Campfire Stories (Vol'jin)

[Vera]

cf: Shadow Hunting

The moon, which was very similar to the one on earth, was already high in the sky, when they arrived at her small camp. It only consisted of a tent, which looked very similar to a tent from a joust, a large trunk, she used to sit on and a fireplace surrounded by stones. This was the place she called home for a few days by now. Because of the non-interference policy of her people she didn't want to live in the town. She was also happy with this little camp especially as it also brought the scent of adventure with it. "Welcome to my camp. It's no palace but I think it's quite nice." she said and offered Vol'jin a seat at her fireplace.

[Vol'jin]

The transition from a relatively cramped surrounding of a tunnel of rock and mineral to the wide open spaces of fields under a sky of twilight. He paused, gazing up at the sky wondering what his people back on his favoured isles were doing right now. Without his presence, he was sure the rebel movement might not be so successful.

Throwing those thoughts aside, he caught her up as they reached where she had called camp. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw nothing of civilisation, he wasn't sure how the people of this world would react to an eight foot troll. He had been lucky with Vera, she was like Jaina... more willing to show an open mind when faced with wary situations. Vol'jin knew it could have gone either way and he did not like killing innocent people.

"Feels j'st like home, mon," he grinned as he dumped his quarry on one side of the fire and was already sizing up how big a spit set up should be. It was a decently sized camp and he knew he would have no problems keeping his senses out for lurking dangers. "I'm gonna get some wood." he announced with another seedy smile before he loped away towards where the trees were. He wasn't gone long, returning with a few lengths of thick twigs.

"So, what about your people? Got any special names?" he asked, expressing a wish to know more about her. After all, they couldn't have this just one way. He wasn't the only exotic here.

Vol'jin set his bow, which looked longer than some humans he had come across, and quiver aside but they were not that far away from his reach if he needed to react to a threat. He erected a basic but efficient spit with more length of twine that he had on him. It was always something he found useful, especially out away in the jungles.

Before long, the spit set up was sturdy enough to hold at least most of the saurok-like creature. He had removed its feet, head and the tail to help to ease the weight and than sat in the place she had pointed him to.

"Spill da beans, mon. Vol'jin told ya all about us Darkspears," which wasn't exactly true but that didn't bother him. He was just glad to have company.

[Vera]

So Darkspear was neither a town nor a village or a country, it was the name of Vol’jin’s tribe. Now that she learned more and more about Vol’jin, she began to put the pieces together. A lot of terms that had something to do with his origin and his culture, also had something to do with the darkness and slowly she got the feeling that Vol’jin’s culture had a certain connection to dark magic. That might even explain why men were afraid of trolls. People used to fear creatures of the night and dark magic, although her new friend’s behaviour didn’t fit to the typical behaviour of a wild beast. On the contrary, in every way he behaved like a civilized being despite his threatening appearance.

When they arrived at her camp Vol’jin claimed that it almost looked like home and Vera asked herself right away, if his home really looked that way or if he only said it, because he wanted to give her the impression that her camp was not as shabby as it appeared to her, because compared to the comfy rooms inside her TARDIS this camp was very uncomfortable. “Thank you.“

Admiring she looked at him as he began to work instantaneously after he had put his prey away. Vol’jin was more hardworking than some other persons she knew and she really liked this behavior. “Thank you.“, she thanked him once more and went into her tent, while he collected fire wood.

By now she only owned a few coarse wool blankets, but they would be enough to make their fire a bit more comfortable. Diligently she covered the hard tree trunk with the blankets and returned to her tent once more to fetch an old kettle and two metal cups. She put the cups, which were full of dents, close to the tree trunk and went into the woods, too. When she returned, Vol’jin had returned to the camp already and had even built a spit to roast the Eipirock there.

“That looks very good.“, she said, while she placed the kettle close to the fire in a way that the water inside could be warmed by the fire. “I hope you like tea.“ She turned to him once more. There was nothing better than a good tea for her, but possibly trolls didn’t even drink tea. She still knew very few things about his culture and still she found it understandable that he wanted to know more about her now. By now she had asked enough questions, now it was his turn to ask.

