Among Fae

A Paladin, A Rogue, And A Truff : Chapter Eleven

Ringing would fill my knife-shaped ears, as violet, blue, and black hues swirled around chaotically in my vision. Mysterious dialect managed to smoothly pierce the deafening ringing that invaded my mind. It was simply jibberish to me though, it sounded like something else. The voice which spewed the strange language was deep yet calm. None of the less, it still gave me chill. Suddenly, a maw opened up in the swirling colours, the meaningless words getting louder the more the monstrous maw opened. Out of all the senseless words, there was one that clearly stood out.
"Die. . ." With that, a tendril shot out of the gaping maw. It grabbed my ankle, causing me to fall back onto the invisible floor. I winced, the grip on my leg burning at my flesh, tightening. I clawed at whatever I could, but there was simply nothing. It dragged me closer to the maw from whence it came. Rows of razor sharp teeth began to grow as I grew ever so closer to it. It would yanking me in, causing me to reach out my arm from the maw in a panic.
"HELP!" I screamed. The maw was closing, and darkness was creeping in.

Suddenly, the maw was pried open, a Kaldorei woman holding it's jaws wide open with her bare hands. She had pink skin, littered with Fel-infused tattoos. Her body was ripped, a lack of breasts on her chest, refusing to wear a shirt. This left her in some bandages for a top, and a long black skirt. She was curvy, having child beating hips. Thin, raven black locks were pulled into a tight braid which dangled down to her hips. Though more disturbing features were on this woman's body. A pair of black, ram-like horns rested on the sides of her head, thick blindfolds over her eyes. Two silver glaives were strapped to her back.
A Demon Hunter. My heart seemed to stop as she grabbed my wrist, slowly drawing my out of the beast. The tentacle was still holding my leg, the two both trying to bring me closer. The Huntress gave me one finally tug, the woman taking hold of me as she leaped out of the maw. The maw let out a shrill shriek, causing me to cover my ears. Multiple tendrils shot out of it's enterance, the Night Elf taking her glaives off of her back. She effortlessly cut through them like butter, growling at me.
"Run you, fool!" Her raspy voice echoed. I did not want to leave her, but I knew I would be useless in this battle. I would only get in the way. I nodded, and thanked her in our native tongue, before rushing off. Though when I glanced over my shoulder, I would see the same 'v'-like symbol on her arm. Without warning, it felt as I had hit a wall of bricks, and I was snapped back into reality.

My eyes quickly opened, reassuring me that it was simply a dream. Yet, I could not shake the horrible feeling, that maybe it wasn't. My ankle was still stinging and sore, as the maw had strangulated it in my nightmare. I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. My arms were wrapped around something. It was smaller than me. When my eyes adjusted to the soft lighting the rising sun was providing, I would find myself cuddled  up to a man. He was nice and warm, unlike the sand that I laid in. I kept in that position, still a bit dazed from my nightmare. That is until I realized who I was embracing. . .

I shot up, disgusted with myself. I made a gagging noise, holding my arms as I shook my head.
'You idiot!' I thought to myself. I wanted to slug him for not doing anything about it, even though it was really my fault for falling asleep. After a few moments of self-loathing, I calmed down a bit. I stared down at Kalder, before taking a quick glance around.  After examining Kalder, I felt a bit more at ease, knowing he was asleep. Hopefully, he did not wake up last night and spot the mindless. . .Snuggling. I began to have thoughts about leaving him there as he slumbered. That seemed like the best plan, but then if I could not find Equinos or worse, I would have lost my chance to avenge him. My eyes fell half open as I stared at the sleeping Paladin. I sighed.

I watched him for a bit, eating some of the hyena from the night before. After awhile, the human finally began to stir. His eyes pried open, gazing around. Once he spot me, he ceased his searching. He just stared at me, causing my cheeks to fade into a light red tint, my eyes narrowing.
"You finally decided to wake up." I said, Kalder rubbing his eyes. He sat up, stretching. After he stretched, we seemed to have a staring contest with each other, the silence growing larger. He finally broke it.
"It sounded like you had a pretty bad dream last night." He implied. I sat there in the sand, quiet for a moment before speaking.
"What of it?" I sneered slightly. He placed a hand on my shoulder, which I quickly shrugged off.
"You were crying and latching onto me." He said. . .Concernedly? My expression softened for a moment. He was worried about me, but why?
"Do you want to talk about it. I-I'm totally fine if you do not!" Kalder exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him. I brought my knees to my chest, taking a moment to gather my thoughts and to decide whether I should trust him or not. Finally, I came up with the veridic to confide in him.

