"The Future" Part I/II/III (What-if)

Well, I’ve been finding it difficult to write anything of late, which is rather annoying considering I have so many pieces that I actually need to finish. So, what I decided to try, was to undertake a “what if” piece involving the children of my characters, and those that I RP closely with. So, I’m not sure how long this will go on for, and whether or not it’ll all be in this one thread, but I’ll be sure to label them as what-if stories. So, of course, you can take everything with a pinch of salt, especially if I have to delve into any lore plots.

I apologise if the quality is poor, as well, since as I said, I’m pretty damn rusty >>

---

“The future”

Sixteen years had passed since the feud between the Caans and the Hawthorns had exploded into the lives of all those involved. There had been many battles, and while they had managed to continue living, the lives of those involved had been changed forever. Many of them had come out with different views on life, love and family, and that in turn had affected their children.

‘Y’know… jes because th’story says that your dad put th’Hawthorns down for good, doesn’t make it true”

The laughter of a girl filled the air at those words. After a moment of continuing that trend, she drifted off into a quiet giggle as she sat down against the trunk of an old looking tree.

‘Si’ down ye tit’ said the girl as she patted the dusty forest floor beside her. A boy a couple of years her junior sat down beside her and grumbled as he got himself comfortable. The girl looked at him and let out another quiet laugh, seemingly unable to contain whatever amusement the boy could bring out of her.

‘Don’ sit there and laugh at me, Belle. I’m jes sayin’, our folks might have just made it up. Your dad is everyone’s favourite anyway” said the boy as he looked at Belle with narrowed eyes.

‘Yeh, ‘cause this is definitely ‘bout me’ dad, ain’ it? Ye think nobody else notices tha’ yer always tryin’ t’keep up wit’ Lucas? Me’ dad did wha’ ‘e ‘ad ta’, an’ we’re alive ‘cause o’ it. Don’ go talkin’ like this aroun’ me’ brother, ye know ‘e won’ be ‘appy wit’ ye’ said Belle as she leant toward the boy.

‘Y’get me Revan? There’s na’ point tryin’ t’make yerself seem big, jes be yerself’

Revan crossed his arms and slowly rested his head back against the bark of the tree trunk. ‘Yeah, I know. Still… everythin’ I ‘ear abou’ th’past is yer dad, an’… all anyone seems t’notice now is yer brother. It’s annoying’ he said bluntly.

Belle leant back and rolled her eyes as she reached down to dig her fingers into the dirt beneath them. She pulled up a handful and dropped it over Revan, who quickly started swearing and flailing.

‘Stop bein’ such a baby’ she said bluntly as she lazily wiped the remnants of her attack from her hand.

Revan immediately stood up and looked down at the dirt covered Belle before shaking his head. ‘Out of everyone I spend time wit’, yer the only one that seems to give a damn and I don’t get why’ he said as he clenched his left hand into a fist.

‘Prob’ly ‘cause yer actin’ like this all th’time’ Belle replied sharply, as she frowned up at Revan.

--

The sun filled the small town of Lakeshire in a far more beautiful fashion than the forests of Elwynn. With each twitch of the clouds, the shadow and reflections glistening across the lake would change dramatically, as though the sky was in the midst of a great battle.

Lucas Caan stood staring down into the water of the lake, from the edge of an old looking fishing dock. His jet black hair fell a little below his jaw line as he turned his head from right to left, following a few of the smaller fish with a smirk. He had spent the morning training in the mountains surrounding the town, and had since discarded the top half of his leathers. He slid from his feet and rested himself down gently against the warm wood of the dock, and unbuttoned the first couple of buttons of his undershirt.

His right ear twitched slightly at the sound of heavy footsteps making their way along the dock toward him. Not that the footsteps alone would give it away, he thought, the creaking was painful. He looked up and shielded his eyes from the sun as he narrowed his eyes to stare at the figure stood beside him, one foot resting down against the chest armour he had discarded earlier.

‘It’s not often I find you lounging, Lucas’ said the man as he looked down at the boy with a smile on his face. It was a face he had known for many years, as well as the gentle sort of strength that accompanied it.

‘Oh… Omanos. I didn’ think ye were in town t’day’ said Lucas as he lowered his hand and lowered his head again to stare at the water. ‘I never stray far from Lakeshire anymore, Lucas, you’re well aware of that’ he said as he slid one hand into the pocket of his trousers.

‘Yeh, yeh. Yer th’teacher an’ th’ealer. I ‘ear abou’ it jes enough t’na get a nosebleed’ said Lucas with a smirk. Omanos leant down a little and flicked Lucas’s right ear swiftly, laughing loudly at the sight of him flinching.

‘What are you doing here, anyway? Your father tells me that you do nothing but practise these days. Not thinking of signing up with the guard are we?’ said Omanos as he pushed the armour to the side with a foot and sat down beside Lucas.

Lucas scoffed and looked at Omanos with sheer confusion. ‘Me in th’military? I ain’ me’ dad, I don’ need t’go n’ do good deeds t’ease guilt. I jes… well, I wanna be stron’. Ain’ nothin’ wrong wit’ that’ he said as he looked across the water to Lakeshire bridge.

Omanos nodded and let out a slight sound of agreement as he followed the boy’s gaze to the bridge. ‘That’s perfectly fine, though I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you ended up being just like your father. Strength for the sake of strength, though, I suppose it comes as naturally to you as it does to him’

Lucas turned back to look at Omanos, his features had withstood the test of time, and thanks to blonde hair that rested on his shoulders, he wasn’t going grey anytime soon.

‘He taught ye ‘ow to fight, right? How… far did he push you?’

Omanos looked at Lucas and raised an eyebrow, before lifting a hand to gently rub his chin. ‘He didn’t push me, he simply told the truth. If I wanted to be strong, I’d have to make myself strong. So… that is exactly what I set my mind to’ he said quietly. He watched, as Lucas looked back down to the water and nodded before speaking.

‘Yeh… tha’s wha’ ‘e’s been doin’ wit’ me now, guess it’s jes takin’ some getting used to. ‘e were always righ’ next t’me up until now’

Omanos lifted a hand and took a grip of Lucas’s shoulder and let out a quiet chuckle. ‘He is always going to be stood right next to you, Lucas, whether you think he is or not. Letting yourself find your own strength is simply to avoid you turning into him’.

With those words, Omanos patted Lucas’s shoulder and stood up, before turning and making his way along the dock once again.

“The Future”

Part II

The idea of family amongst a group such as the Caans was a simple one. The clan would almost force people to create a child, and if that were to happen, you could consider those two people together until one of them passed. The children would grow, learn to fight and eventually join the rest of the clan in their ways. There was no middle ground, very little teaching and no love found between parent and child.

At least this had been the way of the clan throughout it’s time as Duskwood’s darkest corner, but as time had passed and their numbers dwindled, the idea of family took an entirely different meaning.

--

Duskwood was the same as it had always been, and the ruins of the village seemed terrified of change. Not only that, but the wildlife of the woods seemed to fear treading ground there, as though they knew of the twisted spirits resting beneath the soil. Only those that had once called the place home ever entered the ruins and the children of those to survive were taken there a single time. Some would say it was cruel to take your child into a place of obvious evil, but there were certain things a Caan must know about their history, regardless of whether they were part of it.

‘We’re na’ supposed to be ‘ere y’know’ said Revan as he carefully walked behind Belle, a girl a few years his senior. Belle simply laughed at him as she continued to walk, paying no attention to the howling of wolves, nor the sticks and leaves snapping beneath her boots. She was very much like her father, but in an unusual way. She had his desire to reach new heights and she had his passion, however, she had found herself unable to keep up with the physical skill. She often found herself glad that she had received her mother’s looks, however, as she did have some shreds of a common female personality.

‘It’s okay. Th’eck are th’chances of either o’ our Dads findin’ out ‘bout this?’ she said quietly as she stood in front of a large oak tree. It had seen better days, obviously, but what had caught her attention was the scorch marks along the bark of the trunk. She lifted a hand and slid her fingers along one of the marks and smiled.

‘This is where me’ Dad realised ‘e ‘ad th’shadow’ she muttered as she looked over her shoulder at Revan. The boy nodded and blushed slightly as Belle’s attention returned to the tree. He was often found spending time with Belle, both to learn what she knew and for a reason he preferred to keep to himself. He thought she was beautiful, in a weird way, and yet at the same time he couldn’t shake the idea that she was always going to be the sister he didn’t have.

