PapaToad
Active Member
The Dwarf muttered a prayer of praise and thankfulness that God had Watched over him and spared the shivering human female. He knew he should say something to her, Touch her in some reassuring way. But the frighten look in her eyes, scared him, not that he was afraid for his life, but hers. He was sure if she got anymore scared she would fall dead of fright.
The boomstick in his left hand, a very sharp skinning knife in his right, he counted the trolls , yep six dead in under 2 min, not bad shooting. Of course the precisely laid traps did in three of them. The girl's whimpers caught his attention again.
In less 1 day the trolls raided a farm outside of the Westfall. He had been traveling home from the war in the Barrens, six years since he had seen his family and Ironforge. Too long had the sun beat down on him in the relentless deserts. Too long had he fought the Orc and Trolls. He had been giving his discharge and safe passage orders to the Marshal of the Province when the commotion drew everyone’s attention. A Troll raid, and with the Wars taxing all the free races of the Alliance, the Marshal was hard pressed.
Anthoni had seen 1st hand what the Trolls and the burning Dead did to living human sacrifices, he could not allow that to happen. He sighed as He volunteered. The Marshall had wanted to send him with a squad, but he could move faster and quicker on his own. Being the only dwarf on a night elf scout team in during the Barrens wars, he had learn hard and fast to keep up, besides one of those loud mouth braggarts might make it to Ironforge one day, well one of the two that where left of the 10 member Alliance team.
So He had caught up with them in 9 hours, it was a hard and fast pace they were keeping, smart too. He still had no idea if they were part of a larger force or independents sanction to pillage and harass. But the young girl’s life was not worth the price she would pay if he did not act. Images of the past flashed in his mind He grimaced.
The girl whimpered again. He came back to the present. He went to pat the girl on the shoulder, she tried to dart way. He grabbed her by the face roughly. “Child!” he barked. “ I am the Good Guy” You’re very life depends on you trusting me.” He held her face and steeled his deep brown eyes as they bore into her baby blues. He kept talking as he released her. She did not move. Good, he thought. “My name young lady is Anthoni, I am a Scout in the Alliance army, “your family sent me to find you.” The last was not entirely true, her aunt and uncle were the only family the girl had left.
“Do you understand me? He asked never releasing the girls gaze. She nodded. “What is your name? “ He knew the girls name , all the names of her immediate family and where he was born and raised. “SH-sh-Sharon” she stuttered, then gaining strength she said, I am Sharon McMillan” of the McMillan’s of Westfall.”
“Well”, Anthoni Started as he quickly cut her bounds. "Follow me and stay close, and you’ll will live.” He smiles politely “savvy?”
Can I have a weapon? She asked him, her eyes getting hard. Anthoni thought about it, He decided that he could club her cold should she get daffy in the bell tower. “Take what you can carry.” He said.She looked at the dead trolls and kicked one viscously. As Anthoni watched her, he asked, “You’re a farm girl, you’ve chopped wood and cut heads off chickens haven’t you?”
She nodded. Anthoni found and axe and rejected the idea, most warriors will take an axe quickly away from and inexperience fighter. He found a large knife and short sword on a fallen troll and unbuckled the belt. He tossed the backpack off his shoulder and rummaging through, he removed a pair of buckskin pants and a pull over shirt and a pair of soft soled shoes. She looked at the shoes and realized they were hers and the buckskins were her brother’s he was a bit bigger than she was.
The flood of violent memories of that twilight morning were a torrent against her. Emotions reared, Tears started to well up in her eyes. He was dead. They we all dead. Her eyes started to watered. Suddenly the dwarf was in her face, he brought her eyeball to eyeball with himself. There were a hundred cracks and creases in his skin,. His skin was a golden brown like the farm boys in high summer, His big nose poking hers and he growled in low and menacing voice, “Don’t you cry!, not one tear till we’re safe, your father and brother died fighting for you women folk. I need you alert and able to move; you honor the sleeping dead by living.” His voice soften “you can cry later.” Sharon bit her lip hard, stifled a cry and nooded her agreement
He tossed the buckskins to her, “Get y’er dress off, lass, put these on!, He turned his back and waited. She stared at the back of the dwarf as he stared strait ahead, she quickly dropped her dress and donned the buckskins. “They’re too big” she complained. With that the dwarf quickly made it over to her and pulled a threaded needle from his floppy hat. No sooner had he put two threaded needles in teeth to hold them there than, the trolls Belted short sword and big dagger were slung around her waist. The dwarf belted it and pulled it so tight that air was expelled for her stomach. He dug in a pocket found a leather punch and three quick holes later she wore the belt was clasped comfortably around her.
He then took one of the threaded needles and skinning knife and adjusted her pant legs and waist and shirt swiftly . She was amazed it took no time at all. After taking what was left of leather scraps and putting them back into his back pack. They searched the trolls. Sharon was amazed that searching the dead did not bother her. A couple of coppers and a red gem later, Which he let her keep, they made their way, away form the ambush site.
Anthoni figure it would take them 1 day to get back to alliance controlled lands, and 1 day of normal travel to get his care to Sentinel Hill. They traveled all day and a few hours into the night before he told her “we stop here”. It was the 1st words he had spoken since they left the ambush. He did not run, but made all haste. She welcomed the stop.
Sharon was lying on the ground, a wool blanket wrapped around her and a pile of leather scraps served as a pillow. Anthoni would not allow a fire; he said that it would attract unwanted company. So he sat on the ground leaning on his large pack. His boomstick was lying across his legs, a large menacing axe lay on the ground with in arms reach. She remembered the ambush as she drifted to sleep; she had been walking…..
More like staggering, the big Troll had been saying all day that he was going to eat her while she was still alive. He would laugh and the shove her to the ground and kick her if she did not get up quick enough, he was the cruelest of them all. They had come to a clearing in the woods. A smaller troll scout had cautioned them to be still, he waited, it seemed forever, the other trolls spread a bit out. It was the 1st time the did not drag her this way or that, they were scared.
“Sum ting, not right." the smaller troll said, bow in hand. The cruel troll, asked “how many?” The smaller troll looked scared “1 maybe, or maybe10”
“What?” exclaimed the cruel troll. “That no sense”
But Sharon saw concern in his face. No it was fear, that was right before she saw the sun light thru the back of his head. Then instantly after came the report. A loud bang of a boomstick. They were unusual here, she had seen one at the fall festival Last year, when an entourage of dwarfs came to trade with Stormwind merchants and made their way west. From what she remember dwarfs liked to Drink, fight, Shoot and talk loud.
Another goblin pointed across the clearing and then fell over as blood erupted from his back and another report of gunshot. The Trolls drove for cover; she heard another Gunshot and two blended screams cut short. She did not know what happened till later because the troll that had her rope, had ran and tried to run between two trees, only there was a sudden thawp! Then the troll was impaled by a sharpened stick attached to larger stick. For some reason she could not remove her eyes from the sight of the dead troll. She hadn’t notice Anthoni until he was checking the trolls make sure they were indeed dead.
“Sleep girl, your safe with me” As the much needed blackness took her, she believed him. As she was called to the blackness of sleep. She thought that is was weird for the dwarf to be praying to his father. The words would never leave her, his voice would be forever clear in her mind.
“our Father who art in Heaven….”
The boomstick in his left hand, a very sharp skinning knife in his right, he counted the trolls , yep six dead in under 2 min, not bad shooting. Of course the precisely laid traps did in three of them. The girl's whimpers caught his attention again.
In less 1 day the trolls raided a farm outside of the Westfall. He had been traveling home from the war in the Barrens, six years since he had seen his family and Ironforge. Too long had the sun beat down on him in the relentless deserts. Too long had he fought the Orc and Trolls. He had been giving his discharge and safe passage orders to the Marshal of the Province when the commotion drew everyone’s attention. A Troll raid, and with the Wars taxing all the free races of the Alliance, the Marshal was hard pressed.
Anthoni had seen 1st hand what the Trolls and the burning Dead did to living human sacrifices, he could not allow that to happen. He sighed as He volunteered. The Marshall had wanted to send him with a squad, but he could move faster and quicker on his own. Being the only dwarf on a night elf scout team in during the Barrens wars, he had learn hard and fast to keep up, besides one of those loud mouth braggarts might make it to Ironforge one day, well one of the two that where left of the 10 member Alliance team.
So He had caught up with them in 9 hours, it was a hard and fast pace they were keeping, smart too. He still had no idea if they were part of a larger force or independents sanction to pillage and harass. But the young girl’s life was not worth the price she would pay if he did not act. Images of the past flashed in his mind He grimaced.
The girl whimpered again. He came back to the present. He went to pat the girl on the shoulder, she tried to dart way. He grabbed her by the face roughly. “Child!” he barked. “ I am the Good Guy” You’re very life depends on you trusting me.” He held her face and steeled his deep brown eyes as they bore into her baby blues. He kept talking as he released her. She did not move. Good, he thought. “My name young lady is Anthoni, I am a Scout in the Alliance army, “your family sent me to find you.” The last was not entirely true, her aunt and uncle were the only family the girl had left.
“Do you understand me? He asked never releasing the girls gaze. She nodded. “What is your name? “ He knew the girls name , all the names of her immediate family and where he was born and raised. “SH-sh-Sharon” she stuttered, then gaining strength she said, I am Sharon McMillan” of the McMillan’s of Westfall.”
