Abducted Hope

Uktengga found Gornk and the girls nearly under the buildings' stilts, next to the sea and practically hanging over the precipice.  He led them farther along, passing several more buildings before they reached the hut of Taiga Wisemane.

The older bull was not there yet, and Uktengga left the bedraggled group there, traveling back the way he had come to avoid detection.

The butcher and his sons had made short work of the orca, and divided it up into ten portions, as asked.

"Give one to the villagers for the meal this evening.  I will keep one and preserve it for my journey.  The other eight are up for sale."

The butcher nodded.  "I'll buy six of them, at 50 gold pieces each, and the inkeep wants the other two at the same price."

It was an extreemly small amount of gold for almost five thousand pounds of meat, but it was much more than Uktengga had expected from the poor folk of the village.  He gave the orc his thanks, and took the offered gold.

Uktengga looked to the hill on the northern slope of the town, to where Taiga Wisemane still stood in conversation with a travelling troll.  He thought back to when he had last visited this tiny village, and his great heart hurt in his massive chest.

The day passed slowly for the group huddled in Wisemane's hut, and the night even moreso.  Though they cooked whale steaks and preserved the rest, it did nothing to prevent each member of the small group from lapsing into deep thought.

At dusk, Taiga returned to the hut and the women curled up back-to-back away from the men for the sake of apearances.

Despite the woolen blanket over her, Saerah found herself cold without Uktengga's massive, furry arms around her and his chest pressed warmly against her whole front side.  When everything around was quite, she allowed herself a few broken sniffles of regret before she drifted off.

Uktengga's hand tightened in the fur on his chest, wanting to ease her sorrow, and yet not sure, now that they were no longer trapped alone, if she would welcome his companionship.

Before dawn broke across the sky, Wisemane was up, and true to his word he was in conversation with Thalon, the wind rider master who, in a rare show of concern, left his post and came to Taiga's hut.  He looked at the women, and then at Gornk and Uktengga.

"Whose child does this woman carry?"

"Mine," said Gornk resignedly.

"Then she may fly with you wherever you wish to go," said Thalon.

"What about the younger one?" asked Wisemane.

"Unfortunately, the laws are very clear.  I cannot transport her unless she is either a member of the Earthen Ring, Cenarion Circle, or some other such group, and only then if she is on their official business; or if she is the mate of a Hordesman and traveling in his company, or if she has an insignia from the Warchief himself."

Gornk was quietly translating for the women, and Emmalina spoke out, "You can't even get her to Ratchet?" she asked.

"No, little woman," answered Thalon when her words had been translated for him.  "I have vowed to uphold the laws of the Horde as part of my duties."

"You should go," said Saerah to Emmalina.  "You'll put your child in danger if you try to cross overland."

Emmalina looked to Gornk, who had his face turned away, and said, "I'll go.  I know he wants to see his wife and children, and I need to figure out where to go."

"My brother lives in the Southern Barrens, and that's where I'm going.  Drop me a note if you need a place to stay for a while."

Emmalina nodded, and stood laboriously to her feet.  She nodded to Gornk, and Uktengga placed 100 gold in each of their hands.

"I know it isn't much, but it should help."

Gornk promptly gave over half of his to Emmalina, and they followed Thalon to the dock for their ride to Orgrimmar.