The Pack
By
Morgan Cook A.K.A Guaiwu Yongshi
Epilogue
There was a time when the name Graymane was just that a name, this was during simpler times for Gilneas simpler times for everyone including me and everyone, before the word worgen was only heard in fairy tales told to little ones at bedtime. We as a people where happy living behind our wall and having only the rare contact with the outside world, but alas ,"Nothing Gold can Stay", and this is the story of Gilneas of the Pack of me Guaiwu. Let us begin from the very beginning from my child hood much before I became what I am now.
Chapter 1
I remember one morning in specific my mother, She had just woken me to do my chores so I could get off to school and I refused to get up so she told me "Guaiwu get up before the Worgen come get you" alas if I only knew how true this statement would be in the latter years of my life but this was enough to scare me out of bed. I went outside and tended to the horses feeding them and brushing them thoroughly retrieving water from the well. Next was the sheep I did almost the same thing with them that I did with the horses and I remember how beautiful that day was it was a traditional gilnean spring rainy with lots of clouds to this day I still think that there is no finer weather than in Gilneas so after I finished my chores I gave my mother a kiss and headed off to school. The topic in class that day mythology and in specific worgen oh the irony of this day, though at the time I was ecstatic for I enjoyed learning of any living being you see when I turned of age and decided to become a druid it wasn't just a random choice I had a strong love of any living creature my whole life and since I was young I had idolized the mighty druids I heard about in the story's and though there was only one publicly known druid in Gilneas at the time and her name was Celestine of the Harvest I had heard many stories of her growing up it is sad that after the Greymane wall was erected that the old ways of druidism died out but as we found out later the many who still practiced in secret would provide a vital role in winning the war against the feral worgen, and those dastardly members of the horde the forsaken. But at the time I was simply fascinated by the druids of lore being able to change into animals at will it seemed like the ultimate freedom to me to be one with nature to run wild. But as I was saying the topic in class that day worgen our teacher who was a dwarf who had sailed in from the lands of dun Morogh the same land in which the mighty Dwarven city of iron forge lay that day he told us the story of the druids of the scythe or more commonly known as the druids of the pack and how they themselves were rooted in Gilneas. In essence they were simply a sect of druids who advocated the use of the pack form during the war of the satyr. These druids shape shifted into a powerful yet unwieldy form that embodied the fury of the wolf ancient Goldrinn the form itself was a savior in the war of the satyrs but this powerful form had consequences it tended to turn these druids feral and that is how the term worgen came about it is a term used to describe those who lost their minds to the violent nature of the pack form tearing apart friend and foe in an all-consuming blind rage and those they wounded turned into worgen. Desperate to staunch the spread of this affliction Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage mournfully banished the worgen to a dimension known as the Emerald dream where they would peacefully slumber for all of eternity. All was fine until a Archmage and one respected patriot of Gilneas by the name of Arugul tampered in summoning worgen from the emerald dream using the research of another mage by the name of Ur. He was not the only one to release the worgen Velinde Starsong used the scythe of Elune to release them from their slumber to aid her in cleansing Felwood though after the cleansing she lost control of the scythe and it started to summon worgen without her knowing and these packs started to Grew and grew though she was able to rally some of them and order them to remain in the shrine of Mel'Thandris . During the time that she ordered the worgen to stay she scoured the libraries of Darnassus and consulted with Onu in Darkshore but not a word of information could be found pertaining to these creatures. Then she started to hear whispers of an mage known as Arugul who had also summoned worgen sadly shortly after she embarked on her journey to find Arugal she simply disappeared. A man named jitters found the scythe of Elune in jutting out of rocks at Rolands doom but the second he picked it up worgen where unleashed upon did manage to rid himself of the infernal weapon when he dropped it and it was claimed by the black riders who are believed to have taken it to are journals that tell of some of the original druids of the scythe that were never captured that still had enough humanity left to stay away. As he finished telling this tale a question popped into my head "Is that why Celestine is looked down upon because of the other druids" The instructor whose name was Dorsen got this strange look on his face and simply stated
"see me after class Guaiwu" The rest of the school day I slunk around fearing Dorsens wrath but he never even batted an eye at me by the end of the school day I was a nervous wreck but as I waited in our small class at the end of the day he came up to me and simply said
"You're a special one Guaiwu you have a look about you when I talked about the worgen a look of almost compassion that is a dangerous thing Guaiwu pity for these things will lead to nothing but pain understand Guaiwu?" With a solemn look on my face I simply nodded my head
"Now off with ya boy I have to catch a boat back to stormwind so I can head back to IronForge I'm sorry that our last meeting had to be bitter lad but heed those words I told that story tu ya yungins so you could remember at least one thing I told ya this year!" I gave Dorsen a nod and walked out his words echoing in my head.
