The Howling

[Xaraphyne]

Xara's Tale of the Eclipse, Vol I

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Prologue: The Howling

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I was twisting the ring on my finger, a small smile on my face although I wasn’t really listening to Toraneko’s chatter about her most recent misadventure – just watching her express her excitement – when someone else entered the tavern.

It was a blood elf; not exactly a surprise, considering Tora and I sat at a bar nestled in the city of Silvermoon. I felt out of place here at times, as one of the few non-elves who ever paused to dally in the city, but with enough friendly faces around me it was easy to forget how big and strange I was compared to all these delicate little women.

Anyway, the blood elf who entered the tavern caught my attention because of the air of breathless urgency that surrounded her. She had long, straight, dark hair, and when her eyes met mine, I noticed that they were blue. Didn’t most of these elves have green eyes? Her outfit consisted of leathers with a bow slung over her back; the girl would have looked more at home in the forest than in the tavern, and for some reason I thought it was more because of something in her eyes and the fleetness with which she moved than how she was dressed.

She cast one glance over her shoulder before walking up to us. As it was in the middle of the day, there was no one in the tavern besides Tora and myself, except the bartender who was kneeling to inspect some of his casks. Tora either sensed the girl’s presence approaching or noticed my distraction, because she stopped talking long enough to glance over her shoulder.

“Good afternoon,” the dark-haired elf said cautiously, but underlying her tone was the urgency I had noted. “I – have you seen a Blood Knight?”

Tora looked at her in mystification, and I blinked at the dark-haired girl myself.

http://renedreamer.com/wow/ec-00bar.jpg

[Xaraphyne]

[[ The tale of the Eclipse, as told by Xaraphyne. The story is not entirely complete, as some parts have been left out or modified for ease of writing and due to the perspective. Also note, many of the characters involved belong to others, and this is merely a tale of how Xara recollects them acting, which may not be accurate to what the characters were truly like, especially since much time has passed.

Please view with a dark background. Scroll down to the very bottom-left of the page to select the dark color theme if you're not already using it. ]]


“Yeah,” Tora said, “there’s a bunch outside, near the gate, around the corner too... Do ya need one? I can go get one.”

Maybe I should back up a little and explain how I came to be in a bar in Silvermoon with Toraneko. It’s not too long or complicated a story, don’t worry.

About a year had passed since, against any and all reason, Elrioch and I had decided to keep each other’s company. It was exhilarating living the life of a pirate (http://citadel-tn.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=47546&ForumID=824179&TabID=417702&TopicID=4981718), seeking treasure, throwing caution to the wind as I followed Elrioch wherever he decided he wanted to go. The rest of the Bloodsail as a whole never much trusted me, as Elrioch by all rights never should have, but I began styling myself his First Mate nonetheless, and chose to continue calling him “Cap,” or Captain, irreverent of his rank.

I began to make some lasting friends, and I adopted them into what I started referring to as “Elrioch’s crew.” Elrioch clearly didn’t know what to make of it, but nonetheless we acquired a crew of cabin girls and boys who helped in our adventures occasionally, and even listened to us sometimes. Among these were Dran, Rethsil, Filora, Vaande, Ydania, and Toraneko – yes, all of them elves. I guess I just got along with them.

Toraneko was probably the closest to me of them all. She tended to act before she thought, but she always meant well. I’d never known anyone to be more prone to scraps and scrapes than she, nor quicker to leap to my defense. But, she was always willing to help anyone, regardless of the circumstances or consequences to which she was more likely than not oblivious. I could see, now, the alarm that sprung into the dark-haired girl’s eyes at Toraneko’s unwary offer.

“Wait,” I said, putting a hand to Toraneko’s shoulder for a minute. She looked at me curiously, her bright green gaze unwavering. Her short blonde hair was pulled back in its usual ponytail, but some strands fell alongside her face, nearly obscuring the fading scratch marks she currently sported on one cheek. She, too, wore leather, but it was notably more scuffed, torn, and worn in places that the dark-haired girl’s outfit. I looked to the other girl as I spoke. “Ya mean recently?”

