A Sister's Tale (adult content - be warned!)

A Sister's Tale

She awoke, blinking weakly in the darkness. She tried to call out for help but all that emerged from her lips was a strangled yelp.
She tried to stand, to push herself to her feet but she was too weak, too tired.

“Where am I?” she thought.
Her eyes scanned the darkness, gradually adjusting to the lack of light. Purple, rancid-smelling smoke drifted around her. Faint whispers could be heard, the odd gasp or scream echoed through the darkness.
“What happened?” was her next thought. She rolled onto her stomach, grunting in pain as she did so and crawled through the darkness, hands grasping ahead of her, searching for something solid. A dull pain throbbed in her left arm.
Her hands found a wall, rough and gritty. She pulled herself closer to the wall, sitting up against it, panting from exertion. She looked down at her body, wincing as she saw her own nudity.
Her clothes were gone, the ripped and torn remnants of a skirt clung to her legs, her chest bare, even her underwear was gone. A low growl escaped her mouth, she knew this feeling, she remembered it from decades past, her youth, back in the camps.
Realisation dawned, she was in the Cleft of Shadows, the slums of Orgrimmar. She had met with some mutual 'friends' here last night, met with them to close a deal and to offer her life-giving blood to their cause. They were supposed to be her allies, her friends and comrades – they were supposed to look after her. Instead they had taken what they wanted and dumped her here for the scum of the Cleft to toy with in her unconsciousness. Dull images ran through her mind, grinning tusks and laughing males. Her new friends had not looked after her at all.

This must be a test she realised. Testing her guts and determination, to see if she was worthy of joining them. “Yes,” she thought “That must be it. They would not do this without a good reason.”
She should not blame them, the fault was not theirs. They wanted only the toughest, the strongest to join them. This was to test her toughness, her strength.
She shuddered involuntarily, clenching her eyes shut as she began sobbing uncontrollably. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Her new friends would turn her away if they were to see her like this – such acts as had been done to her were nothing, were worth the end result of inclusion and friendship.
She cuffed the tears from her eyes, gritting her teeth as the pain in her arm worsened. Blood sheeted her left wrist, as if she had dipped her hand into black paint. The needle wielded by the Forsaken fisherman had been the first violation, but not the worst. The feeling of her blood leaving her body had been the second. Her mind skirted the details of the third, she knew who to blame for it anyway.

This was her brother's fault. He had screamed and cried the first time this had happened to her, but he had been too young to help. She hated him for that, hated thinking of his plump green face staring in confusion at her as she struggled. Hated the useless tears her baby brother wept, hated how their father, their mother, their older brother had not been there.
Her lips curled in a snarl.
Father had died beneath the boots of the humans, stamping and kicking until he stopped moving. Her hero, her bastion of strength and honour and courage had died beneath the feet of a dozen humans. Her mother was the next to abandon them, giving up on life and simply wasting away, refusing food or water. She hated them both. Her father had not fought! He should have slain the humans, not died. Her mother had not even tried, she had withered away to nothingness, not even the thought of her own children enough to keep her will strong enough to survive.
She hated her older brother too. He had not stayed, not cared for her, instead he raged and railed against the injustices and fled, breaking free of the camps. Abandoning her and their little brother.
The elements too, the spirits and ancestors. All had abandoned her, none had answered her pleas.

Her snarls grew louder, a low rumbling in her throat.
She remembered her tears, her hysterical shouting. Why wouldn't they answer her? Why wouldn't they save her father, bring him back? Why wouldn't they give her mother the strength to carry on? Why didn't they make her older brother stay?
They did not care, no one cared for her. Her little brother had just wept and wailed, too weak and too young to help.
Her hysterics attracted attention from the human guards, and when they were done with her her Aunt showed up.
She hated her also. What use was afterwards? She fussed over her little brother, giving him love and attention and giving her nothing but meaningless preaching and promises that the spirits watched over them.

Bullshit. No one cared for her, no one ever had, or they would not all have left her. If they had cared they would have defended her, would have answered her prayers and fought for her innocence.

“No matter.” she thought. “I will have vengeance.”
Her new friends would help her, she knew this. They would care for her and would aid her any way they could. Why else would they have put her through this test...?

((woah gripping as always, Grim I will haunt this thread now waiting for more!))

