Starbreeze Village. When most people hear this they think of a beat-down, abandoned husk of a town. A town- no, a cluster of buildings- that is broken and wasted, nothing but run-down houses with beasts running rampart. But when I think of Starbreeze village, I see a town as beautiful and proud as its name. Nothing like what it is today, instead, I see tall arches and friendly faces, the way a Night Elf town should be. And that is the town I grew up in, where my story begins. I was raised in a small, traditional two room house, like many of the houses Night Elf children grew up in. My mother was a hunter and my father was a priest. He spent most of his time away from home, traveling all over the giant tree-island working with other priests and doing priestly work, so I was raised primarily by my mother. She was kind and gentle, and I have nothing but fond memories of her, few as they are. She had light blue hair that she kept loosely pulled back and a black Saber cat named Jinx who was our companion and guardian. In the wooden house beside mine lived a family new to the town, the Nightblades. There were only three of them; the two parents were hardly ever there, often they were called off to battle, and their daughter Faylaria, who was a year older than I. At first I didn't speak to her. She was threatening and her parents were very well known for their skills in combat. In my childlike mind, Faylaria was a miniature killer, just like her respectable parents. In all reality however, she was the opposite. She was a lonely child who lived with her caretaker, missed her parents, and had few friends. She still possessed the deadly accuracy her parents had, but was kind at heart. It took my mother's pleading and urging for me to finally walk over there and knock on the door. Little did I know that after that first terrifying meeting, Faylaria and I would become fast friends. I still remember clearly running with her throughout the wooded town, which was small enough to know everybody, but still very large. What you see now is only a fraction of its former glory. Once the tension was broken between us girls, we did everything together. We got into trouble around the town, leaping from roof to roof and running barefoot through the town center. Once we even dared each other to jump in the moonwell. I backed down at the last minute, but Fay didn't. She got a good whooping from the high priest, but it was well worth it in her opinion. We were barefoot and rugged and happy. The world was our playground and we made good use of it. I loved jumping in the cool waters of Lake Al'Ameth, and she adored the soaring feeling we got when we ventured out onto a branch protruding from the trunk of Teldrassil. By the time we got old enough to know better than to pull those daredevil stunts, we got shipped off to Shadowglen to choose a Path and begin training. Of course Fay knew what she was going to choose. Her parents were Warriors, and their parents before them, and before them. She had a family legacy to fulfill. I on the other hand, had a choice. I knew my mother would support whatever I chose, and my father would push me to be a priest, were he here, but that still left the ultimate decision up to me. I left my hometown without a clue of which Path to follow, but knowing in the end I would make the right decision. Fay and I donned our oversized armor and matching leather backpacks filled with our belongings and made our way up the steep mountain path toward Shadowglen, waving goodbye to my mother as we went. Filled with spring water and hope, we turned our backs on Starbreeze Village and toward our future, clasping the others small, sweaty hands.
It took the two of us all day and into the early hours of the night before we saw the glow of Aldrassil in the distance. We slipped and skidded on our short legs down the sloped path towards our new home, excitement hastening our pace. We could hear the quiet steps of Nightsabers in the bushes, but knew they were docile so we took no notice of them. At one point, a dark blue haired panther with yellow eyes padded out into the path in front of us and paused. We stopped dead in our tracks and stared at it. The massive cat glanced at us and slowly continued walking across the path and disappearing into the dark woods. "That was a druid" Fay whispered in my ear. It was one of the first we had seen, as most of them kept together and didn't live in our town. We walked cautiously for a few more minutes before getting close enough to the tree and breaking into a run to the nearest lantern. There was a tall blue haired Night Elf waiting for us a short distance from the giant tree. He asked us our names and led the way towards the massive structure, leading us up the well-lit lamp and into a small enclave that would be our home until we were old enough to move up in our training. The first night was a blur of excitement for Fay and I, everything was new and thrilling. This was every Night Elf child's dream, and many never made it to where we were now. We threw our packs on the two beds and raced out the door, leaving it ajar. From the ramp outside our room, we could see the whole glen, all the way to the mountains bordering it. "Race you to the top!" Fay suddenly said, smacking my shoulder and taking off the ramp. I tailed her, running and tripping up the steep wooden pathway. We ran past some older students who looked like a rogue and a Priest, based on the black leather armor and long white holy robes they wore. The two seemed to be only a few years older than us, but thought they were much more advanced based on the disapproving scowls we got. When we finally did reach the top, we hushed our laughter and crept silently past the rooms on the upper levels. We knew most of the master trainers lived on top, and feared disturbing them and getting off on a bad foot. After a few seconds of taking the view at the top, we raced down the ramp in long, stretching our legs out as we ran downhill, and probably disturbing more than a few students with our thumping footfalls.
