A Poaching Predicament (Closed/One-Shot)

The soft crunch of leaves being crushed rang out in the near silence of the forest, accompanied by what sounded like humming. Zerov looked up as the sudden noise startled a small flock of birds from a tree, but continued along at his somewhat brisk pace, still humming a tune to himself. Resting a hand on the hilt of his sword, the Draenei used his other to momentarily shield his eyes while walking through a patch of sunlight that managed to break through the canopy. Gazing around him, he couldn't help but to take a moment to marvel at the landscape of the Hinterlands. It really was quite appealing. After a moment, he caught sight of his destination, and after a quick trot, came to a halt at the top of a steep cliff.

While this hadn't been his original destination, the Vindicator had been unable to say no to assisting some of the local dwarves, both from the fact that he wanted them to know he was there to help and that they should never hesitate to ask, as well as that it simply felt good to help out when possible. Besides, it gave him a chance to get out and get a bit of exercise away from the keep. 

Originally, he had simply intended to visit the Stormfeather Outpost at the behest of one of the dwarves that resided at the keep who needed a small parcel delivered but was too backed up with work to make the trip himself. Zer had just happened to overhear said dwarf complaining about it under his breath, and offered to deliver it for him. The smith had promised him a drink and a meal as payment when he returned from the trip, which was good enough for the Draenei.

When he arrived there, however, he was approached by a group of what seemed to be craftsmen and women who made sure to quickly inquire about whether or not he would be willing to provide assistance with an issue that had recently come to light in the area. He happily agreed, and within moments, a small group of three or four dwarven children were brought before him and instructed to tell him what they saw. It seemed that while they were out in the forests, most likely playing some sort of dwarven game, they happened to spot what appeared to be a small group comprised of a few various races trapping and crating up a few of the local wolves and tossing them onto a cart that was already laden with various other crates containing animals that the children could not make out from such a distance. Once they had loaded up, the children noted that they headed east, towards the cliffs. Z accepted without another thought, and with a quick farewell to the dwarves, adding his thanks to the children for spotting and reporting it, the Draenei took off after them.

Now looking out over the edge of the cliff, he realized this may not be the best vantage point, as much of what was below him was obscured in a somewhat dense fog rolling off of the sea. As he was about to step away, however, he happened to catch the faintest of flickering of light from below, which may well have been emitted from a fire a little more north along the beach. Making note of where he saw it, Z made his way towards the natural ramp down the side of the cliff, keeping one hand running along the cliff face so he didn't wind up stepping off into nothingness.

It was a bit easier to see through the fog near the bottom, and looking north, he could definitively make out a moderately sized bonfire burning with various shapes moving around it. Sticking close to the cliff as it was the best cover he could find, Zerov walked slowly forward, keeping his eyes on what was more clearly looking like a makeshift camp of sorts. The closer he got, the more cages he could see around the outskirts of the fire, stacked upon each other with countless shapes inside them. Some were very small, likely unable to hold more than a hare, while some were larger than Zerov himself. He decided he wasn't too keen to come face to face with what may be in one of that size any time soon. 

Nearby was a wooden cart, likely the one that the children had seen earlier on. It was nearly empty now, with only a few cages remaining on the back of it. As he neared, he could more clearly make out the shapes of the poachers, three of which were still unloading the cart and tossing the cages down with the others, while another sat idly near to the fire, very much not helping. The figure by the fire appeared to be a troll based on his figure, and was casually picking at his teeth with what could either be wood or a bone, while watching the other three work. Taking a not so wild guess, Z figured it was safe to assume that one was the one overseeing this operation. 

Sidling up next to a cluster of trees moderately close to the group, Zerov turned his gaze towards the other three for a moment. Two looked like they may be orcs, one male and one female, and the other appeared to be a goblin, based on his size. They worked in silence, at least it seemed as such from this distance. Without warning, a loud shout seemed to split the fog for a moment, and Z tensed, dropping a hand to his sword in case they had spotted him. He was able to let out a brief sigh as that did not seem to be the case just yet, but it quickly turned to a frown as a human strolled up towards the camp from the direction of the shore, looking angrily at the sitting troll who immediately hopped up and went to go help with the last of the unloading. Well, it seems Z was wrong in assuming the troll was the one in charge, at least.

