Chrysalia sat alone outside her tent in the Crusher camp, cooking up a freshly killed raptor that was unfortunate enough to have tried to attack her on her way into camp.
"Surry lil one, ye'll nevah become a ridin rapta. Yer not gnome but ye'll do fer dinnah tonight"
As she prepared the meat, she sat in quiet contemplation thinking of when she first met the Skullcrushers, defending Warsong Gulch, and later Arathi Basin from the wealthy alliance opressors.
"Ah dose were de days werent dey." she sighed, and stared into the sky, deep in thought.
Long since passed it seemed, were the days when they had defended Horde territory together. Some of the old ones were still around, but most had faded away in favor of adventures in the Spire of the Blackrock Orks, the old Necromancer school in the Plaguelands, or the ruined city of the Humans near Lights Hope Chapel, where the effects of the plague were most obvious, and the battle between the Sacrlet Crusade and the Scourge raged on.
She was snapped back to reality when an awful smell met her nose.
An Ork was walking by with a smoking, stinking mass of what appeared to be meat on his shoulder. Was that a boot she saw in that mess? She sniffed the air.
"Smells like ruddy Dorf"
She shuddered at the thought, "Gah dorf meat be too sour and tough fer eatin, should tell 'im to make jerky out of it", she muttered, sniffed again "and Gnomeling!"
Too bad he had'nt come closer perhaps she could have traded this nice raptor hide for some tender gnome meat.
Moments later the Ork returned the way he came, closer this time than before, she could make out that it was old Uglutz. She raised her hand to him "Ug" she called.
"Ug dere olog! Me no ken blah now!" He said in passing and went on his way.
This too often seemed the way with the clan, as with most clans. Everyone coming and going, going about their business, not having or taking the time to stop and blah with clansman. Even in battles, she would see Crushers, and they dont take the time to wave or nod. All too wrapped up in the heat of battle she supposed.
"Always rushin somwere it seems, dese ones." she thought.
Moments later she watched as Huato entered the camp, walking slowly and deliberatly, stopped to survey the Cheiftan's tower for a few moments, and then moved towards his hut on the other side of the camp.
"Now what he be up to ah wonder." She thought about walking over to his hut and finding out, but the events of the day had her tired and she just wanted to eat, smoke, and relax.
As she threw the last pieces of raptor into her stew, she spied Huato on his way out of camp, with an enormous hammer on his back.
"Mah goodness but dose Taurens ken wield such mighty weapuns. Wunder where he's off to. Alterac maybe?" She hoped that was the case. All too soon she would be there defending the Frostwolf again. "Ah cud use one such as him wit me in dere".
She stirred her concoction, and the scent of cooked raptor wafted from it.
"Mmm smells delishus, ah guess it was a gud ting dis one was dum, eh wuz ment ta be mah dinnah".
She looked up from her fire in time to noticed her mentor, the deaddie Maube, ride into camp and head the way the last two had gone.
"Jes what be goin on ovah dea?" she wondered aloud.
She decided she would go and see for herself after her dinner was eaten. She took the bubbling pot from the fire, scooped some out into her handmade bowl, and turned to watch the sun set over Durotar. "Ah but ah do love it here, in dis place", she sighed in contentment.
Although she did'nt see her Crusher brethren as often anymore, only in passing somedays on one of the battlefields, she still felt at peace with her place here. They were slowly making their way deeper into the core together, becoming stronger every time, finding artifacts of great power to aid them on their respective quests. Huato himself had been leading them into the lair of the fould Wurm Onyxia, and although they had not bested her yet, they would do so soon.
"Your day is coming dragon!" She yelled aloud, startling off some hyenas that had wandered her way in hopes of some scraps from her meal.
Everyday they were finding new wayward souls, lost in the fray, bringing them into the Clan and teaching them the way of the Skullcrusher.
"No matta, we will choose a new cheef, an' will make yu proud Volonazra!"
"FOR THRALL, FOR THE HORDE, FOR THE SKULLCRUSHERS!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.
She turned, wondering if Maube had not left camp, she looked around and saw that her mount was still tethered outside.
"Ah think ah'll go find the old deadie, she always has da good drinkies. Mebbe ah'll go borrow a lil peece of dat charred gnomeling from Uglutz too, he won mind"
She smiled at the thought of a good drink with her old friends, and made her way through camp.