Messages

[Part I]

So, during the christmas holidays Trakmar and I decided to do a story together. This is in part the reason for our absence during the holidays, and in part the reason for Sinami's continued absence. I will post the story in several parts as I finish them. I hope you'll like it!

Part I

It was a few minutes after dawn. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, but I could feel the first faint rays of warmth tickle my neck as I made my way towards the outpost. I'd always loved dawn, those few precious moments when everything is completely still and quiet, as if the whole world is holding its breath until the sun peeks above the horizon. Today was no different. I took a deep breath, savouring the sensation of the burning cold air. Today promised to be a good day for hiking, which was exactly what I was supposed to be doing... if only Trakmar could deign to show up. I sniffed the air around me, but when I didn't manage to catch his scent anywhere close I decided to just sit down and wait for him. I plonked myself down, rather gracelessly, in the snow with my back resting against the palisade behind me, my face tilted up towards the sun. Frostfang heaved a great sigh and settled down beside me, his warm presence a lovely comfort that only added to my feeling of joy and contentment.

We didn't have to wait long until we both heard the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow behind us. Seconds later Trakmar's scent reached my nostrils and I pushed myself up to my feet, grumbling a little about him being late.
"You have everythin' y'will need?" Trakmar was the no nonsense sort of orc, and I guessed simple niceties like greetings wasn't all that important when bigger things were in store... like befriending a Garn! In short, he was an orc after my own heart.
"Ah. There you are! Yes, I think so... got enough supplies to last us for a while. Are you ready to leave then?"
"Aye, I be ready. Let's move."
"Alright. Perfect. Also, Bloodmark said he would be dropping by in a few days... hope you don't mind?"
"Aye, that be fine."

I tilted my head as I thought I heard something in his voice... something off... or perhaps teasing. It was hard to judge.
"What was that I heard in your voice, or did I just imagine it?" I figured I could just call him out on it... though either he was just playing coy with me or I really -had- just imagined things, because Trakmar was giving me nothing... except his usual grunting grumpiness that is.
"Heard what?"
"Not sure exactly what it was... but it was -something-."
"Hrm. Must be your imagination then."
"Right... I don't think so... anyway... this trip is about trying to befriend a Garn, right... so, I guess we'll need some sort of plan... or should we just wing it?"

The landscape around us was almost completely still, except for a few whirls of snow the gentle wind managed to stir up around us. I could feel the light caresses of the snow whirls against my cheek and I lengthened my stride, sighing happily. Being embraced and caressed by wind and water (albeit frozen water in this instance) always served to lift my spirits... and since they were high already, I almost felt like bouncing along in the snow. I quickly disregarded that idea however and settled for just walking along with a new lightness of step.

I tilted my head as I waited for Trakmar's answer and judging by the tone of his voice when he finally did speak, he was in pretty high spirits himself.
"We'll need a plan no doubt. First and foremost, gettin' a wolf t'notice each of us without alerting the pack. And withough gettin' the pack to chase us." Trakmar sounded almost gleeful at the prospect and I couldn't help but snort softly in response.
"Well, that is indeed a challenge... hrm... I guess we'd better get there first and get a good sniff, and look in your case, at the place and decide how to proceed from there. We might have to watch them for a few days, learn their pack behaviour and pecking order and stuff like that. I think it might be easier to gain the attention of a lower ranked pack member than a higher ranking one... at least without attracting the attention of the rest of the pack."
"Aye. There we agree. Getting the attention of  a younger wolf, or an outsider of the pack be the best bet."
"Mhrm. We have the beginning of a some sort of plan at least, always something."

A faint howl on the wind made me stop dead in my tracks. I could feel Frostfang tensing up beside me and moments later another howl could be heard... this time much closer to us. I shivered slightly, both from anticipation and a healthy dose of fear, and smiled. The Garn sure had beautiful voices... to have one of them as a friend... what lovely music we could make together. But now was not the time to think about such things. The Garn knew we were there and they were warning us off their territory. For our sakes, I hoped it was just that... a warning, and nothing else. It would be a shame to have to turn tail and run back already... but some strategic backtracking might be a good plan.

