A/N- This is a story I had posted before, years ago, but had long since deleted because I just wasn't happy with it. I have no idea if anyone will even be interested in reading this, however I am mainly doing this as a creative exercise. I left all of my stories unfinished before and I now wish to fix that haha. I have recently worked a massive revision on this one and I have taken it in a different direction. This story is set sometime in the middle of WotLK because that is what was going on in the game when I originally wrote the story. I have no idea what is happening in WOW right now except that Vol'jin is now the Warchief. Huzzah. Also, I am well aware that belfs and trolls aren't supposed to get together in lore, but I like to think exceptions can happen. This is a romance, but there won't be anything explicit or sexual.

Disclaimer: I don't own WOW or trolls or elves or sadly any Blackrock Lager. Blizzard owns it all.

Chapter One

Orgrimmar, Brewfest

Zahri exhaled a sigh of relief when the zeppelin from Warsong Hold lurched to a halt. The goblins were ingenious with their inventions and she was grateful to be able to travel between the continents aboard the great floating ships, but she didn't think her feet could step onto solid land soon enough.

Two days of travel in a dank little cabin had made the Sin'dorei rogue antsy and fidgety. She blew out a tired sigh, knowing Ajia had fared no better. She'd spent the last hour or so in the belly of the ship in the livestock hold whispering soothing words to her beloved raptor companion. The enormous green reptile danced around nervously, wide-eyed and huffing impatiently. The blood elf held her bridle and stroked the raptor's muscular neck, crooning softly.

"It's ok, pretty girl, we are about to get out of here and then I promise you can run and hunt to your heart's content. How does that sound?" The raptor squawked and tossed her head, her mistress's attempt at placating doing nothing to calm her.

She huffed in annoyance thinking of Kredis' teasing her and ribbing her about her beautiful Darkspear raptor…and while she'd been trying to leave of all things! It was like he was trying to stall her or something.

"Honestly, Zahri…you spend half your time trying to calm this beast down. What's the appeal?"

She shot him a look of clear vexation over her shoulder as she stuffed the last of hers and Ajia's gear into her saddlebags as she was preparing for departure to Orgrimmar. The stables at Warsong Hold were a flurry of activity as many of its longer term occupants prepared for their fall leave, and yet Kredis had managed to find her before she could sneak off. She sighed and turned to fully face him. She didn't have the desire or the time to deflect his awkward attempts at seduction. It was probably high time she leveled with him and told him that while she cared deeply for him like a brother or friend, there was absolutely no way they would ever be romantically involved.

Great Sun, she didn't have the energy for this right now. And he looked so lovesick too. She felt a shaft of guilt.

"Kredis, don't you have anything better to do other than bug me about Ajia while I'm trying to get out of here? I'm going to miss the zeppelin!"

The handsome blond paladin stepped closer to her and crossed his arms, an impish grin on his face. He ignored her agitation. "I've always wondered about why you insisted on taking all that time off just to earn that brutish animal. Could it be you have a thing for trolls?" he teased her relentlessly.

Zahri groaned, her face coloring because he was closer to the mark than he realized. "Please don't start. I take enough grief from them without adding your torment to the mix. Leave me alone about Ajia."

She pushed past him, leading her fidgeting mount out of the stables. As expected, Kredis fell into step beside her.

"C'mon, Zahri…couldn't you wait a day or so to head out? I have some paperwork and loose ends to tie up here before I can pack it in and I would love to accompany you." he stepped closer to her and looked her up and down suggestively. "We could share a cabin and save gold on the fare. What do you say?" he appealed to her practical side and pouted petulantly in a way that she imagined he thought was cute and endearing. She rolled her eyes, but didn't have the heart to shoot him down outright. She felt another stab of guilt.

"You know where to find me in Orgrimmar, Kredis. Meet me then and we will have dinner or something, I don't know. I am itching to get the hell out of here and start my leave. I am not waiting one second longer."

His face fell but he nodded. "Fine, but I'll hold you to it. Safe travels, Zahri. See you in a few days." She allowed him to lightly kiss her on the cheek. She watched him walk back toward the men's barracks with a dejected slump to his broad shoulders. She blew a sigh of exasperation through her bangs as she trudged off toward the lifts that would take her to the zeppelin, leading an excitable raptor in her wake.

