Beyond the Portal

by Firestar463

Chapter 35

Kyle cracked his eyes open as his body awoke, staring out into the darkness in the room. The sun was not even up yet, only a faint glow in the east indicating its approach. Kyle instinctively huddled up tighter under the covers against the chill of the early morning.

Yet as much as he desired to return to sleep, he knew it would not return to him. Once awake, he was awake for the day. Slowly, reluctantly, he pushed himself into a sitting position. His movement was echoed by a slight squirming from the other side of the bed, drawing Kyle’s eyes to the other occupant. Scootaloo was still fast asleep, curled up and facing away from Kyle.

Kyle pushed himself to his feet and slipped his boots on, careful not to disturb the filly any further. He then walked towards the door and stepped into the hallway, moving towards the washroom at the end of the hall. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he walked, noting his unusual level of morning fatigue. “I’ve gone a bit soft in Equestria,” he thought to himself sleepily as he pushed the door to the washroom open. “Gotta get used to these early mornings again.”

Kyle stepped into the washroom and towards a large stone bowl against the far wall. It was already full, and still steaming - Chiyo was clearly already up and about as well. Kyle reached into the bowl and pulled some water out, splashing it across his face. Though not as potent as cold water, the splash of liquid did help Kyle gain his senses as he rubbed his eyes again.

The door behind him opened, and Kyle could hear the thud of boots across the floor as another figure entered the room. The figure stopped next to Kyle and also reached into the basin, performing the same act as he had a moment before. Kyle rubbed his eyes again to clear the water before reaching for a nearby towel. “G’ mornin’ ,” he mumbled, his words still slurred somewhat as he dried his face off.

The figure gave a similarly muffled response, his voice deep but incoherent. Kyle stepped away and moved towards the stall to relieve himself. For a long moment, there was silence, broken only by the sound of water as the figure splashed more across his face. Finally, Kyle stepped out of the stall, feeling a bit more awake now. He faced the figure and froze.

There, hunched over the water basin, was a Tauren. Even in the dark, there was no mistaking it - If his sheer size didn’t give it away, the horns jutting out of his head did. Even by Tauren standards, this one was massive - the tips of his horns nearly grazed the ceiling.

The Tauren stood up straight and reached for the same towel Kyle had just used, wiping his face off as well. As he removed the towel, the Tauren glanced towards Kyle, who was still rooted in place. Even in the darkness, Kyle could see the Tauren’s eyes shoot wide open. His shock quickly gave way to an expression of caution and barely suppressed anger.

For a moment, the two stared at each other - Alliance and Horde, in the same building, sharing the same washroom, the same water basin, the same towel for drying their faces. Kyle was certain that at any minute, the Tauren would charge at him.

But he didn’t. Instead, he opened his mouth. “I will not strike this day, Human, if you will do the same,” it said. Its voice was deep, and while Kyle could definitely hear the Taurahe accent, it spoke Common. “This is a place of rest.”

Slowly, cautiously, Kyle nodded. “Agreed,” he said, moving towards the door. His eyes never left the Tauren as he backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Kyle stood there in the hallway, feeling his heart thudding in his chest. He closed his eyes and growled at himself. How could he have been that out of it? To let a Tauren into the same washroom as him. To greet it! “Gonna be a hell of a day, I can already tell,” he muttered under his breath as he turned and walked back to his room.

As he closed the door behind him, Scootaloo stirred once more. Her eyes slowly opened, and she raised her head up, looking around. “Wha… What time is it?” she asked, yawning.

“Sunrise,” Kyle replied, feeling fully awake now. “Get your things ready. We’ll go downstairs, have a bite to eat, and set off as soon as we can.”

“First thing’s first,” Scootaloo said, hopping off of the bed and moving towards the door. “Bathroom. Now.”

“Wait!” Kyle exclaimed. Scootaloo paused and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “There’s a Tauren in the bathroom,” he explained.

“A what now?”

“A Tauren. Looks kind of like a Minotaur. They’re part of the Horde.”

“So… wait til he’s gone?”

“Yes. Wait until the Tauren leaves.”

Scootaloo snorted impatiently, bouncing up and down at the door. A few seconds later, Kyle heard the heavy thud of the Tauren’s hooves against the wooden floor. The door across the hallway opened, and then closed.

“Alright. All clear,” Kyle said. Scootaloo opened the door and bolted down the hallway, her own hooves echoing against the floor as she dashed into the bathroom.

A moment later, Kyle heard a snort of disgust. “Sweet Celestia, he didn’t flush!”

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“How in the hay do you work these things?!”

