“I’m cold” Arisia shivered, trying to pull her cloak around her tighter, to no avail. Her brother Caylon turned around to glare at her, blowing his long forelock out of his eyes and trying to maintain his temper.
“You’re ALWAYS cold, Rissa—get used to it; Northrend is freaking cold, and it is never going to get warm again.” He attempted a teasing tone, but inwardly winced when it came out a bit sharper than he’d intended. He smiled a small smile at Rissa, who nodded; shoulders slumped, and moved in front to take her turn breaking through the snow.
Rissa looked down at her side and frowned. Once again, her pet had gone off on his own. Grinding her teeth, she sent the mental call to bring him back, but the reply was irritated, and sulky. She wished fist for patience, and then for the wolf that would normally be pacing with her. Sardonyx was stuck in Dalaran with the pet woman; he’d had a rough fall at the end of their last job, and while Caylon could have healed it, the wolf had worked hard and needed a bit of a rest. With her huge orange tiger nursing a litter of cubs, she’d been forced to pull her remaining Pet from the stable in Silvermoon.
Al’Shar, whose name meant brave warrior was indeed a warrior—an immense tiger whose stripes had a teal hue, and whose eyes lit up like blazing blue aquamarines. Arisia had been lucky and tamed him rather than take his life nearly a year ago, but something about the taming had never jelled. Where her other two pets saw her as the leader of their pack, Al’Shar insisted on remaining apart. It was nearly impossible to read his emotions, and he was slow to all commands. Rissa had gone to her teachers and asked for aid, but they informed her that sometimes a Hunter and their Pet did not come together—but since she had a natural rapport with felines that Al’Shar should eventually get along.
Slowly, he’d accepted her as mistress, but today he’d reverted to his old behavior; he was easily spooked, and had been wandering far from her. Rissa frowned and sent another call to her Pet, and this time she felt agreement, with the tiger soon bounding up and joining her in making the trail. After growling once, he shivered, and danced in place to shake the ice from his feet, reminding Rissa that for months the tiger had been living in the warmth and comfort of Silvermoon, and had lost most of the thick fur he had when she first tamed him. He seemed embarrassed, and was broadcasting affection until Rissa paused and smiling, rubbed the top of his head. She turned and looked back at Caylon.
“He doesn’t like the cold either; he might be from Winterspring, but even that snow is less chill. He’s sorry now, though. Me too… I know I get wearing, Cay…”
The priest shook his head. “Hey, it happens; my robes are a bit warmer than those leathers, dearheart; let’s get this job done, turned in, and I’ll treat for a night in an inn.”
Nodding once, Rissa turned back to the trail and then sent Al’Shar up the wide bank of stairs coming up, using his eyes to scout. She knew it wasn’t the safest thing to do, as it left her vulnerable, but the area had seemed empty. Reaching the top of the stairs, Al’Shar began scanning the area and catching scent. Growling sharply, the tiger tensed, spotting several mounted warriors, and for her part, Rissa withdrew with the command to return. She nodded once, and tightened the straps on her travel pack, glancing at Caylon. “Trouble at the top of the stairs.”
Caylon nodded and the pair sped up, Rissa relaxing slightly when Al’Shar rejoined them, eager to fight. She worried slightly, knowing that Al’Shar was not as battle ready as Sardonyx had been. He was a natural fighter, but her skills had changed since they’d last partnered. The climb was hard, and both Caylon and she needed to pause to catch their breath, staying in the shadow of one pillar. Rissa peered out, and saw two mounted undead trolls ahead and signed for Caylon to keep back. He was just as able as her for a fight with the undead, and she needed a wide angle for a clean shot to take out at least one of the pair.
As she fired her crossbow, Al’Shar bounded past her, hitting the rider in front and dealing damage with both tooth and claw. He’d hold them so she could shoot safely from a distance as long as he could; Rissa moving closer and spitting out a curse as she spotted what her pet had missed. Another pair of riders were coming in from the left and as they spied Rissa and Caylon, they dove forward. Caylon tried to hold a shield on himself, knowing that he needed to heal both Rissa and her pet to get through this fight. Arisia mumbled and activated several spells that made both herself and Al’Shar a bit stronger, even if it would mean a need for rest immediately after the fight. Alternating arrows with both sword and axe, Rissa became a whirlwind of mayhem, leaping nimbly in and out, feeling injuries hit and heal alternatively. Al’Shar was working hard, but his inexperience was showing, his coat rent with wounds but his thoughts were clear and strong, insisting he was fine.
Rissa spun and finished the first pair, including the mounts that fought as hard as their riders and barely pulled one of the remaining riders and mounts off her brother who flashed her a grateful look before he concentrated and continued healing Al’Shar. Rissa surreptitiously threw some of her own healing ability for her pet to ease the strain on the priest, but noted with horror that one of the demon possessed cats that had been in the distance had heard the battle and was trying to power Al’Shar to the ground even as the rider and mount were hitting from the other side.
