Sen'jin

It came suddenly, like being struck by lightning. Master and apprentice were walking along the walls of Orgrimmar, three days after the night of the green stars, as they gazed down on the preparations being made down below. The imp was his talkative self again, cackling manically and verbally abusing everyone.
"You will never be warchief, my young friend." Drak'thul said.
Sen'jin was stunned. He turned to see his master whose eyes never left the grunts training down below.
"Whatchu talkin' about?" He asked.
"Did he stutter, you blue gorilla?!" the imp cackled as he jumped on his master' shoulder." You will never be warchief! Ever, ever, ever!"
Drak'thul allowed the creature to laugh, grunting annoyed but not at his imp however." Those pups are supposed to be the new Kor'kron? Pathetic…we'll be dead before long. We'll have to rely on the Dire Trolls and the Siame-Quashi, ancestors help us…"

Sen'jin had to control his rage, everything he did in life was to appease his father and lead his people against the Burning Legion. To hear that all his efforts were in vain, coming from that horrible twisted mouth….he clenched his fists for a moment before he calmly, coldly even, asked to elaborate.
"The last time a Warlock led the Horde, it did not end well." Drak'thul replied." Ner'zhul destroyed Draenor and scattered my people across many worlds. The master completed what the apprentice had wrought. People remember that and wisely distrust those who practice the fel arts." Drak'thul rubbed his white beard." Also it might be my age playing tricks on me, but I recall you saying you did not want to be Warchief anymore." This made the Imp chuckle.
"And I recall you saying there always had to be one, master." Sen'jin retorted before he went back into thought. He did not understand, the sacrifices he made, the many pains he suffered from learning the dark arts, what he did for-No, TO his father …it couldn't have been for nothing." I…do not understand, master. You trained me for years, to be a Warchief-"
"No." Drak'thul turned to face his apprentice." I trained you to be a leader, a puppeteer of men." He motioned his apprentice to follow him as both walked along the walls some more. The imp jumped off his master' shoulder and ran off to cause some chaos elsewhere.

"My master was many things. Ambitious, smart, cunning, arrogant…and had quite a short fuse." Drak'thul smirked a little at the later." But Gul'dan did at least one thing right. He managed to unite the orc clans in one Horde, a feat that was never accomplished beforehand."
"I thought dat Blackhand was the one." Sen'jin said.
"Blackhand was a puppet, Warchief in name only. The Horde did as he said…but he did what Gul'dan told him to do. That is your destiny, my young friend. To be the puppeteer. Be the man behind the Warchief."
Yes, it made sense now. The feeling of dread was gone but, filled with purpose." I understand, master." He pondered." Our first step must be to secure a warchief before we can make our move. If we advise one of the candidates, we can work in their favour. And when he becomes Warchief we will be elevated."
Drak'thul smiled." Very good, my young friend. How do we proceed?"
The son of Vol'jin pondered some more." There are many candidates, so we will have to narrow all the claims down."

"I can do that for you." Drak'thul replied and held up three fingers." Only three men are popular enough to be voted in. Warlord Torakk Bloodrain. Durak, son of Go'el and Chief Baine Bloodhoof. Each have their own weaknesses we can exploit but we can only aid one to grab that throne."
"Whom should I choose?" Sen'jin asked.
"Take a reading from each, my young friend. Then make your choice."

So the weeks passed as Sen'jin did indeed take a reading on each.
First was Warlord Bloodrain, the chieftain of the Beastmaw Clan. Before Sen'jin's time, Bloodrain was a general who led a warband called the Beastmaw. Due to his actions which resulted in the destruction of the last of the rebel True Horde, he was rewarded by receiving his own clan and was elevated to the station of Warlord.
Because of the warband's conversion to a clan, the Beastmaw were a strange mix. Yes the Rageroar clan had orcs and trolls in their ranks but the Beastmaw had nearly every race of the Horde as a member. However because of this diversity it had grown very powerful with ties reaching from Thunderbluff to Orgrimmar to Undercity to even Silvermoon.

