(38) - Seeking In The Sands - Part III

Griffonclaw sat on the edge of the cool marble entrance to the Temple of Elune, waiting.

He had found Caelestra in the wastelands of Tanaris, and she had accompanied him to Darnassus; that alone told Griffonclaw how much damage had been done to her, although whether by herself or other parties he did not know. Once upon a time, he mused, I would have had to do things the hard way.... He had fully anticipated that she would refuse to come back with him of her own will. He had manacles and leg-irons in his pack in anticipation of having to take her and her cat prisoner. He had a cage and wagon team ready to go - he would cage the cat and then heal it, and take the wagon though thousand needles to Feralas and north through Desolace. He had brought Hawkfist to drive the wagon while he provided protection.

It had proved unnecessary, and for that he had thanked Horuth and Elune both; for reasons never quite clear to him, Caelestra had conceived a hatred for him, and such measures would have done nothing to lessen it.

As it was, they had traveled in easy stages, flying in the day and sleeping in the inns at night. Over the three days they had talked into the night over meals, and Griffonclaw had delighted in using his wire brush to clear weeks of abuse from Thoribas' fur. They had spoken of many things - why Elune had chosen him, why she had exiled herself to the sands, and other things. She spoke with bitterness, but each time, perhaps with a little less vitriol. Griffonclaw said little - he did not defend himself, nor others. He listened to what she said, and even moreso to what she didn't say. One evening in Theramore after she had retired for the evening, Griffonclaw borrowed the local blacksmith's shop, and repaired her armor - it had been ill-used by the desert winds.

Finally, they had arrived in Darnassus. Caelestra said nothing, strangely silent and reflective, and the paladin had respected her silence. He had led her to the moonwell inside the Temple of Elune, and she had held back while he knelt and said.

"Gentle Mother of the Kaldorei, I have done as you asked, and returned your Child to your House."

He stepped back, and she stepped forward, beginning her own prayers in her native tongue. She turned to Griffonclaw. "Do you wish to know what I asked?"

"I am curious, but I respect the privacy of a person and their prayers" he answered. "Please, do not hurry. I will wait outside." With that, he rose and left her in Elune's embrace.

He had made a quick trip, and returned; they had yet to break their fast this day, having come straight to the Temple upon landing. He waited.

And waited. He thought of Kestralil, and the charges of murder that hung over her head in Ironforge. He thought of his task ahead in Scholomance, of recovering and reclaiming a mount for the Light. He thought of Mnemnoth, and the growing influence of her renegade voidwalker upon her. MacLhir had promised to keep watch over her, but all in all this errand for Elune had come at an inopportune time.

He smirked at the thought of telling Elune that he was too busy; one just did not argue with some things.

And of course, the fact of the matter was that he would always be busy. Or dead.

Thoribas came out of the Temple and nudged the paladin. More Buzzard Bites were offered, and gratefully consumed. The great cat allowed Griffonclaw to brush his fur again.

At length, Caelestra came out, and sat besides them on the marble edge.

Griffonclaw passed her a Kaldorei box lunch - Radish Kimchi and Heaven Peach, that he had purchased earlier from Dendrythis; the food vendor had remembered Caelestra, and that it was her favorite.

"Thoribas has already been taken care of... eat up" Griffonclaw said, opening his own box, containing the less spicy Winter Kimchi, which would not leave Griffonclaw on the privy all night.

* * *

The Pit

Caelestra took the box from Griffonclaw and sat it in her lap. She hadn't bothered to change out of her armor, but she did notice that fit her properly again. Caelestra also knew that meant Griffonclaw took it in the night, like a proper thief, and with that came certain obligations that made her stomach tie up in knots. Once again, a human showed her kindness without commitment, and the human responsible was becoming less and less of a monster by the minute.

As she lifted the lid, the smell of the peach hit her first. The kimchi would have easily knocked over any passerby unfamiliar with the delicacy, but to Caelestra the smell was like her own and she barely noticed it. Instead, the unexpected sweetness found her and sent her reeling. Coughing out and wiping her eyes to hide the tears that were pouring from her, she brought her elbow up over her nose and eyes and coughed again. With each breath in, she saw him, smelt him, tasted him. She coughed a few more times, roughly, squeezing her eyes tight and desperately trying to get Brandon out of her mind.

Griffonclaw picked at his meal saying nothing and only occasionally looking over to the elf stone faced before retreating to his own thoughts.

Thoribas sat near Griffonclaw and rested his massive maw on his paws as he watched his owner in her torment. He slowly closed his eyes and nodded off, content with the company of anyone but her.

Caelestra caught the box before it slipped off her lap. Her hand gripped the fresh, supple peach and she righted it. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the small piece of 'heaven' with her eyes still moist. She saw the worms crawling in the moldy flesh and the tiny flies nimbly sucking at the nectar leaching from where her fingers tore the skin. She closed her eyes, brought the fruit to her lips and took a bite. The fruit was rotten in her mouth - the flesh sour and offensive on her tongue. She swallowed, and as she did she felt it find the bottom of her stomach, which was in itself a tempest.

She took another bite.

And another.

In what seemed like hours, finally she sat there in silence sucking on the pit.

She set the box on the ground and started to pull the leather from the bottom of her 'braid'. She looked over at Griffonclaw, who was doing his best to mind his own business, and started to tug at the knots in her hair.

“Griffonclaw, is one thing in your life you regret?” her words were like whispers.

His answer was not important. She continued to work on the rat's nest of indigo and once satisfied it was unraveled enough, she pulled it over her face and let it fall down her shoulders to the ground.

“Yes. As you said, I was two seconds too late. I wish I could change that, but I can't. What of you? You would not ask me that without a reason.” as he spoke, he never once looked up, but instead paid some much needed attention to Thoribas.

“I regret.” she maneuvered her arm under the leather strap holding her breastplate in place and tossed it near the lunch Griffonclaw so carefully prepared for her. In short order she was nude and neck deep in the water surrounding Darnassus.

“I regret it all.” She slipped her head under the water and swam away from her best friend and her second most hated, but becoming so much more than that.


She found the bottom of the lake and took the pit from her mouth. Delicately, she buried it and returned to the surface, her lungs taking in the clean air of her home.

She walked from the water, unconcerned with her appearance and stood at her vault. She opened the box and found an ivory comb and the green dustfall robes she was so fond of, once upon a time. With a bit of effort, she pulled the garment over her wet hair. The robe clung to all of her high points, her flesh still cool and stimulated. Caelestra gathered her long hair from under the collar and brought the lot of it around to began the long process of combing out two months of neglect.

Within the hour, she found the two of them where she left them, the only difference was the fact that Griffonclaw had finally finished the kimchi, and Thoribas was now nearly lying on top of him belly presented. Caelestra sat down next to them and placidly watched the water.

“...thank you, Griffonclaw...” she whispered, but only her own kind could hear her.