Solitary

Because @stahldrauf can’t get enough. Also because I’m a terrible sadomasochist and am guilty as well. A follow up piece to Up in Smoke!

He wasn’t sure if he’d cried every single tear, or if the terrible heat had dried up his eyes-- but there came a point when Rekkis’ sobs slowed, dry and heavy as he felt drained from it. Crying just proved he was still young, maybe too young for all of this. It proved he was weak. He was scared.

Arratok, the faithful mechanical hound, hadn’t left Rekkis side. When the Arakkoa had gotten up and began to pace around in a dazed, dead state, his machine had been right there, head under a hand, tail still wagging. When branches and piece of Teldrassil came down around them, it had nudged Rekkis out of the way, preserving him.

It had no idea how to fix him, though. 

“I’m so sorry.” Rekkis mumbled, causing Arratok to look up, waiting for a command. “I don’t know what to do! I just-- why is it that everything I try feels good to start, and then this happens?” He kicked at a fallen piece of timber, breaking the burnt wood easily. He sat himself down by the water’s edge, pulling his knees to his chest.

“Now I’m never gonna get the chance. I’m never gonna be able to keep my promise to Vekrivaath, I’m never gonna fly again, I’m never gonna--” He looked out over the water. He wanted to cry, but all his body could do at this point was shake in frustration. “I’m never gonna see Dad again, am I?”

“I’m never gonna be able to tell him how happy I was he was my Dad. Out of all the possible people to find me... the fact that he did is...”

He shook his head, instead looking up to the sky, watching the embers flit off of the tree.

“No one’s coming back for me. I’m forgotten and alone again. It’s just you and me. Just like those embers. I burn bright and then... nothing. Gone.”

He looked over to see Arratok laying on the ground, the glow in its eyes fading. Rekkis immediately shook it, but the mechanical bark that often greeted him broke up and sounded much lower. Slower. “No no-- what’s going on? Arratok? Arratok!” He opened up the panel on the back trying to figure what was happening. He shouldn’t have been powering down. He’d been fueled up right before they’d left, he’d been charged and ready to go--

Through his panicked diagnostic of the robotic hound, he felt Arratok’s head on his thigh. He looked down just in time to see Arratok let out one last bark, it’s eyes going cold and dark. “No no no, not you too boy, come on! What is it, please, I just--”

Arratok’s body relaxed, becoming little more that just metal in the sand. Rekkis felt the sobs wrack him again, still looking through everything. Parts of the metal had been melted from the intense heat, and he was sure that all that metal chassis did was create an oven for all the delicate things inside. His fault. This was his fault, too. He hadn’t built Arratok to withstand the heat, he hadn’t protect him, he’d sent him into the fire just like the rest--

Rekkis collapsed over the now-still form of his companion. He hadn’t cried like this since he’d been thrown off of Skyreach. Since he’d realized he was alone. Since he’d realized that there was no one around him who cared anymore.

The world was coming down around him. The fire behind him raged, and he was stranded. No one knew.

No one cared.

He had already been forgotten.

Up in Smoke

 A partner piece to @stahldrauf‘s Retreat from Lor’danel!

“No... no no-- go! Get to the boats! Get back!”

Rekkis ran, waving his arms as high as he could as he saw one of the boats at the landing. He could barely hear anything above the crackling, the screaming, and the all-out panic that was happening. Why was this happening? This wasn’t supposed to happen. This was supposed to be a good plan, a fool-proof plan, a--

You need to leave too, Hunter.

“I can’t!” He shouted aloud. Most days, him just blurting out to himself would have likely drawn attention-- but as most people were focused on running, it sort of flew under the radar. “There’s still people there! People I brought!”

This is not your fault. You could have never known. You are not to blame.

“I’d blame myself if I just... just left them there!” He griped, as he headed down towards the boats with his companions in tow. He looked at the array of people, scared and confused, pushing as many as they feasibly could onto the boat before it weighed anchor, floating off to who-knew-where. At this point, anywhere was safer than here.

Gods, he just hoped they wouldn’t attack the boats, too.

He made eye contact with another boat captain, heading over. “C’mon, kid. We’ve gotta leave too. Nothing here but ash and flames, now.”

Rekkis shook his head. “I can’t-- look. Give me just ten minutes. Ten more minutes. I know there’s people unaccounted for still back there.” He said. The Night Elf raised one bushy brow at him. “I’ll go back for them. Ten minutes. You take anyone that I send back in ten minutes, then you go. Okay?”