Sen'jin had volunteered to join the clan on several large scale attacks on demon strongholds in Desolace as he tried to get closer to the Warlord. The son of Vol'jin remembered the first time the Beastmaw army was send in to cleanse Thunder Axe Fortress before it could become a stronghold for the Legion.
Sen'jin was send to help the other warlocks and magi to provide magic support as the warriors and riders down below did the grunt work. He remembered how the wolf masked general stood on a ridge from above as he surveyed the battle down below, like a loa surveying his realm. He kept tabs on all the banners and knew when to send reinforcements or fall back. His massive black wolf was by his side as was his son Marakk and one of his generals, the one eyed Rocmar Swiftwolf, and the Clan's blind Farseer and sister to the Warlord, Farseer Tannaka Bloodrain.

"Atsuka." He called one of the runners." Tell your father to advance further north."
"Zug zug, Warlord!" the female orc warrior saluted and ran.
"Talik." He motioned to another female orc, a rogue guessing by her attire, who was already there before her name left her father's mouth, much to his annoyance." Tell Rokarna to fall back and assist Shakela's cavalry, we're going to unleash fire and brimstone over their heads."
"More fire and brimstone never hurt anyone, father." She replied and turned to leave. Before she left, General Rocmar spoke."And tell Krommash to pick a better instrument for battle, he's an orc for the love of the ancestors and not an elf."
The hooded female saluted her father and his second in command before she ran off. Rocmar turned to Sen'jin." What are you still doing here. Help Asther with summoning your damn demons."
"Ya, general." Sen'jin saluted and ran enough. He had placed a ward nearby to eavesdrop on the two as he went over to stand with the other warlocks and magi to prepare for the massive demolition spell.

"Vol'jin's brat doesn't sit to me right." He heard Rocmar say." You heard the rumours."
"Vol'jin was a old man, Rocmar. And if we lend credence to every rumour we wouldn't get anything done." He heard Bloodrain reply. "Remember when everyone said Durak was Hellscream's brat and not Thrall's?"
"Lot of broken jaws and noses at that one…" Rocmar replied.
"Still you should keep an eye on him, brother." Tannaka spoke." He is up to something. I sense it on my bones."
The Warlord grunted at that." I'll keep that in mind. Right now send word to Karda and Krizzbolt to prepare the shaman. I want this fortress cleansed by morning."

As Sen'jin helped summon Infernals from the sky to beat their demonic brothers and their followers down below, Sen'jin knew that Warlord Bloodrain was not the way to go. He had popularity and strength yes, but the very private nature of a clan would not go well with leading the Horde. Or at least in the position that allowed Sen'jin to be a main advisor.
After the demonic bombardment and the orc and goblin shaman cleansing the fortress with the axe/hammer and the elements, Sen'jin bid his goodbyes and left Desolace. Perhaps another candidate would do?

Chieftain Baine was a slightly better choice. Slightly.
"I knew your father for many years, young Sen'jin. I'm sorry for your loss. He was like a brother to me." The Tauren chieftain said. Sen'jin bowed his head as he kept his eyes on the high chieftain's advisors. Among the normal Tauren he also saw several Taunka and Yaungol. The united Tauren tribes had grown more powerful over the years and even the Yaungol, fire crazed warriors as they were, had plenty of sport now the Legion came. Baine's lifemate Aponi Brightmane was there as well, decked in her Sunwalker attire. Sen'jin always liked Aponi, she was very fierce. Very alive. And she looked like she bathed in sunlight.
"My thanks, Uncle Baine." Sen'jin replied." My father spoke highly of you."
Baine smiled and bid the young troll to sit down. They were in a large tent in Bloodhoof village, the smell of incense the gentle tunes of Taurahe music hung pregnant in the air. A large pipe was passed around as small talk began.
Sen'jin could not help but smile as he remembered the first time he inhaled that pipe's smoke. He had inhaled to much and gulped it all down instead of exhaling, that turned him sick for hours and he thought he saw several hallucinations, one of them being his long lost birthmother. The female troll in his mind tried to call for him but when he tried to reach for her, she always stepped away. Mocking him almost for trying.