Morning came and finally settled down. The sun was just beginning to cast a purple glow over the glen and into our windows when we fell asleep, waking only when the sunlight had faded to a slight glow. We had been up for a while and washed in the basin provided for us in the room. We helped each other with the already large armor that we would someday grow into and made our way to the main chamber. There were no other new trainees, so the head of the training program was waiting specifically for us. She ushered us into a large room towards the back of the tree giving us advice on the way.
"You can't begin your training until you choose your Path. One will call to you, it's your job to figure out which, unless you already know." She opened the doors to reveal a room filled with a variety of adults sitting behind wooden tables. It was fairly easy to distinguish which person was the master trainer of each class. Fay went straight to the tall, well-built woman in dark grey armor. She was clearly the Warrior trainer. I walked around for a few minutes, wondering where to go. I knew I couldn't be a Warrior, as I didn't have the skill or strength for it. Rogues were too shady for my taste and I didn't want to deal with all the poisons. I considered a Priest, because I enjoyed the healing arts, but I didn't have the dedication to the Church that it required. I had nearly settled on talking to the Huntress in front of me when I saw the Druid trainer in the corner. I nearly missed him, and the possibility had been lost to my mind. I had completely forgotten about the cat from night before until I saw his midnight blue hair and wondered if they were one and the same. I walked over to his spot, never breaking eye contact, even when one of the many plants around his table passed in front of him.
"Little one," He began when I was within speaking distance. "The Druidic Arts call to you, yes?" I nodded. He smiled and stretched out his hand. "I'm Mardant." His voice was warm but full of mystery. I stretched out my hand and he took my tiny one in his massive handshake.
"Shizue." I replied shakily.
Our first class was basic combat, which Fay and I took together, though we had different weapons. She had a wooden practice sword while I chose a long staff, rather than a mace or polearm. We had fought each other many times before, but always with sticks and never in the rigorous manner that we did now. Eventually, we would learn how to use a larger variety of weaponry, but for now Fay had a large sword and I deflected her blows with a staff taller much than me. By the end of the first month, we were accustomed to the feel of the weapons in our hands and had many bruises. At midnight, we went our separate ways. I'm not sure what Fay did, but I began to learn the magic of nature. First, all I did was improve my focus, and learn where to draw power from. We would learn specialties later, but for now it was all the basics. We met back up for dinner when the moon started setting and joined the rest of the students in a massive hall. After that we reported back to our individual trainers and got bookwork assignments. Fay and I wandered around the huge library searching for our class specific tomes. Months turned into years and blunt weapons into sharp ones. The armor that was provided was replaced by our own fitted set of armor. Mine was made of sleek brown leather and Fay's of light iron. She took great pride in polishing it and setting it up each night. We went through what seemed an endless supply of books, enjoying the acquired knowledge, but dreading the tedious way we had to get it. Basic, easy classes turned into more advanced ones as we made our way up the academic ladder. We started training with Night Elves older than ourselves. I worked my way up from trainer to trainer until he said I was ready to choose a specialization, starting tomorrow. He dismissed me for the day and I raced off to find Fay and share the news with her. As it turns out, her trainer had told her the same thing. We both had to choose tomorrow, and begin our journey out of Shadowglen and into the real world.
