Because I don't like having my post count as 69, here's a short story

((Alright, so I saw Totalbiscuit's coverage of stonetalon and I remembered 'hey, I have a troll that lives in Malaka'Jin! How is he dealing with all the new company?' This is pretty much how he reacts.))

It was a good hunt. He had drawn the thunder beast's attention long enough for Tali to hit it from the side. The beast's hide and entrails would bring him a good price at market, and the meat would feed them both for weeks to come. The Tauren used large teams of hunters when they assaulted such a creature, so they could carry it all back. Natame had only Tali. The sinews of the beast's legs he had stretched out, and woven together into a net. The hide had been wrapped around the meat, which he had salted to preserve it. The more valuable organs and glands had been placed into jars, enchanted by the Witch Doctor to keep them pure. All these had been placed into a sort of sled made of the sinews and bones, and hitched up to stalwart Tali. He would not make good time, but he would make good profit and the Loa would see that he did not squander their blessing and would perhaps grant him further blessings; maybe even a family one day. Many Trolls mocked him for thinking the Loa would involve themselves in such mundane matters, but he knew that the loss of the Echo Isles was a judgement by the Loa for their infidelity. They had failed to give the Loa credit for all their blessings and so their blessings were lost.

"Come Tali, Ol' Natame knows ya burden and he will reward ya for it when we make it home."
The Raptor snorted cheerfully and started off at a steady walk. He stayed back slightly, Tali pulled the hunt but she was vulnerable to other beasts; spiders, other raptors, there were still grimtotem raiders in the hills that would not hesitate to attack a lone Troll and his harnessed raptor.
But not this time. It was a long and quiet walk up the mountain path to Malaka'Jin, which he now called home. But when he arrived he noticed something almost instantly.
Lots of Orcs, armored Orcs, unarmored Orcs, Orcs carrying a weapon, Orcs carrying two weapons, Orcs with guns, and Orcs with axes, there were even Orcs wielding magics.
And He thought he saw a Peon crying in one of the corners while a larger Orc hit him with what he could only assume was some sort of shoe-a-rang.

It took him a while to find someone he recognized, most of the Trolls had migrated towards the Witch Doctor's cave at the end of town.
"Hey mon, why dere be all dese Orcs here?"
"Dats what he jus' explained, 'choo stupid or someting?"
Natame grabbed the younger Troll by the dreads and pulled his head back.
"No, I jus' been working ya lettil runt. 'Choo could try it sometime, might teach ya a ting or three about respectin ya elders."
"Don hurt me mon!"
"Get outta here lettil one, dere be no place in dese mountains for da weak a spirit."
The runt ran off and Natame found himself face to face with the Witch Doctor.
"What 'choo be doin roughin up da little one?"
"He be callin me stupid, I taught him to respect his elder."

The two stood staring eachother down for several minutes before Natame finally went for his pack.
"I brought 'choo da gland like ya ask."
The two friends laughed at the crowd, still tense from the assumed conflict.
"Come Ol' Natame, walk wit me."

Natame flipped a few silver to one of the Witch Doctor's daughters and motioned for her to unload Tali's sled. The girl had dealt with her before and he knew she'd manage to avoid reaching Tali's bad side.
Jin'Zil stopped when they reached a little shrine just above the village. Halazzi, of the untamed spirit, was commemorated here. His chosen patron, and responsible for all the hunters of his tribe.
"I thought, maybe it would be best for ya to be with da ones dat keep ya safe. To make sure ya don' do anyting ya regret."
"Jin'Zil, why are dere so many Orcs here?"
"Word on da winds be dat Thrall be steppin down as warchief." The Witch Doctor put a hand to his shoulder to silence him, seeing Natame's displeasure. "Da Hellscream be ordering da Horde to war already, Vol'Jin opposes him."
"Da shadowhunter be a wise leader den, dere be noting to be gained from war so soon after da Lich King."
"Dere be no war yet. But dey be building strongholds in da mountains. Most of da Orcs will move further in, but some of dem be here to assure Garrosh dat we be workin for da Horde."
"Thrall may be wise, but to put such a beast over da Horde is madness."
"On dis we agree; but for now we cannot do a ting."

Natame sighed and knelt before Halazzi's shrine. "Loa, give dis ya servant da strength to accept da wisdom of da warchief. And da patience to deal wit his successor."
"'Choo be a good troll Natame, an I think as much a blessing to da Loa as blessed by dem. Come, Ora'Zil will be finished wit Tali. Maybe 'choo could tell her of one of 'choo hunts?" The witch doctor nudged the hunter, and the two walked back into town.

