The Black Duo Heed the Call

Phillip was finally told to back up, and with Jukzuk, he moved near the entrance of the room, as the other Orcs moved to the very edges of the throne room. In the center, the three shamans over the ritual, Midka, Uvog, and Uloth set up a circle and made their offerings. With gutturally chanting, the offerings burned into ash. The meat... The mead... Even the odd-looking coins that looked to be made of metal... They too burned until they were ash.

At the height of their chanting, the torchlight on the walls all around the throne room drew to the middle of the Offerings, as the light extinguished, and darkness took over the room.

Finally, Phillip heard Orcish that he understood!

Uloth called in a raspy voice at the zenith of the ritual, "Great spirits of the beyond and the past, heed our call! Please send one that can show us the truth and honor, if it can be allowed."

The smoke of the Offerings began to form shapes in the air. The three performing the ritual, Midka, Uvog, and Uloth sucked in a cold breath, as the temperature plummeted within the throne room... Two shapes were forming above the Offerings into larger and larger creatures!

The three backed up, and watch on as the smoke and ash took on the form of a large Wolf and a large Panther.

As the smoke and ashes rose into the air, they condensed into semi-solid objects. While still transparent, they appeared solid enough to touch.

As the two spirits became more real, Uloth shouted, "Everyone quickly kneel! VARBUK KNEEL!" In Uloth's panic, she called the Blacktongue Chieftain by name. Slightly angry, but knowing he shouldn't disrespect a spirit if it was powerful enough to scare Uloth... Even if it had been twenty-two years since she performed a ritual of spirits, he didn't want to risk it.

The Blacktongue Chieftain rose and with heavy steps, he took five steps to descend from his Blackstone throne, and kneel on the floor with everyone else.

Now in the center, Phillip could clearly see the Wolf and the Panther.

The Wolf was large and bestial. Long fangs that looked sharp, though still illusionary. In his inky black-eyes, a cunning look could be found, both rich in malevolence and intelligence.

The Panther was large but sleeker. More graceful, but crueler. A playful cruelty in contrast to the Wolf's malevolent cruelty. Black slick fur covered it, and its green eyes shined in the darkness of the throne room, like emeralds in the night.

"You have called, and We were sent." The Wolf spoke with a male voice and in Orcish with a heavy and solemn tone.

Uloth on her knees spoke up again with a shaky voice, "This little one greats the Black-Eyed Wolf, and his-his mate the Black-Hearted Panther."

A playful feminine voice rolled out from the Panther, "I'm surprised that you know of us. Do you know much? I'm curious."

It wasn't just the Black-Hearted Panther that was curious...! All of the Orcs present wanted to know more about these two, but the ones that were most startled were the ones that had seen a ritual of spirits before, The Blacktongue Chieftain, Jukzuk, Uvog, Uloth, and some of the older Orcs present!

This wasn't normal... This wasn't normal at all! The ritual of spirits would summon ancestors and on the rare occasion an elemental or spirit of the wild... Those that had seen this before knew at this moment that these spirits were not any of the ones they had ever seen... They were... Something else.

"Th-This little one does not dare to slight the Black-Hearted Panther. Even this small one has heard of both of your names... I just-"

"Just?" The Wolf spoke, "What?" The Panther finished.

"I thought you myth... This little one begs mercy!" Uloth became low, as she spoke her voice now filled with helplessness and powerlessness. These were spirits she could not control, and they would only return when they felt like it. This was the same as biting off more than one could chew. At this moment, she could not figure out how their humble offerings would summon these two! It wasn't possible for such offerings to attract them... Even the powerful Spiritcall Clan would be hard-pressed to summon them, and that was only if these two spirits FELT like it!

"I can't help but notice that you didn't answer my question." A keen light flashed through the green eyes of the Panther.

"Yes, yes! I've heard of the Black duo! The Black-Eyed wolf and his wife the Black-Hearted Panther! The pair married by the Deamon Sultan himself!"

A burst of soft purring laughter sounded by the Panther, "Funny you mention him, the one that sleeps within chaos was the one that sent us, but go on... What else do the Orcs remember of us?"

The three shamans felt their minds collapsing... The... The one that sleeps in chaos sent you! THE DEAMON SULTAN SENT YOU!?

Recovering quickly, as not to anger the spirits, Uloth continued to speak though it was harder now as her voice became strained, "Of course, Of course! I remember the tales! The Black duo, generals of the Deamon Sultan, the one that sleeps within chaos! They reap the battlefield of lives like a farmer reaps his crops. The Calculating and Ruthless Black-Eyes; the Volatile and Deadly Black-Hearted! As the ancient saying goes, Mortal enemies when first met, mates forever after. Who says love can't bloom on the battlefield!"

