World of Warcraft: Journey of the Huntress

Chapter Nine

Larraine was glad for the path she stumbled upon during her search for Cho's hut. The fog surrounding the marsh was oddly thick for the time of day, making it difficult to tell if she and Fang were actually traveling in a straight line or if they were merely walking themselves in circles. Eventually, they came across a worn signpost, and she was relieved to find the words carved into it were written in a language she understood. A post directed toward an offshoot of the path they had been traveling on was labeled Dreamer's Rest, and though she had no idea what such a place might be she was at least hopeful that someone there might be able to point her in the proper direction.

The two of them made their way down the side path, and though Fang kept looking toward her with his ears perked up she chose to ignore the strange noises she heard coming from within the thick pockets of mist. They were unlike any wild animal sounds she'd ever heard before, a combination of a growl and a pained moan which made her feel even more uneasy than she already was due to the limited visibility. As they continued along the path, the noises grew farther away and the fog began to clear to a lighter mist which gave everything a sort of etheral-looking glow in the fading sunlight.

Suddenly, Fang took off at a run and Larraine began to call after him – then stopped when she saw where he was headed. The ground sloped upward slightly before her, creating a small hill at the very edge of the marsh they had just emerged from, and seated upon that hill was some sort of pandaren dwelling. The entirety of the property was surrounded by a stone wall, the center of which sported a perfectly-round gate which was accessed by finely-crafted set of stone steps.

"Think this is the place?" she asked her wolf, and he jumped about a bit before running up the steps ahead of her and through the open gate.

Larraine felt strange, just walking onto the property without having been invited. Judging by the fence and the location of the dwelling, the owner was likely a person who cherished their privacy. The gate was open, however, and the other pandaren she had met back at Paw'don Village had been welcoming of her and the others in spite of them being foreign strangers. She figured this was likely Cho's home, but in the event it wasn't she would merely apologize for the intrusion and ask that the owner assist her in finding him.

"Wow," she whispered in awe as she stepped through the gate, taking in everything the fence had been hiding from her sight. In the center of the area was a wide stone courtyard which opened up to two paths: one leading to a small house, and the other to a traditional-looking pavilion sporting several decorative lanterns hanging from its roof. Unusual trees rose high into the sky all around, seeming to have sprouted directly from the patches of rich, dark green grass surrounding the facilities like some sort of giant, majestic flowers.

Looking to her side, she found a large tiger sleeping on a patch of green just inside the gate. Figuring the animal was likely some sort of guardian, she slowly approached it with an outstretched hand, speaking calmly to the animal to let it know of her presence before touching it gently on top of its head. The great cat barely stirred, lifting its head up only a few inches as it opened its eyes halfway to take in her appearance. Then it settled back down to sleep, once more. Larraine smiled as she continued to run her hands through the tiger's soft, thick fur for a few more seconds, then she began to explore the rest of her surroundings.

"Hello?" she called out to whoever might be home, but no one answered or came to the open door of the small house.

The sound of crashing waves reached her ears, and she walked past the house toward it, thinking perhaps there was a path leading down to a beach. Unfortunately, the land simply dropped off in a steep cliff, and the only path appeared to lead to a small strip of land bearing a short dock with a pile of traps and a fishing chair upon it. She sighed and turned to go back to the courtyard, then gasped when she saw the wreckage of Horde ships in the distance. She wondered if those were the same ships they had attacked when they first reached Pandaria, or if they were merely more casualties of the storm which had caused Taylor's vessel to eventually wreck upon the shore.