to get bloody?” he asked, and she answered with a grin of her own.

They dispatched the patrol with ease, sniping them from a distance then dumping the bodies behind the wall. Rajji had to do the work, both because of Khaotic’s condition and his superior height. They pressed on, soon coming to the end of the corridor and looking out at a wide, open area, populated with several small groups of trolls. Stealthily, the two hunters started making their way across.

They had almost made it when a patrol came out of a doorway behind them. They still might have escaped notice, except this patrol had a basilisk with them, and the huge lizard scented them immediately. Their first warning was when Blinkin, Rajji’s warp stalker, spun around and hissed. Then Khaotic suddenly felt a blow to her back as the basilisk rammed her with its nose. As she fell, she saw a black blur fly by next to her, followed by a savage growl that stood the hairs on her neck on end. She caught herself on her hands and knees, then she looked up to see Rajji already turned around and pulling the hammer back on his gun, and ducked her head again as he fired. She then rolled to her feet and turned, nocking an arrow to her bow and firing at one of the Sandfury in one motion. The blur she had seen turned out to be Alti, who was furiously attacking the basilisk; the big beast was blinded by blood from Alti’s clawing, and the black lion had his teeth set in its short neck now. With a powerful jerk, he snapped the bas’ neck, then dropped the corpse. The rest of the patrol had been killed, luckily before they had shouted a warning, and the brief scuffle somehow hadn’t attracted attention.

Alti padded up to her, basilisk blood staining the fur of his muzzle, and she sank her fingers into his mane gratefully. Her other hand went to her stomach, almost unconsciously, as she thought of what could have happened when the basilisk attacked. She looked up at Rajji to find the troll studying her. His gaze went from her face to her hand resting on her belly, and his eyes widened slightly. “Ey, Khaotic, you shoulda told me when we started. I woulda taken more care, ya know? Are ya all right?” She nodded. “I’m fine. Just don’t mention this to Kaled, will you? I don’t want him to worry.” The troll eyed her, but reluctantly nodded.

They finished their mission without any further fuss, though Alti seemed glued to Khaotic’s side and was watching everywhere at once. After turning in their report back at Gadgetzan, they said their farewells, and Khaotic headed to the wyvern master outside. She turned to look back once, and found Rajji watching her. He simply nodded to her, then turned and went back into the town.

Khaotic returned home as night was falling to find Kaled still gone, so she reheated some leftover soup, grateful that her nausea seemed to be gone. After supper she cleaned up her dishes, then took her book and sat on the bed to read.

Kaled woke her sometime close to midnight with a gentle kiss. “Sorry, love,” he said softly. “It took longer than I thought, then the zeppelin needed repairs. How was your day?” She blinked up at him, then smiled. “Good. Everything went well. Alti was amazing; he killed a basilisk by himself.” He smiled back at her. “Good. Go on back to sleep, love.” She shook her head, then reached for him, saying softly, “I was just waiting for you to get home.”

Kaled & Khaotic: A Surprise

Khaotic left Harene Plainwalker’s home and walked back to the small house she and Kaled now lived in, her thoughts in a whirl. How should I tell him?... We’ve been together for 5 years now and nothing, why did it take so long? I was beginning to think there was something wrong with one of us. She thought she should be happy, but at the same time she wasn’t sure what she felt. I’m still young, am I ready for this? Is he? Good gods, I never even thought about it before, how could I be ready? Her big black lion Alti paced beside her, now and then looking up at her or rubbing his head against her hand. She tried to find some calm in her companion’s presence, and soon began feeling better.

Finally she reached their house, only to hear the sounds of other people coming from inside. Great. I wanted to tell him while we were alone. Fat chance of that now. She heard Kaled’s voice, speaking to someone inside, and suddenly she wanted to run into his arms and start crying. She quickly shook herself out of that particular feeling. Okay, she said I’d probably get emotional. I just hope I don’t get that bad. She stopped herself outside the door, took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and went inside.

Kaled was sitting on the floor cushions with a young tauren. A Forsaken she didn't know sat on top of some crates they had yet to unpack; he waved at her when she came in. "Hello, love," Kaled said when he saw her. "Um, hello," she responded. "Were we expecting company?" The tauren stood and greeted her. "My name is Rondlo, I am from Toorambar's tribe. He was going to be here, but couldn't make it, so I came in his stead. This is my friend Scytthe." He gestured to the undead, who nodded at her.

Kaled had made some soup for supper; his cooking skills had vastly improved over the past spring. He served it up as they all sat around the center area. The other two began talking with each other as Kaled asked Khaotic, "So did Harene find out why you've been feeling sick?" "Ah, yea, she did," Khaotic replied, eying the others nervously. Before she could say more, Rondlo began asking Scytthe about his own cooking, and Kaled was drawn into their conversation despite himself. Khaotic sighed to herself.

The discussion turned to Scytthe's alchemy, and Kaled pulled his attention away long enough to say quietly, "So what did she say?" "Well-" Before she could say more, she was interrupted again, with Scytthe asking Kaled a question. Khaotic sighed again in frustration, and Kaled reached over and squeezed her arm comfortingly. She looked over at him, but he was already back to conversing with the others. So she listened to their banter for awhile, then in a brief lull, she tried to talk to him again. She was, once again, interrupted, as Rondlo started speaking about a troll that had been mentoring him, and they went on to talk about other hunters that they knew. Khaotic had just about had enough.