She nodded a little, moving closer. “One with a blonde ponytail over his shoulder, full red and black enameled armor, and a Blood Knight tabard.”

“That’s gotta describe half the elves in this city,” I said, a bit of an exaggeration, but honestly I didn’t know what a Blood Knight was and thought it a name for the guards I saw at the gates and patrolling the walkways.

The girl sighed a little, and pulled up a barstool next to me. She sat facing outward, as I was, and Tora remained standing, bouncing up on her toes a bit.

“He’s following me,” she said. “He thinks I’m suspicious.”

“Why does he think that?” Tora asked innocently.

“Because—” the girl began.

Something attracted my attention, then, to the door through which she had entered. A shifting shadow made my eyes narrow and the girl paused as she saw the recognition on my face.

“Because I have a friend who’s not really supposed to be in this city,” the girl said after a moment, her tone wry, but nervous.

The shadow slinked underneath one of the tables. I watched it for a moment, then picked up my etched silver tankard from the bartop. My other hand reached for the jug of ale, which I pushed down the bartop to the girl. She blinked at me in surprise as her hand reflexively closed around it.

“My name’s Xaraphyne Nawe, First Mate ta Admiral Elrioch,” I said, pride in my voice. Toraneko beamed, and I said, “That’s Toraneko, my cabin girl.”

The girl’s eyes flickered between us curiously at the sea-life appellations, but she smiled. “Jazziks,” she said. “Jazziks Wolfrunner.”

[Xaraphyne]

The bartender stood, bumping into something, and Jazziks jumped. Like a deer, I realized, the girl was nervous and flighty, yet there was something breathless about her as well. She settled back down, wrapping her hands around the ale and pouring herself a drink.

Toraneko was looking at me. She said, “Ya want me to take a look around real quick?” She was already stepping back into the shadows, her figure becoming more obscure than by rights it should have.

“Sure,” I said. “Let me know what ya find.”

Jazziks looked from the shadows in which Toraneko had disappeared back to me, a little alarmed. When I smiled at her, though, she seemed to relax. “Don’t worry, girly,” I told her, “no one’s gonna bother ya while yer near me.”

She shook her head a little, sadly, and raised her blue eyes back to mine. Her hands fidgeted around the mug of ale.

“Thank you,” she said. “It must be nice, being able to relax with your friends... Just talk over girl things...”

I was pretty sure the “girl things” Tora and I discussed weren’t the “girl things” Jazziks spoke of, unless she spent more time pursuing treasure, drinking, and getting into scrapes than I thought she did. I shrugged a little, lifting my mug, and pausing to speak before I took a drink. “Tora and I do what we like,” I said. “We’re the crew, we don’t answer ta anyone but Cap, and even then only if we feel like it.” Her gaze had snapped back to mine, after wandering toward the entrances, and I winked at her.

“Really?” she said. “No one?”

She seemed helplessly enamored of the idea, and I had to chuckle a little. “No one, girly,” I said. I raised my mug to her. “Freedom’s the code we live by.”

“I can’t imagine...” she said. She sighed. “It sounds wonderful.”

I looked at her curiously, but before I could ask, Toraneko suddenly appeared just inside the doorway. “A Blood Knight is coming!” she said.

Genuine alarm flashed in Jazziks’ eyes, and she jumped up. “I’ve got to go,” she said. Then she paused, looking to the drink, then back to me. “Thank you,” she said quietly, then turned and ran out the east door.

I lifted my ale to my lips, looking after her curiously. Toraneko stepped aside just as a Blood Knight stepped into the room.

