The huntress' nightsabers ran swiftly across the damp and soggy terrain of the Ashenvale forest. The weather had been rainy throughout the whole of the day, making matters slightly easier for the fugitive they were hunting, as her tracks were now harder to make out amidst the deep puddles of water.
The leader of the pack, Aivanna Wintersong, was making her way to the next checkpoint where she planned to meet up with her other scouts. She felt they might have a stronger lead than her party, as the tracks they had been following were becoming too inconsistent, and would eventually disappear.
Curse this rain She thought. While the rain was normally revered for its symbolic interpretations among the Kaldorei, it served to only make matters more frustrating for the huntress pack. This side of Ashenvale was much less mud, and more leaves on the ground than anything else. With the patting down of the grass from the heavy droplets, nearly every which way could pass for someone's footprints. Kaldorei however, are known for their persistence. If need be, they would resort to overturning every fallen leaf in the forest before conceding to a failed task.
Before Aivanna arrived at her designated location, she was approached by another one of her scouts coming from a different checkpoint. "Lady sentinel, someone has requested your audience at the southernmost outpost." She said. Aivanna was taken a bit by surprise. Could it be possible that someone spotted their fugitive and then later noticed that the sentinels were looking for someone? Wishful thinking sure enough, but Aivanna thought it still may be of importance if someone requested her by name. She and her party made way for the southern checkpoint.
During the walk, Aivanna made sure to keep an eye out for tracks. Anything at all would suffice for her, she just needed something that she could come back too after her business with this stranger was done with. Aivanna can be very paranoid when it comes to tasks she considers herself good at. On top of that, she is a terrible loser. Be it a test of wits or skills, she prides herself on both. While this task of hers was not yet failed, it was already eating at her as if it were already so.
Upon arrival to their location, the pack spotted the other group of huntress' standing around a very sickly looking human. Aivanna couldn't help but cringe a bit after a more detailed look at him. What with his frail skinny body that his wet robes clung to, and his pale grey skin. Aivanna approached him with slight caution and an alert mind, as she knew he was an acolyte of the forsaken. "What business do you have with us?" She said in an agitated tone. "We are currently in the middle of some important matters."
The acolyte bowed. "I thought it might be of interest to your people to know that a group of humans have been spotted further east by the forest border. They're lumbering on your sacred grounds." Aivanna was somewhat shocked, yet a little hesitant to believe it. Humans cutting in Ashenvale? Where do they come off being so bold and disrespectful?
"If what you say is true, how is that any of your business? And what's the forsaken doing in Kalimdor to begin with?"
"Please allow me to explain Milady. As I'm sure you know, the forsaken and humans of any affiliation are still at quarrel with each other. I was sent by my queen, Lady Sylvannas, to spy on our enemies' resource locations. I tracked one all the way over here in Kalimdor and stumbled upon them in your sacred lands. Should you decide to take action against them, it would of course be beneficial to my faction, as the humans would be at a loss of resources for war."
Aivanna didn't like the idea of doing something that would benefit the forsaken. however, it is the duty of all kaldorei to carry out justice against enemies of their forest. Not to mention, she didn't feel like getting badgered by this acolyte if she refused to be hostile towards these humans. "Ok acolyte, I'll investigate. Do not think yourself free of our suspicions however. " She said in a stern tone.
The party followed the acolyte through the muggy landscape for about an hour. The rain didn't lighten up one bit, and they were losing what little daylight they had through the thick of the clouds. "There, do you see it? That's their logging area." the acolyte said pointing through the clearing. Aivanna could hear the sound of voices and clacking as she walked up to get a better view of where the acolyte was pointing. She saw a few human axemen cutting smaller pieces of wood out of a fallen tree trunk. Outraged by the sight of such, she grabbed her weapon and sprung herself forward.
"You there! Stop that immediately!" Aivanna yelled as she jumped out of the brush, clutching her bow with a nocked arrow. The axemen jumped a little out of astonishment and dropped their weapons. "You humans should know better than to lumber in these lands. Who gave you such orders?" She barked.
"W-we don't want any trouble huntress, we were only doing the bidding of our base captain." The man said in a nervous and trembling tone.
"Someone deliberately gave you orders to cut in Ashenvale?"
"Well, not exactly. Our Captain only told us to cut the fallen ones. He also tol-"
"Even in death these trees serve a purpose! This entire forest is sacred to us! Lead me to your base, lest we fill all your necks with arrowheads! I demand a word with your superior!"
"Uhhh, yes ma'am."
Aivanna ordered the rest of her group to follow the humans, she needed a word alone with the acolyte behind the brush. "I suppose you want some sort of repayment for providing me with this information." said Aivanna.
"If you really want to repay me you'll save your mercy when dealing with their Captain. You'll find they are quite spinless when presented with a conflict while they are defenseless and so far from their home. Farewell Lady sentinel." The acolyte walked away and faded into the growing night.
Aivanna caught up with the rest of the group and they continued to follow the humans eastward, towards the edge of the forest. It was now almost midnight, and the rain had been reduced to just light droplets. Aivanna knew these humans wouldn't be stupid enough to try and lead them into an ambush in their own lands, but the distance they were leading her group made her suspicious and uneasy. Typical behavior for her none the less.
When they reached the edge of the forest, they were met by the river that separates Ashenvale from the next land over, Azshara. From their side of the river the whole party could see a series of campfires and torches set up behind a wooden palisade on the other side. "That's our camp Milady. This is where we were originally set up, but lumber in this area is beginning to grow scarce. That's when our captain told us to go lurking through Ashenvale for fallen trees." Said one of the men. Aivanna was nearly depleted of patience, especially after walking through the rain most of the night.
"I'll find out what i need to know when I talk with your superior. Just take me to him, then get out my sight."
