//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Hunting // Story: Fall Of The Lich King // by Pinkies Imagination //------------------------------// Chapter 2: Hunting Darkness laced silence surrounded me as I lay motionless, unable to move. A part of me welcomed the thought of dying, however for my first experience at least... I found that I cannot truly die. It began with my escape, when I was being hunted by some other Knights and these disgusting creatures called Geists. Un-dead humanoids that run on all fours like a wild animal, bodies looking stitched together with one large yellow eye. It didn't take long for them to track me down and make quick work of me. But it seems... something didn't want me dead. Not long after I'd fallen... I awoke in a spirit world which mirrored the physical one perfectly. I couldn't interact with anyone or anything, except my own corpse. So I came back... albeit in a tolling and painful process. At first I thought it a gift or sign that some strange force was looking out for me... protecting me. But after a while I saw what it really was. A curse. A curse for an outcast, for someone who will never belong anywhere. I could die over and over again but always come back, always outlive anyone and anything. The pain of being immortal... truly one of the worst fates imaginable. Of course, this was only if I could do it again. For all I knew, if I died again I was as good as worm food... and I wasn't about to test out the theory if I could help it. The only thing that kept me sane was the drive to find out the answer to one question in particular. Why am I still alive? As that thought rang out once more, my senses began flooding back with haste starting with touch. So I wasn't dead... I could feel some sharp prickly things digging into my back, and a warm sensation enveloping my arm. I tried to focus more on it when the memory of what had just transpired suddenly raced to the front of my mind. 'THE PORTAL!' My eyes shot open and I sat up quickly, my vision swirling as I held my head with my hand. 'Where am I...' The dark and decrepit look of bare tree limbs greeted me as I focused my vision. I could hear nothing as I looked around the nearly pitch-black forest, until a hint of red caught my attention. The 'warm sensation' on my arm was actually drying blood covering most of it and the shoulder piece. Laying beside me was the mutilated and bloodied corpse of what I presumed was the guard who attacked me. Shaking my head I whispered in a low voice. "He passed through the divide only undead may cross..." I finished as I remembered the Death Portal enveloping us both. Shakily rising to my feet, I tried smearing the dried blood off my shoulder plate before giving up and looking around some more. I quickly took off my helmet letting my short black hair out and stuffed it in my bag which was, luckily, still intact and unharmed. I wasn't sure where I ended up but this pouch had everything I owned in it. Reaching into the pouch again, I started pulling out the bread I'd bought and greedily devoured it. I wasn't sure how long I was out but my stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself. Usually you can spot a Death Knight a mile away because of the blue glowing eyes. But I had those taken care of a long time ago by drinking a special potion I mixed up, using the potion some Blood elves concocted to remove their own eye glow as a base. It took a a few months to master but I had finally done it, I had my normal brown eyes back... alas only in human form. However that's not the only way to spot a Death Knight. We carried an unsettling feeling around us and often made the air grow colder, especially when angry. 'Not to mention the pale skin was a dead giveaway...' I thought to myself, chuckling at my grim joke. At least a sense of humor had survived my rebirth. Shaking my head clear of the random thought I quickly did my routine and changed back into my beast form. In an instant, the dark night brightened as the rest of my senses kicked into high gear. Securing my pouch to my waist, I sheathed my last remaining axe before getting on all fours and taking off. After a while of running in a random direction, seemingly stuck in an infinite loop of trees, I could feel my body straining to keep going. I feared having to stay in these woods any longer than I had to but couldn't figure out why. They had an uneasy feel to them that made you feel like you were being watched. I shook my head and pushed onward before I suddenly broke out of the tree-line, skidding to a stop in the middle of a empty field. I gave a surprised yelp and quickly jumped back into the trees. Startled at the sudden end of forest but relieved to have found it I reached into my bag, before pulling out some parchment and scribbling down a makeshift map. Nodding contently I put the map away as I felt my stomach growl again as I reached into my pouch for some bread, before noticing I'd eaten it all during the run. Cursing under my breath I peeked out of the tree-line and gave a quick look around, immediately noticing a small village. Looked more Alliance than it did Horde but I didn't want to take any chances right now. To the right of where I was, about a quarter a mile away I saw what looked like a path. Quickly and quietly I expertly navigated the forest in that direction before I broke out of the trees and into the trail I'd seen. Marking it down on the map, I examined it a bit further until my stomach groaned in displeasure again. Clenching one of my fists, I sighed and put the map away. 'Quick hunt wouldn't hurt' I decided, standing high on my hind legs and sniffing the air... looking for any scents I could find. After a few failed tries due to being out of practice I finally caught one as I quickly began to follow it back into the woods. When you travel through Azeroth you see many amazing, and very bizarre looking creatures. If I had to say which category this creature landed under, I'd say it was the latter. Some kind of wolf with tree bark for skin... just a bit beyond the foliage ahead of me. Before I could examine it any farther I felt a sudden presence behind me. I barely had enough time to spin around before I locked eyes with another wolf, just feet away from me. On reflex, I tensed... waiting for it's pounce. However... it never came, and the wolf actually relaxed before giving a small nod. I didn't know how to feel... this strange creature just nodded to me? After not reacting, it let out a little huff, before motioning with it's nose to the wolf ahead of me. Hesitantly, I turned my vision ahead to see the other wolf was now looking at me too. Curiosity winning out, I slowly crawled out of my hiding spot and stopped in front of him, still on all fours. 