Dark Days- Kyrazha

[Rhonya]

The cell was dark, full of shadows and muffled sounds coming from outside, guards at the front, keeping an eye on their prisoner. Me. I couldn’t see much, no matter how hard I tried to stare at things or tried to move around. My mind was still foggy, like a deep mist that had taken residence inside of my head, making me slow and just not feeling like doing anything. I could feel the pain of my wrists, the raw iron shackles having opened up my flesh due to me moving so much before. It stung… But the pain couldn’t distract me from the pain in my heart.

My cheeks were still wet from tears spilled before. Unwanted tears, forced tears, embarrassing me now that I had actually cried in front of â€"him-. My head hung low, the collar and chain around my neck keeping me up however, making my breath raspy, my throat dry. I’d gotten no water, no food. My armor stripped, nothing to keep me warm apart from a thin layer of hay to sit on so I wouldn’t freeze to death. No one had visited me in the darkness, apart from one, earlier today.

Thinking back at it, the anger flared up in me again. Anger and guilt, embarrassment and most of all, hate. Hate for this orc, what he’d done to me. Therak would be dissapointed in me, I was sure of it. My body barely bore any marks of his visit, a blue eye was the only thing. My gaze fell back down to my knees, and the things lying beside them.
Dreadlocks, scattered over the floor, cut off and thrown aside by him earlier, as they’d been in the way for what he wanted to do. My head felt oddly light without them, but losing most of my hair was the least of my worries now.

I didn’t even know his name. I should’ve found out, somehow, so one day I could’ve taken my revenge on him. When he had first come in, I had thought it was Sadok. My mind had been playing tricks on me, my hope that he’d come for me, and maybe he had… But it had merely been a trick of the light glimmering over the skullmask he was wearing, one of the same masks Sadok sometimes wore. Of course it hadn’t been him, and I’d been stupid enough to already give him a sign of weakness in me, my hope crushed as he’d stepped forwards and started his interrogation.

He had explained to me that he was a Shadowmoon orc, following Ner’zhul, there to aid the Thunderlords with them becoming a full part of the Iron Horde. I had no idea why he was telling me this, it seemed weird for him to give me this information for free. Though now I knew, it was merely a threat of what was to come. He sounded proud of himself, eager and he seemed to really be enjoying himself with seeing my anger, my reactions… He told me my fate that would await me as prisoner, being sold off to one of the Thunderlord hunters, as slave. Trophy-mate.  My green skin made me even more special, he said. I reacted in anger, of course… But this only seemed to amuse him more.

Another way out for me, he began to speak about. Giving him what he needed…And if I did, he would set me free again. I didn’t believe him, of course. The next moment however… My head had exploded with a sudden pain, the last thing I saw was him clenching his hand. Things went dark, and when suddenly the pain stopped again, he was still sitting there, staring at me coolly. My vision was fuzzy and I tried to focus. Tried to remember the lessons Therak taught me. Lie to him… But don’t give in too fast. My mind was racing, trying to find a way out, when he asked me the first question.

What is the Red Blade?


Of course… I could’ve guessed he wanted information from me about the tribe. The reason they’d captured us, me and Gridish both, even though I had no idea where he was now, if he was even still alive. I resisted, gave him a snappy answer:
“If ya ain' guessed dat yet ya be truly an idiot.”

Wrong answer, of course. Soon again, the pain started once more, like my head was being crushed. I couldn’t see, light flashing in front of my eyes as I tried to move away, get away from this pain, from the needles driving into my head… and it stopped again. I felt something warm leaking down my wrists, my skin sliced open by the edges of the shackles. And so he continued, asking more… I didn’t give him anything. He responded with pain… I gave him a fake name of where the tribe came from, but even that only bought me more anguish, more of the same.

Suddenly he moved in front of me, my mind working slow as if all my thoughts had turned to mud. I could only stare at him as he grabbed my throat and told me with a smirk that he’d only been testing me, that we hadn’t even begun yet. That was the moment I started to get scared, especially as he suddenly started hacking away at my hair with a knife, holding me firm by my throat, half choking me.


