And it was looking to be a hot one, this year around.
With everybody here and there and everywhere with the invasion of Draenor, E’shi had lost contact with a lot of her friends. There were a few who she still saw, and some who popped up from time to time. And for them, she was thankful.
Sitting on the pier on the beaches of Sen’jinn, she glanced off to the side to watch Kosharn and Kro’gara playing in the sands off to the side with their sire, Krogu. Loa, how lucky she was to have them. Her lips pulled into a wide smile, toes dipping in the water. The little mutt of a jungle troll couldn’t help but think about how far she had come.
It honestly felt like yesterday that she was a timid, nervous little thing coming to the city to look for her sister. Garbed in hardly anything at all, she remembered slinking around, trying to avoid notice.
She had a few friends in the city to start. A rare couple who managed to decipher her hand movements and inability to speak verbally. Rin’dali and Den’zill. E’shi remembered how they looked out for her. She remembered how Rin’dali would escort her through Strnglethorn Vale from time to time, and she remembered bumping into Mûr, and forming a close friendship with him. The times she spent listening to him and watching him in Booty Bay... She still had that little mechanical murloc he gave her. It sat on her bedside table!
She hefted a soft sigh as she thought on. Jutu, the other mute she was -almost- mates with. And then Wan’ja... Wan’ja was a story all his own. She fell for him, so hard and so fast. But no matter how hard she tried to get him to realize the level of her love for him, he just... never reciprocated fully. His heart was in other hands, she knew now. And it hurt her to think, to know that was how her first real love was going to be. But she shook it off, pressing her train of thinking onwards.
There was her adopted parents, Ret’rali, I’fe and Yuanshi. The three took her in under their wings despite having their hands full with three youngsters of their own. They treated her like family, and acted as family when hers decided not to.
Speaking of family. Ucha’wi. Her older sister. The whole reason she hardly had a voice anymore. The whole reason she left the comfort of her jungle. The reason she was where she was at, today. E’shi’s head turned up to the skies, as if trying to spot a fragment of her sister’s spirit in the clouds. She knew she wouldn't, which weighed in her heart.
Wherever you are, Chawi, I miss you, and I hope it’s better than the life you had here.
Her sister had, in short, imploded. Fire magics built up so greatly in her, that the poor fen’di’s body couldn't handle it, and she imploded. E’shi was the only one there to bury her and give her her final ceremony. But she came out a stronger woman for it. A much stronger woman. All her family was gone, save those who took her in. All her friends, coming and going.
And now? E’shi was at a point where she was happy. Quite on accident, she had bumped into Krogu one day. And quite on accident, she’d found herself so very drawn to the orc. He was complex, compassionate, endearing and just... too stupidly cute for his own good. She didn’t seek to lay any claim to him, despite what her heart yelled at her, but she refused to let him go. Even when he wanted to push her away, they always found their ways back to one another. Him and his two children had welcomed her into their home and arms quite eagerly. And it was there, with them now, that she stayed.
Everything had sort of come full cycle. And E’shi was left sitting on the pier, just smiling and thinking quietly to herself.
...
At least, until Krogu had waded over and yanked her into the water with them.
My muse is dead. Tell me how yours is dealing with it. Krogu
Rakkah
She always knew, deep down in her heart, that she would be the one to get the news first. Her days in the Cartel had come and gone, Rakkah Deadaim moving on with her life, mate, and three children. She had settled with Axejaw in Feralas for favor of the man’s homeland, and reduced her ties to Orgrimmar. The city didn’t need her.
It came in the form of a letter, one more formal than she had had in a while. The letter, however, was accompanied by Krogu’s two children. They spoke for a while, before moving on to pass the news that their father had passed on to join the spirits. At first, she couldn’t even cry. Her heart was just a deadweight down in her gut. But as time passed, and as she processed it, the woman found herself remembering Krogu. One of her first friends in the Cartel. One of her best friends in the entire world, and he was gone. Just gone, like that.
Loss had never hurt so much.
———————————————————————
E’shi
There was something to be said about the nature of the relationship that E’shi had with Krogu. Since they day they had met, she had a soft spot for the awkward orc. Just barely taller than she was, she was one of the few people that looked up to him. Both in height, and in adoration.
They’d been together, constant quiet companions to one another no matter who came and who went in their lives. More often than not, she spent the nights with him and his kids. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months and months finally to years. She would rarely admit it, but she had grown to care for Krogu, and loved him deeply. He was one of the very few who left her for good.
All throughout his life, Krogu never gave up fighting. In his prime, he took an assignment that led him back to Draenor. He kept her updated, sending letters through the portal to touch base. And of course, she wrote him back. But the letters became fewer, and less frequent. Eventually, they just stopped.
Perhaps he just forgot to send it. Or maybe he’s been too busy to write.
She knew that was not the case.
About a month had passed before the group he had gone over with started to come back. One by one, battered, worn and broken. Two, three, four… But no Krogu. So, E’shi took to waiting at the portals.
And then the day came. She had pulled out her finest robe, donned her prettiest bangles and jewelry. She knew that this was going to be the day Krogu came home. With hope in her heart and feathers around her feet, the little Loa Priestess made way to the portals at the break of dawn. The sun broke over the horizon, and the mages started their magic. And the moment the first portal opened, there was a flurry of movement. People were in and out, coming and going. But still, no Krogu. Morning gave way to afternoon, and afternoon transitioned into evening.
Just as the sun was starting to set, there was a commotion. An elven priest burst through the portal first, shouting and hollering for more medics and healers. Then three more figures came through. An orc shaman and a tauren warrior, each with an arm around a smaller figure.
Around Krogu.
By this point, the elf had taken off to gather those that he could. E’shi, however, was frozen. Her eyes were wide, lips parted ever so slightly. The rooting feeling washed away quickly, however, and she was on her feet and running. Closing the distance from where she sat, to where they were only took a couple of seconds. Arms reached out to grasp Krogu’s cheeks, turning his head towards her. He was hardly breathing. So still was he, that her own breath left her.
"Krogu…? Krogu, c’mon. Lift ya’ head." AS if she was not quiet before, her voice was hardly above a whisper. But for as soft as she spoke, he heard. An eye opened a slit and he took in his surroundings. And then he got an apologetic little smile.
"Hey, E’shi… sorry I’m late." Krogu paused for a moment, coughing up blood. "I’ve got a few… few letters for you in my bag." It was visibly too much effort for him to stay conscious, his head rolling and going slack. Everything thereafter was a blur. She was pushed out of the way. He was carried off. People spoke to her, but she heard no words.
Just a couple quick gifts to two special people. E'shi is quite fond of minstrelofmyths Wan'ja. She likes the way he blushes when she gives him kisses. And Zalmai, like Eesh, adores tribeoftrolls Zinaji. Tamu, she calls him. The lump potato on Zal's chest is Nyota. I hope you two enjoy these <3 (And there'll be more to come for others~)