He turned quickly at the sound of heavy footsteps hitting the ground, a sound distinct enough to suggest people jumping out of trees. He clenched his fist as Belle turned and stood behind him, her arms folded across her chest. The two of them watched as five men walked out of the shadows, each seemingly more grotesque than the one before. They each wielded swords and daggers, all of which were in very poor condition. Revan gulped as he stared at the blades. He wasn’t able to tell whether they were simply rusting or if the men had chosen to leave the blood of their victims to stain.

‘What do we have here then?’ said one as he stepped in front of the rest and stared down at those he had startled. ‘Couple of kids on our turf, eh?’ he said with a wide grin. Belle instantly narrowed her eyes as those words and stepped in front of Revan to stare up at the man in defiance.

‘Yer turf? This is th’Caan village in case ye ‘adn’ noticed ye pricks’

The men burst into loud laughter, a couple of them resorting to coughing afterwards. The leader of the group continued to look down at Belle as his face turned from confidence to anger. He scowled heavily as he lifted an arm and swiped a hand across Belle’s face, sending her to the ground. Despite the strength of the blow and the connection with the broken earth beneath them, Belle made no noise. Revan gripped the bark of the tree tightly as he watched the scene unfold and began to shake a little as the man looked up at him.

‘Look here boys, I reckon this one might start pissin’ himself’ he said with another wide grin. He watched as Revan’s fingers inched towards the scorch marks along the bark. Belle slowly lifted her head from the ground as she followed the man’s gaze to Revan, who was beginning to look a little more defiant than terrified.

‘What’s getting into you then, hm? Did I hit your lass?’ said the man in a cocky tone as he waved a hand dismissively towards Belle. Revan closed his eyes and focused himself as his heart began to beat wildly. He had always been a bundle of nerves when faced with this sort of situation. His parents had taught him well, and he was definitely a capable fighter, but when all was said and done he didn’t enjoy the idea of killing.

Right now, however, he had something to prove. He could feel something building inside of him, and he had an idea of what it was. His parents were both able to use the shadow and his mother in particular, was talented with it. She had spent many days and nights teaching him about it, even though he had never shown any signs of possessing the same energy. He opened his eyes and pushed himself from the tree as his right hand became engulfed by a blackened shadow flame. He clenched the hand into a fist and planted it in the man’s face, sending him backwards and onto the ground.

Revan stood with the one hand still a flame as Belle shot to her feet. ‘Th’feck? Since when could ye do tha’?!’ she said as she waved her arms around. Revan didn’t say anything; he remained focused on the task at hand. One of the remaining four men had pulled the screaming first away from the pack and back into the shadows.

He wasn’t going to give them time to plan and he darted away from Belle, who watched with wide eyes as Revan threw himself against the first of the tree, literally ramming himself into the chest of the man, who stumbled backwards. He dropped to the ground and span round with an extended left leg. He smirked as the legs of the man were taken from beneath him, sending him to the ground much like the first.

He rolled to the side as another of the men brought his blade down towards him, very narrowly avoiding losing a limb. He climbed to his feet and clenched his shadow covered fist further, paying little attention to the energy becoming more enraged. The man he had taken to the ground climbed to his feet and ran towards him, swinging his blade wildly. Revan arched his back as he dodged one swing and brought himself round to the right. In one swift blow he rammed the shadow fist into the gut of the man.

The man let out a shrill yell as Revan continued to push his fist against the man’s stomach, before yanking it away and upper cutting him with force. The man hit the ground again, bleeding from his stomach and mouth as he looked up at Revan in disbelief.

He wasn’t the only one not believing what he was seeing. Belle leant back against the tree and stared at the fight unfolding before her. All she had ever seen was nerves from Revan; she’d seen absolutely nothing but fear in these situations. On top of that, she had no idea he could use the shadow… and the fact he used it in the same way as Lucas and her father was a little jarring.

