It had long since been drilled into Dzie'wanna to wake up before the crack of dawn, when the dew still was on the sparse blades of the barrens. Even now with her off duty her eyes would slide quickly open at time it was supposed to, and she would go about her morning duties.
Such it had been many mornings in the past, and so it would have been this morning had not Dzie'wanna's newest member of the house decided to show her displeasure. Her eyes snapped open as ice cold water splashed over her head. Staring in shock into the bottom of a bucket, her mind snapped into place as drilled instincts took over. Within two beats, the person who held the bucket was pinned to the ground and stuck a headlock with a snarling Dzie'wanna blocking their wind pipe.
"Lady Dizzy! Lady Dizzy, let go of Isondo!" A little Orc child scrambled out of their bunk, awoken by the noise, and tumbled down to the floor. Landing on their butt with a 'oomph', she scrambled forward and started tugging at the Dzie'wanna's arm that wrapped around the other's neck. With a huff Dzie'wanna stood and glared down at the other troll, a young woman still in their teenage years. She then stormed out of the hut, taking only a moment to sweep up the bucket into her hand on her way out.
Silence lasted a little while longer in the house as Isondo coughed and wheezed to regain her breath, with Sassaba patting her on her back soothingly. "There there, it's alright. You just can't startle Lady Dizzy like that." The child puffed her chest up in pride as she continued. "Lady Dizzy is so well trained, that anything like that would of course cause her senses to attack! She is a true warrior of the Horde." She gave a firm nod, before shrinking back a bit at the glare she was being given by the young troll. "I'm... I'm gonna go help Lady Dizzy feed the raptors." Within seconds she was running out the door, calling after Dzie'wanna.
Isondo continued to sit on the floor as she calmed her breathing, her violet hair falling about in rough strands scratching at her face. She pulled back her lips in a sneer as her blue hand punched the floor. It had been nothing but a simple prank, did she really deserve such treatment? How dare the jungle whelp! One from such a weakling tribe that still followed the Zandalar, one who wasn't even performing her proper duties in her tribe, one who was so ugly! How dare she raise a hand against her, the daughter of an empire.
Sitting there, stewing in her anger, Isondo wished that she was back in her home, where ice would always be on the ground and none of this blasted heat, not stuck with a troll women who was living in the middle of such Loa-forsaken lands, and no strange green children with tusks that came out the wrong row of teeth.
Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall the coolness of her home, the frigid peaks and water that wasn't luke-warm unless treated with arcane ice. It was one of the few reasons she picked up studying such unwomanly things, for only the arcane could even call up the slightest chill here during the day.
Hearing her name being called by the jungle whelp, Isondo arranged her face in a well-practiced look of disdain before smoothing out her clothes with the flat of her hands and striding out the door. Immediately a bucket shoved it's way into her arms. From the chips of ice still swollen into the cracks, it could be identified as the tool in this morning's mischief.
Dzie'wanna leveled her gaze at the younger troll, before speaking. Her cracked lips rasping against her tusks, one looking like a chunk of it had splintered off. "You are going to feed Mahak." It was a simple command, spoken in their mother tongue, but one that at Isondo's surprised look had Dzie'wanna suppressing a smile. Dzie'wanna was still frustrated at this morning's events, but she had faced more rage-inducing actions from her devilsaur and other pets. To tame someone, to get them to like you, you needed patience in spades when it came to those more stubborn ones.
Isondo gave a haughty sniff, looking down her tusks at Dzie'wanna before marching off towards where Mahak's sleeping place was. Dzie'wanna let out a sigh as she turned around and went back to mucking out the hatchling pen, while Sassaba chased after the darting hatchling to try and round the final baby up. Making a bold dive, she was able to catch hold of it's tail and let out a cry of triumph as the little raptor let out a startled squawk.
"Lady Dizzy, Lady Dizzy! Look, I caught her!" Sassaba scrambled to stand, her clothes stained with mud as she proudly held the squirming hatchling up for inspection. Dzie'wanna gave a slow smile and reached out to pet first the raptor, then the girl on the head.
"Joo did good, Sassaba. Now, go put 'im wid de oddurs." Sassaba gave a happy nod and quickly ran over to the smaller, quickly made pen that was only used when this one was being cleaned. The orc girl ran back and picked up her smaller shovel, and joined Dzie'wanna in the job.
Moments of companionable silence passed, Sassaba long since having learned that her lady was the quiet type. Glancing up at the tall figure of the troll, her wiry muscles covered in scars that caused dips in her fur, and the simple bandages that she tightly wound around her chest for coverage. She was taller then most Darkspear women, standing at over seven feet and more solidly built then many. Sassaba liked to observe her lady, ever since she was assigned as her squire during the Argent Tournament. It had been rare-ish to see a troll competing, as they were so sparsely populated, but it was downright strange to see one striding through the grounds with rugged fur and a large dinosaur marching beside them.
She had been terrified at first, and after following behind her lady on battlefields in Northrend this terror was well well placed. But for the most part her lady tended to be kind and quiet, almost like a big stuffed boar. To her, her lady was the best lady any squire could ever ask for, any gruntling could hope to ever receive. Even though she made weird decisions at times.
"Lady Dizzy-"
"Zandali, Sassaba."
She puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, before continuing on in the weird language that her Lady insisted she learn. She didn't like Zandali, it felt like it slid around in her mouth compared to the rough, sure and solid way of Orc speak. Giving a pout, she continued as she tried to remember the different words. "-Why you...you... why you be keebin'-"
Dzie'wanna interreupted, correcting the pronunciation. "Keeping."
"-Keeping Isondo here. She mean!"
Dzie'wanna's hand came to rest on top of Sassaba's shorn hair, and she gave a little push. Sassaba grinned knowing that this was a sign of approval or affection, though it had been hard to tell at first when she had started to work for the troll. Dzie'wanna switched back to Orcish.
"Ya, she may be dat. But so many be, an' even de most mean beast gotta have a place ta rest."
Sassaba's face dropped as she ducked her head and continued to work, feeling disappointed that the meanie would be staying. Dzie'wanna merely smiled, though a touch of concern and a thoughtful look lingered about her eyes while a tenseness around her mouth strengthened. She then continued her own work. In truth, she wondered often if it was right to bring Isondo here. The purchase of the Drakkari from a slave market was a rather spontaneous decision on her part, mostly having to do with overhearing some rather unsavory plans for the beautiful woman, and having just sold a nice mount to someone so having enough gold in her pocket to do something. Isondo though was about as stubborn as the rhino Loa that her tribe revered, and as temperamental.
However, it had only been a couple weeks since the girl arrived and yet she had already gone from trying to actually do physical harm to these simple pranks. It was certainly a lesson for Dzie'wanna, having someone nearly grown in the house who had quite a few thoughts and constantly challenged her. It troubled her, as it sometimes reminded her too much of some unsavory memories from when she was younger, and it just felt odd. She had tried to be a teacher, like with Sassaba and the few hunter students she had scattered about, but the role that was so easy to take on wasn't wanted or the right role for this case. After failing at stepping in that role with Isondo, she was at a loss at how to approach the teenager. Friend? Equal? Brother-in-arms? Enemy certainly wouldn't do, and so she simply observed for now.
She knew that Isondo liked Mahak, him being one of the rare offspring of Har'koa and Loque'nahak who remained free of the curse that changed the others (one of the beasts that many hunters stalked and prayed to find, and proudly displayed when they could) and thus he was a link to the land she came from. So, hopefully spending time with him would help sooth feelings after this mornings fiasco.
For a moment she wondered if she should apologize, but then decided against it. It would be awkward to bring it up now.
