26. The Story of
Bosenceph
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The Story of
Bosenceph
I opened my eyes to a close-up view of
the blades of grass. Instantly I knew that I was in Mulgore, my home. I
knew that if I stood up and looked to the northwest I would see the
bluffs of my people. I could feel the sun shining on my hide, warming
the muscle and bone beneath my fur. I could hear the squawking of the
distant plainstriders as they roamed for food. I could almost sense the
vibrations in the earth from the kodo herd like a miniature earthquake.
I yearned to lay there and sway in the breeze like the grass I touched,
but i could feel something coming. It approached with apparent abandon,
at first from the sky. As I looked up I could see the great wings of a
bird of prey beating a path directly at me. Even though it was more than
a hundred yards away, I could feel its intense gaze settling on me.
Startled, I scrambled to my feet to find a place to turn, hide, and
return to the earth. I ran northwest in hopes that I could lose my
attacker in the bluffs, but it was hopeless. I felt a great wind rush by
as the bird of prey narrowly missed me and circle about. I skidded to a
halt. All that stood before me now and my peace was this Kodo of a bird.
I would have no hope if I took this monstrosity to battle... It could
surely hold me in a single great talon, or simply swallow me whole
within its beak. The bird's gaze settled squarely on me and the weight
of it nearly bent me to my knees.
"I do not have much time to chase you little calf."
Words entered my mind with no apparent source, though with a force and
gravity enough to collapse mo onto all fours.
"I have much to show you and precious little time in which to do so. I
would have you gaze at what your world has been, what it is, and what it
will be."
The pressure between my horns eased as tears began streaming from my
eyes, and blood from my nostrils. Without so much of a word of
acknowledgment (because I didn't feel like I really had any other
choice), the great bird spread his wings and blotted out the sun. I
could feel darkness envelope me, almost a physical presence that brushed
my body when I wasn't looking. Then a distant light began to shine, like
a beacon of light stemming from some unseen source. Like a rushing wind,
the light grew closer and the sounds of a brewing storm could be heard.
I felt the sensation before I recovered from the disorientation. I. Was.
FLYING! Like the druids from home in the Thunder Bluffs, I was soaring
in the air on wings of my own. I could feel my tail feathers being
caressed by the wind I moved. I realized that I could see like and eagle
as I started to gaze upon the distance. I was flying east and I could
sense that I was already further from my home than I had ever been and
only a few seconds into the journey. Then I spotted something I wished I
never had. I had somehow made it to the Eastern Kingdoms, though I had
only stood upon the plains of Mulgore not but a few moments before. I
only knew I was in the Kingdoms because of the atrocity to nature I was
witnessing. I had heard tales of the dark portal, but i could never have
imagined seeing it part the world before my very eyes. A blinding
explosion ruined the beautiful sky and rent the land around it asunder
as well as left spots littering my vision. When my vision cleared, I
could see nothing more than a sea of red rock around me, making the land
barren. The land seemed to shift of it's own accord and I realized that
I was staring at a sea of red orcs pouring through the portal. Although
I was watching the scene unfold, it was moving impossibly fast, as
though I was seeing the passing of years in the space of minutes. I saw
battles waged and the portal locked before I felt a strong pull to turn
north. A cold wind wrenched my bewildered stare away from the scene to
look in the direction I was flying. I didn't know how I knew which
direction was which, nor when to fly anywhere but I could almost feel
the world guide me somehow. I began to approach the northern part of the
continent and saw the stone of the human city as a cloud of green slowly
rolled across them, I faintly remember the elders talking of a Lord
Aaron, or something like that. I could hear the screams roll through the
wind, and felt the waves of agony as they washed over me. I remember my
brother, Bospen, talking to me about the Scourge when he was learning it
in his lesson's of Lore with the other druids. I knew I was watching the
scene unfold. A greenish haze still lingered over the land as we
continued. Time seemed to slow for a moment and I heard the voice once
more.
"The past is gone, and each atrocity on the land was worse than the one
before, but nothing will prepare you for what is yet to come."
I had expected the passing of time to quicken again but instead saw the
world grow darker until I was surrounded by darkness again. I waited the
light to appear so that I could escape the darkness, but it never came.
What came in its place was something far worse. Flashes of images, the
sights of death, and a cold wind were the first of the sensations
assaulting my mind. The images were horrible in the lucid detail of the
walking dead and unholy creatures, and it brought to mind the fresh
images of the scourge invasion I had just witnessed. Ice and frozen wind
surrounded me and seemed to solidify those impressions in my head. As I
was almost unable to bear the twisted sights, a dark figure stood before
me made of shadows and smoke and eyes there were alight like flames of
blue. As those eyes focused on mine I realized that I was screaming and
frantically trying to run but unable to get anywhere.
"Bos...ph."
The shadowy figure slowly stalked towards me. The Shade's gait showing
no signs of hurry which solidified the futility of escape in my mind.
"B...senc..."
The eyes began to bore into mine, locking me into a gaze that froze my
muscles in place, the air in my chest, and the scream in my throat. As
the creature spoke, I heard clearly for the first time since it
appeared.
"Bosenceph."
My waking eyes bolted open, and I realized my fur was matted to my hide,
and and that I was flat on my back. Herbs, strange bottles, and other
unidentifiable things hung on shelves. I was in our healer's tent, and I
could hear my brother and the healer talking.
"It's called the Maddening Fever. It is an uncommon disease and it is
not able to be cured. Those who contract the fever will typically be
driven mad. If he wakes, I do not have hope that he will be useful to
our tribe."
I heard Bospen let out a little chuckle of a grunt, "Do not
underestimate Bos's stubbornness. I don't believe a rock can become
anything other than a rock."
I took the moment to speak up. "I knew I could always count on you to
make me out to be too dumb to be anything other than sane."
I could almost hear the smile on Bospen's face as he said, "See. Just
like a rock."
(August 1, 2010)
Boz has new shoulders...
(August 20, 2010)
..
