Hatreds New and Old

Author's note: This story takes place after the Cataclysm.

Hatreds, new and old.
His foe drew his last breath as the beast master withdrew his ax embedded in the fallen warrior’s chest. The Beast Master was a heavy build orc, he wore mail armour with spikes on his shoulders, his head covered by a wolf’s head. His hands held on to two axes, one in each hand, covered in purple blood, a near empty quiver made of strange pelt, made by his brothers from his home world, with a well made bow, made by the blood elves, a ally of his people. His tabard showed the symbol of the Horde, having kept reasonably visible despite the blood everywhere else.

‘Gorvar!’ The beast master reacted to the shout, his eyes darting to the right. His rugged features eased when he saw one of the blood elves, his armour well decorated which was just as bloody as his sword and shield, wearing the same tabard of the Horde. ‘We have to fall back to the camp.’ Gorvar blinked. ‘Why, did we not drive the Night elves back, is Astranaar not in sight?’

He looked down to his fallen foe, the purple skinned point eared warrior staring at him wit his dead eyes. Gorvar hated Night elves, a hatred he acquired recently. A month ago, the night elves raided a orc village, killing many before the guards were able to repel them. His mate’s mother perished in that raid, a kind elderly female who did not deserve death. His own pups saw her die in front of their eyes, their little minds gone to shock at the sight of their grandmother’s skull embedded by a arrow. Kloria demanded their blood, but Gorvar went to Ashenvale himself. She was a good warrior, but Gorvar was more experienced and their children did not need to be orphans. Her mother was like kin to him, and a debt had to be paid in night elven blood.

‘No.’ the blood elven warrior replied. ‘The kaldorei have a new ally, they are picking Horde groups off left and right, we have to move out of the forest to draw them out.’ The beast master nodded, having smelled a strange scent earlier. One he knew, but could not place. The two ran back to camp, leaving the fallen night elf warrior be, joining up with the remaining warriors of the advancing forces. All the races under the Horde were there, Orcs, darkspear trolls, tauren, blood elves, forsaken, even the newly inducted goblins were there. Gorvar fought alongside goblins in Northrend and knew how useful these little green men could be.

‘Attention warriors of the Horde!’ a harsh female voice rang through the camp. All looked up to the brown skinned female orc, a Mag’har, on the hill, she was heavily armoured and armed with a two handed mace. Her name was Drakash Wolfsong, a female of the Warsong clan and the force’s commander. She was tough as nails and hard on her men, but she booked good results for this campaign, which pleased Warchief Garrosh greatly. Gorvar, and several others, mused she pleased him in other ways as well, but dare not, or cared not, say in ear shot. She was a beauty in a savage way yes, but she was no Kloria, and a mistress of Garrosh was no friend of his.

‘As you heard the cowardly Alliance has gained a new ally to plague us with!’ Drakash spoke. Several Horde warriors looked at her confused. Many just arrived from the Crossroads, just fresh from fighting the centaur there. They were told to fight night elves, not this ‘new ally’. ‘But do not fret my warriors, even if the humans and their dwarven slaves came here to help their so called allies here, I know you will achieve victory for me and for the Horde!’ The warriors cheered, but Gorvar and Halmadir, the blood elven warrior from before, did not. They were members of the Horde, that was true, but not this Horde....but the Horde under Thrall. He was the Orc who freed the Horde from their enemies and brought them together. He freed the orcs from the camps, the darkspears from the murlocs, the tauren from the centaur, assisted the forsaken and blood elves with the scourge. Everyone respected Thrall and he respected them. He was the symbol of the Horde. Garrosh, taking Thrall’s place as warchief after Thrall went off on a personal quest, did not deserve that respect nor did he gave them. A warmonger in Northrend and here in Kalimdor as well, he had the vision the entire world should belong to the Horde. Gorvar had personal reasons for this campaign, and would quit after he fulfilled his revenge.