Finally she took a deep breath to gather her nerve, then stood up, drawing everyone's attention. "Kaledain," she said, and he blinked at her; she almost never used his full name. She looked down into his eyes and said in Thalassian, "Osa tal adore do su o man'ar." Then she sat back down, having finally gotten it out.

"Umm," Scytthe muttered to Rondlo. "Did you understand what she said?" Rondlo shook his head as they both stared.

Kaled gaped at her for a moment, then slowly stood. His mouth opened and closed a couple times, then he finally managed, "....What?" "What happened?" asked Rondlo, politeness vying with his curiosity. Kaled didn't take his eyes off his wife. "I'm..." "Yes, Kaled," Khaotic confirmed, a small smile starting to show itself at the corners of her mouth. He looked around at the other two in a daze. "I'm going to be a father."

A rush of congratulations and well-wishes followed the announcement. Kaled had eyes only for Khaotic, and she stared back at him, beginning to smile a bit uncertainly. Kaled suddenly looked at the others. "Um, fellas?" he asked apologetically. "Can we have a little alone time?" Scytthe and Rondlo quickly agreed, and with many more well-wishes, and a tauren blessing from Rondlo, they departed.

Kaled sat down next to Khaotic, slipping one arm around her waist. He leaned over and kissed her on the shoulder, then her cheek. “How long?” he asked her softly. “The druid said it’s been almost 3 months,” she replied. “I’m due in the winter.” He hugged her gently. “How do you feel about this?” She sighed. “I don’t know yet. I’ve never thought about being a mother. I suppose I’m a little scared right now, this is going to change our lives so much. But at the same time…”

She looked up at him. “Now that it’s happened, I want it. This baby is a part of both of us. What could possibly be bad about that?” He smiled and held her tighter. “We’re going to be busy now,” he said. “We need to find a midwife, think of names, lots of things.” “As far as the first part,” Khaotic put in, “Harene said she would be happy to help us. She knows people here and said she can find a Sin’dorei assistant if needed.” “Good,” he said. “That’s one worry taken care of.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It’s getting late, love. Feel like heading to bed?” She shook her head. “I still have too much to think about right now, love. You go ahead.” He kissed her again, then headed up the stairs to their bed.

Khaotic sat in the quiet for awhile longer. Alti came over and flopped down at her side, and she twined her fingers into his mane. “I hope you’re ready as well,” she whispered to him as she placed her other hand on her belly. “This is going to change a lot of things for all of us. Anar’alah, but I hope I’m ready.” After a bit she finally stood and made her way to bed. She slipped under the covers, and Kaled woke just enough to take her in his arms. Cradled against her husband’s chest, she let herself slide down into sleep.

Anna's Friday Five- Time

So I haven't done one of these for a long time, and wanted to give this a go. Too Many Annas has a theme for her Friday posts, where she will either have a list of 5 questions or give an idea for a 500-word ficlet, that you answer from your character's point of view. Today's 5 questions are:

• Is your character usually early, on time, or late? What does he or she expect from other people with regards to time?
• Is your character a morning sparrow or a night owl? Is this their nature, or have they trained themselves to it?
• Does your character carry a time-keeping device? (watch, pocket watch, chronometer, gnomish buzzbox with digital clock peripheral)
• How does your character deal with the Bronze Dragonflight - does he or she take them seriously? take the Caverns of Time seriously?
• What does your character eat for breakfast on a “normal morning”? (whenever that “morning” happens to take place)

Answers are from Kaledain, Khaotic, and Barraccus (since that's who I've been playing the most lately)

1. Kaled and Khaotic try to be on time for everything, but sometimes stuff happens and you can't help but be a little late. They hold the same expectations for other people.
Barraccus always tries to be on time, if not early. That being said, he would like for others to do the same, but won't get mad if they're late.

2. Khaotic is an early bird, usually up around daybreak (a holdover from her years in the army). Kaled is not a morning person, and she usually has to wake him up and fix breakfast. He usually becomes human again after some food and tea/coffee.
Barraccus is up with the sun without fail. Being a night elf, this isn't exactly natural for him, but he's been doing it for so long that he doesn't remember why he's like this.

3. All 3 of them keep track of time by the sun/moon/stars. Khaotic is especially good at this, again because of her time with the army; she was often a scout and needed to keep close track of the time.
Barraccus has a pocketwatch from a gnomish acquaintance, but he usually forgets he has it. He will remember to check it if he really needs to know the time.

4. Kaled and Khaotic haven't met any of the bronze dragonflight yet, but have heard enough about them to be warily respectful. The same goes for the Caverns of Time; they both have been in the Caverns but not inside any of the instances, so while they don't know what is going on in there, they can both feel that there is something.
Barraccus has some reverence for all dragons, although he wishes he knew exactly what it is that the Bronze did. Meeting his Future Self kind of shook him up a little.

