**CRESCENTHORN**
I stood face to face with my brother, grinning with relief that Snowfur was still alive. "Where have you been brother? I thought you were dead."
"Crescenthorn...I am dead." He said sadly, then he continued to explain what happened to him. "Well...I was in Northrend...and it was the dead of night. Most were sleeping. I and another guard were taking the midnight shift. They...they came out of nowhere. Giant nerubians, the size of Thunderbluff itself! They were just there. We didn’t even see them come in. They snuffed out the fire, leaving the guards panicked. Screams of death came from all around us, only to be replaced by moans of our undead allies. I tried to run but they chased me and surrounded me. I fought and slew many an undead creature. But they kept coming! I heard a voice echo through the night, it said, as it cackled manically, 'You fight well...but nothing is stronger than death.' And I saw the horrid figure of Kel'Thuzad. Looming high in the sky, the Lich sent the undead tearing away at my flesh. Then I awoke, trapped inside my own mind, watching the Lich King force me to do so many horrible things...not much else happened. But I am here now." he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. I patted him on the back and said, "As chieftain of our tribe I have allied ourselves with the mighty Blacktooth Grin. The Spirithoof have a home once again." Suddenly he shot a hateful glance at me and yelled, "Who the hell do you think you are. As the eldest, I am the chieftain. Not you!" At this, my jaw dropped and I snorted in disgust. "No. you were gone! I was here. I have already claimed the title by the Spiritual Ceremony. Now as the Chieftain of the Spirithoof Tribe I command you to stand down." I stared at my brother, the fury of his gaze nearly making me flinch.
***SNOWFUR***
Who does he think he is? I am chieftain. I am the eldest! I am the firstborn! So what if he was the one here! I had thought. It was my turn to snort in disgust. "You do know what this means don’t you?" He nodded and I grinned wickedly. "I challenge you, Crescenthorn Spirithoof, for the Title of Chieftain!" At first, I thought he was going to be sick, but then I realized he was giving me a fierce look of disbelief! We walked together outside of the inn at Camp Bloodhoof, and entered the Ring of Triumph. A small oval shaped arena where young Tauren fought, training their battle skills. "Gather round, Tauren young, Tauren old! Warriors, Shaman, Hunters and Druids! Bear witness to this duel! A duel between, I, Snowfur Spirithoof, rightful chieftain of the Spirithoof Tribe," At this, Crescenthorn looked like he didn't want to fight, "And Crescenthorn Spirithoof, at present Chieftain of the Spirithoof Tribe. The spirits watch this battle, and I proclaim whoever triumphs is the true chieftain, the one chosen by the spirits!" After this, I called upon the dark magics that the Lich King had bestowed me. The shadowy hands reached for Crescenthorn, pulling him in front of me.
**CRESCENTHORN**
I flew towards him with great speed. Damn the Lich King! I screamed in my thoughts, but staying calm I readied my maces in the air. As soon as I landed, I struck, sending Snowfur stumbling backwards. "Spirits of my ancestor shaman, aid me!" I roared, causing two spectral wolves to appear from seemingly, nowhere. They charged at him, causing his surprise to stun him. I used this time to my advantage and began to murmur a longer spell. I had finished the spell and a bolt of lightning flew from my fingertips. I ran in and stomped hard on the ground, stunning him once again! I sprinted at him through the magical aid of the wolves, landing a flurry of mace blows on him before he could recover.
***SNOWFUR***
Aaaraaagh! He's too strong! I screamed in my mind. How could I hope to combat him. He is obviously much stronger than I am. I slashed hopelessly with my runeblade, watching in horror as every blow I landed was healed by his wolves a moment later! Suddenly a piercing howl broke my thoughts, and for just a moment, I focused on the wolves. I slashed at the wolves once, then I returned focus to Crescenthorn. I bared my teeth in a snarl and growled, "I give up." Crescenthorn stopped battering me with his maces and turned to return to his starting position...when I shot my runeblade through his back. The watching crowd gasped in horror as the blade slid easily through his flesh. "Never turn your back on a foe..."
"But you..." His voice bubbled through a mouthful of blood.
**CRESCENTHORN**
"gave up...that’s how the challenges work..." I gurgled in terror. What had Snowfur become? He was monster now. But I wasn't done yet. As the life faded from me, I used the last of my strength to wrap my hand around a spiritual ankh. "You'll pay for this..." I gurgled, my life fading away into death.
***SNOWFUR***
I cackled manically at my brothers last words. "How can you beat me in death?" I sneered, then I turned my back to his corpse. "I, Snowfur Spirithoof proclaim myself--aaaah!" My boasting changed to a yelp as Crescenthorn's mace slammed forcefully into the back of my head, I think it shattered my skull. "How..." I wailed, "It’s not possible!"
Then Crescenthorn rolled me over so I could see his face. He was grinning wickedly, with one tooth missing. He dropped the broken remains of an ankh and whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. "Never turn your back on a foe..." As I faded at last into the death I so desperately had wished for while imprisoned by the Lich King, I realized something. I was never meant to--.
**CRESCENTHORN**
I stood there, staring at his corpse, waiting for it move. To open his eyes and say he wasn’t dead, he never was, it was all a dream. But it never happened. As the other Tauren dug Snowfur a grave, a single tear ran down my face. I walked over to my brother’s corpse and placed a single black rose in his cold unliving palm. The death symbol of my tribe. I could have sworn the fingers moved and clasped the rose tightly, but I rubbed my eyes and it was sitting there untouched. The grey clouds began to drop their own tears. One by one until they were weeping uncontrollably. "Chieftain of the Spirithoof, should we wait till the rain stops?" A young Tauren warrior asked. Using the rain to hide my own tears, I shook my head. "No." As the young warrior left, I watched the ceremony of burial, and myself, proclaiming the rights of Death upon Snowfur's corpse realized something. While we may say we are friends, family. While we may say how much we love another...you have to let them go.