Day one hundred and six, two days left on this blasted craft

We're rounding Gilneas, I've got Whitefeather groomed and ready to go once we get into the Southshore waters. Laudren and Gidge agreed to accompany me. Laudren took a little coaxing, she'd wanted to see the Dwarves in Menethil. I get the impression she likes Dwarves, not in that sort of way, but as more of a respect thing.

Gidge just gave me one of her nods. She knows how I feel about Menethil. I feel bad bringing her, I know she'd like to see her parents again, but I'm glad she's coming anyways.



The two of them are still chatting. Apparently Laud's not bad with a pair of scissors, she managed to get Gidge's hair down to a rather neat bob. I'm impressed to say the least. It would appear that our doctor is quite versatile. Must have been a gypsy or something, most people don't learn more than one useful skill in their whole life and she's got dozens.

Day one hundred and five, three more days left at sea.

Gidge spent the whole day talking. She wanted to know if we were okay. She wanted to know what happened. She wanted to know who cured her and of what. And she wanted to know how to wear her hair now that it's brown, a color she apparently always wanted it to be.


She and Laudren are still talking about that last part. I never took Laudren for the sort of person who actually knew anything about girly stuff. I've never seen her do anything for her own appearance. For that matter, when did Gidge care?
It's really funny to think about, I mean the one has bits of dried herb in her hair and her skin is worn through on parts of her fore head and the other seems to wear grease as blush; and yet here they are talking about how to wear their hair and what colors they look best in.



Actually, it's kind of nice. We might have a lot of women in the group but we don't have many girls. If that makes any sense. I mean, even the female healers tend to be kind of tough after Northrend. But the two of them just seem to have forgotten it all and gotten out their makeup kits.

And yesterday I was worried she might be trying to kill us all. Either she's a mad genius or her work is the creepiest thing this side of the Maelstrom. It might be both.

Hundred and four days since first entry.

Gidge is still asleep, but she should be awake in a few more hours. She seems a lot better, and with what Laudren is calling 'minor side effects'.

Her hair turned brown. I suppose its not a huge difference, but I imagine Gidge will notice it rather quickly. Poor girl'll probably be shocked speechless.



Laudren is doing fine otherwise. She..um..collected a few samples from some of the patients on the ship. Vials of blood from the wounded, bits of hair and skin from the humans, one of the Goblins drowned in the storm below decks and the body just sort of dissapeared. I'd confront her, but I'm half afraid to find out what she's doing. She's brilliant, and nice, and even reasonably attractive for a dead person; but she can be pretty fierce when people question her motives and her methods.

At worst, I suppose I'll be killing an undead goblin or the ship blows up. It's goblins, if it goes unattended for a few hours that'll happen anyways.
At best? Now that's a scary thought.

Day hundred and thirty, sorry, hundred and three

Gidge is sleeping, quietly. The fever dropped off within hours and everything else seem to be correcting itself. She's gonna be okay.


Laudren yelled at me for not getting her sooner. Apparently she's done the same to the healers. It kind of established a pecking order really; Laudren being kind of the top medicinal authority in the group now. She's certainly got the expertise. She's just not very approachable, not that she isn't nice, just that she tends to take a lot of her knowledge as basic and makes it apparent what sort of healer you must be for not knowing it. I wouldn't say she bullies the healers, she just reminds them where healers stand in the medical community.

A lot lower than I'd have ever thought. You'd think a combat healer would need to be the best, but apparently just 'summoning your inner power', or whatever the hell magic is, is pretty easy compared to curing disease or rehabilitating ex-soldiers. Probably an issue of training too, she's spent years learning this stuff and most of them just learned a bit of restorative magic from a hunchbacked crone outside of town and refined it a bit as they fought in Northrend.

Day hundred and two, really early in the morning

Got a spare moment and I'm using it. Laudren has a very..involved way of brewing her potions. That or Alchemy is way more athletic than I'd ever realized. Maybe it's just something to do with the way she organizes her herbs, it seems like whatever she needs is on the opposite side of the room from what I've just gotten her.


The medicine should start working within hours, but she'l need to rest for a while. I have high hopes. I can't say much for Laudren though. She's in this wierd sort of trance almost. Like she can't see anything outside of curing Gidge. It kind of worries me.

still the hundred and first day

It's some exotic sort of fever. I think she called it a Scarlet fever. She handed me a book and told me to find out what I can while she 'meddles'. Apparently it's a particularly nasty sort of disease that killed hundreds of Scarlet's a few years ago. Gidge must have caught it while we were in New Hearthglen, probably from one of the ex-scarlets. From the looks of it it should have taken longer to get this bad, but for a Gnome the disease has less to infect and it escalated very quickly.

But it looks treatable, If Laudren has the herbs then she shoud be able to cure it rather easily. It'll be a few days before she recovers, but Gidge should be able to pull through.