Urja’s Tale

((Now that I think about it, since I haven't really touched upon the subject of who Urja is, no one is really going to sympathize or understand him much, so here goes.))

The rain pounded on his head as he sighted down his arrow, watching the creature he had been stalking for hours. The tigers on his island were similar to the ones his ancestors had hunted in the days of the empire, and they had similar uses. Urja remained crouched, waiting for the perfect shot. The tiger turned, and in doing so, exposed it's neck. Urja grinned and loosed his arrow, crippling the tiger. He walked quickly to where the tiger lay, bleeding upon the ground, and took his knife from his belt. "With your passin, Ah kin now show mah tusks with pride. Watch out for da spirits."

He returned to his village, his family and friends standing near where they had let nature stay. His brother San'lee and his life long friend Ajani stood at the front, large grins on their faces. Urja's coming of age now marked him as an equal with Ajani again, which San'lee would begin in a few years. The three of them had gone on so many hunting trips they couldn't count them all, and Urja couldn't imagine what his life would be like without them. Sen'jin stepped forth, addressing the congregation that had assembled, and then completed the ceremony. Urja didn't pay too much attention, as he was still shaking off the feeling of killing his first tiger, becoming a fully grown male in the eyes of the tribe, as well as the occasional glance of a certain female troll he had seen in the village many times. "Now that Ah be grown, maybe Ah start talkin wid her, just ta see where de road takes mah feet."

Urja listened to the rain pounding on the roof of his hut. There were times when the massive storm that surrounded the giant whirlpool would move away from his island, but he couldn't remember a full week without rain. As he lay listening to the rain, he tried to ignore the itching of his injuries. While he had been out hunting, he had seen strange beings on the shore of his island. They had pale colored flesh, stood about as tall as he did, bore no tusks and had five digits on their hands. They spoke in a tongue he couldn't understand, but when they had found him and his party, they proved to be hostile, another thing that surprised him for he had not seen any tendencies among them that he had seen before. However, he found that they died just as he had expected, one from being gutted and another from an arrow shot to his skull. When they had brought back their findings to the village, the elders identified them as 'humans', and that they should be avoided at all costs. As usual Urja had not listened, and decided to keep watch over the new outlanders, which nearly cost him his life when one snuck up behind him to dispatch him. The slashes on his chest itched again and burned slightly as he tried o move. Even with his troll regeneration, the wounds were serious enough that they had called Rami in to tend to his injuries, the thought of which made him feel uneasy. As the healer walked into the hut, she cast an eye over him, took some herbs out of her bag and began to chant.
The worst of his wounds knitted together although not completely. As she was treating them with the herbs, Urja picked his head up. "Why can't joo finish your work? Why leave de cuts open like dis?" he asked her.
"Ah be lettin dese wounds heal on their own so they be scarrin joo, givin joo sometin to brag to your mate about." she said after casually reaching over to his forehead and then shoving it back down to the ground to keep him from bending his chest more.
"Den joo clearly not be knowin her well." he said while trying to remove her palm from his face without moving, "Mah laday already be lovin me more dan Oz'zay loves de smokin leaves."
Rami smiled as she finished applying the herbs, and looked over at him. "Hmmm, is dat right, 'Urja of de Longshadows'?"
Urja laughed at the title, "Ah've not been hearin dat since joo and Ah were de little ones of de tribe."
Rami nodded and scooted up to Urja's head for a better look, "Ah remembah your broddah callin joo dat name all de time, Ah also be remembahing when da eldas caught joo sneaking out of da smoke shack with a full rack of ribs."
Urja laughed, and then started to grab his chest, the pain reminding him of the wounds. Rami held his arm back, shaking her head. "Doncha be touchin dese bandages. Dey need ta be left by demselves if dey be healin de way Ah be intenden. And Ah'll know if joo been touchin 'em."
She gave him a stern look before a smile spread across her face and she leaned down to kiss his brow. "Ah be waitin for joo ta heal, don't be keepin me waytin." she said with a wink.