She sat against the great rock-carved walls of the Cleft of Shadows shuddering and choking back tears.
A figure padded towards her from the darkness. “Yessss orc, you have passssed it ssssems.”
The figure’s voice sounded like oily sandpaper, rough yet sibilant.
Guk looked up and saw a Forsaken female, the apprentice of her new friend. Had she been here all along? Watching and not helping?
Panic surged through Guk’s mind. Why hadn’t the apprentice helped? What would she do to her now?
Smirking, the Forsaken pulled something from its pocket, dropping it onto Guk’s lap.
“Our masssster wissshes you to read thissss.”
Guk picked up the item, a rolled up piece of parchment. As she unravelled it to read the words written in an elegant hand the apprentice chuckled.
“Lasssst night wassss unfortunate for you orc. Your mortal malessss are sssso weak, ssssso prone to their base lussssts and desssires. A ssshame for you, though amusssssing for me.”
The apprentice nodded, still chuckling and then stepped backwards, fading into the darkness.
Guk gulped, steeling her nerves as she read the parchment.

Days had passed, the thrill of being accepted had numbed the pain and horror. Guk crouched low on a hill overlooking a bustling village.
Tauren went about their daily business, hunting and skinning, smithing and trading. They were happy, laughing and smiling.
She counted quickly, there were several dozen inhabitants perhaps. Her eyes narrowed as she looked closer. The village was small, but busy. Perhaps a dozen children, with double that of adult males and females. More were present, some trolls and orcs too. Totalling another dozen or so.
They were here to see the seer.
Guk could see him at one end of the village, a cheerful looking banner waving behind him, proclaiming his talents at farseeing and prophecy and advertising prices for such things. People queued and chatted with the seer, a large tauren clad in robes.
The seer was powerful, she could tell this from here. Magic and power emanated from the tauren, it seemed even he didn’t realise his own power, or he would not be selling his talents so cheaply.
A smile played across Guk’s face. The villagers were happy when they had no right to be. Jealously surged within her, she would take great delight in ruining this happiness.

“Sssssisssster…. Are you ready?”

The words made Guk jump a little. Her friend Sara moved so quietly she was constantly surprised by her.
Nonetheless, Guk steeled herself, turning and smiling sweetly at the masked Forsaken. “Oh yes Sara my dear. This will be good fun.”
“Good sssissster. Our troopssss move in now. Watch and enjoy.”

Down below 20 hired blades, mostly elves and Forsaken, sauntered into the settlement. The villagers crowded round, wary but friendly.
Guk knew what was being said, having helped plan the words. “We are here to see the seer. His fame has spread far enough for even us, the most distant of the Horde to have heard of him!”
The villagers grew visibly more relaxed, gesturing to the seer and dropping their guard.

Guk’s lips pulled back, revealing her tusks. She was excited. Her hands drummed against her legs.
She saw the lead sell-sword draw his blade. At this the rest of them followed suit and soon the air was filled with the sounds of screaming.
Sara tapped her on the shoulder. “Now sssissster. We go in.”

Striding through the village Guk stepped over corpses. Most of the villagers were dead, butchered cruelly. The last few survivors and the seer were held at sword-point in the village centre.
She walked at Sara’s side to the prisoners, smiling sweetly at them. One prisoner, a female tauren made eye contact with her.
“Why have you done this?!” the tauren cried.
Guk grinned at her and turned to the nearest sell-sword. “I want this one. Bring her to me.”
Minutes later the female was on her knees in front of Guk, a mercenary’s sword held to her throat. Guk knelt in front of the tauren, her hands moving in an intricate pattern. Quickly she tapped the tauren on the forehead, the air shimmered and the tauren slumped face down, her form changing to match Guk’s.
“And there we have it Sara. A pleasing illusion to throw the Marauders into despair. Let them butcher this innocent think her me. The illusion will wear off once her blood is spilt.”

The bloodied ruin of the seer lay on the floor, bubbles of gore popping where his throat used to be as he struggled for breath.
Guk stood up, swaying. Her cheeks were flushed , her eyes glazed and a childish smile graced her lips. Blood coated her, head to foot, her dagger, clutched tightly in one hand dripped yet more blood to the floor.
Sara looked at her, “Are you done yet ssssissster? Time issss ticking and there isss much yet to do.”
Guk blinked, looking down at herself. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of so much blood. She snarled at Sara, spinning round and beginning to kick the shuddering, mutilated seer, “My dress! My dress is ruined! Look what you’ve done you idiot tauren!”
Her boots thudded home, more blood burst from her kicks. The still-living seer, gurgled, convulsed and eventually lay still. Guk continued her assault, spittle spraying from her mouth as she shrieked at the corpse.
“Ssssissster, calm yourssself. We have work to do.” Sara said. Sara pointed to several of the sell-swords, then gestured to Guk. The mercenaries grabbed Guk’s arms and pulled her, still screaming, away from the body.