“My people live on a planet called Gallifrey.“, she started to explain and leaned against the tree trunk. “It’s a place that is so far away that you can’t get to it using a sailing ship even if you sail your whole life through. Even if you moved as fast as light you would have to travel for centuries to get there. You can’t even see Gallifrey’s sun here in Aldeon.“ She carried on and used the same voice she had used when she had told Carolyne stories about monsters, brave heroes and adventures. „I have the rank of a timelady. That’s a special group within my nation. This group leaves Gallifrey and explores the universe. While doing so I already saw a lot of planets and worlds. But when I got to this place I lost my ship. Suddenly the pilot steered it away and disappeared with my companion.” Vera finished her story with a sigh and looked to the stars that could be seen through the canopy of leaves. She didn’t wish for more than to see the blinking light of her TARDIS up there or to hear the wheezing noise she always made, when she appeared. But nothing happened and she feared that she had to stay here for a very long time until she would see her TARDIS again.

[Vol'jin]

Vol'jin was used to hard labour. Working hard meant one could relax later and not have a worry in the world. He was also used to the pressures of having a burden on his shoulders, leading a people was no easy feat. he often wondered how Thrall handled the responsibility of the New Horde and not just for his own people. Course, Garrosh had come along and whilst Vol'jin understood why Thrall had done it, Vol'jin knew the brutish Orc warrior would bring only ruin to what Thrall had painstakingly built.

Question was, how loyal would the Orcs be before they realised they were being lambs for slaughter. Vol'jin shook his head slightly in sad thought as he worked on removing the hard outer skin with the care and attention of a skinner. The hide would be useful when hardened. He also removed the head which didn't have much meat on it anyways before he set it on the spit. He stoked the fire with a thick stick as he sat on his haunches. The fire glinted and danced, catching the metal of his rustic armour.

"I tink there will be much I will have to get used to," Tea was something Trolls drank but not that often and it was more for ritual than anything else. But he couldn't settle for being picky. This was her camp and it was gracious of her to let him be here. He wasn't going to be rude.

He listened to her talk of her old home and it did sound like she missed it a lot. Just as he was missing the Echo Isles, though he wasn't missing the paperwork. Who would miss that? He followed her gaze up at the stars and nodded, transfixed by the white dots in a near-black sky. He always liked to think they were the lights lit by their ancestors, a twinkling light show by the loa's permission. It was a pretty sight and he remained staring, at least until the fire crackled and spat at him, causing him to mutter in Zandalari -his native tongue- and glare back the fire making sure the roasting was going smoothly.

"My pa always said home is where da heart is. This no jungle,"

[Vera]

Vera noticed how Vol’jin shook his head and immediately looked at him. He also seemed to worry about the persons he had left behind and she was not able to blame him for it. Anyhow she was still afraid, that something might happen to Carolyne. She still loved the young woman as if she was her own daughter and she just couldn’t bear to lose her. “Yes, I also have a lot to get used to. Actually my people have a rule that we may not interfere with the life of other people. We are taught that this rule may not be violated in any case. But here in Aldeon I am hardly able to follow this rule and I have a hard time getting used to it.” She confessed while she leaned against the tree trunk.

Only when she had said these words she noticed that Vol’jin had referred his words to the tea and began to smile. “What do you drink at home, if you don’t drink tea?”, she asked friendly while she poured him and herself a cup of tea and handed the cup to Vol’jin.

“Please be careful. The tea is very hot.“ She warned him and held her cup in a way so that she was able to warm her hands at the cup. By now the roasting eipirock’s smell filled the air and Vera’s stomach began to grumble. She was hardly able to say who much she was looking forward to this meal. Her own hunting abilities were much too bad. She wasn’t even able to catch a rabbit and she wouldn’t be able to catch something as big as the eipirock either.

“My mother always said something similar, but my heart is not at this place. For that I just don’t know enough people here. You are my first friend at this strange place.” She confessed and looked at him with a friendly smile on her face. Only when the fire began to spit she looked back to the flames. “Do you think the eipirock is done soon?“, she asked because the smell made her mouth water already and the anticipation began was getting almost unbearable for her.

[Vol'jin]

More than once he used a dirk to test the tenderness of the meat and he tested in separate places to ensure the heat that was cooking the 'Eipirock', as Vera had dubbed it, was cooking it evenly through. If he knew the creature better, he may have opted to cook in a vareity of ways but it was foreign to him. It was not quite the reptiles he was used to back home nor was it mammalian to him. So, he had to make sure he cooked so nothing nasty that had been living inside would survive.

