It was over in heartbeats, one gronn poorly prepared for the focused attack of the best of her people. She understood Alexei's calm when the very short fight was over, this was nothing for them. If this was so simple… then how hard was hard? If a creature of this size was a joke, what were the man'ari? What was capable of pushing them to the brink of extinction?
"Let's keep it up." Alexei stated, returning, still shining in the shield. He'd never even been touched… never made it close enough to swing. "Before the neighborhood comes to see what all the noise was."
Ranith sighed, her eyes drawn to the front of the column… Velen, mounted on a war elekk, stood on a promontory of red rock overlooking the carnage that had once been a gronn. She was not surprised when he pointed north, as steadfastly north as he had always, still through this Light forsaken mess. "How far do we go?" She asked wonderingly. They could not keep this pace up for long…
"I don't know." He breathed in answer. "The column can't keep this up much longer." His eyes scanned the horizon, pale blue bleeding into pale dust, and an endless vista of jagged rocks. It was all just…nothing. For miles. She missed beautiful Shattrath, and the forest that surrounded it. Even the marsh had not seemed this formidable. "How are you doing?"
"I'm… tired." She finally admitted. If she was tired, what was he? If she was hot, what was he? He was the one in armor, and compared to some of the others, he wasn't even heavily armored.
He sighed, dropping to a knee before her. She half expected another dose of gallantry, but did not get it… instead he expertly pinched just inside of the tendon over her left pastern. She snatched her foot up, thrown off balance by the nerve pinch, and he steadied her on his shoulder while he studied her hoof. "Sit." He ordered, ignoring the ebb and flow of the column reorganizing around them.
She complied, too tired to fight. "How bad is it?" she asked, shutting her eyes and letting her head fall back. There was only one thing that would have gotten this reaction…
"Yes, Alexei, how bad is it?" Laretos demanded, the strike team forming around them.
"It's not through to the quick. She's not limping…yet." He carefully turned her hoof in his hands. "I'll see what I can do… her feet are long anyway."
She fought a flush… her hooves had been long enough to gain the graceful dish fashionable in Shattrath before the evacuation. After that, worrying about the length of her feet had just seemed…trivial. And then, she'd been moving.
"Orders are to carry on, Alexei. Get her on her feet, and we'll deal with it when we camp."
His gaze grew stormy, and he dropped her foot. "Whenever that will be…"
"As you said, Alexei… let's go before the neighborhood comes to see what all the noise was… I'd prefer to not fight the Legion if I can help it."
That statement was enough to get Ranith on her feet without any other comment, crack be damned. Forget the gronn, forget the enemy…the Legion…no. It was enough to silence Alexei's complaints as well. "Come on, Ranya." He finally gave in, moving on, his despondency contagious.
The world just…ended. Ranith stared at the end, and at the rickety bridge, in great doubt. The sky was gone. And the land stopped. She had heard of it, of course, but some part of her refused to believe that the world had been shattered as the stories told. How could a world be shattered? "We camp here." Laretos ordered, apparently unconcerned about the gulf of nothing visible just yards from where he stood. "Alexei, tend her feet. Eat. Sleep."
Alexei also seemed less than impressed by the end, giving it barely a glance as he delved in his bag for nippers and files. "You get used to it." He stated, motioning at her to sit. When she did, he cradled her left hoof in his hands. "Does it hurt?"
Chapter 2
Comenzar desde el principio
