Nyx

Emerald light played across the hillside as it danced past the Twin Colossuses and through the leaves of forest. An empty hippogryph nest was planted in amongst the foot of the hill and an ancient root. Had the light not played across it, the nest might have been just a pile of sticks. There was also a song in the air, a song not heard by very many. One such listener was a young tauren girl.

The song had told her where the nest was, and that Oloa’matak, a rare silver hippogryph would be alighting back at his nest. He had found a mate, and would be showing her what he had crafted. The Earth Mother’s song had told her this and more.

Her fur bristled with a sap mixture from various vines and leaves. It smelled awful at first application, but, as the song had promised, it now smelled like Feralas. Braiding the vines and flowers into her mane made the young tauren feel like Feralas. Hopefully, Oloa’matak would see Feralas as well.

As the sun began to settle over the unseen horizon, the song lulled the tauren. It was so warm in the forest. The bush she rested in was so soft. Her eyes had been closing slowly. She almost missed Oloa’matak’s descent. Only the thought of his terrible beak tearing into her hide kept the tauren from gasping aloud.

Oloa’matak’s mate alighted straight into the nest. The Earth Mother’s song told the tauren that the inspection of the nest was a mere formality, for Oloa’matak was an extremely worthy mate. Still, the protocols of their rituals were observed. He sound his question, and she answered with a question. He then trumpeted in a mighty blast of his many deeds. It was a bit more than she expected, and nearly forgot her response. Still, the Earth Mother was there to whisper in the female hippogryph’s ear.

In a flurry of fur and feathers, the two hippogryph’s began the process of bringing about a new generation. The tauren waited as their passion caused them to pull feathers from one another. Then, with all the caution she could muster, she eased forward.

Her limbs all cried in protest at being called into service. She prayed to the Earth Mother to remove the barbs and nettles that were stinging her from hoof to finger. For her to cry out would be death.

The feathers, not more that a few arms lengths away, drew painfully closer with each slow pull. Each step brought more stings. More nettles.

So close now. The Hippogryph musk was over powering. Oloa’matak’s fallen silver feathers were in reach now. Stretch. A thunderous wind.

Oloa’matak bellowed in rage. The young tauren prayed fast and hard to the Earth Mother. Protect my mother and father. May my blood and bones be fit for Oloa’matak and his mate. Let my death be quick. Such are the prayers of those that hear the Earth Mother’s song.

Yet, neither behemoth turned their beaks to rend her flesh. Instead, they were focused on a troll swinging his mighty axe into them. Their claws and beaks tore at him, but his rage was upon him. Blood misted into the air from all sides. A fleshy mass landed on the silver plumes that the tuaren was reaching for. As the fight continued she gingerly pulled them free. They were ruined. Silent tears ran down the tuaren’s face.

The troll sung hard one last time, ending Oloa’matak. He began to cut free the hide of the silver hippogryph, and he then saw the tauren child, holding a mangled mass of bloody feathers.

“Urina!” bellowed the troll. “Wat’choo be doin’ here? You be lookin’ tah get yo’self in the stew pot?” His worried anger made him drop his task, and he grabbed the girl. “We gonna get you back to dah camp. Then, you be tellin’ yo muddah what you be doin’ in a place like dat.”

“Leave me alone,” came the sullen voice of Urina. She tried to wriggle free from the troll’s grasp, but he was a mighty warrior. That’s not how she would be escaping his grasp. She beat on his plate armor with her fists. He shook her like a wet cloak.

“You go worryin’ folk and den you attack dem when dey tryin’ to get you safe. Yo muddah, she be shakin’ some sense into you aftah I shake dah nonsense out. ‘Sides, I got rope. I just drag you behind me, if’n you be too much trouble to deal wit.”

Still upset, Urina pulled one of her hooves back and let it loose into the troll’s trollhood. With a gasp, he dropped her. Like a lynx, she darted into the trees and undergrowth. Sometimes, the rabbit had to live. This was the song she heard the Earth Mother singing as she found small places that the troll warrior couldn’t follow her through.

“Dis ain’t ovah, Urina!” His words meant nothing to her, for she had escaped. Urina didn’t know what she was going to say when she got back, but someone was going to be in trouble for ruining her father’s present.

Camp Taraujo opened its welcoming arms to the young Tauren. Scents that surrounded her since infancy filled her nostrils. A few bounds put her in view of one of the two best sights in her world, her mother sitting by the fire preparing food.

“…and dat’s when Gnasher taught de gnome dat hunters are nevah alone.”

Urina had not seen that her mother had company. Karimuna, the mate of the troll warrior Soo, was tossing bits of food to her turtle and Ru’ul, her mother’s plains cat. The Earth Mother never sang about politics.

“Mother,” Urina gasped, “Soo ruined the feathers I was going to-“

“Urina,” the smooth Taurajen tones carried a slight warning about not upsetting guests. The turtle and Ru’ul perked as the words were spoken. “I’m sure that it was an accident.”

“The Earth Mother-“

“Sings to you. So you have told your father and I. Many times, we have had this discussion.”

“It’s true,” pouted the young Tauren. “I can’t help it that you and father can’t hear it. She told me where Oloa-“

“You did not go there!” anger fought concern, coming out louder than was intended. “Oloa’matak is dangerous. You could have been killed!” Urina’s mother took her into her arms, squeezing painfully tight.