"I had a dream about a maw. . .It had many rows of teeth and tendrils. It grabbed my ankle and tried to eat me. I-"
"Sounds like a kinky dream to me." A voice called out. I knew that tone, and I was ashamed I was glad to hear it. My eyebrow twitched slightly, Kalder and I looking over our shoulders. There was nothing, but a few rocks and a desert shrub. I slowly stood up, approaching the shrub. I picked the Truff up by the leaves, attempting to up root it. A shriek was heard from the plant, as a pair of honey golden eyes snapped open from the shrub, staring straight back at me.
"Fae! Please, no! Show mercy! It's me! Shuffletruff!" It begged. This couldn't help but make me chuckle softly, which seemed to scare him more. I placed him down, the simple desert brush transforming back into the purple skinned, green hair Kaldorei. He grinned at me, scooping me up into a hug. For once, I allowed it.
"It's good to see you too, Shuffle." I smiled faintly, gently patting his back.
"I-I thought I lost you when you were thrown off of the ship!" He said, his head buried in my shoulder (since he couldn't really reach anywhere else).

Though our happy reunion would be cut short, as Kalder was awkwardly watching us embrace each other. Shuffle's glowing gaze locked onto Kalder, before it turning into a full out glare. Kalder appeared shocked by this, and crossed his arms, returning the pouty look. I rolled my eyes, sighing in annoyance.
"That isn't who I think it is. . .Is it?" Shuffle's playful smirk was wiped from his lips, his grip on me tightening a bit, almost in a defensive mannerism. Kalder stood tall, but not as tall as Shuffle.
"Kalder." He simply responded. Shuffletruff began to slowly step away, my body secure in his arms. I clenched my teeth, growling lowly. I placed my hands on his chest, attempting push myself out of his grip. He was rather strong. Stronger than I expected. Kalder slowly stood up, his hands raised.
"I meant your friend no harm!" Kalder said, Shuffle narrowing his eyes at him.
"We've been keeping each other alive until we could find Equinos!" I hissed a bit, still stubbornly trying to get out of his grip. His eyes trailed down to me, his playful and flirty expression nowhere to be found. He took hold of my hands, grabbing both of my wrists. I stood there, glaring up at him.
"Just trust me, Fae." He whispered, his attention turning back to Kalder.
"And what would happen once you'd find Equinos? She'd just let you go? After all the trouble you've caused? Everything you've done to her!" He would have punched him if he wasn't trapping me in his grip.
"That was the plan." I snapped at him. He looked down at me in shock, letting go of me. He paced back again once more.
"Oh Elune, please tell me you aren't serious?" He shook his head, digesting it all. Kalder approached him, attempting to reason with the Elvish rogue.
"Hey, she's still here, is she not?" He sheepishly smiled at him. Shuffle's eyes locked onto the Paladin, a stare that could freeze anyone. I've never seen him like this.
"She's here with you. . ." I finally snapped at Shuffle, hissing.
"I can take care of myself! I do not need you to take care of me!" I huffed, walking along.
"We are wasting daylight, and we need to find the others. It's been two days." I stated, marching ahead. The two men glared at each other, before trailing along behind me.

During our travels, they would do small but annoying little gestures to irritate the other. I held the bridge of my nose the whole way along the coastline, searching for my twin. Kalder had regained a few of his sailors, though it appeared that our ship had not made it's way to the shore, and may have been lost under the violent and ruthless waves. After shifting through so much splintered planks of wood, the day was coming to an end. I was sweating, my black attire attracting the sun. My mouth was dry, and I knew I was beginning to suffer from dehydration. This would not stop me though. The darker the horizon became, the more panic began to fill me.
"Equinos!?" I called out, a lump growing in my throat. Shuffle watched me, his eyes falling half open as a frown curled on his lilac hued lips. He finally gained the courage to approach me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Fae, we need to find a source of water and -" I cut in.
"Not until we find Equinos." I said, my voice becoming hoarse. The Paladin actually agreed with Shuffle Truff.
"He's right, you know. Imagine what your brother would think to know you have pasted? It'd break his heart. You'll be no use if you are dead, Fae." I growled.
"You are agreeing with him!?" The two males looked at each other, and then to me.
"I'm doing what's best for you. . ." They said in sync. They seemed startled by this, stepping back and away from each other. After that display, a soft and familiar chuckle was heard. A pair actually. My ears perked up, tears pricking my eyes as I whipped around to find the source of the laughter. There, on the sandy hill, would stand three silhouettes. My team had found each other once more.