The young troll shook his head from the revelries and took a small portion of the smoke from the pipe and exhaled it before he passed it around.
"How are things in Orgrimmar?" Aponi asked curiously.
Sen'jin took some water from one of the servers." We be preparing for war. Uncle Thrall be rallying the council of the Durotar clans and asking the spirits and the elements for their protection and guidance. Warlord Nazgrel is training up a defense force and Warlord Bloodrain be leading attacks on all Legion lands on Kalimdor. Your Sunwalker peers in Orgrimmar have been a great help, Aunt Aponi."
She smiled and nodded at this." We've had a few demons in Mulgore ourselves, we cast them back into the Twisting neither with the Sun, nature and spear. Also the odd fireballs and totem to the face." She chuckled.
Baine sighed sadly." I was young during the Third war, as the orcs call it. I remember the fear of Centaurs first but when the Infernals came and the destruction they caused….I remember that fear very well. My father hoped that our people would never face a threat like that again….a fool's hope but a hope it was."
"What do you plan to do, uncle Baine?" Sen'jin asked.
The older Tauren sat up straight." I will rally my tribes for war and wait."
Sen'jin blinked." Wait?"
"Yes. The demon lords are coming in full, the best thing we can do is gather our forces and pray to all who can aid us. The Ancients, nature, the spirits, the elements. It will take all of Azeroth's strength to fend off the Burning Legion, we cannot fail."
"We will give them a fight they will long remember." Aponi added, a brief flash of light in her eyes.
"And the Horde?" Sen'jin asked." This Horde needs a Warchief. A pro-active Warchief."
Baine smiled." Does it?"

"Don't get him started…" Aponi sighed.
"I am, my dear." He pecked his life mate's cheek." Think about this young Sen'jin. We're doing fine so far without a Warchief. The orc clans have their council, I represent my people and the Taunka and the Yaungol, your mother the Darkspear, Boss Midna for the Goblins and so on. The idea of the Horde was an alliance of outcasts and desperates who needed each other for survival. There shouldn't have been a warchief or anyone with that amount of absolute power." He took some water from one of the servers. Besides…" he paused to drink." Being Warchief means dealing with more politics then I wish to. Don't get me started on our…peers in the Eastern Horde. I have my fill of Forsaken each time they demand more herbs for their experiments in the Pools of vision."

It wasn't unknown that Baine had a severe dislike for the Forsaken, before it was probably because of their very undead nature but after the Grimtotems took over Thunderbluff the Forsaken did nothing to aid Baine to reclaim the city.
Only one undead had earned Baine's respect and that was the Death Knight Tragg Highmountain, who now served as Thunderbluff's liason to the Taunka in the cold Northrend.
"So the rumours of you wanting to be Warchief…?" Sen'jin drank some of his water.
"If I were chosen Warchief I would bring in reforms so the need of a Warchief would no longer be needed. Important choices would be made by vote from the leaders of the Horde people."
Sen'jin let out a inward sigh. Both of frustration and relief. Baine knew Sen'jin all his life and he would easily listen to his own advisors and him. However that meant manipulating the old bull, something Sen'jin didn't like in particular.
He spend some time in Mulgore before he moved to the northern Barrens to meet the last candidate.

"Durak is a lot like Uncle Ga'nar, grandmother said." Geyah said as she walked with Sen'jin next to the Southfury river." He's very…"
"Loud?" Sen'jin smirked to which Geyah chuckled.
She returned the gesture and punched him on the shoulder amicably." Zug zug, has more Warsong blood in him than Frostwolf I heard the rumours say."
"Those be rumours, nothing to worry about." Sen'jin replied.
"Still…" she stopped and picked up a stone off the sandy ground. She tossed it across the river, the stone skipping along the water's edge." My brother is very angry sometimes, I don't know why. He has charisma don't get me wrong but if it wasn't for me…I think he would've led his men into their deaths several times." She tossed another stone." And now with him wanting to be Warchief…"

