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The floorboards of the common room creaked as something large and ponderous passed across them. The sound of four paws on the floor suddenly shifted to two hooves as another Tauren entered the clanhold. "Hmmmm?" this feeling was familiar to Brauner. It reminded him of suel's presence very much, it made the bulls ear twitch and he forgot about his woes from the simple sensation that washed over him. "A druid..."

Araukan Oakenhoof paused halfway across the room, the fur along his neck rising. He scowled. There was something nearby, something both familiar and yet unknown coming from the direction of the bed rooms. The druid slowly crept up the stairs, anxious about what he sensed. "Do you think we should be concerned B?" Whispered the bulls deviant of a partner. The bulls ears twitched rapidly as he tried to pick up any sounds, all the noise had stopped and that left him abit concerned. " Probably not.....Zigzahal said rohu was the rowdiest of the bunch and even he didn't make an attempt to harm us." Brauner leaned back on the furs looking in the direction of the door regardless of his words.

The druid padded down the hall in the form of a lion, his paws silent on the floor. There was an unfamiliar scent to match the alien presence. He kept his body low, stealing down the hall. He nudged back the flap of Rohu's room. The shaman laid on his bed, alseep. The great cat scoffed slightly and left his least favorite companion behind to check on Zig. The warrior snored, deep asleep. Arukan smiled as he returned to Tauren form, He then scowled again as he turned to face the spare room, His hand drifted to his mace as he stepped closer, reaching for the flap.

Brauner Looked up towards the ceiling silently, a frown upon his lips. He was tired that much was sure but his mind was racing with the events of his life since he'd arrived in Azeroth. Normally meditation for Brauner was a simple task but he found it a hard to clear his head and it forced the Tauren to sigh again. The druid silently reached for the flap. Pulling the hide back and peeking in. A white bull he had never seen before laid on the bed, Starring at the ceiling. He cleared his throat loudly, announcing his arrival. Brauner's ear pulled back at the sounds before he looked over and spotted the druid, Promptly brauner stood. "Ah...hello there. you must be either.... Kalanos or Arukan yes? please, come in."

"I am Arukan" the druid said, eyes narrowing. "And you are?" He kept his mace in hand. "A....ah I am Brauner, Brauner Frosthoof. The newest member of the clan. It is a pleasure to meet you." The druid stayed where he was. "Anything you want to mention, Frosthoof? Anything special about you? He kept his distance. The snow white bull flinched and took a step back. "If you're wondering about my presence that would be my partner Rime" Brauner's tail twitched abit as he readied himself for the worst. "He's the demigod child of a corrupted water spirit. As fate would have it i was in the area when Rime was fleeing, pleading for my help. Albeit at the time i had no idea that help meant merging with him." "Really?" Arukan's jaw dropped. "A real water spirit? Wow, there must be something about you to be chosen as an elemental host."

"From what my mentor friend Suel told me, It was my up bringing. I was raised in a different world within this nether. a place where magic is non-existent. Apparently that made me a prime host because i had no special abilities that would interfere with the merging." Brauner sighed abit and sat himself back down on his bed to show he was no threat. "I guess being within me makes Rime almost undetectable to his father.

Arukan stepped closer, nervous at being close to so much power. "If you don't mind me asking, what brought you to us?" "My mother did, I'm not sure if you've ever ever heard of Lady Frosthoof or not. From what I've gathered she's a fairly wise elder to the Tauren. She had a vision of me meeting Zigzahal upon the hills of mulgore. She said that it would be good for me to join, that perhaps it would help me to trust others." That was as far as Brauner would elaborate for the stranger in this situation.

"Why don't you trust others?" Arukan asked as his curiosity outweighed his fear and sat down beside the bed. " You seem honorable to me." It Hadn't been the first time today he told of his past. It was actually becoming a tad easier with each reiteration. "I was a lost one....both me and my father had gotten trapped in a different world....i was only seven at the time it all started but....someone tried to mug my father, he was going to use me as a hostage but my father intervened and sacrificed his life to protect me. i somehow managed to survive alone from them. Tauren's aren't a race of that world and i was constantly looked down upon and humiliated for looking so different. Only one person had ever gotten me to open up....i fell in love with him...but shortly after...he was killed. He'd taken his own life to save mine just as my father had done before him. It...shattered me...i couldn't put my heart up to such pain."

Arukan was silent a moment. "I'm sorry" He said quietly. "If i can help, you will no longer need to worry about that, We're going to be here to protect you. We're a family and we look after our own." "I appreciate it Arukan.i'm still getting used to all this." Brauner looked down between his hooves and let out a sigh of frost. It took him a moment to look up and actually see the druids figure better with him so close, when he realized that he was staring, a tinge of pink washed over his cheeks and it made Brauner turn away.