Zahri sighed guiltily remembering that last exchange with her old friend, but she quickly pushed the heavy feeling aside. She had a full week of rest and relaxation ahead of her before heading back to Warsong Hold to get fresh orders for a new tour of duty. Her time in the Horde army had been grueling, and at times she had wanted to quit just out of sheer exhaustion. But she had stuck with it and grown stronger, learning the finer aspects of being a combat rogue. With determination and hard work, she'd been promoted to corporal and had been assigned to a new region that was yet to be determined. She would be a team leader over a new batch of soldiers still green from training camp.

But until then, she intended to enjoy her time off, looking forward to seeing and spending time with her friends, yes, even Kredis. She closed her eyes briefly, thinking she really needed to set things straight with him. Perhaps she'd been a bit too ambiguous with him and inadvertently strung him along. It wouldn't be pleasant but it was long overdue. After all, she cared deeply for him…just not in that way.

Her ears pricked when she heard the voice of the goblin first mate of the zeppelin bellowing from the top of the stairs.

"All clear to disembark! Welcome to Orgrimmar!"

Zahri fought the urge to shove past the other passengers and animals that filed slowly out of the livestock hold and shuffled patiently along. She wanted off this thing NOW. As she waited she looked down and smoothed her hand over her flat stomach, admiring the new black leather armor that had been a gift to herself upon her promotion. She had felt a bit self-conscious when she had first tried it on, the supple leather hugging her curves, fitting her like a second skin. But she had found the lightweight leathers comfortable and functional for her profession and decided they suited her perfectly. Her new weapon belt kept her dagger and mace comfortably in place at her sides. She wouldn't need them for her stay in Orgrimmar, so she would change as soon as she got settled.

Her eyes lingered on the insignia that was freshly stitched on the arm of her new leathers that signified her a new corporal and felt a surge of pride. She'd worked hard and had been rewarded for her diligence.

Her first order of business was to make Ajia as calm and happy as possible. While a steadfast and and able companion, the raptor was prone to skittishness in big crowds and the two day confinement in the livestock hold of the zeppelin only added to the reptile's nervous energy.

Zahri and Ajia at long last finally were free of the stifling atmosphere of the zeppelin tower and found themselves in the arid Durotar heat. The sky was deep blue and the brightness of the late afternoon sun was almost unbearable, but that didn't put a damper on the spirit of revelry that permeated the crowd. The towering city walls rose to her left, imposing and impressive. She had been to Orgimmar a few times in the past but never during an event like Brewfest. Colorful tents dotted the landscape. Wide-eyed, the rogue surveyed the the booths with hawkers cajoling you to try yer luck at tests of skill at various degrees of inebriation, as evidenced by the many festival-goers stumbling about hunting and pouncing on...nothing. Zahri giggled at the ridiculousness of it. But it sure did look like fun.

There were vendors selling breads and cheeses from all over Azeroth, and of course beer vendors. Zahri's nose was filled with the aroma of hops. She gripped Ajia's lead and murmured to the raptor, knowing she was becoming more and more nervous. The festival-goers crowded the main thoroughfare, and she paused before the city gates, wondering if she should just head into the city and stable her mount or if she should brave the throng with an overly excitable raptor. Glancing at her fidgeting mount, she decided to take her chances in the crowd because it was the only way to get to the long stretch of road connecting Orgrimmar and Razor Hill; and there her companion could work off some of her nervous aggression and hunt. She began making her way south down the main road. Zahri mumbled an embarrassed apology when the raptor snapped at a vendor who was shoving samples of the delicacies he was hawking right in her face. She blew an exasperated sigh through her bangs while stroking her mount's chuffing snout. It would not do to have the raptor dismember anyone.

Ajia paid no mind to her struggling mistress and continued to toss her great head, heedless of Zahri's desperate hold on her lead. The diminutive elf was reminded briefly of why it would have been better to choose a gentle Hawkstrider for her ground transportation as she struggled to keep the huge Darkspear raptor under control. She squashed that thought with a smile and forged ahead, just thinking of what it felt like in Ajia's saddle, the feel of her powerful muscles shifting beneath her, running like the wind.

