Luci sat silently,watching her friends recover from the days battles. The Gnome monk Nilly, who was tinkering with her latest finds and Hairy a Worgen warlock preparing more potions and medicine for the battles to come., and she was a human mage tending the fire lost in thought. They had traveled for many years together;from battling the scourge as young naive recruits to where they are now seasoned veterans hunting Garrosh, the former leader of the Horde. She knew this respite from the harsh lands they traveled now would be short-lived, it never lasted long enough. She was battle hardened and yet she yearned for home and a warm hearth.
She smiled as Hairy growled at the countless vials and ingredients he had laid in front of him, mumbling under his breath, "I can never find it."
Nilly who rolled her eyes and remarked, " Well if you quit picking flowers it would be easy to find."
Hairy huffed, " They are not flowers they are herbs!" Stifling a snicker Nilly retorted, " Keep telling yourself that Mutt."
" Watch it shortie," Hairy said waving a vial of red liquid in front of him. These were the moments she enjoyed, the bantering, the friendship that had bloomed between all of them.
She stirred from her thoughts by a rustling in the trees behind them. Hairy whose ears slightly twitched gave nothing away but surely he had smelled whatever it was. Nilly was no longer tinkering with her objects she was silently sitting as if in meditation. As the rustling grew closer she could tell it was just one of something moving fast through the woods. Luci reached for a pouch in her waist as she began to speak very softly repeating the same phrase over and over again. Just then a Night Elf courier burst into the light of their camp and the three friends relaxed, their shoulders drooping..
"Commanders," the night elf said breathing hard.
"Catch your breath, then tell us where you are from and how you found us," Nilly said in an even voice.. Hairy seemed unphased by the courier and continued on making his potions before suddenly tossing one to the exhausted night elf. Luci offered the night elf some water and motioned for him to sit down.
"Commanders, I am so thankful I found you, Khadgar was right you are exactly where he said you would be. Several of us were dispatched from Stormwind to find you but I was the only one that consulted the ArchMage on your location."
"Kudos to you, now what is it?" Hairy gruffed as he started putting his herbs away.
Straightening his posture the night elf stood and spoke, " The King has requested your immediate return. There is an urgent matter that must be dealt with quickly. You are ordered to return to Stormwind, then make your way to Ironforge to track down and find Greatfather Winter's lost reindeer Metzen."
"What?!" The three burst out with laughter.
"You're not serious right? The King can't possibly expect us to stop tracking down Garrosh to find a reindeer." Luci said incredulously.
Nilly shrugged her shoulders, and began packing up her things, "As the King commands" she said snidely.
Hairy grabbed his staff and stood up, easily making himself seem more menacing.
"Let us get this over with, but i am not a bloodhound you are going to have to find someone else to track the deer."
Luci rose to her feet, staff in one hand and a few glowing gems in the other. "I suppose we will be taking the easy way?" She asked handing each one of the party a glowing gem.
"Don't leave anything behind that you want, we will probably never find this place again."Luci snuffed the fire out with some conjured snow.
"Is everyone ready?" She asked glancing around at them. They all nodded and holding the glowing gem in their open hand Luci began to speak, an aura slowly came over her. As she spoke, her voice became louder and the aura shifted and began to engulf each of her companions. Her voice grew stronger as the words she spoke were no longer clear, the aura shifting yet again becoming an impenetrable bubble around them. The wind swirled outside of the bubble like a hurricane, none of the companions dared to speak as they knew that interrupting Luci could be fatal for everyone.
The ground beneath them disappeared as they felt disconnected from the world , Luci's words changed, she was channeling all her strength now. Hairy glanced at Nilly with concern, seeing his own concern reflected in the gnomes eyes. They slowly noticed the ground returning beneath them, walls begin to take shape and once again felt connected to the world as it came into focus.. Luci's voice began to fade as the bubble began to as well. The noises of the mage tower became clear and the bubble completely dissipated, and the glowing gems in their hands now looked like an ordinary river pebble. The young Night Elf looking rather pale ran straight to the closest window, and promptly threw up. Hairy and Nilly laughed, "Noob" Nilly snarked.
