Welcome to my story! This is my first serious fanfiction in years, so I apologize ahead of time for any rust I have concerning that or lore. Storyline starts just a hair before BC, or right at the beginning. World of Warcraft is owned by Blizzard, although I am taking various liberties to things. So abilities, items, and possibly some lore may not match up as time goes on to make it more AU than anything. Telonis, Nishunel, and Kantal are owned by my friend, WhiteKatsu, amongst others in the future, and there will be other people's characters getting cameos. Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

Chapter 1: From Ashenvale

The thrill of the hunt was a terrible thing. All life should be held with care, and the ending of such a thing should never be something as enjoyable as a thrill. The Kaldorei, or Night Elves as the other members of the Alliance called them, were taught from a young age to respect all forms of life. While it was just to protect your home and family, or to hunt to feed them, there was no pleasure in ending the life of another.

It was something that Nishunel, even as a hunter, took to heart while in the forests of Darkshore. Or, perhaps, it was more because of than despite of his chosen class that it was even more sacred to him than say a mage or warrior. Notching an arrow, the proud elven male took aim at a stag and watched for a moment. His own pet, an owl of enormous size was perched in a nearby tree as it awaited its master's command to engage. With any luck though, it would take just one arrow to hit just right. With patience and skill mastered over hundreds of years of practice, Nishunel finally found his opportunity and loosed the arrow. Piercing the animal's heart, the animal staggered just a few paces before it fell to the ground, quickly dying from the mortal wound.

That was the moment a sleek feral cat padded up to the stag, having been stealthed the entire time. The indigo coloring of the fur gave way to lavender skin and blue hair as the cat shifted into a female night elf. Gently, she placed a hand the animal's still head and whispered soft prayers of respect and gratitude. The animal's demise would help others live after all. This particular stag was the fourth one that Nishunel had killed and would likely be the last for today.

"Knadia, where is Telonis?" Nishunel questioned the woman, his warm smile betraying the close relationship they had. And why wouldn't he? This woman, with a lighter shade of blue hair than himself, was his younger sister. While he was nearly 450 years of age, his sister was quickly approaching 50.

The younger elf looked up to him and smiled. "He's finishing up preparations for our trip of course," was her answer. "Perhaps now would be a good time to go back?" she suggested, looking a bit eager. They had been at this for much of their waking hours after all.

A grin spread across Nishunel's face as he looked over at his sibling. The reason for her eagerness likely pertained to his dear friend Telonis. The man, like Knadia, was a druid although their disciplines differed. Still, the trio had been very close for many years and even to Nishunel's inexperience in the matter, could tell that both his sister and best friend had gotten even closer in the past decade. In fact, if he were to be told today he was going to be an uncle, he would not be in the least bit shocked. Breaking out of his thoughts, they brought the animal carcass to his mount – a large nightsaber.

Knadia had also brought a mount that already carried another carcass on the back of her own big cat. The two elven siblings went back to the small village of Lor'Danel to see about selling these animal carcasses. While they lived in Darnassus, they typically traveled out here to do their hunting. Either Telonis would skin the animals and they'd sell the rest, or they would sell the entire animal. While the Kaldorei didn't eat much (or any) red meat, they did have adventurers that would happily buy cuts of meat for decent coin. Today, they were just happy with selling the entire thing. Nishunel noticed that his sister seemed extremely giddy, and although he knew she was excited to be going on an adventure with her two most favorite men in the world, he hadn't spent half of a century with her to not know there was something... Yes, something he didn't know about was definitely going on.

Quirking an eyebrow at his sister as they got their haul for the day to a leather shopkeeper, he decided to take the chance. "So," he began. "You seem pretty happy today."

Knadia looked at Nishunel and recognized the look in his eyes. Her then guilty look that surfaced for only a moment confirmed what he knew. However, before she could attempt to respond in any way, truth or excuses, another male voice pierced the air.

"Ah! About time you two returned!"

The owner of the voice was a white-haired druid, a grin on his face as he joined up with the siblings. He kept his grin on as he got up to them and his glowing, yellow eyes had a look of mirth to them. From Nishunel they went to Knadia's beaming face, and his grinned widened a bit. "What kept you so two so long? I thought I was the one that was always stopping to smell the flowers."

Nishunel chuckled and clapped his friend on the back. "You know how Knadia loves flowers," he joked, also directing the blame to her.

The youngest of the trio pouted before turning around. "If you two children are done goofing off, I'd like to get home and finish preparing for our trip to Ashenvale. The more time we spend here, the less time we'll have later on," she chided, turning her nose up for extra effect.