Kyle slurped up his noodles and looked over across the table at Scootaloo. She was staring at the pair of sticks in her hooves with a look of utter frustration. “On second thought, giving the Pony with no fingers a pair of chopsticks might not have been my brightest idea…” Kyle thought to himself. He smirked and brought his own sticks down to his bowl, pulling out another bite of noodles. “But damn if it isn’t funny…”

“I give up,” Scootaloo groaned, dropping the sticks onto the table. Without another word, she plunged her muzzle into the bowl, earning an irritated glance from Chiyo. Scootaloo sat back up, slurping on a mouthful of noodles. “Muh bettah,” she mumbled past her food.

Kyle swallowed his own bite of noodles and took a swig of beer from his mug. “Make sure you eat it all,” he warned. “Food is going to be limited until we get to the Peak of Serenity, and it isn’t exactly plentiful there either.”

Scootaloo said nothing, only nodding her head in response as she slurped up another mouthful. Kyle shook his head in amusement as he took another drink from his mug. He grimaced slightly at the taste. Though Stormstout Ale was undoubtedly one of the best brews in the world, he couldn’t help but wish his mug was full of cider instead. Or even just water, like Scootaloo was having.

The sound of heavy hooves against wood drew Kyle away from his thoughts. He glanced across the room and saw the Tauren step off of the stairs, dressed in a simple, sleeveless leather tunic and a pair of roughspun trousers, with a large pack slung over his back. The Tauren glared at Kyle before turning his gaze to Scootaloo. He raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly as he made his way over to the counter. He dropped a few coins on the bar and strode over to the door, muttering in Taurahe under his breath as he stepped outside.

Scootaloo had been watching the Tauren as well. She turned back to Kyle and swallowed her noodles. “You weren’t kidding,” she muttered. “They look almost exactly like the Minotaur back home.”

“Yeah, except that those things want to kill me,” Kyle replied, returning his attention to his noodles. There were only a few left in his bowl, so he picked it up and brought it to his face, drinking the remnants of the bowl. He placed the bowl on the table and picked up his mug, draining it as well.

Kyle glanced across the table again and blinked. Scootaloo was already done with her food, even after fumbling with the chopsticks for a good five minutes. “You ready?” he asked. She nodded as she drained her glass of water and set it back down on the table. Kyle pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the bar, dropping a few coins onto the counter. “Thank you for your hospitality,”

“Thank you for staying,” Chiyo replied, her voice unenthusiastic. Kyle sighed and turned around, joining Scootaloo by the door and stepping outside. Clearly, Chiyo was as happy to see them leave as Kyle had been to see the Tauren leave.

Kyle glanced around the small courtyard, taking in the sights. The Tauren was nowhere to be seen - he had already cleared out. The sun was still very low on the horizon, casting a brilliant red glow across the sky. It appeared that he and Scootaloo were the only ones out at this hour besides the Tauren, and for good reason - the air was still harsh and cold from the night, drawing steam from Kyle’s breath.

“So… where are we off to?” Scootaloo asked.

“This way,” Kyle replied, moving towards the southwest corner of the plaza. A small, narrow trail ran out of the village and curved towards the west, running parallel to the valley below them before curving north once more.

“I thought you said we were going north,” Scootaloo said, not noticing the curve in the road ahead. “Why’re we headed this way?”

“The entrance to the mountain range is a bit further west of here,” Kyle explained, stepping out of the plaza and onto the trail. “This road is the most direct route into the mountains, and it’ll take us almost all of the way to the Peak.”

“Almost?”

“The trek to the Peak ends in a climb up the mountainside, without a marked path. They never bothered to make a clear trail, since most Monks only make the journey once.”

Scootaloo said nothing, and silence descended on the pair as they walked. Soon, the pair reached the end of the curve and walked along the trail, looking down into the valley. Still, Kyle could see no sign of the Tauren. “Must’ve taken a Flight Path or something,” he thought as he glanced over the valley once more.

Suddenly, Kyle saw a familiar sight. He tapped Scootaloo and pointed down into the valley at a large chunk of land that had been charred black. “You see that?” he asked.

Scootaloo glanced down into the valley and took a sharp breath. “Sha?” she asked.

“No. Well… yes,” Kyle said, rubbing the back of his head. “That’s where I and thirty nine other heroes took on the Sha of Anger a couple of years ago. No threat there now though - as I said yesterday, the Sha in Azeroth are dead forever now.”

“And it’s still like that?” Scootaloo asked. “WIll it take that long for the Sha-touched areas in Equestria to recover?”