Trakmar voiced my thoughts aloud and in accord with one another we made our way back a little, searching for a good place to make camp.
"Damn, the Garn's senses are keen. We've barely gotten close to their valley and still they sensed us. This is going to be a true test of determination and skill, are you sure you're up for it?"
I turned my head in Trakmar's direction and flashed him a cheeky grin. Trakmar let out a humoured snort in response and patted my shoulder companionably.
"Aye, I be. The question be if you truly be ready. You be barely of age for om'riggor. Besides, if I prove to not be and get wounded, good luck carrying me back."
I feigned offence at his comment and presented him with one of my best snarls.
"Of course I am... and so what if I haven't had my Om'riggor yet? What does that have to do with anything? Befriending a wolf is a thing between me and the wolf, not something to prove my worth to someone else, or to prove that I am an adult for that matter... since, admittedly, the idea to befriend a Garn is bordering on recklessly childish."
I playfully swatted at his hand on my shoulder, keeping my voice light and teasing.
"Carry? Who said anything about carrying you back? You'll be lucky if I manage to drag you back with me... so you'd better not end up hurt."
Trakmar just chuckled at my antics and patted my shoulder once more before removing his hand.
"Never said this be about provin' anything. T'was a joke. And do not worry about me gettin' hurt.  Save that worry f'any Garn that might attack us."

Ahem... I realised I hadn't posted my "through the portal story" in here yet... oops... well, here it is. It's short and sort of incomplete, but anyway... enjoy!

If someone had told me a couple of months ago that I would be partaking in a desperate battle to save the world I would have laughed and considered them crazy. That I would also be partaking in a suicide mission to the other side of the Dark Portal would have been so far away from my reality that I probably wouldn't even have been able to comprehend the thought. But here I was, about to rush headfirst into the jaws of chaos and death and without a thought to turn back. My meditation the night before had helped in calming my fear and as I stood together with Frostfang I felt almost eager and excited. It was the same kind of thrill that would surge through me during a hunt and since that was a far more pleasant feeling than the icy grip of fear I decided to succumb to it completely. Stupid, I know, but what else what I supposed to do? At least the thrill of the hunt would give me a much needed boost of adrenaline and perhaps that would help me get through the initial assault on the portal, and not die of fright on the spot.

As the call for battle sounded I rushed forward with everyone else, trying to stay within the pack as I had promised that I would do. My feet beat against the ground in a steady rhythm and Frostfang's panting breaths beside me were easy enough to pick out at first... but as we came closer and closer to the portal the excitement in the air around me heightened to uncontrollable levels and as everyone surged forward I found myself being jostled and pushed again and again. The scents of smoke, fire and gunpowder burned my nose and made my eyes water... and the noise... never, in all my life, have I been able to imagine something like that. The metallic ringing of swords, the piercing shrieks of projectiles of some kind flying past, the blasts of guns and canons, the roars of rage and the cries of anguish and pain. The sound was deafening and pain began to spread like a fine net from the area around my ears, up to my temples, eye sockets and forehead.  The net of pain soon turned into complete agony and all my other senses were dulled as the pain became my sole focus. It was distracting enough that I stopped dead in my tracks for a moment, which only resulted in me losing my balance as someone behind me pushed past and I fell to my knees. But I barely even noticed. All I could think about was to stuff something in my ears and clutch my head to keep it from bursting.

But I had no time or opportunity to do either. Someone grabbed me and forcefully hauled me to my feet, yelling into my already painfully sensitive ear: "Forward!"
I had no choice. I ran. There was no grace in my movements and I only had one thought chasing around inside my head: "Keep going... keep going... keep going..." I held on to Frostfang and pushed onwards at a stumbling and panicked run. I trusted Frostfang to guide me, since my own senses were of little use to me in the chaos that surrounded us. I couldn't even make out the scents and sounds of Frostwolf or Bloodmark anymore. I had lost them. A part of me screamed in panicked fright at that, but since I was already far beyond scared I paid that voice no heed. I couldn't afford to be distracted again and luckily instinct kicked in at that moment, my sole focus reverting back to the same one I had lived by for the past fifteen years: survival.

My flight across the battlefield and through the portal is still a blur, but by some miracle I managed to survive and get through... only to be greeted by an even worse clamour than the one I had just left behind. The battle on the other side of the portal seemed, if possible, even more frenzied to me and my ears were ringing alarmingly. Through the din I thought I heard a faint "For the blood of the tribe!" and I started to manoeuvre my way towards whomever had yelled it... only problem being that there was a rather large army between me and my destination.

