Regynn Winters

Making a New Friend

The puppy ran at Regynn, bolling her over in its exuberance. The priestess let out a startled shriek, rolling up to her knees and shaking her head as peals of laughter mingled with the dog’s excited barking. She brushed pink flower petals from her hair, turning and reaching out to stop the animal from licking her face.

“He likes you very much.” the Pandaren stood off to the side, her paws tucked neatly inside the sleeves of her robe, her voice as gentle as the breeze that sent blossoms fluttering to the ground.

Reggy looked up, her eyes bright, “I like him too.” she said as she rose to her feet, brushing grass from her pants. “Do you have more like him here?”

Peijing shook her head, “Not at this time. All of the other young ones have been claimed. There is only this one and another.”

“May I see it?” Regynn asked, not catching the cautious edge in Peijing’s voice.

The Pandaren shook her head, “It is not suitable to visit such as he. He is fierce and seems to have the spirit of anger upon him. It is best that he stay isolated so he cannot hurt anyone.”

Regynn resisted the urge to question her companion further and the two of them walked through the garden in silence. When they reached the temple they parted company, the Pandaren entering the sacred building while Regynn continued to explore the grounds.

She had been at the monastery for several weeks now, each day filled with meetings and interviews while her evenings were spent writing reports that were carried to the baron in Stormwind. Today was the first time she’d been given to herself and she planned to enjoy it to the fullest.

As she turned a corner near the stables she nearly collided with a harried looking Pandaren. The male didn’t stop, didn’t bother to speak but kept running, waving his hands about frantically. She watched him for a moment as she caught her breath then moved into what appeared to be a fenced in yard of some sort. The area was lined with cherry trees, their fallen petals covering the ground like a pale pink carpet.

As she stepped from beneath the shadows of the trees the wind shifted, and with it came a low, guttural growl. Regynn froze, her eyes slowly scanning the yard. The creature stood at the other end of the paddock, its cold black eyes staring into her, massive fangs bared while strings of saliva drooled from the corners of its mouth. It was massive, standing nearly as tall as she was, even on all fours.

“Hey there.” her voice was barely above a whisper. Her hand shook as she extended it toward the creature, “You’re pretty. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” her mouth had gone bone dry and she swallowed thickly as the creature turned its enormous head to look at her.

It moved closer, its nose twitching as it caught her scent. As it drew nearer Regynn realized it was the temple dog Peijing had spoken of. Before she had time to process this and give into the fear that should have followed, the dog reached her and she felt his hot breath on her outstretched hand.

“Please don’t hurt me.” Regynn whispered. “I won’t hurt you… you’re a pretty boy.” The dog shifted an intelligent gaze to the priestess, their eyes locking and her fear melted away. “You’re a good boy, I don’t know why anyone would be afraid of you.” she murmured, reaching out to scritch the hound behind its ears while the animal stepped in closer, his head bumping gently against her chest.

The two of them stood this way for several minutes, Regynn petting the mammoth dog while it basked in the attention, all the while the priestess spoke, murmuring endearments and bits of encouragement when suddenly the dog stiffened, his hackles raising and the low guttural growl emanating through bared fangs as he stepped in front of her.

Regynn’s eyes darted around the fenced enclosure, not immediately seeing the source of the incessant screeching that filled the air until a group of hozen dropped from the surrounding trees. The creatures were circling the girl and the hound, wicked looking fangs gleaming in the afternoon sun, their movements menacing. Several of the creatures darted toward the dog, staying just out of its reach, taunting and laughing as the he lunged first this way then that.

The priestess watched in horror as the hozen scrambled around the temple dog, moving close and then darting back, pulling it further into the center of the paddock. It wasn’t until one of the creatures dropped from the tree above her head that Regynn realized her own danger. The creature clamped onto her hair, claws racking across her neck. She screamed as the thing lunged at her, its yellow teeth mere inches from her throat, its eyes gleaming with evil intent.

The hound whirled around quickly at the sound then snarled, swiping a great paw forward, tearing the primate away from her, his own teeth buried deeply into the course hozen fur. The dog shook his head violently and Regynn could hear bones snapping. Still the dog thrashed about until the creature hung like a limp ragdoll from his teeth.

The remaining hozen, frenzied at the scent of blood, screamed louder, launching themselves at the massive dog and the dog continued his own attack. slinging his first kill away and grasping at another, catching it in mid-air and giving a savage shake of his head then dropping the lifeless form to the ground. It took mere minutes to dispatch the pack of hozen, their shattered bodies forming a small heap in the center of the ring.

The dog dropped the final creature to the ground, turning to look at Regynn, his fur matted with blood and bits of torn flesh. She blinked her eyes rapidly, a hand fluttering up to cover her frantically beating heart as he approached her. She took a step back, drew a deep breath, then her knees buckled and she crumpled to the ground in a dead faint.

When the Pandaren, drawn by the sounds of conflict, arrived they found the hound calmly licking the gore from his fur while standing watch over the prone form of the girl.