5. Khaotic usually fixes breakfast, tho she doesn't always "cook", sometimes it's just toast and coffee. Kaled will eat whatever she puts in front of him.
Barraccus doesn't always eat breakfast, but when he does it's usually travel food from his backpack, whatever is served at the inn he's staying at , or if he's home, then whatever someone else has already fixed. If he has to cook, he'll fix toast and bacon, usually with tea. Anything else has a good chance of getting undercooked or burned.


So how would your character answer?

Khaotic: Altiuiqo

I hadn't originally planned on making a story for Alti. His tame just kinda happened, nothing special about it. But, well, you know how things just happen, plus I was bored at work. >.>
So, here's his story. Enjoy!
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Khaotic studied the small pride of lions clustered underneath one of the few trees here in the Barrens. Kaled stood behind her, his gaze divided between watching the lions and scanning the surroundings for any danger. Ashkeyana sat next to his master looking like he was about to fall asleep, until he abruptly got up and nudged under Khaotic's arm for a scratch. She obliged him, but her attention remained on the big cats below, especially on the young, dark pride leader.

She had discovered him yesterday and had immediately sent word to Kaled, who had gone on further south. He had returned right away, eager to see the strange cat. They had been studying the unusual black lion all day now, and Khaotic was finally sure that she wanted him for a companion. She guessed his age to be about 18 months, very young for a pride leader, even if his family was a small one. Given the number of bachelor males in the area, she knew his pride wouldn't be leaderless for long, so that was one concern out of her way. She just had to worry about taming him, now.

Kaled crouched down next to her on the rock, putting one hand on her shoulder. "You're sure about this?" he asked softly, not wanting to alert the lions below. She nodded, her gaze not leaving her target. He patted her shoulder. "Good luck, love. We'll be waiting here, for both of you." She finally looked away from the black lion, to smile at her husband. Then, without a word, she stood and started toward the great cats.

* * * * * *

Khaotic walked back up to the rock where Kaled waited, pride and love making his eyes shine. Beside her paced the young black lion, looking a little dazed by the twist his life had just taken. He stopped and growled when he saw Kaled, still wary, until Ashke came and began nuzzling him. The older cat's attentions soon had him calmed, and he lay down next to his mistress while she sat on the rock and stroked his mane.

"I'll call him Altiuiqo," she told Kaled. He grinned at her. "That's a bit of a mouthful, love. Got a nickname for him?" She swatted at him, also grinning, then stared down to her new pet's green eyes. "Alti will work," she said. "Let's take him home now, love. He has a lot to learn."

Khaotic and Vhid

Kaled was rather impressed with how much blood was running down his arm. As Khaotic rushed him to the house, he held a cloth tight to the gash. Khaotic was muttering behind him. “You would find a way to get cut on a practice blade. Let’s hurry up and get this cleaned. I need to see if it needs stitched.” She had him kneel by the stream behind the house and began washing the blood off his arm, still muttering. “You’ve only been here two weeks, and you manage to do this. I hope you don’t lose a limb before the summer’s out."

Kaled just sat still and let her fuss over him. He didn’t mind her words and he rather liked her touch, despite suddenly feeling very self-conscious. She finally had his arm cleaned up and after an examination declared it to be not stitch-worthy, so she bound up the slash, then sat back and studied him a moment. “I suppose we’re done for today. If you try anything strenuous now that cut’s just going to start bleeding again,” she told him. He nodded, then looked up at her face. “Thank you,” he said shyly. She looked at him impassively for a moment, then suddenly reached out and ruffled his hair. “Don’t mention it. Since we’re done with anything physical today, why not come tell me how far your sword training went?” Kaled fidgeted nervously, then blurted out quietly, “I’d rather hear you tell a story. Can you tell me how you found Vhid?” He blushed furiously at his own daring and dropped his gaze, then peeked at her to gauge her reaction.

Khaotic sat back on her heels and sighed. After a long minute studying him, she said, “All right. Let’s get something to eat and find a more comfortable place to sit.” They went inside the house, where Kaled sat and nursed his wounded arm while Khaotic dug in the pantry for some bread and cheese. She placed both on the table between them along with a flask of moonberry juice, but while Kaled dug in with a good appetite, she just sat for a while, deep in thought. Her mind wandered far back, before her return to Eversong, back to when she was still an active soldier in the Horde.
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The battle for Warsong Gulch had been over for a year, its memories behind her, for the most part. Now she was assisting the tauren in their battles against their ancient enemy, the Quilboar. Her detachment had been sent to aid with an assault on the Quilboar’s home territory, Razorfen Kraul. The mixed bunch of orcs, trolls, and a few blood elves kept apart from the tauren when they weren’t fighting, although Khaotic was eaten up with curiosity about them. She had her orders though, and kept her distance.

Not that she preferred the company of her fellow soldiers. Most of them were bigoted, muscle-brained males that tried often enough to delegate her to camp cook, or something similar. Luckily her commanders knew her fighting prowess and refused to listen to the dissenters, but the soldiers still managed to make her life hard at times. The loudest and rudest was an orc named Raugh, and he had quite a large following already.

