A Shadow's past

A sunny day, clear skies as the smell of spring settles in, some vilagers hoist up some caught fish within a net.

"Sir, sir!"

A small boy dashes past the wodden planks, as if in a race to win. Almost crashing into the fisherman.

"Wha'? Boy be careful! Wad'dya want?

"My... Ah.. Grampa.. He.. Uh, let me catch my breath sir.."

"I don't got all day!

The boy stands up tall and pround, clearing his throat as if a messanger of the king. Making a voice for it as well, almost mocking.
"Ekhem!  ... My grandfather requested a fresh fish, so that we may dine on one tomorrow, it would be of great kindness if you would take a moment of your time to--"

"Fine, fine, sheesh ya kids these days, all wanting to be fancy! Just show the coin, i ain't got time for ya wippersnapers, here now get!"

The boy swiftly exchanges the coins for the item of value, just any run of the mill fish really, slimy and dead as can be, rushing off after faster than one can swim behind the corner, leaving no other trace behind other than a wide smile. Seemed like a peaceful day.

"Oi!!! Ma' pouch! Wha, who, where... Guards! Someone stole ma coins!"

Quiet giggling came from a few houses down, skipping along the docks two children, wide smiles as can be, a boy and a girl.

"You sure took your time, i had to stall."

"Well not my fault he was all dirty and smelly!"

"Pft girls, always so strange..."

He said so carefree, but didn't expect a smack on the head.

"Ouch! I said nothing! Don't be like that sis.."

"Haha, come on Grampa is waiting..."

It felt as time stoped and a shiver came up them both, sad eyes suddenly as if rain was about to pour. The sky was dark, clouds slowly eating up the sky.

"... I know, come on, let's go."

"... Brother? ... Grampa is just sick, right? He'll be up and well in no time, right?"

A serious face turned into a reassuring one for a moment, but with doubt in the young eyes. They made their way past the nearby meadow, but their thoughts were elsewhere.

...He coughed several times. With each one he felt a strain around his wrists, yet all he could see was darkness, all he could hear were small droplets of water, driping one after another, but this wasn't rain filling up the lake. A stench came to his nostrils of rotten fish, though the familiar smell faded, being replaced by another. As his chest rose heavily up and down his breaths were raspy and uneaven, blinking, his sight began to sharpen out a  image of jail cell.

"Where the heck am I?"

Suddenly he heard a not so distant noise, but from where? Was someone there? He looked around, focusing his ears and eyes.

"Hah! In a dark place my friend."

"Frie- Who, where ..--"

"In jail."

This time the voice was more serious. A pair of eyes could be spoted from directly on the oposite side of the room, giving out a dull look back to him.

"So... You're the one who caused all that comotion, didn't you young lad?"

Slowly the man's shape became more than just a outline, ragged clothes a thick beard and crooked teeth. But this hardly diverted from the obvious, he was tall and muscular and had a few scars over his shoulder which the ragged cloth of his red shirt barely hid.

"Hm? Oh, right me.. Yeah supose so, bu..--"

"I heard ya commited murder."

".. Actual--"

"And ya ran and fast! Even stole a horse"

".. well.."

"They brag they gave ya a run for your money, stolen money tha' is!"

"..Can you please just shu..-"

"But ya hit your head into a tree branch, as ya almost got away into the forest, oh bad luck kid."
With the ongoing talk his eyebrow twitched with anoyance at the cellmate, only then he noticed a sting of pain from his own forehead. Leaving only a grunt this time in reply as the other man laughed it off in snorts and coughs.

"Don't take it personal, laugh it up while ya can, life here is short and so are the people who leave, so don't lose your head just yet."

Clearly not amused or reasured by the comments the young man started to strugle with the chains, though without luck, leaving him panting and hungry. Hungry then ever before... Even more more then the time...

".. I'm hungy, wish I was back in prision right now, least it had a roof."

Step after step a group of cloaked and hooded men made their way trough the mud, rain poured heavily as it were hail, their faces still and lowered thowards the corrupt land, whatever was left of a once grassy plain was now a plain of slaughter, known after stories of fates worse than death.

"Hold up, I see something."

Muscles tensed, those that remained of the weakened men, raindrop after another filled the void of silence only to be broken by footsteps in the distance. Quickly the one of the men embraced the cold mud, another took cover behind a broken pine tree, three ran quielty to the nearby shed while the rest stood still and kneeled like the first. Scratched blades were drawn into sight worn off by battle.

"You three, come closer."

Was the whisper he felt upon his ear, but he turned and noded, unwillingly and looked onto his now fellow scouts, their looks filled with a familiar feeling, but they nodded slowly and unsure and moved up to join him whilst the whisperer pointed out to a what seemed to have been a abandoned barn.

"They need us to secure this area from those scum, head over to that barn and make sure nothing unwanted is walking around. Report back as once you're done."

Suicide mission might as well call it he thought

Feeling something on his shoulder, he turned swiftly only to meet human eyes, relief rushed over him. It was Tom the horse thief.

"Right, slowly now."

With step after step each colder than the previous the distance shortened even the stench of death seemed more welcome than the sting of the cold upon their toes.

"Uh, i'm stuck on something."

"Shh, be quiet ya just have steped on a bad patch of mud, tug harder."

"I said i'm stuck."

"Fine, you lad, keep your eyes forward and peeled, i'll help him."

