Because of his renewed interest in the spiritual arts, Kul'thran never received a harsh word from Vol'jin concerning his studies. Instead his guardian was pleased with the troll's efforts.
The great city of Orgrimmar--the capital of the Horde--was nearly finished. And Kul'thran received many chances to visit it and mingle with other aspiring members of the Horde; all of them hoping to serve in one way or the other. Because Vol'jin was his appointed guardian, Kul'thran was privileged to see the large throne room built for Thrall. It was always a treat for him to visit the Horde's warchief, who still felt like a companion to him. Nevertheless, Kul'thran always bowed before Thrall when he entered.
Despite the fact that Kul'thran had fought Thrall side-by-side in the dark dungeons of the now-sunken islands where he had been raised, he was not well-known in Orgrimmar. That did not bother him one bit, however. He had no need to be one, nor did he want to. The city life was exciting, blacksmiths, skinners, enchanters, all sorts of merchants, wares, teachers, trainers, and more. Yet, still, Kul'thran preferred the quiet life of Sen'jin Village over Orgrimmar.
There, he had finally built his own hut with a hammock inside. It was a small hut, with nothing special about it, except that it was his hut, his home. It was built like the others; small wooden platforms suspended by wooden poles from the ground. The walls were made of thick, tied together wood, and the rooftops were made of straw and timber. It was a simple design, but it was sufficient for Kul'thran and his tribe.
Usually, the tribe would receive extra provisions from Orgrimmar every month, but one day, they didn't come. Vol'jin sent scouts to find out what happened, but only a couple returned. They were clawed, battered, and wounded.
The scouts discovered that a large nest of harpies had been situated nearby the trail to Orgrimmar for some time, and now, the harpies had gathered into large groups, destroying the caravans along the trail from Sen'jin to the Horde capital.
This was grim news for the tribe; for, although there was still wild game around, they had come to depend on the supplies from the main city. Without the food, many feared they would starve because there were not enough hunters to hunt for food. It was also dangerous because there were vicious centaurs in nearby, and could easily plunder the village in its most dire times.
While Kul'thran was pondering what to do about this situation, an archery bow was suddenly thrust into his face. It startled him. He looked up and he saw Vol'jin looking down on him, holding the bow.
"Try dis, Kul'thran."
"Why me? I jus' be a priest," Kul'thran said.
"Jus' try it," Vol'jin ordered. "I want ta see how you can be handlin' a bow, mon."
"... All right..." Kul'thran responded slowly. He took the bow in hand and stood it. It was a cheap weapon. It was purely made out of scratchy, bent wood with no handle (there were two rings instead to mark where to hold the bow). The string was made of thin, tightly bound straw that was tied from one end of the bow to the other. "You be sure dis will work?"
"It haff been tested. It works fine," the guardian explained. "If you do well wit' it, den I'll get ja a bettah bow. Come wit' me, Kul'thran." He beckoned with a hand, and Kul'thran stood up to follow him. Vol'jin led him across the village to a field where other trolls seemed to be practicing with bows. It seemed like they were practicing in order to learn how to hunt for the needed food.
"Where are da throwin' spears?" Kul'thran asked.
"We're running low wit' da spears, so only da warriors and headhunters haff dem," Vol'jin explained. "Da next best ting is a bow and arrow. 'ere." The Shadow Hunter pulled out a very small quiver with at most fifteen arrows in it. "Take dese and start practicin' wit' da bow I gave you."
Kul'thran nodded, and walked over to an unused practice target. He was slightly disappointed; he had always wanted to use throwing spears like Mah'kajor did. Now, he was stuck with bow, and what did he know about shooting arrows? All he knew about shooting arrows was seeing some elves in his nightmare nock their arrows and fire them at their enemies. Ironically, he needed to follow that pattern.
He took a few moments to watch the other trolls as they used their bows. Then, he decided to nock one of his arrows into the bow string, and placed the arrow above the top ring. Holding the bow vertically, Kul'thran pulled back, and then dropped the arrow. "Dang!" He tried it again, and yet he, again, dropped the arrow before he could fire it.