No, why -ask- when you can -take-?

I had an opening there. Out of reaction when the pressure on my throat suddenly loosened a bit, I bit him. I felt his thin glove in my mouth, the skin underneath opening because of my tusks and teeth and he hit me in the face with a fist. My head whipped to the side, but to my satisfaction I’d ripped part of his flesh off with my teeth, the smell of blood strong in my nose. Though at that moment, everything went black.

I woke with a ringing noise in my ear as something hit my cheek, hard. I tried to cry out, but he’d stuffed something in my mouth, preventing me from speaking. I felt something else, and as I managed to focus my gaze again, I saw him sitting in front of me still, his hands reached out to my head, his fingernails digging painfully into my scalp now most the hair was out of the way.
The second he spoke about looking into my mind and I felt a sudden presence pushing on my head, I realized what he was doing. Mind magic. I panicked, tried to get him to let me go, struggled in the chains and tried to lean away, but it was no use. I wasn’t trained for this. I couldn’t resist this.

My memory of what happened next is still very vague. I remember flashes, his voice talking to me, asking me questions, holding my head still with his hands. Flashes of the tribe, even though I tried not to think about them, not wanting to give him anything. But he pressed on, the feeling of pressure getting stronger and I couldn’t stop it. I was powerless, and I knew it. Flashes of the rebellion, Trakmar, Sadok.. Bloodmark leading, faces of those I loved, things we’d done, moments of pain and depression for me, Sadok nearly dying…

And suddenly those were followed up by something new. His voice sounded, but I couldn’t focus on the words being said, only seeing those images in my mind. Sadok captured, being tortured, decapitated, my sons lying next to him, crying their little lungs out… The tribe, vanquished and gone, things burning.. and then myself, being sold off as some piece of meat in the Thunderlord camp.
By then I realized I was crying, tears coming down my face as I hung limp in the chains, ignoring everything else around me. This couldn’t have been real, even though the pain told me otherwise. Was this really what happened to the tribe? Had the Thunderlord struck back at them, only keeping some alive?

A fire burned in my chest as I managed to look up at him. Hate. Pure and deep loathing for this orc, who had dug himself deep into my mind and stolen my memories.  Sadness for the things I’d seen, hoping with all my heart that they were not true. Suddenly something cool had touched my cheek, and I focused on him again as he spoke, explaining his staff was filled with souls, and there was always more room for one more… Should I want the easy way out. He was giving me a choice, eternal death or a lifetime of slavery.

He’d removed the gag, and my voice was soft and raspy as I spoke.
“I'd rat'er... rat'er c'oose slavery.. over.. b-bein' any use ta ya..”
Then a slave you will be. The entirety of your life... without freedom, toiling for your new masters. Had been his answer, and he talked some more, just trying to humiliate me even further. After that, thankfully, he’d left.

I wasn’t broken. I wasn’t going to give up this easily, sitting in this cell, shackled to the wall like some wild beast. I might not have been able to resist the attack on my mind, but I still had my body. My claws, my teeth and my fire, burning in me. My hate. My will to get back to the others, who couldn’t be dead. I just had to keep telling myself this. Stay strong… Don’t cry, and fight back. I tried to call out, over the link, to my tribe, but I wasn’t sure any of the words were coming through, with the state I was in. I had to try and warn them somehow…
Mentally I pulled into myself, saving my strength, waiting for the next one who dared to come into my cell.

[Rhonya]

“...I sense -something-... a presence I've not felt since...” The voice spoke. It was a familiar voice now and I tensed right away while hearing it. I kept my eyes closed and my head hung low in the collar and the chains, just leaning my weight on that. I was too tired, too weak to properly sit up on my own. The sound of the door got me out of my stupor a little as I heard the lock open and footsteps coming in.

“Telepathic link.” He said in an angry tone as he stepped further forwards, I could hear his robes move over the cold floor, until he stopped in front of me. I opened my eyes, looking up at him in slight confusion. I had used the link… Moments before, I had heard my hearts voice telling me to hang in there, they would come for me, they would get me out… But how had he known?

