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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.

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Chapter Twenty-Six – Sara Conway
A loose rock caused Sara to lose her footing and she stumbled, instantly both of her brothers were there to catch her.
“Maybe we should rest again?” Nathaniel asked.
“Lunch was just an hour ago,” Sara said, patting his arm reassuringly, “I’m fine, truly.”
“Wish Omelet was saddle trained, he certainly big enough,” Nathaniel said glancing over at the large crimson raptor that now stood taller than him. Broad turquoise stripes crisscrossed Omelet’s back and tail. Around his neck were colorful bead necklaces which Sara loved to decorate him with and the raptor adored. On his back he carried their supplies. Recognizing his name the raptor let out a soft growl and walked over. Nathaniel rubbed the broad muzzle; a long tongue slipped out from between the razor sharp teeth and licked him.
“I still say he is tasting me,” Nathaniel said with a smile.
“Yes and he says you taste like bacon,” Sara said sagely.
Her elfin brother studied her for a long moment, which gave her time to do the same. His blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail; a handkerchief topped his head, hiding the slender ears. “You look like a pirate,” she said with a grin. She knew pinning his ears down were uncomfortable, and hampered is natural acute hearing. However, out of the three of them he was the one most able to slip into a town and replenish their dwindling supplies.
Swearing never to grow tired of the smile that answered her, she watched Nathaniel’s gaze move down her body and she subconsciously placed a hand on her large belly. Her brother laid his hand on top of hers. “Violet, going to stay in there until we get home? You look ready to burst.”
“Violet?” Sara answered, “That your niece’s name today? She’s fine, only kicks me when we stop walking.” The babe within did just that and her brother’s eyes lit up in wonderment. It had been about two months since they left the Badlands, though time was hard to keep track of as a nomad, she was guessing she had at least a month left. As she had predicted all those months ago, the travel had been healing. Nathaniel was almost back to his normal self, though Sara doubted the shadows she saw in his gaze would ever truly fade.
Nathaniel rested a second hand on her belly. “Big Brother, you have to feel this!”
Foster shook his head, “it’s bad enough to touch Sara I will not let the darkness that exists inside me close to the babe.”
“You would never hurt my child,” Sara told him with a smile.
“There was a time I swore to Pa I would never harm any of you,” Foster said.   “Yes I know,” he said cutting off Nathaniel, “the time in the necropolis I was not my own. But my touch almost killed you in the Wetlands. You only lived because of your will to do so.”
“And it ended up saving me and showing me peace,” Nathaniel said.   He walked over to the edge of the trail they were following. It was a high mountain path, well-worn but thankfully they hadn’t run into anyone else.
Sara walked gingerly to the edge and glanced down. The mountain side ended abruptly, there was several hundred feet below them that opened to a lush green forest. In the distance she saw a large stone keep. “Is that part of Lakeshire?” she asked.
“No,” Foster answered joining them; in his hand was a map. “That’s Stonewatch; the town is a lot further west. Can you see it, Baby Brother?”
“Just the smoke from their fireplaces,” Nathaniel said.
“Is Stonewatch friend or foe?” Sara asked stepping away from the edge.
“Everyone is considered a foe,” Foster said. “If we keep following this path until the end we’ll reach Swamp of Sorrows … and no, Little Sis, it is not the sparkly lake of fluffy bunnies.” She and Nathaniel laughed as Foster smirked, the closest her brother got to a laugh. “However, we don’t want to go there; it is in the wrong direction.” He showed the map to them, his finger traced a path. “We want cut across Redridge Mountains here and follow the mountains until we come to Three Corners and from there it is just a short walk and we’ll be in the forest of Elwynn …”
“Home,” Sara said with a smile. “That doesn’t look very far at all … we could be back with our family by tomorrow!”
“I think that’s being a bit optimistic,” Nathaniel said, gesturing up. “It smells like rain; let’s find a place to climb down to the forest floor. Want to do the descent while the rocks are dry.”
“More rock climbing?” Sara sighed. “You swore to me I wouldn’t have to climb any more mountains after we escaped the dark dwarves in the Fire Mountain.”
“Well at least this time there won’t be a dragon chasing us,” Foster said folding up the map.
“There is no reason for you to take the risk,” Nathaniel said, “Big Brother, call Fluffy and fly the both of you down. I’ll look for a place for Scrambled Eggs and I to scale the mountain side.”
