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Shattered	By : Koori Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 8001 -:- 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-Four – Foster Conway
“Fuck!” Foster listened to the shouted swear word echo down the empty caverns. He kicked the decaying body of a scorpion; it was as large as a dog. He wondered how long he’d been wandering the labyrinth of caverns. He had quickly sedated his dark urges on the dwarves and troggs he’d found in the ancient earthen complex, Uldaman. Afterwards curiosity had gotten the better of him and he’d delved deeper finding statues that came to life, giant cave dwelling animals and troggs so many damn troggs. After his inquisitiveness had been satisfied he’d gone to backtrack his way out of the maze of tunnels only to find himself walking in circles. It had been hours since he’d seen something alive and foolishly he’d not left it in that state. “Couldn’t have left one alive to act as a guide,” Foster grumbled aloud.
Fingering the long white mark on the cavern wall, carved by the dagger in his hand he chose an unmarked opening and continued his search. The noise of the blade scraping against the rock and his heavy plated footfalls echoing were the only sounds. As he walked his mind thought over the past couple of months, he should have returned to Ebon Hold and joined the other Knights in their attack against their creator, the Lich King. However, a force even stronger than the darkness that pumped through his veins kept him in these barren lands, love. He knew some of his comrades in arms would disagree they were capable of such emotion, but it had been bred into his being long before the Lich King claimed him as one of his soldiers. And once the cloud had lifted from his mind, it had taken hold once more. He would join them in the cold North, but not until his siblings were safely delivered into the arms of their parents. He frowned at the large finely detailed carved wall at the end of the hall, another dead end. Slamming his fist against it in frustration, there was an unexpected hollow sound. Frowning he sheathed his knife and pressed both hands against the carving. To his surprise a loud grating could be heard as the wall was revealed to be a door.
“All right,” Foster said, slipping the rune blade from his back, “perhaps I left a few survivors after all.” He did indeed find a few troggs but their aid was unneeded as he was greeted by the cool fresh breeze blowing in from the opening in the cave he stumbled out of. He eyed the troggs for a long moment and then growled, “Boo!” and the hunched over men scurried back into shadows. He called upon bone griffon and as the undead mount appeared he had to wonder how long he’d been wandering in that underground maze. The sun was high in the sky. Soon he landed outside the cave they had called home; the large crimson raptor ran out to meet him. “Sorry, Scrambled Eggs,” he said, “I didn’t bring home a doggy bag.”
“Where have you been!” Sara demanded. “He could have died? Why didn’t you come?”
Foster frowned. “Who? What happened? I … got … um, lost … is it Nathaniel?”
Her fist slammed into his armor-covered chest and he let her beat out her frustrations on him. After a long moment he gently grabbed her hands. “What happened, Sis? Are you okay, the babe?”
To his surprise tears fell down her cheeks. “Shortly after you left, Skang appeared. He had seen you leave, warned me that we should be more careful, it would reveal our location …”
“There is nothing left within miles …”
“That is what I said,” Sara interrupted, “we were wrong.”
Frowning Foster asked again, “What happened while I was away … and why was Skang here in the daylight, is it Nathaniel?”
“Skang brought news of our brother, he has awakened.”
Foster frowned the news should have brought more joy to his sister’s face. “How is he? How is his mind?”
“His body is weak; it will be another month before he is fit to travel.” Sara turned away, her body trembled. “After he left an ogre mage attacked me. Omelet and I were out matched when Skang came back and together we were able to defeat him but he was gravely injured. I didn’t know what else to do, so I did the call of aid from the Farstriders that Nathaniel taught us. I got two answers; I thought one was you …”
“Two?” Foster frowned, “I’m sorry I was lost underground, I did not hear you.”
Sara nodded. “Nignath …”
Foster stiffened at the name but nodded for her to continue.
“And … another orc came to help Skang …” Sara said, she stumbled over the words.
“Her mate,” Foster said. “She was able to help her brother.”
“They were,” Sara frowned and bent down picking up a scroll. “The other answer I thought was you, was a High Elf. And by the kindness of the fates was one that called our brother, brother as well. Swiftwind wanted to take him with her, but we convinced her otherwise. She gave me this to give to Nathaniel, she has a lodge nearby. She is a true High Elf; those she hunted with no longer welcome her.”
“So three others know of this haven, we will have to move …”
“Three that would go to their deaths with the knowledge,” Sara said. “I am as safe here as I was yesterday. As the ogre mage proved, there will always be dangers, we can’t hide our heads in the sand and pretend we are safe.”
Foster removed his gauntlet and brushed a tear from her cheek. “Our brother has awakened,” he said, allowing himself a small smile.
Sara returned the grin. “We’ll be home before the winter snows. Ma and Pa will be so happy to see us,” her smiled widened, “can you imagine their faces when they see you?”
Frowning Foster shook his head, “no Little Sis, they cannot know I live. Not after everything I did, I will remain dead to them. I died a hero I don’t want my memories to be tainted by the curse of the Lich King. I will make sure you and Nathaniel reach them safely but after that I must join my brethren in the North.”
“You would leave us … Nathaniel?” Sara said, “You know he will follow, he won’t be prepared for the dangers there; it will take him years to recover his vigor … if he ever does.”
“I’ll make sure he stays,” Foster said, “he has to. Nignath can heal his body but only the love of our family can mend his heart and soul.”
Sara let out a loud sigh, a sign she wasn’t happy with his answer, but wisely didn’t pursue it. “You smell like Troggs,” she said wrinkling her nose, “can we go to the shore? I would love to get out of this cave before I turn into a Trogg myself.”
Foster eyed the quilts in the corner. She followed his gaze, “you can sleep on the beach afterwards.”