They left the camp a few moments ago where Durak' small army was cheering at their leader after a series of Hearthstone and wrestling matches. He liked to be challenged intellectually and physically, always had been since he was a child Sen'jin remembered. As the son of Vol'jin looked upon the men of Durak, he saw utter devotion. A young army of battle hardened warriors. All they needed was the right push. Even in Orgrimmar Durak was celebrated, 'the young wolf' he was called in reference to his white wolf mask, his Frostwolf companion, Whitefang, and the Dire spirits his sister summoned every battle to protect him. Before Drek'thar had passed away he once called Durak 'Durotan, born again'. Being called that and being the son of the Lord of the Clans must've build a lot of pressure in Durak's head. Sen'jin understood the pain of that paternal burden.
As such Durak did not sit still the past few weeks. Ever since the night of the green stars, he and his sister traveled all across Kalimdor to eradicate the scouting demons. They had a small force, mostly young adventurers who just finished their valley of trials, but that expanded when more Horde joined…and sellswords. Sen'jin called in a favour from a goblin in Gazlowe's employ and found out a lot of coin was spend by Thrall' children that they in no way would have. Sellswords, boats, zeppelins, adventurer pays and so on. They were building themselves an army, Sen'jin thought, one rivaling Bloodrain's himself.

"He wants to be Warchief?" Sen'jin frowned.
"He wants to follow father and Orgrim Doomhammer's footsteps." She said." All his life wanted to impress father because he wasn't the one born with the ability to speak with the elements. Sometimes when me, father and mother are conversing I sometimes look at him….and he has this look in his eye. Like he feels like he is worth less than me."
Sen'jin shook his head." It not be like dat, Geyah. Your parents love both of you." He picked up a stone and also threw it across the river's surface.
"I know that, Sen. I told Durak this several times but he is just so damn stubborn…" she took up another stone.
"Runs in da family then." Sen'jin chuckled and threw another stone along with Geyah's. The two stones for a split moment race before Sen'jin's rock sank to the bottom of the river as Geyah's danced for three skips more.

"As does winning." Geyah cracked her fingers.
"Was this a competition?" Sen'jin asked." I assumed this was just a friendly match."
"With me, never." She replied. "Having constant challenges are a good thing. As is the need for winning."
"Aha…" Sen'jin frowned and picked up another stone." So the person who can ask the spirit of water to help her who happens to be good at skipping stones is just a coincidence?"
"You calling me a cheater, Sen?" she smirked.
in reply Sen'jin handed her his stone and frowned at her." This is a killing matter now."
She tossed the stone in the air." Three out of five?"
The son of Vol'jin picked up a stone and stood next to Geyah. At the given mark both began throwing their stones.
It was obvious Geyah, even without the water elementals, was beating Sen'jin hard. Three out of five became six out of ten, six out of ten became twelve out of twenty and so forth. The competitive nature fell quickly enough as Geyah held the slightly smaller troll from behind as she taught him how to swing. Her strong arm on his, swinging back and forth, back and forth, her blue eyes staring back at his. It all became so natural.

A few hours earlier Sen'jin met with his master in a dream realm. It was a remnant of a world Drak'thul and his peers had created for their clandestine meetings. When Sen'jin asked if his master had a master, the old orc merely gave a crooked grin and said "As Gul'dan used to say, there is always a bigger fish."
Drak'thul was seated in a tent amongst the big white nothingness that nearly drove Sen'jin mad the first time he saw it. It took him a few tries before the big limbo no longer intimidated him, he was the son of Vol'jin after all. He had a destiny to do, madness would come later.
The young troll went inside the tent and sat across his master." I've found my candidate."
"Durak, I assume?" Drak'thul's fingers went through his beard.
Sen'jin shook his head." No, Geyah."
The old orc warlock rarely looked surprised, he had seen a lot of things in his (unnaturally) long life after all, but that look he gave Sen'jin was one for the ages." Proceed, my young friend."
"Durak has ambitions to be Warchief yes but he wouldn't succeed…unless he has his sister guiding him." Sen'jin explained. He waited for Drak'thul to motion him to continue, which he did." Our talk we had earlier, about Gul'dan being the true uniter of the first Horde…him being a puppeteer and all? It made me think, what if I could be the puppeteer…BEHIND the puppeteer." He went into detail about the lead he found in Ratchet that led up north. And more north. The money trail leading all the way up to Darnasuss.