“Probably not,” Kyle replied. “The Sha’s corpse laid there on the ground for several weeks before dissipating. Its energy seeped into the land and tainted it deeply. It’ll be a while yet before that particular chunk recovers. The Sha-touched land in Equestria will likely recover within a few months, or maybe even weeks.”

The road curved north now, leading the pair away from the valley. The path also began to slope upwards, taking them into the mountain range. Much of the rest of the morning passed in silence as they walked along the mountain trail, moving steadily higher and higher as they wound around the mountains.

As they ascended higher and higher, the ground became coated in a light layer of snow. The pair could see multiple tracks running through the snow - testament to the travelers that had come this way since the last snowstorm.

As the sun reached its peak in the sky, Kyle’s stomach began to rumble. The snow cover was still quite light, but he knew that it would become much thicker soon. “Let’s find a place to stop and eat,” he said. Scootaloo nodded, and the pair slowed down, looking for a sheltered place where the snow had not fallen.

The wind gusted past Kyle, and he froze. A new smell had been brought to his nose, one that was both familiar and out of place here in the wilderness. He turned his head towards Scootaloo, who had likewise frozen. Their eyes locked, and they both spoke at the same time.

“Campfire.”

The two continued along the trail, moving cautiously up a small rise. As they drew near the top, Kyle threw his arm out, catching Scootaloo. He pointed at the top of the rise. There, at the very peak where the trail curved back downwards and to the southwest, was a small campfire.

Kyle drew his dagger and unclipped one mace from his belt, creeping up towards the campfire. A large log had been slung in front of the fire, providing a seat. Smoke still rose from the pit, though Kyle could see where water had been flung onto the fire to extinguish it.

“Someone was here recently,” he murmured, clipping his mace and sheathing his dagger. “But they’ve moved on. This looks like as good a place as any to warm up and eat before we get fully into the snow.”

Kyle gathered up some of the firewood that lay not far from the pit and threw it into the fire. He then reached into his pack and pulled out the tinderbox. He spread some of the tinder around the logs and struck the flint against the iron. Despite the moisture still present in the pit, he soon managed to get a small fire going.

Kyle rolled the log closer to the pit, and he and Scootaloo sat upon it, grateful for the reprieve from the cold. They each pulled out a portion of their food and ate, with Kyle reminding her to conserve her food in case they ran into complications.

“Oh come on!” she exclaimed. “We’ve taken on Sha! What could possibly be bad enough to keep us from getting there?”

Kyle glanced up at the sky and frowned. “That might,” he muttered, pointing. Scootaloo looked to where he was pointing and took a sharp breath. Upon the western horizon, dark grey storm clouds were gathering and growing. Already, Kyle could feel the wind around them begin to pick up.

“Eat quickly,” he said. “There’s a gap in the mountain range that we have to pass through. If I recall correctly, there’s a cave or two there. It might take a couple of days, but we can ride the storm out in there.”

Scootaloo nodded and threw the rest of her oats back into her saddlebags. She took another quick drink of water before storing that away as well. Kyle lifted the saddle back onto her and packed his things up. He scooped up some snow and threw it upon the fire, where it quickly melted into water. Though it didn’t completely extinguish the fire, it would soon die on its own.

Kyle and Scootaloo left the campsite once more, moving at a quicker pace now as they tried to beat the oncoming storm. Off to the south, Kyle could once again see the valley, now far below them. Tiny shapes moved slowly from the east to the west - most likely a group of grummles moving down the Burlap Trail.

The air grew more and more frigid as the continued their journey, and the wind grew harsher by the minute. Soon, the first flakes of snow began to fall from the sky as the stormclouds rolled over them, blocking the sunlight and plunging them into darkness.

Up ahead to the north, Kyle spotted the gap he had mentioned. “There!” he called out over the howl of the wind. “If we get in there, we’ll have a bit of shelter from the wind!”

Scootaloo nodded and charged forward, with Kyle right behind her. Soon, they had made it into the gap. Though not much, the mountain to their left did provide a small respite from the frigid blasts of wind.

“This is a bad one,” Kyle said as they each pulled out a bottle of water and drank. “And night will be falling soon. There’s a fork in the path ahead. We’d normally take the western road, but we’d be at the mercy of the storm. Instead we’ll continue north and take shelter in one of the caves in the Valley of Emperors.”

The two stowed their water away and set off into the cold once more. Kyle’s leather armor was doing little to stop the bite of the wind against his skin. His teeth chattered, and the steam from his breath was quickly chilled and swept away by the gale. Scootaloo seemed to be faring little better - the feathers on her wings were fully extended against the cold, even though her wings were clenched firmly against her sides.