“Well”, Anthoni Started as he quickly cut her bounds. "Follow me and stay close, and you’ll will live.” He smiles politely “savvy?”
Can I have a weapon? She asked him, her eyes getting hard. Anthoni thought about it, He decided that he could club her cold should she get daffy in the bell tower. “Take what you can carry.” He said.She looked at the dead trolls and kicked one viscously. As Anthoni watched her, he asked, “You’re a farm girl, you’ve chopped wood and cut heads off chickens haven’t you?”
She nodded. Anthoni found and axe and rejected the idea, most warriors will take an axe quickly away from and inexperience fighter. He found a large knife and short sword on a fallen troll and unbuckled the belt. He tossed the backpack off his shoulder and rummaging through, he removed a pair of buckskin pants and a pull over shirt and a pair of soft soled shoes. She looked at the shoes and realized they were hers and the buckskins were her brother’s he was a bit bigger than she was.
The flood of violent memories of that twilight morning were a torrent against her. Emotions reared, Tears started to well up in her eyes. He was dead. They we all dead. Her eyes started to watered. Suddenly the dwarf was in her face, he brought her eyeball to eyeball with himself. There were a hundred cracks and creases in his skin,. His skin was a golden brown like the farm boys in high summer, His big nose poking hers and he growled in low and menacing voice, “Don’t you cry!, not one tear till we’re safe, your father and brother died fighting for you women folk. I need you alert and able to move; you honor the sleeping dead by living.” His voice soften “you can cry later.” Sharon bit her lip hard, stifled a cry and nooded her agreement
He tossed the buckskins to her, “Get y’er dress off, lass, put these on!, He turned his back and waited. She stared at the back of the dwarf as he stared strait ahead, she quickly dropped her dress and donned the buckskins. “They’re too big” she complained. With that the dwarf quickly made it over to her and pulled a threaded needle from his floppy hat. No sooner had he put two threaded needles in teeth to hold them there than, the trolls Belted short sword and big dagger were slung around her waist. The dwarf belted it and pulled it so tight that air was expelled for her stomach. He dug in a pocket found a leather punch and three quick holes later she wore the belt was clasped comfortably around her.
He then took one of the threaded needles and skinning knife and adjusted her pant legs and waist and shirt swiftly . She was amazed it took no time at all. After taking what was left of leather scraps and putting them back into his back pack. They searched the trolls. Sharon was amazed that searching the dead did not bother her. A couple of coppers and a red gem later, Which he let her keep, they made their way, away form the ambush site.
Anthoni figure it would take them 1 day to get back to alliance controlled lands, and 1 day of normal travel to get his care to Sentinel Hill. They traveled all day and a few hours into the night before he told her “we stop here”. It was the 1st words he had spoken since they left the ambush. He did not run, but made all haste. She welcomed the stop.
Sharon was lying on the ground, a wool blanket wrapped around her and a pile of leather scraps served as a pillow. Anthoni would not allow a fire; he said that it would attract unwanted company. So he sat on the ground leaning on his large pack. His boomstick was lying across his legs, a large menacing axe lay on the ground with in arms reach. She remembered the ambush as she drifted to sleep; she had been walking…..
More like staggering, the big Troll had been saying all day that he was going to eat her while she was still alive. He would laugh and the shove her to the ground and kick her if she did not get up quick enough, he was the cruelest of them all. They had come to a clearing in the woods. A smaller troll scout had cautioned them to be still, he waited, it seemed forever, the other trolls spread a bit out. It was the 1st time the did not drag her this way or that, they were scared.
“Sum ting, not right." the smaller troll said, bow in hand. The cruel troll, asked “how many?” The smaller troll looked scared “1 maybe, or maybe10”
“What?” exclaimed the cruel troll. “That no sense”
But Sharon saw concern in his face. No it was fear, that was right before she saw the sun light thru the back of his head. Then instantly after came the report. A loud bang of a boomstick. They were unusual here, she had seen one at the fall festival Last year, when an entourage of dwarfs came to trade with Stormwind merchants and made their way west. From what she remember dwarfs liked to Drink, fight, Shoot and talk loud.
Another goblin pointed across the clearing and then fell over as blood erupted from his back and another report of gunshot. The Trolls drove for cover; she heard another Gunshot and two blended screams cut short. She did not know what happened till later because the troll that had her rope, had ran and tried to run between two trees, only there was a sudden thawp! Then the troll was impaled by a sharpened stick attached to larger stick. For some reason she could not remove her eyes from the sight of the dead troll. She hadn’t notice Anthoni until he was checking the trolls make sure they were indeed dead.
“Sleep girl, your safe with me” As the much needed blackness took her, she believed him. As she was called to the blackness of sleep. She thought that is was weird for the dwarf to be praying to his father. The words would never leave her, his voice would be forever clear in her mind.
“our Father who art in Heaven….”
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