Too Afraid to Die Alone

The glaring sun baked her shadow into the path as she came to a stop at the mouth of the mountaintop canyon. She breathed the crisp mountain air in deep greedy gulps to satisfy her pounding heart. Heavy footfalls crunched to a halt beside her and the dwarf planted the shaft of his halberd in the road, leaning on the weapon as he followed her gaze. From beneath the roots of a great tree sunlight glinted from the bank of an endlessly deep pool of water. Far below a man stood and shielded his eye as he gazed up the path. He watched silently for several moments before disappearing into the tree-line. High above the dwarf grunted.

"So much for the surprised party"

A figure crouched silently in the shadows, soft shadows playing across armor that had long ago lost its perfect shine and gleam. As the silent man watched more and more figured gathered at the entrance to his valley. When they began to march down the path towards the tree he estimated between thirty and forty-five opponents. He broke from the shadows and stepped slowly into the center of the path just short of a small wooden bridge over a creek that fed into the endless pool of water beneath the great tree. He rested the point of his great blade in the dirt and grasped the hilt with both hands as the crowd drew down upon him.

Hurin relaxed as he began to pick out faces amongst the approaching crowd. The dwarf stopped across the bridge from Hurin, his beefy hands on stout hips. They stared each other down with blank faces for several intense minutes. Finally the corner of Hurin's lips lifted into a smile. The two men burst into laughter as they closed the gap and clasped hands warmly.

"I knew we'd find you here"

"Only because I told you where to find me" the paladin scoffed.

Hurin gazed over the crowd. The warriors Aevin and Driscall smiled back and nodded hello as one. Moltavio, the eccentric gnomish mage, gave an elaborate flourish, bowing so low the brim of his hat brushed the ground. Porcelynn avoided his gaze, finding something in the dirt at her hooves to study instead.

"I see you've brought the whole Conclave with you" Hurin said softly.

The dwarf shifted uncomfortably and coughed nervously into his hand.

"Nay, not all..."

Hurin scanned the crowd again quickly.

"...Some were already here"

Hurin's gaze drifted over his shoulder to the Tree. Metal gleamed in the afternoon sun and Hurin felt the pangs of guilt knife him in the chest.

"Thank you friend" he whispered, quickly regaining his composure.

The valley was silent as Hurin turned and took up his blade. He gestured to the open field beside the World Tree, the same field upon which the Conclave had won glory and honor. The same field upon which Hurin's heart, his confidence, his faith had been crushed. He invited his friends to stay with him for a time. Driscall asked about the lush appearance and new-found life within the landscape, much had changed from the aftermath of the Third War when a demonic taint oozed from the very soil itself. Hurin explained that over the years the taint had waned and life had once more begun to take hold of the great mountain of Hyjal. Their stand within the Caverns of Time had altered the very course of history and the devastation that had once marred the land was slowly being erased from the vast chapters of history. As sunlight waned the mages lit an arcane bonfire (Hurin having explained that the Elven caretakers of the mountain held the new forests in high regard). Stories and lies flowed with the wine and mead. No one noticed when Hurin snuck away early in the night and stole to the roots of the looming World Tree. He stood silently as he gazed into the dark rippling depths. He never heard the soft footsteps that stole up behind him.

"It's been a long time Hurin"

Hurin didn't turn but he knew the owner of the soft orchestral voice. He tried to push the memories of his last vision of her from his memory.

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Hurin hefted his final bag and turned to look at the sleeping form curled in his bed. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically beneath the lightweight linen sheet. Something stirred deep inside Hurin and he tried to suppress his smile. Somehow he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt about the night that he had shared with the lavender-skinned woman. He set the bags down again and knelt beside his own bed. He idly brushed a strand of her teal hair from her face and marveled at its perfection. She stirred slightly and he held his breath. She rolled onto her back with a sigh and again his primal instincts stirred as the moonlight fell on her curves. He forced his arousal back into the dark hole from whence it had crept and leaned over her to place and gentle kiss in her upturned palm. He stood and, gathering his bags, made his way to the door. He stood silently in the portal for several moments watching her sleep soundly. Again the guilt crept in and he thought of another woman, the woman that had plagued his every sleeping moment. He had cheated the sleeping woman before him and the thought of running away sickened him. Still, he though, I don't know how to look at her and explain that I'll never be coming back. He heaved a gentle sigh and turned, closing the door quietly behind him as he walked away from his life.

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A gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder and pulled him from his reverie. He turned his head towards her but did not meet her eyes, instead he looked past the Draenei woman standing behind him to gaze at the gentle swell in the earth that shielded the body of his once-lover. The dark-skinned woman sat beside him and pulled gently on his hand, ushering him to sit beside her. They sat quietly and listened the party behind them.