Rami was in the middle of the village, caring for the trolls who had returned from a fight with the humans. The warriors of the village had been tried these last few months, the humans had become more violent in their searches, and the indigenous fish people, what the humans called Murlocs, had started to capture trolls. Sen'jin had addressed the village, saying he had been given a vision, and that the events were not far away. Urja and San'lee had been standing guard over the border and walked in the village to see Rami treating a troll. Urja stopped, watching her for a few minutes before San'lee noticed he had stopped. "What'chu doin mon?" he asked, looking at his older brothers face. Urja snapped out of his daze and looked at San'lee. "She be de perfect one mon. See her dere mon? She be beautiful, smart, she got all de other females wishin to da spirits that dey were her." He was interrupted by the sight of a troll walking up to Rami. He said something to her, but judging by her face Urja didn't think she liked it. She shot him down, and where most trolls knew where to stop, this one didn't. As she turned her back to him, he promptly grabbed at her, and Urja felt a great rage surge up from the depths of his mind. He started to draw a dagger, but Rami beat him to it. In a quick motion, she swirled around, bringing a fist, then a kick around upon the side of the trolls head, then snapped a roundhouse kick to his face, breaking his nose, then stooping down to grab his tusks. "Joo gonna pay da price for grabbin what don't belong ta joo." she said, and then with a move that displayed more brutality than Urja thought she possessed, she broke the trolls tusks off so they were down to nubs. She snorted and gave him one final kick to the ribs and walked away, throwing the tusks in a fire to keep the troll from trying to recover them. San'lee looked at Urja and whistled, "Joo got da big tusks to be chasin her after dat." Urja nodded and sheathed his blade, killing the troll now would be merciful next to life without his tusks.

San'lee stood out on guard that night, watching for any humans that might be trying to raid the village. It had been an uneventful night, and soon another troll would be along soon so he could go back to his hut. Urja was so enthralled with Rami that he was glad to be by himself so he didn't have to hear Urja talking about her. He sighed, thankful to the spirits his brother had found someone with the patience to put up with him, but he had to admit to himself that he was a little jealous. He had come of age a few months ago, and he had yet to attract a female of his own, and while he was still young he didn't want to be like the elders of the village who didn't find mates. He shook his head to put the thought out of his mind. He watched the dark jungle for any movement, but saw nothing. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, and he failed to hear the faint rustling behind him. He jumped when he heard the load gurgling behind him and turned to see a net flying toward him. He growled, trying to throw the net off, but was drug off into the jungle night, without a trace.

Rami knelt in her hut, praying to the spirits of the island. Urja had gone searching for San'lee two days ago. He had been gone for a long time, too long. He would've returned by now if he had found his brother, and returned for aid if had not. She stood from where she was kneeling, and walked out of her hut. She had too many duties she was charged to be worrying about Urja like she was, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong...

Urja came to, but it took a while for his vision to clear. The last thing he could remember was watching the murlocs who were taking trolls and humans into a cave, then receiving a sharp blow to the back of the head. He looked around, and found himself in a cell or a cage. Humans were kept farther down the corridor, but directly across was San'lee. "San'lee , dat chu mon?" San'lee rolled over, bleary eyed. "Urja? Joo done some stupid tings but dis...dis is da worst! What were joo tinkin?" he shook his head and he said quietly, "Ah be glad joo came for me."

Days passed and the murlocs left them alone, but took other prisoners down the corridor. San'lee couldn't see what happened to them, and Urja was glad he couldn't see them, because Urja could. From where he sat in his cell, he knew why the murlocs were taking prisoners. Everyone knew the murlocs worshiped a sea witch as a deity, and they now needed sacrifices. Urja knew it was a matter of time, but didn't tell San'lee. He wanted San'lee to have some hope to hold onto, that the others would come and set them free, or that they'd break out and free their brothers in the tribe. Urja knew there was no hope of rescue, and San'lee had told him that no one was kept were longer than seven days without being taken to the room down the corridor. Urja had two days left, but what worried him was that San'lee had been there for seven. The night he had come to that realization, the murlocs came for him. They took him out of his cell and San'lee looked at him, gave Urja a reassuring smile and said, "It's gonna be ok mon." and walked down the corridor. Urja watched with a mixture of pride for his little brother, who showed he was fully grown in his own right by walking tall down the corridor, and horror, knowing what was waiting for him at the end. He watched as the fish men made San'le kneel, watched as the murlocs blade bit into him, and Urja cried as he never had before.

Two more days passed, but to Urja it was as if it were two centuries without his brother. He had always been there, talking, fighting, laughing, it was as if a part of Urja himself had taken the blade, as if a part of his own mind had died. He heard feet padding towards him, but he didn't care. It was about the time that the door to his cell was blasted open by a bolt of lightning that he figured out it wasn't the murlocs who had stopped at his cell. He looked up and saw a strange green skinned being on a large black wolf. He spoke in a language he had heard the elders speak in a few times, and he could only make out every other word, but knew to follow when he heard. "...We're getting Sen'jin."