“Sara’s pet can find his own way down, I’ve tried to lose him on many occasions and he keeps turning up like a bad copper. It is a very short flight,” Foster said as he started to chant. A magical gate appeared before him. “You wouldn’t have to fly very long, only a moment. Just close your eyes and when you open them we’ll be on solid ground.”
It was like a switch had been toggled, in an instant the calm and valiant brother she loved was replaced by the cowering broken brother she could only pity.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Foster said coldly, as the undead griffon stepped out of the magical gateway. He did nothing to hide his frustration and Nathaniel’s face reddened.
“I love you, Big Brother,” Sara said placing herself in front of the elf; she smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek. With a sigh Nathaniel closed his eyes and rested his lips against her forehead, she felt a shudder run down his body and when he pulled back calmness had returned.
“I’ll go find a better path for myself and the lizard,” he said, “this is too steep and I know how it feels to fall from such a height.”
Foster, whose back was to them, stiffened. Sara could only swear softly as Nathaniel grabbed Omelet’s leash, walked off and disappeared around the bend. “It’s been awhile since I heard you say those words to him yourself,” she said approaching, “he needs hear them from you; it helps keep his demons at bay.”
“I am the only demon in his life now,” Foster said climbing on the back of the unholy griffon. “Sooner we finish this journey the better for all of us.” Reaching down he lifted her up and sat her down in front of him, once again very careful not to touch her belly. “Hold on,” he instructed as the griffon took flight.
“Not so high,” Sara said, “we don’t want to be seen.”
“The approaching storms bring early dusk,” Foster said, “we are not as detectible as you may think.”
The featherless wings making no sound, as Foster directed Fluffy to follow the path Nathaniel had used. When they saw no sight of the elf, her brother flew lower and they scouted the rocky wall. Sara spied him first and pointed, he was already halfway down the cliff. Nathaniel went first and Omelet followed, the raptor’s claws easily gripped the stony rock. Foster flew closer but not so close as to distract, they watched as Nathaniel struggled to find the next foothold and suddenly started to slide. Before Foster could react Nathaniel caught himself and slowly worked himself over to a large ridge. Once he was there he slid down against the wall, sitting. Omelet joined him and nuzzled his cheek.
As Foster urged the griffon closer the rain Nathaniel had sensed appeared with a large crash of thunder, it did not start as a light drizzle but instead a drenching downpour and Sara gasped. Foster swore and flew nearer to their brother.
“Baby Brother!” Foster had to shout to be heard over the tempest. Nathaniel looked up at him his face unable to decide between a look of defiance or fear.
“Get our Sister out of the rain!” Nathaniel shouted back, “I’ll catch my breath and join you shortly.”
“Don’t leave him,” Sara said.
Foster shouted, “Come with us, the rain will make the rocks slippery. I swear on all I was to you once I will not drop you! Let me help you one last time!”
Nathaniel slowly stood; the rain had soaked his clothing. He walked closer to the edge and bone griffon moved nearby. Foster reached out an armored covered hand. The rain pelted them as Nathaniel studied the offered gauntlet; he glanced down the forest floor now closer than it had been but still a couple hundred feet down. Pale fingers wrapped around the iron ones.
“Close your eyes,” Foster shouted.
Nathaniel shook his head and jumped toward them. Sara was sure his plan had been to land on the back of the griffon but his foot slipped and with a cry the elf fell. Omelet tried to make a grab with his teeth but missed and followed Nathaniel over the ledge. Sara screamed. Foster’s hand closed, holding fast to Nathaniel’s, dark bolts of magic came from his other hand and grabbed the falling raptor. Sara’s heart began to beat again and then the screaming started. The griffon dove to the ground, and as they landed Foster slid off and wrapped his arms around the terrified elf. “I didn’t drop you, I promised you I wouldn’t … calm down.”
The screams stopped but the sobbing did not. Sara knelt down and hugged him as well. “We need to get out of this rain,” she said over the elf’s head. “I’ll go scout around.”
“No,” Foster said, he placed Nathaniel against her chest and wrapped them both with his cloak. “I’ll go scout.”
Sara focused on the crying elf as Foster disappeared, being trailed by Omelet. She shushed him softly. “It’s okay, Big Brother, you’ve been doing so well. One little relapse isn’t that bad.” His whole body shook with the force of the sobs, fear crept into her.   “Big Brother, please stop … you’re frightening me.”
