A Day In Feralas


 * It was a good day to wander aimlessly around Feralas to relax fears and uncover adventure. Cham was more interested in finding the beauties of the land rather than what treasures it held because, in truth, that is what made Feralas so appealing to him. To the young man, Feralas’s treasures were its large landscapes, rugged hillsides, thick forestry, and uncovered ruins of great history.


 * Despite its dangers, Feralas was a great land of natural beauty. Everywhere a person went there were great, large trees which one could climb or rest under if the day became weary. The whole area was an endless surface of thick, green grass with the occasional rough hillside, and in combination with the great mountaintops unlocked a different way of viewing the whole area. Cham knew he wanted to climb up one of these great mountaintops and see Feralas for its true beauty, but a thought sparked in his mind which stopped him in his tracks.


 * He is a Death Knight. Ever since his release from the Lich King, he has been ostracized by most of the populace regardless of race. Despite the few friends that still treat him with trust, the young man cannot wander about in civilization without someone spitting on him or cowering in fear. After a month, he decided he could use some peace and quiet, rather than try to integrate into a civilization that obviously does not want his attention or presence.


 * So, instead of heading to Feathermoon, he stopped near the borders of northern Feralas to find a spot to hide his equipment. Rather than lug his heavily plated armor around, he wanted to wander in comfort. Donning his decorative red leathers, he stashed his fighting equipment near a small ditch beside a hillside and walked off to find adventure.


 * As always, there was an exception to his equipment. His green, vine-covered rune blade was always a companion in his travels, and always went where ever he went. The reason for this is because that rune blade is his wife’s soul, imbued into a weapon which freed Cham from his service to the Lich King. However, compared to other rune blades, Reichel could speak aloud rather than directly into the mind, which made her more than just a weapon.


 * The two always adventured together even before Reichel became a rune blade. She was always a compassionate and dedicated companion that never did nor thought of any wrong. Despite Cham’s playful tricks toward her, the two were inseparable. Becoming a rune blade may have been the next best thing for the two, if only it did not hinder their plans for the future. Regardless, the two were happy enough, compared to the time Cham was a mindless Death Knight.


 * Though the two were connected, Reichel did not have a mystical or telepathic link with Cham like a mystical weapon should. Curious as to why they were in Feralas, she spoke. On the surface, her ghostly voice could scare children, but she spoke in such a manner that could soothe the furious of souls.


 * “Because,” the young man replied.


 * She asked again, in a way a child was when pent up with curiosity. “Tell me!”


 * “Blargh.”


 * “What does that mean?”


 * Cham shrugged, trudging on the paved, cobblestoned road, his frosted and glowing blue eyes void of any thought. He replied with a mediocre response. “Anything. Hehe.”


 * Reichel let out a huff, then whined for a second. “Meanie.”


 * Cham grinned at her misfortune. Perhaps to spite her more, he decided to close his eyes and let his feet do all the wandering. Right after he began to walk straight off the woven path and right into the pathless lands. Reichel called out to the young Death Knight but to no avail, and before she knew it, Cham stopped in the middle of somewhere, and both were now lost and without any path to follow.


 * “Cham!” She cried out again, irritated.

“Yah?” He responded plainly. He leaned back and twisted his head to look at her, who was glowing a bright green. A grin was plastered on the young man’s face, looking sly and mockingly evil.


 * As she grunted she wobbled. The metal clanked with the metallic buttons sewn on Cham’s red leather. She began to whine again, scolding Cham’s harsh pretenses and giving him a lecture about being nice and all that. Of course, the man didn’t listen to her, because all of this would be worth it when he finally showed her a sight to behold among the lands they were on.


 * Then, his hearing came back to reality, and the last word he heard was “Meanie!”


 * Cham frowned, but the other features on his face did not stir. A simple frown was all that changed, nothing more.


 * Then he stuck his tongue out at her with a grin. “Nyah.”


 * Reichel grumbled again. “You didn’t hear anything I said did you?” With a sharp movement, she swung at Cham and poked him in the bottom. Cham let out a sharp note and lunged forward without any reason, since the blade already poked him.


 * “Gah! Hey!”


 * “That’s what you get! Meanie!”