Rami watched as the island that had been her home burned in the fire caused by the sea witch. There had been word that some of the missing trolls had been found, that some of them had been spared the fate of being a sacrifice, but that all who had been captive there were killed after seven days. She had held onto the hope that Urja was still alive, on one of the other orc ships they had boarded to escape, until she spoke with an injured survivor. He said that every troll, human, or dwarf captured never lived past the noon of their seventh day there, and that there were sacrifices being made up to the point that Thrall had lead them to the sacrificial chamber. Rami's eyes had begun to tear up and she left for the deck to watch the island. Many other trolls were there, mostly the younger ones who didn't know any other place existed. Rami watched the fires grow, watched as the last constant, the last precious thing in her life burned and sank into the sea. There was nothing left for her now, and nothing to hope for. Her parents, her village, her island, her mate...her love, all gone. Rami sank to her knees and cried without considering what anyone else thought. She didn't know how long she was there for, all she knew was the misery of loosing the one she had called her own. She woke up in a small room, a meal and water sat by her cot. She turned away, and returned to her misery, ignoring all who came to visit her.

Urja was on the first ship to land and helped to scout a place to set up a base camp. Urja was anxious to see who else had managed to get off the island, and found Ajani had been on the second ship, and heard that Rami was on the last one that would be pulling ashore. The promise of seeing Rami proved to be such a big distraction as he helped the orcs set up camp that Ajani relieved him and let him take his position as scout. He watched the ships pull in, and on the last ship he saw a group of trolls gathered around an individual, guiding her to the beach. he looked carefully and grinned when he saw it was Rami, and stole down to the group, careful to stay out of sight.

The group had finally managed to coax Rami out of her room for the first time since they had left their island, and she was still close to the edge. "What be joo seeing Rami? What be de ansestahs be tellin joo?" Rami stood quietly, looking at the landscape in silence. Rami didn't know how to answer their question, or cared to. She had not communed with the spirits since she had heard of the sacrifices. She wanted nothing to do with the elements, the living and especially not the dead. Tears streaked down her face and she shook her head. She hadn't said a word since she uttered her cry of mourning days ago, and many suspected she had not eaten either. Rami stood there for what seemed like hours to her until a voice called her name. She remained rooted to the spot, certain the voice existed only in her mind, until it called again, and a troll turned her around and she saw for herself. There stood Urja, a stupid grin on his face, walking toward her as if nothing had happened. She didn't know if this was yet another trick of the mind or not until the others called to him. They all gathered around him, except for Rami who just stared at him while the others asked him questions about what had happened on the island, how Sen'jin died, and if the orc leader was like what they'd heard. Through all the talk, Urja could barely hear, but everyone fell silent as Rami spoke, even as quietly as she did. "Ah thought joo were dead..." she said, still staring at Urja. Urja approached her, trying to think of how to explain how he had let her think he was dead for almost two weeks. "Rami, Ah didn't-" She hit him hard across the face, although still open handed. Urja looked at her in confusion as another tear streamed down her face, the emotions hard to read. Her lip quivered as she watched him, then punched him hard in the jaw, nearly knocking him over. He felt where she had hit him, and caught her wrist as she tried to land a third blow. She looked like she was again on the verge of tears, then simply collapsed in Urja's arms, hanging on limply as he lowered her to the ground, setting her in a kneeling position. She looked him in the eyes, the stress of having lost and then regained him as well as no food had left her so drained that all she could do was hold onto him as hard as she could. "Ah thought Ah lost joo..." Urja tightened his embrace, and whispered back "Ah will always be here for joo. Always"

Since the ships had landed on the shore, Urja, Ajani and Rami had all been busy. Urja and Ajani were scouts and runners while Rami remained behind to heal the wounded warriors who had been bitten by human and elf blades. Urja scowled at the night elves as he passed them. They were just like the others he had seen, just a different shade to their hide. It was common knowledge that the elves and troll held little love of each other, and this seemed to be true with the new elves as well. Urja walked by the guards and reflected on the pact that the orcs, humans and elves had made to band together against this 'Leegion'. Urja hadn't heard much since he was but a scout, but from what he heard, their new enemy was the worst they'd ever fought, that they wouldn't stop until everything and everyone was but ashes. His thoughts strayed to Rami and he vowed that no demon would ever harm her while he drew breath.

