#cherynaa

Thunder grumbled as the courier urged her talbuk up the sopping road, hooves spattering mud and water.  The talbuk made a disgruntled noise at her urging but galloped on.  High above a sentry peered over the battlements at the figure far down the switchbacks, and called back for the stables to prepare for the talbuk’s arrival, as the gate guards mustered under the protection of the old stones of the gate.

Arkturas looked up from the missive, spotted with rain that still poured outside the window of his office. “This was direct from Stormshield?”

The gate officer nodded, standing stiffly at attention. “Orders were to disperse separate couriers to all Alliance forces on least time travels.  The storm grounded air travel over the valley, so she made the remainder of trip on talbuk back.”

Ark grunted, and rolled the parchment up. “Request that Captain Holbek join me in the my office, and then make sure the messenger and her mount are adequately tended to.  The ride must have been miserable.”

The officer saluted and strode out of the room.  Moments later, the sound of a crisp knock came from the door.

“Enter,” Arkturas called, pulling out a bundle of supply paperwork.

The human captain entered, drawing himself to a comfortable position of attention. “You called for me, sir?”

Instead of answering, Arkturas tossed him the message, returning his attention to gathering more papers from their files.

“The Legion,” Holbek breathed. “They’re attacking again.”

“Aye, and we will be there to stop them,” Arkturas growled. “How long to quit the fort?”

Holbek blinked. “A week, I should think.  Getting passage sorted out back to Azeroth will take at least that long, and…”

“I’ll take care of that,” Arkturas said, waving a hand.  “Get the quartermasters together with the company commanders.  You have three days.”

*   *   *

Despite the near panic the deadline had caused the officers, three days later the grounds of the fort were a barely ordered commotion as wagon and after wagon was filled to capacity. Arkturas was filled with quiet pleasure and satisfaction as he listened to the orderly movement of his forces, overlaid with good-natured banter amongst personal friends that had gathered to see them off. He knew he’d hold the memory of this evening as a shield against the trials ahead, but even that thought couldn’t darken the happy moment.

Keialaar turned to him, Cherynaa held on a hip with, her brow furrowed with sudden irritation. “Can you take her?  I need to get my bag.”

He reached out to take the excited girl, tossing her up into the air to her wild giggles, before settling her on a shoulder.  “Certainly.  Go on.”

The mage opening the portal stood back as the glowing ball finally shimmered into being, swiping a sleeve over his glistening brow.  Ark settled Cherynaa more securely on his shoulder, turning to the still happily bickering group to start them moving.  “Vandrysse, Lietta, after you.”

As Keialaar trotted up with her satchel, his guests began stepping into the personal portal to take them to Ironforge. Giving his wife a smile, Arkturas took his place in the queue. Moments later he placed a hand on the surprisingly solid edge of the portal, waiting for the familiar sensation...

Something is wrong.

Normally, the transition of teleportation was little worse than the abrupt sensation of falling as one started to drift to sleep.  This time, the sensation grew, and he felt as though every part of him was being pulled from the other.  Silently, he howled as the agony grew, overwhelming him.

And then it was over, as suddenly as it began.  He cracked open his eyes and saw nothing.  And infinite, swirling blackness of the Twisting Nether surrounded him.

Dimly, he could feel his body gasping for air, though his pain addled mind couldn’t quite grasp what was wrong.

Then Cherynaa, writhing and clutching at her throat, drifted into his vision, and the cold winds of terror swept the confusion from his head.  Twisting, he snatched his daughter close, drawing together his will, and bending it upon his surroundings.

Air, air, airairairairairAirAIRAIRAIR!

The sudden rush of air thumped against his eardrums painfully, and he could finally hear the twin choking gasps as he and Cherynaa dragged in precious oxygen.  Moments passed as they regained their breath, Ark barely able to restrain himself from crushing Cherynaa against him, the surge of fear of losing her only slowly dying.

“Daddy?” Cherynaa whimpered, fists curled in the fabric of his tabard as she shook in the shelter of his arms. “Where are we?”

