Greetings. This story will be featuring many of me and my friend's World of Warcraft characters, aswell as some created only for the story, and obviously names familiar from Blizzard's lore. I'll be adding character information after the chapters, whenever a new character of mine (or my friend's) makes an appearance.

The first chapter is timed before the Cataclysm, but the time switch will introduce certain spoilers from the book Stormrage, and from the expansion Cataclysm. Consider yourself warned.

Unfortunately I've turned into a lazy writer. I write rarely, so updates will be slow, and sometimes short (especially the first chapter which is more of a prologue than anything).

I'll gladly take feedback from everyone, so feel free to point any mistakes, both in the storytelling as well as in the lore. I want it to be perfecto! Additionally to fanfiction dot net, I can be reached ingame with my battletag: Kazeno#2808

Enjoy!

Rhynia focused on the seed infront of her. Pushing it into the ground with her thumb she called out for the nature spirits around her to help her.

Nothing happened.

Frustrated, Rhynia puffed her cheeks, took a deep breath to calm down and coaxed the spirits she could feel so clearly around her.

Still nothing.

"Shamans ask for elemental spirits' aid. Druids befriend nature itself." The voice was her shando's, Tarelya Windborn's calm voice telling her why her spell wasn't working as intended.

Rhynia took yet another deep breath and focused on the spirits around her, closing her eyes. Sensing the spirits around her, she reached her hand in the air to be met with a gentle wind. "I can feel them so clearly that I can almost see them, but they won't respond to my call,

shando!" She complained a little upset.

Tarelya smiled at her pupil, shaking her head. Laughing she said: "You're trying to use the life energy of the spirits to grow the seed. You're not yet at the level of manipulating it. What you can do is ask the ones strong enough to do your bidding. You can ask trees to move their roots for you, or have the wind blow for you. The seed however, requires restoration arts you've yet to learn."

Rhynia sighed, giving up on the seed and covering it with mold, gently patting the pile. "I'm sorry shando. I... I fell for the provoking of the older druids, the ones supporting arch druid Staghelm." She looked up to her teacher, slightly embarrassed.

Tarelya's smile dropped at the mention of the arch druid. The man she used to have known before the War of the Shifting Sands had completely disappeared, instead leaving behind a twisted, grieving man. He had always had a superior air about him, but it had increased tenfold after the death of his son. She also knew of her friend, Quintis Jonespyre's suspicions about the druid's use for marrowgrain, an ingredient for old, primitive curses.

Rhynia noticed the troubled look on the face of her shando and her ears twitched. It was a known fact that Fandral Staghelm, the druid succeeding Malfurion Stormrage, was in a constant power struggle with the true night elven leader, Tyrande Whisperwind. Although a druid herself, Rhynia couldn't support all of Staghelm's visions and vehemently wished for Tyrande's win in the constant political struggle.

Giving one last glance at the mound on the ground she shifted and rose, stretching her limbs and turning to her shando. She had a lot to learn, and as they would soon find out, not enough time.

Bit of a teaser? It's unbelieably short, and drabbles a lot. However, I really enjoyed writing this piece as I hadn't been writing for AGES before this.

Rhynia is one of my most recent characters. If I remember right, her surname was Mistleaf - I'll have to check on her guild note. At the moment she's on Mazrigos realm, locked at lvl 80 to get me my Herald of the Titan achievement. I'm slow with the gear though, and haven't paid her a lot of attention. As a character, Rhynia doesn't have a lot of depth yet. I'm still forming her personality, but most likely she's going to be the studious type. The story will be following her adventures, slowly picking up acquaintances on the way. As more characters enter the stage, I might even try mimicking Song of Ice and Fire with the way the story is being told. Time will tell.