Hairy reached out for Luci's hand "You ok?" He asked.
She nodded slowly, squeezing his hand, "I'm fine. Its no longer just porting now, its time traveling as well. Let us get some supplies before heading to the Tram for Ironforge."
The companions headed out of the Mage tower towards the bustling Trade district."Hey guys I'm going to head over to the engineers and show them all this stuff meet ya at the Tram in few." Nilly said.
Luci went to the bank and deposited some of her more rare finds, Hairy accompanied her.. Finishing up in the bank Luci and Hairy met on the steps, "Where to now, we have a little time to kill before we meet Nilly," Hairy said with a devious grin on his face.
"You're right we do," Luci said with a smirk. "We can go have an audience with the King and find out what is so important about the reindeer," She smiled as she turned and started towards the keep with Hairy on her heels mumbling about the stupidity of being oathbound.
Walking the canal towards the keep they overheard rumors of the missing reindeer being held hostage by a powerful yeti and that he ran away because the Greatfather wouldn't share the hot cider. All of this seemed unusual at the least and down right silly at the best. A young Draenei visiting from the Exodar stopped and asked for the directions to the jewelry maker. They are so tall and statuesque that you almost break your neck looking up at them. She thanked them and off she went in the direction of the jewelry shop.
They arrived at the doors of the keep, noticing Nilly on the steps ahead waiting for them. "I have heard some strange things about that reindeer, I figured you did too so you would be heading to talk to the king too." Nilly gestured with her head towards the throne room just beyond the stairs.
"Yes we have, Yetis and hot cider. Kidnappings and hostages its all very strange." Hairy said. Luci nodded in agreement and headed up the stairs "Lets find out."
They arrived at the throne room, which was oddly empty. "Sgt. where is the King" Nilly asked startling the Sgt. "In the planning room with the Exarch, Commander" he said while saluting. They walked into the planning room, apparently interrupting the discussion between the Exarch and the King. "Commander you have made it back safely." The Exarch said nodding to the companions "I will take my leave. We can finish this discussion another time Varian." The king nodded and said "Very well, Exarch."
"When I heard you had returned from Draenor I knew it was only a matter of time before you would be here." The king said without raising his eyes from the map on the table in front of him. "You have brought us critical intelligence that has brought us closer to the capture and defeat of Garrosh. For that I thank you. But that is not why you are here is it." The king finished slowly raising his head up.
Luci stepped forward with the confidence and calmness of someone used to speaking to royalty.
"Your Highness, I thank you for the compliment but it is not necessary as we are only doing our duty to the alliance." She paused ever so slightly. "You are partially right, our hunt for Garrosh is part of the reason we are here. The other reason is this ridiculous reindeer search and rescue. Your highness if what we are doing for the hunt of Garrosh is so critical then why are you pulling us away from that to go save a single lowly reindeer." She stated looking King Wrynn directly in the eyes.
The Kings' face hardened as he stood and walked around the table to stand in front of the companions. "What you don't understand is that you three are the only ones who I can trust with this mission. That lowly reindeer was carrying a vital communique from one of our scouts on horde movements in Draenor."
Standing there taken aback by what the king just said. Nilly said "why were you using a reindeer and not the gnomish mail system?" Hairy nodding in agreement said "There had to have been a better way, something other than reindeer."
The King nodded. "Yes, there were other ways but none as inconspicuous as a reindeer during Winterveil. As for the Gnomish Mail System there are still some bugs that must be worked out before it is used for those purposes. The information hidden in that reindeer's collar is extremely sensitive and must be retrieved quickly which is why I sent for you. Do you understand now?"
The three companions looked at each other and nodded. "Yes, your Highness. We will leave at once for Ironforge." Luci said. The companions saluted the King "For the Alliance!" And left the room headed for the Tram.