But before she got too far she heard a loud drawn-out whistle...the kind made by leering men intent on harassing women just trying to get from point A to point B. For reasons she was too tired to examine at that moment, she turned to see who it was. A large muscular troll was loitering beside a huge beer keg with a massive tauren and a burly orc, all of them seemed to be working hard at reaching maximum inebriation. The troll openly leered in her direction, his deep set eyes bright and hungry. His elbow was braced casually on the swaying orc's shoulder for support, his eyes fixed on her...at least she thought he was looking at her.

Zahri's stomach did a back flip. Well, this was definitely interesting. She'd never been the object of a troll's flirtation before. She found herself momentarily unable to react. She looked off to the side slightly and then back at him. Yeeeep. His nod confirmed he was indeed referring to her.

This had never happened to her before. She'd been flirted with by elves before plenty of times. But never by a troll…and he was basically staring at her like she were a steak and he hadn't eaten in a week.

Not knowing quite what else to do, she simply continued on her way, with one hand on Ajia's neck and the other holding her reins. She pulled the prancing Ajia on, looking straight ahead. She swallowed hard, her mouth a bit dry.

What else could she have done? She groaned at feeling even remotely flattered by a catcall on the street. Although she could not deny a feeling of exhilaration that he would regard her as attractive, even though he'd only whistled at her.

As for the troll in question, he was content to wile away the afternoon with his buddies sampling as many brews as they could get their hands on, which at the moment happened to be a generous-sized keg of Blackrock Lager. They didn't have anything else to do, all of them pleased to be unencumbered by any pressing responsibility for the rest of the week. Their leave started today and they could think of no better way to start it off than by consuming as much beer as possible. The troll, orc, and tauren had arrived in Orgrimmar a few hours ago and had been lazily soaking up the festival atmosphere when the troll straightened, the back of his hand flying out to smack the orc in the chest, commanding his attention.

"Look at dat...," he breathed in awe at the sight of the beautiful blood elf leading a magnificent Darkspear raptor. He let out a loud appreciative whistle for her benefit.

She froze and turned and looked at him, a look of shock on her face. He grinned and nodded at her. She made to continue on her way, a look of utter confusion on her face.

"Dat's a beautiful raptah ya got dere, elf." He continued to openly leer at her, suggesting that it wasn't the raptor at all he was admiring. His comrades guffawed and continued to toss back their beer steins. Her stomach did another flip when he waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Zahri blinked owlishly at him, her agitated mount momentarily forgotten. That really was a troll that had just openly flirted with her. This was a scenario she'd always secretly fantasized about happening ever since she'd spent all that time around trolls earning her raptor. It was a 'thing' she'd barely even admitted to herself, much less anyone else. She was yanked from her thoughts and swore under her breath as Ajia stamped from foot to foot, constantly tossing her head and screeching. She struggled mightily, tugging with both hands on the leather lead that was attached to the beast's bridle. The big reptile jostled passersby and even knocked over a little orc boy, who scampered quickly out of the way of dancing claw tipped feet. She called out an apology to the boys mother who shot her a glare as she dusted the little boy off.

Zahri wanted to be free of the confining atmosphere of the crowd so Ajia could calm down and stretch her legs and run. Zahri understood; she also longed to be in the saddle so she could feel the wind on her face. A scowl crossed her features as she shot a defiant last look over her shoulder at the big troll. He was probably only going to tease her about being quote 'a silly elf girl that should just stick to riding a fluffy chicken' unquote. She'd heard it all before. She was so fed up with trolls giving her a hard time about her choice of mount.

Roj'kah grinned when the elf tossed that haughty look over her shoulder at him. Damn, she was a beautiful female. He couldn't help being impressed seeing a tiny little thing like her command such a majestic animal, one which rivaled his own raptor in strength and agility by the looks of her. And he also couldn't help himself from admiring the alluring way the elf's backside swayed, even if she was hustling away from him. The saying, "Hate to see you go, but I sure like to watch you leave." took on a whole new meaning for the awestruck troll.

Roj'kah leaned his elbow heavily on his friend's shoulder again and tilted his head all the way to the side, as if it would give him a clearer view of the retreating elf's posterior. He uttered a low whistle through his teeth. A sight like that in skin-tight leather was proof that the gods existed.

"Ya evah in yo life seen tail as fine as dat, mon?" he asked his orc companion dreamily, a dopey expression on his face.