It was growing dark by the time the pair reached the crossroads that Kyle had mentioned. The setting of the sun eliminated what little light there was to be had through the thick cloud cover. There was no shelter against the wind from the west now, and they both stumbled as they tried to fight against it, pushing steadily forward. As planned, they did not follow the western trail, but instead moved north. They managed to pass the crossroad and reach the relative shelter provided by the mountain range once more.

By now, they were both shivering violently from the cold. Scootaloo’s fur did nothing to protect her now, coated as it was in snow. Snow had likewise snuck into Kyle’s armor and melted against his body, and now it chilled him to the bone. Scootaloo’s movements became erratic, and she stumbled frequently through the snow that now reached more than halfway up her legs.

One particular stumble sent her tumbling into the snow. She pushed herself shakily to her hooves and tried to take another step, but fell into the snow once more. A pang of fear shot through Kyle, and he ran over to her. “Cmon, get up!” Kyle yelled over the roar of the wind. When Scootaloo did not move, Kyle snarled viciously. “If you won’t move yourself, then I’ll move you!” he roared, his fear transforming into anger. Anger at himself for not foreseeing this, for bringing Scootaloo to such an unforgiving place. Anger at the elements for turning against them like this.

Kyle reached down and grunted as he lifted Scootaloo into the air, saddle and all. He hoisted the shivering filly over his shoulder and set off once again, moving as fast as he could through the mounds of snow piling up around him. Despite the freezing cold, his legs burned with the effort of hauling himself, a filly, and two packs full of supplies through the storm. But he refused to slow his pace, refused to stop. The cold only drove him further, pushing him beyond what he had thought himself capable of.

A moment later, though, his body gave out. He tripped and tumbled into the snow himself, flinging Scootaloo forward. For a moment, he just lay there in the snow, darkness creeping over his vision. Slowly, he forced himself to push himself upwards.

And then he saw it. The most beautiful sight in the world. A sight that brought tears to his eyes and drew a breathless prayer of thanks to the Light.

A cave.

Kyle staggered forward and picked Scootaloo up once more, his entire body trembling now. He stumbled forward, forcing himself to move despite the darkness that dragged at the back of his vision, threatening to overwhelm him. Only a hundred feet to go. Eighty feet. Fifty. Twenty-five.

Finally, with a last great effort, Kyle staggered into the cave, his boots touching solid earth and stone for the first time in hours. He pushed forward, away from the mouth of the cave and towards the center. There seemed to be a statue at the far end of the cave, but Kyle didn’t care. He fell to his knees and dropped Scootaloo onto the ground. She was still shivering, and her breathing was fast and shallow, but she was still alive.

Kyle fought against the fatigue in his body as he pushed himself back to his feet. A wooden fence stood against the statue at the end of the cave. Kyle walked over to the fence and drew a mace. He brought it down upon the wood, smashing it and ripping it from the ground. He gathered a few good-sized chunks of fencing and dragged them over to the center of the cave. He bundled them together and surrounded them with some loose rocks lying around the cavern. He fumbled with his tinderbox, but his shivering hands would not allow him to properly control the small tools. With a snarl, he flung the flint and steel aside and shot lightning from his hand. The wood erupted in a shower of flame, bathing the entire cave in light and blessed heat.

Kyle the pulled the saddlebags off of Scootaloo and rummaged through them. He pulled out a thick, woolen blanket and draped it over her. He pulled a small metal pot out of his own bag and emptied a bottle of water into it before placing the pot into the fire. Within minutes, it had come to a rolling boil, and he removed the pot from the fire, allowing the hot water to cool to a reasonable drinking temperature.

Scootaloo squirmed and groaned, drawing Kyle’s attention. Slowly, she opened her eyes, glancing about the room. “Wh… where are we?” she mumbled.

“We made it to the cave,” Kyle replied. The darkness had faded from his vision as the fire had burst to life, and now that Scootaloo was awake his fear abated. “Don’t move. You’re still weak. There’s some warm water for drinking. We’ll rest for tonight, and then... “ Kyle trailed off as movement from the cave entrance drew his attention. He whipped his head towards the cave and felt a flutter of fear fly through his heart once more.

There, at the entrance of the cave, was a large cat. And it was staring right at them.

“Summit Prowler,” he hissed, causing Scootaloo to turn her head as well. As they watched, another cat appeared at the cave. And another. And another.

