"Are you ready, yet?" Ileeya glanced at the tall night elf and his father. Jelune had promised to go with her to go find more herbs in Darkshore this morning. She rarely got to get away from Teldrassil and she couldn't wait to leave. Ileeya's teal green hair was pulled back in a pony tail as wisps of her bangs hung to each side of her face. Jelune merely glanced in her direction as he finished telling his father about how far they had planned on going to gather the plants. Firodren Mooncaller also glanced at Ileeya, giving her an admonishing look to remind her to be patient. Although the store was in need of more herbs to sell to the various citizens and guests of Darnassus, it wasn't in dire straits and therefore no hurry to get them.
"Patience, Child. You two can go as soon as I finish giving Jelune here a list of herbs needed," the elder kaldorei told Ileeya. Ileeya's father and Firodren had been best friends since childhood and both night elves helped raise each other's children. This was common practice, especially since many kaldorei were druids who slept for long periods of time as they walked the Emerald Dream. Ileeya was lucky to have spent most of her childhood with her father. His turn to walk the Dream came when she was 106 years old. Granted she's been an adult in physical capacity for many, many years now, but her learning and training have yet to be completed. And until such a time as that, she was considered a child by many of the Kaldorei. Jelune, on the other hand, had finished his learning and has moved on to learn the skills of the hunter.
Firodren, admittedly, was a little disappointed that Jelune had not gone into the family business of herbalism. However, he supported Jelune in his chosen class. Of course, it did help a little that Ileeya had become interested in the world of plants ever since she was very little. Still, Jelune had learned much about herbs from his father and was able to help out here and there. The elder herbalist depended more and more on his son and adopted daughter to gather the herbs to sell since he was needed to stay and train new herbalists in the way of the plants. He finished the list and handed it to Jelune. "Remember, Jelune, you can help spot the plants, but let Ileeya gather them. She knows more than you now. You know what your job is."
Ileeya held back a sigh and turned to leave, expecting Jelune to follow. She knew what his job was as well, though she bristled at the thought. Jelune had been 'assigned' to protect his little sister. First, it was from the wild animals in Teldrassil's forests as she hunted for herbs. Now it's to protect her from dangerous people she might come across in Darkshore. Ileeya didn't mind Jelune's company. He was a great big brother. But she wanted a bit of independence sometimes. Because of this, she begged her father, before he went to sleep in the Emerald Dream, to teach her just a bit of druidism to protect herself.
It was highly unusual for a kaldorei to begin training in a specific class before they finish their core lessons, but not unheard of. Yet, she had been able to convince Dormir of teaching her at least some defensive spells. Ileeya learned to cast various spells on herself. She could magically have thorns sprout from her skin, call upon roots to wrap around people and keep them in place, force hibernation in animals and dragonkin, and cast a simple rejuvenating spell should she get hurt. This had proved helpful already, but her father did not have the time to teach her any more before answering the call to walk the Dream. Since he slept, she tried to teach herself some other druidic spells, but could only seem to manage to ask a plant to grow a little faster. That didn't help much for defending herself, though.
"We need to stop by the stables on the way out." Jelune's voice brought her out of her reverie and she looked up at him. His strong facial features were surrounded by his long dark blue hair. He was only ten years older than she was, but he tended to act older than that.
"Which pet are you bringing today?" She asked, hoping it was Sabine. Sabine was a beautiful white spotted saber cat that she had a particular fondness for. Jelune also had a grey wolf named Storm, and an owl named Sosha.
Jelune looked down at her with half a smile. "Sabine." His half-grin bloomed into a full grin as Ileeya beamed.
...
The ride on the half horse, half bird hippogryphs had been exhilarating to Ileeya. She loved those animals, despite how dangerous they can be if attacked. Reaching into her pack, she checked to see if the flight master wasn't looking and then gave the creature a dried bit of fish. The hippogryph was careful not to nick her hand as he took it and gulped it down quickly. "I saw that, Ileeya."
The young herbalist gave the Lor'danel flight master a guilty smile. "Sorry. Can't help it!"
Jelune guided his sister from the flight master's admonishing look towards the inn where they will get some supplies and rent a couple mounts. As they were doing this, Ranger Glynda Nal'Shea came up to them. "I hear you two plan to go flower-picking."
Ileeya nodded her head as Jelune said, "We plan to stay within the vicinity between Lor'Danel and..." he paused and looked away from the sentinel ranger. "...Auberdine." Auberdine had been a bustling and thriving Night Elf town, but had been demolished in the recent shattering of Azeroth.
The ranger's grim face nodded once as memories flashed in her mind of friends lost. She got over it quickly though as she spoke again. "Now isn't a good time to go out into the Darkshore forests alone. Can it wait?"
Ileeya shook her head before Jelune could speak, lest he agree with the ranger. "I'm afraid we are low on herbs and our father needs them for his shop and for training his students." Jelune gave her a warning look, but remained quiet.
The ranger could order her sentinels not to go somewhere, but she couldn't order the citizens unless there was immediate danger. With a sigh, Nal'Shea said, "Then, I'm afraid I can't let you two go alone. We've had reports of horde raiding parties near Auberdine looking for supplies and generally causing trouble. Though it's been quiet over there of late. I'll still feel better if I send one of my sentinels with you to help keep you safe." The ranger's look brooked no argument and Ileeya and Jelune did not protest. After all, the sentinel probably wouldn't get in the way of their picking plants.
...
"Here!" Jelune called out to Ileeya as he looked at an earthroot growing seemingly out of a rock. Ileeya came over and skillfully scratched around the small crack that the earthroot was growing out of and then gently tugged on the herb. It came out almost willingly for her. Jelune shook his head in wonder. He had tried to pull it out himself before calling her over, and the earthroot refused to budge for him. Jelune's silver eyes glanced around the area. They had gone a little too far off the path than he would have liked, but they were definitely finding more herbs over here. The sentinel who came with them had remained quiet. She wasn't much of a conversationalist. She only gave her name, Yeleeris, when Ileeya asked. Jelune took the opportunity to look at the third member of their little party. She was quite serious about her duty and was constantly looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary, though she also seemed to have a bored look on her face. Jelune shrugged to himself and looked for some more herbs.
The trio was situated a bit closer to Auberdine than the sentinel would have liked. Despite it being quiet lately, it didn't mean that the horde were finished with their raiding and pilfering of ruined town. She glanced at the two herbalists engrossed in their search and sighed. She'd rather be back at Lor'Danel. Still, it was a break from the same routine she's had ever since the shattering. She adjusted her position on the large night saber that served as her mount. The other two night sabers, having no riders at the moment, were lying down quietly waiting for them to return. Yeleeris took another glance around. The brush and trees were a little thicker here, making it hard to see if trouble might be coming. But her eyes were not her only means of detecting trouble. And it was her ears that first picked up on the subtle difference in the forest. She couldn't pinpoint it right away. Then she glanced up. The birds. They were quiet. In the distance, there was a flock flying away. Yeleeris tensed and darted her eyes to the other two. "Wrap it up, you two!" She ordered.
Ileeya looked up, a bit surprised at the order. She glanced over at Jelune who also seemed to be standing still, looking around as though something were not right. Ileeya paused for a moment, undecided whether she should look for something as well, or try to gather just a few more herbs before they had to leave. She didn't question the sentinel's order, but just one or two more herbs should do it. After all, the sentinel said to wrap it up, not drop everything and go. The younger kaldorei spotted some briarthorn and grinned. This doesn't grow in Teldrassil so it will be more than welcomed by Firodren. She knelt down beside the tree that the herb grew next to and began to quickly unearth it. If she can bring it back with it's roots intact and some of it's home soil, perhaps she and Firodren can coax it to grow in their little herb garden in his shop by the temple.
Ahh, there we go. Ileeya stood up triumphantly with the briarthorn and held it up to show Jelune. Her look of triumph quickly turned to terror as she saw a huge figure leaping towards the sentinel! Ileeya let out a piercing scream as her brother ran towards her and took up a defensive stance with his bow and arrows. Yeleeris raised her glaive and deflected the blow of the orc that had attacked her, but in doing so, fell off her mount. She quickly recovered and was able to wound the orc with a fast slash of her glaive across his chest. The orc weakened, the sentinel was able to turn the tide of their fight and pressed on against the green-skinned intruder. Had he been alone, she would have won the fight. Unfortunately, he was not alone.
