------
Red
coughed as he entered the musty room. His eyes scanned it, as he
coughed, running everyone as he opened the door. It had to be here.
As he walked the isles of drawers, he stopped, at one marked "R".
Pulling open the drawer, he began flipping along the files inside,
before pulling out one, marked with his name.
Pulling
a nearby decaying chair up to the lone table in the room, he opened
the file. Looking around quickly, to make sure he was alone, he
assured himself that few people would actually come in here. He was
certain there were particular people who looked, and updated these
things, but he was fairly certain he wouldn't be interrupted.
Slowly,
he lifted the first page from the folder, and looked it over. He
laughed, simple information. Reading along, he smiled at how some of
the information was recorded.
First
name: Redamous
Last
name: Withheld
Height:
8 ft
Weight:
250 lbs
Rank:
Sergeant
Race:
Worgen
Status:
Active
Shaking
his head, he grinned. His last name wasn't withheld, it was
nonexistent. Everything else was accurate, and he was alittle
suprised that someone had taken the time to update his rank.
Redamous
flipped through a few more papers. Copies of his license, his
original forms. As he continued through though, things became more
interesting. Reports, reports he hadn't even known had been filed.
Glancing
at one, he grinned slightly. "Freed at Light's Hope Chapel. Sent
to Stormwind as representive of Worgen along with fellow Knights."
it read.
Oh,
he thought, if only it had been that simple.
-----
Pain.
Pain was the only thing in the world as far as he knew. The pike had
been driven deep, extremely deep. The guards had ran off, and he now
sat here alone, dying slowly.
He
deserved it. That's the one thought that kept him sane. This is what
he'd earned for himself. Killing his family, he was certain that he'd
killed since, that'd earned him this. He didn't even deserve to die,
he thought, just to sit here, in pain, forever.
Death,
just the thought of death made him smile. He'd be with them, atleast.
Maybe they'd find it to forgive him. Drifting, finally he was
drifting off. Fading fast. Finally, he closed his eyes, and they
didn't open again.
He
hadn't really known what to expect when he woke up. But it wasn't
this. His mind was a blur. Everything was a blur. Forge, kill, steal,
kill. Orders, he thought, perhaps they were. Of course he followed
them. Why wouldn't he? What else was for him to do? What other
purpose could he serve?
Killing.
The joy it gave him, as he viciously clawed at a man, who didn't even
know what he was. He was a soldier. That's what all he was, all he
ever seemed to have known. There was nothing else. Though there was
blood, it seemed to coat the ground after he'd plowed through the
area. He was a weapon. The weapon he'd forged, lay still on his back.
All he needed were his claws. His mind, a hybrid of the feral and the
man he'd been. Except the man's conscience, which seemed as dead as
he was.
He
didn't need a reason, just so long as he could sate his hunger for
blood. A church was his next front. As the Knights charged, he didn't
give it a second thought. The minutes that followed he couldn't
recall. But once it had finished, he saw the Lich King, he saw him,
and just waited for the next order. But it never came. Slowly,
slowly, over the arguing, or whatever it was, that went on his mind
cleared.
It
seemed like at that very second, every face, of every life he'd ended
flashed before his eyes. The thought of screaming came to mind, but
he just couldn't.
Finally,
one of the higher ranking Knights looked at him, "You look like
you've got your wits about you. Get moving to Stormwind. Now."
the officer stopped, "Names, I'm taking names, we'll finish up
the rest when we're done here, but I'm getting the paper work started
early."
The
Worgen stared for the longest time. Thoughts clouded, he hardly
understood what the man had told him. Stormwind, what in the world
was that? Name. What was his name? Did he even have one? Of course
he'd had a name. But what was it? Redemption. He wanted that. Work
with it. After what seemed like seconds to him, he spoke,
"Re....Red...Redamous."
The
officer nodded, "Redamous, very good, one of the first beasts
I've seen around here, reason I'm sending you if you wanted to know."
Red
nodded, talking, was strained, hopefully it would come back in time.
He followed the others who'd been given similar orders. They rode on
horseback, but he ran, like an animal. Through unfamilar streets, in
a city he'd never heard of, they rode. The posse ran to the ruler of
the city, the king, and spoke of what had occured, offered their
assitance. From what Red saw, they needed it. The city was no
Gilneas, but as far as he saw, it'd be home. People stared when he
walked, murmured to themselves, cursing his kind. Oh he was
representing his kind, alright. People saw him as both an animal and
a threat. Gilneas had yet to attacked by the Scourge, and many had
never seen a Worgen. He could only imagine some's horror.
