Winds from the North, Return of the Lich King.

[Arasad]

It was cold in the Western Plaguelands. The sky, clouded by the toxic fumes of the scourge cauldrons, blocked out any form of light - making visibility a constant problem. The darkness of the plaguelands was only combated by the flaming wreckage of forgotten battle sites, or perhaps the stray lantern that followed the stone roads which still remained illuminated despite failure to re-energize the arcane magic inside. No matter what the visibility, entire companies of scourge troops would patrol those same roads in search of removing any form of life - a tactic which often succeeded.

It was quiet in the Western Plaguelands. Even those that remained alive, as supplied by such organizations as the Argent Dawn, hardly said anything. Only the groaning wind made a constant sound, the invisible force moving through the darkness to sweep and cast away the flames from recent conflict. Ghouls decorating the numerous grave sites occasionally moaned in a fit of hunger, slowly stumbling through cracked and dry brush in search of something they could not find.

There was hardly anything alive in the Western Plaguelands. The Horde and Alliance alike had stopped sending travelers into the darkened region after the opening of the Dark Portal. With the lack of travelers came the lack of supplies, forcing those who remained with a will to scavenge the historic zones of conflict and Scarlet Crusade outposts until there was nothing left. The Crusade seemed to have lost most of its zeal, troops exhausted and faith wavering in light of the newest appearance over the skies of the plaguelands.

The floating necropolis, Naxxramas, created a shadow to be seen through the clouds of plague mists. It was large enough to block out the sun, adding another wave of dread to those who remained. Beyond those dark walls hid ancient evils awakened in the hands of necromancy and powerful shadow magic, all in service to an even stronger evil; the Lich King. There was question over what his plans were for Azeroth, for he had remained dormant for nearly five years. An increasing number of undead patrols could have very well signified his return.

As could have the wind, which pierced through the armor of a lone figure standing atop the corpse of a scourge soldier. It growled, attempting to claw at the man; but it's attack slid down the hardened mithril of armor, to no avail. The figure standing above the corpse focused his gaze into the distance, stoic face showing no signs of worry that the creature was still alive. There was a rather large gathering of scourge shock troopers by a nearby, supposedly ancient, graveyard. As he stepped away from the corpse, it moved, attempting to follow the moving meat; the food.

It's last vision of life was the man turning, body shimmering in a white light outlined in blue, and his hand extended with palm straight forward. It's last feeling was of pain, holy light shifting throughout it's body. And then darkness. Eternal sleep.

Arasad Tierwind began to climb down the hill that was littered with bodies of the undead, all covered with slashes and burns. He felt no sympathy for the dead.

- - -

[Mistress]

Nazuni snuck along the path every so quietly, the girl padded along rather swiftly as she approached one of the skeletons from behind. Her daggers sheathed, tail twitching and little ears back, the white tufts moving gently in the breeze; she approached the skelly and pounced, slipping out of the shadows the little reddish blur twisted the skull right off the skeleton and lept from its shoulders, a little sharp tooth peeking out from her smirk as she played around with it like a ball.

"Hehe, this is rather fun. I promise I'll give it back ... if you're nice." She giggled at the skull as it glared at her. She aimed too place it back on the head of the skelly, but then teased it as she dodged its futile swipes at her.

Backing up on her heels, her tail swayed back and forth as she grinned. "Hard to catch me now huh?" The skeletons wail came from the skull in her hand as she kicked it up into the air with her leather boot, giggling.

[Arasad]

"Orders!?"

The yell came from a black-armored horseman, pallid skin shining through the indentations of his helm. A small group of ghouls had just approached, one of which was carrying a flag bearing the symbol of the Scourge. The leader of the group stepped forward as the rest remained still. It was covered in rusted chain-mail, scarlet flesh rotten and sliding off of bone as it slowly lurched towards the black rider.

"Kel'thuzad has ordered we begin to march upon the Scarlet bastion at Tyr's Hand. He wants none left alive apart from the High Protector." The voice was a snarl, rotten tongue slapping against the roof of mouth with each word. It was loud enough to make Arasad shudder behind cover of the tree.

He could see the rider smile, the teeth equally as white as his skin.

"Then leave none alive. We march to-" his speech was interrupted by another yell, this time from Arasad.

"Nowhere, death knight. Your time ends here and now." Arasad had moved away from the tree, marching forward in a slow manner. At his side the longsword was drawn, glowing faintly in the dark night. The wind picked up, pressing against him, the cold chill returning from just before.

"Ah! You must be the zealous fool who eliminated our first scouting patrol! Word of you has spread through the plaguelands faster than we executed those fools of the Dawn." It was a test from the black rider, for the death knights of the Lich King were intelligent. Former paladins, former wielders of the holy light.

Arasad did not falter at the word of execution, for he did not belong to the Argent Dawn. He knew of the organization, and they of him - but he was not attached. His sorrow for their loss would come as vengeance against this group of undead. Redemption would be at hand.

Several skeletal soldiers began the charge, the sound of bones scraping against armor overcoming the wail of wind. Arasad met their charge by stomping his right boot against the ground, consecrating it. Sanctifying the corrupted grass and dirt in a matter of seconds. Instantly, the undead were weak against the power of the light, slowing considerably. Arasad parried the first blow of the leading attacker, casting judgement against the second. It fell to the ground, dead a second time.

The first attacker swung blade once more, which Arasad ducked under. He cut the soldier in half, moving to eliminate the third and fourth. They fell with little resistance; but peons to the enemy. The next wave consisted of two soldiers and a combat magus, who began to cast shadow magic in the distance. Aranas quickly judged the first two of the undead, finishing them with a horizontal slash of longsword.

At that point, he felt the pressure against his chest. A curse, no doubt. From the necromancer casting in his direction. He quickly purged the spell, sprinting forward, decapitating the ghoul in mid-cast. And then the death knight had come upon him, the unliving mare beneath rider shrieking a chilling note before the forsaken rune blade parried against Arasad's own. Arasad pushed the blade away with a forward thrust, removing the front leg of the mare with a quick and powerful slash. With lost balance, it fell forward, the death knight toppling off of its back.

As the death knight rose, there was pressure upon his neck. The blade of the paladin rested, ready to strike.

"My master will bring me back." He said, following with a deep laugh.

"Then tell him who sent you." And the paladin slid the sword across the dark rider's throat, letting him fall to bleed out onto the ground. Dead for the second time.

In the distance, he heard a voice. Feminine in nature, and it seemed to giggle. It was happy. Joy.

Joy was nothing Arasad had heard or felt in some time. He was curious, and felt the need to make sure that if this person was still alive, he would help her stay that way. He began to move in the direction of the voice.

[Mistress]

"Come on skelly! You keep misssssiiiingg ... I'm right here, see?" she held up the skull to face her, it snapped its bleached teeth at her and scowled as its body flailed about, trying to swipe its claws at her. Agile form dodging between trees and teasing the poor skeleton, she giggled and started to play kickball with its skull again.

With a swift clawed hand she slipped through a pair of trees and grabbed one of its ribs, instead of yanking it out, she pulled just enough to get its arm stuck in between the diseased trunks. Setting the empty eyesockets upon two of the claws she fell to her tail and giggled as she rocked back and forth on her hips.

Her little fox ears perked up and golden eyes pierced through the foliage as she slipped into the shadows, nose twitching to pick up the scent of anything else that might try and attack her. Figuring it was more scourge coming to the aid of the tortured soul, she drew her daggers and started to scout around.

[Arasad]

Arasad pulled himself through a gathering of stubborn brush, his armor occasionally snagging upon the rough limbs of meshed trees. He shook his head, eventually stumbling away from the bush - to stare into the face of another undead. As he quickly reached for longsword, his gaze fell down to the body of creature. It seemed stuck to a gathering of trees, much like he had been.

"Well, I'll be..." He whispered, careful to not alter any other creatures nearby. That was the last thing he wanted to do - start another fight. The day had been full of conflict at a seeming non-stop rate. He was tired, and his body ached. While his will could have pushed him to continue east, his physical state wouldn't.

The man sighed, resting back upon a tree nearby to the stranded undead. It writhed, attempting to get free - but to no avail. Arasad chuckled. It was the first time in months he had laughed, enjoying the silence of the plaguelands.

That was another surprise. Enjoying the plaguelands. What was wrong with him?

"I'm tired... must be it..."

And the man fell half-asleep, resting against the trunk of tree. Oblivious to the stalker prowling about him.