The Tram was a train of sorts built to make travel between Stormwind and Ironforge faster, station was also the home of the Brawlers Guild, a place where adventurers and soldiers alike could go and battle each other to earn bragging rights and fine tune their battle skills. Hairy had been in a few matches, Luci didn't see the point of beating on each enjoyed the atmosphere of the guild and cheered on the contestants every now and then. It had been a long time since they were back in Stormwind to even see the matches let alone anything else. Here they were though just a stones throw from some fun and relaxation but not this time.
The sound of the Tram approaching could be heard, Luci gathered her bags and headed to the edge of the platform followed by Nilly and Hairy. The cars were filled with towns people returning from the Winterveil festival, all of them were chatting and smiling. The children giggling as they talked about the gifts Greatfather Winter was going to leave them. So carefree were the young, not a care in the world blind to the devastation that was always on the doorstep of the kingdom. The friends quickly boarded the Tram, sharing a solemn glance. How they all yearned for some peace and quiet, they knew it was not possible though, as long as Garrosh was on the loose. The Tram departed the station nearly knocking Luci off her feet, giggling profusely "every single time." They all burst out in laughter. The laughter faded and they were silent for a moment.
"what's the game plan guys?" Luci asked. "Well," Nilly said "one of us should talk to the stable guys, someone should ask around the festival area and someone should talk to the Greatfather." She finished staring now at the large glass windows that showed the water and sea life above them. Hairy and Luci looked up as they hope to catch a glimpse if Nessie a large sea creature that frequented the tunnel area. Sadly no Nessie is sight, sighing Luci returned to the conversation at hand. "I agree, I can head to the stables to talk to the hands and see if they saw anything suspicious." She said turning to face Hairy. "I guess I will talk to the people on the festival grounds see what they know,likely nothing though." Hairy shrugged "guess shortie gets to go talk to Greatfather, at least she can pass for a kid." Hairy snickered. "well good thing Luci is going to the stables and not you. They might just put you in a cage on display mutt." Nilly remarked. Luci snorted and said "now presenting the fabulous Hairy the tailess dog!" They all chuckled. The tram pulled into the Ironforge station, it was decorated with some Winterveil ornaments and wreaths. They disembarked and headed into Ironforge city, the tram station was in Tinker town a part of the city that the Gnomes of Gnomergan have made their own since being forced out of their home due to some sort of accident and civil war. Nilly doesn't talk about it and neither Hairy nor Luci ask. Once outside the Tram tunnel, the smell of soot and warm earth tickled their noses causing Hairy to snort and sneeze violently. "Alright we'll meet at the Inn by the bank around supper time" Hairy gruffed as he headed towards the commons where all the festival goers would be. "He really does hate talking to random people you know" Luci shrugged. "Alright off to the stables, good luck with Greatfather Winter, Nills." She waved goodbye and trodded off.
Nilly stood silently watching her friends walk away, wondering how she was going to get an audience with Greatfather Winter. She pondered the idea of kidnapping him, but they already had one possible kidnapping on their hands. She thought maybe using her status in the Alliance Army and forcing her way to talk with him but the thought of all the screaming children made her cringe. She settled on sitting outside his wagon, and catching him when he takes a break from the endless "I wants". She found his wagon, wasn't that hard seeing that it was parked right next to the winterveil tree. Nilly climbed on top of the wagon to see if the old man was ready for a break and from the looks of it it wouldn't be long so she climbed down and sat on the steps. After a few moments she heard jingle bells walking towards her.
"ho ho ho what do we have here? You are going to have to wait in line just like everyone else little girl" the old man chuckled and smiled at Nilly. "I am not a child" Nilly said. " I am, Nilly. Commander in the Kings' Army." As she stood up on the steps so Greatfather could be eye to eye with her. "I have been sent here to find your reindeer Greatfather."
