FicWad

Joft hadn’t slept well that night, his dreams plagued him constantly about the whole attack on the city. Guilt held him fast for not helping those who were suffering around him while he was too sick to attend even himself. It was never a good way to start a new day.

He adorned himself with his dark leather armor, and strapped his weapons so they dangled from his belts. He moved at a good clip to the Cleft of Shadows, a subterranean level of the city, where the portal master had set up shop. Which was of course, closed for the day. He let out a breath of frustration when a goblin mage stopped short and cursed. “Do ya create portals?”

The small figure peered up his full seven feet, craning her neck to look into his face. “Yes,” she answered finally and he crouched down so they could see to eye to eye. “Thanks, friend.”

Joft pulled some gold coins from his pouch and dropped them into her palm. She set to work instantly with her stone. “Where to?”

“Shattrah,” he said and she gave him a sideways glance. He knew he appeared the only place he should be traveling was to a bed. The portal was opened a few moments later and he stepped through the humming doorway which shut at his heels. He took a deep breath of the shift in climate, the hot, dry and chaotic was replaced with cool peacefulness. His gaze landed on the floating energy creature in the middle of the Terrace of Light. He gave the being a half smile before leaving the terrace moving swiftly toward Lower City. He had not seen his cousin for nearly a season now, he had never told her he was studying the shaman arts. He was planning to do that after he was finished with his training at Orgrimmar, now nearly half a season had passed because of the lingering illness which made him farther behind than the other students he knew.

He had been affected horribly during the upheaval of the elementals, he had never been so sick in body or spirit during that time. He lost two months of his life to the sickness and half awareness beyond his own body. It was like the elements were fighting for control over him, pulling, tugging and jerking in a dozen different directions on his spirit at once. His poor mortal shell wasn’t able to cope very well, so it reacted with fevers, vomiting, dizzy spells and blackouts.

The very thought of it all made his body shiver, he leaned against a wall to take deep calming breaths. The other shaman suffered from the same sickness, but recovered relatively easily. He couldn’t make out why he was the one who continued lingering in something he should already be healed with. Trolls could regenerate at an rapid rate, his body seemed to be rebelling from that racial trait.

“Are you alright?” A concerned voice said in a strange accented Zandali, a two toned hand rested upon his shoulder.

Joft lifted his gaze to a draenei priest standing before him, he gave him a long puzzled look and a smile slipped over the other’s lips. “You speak Zandali?” He wore dark green and black robes that would be more a trolls taste and style.

The draenei nodded with a warm smile on his face. “You appear very shaken, my friend. I saw you step from the portal. If it affects you like it does me, you need food. My wife will have dinner ready soon, she always makes enough for an army.”

He didn’t have the heart to correct him, he merely nodded. He needed to see Tej’lie but he wasn’t feeling exceptionally well at the moment. To his amazement they made their way to a tailoring shop, which had a new level on the top of the living quarters. From what it appeared, the new level had been just finished. “Wife?”

The priest nodded. “We are a blended family. We are very happy,” he said firmly as he opened the door.

“Daddy!” A little girl yelled her little hoofs thundering over the floor and sprang into the priest’s open arms. Another small set of footfalls came from upstairs and pounded down, a small troll emerged with a huge smile on her face. She too, was hugged and kissed by the priest, once they noticed the guest they grew very shy and hide behind the draenei’s robes.

“Please sit,” he said, waving to the familiar chair near the hearth that still had the cloak draped over it. The fire was out and the pot was empty sitting next to the chair, the only thing different about the shop was the children’s toys scattered behind the counter and a few sat on top.

“Glesig,” a voice called from upstairs. “Why are you home early? Not that I mind, I really could use some wild...”

Joft watched his cousin move downstairs and she mis-stepped almost fell on her face. She caught the walls to keep her balance as she stared at the troll near the hearth. “I found him about to keel over,” Glesig stated as worry trampled over his features. “Tej’lie?”

“Jo.”

“Tej,” he answered with a nod of his head.

“You know each other,” Glesig whispered and moved to his wife, the mage grabbed her husband’s arm and finished descending the steps. They both worried that this would happen after she sent the letter, she wanted her family to know she was happy and found love. It had taken longer than expected to have a reaction.

“So Ma got my letter?”

“She did,” Joft answered. “Yum laughed his tusks off, your mother cried.”

Tej’lie felt Glesig step closer and wrap an arm around her waist, she bit her lower lip as she absorbed this information. She had hoped they would have overlooked the racial aspect. “And you?”

“I am happy you found peace and love,” his gaze flickered to the draenei’s face than back to his cousin who was clearly living out a dream she never thought she would have. “You know I am very happy for you.”

Tej’lie ran to him with tears in her eyes and embraced her cousin, clearly the two had much practice of getting around the long tusks the shaman sported. “I am so glad,” she pulled away, concern stamped on her features. “You are shaking like a leaf.”

His knees gave out, he sliced her arm with his pointed tusks. The wounds sealed themselves as she helped him into the chair, the priest moved closer ready to heal. Tej’lie knelt in front of her cousin tucking a braid behind his pointed ear. “I am alright, I am still recovering from the whole affair.”

“Which one?”