“Just a little lost,” he said calmly, leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of her head, burying his own emotions for her sake.   “We’ll be out soon.”

“I wanna go home!  I want Keia,” she said tremulously, tears staining the cloth over his chest as she buried her face against him.

Murmuring wordlessly, he stroked her back, mind racing as he poured over the unpalatable options.

Rescue, unlikely.  Air will only last so long as concentration is maintained.  Days, and not many of them, before sleep inevitable.  Hearthstone.  Would it connect?  More worryingly, would it draw attention?

He pulled out the rune inscribed stone from his belt, eyeing it.  He’d never tried using it outside the confines of the material world before, but then, beggars couldn’t be choosers.

With a grimace, he thumbed the activation rune.  Thankfully the Nether was brimming with arcane power, and the runes lit with a cheery glow as it gathered power. But even as hope rose in him, his nose caught the whiff of brimstone, and a familiar sickly green glow gathered around him like phantom claws.

He had but a moment to feel the helpless rage of a father as the trap reached out to enclose them, before the magic snapped tight like a fist, and darkness descended.

Answering this in chunks, because I’m wordy.   Part 1 - Keialaar singing headcanons!

[ Keialaar has a passable singing voice.  She will never pass for a professional, but she can carry a tune and does a decent job.    She hums to herself while she works, and likes singing to/with Cherynaa and Ark.   Out of the current timeline/plot, this scene fits sometime before the Tanaan expeditions.]

Hush-a-bye, don’t you cryGo to sleep little babyWhen you wake, you shall have All the pretty little horses

Cherynaa had resisted bedtime more than usual that evening, wheedling three extra stories out of her adoptive mother while Arkturas finished up some paperwork.   Over protests that she just wasn’t sleepy, Keialaar hefted the child into her arms and carried her upstairs, settling into a comfortable rocking chair they had retrieved from the homestead in Nagrand.

Keia wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, tucking it around Cherynaa’s legs, crossing her own beneath the little girl’s tail.  Gods, she’s growing so fast.  I won’t be able to fit her in my lap much longer.   Her hoof pushed at the floor, setting the rocking chair into motion, her voice lifted in a soft, sweet alto.

Blacks and bays, dapple and greysCoach and six little horses

Cherynaa cuddled against Keia’s shoulder, her nubby little horns tucked beneath her mother’s jaw.  As the song went on, the child relaxed, her body growing increasingly heavy in the paradoxical manner of children.   Keialaar rested her cheek against the little girl’s hair, stroking the bundled body in her arms from shoulder to hip.  The song was Gilnean, she thought; she couldn’t remember where she had learned it.  Thankfully ‘talbuk’ replaced ‘horses’ seamlessly.  One lullaby led into another, and eventually when the last note faded, the only sound in the room was the creak of her chair and Cherynaa’s deep, even breathing.

“Finally got her down?”   Arkturas was leaning against the doorjamb, fatigue in his eyes.

“Mmm. Fought me every step of the way.”  Kei straightened from the child-sized bed, smoothing a hand over Cherynaa’s hair before joining her intended in the hall, closing the door behind her.    

The big Vindicator took her hand, and in companionable silence they climbed through the keep.  The garrison was still awake; they could hear voices down in the barracks and the scrape of hooves and boots above on the watchtowers.  But they were reassuring; sounds of safety, of normalcy.  

Arkturas led her up onto the roof; one of the first things Keialaar had done upon the keep’s refinishing was to take advantage of a wide point in one of the allures.   She had an old wooden bench brought up and positioned just outside the arcading that led back into the keep; a nearby chest had blankets.  It was one of her favorite places for quiet. 

“Sing for me tonight?”   His voice was a quiet rumble, startling after several minutes of silence.

Keialaar wriggled into his lap, echoing the way she had held Cherynaa earlier that evening; a blanket wrapped ‘round his shoulders then folded around her, her head tucked beneath his chin.   The rest of Draenor seemed very far away and distant, leaving her safely cocooned in the arms of someone she loved.