Whilst his kind weren't so knowledgeable about bacteria or virus', they understood that other creatures were parasites using a host. If a meat was suspicious, they'd either abandon it or cook it as thorough as he was now. Vol'jin's focus was on the creature, minding the flickering flames but he was listening.

Vol'jin nodded slightly, his hair dancing, as he considered this rule she spoke of, "It would not suit my people, nor da Orcs. They lust for war and their so-called honour." He had rather cynical opinions about the kind of things that drove the orcs, Garrosh in particular. "But then offense can also solve the sting," he added, looking at her shrewdly before his mouth widened in a lucrative grin that curled round the two tusks protruding from his painted face.

The creature required more time and he paused to stretch before going back to his haunches position. He took the tea, hearing her warning and smiled at it, it was nice to be concerned about. In this place where nothing seemed certain or real, a little edge of familiar stability worked a treat.

"Da shamans and da druids drink tea. Well, 'erbal tea," he pulled a face, "Water, or beer when I don't wan' a clear head," he replied, there were some nights he just had to have off but they grew increasingly rare. "I don't really... had much time ta be plast'ah'd," he said before sipping gingerly at the tea. Whilst his hands and bare feet were hardened to withstand most climates and environments, the same couldn't be said for his lips or tongue. Troll tongues were rather sensitive, he winced slightly and smiled again.

He sat the vessel down on the flattest piece of earth he could find near to his lanky frame before paying mind to her and the roast. His grin, if at all possible which was very likely in the case of a Troll, grew larger and even more crafty, "Me mudder liked to argue dat home is where ya park ya butt on. She be one crazy woman!" he chuckled before he sobered.

"We be friends, for now... Not all hoo-mans are as open-minded as you be Vera," he sagely replied, not because he was pessimistic or cynical but because he spoke from experience. He had seen what humans were capable of and had been on the end of it too. He reached round with an arm that seemed longer than it actually was and squeezed her knee in reassurance. His words were not meant to be offensive but one could never quite tell with Alliance. His mind corrected his thought back to human, she was not part of the Alliance and wasn't even from his world.

He side glanced her at her question before picking up his dirk and prodded the meat again. The tip of the short blade sunk in slightly with more ease than in previous tests and he gave the fire a quick boosting prod with his fire stick before he rose.

"Yeh, I t'ink so mon," he finally replied before his two-fingered hand used the knife to carve once the fire died down a little. "Ya got a plate or two?" he asked, thinking of her hands which by his sight didn't look at all hardened by battle in the sense in which he understood.

[Vera]

Vera was able to imagine it very well, that it didn’t suit Vol’jin’s people well to watch another tribe being attacked or something happening in his home. If it was different her new friend would not be so well trained in the art of war. “Sometimes it’s honorable to do nothing.“, Vera answered thoughtfully. „This rule was made, because a long time ago we gave our technology to the people on another planet and they destroyed themselves with it. But by now I see it differently. You have to find a middle way. You can help certain people or cultures, but sometimes it’s better if the culture isn’t changed by an alien species. Sadly it is not easy to make this decision.“, Vera explained and was aware of the ethic complications that this decisions brought along. But if you decided to help some strangers you had to face these questions.

Smiling she watched Vol’jin drawing a face while he drank a sip of her tea. “Is it to bitter?“, she asked him friendly. A short time ago she had found a plant in the woods that was very sweet. If he rather wanted to drink sweet tea, she might be able to make the tea a bit sweeter with the herb. „This is a herb tea, too. I only think that the shamans tend to use tea that leads to visions and this tea won’t lead to something like that.”, she said and then continued hurriedly. “At least not for humans. I also like to drink water and from time to time beer. But the beer I know doesn’t make you drunk very fast.“ Or were the trolls not able to hold much alcohol and got drunk very fast?

That the place, where you placed your butt was your home was really a strange attitude. But still she wouldn’t call Vol’jin’s mother crazy. Maybe she had had to get used to a new place several times in her life and had come to this decision because of this. „I don’t think so. This attitude makes it much easier to get used to a new place.“, Vera responded and nodded then.

It was good to hear that Vol’jin also thought of her as friend, but there was also something in his answer that made her feel that there might come a time when they would not be friends. Vera was afraid of this situation. She didn’t have friends here yet and if Vol’jin would hunt her anytime in the future she would be lost. “Thank you, that’s because I have travelled a lot. I only hope that our friendship holds for a while.“ Amicably she looked at him, when he put his hand on her knee and put her hand, that was really much smaller than his, on his. For a moment she sat there without saying a word and nodded then.