An hour later Guk was sitting down, cleaning blood from her hands, her eyes dull and her movements slow.
She blinked heavily, stopping her attempt at cleaning and looking at the burning village.
“Such a busy day.” She mumbled.
“And not over yet orc.”
Guk jumped slightly, looking over her shoulder to see Sara.
“What remains to do then friend? The trap is set, our hirelings head to Ratchet now to spread tales of the seer. The Marauders will come, they will find our work and they will find someone who looks much like me.”
The female Forsaken smiled, “A work of art remainssssss, you will like it I think.”.
Guk tilted her head to one side, staring at Sara, “Explain.”
Sara gestured behind her as a portal opened in thin air. From the portal a pair of robe-clad figures stepped. The two figures, clearly both Forsaken, bowed elaborately, and one spoke, its voice creaking. “As requested we are here. Give us the bodies and we can begin.”

Guk looked in wide-eyed wonder, what stood before her was a thing of beauty. Sewn together corpses, multiple arms, multiple heads, gaping mouths and two thick legs. The thing grunted and squealed, as if in pain. It shivered spasmodically, arms twitching.
She looked to the two robed strangers and then to Sara. Sara smiled back, one of the strangers grunted in agreement but the third Forsaken’s features remained blank and unreadable.
“Are… Are the bodies aware of this? Are they somehow still conscious of what has been done to them?” she asked the three Forsaken.
The blank-faced stranger spoke one word:
“Yes.”

((edited as I'd forgotten to do some fact-checking first!)

The plan worked perfectly, Liara's smoke bomb had blinded the troll and set him to choking. The death knight's bodyslam had shoved the choking troll to the floor and Guk's spell of silence had withered the shout of panic in the troll's throat before he could utter it.
The panic in the troll's eyes was obvious, he clutched at his throat desperately.

Sara stood behind the assault team, keeping an eye on the outside of the tower. "Inject him now. Time issss ssshort!"
Liara the apprentice drew the silvery hypodermic needle from it's protective case, jamming the needle into the troll's wrist and pushing the plunger down, injecting the foul substance within the barrel of the syringe.
The troll twitched, his whole body went rigid. Liara turned to Sara, "It issss done for now. Now we wait for the sssubssstance to take effect."
Sara nodded, "Good. Guk. Toy with him if you wisssh. Do not let him die though."

Guk nodded excitedly, drawing a thin bladed dagger. She looked the troll in the eyes and spoke, "Warlock, this will be fun. I promise."
She rested the blade on his upper arm, breaking the skin before drawing the blade downwards, leaving a thin red slash in his flesh.
The troll recoiled, trying to pull his arm back but the death knight had him in a firm grasp. "Not going anywhere fel-spawn." grunted the death knight.
Guk smiled again, her eyes glazed and blank. "This is fun isn't it troll?"
She continued her cutting, leaving lines of blood on the troll's arms and face.

The troll spat on her. A thick wad of spittle landing on her dress. Guk blinked, looking down at her ruined dress. She looked back at the defiant troll, "Bastard! Bastard!" she hissed through clenched teeth and then lanced her dagger into the meat of his arm, and again into his stomach.
"Ssssister! Ssstop! I ssaid do not kill him!"
Guk withdrew her dagger from the injured troll and backed away, leaving a trail of blood dripping from her blade.
Liara pulled an empty syringe from the storage case, injecting the troll again, this time pulling the plunger upwards, withdrawing blood. The troll slumped, his defiance gone.

Suddenly the light dimmed as a large figure blocked the door. "Stop! Drop your weapons or die!" the figure bellowed.
The Marauders had caught them.
Liara and Sara spun round instantly, both threw smoke bombs at the orc blocking the exit. The orc coughed and backed away, his axe swinging in front of him.
Guk and the death knight looked on as the two Forsaken took advantage of the smoke to make their escape.
"Trapped!" shouted the death knight. "You and me Guk! We can fight our way through!"
Guk looked at the death knight, a calculating look on her face.
"Yes, of course my dear. Together we can break through. Take down the orc in our way! Your armour and blade will see you through. My spells will support you. Go!"
The death knight nodded, drawing her sword and stomping towards the choking Marauder.

As she heard the sound of blades clashing Guk grinned, people were stupid and this amused her. Her hands moved in an intricate pattern and she faded from view. The world dimmed and changed around her, the spell of invisibility had worked. She crept forwards silently, seeing the death knight and the orc battling. The death knight was never going to win this fight, the orc was a huge brute, what skin was showing outside of his black plate was more scar than flesh.
Guk saw the death knight turn her head momentarily, looking desperately for Guk's support. "Never going to happen." thought Guk, "My needs outweigh yours." and with that she clicked her fingers, casting a speed-spell and blinking away past the duel.
As she moved she clutched a teleport-stone from her pocket, activating it and leaving the Barrens.