Up
north, he was trying to help. He kept to the smaller assignments, and
was hardly ever noticed. Redamous was rarely called upon when it came
to doing anything of importance, always being assigned to simple
clean up duty, but that didn't bother him. For the longest time, he
formed a plan, this was his war. He knew that, but he didn't need to
be here, he wasn't contributing much.
After
weeks of contemplating, he went AWOL.
-----
The
Worgen sighed, as he thought back on it, he should have stayed. But
no one had noticed. Well, he'd thought no one had noticed. As he
peered through the file he saw reports from one of his old COs,
Corporal Coldcart. They were all written in a decent cursive, and
were easily read. Red laughed, something told him if Coldcart was
still kicking, he was behind a desk, simply writing these days.
"The
'wolfman', as many of the boys have gotten to calling him, though he
insists he has a name is worrying the others. They just don't like
having to work around an animal. I've sent multiple requests for
transfer, please atleast send some word."
"'Redamous'
as he insists on being called, has yet to be moved from my squad. It
would be easier just to move him."
"Sir,
I don't care how good he does in the cleaning jobs. He needs moved,
the others are worried to even work around him. I know there are alot
more like him, but he's the only one around here, and alot of the
boys are worried."
"The
'Worgen', didn't come back to camp. Assuming him dead, or captured.
Finding the body will be our main priority, if we are not busy
tommorow."
"We
were too busy." (There were many of these)
The
last one he saw, was a more finely typed report:
The
Worgen, known as 'Redamous', returned to the hold today, on May the
thirty first. He has pleaded guilty on the charge of being away
without leave. Punishment was swift, assigned to the forest working
with a group known as 'The Emerald Dream', we have thought the group
to be insane and dangerous. We do not expect him to return.
Update:
As the group no longer seems to exist, we are closing the book on
them. Redamous is still alive, and is to be considered active in
duty, a unit should pick him up soon.
But
it hadn't been soon. It had taken time. He had been free to walk the
streets for a few weeks, and he enjoyed his time doing so. The time
between his going AWOL, and coming back to the Hold was mostly
uneventful. He'd spent the time travelling. He'd explored the world,
and found himself again, regained his thoughts, his past, his
present. As he continued to flip through the pages, he laughed, and
saw that there reports on his whereabouts during almost all of the
time. Nothing specific, and it suprised him that they'd let him be,
and he began to contemplate the reason, as he sank into a few
memories of his travels.
As
Red looked out over the Ebon Hold's railing, the land seemed to go on
forever in every direction. He folded the map as best he could, and
ordered a flight down to the ground.
Riding
to the west, he seemed to disappear right into the sunset. The Worgen
rode deep into the night, and into the next day. He rarely stopped,
his legs didn't tire from all the running.
He
was slowly getting used to the changes brought along by death. He no
longer hungered. He never seemed to grow tired, water was no longer
needed to sustain him.
Moving
west, the sky seemed to grow darker. Night was not upon him just yet,
it was an unnatural darkness. For the longest time he seemed to see
no signs of life, but finally, further up the road, he saw what
appeared to be an outpost. Figures came into view, shadowed
sillouettes on the horizon.
As
he moved through, they shouted in a language he didn't know. They're
flesh seemed rotted, and they began to charge at him, arrows flying
through the air. He didn't stop running. Charging forward, he managed
to get away, and eventually, the sound of their footsteps stopped.
Finally,
as he got deeper in what he had read as enemy territory on the map,
he turned south. His destination wasn't far now, not far at all.
Hours later it came into view.
The
Greymane Wall looked about the same from this side, he thought.
Looking it over, he stood back on two feet. What exactly was his
plan? There was no way back in. There was no reason to go back in,
they'd have shot him on sight. Perhaps he just wanted to see it
again. He smiled for the first time in weeks. Just seeing it did give
him a good feeling. The feeling that home was just feet away.
Turning
around, he sighed. It wasn't home anymore. Running again, this time,
he turned his attention to the east.
