Uncle Thalo

"Gud aftah-noon, Ukle Thalo!"

Taken by surprise, the Blood Elven captain froze, still holding the doorknob of the front door while standing half inside and half outside; he was not accustomed to hearing a child-like brutish voice upon returning to his home, nor was he capable of fathoming the idea of his sister having a child at all let alone one calling him Uncle.

Sitting at the table upon a chair and several thick books was a small Orcish child, smiling as brightly as an Orc can smile while stealing large bites of an ice cream cone. He looked freshly bathed, bits of his black mohawk sticking to his head damply while the drier bits were already standing upward again. From the looks of how he ate the ice cream, he was going to need another bath...

"Zalika!? Onóna!!" Thalo'thas shouted. "What in the nine is..."

"Shi kat her yu, sire," the boy half-growled, half-sang. "Shi go huntin' fer raptahs. Fer din-din."

For a long moment, the rogue continued to stand in the doorway, staring at the child in disbelief while trying to think of what to say. Thalo'thas avoided children like the plague, preferring to have a pet cat instead as at least the cat kept the ship and home free of mice; children just were too much trouble for too little reward, which may also explain why Thalo'thas never truly settled down.

Suddenly, a darkened shadow crept over him, looming like a wraith over its victim before it strikes. He felt chills yet still felt a warm familiar feeling he'd almost forgotten existed. A slightly mangled hand came to rest on his shoulder, pushing him through the doorway despite the slight size of its owner - his sister was home, and he could smell the blood of her pray even though the leather sack she carried was closed.

"I see you've met Granth," she intoned, pushing past him and making her way towards the kitchen. As if on queue, the Orc child dropped down out of the chair, his ice cream finished, and followed her into the kitchen.

The little Orcling pulled one of the footstools over near the counter and stove, watching the shadowed Blood Elf prepare the raptor meat with spices. Much to Thalo'thas' surprise, she very quietly explained to the young Orc what she was doing, repeating herself any time the boy didn't understand her echoing voice. She even let the little boy prepare the smallest strip of raptor meat, providing very minimal help as he did so.

It was a side that the rogue didn't think could exist in someone so Fel-tainted, let alone his aloof sister.

When the food had finished cooking, Granth put the small piece of roasted raptor on a plate and toddled over to where Thalo'thas sat watching, holding it up to him as he said, "Here, Ukle Thalo - I make dis fer yu!"

His sister gave him a faint smile that turned quickly into a smirk as she cut up a piece of the raptor steaks for the child, nodding her head slowly to assure the man that the food was alright to eat. With a slightly nervous nod, Thalo'thas took the plate from the boy before walking over to join his sister at the table.

"You listened well, Granth," she echoed softly, "many that are so young do not. And guess what?"

Granth swung his feet back and forth as he sat on the makeshift chair Onóna had arranged for him at the table. The little boy paused in devouring the pieces of cooked flesh to look up at Onóna, chewing his mouthful quickly before speaking.

"Wha?" he asked, curiously.

With a very soft smile she replied, "You already give the Horde much honour, and I know you'll be a fine asset to the Horde."

"Like Cairne Bloodhoof's message said!" the boy exclaimed, clapping his hands together once before nodding.

"Yes, just like Cairne told you," she grinned before taking a sip of her drink. "Even though you did hide behind my leg the whole time."

Scrunching up his nose, the boy replied, "Well, he is one of the greatest warriors of the Horde!"

Thalo'thas watched the exchange, still highly unnerved by the entire series of events that unfolded within the household today. He quietly ate the roasted raptor, which actually tasted just as good as when Onóna cooked it herself, wondering what had possessed her to take care of such a young child when she'd refuse to watch the young of the Thalo'dans.

A short time later, after another bowl of ice cream, Onóna slowly stood up from the table and offered Granth her hand. The little boy dropped down off of the chair and books, reaching up and taking the slightly mangled flesh as if it were a holy relic - apparently battle scars impressed the boy, though it wasn't much of a surprise with the emphasis the Orcs put on combat prowess and the glory of the Horde's warriors.

"Day draws to a close, and twilight is nearly upon us, Granth," she intoned softly. "The Matron will be displeased if we arrive after dark. Say goodbye to Uncle Thalo."

The little Orc boy waved his free-hand frantically while smiling, practically shouting, "Gudbay Ukle Thalo! Were nice meetin' yu!"

Giving her brother another faint smirk, the demon-bound woman turned and picked up her Ranseur with her free hand, leading the young Orc out through the main room and into Ratchet itself. The Blood Elf man followed, watching the two of them walk along the road out of town that would eventually lead to the Crossroads where they could take a wind rider back to Orgrammir. Even as their forms faded into shadow before fading from his view entirely, Thalo'thas remained standing against the fence, shaking his head faintly in mild confusion.

"How she ever convinced the Matron to let her babysit is beyond me," he muttered, imagining the kind of reaction the older Orc woman must have had. "Can take the woman out of being a rogue, but you'll never take the rogue away from her."

Shaking his head one last time, he chuckled and made his way back inside to clean up the mess in the kitchen...he was always having to clean up his sister's messes.