"I'm kind of the healer around here." Arukan explained. "You get hurt and I'm the guy who makes it go away. You're looking a little flush, do you need anything?" Brauner waved his paws dismissively trying to deflect the question. "A..ah... no I'm ok....i can do some healing as well because of Rime, I guess it's just been a rather interesting day full of new people." "Arukan nodded and smiled warmly. " I guess you have been a Gauntley of meeting us all. I hope Rohu wasn't to hard on you. He might be a good guy, if he only stopped hiding behind his attitude." Brauner smiled abit and his eye brow twitched at the mention of Rohu, making him remember the shamans threat. "I think he's not so bad, just really hurt maybe...b..but still very tough!" Brauner blushes harder trying to remember not to admit much of the conversation the two shared earlier.

"B..but i can't sleep so if you'd like to talk or go do something i'd be happy to oblige" the druid adjusted his seat, nodding to the newcomer." i see, well....where do you want to begin? I'm sure you have a lot of questions about our little clan, and I'll try to answer them as best i can. Zig's the real brains here, but i lend a hand too." "well i did....but Zig explained to me about what the guild does. why he wanted me here, I feel like even i could do something to help out the clan you know? I feel like there's something i should know but i can't seem place to place my thumb on it however."

"You're talking about Zagzanil" The druid said darkly as he looked away. Brauner ears pulled back at the mention of the name. "All i know is that he may or may not have been part of the scourge or a death knight." Arukan sighed and shifted his body gently. "We don't know for sure. Zag disappeared months ago, fallen to a ghoul horde. We can only hope he died then, anything else might destroy Zig." Brauner started to shift uncomfortably as the conversation continued and it made him whimper a little. "He.....he was asking me about my twin, my twin is a death knight....He kept asking all these questions about them.....Should i not have spoken so freely to him?"

"Listen" Arukan said gravely as he placed a hand on Brauner's shoulder. "Untill we know for sure what happened, please don't get his hopes up. I don't want him running off into the wilderness again. Not after what happened last time." Brauner bit his lip but nodded softly his mind mind wandering from the paw placed upon his shoulder. " R..right I apologize then Arukan." Arukan let out a sign and tried to reassure the ivory bull. "It's okay, I just don't want Zig to kill himself, he's too important to me."

Brauner blushed a little and misinterpreted the sentence. "Oh..i see, I don't really remember what it's like to be in love like that." Arukan blushed furiously and stuttered at the comment given to him. "A.h, uh, I mean," His skin reddened. "Zig isn't my uh... i mean, We're really good friends, but we're not, oh, how can i explain it?" Rime grumbled in a scolding tone "Geeze Brauner way to break him." Brauner grumbled and scratched his pink cheeks. "Y...you don't have to tell me Arukan it's a personal subject i understand." The druid laughed nervously. "It's complicated.....We're close, really close i mean." Brauner's expression became flustered and confused. "I uhh, don't really understand. please forgive me though! that's not really something i should be asking..." "Uh..... let's leave that alone for now. anything else?" Arukan muttered. "anything else?" Brauner was whimpering inwardly at how stupid he was behaving. "N...not really. I'll be sure to ask if something does come up though." Brauner was trying to salvage the awkward meeting.

"Well, it was great to make your acquaintance" Arukan said smiling, "But if you'll excuse me i need to go brew up some potions, Zig drinks them like they're spring water." Brauner didn't look it but he knew a thing or two about the human body because of his upbringing. "W...what for? that must take a toll on ones body, I can't imagine that being healthy at all" Arukan frowned thoughtfully. "Zig's a warrior, a bold one at that. He often runs on ahead on missions, So as not to put the rest of us in harm's way. You can imagine the amount of cuts he gets. Don't worry, I water down his potions so they keep him going without overdoing it." Brauner frowns still at the words and he murooos with worry.

" I'm still concerned about how much he may have already. I feel like I'd be doing him a dishonor if i didn't attempt to heal him rather then depend on potions." "Don't worry" the druid said. "I work a little healing magic on him every time we.....bond, Besides, all my potions are brewed from healthy herbs, any side-effects are minor if any. I water 'em down mainly so i don't run out." The words twinged in Brauner's ear. He realized what arukan meant. It was the same as when he himself had shared his body with Suel. "I see, That's a very smart thing to do Arukan." Arukan flashed a grin, "Eath mother doesn't raise stupid druids."

Brauner nodded softly. " I know a good amount about medicinal herbs myself. It's probably not that far a jump to craft potions myself?" "I could teach you some things" Arukan offered. "I think i would appreciate that Arukan. maybe tomorrow however, I'm not sure my mind can sit still today is all....I hope you understand." "Ah yes," The druid nodded. "Tomorrow then, I should let you get your rest. I'm sure you have a lot to work through. Good evening." He said as he stood back up. Brauner nodded but stood up himself as well, he grabbed his clothing and dressed himself dusting off his silken shirt. "I wish i could rest Arukan but honestly i cant, So i think i shall go out for a while" "Sure i'll be around when you get back" The druid said as he walked to the door. "Take care"

"Later" Brauner managed to say, he waited for Arukan to leave before letting out a rather large and cold sigh, his trade mark nervous tick. Peaking out of the flap Brauner started down to the common area in hope he wouldn't get anymore such encounters With how confused and exhausted he felt. "God i need some air" He said rather audibly as he left the guild hall, slowly making his way aimlessly into the fields of mulgore. Arukan waited for the footsteps to fade before the druid shifted into the form of an eagle. The white bull seemed nice enough, but arukan could tell he needed someone to keep and eye out, just in case. Since Zig was dosing, the job fell to the druid.

