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Owl Odyssey

E** pisode 2 - Sanctuary by Nightsabre**

It wasn't long before the Orc got tired of not being the center of attention. She'd knocked back one-and-a-half more drinks, but noticed people starting to leave. The Tauren warrior stood up from his stool, almost knocking it over with his tail, before meeting his tab with the bartender and stumbling out of the bar into the dark night. The Orc warlock quietly left as well, keeping his head cloaked, wishing he'd entered another line of work.

Luckily, two new people took their place, a grumpy looking goblin mechanic whose head was as bald at the Forsaken's head was deteriorated, and a large specimen of an Orc, rippling muscles bulging from every crevasse of his body, scars and veins popping this way and that as if he were a fan of troll tattooing.

Once they had settled in, Zuril cleared her throat and took to the conversation once more. "So there I was running north after finally escapin' tha clutches o' tha over-sophisticated Night elves, a stranger in a deranged land o' purple an' pink daffodils and trees bigger'n houses. An' ever other tree -were- a house! I took't time to put mah clothes back on, as I's soberin' up, and didn't have no ale to fix myself up again, tho I coulda sorely used it. In jus' a few hours I'd have who knows how many elfies on my trail, blood on'r minds."

"What's this?" the seasoned Orc growled, almost breaking his mug just by the effort of flexing his huge muscles to life it to his gaping maw. "What is she talking about?"

The troll who had first asked about the owl stepped up to say, "'Eh mon. She be relatin' da tale'a when she starmed da big ass tree da Night Elves. She snucked up dere on a dare."

Wrinkling his brow the Orc male said, "Dare on a dare? What?"

Zuril interrupted, "Jus' listen'n it'll all come clear, count youseff on that. I hadda find'n tame an owl s'quick's I could, so's I could return to tha Valley a Trials and Hidego wit my honor n'tact. I warn't gonna let dat troll shaman slander my taming skills! S'if he would know the third thang 'bout choosin' a companion! But twain't owls I met first, travlin' north: twere harpies! Good sized flock'v'm, but they warn't nothin' I couldn't handle an' I proved it to them, taking sev'ral a their belts off their dead corpses. But they was distractin' me from my goal."

The new goblin lifted his hand, wrapped in torn leather gloves, trying to draw Zuril's attention. When she appeared to ignore him, he spoke instead, with the ungainly uncertainty characteristic of one so beaten down as he was. "There's harpies on Teldrassil?"

Chortling, the huntress replied, "Where isn't they harpies?"

She was about to continue her tale when a second interruption came, this time from the undead scoundrel that had plagued her in the past. "There'sssss no harpiesssss in the Undercccccity..."

Narrowing her eyes, Zuril just forged on. "I clev'ly circled 'round a moonwell guarded by a coupla elfis, mos' likely dancin't each other. They warn't gunna see me, I's as stealthy as a devilsaur. I were still complimentin' myself'n a job Orc-done, when I run smack inna a Night Elf a bit farther west."

Brow wrinkled in concern, the doe-eyed female Tauren spoke, "Was it a sentinel? How did you escape?" She was so far on the edge of her stool, that it was a wonder that her relatively robust shape didn't topple all the way over.

"Was more a wiz'rdry type'o'folk."

"There are no Night Elf wizards," scoffed the battle-scarred veteran Orc.

"Warlock, then?" Zuril asked.

Growling, the Orc warrior said, "Even less likely. At least the Night Elves have sworn off demons. Speaking of warlocks, have any of you -"

Zuril stammered quickly, before her tale were derailed completely. "She warn't the mos' s'prisin' thang tho. T'were the giant cat-faced tree right near'r!" That got their attention. "As I was starin't tha tree, the elf were gettin' ready ta blast me wit her greater magic wand, and she look darn tough enough ta put'n end ta the journey right there! Only thing stopped'r was the tree - I swore it up'n talked to us! Said somethin' bout tha harpy belts I had'n me, thankin' me'f helpin' the glade. I ain't had no clue's'far as I were helpin' anyone, but the elf decide it were in bad taste to slaughter me afta that, n'so we got ta talkin'."

"Ey, mon...she done spoke witcha?" one young troll queried, rubbing his tusks.

"She say'r name was Alanna Raveneye, and said she was enchanting. Not very humble'n my opinion, but I dinna tell'r that ta her face. Was the Oracle Tree'd saved m'life, she said, but she give me pretty poor odds'a makin' outta there alive, what with a hundert trained trackers on'm'tail. Since I hadn't seen no owls yet, I knew I hadda throw'm off my trail. But howdya throw off a hunder' or more sentinels? Ya cain't, if ya don't know the territory. So's that's what I began talkin' ta Alanna 'bouts."