“That’s all the extra time you get. I’m not letting my ship go up in flames too.” Rekkis looked down at Arratok, nodding.

“Okay. Ten minutes, starting now. Come on, Arratok.”

Stepping back through the gate to Darnassus assaulted Rekkis’ lungs with the dry, acrid taste of ash. He brought his arm up, cloak over his face to try and keep it away as he pushed into the intense heat. All around him branches crackled and fell, and as he stared at the ground he could already see some of the corpses there turning indistinguishable.

Some, however, were unlucky. He stared into the eyes of someone, a refugee that he had brought here. Someone that he’d led straight into the fire. Someone that he had indirectly killed.

You could never have known.

He ignored Vekrivaath’s consolation as he pushed further into the inferno, the heat already making him dizzy. He coughed out, barely able to breathe, looking down at Arratok again. “Come on, boy. I need a wide scan. Is there anyone?”

The mechanical hound sat back and swiveled its head back and forth, before hopping to all fours and barking aloud. Arratok darted off into the flames, with Rekkis trailing as best he could after him.

They reached a house that had been consumed by the flames, and the doorway only led to a hallway of fire. Still, if Arratok had found someone-- Rekkis brought his cloak up again and pushed in. “Hello? Hello-- are you okay in there?”

He heard the sounds of someone coughing, and that was more than enough to send him further into the building, jumping when a beam collapsed behind him. “H-Here! My leg--”

He came upon someone stuck underneath a fallen shelf, struggling to get out. He snapped at Arratok, the mecha hound easily getting underneath it to lift it up and off. The Arrakoa couldn’t help but frown at the state of their legs, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to get up on their own. “Alright, c’mon, up we go--”

Amidst the crackling flames, he felt something brush against his arm, staring down at Kurukka pushing its way in. He nodded at the feline, before helping the elf onto it, helping them get steady. Together, they pushed out of the buliding again, looking back at the blazing display.

“Get them to the docks. Get onto the boat. Don’t wait.” Rekkis ordered, staring at Kurukka’s puzzled expression. “Go! We don’t have time! I need to see if there’s anyone else!” With a firm point off to the gate, the elf clung to the panthara, mouthing a weak ‘thank you’ before they bounded off. Rekkis stared back into the village, bringing his cloak up again around his face.

His eyes stung. His lungs stung. Everything just stung. But if anything, he was thorough, making sure to do one last sweep through the village, sending people on their way to the docks. As thankful as he was to find stragglers, his heart sank every time he came across a body-- for everyone one person, there seemed to be three to had never made it.

It hurt more when he recognized the faces. 

You did not do this.

But it certainly felt like he had.

“Okay, come on.” Rekkis said. He knew that it had taken much more than ten minutes, hells, even the last go-through where he’d found no one felt like ten minutes on its own. “We’ve kept them waiting too long.” He beckoned to Arratok, the mechanical hound bounding perhaps a little too playfully as it came back to him, accompanying him through the gate.

All in all he had done everything he could. As as heavy as his heart felt, knowing that he’d lost many more, what few he’d been able to get up and heading out to the docks meant he’d done his part. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew that the weakness was setting in.

It was time to rest.

He shook his head out as he finally ‘arrived’ through the gate, before his eyes adjusted. He rubbed at them, his heart sinking even more.

“No... no no no! Wait! Wait!” 

He ran down the hill, clicking over the docks as he watched the boat pulling away. If he could fly he would have closed that distance easily-- but as it were all he could do was sink to his knees at the end of the dock, the crackling the only sound filling his ears.

Arratok padded up beside him and sat without command, panting mechanically at the waters. Rekkis sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm.

“It’s... it’s okay. At least everyone else made it onto the boats, r-right? I did what I was supposed to... right?” He said in between sobs. He reached over, hugging Arratok’s head close-- and though it didn’t understand why, simply knowing that Rekkis was sad was more than enough for its AI to kick in, resting its head on his lap.

It didn’t protest when his tears fell upon the smooth metal of its head.

“I did good... right?” He called out, as the boat faded from view. 

You did wonderful.

To Darnassus

(( A follow up to @stahldrauf‘s piece that you can find here! ))

He hated how rushed this had all been. He wasn’t mad at Stahldrauf for helping, nor was he mad at the Worgen for having left him to do another task; all things considered, this probably was the better route. But he just wished that the old Worgen had at least given him a moment to get things a little more settled.