Finally the eipirock was ready and of course she had forgotten the plates. “Yes, just one moment please.“, she said and went into her tent once more to fetch two wooden plates. Her dishes were very strangely mixed but although it wasn’t beautiful it was at least useful. “Here you are.“, she called to him and handed him the plates so that he could apportion the eipirock.

[Vol'jin]

Vol'jin scratched behind one of his elongated, studded ears as he watched the crackling of the wood in the fire. He picked up the tea, hoping it had cooled down a bit and sipped it again. That was better, he could actually taste it now and he found it quite pleasing. He glanced at her and then nodded slowly, "Sometimes though, honour can't be afforded... especially with Garrosh," he said bitterly but there was little he could do about the brown orc right now.

"No, it was just too hot, mon," he said with a softer smile, his voice warming, "You will have to show ol' Vol'jin how to make it, it's nice," he nodded. He sipped a little more before poking the carcass again. It was getting to a really nice crispy skin now. "Tea be only part of their ritual, there's more to it than just the tea," he said softly, in thought and remembrance and it brought another wide smile to his tusked maw.

Vol'jin laughed, "We don't make beer, mainly spirits mon but we be favourin' da Dwarven ales. Dwarfs make good beer," he nodded, Sure the Pandaren had brought new kinds to Horde inns but Vol'jin preferred a good old stout Dwarvish ale. Though, saying that, Chen's brews did give the Dwarves a run for their money since his brews were all different every time.

She spoke again and of their friendship, it was strange to hear words of such endearments from a human but he knew she wasn't a human from his world or time. She had none of the prejudices that were so vibrant and forward in the humans he knew or met that hated the Horde or his kind. Vera had shown fear but had striven to overcome that, to learn and to be interested. He lifted his hand a little and squeezed hers back in soft gratitude.

"Vol'jin tinks that be the way forward," he said, he might have his own prejudices and fears of humans but at least she wasn't out for his blood.

Plates were soon presented and he dished up before he moved the spit to one side of the fire so the meat wasn't cooked too much. That wouldn't do. He lifted her loaded plate and held it out to her before he picked up his own and sat near to her but not too far from his weapon.

"Enjoy," he said, "Be good while since I last cooked,

[Vera]

“Who is Garrosh?“, asked Vera and looked at Vol’jin full of interest, while he said, that sometimes honor was something you could not afford. She was only puzzled why you should not act honorable against Garrosh. Did he act like a tyrant, who made his people do terrible things and punished them if they did not do as he wanted?

It was good to hear that the tea tasted well. “Of course. It’s not hard to make this tea. Tomorrow morning I can show you the herbs I collected and dryed for the tea. As soon as the herbs are dry you can mix them to even parts. Then you give as much into your cup that the bottom is covered with a thin layer. Afterwards you just have to pour hot water into the cup.”, she explained how to make the tea and looked very curious at him, while mentioned the druids’ rituals.

“Can you tell me something about the druids’ rituals or are you not allowed to talk about this?”, she asked him very curious and began to smile then. “I’d really love to try dwarf beer or the ale your people make someday.”, she said with an honest smile and really hoped that she would get the chance to try these beverages someday. If she got her TARDIS back someday, she would be able to take Vol’jin back to his world and there she might even learn a bit more about his people and his culture, before she would journey on.

“If I find a way back to my ship I can offer you a glass of the wine that my people grow on the moonlit hills of Rehaodifn.” Smiling she looked at him while he held her hand and watched him, while he apportioned the Eipirock and handed her a very full plate afterward.

“Thank you very much.“, she thanked and tried the meat very carefully then. It didn’t taste bad. Although it had a strange aftertaste it did not taste disgusting. On the contrary it gave the meat a very special taste. “You cooked very well.“, she praised him „Considering that you haven’t cooked for a very long time the Eipirock tastes perfect. I only think that there will be enough for tomorrow, too.” She claimed, because when she looked at her plate she supposed that she would be very full as soon as she was finished with this portion.