Ajani sat by a fire with his unit. He was with a group of spear throwers and the only one missing was Urja. Urja proved to be much more adept at stealth so he was made the units primary scout/sniper and runner, with Ajani being the second runner. Ajani looked down at his spear and turned it over uncomfortably. While every troll in his village was trained in combat, he was not one of the warriors. He sighed and remembered he had no one else to blame for his position than himself. He had turned down a position as scout in another unit so he would be able to fight along side Urja, just as he had done when they were young. Ajani looked at the massive tree they were to protect. He didn't know why it would matter if the tree was destroyed, but many of the night elves seemed on edge. Urja ran in and talked to the captain, who in turn told the unit that Scourge and Legion forces had established a base and were soon to start their assault. A clattering noise issues from a troll who was shaking, and Ajani identified with him. None of them had seen their foes or what they could do, and their prospect of survival were bleak. Urja walked up to Ajani with his bow in hand and a full quiver on his back. He smiled at Ajani, and Ajani returned it, just like the days back on the island. Nothing had been able to defeat them when they stood together and the demons would have no better luck.

Urja shot ghoul after ghoul, demon after demon. He had to run back to the base several times already for ammo, for those in his unit and himself. Every time he would pass news to sergeants, captains, marshals, anyone who would have the authority to take it farther up the chain of command. Urja watched as an infernal fell on a platoon of humans and blew them away, standing up and using a survivor like a club against a group of orcs. The captain of Urja's unit shouted for them to focus on the infernal, but with no distinct weak spot, their attacks continued until whatever fel magic that powered the creature was depleted, leaving one orc grunt standing. Urja studied a dead orc. The infernals not only smashed an opponent, but burned them with a fel fire, which had burned off the ocs arm. Urja felt a hand grip his should and saw Ajani standing there, panting from exertion and trying to stem the flow of blood from a nasty cut on his brow. "Da captain want joo to return to da base an' talk to da warlocks to find a battah way to kill dese tings." He motioned to an infernal that was swatting at a group of night elves who were shooting at it while jumping out of it's reach. Urja looked at his friend and started to speak before Ajani cut him off. "Joo gottah follow de ordahs, Ah gottah stay heah so dey have anadduh runnah. Go! It's gonna be ok mon." Urja shivered hearing San'lees final words echoing from Ajanis mouth, but nodded his head and ran off toward the base. As he ran, a green light flared in his vision and he turned to see a green fireball crash where his unit was. Urja bit his lip and kept running, hoping he would return in time.

Urja cursed the warlock in every way he knew. The warlock had done nothing but given a long winded explination of how infernals operated, where they came from, and when Urja asked if there was a faster way to kill them, launched into how to overload their core, which Urja translated into the answer to his question: no. He didn't know how much time he had wasted speaking with the warlock, but he knew Ajani and the others couldn't hold out much longer. Urja ran back to the field, but the Scourge and Legion forces had already smashed through the barricade and were burning the Human camp to the ground. Urja watched the courageous but ultimately futile defense. Ghouls and abominations ripped through man and orc alike, trolls and elves fought side by side against a stream of demons, and the demons were winning. Urja didn't care what happened to the others, all he cared about was getting back to the other darkspears, to fight alongside Ajani to whatever end. He thought of Rami and wished there was hope, that he and Rami would live out their days in peace together, but with the demons momentum, the end of the world seemed nigh. Urja raced back to where his unit was and saw a desolate field with zombies and ghouls feeding on the corpses and doomwalkers striding through the carnage, dispatching survivors. Urja crept around the field, staying out of sight, searching the troll corpses. The area was littered with them, and while Urja stooped to lower his profile and slipped down a small berm and fell flat on his face. He grimaced and looked up to get his bearing and froze, staring into Ajani's glazed eyes.

Urja looked Ajani over in disbelief. Ajani had always been one of the best fighters, never the one to be wounded in a fight. Ajani was the last troll Urja expected to be killed, and here he was, were two inches in front of his face. Urja crawled up to view his friend better and saw that his lower chest was charred from fel fire, and his legs were gone. He saw the others of his unit scattered around, some remained only in ears and hands. He looked down and saw the berm he had slid into was a large crater from an infernal strike. He closed Ajani's eyes and uttered a prayer to the spirits, then watched as Archimonde ascended Hyjal, and watched as the forest spirits gathered around him. Urja sensed what was to com next, and shielded himself and Ajani as best he could with the armor laying around. He felt the blast and the heat burning the taint from the land, and as he lay there in a daze, Rami's face swam into his vision. He saw her standing by a hut on the shore of a jungle island. She had a ceremonial robe on, a robe that was worn for weddings. She was beautiful, and she looked so happy, the way he always wanted to make her.