Frustrated, Kul'thran decided to hold the bow horizontally before nocking the arrow. Bending over a little with his back at an angle away from the bow, Kul'thran nocked, aimed and successfully shot an arrow at the target.
But it missed. However, Kul'thran was not frustrated by this; he was glad that he had managed to actually shoot the arrow. The decision was made, and he was going to hold the bow horizontally from now on.
He practiced throughout the day, retrieving his fallen arrows. Eventually, he starting to strike his target around the sides, missing the middle completely. Yet, on his last arrow, he struck a bullseye without any difficultly.
He barely noticed Vol'jin walk up to him. "You haff some potential, Kul'thran," he said quietly. "Quite some potential wit' da bow dere."
§
Over time, Kul'thran grew used to the bow and arrow, and practiced daily with it. However, he was behind the other trolls, and they had already mastered the weapon on their own. Many of them were hunting for food for the tribe. It made Kul'thran feel slightly frustrated, and alone. In a way, he wished he could save his village from starvation.
One day, he came across something interesting while he was practicing.
This is the fourth bullseye I've made today! he thought, staring at his practice target. Well, almost bullseyes, he added, noting the four arrows side by side each other around the middle of the target. I wonder if I could... hit the middle without damaging the other arrows. The troll decided to try it. It was risky, but if he could do it, then maybe he was ready to hunt.
Nocking the arrow, Kul'thran aimed carefully, holding the string steadily, and the arrow straight. He eyed straight for the middle of the four arrows. Breathing in, he pulled back the bowstring behind the side of his cheek. Seeing his target, he let go of the bowstring, allowing the arrow to fly.
Something was wrong, it seemed like he had aimed too high and that it was going to hit one of the arrows! Oh no! That's not what he had in mind! Now it was all ruined. But then, he noticed the arrow arc downward a little and with a quiet thunk, it landed exactly where he had aimed it to land.
Dropping his bow, Kul'thran released a cheer of success. "Who da mon? Who da mon!?" he cried out. Suddenly, he felt extremely embarrassed as he heard someone laughing from the side in the distance. It was Vol'jin, and he was slowly approaching Kul'thran with a smile on his face.
"I guess dey haff ta say, 'you da mon,' Kul'thran," he teased. "Well done. I didn't expect a priest to be so good wit' da bow and arrow." He patted Kul'thran on the back. "You be doin' well. Jus' a 'lil more an--"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted him. "Master Vol'jin! Master Vol'jin!" it cried. It was a troll runner. She dashed up to the two of them and stopped. "Bad news. We haff very, very bad news."
Vol'jin nodded. "Show me."
Nodding, the runner turned around and jogged off into the other direction. Vol'jin ran after her, leaving Kul'thran alone. Frowning, he decided not to be left in the dark about the situation, and so, still with bow in hand, Kul'thran followed the trail of the runner and Vol'jin.
One day, he came across something interesting while he was practicing.
This is the fourth bullseye I've made today! he thought, staring at his practice target. Well, almost bullseyes, he added, noting the four arrows side by side each other around the middle of the target. I wonder if I could... hit the middle without damaging the other arrows. The troll decided to try it. It was risky, but if he could do it, then maybe he was ready to hunt.
Nocking the arrow, Kul'thran aimed carefully, holding the string steadily, and the arrow straight. He eyed straight for the middle of the four arrows. Breathing in, he pulled back the bowstring behind the side of his cheek. Seeing his target, he let go of the bowstring, allowing the arrow to fly.
Something was wrong, it seemed like he had aimed too high and that it was going to hit one of the arrows! Oh no! That's not what he had in mind! Now it was all ruined. But then, he noticed the arrow arc downward a little and with a quiet thunk, it landed exactly where he had aimed it to land.