Chi mi'n geamhradh anns a’ ghaoith  (I see the winter in the wind)Chaneil an sneachd’ fada bhuainn    (The snow is not far from us)Sgothan dorch’ ’s na craobhan ruisgt   (Dark clouds and the trees losing leaf)Tha an oidhche nochd fuar    (The night is cold)

Shaoilean fhein gur ann an de (So often it feels that it was only yesterday)Bha teas an t-samhraidh ‘gar leaghadh (The summer heat melted us)Fad an fheasgair air an Dun (All evening long out on the Dun)’S tu laighe leisg ri mo thaobh (And you lying lazy by my side)

This one was different; a song of a love lost- a song of longing and memory.  On the surface, the lyrics spoke of a lost lover, but popular opinion called it a lovesong to the loss of Argus.  Beneath her, Arkturas sighed and folded his arms more tightly around her. 

’S iomadh oidhch’ a rinn sinn suiridhe     (Many nights we loved)’S iomadh oidhch’ a rinn sinn gair  (Manynights we laughed)’S ionadh oidhch’ a bhithinn a'smuaintinn   (Many times I thought)Gum bitheadh tu comhla ruim gu brath   (Thatyou would have stayed forever)

Chan fhan a’ ghrian fad na bliadhna    (But the sun never shines all year)Cha sheas an uair mar a tha i    (Timewill not stay as it once was)Dh'fhalbh thusa gu'n a'cheo   (You leftfor the city)’S dh'fhag thu mi le mo geamhradh    (Leavingme to my winter)

As the last note faded, she fumbled for his hand,lacing her fingers tightly with his, needing the reassurance of his solidityand warmth. 

Arkturas didn’t speak; there was no need forwords.  He pressed his lips against hertemple.   They would never see Argusagain; their homeworld was long gone. But they both knew, sitting in the darkness, that whatever change thefuture brought, they would face it together.

[Songs are available for listening here andhere.  Cherynaa’s lullaby is “All thePretty Horses”; if you can find the Boiled in Lead version it’s my favorite  (although Calexico’s version is good!) and the second is “ChiMi'n Geamhradh” by Runrig.  Read thetranslated lyrics here!]

@draenei-harbinger

She laughed, shaking her head.  “No.  I know better.”  She slid the bowl of peas across the table toward Sylaess, high-pitched childish laughter echoing through the large common area of the inn.  Three children ran through, laughing about something to do with rocks?  It was difficult to say for sure.

GHS AU Night AU: Cowboys Character: doriennmydral

Keialaar leaned against the fencing, her arms propped on the top rail, watching as the plume of dust resolved itself into a slender man riding a gleaming blue valkyrie.  Kicking up gravel, Dorien flicked down the kickstand with a heel and pulled off his helmet, swinging off the bike.   "Got your call, how long has she been missing?"

Keia blinked at the urgency in his tone, rubbing at the side of her head.  "Well she didn't come down last night, so I'm guessing she wandered off sometime yesterday afternoon.  Ark's out in Boulder seeing to some grazing contracts, and it's an awful lot of ground to cover by myself.  Appreciate you coming, Dory."   She pushed off the fence, nodding to two horses drowsing under their saddles.  "I packed bedrolls, in case we get caught up on the mountain."

He stared at her for a long moment, disbelief in his eyes.  "Since yesterday?  She's been missing... God, Keialaar, I thought you- How could you leave her out there all night and not call someone!"

She shrugged, pulling the leadrope of a leggy appalooosa free from the iron hitching ring before leading the horse over to the old stump that served as a mounting block. "She's young and healthy, one night's not going to kill her."    She scrambled up into the saddle, looking like a child on the horse's back.

Dorien bared his teeth. He liked Keialaar; she was a good ranch manager, and she made his old friend very happy.  But damn if he was going to leave Cherynaa with her, if this is how she treated her adopted daughter.  

Keia gave him a strange look as she gathered her reins.  She had no idea what had the usually easy-going man so tense.   Perhaps the ride would help.  "Hope you don't mind, we have one more in the search party."   She twisted in her saddle, letting out a piercing whistle.  