Ah; he was not dressed like the guards that patrolled the city at all. His armor really was pure black and red, and he didn’t strut so much as he stalked. Glowing green eyes surveyed the room as a gauntleted hand closed on the pommel of his sword. Casually pulled over one shoulder was a blonde ponytail.

“Oh, I know you!” I said suddenly, remembering. He blinked at me blankly. “At that Harvest Ball, ya gave me the present!”

His expression changed briefly to bemusement, and he raised his hand to rub at the back of his head, glancing at Toraneko briefly. “Your name was...?” he said.

“Xaraphyne Nawe, First Mate ta Admiral Elrioch,” I responded promptly. “That’s Toraneko, my cabin girl. What was yer name again?”

He took a few steps further into his room, his gaze moving about. “Leoren Evershine,” he said. “Have you seen a young Ranger girl in the past few minutes?”

“Huh?” I said. “Ya lose yer girl again?”

His eyebrow twitched slightly. “I never lost her...” he began.

“He lost someone?” Toraneko piped up, cluelessly on cue.

“At the Harvest Ball,” I explained. “After he gave me the present, which was very nice by the way, he said he had to go find someone, that was why he couldn’t come back ta see the ship.” I grinned at him mischievously and I swear he flushed a little.

“The ship’s awesome!” Toraneko said. “Ya can climb up in the rigging and see really far, it’s so pretty at night.”

Leoren seemed at a loss, his eyes darting around the room, though he obviously couldn’t concentrate on his search. “Anyway...” he said presently. “A Ranger girl with dark hair... not my fiancée.”

I crossed my legs, leaning back on the countertop with one elbow and picking up my tankard with the other. “Hmm, no,” I said. “Ya want me ta deliver a message if I see her?”

His gaze moved back to me, evaluating, but obviously still a little flustered. Evidently he decided to believe me, because he turned around, rather than checking the rest of the inn. “No thanks,” he said. “But let me know if you see her... and see if you can keep track of her until I can catch up to her, if you could.”

I figured we’d stalled him long enough. I waved a hand in farewell as he walked out the east entrance. Toraneko darted up to me, her eyes bright and eager with the promise of a new adventure. “I can follow him!” she said. “If he finds her, I can distract him till she can get away.”

I nodded a little, thinking. “I’ll try ta find her myself... I’m curious why exactly he wants ta ‘catch up’ ta her.”

If what my memory was dancing around was correct, then Leoren had some sort of authority in this city, which meant Jazziks had ended up on the wrong side of it – and her slinky shadowy friend aside, I could sense there was more to this than first impression would suggest.

Why did she view freedom so wistfully?

“Okay!” Toraneko said, turning and vanishing into the shadows again. I sat by myself for a few moments, sipping the last of my ale, then stood up to walk out the west entrance and out of the city.

http://renedreamer.com/wow/ec-01Leoren.jpg

[Xaraphyne]

Honestly, I didn’t know that much about elves and their culture, as much as I had started hanging out with them. But I had heard of the Rangers, and of the small retreat they had just outside the city, and I had a feeling that that would be a good place to check out right now.

The guards gave me a once-over, but since entry wasn’t restricted, they didn’t stop me from walking inside the medium-sized, airy building. Animal pelts padded my footsteps, making the quiet of the area even more pronounced.

Then I heard quiet voices, engaged in furious conversation, toward the back room. Curious, I drew closer, and when I moved into to the doorway, I saw Jazziks and another elf talking in hushed but animated tones to one side of the room.

My attention immediately went to the other elf. His resemblance to Jazziks was striking, leading me to assume he was her brother, with the same dark hair, blue eyes, and nuances of features. But where Jazziks resembled of all forest creatures a deer, her brother struck me as something else entirely; something that would keep to shadows for an entirely different reason. He stood close to his sister, radiating an anger that was at once ferocious and cunning. Jazziks’ body language indicated willfulness, but at the same time, a certain helpless resignation.

Unfortunately, I noticed none of these things consciously, and when her brother’s gaze lifted from his sister to me, I just shifted uncomfortably and said, “Hey, Jazziks...”