Weeks
passed. He moved from place to place. Staying usually not longer than
a day, three at most. As he slowly headed south, the terrain became
more rocky, the temperature rose. This came to an end in the Swamp of
Sorrows.
As
he slowly walked down the road, the next town almost in view, he
heard a rustling from a nearby bush. Turning, sword at the ready, he
saw three men emerge.
"Hands
up," one yelled, a gun in his hands, pointed right at the
Worgen's head.
He
complied, his hands going up, the sword going on the ground.
"What
is it?" another asked, eyeing him up and down, "It's got
glowing eyes...like on of them, uh, Death Knights! That's what it
is!"
The
man with the gun nodded, "Got to be, but I still haven't ever
seen one like this. Looks like a wolf with legs." he stepped
closer, "Money, now."
Red
shook his head. The man grew angry, "Listen here pal. Give it
over, or we're putting you back in the ground. Simple as that."
Slowly Red inched towards them, readying his claws, he gave a low
growl.
The
second man looked to the third, and elf, seeming to be afraid,
"You're a druid...can't you people like calm these things down?"
The
elf shook his head, "I've never seen anything like that thing,
I...don't know." Red had never liked the elves he'd been forced
to work with thus far. They were all too smug. Suddenly the elf
seemed to focus on him.
Red's
mind seemed to blur. He stumbled forward, trying to get a swing in,
unfocus the druid, but he couldn't. He fell flat on his face.
The
man with the gun smiled, "Not so tough now are you?" he
asked, stepping close enough for Red to claw at his ankles. The man
leaped back, but didn't drop the gun, letting out a loud howl.
Red
laughed silently to himself, his vision growing darker with every
passing moment. As he lay his head down on the ground, he heard a
gunshot.
Finally,
he could see no more, a second shot rang out, and a third. At last,
he was asleep. Certain he would never wake up.
Opening
his eyes, Red winced. There was so much light, it was almost
blinding. He pushed himself off the floor into a sitting position.
This
wasn't the road, he thought, and he was fairly certain it wasn't the
afterlife. Looking around, he seemed to be in a one room home. A
small bed lay in the corner, and a fire had been built. There were
shelves here and there, and some food.
Red's
head still ached. He was having trouble focusing still, but it was
gradually getting better. As he glanced around the room a high
pitched laughter entered his hearing range. Looking towards the door,
he expected to see some lunatic run through and attempt to kill him.
Instead,
through the door, entered a small Draenei child. Red's eyes widened
as he tried to make sense of anything he was seeing. The child turned
towards him, showing him her large smile. He'd had a hard time
accepting the Draenei. A being from another dimension was just
something he couldn't wrap his brain around. But they were good
fighters, and intellegent, and he could accept that.
"Hey!
He's awake!" the child said, running up to where the Worgen sat.
She sized him up quickly, "Hi! I'm Jalona! Do you have a name?"
she asked him. The Worgen gave her an awkward nod. "Well what is
it?" she said, tilting her head.
The
Worgen seemed to stop and think, and when he spoke, his voice was
long and drawn out and he struggled with the words,
"R-red....daa...m-mous.."
The
Draenei clapped lightly, "That's alittle too long though,
Redamous? How about..." she looked around the room, before
eyeing a vase of red flowers on a table, "Red? That's kinda
part of your name....and it's a thing..."
The
Worgen raised an eyebrow, before nodding slightly. He glanced up just
in time to see another figure, standing in the doorway. Another
Draenei, this one obviously an adult. The child went running, and
hugged the newcomer's leg. Red couldn't help but smile.
"Mommy!
He's awake, and he's got a name!" said the child, pulling her
mother along by the leg of her pants. The mother gave a wide smile.
"I
was worried you were dead." she said lightly, "Well, as
dead as your kind can get. Red nodded. "What? Nightsaber got
your tongue?" Red shook his head, grasping at his throat. "Well,
you obviously can talk if you can tell my daughter your name."
the woman gave a slight smirk.
Red
shook his head, grabbing his throat again. For some ungodly reason he
couldn't speak more than what he had claimed was his name. Struggling
again, he tried to push out a few words, "Can't talk good, since
like this." he said motioning to his body.
The
woman nodded, "Then I suppose it might come back to you at some
point." she offered her hand helping him to his feet, and led
him outside. Redamous shielded his eyes as he exited, the light was
unbearable. Looking at the sky he could tell he wasn't in Azeroth.
