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Brothers	By : Koori Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 1832 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter Twenty-Three – Foster Conway, Age 22
Foster kept his gaze on the back of his brother, trusting his elf-eyes and Bishop, his white stallion, to keep them on the right path. His mind played over the last thirty minutes, he couldn't believe he pulled it off. It had been mostly luck. He'd been lucky to find Grant in the stables, knowing the elf's hearing he had written down his instant made plan on a piece of paper. Loyal Mr. Paxton never questioned him and had led Granite and Nutmeg out of the back of the barn, cushioning their footfalls by wrapping cloth around their hooves; Foster had done the same to Bishop and Rook, his brother's Palomino. After leading them away from the farm he left them tethered and ran back to the house. Using stones against the upstairs window he had gotten Nathaniel's attention. No words were needed and the men had made their escape. Hopefully the elves were now following Grant's well-made trail toward Stratholme while Nathaniel led them quickly through the dense woods in the opposite direction.
Foster studied his brother's back as they rode. He held his head up high, his hair pulled back into a hasty made ponytail. Across his back was a quiver of arrows and the longbow of the snooty elf and Foster had to grin. The moon was high in the sky before he spoke; even then he kept it to a whisper knowing he'd be heard. "Anything to report?" he asked.
Nathaniel pulled up the reins of Rook letting his brother overtake him. "Heard Grant's whistle about an hour ago, signaling he'd been caught. Should take the elves a couple more hours to backtrack to the house and find our true path, giving us a slim four hour lead. I've tried to keep us mostly to rocky ground to help with our tracks but have a feeling they're better trackers than that. We've been running the horses as hard as we can for it being dark. We're almost to Darrowmere Lake, planning to skirt the northern edge of it."
"Ah the path through the mountains to the Hinterlands," Foster said approvingly. "Try to avoid going through Caer Darrow I've heard some weird rumors as of late."
"Aye," Nathaniel agreed. "It has become a dark place, no worries, Brother."
They were on the far side of the lake when Nathaniel pulled his horse up and looked back the way they had come. Foster did the same but could see nothing in the still darken sky. "What do you see?" he asked.
"Elves," Nathaniel sighed.
"Do they see us?" Foster asked.
"Aye, shouting for me to return," Nathaniel said. "Come on, their mounts have to be just as tired as ours." He urged Rook to take off and Bishop willingly followed. Suddenly Nathaniel turned north and the horses struggled up some rocky terrain.
"Baby Brother?" Foster asked confused.
"The path to the Hinterlands," he replied. "I think …"
Soon the well-worn path was revealed and the men continued their frantic escape. The sun was rising when they spotted some stone structures to the east. "The dwarves," Nathaniel said before Foster could ask. "I smell their forges and the griffons."
"They may aid us," Foster said, "They helped us before."
"They are also allies to the High Elves," Nathaniel said, uncertain.
"Were," Foster said. "I heard news that the High Elves left the Alliance, and that elf last night mentioned they were closing the gate to their homeland soon."
"If we stop and the dwarves choose not to help us," Nathaniel said, "then I'm as good as gone. Even if they do, would we make them draw their blades for us … nay, Brother, I vote we keep riding."
"Our horses are exhausted but I'm with you, Baby Brother," Foster said.
They continued their path away from the dwarves and further east, eventually breaking through the trees and into an open field. Nathaniel pulled up his horse and looked over at his brother. "Where are we?" he asked.
The men had ridden further in a night than they had their entire lives. Foster thought back to their schooling and the geography they had learned as children. "Somewhere in Hillsbrad Foothills would be my guess," he replied.
Nathanial slid down from the back of Rook and took the reins in his hand. "Run alongside them for a bit," he said. "Let's give them a break."
It was easier for his brother to keep up the pace as they raced east along the mountains. Soon a large structure appeared before him and he frowned. "Thoradin's Wall," he said. "On the other side we'll find Arathi Highlands." As Nathaniel started to put his foot up into the stirrup Foster stopped him. "We need to do something first," he said. He took out his handkerchief and reached up tying it around his brother's head, tucking the slender ears inside. "Sorry, Baby Brother, know it hurts them. However, with the elves out of the Alliance we can't go around broadcasting and with the sun rising we'll most likely run into others in our flight."
"I'm fine," Nathaniel said, adjusting his new head gear slightly and then swinging up into the saddle. "Let's run the horses a little more, try to reach Arathi Highlands before we take a break. Hopefully our pursuers will also choose to rest."
Keeping the wall to their left they ran the horses alongside it, about the time Foster was wondering if it ever ended, Nathaniel spotted an opening. The road was well worn with hooves and wagon marks, Foster hoped it would make them harder to track. "Surely they will give up soon," he said, "You're just one elf …"
"It may become a matter of pride," Nathaniel said. "But I pray you are right, because if we don't stop to rest soon I'm going to fall off this saddle."
"Then I'm pulling big brother entitlement and saying we're stopping," Foster said.
"Where?" Nathaniel asked, pulling Rook back to a trot.
Foster glanced around and pointed to a small wooden grove off the road. "There," he said. "It will hide us from prying eyes and the trees will shade us."
Nathaniel didn't argue and slid off his horse, taking the reins he walked over to the coppice. Foster followed and after tying his reins off he went back to the road and hid their tracks the best he could. By the time he returned Nathaniel was already sound asleep, resting against a tree. Looking through the hastily packed bags Foster found an old quilt and draped it over his brother. "Guess I get first watch," he said with a smile. He found a spot where he could watch the road and not be seen.
Keeping an eye on a time piece his father had given him for his last birthday, he let Nathaniel sleep for a couple of hours. During that time he only saw two other people on the road, a pair of men on a horse drawn wagon. After the second hour passed he walked over to Nathaniel and shook him gently. His brother was instantly awake, though he still had dark circles under his eyes.
"How long?" he asked.
"Just a couple of hours," Foster said, "I'm sorry, wish I could let you rest longer but …"
"It's okay," Nathaniel said, handing him the quilt as he stood. "Get some rest, Brother."
"Baby Brother," Foster said as he wrapped the quilt around him. "Promise me, you'll be here when I awake … we're in this together." The subtle drop of his brother's shoulders proved Foster had guessed right. "Promise me!"
"I promised you years ago," Nathaniel said, "I won't break it now … go to sleep Brother, I'll wake you up in a couple hours."
"One hour," Foster said with a yawn. "Just in case the elves didn't stop, we'll still have an hour on them."
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Brothers