“Deathwing,” he said, wiping a hand over his brow which was covered in sweat. He noticed the priest touching his two toned hand and looked ill as well. “The elemental rage and disharmony affected me badly, I fear I was on the edges of it when you happened upon me, Glesig.”

“What are you talking about, Jo?”

“I am a shaman, Tej. Have been for a while now. Went to Orgrimmar for training before all broke loose.”

She punched him in the arm. “When were you planning to tell me?”

“When I returned,” he said sheepishly.

Tej’lie sobered watching her cousin silently suffering, she caressed his fuzzy hand. He had never gotten sick ever during the time they were growing up. It was he that always had the job of nursemaid. “I felt the quakes when we were at Booty Bay, I couldn’t imagine being a shaman during that upheaval,” she whispered, she rose and poured him a glass of water. She had to try several times to get him to drink, finally the cool water was sipped at.

“So you were in the old country when it happened?”

“Yes,” the mage whispered glancing at her husband. “Both of us.”

Joft nodded and took another sip from the glass before turning his attention to his weapons, he unbuckled the belts and sat them down on the floor. “Is that what happened to your hand, Glesig?”

“If it wasn’t for my mage, I would have burned in the lava.”

A gloomy mood settled over the adults, Joft shifted slightly and cleared his throat. “Tell me about your children, Tej. You didn’t mention them in your letter.”

“We adopted them about a week ago,” she answered studying him not liking the paleness of his skin. “I sent the letter nearly a month before. I guess with all that had been going on, it wasn’t able to get to you right away. Fern,” she pointed at the little troll who slipped out of sight behind robes again. “Ruby.” The draenei child waved at him with a huge smile.

Joft waved at her and she giggled into Glesig’s shoulder.

Tej’lie rose to her feet again. “I better finish dinner before we all pass out from hunger,” she passed by and Ruby who reached for her. She took the small child from her husband’s arms, and the little troll was quick to latch onto her mother’s skirts and the trio went upstairs.

Glesig sat at the loom chair. “You are a relation?”

“Cousin,” he informed him and leaned back on the chair. “Our mothers are sisters. I am glad you were able to capture her heart. She had a rough childhood.”

“I know,” he whispered.

Joft leaned forward and gave the draenei a hard look. “Hurt or abandon her, I swear to you I and the elements I command will find you. I will show you true meaning of pain.”

Glesig chuckled and nodded. “I was wondering if you were going to give me that talk,” he held up a hand. “She is the only person who would tear me away from her. I love her with all my heart.”

Joft nodded and leaned back in the chair spent, his eyes closed. “Than I am happy for you both and very envious.”

“You will find the right woman for you,” Glesig said feeling a little more relaxed. “I was where you were not that long ago and all things worked out in the end.”

Soft snoring came from the shaman and the priest chuckled before moving upstairs to help the family with dinner. “I have heard of this sickness that has your cousin,” he stated as he gave his daughter mugs to put on the table.

“Is it curable?” Tej’lie asked still very much concerned by her cousin’s welfare.

“From what I heard, most snapped out of it with no lasting effects,” Tej’lie glanced at her husband worry deepened in the lines of her face. “I think he should go to the Throne of Elements in Nagrand. There they might be able to help him better than any priest. From what I understand, it is a very sacred place for them.”

“Than we shall get him to go,” she answered as she pulled out the roast from the oven. A cooling breeze swept through the open windows and she fanned herself with the oven mitt. “I think I should have gone with a salad.”

“The meal will put some meat on that boy, he appears to be skin and bones.”

Tej’lie chuckled at his concern. “He has filled out a lot since I had seen him last, all that fighting and spell casting has been good to him in most ways.” She turned away from the others to keep her tears private, loving arms wrapped around her. Glesig kissed her cheek. “I am so scared for him, Glesig.”

“He will be alright, we just need to get him to the Throne. Only they will be able to help him cope, who knows the elementals better than those at the Throne? The Mag’har clan has already defeated some great odds I am confident they will be able to help him.”

She mutely nodded clinging to his arms for a long while before tending to the meal, her daughters were standing together staring at her, as if they too might burst into tears. “It is alright my sweets,” she said gathering them in her arms. “Mommy is just worried about Uncle Joft. He isn’t feeling well.” She spoke to them quietly for a while longer before they seemed to understand as much as they could. She started dishing their food and cutting up their meat while Glesig ducked downstairs.

Joft blinked at the draenei his hand went for a weapon that wasn’t there, as he growled showing his pointed teeth. Than he realized who the draenei was and where he was sitting, he shook his head. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I was a little disoriented.”

“It is alright,” he answered and waved for him to follow. “Dinners ready.”

Joft pushed himself off the chair and straightened his back with a couple bones popped and he groaned. He was too old to be sleeping in chairs, though it had given him some much needed energy. He followed the other up the narrow stairs to the family space. It was cramped but felt like a home. They ate dinner with conversations that was friendly for little ears.

Ruby felt friendly enough to sit on Uncles lap after the meal had been cleared away and show him a book of pictures she had recently received. Joft enjoyed the little girls company and her remarks about the pictured animals that contained in the book. He wanted children of his own, each day passed brought him closer to that dream being lost forever.