The two men laughed as they followed her. "Now now, Knadia," Telonis began, placing a hand on her shoulder as they walked to the flight master at the docks. "you're starting to act like one of those blasted high elves."

It was an understood fact that Telonis did not care for their ancestral cousins, and Knadia wasn't too far behind him - although Nishunel wondered if Telonis wasn't having some influence on her in that. He himself wasn't sure what to believe about the other elves. After all, the incidents occurred before they were born.

"Pfft," the female druid scoffed. "If I am, it's all your fault, Tel!"

It was at that point that they reached the flight master on the docks and paid for their way back to the village on Teldrassil. Aside of the playful banter that they enjoyed most often, it seemed silence was king on their way home. They didn't get another sentence out even as they got into the door of Nishunel's home, having decided it would be their meeting place for plans. As shown by the extra supplies laying about, it was also the place they had chosen to spend their last night in for what would be a month or so. Nish placed his money pouch on the counter, the source of their income for this trip. Thus, the cloth pouch felt heavier than usual. He then took time out to put up his equipment and popped outside to check on his owl. Once back inside, he spotted Telonis and Knadia sitting together on the couch and seemingly waiting for him.

"So then, we should probably get to bed soon," Nishunel started, being the unofficial leader of their group. Dawn had been creeping up when they had returned and he was starting to feel tired from the hunting and traveling they had done so far.

Telonis nodded, then looked to Knadia who gave him an earnest look before turning his gaze to Nishunel. "Nish," he began, choosing his words for the hunter even as he spoke them. "Knadia and I have something we wish to tell you."

The man in question tilted his head a bit in curiosity. "What is it?" he asked, wondering where this had come from. The two looked somber on the outside, but flashes of joy and nervousness would surface in both their expressions and eyes as he awaited the answer. Truly, the suspense was getting to him!

"I've asked Knadia to be my wife, and would like your blessing," Telonis finally answered, the reply somewhat surprising Nishunel.

No, the fact that those two would be mates at all didn't shock him, it was the title and unspoken promise of a wedding. That was a human tradition, not a Kaldorei tradition. He looked between the two with confusion until he realized they were waiting for his blessing. "Oh! Oh of course. ...Y-you have my blessing. But...a wedding?" he questioned, being his turn to get an answer.

Knadia and Telonis looked at each other in visible relief, the former looking to Nish. "Yes, something like that. While you were busy getting lessons in Stormwind, I happened across one. It's a beautiful ceremony, although a bit too lavish. Ours will be simpler, and our vows made to Elune in the open night air," she smiled, visibly imagining it as she spoke. The way her face lit up was perhaps too much for Telonis as he moved a hand to her chin and gently kissed her then.

Nishunel was happy for them, he truly was. Although, he secretly hoped that this would also cure them of their never ending crusade to find a woman for him. More than once had he been directed to go on dates with no success. With any luck they'd be too much into each other to even notice that their work wasn't done concerning him. "Do you two still want to stay here tonight?" he decided to ask, unsure.

Knadia laughed and smiled as she said, "of course we do! Tel and I wouldn't have it any other way, Nish." She stood up and went over to hug her big lug of a brother tightly. She could feel Nish ruffle her hair a bit with one hand as he returned her hug with his other arm. "Just because I am engaged doesn't take away your responsibility as an older brother."

Nishunel chuckled as he heard her speak and smiled down at her. "Then we should get ready for bed. It's a decent flight down to Astranaar and we'll likely have much to do once we arrive too," he said, letting go of her and moving to get himself ready for rest.

The trip would start early on in the evening and it was hours before they set foot into Astranaar without incident - largely due to the fact that they took mounts from the flight master. Nishunel and his two comrades walked up to a Sentinel, handing their letter about the mission they were given, and waited as the female elf regarded them with a nod. A quick set of directions was all it took and they could settle in. According to reports, small skirmishes towards the southern end of the forest had started due to small groups of Horde members terrorizing both locals and traveling Alliance members. The problem was fairly minor compared to other things that the Sentinels were dealing with; however, and that was where people such as they came in. Nishunel suspected that they would be paid less than a typical group of Sentinels their size. Still, it was something to earn more money and get some battle practice in.

"Nish?" a feminine voice spoke, getting his attention.

A quick look to his side showed it was Knadia that had knocked him right out of his thoughts. He gave her a questioning look that silently showed her that he was listening now.