He awoke from his vision and looked up at the sky. He could hear a celebration, but he felt empty. His island, San'lee, Ajani, they were all gone. He knew what his vision meant, he knew his new life lay here, in this land, with his people and Rami by his side. He smiled, at least he still had her and hope.

Five years later

Urja sat on the shore of his island in the Echo Island chain. He had a quiet life now, his days were spent fishing or hunting, with the occasional trip across the world. Most laughed when he called that quiet, but compared to a life of someone at war, it was quiet. Urja looked out at the sea towards the east and looked at his new kunai again. Rami wanted to see the plaguelands herself, to see the taint that was spreading. Urja reluctantly agreed, and Rami saw what haunted man and orc alike. Rami stood at awe of the perversion the land and spirits were subjected to, and started chanting a prayer in zandali. Urja watched her, awed at her respect for a land not her own, but that native to the enemy. As Rami chanted her prayer, a zombie wandered by and moaned loudly, others answering in their own moans, and soon there were five, then ten, then twenty of the shambling monsters were closing in. Urja drew his knife, but he knew there wasn't much of a chance of making it out. They were still pouring in when Urja struck the first zombie, then another, and another. Urja lost count of how many he felled, and they continued to pour in, forcing him to step back with ever two kills he made. Rami set her totem down and quickly set another five zombies ablaze, but it seemed as though they were battling and endless stream.

As Urja was retreating from the reach of a zombie, he slipped and fell on a blood slicked patch of soil, and the zombie was quickly on him. Urja watched in horror as it closed in to bite him, then felt it go limp, and saw an arrow protruding from it's skull. Urja rolled the now limp corpse off of him and saw an orc with a bow sending arrows into the masses. Urja jumped to his feet and kept fighting, determined to live long enough to thank the orc. Urja heard a roar and saw a strange looking bear rushing into the mob, sending rotten limbs flying. In another two minutes, the bear finished off the last one with a quick stomp of it's paw. The orc walked up to Urja and Rami as the bear changed into a tauren. Urja smiled at the orc who returned weakly as Rami spoke with the Druid. Introductions issued as the orc identified himself as Vord, while the druid called himself Dusteye. "I came here to study this land to try and cure the illness of this earth." Dusteye said as he finished his introduction. The group looked at Vord who shrugged off his reason for being here with, "You looked like you needed help, and I don't like watching people die." Rami continued speaking with Dusteye who described his journey as a wandering path, and Rami looked at the three around her. "Dis taint, et won't stop. We be needin to do somtin about dis, or et's gonna spread." Dusteye nodded. "This is not natural. Rami is right, we need to stop this." Vord grunted and turned to walk away, but Rami called out to him. "Ah know joo be huntin dose who killed your family, but what joo gonna do when dey lay at your feet? What will you do if dis taint spreads? How will joo build when de land itself is cursed?" Vord stopped and Urja's hand dropped to his knife. He had known trolls like him and they were always far from stable. Vord looked Rami over, "And what do you suggest we do?" Rami grinned, "Ah be sayin we come togetha, speak wid udders like us, and togetha, we walk de Wandering Path and cut dis infection from de land."

Present Day

Urja touched the necklace he had been given from Rami on the day of their union as he stalked the corridors of Naxxramas with Vord. It had been just over two years since Rami had suggested the founding of the Path, two years since they had found others who shared their feelings and concerns, two years since Rami had gone to investigate a rumor of a cure, and two years since she and her guardians went missing. Urja didn't know who had sent her, if that person had been a traitor or simply found the wrong information, but it didn't matter to Urja, either way he'd put them down for good. But before vengeance was dispensed, he had to find Rami. Urja worried for a moment, how would he know what she looked like? Two years could change a person a great deal, especially someone who had spent that time as a Scourge captive. Urja shook his fear as he and Vord neared the prison cells in the plague wing. Urja's thoughts returned to Rami, and he became lost in memories and dreamscapes, and so became blind to the shadow that followed them.

(This is the end of Urja's story, and I'll continue in my earlier thread.)