A period of hush fell over the throne room, as the Orcs savored the story. How powerful! How imposing! They came because of HIM! Some of the Orcess present sighed with feelings of the love between the Black duo. Some of longing, others with regret, and still some with want...

"It seems our tales haven't been forgotten by the Orcs, husband."

"So it seems. Little Orcess, We know why you have called, but the ritual still demands the proceedings. State your business, so We may return to His Court."

"Yes, of course! This little one is named, Uloth. We have all gathered to call upon the spirits to prove if this Orc is of the Speartooth Clan or what clan and if he is without a name... Can you... Can you name him...?"

"Which Orc... There are many present." The Black-Eyed Wolf's solemn smile contained many teeth. The Orcs present wanted to slap Uloth for this ritual, but none had the strength to do so, or the cheek to follow through... This Wolf looked hungry for violence, but the smarter Orcs could see that it was the Panther that hid her blood lust well.

"This is fine. This was already decided by the Deamon Sultan. Bring him forward, so that we may look at him." The Black-Eye wolf spoke forcefully.

Uloth looked behind her, and with her eyes told Jukzuk to send the boy, or else. Jukzuk already knew and had told Phillip to stand and walk forward and kneel again.

Phillip felt this was all too unreal. He had heard of things like this before, even as a human, but to see it... To come face to face! This was another matter altogether.

He lumbered forward and kneeled beside the other three. Midka was next to Phillip, as he kneeled. She lifted her eyes to study his face. Earlier he was pressured by the Chieftain, but now he looked to be just fine... Why, as she wondered in her heart? Why before these powerful spirits that even her Master wouldn't speak out, and relied on his Wife to speak... Why was Phillip so steady? She felt that he was much more mysterious than she first thought.

Uloth seeing that Phillip made his way and kneeled, spoke out again, "This is the boy. Is he Speartooth, and if not... Then what clan?"

The Wolf and Panther turned their eyes to the one called forward, and as Phillip felt their eyes pass over him, he felt pin prickled all over his skin. It felt like he was being bitten by many ants as they looked over him.

The Wolf and Panther nodded to each other, as the Panther spoke, "He is no Speartooth. We can confirm this."

"But." The Wolf spoke, "He is much more complicated than that. For what Clan... He will learn on his own."

Demze sighed in relief as if the remote possibility that he was a Speartooth thrall, and everything was a coincidence... She wouldn't be able to explain. Actually, no amount of explaining would help her. Was he actually Burningfist? Nightbone? Skullblade???

Hellie seemed dazed by the whole spectacle, but she felt a closeness with the Panther... It even felt like when the Wolf was talking, the Panther looked over her and smiled.

"Then... Then could we ask you mighty ones to bestow a name on this boy?" Uloth pushed forward with the ritual's procedure.

"Yes. We both have thought long, and hard." The Black-Eyed Wolf spoke, as the Black-Hearted Panther, finished, "And we have decided that his name will be..."

""Enduring Mountain.""

The two spoke together as if one.

Uloth mouthed the name, "Xa'Gun."

Phillip on reflex spoke out, "Thank you."

The three shamans, Midka, Uvog, and Uloth hissed in a breath of cold air! Only the shamans were supposed to speak directly to the spirits!

It seemed the Wolf and Panther smiled, at least the corners of their mouths curved upwards.

The Panther then spoke, "A word of advise, if I may."

"We wouldn't dare to look down on advice given by the Black duo!"

"Then..." The Panther turned to look over Demze, as her flesh seemed to experience the feeling of being numb, "Do not forget to enjoy life, We are Orcess. We can never be certain if we will be alive for the next moment." She then turned to face Hellie who was kneeling on the right side, as she felt the same numbness as Demze, but that same feeling of a kindred spirit. The Panther continued, "Your own drinking and fighting, nor your own need to keep things a specific way."

Finally, the Panther's gaze fell on Midka, "To notice when there are... More things to enjoy. Listen to your hearts."

The Wolf then spoke to Phillip, no... He spoke to Xa'Gun, "Xa'Gun... Remember to let the monster out. Do not fear it. Do not run from it. It. Is. You. And you are it. Embrace it, revel in it. If you can't those you care for will suffer for it. Looking into your eyes I think you already know this, even if you haven't put it to the fact."

"When you become lost in it," The Wolf reached over and pulled his wife close to him, and stare into his wife's eyes "Your heart and soul will find you when it is time."

As these words lingered in the air, the magic that summoned them released, and the smoke and ash dispersed releasing the forms of the embracing Wolf and Panther. The torches on the walls instantly reignited refilling the room with light, as if a great storm had passed.