Cham rubbed his bottom gingerly, but still continued the march toward where he was going, where ever that was. He seemed confident about his location, and walked with a calm swagger through the grass. After some time walking, being scolded, and thinking he finally stopped in front of an extremely large tree with a very thick trunk. He looked up at it, and a smile slowly, very slowly, began to creep up on his face.
 * “Here we are,” he stated, matter-of-factly.


 * By some method of sight, Reichel gazed over the large tree. “Huh?”


 * Cham clenched his teeth with excitement, the smile still on his face. “We… are… hee-ah!”


 * Without any warning, the young man began to ascend the large tree. With every touch, ice formed, and acted as supports to help the man climb up over the trunk, into the thick of the tree, and finally settle him onto a very large branch at the very top. Slowly, he began making his way over the branch, caution in every step, brushing smaller branches away from his face. Then, when the branch began to thin, the young man stopped, and coincidentally in front of a large pile of smaller branches and leaves that blocked the way.


 * “Wanna see something great?” Cham asked with excitement. He tried to conceal his smile but failed miserably with every attempt. He even started snickering sometimes, and Reichel caught on to his ruse.


 * “Alright,” she said, plainly, going along with the man’s game. Cham looked back to the natural barrier of branches and vines and began laughing. He dipped his hand in between the leaves, then with a flourish, spread the barrier apart, allowing sunlight to shower into the shadowy cage.


 * Carefully, Cham began to walk over the branch, gazing down from time to time at the hundred or more foot drop below. The sun was setting in the distant, which glorified the horizon in a fascinating mix of orange, red, and yellow. Birds flew within the horizon, cawing or swooping about with their brethren. The natural, distinct sounds of the wilds enveloped the two on the tree, mesmerized with the untamed lands.


 * The wilds, the horizon, almost everything was glorified in its own special way. With the horizon was the sunlight, casting a colorful array of orange, red and yellow; with the wilds there were the birds, the animals, the sounds of chirping and cricketing, the sight of the natural little streams, the gigantic treetops with their vines swishing ever so plainly. Cham couldn’t help but to smile at the scenery, overjoyed at its beauty.


 * “Cham,” Reichel said, finally breaking the silence. “I can’t see.”


 * Surprised, the man looked to his back, brows arched. “Oh,” he said, then unsheathed Reichel from the scabbard and held her up in front of himself. She awed at the sight – somehow – now hypnotized by the exuberant, but calm view of Feralas from the high treetop. Up above, the stars began to form, glistening down to the mortal world, sparkling in their own wondrous way and ominous mystery. The two stood frozen by the world above, below, and around them, neither making a sound other than Reichel’s frosty simmering from the blade.


 * Some time passed before anyone said anything. Reichel finally felt the need to comment.


 * “It’s beautiful.”


 * Cham nodded. “I know, right?” A playful grin appeared on his face, then carefully, he set Riechel down, into the bark of the tree so she would stay upright.


 * “You’re so mean,” she said, scolding playfully. Cham gave her an odd look, brows furrowed.


 * “What’s that mean?” he said, gesturing over the scene before him. A smile broke over his face as he spoke and he moved down to sit, legs crossed.


 * “It’s so beautiful,” Reichel reiterated. “It’s so beautiful, and you never even bothered to tell me about it!”


 * Cham wrinkled his nose, then decided to unfasten Reichel from her upright position and lay her flatly onto the tree. Cham began to laugh as she yelled out.


 * “Hey! Put me back up!” Rebellious, Cham refused, shaking his head with his smile plastered onto his face.


 * Then, Cham grunted as ghostly fog began to transfer from him to Reichel. An image of a woman quickly began to form over the blade, standing upright with hands on hips, brows furrowed and looking to Cham.


 * It swiped at Cham, and he grunted again from the hit. The ghostly image quickly moved to a sit, then snuggled beside the death knight.


 * “Meanie,” the ghostly figure said, sounding exactly like Reichel, who in fact it was. Cham let out another chuckle as Reichel cocked her head to rest on Cham’s shoulder. The two cuddled beside one another, watching the sun disappear and bringing the night to the world.


 * “Thank you, Cham.” The young man nodded and petted the ghostly being’s head.


 * “Thank you too,” he returned. For the moment, the two sat on top of the tree, gazing over the night, the stars, and seeing dots below that signified animals taking their places in their dens. For the moment, the two sat in unadulterated and natural bliss, taking the moment in earnest to remember the other’s grateful deeds. Love was in the air, despite how unnatural it was, and the moment was theirs to share.