I lay on my bed that evening rolling the choices over in my head. From the moment I met Mardant I knew being a Druid was the right choice for me, however I didn't know which type. I didn't like the thought of being useless without changing into another form, which wouldn't be good in an ambush. So that removed the possibility of a Feral Druid, leaving Restoration and Balance. I had heard how powerful Balance Druids could be if they were highly trained enough, but I knew how repetitious and difficult it is to achieve that status. Also, the thought of being a feathery beast didn't please me. I turned to Fay who was lying on her back flipping her sword over her head with one hand.
"Would you let me be your healer?" She sat up, looking quizzically at me.
"You would do that?" She asked.
"You want me to?" Was my reply,
"Of course! If you want to, it's every warriors dream to have a good support." I grinned at her.
"It's a deal then." She lay back in her bed, setting the sword down.
"We should have known it would turn out this way." I yawned, nodding my agreement.
"What specialization will you choose?" I asked. She looked thoughtful for a moment then sighed, sitting up and leaning against the wood.
"Probably arms, but who knows. I can always change it later if I want."
I nodded."It's easier to switch when their mildly similar, I won't know anything about dealing damage if I decide I get tired of healing. Which I won't" She only mumbled something and rolled over in bed, throwing her tunic and leg padding off. I stood up and blew out the candle, too tired to continue our conversation.
By dawn, we had our few belongings packed into the larger leather backpacks. I tightened my chestpiece and pulled the long leather boots on. Fay had already donned her shining scale mail and was waiting for me by the door. "Hurry up!" She urged and stuck her head out the door. "He's ready for us!" I grabbed my bag and looked at the empty room behind me.
"Alright, let's go." I said, but didn't need to; she was already making her way down the ramp, and I shut the door behind me. The same man who greeted us several years ago was impatiently waiting at the bottom of the ramp. His hair was longer and lighter blue, but one could still tell who it was. He looked us up and down with silver-blue eyes.
"I remember you two. Off again I see." We nodded eagerly, awaiting his directions. He handed us two rolled up letters. "Take these to the innkeeper in Dolanaar." He didn't have to say it twice, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, we snatched up the letters and took off running up the steep slope we had once traversed many years ago, shouting a short goodbye as we went. By midnight we made it to the fork in the road that led to Starbreeze. We stopped there for a short break to eat some bread and water. Before long Fay stood and faced the path toward Dolanaar. I quickly packed up the rest of the food and joined her. "No going back now." She said, and headed in the direction of the bigger town. We made it a good distance before Fay declared it was too light to continue. I suggested finding a cave, but she didn't want to stray too far from the path and pointed at a massive tree. She approached the trunk and secured her pack before leaping with the grace only a Night Elf could possess to the nearest branch, about twelve feet from the ground. I followed, but had to use a foothold and a second jump to make it as high as her. She climbed with ease to the next highest branch, but I settled on the one I was currently on, satisfied that nothing could reach me except another Night Elf. The branches were wide enough to stretch out on, but rolling over would end badly. I leaned against the trunk and looked past dark shape of my traveling partner above me to the sky. One could barely make out the dim glow of wisps lazily circling the tops of trees.
I woke up to Fay crouched above me nudging me with her booted foot. I sat up and she held my bag out to me. "Time to roll, sleeping beauty." I groaned and pushed myself up to take the bag. As soon as it left her hands she gracefully leapt from the branch and sailed towards the ground to land with a soft thump. "If you get your butt down here we can make it to Dolanaar by lunch!" She shouted up at me. I rolled off the branch and landed on the ground, not as nicely as Fay, but I was still on two feet. We began the long trek in the early hours of the evening when dew dusted every inch of the ground. Before long, Dolanaar came into view. It was like any typical Night Elf town, only larger. Besides Darnassus, it was the largest city on the island, and the largest we had ever been to, so far. Surprisingly, there were few people in the streets. We saw one of the Ancients pass by us without giving the slightest glance at the tiny people around his feet. Another patrol of Saber riders walked ahead of us, but the rest of the city was indoors. We made it to the inn in the center of town and stopped to buy food. Finally, as we were sitting on a bench outside the inn eating someone came up to us.