The elf almost instantly stilled and after a long moment he pulled back, his eyes were swollen from tears and his nose bright red. “I’m sorry, Sis,” he said, “it was a shock; I don’t handle that very well yet.” The switch had been toggled again.
The knot stayed in her stomach, but she nodded. “Tell me about it?” she asked.
There was a loud crash and she startled, lightning arced across the sky. “We’re not safe under these trees,” Nathaniel said.
“I found a cave,” Foster said appearing. Reaching down he picked Nathaniel up.
“I can walk!” the startled elf protested. In response, her eldest brother threw Nathaniel over his shoulder so his legs hung down his chest and his head and arms down his back. His iron arm pinned the legs down, his other hand he offered to Sara helping her to her feet. Nathaniel struggled in the embarrassing position; gripping his hands together he slammed them into the back of Foster. The Death Knight grunted and releasing Sara’s hand swatted his bother hard across the backside. Nathaniel went ridged. “Bad boys get spanked,” he whispered and Foster stopped walking.
Sara dared not to speak as the rain continued pouring down. Nathaniel’s struggles had stopped; he hung limply. Foster stared at his free hand, the gauntlet opening and closing. The seconds ticked by and with each passing moment her anger and frustration grew until like the thunder of the storm it exploded. “Why!” she shouted, “Why … after all this time, all the healing, and all the labor to bring him back are you forcing him into that hell again? Why can’t you stop the darkness inside you, Big Brother? Why are you so damn weak? Nathaniel is stronger than you will ever be!”
Nathaniel squirmed and her brother set him down. “The cave is over there,” Foster said, gesturing. “Go now … both of you.”
Sara grabbed Nathaniel’s hand and stormed off, glad for the rain that was hiding the tears falling down her cheeks. The cave was no more than a shallow crevice in the mountain wall but it did block the rain and Omelet was already curled up inside. Stepping over the dinosaur she worked the clasp of her cloak letting it fall to the ground. “I’m soaking wet and so mad I could spit nails! And I don’t even know what that means … who would spit nails?” She rummaged through the packs still tied to Omelet and found a dry blanket. Without thought of modesty she stripped out of her wet dress, impractical but only piece of clothing Nathaniel could find for her pregnant self, and wrapped the blanket around her body. She glanced up to find Nathaniel’s back to her, his eyes watching the storm outside. “Can you undress yourself or do you need help?” She asked gently.
“I can undress myself, Little Sister,” Nathaniel said glancing over at her. “My mind is still my own.” He took off his cotton shirt and after wringing the water out of it dropped it on the ground, there was no place in their tiny haven to hang it. He left his wet leathers on and moved back to the opening.
“You didn’t sound like yourself a moment ago,” she said, “Bad boys get spanked?”
“I was five years old the last time I said that,” Nathaniel replied, “I needed him to remember … he promised our Pa he’d never strike me. He’s forgetting old oaths; I’m not the one we’re losing Sis.”
“Are we safe … from him?” Sara asked.
“Yes,” Nathaniel replied, “for now. You were wrong out there, by the way. Foster is not weak. It’s been days since he fed the darkness inside him, he’s hurting both physically and mentally. Some Death Knights would be driven to mindless, blood-seeking hysteria by now, worse we get is crankiness and a swat on the bottom. He fights the darkness inside him every day, and for our sake he is winning.”
“Why hasn’t he … you know …” Sara shrugged.
“We’re in friendly lands there hasn’t been anything here for him to kill that he wouldn’t regret afterwards.”
“Do you think he’ll lose the ability to feel remorse?” Sara asked.
“Back … before our rescue from Vance I heard rumors.”
“What kind of rumors?” Sara probed.
“That Arthas had cut out his own heart and buried it somewhere in Northrend. I’m Foster’s heart, he’s leaving me behind and there is nothing I can do about it. A year ago I would have been able to follow, now … I’m useless to him, a risk … vulnerability; he cannot chance having me at his side. Whoever controls me controls him. Without me I am afraid he’ll lose his light.”
