World of Warcraft: Journey of the Huntress

Chapter Two

Larraine looked over the objects she had laid out on her bed, taking stock of everything to make sure she hadn't forgotten something before she started packing it all into her backpack. She had a couple of water skins; some dried fruits for herself and preserved meat for her wolf; a roll of bandages in case anyone got injured; her journal for making notes and plotting out maps; a full supply of arrows; and a hearthstone in case she needed to get back to Stormwind in an emergency situation. It seemed as though everything was there, but a part of her kept thinking something was missing.

"Potions!" she said to herself and left her room to go across the hall to where one of the newer recruits was staying. To her surprise, the door was open so she walked right in.

"Bixby, could I get some potions from you?" she requested, then stopped in her tracks when she noticed the sole occupant of the room wasn't the perky, pigtailed gnome who was usually there but a different gnome with black hair – though hers was also styled into two tails which stood high atop her head – and techno-goggles covering her eyes.

"What kind of potions do you need?" came a squeaky voice from under the bed, and Larraine looked over to see a box slide out from the space beneath it, followed by two pink pigtails, and finally the youthful face of the gnome she'd been looking for gazed up at her.

"Healing potions, mostly, but if you have some fire and frost potions I could use those, too."

Bixby nodded and pulled herself out from under her bed the rest of the way, then popped open the latches on the case she'd been retrieving and began rooting around inside of it.

"It's good you caught me before we left," Bixby chirped merrily as she began gathering together some potions into a small pouch, the vials clinking together.

"Where are you going?" Larraine wondered, her gaze moving to the other gnome in the room for a brief moment before she looked back to Bixby.

"We're going to the new land to look for the prince!" she announced excitedly, then she turned to look at a framed portrait of Varian Wrynn on the wall next to her bed. "Don't worry my sweet king, we'll bring him back safely."

"You're going, too?" the black-haired gnome asked, her voice quieter and slightly lower in pitch than Bixby's.

"I am," Larraine said with a nod, looking once more to Bixby, who was still staring at her prized portrait of the king with a dreamy look on her face. With a sigh, she stepped around the young rogue and went over to offer her hand to the stranger.

"I'm Larraine McAlister," she introduced herself. The gnome smiled politely and set aside the small mechanical device she was tinkering with, then wiped her hands off on a cloth before reaching out to shake Larraine's hand.

"Gardenia Tinkerfoot," she stated her name. "Bixby is my sister."

"So you're the one she's told me about. It's nice to finally meet you, Ambassador," Larraine greeted her with a slight bow.

Gardenia cringed and drew her had away. "Please, don't call me that. Gardenia will be fine."

"Fair enough," Larraine agreed with a smile, then she nodded toward her sister. "You want to break her out of her trance or should I?"

Gardenia sighed and lowered herself out of the chair she had been sitting in, smoothed down the back of her robes, then marched over to her sister and unceremoniously slapped her up the backside of her head. Bixby let out a loud yelp in shock and pouted as she rubbed the spot where she'd been hit, turning her big green eyes to look up to the still-concealed gaze of her sibling, who was frowning in disapproval with her arms crossed over her chest.