Even nodding hurt by now and focus was lost as soon as his stomach growled, barely being able to keep a lookout.

Nothing in sight

"Wha.. Ah AHHHH!"

Horror crept up his spine, his head started to spin and he couldn't bring himself to turn around, but it didn't stop the screaming only grew louder, shock struck him when his eyes finaly checked. Tom lying on the ground, holding onto his knee. Over him loomed a sinister creature, bare bone and eye sockets dark as the neverending night.

"Ambush!"

Blood drops joined the rain, the old iron rusted blade was swung again with unnatural strenght, slicing into flesh like butter. More yelling broke out quickly, but he kept staring at the blood stained mud where a severed human foot lied.

Step by step the mindless creature drew closer letting out a loud echoing screech.

The full moon rode high above the forest, shedding its cold light over the bodies of a few worgen and forsaken alike.
Distant howls quickly died down, drowned by the roar of thunder. The full moon slowly became hidden by  dark clouds driven forward by increasingly violent winds chilling the few lone rangers to the very bone.

"Something happened here, send a message to the other scouts and be quick about it now."

Nodding thowards the young man besides him he gazed upon the carnage left behind of the battle. A dark flicker of the last moonlight showed a old scared face of a hardened man. As the light faded he looked to the other three men, not seemingly keen on being so close to the new war zone.

"Grab your things and shit men, we need to scout the area around the wall. We may be out of the plagued lands, but we might as well walk into a frying pan for forsaken troops or those things."

A shimmer of uncertanty befell the men, but one by one they got up as lightnight struck in the distance. And it stiked again, even louder the died out roars and the clash of battle rose again, screams of pain and the stench of death became mind numbing and survival seemed imposible.

Suddenly the clash of battle died down, replaced by the voice of many people. The sky was clear and the moon shined brightly. He grabed his forehead and winced at the tought of the memories.  A quick glance arond he noticed ships leaving and comming into the docks. Young and old buying from the merchant stalls behind him.  Dockworkers left and right moving food, bags, crates and alike onto the boats.

Only my mind playing tricks on me

"All aboard! Get your things and shit people. Boat to Kalimdor sails  in five minutes! Five minutes!"

Shaking his head he focused, wiping his claws in his cloak and moving thowards the boat. Slow footsteps of the cloaked figure perked an eyebrow for some of the dockworkers who have never seen these things.

"Hold up there big fella, yar kind are new 'ere but ya still 'ave to pas da toll. A silver coin for the ride."

And so a coin was given, the figure boarded the ship and it set sail into the vast open sea.

"Hrm, feels like somethin' spat on this here money Eddy, but i can't see a darn thing tonight."

"For lights sake Budd that isn't spit, your palm must be bleeding! Did you cut yourself again you old coot?"

A shake of the head raised more questions then answers , but the two were yelled on for being slow, but Eddy had a story for tonights poker game so he didn't mind.

Drink

Rain fell steadily on the lonely stone half hidden by the darkest shadows. Two pairs of soft steps made their way to it, tears becoming one with the drops falling from the cold heavens.  One of the smaller of the two steped forward and layed a peacebloom on the muddy earth of the grave, the other a simple wooden sword.

"I'm Sorry, I'm so sorry grampa.... We couldn't do anything." Said the young boy, wiping his eyes.

"We'll miss you, but don't worry about us we'll survive and i'll make sure brother brushes his teeth." The girl turned around, setting her sight on the old house a final time then reached for her traveling bag.

"We'll come back to visit, someday." Grimancing the boy turned as well grabing his own backpack, stoping after a few paces to look back, but he saw nothing, only darkness.

A pang of regret seeped into the boys heart, now suddenly standing tall, mature with inner and outer scars. His eyes were fixed on the same spot, reflecting in them his own fatigue, sadness and hunger just as much as his strugle to survive.

"I'm Sorry, I'm so sorry ..." His own voice echoed. Facing back foward, his steps now moved heavily onward away from a dark figure lying on the ground, it's skin grey and rotten, showing bone and flesh in places. A pair of skeletal hands, broken and cut off lying not far from the corpse itself yet still firmly holding  a bloodsoaked blade.

"Do you blame the world or yourself?" Stated a new figure, replacing  the pile of rotten flesh and bone seemingly old and frail, white bearded and broad with his shoulders.

"Why does it matter? You're not real old man. I think i'm dreaming becouse of what they gave me." Replied the now young man, turning once more and siting down on a chair, it became clear. Chatter of birds outside while the sun shined trough a window next to the pile of firewood ready to be put into the fireplace if needed. Four walls now encasing the two with only a door showing the way outside.

Home he thought

"It matters, you're furious aren't you? You've always been like this. You should move on, find a better meaning in life then being a scavanger."

"I don't need your pity. I have moved on, haven't you haunted me enough?!" He scoffed.

"Have you? Siegmund, calm your fury and drink, after all you saved me when darkness consumed me." Taking the strange cup Siegmund looked at his grandfather, taking a small sip from it, showing still a sign of being unconvinced.

"I may have lost my mind and body, but you haven't. There are still some who may need you, like your sister. Live on, learn from the past don't run. But for now drink, find balance within and don't worry i'll always watch over you two, remember well."

At the taste of more moonwater the world around him faded into darkness. Moonlight shone on his eyes as he opened them, the scent of nature weaker then before and his feral features gone.