"Oh yes, Metzen. He has been missing for just about three days now. Why don't we go inside and chat" Greatfather said. Nilly stepped aside to allow the old man past her, she followed him. Greatfather motioned for her to sit down as he sat in an oversized recliner and grabbed a mug of alterac brandy."Ahhh that hits the spot" he said as he took a long drink from the mug. "Look Greatfather, i will try and keep this short but you have to tell me everything you know about the disappearance" Nilly said, now wishing she had asked to go to the stables instead. He smelled like wet leather mixed with mulled cider and peppermint it was not an appealing smell at all,which seemed amplified in the confines of his wagon. "When did you first notice Metzen was gone?" She said casually glances around the room. " It was around lunch I guess, I went to check on the reindeer and he was not there." Greatfather said. "Did you notice anything out of place, where were the stable hands?" Nilly asked. "Hmmm come to think of it I didn't see any stable hands around that morning" he said stroking his beard. "Has Metzen disappeared before on his own?" Nilly asked. " Yes but never for this long, the last time he disappeared we found him in Alterac Valley." Greatfather Winter said taking another sip of his brandy. Nilly continued to question the old man until he had to return to his spot outside. "I hope you find that reindeer soon,I don't like my deer missing especially one as important as Metzen. I must return to the children" the old man stood,looking rested and escorted Nilly out the door. "Oh do tell me what you are wishing for this Winterveil" he smiled down at Nilly. "the parts to the new blingtron 5000 ofcourse" she said giggling.
What a strange meeting that was. Nilly couldn't help but feel that he was leaving something out. She shook her head and headed to the Inn to secure them a table and hope her friends were having better luck.
The stables were located just outside the front gate. They are always a busy place and Luci was unsure how much information she was going to find here. She looked around for a stable hand or anyone that worked here spying a young man in the back corner, she smirked. Almost to easy, she thought to herself as she removed her cloak. "Excuse me, sir" she said shyly. The young man looked up from his duties, almost shocked to see her there. "Yes Ma'am, how can i help you?" He said shakily. Clearly she had caught him off guard. "I'm looking for some information and I just know you can help me with whatever I need" she said."Ofcourse ma'am but I'm just a stable hand" he said putting his tools down and trying to get the dust and hay off of his clothes. "Tell me what happened to the reindeer, which one of these stalls was he in?" Luci said batting her eyelashes. At the mention of the word reindeer the stable hand tensed up and backed away from Luci. Noticing the change in his stance Luci moved quickly closing the distance between them and pinning the young man to the wall. "Do not think to escape young man, if I will it I can summon the very cold of Icecrown and freeze you in place. Now you know something and you will tell me do you understand" she said softly and flicked his nose. He squirmed avoiding her gaze "Bbbbut Ma'am I swore never to tell a soul while I was living." She smiled delightfully "that can be arrange young man." Snapping her fingers and holding her hand palm up a small bluish fire began to form, she laughed devilishly. "No no please ma'am! I'll tell you everything" he whimpered. "So speak" Luci commanded as she closed her hand snuffing out the flame. "They paid us thirty gold pieces to not come in the morning. I don't know who they were, the wore heavy cloaks that covered their faces. The reindeers' stall is the last one down there" he said almost in tears as he pointed down to the last stall. "That's all I know Ma'am I swear I'm so sorry." He ran out of the stables crying like a school boy. Luci chuckled, thinking they break so easy anymore. She walked to the last stall and noticed that it had been cleaned. Any clues she was hoping to find were lost. Taking what she had just learned she turned to leave when something caught her eye. "Now what is that" she said leaning down to pluck the tuft of white fur from a nail near the bottom of the stall. "Hmmm" she examined the fur closely then tucked it away to show the group later. She gathered her cloak and headed back into Ironforge to meet up with Nilly and Hairy.