Brunil snorted and laughed at the troll, slapping him hard but affectionately in the chest. "I prefer my women a bit meatier...but yeah, as elves go, that one certainly has a nice…hic!….one."

"Roj, you always have had a thing for the elf women...don't understand it," Jannos chuckled. The druid shook his head, scratching his side as he quaffed his mug.

"Oi, mon! I dun have a 'ting fo' da elf women. I jus' be likin' da looks of dat one at dis point in time..." he trailed off, his expression glazing over as he watched the lovely, leather-clad elf struggle with her mount. He shook his head and ran his hand over his face, blinking a couple of times as if he were seeing a vision. Her hair was black and glossy like a raven's wing and it tumbled wild over her graceful shoulders in gentle waves with long delicate ears peeking out. Her oval face was complimented by lush pink lips and large almond shaped eyes that glowed emerald. Her skin was like smooth ivory. She had the athletic build of a warrior but still retained soft feminine curves in all the right places. The impressive weapons hanging casually from a thick utility belt riding low on her hips and the wicked daggers strapped to muscular thighs suggested she was no pushover. But what grabbed him was her mount. It was a Darkspear raptor, likely raised as a hatchling by a raptor master of his own people.

He couldn't remember ever seeing an elf with a raptor. But seeing this elf with such a magnificent animal and wearing skin-tight black leather was like one of his fantasies come to life. He winced a little when the big raptor lifted the elf completely off of her feet by the reins. That raptor was a handful! But what a gorgeous pair the two of them made...

The orc's hand passed in front of the troll's face a few times disrupting his pleasant train of thought. His head jerked and he glared at Brunil. Both of his comrades were laughing at him.

"Man, you're drooling," the tauren guffawed, holding his stein under the tap for a top up.

"Yeah, so what if I am? She be a fine lookin' woman who look like she be needin' da assistance of a mon wit experience," he grinned wolfishly, "wit raptors." The orc and tauren snorted, though they envied their friend's easy confidence. The girl would likely fall for whatever line he tossed her way. Damn trolls.

The warrior popped his knuckles with a flourish and looked with mock sagacity at his friends. "Watch and learn, gentlemen."

His comrades slapped him on the back, whistling encouragement and calling out lewd advice but fully hoping he would crash and burn, as he sauntered over to where he saw the beautiful elf on the edge of the festival grounds.

Roj'kah watched her for a moment, noticing up close how agitated and nervous she really was. He knew that her mental state was transmitting to the raptor, who was picking up on every emotion her mistress was sending out. Roj'kah knew raptors well enough to know that if the elf didn't calm down, she would have a dangerous situation on her hands. It wasn't much different from the way humans behaved with their horses, a tidbit he had picked up in skirmishes with the Alliance. A skittish horse almost always served a nervous or distracted human, and thus made easy prey. Roj'kah grinned around his tusks…maybe this elf could hold her own out in the field, but here she was totally out of her element and it showed. He rolled his shoulders. Time to be of 'assistance' to a damsel in distress.

Figuring the raptor was the perfect excuse to introduce himself and show how knowledgeable and helpful he could be, he whispered soothingly in Zandali to the huffing and chuffing raptor as he approached. The elf had her back to him, trying unsuccessfully to quiet the beast, thus not noticing when the troll stood right behind her.

Zahri's nerves were so frazzled, focusing so intently on the head tossing raptor, that she didn't know someone stood directly behind her until she saw a massive three fingered hand reach around her to stroke the tense animal's neck. The elf froze, the rumbling lilt of a deep gravelly voice speaking the rhythmic tones of an exotic language causing her to still. The sound washed over her.

She blinked, realizing that Ajia's nervous dancing had quieted to a calm sway. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder, hardly surprised to see the arrogant smirk of the warrior who had just whistled at her moments ago. He looked down at her with a lopsided grin, waggled his eyebrows minutely, and then glanced back at Ajia, resuming his deep dulcet croon that seemed to hypnotize the beast. The raptor immediately responded to the troll's voice and touch, calming so drastically that Zahri momentarily forgot her discomfort. How the bloody hell did he do that?

