Hunter

Shiloa shifted next to me, her small mass of eyes nestled on top of her green skin could have been looking at anything but I knew they were looking at me.

-“Where we going?”-

Her voice… it was a new concept to hear her instead of just associating words with pictures or colors. Owed that step to my teacher, Dutaee, he knew what he was doing, even if it meant for me hours of sitting in the woods and meditating, I wanted some action… some battle outside of what the horde dogs kept giving me.  Finally I was getting it.

I don’t know the whole story, but I know the other primal students of Dutaee attacked him.  This was an unforgivable act, I don’t know much about Darkspear tradition but in Shadra’Alor a student attacking their teacher would have meant sacrifice.  They would have been flayed on the alter without the necessary rituals to see them through the path beyond.  It was a cowards death, one I hoped Dutaee would let me perform to the other students. Heh, always knew I was better then them. 

Made me a little sad though, besides myself training to be a Primal, they were the only others I knew of, I counted them among my friends, now I counted them among the dead.  I liked Dutaee, the Raptor Primal was a pain in my ass, but he taught me what I needed, cuffed my on the side of the head when I was out of line.  He was a good teacher, I wasn’t going to see him fall to some willful little primals.  Not while I was breathing, not while his tribe was breathing either.

“We are going with Dutaee, and a couple others, we are traveling to Zandalar Shiloa.  We have some tracking to do.”

I watched my companion quiver, like me, my spider had the blood of a hunter, the calling of a predator.  My days of mediation had irritated her as much as it had me, and the constant prodding to go hunting was obnoxious, even from my eight legged companion.

I would travel with Dutaee, some troll named Hakkajin and one named Zyjiin.  I didn’t know any of them, didn’t think it really mattered.  I was there for my Teahcer.  I was part of the Zion'deh tribe because Dutaee wished it.  I was trying to accept them, it was hard when all I had known was my Witherbark youth, years of fighting with the very trolls I now call my clan.  We Witherbark had to fight to stay alive, I wondered how many of this tribe had done the same. 

I did find companionship in a few.  Rahzi, Su’lash and Xiuhteena asked me to come steal the alliance fire for the festival, it was the first time I had spent time with them, I found I enjoyed their company.  Azumah, well when I first met him I wanted to shoot an arrow into his forehead.  The male is brash, arrogant, hot headed, and has to be moodier then a toothless raptor, but, I found he makes an excellent sparring partner, probably would have beaten me if the large dead troll hadn’t interrupted.  Moodiness I got no love for, a good fighter, well that was a different matter.

I packed all the arrows I could find, collected my armor, my axes and checked the sky.  Dawn wasn’t edging yet so I had time.  Dutaee expected me before dawn.  I slipped a necklace carved of black stone around my neck.  My only reminder of a life between Witherbark and Zion'deh, a life with Rattama and the Atal'Jinai.  I shoved thoughts of him aside.  We were going to be hunting for Dutaee’s stolen wife, I did not need the distraction of my dead husband.

I stood and headed out of the makeshift hut I had constructed deep in the hinterlands.  I was no longer a part of my tribe, but my want to be near them over came most sensibility.  Shiloa skittered around my feet, her excitement coming off in a waft of poison from her skin.  I dipped down and let her fang graze my finger.  Almost at once the venom found my bloodstream.  It was something I’d have to be careful about, spending so much time under Dutaee’s eye made it so my needs would have to remain hidden.  He did not need to know I craved venom, though in my opinion it simply brought me closer to the spiders I sought to become a part of.  A Primal of the Spider.  The title sent a thrill through me, I would prove myself on this task Dutaee set in front of me, I’ll make him see I’m ready for the next level of training…and I’d bring him his betrayer students’ heads on sticks.
“Lets go.”  I ran my hand over her smooth dappled body, she shifted at the touch. “We get to prove ourselves Shiloa, we going to make Dutaee proud hm?”

-“Are we getting breakfast first?” -