Revan readied himself to take on the remaining two as he was sharply punched in the jaw. He lifted the shadow engulfed hand to return a blow but received a second blow to the stomach. He coughed as the shadow faded from his hand and he fell to his knees. Another sharp blow sent him smashing against the ground.

The man that had dragged the first away stood above him, a chain wrapped around his knuckles. He looked down at the child and spat on him. He turned to the man Revan had fought moments before and checked for a pulse, finding no pulse to speak of. He grunted and dragged the corpse into the shadows as the two men looked at Belle.

Belle dashed forward and wrapped her arms around Revan, promptly trying to drag him away from the remaining men. Revan groaned as he was moved, the force of the blows he received clearly having done damage to him. Belle ignored his constant muttering of apologies, as if the he had somehow done something wrong.

Belle’s back hit the trunk of the tree and she brought Revan closer to her, wrapping herself around him in an effort to protect him. She looked around for some sort of plan as the two men chuckled and walked towards them slowly. All she could see through the thick darkness was a few lights as far as Westfall. All she had was the howling of wolves, the scorches of her father’s shadow and a boy that had definitely done the last of his fighting for the night.

‘Feck. Feck. Feck’ she thought as she stared up at the men.

‘Reckon this one is old ‘nuff t’ave some fun with?’ said one of them with a smirk. The two men simply laughed as they leant down as and stared at Belle. She stared at one of them and wondered what was going to happen, not only that, but she finally knew why her father had told them never to come here.

‘It ain’ jes everythin’ I ever ‘ated sittin’ in those ruins. Folk use tha’ place fer all sorts o’ thin’s these days, and I ain’ gonna stand aroun’ an defend a ruin. Ye can’t go there, na’ wit’out me, ye understan’? There ain’ feck all good t’be foun’ there’

‘I reckon she is y’know. Shame though, y’know what the boss is like. She ain’t gonna be as cute by the end o’ tonight’ said the other man.

The two men lifted their heads as the wind suddenly picked up and a thud could be heard behind them. They turned to see Lucas Caan stood behind them wearing plain clothes and his hands shoved in his pockets. ‘Who th’feck is this?’ said one of them as he tilted his head to stare at the boy.

‘Walk away’ said Lucas as he stared at the men. The two men burst into a fit of laughter at Lucas’s words and only stopped as the man that had dragged two bodies into the shadows emerged again. Lucas listened as his footsteps gained speed and he darted to the left, as a sword swung down at his previous position.

The two men in front of Belle watched as Lucas slid across the earth and snapped the man’s neck. The corpse fell to the floor with a thud and the sword of what seemed to be the strongest man, remained stabbed in the ground.

‘Warned ye’ said Lucas as he sighed and grabbed the hilt of the blade. The two men ran in separate directions away from Belle as Lucas pulled the sword from the ground. He looked down at Belle who was half smiling, half frowning at the fact Lucas had come to the rescue. His attention turned to Revan, who for the moment, seemed to be okay.

He tossed the sword to the ground and knelt down in front of Belle, who still had Revan tightly held against her. ‘Reckon it’s a good thin’ I train in these woods sometimes’ he muttered as he lifted a hand to grip Belle’s shoulder.

‘I didn’ need ye… ‘least na’ fer all o’ it’ she muttered as she looked down at Revan, who was unconscious.

It was at that moment that Lucas smirked. His Dad had been right after all, it wasn’t only the main bloodline that had all the strength.

I like this.

Not only is it interesting to imagine how the future Caans are going to be when they get out of diapers, but the second part especially makes for a good story.

I want an Adrian section now

“The Future”

Part III

Where family was concerned, the Caans had certainly turned their backs on the old ways. Those ways had been cast out by the three that remembered their former life in the village. Siblings would protect each other fiercely, and in many ways, they would protect the distant relatives they had. Lucas had learned from an early age that it wasn’t merely family that you should protect, but anyone he deemed a friend. However, for each of the children of the forest, there were exceptions and even rivalries.

--

While the ruins of the village had barely changed over the years that the children could remember, Stormwind city had done the opposite. Certain areas had gotten worse, while others gained more prestige and became the home to the upper class. One establishment that had stood the test of time was the “Pig n’ Whistle”, a tavern that had served the citizens of old town for longer than anyone cared to recollect.