“…Wat?”  I said, my voice a rasping sound that surprised even myself. I still hadn’t gotten anything to drink, and it was painful to talk. I was barely done talking when he lunged forwards, with force pushing my head back and digging his fingernails deep into my scalp. I snarled in reaction, trashing in my bonds, but it wasn’t much use. He was stronger and what seemed to be without effort, he forced himself into my mind again, easily finding the one thing I’d kept my hopes on, my connection with my pack, the spirit link.
The next moments were hellish as he forced his voice through, pushed his words into my head and made me reach out over the link to the others, taunting them. I felt pain of my body, but it seemed far away, and I couldn’t focus. Then without a warning, a white hot pain flared in my mind, burning, and I felt something being broken. My connection, the thing I’d been strengthened by…gone.

Anger filled me again and stupidly enough I let myself be overcome by it, kicking out at him, moving my head forwards suddenly as he was sitting so close, trying to headbutt him. As my forehead made contact with his metal helmet though, I regretted it right away. He cackled, a chilling sound.

“It was -so easy- to speak through you. -Never- try such a tactic again. You are a slave, and slaves speak when they are told.” He said, looking down at me.
“I'll..-never-.. be a slave!” I told him, firm and direct, anger still flaring in me.
“You chose enslavement over eternal death. Have you changed your mind?” His voice was cold, and as he spoke he grabbed his staff, the thing I knew he kept many souls in. This only seemed to make me even more angry.
“Ya may name me slave. Ya may call me slave. Bu' I'll never -be- one if I dun' see meself as suc'. Go away wit' ya staff. Leave me alone!” I growled, spitting out to him. His arm moved, and suddenly flashes exploded in front of my vision as he hit me on the side of my head, hard. A crack was heard and I was thrown to the side, feeling the shackles cut into my skin even more. I heard myself groaning, my vision very blurry.

“You demand -nothing-.” He said and I felt the cool tip of the staff close to my forehead. I could hear the voices inside, the howling, the screams of agony…
“You have exceeded your usefulness. I already have everything I could want to know. The Thunderlords will be sorry about the loss of a trophy mate, but you are worth little in the grand scheme of things.”

At this I opened my eyes, my vision unfocused as fear gripped me. Had I gone too far? I had made a promise to Sadok, to join him on the Eternal plains when we died, to stay together… Panic gripped me as I realized that would never happen if I made this male too angry.
“N-no…” I tried to speak, the words coming out in a stutter, trying to lean away from the staff. He only brought it closer and it started to glow. I could see …things, bright, resembling orcs, draenei, children… babies. Writhing in agony, screaming out.  My body reacted in fear, trying to curl up, prevented by the chains.
“Convince me otherwise. Why should I keep you alive?”
“I-..I can be useful..”
The staff only came closer and a horrible feeling filled me, as if I was being pulled away from my body, ripped apart. I shut my eyes.
“...How?” His voice sounded, and I just blurted out the first thing that came into my mind.  
“C- cause... Stron'.. T'underlord 'unters.. Wan'... stron' mates, n-no..?” It was barely a whisper.
“I do not believe you.” The screams grew louder, and I felt cold, so cold… I couldn’t feel my body anymore, a soft whimper coming from my lips. “S-stop!” I said in a pleading voice.
“Why?” Was all he said. “P-please…”  I stuttered. A maniacal laughter sounded and suddenly I felt those â€"things- pulling on me, trying to tear me away from my body, pulling me deeper into the cold, into the pain, into the darkness.
“...Please? Is that all you have to offer? Ha-ha-ha!”
I cried out, afraid, terrified, panicked. “Wat do ya wan' from me!”
“I told you. I want -information-.”