She turned around, and her face lit up. “Xaraphyne!” she said delightedly. “How did you – oh, you didn’t lead him here, did you?”

I smiled and shook my head. “Tora’s keepin’ an eye on him,” I said. “We threw him off yer trail.”

To my surprise, she ran up and threw her arms around me in a hug. I blinked, then chuckled a little.

“It was nothin’,” I said. I put my hands on her shoulders and gingerly drew her back. Looking at her, I found the rest of my thoughts tumbling from my lips. “Why are ya hangin’ out in a city that’s got so much trouble fer ya in it, anyway?”

She half-turned, looking at her brother. He hadn’t moved but to cross his arms as he watched us. I didn’t get the impression he was predisposed to like me.

“She was doing was needed to be done,” he said.

Jazziks stepped back and smiled bravely. “Xaraphyne, this is my brother, Sinaku. Sinaku, this is the trolless I was just talking about, with the crew.”

“Ya were talkin’ about me and the crew?” I said.

Jazziks nodded a little, lifting a hand to brush back strands of her hair. “Yes,” she said, “I thought you could be willing to help us, if you heard our cause.” She sent Sinaku a quick look with the daring words. His response was a rough shrug.

“Your cause?” I said cautiously.

“We are the Rangers of the Dark Sun,” she said proudly. “We fight the corruption of the Blood Knights in Silvermoon.”

At my blank look, she elaborated.

“The Blood Knights abuse their power, taking what they want, when they want it, and grinding the other factions of Silvermoon beneath their boots.” Her voice was bitter enough to make me blink, but she wasn’t done. “They need to be brought down, but the only way to do that is through a guerilla campaign, and we need all the support we can get.”

“Ah...” I said. “You want the crew to join up with yer group?”

She nodded, looking at me with hope in her eyes. Sinaku still didn’t speak. I shifted uncomfortably again, but answered honestly.

“Girly, I’m just the first mate, but even so, I don’t think Elrioch would want ta commit ta something like this. We’re just pirates, freebooters, we’re not the type ta get up in arms fer somethin’, except maybe a mutiny.” The idea of Elrioch’s crew mutinying made me chuckle again, then I continued. “But I can offer ya the friendship of the crew, whenever ya need it. Ta throw off a ditzy Blood Knight, or share drinks.”

I smiled at her, and she smiled back a little, not completely crushed. I guess she wasn’t really expecting any more of me. “Do you think you could help with one thing?” she asked.

“What is it?” I said, somewhat wary.

“We’ve been watching Leoren, the Blood Knight who was following me...” She shot her brother another look, as though nervous about telling me this much. “...Because of his fiancée, Nymare. She’s a Ranger.” Jazziks paused. “We need to know how she feels about the Blood Knights, if she could be a threat to the Rangers of the Dark Sun.”

“Well,” I said, “I can certainly ask around. I can’t promise anything, though.”

Jazziks beamed from ear to ear and ran up to hug me again. Over her head, I saw Sinaku watching me, inscrutable, or maybe just placated for now. He never smiled.

http://renedreamer.com/wow/ec-02farstrider.jpg

***

[Xaraphyne]

I did ask around, but I didn’t find out much about the silly Blood Knight’s fiancée, and in truth I was beginning to forget about Jazziks and her touchy brother until I got the letter.

It was a pretty simple invitation from Jazziks to accompany her and her brother to a party some folks were having. It was in Fairbreeze Village; I had a vague idea where that was, somewhere in the elves’ lands. Next to where she signed her name on the letter was a pawprint of a wolf. A cute touch.

Anyway, it sounded entertaining enough, so I decided to go.