Hey guys. I am aware that I have been away for far longer than I had first intended, and for that I am sorry... so I thought I'd just give you a heads up as to what's going on. First there was christmas and then school started back up. I have a mini-tour of auditions to get into opera school comming up this spring, so I am very busy preparing for that right now. But the biggest thing that is keeping me away right now is the fact that this past saturday one of my classmates committed suicide, so I am wrestling with the grief of that tragedy right now on top of everything else. I will be back eventually, but I can't set a definite date right now. I'm sorry.

Thank you! I'm glad you like it. ^^

I will be going to my hometown tomorrow for the Christmas holidays. I'll only bring my laptop, so that means no WoW for about... 2-3 weeks approximately. I will be around on skype, so I am still reachable, but I thought I'd let you know in any case. ^^ Merry Christmas orcs!

Thank you! I'm glad you like it! ^^ Oh? Nice to see someone else who's studied for a bachelor in music too! Yay! Do you have some place where I can listen to your stuff, or no? ^^

And Chopin and Rachmaninov are awesome. ^^

Some of you may know that I am studying for my bachelor's degree in classical music, with vocals as my instrument. I realize that this thread is shameless self promotion, but since I -want- to share my music and what I do with the rest of the world, why not in here as well? ^^

We had a concert in school today and it went really, really well and it was such a joy to perform. I recorded the whole thing and will eventually put up the two arias that I sang on my soundcloud, but for now only the first one is there. It's my favourite aria of all time and I love to sing it, so I really hope you'll like it too! Enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/cecilia-kamf/didos-lament

...and for those of you who are interested, I do have a website where I have gathered most of my music and videos. Both classical, crossover and metal. ^^
http://www.ceciliamezzo.se/

I have one now too!

[This takes place the night before the assault on the Dark Portal. Just some of Sinami's thoughts.]

This takes place the night before the assault on the Dark Portal. Just some of Sinami's thoughts.

I couldn't sleep. The ancestors knows I honestly did try, but none of my usual tricks were working. I had moved away a bit further from camp, so I wouldn't disturb Frostwolf in her sleep. Frostfang was with me, as always, and we sat in companionable silence, like we'd done a thousand times before - my head resting against his shoulder and his warmth and steady heartbeat giving me a sense of comfort that nothing else could. I had closed my eyes, since even though I couldn't see, the sensation of getting sand in my eyes was still decidedly unpleasant, sometimes even painful, and the winds where howling like a pack of wolves tonight, whipping up dust and sand all around me.

I had chosen this exposed place on purpose, it was quite high up and far away from what I could tell, because I needed time to myself, time to think, and I always thought better when I could feel the elements all around me. I may not be able to hear them in the same sense as Oguur or Frostwolf, but the messages they conveyed to me were clear enough. The winds howled and screamed about freedom... that I should take this one chance and flee, remain free, unbound and unbroken. I couldn't help but listen, as I always had, but I knew I couldn't heed their message... not this time.

The earth beneath me and the rocks behind me rumbled about courage. I would need plenty of it if I hoped to be able to follow my sister and my friends into the chaos that awaited us all tomorrow. Tomorrow I would face one of my greatest challenges and my worst nightmares all at once, and if I hoped to prevail, to stay alive long enough to see Frostwolf and my friends safely to the other side I would need the tenacity and the courage to endure.

Despite the heat I could feel myself shivering and Frostfang pressed a little closer to me, attempting to calm the panic that was beginning to rise with alarming speed. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder, embracing him in a choke-hold hug. If all the rumours and all I had heard said about tomorrow was true both of us would most likely die. Some might make it beyond the portal, but I held no illusions about our chances. If Frostfang had gone as a companion to someone else he might have been able to make it, but since I was so dependent on him for my own survival I would slow us both down and by doing so I would most likely seal our fate. But I couldn't leave him behind either. Aside from the fact that he was dearer to me than anything else in this world, having him with me was a chance at survival. It was a small ray of hope, granted, a sliver of a chance... but it was real, and I would hold on to that with everything in me.

Going through the portal and potentially losing -everything- a second time was frightening beyond words and the pain the mere thought of it created almost made my heart stop beating. A few months ago I had had nothing, been no-one. Just a lonely wanderer without family, home or a place in the world. Now I suddenly had all of those things and they were the most amazing gifts anyone had ever given me. I thanked the ancestors every day for sending me on the path that led me to the Red Blades. By encountering them I had met several wonderful orcs and even though I might not know all of them very well, the relationships I had, or had begun forming, with them were still precious to me.

