"Elune, please don't let these traps be deadly ones" as the blue-haired Night Elf traversed cautiously into the vast cave. Following a lead from an old friend, the Warrior traveled all the way to Dragonblight after many years in Darnassus. From this old contact, he had gained word that a former ally had taken to a life of hermitage in a great cave once filled with beasts but since cleared out. Traps were the least of his worries, it was the supposed small army of winged, feathered and clawed creatures that this ally kept as companions that made him nervous. Alas, the Warrior barely had time to scream as a rope trap sprung and caught him by the ankle, vaulting him almost to the ceiling of the cave before he came plummeting back down, stopping just inches above the hard frozen floor.
"And here I was, thinking it would be our old friend Viper that would come sneaking in to find me" a voice echoed off of the cave walls as the Warrior regained his bearings, albeit while upside down. From this reversed perspective, he saw an image emerge from the darkness that barely resembled the great Hunter whom he had known all those years ago. Her hair flowed down like the waterfall in the temple of Elune, but it still bore the same purple hue that reminded him of Crystalsong Forest. Wearing a heavy robe of some unknown fabric, the female Night Elf crouched down so that she was eye-level with her visitor. "I'm impressed Dakro, I never thought you would find me. My money was always on someone from the old Order". "Lovely to see you too Faelwen, now would you please cut me down?" Dakro pleaded, immediately regretting his words as Faelwen produced a knife and cut the Warrior down, landing him in a heap.
Dakro swore he could hear the massive flapping of wings as his old friend helped him right himself. "Arse over teakettle, if I had a copper for every time I found you like that after a bar brawl in Stormwind" Faelwen mused, pulling Dakro to his feet. The Night Elf looked around him to see that his hearing the flapping of wings was not unfounded, for it seemed in the few moments between his springing Faelwen's security trap and her helping him to his feet; they had become surrounded by a small squad of Netherwing Drakes, one of every subspecies that Dakro knew existed. Faelwen looked up at her companions and said "Stand down everyone, 'tis nothing to fear" and as if they understood their mistress perfectly, all of the Drakes landed on their feet; tucking their wings in and walking off further into the cave.
"I don't recall you befriending any Netherwings while we fought together" Dakro said, brushing snow and dirt off of his armor and cloak. "I didn't" Faelwen said solemnly as she lead Dakro into the cave, following the path of the Drakes. "Then where did you get them?" the Warrior asked, almost wishing he hadn't when he saw his friends shoulders drop. Turning a glowing eye to him, Faelwen said "Before I left the Citadel, Taimi gave me the means to summon all of her drakes that she had in her posession. She said I would need them for wherever it was I was headed". Dakro stopped in his tracks for a moment, pondering the severity of Faelwen's words. Taimi the Draenei Paladin had been Faelwen's constant companion for many years before he had met the two, and to know that that was the Draenei's final gift to her sister in arms was not lost to the Warrior.
They traveled further into the cave, no words spoken between them. Once in a while, Dakro would sneak a look at the radically altered appearance of his friend; trying to remember the few occasions he saw Faelwen in civilian attire and not the heavy mail armor she had constantly worn during their adventures. Nor could he remember her hair being such a great length, perhaps it helped to keep warm in the frigid cave that was now her home. How long had she lived here? It was something that weight down on the Night Elf's mind as they turned a final corner into the main chamber of the cave, where Dakro was greeted with a sight that would astound anyone...
Dozens of drakes, either circling the vast main chamber of the cave or sitting on the floor with their wings tucked in; greeted Dakro's eyes. They were everywhere, most gathered around great bonfires that had were being tended to by Wyrmkin of all things; and it was then that Dakro remembered the many baby Whelpings that Faelwen had taken in all those years ago, and realized that they would have matured into full grown Kin by now. They stoked the fires with great poles, and then wandered off to other duties. All of them wore some kind of hood that Dakro had seen on many civilized Wyrmkin before, and wondered if Faelwen had sewn these hoods for them herself. Weaving in and out of the vast groups of Drake and Wyrmkin were dozens more of every kind of Raptor that Dakro had ever come across in his life, making him remember fondly the many baby Hatchlings that Faelwen had adopted; all of whom had taken a bite out of their old friend Viper at one point or another. But the centerpiece of all of these great creatures was something that Dakro had never thought he'd see again in all his life.
In the far corner of the room, away from the heat of the fires but still able to bask in the light, was a Blue Dragon; as vast as any beast Dakro had seen. It showed signs of battle on its scarred wings, and the distant look in it's eyes told many stories. Where the devil did Faelwen find THAT thing? More so, what were those strange-looking Drakes flanking it? "I see you've noticed Lygos, Timmer and little Roary" Faelwen said with a grin, pointing to the Blue Dragon and its two Drake companions. "Little Roary?" Dakro said aloud, looking at the large copper-brown Drake that glanced briefly at the newcomer. "He grew up fast, took quite a shine to Timmer over there when he joined us" Faelwen said pointing to the other Drake. "They're Proto-Drakes, Dakro. Just as I suspected about Roary, the Proto's were not extinct. Lygos there I encountered centuries ago when he was still an adolescent. After the Citadel, I caught an updraft and found myself in Coldarra once again; and there Lygos and I met for the second time".
