Maralah watched with carefully schooled features as the young tauren woman fought her way through the trials. It wouldn't do to give anything away just yet. Each blow that struck the other woman caused Maralah to close her eyes and once again school herself to calm. Once the battles completed the tension mounted even further as Tocho began to pace around the cub. Those standing next to Maralah moved away a step or two, unconsciously, as if a part of them sensed her tension. Finally the moment came... Tocho stood tall before the cub and announced, "Welcome to the Pack, Kindred".
Others let out held breaths, Maralah continued to hold hers. Several months ago she’d gone to Freewind Post, as she had done many times over the years, only this time she was surprised to find a young woman where she had left a mere child. This last visit Maralah told Nariko the truth, and the young woman had insisted on coming to the Pack… anonymously.
The tauren woman looked up at Tocho's strong face and replied, "thank you, Uncle Tocho". Maralah closed her eyes again, waiting for the sky to fall or the ground to open up and swallow her.
The only sound on the plains of Mulgore in those next few moments was the distant rumbling of a kodo herd and the faint chirping of insects. The tension Maralah felt spread like wildfire through the group as each person came to realize what Nariko had said to the Chief. Tocho stood perfectly still, staring at the woman in front of him as if seeing her for the first time.
Slowly others began to move. Mostly they moved to create a clear path between Tocho and Maralah, though others stood still and simply turned their heads to stare at Maralah or Tocho and his niece.
Tocho turned, almost carefully as though he too expected the ground to open beneath his hooves, to look at his sister. Maralah kept her eyes trained on Nariko's glowing face, she has no idea, really no idea, she thought to herself. Nariko beamed with pride at her stunned Uncle before a moment of apprehension began to permeate the air around her. Nariko looked to her mother in a moment of panic, Maralah simply nodded, confirming Nariko's fears. Slowly Tocho began to approach his sister, anger rippled over him, his eyes flashed with fury.
"You would dishonour our family? Not just that, but keep this secret from me for how many years? How dare you! What would father say of you now?!"
Maralah held her ground, saying nothing. Really there was no point. Like their father when Tocho had a thought in his head there was no changing his mind. Let him make all the assumptions he wants, eventually things will cool and explanations will be heard instead of tossed aside.
"ANSWER ME!" Tocho roared with the fury of his namesake, the bear. Still Maralah remained silent.
The Pack moved about them, some leaving the tension behind, others drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Nariko stepped forward to defend her mother but was brushed aside by Tocho. Still without answering her brother, Maralah turned to her tethered kodo and began to mount. Fury rose up in full force within Tocho, "you have three days to tell me who her father is before I throw you from the Pack for good. I will not be defied by my own sister!"
Even Maralah's kodo seemed subdued as she moved down the road toward Thunder Bluff.
~
Maralah spurred her kodo onward seething with fury at her brother's actions. Just two days ago Tocho learned of Maralah's child, and in that time he'd questioned every tauren Maralah's ever had contact with. Of course all deny having had relations with his sister, who would admit to such a thing in the face of Tocho's fury? They all denied it so you picked one at random, brother? Questioning Shinde was one thing, challenging him to a fight another, and to actually post a "Wanted" poster for the Pack to challenge Shinde? Uncalled for.
The kodo slowed as she crossed the bridge out of Orgrimmar, she could see the tauren facing off. Cursing under her breath she pulled her mount to a stop and dismounted, quickly looking both over for signs of a fight or injury. "I'm glad to see you have yet to fight," she said icily as she glared at her brother.
Tocho nearly roared as loud as the bear whose form he takes as he rounded on his sister, "you have dishonoured the family name; I will fight for what honour we have left!" With narrowed eyes he watched her to see how she would react to such an accusation.
"And in your infinite wisdom you believe that fighting Shinde will bring you that honour? Look at him, he is a seasoned warrior, he's seen more time in Alterac Valley than you and me combined, he knows the Defilers from Arathi better than you know the Orcs here in Orgrimmar. What will fighting him accomplish, brother?"
For a moment it looked as though Shinde would speak up, but he apparently thought better of it and kept quiet. Instead Maralah cut off all chance of a reply from her brother and showed her own fiery nature. "Fight ME if you have to fight someone, brother." Her words held more than a hint of the same rage that Tocho displayed.
The two had fought many times, as siblings are wont to do. Each knew the others weaknesses. Maralah knew that when angry Tocho was more the bull or enraged bear and less likely to show his usual finesse. She also knew that his pride demanded he wear his Chieftain gear and so he was less armoured than he usually is. Tocho knew he would need to work at disrupting his sister's ability to heal herself, and must keep her in close proximity if he had a hope of dealing her any damage.
The fight was long, as fights between druids often are, Shinde watched with a critical eye but wisely stayed out of the family dispute. Eventually Maralah was proven victorious. Tocho stood before her, fiercely defiant, perhaps in shock that he had lost this battle. "I have won my right to privacy, Tocho, you can end your crusade now."
Maralah called upon the healing strength of the Earth Mother to bind her brother's wounds, he ignored her gentle touch and simply walked away. Silent and nearly sullen, he left Maralah and Shinde to contemplate what had just taken place.
"So... what's going on, Maralah?" Shinde looked Maralah over critically, he knew he couldn't be the girl's father, and only he knew why he had kept that from Tocho.
Maralah sighed quietly, "if I told him the story he would rush off half-cocked and likely get himself killed. Right now he's angry at me for dishonouring the family by giving birth without a marriage, but if he knew of my husband his anger would change focus and I'd lose him too." Pausing she looked at Shinde, "thank you for not saying anything to him. I'd rather he focus on me for now until he's worked through some of this anger."
Shinde nodded and headed for his Kodo, calling over his shoulder while he mounted, "it's a dangerous game Maralah, careful it doesn't backfire on you." With that the warrior headed into Orgrimmar after Tocho.
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