Oguur, the first friend, aside from Frostfang, that I had ever made. Rhonya, who reminded me a little of my mother with her kind heart and spirit of steel. Therak with his calm acceptance and the effort he made to include me right from the start. Axenheart, who had appeared so gruff and harsh at first but seemed to host a rather sensitive spirit beneath the surface. Bloodmark, who had offered me a place in the Tribe and kept nagging me about it until I finally gave in... and for that I would be forever thankful. Cat, with her open-mindedness and interesting insight in troll culture, something I knew next to nothing about. Trakmar with his engaging stories of his homeclan. Sadok, who was fun to tease and had unexpectedly agreed to tutor me without me actually asking him to. And then there was Frostwolf. My bloodsister. My family. My kin. Precious, all of them.

And it was because of them that I was going. If I was going to die I might as well do it with orcs I cared about all around me rather than cold an alone in the wilds somewhere. And if I could prevent any of them dying by being there, I would gladly do so. Bloodmark had suggested that it was love that drove me and gave me the courage I needed to follow through the portal, and maybe he was right. I didn't quite know, myself... but the heat and the fire that danced on the wind, burning my throat with every breath, seemed to roar the same message and as I listened it became increasingly harder to find another explanation.

I released Frostfang from my death-grip and leaned back against the rock, listening to the ocean crashing against the cliffs far below me. I had always had a certain fascination and affinity with water and I found I was always more inclined to listen to that particular element and its call than I would any of the others. The dancing and foaming waves sang of change. Whatever happened tomorrow would change the world, for better or for worse... but the change to my own world had begun further back than that. I was naturally cautious towards change, since change usually presented a certain amount of danger, but as I continued to listen to the haunting song of the waters I realized that I would have to change too if I hoped to survive in the coming days. I didn't know how yet, I just knew I would have to... and that the waters would wash away my old self and replace it with something new.

The waters helped drain away some of my fear and pain and I relaxed a little bit more fully against Frostfang. There was no use in worrying about tomorrow. Change would come, whether I wanted to or not... I would just have to remember to allow myself to be swept up in it.

I tried to hug Koz once.

...wait, you tried to -hug- someone Krogon? How does this make sense? You hate hugs and cuddles! O.o

...I want to give Koz a hug too, but I doubt that would be appreciated. Really touching scene though Koz. I loved it.

[Name:]

Name: Sinami
Class: Hunter
Level: 90


Tell us something about your (role)playing experience:
I have been playing, as well as roleplaying in, WoW on and off since 2005 or 2006... so for almost 10 years now (sheesh, I feel old!). My main is a nightelf hunter (has been my one and only main throughout all my years in WoW!) and I've been a member of the Order of Nature's Grasp since 2010, having filled the roles of both senior, officer and co-leader in the past. I also do play-by-post forum roleplay based on one of my favourite book series of all time and I have been doing that for... oh, I don't know? 6 years or so, give or take. I've never roleplayed an orc before though, so I thought I might try it out (Rarg orc-napped me!! >.<).

And finally, please write a short story and/or IC introduction about your character:

The pack. Family. Companionship. Home. What am I without the pack? Nothing. The pack is the centre, everything else revolves around it. Lose your pack and you lose everything. But where does that leave me? My family is dead, slain by hunters of human origin. I have no place to call home, I have no purpose, I have nothing. Other packs shun me. They see me as weak, cursed or as prey to be hunted. But I am not weak.

I should have been drowned at birth, since a blind cub is a useless cub and will not be able to contribute to the wellbeing of the rest of the pack. You cull the weak, annihilate them completely. They cannot be allowed to pollute the bloodline of the pack. But my parents saved me from that fate. They refused to drown me and we were cast out.

I was ten when my parents were taken from me. I should have died then. A blind cub shouldn't be able to survive in the wilds on her own. But I did. Life and death has a different meaning in the wilds. It's more tangible, more real. And I was not ready to die. So I learned how to adapt, how to survive. I proved that I was, in fact, not weak.

I have been wandering the wilds since then, tracing my ancestry on my mother's side of the family as well as seeking a place to call home. Seeking a pack who will be able to look beyond my physical appearance and see me for who I am, for what I can do.

((OOC character info: 
(because I couldn't fit it into my storysnippet without ruining the flow)
25 years old, her mother came from the Frostwolf clan and her father from the Warsong clan. They lived with the Warsong clan though, hence the whole drowning incident thing. And I think that should be sufficient, but let me know if I've missed anything. Orc lore is, after all, completely unchartered territory for me.))