“So the angry words he speaks …”
“I haven’t exactly been all sweet toward him,” Nathaniel replied, “He’s annoying me. Thinks I’m blind, not seeing his plan. He doesn’t want me to care about him.   What he doesn’t understand is I may be his heart but he carries the key to my soul. I’m terrified of falling back to what I was …”
“You’ve been your own for months now,” Sara said, “I’ve seen you slip but you always come back.”
“No,” Nathaniel said shaking his head, “there was a moment back in the Badlands, I did not come back on my own; Foster helped me once again. He needs me … I need him … he must follow his destiny to the North and I am too weak to follow and who knows if I will ever be that strong again. He will go and I … we will lose him forever and maybe in turn myself.”
“Forever is a very long time,” Sara said with a smirk, “a year ago he was dead and now he’s wiped away our tears. Don’t bury him quite yet, Big Brother. And your spirit is incredibly strong, don’t sell yourself short.”
“He doesn’t want to come back,” Nathaniel said with a sigh, “he wants to die the hero we thought he had.”
“Minds can change, so can hearts,” Sara said, “I don’t get why our last moments together if only for now or forever has to be tainted with anger and misgivings. I have no regrets in this journey we’ve done these past months. It’s been an adventure, but this last week things have changed … I don’t like it.”
“It’s hard Little Sister,” Nathaniel said, “every step closer we get to home, is one more step toward losing my Big Brother again … it sucks.” The elf shook his head and sat down his back against the wall of the cave, one hand resting on Omelet’s head. He still didn’t look at her.
“You’ll never lose him,” she said reaching over and placing her hand on top of his. “As long as he’s in your heart he’ll be with you. And you’ll gain so much more … family, a loving family within their embrace you will heal and grow strong again.   You have an eternity ahead of you, in a thousand years this will be a distant memory.”
“I wonder how they do it,” he said, “how do the elves live so long with so many memories? I’ll live long enough to watch over Violet’s daughter, daughter, daughter, daughter, daughter ….and be there when they join the rest of you in the Light, sounds so very sad.”
“But you’ll also be there to see her marry and her daughter marry and her granddaughter marry and her great-granddaughter … you will have so many joyful experiences. I think that’s how they live, remembering the good times.” Sara looked outside, the rain was still pouring down. “Wonder where Foster went?”
“To Northrend?” Nathaniel said, “We’re close enough to home now. He probably thinks we can make it on our own.”
“No!” Sara said, “He wouldn’t leave before we’re home safe. Maybe he is out sedating his hunger.” She frowned when Nathaniel didn’t agree with her and then let out a loud sigh. “My back is killing me; I cannot wait to sleep on my featherbed again. I think I’ll make the same choice Pa did, give up being a soldier and start a family.   Violet won’t have a daddy around but she’ll still have some great men in her life.”
Nathaniel nodded, “and a pretty remarkable Mommy too.”
Sara smiled her appreciation. Patting the ground beside her she said, “Sit, are you thirsty?”
Nathaniel sat down beside her and nodded. She took out the canteen and handed it to him, taking his left hand in hers she squeezed it gently. He lifted the jug to his lips and closed his eyes. She pressed her thumb into the top of his hand rubbing it gently and saw him swallow. Afterwards he wiped the back of his mouth with his free hand.
“It’s not perfect but better than verbal commands,” he said with a sigh. Weeks of training had gotten him to accept food and drink with slight hand pressures. At first they had done both the hand squeezes and spoken commands, eventually replacing the words with touches and it worked.
“If you explain things to them, they will understand,” Sara said for the umpteenth time.
Nathaniel shook his head. “We got this; it won’t be forever … they don’t need to know. We have a story stick to it, Sis.”
“What if I’m away for the night … week?” Sara said with a frown.
“I’ll be okay,” Nathaniel said, “promise.” Just then a loud howl of pain could be heard and Sara startled. “Guess you were right, he is appeasing his hunger … about time.”
Sara shudder as another scream echoed through the forest and she covered her ears. “He wouldn’t have hurt one of the …”
“He wouldn’t hurt an innocent, Sis … don’t worry it will be over soon. But just in case I’ll go scout, make sure he didn’t take on a legion of orcs. I’ll be back.”
Sara watched him slip out into the rain, still bare chested his bow and quiver over his shoulder. She bit back her catching pneumonia comment and instead rubbed the sleeping raptor’s nose. Wishing she could do the same, her aching back was throbbing.
“Nice soft feather bed,” she said softly to herself, “can’t wait.”
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