I felt something change there, a sudden emptiness filling me, despair. I saw my own body a moment, limp, before my vision was filled with a swarm of shapes. Wailing women with too large mouths, males forever bleeding, small children with black eyes reaching their tiny arms up at me, screaming, forever screaming. They pulled at me, trying to tear me apart. It hurt like nothing I’d ever felt before. Suddenly a face appeared in front of my vision and I felt a short moment of joy. Sadoks face, the familiar shape of his eyes, his nose… But he started to fall apart, the skin rotting off and flaking until only a skull was left. But even that started to crumble, until nothing was left of it anymore.
It was black, it was all black… cold… I was alone. I realized I could feel pain, pain in my arms and my knees from sitting on the cold floor. I could hear something whimpering in fear, and then I realized I was hearing myself. I was still here! I could feel my body. He was standing in front of me when I opened my eyes, staring down at me with a malicious glare.
“Your soul belongs to me now.” He said. “W-w'y..” I whimpered softly, still trying to recover from whatever it had been that he’d put me through.

“Because I can. And because if you -disobey- me again, I will end your existence like -that-.” He spoke, snapping his fingers. “Do you -understand-?”
I nodded my head just barely, not having the strength for much more.
“I-..I do.. Wat do ya.. wan' from me? Ya 'ave y-ya information.. Let me go..” I stuttered, a feeling of hopelessness coming over me. He had full control over me, and he knew it. There wasn’t anything I could do about it, and it made me feel extremely alone and helpless, something I’d never felt before, not like this.
He sat down in front of me, the pale blue of his robes coming into vision as I stared at the floor. His voice sounded close as he spoke in an aggressive growling voice.
“The Red Blade do not come from Autumnfall. Nor do they come from the jungle. -Where- do they come from?”

Surprise filled me at those words. I’d lied to him before, I knew, but how did he find out about it?
“I.. dun'- dun' know..! I wasn'.. dere wen it was started.. I swear. I dun' know.” I softly spoke, my eyes still on the floor. I heard him move, and suddenly the staff came into vision again, my eyes widening.
“I do not believe you.”
“I be no' lyin'!.. I jus'.. been wit' dem bit more den a year..!” I said desperately, and I saw something moving from the edge of my vision, his fist hitting the side of my head. I growled out in pain and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I spat some of it out, snorting lowly.
“...Who is the leader of your tribe?”
“Ya seen 'im already..” I responded, some of the former anger filling me again at this pointless questioning.  
“What is his -name-?” He said, sounding more demanding now, impatient. I had to think something up, a lie..anything. I started to cough, dry, hacking coughs and asked softly for some water, but he refused. I remained quiet, but suddenly he grabbed my throat again, squeezing hard. My vision started to get blurry again, my head pounding in pain as I couldn’t breathe.

“His -name-. What is his -name-?!” He demanded, keeping his grip tight around my throat. I was starting to feel lightheaded, but suddenly he let me go and I gasped in the dry air, trying to breathe.
“What -is- his name?” He asked again, looking down on me with a disgusted look on his face. I finally managed to speak, croaking out the first name that came to my mind.
“G-grim... S-stonepaw..”

He looked surprised at this before speaking again.
“The Chieftain of the Red Blades is Rargnasha Bloodmark. It is no secret -- we have known this since before you even stepped foot on our world.” A smirk curled around his lips and I just waited for the next blow, the next flash of pain. Surely he’d hurt me again for lying to him. “D-den..w'y ask..” I spoke softly, more to myself, but he had heard me anyway, responding in a curious voice. “Because I am curious. You lie to me, even after I have shown you what fate awaits your soul. Why? Are you that -stupid-?”  He tilted his head, looking down at me. I looked away from him then, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of me looking up at him from my low position. I clenched my teeth, my answer coming in a low hiss.
“Better.. ta lie den.. betrayin'.. me tribe.”
“An' better to die, or better to be sold to a Thunderlord hunter for whom you will cook, clean and bear children, than to tell the truth and be set free?”
A feeling of unbelief filled me and I answered him, still staring intently at the floor, even though for me it seemed by now the stones were moving under me, my head pounding with a dull pain, as if someone was hammering away on it constantly.  
“I dun'.. believe ya. Ya'd never let me go...”
“Would I not?” He spoke as I heard him move, and suddenly I heard the sound of keys as he removed my shackles one by one. I fell forwards right away, pain flaring up in my shoulders in protest as my arms moved into another position, after having been stuck in the same pose for so long. I slumped on the ground, knowing this must be a trick. He was lying. Yet, he stood up and moved to the side of the cell. I followed his movement with my eyes, peering at the door. It wasn’t locked… I had a chance, and trap or not, I felt something pulling in me to just try it. Try to get out. Back to Sadok, to my pack. And forget about all this.