[Vol'jin]

For a long moment he did not answer, staring into the fire as if hoping for a brighter answer or for some tangible hope that somehow this was still just all a wacky hallucination. Eventually, dusky yellow eyes swerved to looked at Vera with a degree of anger coupled with sadness. "He be the Warchief of da Horde, but Garrosh is one who has an insatiable thirst for war," he breathed, "Thrall' this name was said with affection and admiration whereas 'Garrosh' was given nothing but hatred and disgust, 'left the Horde to him whilst he went to rediscover his roots. Garrosh was not ready, he understood nothing of politics like Thrall and I do. Oh... never be a sadder story den what we had tah witness, Vera. It drove an arrow through my heart to see and ol' Vol'jin," he shook his head, looking completely ashamed and angry with how things had transpired.

"Ol Vol'jin knew dis would happen. Da loa show me this future. I knew dere was no escaping it but I had hoped," he sighed and shook his pointed skull once more, "It be a long story you need not be troubled by." It clearly troubled him on so many levels but he didn't think it prudent to burden a stranger who was clearly not from his realm with matters of state.

Vol'jin smiled, shifting so long legs were crossed by thick but supple ankles, "I'd like dat, mon. It be a long time since Vol'jin did any thing informal," personal time was not common when you were a leader for a whole tribe, worrying about their future and contending with worldwide politics at the same time as local politics.

She asked him about the rituals of the druids and the shamans and he tilted his head slightly before he smiled, "Ol' Vol'jin does not know much. Zeb'tabra always told me to keep me nose out of tings dat didn't concern me. But Druids and da Shamans, dey be in close touch wid nature. Dey know her tune, speak her tongue and do good by her," he wished he did know more with which he could share but tribal traditions were a strong part of Darkspear life. Even though they no longer were cannibals, they did all they could to honour and live right by the loa. Vol'jin had hoped to personally send Garrosh to Bwonsamdi himself.

"Well, if we find ourselves back in my world, I shall find some for ya," he nodded, he owed her as much for letting him stay at her camp. Least there was some humans or human-like people that were kind, that realised that they were more than what they were.

"Sounds good," he nodded, knowing they both missed what they were used to, what was integral to their old lives. Maybe he'd make a mask and that would help him. He scratched his jaw in thought before they ate. The meat tasted peculiar but not altogether unpleasant. Vol'jin definitely could say that he had consumed far worse in his time.

"T'anks, definitely some for spare, tho we better cache it safely. Don't want tah attract nasty beasties," he replied, appreciating the compliment deeply. Not many human-like people got to get dinner from a profound tribal leader such as Darkspear's but he liked the practice.

"Stars be getting pretty strong now," he added, pointing upwards before taking his bite of the meat, sharp teeth making rather short work of the cooked muscle.

[Vera]

The things Vol’jin told her didn’t sound good at all. It was never good if someone who had only little experience in politics and who had a big thirst for blood, got to lead a tribe, especially if there were other persons inside the tribe who had much more experience. „That’s terrible. Why was the leadership not given to you, if you are the better leader?”, Vera asked, because she had not failed to notice the bitter tone in Vol’jin’s voice when he had mentioned Garrosh. It seemed as if Garrosh had caused the horde much more harm than he had done good and although Vol’jin seemed to like Thrall very much, Vera was not sure if he was a good leader either. Because if he had been a good leader he would not have left his tribe to such a person like Garrosh. But it was even more terrible that Vol’jin had known the future and had not been able to do anything about it. Understanding Vera nodded and stared into the flames then. As a time traveller she had seen the future more than once and it often had happened to her that she wanted to change something but was not able to because of the none interference law.

“It is not good to know the future. I have also seen several things, that I would have loved to change. But there are often fixed points in time, that we cannot change at all, no matter how hard we try.”, Vera answered in a very sad voice. During her trips she had even found hints that her home planet would fall because of the Daleks and the thought of it alone terrified her. Once she had even tried to travel to this coordinates in time and space, but her TARDIS didn’t allow her to do so. Because of this she already thought that she would find her grave at this coordinates, because this was the only place that a time traveler was not able to travel to.

That it was a very long time since she had something informal wasn’t true for Vera. As a pure adventurer she often did what she wanted to do. She had never done something formal in the last hundred years, although she was already thinking about teaching at the timelord academy sometime in the future. If she really was going to do this she would have to do a lot of formal things. The druids from Vol’jin’s world almost sounded like the druids on earth and Vera wondered more and more if there were even more parallels between Vol’jin’s world and earth. But until she would be able to visit Vol’jin’s world she most likely would not be able to find out for sure. “Thanks, that sounds really good.“, Vera answered friendly and already wondered if she might be able to observe some of the druid’s rituals during her stay at the planet.