She’d said something about outfitting me for the occasion, but until I got to Silvermoon that morning and met up with her, I hadn’t realized she meant... a dress. But I wasn’t given a chance to argue, as a Forsaken priestess named Sister something, who was apparently a friend of Jazziks’, whisked me off to take my measurements. She made noises over the numbers she produced and cackled a lot as she handily tailored a dress to fit me. It’s just a good thing she wasn’t an elf tailor, or there would have been no way one of their dresses could’ve been let out enough to fit me, no matter how skilled the seamstress was.

Feeling rather awkward in the garment, a black dress with faded orange accents, I met back up with Jazziks, and we began to chat as we headed out to the village. By the time we’d gotten there, we’d renewed the friendship we’d begun, and I’d almost forgotten about how ridiculous I looked.

Sinaku was waiting for us outside the village as we rode up on our mounts. Jazziks rode one of the silly Hawkstriders that the elves seemed to be fond of; back then my mount was my riding wolf, Kedo. Sinaku rode a wolf as well, a large, dark one that didn’t seem as tame as it should be to my eye.

http://renedreamer.com/wow/ec-03party.jpg

Jazziks went quiet right away, and having talked to her a little more, I realized that the reticence she showed around her brother wasn’t normal for her. I looked at Sinaku, but his eyes just swept over me before turning to his sister more appraisingly. Finally, he nodded his approval.

“You’ll do,” he said. He reigned with wolf around and started off into the village. Jazziks and I followed.

We tied our mounts at the posts before walking over to the central building. As we walked I noticed Sinaku was dressed in black with orange accents, and realized Jazziks was too, making all three of us dressed to match. I hoped no one really looked at us that closely, because our outfits struck me as sort of cheesy. Don’t let anyone tell you a troll can’t have fashion sense.

Anyway, the building was another one of those open, airy affairs for the most part, though not so much as the Rangers’ building was. There was a small staff inside preparing drinks and finger foods. Sinaku led the way upstairs, to a rather sumptuously decorated room – well, not for the elves I suppose – filled with various people all chatting away with one another.

I was the only non-elf there. I kind of wished that Jazziks were big enough to hide behind, but she barely came up to my shoulder.

A blonde elf with hard, crystalline green eyes, dressed in plate armor, was the first to notice us. His hair was for the most part unstyled, but allowed to grow a little long, and he wore a tabard I didn’t recognize. He walked over to us, and I felt Jazziks tense, though she kept a bright smile on her face.

“Sinaku,” the blonde elf said. He nodded to both of them. “Jazziks.”

“Draco,” Jazziks said, her smile becoming a bit more genuine as she nodded back to him. Her hands fidgeted in the material of her dress. “How are you? How is the party so far – we’re not too late, are we?”

Sinaku hadn’t returned Draco’s nod.

“Not too late,” Draco replied. His gaze flickered to me briefly with a little curiosity, but not much, before turning to Jazziks. “May I get you a drink?”

Startling all three of us, Sinaku’s sudden, roughly spoken words split the conversation. “She doesn’t drink.”

It didn’t sound like something to be argued with, so Draco just shrugged a little and turned back to Jazziks. “You brought a friend?” he asked, glancing at me again.

“Draco, this is Xaraphyne,” Jazziks gushed. She grabbed one of my hands and clasped it with both of hers. “She’s the First Mate of a pirate crew, and a friend to the cause.”

Draco drew back a little, and I realized, somehow, that he hadn’t liked how Jazziks referred to her group’s cause like it was something everyone should share. I probably recognized his reaction because I cringed a little too. Kindly, I extracted myself from Jazziks’ grip and stepped forward to offer my hand to Draco, who clasped it after a moment.

“Xaraphyne Nawe, First Mate to Admiral Elrioch,” I said, the note of pride as always in my voice.

“Draco Visca of the Order of Eversong,” he responded perfunctionarily. He let go of my hand and turned back to Jazziks.

I was a bit miffed at his rudeness then, but that was when I hadn’t known how interested in the Wolfrunners he was.