I forced myself to my feet, hearing his voice beside me, telling me to go, to free myself, to crawl to freedom… I still didn’t believe him. “Ya be jokin’..”
“No, you have my -word-. You wanted to be free... now -seize- the opportunity. Are you so eager to embrace your slavery that you would stay?” He said in a mocking voice.

My walk wasn’t fast, I kept nearly tripping over the smallest things and often I needed to put my hand on the floor to balance myself again. I felt so weak, so vulnerable… But the door was open. I stepped outside and looked over my shoulder. He was following me, urging me on, asking me what I was waiting for. The exit was right there. Just up that small slope, out into the snow…
“So close. So close to freedom.” His voice followed me. “Ah. There we are. The exit.”

I could breathe in the fresh air, feel the cold wind on my bare skin as I took a step forwardsâ€"and couldn’t move anymore. I couldn’t feel my body anymore and suddenly the ground came closer as I was falling, landing on the ground with a thud. He’d tricked me, as I thought. He would never let me go… Suddenly he leaned down and I saw him reach out with a hand, grabbing my short cropped hair between his claws. He started to drag me back inside, and my hope died out once again.

“You know I couldn't have let you escape. What would the point be in that?” He said, a grin showing his sharp teeth and tusks under his mask. He shoved me back into the cell, put on the shackles once more and waved his hand. I could feel my body again, I could move… But with that the pain came back again too and I groaned, half closing my eyes. I was now beyond angry. But I had to keep myself back, not lash out at him, not make him angry again…

“You. I like you. It warmed my heart to see you -struggle- for the exit. You actually thought you could escape, didn't you?” His words were followed up by a loud cackle.
I spoke, spitting out the words: “Ya broke ya word! Does 'onor mean not'in' fo' ya!”
“Well... better to lie than betraying my Clan.” He smiled innocently and I started to shake, so angry, so tired, just visioning myself putting my teeth in the soft skin of his throat, tasting his blood, feasting on his flesh…
“Ya.. Ya be..” I couldn’t even finish my sentence, so much anger filled me.
“I am â€"what-?” He was staring down at me now, and I couldn’t help myself. I cursed at him, a Trollish word he didn’t even know, but I was sure he could guess the meaning due to the tone I was using. He only laughed however, and spoke: “You have amused me enough for tonight. Perhaps we shall play tomorrow again...?”
I glared at him, not speaking.

“I spoke to your jailors, by the way. You are to be sold in three nights' time. So we have time yet to spend.” He said, turning towards the door. He looked back again at me, cackling. “Who knows? I might even put in a bid myself.” Stepping through the door, he closed it behind him again, locking it and he slowly walked out of sight. “You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?”

I’d never felt so lonely then on that moment, sitting on the dirty floor, stuck to the wall. Sadok had told me to hang on, to stay strong, but it required all my strength and my effort to stick to those words, to just not give up and have the darkness take me instead…

[Rhonya]

Spoiler: show

((Image in spoiler due to nakedness, you've been warned!))



My body was failing me slowly. I could feel it, the pain like a thousand knives stabbing me again and  again. There was nothing around me but snow, and cliffs. My vision was blurry and vague, I couldn’t see anything, also due to the snow coming down in thick flakes, the wind blowing them right into my face. Suddenly my knees buckled and I sunk down into the snow with a loud grunt, shivering uncontrollably, the skull I had in my hand rolling a little bit further as I let it go. Had I escaped, only to die out right here? I hadn’t truly eaten for days, nor had much to drink, and I had no idea where I was going, if I was even going in the right direction towards camp.
My eyes fell on the skull again and I felt some anger and strength returning. I’d cleaned it very fast, not wanting to lure in any predators with the stinking flesh should it start to rot. Even though that was unlikely in this cold, I wasn’t taking any chances.