A snarl from Ru’ul was the only warning as Karimuna grabbed Urina.

“Girl, you bettah not have led mah troll to ‘is death wit yo’ stupidity.” Fire burned behind the already red eyes.

“He’s safe! He safe!” cried the now frightened Urina. Tears streamed down her face. “He had to get in the stupid way. Oloa’matak would be alive, and father’s present would be perfect. Stupid Soo.”

“Go, and wait for your father, Urina.” The stern voice of her mother brooked no argument. “Soo is an accomplished warrior, Kari. I’m certain that he’ll be striding back in no short amount of time. No doubt, he’s found some fish to be lined in.”

“You be right there, sistah,” sighed the troll. A new chord in the conversation began about the ways that mates would be improved if they were more like the hunters’ companions.

Urina didn’t hear the rest. Dejectedly, she made her way back to the family tent. There, she knelt down next to her herb garden. The dirt was filled a mixture of all the soils that her father had walked. He always brought her a handful from where ever he traveled. From this bed of earth, grew an odd assortment outside of the flora that was native. In spite of that, it all thrived. Urina knew what each plant required.

Lost as she was in her task, she almost missed the sound of her father walking up the path to their tent. If the song of the Earth Mother could sound more full of joy, it did so in the presence of Arhaum, shaman. Her hand buried itself into the earth of her garden, praying that the Earth Mother would impart to her the same strength as she gave the herbs that were so far from their homes.

“Urina,” rumbled Arhaum’s deep voice, “your mother says you went too far away from the camp, again.” His eyes sought deep into Urina, as though he could see the answer.

She nodded.

“You tell us that you hear the Earth Mother, does she not warn you of the dangers that await the young who leave the protection of the tribe?”

“She protects me, and…,um…she was telling me about how to avoid the danger.” Her hearing the Earth Mother’s song was always a matter of contention. Arhaum always moved in accordance with it, so Urina felt that he must hear it too, but he always stood with her mother in saying that it was not so.

“Well, Soo was trying to protect you, as well.” Her father grew sterner. “Had that been your mother or I, would you have lashed out at us like that?”

“Um, no,” her heart sunk, for this wasn’t about Oloa’matak anymore. “You wouldn’t have ruined the feathers.” She pulled the remaining plumes from her pocket. They were broken and tattered. Brown stains of Oloa’matak’s blood caused them to appear even worse for the wear.

“My dearest Urina,” sighed her father. “those feathers would have been a miserable trade for you.” A softened look passed over his face, but was pushed away by the dark clouds of impending punishment. “You have cause harm to a frien-“

“Soo is not my friend!” protested Urina. Her father’s face darkened.

“A friend to the tribe is a friend to all in the tribe. You dishonor our bonds by saying such, more so by acting on it. Apologize to him, if not for your personal honor, then for the honor of your family.” Ahraum turned and left. There would be more, but this task needed to be completed first.

She made her way back to the camp fire. Ru’ul and the turtle raised their snouts first, but soon the huntresses had turned to see her. Urina’s mother had been repairing some of her equipment, but she set that aside as her daughter approached. Karimuna continued with what she had been doing. Soo was sprawled before her, most of his armor removed. She was picking apart meat to feed to him as though he were incapable of doing so.

Stories told late at night by her friends came to her at this moment. There were all the tales of what trolls put into their pots to call stew. The look that was on Soo’s face called to the fore that a small Tauren would fit easily into one of their pots.

Although she couldn’t see him, she knew her father was watching. That was the only thing that kept her from running. His gaze pushed her to do that which she did not want to do. She was a child of the tribe, and it was her solemn duty to do this. Otherwise, she would not be able to look anyone in the eye again.

“You got somet’in ta say to ol’ Soo, do yah?” challenged Soo’s voice. Urina wished to be hiding behind one of her father’s shields.

“Um…well,” Urina stuttered. The words lodge in her throat. She recalled being transported to the top of the twin Collosai with her parents. She knew then that the cloak would save her, but she couldn’t jump. Her mother and father had ran with her to the edge, but they let go of her hands and jumped themselves. Urina had had to make herself jump. She had to make the words come out.

“Dis can wait, girl child,” Soo’s voice full of gloating. “It’s been a rough day, jah? Just go and cry yo’self out. You be bettah in da mornin’. Ol’ Soo will be back in Silithus, and you won’t see ‘im for anothah sevenday.”

“I’m sorry!” Defiance poured out in the two word phrase. “I should not have kicked you. I should not have tried to get you into trouble with my mother. I was wrong. I just wanted something nice for my father.” Her voice drained as did her rage. All she was left with was a terrible sorrow for how much she had messed up.

“It okay, little one,” soothed Soo, “ya just gotta pull dem thorns out when day get in your toe…er, hoof. ‘Sides, it wasn’t dat bad.” Seeing the look he was getting from Karimuna, he changed his tone to that of the extremely wounded. “Oh, but day hippogryph, he put a mean ol’ hurt on dis warrior.”

Tears overcame Urina once again, but she wouldn’t let the trolls see them. She ran for the place under the bridge crossing into the camp. Here, the Earth Mother sang a soothing song. A song of the troubles passing, and so they washed from the young Tauren. Before long, Urina slept.