He and Jazziks began making idle chitchat, and I let my gaze wander around the room. Many of the other elves were wearing the same tabard as Draco; those whose armor was nice enough to wear to a get-together like this one. Most of the elves, however, were dressed for socializing, with a number of the women clothed in dresses much fancier than mine or Jazziks’, and the men attired in fairly nice suits as well.

Thinking about that, I looked over to Sinaku, wondering how his outfit compared, but that idle thought was struck from my head when I caught him staring directly at me, his gaze more intense than I had ever seen – not only on him, but on most anyone. Startled, I stared back, unable to think.

He looked away, and my moment of startlement faded, leaving me to wonder what he had been thinking, and still unsettled by the intensity of the attention he had been giving me.

Between us, Jazziks and Draco chatted, completely oblivious to either my or Sinaku’s lack of interest in the conversation. Or so I thought, until I saw Draco’s gaze flicker to Sinaku a few times with what seemed like a little perturbation. Finally, he ignored Jazziks and spoke directly to Sinaku.

“We have much to discuss, I believe,” he said.

Sinaku looked at him. “This is a party, isn’t it?” He gestured to a currently unoccupied sofa and pile of cushions in the corner to our left. “Let’s sit down and relax.”

I took a cushion, although sinking into the wall would have been preferable, considering the stares from many of the elves in the room. Sinaku sat on the couch and Jazziks sat next to him, although there wasn’t a lot of space for both of them. Left with the choice of another cushion or the floor, Draco elected to stand, crossing his arms.

“So, tell me about the Rangers of the Dark Sun,” Draco said.

Sinaku stretched out on the couch casually, taking up well more than half the available room, but Jazziks didn’t complain. She remained oddly quiet, in fact, letting Sinaku do all the talking.

“What do you want to know? We’ve told you what our cause is,” Sinaku said.

“Yes, right, that you fight the corruption within Silvermoon.” I noted that Draco’s hand came to rest on the hilt of his mace. Back then I didn’t know it, but he was a Blood Knight, and Blood Knights were often accused of magical corruption, because of the source from which they drained their power. But, that’s getting off-topic. In any case, Sinaku didn’t seem concerned by Draco’s aggressive posture, and Draco continued speaking. “But what kind of corruption? What is its source? And why should the Order of Eversong join you?”

I blinked to realize that not only was he more than a member of this Order, but that he represented them in some way... and to realize that Sinaku and Jazziks were trying to recruit the Order to their cause. Said cause was beginning to make me a little uncomfortable, considering how fervently they were pursuing it, and I wondered if offering my friendship and the friendship of the crew so freely had been wise of me.

Right then, I noticed that there was another elf in armor and tabard drawing to a pause behind and to one side of Draco, hovering on the edge of the conversation.

He had dark hair, thinner, sharper features, and green eyes, which I was relieved to see were of a much livelier quality than either Sinaku or Draco. They were the eyes of someone I could easily get along with. However, like everyone else, he wasn’t concerned with me, looking to Draco for direction even as he paused to catch the essence of the conversation he was about to enter.

I heard Sinaku give some offhanded answer that wasn’t really an answer at all, but I was still observing the new elf and didn’t catch exactly what Sinaku said. Draco half-turned, noticing the elf next to him.

“Naheal,” he greeted him somberly. Naheal gave him a quick nod, his gaze going to Sinaku and his sister.

“Draco,” he said. “How goes the party?”

“It’s great so far!” Jazziks exclaimed unexpectedly, the second outburst to startle everyone so far. “We were just talking to Draco about the cause.” Her gaze turned to Sinaku, hopeful, but he stayed silent.

“The cause of the Rangers of the Dark Sun?” Naheal said tentatively.

Jazziks turned back to him. “Fighting corruption in Silvermoon!” she said. “It’s very close to the goals of the Order of Eversong, don’t you think?”

