The Fallen Warrior: Kaylish’s Backstory

((Hi all, I'm writing this with Xylien, who's going to be taking over as Kaylish. This is to help you all understand the main antagonist of my stories, and so I can write something other than the usual story of Vord. As a note, this is going to be the correct version of Vord's meeting with Fenris until it can get edited.))

Kaylish sat down on the small stool in front of the fire in the makeshift camp. Kaylish and her master Fenris Icemane were out on a support mission to help with the clearing of some of the more problematic Scarlets and Argents. The main countering force were getting their cover blown by the annoying Batriders from the Undercity armies, and Fenris had been dispatched with serveral Gargoyls to find and eliminate as many sky patrols as they could. And they had found more than just sky patrols, but the very orc who had been her teacher until weeks ago. He was being tailed by batriders, but that patrol hadn't been so adept at combat to avoid being torn to pieces by the gargoyls. After a brief encounter with the orc and his group, Fenris left Kaylish to carry out their hastily made plan, but she found herself unable to finish it. Something strange was going on in the Plaguelands. It didn't take a genius to figure out something was going on in Naxxramas, and a lowly knight aprentice didn't have clearance to such information, but she knew something was going on. The Blightcaller was known to many, Horde or no, for his workings in the Plaguelands, but she was still fairly new, and didn't know who this "Nightlord" was, but he was making things quite difficult for the Scourge, and since when did the Grin get involved in matters such as these? She pondered on this for a moment, thinking on who the Nightlod could be, and what He was doing here, when the words of her former master came to her. "You must keep your mind on the here and now, do not trouble yourself on other people's matters. You must remain alert and focused, or the assassin's of the Undercity will earn more pay."

She snarled at the words, knowing they were right, but hating them for whom they had come from. 'I, will, kill him.' she thought. She sighed, and thought on other words that had come from the same orc, "Do not forget the past. It holds much wisdom and guidance as well as solutions and advise. You must always remember the things you have seen, but not at the cost of your focus of the here and now."

She sighed, and thought back on how it had all started. Not just her capture at the hands of the Scourge, but the very beginning.

It was a hot, humid day in in the zeppelin. Kaylish and her brother Vorgol were fresh out of the Valley of Trials, and were now Grunts of the Horde on route to a small outpost in the southern jungles of the eastern kingdoms. Kaylish looked at the miniature axe on her necklace. She had gotten it from her mother, right before her parents had left for the battle at Mount Hyjal. He parents had been a part of the valiant defense, but had fallen before the demons. This necklace was all that she had left to remember them by, other than the respect she got when she told others of her parents sacrifice and honor gained on the battlefield. She was fond of the item, but not as much as her younger brother. He never said it, but Kaylish knew that he wanted it. Many a time she had found him with it, but he'd always take one last look at it and hand it back.

She had been tasked with taking care of him since the battle, him being too young to serve, and she a female. In fact, the only reason why their mother had been allowed to join the Horde's forces was because she embarrassed one of the captains personally is skill of arms. Kaylish still laughed about it, and used that memory to fill the gap left by the deaths of her parents. When Thrall opened the Horde's ranks to females, as well as young males with exemplary skills, she and her brother quickly joined as a way of honoring their parents and their ancestors. She looked at Vorgol, and saw how he sat, looking out of the window by his seat.

He needed this more than she did. Vorgol took his fathers death harder than Kaylish did, and she knew that he lamented not being at the battle to fight by his fathers side. Kaylish walked up and sat by Vorgol. "So, how many humans and dwarves do you think you'll kill while we're there?" Vorgol smiled, and turned to his sister. "Oh, fifty, maybe a hundred. After three months, Thrall will hear of me and make me the new Warchief." Kaylish laughed, seeing Vorgol's good mood return. "I bet I'll kill more than you the first month." Vorgol's eyes flashed, sensing a challenge and yet another way to prove himself. "Alright, you're on. What's the stakes?" Kaylish grinned and looked at the ceiling, thinking of a good prize, when it came to her. "We'll bet on this." she held up the necklace, "If you kill more than me, it's yours." Vorgol stared in wonder at his sister before regaining his smile. "To the victor goes the spoils!" he said while holding his hand out to close the bet. Kaylish grinned widely as she took her brothers hand, "Then I've already won."

The zeppelin started it's descent toward the camp, and the two new grunts gathered their gear and headed to the ramp to leave the zeppelin. An orc Kaylish guessed was in his mid twenties was standing at offload area. The siblings and the other orc who had been assigned here got off the zeppelin, and the orc addressed them. "I'm Captian Rageaxe. Welcome to Grom' gol!"

Kaylish woke in the cold, damp darkness. She picked herself up and walked to the door, knowing that, should she step outside it, she would be submitting herself to the influence of her captors, probably to never be released. She told herself again that she couldn't afford it, that she had to return to Vord. Memories swam through her head, all distorted, blurred. Clarity came with what little restless sleep she got, and even then she couldn't make sense of it all. She stood before the open doorway, resolved not to take another step forward, when it happened.