"You're missing everything" she whispered softly, resting her hand on his.

He sighed audibly and shook his head.

"I tried to enjoy myself but it doesn't seem right, it's the wrong place for me to be happy"

"Is that why you came here?"

For the first time he looked into her eyes. They glowed softly with an warmth that soothed him. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words and shut it again. She leaned forward and touched her forehead to his.

"You were gone when I awoke, you didn't even leave me a note. Gone as if you had just been a dream to me"

His chest ached and it became hard to breath as she continued.

"I was a wreck for days, I tried to hide it but Inacht...He knew"

He sat motionless until she wormed her way under his arm, snuggling up against him. He stared at the top of her head for a moment before he allowed himself the luxury of a small smile and pressed his lips to her hair. It wasn't a kiss, just a warming, emotionally charged contact. She sucked in a breath and held it as her heart fluttered. This was the feeling. This was what she had yearned for, what she had missed the past few years. Ever since she awoke in his bed there had been a burning desire deep within her to smell his scent, feel his heat just once more before she was gone. He felt her shudder against him and wrapped his arms around her. He had mistaken her roiling emotions for a chilled shiver and he tried to keep her warm, instead he stoked the flames the burned deep inside her. A groan escaped her lips and he retreated in surprise. She panicked, afraid he was going to leave her, offended by her advances. She leapt to her hooves, grasped him by the shoulders and pulled him to her, backing them both up against a looming root of the World Tree.

Now Hurin panicked, images of how Trieste had come onto him and what that had led to flashed before his eyes and he searched frantically for an escape route. She sensed his apprehension and her tail curled around his leg. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him close, her hot breath scalded his cheek. She panted heavily down her neck as her chest crushed against his.

"Oh Naaru, yes..."

Her head fell back against the tree root and he could see that her eyes were narrowed to mere slits and her skin was flushed slightly in the pale moonlight. Her lips were parted as she breathed heavily. All the noise in the background ceased to exist, the world fell away around them as she drew him down to her and their lips met. She groaned again as he shuddered beneath her touch. They broke their kiss panting and he buried his face in her neck to avoid her heavy-lidded gaze.

"Again" she whispered, "again, like last time"

He shook his head in her neck and she stroked his hair and purred in his ear.

"Please, I need this Hurin, don't make me beg for it..."

"No..." her heart sank, "Not here"

Instantly she knew what he meant and she glanced guiltily at the tidy grave. She was stealing a dead woman's man. Suddenly she too wanted all too badly to be somewhere else and she let him take her by the wrist and lead her away, up the banks of the stream and past the little wooden bridge. His tent was amongst the trees against the wall of the canyon and they practically fell through the tent flap. He pinned her quickly but it lacked the brute force that had been seared into her memory.

"Please Hurin, like last time"

Her voice was tinged with a hint of wild desperation and Hurin smiled despite himself. When she made an effort to sit up he pushed her back down and held her beneath him.

"No..."

"But I thoug-"

"What you thought and what is going to happen are two very different things." He paused to let his words sink in, "No matter how hard you try to believe it, this is defiantly NOT last time"

Beneath him her breath hitched in her throat and she touched his cheek gently. He saw tears begin to sparkle in the corners of her eyes.

"Will you still be beside me in the morning?"

"Only one way to find out"

This time their lips met with deliberate slowness. A pace he set and refused to allow her to deviate from. He was still very much in charge, but in a far different way than he had been. She mewed gently when he nipped at her collarbone. Strong hands slid beneath lightweight linen seeking to remap a body he had forgotten long ago. She parted her legs for him as he slid between her thighs, pressing himself against her core and the heat that radiated from her. She hissed softly at the contact and he smiled against her neck. He trailed kissed up to her ear and again nipped lightly, eliciting a squeal of delight from the smaller woman. He left a trail of kisses back down her neck and her skin burned where his lips touched. She squirmed as his powerful hands quickly lifted her shirt up her body and over her head. He rose up on his knees to remove his own garment and she sat up, coming face to face with his chest. She marveled at his toned physic and pressed hot kisses to his skin. He twitched and shivered with every ultra-gentle touch.