A rather round dappled pony trotted out from behind the barn, a bright-eyed little girl with honey-brown curls bouncing in the saddle.  "Keia! Pepper JUMPED!"  

Keialaar's face softened, maternal pride lighting up her eyes.  "Did he really?  What have I said about jumping when we're not out to watch you?"

Cherynaa gave her adopted mother a snaggle-toothed grin, not the least bit apologetic for her disobedience. "It was just a little jump, Keia."   The pony trotted up beside the petite woman's gelding, the two horses, bumping noses and whickering to each other.  

"Ready to go?" She leaned down and ruffled Cherynaa's hair, glancing up to catch Dorien's expression.  "Dory?  Something wrong?"

"I thought... you said Cherynaa was missing."  He was suddenly very glad he hadn't said any of the things he'd been thinking.

Keialaar's face went blank, and Cherynaa laughed.  "CHERRY is missing!  She's gonna have a BABY."

Finding time alone was difficult. Arkturas was constantly sought out for meetings, signing paperwork and listening to reports; getting a few minutes to reconnect with each other was getting harder and harder. So when they had the time... they used it.

 Keia settled into his lap, her tail curling around his hips, snuggling against his chest. She pulled out the communicator and pressed a few buttons before setting it down on the big desk. One of the natives in the fortress, a young artificer named Andren, had optimized her crude attempts to improve the device.

One beep... two... then a high pitched, childish voice. "Daddy?"

Ark's arm slid around Keia's waist, tugging her in tight against him as he spoke with their daughter. The Rangari felt tears sting her eyes as Cherynaa told them about her day, and what tricks Taaen, her puppy, had learned. As much as she loved seeing their old home whole and knowing that they had a chance to make a difference... homesickness struck hard. And she wasn't the only one; the arm around her waist squeezed her so tightly it was nearly painful.

"Keia?"

"Yes baby?" She leaned closer to the communicator, a hand rubbing Ark's forearm soothingly.

"I miss you." Cherynaa was only five. Ark's duties with the Sword meant that she had an older child's understanding that her parents could not always be there, but...

"I miss you too, sweetness. Are you taking good care of Taaen and Nasuu?" Nasuu had been a gift just before they left; a talbuk fawn Keia had bred. Cherynaa was young to have her own, but it would be a few years before the little buck was steady enough to ride. Both of them had thought that it might be a good distraction.

"Yes. I brush him every day." A quiet pause. "Keia... when you come back. Will you be my Mama? Daddy said it was OK."

She couldn't speak around the lump in her throat. Arkturas made a sound deep in his chest, and she felt the warmth of his lips on the back of her shoulder. "I- I would like that very much, Cherynaa."

"Me too." There was a few more inconsequential things discussed before the communicator was passed off to the friends that were watching over their little girl.

Keia didn't listen as Arkturas discussed the day-to-day business of the homestead with them. She tucked her face against the side of his neck and struggled to get her emotions under control; the urge to go through the next supply portal and go home was strong.

When the communicator's quiet chirp indicated the call was over, Arkturas shifted the woman in his lap, his thumb stroking over her cheek to wipe away a tear. "We're here for her." His voice was low and gentle.

"I know." She leaned forward, her crest bumping against his.

"She loves you." His hand slid around to curl around the base of her skull, cupping her head.

"I love her, too." She had not been prepared for motherhood. Every time she had thought about it, fear had twisted in her belly, heavy and roiling. And then she had met Cherynaa. She'd fallen harder for the child than she had for the father.

"Let's go to bed." He slid his arm under her legs, hefting her in his strong embrace. She slid her arms around his neck, looking up into the face of the man she had followed to Draenor... that she'd follow wherever he led.

"I love you." A fingertip brushed over his chin, then her lips found his.

And the other half of this was approved for posting...!  Keialaar and Veriinya, for all they are not close, are a great deal alike.