[Mistress]

"Oh .. " She sighed out in relief, she hadn't brought many bandages and the cloth that dropped from the surrounding scourge wasn't enough to make anything useful. With her twitchy little nose she moved around again to come behind the Paladin. With much ease her daggers slid silently into their oiled sheathes and she tugged on the ribbon around her tail. The long red river slid off as she flicked her tail to the side and she let it slip through her hands as she pounced.

The little fox wrapped her ribbon around his heavy eyes before bounding off the tree and sitting right in front of him and the scourge skeleton that desperately tried to claw the girl out of reach.

Her ears perked forward as she sat in a crouch, arms before her just barely touching the ground. She sat pretty, and her head tilted to the side, short reddish-brown hair ruffling in the light breeze.

A large red ribbon on her neck, tied into a neat bow facing behind her, as well as another one around her waist, put this little rogue out of place admist the graves and death that surrounded them. Her innocent look appeared as any normal Human, except for soft elfish features that surrounded her light tan skin.

She tossed her tail behind her a few times before finally standing up, light golden bangles barely making any noise as she moved.

"Hello." She smiled sweetly, flicking her tail back and forth.

[Arasad]

He was running in the dream. The sun was shining. Laughter and conversation drifted through the brilliantly lit meadow, adding a hopeful aura that already floated due to the sunlight. Arasad felt himself smile while lifting his right arm, and as eyes touched upon the skin - he was little again. A child.

"Arasad!" Someone yelled, the voice sounding like it came from an older man. As the boy turned, a figure approached him in azure blue robes. They lifted and danced in the warm wind.

"Come on, son! Your mother wants you to meet someone from the kingdom!" The man he now recognized as his father; the soft brown beard and icy blue eyes shining brightly. Arasad's smile turned into a grin, running to meet his father - but then there was darkness. Half of the world seemed to wall away behind a large and black void. His father was gone. The sun began to set.

"No..."

Arasad opened his eyes, bringing him back to the world he wouldn't exactly call ideal. It was dark enough now to where he couldn't even see - and for a minute, he thought his eyes were still closed.

"Hello." A voice. The same feminine voice he had hear earlier after killing the death knight. Arasad went alert, hand falling down to where his sword should have been, but he couldn't grasp it in the darkness.

"Who are you? What's going on?" He asked, armored hand reaching up to find the light cloth wrapped around his eyes. He removed the ribbon, and then stared at the strangest creature he had seen in all of his life. She was small, crouched down upon bent knees and arms touching the ground to support her odd way of kneeling. Golden eyes stared his way behind a stunning color blend of brown and red hair.

She looked elven, apart from the small furry ears and brilliant long tail running from behind her. She was beautiful. Arasad quickly attempted to remove that thought, shaking his head.

"What is a child doing in the plaguelands? We need to get you out of here before it's too late."

[Mistress]

"Child?" She giggles a bit, bringing up a bangled hand to cover her little smirk. "I am not a child ... I may look small though. It helps with mah speed yes." She nods a few times smiling gently then sticks her hands out.

"My ribbon." Her little claw-tipped fingers curling and un-curling as golden eyes pierce through the haze to stare at him. "I show it to you, yes mmhmm. You were falling asleep an' the easiest way to wake you was with ... soft touch, no?"

Now at her full height she glances back at the skeleton and giggles, the sound echoing through the little clearing like soft bells. Knocking the skull off its fingertips with a swift kick she started to play with it again as if it were a toy, jumping around, tail following suit as she played.

"What are you doing around here Knight?" She queried, never missing a step.

[Arasad]

Arasad stood after the woman pranced nearby to play with the imprisoned skeleton. It turned out his longsword that he could find earlier was stuck back in the brush, which he reluctantly moved towards to gather the weapon. After securing it back to the armored belt, his gaze followed the sounds of giggling back to the woman. And then the skeleton.

Nothing deserved to be tormented before death. Nothing.

So he raised his right hand, palm illuminating the meadow as the white and blue shimmering light exorcised the undead soldier. It collapsed to the ground, now motionless. He did not worry about her reaction to his killing of the creature, for his stoicism prevented his care about others thoughts of him. He instead leaned his back against the tree. Arms folded across his chest.

"I reside in the plaguelands because no others choose to do so. It is my tragic flaw, if you will." The tone was quiet, a near whisper in the silent forest.

And then he held the ribbon out to her, swaying in the wind while extending from his left gauntlet.

"What, may I ask, are you? And before you answer that, you should highly consider leaving this place. Times are changing for the worst, I fear. It will become dangerous."

[Mistress]

She gave a light shrug as the skeleton faded into dust. Bouncing around she pounced upon some of the pieces of ash that flew away in the breeze, tail swaying behind her she curiously eyes everything. When he held out her ribbon, she smiled sweetly and padded over to snatch it up, sniffing it out of habit.

One of her ears perked up to listen to his words as she sits down upon the pine-coated ground and pulled her tail upon her lap to gently tie the ribbon around again. Ever-so-carefully she straightened, loosened then retightened the bow to perfection. Pleased with herself she turned both of her ears towards the male and her eyes too.

"I have been here hunting, it has been only a few hours but I am hunting yes yes. See here I be lookin' for the plagued animals and tryin to clense them ya see. Someone ask me to use this ointment on the ones that are not too far gone ... yup yup ... " She pulls out a small vial of green glowing liquid then stuffs it back just as fast.

" ... and I am a fox. Well ... I was a fox. Now I'm a girl." She smiles proudly, petting her tail a moment to smoothe the fur down as she steps up and dusts herself off, burnt pine-needles dropping to the earth.

Her nose twitches a bit as she picks up the scent of looming death.

" ... Scourge." Was all she said before melding with the shadows around, daggers slipping out of their sheathes silently. Her tail twitched behind her as she stepped up next to the heel of the male.

Indeed another patrol had come looking for the loss of their brother skeleton. Three ghouls and one skeleton mage had started to step closer to them.

[Arasad]

"...Scourge."

The one word that made him nervous. He was trained to fight the undead; his unending faith an advantage in battle. The Scourge were afraid of paladins, for they were the only type of warrior that could hold their own against sheer masses of the unliving. A sword-swinging knight that called upon the holy light to heal himself and smite down the wicked.

She had done well to alert him, for he wasn't expecting any type of enemy patrol. Especially after the recent elimination of a whole company. Arasad didn't think they would respond that fast. He had begun to wonder if her tormenting the skeleton had any effect upon their immediate response. His head turned back to find the woman, but she had melded into the shadows - her body practically invisible.

But he could feel her presence. Her quick and shallow breathing - she was somewhere behind him. It was reassuring that he had backup; a new feeling. Someone would watch his back. Someone would fight along his side.

As his gaze fell straight ahead he saw the patrol. Only four? There was something wrong. Unless it was a scouting party for a larger force...

He unsheathed the longsword, blade shining brilliantly in the dark meadow. As the first three ghouls spotted him, he whispered to the rogue - wherever she had gone.

"Take the magus, he won't be expecting you."

And then the man charged forward, broken pine snapping beneath each of his confident steps. The three ghouls drew weapons to defend themselves, and also matched his charge by sprinting forward themselves.

As he entered combat with the creatures, the skeletal magus began to cast the familiar shadow magic. He hoped to the light the rogue would get to it in time. Until them, it was the flashing of steel upon steel as blade clashed against blade.

[Mistress]

And with a quick kick to the jaw, a little fancy back flip and a few reletivly pointless stabs at its chest, Nazuni did just that. Stop the mage from casting. She despeartately tried to find its core, stabbing away as her sharp little daggers chipped bone from the caster. The skeleten cackled as he started to cast once more. The shadows around them creeping into its bony hands, claws scratching the mana from the air around them.


Again another swift kick to its jaw, this time she hit it twice, jumping up and spinning around to knock its skull off and kick it to the ground. With a swift stab to the chest she managed to destroy the core and slip off into the shadows once more as she creeped around, preparing her ambush upon the ghouls attacking the Knight.

Little ears perked forward, dagger drawn and aimed, she caught it right behind the neck, severing the spine with a swift movement, having it crumple to the ground in pain. Standing there, her facial features showing that fox cunning as her golden orbs stared at the male.

[Arasad]

Arasad had just parried the blow of the second scourge soldier, following the action with a powerful thrust forward, knocking it backwards. He then slashed vertically, decapitating the creature. It crumbled to the ground, spasming once before dying. At this point, he had forgotten about the third undead, turning to see the woman finish it off in an eviscerate-type maneuver.