‘Who is this new ally then Commander Wolfsong?!’ a voice in back asked. Drakash glanced at the general direction where the question came and grinned. ‘They brought new slaves from Silverpine forest......’ she replied. ‘The Worgen.’ The warriors muttered amongst each other. ‘The worgen...’ Halmadir rubbed his chin. ‘So the rumours were true...’ Gorvar nodded. ‘Zug zug, my Forsaken friend told me of them when Queen Sylvanas attacked Gilneas. She thinks a curse befell on them.’ The forsaken warlock he talked about send a message via the whisper stone a few days before he left for Ashenvale. ‘I fought Worgen before.’ Halmadir said. ‘killed many to, savage bunch I have to admit, this fight is starting to turn out very interesting now.’ ‘Rest well!’ Wolfsong continued. ‘For tommorow we will bring hell to them and claim this forest, FOR THE HORDE!’

Gorvar snorted and walked away with Halmadir, not standing the cheers for Drakash or abusing the symbolism of the Horde for this ‘war for resources and land’.

The taste of orc flesh was tasty Jacob thought, breaking them down mentally first was even tastier. He had his way with this female first, easily subdued due to the blood loss, before biting her neck off. His wild form was getting harder to control, harder to stop these acts....if Jacob didn’t want to lose complete control, he had to satisfy the beast within once in a while. He wiped the blood of his snout, licking the blood of his fangs. He tightened his belt and grabbed his great sword ,leaving the orc body behind he ran off to the Alliance encampment. Jacob hated orcs, ever since they first appeared and threatened his homeland of Gilneas. He fought in the second war, slaying many of the green skinned brutes. Yet despite the kills he made then, and now even, the pain did not go away. Elizabeth was still gone, still dead, still buried.... He would avenge her, he promised.

He arrived at the night elf town of Astranaar, standing back on his two feet. Closing his eyes his furry paws disappeared, his snout growing back into a normal noise and mouth, his skin going back to pink. He was Jacob the human again. His dark leather armour seemed a bit large for him, but would fit perfectly in his wild form, the great sword hanging somewhat clumbsily behind him. ‘Jacob, welcome back my friend!’ Jacob looked up to the blue skinned giant left of him. It’s hooves and tail looking meagre in comparison to it’s muscles and shoulders. The armour it wore was made out of plate with golden shoulder pads, the tabard was that of the Alliance. ‘Thaanis...’ Jacob nodded, walking with him. ‘Did me and my kin do our job well?’ Thaanis, a dreanei paladin, nodded and smiled. ‘Yes, the Worgen have given us some breathing room so my people can move in to help and the night elves to recuperate.’ ‘Praise the light, right?’ Jacob snorted. ‘indeed...’ Thaanis chuckled, slapping the smaller human/worgen on his back. ‘Thought you were gone longer then the rest, we thought something bad happened to you.’ Jacob’s mind went back to the kills he made, the female he took down.....a small grin appeared on his lips, but quickly discarded it. ‘I was delayed, bastard orcs are tougher then I recall them to be.’ The paladin nodded. ‘They are a tough breed indeed, but still, they break after a well aimed hammer slam into the torso.’ ‘Not very paladin like.’ ‘No, but very dreanei like.’ Jacob allowed the grin this time, the dreanei suffered worse then the humans at the hands of the orcs decades ago, and this Paladin, a defender of the weak no less, was not afraid to show it. ‘Brothers and sisters of the forest, our wild kin and Dreanei allies, please come near!’

Jacob looked up Raene Wolfrunner near the entrance of the inn. She placed her spear next to her, her animal companions standing by her side. ‘We received word from our treant allies that the Horde is preparing for attack tomorrow....they are actually planning to attack this town, which is protected by a moat and has a bottleneck to make sure they can not pass without many casualties no less! she said to the assembeld Alliance members. 'We will show these orcs that they will pay the ultimate price for even making one mistake against the children of Elune!’ she raised her spear, the soldiers of the Alliance cheering.

‘Good....’ Jacob grinned. ‘good.....’

‘For the Horde!’ Wolfsong shouted, leading her warriors on her wolf into battle. Gorvar followed his people into battle, backed up by his black wolf Wolfgen. He was glad to have his animal ally to be at his side. When Wolfgen was there, he knew someone always had his back.

His arrows emptied quickly, not all hitting their mark, but it sufficed. He placed his quiver and bow aside, charging into battle with his axes. In the distance he could see Halmadir fighting a Dreanei shaman, eventually winning. The beast master nodded, he will be safe.

