The Hunter's Companions Ch. 07

Livinia stopped talking to give Belcarm time to think. They sat in silence for a good while, various expressions flitting over his face. He reached over and took her hand in his, the warmth of her skin distracting her from the churning in her stomach.

"Look Bel, I need some time to think." Livinia said, closing her eyes and memorizing the way that his hand felt against her skin. "I know you're heading off to the Dead Scar first thing in the morning but I'm not ready to make a decision yet."

"So how will you be spending your week?" Belcarm asked somewhat bitterly.

"Not with Kalendras." Livinia said, saying exactly what he wanted to know. "I need some distance from him too." She said, Belcarm nodded curtly and she hoped that he believed her. "Will I see you in Silvermoon?" She asked.

"You still want to go to Silvermoon?"

"Well, not really, I never want to go to Silvermoon... But I promised that we'd go the exhibition together, I don't mean to go back on my word." She said softly.

"And you'll have made a decision by then?" He asked.

"I can't make any promises." Livinia told him.

Livinia leant forward and planted a lingering kiss on Belcarm's lips before she rested her forehead against his.

"See you in a few days?" She asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the whole of Azeroth." He replied. With a heavy sigh Livinia got to her feet and made her way out of the Blood Knight Headquarters.

~*~

After leaving Belcarm at the Blood Knight headquarters Livinia was originally going to head straight back to the Inn in order to speak to Kalendras. However, she was passing the Green Skin Tavern on the way back and decided to duck in to see if Kahora was there. When he wasn't out questing or out on Guild business, the Tauren Shaman liked to hang around the Green Skin and talk to the patrons to get the latest Orgrimmar gossip. Luckily for Livinia, the Tauren was seated at the back of the inn with a couple of other guildies enjoying a meal.

"Livinia!" Kahora called as she approached, Panther and Zin'jiri, who were at the same table, greeted her as well. "What brings you here?" Panther slid over on the bench to make room for Livinia and she sat down.

"Got any jobs for me, Kahora? I need to get out of town for a couple of days." Livinia asked.

"We're heading to Mount Hyjal for four days... We could use you and Belcarm if you two were looking to make some extra money."Kahora said.

"Belcarm won't be coming." Livinia said quickly, Panther snorted into her ale and looked up at Livinia.

"Trouble in paradise, eh?" Panther asked, Livinia rolled her eyes and pretended that things couldn't be further from the truth.

"No, he's got some Blood Knight stuff to do." Livinia said casually. "Mount Hyjal sounds good though, Kahora. What time are you guys heading out?"

"Tomorrow morning just after sunrise." He said, taking a big bite of his leg of lamb. "You want to join us for dinner?"

"Nah, thanks for the offer. I have a couple of things to do." She said, she said her farewells and turned to leave, but stopped when Kahora called her back.

"Liv? If you see Kalendras can you please tell him that I want to talk to him. I was hoping to send him to Moonglade to help Jorrak for a while." Kahora asked.

"No problem. I am on my way to see him now, actually." She said before leaving the tavern and making for home.

~*~

Liv,

I've gone hunting. Will be back tomorrow.

Kal

The note had been slipped under her door sometime between when she left to see Belcarm and when she arrived back. Kalendras had never been one for great love letters or detailed communications, but even by his standards this letter was short. It was also clear that he didn't want her company. Unfortunately for him he didn't have much of a choice. Livinia thought for a few moments about where Kalendras would have gone. He would be angry, and it was most likely that he was sulking as well, so he would have gone somewhere comfortable for him. Somewhere that he was familiar with.

Two years ago Livinia and Kalendras had spent several intense hours on the shore of the Southfury River in Azhara. It sounded like as good a place as any to start her search for him. Livinia grabbed a spare cloak in case the night turned chilly and made for the great outdoors.

It didn't take Livinia long to get to a place a little further downstream from where she thought Kalendras would be. She dismissed her tawny windrider and then summoned Borris who was, as usual, extremely excited to see her. Once he had finished pouncing on her and licking her face enthusiastically, she managed to struggle to her feet.

"Hey Borris, I'm looking for Kalendras." She said, "He'll be down that way a little, probably by the edge of the river. I was hoping you could help me sneak up on him?" Borris's body tensed for a moment before he lowered into a crouch and begun to stalk away. Livinia grinned, even though the other males in her life could be unpredictable, she could always count on Borris to be reliable.

Livinia couldn't help but smile as she and Borris approached the copse of trees where she now knew for certain that Kalendras was sulking. He was lying, in cat form, at the edge of the water, with the inky black waves lapping at the tips of his paws as he dozed. Livinia motioned for Borris to go around the long way and she waited until he was in position before they both begun to creep forward.

Borris let out a loud roar as he pounced on Kalendras-cat. Kalendras woke up and rolled just in time to roll out of the way, and then found himself underneath Livinia after she leapt on top of him. His eyes went from wide with shock to filled with annoyance.

"I just wanna talk." Livinia said. Kalendras-cat growled and rolled over, dumping her onto the ground unceremoniously before he got up and stalked back towards the campfire. Livinia got up and dusted herself off before following him. Borris gave her a curious look, but she smiled at him reassuringly. "Go find something to eat buddy, I want to talk to Kalendras for a while." She said. Borris snorted with distaste at his premature dismissal, but stalked away nonetheless.