“Four of them,” Kyle murmured, feeling a sense of dread wash over him. Weak as they were from the snowstorm, Kyle doubted that he and Scootaloo would be able to hold their own against four of the large feline hunters. Scootaloo didn’t even look like she could stand yet. But the only other option was to flee back out into the blizzard, to certain death.

Kyle pushed himself to his feet and drew his maces. He channeled Jade Lightning through his weapons and caused sparks to fly from their heads, attempting to appear as intimidating as possible. It would be much better if he could simply scare the predators off.

But they would not be deterred. Instead, they slowly advanced, arching their backs and hissing threateningly. Kyle moved himself between the cats and Scootaloo, forming a defensive barrier in front of the weak filly.

The first one lunged, and Kyle brought his first mace upwards in a wide arc. He clipped it beneath the chin and sent it flying upwards with a loud crack.

The second one, however, caught him off-guard. Fatigued as he was, he could not react in time as the cat pounced on top of him, sending his maces flying. Kyle hit his head upon the stone floor, and stars danced across his vision as the cat landed on top of him. He instinctively lashed out with his fist, hitting the prowler in the mouth. His knuckles scraped across the razor-sharp fangs, drawing blood as the cat screeched in anger. Kyle scrambled at his belt and drew his dagger. He thrust upward into the cat’s stomach and yanked the blade forward, tearing the prowler’s chest open and spilling blood everywhere.

Kyle slowly pushed the now-dead cat off of him as another snarl filled the air. He spun around just in time to see another cat lunge from the entrance. This one, however, was colored like sand at the beach with two large horns jutting from its head. The newcomer landed upon one of the prowlers and forced it to the ground, ending its life with a quick bite to the neck.

The sand-colored cat was then knocked aside by the final Summit Prowler. It landed hard on the ground as the Prowler landed on top of it, prepared to kill the newcomer.

Kyle’s vision was still swimming, but he was not about to let this opportunity go to waste. He leaped forward and landed upon the Prowler, bringing his dagger downwards. The blade pierced deep into the cat’s back, drawing a roar of pain. Kyle withdrew the dagger and whipped it around to the prowler’s neck before ripping it across its throat. Blood spewed from the wound as the prowler gurgled and collapsed on top of the sand-colored cat.

Kyle staggered off of the cats and collapsed next to Scootaloo, feeling dizzy. While he had not hit his head too hard, the fatigue from the snowstorm and then the battle worsened its effects immensely. He watched wearily as the sand-colored cat dragged itself out from under the Prowler. It slowly approached Kyle and Scootaloo, who had tried and failed to rise to her hooves during the fight.

As the cat approached, its body began to twist and re-shape itself. Paws were replaced with hands and hooves, fangs with teeth. It stood upon two legs, its fur turned a rich, dark brown, and its snout grew more pronounced. Kyle felt another pang of dread fly through him as the cat finished its transformation.

There, on the other side of the fire, was a Tauren.

Kyle tried to push himself back to his feet, but the world tilted around him, sending him stumbling back to the floor. He watched as the Tauren raised its hand and pointed at Kyle.

But instead of the pain Kyle had been expecting, A swirl of green energy surrounded him. He felt his vision become clearer, though his fatigue remained as strong as ever. The Tauren lowered its hand and sat on the other side of the fire as Kyle felt his eyes drooping not from dizziness, but from exhaustion.

“Peace, Human,” the Tauren said over the crackle of the flames. “I will take first watch tonight. Tomorrow, we talk.”

Under normal circumstances, Kyle would have never agreed to trust a Tauren to watch over him. But this Tauren had, for some reason, just saved his live, and Kyle had saved his in return. In his fatigued state, Kyle had no energy left to argue. Instead, he simply let his body collapse to the ground, asleep before he landed.

Comments

[werty12345]

“Sweet Celestia, he didn’t flush!”

[Grahf]

Yep all members of the horde are evil backstabbers like the ones that are part of the Cenarian Circle, or the Earthen Ring, or Argent Dawn/Crusade

[The Twisted Shadow]

5089129 Yeah I totally forgot that we Pandaren are so evil. Allow me to get my top hat while I curl my mustache.

[Greatmane]

Tauren Druids are probably the ones who you could trust the most from the Horde. All of them are members of the Cenarian Circle, and thus, work with members of the Alliance on a regular basis.

[AdmiralPopeyesBeard]

Ohh, what a !! Can't wait for the next chapter!

[iFiredone]

tauren are not a aggressive race. Out of the horde they are the most peace seeking race.

[Silentwoodfire]

5089473

The Pandaren seek balance amongst other things. Putting their race in both camps helps keep this balance