The human took his place by the fire, his arms crossed while he watched the four work with a scowl plastered across his features. With a sigh, Z began to move from the tree cluster. Perhaps he should have asked for some assistance after all, but he was already here, and he was still confident he could handle a few poachers on his own regardless. As sneaking was not quite in his skill set, the Draenei simply began to walk straight towards the camp, making sure to draw his sword and shield along the way. He had a feeling they wouldn't be keen on dropping everything and coming quietly. As he nears, he clears his throat and speaks loudly in Common, mostly towards the human as he is unsure about whether or not the others would be able to understand him or not.

"Greetings, may I ask what you intend to do with these here animals? I am afraid that I cannot let you take them with you."

The group freezes, instantly turning to gaze at him, some with a mixture of shock and confusion. Which Z could understand. Of all the beings that could have stumbled across their operation, a Draenei in these parts was likely not high on the list. The human, however, retains his scowl as he turns to appraise the Draenei for a moment. 

"Git outta 'ere, Draenei. None o' your business wut we're gonna do wit dem."

Zerov shakes his head at the human. "Afraid it is. Now, I'm not sure what you're planning to do with them, but by the looks of you're 'operation' here, I can assume you're up to no good. So. I know this may be fruitless, but I will ask you only once to lay down any weapons you may have and come with me so the dwarves of the area may ask you some questions."

The human's eyes go wide for a second before he bursts out into laughter. "Y-you're serious 'ight now? Wha' do I look like?" He turns towards the other four, his scowl immediately returning to his features. "Well? Wha' are you waitin' for?"

The four seem to shake themselves out of their stupor and toss the cage they're holding haphazardly towards the others before scrambling to grab their weapons. Z lets out a sigh. He had figured that wouldn't work, but he had to try at least. Readying his sword and shield, he watches the group, scowling as they carelessly toss and knock over cages, eliciting panicked sounds from whatever they may contain. Within a few seconds, the four are armed and facing him. The troll now has a large barbed spear, grinning with his newly cleaned teeth at the Draenei, while the goblin sports a short sword that appears more like a long sword compared to his size, with the male orc holding an overly sized axe and the female orc standing behind the group with a drawn bow. 

Z lets out another sigh before beckoning them forwards. The sooner this is over, the sooner he can get that meal. Almost as one, they charge towards him, the female orc obviously staying back and drawing her bow for an opening. Bracing his hooves in the dirt, Z waits for the first one to get close, which happens to be the orc, who swings the axe from the side with as much strength as he can manage. Knowing he wouldn't be able to block with strength alone, Z ducks slightly and throws his shield up to hit the edge of the axe, diverting it away from him. As the orc follows the axe's spin away from Z for a moment, the troll dives forward with his spear. Spinning in the spot, Zerov cuts downward with his sword on the shaft of the spear, redirecting it into the dirt as the Draenei in turn aims his elbow at the trolls face, nailing him right in the mouth and causing him to reel away momentarily. Feeling a sharp pain in his thigh, Zerov looks down to see the goblin with his sword just barely through his leg armor, now caught within the plates. As the small green man struggles to free the blade, Z lifts his other foot and kicks, planting a nice sized hoof print on the goblin's head and sending him flying back a few feet to lay unconscious on the ground.

Taking a brief moment to yank the sword from his leg and toss it aside, Zer is brought back into the moment as an arrow whooshes past his head, just a hair from his ear. Turning back just in time to see the female orc grab another arrow, he is also greeted by the sight of the axe coming towards his head once more, but this time deftly ducks as it swings overhead, rising to slash out with his sword at one of the arms holding it, hoping to weaken the orc. His strike hits true, cutting deep into the bicep of the orc's left arm, causing a cry of pain as the orc drops the weapon, unable to hold the weight of it now. Not wanting any casualties if he can help it, Zer steps up to the orc and headbutts him with all his strength. The orc's eyes roll back into his head as he slumps over unconscious, while Z takes a step back to shake his head out for a second. Having heavy plates on the top of your head can be pretty beneficial at times. 