Suddenly the air seemed to chill by a loud sound. Gorvar heard it before....was that.....a wolf howl? The Alliance warriors drew back, Night elven and Dreanei forces alike, Gorvar narrowed his eyes, seeing dark forms on four paws run passed them. There they were.....the Worgen of the Alliance. Gorvar grinned, enjoying the challenge. He glanced to the other races, especially the goblins showed fear at the massive wave of Worgen heading their way, but the Orcs, especially the orcs, seemed to grin like he did. ‘Here we go my warriors, for the Horde!’ Drakash shouted, the warriors of the Horde charging into the Worgen lines. Gorvar sliced left and right, blocking the Worgen’s weapons and jaws, even biting one in the hand back. Gorvar was like them, he fought like a animal. A flash of metal on the dawning sun through the branches of the trees warned Gorvar of a sword strike. He raised his right ax, stopping the sword. There he was face to face with a large dark worgen, his great sword very large, his dark leather armour very bloody. For a moment, it seemed both were connected somehow...a epiphany on the battlefield. Both could feel each other’s hate, each other’s enjoyment of righteous slaughter. ‘I will enjoy gutting you orc....’ the Worgen growled. ‘and eat your intestines.’ It pressed it’s weight against his sword, driving the right ax back. ‘And I....’ gorvar grinned back. ‘Will enjoy skinning you, and use it as a pelt to give to my mate.’ Both roared, their hatred reaching a fever pitch. Both struck each other hard, fast, drawing blood. Sparks flew off from their weapons, small chunks of each other’s metal chipping off. Gorvar kicked Jacob back, growling loudly, his vision gone red. But he did not face the Worgen again, as a Night elf in his bear form charged in, striking Gorvar with it’s mighty paw. Fortunately the paw hit Gorvar’s spike shoulder pad, the spike embedding the paw deeply. Gorvar finished it off directly, the bear changing into a male night elf form. A sudden female shout made him glance to the right. His commander Drakash was overwhelmed by the Worgen warriors. They grabbed her off her own wolf and began feasting on her. Her cries were short but horrible. Gorvar mused, seemed Garrosh would need another mistress. This time he did not see Jacob coming as the Worgen bite Gorvar’s left arm hard, making him drop his ax. ‘Bastard!’ Gorvar shouted, punching his right hand into Jacob’s snout. Jacob howled, jumping back. Gorvar cursed himself, he was to far gone into bloodlust to see clearly, to see Jacob coming. He had a quick glance on his left arm....it was a dead weight, could be healed later, but was useless now. Jacob licked his fangs. ‘You taste delicious Orc....’ ‘Then have some more!’ Gorvar cried out and charged for Jacob.....only to fall back from a sudden explosion...and another...and another. While Gorvar passed out from the blood loss, Jacob glanced up, growling at the flying Wyverns overhead. Their riders, goblins, dropped bombs down from below, blowing up houses and Alliance troops. Slowly but surely the horde began advancing into Astranaar, the Bottleneck advantage almost meaning nothing now. He could hear Raene calling the archers to take the wyverns down, but had limited success. Eventually the Alliance horn was sounded, they had to retreat. Jacob growled, he longed to kill that Beast master.....but it had to be a other day. He made a step back...stepping onto a handle of a weapon. The Gilnean looked down, grinning at recognising the weapon. The orc’s ax. He grabbed it and ran, falling back with the Alliance forces. Despite the loss of Astranaar, Jacob felt great, he killed a lot of orcs today and stole one of their weapons, even using it quickly to kill a Troll shadow hunter when his back was turned fighting Thaanis. It was a good day.....

Gorvar awoke a bit later, Halmadir rubbing his left arm with a healing salve, bandaging it up. ‘Wolfgen brought me to you.’ The blood elf said. Gorvar glanced to his black wolf, smiling, Wolfgen barking excitedly. ‘Drakash Wolfsong is dead.’ Halmadir continued. ‘Ripped and to pieces and half eaten.’ Gorvar saw it happen, but did not speak. ‘The next commander is another Warsong, her second, he will lead the campaign now.’ Gorvar: looked around, then panicked. ‘My ax, somebody stole my ax!’ he tried to get up, but decided against it when the pain occured. ‘Sorry Gorv, I only saw your right handed one and the bow I gave you.’ Gorvar sighed....then realised what happened. that Worgen...he must have stolen it! ‘This is not over yet WORGEN!!!!’ Gorvar shouted, the passers by glancing at him confused. ‘THIS IS NOT OVER!!!!’

The End.