--------------------------------------

Keialaar crouched behind the sofa, the tip of her tail lashing.  “Remember what I told you,” She murmured to the six year old beside her.   “He gets terribly focused while reading his reports, but he’ll still notice you if you walk within his field of vision.”   The two of them regarded their target, peacefully sitting at the kitchen table, a crystal reader in hand.

Cherynaa nodded solemnly, her face painted with streaks of lipstick and kohl.  Keia had found her an hour earlier, happily painting herself, the walls and mirrors with cosmetics.  After thirty minutes with a washcloth and fresh application, the little girl was properly decked out in what the two agreed was proper warpaint, the former Rangari’s face decked out with exotic patterns of Cherynaa’s own design.

The approach was flawless; Arkturas feigned surprise and dismay when seventy pounds of laughing child pounced his tail, shrieking the attack to ‘confuse and confound’ the enemy.    Cherynaa was entirely unsuspecting when her ‘ally’ betrayed her, joining forces with her father to play the ‘gobble’ game, where they took turns pretending to eat little tendrils or a tiny little tail.

“All right, be sure you wash everything.”   Ark kissed the top of his daughter’s head, ruffling the dark curls.

Keia stood outside the door to the bathroom while Ark dropped his offspring in the tub; she didn’t want to disturb the father-daughter moment, but was loathe to miss the sweet domesticity that had become such a huge part of her life.

“Papa?”  Cherynaa paused in her efforts to build a fortress out of the bubbles of her bath.

“Mmhm?”  Ark surveyed the scatter of cosmetics on the counter.  Gods, how did one woman need so much stuff?   Probably best to leave this to her; he had no idea what most of this garbage was even for, and no doubt she had a system for organizing it.

“Can Keia be my Mama?”   Cherynaa was leaning against the side of the tub, her eyes on her father.

Arkturas glanced over his shoulder; the Rangari was out of sight, but he knew she was there, listening.  He looked down at the tangle of feminine mess on the countertop, then turned back to the tub, kneeling beside it to bring himself eye-to-eye with his daughter.  “I don’t know, sweetheart.  Do you want her to be?”

Out in the hallway, Keia bit her lip, her thoughts going to the heavy, masculine ring she had hidden in a drawer a few weeks ago.    The question had been asked already; when Keialaar had wanted him to know how serious she was about their relationship.  They simply had not told anyone that it had also already been answered.  She resisted the urge to hold her breath, waiting for her soon-to-be daughter’s reply.

“Yes.”  Cherynaa nodded for emphasis, reaching out with sudsy fingers to daub a mound of bubbles onto Ark’s crest.  “I like her.”

He blew out a breath, acutely aware of the woman in the hallway; only too easily able to imagine what she must think of this.  “I like her too.”

Keia slipped away, then.  She didn’t want to intrude on his private moment any longer.  Whatever he told Cherynaa about his plans… he’d reveal to her in his own time.  She didn’t need to eavesdrop.  Not about this.

"Hmm.  If we were alone..."  The cafe was crowded, and she admitted, she rather enjoyed the idea of teasing him with such a salacious conversation while they were surrounded by people.

"You would do... that thing with your tail that I like."  She looked up at him from the corners of her eyes, her tail curling around his. 

"Oh would I, now?"  Arkturas leaned forward, a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. 

"Mmm."  She was enjoying the game, her fingers stroking along his wrist.  "You'd start with that, and then you'd kiss me... in that way of yours."  She could feel his pulse speeding up beneath her fingers.

"This is sounding good."  Ark's tail curled up along hers, brushing against her rump through the gap in her chair.

"And then... "  She opened her mouth to elaborate, then a child's shout of joy filled the cafe as Cherynaa launched herself across the crowded room.  "Papa! Keia! I got to pet a BUNNY!"  Keia grunted as the four year old jumped up into her arms without slowing, leaning back in her chair to make room for the excited child.  "He lives here! And his name is Clovis!" 

Keia looked over Cherynaa's head, smiling ruefully at Arkturas.  "We can pick this up later."

His hand ran down her back as he stood, leaning over to murmur in Keia's ear.  "When she asks for a bunny, only one, please."