Smiling he nodded and they quickly gathered the items they would need. Omelet stayed behind in the cave, happily gnawing on a large bone as they took to the sky on the back of the bone griffon. There was a small secluded cove, surrounded by rocky cliffs that they had used for their washing needs the past weeks. They found it as quiet as it had always been and as Sara went to set up their camp she shooed him off to the water. Grabbing the bar of lye soap he moved to the edge of the ocean and looked out, there was nothing but water as far as the eyes could see. Stripping out of his armor, he waded into the cold water. There had been a time in his life, such a task had terrified him, but dying seemed to have erased such trivial fears as water. As he scrubbed his dark skin, he rubbed a thumb against his arm. Death was all around him, it beat in his heart, it marked his flesh, his brother called his eyes star kissed but they were just fires burning where irises used to. Reaching up he grabbed a strand of hair, once it had been dark as coal now it was as white as ice, the same cold that fueled his existence. No, there was no place for him on a farm in Elwynn Forest. Finishing his bath he started wading toward shore when something slick wrapped around his ankle, it brought back memories of another time and he stiffened. For a moment it was a naga’s tail, but a quick glance showed it just a small eel swimming through the shallows.
“Brother?”
He looked up to see Sara watching him, a frown on her face. “For the first time in a long time I saw fear on your face … are you okay? Well other than standing there as naked as they day you were born.” She tossed him a towel and he grabbed it wrapping it around his waist.
“Just a memory, Sis,” he said. “Your turn?”
“Aye,” she replied, “but close your eyes …”
“That won’t be a problem,” he said lying down on his chest, on a blanket she had spread out. Crossing is arms he rested his head on them shutting his eyes. The sun felt warm on bare flesh, how he wished it could melt the ice within. A warm hand on his shoulder woke him from a dreamless slumber.
“Dinner time,” Sara announced, “clothes to your left.”
Pushing himself up, he glanced over at her and after making sure she was looking away, dropped the towel and quickly dressed sliding on the leather pants and cotton shirt she had found him. Joining her at the fire she had burning he eyed the fish cooking on the spit. “Been busy while I was sleeping,” he said.
“I enjoy fishing,” she replied. Her eyes looked him over. “You cut a fine figure for a dead guy.”
“Says my sister,” Foster replied taking one of the fish off the fire and using his fingers tore into the warm flesh.
Sara grabbed her own fish and moved over to settle down beside him. For a long moment they said nothing, watching the surf wash up on the shore. “It’s funny,” she said.
“What is?” he asked.
“To think how peaceful it is right this moment, but know how much unrest there is in the world. I feel guilty for enjoying it.”
“Never,” Foster said, “never feel remorseful for enjoying moments … some aren’t that lucky to have even the briefest flashes of happiness.” For a second Nignath’s smile came to him; followed by Nathaniel’s laughter … a sound he hadn’t heard for so long. His brother’s screams of pain were more familiar.
“You’re doing it again,” Sara said, bringing him back to the present. “You look so forlorn … he forgives you, please forgive yourself.”
“I can never,” Foster said standing, tossing the scraps of his lunch into the fire, “I promised Pa years ago I would protect you girls and Nathaniel. Janice is dead … I caused Nathaniel so much suffering he wished he was dead a hundred times.”
“You didn’t kill Janice …”
“But I couldn’t save her either,” Foster said, “I started questioning the Light at that time, opening my heart to the darkness that the Lich King took advantage of.”
“Bull shit,” Sara said; her coarse words startled him. “The Lich King didn’t find weakness, his evil consumes all. There was nothing you could have done; the hands that beat my brother were not yours they were tools of the Lich King!” To prove her point she took his left hand in hers and pressed it against her cheek. “This is the hand of my Big Brother.”
Foster sighed and wiped at the tattooed tears on her cheek, wish he could rub them away as easy as the salty ones. “Love you, Sis,” he said, his voice hallow, seemly contradicting the words.
Sara smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Love you too, Big Brother, even if you are dumb as a box of rocks some days.”
Foster whistled and the undead griffon roosting nearby stood up and stretching its bony wings took flight. It circled once before landing gracefully on the beach. “I still don’t know how Fluffy flies without feathers,” Sara said as she kicked sand over the fire.
Shaking the blankets Foster folded them over his arm. “The necromancers were very skilled at keeping things alive that shouldn’t be.”
“Well in your case I think they made the right decision,” Sara said swinging on the back of the griffon, “you have things left to do in this world.”
“That I do,” he agreed climbing on behind her and grabbing her lightly around the waist. For a moment the image of Nathaniel came to mind, his brother would laugh again. They arrived back at the cave, finding it as they had left it. Even Omelet seemly hadn’t move, resting on his nest. “We should figure out what to do with him,” Foster said, “I doubt a raptor will be welcomed at the farm. They have a hard enough time with foxes and the chickens.”
“Omelet wouldn’t eat chickens,” Sara said defensively, sitting down near the raptor and affectionately rubbing its broad muzzle. “Pa will let me keep him; he’s just like a dog!”
“A dog as big as an orc with teeth that can tear a man’s arm off …”
“Aww my cute wittle baby wouldn’t do that would you?” Sara said.
Foster swore the raptor chuckled, letting out short growls, licking her across the nose. “He’s sampling you,” he said, “thinks you taste like chicken.”
Leaving the two of them to their play he walked outside the cave and looked around. The battle Sara had mentioned earlier with the ogre mage could still be seen by the scorched earth, Foster cursed himself for being careless. He had grown too comfortable with their surroundings, he would have to use more caution. Sara was quickly growing into a position of being unable to fight; her belly grew larger by the day. “Heal quick, Baby Brother,” he said, “it’s time to go home.”
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Shattered