Brauner rubbed the back of his head and groaned softly as he wandered around a bit looking for any source of water nearby, it lead him to a slightly wooded area where he could sense a small lake. He needed to clear his head, all this close interaction was overwhelming. "Please let there actually be a lake over here" He grumbled to himself as he started walking between the trees, Making his way deeper into the little patch of life.

Arukan flew high overhead in the form of an owl, his keen sight quickly picking out the white Tauren in the dimishing light. He saw Brauner, stumbling along, heading for a nearby lake. He swooped low and perched in the branches, keeping the other bull in sight. Brauner let out a groan of frustration and exhaustion, finally finding the lake and promptly laying down beside it with a sigh, the water around his muzzle freezing over as he groans in what seems like a mixture of fatigue and helplessness. "Geeze i feel like ass." The eagle slid closer, the druid growing curious at the newcomer's power over ice. He felt the strength emanating from Brauner, strange yet comforting.

Sighing deeply Brauner let his paw slide across the ice and water, he murooed softly as it melted and curled around his paw sighing silently to himself as he watched it dance around his paw. "Mff...how very stressful this has become rime, I feel so vulnerable.... Is this what friendship is like?" The eagle flew from the branch and landed by the bull, shifting back to his real form. "Are you avoiding us?" he asked slowly, so as not to startle the bull.

"n..no...I just...it's a lot of lifestyle shuffling, It's new to me, having trouble breathing it all in as it were." Brauner muroos softly hoping Arukan hadn't been there long. Arukan strode over and sat down beside the bull. "I can hardly imagine how you feel, stranger in a strange land. And i thought visiting the Eastern Kingdoms was a culture shock." Brauner smiled weakly but kept stroking his paw through the water. "It's been a lot, there's been so much on my mind that I've felt almost physically ill at times. I guess I'm afraid the most at what will happen to you guys, And of what's happening to myself. ever since I've been with Rime water seems to be the only thing that soothes my soul."

The druid looked at the white bull for a moment. "Would you want us to build a cabin out here for you? I know some orcs who could have it built in one day." Brauner shook his head gently at the druid. "No it's not that Arukan, the shower back home is well enough. I just needed some fresh air in combination with the water is all." The druid leaned in and glared a little.

"You're not telling me something, but i won't pry. you can just rest here, I'll give you your space. Just....be careful, alright?" The druid turned around. Brauner grimaced a bit, he didn't wish to speak but nor did he want to drive the druid away, He sat up to face Arukan " I'm just concerned about all your well beings is all, Besides my father....the blood of the only one whom i had loved stains my paws. They gave their lives needlessly for me, I worry that being around me would only end in causing such pain again." Arukan stopped and turned back around. " You worry too much. We're here to protect you. That's what a brotherhood is for" the druid smiled.

"My worry is founded within my mind Arukan, I've been the cause of deaths before. I distance myself in hopes to protect people, people i may care for." The druid leaned in close. " Let down the walls. We can be that which you miss, that which you need. Trust in us Brauner." The ivory bull frowned and bit his lip...." Arukan, i...but..." He shivered lightly unable to find something to barricade the druid from his heart. "I don't want any harm to come of you all, You're all so nice.." Arukan drew himself up. "Just let them come" He said. "We unseat evildoers for fun. Here in Kalimdor, you have an entire land of friends who'll watch your back. That's just how the horde works."

Brauner leaned against the druid and let out a sigh, the sensation he gave off was soothing. He felt at ease against Arukan as the pond melted back to it's orignal state. "Thank you Arukan, i feel calmer now." "good" Arukan said softly. "You should be, you're among family here." Brauner put his paw against Arukans and smiled gently. "I think my mother was right about all this, It'll do me good to be around you guys.."

"Thank you for choosing us" The druid said softly. "I hope we don't let you down." "I just hope i don't let you all down" Brauner said with a rather uncharacteristic smile. "I feel like i could be of some use, thank you for speaking with me." "I'm.... happy i could be of help Brauner" the druid offered. "You ready to head back now?" Brauner nodded and smiled a bit. " Yeah i efel like i could finally get some rest now Arukan." "Then follow me, Brauner. You deserve a rest. Besides Zig and Rohu are already asleep, an Kalanos isn't due back untill tomrrow." Brauner nodded following the druid from the pond and back to their home, he wished Arukan a goodnight before collapsing into his bed of pelts. His snores quickly filling the air, His worries soothed as everything faded to black.