"Letters please?" The woman asked us, which we produced. "Faylaria Nightblade and Shizue Stillwater?" She asked us, reading off the letter. "Of…..Starbreeze Village…" She said it with a tone in her voice that made me wonder.
"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" Fay snapped. I assumed because nearly all the recruits came from Darnassus. It took a very respectable family to get their children into training, and few came from outside of the big city.
"No, no, I…" She paused, and then hurriedly said "The innkeeper would like to see you." Handing us back our letters she scurried off towards the inn.
"Weird." Fay mumbled through a mouthful of bread.
I nodded and stood to leave. "Come on, let's get this over with."
The innkeeper was a very large and intimidating man. He had a thick build and long dark green robes, and towered over us from behind his counter. "First, you must prove yourselves to me. I'll be sending the two of you with an extermination party to Starbreeze Village..."
"Extermination!" I shot back at him. "Those are our people!" He looked down his long nose at me.
"You must not have heard the news. Several months ago there was a furbolg raid on the town. The defenses were not enough to repel them, and the messenger didn't make it here fast enough to send backup before the town was wiped out. There are several buildings and a hoard of furbolgs left of it. And it's your responsibility to dispose of them." He said nothing more and handed us our keys.
"I'm going to my room." I turned away from Fay and raced up the steps. When I got to the door I fumbled with the keys and finally swung the door open, slamming it behind me and launching onto the bed. Several minutes passed before I heard the door unlocking and Fay quietly entering the room. She sat on the bed opposite me and waited until I sat up to speak.
"Your father was just leaving town when it happened. He moved to Stormwind and is living in Cathedral Square. Your mother…was home. I'm sorry, Shiz." I nodded, sniffing.
"Thanks for finding out…What of your parents?"
She gave me a sad smile and said, "They were sent on a mission to the new land that was discovered. No one really knows anything about it, except that a portal showed up in The Blasted Lands and they went through it with an entire army."
"That's good." I said. She nodded.
"I'm going on the extermination party. Do you..?" She asked hesitantly.
"No" I replied, curtly. "I want to stay here a few days. I need to think things through." Fay nodded and stood.
"I'll be back in a few days. Be well." She left nothing in the room and slowly closed the door behind her. I lay in the bed in stunned silence for a few minutes before my sobs broke out again.
For the next four days I barely ate, and when I did it was only a mouthful from what I had packed from Shadowglen. Those days were a blur of sleeping or crying out my sorrows. Fay returned about halfway through my mourning session dirty and tired, but alive. She unpacked her belongings and changed before leaving me food and disappearing again. She was in and out of the room several times a day, I paid no attention. I was so caught up in my grief; I rarely took notice of my surroundings. One day, Fay came in and I was sitting up on the bed, clean and fed and dressed. "I've made up my mind," I began to her. Intrigued, she sat facing me on the opposite bed and listened. "I'm going to cancel my training and move to Darnassus to live a normal life."
She nodded. "I wish you would come with me, but I don't expect it. What I do expect is visits." Fay let out a long sigh. "If that's what you want to do, Shizue. I say do it. No one is forcing you to become a fighter. I however, want to continue my training. What happened has pushed me to get as strong as I can, and will." I stood up and whispered
"I understand, I guess this is where our path splits ways."
"I guess it is. But it's not goodbye." She said sadly. I wrapped my arms around my longtime friend, not crying only because I no longer had tears left to shed. I packed my bags and began my long trip Darnassus. We embraced quickly and I went to leave, turning my back on everything I used to know.