Hairy found the commons with ease, following the smells of rum cake and spice cider. The area was packed with people from all over the Alliance; gnomes, night elves, worgens,humans, draenei and ofcourse dwarves. All chatting and sharing drinks with one another, Hairy sneered he didn't mind people much he just didn't like this many of them in a small space. He knew his large worgen form would be like a tauren in a china shop so he looked for a quiet corner to 'change' in. Hairy was human once, before in his homeland of Gilneas. The Gilneans were a proud people with a fair kingdom but they held a dark secret in their blood. They were what most people call werewolves but not ruled by the moon. They had learned to control the inner beast with the help of some Night Elves and could now shape change at will. Hairy preferred to stay in his true worgen form, as changing forms was not the most pleasant experience for himself or anyone around to witness it. He found a dark corner just out of sight and preceded to remove his clothing and put them in his bag, placing a smaller set of clothes on the ground next to him. He sighed heavily and concentrated on the form he wanted to take and began to shake violently. After what seemed like an eternity the shaking stopped, and the world came into focus. He vomited. He stared at his furless hand and sighed. He dressed quickly and bounded into the fray unsteady on his feet. Looking over the crowd he found a vendor selling some warm cider and holiday spice cookies,purchasing a mug and a bag of cookies he wandered over to a group of citizens who were discussing the disappearance.
"Did you hear what happened to Metzen, Greatfathers prized deer?" The tall Draenei said.
"Aye, I did. Sad sad news the poor thing is probably roasting on a horde spit by now." An old battle worn dwarf said.
"How do you know it was horde?" Hairy asked the old dwarf, offering him a cookie.
"Who else could it be, they are always trying to ruin our celebrations. You know what they did to our straw man don't you." The dwarf said lookin at Hairy sternly.
"whoa old man, I'm not saying they didn't do it all I'm saying where is the proof. I heard the reindeer ran away over a hot cider dispute." Hairy said quizzically.
"if you believe that nonsense then you are more full of hot air then the great forge bellows." The old dwarf said laughing as he walked away.
Hairy shook his head, and glanced up at the draenei. "Do you have an opinion?"
"I don't think it was the horde they are to busy restructuring, a more likely scenario is the reindeer wondered off and was attacked by a pack of wolves" the draenei stated ended the conversation. The crowd started to sing and Hairy tried to sneak away but was stopped by the old dwarf shoving a mug of Thunderbrew ale into his face. Taking the ale Hairy joined the singing and drank in the comaderie.
Luci stared at the Inn full of people laughing and wonder of she would ever find a place to sit. To her surprise she found Nilly sitting at a table in what was possibly the only quiet corner in the place. "Hi Nilly, so glad you found a table, Hairy will appreciate the quiet." Luci said as she removed her cloak and sat down. "Yeah, not that anyplace is quiet around here but at least we don't have to yell at each other." Nilly remarked. Luci flagged down a waitress and ordered a round of ale and some buzzard bites. "I wonder where Hairy is?" Luci pondered out loud. Just as she said that Hairy burst through the Inns doors along with the old dwarf singing a drinking song in which the whole crowd joined in. "Next round is on me" Hairy shouted, which was cheered by all the patrons. He stumbled over to where Luci and Nilly sat, plopping down in a chair he grinned at them "So ladies, do you like the new me" he said winking at them. They both burst out in laughter. "Well at least we don't have the wet dog smell anymore" Luci said almost spilling her drink. "I wouldn't consider it an improvement you're still a mutt" Nilly said. Luci snorted, and tried to catch her breath before attempting to speak again. Eventually they stopped giggling and caught their breath. Sitting quietly looking over the crowd Luci was the