He had found her sleeping spot this evening and spent the better part of an hour trying to get her to clean his filthy boots before finally giving up and leaving, his loud, condescending comments following him as he walked away toward the cookfires. As she tidied up the nook where she had set up her bedroll, Khaotic suddenly found herself thinking of Dral. He would never have tolerated her being treated this way, and would have had Raugh whipped for his behavior long ago. Not just because of their relationship, which they had managed to keep quiet, but because he truly thought of males and females as being equal; that was one of the reasons she had respected him so much. She wished he were there now, but knew it was pointless. He would never be there again, the dwarven hunter back in Warsong had made sure of that.

She felt her eyes burning and quickly turned her thoughts to other things. Tears were a weakness she could not afford to show these men; they had enough ammunition to use against her already. As she nibbled at her dinner of trail rations, unwilling to risk another meeting with Raugh at a cookfire, she thought back on the day’s fighting. Her small command of six had been joined by a pair of tauren trackers to thin out the numbers of the Quilboar’s pets, huge savage boars more intelligent than any she had seen before. They were enough of a challenge that her little party had been careful to attack no more than one at a time, any more and they might have had casualties. As she went through the day’s events in her mind, she suddenly recalled something else. Today had been her twentieth nameday.

Suddenly Khaotic wanted to get away from the camp and the other soldiers. She had an overwhelming urge to show these orcish pigs that she was worth more than any of them, but she wasn’t sure how. Then a crazy idea came to her.

She got up and crept toward the edge of camp. Her ghostly saber cat got up to go with her, but she made him lie back down. “Stay here, Gul, and make sure no one follows me,” she whispered to him, then snuck away. She soon found herself outside the camp’s limits and inside Quilboar territory. The enormous thorny branches everywhere gave her plenty of cover, but also hid her enemies, so she was extremely careful as she moved further and further into enemy ground. She kept going until she heard the snorts and grunts she was searching for.

Coming around one spiny branch, she found herself just within sight of a cluster of boar. She stopped and watched them from cover, then noticed one male standing away from the others, with recent cuts and scratches covering the places where the Quilboar hadn’t strapped on armor plating. He was a perfect target.

Using every skill she possessed, Khaotic managed to lure the lone boar away from the others’ sight and hearing. When she felt they were far enough, she mentally braced herself, then stepped out of her hiding spot and into the boar’s view. He snorted sharply in rage, and as she quickly prepared the cantrip she had learned long ago, he charged her with an angry squeal.

A few hours later, an alarm spread through the Horde camp. Somehow it seemed a savage boar had snuck through into the very center of the camp without being seen. As several soldiers rushed through, searching for their enemy, they suddenly came upon a very odd sight. Khaotic was sitting on her bedroll wrapping a bandage around her forearm. A few other minor injuries showed on her arms and legs, and by the way she held herself she probably had a bruised rib or two. And sitting at her feet with a very disgruntled expression was the boar they were searching for.

Raugh stepped forward and glared at her. “How did you get that thing in here, wench? And what do you think you are doing with it anyhow?” he demanded. She looked at him coolly. “Seeing as you’re not my commander, I don’t think I’ll answer to you,” she said calmly, which set him back a bit. Before he could come up with a retort, she added, “And I’d appreciate you not calling my new pet a ‘thing’. His name is Vhid.” Raugh was really angry now, and would have gotten an answer from her, one way or another, except that when he stepped closer the boar jumped to his feet and fixed one red eye on him, gnashing his teeth together in an unmistakable threat. Raugh stopped in his tracks, then grinned in triumph as they all heard the commander yell, “What‘s going on over here?”

Ortokk, the orcish commander of the detachment, walked through the crowd to stand next to Raugh and just stared for a moment, taking in the scene. The boar didn’t move except to shift his glare to this new potential threat. Ortokk looked from Khaotic sitting calmly on her bedroll, to the boar standing guard over its new mistress, to Raugh, who was standing with a sneer on his face, sure that Khaotic was going to be punished for her latest transgression. The sneer quickly turned to disbelief when the commander simply asked her, “And what’s this? Fighting the bloody things ain’t enough challenge for you?” Khaotic replied, “I figured you all needed one less boar to fight in the morning.” At that the commander laughed, then turned to the soldiers crowding around. “Alright, get back where you belong. Nothing to see here now.” As they all dispersed back to their own bedrolls, Ortokk called out, “You stay here a moment Raugh. I think I’d like a word with you.” The rest of the soldiers were treated to the sight of their commander giving Raugh a complete dressing-down as they went back to their beds.
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Kaled’s polite throat-clearing snapped Khaotic out of her reverie, and she quickly came back to the present. She glanced at him, sitting across from her at the table and waiting eagerly for her to begin. Khaotic cleared her own throat, then started her story. “It was about a year after the battle for Warsong ended. We were helping the tauren with their Quilboar problem…”….

Kaledain: Beliefs

I've been thinking about this since the post I did a few days ago(the 5 questions). Kaled and Khaotic definitely have very different beliefs about some things, and it might seem strange that they never fight or argue over it. So I came up with this at work today. Enjoy!
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One night, a few months after their wedding, Kaled and Khaotic sat by a campfire near their house, just enjoying the night sky. They had had few private moments like this since Toorambar had come to live with them during his tutorship, but he had gone back to Mulgore for a holiday, and they had been making up for lost time. Covered only by a thin blanket, they watched the stars above them.

