Moving On.

[Shari'Adune Forestsong]

The small white tauren sat quietly before a very old looking trunk. It had Kaldorei designs carved into the rich colored wood which seemed to have been kissed by not only time but soot from a fire- though it was clear it had been tried to be removed.

The top was open, inside various personal treasures whispered memories from long ago. A worn looking stuffed doll with long ears, one ripped and ready to fall off also smudged with black, a lock of silver-white hair bound by a smooth strap of leather, a music box, an empty vial, a tarnished silver comb and matching mirror...and various other little trinkets and bobbles.

All around her the kodo skin tee-pee that had become her home, heaved with the breath of the Bluff. Her tail swished gently behind her, the little bell tied to the end of it jingling softly.

Her head was bent forward, her glass blue eyes resting on her wrist which was in her lap. Upon it, a lovely charm bracelet which she was never seen without since the holiday had come and gone. It had almost become a part of her, her fingers absently stroking it from time to time, running over the fine craftsmanship of the gems and stones upon it.

Her eyes closed and a sad smile touched her lips as her ears twitched back and fourth. Very carefully, as if the slightest wrong move may snap it, she pulled it from her wrist and clutched it in her palm to her heart.

Looking upward to the center of the tent high above she whispered faintly in Darnassian, some of the words she found oddly hard to say properly with her thick and clumsy tauren tongue.

Tears brimmed in her eyes then as she carefully laid the bracelet into the trunk with her other prized and most cherished items.

She had clung to the past for too long now. She had found the one who would help her move forward. As she wiped at her eyes with her now bare wrist she closed the trunk and stood awkwardly rolling her shoulders back as she turned to face the only doorway in the enclosure. Her sky blue skirt swished gently around her legs as she walked forward.

The colorful beads which hung in her doorway began to chime with an especially strong breeze that took her breath away.

[Shari'Adune Forestsong]

An Embers Breath

* * * * * *


Fast forward to today.

The small tauren found herself alone in her tent which lay on the outer side of Spirit Rise. A chilly wind blew outside, carrying with it the odd leaf. She shivered, pulling an old blanket tighter about her shoulders as she poked a bit at the fire she had going. Bright embers took flight reaching for the heavens, sparking in their bare moments of life before fading away.

Sitting back, resting on her right hip and thigh she blinked slowly her tail laying listless behind her. So much had changed for her over the months. It seemed to her that her marriage to the black shaman bull lasted only an embers breath before it died out.

Her furry ears twitched forward and back before finally drooping.

It was all so draining. Yet there was still a fire burning within her breast, and for as long as that remained there would be more embers to rise.

Taking a deep breath she looked around her tent, noting her sleeping mat hanging upon one of the beams. It was worn yet still provided enough comfort for her. The spare mat, was still shiny. The wicker used to weave it unused and fresh. It hung on the opposite wall on another beam. She wondered vaguely if it would ever be used. The other one that had been there had belonged to the shaman. But she soon had it burned as his scent still clung to it.

He was in the marsh now. How she longed to go there to be with him, but the memory of their last meeting still burned painfully in her memory. She had been so happy to see her mate was still alive... But that happiness lasted for an embers breath. The truth of the situation had left her cold and dead inside.

It was so easy to take things for granted, as she took for granted how a tauren might love another. And how fleeting that love could be compared to that of a Kaldorei.

With a shudder she threw another small log onto the fire and tossed her mane. The beaded braids she had in her hair clicked softly together, sounding for a moment like the colorful beads she had hanging in her doorway. Her attention was drawn to them, ears perking forward. It was those beads which had made her choose this tent. She felt they made it feel happier. How she longed for that naive brand of thinking now.

Reaching to her right she pulled over a small bark bound book and began to leaf through the pages. It was a bit of writing she would be soon giving to Sumiratana on becoming an Ambassador. Her hands started to shake at the thought of the other druid. The other druid whom her mate had fallen into the arms of.

Yet, in an embers breath the shaking stopped, and Shari centered herself once again. Anger was an unproductive emotion, after all, and it was best to snuff it out soon as it is felt. She had been angry ...then. When she had first learned of what happened. But now the emotions were more controlled. Twisted into something safer.

Nodding to herself the white tauren rubbed her nose and caressed the book in her lap as if it were a kitten. Sumi was her sister of the tabard. It would simply not do to be upset with her for long. After all, Sumi had done her a great service. To have been there for Machk when he returned so he was not alone. For that, Shari was grateful.

It was Elune's way of protecting her, Shari had decided, from a joining that was not meant to be. Better to end things after an embers breath then to linger on to be hurt when the fire was hottest.

Yes, Shari was grateful.

Yet lonely.

Her thoughts shifted then to her first mate. The powerful feral commander who worked for the Cenarian Circle. He too had been only with her for an embers breath, before the fire claimed him and their daughter.

She hoped Elune would favor her someday with the one she was meant to be with. Until then she vowed to work hard, and serve her family to the best of her ability.