Her eyes flew open, but she did not see what was before her. A veil of mist had lifted from her mind, revealing the life she once knew. Flashes at first, she saw a little orc girl on her mother’s lap, naming the clouds and watching them lazily cross the afternoon sun. The little girl watched the tall men that rode from the horizon while her friends and family ran to and from with frantic urgency. She watched the men ride closer, their hair golden like the sun and their ears as tall and sharp as knives. The elves brought fire to her village that day and the little girl watched as her mother fell and moved no more.
The little orc girl was taken away from the tent she called home and through the fields where she would chase fireflies well into the night. The elves took her across the river where she learned to swim, and over mountains that she was forbidden to climb. She lost track of how far they traveled; every rock and tree was unfamiliar, each casting a shadow from a sky she no longer knew. It was a lifetime until the elves finally slowed their horses to a trot and entered a forest as dark and deep as the village well. The little girl’s grandfather used to tell her scary stories about places like this. She would listen with a blankets pulled up just below her eyes, enthralled with tales of giant spiders and trees that could swallow men whole. She closed her eyes and hoped they were not just stories, only to be answered by howling that chilled her to the bone. As horses bucked in fear the little girl fell helplessly to the ground. Terrified, she quickly leapt to her feet and fled behind a nearby tree. She closed her eyes and covered her ears amidst a cacophony of yells and snarls.
And then there was silence. When the girl finally dared to gaze beyond the tree, there was little left of the elves and their horses but blood and bone. Standing in the middle of the carnage was a pack of wolves and a group of orcs the little girl did not recognize. The orcs began to argue what was to be done with the orphan before them, but the decision was no longer theirs. One of the wolves, a large black female, stood beside the little orc girl and bared her teeth to any who would come near. From that day forward, the girl stayed in the company of the rogue orc tribe, but she was raised by the wolf. The orcs taught the girl to commune with her new companion through meditation. Eventually she learned how wolves think and gained the ability to harness their strength within herself.
As time passed, the little orc girl became a new person, growing into a strong young woman unburdened by memories of her past. She would spend her days hunting elk and exploring the forest that no longer seemed dark to her, the wolf ever at her side. One day her companion grew restless, but the girl did not understand what the wolf wished to tell her. So, as she had done hundreds of times before, the girl sat on the smooth forest floor to mediate--and something clicked. Her eyes flew open and she remembered the life she left behind. The memories were overwhelming, but as her own story opened up before her, the girl understood. Her companion was old; the wolf was dying. Over the years, the wolf had given all she could offer, but now it was time for her final gift. The girl understood. The wolf put her large head on the girl’s lap, looked upon her one last time with amber eyes and then moved no more. The girl wept as she pulled the knife from her scabbard, but the wolf’s wish was clear. The girl skinned her surrogate mother, and donned the hide as a cloak around her shoulders. She felt the power before even tying the last knot: the hide was alive! Her companion was still there; not even death could stop the wolf from protecting her. The girl understood. Now she is Black Wolf. With her past in mind, and her future before her, vengeance upon the elves, all elves, would be swift and without mercy.
Black Wolf is a hero that is a formidable opponent to any hero. Although she is a mage, she is best suited to gain distance and attack unhindered than any other mage. Let's take a closer look at here abilities:
