[Story] Feathermoon

Stormpelt crouched on the cliffside overlooking Feathermoon. Though her sense of smell was not what it once was, she could smell many things: the salty kiss of the sea, the smoke from fires, perhaps even some food cooking over it. She had no need to eat, but the smell made her pause and sniff carefully all the same. She remembered eating, and remembered that it was almost the nicest thing. The nicest thing was Frostmoon, but Frostmoon was never coming back again.

There were a lot of people in this town, more than at the shrine. And while the druids at the shrine paid little attention to her, these people watched her intently. They all carried sharp things, and things that shot at you like stinging thorns. Stormpelt didn’t know what she had done to upset them so much, but she gave the town a wide berth after that. She wanted to see Leaves, and Berries, and the pup. They were her pack. But the others kept her from them. If only she tried harder! Stormpelt lay her head down on her paws and watched the town.

Sometimes the hoof-whelps came too, Stormpelt saw them gather around the glowing water as they had at Hyjal. They were happy. Did they think about Stormpelt at all? She did not want to go away. Leaves was a fine Master, better than her first, and far better than her second. She liked the woods here, too. They were dense and green, they smelled young and ancient all at once. There were animals in the forest too, not like on Hyjal where they had all fled before the flames. Here, bears roamed the hills, and many things she’d never seen before: tall hairy animals with horns on their heads, muscular things that hooted and called to each other, small animals that stood on their hind legs and chittered if you got too close. But most intriguing were the wolves. They weren’t as large as she and her former pack, but Stormpelt knew they were wolves, all the same. She’d smelled them, and she knew they could smell her. So far, they bristled and showed their teeth if she got too near, but she hoped that in time they would allow it. Stormpelt almost forgot what it was to run with a pack, the exhilaration of the hunt while your pack-mates panted at your side.

She looked down at the town. She couldn’t see Leaves or any of them anymore. After the sun fell, she’d return to check on them. Now, she wanted to run.

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[Story] Baby Talk

Zaethir crouched in the hills above the orc camp. Well, he knew the orcs had used it recently; the fire pit had been covered with dirt and they’d made a half-hearted attempt to hide their tracks, but orcs weren’t very clever at that. He hadn’t seen them yet today, though, nor did he expect them to show up. He had pulled out some pieces of leather and was sewing them into a pair of bracers. Mostly, he wanted an excuse to get out of the house. Sure, the kid was cute, but he smelled and he drooled, and worst of all, Phaa expected him to hold him. He didn’t know the first thing about kids, and if he dropped it or somehow messed it up, he didn’t want to have to deal with his creepy undead father.

Thar’adeth paused in her grooming to give him a dark look. He knew she wasn’t exactly pleased with the arrangement, either, but she had at least played with Relanos. Arivain had been smart enough to hide for the entirety of the baby’s visit, only coming out for meal times. And of course now Phaa wanted one, that’s what he’d worried about from the moment he heard she’d be watching him. She said she didn’t, but he knew she did. It was too soon, he was too young, he didn’t have the first clue how to take care of a baby. The only consolation was that he knew that stupid jerk druid would be getting the same plaintive looks from his draenei.

The tracker had also found signs of the worgen near the camp. He’d almost forgotten about her, having only seen her in town the first day they arrived. She’d gone into the woods and disappeared. Zaethir wondered if she was unhappy, or if she simply preferred living out in the forest again, as she must have at some point in her life. She wasn’t quite a person and wasn’t quite an animal, so he couldn’t read her desires as he could a wolf or other animal. There were plenty of places for her to rest, and plenty of food to eat — but then, a dead worgen doesn’t need to eat or sleep, does it? Maybe he ought to mention it to the old druid, but he was busy enough with the new baby.

He’d enjoyed their talk the other night, though. It wasn’t often that he could speak with a druid without earning looks of bare contempt from the sentinels — or the druid himself. Ornasse was old, but circumstances had made him soften on a few subjects. Maybe he didn’t mind male trackers so much, since his daughter was a druid. That, and she was married to a dead guy. They were supposed to return tonight, to pick up Relanos. Zaethir looked forward to things going back to normal.

[Story] Bad-Fire

Bad-fire all gone. Trees come back now, Leaves say. We go home, Leaves say, but where is home for Stormpelt now?

Berries have new-new pup, smell so soft. Stormpelt hope can stay to guard. Leaves fly on bird-deer, go to new place to south. Stormpelt stay with Berries and new-new pup, fly on bird-deer too.

New place has many trees, smells old and wild. Wolves in forest, not like Stormpelt but still wolf. Smells good, smells safe. Stormpelt like this place, good place for new-new pups.

Leaves say rest of pack come soon, hoof-pups and dead-pup and everyone. Stormpelt want to stay here, with pack.

[Art] Stormpelt Digital

First real thing I drew in SAI with my new tablet. It’s pretty fun, still trying to work out how to do all the cool effects and stuff though.

[OOC/Screenshots] The Other Flamebreaker

Being Orny’s Hyjal buddy, Stormpelt was pretty close to Flamebreaker. So I finally finished up, I was just waiting on the last couple Lieutenants 🙂

[Art] Stormpelt

Not 100% happy with this one, re-drew the pose like 3 times. Oh well.

[Art] Frostmoon & Stormpelt