In the distance was the body of the shadow magus. It lay motionless, apart from its cloak which swayed with the increasing wind.

The sky was clouded, not only preventing light from filling the land, but preventing one from telling time. To Arasad's estimate it was around ten in the afternoon. That would explain his being tired. As the woman stared his way, he sheathed the weapon and began to speak in a quieted tone.

"It's getting late. There's an Argent Dawn outpost nearby. They're evacuating everyone within the next few days, but there's an inn and working blacksmith. We should head there to rest for the night." It was a blatant statement, but he feared he wouldn't be able to protect the woman throughout the night. Especially if he fell asleep.

He had thought that she could defend herself, as the dead magus and skeletal soldiers showed - but he didn't feel right about the situation. It had gone easy.

"By the way, nice job."

He began to walk through the meadow in a western direction. His hand beckoned her to follow. They would march for the outpost.

[Mistress]

"Why thank you! Ye did not so bad yourself there." She gave him a lavish bow, tail sweeping behind, large red bows bouncing a little as her golden bangles jingled slightly, only seemingly making noise when she wanted it.

Following along she gave a little jog to keep up with his longer strides, turning into a sort of prance. She jumped a few times, just bouncing around randomly. Little ears twitching and moving to each noise they encountered.

She slipped into some bushes, only her tail twitching behind as she does something wierd, making a little bit of noise. She squeaks a bit and turns around, golden eyes glowing within the fast fading light.

"It was a rabbit, but it went down the burrow too fast. No supeh for meh tonight."

[Arasad]

The lips of man slowly curled into a smile watching the woman prance from each side of the stone path to the other. She was bubbly, a term he did not expect to find in such a place. After the incident with the rabbit, he was left wandering how she became a... human fox? He had never thought about a woman as much as he was now.

And that scared him. Was it pure curiosity? Or was it that he had been alone so long that any form of friendship was like a blessing from the Light itself? Not many took the time to befriend Arasad, for he was a traveler. A knight's errant. And his timid personality was a deterrence to many of the wilder life.

In the near distance he spotted the fires of the Argent Dawn outpost. It was surrounded by a wall made of carefully placed stones, nearly twenty feet high. The only entrance was via two large, wooden-framed doors that were reinforced by steel. But, the defenses weren't the only unique thing about the outpost.

Inside it was a wild-house. The nearby villages had moved inward, restocking before the trek out of the plaguelands. It was true. An undead force was growing. More innocents would die at the hands of the unliving. Or so, that was war. The farmers and villagers took this time to prepare for the exodus, most leaving the next morning.

As the man and woman entered the outpost, two guards greeted them. They glanced over the two, checking for any wounds that might mark them plagued. Extra attention was placed upon the woman. After all, she did have a tail. The two guards eventually passed them through the gate, into the warmth of conversation and laughter. Several armored Dawn patrols passed the two travelers, exiting the fortified township as the gate began to close.

Nothing would breach the defenses that night, the undead had plans elsewhere.

Arasad led her into the inn, which was crowded. Humans and dwarves filled the space, with crudely crafted tables covered in what little food was left in the outpost. Despite the depression of the next day's trek, there was the same laughter and bright conversation from outside. A fireplace, lit to illuminate the whole first floor of the inn, added to the feeling.

"Exodus tomorrow," he said while giving a glance back to his new acquaintance. They approached a bar, where Arasad laid several silver pieces upon the oak counter top. A small, fat man turned to him, offering a gentle smile.

"Mis'sah Tier'ind! Glad to ha'e ye back. Room's are a' fill'in toni'gh, I'm afraid. Only got 'round one!"

Arasad frowned, glancing back towards the small woman.

"Is one room fine with you? I can sleep on the floor."

[Mistress]

She peers around the tavern, jumping rather startled and ears flat against her skull as she tries to jump out of the way of some passer-by's that managed to touch her tail. It seemed many were interested in the little fox-girl. Even some woman came up to her and pulled on her ears a brief moment, giggling as she moved back to her companions.

Suddanly feeling rather claustophobic she slips into the shadows and moves towards the male, sitting right at his ankles, golden droplets peering around the crowded room.

"I don't mind ... whatever ... I kin not be 'ere."

She eyes the people surrounding the tables, trying to relax save the horrid scene outside the walls. Drink was consumed, spilled and thrown all around as their loud voices barked and howled in the small space. The fire seemed rather warm and for once the girl realized just how hungry and tired she really was.

Peering up at the male now she studied his features before nodding and standing up, dusting off her leathers before turning to the barkeep.

"Sir, do you have a pair of old towels perhaps I could buy from ye, one large one and one small.. ?"

The man behind the counter nodded to her then to another person to took his place as the man disappeared into the crowd. She pulled her tail up to hold onto it, rather like a security blanket. The soft reddish-brown fur poofing out as the man startled her, handing her the cloths. She reached into her pack and drew out a few silver coins, not even bothering to count as she quickly tied an old brown table-cloth around her waist, holding up her tail in a fashion so it was hidden in-between her legs. Then with the little red-faded dish towel she wrapped the linen over her head, holding down her ears.

A sigh escaped her lips, but many still knew what she was trying to hide. Her beautifuly disturbing features confused many people.

"So shall we .. ? I'm starvin' .. "

[Arasad]

Watched and listened as the woman moved from crouching near his feet to ask the innkeeper about the extra cloth. The little round man nodded and entered the crowd of commoners, disappearing into a wave of livid flesh. Arasad glanced down to the innocent woman, a pang of guilt for leading her into such a trap of society. Everyone was interested in her features, some coming from the crowd to tug upon her ears or brush at the reddish-brown fur upon tail.

Out of the crowd the little man came back, finishing the transaction between the two. Arasad smiled as she covered herself with the linen.

"This way." He said quietly; gently. An attempt to calm her. His left hand drifted around her back, guiding her forward onto the inn's main floor. Commoners bumped into the two left and right, but he shielded her with his body - covering the woman's appearance with his back turned towards the masses. If her costume of cloth wasn't going to hold the curious back, an armored knight certainly would.

"The room will be just up the stairs." It was again in the gentle tone as he removed his arm, following behind the almost reluctant woman. "I'm sorry about that..." He muttered beneath his breath as they finished the steps into the second floor. A long corridor was lit by individual candles. All of which were extremely bright. Some form of magic...

"Here..." He said after moving only several feet down the hallway. A deep brown door unlocked at the force of the key he had obtained from the innkeeper, and inside it seemed like a sanctuary.

A single bed lay in the farthest corner, neatly made with several pillows. A skin-rug decorated the middle of the room, likely from such an animal as a bear. Several paintings trimmed the walls - of mountains and rivers. There was a shelf with a mirror across from the bed, and upon it several glasses and what appeared to be a jug of water. Next to the water was a bowl of fruit. It was warm in the room, but at the same time cool - the window that looked out over the town was slightly open to balance the temperature.

Arasad smiled gently as he closed the door, stepping past the woman to lean sword upon the shelf, reaching forward to grasp an apple and toss it back towards her.

"I hope fruit will do."

[Mistress]

Sighing in relief she stepped into the room. Swiftly she discarded the towls upon the ground, not bothering with their placement as she padded to the window, breathing deep the cooling air. Eyes darting around, catching simple movements as her ears perk forward and twitch slightly, trying to determin the exact location of whatever it was catching her attention.

Tail twitching she reached up and caught the apple without so much as turning to him. An ugly look came about her as her ears drooped to the side, lips curled back with little white fangs biting into the apple and chewing very swiftly. She shivered then shook, hair and tail turning into poof-balls before she relaxed a little and tried to finish it off.

"Not a big fan of fruit, but I'll eat it." She chuckles lightly and tosses the core away before licking her fingertips and sniffing around. She slipped her belt off on the bear-skin rug and turned around in a few circkles before sitting down, then standing up she stepped around the rug again before glancing around once more.

"I'll sleep right here by the fire if that is okay ..?"

[Arasad]

Arasad nodded, though he was confused.

"If you don't want to sleep in the bed. I'd be more than happy to sleep on the floor. The bed will be more comfortable for you... I may not even sleep. I might just watch the fire."

It was apparent they had come from different cultures. His imagining that she wanted to sleep upon the bed came from the human standards. But, when he stopped to think about it, she did come from a different species all together. Either way, he would let her do as she pleased.

The man moved back to near the shelf, unhooking the strap that held up the mithril-plated shoulder armor. He gently placed them next to the sword. He then removed his gauntlets, followed by chain-mail bracers. Immediately he felt cooler, adjusting to the room temperature. It was a more relaxed feeling, and he sighed. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a scarlet stain upon arm.