Turning his gaze to the troll, who is still whimpering about his broken tusk, Z decides he's not the most prominent threat at the moment and turns his gaze to the female orc, who was getting ready to let fly another arrow. Diving to the side, Z ducks behind the cart for a moment as he looks for a way to get closer, but is momentarily distracted as the cart shakes as a weight suddenly jumps on it. Scrambling up, Z finds himself face to face with the female orc, who now has a crazed smile on her face. She says something in her language, but having no idea what she is trying to say, Zerov takes the time to try and headbutt her in the proximity, but she seems to see this coming as she leans back with a laugh and grabs his horns and leaps onto his back. Stumbling at the new weight, he feels her let go with one hand and hears the slide of metal clanking against his armor. Realizing her intentions, he tries to shake her off, but winds up tripping over the unconscious orc just as her hand reappears in front of him, dagger in hand. The body causes him to fall backwards, onto the female orc, and throwing the dagger off course, away from his chest, instead slicing into his cheek a little as the breath is knocked out of her. 

They happened to knock over a small pile of cages in their fall, the pins from the locking mechanics on these ones falling out and causing the cages to open. A few small creatures fled the scene, mostly hares and a few that he had never seen before. The last creature to emerge slowly was something that Z was unfamiliar with, but it appeared to be some sort of sleek hybrid of a cat and a weasel of some sort, it's shiny brown coat seeming to shimmer as it pulled itself out from the upturned cage. It watched the two of them as they took a moment to recover, turning its head to the side in what appeared to be thought as it gazed on with its tiny black eyes.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Z looks back at the female orc as she lunges once more, pinning him against the ground and delivering a rage fueled punch right at his unprotected face, stunning him for a second as the light began to dance in his vision. A second was all she would need, though. With a sneer, she raised her dagger above his face, ready to drive it right through his skull. She let out a surprised shriek, however, as a tiny brown bullet show forwards, latching onto her arm with razor sharp teeth and hanging on for dear life as she tried to shake it off. 

The shriek seemed to bring Z back into the present, and after a shocked second of taking in the scene before him, the Draenei raised his shield and slammed it directly into the orc's face with as much strength as he could. She slumped off of him to the side, the small creature hanging on for a moment longer to make sure she was out before detaching itself and scurrying back towards the Draenei. Unsure of the creature's intentions, Z pushed himself to his feet, turning a scowl to the troll who in turn threw his spear to the side and crouched down to continue whimpering and muttering to himself. Sighing, Zerov looked around at the assortment of various caged creatures, all watching quietly with confused and scared expressions. Frowning as he looked at some of them, he noted that they were from all kinds of places, many not from anywhere near here.

Realizing something, Zer began to look around for the human, but quickly came to the realization that he was nowhere to be seen. Glancing out towards the ocean, now that the fog was beginning to let up a little as the day wore on, the Draenei could just barely make out the shape of a ship out a ways from the shore. He scowled towards the ship. This appeared to be a bigger operation than he had given it credit for. 

A strange sort of hybrid chirp-purr sound emitted from somewhere near his feet. Looking down, Z met the curious eyes of the small brown creature again as it watched him expectantly. Raising a brow, Zer shakes his head to himself before moving around the camp, looking for any sort of rope that he could use to bind the unconscious poachers with. The brown creature drops back to all four paws and bounds after him, standing back up on two legs whenever the Draenei came to a stop to search, the small black eyes continuing to watch him. Letting out a sigh, Z looks at the creature. 

"I am not sure what you are, but you don't have to continue following me. You can go if you would like. I am not sure where you come from but you look like you should be alright here."

It just tips its head to the side and chirps at him momentarily before bolting forward, causing Z to jump in surprise. It jumps at him, using the plates of his armor to climb to his shoulder, where it grips the plate with tiny paws and continues to look at him, laying down on the shoulderplate. Z stares back in shock for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh, which the creature joins in with a few strange sounding barks. 

"I suppose it is alright for you to stick with me for now, though, I may have to see if anyone knows what you are. But if you are going to stick around for awhile, I suppose you should have a name of some sorts."

Pausing to ponder for a moment, Z gazes at the small, sleek creature before snapping his fingers with a smile. 

"I got it! I shall call you...Nirii."

((This is basically just an introduction for Nirii. Who is an otter, just as an fyi. Z just has no idea what the heck an otter is. But if there is anyone that does know, feel free to let Z know. He just thinks it's a weird cat/dog/weasel thing.))