A hand reached out from the shadows and pulled Lena from the road, nearly toppling her and her mount as she cried out in surprise. Strong arms lifted her from her saddle and pressed her against the outer wall of the city of Shattrath, and the large body pressed up against her. Struggling and panting, Lena finally pulled the hood back from her eyes as she bashed at the attacker’s broad chest with one fist and reached for her dagger with the other, yanking it from it’s sheath at her waist and trying to lean her shoulder into him to push him away. She yelped as his hand closed around her wrist and the dagger clattered to the road. Finally, she looked up.
“KRASTOS!” she hissed, wrenching her wrist free and slapping him across the face, spitting at him. To his credit, if he was shocked, he didn’t show much of it, just watched her stalk in the direction of a nervously prancing Pryt after picking up her dagger. Her heart was racing and her face flushed. She felt him move behind her as she calmed her mount. ”You are trying to give me a heart attack!”
He reached out and slid a finger along her spine and felt her shiver and hesitate, “I am sorry, little Lena. You looked like you were about to fall off your talbuk… Perhaps it wasn’t the best way to wake you up, eh?” He wrapped a large arm around her waist and pulled her back against him, nuzzling at her hair. She huffed and squirmed, reaching out to the bags on Pryt’s saddle, “No. It wasn’t,” she spat and finally wriggled her way free. ”We don’t have enough things jumping out at us these days? You have to do this to me?” She gestured to the still reeling talbuk, “And look, now I’ll never get him to calm down.”
Krastos’s face fell, but only slightly. He was good at hiding his disappointment. He took a step back into the shadows and watched as she shushed and talked quietly to the talbuk, leaning her face close to his muzzle. Pryt shook his head anxiously and stamped his feet and Kras frowned as he watched. She was so lovely, he thought, and she cared for the beast, as if she were caring for him. He had to have her, soon. Her order had been dispatched to Kalimdor while she left him in that rat hole the humans call their great city of Stormwind to finish recovering. He missed her.
Once the animal had been calmed, Lena picked up his reins, leading him slowly into the city as she pulled her hood back up over her hair. Kras picked himself up from the wall on which he was leaning and watched her. ”So that’s a no, then?” He called to her back. She paused momentarily, mid-step. She seemed to debate with herself before turning on one hoof and peering at him from under her hood, measuring her words carefully, “What do you think?”
He shrugged, his massive shoulders rolling under the mail armor he always wore. ”I think you are tired, and upset, and could use some company.” She arched an eyebrow and he could see her debating. ”Not right now,” she mumbled, and with that she mounted Pryt and headed into the city. He sighed and followed at a slower pace on foot, then made his way to the small home they had made in Shattrath to wait for her. She would come back. She would always come back.
Lena glowered under her hood, finally realizing that her heart was no longer in her throat and her breathing had returned to normal. She stopped outside of the Sha’nash barracks on Aldor Rise to see that the new recruits were settling in for the evening. As she sat watching over the small compound, Arloth approached on his own talbuk. They sat in silence for a long moment as Lena fiddled with the reins in her hand. Arloth had had business to attend to during the last campaign in Feralas, and she knew the Sha’nash forces suffered for it.
“They need a leader,” she said quietly, her eyes on the barracks.
“Soon, I will be back to normal. We will return to a regular regiment of training and drilling.” His voice rumbled deeply as his plate armor clinked against itself.
“We tried, Field Marshal. None of us can lead on the battlefield the way you have proven yourself.” Lena lowered her eyes and fell silent. As much as they butted heads, Lena could not deny Arloth’s prowess in the fight.
“Do not worry, Caretaker,” he said with a wry smile, “The Shadows will not fall.”
With that, he urged his talbuk forward to continue patrolling the barracks, leaving her there.
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