She took in the big male's appearance. The first thing she noticed was how incredibly tall he was. He was, in a word, huge. Even with the utterly miserable posture that seemed to be a racial trait, he still towered over her. His skin was a pale bluish-purple and his hair was a deep mossy green riot that fell over his shoulders and down his back in thick ropey dreadlocks. She was surprised to find his appearance pleasing in a rugged, albeit boyish sort of way, his upward curved tusks, big nose and severe features only adding to his appeal. She found herself staring in fascination at the coarse hair that grew along his strong jaw.

Zahri blinked in annoyance at where her mind had led her. Her head swam when the troll's earthy scent washed over her and she noticed immediately his heat…he seemed to physically radiate almost like a furnace. He had an aura that commanded attention without even trying. She felt his breath on the top of her head as he continued to speak soothingly in his hypnotic voice.

Then she remembered that this…whistling pervert…had sidled up behind her, probably intending to make fun of her for trying without success to tame such a beast as a raptor.

She spun around to face him, the movement causing Ajia to toss her head, startled from the troll's soothing rumble. Zahri peered up into his face, wrong-footed that he remained where he was standing, maintaining his unhurried strokes on the raptor's neck. Because of this, she was sandwiched between the animal and this rather cheeky troll.

Great sun, why was he staring like that?

"What is it exactly are you trying to pull?" she hissed.

"I not be tryin' to pull nothin', mon, jus' offerin' my skill with raptah whisperin' to a lady in need." He grinned roguishly down at her, not giving her an inch of space.

Nonplussed, Zahri huffed, not trusting his motives for a second, but also not denying the miraculous effect he had on Ajia. The big reptile pushed her nose into his large three fingered hand, chirping softly. Crossing her arms, she pinned him with a hard stare. Hating to do it, but curious as hell, she asked coldly, trying to disguise the effect he was having on her. "How did you get her to calm down like that?"

His eyes sparkled with mirth, and she noted that they were the most unusual shade of amber. "Ya really want me to tell ya? I could tell ya, but ya not gonna like what I have ta say."

Heavens, his voice was so deep, she could feel it as much as hear it.

She glared daggers at him, positive he was doing it purpose, and on the verge of mocking her.

She snorted in irritation, her face flushing. "I'm not interested in playing games, troll, and you have no way of knowing what I do or do not like. So don't assume anything about me. You came over here for some purpose, I assume." she drawled. She was tired, hungry, and out of her element in this environment. Not to mention there was a big, bothersome and irritatingly attractive troll that would not leave her alone for some reason...although she had a pretty good idea the taunting about elf girls owning big strong raptors was coming. She glared at him.

Roj'kah knew that stance. She was in defensive mode, ready to claw his eyes out if he so much as looked at her sideways. He felt a slight pang of sympathy for her, wondering if perhaps Orgrimmar during Brewfest was a new and strange experience for her. His observant eyes took in the Horde insignia on her arm designating her as a corporal within the ranks of soldiers that served in Northrend. She probably didn't 'do' big city life, likely being used to being out in the field. He sighed and chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck in an uncharacteristic nervous gesture. Snooty elf or not, she was a soldier and probably as tired and in need of a break as he was.

"Yeah mon, I noticed ya raptor be givin' ya a bit of a handful, an' I didn't want nothin' bad to happen in dis crowd." He spread his hands in a gesture of innocent goodwill. "So here I am."

She eyed him dubiously, trying mightily to ignore his flirtatious demeanor. "What do you mean, 'bad'?"

He quirked his lips indulgently and her eyes riveted to his mouth. By the Sun, those tusks were wicked looking. He dipped his head in a gesture that seemed to read the direction of her attentions, stroking the curve of one of the threatening looking appendages as if thinking hard about her question. Her eyes widened. His eyes hooded as he answered her suspicious inquiry.

"Well, I grew up around raptors. Dey be very sensitive to da mood of dere mastahs...everyting you be feelin', she be feelin'." His deep voice crooned and reverted back to his hypnotic native tongue for the benefit of the fidgeting beast, all the while gazing at the elf. His eyes slid back to the raptor and he spoke in Orcish again.

"Dis girl be tense." the troll supplied helpfully. He could have quite truthfully been referring to Zahri or the raptor.

