* * *

Minutes later, they were running out the main entrance of Jintha'alor. They encountered no additional soldiers, mutants, or guards of any kind and could not be more thankful to be leaving the still-burning Jintha'alor fast in their wake. Their pace remained consistently brisk, even now in the open green field.
"We should've asked Day to come along." Voudka regretted. "That way, he could have ported Marckus and Jag directly to the city. Jag would already be seeing a medic."
Jesiach responded. "Stop it, Voudka. There's no point in having such regrets. It's just about stamina at this point, and we each happen to have an awful lot of it."
"And besides," added Marckus, "they're bound to have a medic over at Aerie Peak."
"And what if they don't?" Voudka wondered.
"And if they don't," Jesiach was saying over Voudka, practically having anticipated Voudka's question. He was the only one speaking now. "If they don't, then we'll do the best damn job we can do until we get Jag to Ironforge. Between paladin healing, homemade potions, and hand-woven cloth bandages, we should definitely be able to keep him alive until a licensed medic can see him. We can do it! We have to."
Voudka was stunned. "Malv..."
"Yes?" Jesiach replied.
"What's happened to you?" she asked.
"I...I don't know." Jesiach took a moment to gather his thoughts, though they never stopped jogging. "I guess it was those first moments of seeing Jag all beat up in the hut. I actually found it to be quite...overwhelming. And I guess I realized how, like with the rest of you, his friendship has come to mean a lot to me. He's really become one of us in recent months." Voudka didn't respond, and after a few seconds Jesiach continued. "I know it's not the same as it must have been when I was felled and you all had to mourn my 'death'. But this is the closest I've ever been to having to deal with a friend suffering serious to mortal wounds... I didn't expect it to hit me so hard."
"Aww." Voudka said. "Malv's showing his human side again."
Jesiach turned back to glare at Voudka, as if to say some real zinger of a retort, but instead he said nothing. He just glared at her. She got the message. "He's changing," Voudka thought, "but he has yet to change that much."
In the silence that had suddenly pervaded the group, Koto spoke suddenly. "Ummm, guys? Wow, this is getting really heavy...uhh, I just wanted to make it known that in case we can't get transportation right away from Aerie Peak to Ironforge, I do have more vials of the sleep potion. If we happen to need them."
"Yeh know, I was just thinkin' about that." said Serac from the rear. "And I was also thinkin'...we need teh get in touch with Jag's brother. Mangoni. He deserves teh know and I know he would want to come 'n visit Jag."
"You're absolutely right," Marckus agreed. "I suppose I could mail a letter express to the Guild Hall for Mangoni explaining the last month's events and telling him where we all are. Once we figure out where we'll be staying after seeing the medic in Ironforge, that is. After all, we're all going to stay by Jag's side while he recuperates in Ironforge, right?"
This was met with resounding affirmatives. "As far as I know, he doesn't have any other family besides Mangoni." said Serac.
"How sad," replied Koto. "Then we'll be his family."
"I think we already kindeh were," Serac recalled. "But yes, we'll stay by his side until he can stand on his own feet again."
"Which is why," Marckus resumed, "a letter for Mangoni needs to be sent to the Hall in our stead. We won't be going back there for at least a little while. Oh! And also, we should mail in addition a notice to the entire guild - in the case that the letter does not find Mangoni at the Hall - that should they come across Mangoni during their imminent travels in Azeroth, they can give him the letter's message in person, so he can make his way to us from wherever. Yes, that should cover all the bases."
"Indeed it does," noticed Serac. "That sounds like a solid plan to me, Marckus."
"Mmhmm," agreed the girls.
There was a lengthy pause before anyone spoke again. This time, it was Voudka. "Ugh, this chest is starting to get real heavy. We're almost back to the Peak, right?"
Jesiach was the one to reply. "I don't know about that, but...while we're on the subject of chests... Voudka, when are you going to retrieve your firework launcher from that 'invisible' chest out in the middle of the field?"
"Oh, I don't know." Voudka answered. "I suppose I could run out there later today. But really? After the day we've all had? I'd much rather just leave it out there for the time being. We all could use some rest right now, but we need to get Jag settled here and then we have to get settled in Ironforge and then we may end up transporting him somewhere else for his recovery period...Quite frankly, Malv, my launcher, while admittedly very awesome, is definitely not a major priority of mine at the moment."
Jesiach grinned. "But, what about the risks involved with leaving the chest out there?"
"Risks? What risks?" asked Voudka. She could just tell that this was going to be interesting.
"Well," Jesiach began to answer. "We wouldn't want any wolves or deer to run right into it. Or for any low-flying gryphons to break any fragile paw bones on it. Or for any wild, crazy Moonkin to fall over themselves on it. Or for any -"
"Alright! I -"
Voudka went to respond, but Jesiach just kept going. "Or what if..." Jesiach paused as though thinking real hard about the possibilities. "What if the trolls manage to find the chest - knowing them, one of them will walk right into it - and then manage to open it? What then?"
Voudka had had enough. "Oh, for the love of the Naaru!" she yelled, loud enough so that half the Hinterlands probably heard her. "I get your point! Fine! I'll go out with Koto to get it later, after we tend to Jag a bit and I take a short nap. Is that okay? Do I have the esteemed Malv's permission to take a short nap?"
"Why of course you do, Voud." said Jesiach. "In fact, since you're not a healer or absolutely necessary on bandage duty, why don't you go ahead and take your nap right now."
"Right now!?" shouted Voudka. "Right now. You want me to just drop this chest on the ground right where I stand and doze off? Why in Azeroth would I do that??"
"Because we're here," said Jesiach, calmly, as he stopped jogging and turned to face the rest of the group. He looked as though he was trying his very hardest not to burst out into a laughing fit. Instead, after a second or two, he went to grab some bandages out from his biggest backpack.
"So we are," replied Voudka, who had finally stopped trying to bore holes through Jesiach's skull with her rage and instead looked straight ahead and above her to spot the giant stone eagle head which served as the landmark feature of Aerie Peak. Upon seeing this, she promptly dropped the gear chest, as did Kotonoha, with an immense sigh of relief. Then, with a wide smile directed right at Jesiach, she repeated herself. "So we are."