Dropping his bow, Kul'thran released a cheer of success. "Who da mon? Who da mon!?" he cried out. Suddenly, he felt extremely embarrassed as he heard someone laughing from the side in the distance. It was Vol'jin, and he was slowly approaching Kul'thran with a smile on his face.
"I guess dey haff ta say, 'you da mon,' Kul'thran," he teased. "Well done. I didn't expect a priest to be so good wit' da bow and arrow." He patted Kul'thran on the back. "You be doin' well. Jus' a 'lil more an--"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted him. "Master Vol'jin! Master Vol'jin!" it cried. It was a troll runner. She dashed up to the two of them and stopped. "Bad news. We haff very, very bad news."
Vol'jin nodded. "Show me."
Nodding, the runner turned around and jogged off into the other direction. Vol'jin ran after her, leaving Kul'thran alone. Frowning, he decided not to be left in the dark about the situation, and so, still with bow in hand, Kul'thran followed the trail of the runner and Vol'jin.
§
He was late.
He discovered a large group of the tribe gathered around some sort of bags being carried on stretchers of all things. It was hard to tell because the sun was setting and the light was low. But then he heard a voice shout, "give dem some air, mons!" The crowd dispersed a little from the 'bags,' and Kul'thran realized they weren't bags at all--they were heavily wounded trolls!
Vol'jin was at the head of the group. "Place dem down!" he ordered. The trolls holding the ends of the stretchers did so, and the Shadow Hunter attended to the wounded.
Now that Kul'thran could see them clearly, he saw the horrifying damage on the trolls. He recognized them as several of the hunters sent out to gather food for the tribe. There were at least ten trolls there. One of them had his face disfigured, with an eye clawed out, another had his cheek scraped off. They were all battered, clawed, bitten, and bleeding heavily.
Vol'jin placed his hand gently on the one with the scraped off cheek and cast Healing Wave. A light appeared from the Shadow Hunter's hands and it bounced from wounded troll to troll. The first one he touched was healed the most, and his cheek was regenerated. That troll hunter regained consciousness, and looked at his chieftain in the eye.
"Who did dis to you, and yer allies?"
The troll coughed out blood. "Harpies. Dey moved in on us from da north and attack'd us while we were huntin'. Dey are gatherin' forces and I tink dey might try ta attack da village!" Many gasped at this terrifying announcement. The trolls weren't ready to defend themselves from a full-forced attack.
"We must cut dem off before dey get any stronger," Vol'jin said. "I'll gather da headhunters and warriors and try to kill dem before it be too late!" He noticed Kul'thran in the crowd and approached him. "Kul'thran... dat bow won't suit you, take dis one instead. I was savin' it fer you."
The Shadow Hunter handed Kul'thran a real bow this time and large quiver filled to the brim with arrows. The bow was made of wood again, but made of strong-looking wood. There was a well-carved handle in the center and the string was of tight cloth, woven much more expertly than the straw bowstring.
"Go, you be our Hunter, now," Vol'jin said. "Go to da southwest near da Valley of Trials and stay away from the areas to da north where the path leads ta Orgrimmar. Try ta hunt down some boars fer us. Be careful!"
"Me?" Kul'thran asked. But Vol'jin shook his head and waved his hand in front of Kul'thran.
"Go."
He was late.
He discovered a large group of the tribe gathered around some sort of bags being carried on stretchers of all things. It was hard to tell because the sun was setting and the light was low. But then he heard a voice shout, "give dem some air, mons!" The crowd dispersed a little from the 'bags,' and Kul'thran realized they weren't bags at all--they were heavily wounded trolls!
Vol'jin was at the head of the group. "Place dem down!" he ordered. The trolls holding the ends of the stretchers did so, and the Shadow Hunter attended to the wounded.
Now that Kul'thran could see them clearly, he saw the horrifying damage on the trolls. He recognized them as several of the hunters sent out to gather food for the tribe. There were at least ten trolls there. One of them had his face disfigured, with an eye clawed out, another had his cheek scraped off. They were all battered, clawed, bitten, and bleeding heavily.