first one to speak about their mission. "What did you guys find out?" Hairy sniffed the air "According to the old dwarf the horde did it but everyone else seems to think the damn thing ran away and is someone else's meal by now" Hairy flagged the waitress over and ordered some coffee for the table. "The Greatfather was oh so helpful" Nilly said sarcastically "between sips of brandy he seemed to remember no one being in the stables the morning Metzen went missing" Nilly finished off her ale and poured a cup of coffee. Luci smiled "well that makes sense, the young man at the stables said they were paid thirty gold each by cloaked figures to not be there. I also found this in the stall used by the reindeer could be nothing though" she placed the clump of white fur on the table. They all examined it, Hairy sniffed it " not reindeer that is for sure" he stated. Nilly asked "Did he say anything else?" "No, he was in such a hurry to leave I have no idea why" Luci smirked "they break so easily now days, show a little skin and some blue fire and they are spilling their guts at your feet" She laughed loudly catching Hairy staring at her "some are not so easy to break little girl" he growled at her. Slowly the patrons dispersed, going home to their families and warm beds. One of the waitresses came over to their table "we'll be closing up soon, one more cup of coffee before ya leave?" She said smiling sweetly at Hairy. "No, no I don't want to be up all night. You wouldn't have any rooms available would ya?" He said slightly touching the young lady's arm causing her to blush. "I I I have to go check, I don't think we have three rooms though." She said to Hairy, quickly turning from him. Luci slugged Hairy in the arm "you leave that poor girl alone, she prolly can't even remember her name now." Luci turned to see where Nilly was, she was sitting on the floor in front of the fire looking at a cogwheel, trying to figure out where and what it goes to no doubt. Twisting it and turning it, she looked so much like a child when the firelight hit her. A child she was not though, her fighting skills were unprecedented and had saved them numerous times. The waitress returned with three keys and a log book "we have three standard rooms if you will just sign here please." She said leaning close to Hairy, Luci just shook her head and signed the book handing the waitress a small pouch of coins, "that should cover the rooms and our tabs, more than likely we will be gone before daybreak" she said gathering her got up off the floor signed the book, yawned and said " see ya in the morning." Hairy glanced up at Luci, grabbing her cloak forcing her to stop "are you sure we need three rooms?" He said wistfully to her. She leaned down and whispered "unless you plan on sleeping on the floor, like a good puppy dog then yes." She laughed loudly and patted his head. Hairy look shocked and then smiled, making whimpering noises as Luci walked away.
The morning came way to soon for the friends, groggily meeting downstairs with their gear in hand. There was some bread and cheese set out along side some fruit, a note next to the food said good luck on your journey no doubt from the enamored waitress. They grabbed the food and left the inn careful to not disturb anyone. Ironforge was quiet, the smells of breads and pastries mixed with the soot and earth filled the halls. The sounds of the forge and the early risers were the only ones to be heard, gone was the singing and laughing. They made their way out thru the main gate and unstabled their horses making sure they were healthy enough for the long journey ahead. Once saddled they headed down the road that would take them to Alterac Valley, chosing to take this way would take them several days to get to the Valley and neither of them minded one bit. The ride to the Loch was uneventful, they passed several travelers on the road, occasionally they would stop and ask the passerbys if they had seen a reindeer. Most of them laughed it off and continued on their way a few stopped and inquired why they were looking for a reindeer. Neither of them had considered how to answer that question, so they evaded it for the most part.