A lightening bolt flashed from the direction the orc had come from and hit the sentinel square on. Yeleeris was knocked back flat onto her back. The orc turned his attention to Jelune and Ileeya, a scowl of hatred on his tusked face. Jelune raised his bow and arrow. He had never shot a sentient being before, but knew there was no room for queasiness. Before he had the chance to shoot his arrow, however, the orc gave a fast look of surprise, stiffened, then fell over face down. The sentinel's glaive deep in his back. Yeleeris slowly stood up, her teeth gritted in pain.
Another lightening bolt and the sentinel was back on the ground, this time perhaps, for good. Jelune let out his own cry of anger and shot his arrows in the direction of the trees and underbrush where the shaman's lightening bolts had come from. "Ileeya! Run!" he called out as two more orcs and a blood elf emerged.
The young elf turned to run, then stopped. "What about you!" She was on the verge of tears. She wanted to run far away from all this bloodshed, but neither did she want to leave Jelune to fight them by himself...not that she could fight at all. Jelune turned his head just enough to tell her to run again when a throwing knife hit him in the shoulder and he fell. By this time, Sabine and the other night saber mounts had jumped into the fray creating an unintentional distraction from the kaldorei long enough for Ileeya to kneel down to where Jelune had fallen. He was wounded, but not fatally. Could she heal his wound? Her father had taught her to heal herself, but not others. There was no other option but to try! It couldn't be much different. Ileeya whispered the spell, asking of the natural world to heal her brother as she and he together pulled the knife out of his shoulder. A deep growl from her brother caught her attention and she looked at his face. He was in pain, but also pleading with her. "By the love of Elune! Flee! I can't save myself if I have to protect you! Get back to Lor'Danel!" he said in a low voice.
With the horde distracted by the cats, Ileeya turned and ran. She ran as fast as her legs would take her, deftly jumping over raised roots, ducking under low branches and skirting around various shrubbery and trees. Should she head towards the road? There was more chance of coming across travelers or even a sentinel. Or should she stay in the forest where she could more easily meld into the shadows and hide. Ileeya quickly decided on the latter option. She kept running until she felt she was far enough away, then rounded a large tree with some bushes beside it and dove for cover underneath, letting herself become one with the shadows.
She sat there as still as possible, breathing hard from her run and listening. Did they follow her? Did they see her go? Ileeya buried her face in her knees as she worried over Jelune. Was he okay? Did he get away? He said he couldn't save himself if he had to save her. She wasn't a hunter. She didn't know what he could do. How long should she wai-
"Kaldorei!"
The voice spoke in Darnassian.
"I know you're here."
Ileeya's heart thudded rapidly against her chest as she tried to hold her breath. She glanced furtively out of the bush. Coming into view from above, the blood elf was on something that looked like a lion with webbed wings. It was a wyrven flying mount that hovered in one spot as the elf scanned the area. She guessed that he was bluffing. He had to be.
"Come out now and I promise you I won't kill you."
He turned her way, but didn't look directly at her. A minute later, he started to look in another direction, moving his mount back up and out of her view from under the bush. Ileeya stayed where she was, tears unwillingly flowing down her face. She hugged her legs tighter. Is he gone? Slowly, she let out her breath and tried to will herself to relax, with little success. What now? Stay hiding? Run?
Ileeya nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the sin'dorei's voice again, this time much closer.
"We have your hunter." The sin'dorei was right next to the tree that she and the bush were beside. "Perhaps we'll spare him, too. But only if you come out now. For all I know, the orcs may have finished with him. But, I'm sure I can convince them otherwise if he's still alive by the time we get back there. So I suggest you reveal yourself now."
Ileeya glanced up into the leaves of the bush, hoping to get a look at the sky. She prayed to Elune, asking what she should do now. No divine answer was forthcoming. Jelune said he could get away without her. Did he? Or do the horde really have him? In the end, she couldn't see any other choice. Shakily, she left the shadowy place and exited the bush, looking around for the blood elf. A hand shot out and grabbed her arm, roughly spinning her around. Face to face with her captor, she looked at his green eyes, clean-shaven face, and long pale blond hair that hung to his chest. He wore the robes of a mage and was just slightly taller than she was. He seemed to study her for a moment and then nodded to himself giving a self-satisfied smirk. "You'll do."
Do? Do for what? She tried to swallow her fear away, but it seemed stuck in her chest and throat. Thus, she just stood mutely as he tied up her hands and then tied the rope to his mount. The wyrven didn't seem to like being forced to walk, but it obeyed the blood elf. Ileeya was led back to where they had been ambushed. A prisoner with no clue as to what her future held now.