Upon closer examination, it was a deep gash.

"Must have happened during the fight with the ghouls..."

The statement was a whisper, not wanting to alert the woman. He reached to pour a small amount of water from the jug into a ceramic goblet. He gulped half of the liquid down before using the rest to clean the wound, moving to sit upon the bed.

"I don't really care which you choose. Just want to make sure you get sleep."

[Mistress]

Her nose twitches and ears perk forward as she hears his whisper. Smelling the blood she parts her mouth just a little to taste the scent particles in the air. Pushing the particles to the roof of her mouth with her tongue she tilts her head to the side and moves over to the male.

"You're injured?"

She sighs and pulls out what little bandage she could make from the runecloth she'd found and presses it against his wound, curling up her tail around her knees as she moved to sit upon the bed next to him.

"Don't fuss! It'll be over with soon enough." She applies pressure and sniffs at the wound in case of disease.

[Arasad]

Arasad withdrew his arm, using free hand to push the bandage away. "Hold onto that, you may need it sometime later. If the wound was that bad I would just heal it myself." He expected a confused gaze from the woman, so before she could react he began to justify his actions.

"I want it to turn into a scar. People learn things when they get wounded; about what and what not to do. A scar not only proves what you've learned, it reminds you every time you look at it." The voice had taken it's gentle tone once more, hoping the younger woman would understand. Before speaking once more, he took an incentive to lighten the mood by standing and then rushing over to the floor, sprawling onto his back.

There was a rather large 'thump' as his still half-armored body hit the rug, but his expression had lifted into a grin upon lips. He laughed quietly.

"Well, looks like you're stuck with the bed!"

Another glance was given to his wound, which had already begun to clot the blood flow to the exposed gash. The human body was an amazing organism. Faith and magic made it that much better.

[Mistress]

She looks down at the bandage, part of it had caught a small droplet of blood and slowly she rubed her thumb against it, curiously eyeing the red stain against the light pink cloth then her own thumb. Licking the blood off quickly she moves her eyes slowly up to stare at him as he thunked down upon the rug.

Frowning for a moment she flicked her tail behind her and eyed her fallen daggers beside him. Her eyes frowned as well, but then a sparkled shone in them and her ears perked forward. Tilting her head just a little bit to the right, she refcoused her eyes and looked at the male.

"You're behaviour tells me you want to play ... I don't think that is what you mean though." She giggled a little bit, sitting back on the bed, slowly pulling her ribbon from her tail again.

Gently folding the ribbon in a specific way, she laid it out upon the bed then pulled the one from around her waist. Folding this one the same, she gently laid it upon the other as her golden eyes stare down at him, bangled hand slipping the other ribbon from her neck revealing a red leather collar with gold buckles and a gold tag upon it. She paid the collar no heed she righted herself, staring at him unblinkingly as the endless, almost mezmerising pools of golden light stared at him.

[Arasad]

"Play?" The question from the woman had taken him off guard. When he had removed himself from the bed to jump onto the floor, he had only a slight intention of teasing the woman. The majority rule for his decision came from that if he was on the floor, she would have to take the bed. To him, it still felt improper for the lady of any race to sleep on the floor when there was a bed.

It was a double standard of society, he guessed.

"I don't know what you mean..." He said, frowning. After she began to remove the ribbons he glanced to his right, noting the object she had looked at before staring at him and making the comment. The daggers. Should he feel threatened? After all, he had taken a complete stranger out of the plaguelands.

She looked like a child. Shit. Why didn't he see it before? Was she a scourge-hired assassin? The man slid away from the daggers, raising his right knee into the air as he lay upon his back. His eyes were now placed upon the roof in concentration, prepared if the woman would try to attack him.

Challenge innocence. That's what his father used to tell him before he died.

[Mistress]

Watching his movements she slipped into the shadows, a bit faster now without the ribbons she slipped off the bed and silently made her move. After a few moments of her moving about the room, like a mouse scampering about. She allowed her bangles and the tag upon her collar to jingle a little, eyes sparkling as she moved about swiftly while unseen.


"Now now are ye gonna attack me with a spell or ye gonna play?" She blinked at him, hair standing on end as her body detected magic slip around the area. "Because if you're going to attack me, let it be known I could have had my daggers in hand and slit your throat before you could blink."

Smiling sweetly she flicked her tail to the side and jingled her bangles before moving to a new position.

[Arasad]

When the man glanced back over to the bed to respond to her question about magic, she was gone. He blinked, the comment about her slitting his throat echoing in mind. Arasad quickly stood while gaze scanned the room in search of the rogue. She had already shifted far enough into the shadows that she was invisible. Not even a faint outline of her figure existed.

"Shit." He muttered again beneath his breath. He was going to die. Paranoia took it's full toll, causing him to shake slightly. Gaze still jerked from point to point in the small room, trying to focus on the jingling of the armor she wore.

His mind asked why he was afraid. She could very well not be lying - and just want to play. Wrestle. Enjoy her time away from the undead and cold of the plaguelands. Why wasn't he doing the same thing? What was wrong with having fun? He relaxed slightly, though still trying to find the woman. The sounds coming from her armor weren't enough to find her, as he lunged forward when hearing the jingle.

There was nothing there, and all he gripped was air. He fell onto his face, then rolled onto his back.

Slowly Arasad pulled himself back up, grinning. Why he was smiling when she could very well slit his throat he did not understand. The man pressed his foot against the rug, consecrating the floor temporarily. The spell would not hurt the woman, but it might have supplied sufficient light to call her out of hiding. And when she did...

He would tackle her and preform the worst form of torture he knew. Tickling.

[Mistress]

"Meep!" She squeaked and jumped trying to avoid the wave of light burning across the floor.

Falling out of the shadows and tumbling forward, rollng across a part of untouched floor, landing head over heels, tail bushy she blew some hair from her face and twitched her nose at the male all in one breath.

"Well now that wasn't fair!"

She giggled a little bit. Stepping into the shadows again, she sat there still. Her outline was rather visible as she smoothed out her tail with a few strokes then left it behind to wag back and forth.

Nazuni then turned to the male wide-eyed as he approached her, deffinately caught off guard.

[Arasad]

The tactic had worked. His prey was only feel away, nearly completely exposed to his coming wrath. A grin spread across his lips as he chuckled, ready to pounce upon the woman and tickle her. He would have revenge! And it would be through the pain of laughing.

Two steps away. One. And then there was a scream from outside. Followed by another. Soon, guards were shouting. Arasad turned from the woman, jogging to peer out the window. His eyes attempted to follow the sounds, searching through the gathered tents and crowd. At once he found the source.

Surrounded by multiple guards was a man lying upon the ground. His face was deathly pale. His actions were blurred, as he was spasming in a violent manner.

"He has the plague!" One of the guards shouted, stepping forward with his pike drawn.

Arasad frowned, though knew that killing the man would be the only way to save the town from infection. The plague had been used before as a form of bio-terrorism from the hands of the Scourge, which at that point was known as the Cult of the Damned. The virus would kill you, and then bring you back at the chilling words of the Lich King. But as the guard raised his pike while standing over the dying man, there was a yell.

"Daddy! Don't hurt him!"

A little boy ran to cover his father, shielding the man's chest with his own body. The guard attempted to move the boy away, but it was too later. The father grabbed the child and bit into his neck, tearing away flesh. The boy screamed and fell back, now also infected.

The pandemic began.

Arasad turned away from the window, jogging to attach sword to his belt as well as the rest of his armor. In the process he looked to the woman, who again seemed confused. "The undead will be here soon. Someone was infected with the plague. We've got to get out of here as soon as possible."

More screaming was heard outside, as well as the clash of swords upon armor. There was fighting. The undeath was spreading fast. Arasad could hear the infected make their way into the inn.

This wasn't good.

[Mistress]

A little bummed that the scream stopped their play she sat still a confused look plastered to the girls face, her ears turned into different directions as she tried to figure out what was going on, in her mind and in the area outside. She then slowly turned to look at the male, following his movements.

"The undead will be here soon. Someone was infected with the plague. We've got to get out of here as soon as possible."

She blinked a few times then without a word she pounced upon her daggers, strapping the belt around her as she made another quick dash for her ribbons and dropped cloths. Nazuni quickly filled one of the cloths with the rest of the fruit and shoved it into her backpack before standing at his side, tail twitching, ears forward.

"Ready. Lead on." The Paladin's natural commanding aura had allready surrounded her, the little submissive fox.