He looked over at the small pins that he’d been working on, one clasped to the bottom part of his hood and the other in his hand. If only he’d have been able to give Stahl the gods-damned communicator all of this would have been easier. He pocketed it, figured he could send one of the mechanical hounds out with it later, and then decided to think about the task he’d been given.

Darnassus wasn’t out of the question, boats there would likely be running already and he was sure that his disguise would buy him passage even amidst the incoming chaos. The question remained, however, was how he was going to find a way to transport those from Ashenvale, as well as get them all there safe. It wasn’t exactly and one-and-done sort of situation; he didn’t have the magical know-how on teleporting everyone there, didn’t exactly have the clearance to show up with a bunch of refugees to begin with, and didn’t have the money or anything to help support them once they did get there.

One problem at a time, he supposed.

Three Simple Words

“Is everything alright?”

Lythander turned three words over and over in his head, frowning as he pored over the tomes before him. How so simple a phrase could cause him such turmoil was beyond him. He mumbled underneath his breath, biting at the tip of a quill before scratching some lines out on the parchments before him.

“... hear me, sir?”

“Yes, Ahto, fine.” The terse reply given to his attendant did nothing but cause the shorter ‘elf’ to nod, before setting down a small tray of tea and some biscuits on the table, careful not to get in the way of his master’s work. “How did I...”

He scratched at the back of his head, harrumphing. Though his expenses weren’t anywhere near out of what he was capable of affording, the monthly amount had skyrocketed. He went over again, line by line, trying to think of where things had suddenly gone wrong.

“Perhaps the gifts?” Ahto said, pointing to a few lines on the page. Lythander blinked before taking a better look, his brow furrowing. While true, he’d been spending perhaps a bit more than he’d cared to on the Captain, he hadn’t really thought much of it all. Now that his attendant had pointed it all out, however, things became a little clearer.

When the amount he spent on Arkhos came to rival that of what he had to pay to keep the Bordello running, Lythander let out a tired sigh before sitting back in his chair, putting his quill aside. He ran his hands through his hair, exasperated. Ahto poured out a cup of tea, mixing the two sugars that his master always took in it, holding it out once he deemed it satisfactory. Lythander took it and sipped almost subconsciously, not even taking a moment to look at the brew or smell what kind it was.

“Chamomile. And Passionflower.” The elf remarked, before setting it down. He looked up at Ahto questioningly, reaching for one of the biscuits without needing to look. 

“You need rest.” Ahto’s eyes shut slowly, accompanying a sage nod as he stood tall again. “You’re acting strange.”

The sentiment was one Lythander felt deep down, one that he’d been mulling over for a while. He had been strange, and he was a fool to think that no one would notice. His workers certainly did. Ahto, of all people, pointed it out. He bit into his biscuit, mulling it over.

In truth, he knew exactly where it had come from. It had started upon the Captain’s last departure, when they had last said farewell to each other. It hadn’t been some storybook thing; they hadn’t made promises up on a cliff at sunset or anything like that. It had been in Lythander’s bedroom, wanting to sleep in and ignore the sun rising.

If he had kept sleeping, maybe he would have been able to extend the time that he and Arkhos had together. Waking up meant having to see the Captain off, after all. It meant having to face the reality that he was to leave yet again, and that Lythander would have to wait.

He dipped his biscuit into his tea before snarfing the whole thing down, going back to the parchments. A gift of silks. A delivery of food. Supplies for the boat. Clothes. Looking at it all, it made him feel like he had been trying to buy Arkhos’ love.

He was about to dip the next biscuit when he froze. Ah, yes, there was the problem. There was the cause of all of this.

Before Arkhos had left, he had muttered the words that forced Lythander into a blank state each and every time. Those words that hung in the back of his mind, ones that he choked on and would take to his grave. He set the biscuit down, pushing away from the desk. As he stood, Ahto was right there with his jacket, helping him into it without a word.

The finances would be balanced later. “We’re going home.” Lythander said, motioning towards the door. “Tell the others.”

Ahto nodded silently, brushing the elf’s jacket down before heading out of the room, tray in hand. Lythander didn’t even bother to roll the scrolls up, waving out the magelight that lit the room. Left alone in the darkness, he unabashedly brought the collar of the jacket up to his nose and sniffed it.

Light, it still smelled like him.

He straightened everything out, shutting the door behind him. A twist of some fingers and a weave of some magic sealed the door shut, and he promptly made his way down the halls of the bordello offices, resuming his usual gait-with-purpose.

I love you. The captain had said.

He had never expected three simple words to undo him so. He had never felt himself experience the strange mixture of doubt, fear, elation, and longing all at once.