'What the hell is going on? Shouldn't they have attacked already? Their behavior is much different than normal Azeroth animals' I thought as the wolf seemed to examine me. Suddenly, it let out a huff and made a quick nod motion upwards before watching me expectantly. Confused I turned my head a bit out of instinct before it did it again. Sparing a look around I quickly noticed everything had fallen silent. Not a single animal in the forest was making a noise... I was surrounded. My attention snapped to the wolf again as It repeated the gesture a third time, before I got a crazy Idea. "Do you wish for me to stand?" I asked as it, to my surprise, nodded. Bewildered, I slowly stood to my full height as it looked me up and down. 'Wolves always acted strangely around me and sometimes passively, probably because of my Worgen side. But this... and their intelligence...' I thought as the wolf continued to look at me. 'It's so surreal...' Waiting for the wolf to finish examining me, my stomach let out a sudden growl as I covered it with one of my claws. The wolf watched as I swear I saw it smile a bit, motioning it's head in a way I understood immediately. Follow. My curiosity now piqued, I followed it quietly through the forest... both of us hunched down as low to the ground as possible. After a few minutes of stalking the wolf stops behind a fallen tree trunk and waits for me. Slowly, and hesitantly, I come up beside it and peek over the log. What I saw made me freeze in surprise. Laying down, looking as if it was asleep, was what appeared to be a giant creature made up of different animals. It had wings of a bat but a tail of a scorpion, but most prominent of all is the body and head of a lion. 'Similar to the Horde's Wyverns, but much more bulky... and with that tail, not an easy foe...' I pondered before turning my gaze back to the wolf, to find it's disappeared. Looking forward I could see many more wolves surrounding the beast but laying back in the tree line. However, every single one of their eyes were gleaming as they were locked with me. It was clear what this was now... 'A test...' I thought as I let out a small growl. Slowly crawling out of the foliage I made my way towards the beast, quietly sliding my weapon from it's leather holster on my waist. However... as I did I heard a low, barely audible growl from behind me. 'No weapon, great...' My grip tightened around my last remaining axe for a moment, before letting it slide from my hand and onto the ground. *SNAP* A twig snapped under my foot as my breath hitched. The large beast began to get up as I quickly looked around for a place to hide. My eyes locked with the large tree next to it as I crouched low, and leapt through the air gripping onto it's trunk... before freezing in place. The beast got up and sleepily looked around for what had caused the noise as I slowly crawled down the trunk like a spider, my claws silently digging into the wood and holding me in place. I made a very small, almost unnoticed growling noise, causing the beast to groggily look up. As it did I propelled myself off the tree and slashed at it's face with my claws as I went. The creature roared in agony and rage as it tried to shake off the pain. I quickly turned around after landing and started to sprint to the beast again, adrenaline and instincts beginning to cloud my senses. The beast locked it's gaze with me, one of it's eyes swollen shut with two large gashes... wetting it's face in blood. It roared again and attempted to spear me with it's tail as I jumped to the left, dodging the strike before leaping towards it for another attack. As I jumped through the air, I failed to notice it's paw coming in for a back swing... knocking the wind out of me and smashing me into a nearby tree. I shook myself off and got back up, howling into the air as I lost all control of myself to my anger. The fight was a blur as I was in this state. Dodge this, take this hit. Bite thing until my teeth touch. Imagine waking up and only remembering small fractured parts of your dream. But one thing I do remember is how it ended, and it ends the same it had every single time I took a life. Looking into the beasts eyes as I tore out it's throat with my claws, watching it's soul drain away. I couldn't look away, I never could. It always kind of felt like a Death Knights curse, forced to watch the life you've taken expire. The beast finally went limp as I regained control of my body and slumped onto the ground, panting as I also tried to get control of my own breath and calm myself. I heard the noise of snapping branches and rustling foliage, as I quickly got up and opened my arms, readying myself for another fight. Then I spotted the other wolves, observing me with a look of... what I could only interpret as respect. At least I hoped anyway. The larger wolf I had followed stepped forward and scanned me intently. I got back down on all fours and stepped aside as the larger wolf walked to the corpse. Sparing a glance back at all the other wolves, I shivered as they all watched me with irritating looks. I hated being stared at, whether it be animals or humanoids. It made me uneasy and restless. A few moments later the larger wolf came back and dropped a huge piece of bleeding meat in front of me, nudging it forward. Reaching out, I dug my claws into it and quickly pulled away. Before I could leave the wolf made a small noise, causing me to look back. It then sat down and raised it's head up as it began a strange howl unlike what I have heard before. The other wolves did this as well as it continuously shifted in tune. They continued to do this over and over before I realized what they were doing. I turned, took in a huge breath, and howled. I matched the tune they used perfectly, causing them to finish and watch me for a moment before they all ran to the corpse and began to eat. 'Must be some kind of hunt celebration...' I thought to myself as I watched the larger wolf go to eat as well. 'Why do I always find the strangest things when I'm out adventuring...' I think to myself as I turn and run off. As I lay down at my makeshift camp back in human form near the path and the tree-line, tired and weak, I tend the small fire I had made. I looked back at the recently cleaned bones as I thought back to the strange encounter. How the animals seemed so intelligent. "Must be the magic of this forest." I said in a low tone as I lay down and closed my eyes. "So strange..."