She dove left, then right, and freed herself from the fight she was in, raising her crossbow and rapidly firing several times, muttering spells to make them flare into different colors until the mount and the cat fighting Al’Shar fell to the ground, She nodded, letting him continue his battle with the undead rider and turned back to reengage with the warrior about to swing at Caylon. This wasn’t as easy a fight as she had thought, and her attempt to pull back so she could fall back and fire her crossbow was unsuccessful. She stumbled and nearly fell as she felt Al’Shar fall. It had happened before, to all her Pets, but Arisia hated that blow it dealt her—as if she had somehow failed them. She saw Caylon’s stricken look, and was about to call out that she would take care of it when his eyes widened with horror.
Tucking and rolling, she saw that Al’Shar had not been able to kill the warrior he was fighting, and he was coming over, and another of the feral demon cats was coming in at the same time. ‘I can’t DO this, she panicked, and then a spell came to her.’ She fired rapidly at both that warrior and the cat and began the extremely complicated ‘Heart of the Phoenix’, a spell she’d just learned that would bring her dear Pet back immediately, even in battle. As she bit off the last of the spell, she felt the rush of power that heralded one of Caylon’s powerful spells and she staggered again.
Her brother fell to one knee and the warrior she had been fighting before swung at him, but Arisia moved in a great jump, feeling the muscle in her leg wrench as she left the ground. Before she could cry out, the rush of Al’Shar’s thoughts covered her as he rose again, but he felt … different. She heard a dark, evil snarl, and as she finished off her warrior, felt Al’Shar’s exultation as he fought, filling her with a rush of energy and affection. She knew he’d won his fight, but was unable to stand, half crouched on her good knee, whimpering as Caylon wiped the blood from his vision, then bending and healing the torn and damaged muscles in her leg.
Warm fur rubbed her exposed arm as Al’Shar offered comfort, but Rissa kept her eyes shut with the pain, ignoring Caylon’s gasp, figuring he would complain at her after she was healed how badly she had mangled herself. The warmth faded and she slowly flexed her leg, still keeping her eyes shut, trying to test it before standing, Finally pleased, she grinned up at her brother, pulling back her his stricken face.
“What?” She turned and gasped herself. The warm body next to her was unknown to her—the fur was like liquid silver, the eyes burned with a dark red fire… and yet, the scent was known, and when he made a soft sound and headrubed her arm, she knew it had to be true. She blinked. “Al’Shar?”
The cat sat down before her and made a soft chiming sound, then reached out a paw to playfully bat at the sack of treats she always wore to reward her Pets after any fight. She turned to look at Caylon, who blinked back at her, wide eyed, and as she pulled several treats from the bag and tossed them to the happy silver beast, she turned back and winced, seeing the ravaged blue tiger laying lifeless on the far side of the path.
Slowly she walked on leaden feet, unable to reconcile the cat bouncing at her side and the body that she was soon standing before. A tear ran down her cheek, followed by more, as she squatted before the fallen tiger, running a hand over the soft fur that was growing stiff as the blood froze in the cold rising wind.
After a cautious sniff, the silver cat bounced off, disinterested. He sent a thought that he was going to run a perimeter to keep watch, and Arisia shivered. She felt a hand on one shoulder, and looked up into Caylon’s sympathetic gaze. The priest swallowed, and finally spoke.
“I only tried to raise him, Rissa—I had no clue it would do this…”
Swallowing another shiver, trying to pull herself together, Arisia wiped the tears that were freezing on her face. “It was a combination, I think… a freak one… I used ‘Heart of the Phoenix’ when you tried to resurrect him, Cay… somehow it made him find the wrong body.”
Understanding dawned in Caylon’s eyes. “And now he’s in that one… do you think we can reverse it?”
The Hunter shook her head. She gently stroked the fur again. “This is dead, Caylon – truly dead, not even a hint of a spark of his spirit. There is nothing there to call him home.”
Caylon was about to comment when a scream from one of the feral demon felines stopped him. He looked down at Arisia after biting his lip. “They scent the blood, Rissa… we’ve got to leave.”
Standing, Arisia looked around frantically. The ground was deeply frozen, no way to dig a grave. She turned back to the body of the tiger, eyes widening in horror and she took a step back. She looked at Caylon in abject horror. “I can’t skin him… oh Cay, I just CAN’T!” Her voice cracked and she shivered uncontrollably.
Her brother shook his head and he pulled her into his arms, soothing her. Al’Shar, in his new, sleek form appeared as if from nowhere and he pressed into Arisia from behind to offer warmth, flooding her thoughts with love. Caylon stroked his sister’s hair one last time to settle her and stepped back. “No, you can’t.” Taking a deep breath, Caylon reached and, dazzled as he as, each time he touched the Light, he summoned Holy Fire. It consumed the fallen tiger in moments, and the wind rose, taking the ashes away, giving the body back to the land itself. He smiled down at his sister, who managed a slight smile. He patted her hands, suddenly awkward. “It was the least I could do for him.”
Arisia nodded, and looked down at the cat that looked eagerly up at her, totally at home in this frigid, hard land. “Ready, Al’Shar?” He made a soft warble and turned, eager to continue. Taking a deep breath, she realized she was warmer too, the chill no longer being sent by her Pet. She squared her shoulders and began moving once more – Northrend changed everything that it touched, she thought, wondering how she herself would fair by the time their time there was done.