"Had to drag you all the way to the Dark Portal, mind you that
you could afford to lose some weight. And since we seem to be getting
introduced, I am Mokyna."
Red
nodded, motioning around, "Where?" he asked. He'd heard of
'Outland' up north, but he had never been there.
Mokyna
laughed, "Nagrand, I hunt out here and take it back to the
Eastern Kingdoms. Very good business mind you." Red was suprised
at how fluently she spoke Common. Almost all the Draenei he'd met had
some sort of accent or struggle with it.
Red
extended his hand, and smiled as the woman took it, "Red."
he said. "How long sleep?"
She
nodded, "So I heard." she shook her head, "Been a few
weeks it seems. Let's say your lucky you don't need food or drink."
--------
Snapping
back to reality, Red frowned when he pulled out pictures, and
sketches of the house and it's inhabitants. They didn't need any
trouble. But considering he'd never seen the people who had drawn
them, he supposed they'd kept their distance.
He'd
spent the next few weeks with the pair. Helping the older with her
hunting, and playing with her daughter.
After
his time there, he'd traveled back to Azeroth. Making his way to
Stormwind again.
They'd
found him there, as he saw by the reports.
"Worgen
sighted in Alliance Military Medical office. Left licensed.
Apprehension always possible."
And
yet they'd never grabbed him. It made him think. But he saw it as
nothing to dwell on. He'd layed low after that, and apparantly so low
they couldn't find him again. There wasn't a report for weeks. Then
the shattering had occured.
"Worgen
found. Requesting permission to grab and bring him to the
frontlines." he read on one sheet, with a large, red "DENIED"
stamped on it.
-----
The
wall was gone. That's what he'd heard. He couldn't have made his way
back up north any quicker if he had tried. Flying west this time, his
return was much swifter than the original run.
Shaking
his head as he saw the wall, he could hardly believe his eyes. Anger
fell over him, his fists clinched as he began walking back into the
once great nation. The Scourge had their forces at the front, but
they seemed to ignore him.
Finally,
in the horizon, he saw it. Home. Running now, he burst through the
door to find things mostly unchanged. The bodies were gone, anything
that was broken was fixed. But it looked like no one had ever moved
back in.
Shuffling
through the small halls, he smiled in his sorrow, in his memories. As
he entered what had once been his bedroom, he saw on the nightstand,
a hat. His hat. It'd been a birthday present, he recalled. Taking his
helm off, he set the hat on his head. His ears pushed it at odd
angles.
Sighing
he took the hat off. Looking it over, and idea suddenly popped into
his mind. He sliced holes into it, and slid it back on his head. It
fit, even though it was a bit small now, it fit, his ears popping out
the top.
Also
on the stand, he saw two rings. Holding them up to the light, he
smiled, placing them in his pocket, an idea of what to do with them
in his mind.
Sitting
down in an old chair, he laughed as he heard it groan under his
weight. Looking on the table the chair was near, he picked up a small
book he couldn't recall seeing before. As the Worgen flipped through
the pages, he smiled. At one time, he decided, it had been her prayer
book. One of verses that had been written inside was underlined, with
the words "Show to him soon." near it. He'd been having
trouble with faith at the time, he remembered.
It
read: "The Light only abandons those who feel they better it."
Smiling, he shook his head. Never, would he leave it behind, he swore
silently to her.
-----
The
next day, Red had returned to the Ebon Hold. His reassignment was
odd, but he'd gotten past it. The weeks ran by quickly. Soon enough
he was ready to be put back with a unit.
He
laughed as he saw the enlistment papers for the 1113th. He was
certain they regretted him joining to this day. He searched his
pockets, pulling out a sheet of paper, the reason he'd came.
But
before he could put it in, he saw the reports of his more recent
exploits, with the unit. Tearing the paper up he saw someone had beat
him to it.
Replacing
all the papers he'd removed, Red simply left the file on the table.
If the Colonels or General hadn't seen it by now, and he was sure
they had, they would. He had nothing to hide.
As
he left the room, he heard the sound of footsteps a short while away.
Leaving swiftly, he grinned. He wasn't exactly sure if he had access.
But if he didn't, he wished them good luck to try and catch him.
