Rage

Words cannot describe the anger I am feeling. But I do not like it.

Pipiltin is dead, murdered by the Kor'kron. Others in my family have been attacked by Garrosh's armies, I have heard, and the rumors of other innocents falling victim to them is also true. Gren'mazi has closed his shop in Bloodhoof Village, for fear of his safety, and Rhezzaka's. Urukha has declared war upon the Kor'kron... she is not well. I watched her break just the other night, laughing and crying without control. When asked what I might do to help, she had told me just this:

"Kill. Kill them all."

I believe that the spirits wish to fuel my rage further... I was brought to Camp Taurajo by a shaman I met in Thunder Bluff just last night. My birth tribe had come to this post in the past to trade, in times when we could not support ourselves. It was a peaceful rest, from what I had remembered... but now it is in ruin. I was told that Alliance forces laid waste to the camp after the Shattering happened... I do not know why. It was only a trading post. I lost control of myself, and loosed my rage upon some humans patrolling the ruins. How dare they tread that ground.

I do not know if it is right, but I no longer feel it matters if it is not: those that are harming the innocent must know the pain they leave. I have spoke to Maengun on these matters... and she is willing to help any way she can. I have told her to stay away from Orgrimmar unless it is absolutely necessary, and that she may do as she wishes with any Kor'kron soldier she finds. To know she will help me calms me, even if only a little...

Today, I leave my shield here, and wield the sword left for my by Theran. If I am to show the honorless the pain they have caused to the innocent, a shield will only serve to get in my way.

Until ash.

I Have Returned

Yesterday, after three long months, I have finally returned home, to my family, and my friends. It has been too long.

I returned to the Burning Ravine first... it was quiet, and nobody was to be found. I found a notice about a gathering later in the evening in the commons... a "night of debauchery," and went to my hut to find the clothing needed. My hut was just as it was when I departed. I found my robe and hat, a leather harness and loincloth I recieved from the Regent some time ago, then this journal. I wanted to write in it then and record what had happened to me while I was gone, but my desire to find someone and speak with them was greater. I changed into my robe and departed for Orgrimmar, to sit by the tree in the Valley of Honor.

I sat for some time, watching others pass by. It felt good to be in the city again, though now there are people in the city that look like bears. I learned later that they are called "Pandaren." I was eventually joined by Gren'mazi and Nemeiah, both of whom were very pleased to see me. The feeling was mutual. Gren'mazi wished to know what I had done in my time away, and Nemeiah expressed concern for my well-being. She said she had been to a place called "Pandaria" looking for someone, but afterwards spent some time there to admire the land - she says it is quite beautiful. I must go there sometime.

I attended the night of debauchery, eager to see my family again, and changed my clothing to the harness and loincloth I carried. The gathering was a contest to determine who was most appealing while wearing the least amount of clothing. I do not remember much of the night... there was a very tasty alcohol being served, and I know that I drank too much. I remember vague images of Jindal and Urukha doing things I did not expect of them, and the reactions of others towards something Urukha did while being judged. I also remember winning something, a tankard holding a strange rabbit-like creature. I do not know what it is called.

I also vaguely remember being in Orgrimmar while drunk, and talking with some people... I believe a pandaren and a goblin. I think Nemeiah was there, as well. I hope I did not do or say anything foolish in my drunken state. My head pounds still, even long into the day. I have not left the hut, and writing this has taken much effort. But I am still happy to be back with my family, despite the pain.

Midsummer Celebration

Last night the Burning Tusks gathered to celebrate midsummer, the time of the year when An'she's light has reached the height of its power, and when his light begins to yield to Mu'sha's. It is as much a time of celebration as it is a time of mourning, and like Noblegarden it is a celebration of life.

Siuliaruin hosted the tribe's celebration, and required that we wear as little as possible, or no clothing at all. We were brought to a forest with a lake and "faerie dragons", a type of creature I had never seen before. We were all given a circlet made from the leaves and sticks of the trees around us, and then we were brought to the lake. Siuliaruin told us to consider our bad memories, and to let the water take them away in its ebb and flow.

I thought of everything that had happened to me and Ferak over the past weeks... the nightmares, the whispers, the ritual... and fell into the lake. The water was refreshing, and I felt as if the weight of these painful memories was indeed cleansed from my heart. The others seemed to have felt the same way. I saw Ura and Pipiltin chasing one another playfully. Gren'mazi gave the tribe an interesting show of fire on the water's surface. Even Mukwa attempted to enjoy the swimming despite feeling tired, and later I would see that his spirits had been lifted greatly.

We bore witness to a rare and beautiful sight on returning to the forest: the faerie dragons had decided to bless our celebration. They gathered around the ring of mushrooms we had intended to enter and bathed it in a glowing light of many colors. I was struck with awe at this sight, and Siuliaruin noted that to see such a thing was very rare. We proceeded then to light a bonfire, feast, and dance. There were stories to be told, unfortunately I was too tired to join them to listen, or share. I excused myself and thanked Siuliaruin for bringing us to this place before dressing myself and returning home.

As the seasons change and An'she's light begins to dim again, I am reminded of the passing of time, of the families I have been a part of since I left my birth tribe, and of those I speak with or fight alongside. Faces, spirits, and the desires of those I know have and always will change, but one thing is absolute: I will do all I can to protect and aid those I know and love.

Until ash.

To Silvermoon

Arcane magic has long baffled me. When I was a calf, I was taught that one so inclined to could wield the elements by speaking to them and being unselfish in doing so. However, there are many who force the elements' shapes to their will... this is called arcane magic. I have heard many stories of those who practice arcane magic becoming tainted by the unnatural forces they wield, and I am able to detect this. The arcane leaves a scent on one's soul, a very pungent stench, and the longer one exposes themselves to it, the stronger this scent becomes. Many others, shu'halo and non-shu'halo alike, have noted that my sensitivity to the scent is unique... it can overpower my senses, and oftentimes I must sneeze to cleanse them of it, even if it is temporary.

I understand that elven culture is based on the arcane. This is especially evident in the elves of the Eastern Kingdoms, though I had been unaware of just how much. Yesterday, I had been riding around the Ravine on a raptor I had trained with the help of Zon'Krul earlier in the evening, listening in to a conversation over the talisman between Aevelina and Gren'mazi, about tattoos. I encountered Aevelina not much later, and she, with Caelyssa, invited me to accompany them to Silvermoon City. I had been long curious about what the elven homeland was like, and accepted their invitation.

The two of them had found their way to the city before I could, and Caelyssa used the summoning power of the talisman to bring me there. The city was very beautiful... but a different kind of beautiful than one would feel while wandering the plains. Caelyssa understood how I felt, telling me that she was also overwhelmed at how Thunder Bluff looked when she had first found it. However, my ability to admire my surroundings was cut short, as the stench of the arcane began to make itself known to me. It came from all around; I saw many objects floating above the ground as we wandered the roads of the city, looking for a tattoo artist. The whole time I had sneezed repeatedly... once on Caelyssa.

I felt foolish, and a burden, for letting my curiosity of the world get the better of me. Caelyssa assured me I was not burdening them, and the decision to leave was only because there was nobody in the city that could draw a tattoo. She suggested that I should perhaps visit Silvermoon periodically, to build a resistance to the scent. I think that it may be a good idea, should I need to go there in the future for another reason.