Loch Modan, is a beautifully wooded area, with rolling hills of green. The Loch was at one time part of a major trade route that stretched from the Hinterlands to Ironforge and points south. The area now has one small village now called Thessalmar. Many of the areas inhabitants moved to Ironforge, to avoid the Dark Iron Dwarves that have moved into the area. The Stonewrought Dam was the center piece of the area. A master piece of dwarvish stonework, and engineering. The dam was destroyed during the shattering and millions of gallons of water spilled into the loch flooding the once thriving area. The sun had set several hours ago by the time the companions arrived in Thessalmar. The local inn was filled with guards and members of the explorers league who eyed them suspiciously as they entered. "lo there stangers." The stout dwarf behind the bar said. "we don't get many visitors around these parts, what brings ya to Thessalmar" he asked as he waved them over to the only empty table. "we are just passing through, on our way north. We were hoping you had some rooms available for the night." Nilly asked casually trying not to draw anymore attention to themselves. "Rooms no sorry I don't have rooms available for the three of ya." Luci sighed, she was hoping to get one more night on a bed before they were back to sleeping on the ground."I have only one room available, which you are welcome to as long as you don't mind sharing." The three friends looked at each other and shrugged. "we'll take it," Hairy said "and can ya bring us something to warm our bellys and ease our aching legs." He finished, stretching and yawning rather loudly. The innkeep poured them some ale and brought it over to them. "Is there a place we can stable our horses for the night? I am sure they could use a good rubdown and some grain." Luci asked politely taking the mug from him."Aye, my nephew will tend to your horses and make sure they are well fed and ready for you in the morning." He said to Luci. "BOY!" He shouted, and a young man came stumbling out of the back. "yes uncle?" He said quietly. "see that there horses are stabled and fed well with plenty of fresh water you here, and get your sister to help you." He ordered the young man, he nodded and headed out. Just about that time, a waitress brought out a plate of bread and three bowls of soup which smelled divine to the friends. That hadn't realized they were that hungry. They ate gingerly enjoy what would probably be there last good meal for awhile. The inn was quiet compared to the one in Ironforge, many of the patrons talked amongst themselves or simply ate and left. They finished their meal, and were preparing to head upstairs to their room when the young man returned and told them their horses were watered and fed. Nilly thanked him and pushed herself away from the table "well lets go see about the sleeping arrangements, shall we?" She said heading to the stairs. Hairy tossed some coins on the table and followed Nilly up the stairs. Luci was the last one to get up from the table with a sigh she headed upstairs. "So, how are we gonna settle who gets the bed?" Nilly asked. "We'll flip for it" said Hairy. Luci just waved them on moving the oversized chair closer to the fire and grabbing a blanket from her pack. Grabbing a coin from her pocket "call it in the air Hairy" Nilly said flipping the coin up into the air. "Heads!" Hairy shouted which earned him a dirty look from Luci who was getting settled in the chair. They both watched the coin fall to the floor, "yes!" Nilly said hopping up onto the bed "its all mine, Hairy you can curl up by my feet like a good mutt." Hairy snarled and grabbed a blanket out of his pack and laid down next to the fire. Luci sighed heavily, she saw the anxiousness of the trio and hope a good battle would ease the mood. She settled in and was soon fast asleep to familiar sounds of crackling fire and Hairys' breathing. They were awoken by the smell of fresh bread and quiet laughter. The three friends, quietly packed up their belongings and headed downstairs. "Good Mornin' to ya" and rosy cheeked female dwarf said "hope we didn't wake ya, but this bread ain't gonna bake itself" she chuckled. "nothing beats the smell of fresh bread in the morning" Nilly said sniffing the air. "aye that's true. Will ya be wanting breakfast before ya leave?" The female dwarf asked. "we should be headed out, but if we could get some to take with us it would be much appreciated." Hairy said giving the dwarf a toothy smile. "oh uh sure" she said looking at Hairy quizzically. Hairy just continued smiling while Luci and Nilly giggled. "oh he is truly harmless ma'am" Luci said. "yes truly his breath is worse then his bite" Nilly said laughing aloud. She packed up some fresh bread and a jar of preserves and handed them to Hairy. "Safe journeys to ya" she said with a smile as the three headed out the door. The found their horses well fed,rested and anxious to get on the road. They wasted no time saddling them and heading out. They headed north towards the Wetlands and Menethil Harbor. They traveled for many hours in silence enjoying the warmth of the sun and the smell of the woods. How much they had all missed home was unmistakable now, you could see the smile on Hairys face and the grin that burst from Nilly every now and again. These roads they had traveled in their youth, and it was comforting to see not much had changed. They stopped for the night just off the main road so not to grab the attentions of any late night traveler. Nilly used a newly crafted gadget to start a fire, which almost set fire to the whole forest she remarked that she may need to tweek the power a was preparing the tea, the friends nicknamed "journey tea" it seemed to keep them energized and satisfied over long journeys. Luci was tending to the horses, using her magic to secure the area. After deciding who would take watch and when, they drank their tea and warmed themselves by the fire. Settling in for the first of what may be many nights on the road, Luci and Nilly fell fast asleep while Hairy kept watch. The night was uneventful as they expected and with first light the broke camp and headed back out towards Menethil Harbor.