The golden tag upon her neck glowed slightly and at the same time her own golden eyes glowed a bit in the dimming light. She didn't seem to notice any difference, but one of her ears flicked back swiftly.

[Arasad]

Arasad opened the door into the hallway, noticing that it was now filled with the survivors from outside. Dirty faces from the elderly and young alike looked up to him as he exited from the small room. An older woman was crying, holding the body of someone dear to here. It was a child, just like the one from outside. He frowned before turning his back to the large group.

And as he did, the scene by the stairs they had climbed not twenty minutes before attacked his senses. He could smell the death and gore. He could see the armored guards fending off the undead as they attempted to get to the remaining survivors. And then he could touch the battle, reaching for his longsword as he spoke to the woman behind him.

"Help the others find another way out the back. I'll be there shortly."

With no further orders he rushed forward - moving past the guards and near the rail that looked down into the main floor of the inn. There were at least a hundred of the creatures attempting to climb the stairs, with several more eating the fallen victims scattered across the ground. The man rested his left hand upon the rail before pushing his body forward, jumping over the rail and landing in the gathering crowd of scourge ghouls.

"Light give strength!" He shouted, swinging the sword with the fervor of an orcish berserker. The infected snarled and swiped at the man, the majority of them unarmed and unarmored. Within seconds, more than ten were dead. But there was such a large number of the damned things...

He parried the blow of one of the unliving carrying a pitchfork, exorcising it while they locked weapons. He felt hands reaching from all sides, attempting to bring him down. A smile spread across his face, the stoicism clearing his mind and numbing the majority of the pain. Biting, scratching - no matter the peril, it felt like a minor scratch. And then he called upon the Light as the sheer numbers brought him to his knees, hand touching the ground to consecrate the floor. An illuminating light made countless numbers of the undead fall - not dead, but immobile. And surely suffering pain.

"Get them out of here!" He said while he turned to sprint back up the stairs, face and body covered in warm scarlet from those he had just slaughtered. A number had been living - but infected. They would have turned soon enough.

The guards nodded, and he followed them. He had stopped their advance, but it wouldn't be for long.

[Mistress]

With the armored men taking the behind the rest of them she pulled along to the best of her abilities towards the end of a hall with a window. Tail swaying back and forth and ears back to dull the screams and moans, she gave a swift booted kick to the window, letting the flimsy glass break out towards the ground, far below. Spotting the walls not too far away, almost close enough to jump, she figured the Inn was built directly against them. Someone had grabbed her tail and she squeaked, jumping around and near slicing their hand off until she realized it was just a little girl.

"Please, wait here."

With her little nose twitching she turned and climbed out the window, pulling herself easily to the roof, feet scrambling to push herself up.

"Don't leave us!" someone screamed behind her and made a grab at her tail again. With another squeak she pulled herself up and onto the roof, easily balancing and getting a better look.

She saw the outpost, and it was gone. Someone must have infiltrated to plant more of the plague into food or perhaps into the water supply, because everyone was turned into the Lich Kings army.

Spotting the large wall of the outpost, indeed right next to the Inn she grinned. Turning on her heel she dropped to her knees and leaned over the side of the roof, sticking her hand down to grab anything that may still be alive.

"Grab my hand! I'll pull you up!" She squeaked out below, golden eyes and golden tag glowing.

[Arasad]

The remaining survivors had gathered and crowded near the window. Looking past the violent group he could see the hand of Nazuni reaching down and helping them to the roof. He smiled, nodding his head - proud of the woman. She had left the chance to selfishly escape behind and took the path of saving others. To his right there was a small child, a girl. She was crying.

"Mommy... why isn't she here? What happened to mommy?" Her sobs hardly let him understand the child, but he understood. He knelt down, using gauntlet to tip her chin upwards.

"Mommy is safe. She's just waiting for you with the others, on the roof! I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." His words were calm, gentle. An attempt at reassuring the child. It was not right to see her like that.

"Paladin! The consecration is fading! The undead are moving!" The frantic yell came from one of the guards, who when Arasad turned to watch, was impaled by a long spear. He screamed, blood spraying forward into the face of a ghoulish soldier. Arasad turned to the group of survivors, yelling for them to pick up the pace. Up ahead, it looked like Nazuni was gaining help from the others upon the roof. They were helping to save those stranded in the hall.

He bent down to pick up the child, holding her with his left hand while his right kept longsword at the ready. Several ghouls had made it up the stairs, and they were moving slowly. They knew the kill was just ahead. And they would savor the moment of dread put into the hearts of their prey.

A glance backwards showed that the survivors had made it out, the last several now pulling themselves out the window. Arasad slowly stepped backwards with the child in his arms, keeping an eye on the undead. It seemed that they realized there was no longer an abundant food supply, because they charged forward while screaming. The girl was crying.

And then Arasad sprinted down the hall, holding the child out for Nazuni to take. She would have to be quick.

[Mistress]

And quick she was, picking the little one up under the arms she made a squeak and pulled her up, the arms of a man wrapped around the girl just as Nazuni let go to swing her little body down once more looking for Arasad. Two men had held her legs and she used her entire upper body to peek through the window, ears perked up and tail swaying behind her.

"Hey by the way man, I didn't catch your name." She giggled and reached out for him golden eyes spotting the advancing undead.

"Drop your sword and grab on!" She looked up real fast, flicking her ears in the direction of the males holding onto her. "As soon as he is on me lift! I wont be able to lift him my own, armor is too heavy!"

Returning her mezmerizing gaze to the Paladin she prayed to no god in particular. Her mind plotted out what would happen, and how her body would move. Tail swaying in anticipation of his jump around her, the upside down girl reached out as if to hug him, ears back, expecting a lot of weight.

[Arasad]

Her comment caught him off guard, though eyes were still set upon the frame of window. He could hear the shallow gasps of the undead behind him, right on his tail. If he had a tail, that is. He stepped onto the frame, leaning his body out to where his head was right next to the females for a brief second, where he smiled. And then Arasad took one of her hands, using powerful thrust of legs to boost himself up the wall.

The two males were a great help in pulling, seeing as how the undead were reaching and screaming from the window right as his boots came out of reach. Arasad fell onto his back, breathing heavy from the sudden burst of energy. The armor was killing him, but at the same time was necessary. He wasn't quick enough on his own to dodge all the attacks thrown his way.

"My name is Arasad. Arasad Tierwind." He lay there, still breathing in short and shallow gasps. He did not see the woman, but he felt she was close. There was pressure on his left arm; someone was laying next to him. He could hear the crying of the child, and then the excited yell of relief from an older woman.

The child found her mother again.

Arasad smiled, not wanting to move. The screaming hadn't stopped. There was still fighting outside and inside the outpost. They would have to move soon, and fast.

[Mistress]

Night was finally setting in and darkness swept across the land faster than the plague that infected the outpost below them. She stood up straight, golden eyes glowing in the oncoming darkness as a few fires burned around them. The outpost was taken and it only took a matter of minutes.

When she walked, she was swift and meaningful, bangles jingled upon her wrists and her little glowing golden tag bounced with each step. Ears and tail ruffled with the wind she relaxed them as she moved to the Paladin.

"Arasad, I am Nazuni." She reached down to help him up and away from the frightened man laying in a fetal position next to the Paladin.

Then, after he stood up. The little ball of reddish-brown, blurred as she dashed to the part of the outpost wall she wanted them to jump down. Kneeling she leaned forward, tail now swaying behind her as she tried to figure out how the commoners were going to get down.

Golden eyes spotted a very convienently placed wagon of hay sitting right below them. She grinned in happiness but then worried herself about the others, some of them may not be able to fall well enough to land without injury.

Her eyes moved over to the crowd, only ten had made it up, including the rogue and paladin. Frowning a bit she ran her eyes over each one, studying them. One older man, three children, one older woman, one mother and two blacksmith had seemed to make it up. The older man lay upon the ground in a heap, biting his own thumb.

Part of her wanted to leave him there, but the old man did not need such a dishonorable death by laying there dying as he softly cried to himself.

Sighing softly she moved over to Arasad.

"The elders and the children might not be landin' so good when they be hittin' the hay down in this wagon over the wall. The only thing I be thinkin about to get them children down is ta tie some clothin' together and have them hangin on until we lower them as much as we can .. "

The young girl may not have been humanoid very long, but she knew what it was to save family. Ears went back as she looked to the little girl and two little boys, golden glows staring.