Zahri was lulled by his words that made perfect sense. Ajia was feeding off of her emotions? It was a concept she had never thought of, and certainly this information had never been supplied by the raptor master who had reluctantly relinquished Ajia to her, she thought sourly. She turned to Ajia, looking into one golden reptilian eye that shifted curiously back and forth. She sucked in a breath when she felt him shifting behind her, his deep baritone soft and rumbling, purling through the air around her. "Jus' talk to her soft, let her always be hearin' ya voice..." She exhaled when she felt his warm breath on her ear, and she saw the gleaming curve of his tusks out of the corner of her eye.

"Relax ya body when ya handle her, find ya center...if ya have to take two minutes to relax, den do it. Dun be in such a hurreh, ya elves always be in such a hurreh…" he crooned, his focus on the raptor. Zahri shivered, feeling the vibrations of his voice in her belly. Mercy, what was wrong with her? She closed her eyes briefly, trying valiantly to pull herself together. One shouldn't be able to feel another person's voice.

Zahri swayed slightly, unable to admit to herself that this troll was practically making her swoon just by talking. Of course that wasn't it! It was probably a number of factors: the heat, lack of food, the excitement of a new environment. Yes, that had to be it. She blinked rapidly a few times and turned around briskly to face him, deciding that she needed to get Ajia taken care of because the sensory overload was wearing her out, never mind the fact that the one responsible was a troll. Not that it mattered…but heavens! This was ridiculous. She cleared her throat loudly and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Thank you very much for your help and advice with Ajia. I really must be on my way so she can hunt."

Roj grinned down at the comely elf, amused at her attempt to hide her reaction to him. Oh, yes, he would be seeing her again. "Da name's Roj'kah. Glad to meet ya."

She hesitated, miffed that his eyes were clearly laughing at her even if the rest of his expression wasn't. She reluctantly allowed him to take her smaller hand in a bruising handshake. She bit out, "Zahri…a pleasure."

She was distracted again by his unusual colored eyes. He stood there in the shade of a giant rock, smiling slightly around his tusks, his shining amber eyes half-lidded, leaning against it with the effortless grace only trolls possessed. Taking in his mischievous demeanor, she quirked her lips. Then a thought occurred to her, and she pulled her hand away, crossing her arms. His singular focus upon her made her forget her fatigue.

"Hmmm, interesting. You say that my raptor feels what I am feeling. And she has been nothing but agitated ever since we got to Orgrimmar...wonder why I'm so agitated?" She cocked her head and looked at him pointedly, as if to imply the whole thing was his fault. His answering grin displayed sharp gleaming teeth.

"How am I supposed to know dat? I jus' met ya. I don' know why ya be havin' a hard time handlin' ya raptor." he replied innocently, in a tone that suggested he knew full well why.

She narrowed her eyes at him, getting the feeling that his helpful mood had passed and he was now intent only on aggravating her. She had worked hard and long to be granted the privilege of owning a Darkspear raptor, and had already had quite enough of well-meaning but condescending bits of advice tossed liberally at her by trolls and especially raptor handlers. When she had come to them two years ago to purchase her mount she had gotten an earful from them, learning firsthand how opinionated trolls could be when it came to their beloved raptors. Not to mention how reluctant they were to let one of the sleek beasts go to an elf, no matter how many times over she had proven herself to them.

Zahri scoffed. She and Ajia had developed a strong bond, and while the raptor was high-strung and excitable most of the time, Zahri found her to be stout-hearted and trustworthy, and well worth the trouble to obtain.

"I am perfectly capable of handling my mount, troll!" she informed him haughtily, turning her back on him with the intention of vaulting herself into the saddle. This conversation was so over. Wildly good-looking troll or not, she wasn't putting up with his mockery.

"Clearly you is," he drawled, his gaze moving appreciatively over her lovely leather-clad backside. He thought absently that if that skin-tight leather get-up was her battle armor then it qualified as a weapon all by itself. He almost felt sorry for any poor fool that she went into battle against. That just wouldn't be fair.

Zahri sputtered at his jibe, whirling around in fury. He was making fun of her! "If it weren't for you...whistling and tossing out your...comments, I wouldn't have been so on edge!" She immediately regretted her words.

The troll looked at her in surprise and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, but his eyes danced with laughter. "Ey, I nevah called out nothin' impropah...I jus' told ya how preety ya mount be." He crooned to the raptor, "And she be so preety." His eyes slid to the elf, again, he could have been referring to the elf with that last comment.

