A Savage Nature (Warcraft)

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“Chieftain! Chieftain, are you alright?!”
 
Rognak doesn’t immediately respond, lying where he landed on his back in the center of Warsong Grove. Staring up at the ‘ceiling’ of interlocking verdant green branches overhead, he’s not actually all that hurt or anything. Sure, there’s still smoke wafting off of his body from Jaina’s Blast Wave, but what little damage the combustive magic caused him is already being rapidly healed by the regeneration factor that his incredibly powerful connection to Nature gives him.
 
No, Rognak isn’t injured. He’s just… stunned.
 
This shouldn’t be happening. Not this early. He’s not an idiot. He knew from his other memories that eventually Jaina’s father showed up with the full might of Kul Tiras behind him and made problems for both the fledgling Horde and Theramore Isle. He knew that Lord Admiral Proudmoore was a problem… but by all rights, he should have been a problem for the future. They should have had YEARS to prepare for Daelin Proudmoore’s arrival, years that Rognak had hoped to use to find a way to avoid the man’s death.
 
Not that he thought Daelin Proudmoore necessarily deserved to live or anything like that… but Jaina didn’t deserve to be ostracized by her homeland for his death. She didn’t deserve to go through everything she went through when he forced her to stand with Thrall and the Horde and see him slain by their hands.
 
But all of a sudden, Rognak’s time tables were all screwed up. Lord Admiral Proudmoore was here NOW and with the Kul Tiran Fleet at his back, he could do REAL damage to what little they’d managed to build for themselves so far. Sure, Rognak and his Warsong Druids, as well as the Horde’s alliance with both Theramore and the Night Elves had boosted the construction of both Orgrimmar and other Horde Settlements far beyond what they should have been at this point in time… but even still, Rognak feared they weren’t ready.
 
More than that, he feared for Jaina herself. For the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras to show up this early… it meant there had to be a spy in Theramore, didn’t it? A spy who had perhaps taken issue with Jaina and Theramore’s truce with the Orcish Horde and sent word back to Kul Tiras as fast as they possibly could. Then, when it finally reached Kul Tiras, the Lord Admiral must have decided to come across the sea to put an end to the nascent New Horde, to slaughter them in their crib before they could really get off the ground and become a true threat.
 
And that all was bad enough, really. But more than that… even if Jaina might be able to cover up who the father of her unborn child was, she probably didn’t know who the spy was. And what if they knew about her and Rognak’s relationship and told Daelin Proudmoore that… that the baby in Jaina’s belly was likely orc spawn?
 
“Chiefta-urk!”
 
“I’m fine!”
 
Rognak pushes away the druids who have come to check on him, abruptly standing up with a snarl that causes them all to immediately back off. Looking around at them… he knows he just lied. He’s very much NOT fine and right now his blood boils like nothing else. Sure, he gets why Jaina did what she just did, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. He wants to fly into a rage, but he knows full well that that won’t do any good right now. No… now is not the time to break things. They have to move fast.
 
“Mobilize everyone for battle! I want every member of the Warsong Clan, druid and warrior, veteran or not, ready to go YESTERDAY!”
 
Eyes widen and some scramble immediately to carry out her bidding. But of course, Rognak has never been like Grom. He’s encouraged the asking of questions. He’s avoided ruling with an iron fist. So it’s not really surprising when one of his students’ steps forward, brow furrowed in confusion.
 
“Chieftain… everyone?”
 
It might not be surprising, but it’s still irritating. Stomping over, Rognak grabs the other orc by the shoulders and doesn’t hesitate to repeat himself.
 
“Yes. EVERYONE.”
 
The roar, coming from deep in Rognak’s chest, rocks the other orc back on his feet as Rognak abruptly releases his shoulders and whips back around to the rest.
 
“MOVE!”
 
Then, he rushes out of the grove, following his own orders and moving as fast as his fastest animal form will take him, blitzing his way through Orgrimmar, all the way to the Valley of Wisdom where Thrall’s fortress sits. This time, Rognak doesn’t bother waiting for the guards to announce him. In a situation somewhat similar to how he’d forced his way past the guards in Theramore to get to see Jaina in her tower, Rognak slams one orcish grunt against the wall with his shoulder and headbutts the other.
 
“WARCHIEF!”
 