[Arasad]

Arasad nodded, following her gaze onto the children. In his mind he was attempting to visualize her plan. Where would the clothing come from? It was cold in the plaguelands, and it was slowly becoming night. It would be even cooler soon. These people couldn't last long in the temperature. And then he was worried again, not for himself, but for them. The nearest sanctuary was all the way into the Hillsbrad Foothills, being Southshore. The Horde wouldn't likely take the survivors since they were humans.

He bent his right gauntlet towards his breastplate, picking through a hole made by one of the scourge soldiers to tear away his undershirt. He immediately felt the cool air seep in through the piercing, blowing against the exposed skin. Without the plate covering his chest, he would likely and slowly freeze.

Then he unhooked the cloak attached to the inside-armor of his spaulders. In no time, he had fashioned the two pieces of cloth into several feet of rope. It wouldn't be enough for the drop, and another memory popped into his mind.

"Nazuni, you kept the cloth the innkeeper gave you. Attach it to this rope." He handed her the clothing before turning to the remaining survivors.

"I need you all to stay calm. When we get down from the wall, we'll be heading south - for Hillsbrad. It will be quite a walk, so if you get tired, just tell me. I can carry at least one of you. I am Arasad. She is Nazuni..." He paused to point out the two, before continuing.

"When she's finished with the rope we'll climb on down. Women and children first. Then men. Then I'll follow you all. When we hit the ground, stay quiet. We don't want the undead tracking us here. Are there any questions?"

The fighting had died down outside the inn. He could hear noises from inside. They would have to stay quiet.

And they would have to hurry.

[Mistress]

She nodded and pulled the cloth from her backpack, the little one she had as a bandana was too small, but the larger towel easily added another three feet. With little swift knots the girl went around to the others to seek more cloth.

"Please, smiths. May I have your aprons for this rope?" They both nodded and swiftly handed them over, no one was making a sound anymore. Not even the children sniffled. She looked at them again with longing but sighed and attached the aprons to the rope.

Looking over the others she noted that they could not provide anything else. Counting the length of the rope she silently moved back to the edge and measured the fall. Nodding she moved back to Arasad, eyeing the paladin up and down before handing over the rope.

"We're only eight feet short to hit the bottom, its not a bad jump but ... we have nothing to tie it to. If the smithies can hold onto it while the women climb down first, then the children can go and catch them as they drop ... this old man can go down, then you can hold it while the smithies climb down ... then I'll hold it for you." She searched his face then stopped him before he speaks.

"I know I am not that strong, but I think that with me brace myself against the wall, laying down I can handle it no problem, but you cannot fall that far without hurting yourself ... "

[Arasad]

Arasad laughed, head shaking lightly.

"I will hold the rope for the rest of you. That's final." He smiled to reassure the woman, giving her a gentle push towards the edge of roof. The man turned to beckon the other survivors, who solemnly and slowly moved forward. Like he ordered, the oldest woman came first. She held onto the rope as he braced himself, and she climbed down before dropping onto the hay.

When she looked back up, she was smiling. There was a brightness in her eyes, she had enjoyed the fall. In spite of all the terror, there was hope. Always. And then the mother, holding onto her child, slid down the rope, falling the remaining distance safely onto the bail of hay. The wagon creaked, but it wasn't loud. It couldn't have been heard over the screaming.

And then the next two children went, seeming like brother and sister. They held one another tightly as Arasad guided them down, making it within little time. It was the same process with the blacksmiths, and then the older man, which took a little coaxing to slide down the unstable rope. He was already afraid; he was ready to die. Regardless, he made it down, and one of the blacksmiths held onto the crying elder.

As the last of the three men made it town, Arasad turned to the woman. A grin was upon his lips.

"Ladies first. I won't drop you."

[Mistress]

She lowerd her ears and put them back, mezmerizing pools of honey seemingly swaying the male a bit, but then she sighed. Fleeting thoughts of tieing the rope around him then kicking him off the roof caused her to feel a little ancy but she didn't do anything, just move towards the edge of the wall.

"You don't need to help me down." She said with a flick of her tail and ears, taking perfect balance upon the walk she jumped forward and landed easily upon her feet. Though her landing was perfect and rather elegant as she crouched down, balancing with one hand down to brace herself, she tumbled forward caught off balance as one of the kids pulled on her tail.

Fur poofy she just about snapped at the kid with her teeth but she rolled backwords and landed the kid in a hug before standing up and staring at the paladin.

Her tail was now rapidly swaying behind her as her ears pressed back against her fuzzy hair. She stared up at the man, the scene heroic and dark at the same time.

Sniffling old man, screams and moans of the dead, all flooded to the ears of the survivors. She stared up as the breeze lifted, clouds of smoke dancing behind him with the everlasting glow of the fires lighting the horizon.

"Stupid male ... " She whispered to no one in partiuclar, though the mother heard her whisper she smirked at the fox-girl before tending to her children.

[Arasad]

He was surprised to see her land so gracefully. The fall would have surely caused any normal human a broken limb, and if not, severe pain and injury. Though when she landed she had a tumble, the scene folded out to her easily correcting her fault, rolling to land and hug one of the children.

And then they were staring up to him, waiting for him to get down. He hadn't thought this part through. That much was apparent. Inside his head he quickly mulled through the options. The jumping aspect would probably end up in him hurting himself or someone else. He could attempt to use the Light to shield his fall, though it was a strong push. His magic had a barrier that he could not cross, and that was it. No magic and no magus could do anything.

Though he wasn't a magus, the same rule applied. He frowned, head shaking. A gauntlet raised to his chin, the other arm folded beneath it. The expressions from the survivors told him to hurry. They were afraid. He was as well.

And at that point he cursed himself for not listening. A rattling upon the roof. All he felt was the pressure through his lower left abdomen, and as he glanced down, the head of an arrow stuck through. And then another pressure, in his upper right arm. He turned his body, spotting the undead archer. It had made its way to the roof - probably scaling the wall. Arasad merely snarled, tossing his hand out with palm face forward; exorcising the creature. He felt slightly dizzy, a familiar warm liquid oozing out of his lower left wound.

With little regret he turned and hung himself from the roof of inn, dropping to land roughly upon the bail of hay. One of the blacksmiths came to help him up, to which Arasad smiled and nodded his thanks.

"Let us go south. We must hurry, but stay quiet. Be on the lookout for any more of the unliving."

There was a set of nods before he passed Nazuni, speechless. Women were more graceful. That much was for sure.

[Mistress]

She tilted her head as she stared at the arrow wounds with curioisty before looking up to his eyes. Brief thoughts cross through her mind, she wanted to help the male with the wounds but she thought it would be best if they moved along. Though she knew that the ghouls could track the scent of blood and he was certainly losing some to the earth below them.

The little crowd moved along the forest paths, slipping into the shadows every once-in-a-while to scout out the foliage ahead and around the group as they moved.

Nazuni was starting to get very tired, her legs were weakening and her normally swift speed and bouncy behaviour had toned down to a gentle pace and stoic look. She slipped out of the shadows near Arasad, walking next to him. Not saying a word she sighed softly, moving her hands to her daggers she left them upon the hilts, tapping her little thumb claw to the tips of them.

[Arasad]

Arasad had lost track of the time, the people, how many steps he had taken since the fall. It was all a blur. The bleeding wouldn't kill him, but it wouldn't help either. He began to feel dizzy, slightly slowing his pace. That was when the woman materialized beside him, her own walk slowed. She no showed the bouncy traits that had made her so unique hours before. It must have been the lack of food and sleep.

"Hold up..." Arasad whispered, the gathering around them coming to a halt. They were all tired. One of the children, the little sister of the boy, was crying quietly in her mothers arms.

"We've got to keep going, but take a bit to rest. I think Nazuni put some fruit into her bag, the children should get priority. And then the women." He spoke quickly, low on breath. As two of the children and the mother approached Nazuni, who had stopped next to Arasad, he moved to a nearby red oak. The night was quiet, the wind no longer violent. The air had cleared slightly, no longer hard to breathe.

They must have made it close to the Alterac mountains. That meant there would be at least another half day's hike to Hillsbrad. But they would need rest. No one could push on at their rate, it was unhealthy. Even with the strongest will. By the Light, he was even tired. The paladin the group looked to for strength and support was tired.

His back slid down the oak, armor scratching against the bark without a cloak to prevent the markings. He watched the gathering with half-opened eyes. "Don't sleep..." He pleaded to himself in the silence. Eyes shifted back up to Nazuni, admiring her will despite all the marching. She had proven herself a worthy fellowship member in his mind.

