The animal carried us across the seemingly endless wide Mulgore's, moving towards the home of the Bloodhoof. As always, a large bonfire was burning in the earthy square in the village. Tauren had gathered around the fire, I estimated it was about 10-25. Some wore festive robes, others had appeared in combat robes. Some had blue eyes, others amber like me. All coat colors were represented, black, white, brown, gray and all mixtures. In the middle of the circle of bodies into which Aerisath and, consequently, I too, stood a taurine with gray fur, who had probably already passed her prime. Nonetheless, her slightly cloudy eyes looked around in a vigilant circle. Apparently the hunter had been the last. The humming that had come out of her throat from the beginning swelled, and two tauresses came to her in the circle. They both wore two totems that looked a bit older, but still looked as strong as the taurine that she now took.The gray-skinned, obvious leader of the clan radiated an aura that could only be trusted. What she had lost in physical strength, she easily made up for by the spiritual powers she had gained, age and simultaneous wisdom made her look like a tree in my eyes, a strong trunk that you could find a hold on if you threatened, torn away become. Through my train of thought I had not noticed that their hum had now changed into an unexpectedly powerful, but also soft, guiding chant, which was accompanied by a male and a female tauren, which, however, could not be heard as clearly as the old shaman, whose words could be heard clearly.

Earth Spirit feed our clan;
Swift red dear for crimson mead.
Air Spirit where you go,
Teach us from beneath the green.
Fire spirit lightning's power;
essence of our shaman's soul-
Water Spirit in the earth,
Sent by Gods to cleanse and heal.Wind Spirit dancing high
Voices weave in rising song.
Moon Spirit in the night,
with your cycles rule our path.

Then the singing stopped abruptly and the taurine raised her hand. The bystanders rose in alarm, and even those in simple robes took up arms. A horn sound could be heard in the distance, not the hard, echoing sound of the horns that I knew, but a different, much finer tone. Then a billowing mass of cat bodies and their riders broke into the village over the hill.

Those who wore simple robes slipped on their armor faster than I could see. Aerisath, who had appeared in combat robes, grabbed me by the armpits and lifted me onto his kodo before I could say anything again. "Ride, little slayer. Ride to Thunder Bluff and sound the alarm" "but I ..." "No buts. Kasaryon won't throw you off if you hold on. And now run!" With these words he gave the Kodo one A slap on the hindquarters, who jumped forward and began to run at a pace I would never have thought this huge animal would have been capable of.I clung helplessly to the mount's harness, unable to intervene in any way. But the dull thud of paws behind us made me startle, and when an arrow hit the ground a few meters in front of us, I dared to look back. 3 huge and incredibly fast cats chased after us with their riders. Apparently our "escape" had been noticed and they did not want to risk that my kind would get reinforcements. Suddenly the one elf cried out in agony and fell to the side, off his animal, but before I could see why this had happened, the cat and rider disappeared from my field of vision. But the other 2 moved in threatening proximity. I could even hear them shouting something to each other, but I didn't understand the point. The riders increased the distance between them and tried to get close enough to the Kodo to pinch him when a shadow briefly obscured the sun and the second elf fell from his mount with a pathetic cry.But the last pursuer seemed to want to get everything out of his cat. All attempts by the Kodo to outrun him had failed, and before I knew it, he'd cornered us. The dense trees to the right and left blocked the way, and the exit was blocked by the elf. Kasaryon stamped in a threatening gesture and yelled at the cat, which although briefly jerked back in the face of the not sharp, but tremendously strong jaws, but otherwise did not move. Trying to avoid the rider's sword blow, I fell from the kodo onto the grass floor. There was a growl of a cat, then the fall of a body and the scrape of a blade. After that there was no more noise to be heard, because the eternal sleep brings complete silence.

Suffer, they suffer the children,
When I see them, gods, how my heart breaks!
It is ever and always the children
Who will pay for their parents' mistakes