It had become an old and dusty tavern in most respects. Most of the furniture had seen much better days, cobwebs could be seen in the upper corners of the ceiling, and the bottles of alcohol stood in a dust covered row, more often than not, obscuring what they contained.

Lucas Caan stood at the bar, resting one arm against it while using the other to lift his glass to his lips. Much to his father’s dismay he had grown fond of brandy. With every sip of brandy came the faintest of smirks as he remembered the countless times his mother had teased his father with an open bottle of it. The image of his younger sister sat on the ground with the bottle in her arms; almost taunting their father was one he would never forget.

‘Need some company?’ said a woman as she leant back against the bar beside Lucas. He turned his head and peered at the woman, her face heavily made up, and her dress barely containing the bust she was definitely leaving on show for a reason.

He smirked faintly and lowered his glass, ‘Sorry , I’m not inta’ paying fer company’ he said as the glass settled against the bar. ‘Shame, decent lookin’ lads get a discount y’know’ she responded as she turned a little, bust and all, towards him. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the blatant advances, regardless of the nature.

‘All th’same, I think I’ll pass’ he muttered as he looked away from the woman and stared up at the dusty bottles in the back. ‘We’re tryin’ to get rid of those if ye want any of ‘em’ said the bartender as he followed Lucas’ gaze. Lucas smirked at the old man, his hair had thinned and his stomach had grown as Lucas had gotten older.

‘Was thinkin’ ‘bout a bottle o’ brandy t’take back fer my ma’ said Lucas in response as he pointed at the shelf. ‘Feck if I can make out if there’s any up there though’. The bartender let out a hoarse laugh and turned to look up at the shelf. ‘Blimey, I hardly know mate. I’ll look for ya’ said the old man as he looked over his shoulder to give Lucas a nod. The young man nodded in response and turned himself, to rest his back against the bar.

He folded his arms and peered at the rather quiet crowd that had spent most of their day inside the tavern. You had the regular drunks that could barely lift their own heads, the women of the night trying to prey on the dim-witted and gold trimmed idiots of the upper class districts and the usual disgruntled guards. It wasn’t unusual for Lucas to make assessments such as that, he had often been told that he had the perception of his father. Though, Eothan Dawn had always believed that Lucas was meant for higher places, or at least his intelligence was.

‘Turned down the whore I sent your way then? Why can’t we just be friends, hm?’

Lucas turned his head and let out a sigh at the sight of Adrian Caan, the son of Valerias and Eothan. Lucas had never had much contact with his mother, at least none that he had any real memory of and his father was well known and feared in certain circles. However, all their spawn had ever managed was to give Lucas a near constant headache. He had his father’s arrogance, but his ego was far easier to dent.

‘Probably somethin’ to do with ye bein’ a complete dick’ said Lucas as he looked over his shoulder at the sound of the bartender cheering. ‘Here we go lad! Finally found some, proper old stuff n’ all! If I know your ma, and I do, she’ll like this one. Make sure she winds yer dad up plenty eh?’ he said with a chuckle as Lucas smirked and placed a few coins on the bar.

‘Brandy… well at least one member of your family has taste’ said Adrian as he reached toward the bottle. He let out a slight growl as Lucas slammed his hand down on Adrian’s arm, forcing it to connect with the bar. Adrian withdrew his arm and stared at Lucas with narrowed eyes.

‘Annoyed that I tried it on with Belle are we? Please, she’s a big girl Lucas, she doesn’t need you buzzing around her’ said Adrian as he slid his hands in his pockets. Lucas grabbed the bottle and closed his eyes as his head titled back, as if he were trying to stare at the ceiling. However, he had taught himself to gather more patience than he naturally had, and this was how he managed that.

Adrian Caan was a prick, he really was. The issue was, is that Belle didn’t always respond badly to the twats advances. Sure, she had no real interest in getting with him, but he couldn’t help but think that it wouldn’t take much more than a bottle of something before she landed in his bed. When it came to that, Adrian was very much like Eothan, and Lucas had his suspicions that it had been purposefully done.

