Rawr Wolf DNO Older bling in fam's blog: "Wolf's Tails"

 Lord Ironfist looked out over the placid sea and even though his massive orcish frame showed no signs of weakness; there was still the aura of one who was soon to die about him.

 The sunset was beautiful, the colors of the sky blending into a fiery tapestry, interwoven into slowly shifting patterns on the calm ocean hundreds of feet below. A shell covered beach, where one may find moonstone or jade if they were to shift carefully through the sands; ran up a gentle slope to end suddenly in high, grass topped, granite cliffs, where Ironfist and his mate stood reflecting.

 Lady Panther shivered and moved even closer to her chosen. Since she was a very lovely dark elf, who carried many of the same bloodthirsty traits as her very fond lover, Ironfist did not object too strongly. Instead he wrapped one arm around her slender waist and kissed his lady just above her silver brows.

 "Why do you shiver my lady of blood?" inquired Ironfist, "What troubles you so? Tell me and I shall remove it from existence m'love."

 Lady Panther smiled deeply, one that sent rare light into her amethyst eyes, for she knew that Ironfist meant just that. Indeed the reports were just trickling in that his attack on the upstart Mages of Destiny while did not raze the city; managed to cause complete devastation to the country side and populous.

 She poked her chosen in the ribs and laughed, "I was thinking about that fool mage's attack on me. Thank you m'lord for returning the favor. Can you believe the nerve of that upstart wizard after all we did for him?"

 Ironfist grinned through well honed, ivory white, tusks and replied, "Nay, indeed I cannot m'love. After all the trouble we went through exterminating his rightful king and setting him on the throne, he waits until now to make a petty spell attack on you. My only sorrow love, is the fact that my slaves were not able to punch through his defenses."

 Given a little time that matter would be moot, thought Ironfist, but sadly time is something we do not have.

 Ironfist though kept his reflections to himself for they both knew that the doom was coming and there was no need to torture his love with a fact that neither could change. Though it did him no good for Lady Panther knew him well and sensed the direction of his thoughts.

 "Why my killer," she asked, "does this need to happen? I fear not death, as nor do you. We have both looked death in the eye several times and just laughed as we snatched victory from its jaws. But this is far worse. To be as if we never existed at all, after what we have been through, is such an ignoble ending. One you my handsome orc do not deserve and I can barely face thinking of."

 Ironfist sighed through his tusks and his bloodshot eyes gleamed with a rare sorrow at the pain his heart's desire felt.

 "My Lady of Blood," he whispered, "you know the Gods have decreed our world of Anopia to be flawed and needing to be changed into their version of perfection. It matters not in their eyes, how we the mortal inhabitants of this world feel, for we are less than nothing to them. Playthings we are, to be created and destroyed at a whim. That is the way of gods. Who are we, mere insects compared to them, to protest?"

 Lady Panther shook her head, not one to go quietly into oblivion.

 "But this world is nearly a utopia, why would there be a need?" she snarled, "I want to live damned it and die in glorious battle! Not be as if I never existed in the first place."

 "I as well m'love," Ironfist said, "you know this, but we have no choice in the matter. Our world ends in a matter of minutes and there is not a thing anyone can do."

 Lady Panther sighed and looked at the setting sun, which was now turning as red as fresh blood.

 "I know my orcish love, but is still not fair."

 "What is fair m'lady?" he returned, "A term made up by the weak to protest the actions of the strong. Nothing in life is fair for everyone, not even death."

 Her silent contemplation of the setting scarlet sun was more than enough of an answer for Ironfist. Sad thing was he agreed, to die on the battlefield was one thing. But to be wiped out of existence on a whim was just not an honorable way to end his long bloody life.

 She then moved closer and laid her head on his broad shoulder and looked up into his eyes bravely.

 "I will face my fate with courage m'lord, as long as you are by my side. Do you think that after the changes we will ever find each other again? For I can bare dying, but to never again hold you near, is a thought I cannot stand. Do you think once the changes are wrought we will find each other again?"

 "I cannot say for sure my terror," Ironfist said as he smiled into her violet eyes, "but I feel in my heart that we will find each other again. There is some justice in this universe, not much, but a little."

 "That I think is the hardest thought of all darling." Lady Panther stated, "That all our fine friends and worthy enemies will be as if they never were."

 Ironfist shook his green scaly head in negation as he tried to ignore a suddenly too chilled breeze to have sprung up on such a warm evening. His nostrils flared at the scent of the wind, not because of any smell it carried. In fact, it was the complete lack of anything in the scent that caused the hair on the back of his neck to rise, like the ruff of a wolf. As if there was nothing for the wind to carry to him from where it originated.

 He turned to his chosen and pulled her close, as if trying to make them one person before the end.

 "Kiss me my Lady Panther," he said, "for the doom is upon us and our time has gone. Our glory and that of everyone else will live on in spirit, for not even the Gods can take away all we have accomplished."

 And as the sun slid the rest of the way into the still sea like a swollen drop of blood; they embraced and kissed as if there was nothing more important than to hold each other. Then a darkness crept over the land, blacker than the tar used to pour on the heads of invaders as they stormed a castle's walls. So completely did it engulf the world, not even the myriad of stars could shine through as a once fine world came to an end.

 George Silverton, turned in his office chair to look at his boss and patted the humming machinery next to him.

 "Well, Pete," he said with a smile, "it is done. Everything has been reset and the changes for the next round are ready to be coded into the server's programming."

 Peter Kotel nodded and clapped his employee on the shoulder. "Good job, no need to hurry it. The next round does not start for another week and we might as well take a small rest. After all the hard work you have done you deserve it."

 "Thanks boss," George replied, "now that it is over I almost feel sad. Do you know what I mean?"

 "Yeah," Peter agreed, "I do know what you mean, but no worries my friend. It is not like we are losing something real. After all it is just a game...".