"Just be sure you and Telonis don't stray too far from me. I am your healer after all," she said, her voice finally giving away her worry. While he and Telonis had been in battles prior to this, his sister didn't have nearly as much experience. Sure, she was adept at closing wounds, but the idea of being right in harm's way and seeing the two men she loved getting hurt...that was another thing entirely.

"We'll be sure to stay with you as if someone poured sap on all of us before shoving us together," chuckled Telonis. "You worry too much, love."

The blush on her face was unmistakable, and the two men grinned at her.

However, as they quickly learned, their mission was not a top priority by any means and it would be the next morning before they'd have all the information to do their job. So over the next few hours, the three split from the group to prepare or find time to kill out of sheer boredom. Nishunel was going over supplies and learning what he could from those in Astranaar, Telonis had been bumming around, and Knadia had disappeared from sight. So, Telonis decided to search for his fiancé. It didn't take him long to realize one of Nishunel's personal items was missing during his search though, and immediately went to look for the sentinel's training grounds.

Amongst the women that were garbed in the easily recognizable armor of the sentinels, was Knadia in her druidic garb. Really, to his internal amusement, she stuck out like a sore thumb like that, and in her hands was Nishunel's bow. Even though her archery form had definitely looked practiced, the target she was firing at told another story completely. Many arrows had hit their target; however, many others were laying on the ground, seemingly to never fulfill their purpose in this life.

He walked up to her from behind just as she let an arrow fly and hit towards the edge of the target. A look of frustration appeared on her face and she glared at the arrow as if it were the fault of the arrow and not the archer. Slipping his arms around her waist, he pressed a kiss on the side of her head.

"You know, you could always go back to be a hunter if you wanted," he said, pulling her back against him. "Nish always felt very supportive of you taking the same path he did."

"Tel," Knadia began, looking from the corner of her eye at him. "I like being a druid now. I like being able to heal those I care about. As a hunter, the most I could do was put on bandages and pray that it would be enough. …This way, I can make sure neither of you leave me as so many have left over time. This…this is just something to pass time with, or help me clear my mind."

He saw an opportunity and took it, kissing her softly. "Yes, that look of anger on your face certainly gives one the idea that your mind was clearing," he grinned as he kissed her once more. "Nervous about the mission, Knadia?" He knew it was her first true mission, having been able to stay away from danger for a long while.

"A bit," she quietly admitted. "What if those people we're supposed to take down are more skilled or more numerous than planned? …I…I just can't stand the thought of losing either of you."

Telonis smiled. "This is definitely a low-risk task, Knadia. We'll all live to see tomorrow and the next day and the next and the next… You'll see. Then we'll have our wedding and children and just be a happy family," he promised, kissing her again. "If you don't stop worrying, it'll only make it worse. You won't sleep, and you won't be ready to take them on."

He could feel her hesitate, even as she smiled at him. "I guess you're right, Telonis. It is true about the sleeping part at least."

It would be 12 hours before Nishunel and his companions were finally out on the road heading to the southern end of Ashenvale. According to reports, there were 4 members of the Horde going around and terrorizing some of the smaller settlements and especially alliance travelers moving through. The two druids had gone into their cat forms, and stealthed behind Nishunel to give the illusion that it was just one night elf hunter with his pet owl in case they didn't find the horde first.

It was a good idea on Telonis' part, really. Attacking a lone man instead of a group of almost the same size as their own was far more tempting. Nish kept a firm grip on his bow, and his arrows would take not even a second for him to notch. One of his long, elven ears twitched as he heard a twig snap, and turned to the sound with his bow at the ready in a swift motion. Glowing eyes surveyed the area, when he saw a large, tan-colored wolf. The odd thing that the male kaldorei found about it was that he could see the tree and leaves behind it! Just as he wondered where in Azeroth it could've possibly come from, a loud roar pierced the air.

"Shaman," growled Telonis, warning Nishunel as he found a troll rogue that had been hanging out close by. The feral cat form that he kept slapped a powerful, clawed paw at the offending rogue, sending him back a bit. That was two out of four horde members, but where were the other two?

The wolf, or shaman in a ghost wolf form, abruptly took off, and Nish directed his owl to go after to attack before it could potentially warn any of the other two horde members. The hunter didn't know much about shaman skills, but the watery orb that was floating around it denoted that was most likely their healer. This looked to be a long battle ahead if he or she was skilled enough. Luckily for the two alliance members they also had a healer, and she was still stealthed with what they both hoped was a low chance of needing to reveal herself.

