Kissaka stared into the flame as it danced on the wick, lost in thought. The noises of the inn were lost to her, they had been for some time. The clans were in chaos. Garrosh was energetic, he was passionate, but in Nagrand he had let his people suffer and die while he wallowed in self pity and imagined shame. Hi victories in Northrend, to Kissaka, paled in signifigance next to how easily he had been weak and a poor leader when he had believed his family was not glorious. How could a leader so lost in pride be a good one? Kissaka squeezed her eyes shut on the thought, it hurt her, she was devoted to her warchief, to the brave and wise warchief, the one that was NOT in Orgrimmar, the one out fighting for Azeroth instead of plotting for his personal glory.
Unlike many of her people, Kissaka did not "buy" that Garrosh was motivated to elevate his people, were that true than he would have risen to their aid in Nagrand, he would have fought when shame tainted his glory, risen above it, proved a great heart and shone as a great leader, instead, he had been weak, drowning in self pity and letting his people suffer. He had no heart where it mattered in Kissakas eyes, his heart did not burn without easy fuel, and she had no respect for it. She was far from alone. Vol Jin fumed to the south, waiting for the certain day when Garrosh would show his true self, the coward, the weak will, when it came to the surface again, Vol Jin had an arrow ready to pierce that weak heart. The Tauren quietly fumed, enraged by the murder of Cairne. While the Grimtotem had poisoned the blade, Garrosh had swung it, and for no good reason, a great leader did not fight with their greatest allies.
The Blood Elves stood back, their emissaries kept distance now, rushing work on their own walls and rebuilding their own defenses, sending as few soldiers to Garrosh' call as they could get away with. Kissaka knew many of them, none even remotely cared for Garrosh, and most detested his methods of rule. Then there was the Forsaken, Sylvanas was straining at the very edge of control, she had her own agenda, and it rarely matched up with what the Horde wanted. Her methods were often reprehensable, her cruelty was too much even for the hardest warriors among the Orcs to overlook. Kissaka did not doubt the Banshee Queen would again shame the Horde, there was no doubt the Forsaken cared nothing for what their Horde allies sought. When the Lich King had been defeated, and Kissaka had been there, his blood had stained the leather of her boots, Sylvanas had been angry that her blade has not joined those of the champions who had felled Arthas, angry, not relieved, not grateful he was gone, angry. Kissaka wouldn't soon forget the Banshee queen standing before her, how she had extended a hand and wiped blood from Kissakas armor with a finger, then tasted it and glared. "My thirst for vengence is not sated." she had whispered, glowing eyes boring into Kissakas. "Your thirst matters less than the worlds need for his destruction Sylvanas." Cairne had said, the great Tauren standing nearby, Storm and Dooku flanking him, they too bearing the discolored undead blood of the Lich King on their armor.
Sylvanas rounded on the Chieftain "Silence beast, you know nothing of the debt of suffering Arthas owed me!" She snapped. Cairne had immediately straightened himself to his full, very impressive hieght, Dooku and Storms hands went to their weapons "You shame yourself with your hostility toward allies Sylvanas." A cool voice had spoken, and all eyes turned to Thrall, who strode up to Kissaka and rested a hand on her shoulder, at that moment Kissaka had realized her own hand had closed on the hilt of her Mace, under Thralls touch she released it instantly, but her eyes never fell from the Banshee Queens face. Sylvanas lowered her gaze, but the blaze did not leave her, the air still held her fury "I appologize Cairne, this day has been a trial for all, and I am of course deeply happy for the Horde and all of Azeroth."
The Banshee queen had been long in leaving Ice Crown, she had argued with Fordring about wanting the body of the Lich King "I wish to be the one to dispose of him." she had insisted. What had come of that argument Kissaka did not know, for she had dutifully followed Thrall from Ice Crown, returning to Orgrimmar a hero. Had she had parents there would have been many offers for her to her father. Suddenly her orphan status, and complete lack of a traceable bloodline because she had been found in a burned out village by a Tauren Matron as an infant, none of that mattered, she was Kissaka, The Kingslayer. Many fine young Orcs of great lineage would happily take her as a mate.