“No that would not be good. But where can we keep it?“, Vera asked, because she had almost no experience with such things. Most of the times she had her TARDIS close by and inside her timeship she didn’t have to worry about predators and other creatures.

When Vol’jin mentioned the starry sky, Vera leaned back and looked up to the stars. The stars were really very bright today. If she looked close enough she was even able to see a comet. “It’s going to be a very cold night.“, she deduced from the very clear sky. „But on the other hand we are able to see a comet.“, she continued and pointed into the approximate direction of the comet. “Are there also tales about comets in your world?“, she asked and looked to Vol’jin once more.

[Vol'jin]

Vol'jin was slow to answer her question at first, seeming more content to stare into the crackling embers as sparks flew every which way up into the air around them. He did eventually sigh though and glanced at her before he looked to his hands. He put his plate down before he sat on his haunches, "I tink it better if ah show ya..." he breathed, trusting her enough to not be a threat to him.

He began chanting under his breath in his native tongue, the light and heavy punctuation of the Zandali almost unheard in his experienced breath. His hands began to glow deep purples and dark greens before he finished the chant. The colours swirled around his hands before thrusting into the fire with a sharp burst of light. "Dis is... memory," he wasn't sure how familiar she was with memory visions.

The fire seemed to die down at first before two figures appeared, one was quite clearly Vol'jin and the other was bulkier and less lithe but no less muscular. The orc had brown skin with tattoos and two tusks jutting upwards from a round jaw. The pair conversed, talking of knowing reasons for decision made and a deep inflection of mistrust on both sides.

"You have sealed your fate Troll,"

"And you yours, 'Warchief',"

"War heroes are always popular, tah begin wit. I had known his choice would lead to downfall for da Horde but it was his choice to make. Thrall is one I respect and out of respect, I kept da Darkspear in da Horde. Da orcs had always been da leaders of da Horde, perhaps Thrall was hopeful but I tink he will realise his mistake in time soon tah come," he breathed sadly as the memory came to an end.

He listened as she spoke of the future and even though he remained eye locked on the fire, which returned to its earlier ferocity, he smiled, "The visions of da future dat I was shown... dey were tests not shown lightly. They were visual riddles I had to see and learn for myself. Dese visions, taught me one important ting to keep in mind at all times. It be a lesson I won't be forgettin' any time soon," he said, speaking slowly to a point.

It wasn't all that often he had felt so inclined to share such things, let alone with strangers but there was also an importance of reaching mutual ground and trust. He had to endure and to do that he would need friends and allies. He couldn't survive alone, not forever. Those who tried had the strongest tendency to go mad from the isolation.

He thought about that for a long moment before he replied, "Do you have a bag?" he asked, elongated ears twitching slightly as he kept a check on their surroundings. It always paid to be observant.

He pulled a slight frown at the mention of coldness and was glad for the heat of the flames nearby. Whilst there were trolls who made their living in frozen wastelands, they were better adapted for such climbs. Vol'jin was a forest troll better suited for warmer places. He wondered how cold it would get because 'very' was not all that accurate in the long run.

Red eyes swerved to where Vera was pointing too and he sat back down to gaze at it properly. He watched it travel over the night sky, he had to admit, it did look very impressive. "Plenty, but I be not familiar with dem... Most of them deal wit da Old Gods, Titans and such."

"How about yours? You got tales to regale ol' Vol'jin with?"

[Vera]

At first Vera frowned, when Vol’jin told her that it would be easiest if he showed her why he had known that a change of leadership would occur in his tribe. But then she realized that his people might have a similar way of sharing memories as the people of Gallifrey did. Anticipating what might happen now Vera seated herself more comfortably and listened to Vol’jin’s rhythmic breathing. Obviously he murmured something, but Vera was not able to understand his words. Fascinated she watched as Vol’jin’s hands began to glow. Then the light shot into the fire and almost extinguished it. Very interested she leaned forward, when suddenly two persons appeared inside the firelight. The conversation between the two was very serious and the more Vera watched both of them the more she began to understand how serious the horde’s situation was and how hard it had to be for Vol’jin to know what would happen.