Vol'jin placed his hand gently on the one with the scraped off cheek and cast Healing Wave. A light appeared from the Shadow Hunter's hands and it bounced from wounded troll to troll. The first one he touched was healed the most, and his cheek was regenerated. That troll hunter regained consciousness, and looked at his chieftain in the eye.
"Who did dis to you, and yer allies?"
The troll coughed out blood. "Harpies. Dey moved in on us from da north and attack'd us while we were huntin'. Dey are gatherin' forces and I tink dey might try ta attack da village!" Many gasped at this terrifying announcement. The trolls weren't ready to defend themselves from a full-forced attack.
"We must cut dem off before dey get any stronger," Vol'jin said. "I'll gather da headhunters and warriors and try to kill dem before it be too late!" He noticed Kul'thran in the crowd and approached him. "Kul'thran... dat bow won't suit you, take dis one instead. I was savin' it fer you."
The Shadow Hunter handed Kul'thran a real bow this time and large quiver filled to the brim with arrows. The bow was made of wood again, but made of strong-looking wood. There was a well-carved handle in the center and the string was of tight cloth, woven much more expertly than the straw bowstring.
"Go, you be our Hunter, now," Vol'jin said. "Go to da southwest near da Valley of Trials and stay away from the areas to da north where the path leads ta Orgrimmar. Try ta hunt down some boars fer us. Be careful!"
"Me?" Kul'thran asked. But Vol'jin shook his head and waved his hand in front of Kul'thran.
"Go."
After a few moments, Kul'thran nodded. The newly-appointed Hunter knew what he was supposed to do. Taking the new bow in hand, and strapping the quiver to his back, Kul'thran, wearing only the lightest of armor ran off into the southwest, towards the setting sun to hunt.
§
Out of necessity (and from some tricks from other hunters), Kul'thran learned how to hunt properly. He learned how to gather meat and keep it with him in the most efficient ways. One of the tricks he learned was sneaking, and how to sneak up on one's prey. It was an orc hunter who taught him, and from that, Kul'thran got his first kill.
Now, they had separated, and the hunter was left to himself to find more prey. Hiding behind a stone near the Valley of Trials (a place where they trained new recruits for the Horde), Kul'thran spotted his prey: it was a gray-skinned, hairy boar, feeding on a small patch of grass.
Carefully taking aim, Kul'thran shot an arrow into the side of the boar. He heard a surprised and angry squeal come from the boar. Unfortunately, it seemed to have noticed Kul'thran (despite his hiding spot. It wasn't a very good one in the first place) and it charged the hunter with its tusks.
To avoid getting gored by the vicious animal, Kul'thran jumped over it and rolled across the ground behind the boar. The animal looked confused, not knowing where its target had gone. Smiling, Kul'thran nocked another arrow and fired. The arrow lodged itself squarely into the boar's backside, enraging it even further. It turned around and charged the troll again.
This time, Kul'thran had no time had dodge, instead, he was rammed by the boar and knocked over. He tried to get up, but the boar rushed him with the intent of impaling Kul'thran upon its tusks. The hunter was not interested in that, and so, he pulled out an arrow, ducked and stabbed the boar in the stomach with the arrow in his hand. That stopped the boar, and killed it. Another slab of meat for his tribe.
Taking up the corpse, Kul'thran returned to his hiding spot and placed the corpse down next to the other he had killed. Looking around, the hunter searched for his next target.
He hunted throughout the day, and eventually, returned home with many corpses of dead boars riding on his back. The tribe was there to greet him, including a wounded Vol'jin and many wounded warriors.
"We drove da harpies back ta der nests," Vol'jin explained. "But dere be still too many of dem on the roads fer us to handle wit' da resources dat we haff. At least, fer now, dey will leave us alone." When he saw the amount of food Kul'thran brought back, he smiled. "I be pleased wit' ya, Kul'thran. Tank you fer helping us."