He’s well aware of more guards rushing in after him as he enters Thrall’s throne room only to find that the orc shaman is not alone. Standing with him talking before Rognak’s entrance is someone both familiar and not to the druid. On the one hand, Rognak has never actually met the Mok’Nathal now in front of him before this point. However, his other memories whisper of the half-orc, half-ogre hybrid named Rexxar. A Beastmaster who, given what Rognak knew now, likely brought very grim tidings.
 
“Rognak? Hold! What is this?”
 
Thrall’s outstretched palm stops the guards behind Rognak from trying to tackle him to the ground and grapple him into submission. ‘Try’, because Rognak was half a moment away from summoning entangling roots to stop them in their tracks and hold them at bay. Fortunately, that proves to be unnecessary.
 
To make it even clearer that Rognak is not about to attack their Warchief, he brings himself to a halt a dozen or so steps away from Thrall and Rexxar, even as the Mok’Nathal Beastmaster huffs, eyeing Rognak with just as much question in his gaze as Thrall is. Giving him a single nod of acknowledgment, Rognak sweeps his gaze over to Thrall.
 
“The Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras has found us. He and his fleet are arriving in Theramore as we speak and will almost certainly usurp control of the island from Jaina and her people.”
 
Thrall’s eyes widen at that and with another wave of his hand, he sends the guards back out of the room completely. Then he looks to Rexxar.
 
“Beastmaster. Tell the Chieftain what you told me.”
 
Rognak is pretty sure he already knows what Rexxar is going to say, but he stays quiet all the same, listening with one ear while making plans in the back of his mind.
 
“Hm. I ran into humans on the coast of Durotar. They came on land in small scouting parties, but when they saw me or the trolls settled in the area, they were quick to retreat back to their boats and then back to their ships. Those vessels then went South towards Theramore. I thought the behavior strange and their armor equally odd, considering the peace we have with the humans of Theramore. The symbol was the same but the colors were… off.”
 
Indeed. Theramore Isle’s colors were blue and white, while Kul Tiras’ were green and gold. Rognak remembered that much. They would- wait…
 
Rognak pauses as he rewinds Rexxar’s words in his head before shaking it in confusion.
 
“They… retreated? None of the humans attacked? Nor did they try to set up a Fortress from which to launch raiding parties?”
 
Rexxar lifts an eyebrow at that before shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head right back.
 
“No. As far as I’m aware, they did not shed any blood. They fled the moment they laid eyes on me and the trolls I spoke to said the same. As for any attempt at permanent encampments… I would have seen such a thing. That said, they also did not respond to any attempt at communication. Their silence and their attire concerned me, which is why I came to give the Warchief my report.”
 
Rognak looks to Thrall at that, seeing that the shaman is just as worried as he is by all of this.
 
“Those were Kul Tirans, weren’t they Rognak? The humans that Rexxar saw.”
 
“… More than likely.”
 
Furrowing his brow, the Warchief growls.
 
“And this idea of a Fortress? Was that a vision you had?”
 
Rexxar jolts at that, but Rognak doesn’t mind if the Mok’Nathal ‘knows’ that he’s a seer or whatever. Especially since he’s not a real seer. Groaning, he presses the heels of his palms into his eyes, feeling a vicious headache encroaching as he tries and fails to process all of this information. There’s something off here… except of course there is. Nothing about this lines up with what he ‘remembers’ from his other life because this isn’t the same timeline. What’s happening now ISN’T going to be one for one for what he remembers.
 
With a growl of frustration, Rognak pulls his hands away and shakes his head, both in response to Thrall and to try and clear it a little bit.
 
“I saw what could have been, but that was years from now. This? This is new. Still, the Kul Tirans are here, Thrall. And Daelin Proudmoore, Jaina’s father and their Lord Admiral… he was one of the loudest in favor of slaughtering the lot of us at the end of the Second War. He didn’t differentiate between warrior, woman, or child either. His vote was for all of us to die, no matter what. Fortunately he was voted down by the rest of the Alliance Leaders, but if he’d gotten his way, you and I wouldn’t be here today, having this conversation.”
 
Thrall processes this information, breathing in deeply and then exhaling as he slowly nods.
 
“… And that is the sort of man that has come to our shores.”
 
“Yes. But worse than that… he has Jaina now, more than likely. I was in her tower on Theramore when word reached us that his fleet was on the horizon. She sent me back here against my will to save me… but I don’t think she has any intention of leaving her people behind. Nor am I confident she would risk a long-range teleportation… given she’s currently pregnant with my child.”
 
