The Flower That Blooms in Rain

Standing on the cliff overlooking the jungle before him, a solitary Troll crouched in the pouring rain. Long hair matted down his back and a miserable expression etched on his rain soaked face. Sharp eyes scanned the forest floor narrowing on the reflected light coming from the stream below him. Sensitive ears flicking as he picked up the sound of Humans below...in his jungle..in this sacred place. Letting out a puff of hot breath he rose quickly and bolted to his left leaping onto the rocks below. In an explosion of change, fur raced up his long limbs as his body cracked and reshaped in an instant, razor clawed paws hitting the rock silently below as the Great Cat sprung from the Troll above. Sleek muscle slithered through the jungle growth like a serpent, silent and drawing closer with every passing moment on the unsuspecting prey ahead.

Peering through the undergrowth he saw a Human male and female, the male bent over trying to open a backpack while the woman leaned against a tree clearly looking exhausted from the difficult travel through the jungle growth. Watching silently, while flaring nostrils fired gouts of hot air into the chill Jungle night, like a pot left to boil on the stove the rage inside threatened to burst the cat from within. The human male crouched down near a small pile of rocks and picked one up peering at it, knocking aside a small crudely tied bundle of flowers in the process. The cat's great maw opened wide bearing a mouth full of wicked teeth as his hind legs crouched to leap at the man, but was interrupted as the female rose saying something and waving at the human male urgently. Tilting his head the cat watched as the woman shuffled over holding her rounded stomach and shooed the male away, kneeling down she reset the flowers on the rocks gently. Astonished the Cat watched as he felt his heart tighten in his chest at the display, "how...why would this foolish human know" he quickly thought before shaking his head of the thoughts to let the fury return like a crashing wave.

Letting out a low growl the human woman had but a moment to turn her head as the great cat leaped and came down on the human male. Savage claws tore into his chest as he howled in pain and tried to strike at the beast atop him, kicking and screaming the great cat drove his maw down into the man’s neck snapping it like a twig and tearing his throat out with a spray of steaming blood. Screaming hysterically the woman scrambled backwards and got to her feet as the cat rounded on her. The beast anticipated her panicked flight, but when the woman grit her teeth and grabbed a nearby log wielding it before her determinedly...the great cat paused. Sharp eyes locked on hers as she swung the log before her with one hand, while the other held her rounded stomach. Suddenly the realization hit him. The human was with child and was defending her unborn. Now it was the human's turn to stare in confusion as the great cat backed up a few feet and nodded its head to the jungle trail ahead as if signaling or her to go. The silence in the small clearing grew as both Cat and human watched each other for long moments, before the female grabbed the pack with one hand and slowly backed up onto the trail, inching backwards till she was out of site before turning to run as fast as her legs could carry her.

Padding over to the hastily reassembled pile of rocks the Cat leaned up on its haunches, its body once again cracking and shifting back into the form of the Troll. Looking over at the dead human the Troll snarled savagely and drew the sharp blade from his side and tore open the man's shirt. Raising the blade to drive it down and cut the still beating heart from the cursed human, something stopped his hand, and he swore he felt a soft grip his wrist. Looking up in confusion he saw the flowers had again fallen over on their side. Taking this as a sign he dropped his blade and hurried to the pile of stones, fixing the rocks, placing each reverently in their place. Shooting out his leg he kicked the human down the small hill into the river below as he knelt before the rocks. One shaking hand reached out for the flowers, lifting them to his lips and pressing a soft kiss into them before placing them delicately on the stones before him.

Shutting his eyes tightly he leaned forward, both hands forming fists in the muddy ground, as he prayed to the Loa to hear his call. His chest tightening with each passing moment, beseeching them to hear his call "Please..just one moment more be all I ask". In his mind he saw this place as it once was, soft grass on the bank of the slowly moving river, the sun shining through the canopy above, this was the place he first saw her, the place she loved most. Fingers curling in the muddy ground the mighty Troll was doubled over in a pain that no healer could heal, no words could describe and whose icy grip clutched his heart stealing the very breath from him. His head moved slowly as he continued to pray, begging to feel that touch on his skin, to hear that soft voice..or run his fingers through her hair just one more time, but his calls were answered only by the sound of the rain splashing about his form. He was a Darkspear, grief was not for him, tears were not for a Troll man, and pain was part of life. His fist rose as his despair turned to rage once again, slamming into the tree under which the rocks rested, with such force that it scraped skin from his knuckles. Leaning back the Troll clenched his fists tightly and let out a roar of frustrated anguish that echoed through the jungle, sending those wise enough to know the sound scurrying for cover.

His body shaking with emotion the Troll stared down at the silent pile of stones before him for long moments. Then slowly almost without conscious knowledge of the act, his hand strayed to his side plucking a freshly picked bundle of flowers. Looking down at them he rested them atop the others. Rising shakily to his feet he turned to walk off, stopping to look back at the pile of stone and flowers all that remained of his mate now. Closing his eyes again he turned to stalk off and in his grief he had failed to notice the growth of flowers that had sprung up around her resting place, as if her spirit alone was cause for the earth to bless this place with such beauty.

Trudging through the jungle, his mind in a fog of memories and grief he stopped to look at the light shining out of each passing hut. Inside was warmth, the sound of families, laughter, yelling, or the soft moan of lovers embraced. Gritting his teeth he growled and stalked on through the muddy ground, his rain soaked and hunched body making barely a whisper of sound as he came to rest before another hut. Looking up he saw the light shining out the closed door, inside laughter, warmth... those things that stung his soul to the core. Letting out a soft breath he turned to walk off into the night, when the light from the hut fell across his hunched form he halted. Turning slowly he saw a young Troll girl watching him from the doorway, her head tilted slowly as she watched him standing in the pouring rain. Little feet quickly stepped from the soft floor of the hut into the cold muddy ground below, and a tiny voice almost a whisper above the rain called out to him "Paapaa?". Looking down at the young Troll girl his eyes focused on her face, on those eyes bright green, a mirror of the child's emotion, every thought clearly etched on their emerald expanse...those eyes..the eyes of her mother stared back at him with a concern that touched his heart. Nodding his head softly, the young Troll girl's face lit with a smile that sent a fire of emotion through his body, watching as she bounded through the rain over to him. Flinging herself into waiting arms, he held onto her tightly as she squeezed him back. Kneeling down he set her on his knee and brought a hand to stroke at her cheek gently, drawing another of those illuminating smiles from the child. Tilting her head she spoke again in that soft voice "Paapaa did you bring her the flowers I picked?". Nodding his head quickly he felt the pain in his chest slowly ebb as he stared down at the child in his arms and he spoke softly to her "They were almost as beautiful as you little one, she will love them" tapping a finger on her nose as he spoke. The child let out a squeal of joy at the compliment and hugged her father tightly.

Looking up at the Hut he saw his boys, standing watching, smiles on their faces as they watched their father in the rain, pleased to have him home again. As he knelt there in the rain he thought, His life was not pain, was not grief, his mate lived on in their children, her love and kindness would forever dwell in this home. Looking down at his daughter snuggled in his arms he thanked the Loa for the rain, to hide the tears that ran freely down his cheeks. He regarded his family with a soft smile, and thought like The Flower that Blooms in Rain, out of misery came something beautiful.