"It be no problem... but.. can I be gettin' somemon ta help me carry these?" he asked, under the weight of several boar corpses. One of the headhunters, an unwounded one, came to his aid and helped the hunter carry the food back into the village.
That night, they ate the food Kul'thran brought back. The hunter, on the other hand, did not eat at all. Instead, he stood by the edge of the village, staring out into the seas towards Echo Isles. Vol'jin walked up to his side. "Kul'thran... ya did a good job, mon. But it'll be at least a few days until da other hunters recover. Do ya tink you can still hunt fer us?"
Kul'thran thought about it for a moment, and then remembered something. "What about ma studies?" He had such spiritual potential, which was why he had been chosen when he was young to be a priest for the tribe.
"You'll haff ta put dose aside fer now, maybe even fer a long time and consider becoming a Shadow Hunter later instead," Vol'jin said. "Bein' a hunter be requirin' full time trainin'. But we'll see what happens."
Kul'thran nodded. Not realizing that in the future, he would grow to like being a hunter, and would set aside his mystical studies for a long, long time.
Now, they had separated, and the hunter was left to himself to find more prey. Hiding behind a stone near the Valley of Trials (a place where they trained new recruits for the Horde), Kul'thran spotted his prey: it was a gray-skinned, hairy boar, feeding on a small patch of grass.
Carefully taking aim, Kul'thran shot an arrow into the side of the boar. He heard a surprised and angry squeal come from the boar. Unfortunately, it seemed to have noticed Kul'thran (despite his hiding spot. It wasn't a very good one in the first place) and it charged the hunter with its tusks.
To avoid getting gored by the vicious animal, Kul'thran jumped over it and rolled across the ground behind the boar. The animal looked confused, not knowing where its target had gone. Smiling, Kul'thran nocked another arrow and fired. The arrow lodged itself squarely into the boar's backside, enraging it even further. It turned around and charged the troll again.
This time, Kul'thran had no time had dodge, instead, he was rammed by the boar and knocked over. He tried to get up, but the boar rushed him with the intent of impaling Kul'thran upon its tusks. The hunter was not interested in that, and so, he pulled out an arrow, ducked and stabbed the boar in the stomach with the arrow in his hand. That stopped the boar, and killed it. Another slab of meat for his tribe.
Taking up the corpse, Kul'thran returned to his hiding spot and placed the corpse down next to the other he had killed. Looking around, the hunter searched for his next target.
§
He hunted throughout the day, and eventually, returned home with many corpses of dead boars riding on his back. The tribe was there to greet him, including a wounded Vol'jin and many wounded warriors.
"We drove da harpies back ta der nests," Vol'jin explained. "But dere be still too many of dem on the roads fer us to handle wit' da resources dat we haff. At least, fer now, dey will leave us alone." When he saw the amount of food Kul'thran brought back, he smiled. "I be pleased wit' ya, Kul'thran. Tank you fer helping us."
"It be no problem... but.. can I be gettin' somemon ta help me carry these?" he asked, under the weight of several boar corpses. One of the headhunters, an unwounded one, came to his aid and helped the hunter carry the food back into the village.
That night, they ate the food Kul'thran brought back. The hunter, on the other hand, did not eat at all. Instead, he stood by the edge of the village, staring out into the seas towards Echo Isles. Vol'jin walked up to his side. "Kul'thran... ya did a good job, mon. But it'll be at least a few days until da other hunters recover. Do ya tink you can still hunt fer us?"
Kul'thran thought about it for a moment, and then remembered something. "What about ma studies?" He had such spiritual potential, which was why he had been chosen when he was young to be a priest for the tribe.
"You'll haff ta put dose aside fer now, maybe even fer a long time and consider becoming a Shadow Hunter later instead," Vol'jin said. "Bein' a hunter be requirin' full time trainin'. But we'll see what happens."
Kul'thran nodded. Not realizing that in the future, he would grow to like being a hunter, and would set aside his mystical studies for a long, long time.
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