For the Whored

In her room, she sketched everything. She was furiously sketching when Grogek walked in. She waved at him and he sat while she continued to draw. Tapping her fingers on the board, she turned and looked back at Grogek. He sat on the bed in full armor, his axe at his side.

"We need to leave."

"Yes. I know." She sighed. "I've taken too many risks." She shook her head.

The door popped open and Ricky scrambled in. Once the door was closed, he grinned. "It's all ready to go, boss lady."

Elunara furrowed her brow.

"After that display in the ring today, I figured that was the signal to blow this place." He patted the contraption in his hand. "It's not enough to level it, I couldn't possibly sneak that much out, but it'll give us plenty of cover to run for it."

"Ricky, you're the smartest goblin I've ever met." She kissed him on the cheek.

He shuffled his feet. "Yeah, well."

She looked to Grogek. "Are you ready?"

"My blade is yours." He stood up.

She carefully folded her board table and stored away all her remaining drawings. Once her pack was secure she reached for the door.

"Is that it?" Grogek blinked.

"The rest has been shipped to my private collection."

She nodded to Ricky. "Blow it."

The goblin cackled as he smacked the device. A series of explosions echoed through as the orcs began to yell.

Elunara yanked open the door and started to run for the exit she had already mapped out. Grogek was at her side, but Ricky began to fall behind as he huffed and puffed. With a groan, she halted in her tracks and began the double back.

"I WILL END YOU, WITCH!" Screamed Grommash.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit." She ran for Ricky. He was knealing on the ground when the axe came down. She stood in horror as Grommash's axe cut through Ricky's side. She collapsed beside him, but his wound was too great. He reached into his shirt and held out a sheet of paper.

"Remember me." He whispered.

She gripped the paper. "Always."

With that, she jumped and ran, waving Grogek on. With her night elf swiftness, she was quick to overtake him and lead on. She came up short as she recognized Lorros at the door.

He stood there, frowning. "I knew you'd go this way. Saw you here too much."

"Lorros..."

"I could have loved you too." He muttered.

Grogek pushed his way forward, placing himself between the two.

"The south pass is clear. Take my wolf." Lorros nodded. "Go."

Grogek nodded and continued past. Elunara stopped and stood on her toes. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek and left.

Down the pathway, a large brown wolf was tied to a post. Grogek approached it with caution.

"They can be very loyal to their owners."

Seeing the wolf was friendly, Grogek mounted the animal, and pulled Elunara on with him. Together they rode until nightfall, when the beast began to get tired. Once they found water, they let the poor wolf drink his fill and Grogek slaughtered a deer to feed it. Sometime in the night, the wolf broke its lead and ran home.

With a sigh, Elunara opened the wadded paper and saw Ricky's portrait. "I wish I had thought about how fast we would all move."

Grogek placed a hand over hers. "You couldn't have anticipated it."

Opening her board, she carefully placed the portrait within. Securing it once more, she yawned.

"Tonight we sleep. Tomorrow..."

Grogek placed a hand on her face and spoke in orcish. "We will face tomorrow."

She shook her head. "I can always tell when you've gone sentimental, when I can't understand what you say."

"Let us rest."

After another sigh, she pulled out her drawing board.

"Can that not wait?"

She shook her head. "I prefer to do it while it's fresh in my head. Ricky deserves the best that I can give him."

Grogek nodded and lay down. For a couple of hours, she worked, recreating the scene in her mind. When at last she felt she had exhausted every piece of it, she switched to a clean sheet of paper. With care for detail, she recreated their path, and at last, their campsite. When she was finished, she wadded it up, and threw it over her shoulder.

After the the last of the cinders disappeared, she curled up beside Grogek, her shoulders tucked up under his arm.