Naheal shifted a little, responding before the slow-speaking Draco could. “In a way, I guess. Our cause is with the Sin’dorei, in protecting and preserving our race regardless of the consequences. If there is corruption within Silvermoon, it would be a concern of ours.”

“There is,” Jazziks replied. Her tone kind of dropped a little. I was wondering what a Sin’dorei was.

“But what kind of corruption?” Draco spoke up once again. “They’ve been a bit vague on the subject.” The tone carried a bit of the threat his posture had had before as he focused on Sinaku.

Sinaku responded with another offhanded answer that explained nothing, but once again I wasn’t really paying attention, instead watching as Naheal crossed through the conversation to come stand next to the side of the couch Jazziks occupied. She looked up at him with a smile, and although Naheal had his back to me (it was like I wasn’t there to them – elves can be so self centered...), I thought I could see friendliness in his body language in return.

“How are you, Jazziks?” Naheal said.

“Not bad,” she said. Her smile widened. “Having fun in Silvermoon, as usual.”

“Heh, just like when I met you,” he said. “Not getting into too much trouble again, I hope.”

Jazziks glanced at me. “Not without finding some new help,” she said, and giggled.

Naheal turned, noticing me for the first time. I stood up and offered him my hand, introducing myself as I always do. He gave the name Naheal Malastar. I grinned as I dropped his grip.

“Girly would get in trouble a lot, wouldn’t she?” I said. “She was on the run from a Blood Knight when I met her. I just threw ’im off her trail a little.”

Naheal seemed curious, but didn’t ask for any more details. He shifted so that all three of us could speak easily, to my relief.

“So you’re on a crew of some kind?” Naheal asked me after a moment of silence.

“Ah... somethin’ like that.” I lifted a hand to rub my head. “Elrioch’s an Admiral of the Bloodsail. I started hangin’ out with him a ways back, and we found ourselves a few cabin boys and girls.” I grinned. “I was hopin’ ta recruit Jazziks, but it seems like she’s already recruited by Sinaku.”

Jazziks giggled. Naheal shifted a little again.

Draco had stopped trying to get an answer out of Sinaku by then, and he was looking at me with a bit of curiosity again, having caught my words. He spoke up just in time to save the quickly-dying conversation. “You’re a Bloodsail?”

“Ah... sorta,” I said. “Honestly, the Bloodsail don’t care for me much, but they tolerate me because they don’t wanna get on the wrong side of Elrioch.”

Naheal chuckled a little, glancing to Draco. “That’s how I feel sometimes in the Order.”

Draco smiled slightly, the first smile I’d ever seen on him. But just then, Sinaku’s low, rough voice came.

“I’d risk it.”

Naheal and Draco both stiffened a little, eyes narrowing, and Jazziks turned to give her brother an angry look. I, meanwhile, didn’t get what he’d meant at all, and stared blankly.

Sinaku glanced at me and I swear his expression was amused for a moment.

These days, I know what he meant back then: that he’d risk Draco’s wrath by not tolerating Naheal. But why he wouldn’t want to tolerate Naheal was something I wouldn’t figure out until much, much later, and after much grief and sadness.

***

The party was pretty uneventful after that; I don’t particularly remember anything else that happened. The Wolfrunners left with Draco still suspicious and unwilling to commit to anything. Sinaku didn’t seem to really care.

He also displayed his temper once or twice more that afternoon, though I don’t remember what provoked it the other times. But between that and the intensity of his stare I had caught, I started becoming very, very wary of him.

Nonetheless, it was again a long time before I saw either of the Wolfrunners again; almost long enough to forget about them again despite the interesting events in which I’d had a small part.

When I next become involved with the two siblings, my life would set out on a course that I had no hope of halting, and which would leave me unable to ever return to what I had once been.

***

[[ End Prologue. ]]

[Xaraphyne]

[[ Continue to Part I, The Right Eye of the Earthmother (http://wow-tng.org/showthread.php?t=16595). ]]