Livinia turned around to see that Kalendras was now sitting beside the fire, his posture unusually stiff for a big cat, his eyes filled with a burning intelligence that most felines couldn't match.

"Can you change back please? As cute as you are as a cat, it makes it really hard to talk to you." Livinia waited for a few moments, but was met by nothing more than a dubious glare. "Seriously? You're going to stay like that?" She asked with disbelief.

Kalendras-cat snorted and looked away from her.

"Nothing to say, eh?" She asked with a sigh. "Well at least you'll be a better listener in that form." Livinia said, sitting down on a log by the fire.

This certainly wasn't what she had expected. Kalendras had never refused to talk to her before, well, at least not like this. She looked over to see that he was still pointedly looking away from her, the tip of his tail twitching angrily, much in the same was Borris's did when she refused to let him attack an enemy.

"I saw Kahora on the way here. He wants to see you tonight. Said that he wants you to give Jorrak a hand in Moonglade." He continued to ignore her.

"I'll be going to Mount Hyjal. Belcarm-"

Kalendras-cat's head snapped towards her and his large black pupils glinted in the fire light. That got his attention.

"Belcarm is going to Quel'Thalas for a while... I need some time away from the both of you." Livinia said, Kalendras's head turned on the side, curious. "I'm sorry about today as well... I don't know what the hell happened- but most of all I have no idea why you came back and did- well, that..." Livinia trailed off.

Kalendras-cat sniffed indignantly and circled around for a few moments before dropping onto the floor and making himself more comfortable.

"I know this is a crap excuse, but I was angry at you... for leaving me." Kalendras-cat looked at her, his lips curled up in a snarl. "What? You did! You told me that you would stay with me and then you just left!"

Kalendras growled a little but Livinia rolled her eyes.

"You wouldn't even tell me why! What was I supposed to think?" Livinia said defensively, Kalendras-cat gave her a withering look and she broke eye contact. "Maybe you had a good reason for not telling me, I don't know, but you still left... and I know that it's no excuse- but Belcarm wrote and offered to come back for a day before going to Quel'Thalas... What would you have done, Kal? Spent the day angry about someone who told you he would stay but then left? Or would you spend it with someone who actually went out of his way to be with you?"

Kalendras-cat let out a loud howl and jumped up, he started stalking back and forth, his muscles twitching as he prowled.

"What? It's the truth." Livinia said, her voice smooth in order to soften the blow. Kalendras-cat looked at her as though he wanted to tell her something, but then shook his head and looked away again. "Like I said, it's a crap excuse, but it's the best I have."

Livinia sighed and put her elbows on her knees and then her chin in her hands.

"Can you switch back please?" Livinia asked, Kalendras-cat looked at her for a moment and then continued wearing a path in the grass, and Livinia rolled her eyes.

"Fine, be a pussy, see if I care." Livinia said. Kalendras-cat turned and growled at her, but the expression in his eyes softened slightly and she grinned at him. "Kal, I love you, I really do, but I have a hard time believing that we are going to be able to make things work between us if we keep breaking our promises like this." Livinia said.

Kalendras-cat stopped his pacing and turned to face her.

"I'm not saying that it's all you. I know I took my sweet time to tell Belcarm, but so much has happened over the last couple of weeks and I don't know what to do." Livinia got off her makeshift seat and walked over to where Kalendras was, she squatted down in front of him and placed a hand on his fuzzy cheek.

"I wish you'd talk to me." She said with a frown "I want to know what you're thinking. I want to know why you left. I want to know why the hell you decided to use my body as a battle ground. But most of all I really want to know where we're supposed to go from here."

Livinia looked at Kalendras expectantly. Surely he wouldn't continue this farce. After a few minutes of an unblinking stare it was clear that he wasn't going to change back. Livinia sighed and got to her feet.

"Fine, whatever, be like that." Livinia sighed "I'm going to Mount Hyjal like I said. When I get back I'll be spending a couple of days in Silvermoon with Bel."

Kalendras-cat growled at her and crouched into pouncing position.

"What? I promised that I'd take him to that exhibition. I don't want to go back on my word." She said, Kalendras-cat still looked much less than impressed, but considering his cat-theatrics Livinia was not really in the mood to feel much sympathy for him. She reached into her pocket and took out her hearthstone. "Will I still see you at the ball?" She asked.

Kalendras-cat looked up at her curisouly.

"You're still willing to escort me, aren't you?" She asked. He stared for a moment and then growled softly, nudging his head against her waist affectionately. "I'll take that as a yes." Livinia said, she crouched down once more and took his head in her hands. She placed a soft kiss on the short fur just above his nose and then stood again.

~*~

Kalendras watched as Livinia ported back to Orgrimmar. When she was gone he changed back into his normal Tauren form and sat down on the log she had just vacated. Once she had started opening up to him he had wanted to talk to her, he really had, but if he had changed back while she was around he wouldn't be able to stop himself from telling her what happened in Thunder Bluff, or why it was so important that he had to leave when she did. He would have to tell her about why he had been so possessive, why he had claimed her in front of the Paladin like a piece of meat.

Kalendras understood that she was desperate to know the answers to her questions, but there were some things that were better left unsaid.

Kalendras sighed and looked around, he had actually been looking forward to camping out for the night. However, if Kahora had some work for him - something that would take him away from the stinking city, he supposed that he had better go in and see what it was all about.