Learning to Roll, A Monk’s Tale
(Note: This is a slight re-work of the story told at Tall Tales Jan 3 2019)
Lohkawas Wildmane, now an Elder in Redwood Tribe waits quietly to see if any of his tribe or perhaps one of the visitors has a tale to tell as they gather for Tall Tales & Epic Fables in the quiet of Bloodhoof Village. This is still his most favorite pilgrimage as the new month begins, a chance to share his culture and heritage, and lately, a chance to learn not only from his Mulgore cousins, but from many new visitors comprising a multitude of new and older races of the Horde. When it is clear that none are ready to answer the call to tell a tale, Lohkawas politely states that he has a tale and takes Brave Firetotem’s place in front of the bonfire to begin.
---------------------------------------------
Not long ago, my older brother and I were returning from catching fish and checking the family still, when one of the Tribe’s Elders returned from Thunder Totem. This was after the Legion had begun their attacks and the Horde and Alliance came to our lands, but it was before my brother perished rescuing our village.
The gentle Shu’halo smiles softly before continuing his tale.
It is also before I met my mate, our Tribe’s newest Honor Guard, Mokalyn.
Lohkawas grins at his mate, seated near their Chieftain, with fierce passion in his blue eyes. He cannot help but notice that both she and Honor Guard Kugalla are sitting on opposite sides of their Chieftain, placed to protect him should it be needed in this small village.
Now, I am not the fighter that my mate or my brother, or many of our Tribe are, but the Elder that returned from Thunder Totem taught us to defend ourselves with nothing but our fists and hooves. She taught us to roll and for myself, she taught me to wield the mists.
My brother and I would race everywhere we went, practicing rolling, and he with his flying kick was hard to keep up with.
One night, I was sent to check the still by myself, my brother engaged in other tasks around our farm.
He pauses, and his face grows grim, brow furrowing under his brimmed leather hat.
As I came upon the fresh running stream where our family has set aside the still and everything we use in mixing and preparing the month’s ale, I spied a translucent wolf, sniffing at the family still. Of course, I knew it was a shaman, but you cannot guess Horde or Alliance when they take that form, and to be honest when we fought the legion, we did not care Horde or Alliance in Highmountain. But that was the family still! So, I called upon the jade lightning as our elder taught us, and Zing it crackled it off the wolf’s snout, but only lightly, as I was not proficient in the technique yet.
Lohkawas lifts his hand in the air and almost immediately jade lightning forms from the air around him and crackles as he flings it forth to just barely lash out and tickle the ground to the right of the half-circle of onlookers; just enough to show how lightly he had zinged the snout.
The wolf startled and snarled at me, but I glared and snarled back, and still looking at me, he popped out of wolf form and there was a Pandaren.
He laughed and called to me, “Young one? What have you here? Is this your still? The brew smells wholesome and good!”
“It belongs to my family. Get away from it,” I said firmly. “You Pandaren will drink it all, and I must bring some home if it is ready.”
“Is that so?” He asked, and suddenly he dropped one of his totems and lightning crackled around me and stunned me so that I could not move.
His hand shot out to grab the most ready container, a cork that lay nearby was thrown into the opening and it disappeared into a satchel.
“Catch me if you can,” he said, and then he was in his wolf form and running like the wind down the path away from our village and farm.
Of course, I rolled and rolled as soon as his stunning totem wore off closing the gap as he sprinted on all paws. But what he did not know was that we were just at the top of the trail that leads to Prepfoot Compound. It is a dangerous path, overlooking a cliff down to the sea below. And it was an area I knew well and had raced my brother to and from many times. No Pandaren was going to outrace me and steal our family brew!
He dropped totem after totem, and I rolled and dodged and paralyzed and swept at his legs whenever I could get close enough, but I was still new to all these techniques and he was swift and surefooted on the cliff path, the cliff path that should have been my secret weapon in our headlong dash down the wall of the coast.
But… I grew frustrated.
Lohkawas admits this with a nod and sigh, giving his audience a small smile.
I was young and prideful, and it was almost my downfall. We, Highmountain, have a way to rush forward with great force and speed.
Again, Lohkawas demonstrates, as he finds an opening in the audience and bursts forward to pass outside of the circle. He walks slowly back to take his place in front of the bonfire before he continues the tale.
It caught the speedy wolf and knocked him flat, stunning him. But I misjudged in my frustration and ran over debris and a larger rock. And as my mate knows, I am… uh… clumsy.
Lohkawas pauses again before admitting what happened.
So I tripped over the rock and went head long sliding towards the edge of the cliff and was nearly half over the cliff… When a large Pandaren paw grabbed at my leg and hung on for all he was worth. Once he had pulled me back, we sat out of breath and he shared the family ale with me.
Best ale I have ever had. And no, I did not make it home that night.