I love you. Arkhos had repeated, before he had left.

And he had been petrified, unable to reply.

(( Mentions for @arkhos-ravenscar ))

Stormheart (End)

(( Finally. After almost a year of dealing with ups and downs and everything else life decided to throw at me, I’m at the end of this!

It feels good. Especially considering I had initially planned for this to only happen in like, 3 parts. Hah. How silly I was.

I want to thank @stahldrauf and @warcraftspeaceblooms again for letting me represent their characters. Stahldrauf and Callathum have really made a huge impression on Rekkis’ development, and I’m so thankful to know them.

I also want to thank you, the reader. You’ve stuck through this for much longer than was probably warranted. I hope everything was to your standards. I would also like to make one selfish request.

Send me criticisms. Comments. Things you think should have been built on more, things you didn’t really care to see, anything. If you’ve read this whole series from start to finish, I want to know what was good, what was bad, and what you think I can do to improve from here on out.

Thank you so much for having come on this journey with me. I really appreciate it.

You can read up on previous parts here! Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5/ Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 ))

“You didn’t have to fly me back, y’know. But I’m grateful for it. Probably would have taken me another week just to make the trek back, what with all the animals and things to dart around!” Rekkis said, as he sat himself up straight. 

“I am aware. I would have thought you would have relished at the thought of feeling the wind through your feathers.”

“Oh! Trust me, I love it-- but when I say I want to fly again, I want it to be on my own terms. I’ve been on enough rockets and airships to know the feeling again but it just isn’t the same.”

Vekrivaath’s head turned round, a quizzical curiosity present. “Rockets? Airships?”

“Kind of like... boats. In the air.” Rekkis said, making large motions with his hands. “Y’know?”

“I do not.” Vekrivaath went back to looking forward, snorting. “Boats in the air. Is there truly such a thing now? I had heard the others speak of such things flying but have never seen one myself.”

“Mhm! I...” Rekkis trailed off. “Hey, Vekrivaath?”

“What is it, hunter?”

“Would you ever wanna go see them?”

warcraftspeaceblooms:

“Yeah. One step at a time.” Rekkis looked around the hut for a moment, taking it in. “Maybe... I dunno. I’ll have to go back to my grassroots, I guess. Look at where they came from and all that. I... don’t think I’ll be able to get their attention unless something super miraculous comes my way. But I’ll keep my eyes open. Not gonna give up just yet.” He smiled, albeit a little forced, before pushing up from the seat.

“Anyway, I guess I just have a lot more on my plate now. And even though I don’t feel closer to the answer I... I mean. We have a fall back. I just have to work real hard to find something else. Anything else. The Unseen Path would probably never talk to me if I had to give up...”

He gulped. “I better head back to Dad. Thank you again, Mister Callathum. I really appreciate you going out of your way to take the time and effort to do all this for me. Really.” With a bow, he collected his things and put his necklace back on, the enchantment masking the Arakkoa once more with the visage of a Night Elf.

smith-hadeon replied to your post “Uhhh…. that’s weird, my post comes up with strange symbols (like  ’...”

That’s good to know, I guess. :S

Uhhh.... that’s weird, my post comes up with strange symbols (like  ’ for an apostrophe) but then I click read more and it’s fine on my page? Is it just my dash? Is it my stupid xkit readmore now addon thing? IDK.

Sorry if that’s screwed up for anyone else. I swear the text is 100% ok if you go to the page proper.

Stormheart (Part 9)

(( Through computer issues, life catching up, and all hell breaking loose I’m still working on this goddamnit. Considering this has been going on since September and BFA is launching in August I really need to finish this up before then.

So. Here we go. Not much to go after this!

You can read up on previous parts here! Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5/ Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 ))

Curious. Truly that is all I can say about him. He is curious.

Vekrivaath watched as the avian before him, as Rekkis went back and forth hauling various sticks and tinder. The crafty young bird had created some sort of simple pulley system to heave the larger logs up, and soon enough a large fire had been started within the shelter of the cave. Easily two or three times the size the hunter himself would need, the storm dragon had to admit he was a little worried about how much fuel it would need.

Worried? Over him? He was the one that put me in this terrible state. It should be his responsibility to make up for it!

And yet... the fact that he does so, with the feeling that he is overburdening himself is just--

“There!” Rekkis stepped back to throw a couple more of the larger, thicker logs onto the fire. “I hope that’ll hold through the night. I’m beat. I don’t think I can go down for any more kindling.”

It wouldn’t.