The children squealed and laughed, running around madly and causing chaos. The orphanage was busy, full of children of different races, all survivors and refugees from the many wars that had torn Draenor apart. They were happy here, despite the trauma of how they had ended up seperated from their parents. The staff here were happy too, happy knowing that their work was for a good cause, happy to see their orphaned charges laugh and smile.
One child, a tiny blue-skinned draenai ran to her orcish matron, beaming a huge smile. "Miss! Miss! Will you come and play with us?! We're playing at being hunters!"
The matron smiled down at the orphan, "Maybe later darling. I have some thinking to do now, run along and play without me."
"Bah! OK!" and with that the child ran off.

The matron grimaced. This job exhausted her, the efforts of smiling and putting on a happy face were draining. "Still", she thought, "Needs must."
She pulled open her notebook, scanning through the hastily scrawled notes. Much had changed in a very short time. She had thought she had found friends, a family, but that had been a cruel illusion. Sara had betrayed her. Everyone had betrayed her, everyone had always betrayed her. She should have known, and she cursed herself for being foolish enough to believe people had accepted her.
Still, Sara would pay. Wheels were in motion.
She had to trust that the Marauders' blind obedience to honour would keep her alive. That thought made her smile, a disturbing light entered her eyes. She could use the Marauders against Sara, in the name of vengeance and self-protection.
She would send them a letter soon, to their Stormseer, Hikka. She knew this would enrage the pretty troll, and that thought pleased her. She would tell them to meet her here, in the orphanage. The Marauders would be unlikely to wade through the gaggle of children and slay her in front of them. Their leaders had too many morals, and morals weakened them. She knew her brother Grim, and that bitch-Chieftain of theirs, Thrakha, would never allow the Marauders to shed blood in an orphanage nor risk any child dying to their blades.

She winced, a headache starting. The noise of playing children was growing too loud, she knew what would happen soon. When these headaches started, when they invariably worsened and then she would black out, waking up blood-soaked and barely remembering what she had done. It had always been this way.
Not two days ago she had awakened in a hidden corner of the Lower City, smothered head to foot in blood, blunted and equally blood stained blades at her side, and the flayed corpse of one of the orphans. Luckily no one noticed too much when an orphan went missing, in this city and with this sheer quantity of orphans, no one could keep full track. She had left the blades there and summoned her water elemental to help clean herself, before stumbling back to the orphanage as if nothing had happened.
There had been a horrified uproar when the corpse had been found, but none of it directed to her. She had always been a good actress and she had managed crocodile-tears upon finding out the news.

Guk shuddered. Life would have been much easier if she had never had these headaches, would have been much easier if her family had loved her... But wishes changed nothing. Only action changed anything.
She would write that letter to Hikka.

Flashback

The hut was warm, the fire roaring in the corner let off a ferocious heat. The bed was warm too, even if it was just a rough pallet on the floor, barely big enough for the two of them. The sheer quantity of wolf-hides as covers helped though, as did his body warmth.
Guk twisted uncomfortably. The bed was warm, but cramped. Adag was a big orc, making it hard for her to truly get comfortable, the bulge in her belly didn't help either, forcing her to lay on her back.
She sighed theatrically, hoping the noise would wake Adag up. It didn't.
So she lay back and tried to lay still, hoping to drift off despite her discomfort. One hand went absent-mindedly to her stomach, stroking the taught skin there.
A child!
She was going to have a child.
The thought still terrified her, still excited her. Ever since the camps had been destroyed she had been living in a daze, joy at her freedom making everything seem unreal.
She remembered watching Adag. He had drawn her eye even as the Frostwolf Clan hit the camp she had been in.
Guk sighed again, this time more through arousal than an attempt to wake her mate up. He had been a glorious sight, his face lit with joy as he did battle with the human guards, his body swathed in beautiful wolf pelts, his axes rising and falling, spraying crimson human blood with each swing. She remembered the sight of his arms, covered in swirling black tattoos.
Such a wonderful sight. Her heart had quickened, and once the camp was destroyed she had made sure her path crossed his.
It had been an easy matter to seduce him, a few bashful glances, a few fluttered eyelashes and then a mighty smack around the head when he hadn't quite taken the hints.
And now, here they were. In love and in bed, even if the great oaf was hogging most of the space.
She was going to have his child!
Guk grinned. The thought of spending her life with this mighty warrior, of him protecting her and of him raising their child as a warrior was almost too much to bear.
She stroked her belly again, thinking. Of course, she had an inkling that the child was male. One of the wise-women had told her, winking slyly as she examined her to ensure the pregnancy was going well.
So, she would have Adag's son, and he would raise him as a Frostwolf.
She frowned slightly.
Raised as a Frostwolf.
She was no Frostwolf. She was Bladewind, even if the Bladewind were almost gone. Her son should be Bladewind too... To continue her clan's proud name.
And raised as a warrior? He would be forced to fight, forced to risk his life. For the Frostwolf clan.
Her son might die in some nameless field, his body ripped apart. All in the name of a clan that wasn't his, or hers.

Guk stared at Adag, her eyes narrowing.