„What did the visions teach you?“, Vera asked, because she had experienced similar things before, too. She also had a premotion what the future held for her people and herself and she also knew that she was not able to do something about it. She only did not know what to do with this knowledge.

„I also have an idea, what the future holds for my people and sadly this future might be even worse than the horde’s future.“, she explained and was happy that Vol’jin changed the topic suddenly.

Sadly she did not own a bag that was big enough, but she already had an idea how she could make one. „Sadly I don’t have a bag where the eipirock might fit in, but a while ago I got some pieces of sail cloth. We can use them to make a bag.”, she answered and got up. “I’ll fetch the cloth.“

At a smart pace she returned to her tent and returned with the remaining parts of the sail, that she had used to build her tent. “Is that enough?“, she asked and showed Vol’jin the pieces of cloth before she sat in front of the fireplace again. Then she fetched a needle and a strong thread from her pocket. Now it was good that she had taught herself how to sew a long time ago. With fast stitches she began to sew the pieces of stuff together and listened to Vol’jin’s words. She was not the best sewer, but it was enough to make a simple bag. After all the bag did not have to look nice, it simply had to work.

A long time ago the gallifreyan stories also had been about gods and titans, but in time the stories evolved and became crueler. The romance of the old tales had been lost and Vera had also lost her interest in this brutal myths. „I also heard a few stories about titans and gods, but the saddest story about comets I ever heard is a story about a lost soul weeping in heavens.”

She looked at Vol’jin for a moment, before she took a deep breath and began to tell her story. After telling more than hundred stories to a young girl she was a very experienced story teller. “It was a very long time ago, in a place few people have seen before. A place where people were not used to lie and their community was built on truth and faithfulness. But then in a very cold winter a boy was born and strangely he wasn’t able to tell the truth at all. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t do it. When the boy grew older the king learned about this strange ability and he was summoned to the court. Amazed he packed his bags and went to the king’s castle. He grew even more amazed, when he learned that the king wanted him to teach his ability. The boy tried very hard, but the king wasn’t able to learn it. Of course the king thought that it was the boy’s fault and he banned him from his country.

In another land he tried to find his luck and he even thought he had found love. The relationship lasted quite a long time until the king became ruler of this country as well. The man, who was not able to tell the truth was separated from his family and since his kids also had the man’s ability they banned to a place, where the man was not allowed to follow. Desperate he watched his family leave and although he was not allowed to come with them he began a journey to find them. Full of hope he searched for them everywhere. During his journey he grew old, his hair became grey and the constant travels began to wear down on him. He had almost lost all hope until he arrived at an icy land, where he found the last remnants of his family. His kids had survived, but his beloved wife had died a long time ago. Although he was happy that he had found his kids he was not able to overcome the loss of the woman who had understood him more than anyone else. Weeping he left his family again and was never seen again. Some people say that after travelling for so long he found a way to the heavens and in some very clear nights you can still see his tears falling down to earth as comets.” She finished her story together with the bag and handed it to Vol’jin smiling despite the sad story. Only a small flicker in her eyes showed that she had been about to cry, when she finished telling her story. “I hope it is big enough.”

[Vol'jin]

Internally, Vol'jin was glad that he still had his abilities, abilities granted to him by the loa and they were powers that could be easily taken away again if he truly fell out of favour. But if he had fallen out of favour, Bwonsamdi would have been calling on Vol'jin's ledger of favours granted for his life. Life had much in store for him, he knew that but he hadn't been expecting this. It wasn't known or foreseen by loa as far he knew. He blinked, he was thinking far too much on it and he glanced to her as the memory came to an end.

He smiled ruefully, "Endurance be the most important lesson of all," he replied knowingly. There could be no denying that fact, it was always better to be a slave for the moment and live than to be free and die sooner than is called for. Trolls all had to learn that hardship and he had understood the necessities for endurance. Civilisations, tribal clans and armies held together by a banner... they all came to an end. Trolls were long lived and most from the endurance they practiced.

Vera seemed to grow sad as he listened to her speak, he in turn was attentive, "Endure, mon, an' you'll be okay," he assured her. Endurance was easy to learn, but perhaps hard to master. He looked upon the stars for a while longer, maybe somewhere up there into the far reaches, Azeroth and Outland sat nestled waiting for his return. He surely hoped so.

