The Wounded Pack

#5 - Sear

The melodious sound of the horns and the bells woke them up. The Argent Dawn was used to sounding their alarms with those instruments, and while at first it had seemed to them like a chant of hope and glory, they were absolutely sick of it. Mostly because in the Plaguelands the alarms were constantly sounded, since the Scourge was everywhere all the time. "The dead never rest", that had been the first warning the Argent soldiers told the three orc brothers. "While we are fewer with each passing day, their numbers grow... try not to join their ranks".

Nevertheless, they were so used to fighting together that they had succeeded in many missions, dismantling many operations of the undead. Necromancers had been taken down, Death Knights were defeated and countless minions had been destroyed. They were doing a fine job helping the Argent Dawn, and they were confident that eventually they would succeed in eliminating the Scourge's presence in those lands.

Unlike Korghan and Naurosh, who had been free their entire lives to wander through the world, Dunris didn't know the lands of Lordaeron. He had heard about them in stories and tales, but he had never been to them until now. His brothers told him that the forests of Tirisfal were beautiful and full of life; to witness the region turned into a massive plagued boiling cauldron was quite breathtaking to them, and not in a good sense. While fighting for the orcish people freedom, Naurosh and Korghan had camped countless times in those forests, but now it was impossible for them to recognize the land. They were as much lost as Dunris was.

The three of them had faced the undead back in Kalimdor when they were younger, so they had experience in fighting them off. And, fortunately, the Scourge seemed weaker there, in spite of being at the heart of the Plaguelands. The undead armies they had confronted at the Battle for Mount Hyjal were way more dangerous and lethal than the mindless minions they now faced. Not even the allegedly powerful Necromancers of Caer Darrow's Scholomance had been able to resist the assaults of the Horde, the Alliance, the Argent Dawn and the Scarlet Crusade alike. There was a shadow over the land, though, above the smoke and clouds, haunting the region with its silent presence. Yes, maybe the Scourge wasn't as threatening as it was in the past, but the Argent Dawn leaders were certain it was going to return, mightier and more relentless than ever.

As the horns and bells sounded again, Dunris thought that maybe they weren't so wrong at all. But, if anything, this was the perfect time to be at the Plaguelands then. The Scourge had to be stopped before it could even threaten the realms of the living again. The Argent Dawn was determined to cleanse Lordaeron, and they would've succeeded already if it weren't for the constant intervention of the Scarlet Crusade.

The crusaders were convinced that they had to destroy the Scourge, and at the same time they were absolutely distrustful of everyone who didn't join their cause. They waged war against anyone who dared speak against their so-called divine duty, and since they hated every kind of undead, including the Forsaken, they had sworn eternal enmity to the Horde. The Scarlet Crusade wasn't quite fond of the Alliance either, as they thought the humans of Stormwind should be helping them and only them. Even more so, they considered the Alliance was full of weaklings, being unable to bring the unholy Horde down. And when it came to the Argent Dawn, the scarlets barely tolerated them; the crusaders had stated that after the Scourge was destroyed, the argents would have to atone for their sinful behaviors, having sided with the Forsaken, orcs, trolls, night elves and other heathen and inferior races.

— I'm so sick of that damned bell — Naurosh complained — . The horn I can put up with, but the bell... I swear I'll melt every single bell and turn them into a chair, so I can place my ass over it at all times.

— What a lovely image — Korghan laughed — . Damn, it must be really important this time — he added as the alarm wouldn't stop sounding.