Kaled suddenly broke the silence. “What do you think is up there in the heavens? You think our spirits might fly up there to live after we die?” Khaotic looked at him curiously. “You want to ponder the meaning of life while you’re at it? Who can guess what’s up there? I’m not even sure I really care about it.” Now it was Kaled’s turn to stare at her. “Do you really mean that? You haven’t ever wondered what happens when we die?” She shrugged. “Not really,” she replied. “I was usually too busy trying to stay alive at the times it would have been most appropriate.” Kaled was silent for a bit before answering. “What about now, since you don’t have enemies surrounding you screaming for your blood? Does peace and quiet give you time to think about it?” Khaotic sighed, beginning to grow frustrated by his questions. “No. It’s not something I want to think about, Kaled,” she said irritably. He seemed confused by her change in attitude, asking more cautiously, “Why not?” She didn’t respond this time, so he finally gave up and returned to watching the stars.

After a long interval in which Khaotic thought he might have decided to drop the subject, he said very quietly, “I do think there’s something more when we die. I don’t know what it is, but I don't believe we just disappear from this existence.” Khaotic snorted, though not harshly. “You sound like one of the Alliance’s holy paladins,” she said. “So be it,” he replied. “I am not ashamed to say we might worship the same powers.” Khaotic sat straight up at that. “What!?” she said incredulously. “Are you saying that you think the Alliance is better than your own race? To say nothing of the orcs and tauren, or the Forsaken, though I don’t think they believe much of anything.” “No, no,” Kaled quickly responded. “I’m just trying to say that I think this ‘Light' they value so much might not be a bad thing. Who can say that it favors one race over another? It should be the person inside that counts, not which side of the war you were born on.” Khaotic stared at him. “That’s a very noble sentiment, love, but the world doesn’t usually see things that way,” she said.

“Did I ever tell you about the first time I went to Orgrimmar, when I was little?” she asked him, and he shook his head no. “I went with my parents. We had just arrived on the zeppelin, and were walking to the front gates. There was a commotion in the distance and we stopped to see what was happening. There was a young orc and troll running up to the gates as if their lives depended on them reaching it.” An ironic smirk crossed her face when she said that. “Coming behind them and gaining fast were two humans on warhorses wearing the livery of their holy church. Before the two younglings could reach the gate, the humans ran them down and slaughtered them, then trampled the bodies with their chargers. They had no reason for doing it either; they just did it because they were 'Horde scum'. They were paladins, Kaled, followers of this ‘Light’ you speak of. And you think this power cares about us the same as the humans?” Kaled shook his head, a look of dismay on his face. “That’s what I was trying to say, Veldora. Those men were evil, despite wearing the Light’s symbols. Their actions proved their true character no matter what name they claim to serve.”

Khaotic looked down, toying with the blanket in front of her. Finally she said, quietly, “I can’t believe that, Kaled. Not after all the cruelty and slaughter I’ve seen. If it makes you happy to think of it, fine, but don’t expect to convert me.” Kaled reached over and cupped her chin, turning her face to look at him. “I would never do that, love. You ought to know that, of all people. I love you for who you are, all of it, and I would never try to change you.” She smiled at him, squeezing his hand gently in hers. Then her smile faded as his face turned pensive. He turned to look back at the sky, his expression distant.

“Do you know,” he said quietly, almost in a whisper, “the people in Silvermoon that rescued me told me that the accident happened so fast, my parents were most likely dead before they even realized their mistake. The house was burned to the ground, and only fast action saved the neighbors’ homes. Yet I bear no scars from that accident. The workroom was shielded and I was at the opposite end of the house, but I don’t believe that’s what saved me. Think about it a moment. It was like a dragon’s fireball, they said, yet I was pulled from the wreckage alive, barely injured really, and I healed quickly and completely. Only my magic was taken. Nothing rational explains it.” He turned to look at her, his eyes intense and unblinking. “That is why I say these things. I have to believe that something saved me, and it did so with a purpose in mind. I just don’t know what it is yet.” Khaotic was speechless, and just stared at him.

The spell was broken by Ashkeyana yawning loudly as he strolled over to the fire to lay down across from them. Kaled blinked, then looked away as Khaotic drew a deep breath. She reached over to massage his shoulder a bit. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I won’t argue or belittle it anymore.” Kaled looked over at her with a half-smile. “Veldora, if you didn’t question anything, you wouldn’t be who you are. You don’t have to apologize.” She smiled back at him and slid closer to him. “Although,” he continued as he began rubbing her back, “if you want to make it up to me, I have a few ideas….” He didn’t get anything else out after that, as she pressed her lips to his, and bore him back to the ground.

Kaledain: Silverpine revisited

I've been itching to write something all week. Came up with this while at work today. This is during their stay in Silverpine, hunting the worgen and Scourge.
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Silverpine Forest was, Kaled thought, the most depressing place in Azeroth. The dying trees drooped all around him, and the sparse grass was an unhealthy-looking blackish-green. Khaotic led as they traveled down the road toward the Forsaken outpost called, ironically enough, the Sepulcher. Upon their arrival, they found the Forsaken in charge, who gave them all the information they needed to track down the worgen they were there to hunt. Then Khaotic ushered Kaled out onto the road again.