He looked back t Vera, watching her work the cloth with the needle and thread. He could note that she was no master seamstress but then, he faired no better himself. He could repair his armour and pouches but that was he needed to learn for himself. Now, he was starting to wish he had paid more attention. He glanced up to find her looking at him too before she began her tale. His elongated ears twitched at a sound in the forest nearby but he discerned no threat, it was probably some forager rustling about for food.

Vol'jin listened with care, there was much to be learned from the experiences or stories others told. They usually held some moral or worldly point laced within the words themselves that always was worth paying heed to. Sometimes you had to lie to get to a truth, sometimes you had to lie to protect... Family was important to Vol'jin, it meant new experiences and a new generation to carry on traditions as the elders had done. As he had done. It was a very sad tale and he watched her, his expression almost unreadable as he listened, not that his elongated, curved tusks that jutted out from his jaw made it easy to discern less obvious expressions.

Tale and bag came to a finish and he took the offered bag, he lightly inspected it. He smiled slightly and nodded, "Death be only a new beginning. Maybe he had loa watchin' ovah him, now he may be watching his sons," his inflections and tone were soft and respectful, giving hint that he believed such things were possible. He wasn't sure if the same did ring true for her people but on occasion, the loa did present themselves. He had heard his own father when he was between consciousness and the lack of it before he had woken to a bed that had not been his own.

Vol'jin physically paused, raising a hand to his throat where a faint but true scar could be seen. It was sizeable and many disliked it but he kept it out of choice, a need for reminders. He nodded to himself then before he looked back to her and smiled deeply, nodding to her this time around. "It be big enough, sturdy and heartful," he replied softly before he carefully began to place the meat inside. His task soon finished, he closed the bag and used cord to bind it securely. Despite his hands having only two fingers and the one thumb, his ties were gracefully done. He tested his handiwork and nothing moved, not even an inch. Satisfied, he rose to put it within her tent where it was out of sight. He returned to his spot and stoked the fire again, this time to provide them warmth. It was steadily getting colder and colder as the night wore on but he had no inclination to sleep. He doubted he would be sleeping properly anytime soon in this strange world.

[Vera]

Endurance… she was not sure if it was easy to learn how to endure the hardships of life. Especially if you had been born to people who didn’t care about hardships and who often simply ran away from problems. A while ago she had not been better either. Every time she had run into trouble she had simply turned around and chosen to leave. Until she had found Carolyne. When she had decided to take care for the child she had finally decided to face at least a few troubles. But most likely there was much more to endurance than that you simply had to face your problems and bear them. Maybe this was why she had been brought to this place. To face her people’s future she might have to learn several things about the way different people lived and how she might be able to help them. By now she already had a notion that she would not be able to follow the non-interference directive in this strange place.

“I hope so.”, Vera answered. “But it’s very hard to face the future if you don’t know what happened to your best friends. Do you have someone who is waiting for you?”, she asked and imagined Carolyne running around in her Tardis’ control room begging Terry to stop and return to the place where they had appeared a few days ago. Although Carolyne was born and partly raised in the Victorian age she had a connection to technology that was way beyond the understanding of technology a normal Victorian woman had and still she was not able to pilot Terry.

Vol’jin’s words that death was only the beginning brought another thought to her mind, but as soon as it came into her consciousness she already pushed it aside and leaned back with a slight smile on her face. “I don’t know if death is a new beginning. I’ve been very close to death for a few times and every time it felt as if a part of me didn’t come back from this dark place.”, she answered and watched the flames ones more. Each time she had regenerated it was as if she had died and been reborn in a new body and in a certain way it was exactly what happened to every timelord who regenerated into a new body. It was like getting a new life and still you kept all the memories you had had before.

“It would be great if someone watched over us, too. But my people stopped believing in deities and similar things centuries ago.”, she said and although she knew that there were no gods somewhere in some kind of heaven she now hoped that there was at least one of them watching over her companion. “That’s good to hear.”, she answered friendly, after Vol’jin had checked her bag if it was good enough for the meat and put the plates away, while Vol’jin brought the bag into her tent. It was a strange sight to see his massive body inside her tent and Vera couldn’t help but smile while she watched him.

As soon as he returned he poured him and herself the next cup of tea and handed it to him after he had stirred the fire once more. “It’s getting colder.”, she stated and looked back to her tent. “Do you want a blanket? I don’t know if the blankets I have are big enough for you, but you might be able to cover your back or your legs.”, she asked because she was beginning to shiver despite the warmth of the fire.