When her small hands found the hem of his pants their eyes met and he nodded for her to continue. He kicked off his boots as she freed his manhood from its fabric prison. Before she could grasp him he planted a hand on her chest and pushed her down again. she squeaked in surprised, a squeak that turned into a satisfied hiss when he flicked the tip of his tongue across a rapidly hardening nipple. She arched her back to him, searching blindly for more of that amazing touch. Again he flicked and she shuddered beneath him. Her hands slid up his back to rub the back of his neck as he captured a nipple between his lips and suckled her greedily. His hands meanwhile continued to explore her rapidly heating body. A light sheen of sweat dotted her forehead as he eased a hand into her pants and found her sex. He cupped her gently in his palm and pressed lightly against her warmth. She bit a lip and squirmed as he drug a finger up the length of her womanhood. His fingertip teased her entrance again and again until her hips bucked desperately against his fingers, groping, searching to deepen the contact. Finally his finger dipped inside her and she hissed in a breath through clenched teeth. She had refused herself since she had slept with him, and now she was glad she had. She grabbed his face and guided his lips to hers. They met with a fierce passion that threatened to shatter what faint bonds of self control they both shared. One hand dropped between them, grasping his length with her small hand. She stroked him gently, slowly, priming him for what was to come. Her other hand ran through his hair, twirling a lock of it about her finger and she nipped lightly at his lower lip.

"Don't hold back, give me no quarter"

He smiled as she fit him at her entrance, hissing with delight as the tip of him eased inside her. Her pleasure turned to disappointed confusion when he stopped suddenly. He moved his hips minutely, barely shifting within her and again she found herself bucking wildly beneath him, striving for more. He would have none of it and grabbed her hips tightly holding her still and dragging a frustrated grunt from the lavender woman.

"One speed" he whispered gently in her ear and she tugged at his hair.

He sank slowly deeper into her. When he bottomed out he froze within her as she quivered around his length. He bit his lip as her fingernails grazed across his taut stomach. Her tail wrapped tightly around his thigh and he grunted at the new feeling. It tugged lightly at him, prompting him to move within her but he changed the game abruptly. Without removing himself from deep within her sat back, pulling her into his lap. She gasped when she found herself looking down into his eyes, eyes that burned with an intense desire for her. She rose up on her knees, pulling him out of her before she sat back into him, driving him deep once again. Her back arched as he hit a spot deep within her and sent a shock wave up her spine, a wave that exploded into brilliant colors behind her eyes. When she came down from the high of her unexpected climax she slumped against him, her panting breaths washed over his shoulder. He grasped her rump and worked her off of him again before settling her back into his lap. She mumbled something incoherent into his ear as she rode him. He found the sensitive spot at the base of her neck and suckled lightly as she began to squeak in time with his penetrations. Their bodies came together and molded into one as her squeals changed in pitch, higher and higher. Something broke deep within her and a white light shot through her. Her head shot back and his name echoed in the chilled night air.

She stirred as the sunlight played gently across her face. She fought to convince herself she was still asleep. When she finally gave in and opened her eyes a tightness gripped her chest. She was alone again, the bedroll beside her already cold, long-since abandoned. She found her clothing folded neatly and set by the entrance to the empty suddenly cold tent. she dressed in silence and stooped to kiss his pillow softly before turning and moving the tent flap aside. The camp in the field below was still silent as the sun peeked over the lip of the canyon. She sat in the grass and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and set her chin on her knees.

Movement to her right jarred her out of her depression and she watched Driscall crash into the ground and roll several feet before coming to a halt. Her pulse suddenly thundered and she felt naked, the comforting weight of her armor missing and as her heart raced. She leapt to her hooves and started to run to Driscall as he rose to his feet. She had run into his arms before she realized that he was not only naked from the waist up, but laughing. A muffled cough jerked her attention away and she found Hurin looking at her, his chest heaving from recent exertion. A blush spread across his cheeks and she took a shaky step towards him. He held out his hand and she ran to him, nearly collapsing in his arms, shaking as she held back tears.

"I thought I'd lost you again, then Driscall...and then you..."

Hurin said nothing. He held her closer and touched the tip of his nose to hers with a smile.

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Well I finally decided that after 5 hours of farming Timbermaw Rep (so nice of Blizzard to make it worth something NOW instead of 20 levels ago) it was time for a break. Two hours later I'm finally done and its off to bed with me. Class in seven hours (happy happy joy joy) and more Bruttalus after that.

Personally I think this story is done, I'm really not sure how I would keep it going. However, that being said, feel free to drop off an idea and inspire me, maybe you see some path that I dont.

Let me know what you folks think so far and more stories will definatly be in store in the future!

Lol Knight, thanks for the reviews and unfortunatly, I'm "Hurin". So as the ret paladin my job is to keep the judgments up, Poke Bruttalus a bit with my pen knife and not run through the rogues when I have burn :P