He lowered his head and stared at Adrian for a moment before speaking. ‘She might not need protection from most folk, and ‘eck, I don’t always ‘ave t’buzz around ‘er. Poin’ is, she might na’ think she needs protectin’ from the likes of ye, but she don’t always make the right choices when blokes are concerned. An’ jes so ye know, yer a bad one. Ye stand there in yer nice expensive clothes, yer hair all done up like some sorta tart and expect to get wha’ever the feck ye want fer feck all effort.

Ye go anywhere near Belle again, I’ll break tha’ arm of yers. And I’ll do it with a feckin’ smile, y’get me?’

He gave a quick wave over his shoulder to the bartender and bumped his shoulder into Adrian’s as he moved past him. Adrian turned and watched Lucas leave, his eyes still narrowed, and followed it up by a string of curse words.

‘I’d listen to him if I were ye kid. Just like his dad that one’ said the bartender. Adrian turned and stared at the man for a moment before walking away. Lucas was right, Adrian was very used to getting what he wanted and for the most part he could get by on his father’s name. He had always used the Caan name when it didn’t matter, but these days the Dawns were far more feared in Stormwind city than the relics and howling of Duskwood’s deceased clan.

--

It hadn’t been long since the run in with Adrian, and Lucas had already made his way deep into Elwynn. He hadn’t been staying with the rest of his family for a few months now, his own choice, and had found himself a small place in the quiet forest. They had moved from the bay when he was a child, in search of a better place to be a family and it had worked, but Lucas was like his father in more ways than one. That desire to make it on his own, the same urge that Ledgic had felt when he left the Caan village had been passed on to Lucas.

He lifted his head from the dusty label of the brandy bottle and smirked at the sight of his home on the horizon. It bugged him a little that he hadn’t been able to work up the money to pay his father back for the home, but for now, it was home to him. Even if he missed the youngest of his sisters plenty while he was away.

‘Hey!’

Lucas stopped and sighed once again due to the very distinct voice of Adrian once again. It wasn’t enough that the twat had ruined his evening in the pig, but now he was following him home?

Lucas turned and immediately tossed the bottle of brandy to the ground beside him as he dodged in the opposite direction. He hit the ground and looked at a now shadow scorched tree nearby. He immediately shot to his feet and stared at Adrian, who stood with both hands drenched in the shadow flame his parents had taught him to use.

‘You think you’re powerful? That you can make a mockery of me in public for no reason? I would honesty prefer that you and I were allies. I thought you always followed daddy’s law?’ he shouted as he held one palm toward Lucas.

Lucas had no words for him, here he came preaching peace but all he had done was toss shadow and throw a veiled insult at him. He just wanted to go inside and sleep before the journey to see his family the next day.

‘I guess extended family comes first eh? Lot more soddin’ work’ he muttered as he darted from the spot. He dodged and jumped as Adrian began throwing bolts of shadow at him, a few barely missing the shoulders and ankles. Adrian growled as Lucas stopped in front of him and grabbed his wrists tightly, clenching his hands around them.

‘Ye need to pack this shit in right now. I don’t like ye, an’ I know ye ain’t too fond of me either. Sa’ let’s just leave it at that. Carry this on and I swear I’ll put ye down’ shouted Lucas. He tightened his grip as Adrian narrowed his eyes again.

‘Stop!’ came a yell from behind Adrian and Lucas looked past his current annoyance to see a robed women. She lowered her hood and walked towards the two as Lucas shoved Adrian away, taking no notice of him landing in the mud arse first.

‘Don’t let me see you fighting my son again’

‘Learn to control him then, feck if I care’ said Lucas as he waved Valerias off and turned round. He simply walked away from the two of them, stopping only to pick up his mother’s brandy, and then made his way to his home.

‘He’s such a fool’ said Adrian as he stood up and brushed himself off.

Valerias simply nodded, but one thing was obvious to her. Though she hadn’t really seen Lucas grow up, she knew how he would have been raised. Lucas was just like Ledgic in so many ways, and the fact that Lucas hadn’t raised a fist to Adrian was a show of restraint, the same restraint that she had seen in Ledgic over the years.

I didn't actually expect the Adrian story, thank you!

Even if he is a properly annoying twit.

I enjoy your imaginings of the future, seeing what each of these characters might be in relation to the other Caans et al. And the brandy references <3

Requesting more stories for the story-gods, please.