A gentle smile spread across his face while watching her.

[Mistress]

They all had indeed crossed into the Alterac Mountains. After Nazuni passed out the fruit to the children and the mother she counted the rest of it and sighed softly. Only two pieces remain and she was famished.

"Wait here." She spoked softly, but the woman nodded and sat down as well, making sure the children shared. The other little boy started to sniffle, standing away from the family.

Nazuni looked to the boy and she too wanted to cry, but moving over to him she knelt down to his height and layed her ears to the side.

"Come now kit, it is okay. I am going to look for a nice spot so that we may rest for the night." She smiled at the boy and helped him to start to eat the more exotic pear she had given him. With a pat on the head the boy stopped sniffling but sat down and munched on the fruit as the girl stood up and looked around.

Her eyes fell upon the Paladin as he lay there, a smile upon his face. She tilted her head to the side, then seemed to fade away into the darkness as she slipped away to scout around. No animals were nearby, but she feared some predator would pick up the scent of the Paladins blood. She moved on further and smiled as she came across the little waterfall and stream, bubbling throughout the night.

Arriving back at the crowd she whispered into Arasad's ear as her shadowed form came back into normality. "I have been here before, there is a cave behind a waterfall just a little walk away ... "

She moved over to the crowd again, urging the weary people to stand and move on. The children hadn't even finished their snack yet, but she smiled to herself, knowing that there was a few bits of supplise in this little hiding spot of hers.

[Arasad]

The urge for darkness and silence pulled his eyes slowly closed. It was like a weight, a constant pressure, to sleep. If it had not been for the whisper in his ear, he surely would have been out cold - sleeping in the meadow before the waterfall. And then there was a pain in his lower left gut, an agonizing sting that reminded him of his duty.

Shaken, and with much blood lost, the man pulled himself from the trunk of the tree. A scarlet pool was left at the base of the red oak as he slowly moved forward. And then the stoicism kicked in, numbing the pain. But there was always the pressure of the wound, like a muscle cramp, but worse. Just ahead he could see the mist forming from the waterfall. If Nazuni indeed knew the area safe, it would be an excellent place to hide.

Though he didn't know what from. The Scourge surely wouldn't leave the plaguelands yet. Even with troops amassed, they lacked several leaders to control the coming conflict. Arasad nodded in an attempt to reassure himself. The survivors continued their trek, tired and hungry, until the fall was upon them. Cold drizzled padded against his armor, dampening his hair and face. It felt good. It was refreshing.

And then the survivors were moving through the powerful mist - into darkness. Arasad reluctantly followed, not seeing Nazuni anywhere on the outside. She could have already been in the sanctuary, or perhaps still prowling about outside. For what he didn't know, but it concerned him for her to be alone.

If the Scourge did follow them, it would be devastating for her to try to fend them off by herself. It would be devastating for him on that note, mainly because of the wounds already received by the likely poisoned arrow-tip. As the water pounded and pushed down upon his armor, he realized he was through the mist. And soon he was into the darkened cave, which didn't seem that bad. Though it was damp, it was spacious.

In the corner, there looked to be supplies.

"Someone... should distribute those..." He coughed, pointing. "Nazuni?"

[Mistress]

"Yes." She said simply, easily making her way through the darkness as the others stumbled about. She helped them all to sit down around an old firepit then moved to the boxes. There was enough food for everyone this night and she could easily hunt something just outside.

So with some flint and tinder she gathered some of the bits of firewood near the back of the cave and started a new fire for the Humans to see a bit easier, and for warmth. The trail of blood leading down towards the waterfall, starting at the Paladin, made her inhale sharply. She turned her eyes upon his slumped down form and frowned.

"Here .. " She moved to pass out stale bread and simple rations, some baked mixture of nuts and dried fruit. This little treat seemed to be a favorite with the children. " .. I will go hunt in a little while." she muttered, noding towards the adults.

"Are you some kind of demon?" The older woman asked. She had been rather silent until now.

"What?" Nazuni replied, obviously caught off guard. She lowered her ears and her tail flicked back and forth. "I'm not a demon .. I'm a fox."

"Well you certainly are that aren't ya."

"What?" She blinked at the older woman, unsure of how to reply she simply shrugged the comment off and moved back over to the bits of supplise once more.

Rummaging through the crates she pulled out two blankets, tossing them both to the mother so that she may use them for the children. Dropping back into the crate she pulled out an old lantern as well as a few daggers. She passed the Daggers out. The smiths got one each as well as the older man, who surprisingly wasn't crying anymore.

A pot was brought out and she pranced up to the waterfall, filling it up and then tossing the water against the ground, trying to wash the blood off as best as she could. It ran down into the stream but it wasn't enough good. She sighed, thinking of the mountain lions and bears that roamed these parts. Not to mention those large spiders.

With a little sigh she kept some of the water and moved over to the gathering. With a few bowls for cups she snagged one up and left the other two by the medium-sized terracota pot for drinking.

One last dive into the crates and she brought out bandages. With a flick of her tail she slipped into the shadows and appeared right next to Arasad.

"Hold still ... " She said, snapping off the arrow heads and dropping them to the ground. She didn't bother asking him if he wanted help, but descided upon her own that he required assistance. "Now we can do this two ways mm. Yeh you can heal yourself when I pull them out, or yeh can get those wounds burned closed."

She knelt over him, blocking him from any view of the others. Only those mezmerizing golden glows stared down at him.

[Arasad]

Again he had fallen only seconds away from sleep. It was so dark. So peaceful. But, like a repeating cycle, he was again held from this dream. This time the cause was Nazuni, who crouched over his slumped form with a set of bandages in hand. She carelessly snapped the metallic heads of the arrows off, and then removed the rest by force. Arasad winced, his expression turning to pain.

When it had started, it was also soon over. Her words were like another arrow, but this time, infected with poison.

"Now we can do this two ways, mm?. Yeh' you can heal yourself when I pull them out, or yeh' can get those wounds burned to close."

He glanced up to the woman, expression now of sorrow. "They will heal. Give them time." He prepared for her response by bowing his head, clearly afraid of her disappointment.

[Kelrav]

((So I made this huge beutiful post, and went 'post' and it said 'this web site is busy' and it's not here. So. I'm retyping it -.-))

[Kelrav]

The hunting party moved swiftly over the ground, despite the darkness and the cold. They were all fit, fully trained, a well oiled machine.

The group of six had arrived at the outpost, attracted by the glow of the burning buildings in the night sky. Dispatching the remaining tainted and risen, the two hounds had picked up a new scent. Survivors. The beast handlers led the group away from the smoldering ruins, pointing out a trail of dried blood on the path. Footsetps, vaired, some heavy, some small young feet, all increasingly weary. One heavy, well armored. One curious, dancing across the path at first, harder to track, but they didn't need to focus on that ones trail.

The hounds led them, silent, with purpose. Two handlers, a healer, a mage, two paladins. There had been survivors to the tragedy. They must be found. Found, and cleansed. Contact with the Scourge could lead to more carriers.

The hunting party tracked the others. They were Scarlet Crusaders, and they were coming to kill.

------

They find where the band had stopped, a piece of a pear. Bark marred on a tree where someone had rested. The tracks are fresh now and the hounds strain towards a nearby river. They draw their weapons, readying themselves despite the apparent lack of real opponents. The only one that might concern them, the heavy male tracks, was the one bleeding. The other male steps didn't move with a fighters motions. They approach the waterfall, ready for a quick slaughter.
Unbeknownst to them, two other pairs of eyes are watching.

------

The Blood Knight and his Charger had been returning to camp, enjoying the peace of the forest after the long day of fighting. They'd been baseing out of a cave hidden behind a waterfall, prefering this to the crowds and noise of the cities. It was also easy access to the Plaguelands, where they elf had been campaigning against the Scourge, but far enough south the undead wouldn't find them. They'd been following the river, each in their own thoughts, when hieghtened sense alerted them to people ahead.

The elf guided the stallion around, circleing the group to watch them. Using the undergrowth to hide, the pair waited while the small group of people appeared to be resting. The knight casts an appraising eye over the party, sizing them up. Refugees. Children. A fighter... bleeding all over the place. And... a girl? With a tail? He shifts in the saddle, curious as she vanishes. She's back in short order and the people rise, following them to... his cave.

