In the Days of Hellscream

As sand and rock crunch under her bare feet, Vartokk looks out over the water. With the sun rising above the mountain’s peak, its rays cast light that dances on the surface of The Great Sea. Halfway up the path by now, all of Echo Isles is visible. Vartokk stops for a moment, taking in the beautiful sight of her childhood home. Tears spring to her eyes as conflicting emotions swirl inside her mind. She thinks of all the times growing up, running and laughing along the shores, playing hide and seek with Zuni in the huts that sat in a near-perfect circle facing the center of Darkspear Village. From the distance, she can see groups of children running through the low tide, their feet interrupting the small waves that lap at the shore.

Vartokk closes her eyes and in her mind, she pictures the scene up close: the smiles, the laughs, the blood… Suddenly, in her thoughts, the ocean turns crimson red and the children lie face down in the shallow water. Her eyes flying open, Vartokk stumbles back, falling onto the ground, Zuni’s urn rolling from her arms. For a moment she cannot breathe and for a moment she sits, convincing herself that the scene formed behind her eyelids was not real. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear the vivid horror from her mind, she stands again, gathers Zuni’s urn and continues her trek up the mountain, keeping her eyes down.

Legs tiring and lungs burning, Vartokk begins to feel the terrain level out. Finally, she removes her eyes from the ground, looking around at the all-too-familiar scene in front of her. The small flat piece of ground is surrounded by tall, steep burnt orange rock with one small gap overlooking The Great Sea and Echo Isles. So many times Zuni and she had come to this very spot where they would stay all day and sometimes night, looking out at the sparkling sea reflecting thousands of colors from the sky as the sun and moon moved in their circular dance over all of Azeroth.

The air picking up around her, Vartokk closes her eyes and breathes deeply. The familiar scents rush into her nose, and the heat of midday fills her lungs, igniting a fire that runs through her blood. Her body beginning to shake, and as memories flood her mind, she looks down at the wooden urn held in her hands.

I wish you were here, Zuni, Vartokk thinks, everything is especially beautiful today, but its just not the same without you. With a leaden sigh, she kneels down in the center of the plateau, and removes the lid from the urn. Staring down into the remains of her childhood friend sobs rise in her throat and choke her. Huddling there with the urn, the wind whipping around her, Vartokk feels as though it is an eternity before she is able to compose herself.

With another deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, Vartokk stands holding the urn out in front of her. With small hesitation and a scary uncertainty of letting go, she turns it sideways and the ashes are picked up by the wind. Suddenly, the wind begins to circle Vartokk, carrying the ashes around her like a tornado. As the last of the ashes leave the urn, she looks up in awe of the swirl of grey that surrounds her, and when the swirl begins to slow, she sees the thousands of tiny particles forming into the shape of a man.

For a moment, Vartokk stands in disbelief as an apparition of Zuni appears before her. She yells at herself, squeezing her eyes shut, telling her mind to stop playing these sick games with her; but just as she is about to turn and run back down the path she feels a hand placed on her face. Opening her eyes, her composure is shattered at the sight of Zuni standing before her. Her entire body convulses with the cries and screams she wishes to push from her lungs, but her breath catches in her throat and stops the sobs in their tracks. She reaches out to touch him, still not sure if what she sees is real. As her hand reaches his cheek, warmth starts at the tips of her fingers and spreads rapidly throughout her entire body.

Taken aback by the sudden spark, Vartokk pulls her hand away for just a moment before returning it to his face. Her knees grow weak and she feels as though she is going to collapse as her eyes remained fixed on her outstretched hand.

“V?” She hears the question in Zuni’s voice, and in a daze, turns to face him. She can see a bright blue aura surrounding him as he stands before her, his spirit embodied by the ashes.

Vartokk opens her mouth, willing it to form words but nothing comes out.

Zuni smirks, pushing her mouth closed, “Tis rude ta stare, V. I’ve missed you too. But don’ fret ‘bout me. I be fine now.”

“But…” Vartokk stammers, her voice breaking.

Zuni places a finger gently over her lips, “Sh. I don’ want ta see ya do dis to yaself.”

Vartokk looks down, tears falling from her eyes, making small light flashes ripple through Zuni’s image as they land on his hand. This only serves as a reminder that, though she can see him – touch him – he is not alive and his presence must only be temporary. At the thought of losing him again she begins to cry harder.

Zuni reacts immediately, pulling her close, “I need ya ta be strong for me, V. Dis is not goodbye foreva. I will see ya again one day. But ya must make me a promise.”

Holding Vartokk out at arm’s length, Zuni gazes into her eyes. For a long time, he searches for an earnest answer.

“Anything,” Vartokk whispers.

“Ya must promise me not ta live for dat day. Don’ go lookin’ for danger or death. Don’ let my death consume ya, V. Live ya life, fight for da Horde, make new friends…”

At the thought of making new friends, Vartokk averts her eyes as they are stung with tears again. Zuni catches her and turns her eyes to face him again.

“And most importantly, V, promise me ya won’t let dis harden ya heart. Promise me ta love again.”
Her mouth falling open, Vartokk wants to scream at him, to ask how she could possibly do that when he was taken so suddenly. She wants to hit him and tell him that he doesn’t get to say those things to her. She wants to scream that he doesn’t have to live every day in torment, knowing that what he truly wants, he can never have; but as she looks into his eyes she sees a dim light of eternal sadness. In that moment she knows that – to him – every passing hour he spends drifting through the plane between life and death is a year to him; and a year is an eternity. An eternity he can see her, hear her, but never know their friendship as it once was until the day a hundred eternities pass and they can be together in death.

“I-I promise.”

Leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on her forehead, Zuni looks at her again and smiles, “Now dats my girl. Now lets’ sit.”

Motioning to a large flat rock to his right, Zuni leads Vartokk to sit and they talk for what seems like only minutes. They reminisce about childhood and the mischief they caused in the village. They talk about what Vartokk plans to do for her future, receiving scorn from Zuni at her plans to leave Echo Isle so soon, but with the mention of Za’tarri accompanying her, he relaxes knowing she will be protected.

Completely consumed with the conversation, Vartokk does not realize the sun is already sinking below the horizon, and the moon sits high above the desert.

With a heavy sigh, Zuni stands, “Tis time for me ta leave, V.”

Vartokk stands and looks up at him, desperation in her eyes, “Please don’ leave me here, Zuni.”

“I have ta go,” he murmurs, placing a hand on either side of her face and pressing his forehead to hers, “I love ya. I mean it.”

“I love ya too, Zuni.”

Turning Vartokk’s face up to look into his eyes, Zuni holds her gaze for a moment and presses his lips to hers. It is as though someone is zapping her with a strong electrical current, filling her body with energy and life, awakening every nerve and sending her mind reeling. All too soon, his lips are gone as his blue aura disintegrates and the ash swirls around her again, lifting her from the ground.

Confused, Vartokk opens her eyes to see Zuni’s family crest lifting from her chest. As it starts turning, her vision goes black.