My escape had been a stroke of luck, and I still couldn’t believe it had actually worked. Vuk Vilefinger, I knew his name now. The one who had tormented me so, even up until his death. He had come into my cell again with a dog bowl filled with water, ‘beast’ written on the side. Of course, he’d put it right outside of my reach, knowing I was very thirsty, not having gotten anything to drink the days before.

“Beg for it. I want to you beg for it. Beg â€"me- for it.”

I remembered his words, and hearing them in my head again caused me a pang of fear to appear in my guts, but also an anger still, even though I knew he was dead. I’d begged him… swallowed my pride and begged him. And he had poured most of the water on the ground before me and drank the rest himself, still not giving me anything. At that moment I’d just turned my face to the wall and refused to acknowledge him anymore, but he was only amused by this of course. He forced me to eat a bit of pork, even though I didn’t want to.

What happened next was something I didn’t want to think back on. Not ever again. I still felt his touch on me, saying he’d ‘sample the goods’ before the auction, paralyzing me from my neck down. However, he got so distracted that suddenly I felt I could move again and before he could truly do anything to me, I’d lunged myself forwards with my last strength. In his surprise he was easily pinned down.

I remember the satisfaction, the extreme rage and joy I felt at the same time as my teeth sank into his neck. The sweet taste of his blood, of my revenge, filling my mouth as he struggled below me, but it was too late already for him. I’d gotten a hold of his windpipe between my teeth, and like a tiger with its prey, I wasn’t letting go. He almost stopped moving after a while, a puddle of blood spreading over the floor now under him, his light robe soaking up the liquid and staining it red. I bit through, crushing his windpipe, ending his life. Ending my torture. In my thirst I sucked up some of the blood, filling my stomach at least somewhat with the warm, red liquid.

I had to work quickly now, I knew it. Noticing his staff, I carefully picked it up, remembering the souls he’d trapped in the crystal on the top. I simply smashed it against the wall, breaking it, the force throwing me back on the ground as I heard the screams softly disappearing, dying out. Maybe they were free now… I hoped so, at least. Next up was my prey. Knowing he had a knife, I found it in his pouch, together with the keys, some food and some water.

I ate the food, drank some water while I worked on cutting his head clean off. The robes I left, I didn’t want to wear anything he’d worn, even though that meant I had to go out into the snow naked. Taking his head with me, I freed myself and very carefully, very quietly made my way outside.
There were no guards at my prison now. Perhaps Vuk had been too confident in his powers and ordered them away, so he could torment me without being interrupted. Wouldn’t surprise me if that was the case. I shivered in the cold air, and sniffed. Scents around me, so many different ones…

I snuck through the snow as low as I could press myself, ignoring the cold. I only had one chance, I couldn’t screw up now. To my enormous luck, it seemed something was going on in the middle of camp, what sounded like fighting, shouts and the smell of blood hung in the air. Maybe brawls, or two Thunderlords fighting for a postion… I wasn’t in any mind to stay and find out, so I made my way around the building, using the deep shadows and bone pillars as cover, snatching up a white fur I happened to come across on a crate. I flung it over myself as much as I could, trying to hide amongst the snow. When I reached the edge of camp, I slid down some cliffs, hiding in the cracks, stopping to catch my breath.
I couldn’t stop moving for too long though, only having the fur as warmth, I had to keep moving. So I did, using the cliffs to my advantage.

Now I was lying in the snow, my face pressed against it as I wondered if I had the strength to go on… I’d promised my mate. Sadok. I promised I would hang in there. So I couldn’t give up. Hoisting myself up to my feet again, I picked up the skull once more, pulling the fur a bit tighter around my naked shoulders, and continued my slow crawl to where I hoped was the Frostwolf camp…
Stonefang.