"Damnit" he curses softly, knowing the hidden camp had had previous occupants from the provisions stocked within. Just his luck the foxgirl was one of them. Rider groans again as the horse looks back at him, reflecting his irritation. No bed now, and no fire. Not nearby at least. They remain there, waiting, while he thinks. Looking around, his eyes pick up something new in the distance. Torches?

"Swell... more guests" he mutters, presuming the newcomers to be more humans following the first band. He was mostly right. As the second group draws nearer the rider stiffens in his saddle, recognizing the emblem on their chestplate. Scarlet Crusade. They must be tracking those refugees. And it was a good guess it wasn't to invite them to dinner.

The elf shifts uneasily, thinking. They were downwind of the dogs, and the group wasn't going to cross the path they'd taken in. They could turn and leave and no one would be the wiser... but... His mind darts back to the children, the unusual woman offering them fruits. The stoic faces of the adults. They were his enemies. But... his mind jumps again, to the wars. Humans had been allies then, against the demons. He looks down at the stallion again, shaking his head mournfully.

-----

The group appraoches the waterfall, readying themselves for the easy kills within. The noise of the rushing water fills their hearing, so they don't notice the sound behind them. They don't feel the thundering in the earth, or hear the powerfull hoofbeats untill the Charger is upon them, plowing through thier formation. The elf cradles a polearm, and it expertly spears the priest, which had been near the back, 'protected' from the conflict. Releasing the shaft, as they ride past, the spearhead is now lodged deep within the mans ribs, rendering the weapon useless. He falls forward, a scream choking out as he dies, his blood the first of the conflict to taint the waters.

Wheeling the stallion around, it rears, hooves kicking and crashing down on the skull of one of the hounds. The knight draws his sword, readying his shield and looking for the next target. He nudges the stallion forward, headed for the mage. The woman manages to loose a blast of frost, chilling and slowing them in their tracks, but a word from the elf frees their movement, and they press on. Rider again uses the momentum of the horse, angleing his sword to cleanly decapitate the surprised magus.

Their armor glinting red, gold and black in the coming dawns light, the pair turns, on the left side of the small waterfall. The remaining crusaders, two paladins, two hunters, and one hound, have quickly recovered and form up opposite him. They look none too pleased with the deaths of their comrades, and are ready to make the attacker pay.

Kelrav glares through his helmet, green eyes squinting as he tries to think what to do next now his element of surprise is lost. His mind races as he tries to remember the Common tongue, he hadn't used it since the wars but... he still knew enough.

"Danger!" he belts out, praying if the fools inside hadn't heard the fighting, they'd hear that, and come to their own defenses. Otherwise, he feared, they'd all be dead before dawn.

[Mistress]

(( good thing to try .. copy your entire words before you post .. its a good habit to get into and its a wonderful post ^^' ))

"They will heal. Give them time."

She responded with pulling her belt off and slipping one of her daggers sheathes from it. Pulling the dagger out she carefully set it upon the ground before reaching behind her with one hand, towards the fire.

"So yeh wanna do it the hard way, eh?" Her golden eyes stared at him and with one swift, fluidic movement she shoved the sheathe of the dagger into his mouth and held it there while grabbing a burning stick from the fire. Blowing out the flames she shoved the coals into his wounds.

The sick scent of burning flesh reached her sensitive nostrils and her ears went back as she tried to hide the view from the children. She prepared for him to groan out in pain and laid her ears back, the scabbard was to bite down on.

When she had finally burnt the oozing holes, all of them, she sighed at the man, slipping the scabbard from his mouth she dropped the stick back onto the fire before soaking the bandages in the water and then wrapping around him. Dumping the rest of the water, she moved and filled some more in the bowl for him to drink from.

Placing the bowl to his lips she urged him to drink. Then she heard it, the sounds of battle coming outside. Eyes moved over to the waterfall and she saw the torches and spells being cast.

Setting the bowl down to the ground, her lip pulled up into a snarl, leaving her sharp little canines to threaten the Paladin.

"Sit still. All of you ... " She looked around now. "Stay still! Defend if needed."

Shoving her sheathe back onto her belt and as she ran, she vanished, buckling the gold to her while she slipped down the path towards the battle.

The man on the horse caught her attention and she about flipped. The dark charger and dark armor indicated he was Blood Knight. The people inside were Alliance. This could only end badly, but it was the Scarlets he fought against.

"Danger!" He cried out in common, she blinked at him and realized, he was trying to warn those inside. Cursing to herself for being tracked, she shook it off realizing she was with a group.

Daggers pulled out she moved towards the Scarlets, none of her jewelry made a sound, her footsteps though heavier than normal, were still not heard. She slipped behind the group. The hound would smell her, but the scent of a fox was no matter for a battle-hardened canine.

Slipping up behind one of the hunters as he drew his bow, she stabbed both of her daggers in at the same time. One into the back of his neck and another into his kidney. Both she twisted and pulled, serrating against much flesh for faster blood loss. The one into the neck paralyzed him, the other let him bleed out as his bow fell on his face when he hit the ground, gurgling out one final command to the hound.

When the dog turned on her, her tail bushed out and she squeaked jumping back, blood dripping from her daggers to face the crowd of Scarlets. A quick gouge at the hound and it left the poor beast stunned and blind in one eye, but she was outnumbered and they closed in. Golden glows turned to face the Blood Knight, praying to him for help.

(( Ith's post next ^^' ))

[Arasad]

The burning pain had come and gone so fast that he didn't realize the woman had left. When his eyes opened to expose the darkness of the cavern, they took several seconds to adjust. The survivors were all staring to him, as if for a command. What had happened? Before he could guess the sounds of combat rang out from beyond the waterfall. In his first attempt to stand the pain pressed him back down.

He snarled, using legs to push himself into a straightened stance. His right gauntlet fell down to the sword, unsheathing the blade. It glowed in the same illuminating manner as before, partially lighting the cavern. The children looked to him, afraid. As his back turned and he shuffled to the cavern entrance, there was a voice.

"She said not to go. She said to stay put." It was the older man, the same who had cried earlier.

"Do you want to help them?" Arasad shot back coldly.

The older man quieted, shaking his head. Arasad continued forward, stepping slowly into the night. The familiar feeling of water rushing against his armor was relaxing as he moved through the waterfall, but it quickly passed. All at once he gazed into the gory scene that unfolded. Several dead scarlet soldiers, an armored member of the sin'dorei upon a brilliant golden steed, and Nazuni. Who was cornered by the crusaders. Without thinking twice the man judged the blood elf paladin an ally, stoicism kicking in to blank out the pain of wounds. He marched past the scarlets, who didn't hear him over the roar of waterfall.

His hand clasped around the spear that stuck through the back of the scarlet priest, ripping it out with the sounds of snapping bones and tearing flesh following the action. He tossed it in the direction of the paladin, head turning to the scarlets advancing upon Nazuni.

"Hey! You forgot your priest friend. You'll regret leaving him after we're done with you."

And then the man jogged forward, weapon at the ready. The scarlet hound took its eyes off of the woman. All of the zealots did.

Arasad hoped that the blood elf would use this fact to his advantage. As well as the woman.

[Kelrav]

Kel gives a small sigh of relief as his hopes are answered and one of the hunters sudenly falls, the rogue fox woman appearing behind it as it dies. The moment is short lived though as first the hound then the remaining humans spin at the closer and more vulnerable looking threat.

The arrival of the armored male surprises him, wasn't this the one bleeding the whole time? Kels eyes widen in regret as the man frees his polearm and makes to toss it his way, betrayers, typical. Still, they wouldn't know he wasn't there to kill them too. He tenses, waiting for an attack that doesn't happen, as he realizes the angle of the throw was meant for him to catch it, not be impaled. Grunting, he drops his sword and twists in the saddle to catch the lance. Spinning it clear over his head to bring it to his right side, he tucks it against his body, the stallion Arod rearing with a furious cry, readying another charge.

One of the paladin Crusaders had watched the pass off, and spins to face the Blood Knight. He charges forward, closing the already small gap, narrowing the impact momentum behind the attack. His shield deflects Kels spear up somewhat as they collide, the bladed weapon head slamming into the buckler then angleing along it to tear into the humans left shoulder.

Shield dropping to the gound as the useless arm loses its grip, he slahes in anger at the horse as the pair passes. Arod pulls up short, spinning, lashing out with his hooves again to drive the man back. Kel realizes he now has their backs not only to the remaining two Crusaders, but the refugees as well. Snarling at the situation, he reaches for his sword to finish his target off... only to realize he'd had to drop it to catch the polearm. His eyes narrow in amusment. Swell. He hopes the pair behind him are having better luck.