She looked up to see Vord standing in front of her, the skin around his neck was slightly discolored, as if it was dead. But his eyes had an certain clarity to them, as if he had a purpose other than what he was being ordered to do. She didn't believe it at first, she had been visited by images of him, to entice her into service, but the voice had never been his. This time, it was his, there was no cajoling, no wheedling, no threats, no urging, just "Kaylish, it's time to go," and that was all. Kaylish's heart leapt, and she found herself nodding, and stepping out of the door, "Alright."

It had been almost a month since their arrival, and through the skirmishes between restless Alliance and Horde, Kaylish and Vorgol were tied with nineteen kills each. Vorgol was set to be out on the last patrol of the month, and he was chomping at the bit to go and get the last kill he needed. They had left around midday, just as the morning patrol had come back. He had come such a long way that Kaylish was filled with pride when she saw him around camp. She had even heard some of the other females around camp saying what a good mate he would make.

It wasn't long after dark that the nightmare began. First the patrol ran late, first half an hour, then one, then at almost two and a half hours, when the Captain was beginning to mobilize a search party, they heard them. "Get him to the barracks... MEDIC!" Kaylish rushed out of the females barracks to see who had been injured. They had lost thirty of their own this month, some being friends of theirs. She saw the males carrying the wounded orc as best they could, copious amounts of blood falling to the ground. She hurried to see where her brother was, and saw the group heaving the warrior onto a table by his shredded combat harness. She walked in quietly, praying to her ancestors that she was wrong about who lay on the table. As the males tried to stem the flow of the blood, the sergeant called out again for a medic. Kaylish finally got to the table as the troll healer did, as saw Vorgol laying there, covered in blood with a large hole in his chest.

The troll looked Vorgol over, and started with his incantations, as Kaylish approached the sergeant. He caught sight of Kaylish's expression, and turned, starting to explain. "We found an Alliance patrol, and were engaged for a time. Vorgol found a dwarf trying to flank us and charged. The dwarf had some kind of gun, we're not sure what it was, but it tore throught his armor, and...well...Vorgol did manage to kill the dwarf before he fell to his injuries." Kaylish stared disbelievingly at her brother. As many times as she thought about one of them dying, she'd never even come close to this. She stepped to his side, trying to take it all in, when Vorgol reached up weakly, his hand lightly grasping the miniature axe on her necklace. "I won..." he said weakly with a grin. His hand dropped to the table with a thud, his eyes growing dull and glazed. The troll opened his eyes, his expression turning to sadness. "'E be gone to dah aftahlife, 'e joined 'is ancestahs in dere hall."

Kaylish stood there in shock without knowing how long. Time had slowed to a stop, and all she saw was her little brother as the little smiling orc, playing with his first axe, bringing his first catch back from a hunt, his graduation from the Valley of Trials. The sound of the sergeants voice brought her back to the present. "He will get a hero's burial." Kaylish turned to see the sergeant talking to her, seeing his lips move but hearing no sound. All she knew was the pain and the tears coursing down her cheeks. She turned and ran out the door, and turned the corner to be by herself, not wanting to break down like that in front of the others. She heard footsteps as though they were distant, coming from a world away. "It will be alright, time heals all wounds. Come." She found refuge in the arms, letting go of everything, and Korgal Rageaxe stood there, holding the girl who had lost everything she had.

It had been four months after Vorgol's death, and what had started as simple support through the passing of her brother had budded into a relationship. Kaylish had found more than just someone to lean on, to talk to. He had lost his family, friends and everyone who was close to him, he knew what it was to be alone. She smiled when she thought of him, still young enough to be entranced by the thought of it all. He would regularly visit her, checking in on her to ensure she held it together. They would spend hours together between patrols and their other duties.

One night was different however. Things had finally slowed down, the skirmishes were down, as well as the casualty rates. Korgal was sitting at his desk in his quarters, finishing some reports he was due to send to Orgimmar. He had just finished when there was a knock at the door, and Kaylish leaned around the door. He smiled at her and motioned to a chair. "You have a good sense of timing, I just finished writing my reports." She smiled at him, "I thought you'd enjoy some company." He stood up, walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a skin of ale and offered her some, pouring her a small glass full. "You might not be the first to have taken an interest in me, but you've been by far the most persistent." Kaylish smiled again and stood up, walking around the table to meet him. He stopped her before she began. "I know you brothers passing was hard, but you can't be swayed for the wrong reasons." Hearing her brother come up quickly erased the smile from her face. She hung her head, trying to keep him from seeing the tears forming in her eyes at the memory that seemed so long ago.

He put his index finger under her chin and lifted it up to look in her eyes. Though she was no longer a child, she was still so uncertain, still retaining that same vulnerability. They stood there, eyes locked, knowing what would come next. He leaned down and embraced, fulfilling what both wanted. The guards posted outside knew not to bother the two, but they noted that Kaylish did not emerge from the Captains quarters, at least not until well into the next morning.