"Geyah is in the employ of Shandriss Feathermoon?!" Drak'thul coughed.
Sen'jin nodded." That explains why most of Durak's men are from the Mor'shan Rampart and why the kaldorei have not attacked lately despite their lack of respect for the Alliance treaty fifteen years ago. I dont know why yet but give me time and I will."
The young troll remembered during one of the Winter Veil feasts how Lord Khort was arguing with the night elven delegation. Most of the Horde could not understand their arguing but Sen'jin did. Shandriss had little patience for King Anduin and danced to her own tune.
"You've done well, my young friend…how do you plan to use this information?"
"I….dont know." He admitted." I've been friends with Geyah and Durak since childhood. I think I can just sneak my way in. No blackmail needed. The support from Darnassus would be invaluable for our cause."
Drak'thul rubbed his beard again." I do not speak of black mail. Our people don't do sticks very well, you need a carrot."
"Come again, master?"
"I want you to seduce her, my young friend. Use your plan to infiltrate as their advisor sure, but to become the puppeteer of the puppeteer you need to pull her strings in here." He pointed his crooked yellow nail at Sen'jin's heart. " Only then can we truly have the future warchief under our influence."
"I…I don't know if I can, master. She's been my friend for years, I cant-"
"You have to, Sen'jin. If the world let alone the Horde, your father's Horde, wants to survive you will need to turn your heart into a stone. If Geyah has support from Darnassus and other Orcs and trolls who owe their life to Feathermoon and with Durak's natural charisma, we have a powerful weapon that the Horde can use. A banner to rally our people. A banner not even the Alliance will want to touch."

Sen'jin nodded." I….understand. " He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to hurt Geyah's feelings. But he had to. He had to. For the greater good."Anything else I need to know, master?"
"One thing…" Drak'thul sat up straight." My master claims the blood of Hellscream survived and will become the Warchief of the Horde."
Sen'jin frowned." Lord Wrathion told you this?"
Drak'thul slammed his cane on the young troll's head. Despite him not being there for real, it still hurt. "Shhhh, don't mention his name. But yes. "
"How…?" Sen'jin rubbed his head." I thought that Zaela's pup died years ago?"
"Maybe it survived…or maybe it wasn't Zaela's pup who had Hellscream's blood after all but someone else….if we can believe certain rumours."
Sen'jin shook his head." You don't think-"
Drak;thul stopped him." If it is, I hope the rumours are true. For our sake. Because if it is not a Hellscream we can control sits on that throne, the Golden child might fail and we all will all die in the same darkness."

He awoke to the sound of a boat's horn, a distress signal, Geyah next to him sitting up as well. In the distance they saw a ship on fire as it sailed its way to them. Shouts and cries came from the distance.
They shared one look at each other before they dressed.
"One we know?" he asked. She shook her head. The duo made their way towards the shore of the burning ship where Troll fishermen and some of Durak's men were helping with people get ashore from their life boats. Geyah aided with her healing as Sen'jin helped with what little first aid he knew and the odd Healthstone he conjured up out of nothing. Durak arrived a moment later with more men as they helped set up tents. "What happened?" he asked Geyah.
"I don't know, we just arrived." She replied and helped one of the wounded trolls. The troll said in zandali, fear in his eyes.
Durak looked to Sen'jin who immediately translated. "The naga attacked the ship, they…summoned demons on the ship." He looked to Durak as the troll began to rave. "They set everything on fire. They're working for THEM."
The troll began to scream after that but Geyah gently knocked him out with a punch to the face before she began to heal him.

The passengers were orcs or trolls but they bore no markings of any clans or tribes Sen'jin knew.
One orc in particular drew his attention. He held a pickaxe in his hand which shone with a golden light for the other life boats to see. But that was not what drew Sen'jin's attention.
It was that loud cry, loud enough for anyone still on the boat to hear. Like a Hellscream.