Surveying

Grim felt strange. He sat on a slope overlooking Brambleblade, watching his Clan.

Zan'fe and Kathyikas colluded in private, near the cave. He could smell the scent of dark magicks on them and he knew they were conducting a ritual of sorts. For what purpose he did not know, but he was confident it was for the benefit of their growing clan.
Narrowing his one good eye he looked away. The sound of arrows thumping into thorns alerted him and he gazed at the source of the noise.

Odelka and Tazgulu were stood stock still, loosing arrow after arrow into the thorns - target practice. Both the hunters were hitting their targets with unerring accuracy. He smiled at their skill, smiling wider as he saw Odelka's lithe body tighten and loosen in time with her shooting.

Dragging his eye away from that pleasant sight he surveyed the camp once more, spotting Mahareth and Kajiko drinking by the campfire and giggling as Kajiko's spellcraft caused the flames to rise higher and change colour.
He was still unsure of the pandaren joining the Horde, but these two had proven themselves already and he was content for them to share his blood. Kajiko especially was proving to be more than useful, her knowledge of magic impressing him time and again.

The next target of his survey was Brugh, looming near the frozen statue of Gor'Thrak. Brugh stood upright, imposing in his plate armour, even weaponless and with one of his hands heavily bandaged. He grinned slightly, seeing Brugh's face deadly serious, looking at the Wolves like a mother hen watching over her chicks.
The frozen body of Gor'Thrak caught his gaze and he sighed inwardly, wishing he knew how to free his champion and most trusted warrior. One day he would be free, and then the Wolves would have their hero back and their enemies would weep blood. This Grim promised himself.

Then he saw Gugh lurking in the shade of one of the huts, eyeing up Kiro and Xianzu sparring. Grim could well understand the felweaver's desire to stare at these two examples of female-kind.
He narrowed his gaze, he could almost smell the dark power surrounding Gugh. Grim sniffed, recognising the scent of corruption. He trusted the mysterious warlock, as much as he trusted any warlock.
Kiro and Xianzu sparred, Xianzu fighting in the peculiar style of her people - all liquid grace and efficient movement, the perfect match for Kiro's raw aggression and strength. This fight could go on forever, neither quite able to break the other's defences.
With warriors such as this in the Clan's ranks, Grim mused, what could possibly overcome them?

And then something exploded in the distance. Grim's hackles raised and his claws unsheathed subconsciously. But then mad cackling echoed around the camp and Grim relaxed.
Danroth. Up to his usual tricks.
He sighed inwardly as he spotted a mishapen freak of a creature, seemingly half goblin and half centaur galloped through the camp, the goblin half weeping and gibbering uncontrollably.
Danroth chased it, shouting and laughing, waving a large and barbed net. He would never catch his latest experiment, Grim could see that immediately. Luckily though, the goblin creature stopped dead in its tracks, having run headfirst into the immovable arm of Threehorns, knocking itself unconscious. The giant tauren stepped backwards, nodding at the cackling Danroth.
Grim winced, Threehorns was as solid as a mountain and almost as large. He knew exactly how to use the tauren and intended to send him headfirst into the enemy battlelines, knowing that no shield-wall would remain standing once the tauren had smashed into it.

The next to catch his eye was the quiet blood elf, Amadiro who along with Oragg was pointing and laughing at the unconscious goblin abomination. Grim grinned, laughing quietly with them.
Oragg and Amadiro, both quiet and both deadly. He was glad Oragg had sided with him, trusting him like no other. He was also glad the blood elf had joined the Clan, he greatly appreciated the elf's skills in unarmed combat.

Grim looked around once more, spotting the tauren Curahee sat very still, meditating. Flowers sprouted through the dusty earth around the old druid.
Curahee's peaceful ways were at odds with Grim's own, but he appreciated the elderly tauren's help nonetheless. Something rushed past Curahee, causing his eyes to open. Roed, Grim's honour-brother skipped past him, giggling. The crazed elf ducked down suddenly, pointing at the tauren's tail. Curahee, knowing what was going to come next swiped his tail away from the elf, causing Roed to visibly sag, disappointed. Rallying as quickly as he had been denied, Roed rushed off again, shouting about frogs.

One last scene caught his eye. The tiny goblin Saxel say down, breathing heavily into a brown paper bag while the pandaren Tobemory patted him on the back companionably. Poor Saxel has probably been in the medical hut when Danroth's experiment exploded and was having a panic attack because of it.
These two, the goblin and pandaren were possibly his two strangest Clan members... Saxel, terrified of germs and prone to panic attacks and Tobemory who one moment was childishly naive and the next a ravening berserker.
Still, both served a purpose. Saxel was one of the finest healers Grim had ever known and Tobemory too was a talented healer, and Grim had also seen him castrate a Kor'kron with an umbrella so his fighting skills were valuable too.

Grim sensed something to his side. He blinked out of his thoughts and looked to his left, seeing the large form of Drek sat besides him.
"My apologies Stonepaw. I did not mean to interrupt your meditations."

It was then Grim realised why he felt strange.

He was happy.

((I had not read this till now but damn, Grim, its a really nice read! It conjures up lovely pictures in my mind!))

Thanks