Dakro looked at Faelwen, thinking about how for the first time since they saw each other again that the Hunter mentioned the Citadel. Ignoring Dakro's expression, Faelwen went on. "I knew Dragonspeak from my youth, and with that Lygos expressed a desire to see other parts of the world, so we explored for a bit before finding this place. It pained him to leave his family, but his grandfather insisted that he go out and see the world, and apparently the old Dragon saw me as a worthy companion to his descendant". They came within throwing distance of Lygos and his companions, who watched the other Drakes with the animal equivalent to amusement expressed on their faces. Thinking the name Lygos odd for some reason, Dakro turned to Faelwen; not expecting the answer he was about to get to his question. "Faelwen, you said Lygos' grandfather. Who?".
Faelwen turned, the light from the fires in the chamber catching in her hair. "Is the name not clue enough for you Dakro? I speak of the Aspect of the Blue Dragonflight of course. My friend here is the youngest grandchild of Malygos...". Dakro could have been knocked over by the breeze created from the flapping wings of the Drakes above him. Malygos, THE Malygos? Shaking his head, Dakro tried to contemplate all of this. "But Malygos was killed not long after..." Dakro fell silent as he saw the sad and distant look in Faelwen's eyes before coming to realize what had happened. "Faelwen" he said quietly, but the huntress held up her hand in silence. "Not now Dakro. Wait until later, when they have all gone to sleep for the night. The Wyrmkin will still be awake, but they cannot repeat what is said by others". Dakro nodded, then ventured a glance back towards the massive Blue Dragon and his Proto companions; and shuddered. The grandson of Malygos, right there in front of him...
Hours later, the many Drakes and raptors had indeed gone to sleep; save for a small group of Wyrmkin that stayed up to tend to the fires. They did this in shifts, some sleeping in a group (for warmth) while others tended to their duties. It was a veritable city of winged creatures, and in the middle of it all was Faelwen the great Hunter; who had changed dramatically. Dakro could sense something deep within his old friend, a change that he could not identify. Outwardly, she was still very much the Faelwen he had known ages ago, but inside he sensed something almost dark. "Faelwen" Dakro pressed, picking up where they left off hours earlier. The two were gathered by a fire, accompanied by the full-grown Roary; who was taken with sniffing his old "uncle" Dakro, snorting when the tip of the Warrior's ear accidently poked him in the nostril. The male Night Elf swore he heard Lygos snort in a type of laugh, and wasn't quick to dismiss the notion either considering things. "I at least owe you the abridge version of what happened to me in Coldarra" Faelwen said, poking the fire with a stick as she leaned back on her heels and took a deep breath.
When I caught that updraft on my carpet, I held on for dear life. In those few moments of turbulence, I was more afraid then then when I had just gone toe to toe with the Lich King. I laid prone on the carpet, clinging to the edges and praying to Elune for her to see me through. Being so high up, I could have passed over Sholazar Basin and not noticed, for it was so fantasically cold; and Mail armor does nothing to protect one from it. When I saw snow, I thought I may have still been in Icecrown; but the trees that I glimpsed told me otherwise, and I knew then that I had found my way to Coldarra. A downdraft plummeted me towards the earth, and I thought for certain I would meet my death. But that was not to be, for both me and the carpet were snatched out of mid are by the talons of a Blue Dragon; my friend Lygos. We were near the Nexus, and the flapping of wings from all of the dragons was nearly deafening, as well as the whimpering of the baby Drakes that swarmed me when Lygos set me down.
I was exhausted, my body frozen inside my armor and here I was with a dozen baby Blue drakes sniffing me like some curiosity. Lygos set me down so that my carpet was over me, giving me a bit of warmth from the harsh cold of the environment. It took me some time to realize who it was, and when I did it was like seeing you again, Dakro. Lygos had been my friend from many years past, when we met in Ahn'Qiraj while he was still an adolescent. "Old friend" Lygos said, his words heavy on my mind. "Lygos, we meet agian. I wish I could be more cheerful". The Dragon could see the darkness in my heart, from what I had just come from. "Rest now" He said, and the little ones curled up around me as if to help me keep warm. I feared nothing from them, after all I had raised many baby creatures before and had them curl around me; how was that any different? My real surprise was when I woke up, and saw that Lygos had company with him...his grandfather.
Malygos, the Blue Dragon Aspect himself. I thought he had been killed years ago, but I remembered that that ill-fated raid had ended with almost everyone dead; and Malygos escaping. There he was at the Nexus, next to his grandson, and me. "You have come far, hoping to escape the darkness you have witnessed, Hunter" I heard the Dragon say to me in my mind. Part of me cursed myself for even KNOWING Dragonspeak, but part of me was also grateful for it allowed me to communicate with one of the oldest living creatures in all of Azeroth...
Faelwen stopped, allowing a fine-boned hand to run over her twilight-colored hair before she let out a heavy sigh tinged with tears. Looking away from him, Dakro could not tell if his old friend was crying or not; but Roary's sudden whine told him that she was. "I lied to you, Dakro" Faelwen said quietly, still not looking at her friend. "Malygos did not agree to let Lygos come with me" she said flatly, confusing the Warrior. "What do you mean?" Dakro asked, not knowing what Faelwen was getting at. Lifting her head and turning it to look at her friend, the Night Elf Female's silver eyes narrowed as she looked at the Warrior. "Malygos did not consent because he was dead when we left..." Faelwen spat, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. "I don't understand Faelwen. What do you mean-" Then it hit Dakro, it hit him harder than the hilt of Frostmourne when the Lich King took a backswing at him at the Citadel all those years ago. In all of the years that he would continue to see afterwards, Dakro would never again feel the impact of something like he was feeling now. "Faelwen, you don't mean-" Dakro said, unable to finish his sentence. "You can't say it, but I can Dakro. It was I that slew Malygos all those years ago..."