Realizing the truth of his statement, she seethed. Noticing the smug look on his face, she understood what he was doing. He was baiting her, trying to anger her for some sick and twisted reason. She was not going to let this troll get the best of her with his cocky, easy-going, flirty, smooth-talking attitude, and his hypnotic voice that made her lose her train of thought...ooohh! She wanted to introduce his face to her fist! She had never been so thrown off balance, had never encountered a man who was so condescending, even among her own kind. Sin'dorei men never had the ability to bother her, their comments rarely having the power to ruffle her when they made lame attempts to flirt with her. So why did this troll so utterly get to her? It was obvious what he was doing…he was making sport of her for his own amusement. She tamped down on her irritation in an attempt to retain some shred of her dignity and took a deep breath.

"That is true, however I do take issue with you insinuating that I cannot handle my mount. Ajia and I have managed just fine for over two years. It seems that you, like every other troll out there, think I am helpless when it comes to raptors...and I don't appreciate it."

As if on cue, Ajia began tossing her head and clicking her claws on the hard-packed red dirt, snorting impatiently. Zahri's fists clenched when she noticed the troll lift one hairless eyebrow as he looked over her shoulder at the fidgeting reptile. He pushed away from the rock he was leaning against and moved toward her, his voice immediately calming the beast, annoying Zahri to no end. She looked up at Roj'kah. His expression was calm, but his eyes danced with glee.

The troll couldn't help himself. It was right there and it was just too easy.

"I'm tinkin' mebbe da raptor be too much of a mount fo a leetle elf like ya." he deadpanned innocently.

Zahri's jaw dropped. Oh, no. He did not just go there.

That did it. Narrowing her eyes dangerously, she stepped forward, her whole body tense with anger. She jabbed her finger in his chest craning her neck as she glared up at him.

"I know I did not just hear you say that to me!" she hissed, punctuating her words with little jabs.

Refusing to back down, because making her angry was perversely entertaining, he replied smoothly, "I be fairly confidant, leetle elf, dat dis raptor has nevah been dis calm and docile fo ya." he reached over and stroked the raptor's smooth neck, grinning when the reptile's eyelids drooped.

Shaking with fury, and because what the troll said was true, Zahri felt the nearly uncontrollable desire to slap him, her hand twitching. However, she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of agreeing with him or lashing out at him. She was cranky, dirty, and hungry...she didn't have the patience or the mental dexterity for witty (or flirty?) banter, no matter how interesting her opponent.

Shooting him a frosty glare, she turned her back on him to rummage through Ajia's saddlebag to fetch herself and Ajia a quick bite to sustain them until dinnertime. She may or may not have been stalling for a chance to regain control of her thudding heart. She was done with this cocky troll and his…demeanor…whatever it was. But she couldn't bear to let him get the last word. She pulled on Ajia's lead, making for the road south away from Orgrimmar. She tossed back airily, affecting an unconcerned and bored tone with great difficulty. "You have no idea what you are talking about, troll."

Roj'kah fought back a grin, and fell into step beside her. No way in hell was he letting it drop here. The girl was sadly uninformed on the finer points of raptor handling. She clearly had a strong relationship with her raptor but was oblivious to how sensitive her mount was to her volatile moods. "I tink I know dat you don't know ya mount as well as ya thought ya did."

"Really, who asked you, anyway?" she snapped irritably, picking up her pace and tugging on Ajia's reigns, wanting desperately to be rid of this warrior who was effortlessly making her feel like an idiot. It wasn't helping matters that she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that an extremely good looking troll had also flirted rather openly with her.

His laugh washed over her like warm honey, further angering her. And to make matters worse, his eyes were so jovial and friendly...nudging something in her she was in no mood to face at the moment. "You did, elf. I was just answerin' ya question. Ya saw how calm she was when I be speakin' to her...ya see da difference?"

Zahri was at her limit. The day had been long and nerve wracking. Everything Roj'kah was saying was correct and reasonable and in all likelihood she would implement his suggestions regarding her mount. She knew she was being surly with him, which was truthfully out of character for her. But he was pushing every single last one of her buttons and quite frankly, she was done. Suddenly, despite her fatigue, she was itching for a fight and it was time for this troll to put his money where his mouth was. If he enjoyed getting under her skin then he better be ready to put up or shut up. She sucked at witty coquettish banter…but she sure as hell knew how to hand someone their ass on a platter when the occasion warranted it.

They had made it to the part of the road that carved deeply into the canyon. Zahri swung herself into the saddle, her eyes flashing. "Let's see how arrogant you are after I kick your ass in a duel, troll. Ajia needs to hunt now. Meet me at the city gates in one hour."

And with that, she whirled Ajia around and the two took off like a shot toward Razor Hill. She didn't know what compelled her to challenge the troll to a duel...he would probably make fairly quick work of her. But the thought of going against him in one-on-one combat was a heady one. She may be wrong-footed by his easy-going and flirty demeanor, but she was firmly on familiar territory when it came to physical sparring. She needed to work off some aggression and what better way to do so than to spar with someone who had been mocking her for the past half hour? She smiled grimly and reigned Ajia in near a cluster of rocks and dismounted.

The canyon was cool and shaded, the perfect place for the raptor to hunt because the desert animals that she preyed on were less likely to be sheltering under rocks. She began to stretch her muscles to loosen and warm them up and allowed herself to think about the troll. As her anger cooled, she wondered if she had been too rash to challenge him like she did. He WAS pretty huge and would probably take great joy in flattening her and then rubbing her face in it. Never mind that his singular focus upon her and his nearness tied her stomach in knots. This was a situation that she never imagined she would find herself in. She never expected to be the object of a troll's…attention? Flirtation? What was it he was doing exactly? Whatever it was, it touched upon a long hidden fantasy. She found the jungle trolls to be intriguing, mysterious, dangerous…beautiful. No one, with the exception of her best friend Veya, would ever understand. She groaned as she continued her stretches and warm-up exercises.

Zahri frowned as she straightened, watching the beautiful raptor in the distance leap on a small fox, quickly silencing its cries as she ate her fill. Oh well, at any rate, the challenge was made and a contest of battle skill would be a good way to work out all her pent up nervousness. And besides, the troll probably wouldn't even show up, figuring it too much bother and had likely already lost interest in toying with her. She sighed, thinking if that were the case, it was probably for the best anyway.

Roj'kah was smiling like a fool when he walked back up to Brunil and Jannos, who, not surprisingly, were still guarding the same beer keg as before. Brunil didn't know what to make of his grin. "Well, what happened? You don't look like a guy who just crashed and burned...so why aren't you with her?"

Roj surprised them both by bursting into such a fit of laughter that they thought he'd finally lost his mind. When he finally calmed down enough to tell them what happened, Brunil's eyes widened in disbelief. Only Roj'kah would have the testicular fortitude to piss off a woman bad enough for her to challenge him to a contest of combat strength and still be confidant that he could make her fall for him. And the bitch of it was, she probably would fall for him. The orc scowled. Damn trolls.

"So are you actually going to accept her challenge? We're talking a little elf woman that could be blown away by a strong wind." Jannos stated dubiously. He looked at Roj like he'd grown a second head. The druid thought the troll was a bit strange, but he secretly envied the ease with which the fairer sex took to him. Back on base in the pub there was always a comely female, trolless, orcess, even the odd tauren lady, that would be hanging onto the scruffy warrior's arm that seemed to just eat up the troll's ridiculous banter and jokes. It was annoying. The fact that one wanted to DUEL him did nothing to dampen Roj's confidence that the woman would be his by week's end.

"Ya mon, of course I am! Ya don't tink I'm such a sissy dat I be runnin' away from a woman? Besides, it's not like we be usin' weapons. Dat be against city rules durin' Brewfest anyway. If ya wanna duel, ya gotta get permission and den dey give ya practice swords."

Brunil snorted a disbelieving laugh at Roj. "So you really think she will still talk to you after you spar with her?"

Roj'kah smiled wolfishly. "Oh, Zahri will do more den just talk to me. Boys, dat woman will be putty in mah hands befo' da night is ovah."

The tauren and the orc just shook their heads and exchanged an amused look before they all began making their way through the crowd toward the city gates.

A/N- Please review! The next chapter is already written. I'm just doing some final editing.