The Orc quickly broke in, "She told you the lay of the land? Can you map Teldrassil?"

Glancing sidelong at the over-eager soldier, she shrugged her shoulders. "Damn'd if I'can 'member. E'en ya eyes blen'together in that place - like a Old God et a purple-berry pie wit a side salad'n up'chucked cross the whole damn tree. I thought't mountains east'f us'd be a good place't lose em, so I asked 'bout them. Alanna say, "Harken ye, and become unto thou knowing of a secret cleft, deep athwart the mountains wherein occasionally dwelleth a great, nay, athwart the greatest nightsabre!"

Gasps echoed the bar, that had heard, or seen first hand, the deadly nightsabres that served as Night Elf mounts. "Tha elf continued, "He doth is rare to be seen, but 'tis folly to seek he or his cleft, for he doth defendeth it with a ferocity unbeknownst to man or beast alike!" So nat'rly I knew I hadda hide in tha cleft. But I warn't ready ta be cat food jus' yet...I hadda plan. I took mah leave'a tha loquatious wench ta make'mah prep'rations. On'm way to tha mountains, I started't track some'a tha lesser nightsabres, lookin'f somethin' in partic'lar. Us orcs got usselves especial strong noses, and it warn't long afore I foun' her."

Grinning, she realized she had every single face watching her with rapt attention. "A spotty black nightsabre queen, nothin' special't look at, but jus' what I be needin'. I put my tamin' skills't work, an' in short order she were mine. I wish Hidego were could t'see't, twould boil his tusks't see me tame'r so easy. By now, m'three hours was near up, an' I hadda be hurryin'. Kitty (thas whudd'I callt her) were an affectionate devil, and I were glad'f it. We rubbed up 'gainst each other playfully, and afore long I's covered in'r scent. And that were just what I needed. Kitty were in heat!"

Many looked confused, but the Orc warrior could see where this was going. He simply said, "Ah," and nodded sagely.

"She nice enough a pet, but I's lookin' fo'n owl, so once I's done wit Kitty I let'r go. Now don't be thinkin' a bit a scent swappin'd drop those elfies off my tail, I knew'nuff to know that. Elves be so covered in heat they cain't e'en smell't no more!"

The three trolls broke into wild laughter, but the Tauren cow didn't understand what was funny. Zuril continued as soon as the noise calmed down, "I went runnin' up inna tha mountains, makin' no partic'lar try to hide'm trail. Shore'nuff, there were tha cleft, jus' as Alanna said it were. I ran inna the cave inhesitatin'ly an come face't'face wit tha fabled nightsabre imself! As clear's I'm standin' here today, y'know he didn't tear me up inna shreds. My plan worked, an tha scent of the nightsabre queen bought me a sanc'chary. Hidin' inna back'a tha cave, I waited fo' tha elfies to track me t'tha cave."

The Forsaken swallowed another gulp of tasteless ale, coughing slightly before saying, "Sssssmellin' like a bitch'n heat and hidin' with the king of all Nightsssssabre? You got worssssse than the Elvesssss to worry 'bout."

"Maybe I had't that, but them Night Elves got some espert trackers, an' they reach tha cave mos' right 'hind me. But lo! Ya don' wanna see that nightsabre-a-tha-cleft when he angry! He maul sev'ral sentinels near't death afore they retreated, an I's sure they 'sumed I were et. I were free't fin' my owl!"

Again the undead scoundrel said, "The Nightsssssabre let you go?" raising his one good eyebrow in what looked like an expression of skepticism.

"Well, I waited awhile ta make sure they gone, an' it were only polite ta thank tha nightsabre'f savin' my life. Warn't no way conseebible as I coulda tamed'm, but he were quite'ta gentlemen. One thang y'ain't likely be knowing 'bout them kitties is e'en though theys awful big'n'strong an' endurable, they ain't big ever-where, if ya know what I mean. But...they is endurable ever-where! It warn't 'til mornin' whens I finely stum'led outta tha cave."

There was an awkward silence as her audience began to realize just what she meant. The Orc warrior's jaw dropped. The trolls snickered nervously. The Forsaken scoffed, not believing a word, and the Tauren lady didn't understand Zuril's implication. The desperate goblin just took another drink, crouching on his stool almost invisibly.

Zuril let them stew with their questions. She grinned and said, "An I ain't tellin' no more a nothin' jus' yet. My throat be hoarse'f talkin'. I know, I ain' got ta tha owl yet! I warnt ya it were a long story..."