To her surprise, Thrall himself had intercepted the offers, and quickly submissions were sent to him instead of to Kissaka. He had called her before him one evening and waved a hand over the piles of scrolls bearing the seals of every prominent clan in Durotar and beyond. "You can marry well Kissaka." He had smiled "If ever you wished to join a clan and have a family, now the richest choices are before you. I am proud to act as your guardian in this matter if you wish." She looked up at him "I am honored my Warchief, but I seek no marriage, I am a Shaman, I serve you and the elements and wish nothing more." He had nodded "I will handle these submissions then, and any more that come, and accept your service gladly, but I will keep these, the best of them, should you change your mind." He had turned from her, looking into the fire that burned cheerfully in a brazier near his throne, when he spoke it was quietly "Our people are spread far Kissaka, the greatest among us often taking no time to see our lines live beyond us. I would urge you not to close your mind to taking a mate, a Heart that burns as yours does, should not fade and be lost to the ages." The softness of the words surprised her, and she nodded "I will not close my mind to it my Warchief, only for now I feel my path still heads to serve as a fighter for my people."
Thrall had looked at her then, his light eyes searching so hard she had struggled to hold his gaze and not look away. "Let us hope the fighting is past us and your path will wind down more restful directions." He had said. The following day, the first of the elemental invasions into Orgrimmar had occured, and the Twilight Cultists had begun their infiltration into every part of Durotar and beyond.
Kissaka sat in the Inn, in the "new" Orgrimmar. Thrall was off battling for Azeroth, Garrosh sat smug in his throne room, and she was at a loss for what to do. Chaos ruled so well that even great veterans like herself spent much time uncertain of where they should be and what they should be doing. "You look entirely too serious right now." A light voice quiped. Kissaka blinked and looked up as Vereno fell into a seat across the table from her while waving at the barkeep for a drink. "I was thinking about our Warchief." Kissaka smiled in spite of herself. Vereno tossed her shield and sword beside Kissakas, the weapons and shields glowed menacingly and Vereno made shadow puppets off the light cast on the wall beside them. "The real one or the mentally challenged ass in the throne room?" She asked. "Ahh, mentally challenged asses? We must be discussing Garrosh" a higher pitched voice full of laughter said quietly, both turned as a well armored Goblin strode up and tossed her own glowing weapon and shield over with the others "Your dog looks off, more ear less teeth." She added, sliding to a spot where she could make shadow puppets alongside Vereno.
"It is difficult to maintain a serious train of thought around you two at times." Kissaka grinned, grateful of how her mood had lightened with the arrival of her friends. "Well, it depends on where the train is headed." Now Dooku arrived, and took over an entire side of the table, his staff added to the pile adding a bright glow that had both Vereno and Nytemoon grinning and jockeying for the best spot. "Warchief, clans in disarray, dissention among the leadership..." Kissaka waved a hand. "The usual Kissaka gloom." Vereno smiled, barely wincing when Kissaka kicked her under the table. "I need to have the padding in my boots replaced, I shouldn't have felt that." She observed "Mine are elementium tipped." Kissaka responded. They all laughed as the barkeep delivered a round of drinks.
"My people are not fond of Garrosh, though I think the trolls will move fastest when Thrall returns to, er..."escort" Garrosh from power." They all nodded at Dooku's statement. "I've had dozens upon dozens of marriage proposals since we returned from Northrend, open armed invitations to take a place within a prominent clan. I am not tempted though, I am instead thinking perhaps a new clan should rise in Durotar, a clan of loyalists to Thrall and the honorable leadership of the Horde." Her voice lowered at the last, in Orgrimmar, Garrosh kept ears about, always fearing the twilight infiltrators, and those not loyal to him, who spoke of their discontent too loudly, tended to dissapear these days. "So you would create a clan instead of join one?" Dooku eyed her curiously. Kissaka nodded "Perhaps it is time, and I would not limit the blood right to orcs, for not only orcs have bled for the horde, we do not hold the only honor, and do not stand alone anymore."
Vereno waved her hands "Wait wait wait...." She leaned in, eyes narrowed, all mirth gone from her expression, she met Kissakas blue grey eyes with her own glowing green gaze and held it for a few moments, suddenly the corner of her mouth turned upward "someone actually wants to MARRY you?!" Kissaka moved fast, reaching down she caught the elf by the ankle and yanked her down off her chair, her rear hitting the wooden floor hard, Vereno kicked her hand away, grabbing at her boots trying to drag her from her chair while Dooku and Nytemoon laughed. "You two quit, you knock the furniture around I'll knock you out of here!" the barkeep yelled. Vereno was up in her seat looking angelic within an instant, though she landed a good kick into Kissakas knee.
Dooku guffawed once more, leaning forward to slam a massive fist on the table, they all scrambled to keep their drinks upright as he leaned in and said queietly "Tauren would join such a clan." a moment later Nytemoon said "Goblins could find an angle in such a clan." Vereno eyed them all in turn and smiled "Blood Elves would find their way to it as well,....if only guided by the smell." The hand that grabbed her this time wasn't Kissakas, and they all were laughing heartily again a moment later while the barkeep scowled at them.
Posts