The group walked further up the river bank and crossed on a crude wooden bridge. As they approached the camp, one of the axemen signaled for clearance into the camp, and the guard opened the gate for them and the pack of huntress'. "And what can I help you with miss?" the guard asked from atop of his watch tower.
"Call you superior out here and tell him I demand a word with him, in regards to this troop of fools he sent to desecrate our lands." The guard nodded and climbed down from his post, he then made way for what appeared to be the largest tent in the camp. Aivanna was now thinking about how she would handle herself in the event the guard were to come back saying the captain is unavailable at the moment. Being the dead of night and all.
To a little surprise, the guard returned from the tent accompanied by a rather burly looking man. Shaved head, close beard, and a powerful athletic stature. Not an unusual look for an alliance captain. Aivanna however, wasn't impressed, or at the very least tried to convince herself she wasn't.
As the captain walked towards Aivanna he could see his axemen, looking pretty nervous, standing next to the sentinel and her huntress'. This would evoke a bit of an uneasy expression from the captain's face. As if to say Uh oh, we're in trouble with the night elves. The captain thought it best to just act submissive to avoid any conflict, and bowed slightly before Aivanna. "Greetings night elf, I'm Captain Dennis Rayand. I uh...see you found something of mine." Aivanna was still in no mood to be amused.
"Do you know nothing of our people or it's traditions? This lumber may just be a means to an end for you, but they are part of a living and sacred land to us!" She barked. Rayand was struggling a bit to keep himself calm, as situations like this made him pretty aggressive as well.
"I'm being sincere when I say that no harm was intended Lady sentinel. That is why I only sent these good men searching for fallen-" Aivanna didn't want to hear this excuse again.
"Oh, no harm was intended now was it? You thought all would be well and you could cut where ever you wanted so long as you made sure to feel guilty about it? I'd say that's quite a bold move for someone already hassling to fend off one enemy. Is you king even aware of your doings?"
"If you mean King Milard, he is not our king." Rayand said in a more stern voice.
"What? Are you not vassals of Stormwind?"
"We once were, but have not considered ourselves such since our Lord seceded from the Kingdom and declared our home of Menethil Harbor an independent territory."
Aivanna wasn't sure how to react to this. Their desperation for resources did however begin to make more sense to her now, as they were most likely not receiving any from any of the alliance factions after seceding. "I don't understand why your leader would make such an intense move. Declaring independence from Stormwind?"
"Wouldn't you do the same if your enemies were closing in on your homeland while your leaders tended to other matters?" Rayand said, now not holding back any of the emotion he was before. "The undead have been more aggressive the past few years, and King Milard has diverted all of his attention to stomping out the defias insurgents to the south. Lord Harathim of Menethil Harbor frequently sent requests to high command that a campaign be carried out in the north to combat the undead, but they repeatedly told us that splitting forces at the moment would leave the campaign in westfall weak, leaving Stormwind and Elwynn more prone to defias attacks. High command would eventually stop responding, and we were forced to fend for ourselves."
"So in wake of war with the undead, this Lord Harathim thought the right decision here was to abandon all hope completely that King Milard might eventually send help, and call for a campaign against the undead?" Aivanna said with a condescending tone.
"It's not that simple. Under Stormwind's complicated legislation, we are not allowed to make counter-attacks without the high command's approval. Thus, we were stuck on the defensive. The entire town was a target the undead kept battering at. But now, we are free to carry out any actions we want. This of course includes establishing lumber mills out here in Azshara at our Lord's will."
Aivanna's temper diluted a small amount during the captain's story, but it spiked back a bit after remembering why she was there listening to him in the first place. "You're circumstances are unfortunate but I didn't come all this way to leave without a settled score."
Rayand nodded his head. "Reasonable, you were wronged and we deserve punishment. So how do you night elves carry out justice? I can pay a transgression fee, or negotiate custody of these men. Is there maybe something i can give you?"
Aivanna was pondering the options when it hit her. The fugitive they were tracking, she was headed eastward last she remembered. Is it possible she may have stumbled upon this camp? The amount of fires the camp had going were clearly noticeable to anyone exiting the forest, so it's possible she may have come through looking for a place to hide shortly before Aivanna's arrival. "We can discuss the terms in a moment, first I must ask you this. Did you or any of your men see any other night elves in or around your camp at all today?"
The captain looked confused. The question she asked seemed fairly irrelevant and quite off topic."Um, I'm sorry...I've been in my quarters most of the day. You didn't see anything did you?" Rayand asked the guard next to him.
"I actually did see a few night elves before this evening." Said the guard.
"How many? Male, female?" Aivanna responded.
"Um...only three, and two of them were female."
"Did either of them have long white hair, pale purple skin, and markings around the eyes?"
"Uh, I didn't a good look at them. They were talking to the caravan leader on the other side of the camp. But one of them did have white hair."
That's her Aivanna thought. She did pass through here, and then took the caravan out. "Captain, where do the caravans go after they depart from your camp?" She said with urgency.
"All of our caravans head to the northern shoreline where our landing camp is. That's where all the lumber is loaded onto ships and sent back to Menethil harbor. I'm guessing you're after one of those travelers?"
"She is no traveler, she is an escapee of Kaldorei law. I was charged with capturing her for our warden." Aivanna barked.
"An escapee? What were her crimes?"
"That isn't relevant to me. I was only given the task and a description of her." Just then, a new plan came across Aivanna's mind. "Here's what I'm thinking captain. I'll forgive the transgressions your men carried out if you lead me to this landing camp of yours. In addition, I demand that my party be exempt from any travel fees you may have back to your hometown of Menethil. Do we have a deal?"
Rayand didn't even have to think about it. Such a small price for an easy out.
"Deal Milady. I'll gather some men and we will move out immediately."