"I try not to camp too near this place. They give me the willies sometimes," she explained to Kaled. He was inclined to agree with her. The Forsaken were his first good look at undead, and they disturbed him in ways he couldn't explain.

The weather had turned chilly while they had been traveling from Silvermoon, and both of them now wore heavy, fur-lined cloaks. Kaled pulled his close and shivered as the wind cut through the trees. He followed Khaotic as she walked about a quarter-mile back the way they had come, then left the road and searched til she found a suitable campsite. The two elves dropped their packs, then Kaled went to gather wood while Khaotic built a fire ring. Soon they had a small fire blazing merrily in the growing darkness, and their bedrolls spread out on either side of it.

Khaotic set water heating for tea while Kaled got out some of their dried travel rations. They ate their supper in silence, broken only by the occasional night bird or, rarely, an eerie cry far in the distance. Their animals had been roving about, staying within hearing range but wandering. As full dark set in, they all came back to the fire, Kechara perching in a nearby tree while the cats lounged next to their masters. Vhid rooted out a bed for himself at the foot of Kechara's tree and settled down for the night.

Kaled and Khaotic sat side by side for awhile next to the fire, then Kaled broke the silence with a huge yawn. Khaotic looked at him with a grin, then said, "Might as well get some sleep. Morning we start our hunt." Kaled grunted assent as he got up and pulled his bedroll closer, then burrowed into the blankets with only his face showing. Ashkeyana moved over to lay against his back, then they both started breathing deeply and evenly in sleep. Khaotic chuckled to herself as she made herself comfortable in her own bedroll, then looked over to Gulhalrathn. "Guard the camp, Gul," she told him quietly, and the big leopard chuffed at her, then got up and moved off into the darkness.

Morning dawned misty and cold. Kaled awoke to the sounds of Khaotic stirring the fire into life. He sat up and stretched, then shivered as the cold hit him. Wrapping a blanket around himself, he stood and walked over to a tiny creek nearby, washed quickly in the icy water, then came back to the fire. Khaotic handed him some jerky, and he took it, then leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek. She smiled at him, then turned to roll up her bedding. Kaled wolfed down his breakfast and did the same. After washing down the jerky with a drink from his waterskin, he placed it in his pack and slung it onto his back. Khaotic had put out the fire and shouldered her own pack, and they set off.

Khaotic showed him what to look for as far as tracks went, as they walked through the trees back to the road. They turned south on the road, going past the Sepulcher and continuing on.

Kaled was quiet while they walked. He was thinking about what they had come for, and was having second thoughts about his part in it. Khaotic noticed his introspection, but said nothing for awhile. When they were well past the Sepulcher, she stopped and turned to him. "You're not sure if you can do this, are you?" she asked him. He was startled for a second, then relaxed; she was good at reading him, and he hadn't been sure how to bring it up. "These worgen are living things," he replied. "It's one thing to hit a training dummy, or swing at each other with dull blades, but I've never killed anything except animals." Khaotic nodded at him. "Let me show you something. It won't take but a minute." She led him off the road into the trees.

They found a cabin not far in, but it looked abandoned, with holes in the walls and the fence starting to fall over. Khaotic stopped and looked back at Kaled. "This was a farm just two days ago. The Forsaken told me about this when I asked for directions. They were attacked by the worgen." She motioned for him to go inside the cabin, which he did. He found the interior in shambles, with smashed furniture everywhere. Then he saw the bodies.

They looked like Forsaken; the bodies showed more decay than he would have expected. Two of the three bodies looked like they would have been only 10 or 12 when they had died the first time and risen as Forsaken. One of them had an arm missing, the torn limb lying on the other side of the room. He noted with disgust that the arm looked chewed.The third was a female in a patched, ragged dress, obviously the mother. She had been gutted. Khaotic came in behind him as he stared at the corpses. "The father was torn to pieces outside, in the back yard. They were a family that died to a Scourge plague and rose as undead all at the same time. They were living here quite happily until the worgen came calling." Kaled took one more look around the wrecked house, then nodded to her and went back outside. He had gotten the point.

By noon they had reached a walled village. Consulting their map, Khaotic announced that it was called Pyrewood. They approached it carefully, stopping at the forest edge and watching it for awhile. Finally Khaotic turned away. "I don't think we should go in," she said. "It's making me uneasy for some reason." Kaled agreed; he was having the same feeling.

Pressing on, they soon were back among the trees. Khaotic suddenly grabbed Kaled's arm, pulling him to a stop as she motioned him to silence. As soon as she did that, he heard gutteral noises from up ahead. They crept forward carefully and peered around a large tree.

Not far in front of them was a group of the strangest humanoids Kaled had ever seen. Man-sized, they looked something like wolves but with human proportions, walking on their hind legs and with arms instead of forelegs. Their hands had stubby fingers ending with large claws. Their wolf-like faces had oversized jaws filled with teeth, and their eyes had a cruel intelligence in them. Kaled pulled back behind the tree and looked to Khaotic, who nodded at him. They had found the worgen.

Kaled took a deep breath as he strung his bow, then nocked an arrow, ducked around the tree, aimed and fired. Khaotic did the same on the other side, and two worgen dropped in their tracks. The others were so startled that the hunters each got off 2 more shots before they retaliated, with blood-curdling howls. Kaled fired a fourth arrow, then tossed his bow aside and drew his swords.

The first worgen that came around the tree was dead before it knew it, its throat and chest sliced open. Then 2 more came, only to be skewered as Kaled and Khaotic each took one. That left only 3 more, which they quickly dispatched. The last tried to run only to be brought down by Kechara and Gul hitting it at the same time.

They made a cursory search of the camp for anything of interest, finding only a smoldering fire and some chunks of rotting meat. They left the camp and moved on.

They found another camp an hour later and wiped it out with the same efficiency. Then they began searching for a campsite of their own, finding a good spot shortly before sundown. After a hot supper of stew made from their dried meat and vegetables, they sat next to each other talking over what had happened that day. Then Kaled set Ashke to watch their camp, and they bundled into their bedrolls, snuggling close to each other in the growing cold.

The next day proceeded like the first until late in the afternoon. They had gone east to the edge of the mountains on the border, and were searching the foothills when suddenly Khaotic froze, drawing Kaled's attention with a sharp hsst. "Scourge up ahead," she whispered to him, and his eyes widened. He waited til she reached his side, then they went on. They discovered a mine hidden in the hills, with several undead wandering just outside. Unlike the Forsaken who retained a fair resemblance to the humans they once were, these were little more than animated, rotting corpses, their eyes glowing an evil red. Khaotic studied them, then turned to Kaled. "There's only six, this should be easy. Kaled, what's wrong?" she said, growing concerned when she saw his face. Kaled had gone pale, and a cold sweat was breaking out on his forehead. "I- I don't know, but I'm not feeling well all of a sudden," he said shakily. "Can you still fight?" she asked him, and he nodded, then pushed himself upright.

They snuck as close as they dared, then as one they drew their bows and fired. Two undead dropped, the rest immediately raising a howl and rushing for the elves. Ashke and Gul ran out from the trees and slammed into one ghoul, their claws and teeth doing massive damage to its rotting body. Another pair dropped with arrows through their skulls, leaving just one. Unlike the worgen, which had tried to flee when outnumbered, the ghoul attacked them savagely. Kaled fended it off while Khaotic slipped behind it, then struck hard, and its head went flying from its shoulders. Kaled jumped back as the body, still twitching, fell at his feet.

They checked the mine, but found no more undead, though the smell discouraged a thorough search. With darkness now approaching, they hurried away to find a safer campsite. The next morning they woke to a thick coating of frost covering the ground.

In the following two days they found 3 more camps of worgen and five groups of undead, which were eliminated ruthlessly. Kaled became pale and shaky each time they found any Scourge, but still fought well. Then they came upon another farm, this one larger than the one attacked by the worgen. It was crawling with undead, they saw when they crept close enough to scout. Khaotic motioned Kaled back, and they backed away until it was safe to speak. "There's about 30 of them, Kaled. Do you want to try this? We can lure them through the woods and thin them out that way before we'd have to close with any." Kaled considered carefully before answering. "I think we can do this," he replied. "If we run into trouble, they don't move very fast. I think we'll be able to get away." Khaotic nodded, then reached out and stroked his cheek. "Be careful, love. No risks."

They separated, approaching the farm on opposite sides. The cats snuck in as far as the fence surrounding the barn, then Kaled sent Kechara in. He drew his bow and began firing as his pets attacked, drawing the attention of most of the undead. He saw Vhid out of the corner of his eye just as the boar charged a ghoul and almost severed its leg. As it fell Vhid pounced on it, tearing it into pieces with his hooves and tusks. Kaled felt his gorge rise as he focused back on his targets, then he suddenly noticed Kechara dive on another ghoul. As she struck, talons tearing into its shoulder, it swiped at her and caught one wing with its claws. Kechara shrieked and fell away. She caught herself before she hit the ground, and flapped unsteadily away into the trees. The ghoul she had attacked sprouted an arrow in its face and fell to the ground, but the others nearby tracked the arrow and charged the place where Khaotic hid, howling viciously. Kaled panicked, and jumped out into the open with a yell. Several undead stopped and looked back, then charged at him, and he melted back into the trees and took off at a run. He glanced back once, quickly counting seven ghouls chasing him, then spotted Ashke charging in behind and taking one down. Kaled sprinted ahead, then paused just long enough to nock an arrow and fire. Five now. He heard Kechara shriek again and saw her pass over his head, and relief gave him more energy. He dashed around a large boulder and came to a halt, drawing another arrow back. He fired as the ghouls, only 3 now thanks to Ashke, came rushing around the boulder. The lead one fell and he leapt onto the next with his blades flashing. Both ghouls were quickly finished.

Ashke padded up to him, his jaws and chest covered in gore. Kaled checked him quickly for injuries, finding none, then looked for Kechara to find her flapping up to him. He had her land on the ground and examined her wing to find a couple bloody scratches but nothing more serious. He felt relief again for an instant, then abruptly remembered. Khaotic was still out there with several more undead. He ran back the way he had come.