The War Begins
As the years passed I was still just as obsessed with someday becoming a druid but Celestine refused to teach me her exact words where this "Guaiwu maybe in another place and time but you know that druids are looked down upon But maybe if you could travel somewhere else it would be possible" from this day forward I plotted a way to get away from Gilneas but as I was planning my escape the outbreaks of the curse started at first they were isolated but not two weeks after the first outbreak it was a full pandemic and that is where this story really begins on the day the I took my first real step to becoming a druid and to meeting all my wonderful companions this was the day The war began. During the first few Weeks of the outbreak the king recruited every able bodied young man available for the army and put a sword and rifle in their hands I was one of these.
. . .
March! March! Where the only words I heard as Prince Liam called out orders as we turned a corner we saw a group of worgen "Hold!" Liam yelled "Ready your rifles men and Fi-" Before he could finish giving the command worgen sprang up from everywhere from the buildings along the side of the street from the rooftops even from the damned sewers the men where in a panic but it was that panic the worgen used to their advantage they decimated us from left to right everywhere I looked men were being torn apart though these worgen where smart enough to attack all at once after the fighting started they were no better than a pack of dogs running rampant tearing the men in my battalion limb from bloody limb I didn't know what to do Liam was backing away retreating but I didn't have the time to much pay attention to what he was doing it took every bit of focus to not get bitten I was deflecting everything I could not even bothering to use my sword then I notice something disturbing a small child that for some reason the rest of the worgen aren't attacking she's crying and then she starts to turn I can't seem to turn away from this gruesome sight as this innocent child is turning her bones stretching her skin splitting her entire body is being molded like clay and I can't seem to look away as she finishes changing she looks at me and charges dumbstruck I'm unable to do anything and she lunges at my leg and as her teeth sink in I scream a blood curdling scream I feel her new found jaws sinking deeper and deeper into my flesh then she rips a hunk of the flesh off and stops to look at me the she seemed to be looking into my soul that look on her face is the last thing I see before I pass out.
. . .
As I come to I notice that I'm on something soft I try to move but my body whole body feels as if I was just dragged by a horse up the side of a cliff. I try to speak but all I manage is a pathetic cough than I feel a gentle hand on my arm
"Shh Guaiwu you will be okay"
"Celestine is that you?"
"Hush Guaiwu you need rest your body is recovering from tremendous trauma you're lucky to be alive"
Looking around I see I'm in a small house and I don't hear sounds of battle "Where are we"
"Were in my hut a few miles outside the city don't worry its safe but we did have to abandon Gilneas sadly but on the bright I have some good news Guaiwu I know you have always wanted to be a druid well Gilneas needs druids now more than ever."
Chapter 2 Training
"We do not have much time for training Guaiwu so for now I can afford only to teach you a few things but these few things will save your life someday soon the first I will teach you is a spell that is widely known as wrath it is a simple spell but it will for now be your primary offensive spell now to harness spells such as these you must first study the totems of druidism and each totem represents and animal
"A moonkin!" I blurt " I wanna study to be a moonkin"
""So you have seen me transform into a moonkin have you"
"Yes it was a beautiful sight to behold"
"What would your title be then?"
"Guaiwu Starcaller of Gilneas"
"Sadly I cannot teach you too become a druid of the talon and that is not what the world needs right now we need druids of the wild ones who take on multiple forms whether you choose to take on the form of a predatory cat or a mystic moonkin this will help you in combat but for now I will teach you three basic spells"
3 Hours later
"Guaiwu you are indeed a fast learner you will be quite a match for anyone who chooses to meddle with you".