Abruptly, the cobalt-haired Kaldorei felt something slam right into him, stunning him for a few precious moments. The one that assaulted him was an orc whose armor quickly signified a warrior. He attempted to move back as soon as his head stopped spinning, but felt the bite of the warrior's blade slice into his leg even as he moved.

The night elf hunter quickly notched an arrow and was surprised to see the warrior get lifted helplessly off the ground about two feet with swirling winds holding the enemy in place. The next thing he saw was green swirls of Druidic magic enter his body. Regrowth, he recognized. With the way Telonis was busy being in cat form and finishing that rogue off, the only other person able to do that was Knadia.

The hunter was indeed correct, his sister had come out of stealth and was quick to cyclone the warrior, then cast a healing spell on him and Telonis both before melding with the shadows using the ability all Kaldorei were born with.

"No!"

Knadia was surprised by the shout that came from her usually quiet brother. A ball of lightning caught her off guard as it hit her square in the back between her shoulder blades. The force of it knocked her out of the stationary stealth and into the tree trunk that the female Druid hid behind, a loud yelp leaving her throat as she collided with the bark.

Telonis let out a loud roar as he raked his claws through the rogue's midsection and quickly ran for his fiance's attacker. The culprit was an Orc shaman, now out of his wolf form. As a small ball of lightning spun around the Orc, the burning of flames started to become visible as he cast another spell, intent upon attacking again. Even as Telonis' cat form sped right for it, the orc's spell was interrupted by an arrow that sheathed itself brutally into the orc's neck. That threat was thus taken out.

It was at that moment that the cyclone Knadia had cast wore off, freeing the warrior. He immediately charged for Nishunel again, except this time the hunter's pet had returned. The owl quickly engaged the horde warrior, its beak tearing into a patch of exposed skin of his main sword arm. The howl that their foe gave was more of anger than pain; however, and he moved to slam into the bird. This action was his mistake. Telonis rushed up behind the warrior and went in for a kill at the throat.

Knadia, having recovered from the attack from the shaman, went up to Nish, first checking the leg to see if the gash he had gotten needed any further healing. "That was close," she commented, noting that the spell had done its job well enough for now. "But, we still have a fourth horde member to find, right?"

Nish paused for a moment, thinking as he watched his sister settle back down on the ground to rest a bit in a sitting position. "We had the warrior, the rogue and the healer shaman so-" Nish began, then caught himself mid-sentence. Something didn't seem right. What was off about the shaman? After a moment, his eyes widened in understanding, and his hand already notched another arrow by the time Telonis shouted a warning.

That shaman he had taken down had a ball of lightning going about it, not water. It wasn't the healer! Even as he looked in the direction that Telonis was watching, he frowned as the unfolding events merely confirmed what he had realized. The restoration shaman had taken the form of a troll and spent the past several seconds working on a big spell. Even as Nishunel loosed his arrow, a glow surrounded the rogue's body and the said rogue was ressurected. While he obviously was not in the best of shape, the troll rogue would still be a pain to take down again.

Nish threw down a flare first thing and Telonis rushed the shaman to keep him from healing the rogue. Nish had a poisoned arrow notched and was waiting for the rogue to show himself, frowning even more so. "Knadia, go into your cat form and stealth away as soon as you get outside of the flare," he ordered, his eyes searching for any sort of movement, anything that would give away the rogue's location.

Out of the corner of Nishunel's eye, he saw his sister move away as instructed and disappear from sight. With her in a safer place, he returned his full attention to finding that rogue. As his flare went out, he threw down another after a few moments, smirking a bit when he realized the rogue had come up close enough to be revealed.

"Thought I only had one?" He questioned, not caring that the rogue likely didn't understand him, and let an arrow tipped with poison strike. It would render the troll unable to stealth for long, so he had him now! His owl attacked for the kill as he loosed a few more arrows, taking the rogue down once again.

Knadia had returned to her elven form after that, watching as Telonis finished off the healer shaman. "Does either of you need any healing?" She questioned, looking pointedly at Telonis. He was the only one that had been in range to get hurt after all.

The male Druid also reverted to his real form, as bloody as it was, and shook his head. "No, I could use a good bath though," he stated as he turned his eyes to the fallen horde. Even he felt somber after taking care of such grim work. A silence fell amongst the three, causing each of them to feel ever more awkward as the time passed.

"Let's return to Astranaar and rest for a while," Nishunel finally spoke, breaking the uneasy silence. The Druid couple followed suit as the hunter led them back to get their reward and return home.

So, part 1 of our main group has been introduced. We'll move onto the other side of this plot coin next chapter, to Silvermoon!