Back at the farm, he quickly found her trail and raced along it. He passed by several messy bodies, some obviously Vhid's work, then slowed as he heard fighting ahead. Coming out into a clearing, he saw Khaotic fending off two ghouls while Vhid and Gul both tussled with a third. Kaled drew his bow and shot one ghoul in the back of the head, then Khaotic neatly beheaded the other. Her pets had theirs down seconds later.

The fight over, Kaled and Khaotic just looked at each other for a moment, then Kaled rushed across the clearing and wrapped her in his arms, relief making him dizzy. She pulled away suddenly and began looking him over for injuries, then allowed him to do the same for her. He had a long scratch down one arm from his dash through the trees; she was unscathed. They hugged each other tightly, then collected their weapons and left, heading for their camp.

That night as they sat by the fire, Khaotic told him, "Let's not do that again unless we have to, okay?" He gave a shaky laugh, then put one arm around her. She leaned against him wearily. "How much longer do you think this will take?" he asked her. She thought for a minute. "I'm not really sure. I wasn't expecting to find undead here, and I'd rather not leave until they've been eliminated. But I don't want to spend the winter here, and I'm sure you don't either." He shook his head, then a mischievous grin spread across his face. "No, I'd rather not. For one thing it's too cold for, ah, certain things, and for another, the ground is hard as a rock." Khaotic elbowed him, but grinned too. Then she sobered with a sigh. "Let's give it another two weeks, then we'll head for home. I suppose we should get some sleep now. Let's have Kechara and Gul both keep a watch tonight." He agreed.

Kaled ran through the trees. The Scourge were chasing him, but ahead of him Khaotic was also running from pursuers. He had to reach her before it was too late. Breaking out of the trees into a large clearing, he spotted her facing down at least ten undead. He shouted, trying to draw their attention, but they ignored him and closed on his mate. He tried to run faster, but his legs felt like they were stuck in the ground. Looking down he saw skeletal arms reaching up and grabbing at him. He yelled again, this time in fear, then looked up as he heard Khaotic cry out. He watched in disbelief as the undead overwhelmed her, dragging her down and burying her underneath them. He was in such shock that he didn't even respond at first when his own pursuers reached him and attacked. Then he tried to fight back, but they were all over him, suffocating him. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. As he struggled to get a breath, he thought he heard a cold voice in his mind, saying, "You are mine now."

Khaotic woke abruptly when she heard Kaled cry out. She searched the surrounding darkness for danger, but all was quiet. Then Kaled started thrashing in his blankets next to her, and she realized he was having a nightmare. She got free of her own blankets, then sat next to him, shaking his shoulder and calling to him softly. He would not wake, however, and grew more frantic. When she almost got decked by his flailing arm, she sat on his chest and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her, saying sharply, "Kaled! Wake up, it's only a dream!" At that his eyes snapped open, fear filling them, and he looked around wildly for an instant. Then he realized where he was and suddenly went limp. Khaotic slipped off his chest and sat next to him again. He looked all around their camp, then reached out for her. She allowed him to pull her close, and murmured to him soothingly, smoothing his tousled hair as he held her tightly. Finally he released her, his breathing almost back to normal and his eyes no longer fearful. She got him to sit up a bit, until she had his head and shoulders in her lap, then pulled him back down and covered him up again. Finished with that, she gently stroked his hair while she asked him softly, "Nightmare?" He nodded with a shudder. "Need to talk about it?" she pressed, but he shook his head. Then he looked up at her face. "Why is this happening? Is there something wrong with me?" he asked her. "No, love," she responded immediately. "The Scourge are unnatural, and all elves are affected like this when they first encounter them. You're reaction is pretty severe, but it's not the worst I've seen." He digested that, then looked back at her, not quite convinced. She sighed. "Look, Kaled, you told me how you were trained partly by the druids and shamans while you were in Mulgore." He nodded. "What did they teach you? How did you learn to do those skills that would normally take a bit of magic to perform?" He thought a bit then replied, "They talk to the spirits, the elements. I was able to learn a bit of that, and adapt it. That kind of magic doesn't take inborn ability, since the spirits are providing the magic." "Yes," she said. "And the spirits live in the land, water and air. Look at this place. It seems dead, doesn't it? There's elemental energy here, but it's low. That's because of the Scourge. They are like an assault on the senses, a disease if you will." Kaled was quiet again as he absorbed this information. Finally satisfied, he looked back at her face and smiled. "So I'll be fine, right?" "Yes, love. Just give yourself some time, you'll get used to it and won't have these reactions anymore. Now you still need sleep, and I'm right here. Nothing will happen, not til morning anyway." And she leaned down and kissed him, then shifted til they were both comfortable. She held him until he fell back asleep, then slid out from under him. She wrapped herself in her blankets, then laid down next to him and held him close until sleep took her as well.
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I tried to make this a short one but it didn't quite turn out that way. Oh well hehe.

P.S. Kaled is up to 10 AV marks. Gonna take a break tomorrow and try to get another level, then head back in. Horde side is still fail, we had one match that was 20-something-low us-40 them, but at least the matches are short. Alliance side is flooded with DKs tho, I think half their team was made up of them. :P