That gets a reaction from both Thrall and Rexxar, their eyes widening in shock and surprise. Rognak, meanwhile, is grimacing. He knew in his other set of memories that Jaina had ultimately left Theramore behind in her father’s hands and teleported out, and yes she’d also used short-range teleportation back at her tower.
 
But he’d asked her to come with him and she hadn’t been willing to. He could only assume that was because of her condition as well as her duty to her people. In the end, her reasoning didn’t matter. What mattered was what was happening right now. Jaina was still in Theramore and Rognak was here with enough advance notice that there would be no fumbling in the dark while Thrall and Rexxar and the others tried to figure out what was going on and who their enemies were.
 
“… I see.”
 
Thrall’s voice is suitably grave as he gives Rognak a nod… and then squares his shoulders.
 
“Rexxar. I’ll have need of your speed. We must mobilize the Horde immediately and act before Lord Admiral Proudmoore can make his next move. Even if that means blockading Theramore Isle.”
 
Rognak’s breath hitches at that. They can’t let this become a war like he remembered from his other life. But how the hell to make Daelin stand down and listen? The man hated orcs more than practically anyone else save someone like Kael’thas Sunstrider.
 
To be fair, Rognak HAD managed to convince Kael to stand down and give them a chance up in Northrend, but he wasn’t an idiot nor a fool. He knew full well that the only reason the Sunstrider Prince had even entertained the thought of working with him to defeat the Scourge was because Rognak had Night Elves right alongside him. If the Kalimdor Expeditionary Force had been JUST Rognak and his orc druids, he’s not sure Kael would have allied with them, even if it meant the end of the Lich King.
 
There’s nothing like that here either. No world-ending threat for them to make common cause with Daelin Proudmoore over. The demons are beaten back, the Scourge and their master are defeated. The only enemies that the Lord Admiral will find on Kalimdor are the ones he came here to fight… them.
 
And yet… thinking of Northrend does give Rognak an idea. Jolting with his epiphany, he almost races out the door… before remembering to actually communicate with his Warchief this time around.
 
“I will go to the Night Elves and secure their aid. The fleet we used to Northrend shouldn’t have had a chance to leave Nendis quite yet, so maybe we can confront the Kul Tirans on both land AND sea and force Jaina’s father to the bargaining table without the need for shed blood!”
 
Sure, Kul Tiras’ fleet was said to be supernaturally skilled, and Rognak didn’t know if Daelin had brought Tidesages aboard his ships for this little invasion… but the Night Elves with their Priestesses and Druids should still be able to give the humans pause at sea. And the fact that they weren’t orcs or trolls should hopefully keep the Kul Tirans from attacking them outright. If everything worked out, then a shot would never be fired.
 
Thrall frowns at Rognak’s words, looking uncertain of the possibility that all of this could be settled without battle. Still, after a pregnant pause that very nearly sees Rognak racing out the door with or without Thrall’s approval, the Horde’s Warchief sharply nods.
 
“Very well. Go to the Night Elves. Rexxar and I shall gather the tauren and the trolls. Make haste, Rognak. Brandishing overwhelming firepower in an attempt to force our enemy to stand down will only work if we can move quickly enough to stop them from becoming entrenched.”
 
Rognak nods right back and is out the door a moment later, turning into a wyvern and zipping into the air. Taking flight, he turns his gaze towards Ashenvale, pushing every bit of speed he can out of his wings as he goes.
 
Thrall was right. This would only work if they could force Daelin Proudmoore to see reason. If he recognized that the loss of life for his people would be catastrophic unless he stopped for a moment and SPOKE to them, maybe he could be reasoned with. Though even as Rognak lets his heart hope, he can’t help but wonder at the human’s actions so far.
 
By this point in the invasion that Rognak recalled from his past life, Daelin was already setting up forts all along the coast of both Durotar and the Barrens and his troops were already starting fights with orcs, trolls, and tauren in both regions. What was causing the man to take a more cautious approach this time around? Why did it sound like he was consolidating all of his forces solely on Theramore Isle, instead of being his normal antagonistic self?
 
… It didn’t matter. If anything, it only meant there was more of a chance that the Lord Admiral could be reasoned with. But for that to happen, Rognak needed to do his part and get the Night Elves on board.

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