Menethil Harbor was located on the western coast of the Wetlands. It was a major port before the Cataclysm with ships making journeys to Theramore in Kalimdor and the Howling Fjord in Northrend. Now a majority of the city is under water and what's is left is water-logged. Not much trade goods come through the harbor anymore and the folks that are still there eek out a meager living by offering one of the only true rest areas for travelers. The Wetlands didn't see much travelers though as the name implies the swamp like terrain was horrible on horses and pack animals alike. Many often going for the faster option, via griffon, skip over Menethil harbor all together. The companions traveled most of the day without a single hint of civilization but just as twilight was upon them they could see the outlines of buildings in the distance. They had decided to spend one more night on the road and hit the Harbor at first light. They spent some time looking for a suitably dry place to set up camp. Finally finding a suitable place they began setting up camp each falling into the routine. Each familiar with what had to be done and each settling into their roles, Nilly started the fire, Hairy made tea and set out some bread, and Luci tended to the horses. "if they have the birds there you wanna take them to our next major stop?" Luci suggested. "we can fly to Refugee point in Arathi or somewhere in the hinterlands and back track" she said looking at the fire. "I'm game for that, we can get fresh horses wherever we chose" Nilly said. "sounds great to me, these horses wouldn't make it all the way to the mountains anyways, these are city ponies and you know it" Hairy said gruffly.
Morning came and they headed out each enjoying this early winter sun. They reached the Harbor by noon, there were a few guards and a vendor or two but not much else. "wow this place is almost dead" Nilly said looking around. "yeah I don't think we'll find a buyer for the horses or much else." Luci stated. They made their way to one of the only buildings left standing and not waterlogged. It seemed to be an all in one type place, the inn,a trade goods merchant and barracks all seem to be on the main floor. They made their way to the counter and inquired about a buyer for the horses, when they were interrupted by a gnome who was dressed to the nines. "ill take em, I need the horsepower for my water getter ridder" he said. "oh umm, I'm not sure how much power they have left in them, we have been on the road for a few days." Luci said. Nilly began conversing with the gnome, talking about gears and power to weight ratios it was all very confusing to Luci and Hairy. "oh yeah they will work out just great for you" Nilly said taking some gold from the gnome. "Hey, wait a sec we didn't agree with anything" Hairy said in protest. "Relax, muttley he just need the them to walk for a few minutes to wind a spring" Nilly said dismissively. Luci shrugged "come on we got get to the flight master, I hate flying at night" she said as she motioned for them to head out. Nilly handed each of the friends thirty gold "this is your split" she said. "that is a generous amount, what did you two discuss?" Luci inquired. " we talked about, his invention. I think it may just turn the waterlogged city around and dry it out for once" Nilly said excitedly. Fearing she would start to go into detail Hairy headed to the flight master "come on, we need to decide where we are going to fly to, and I want to be in the air before my muzzle turns gray" Hairy said. "Your muzzle is already getting gray, dear" Luci said teasingly to Hairy . "He does have a point, where are we flying into?" Nilly asked. Luci shrugged, reached into the folds of her robe and took out a folded piece of paper, it was a map with all the flight path locations on it "this should help" she said spreading the map out on a hay bale. They studied the map and Hairy and Luci started to argue over which flight location would have the easier access to the mountains. "Aerie peak is closer and we wouldn't have to deal with the horde camp in the wall to hillsbrad." Hairy said pointing to the map. "we can easily avoid the horde by sneak in thru the wall on the north side, and then all we have to do is cut thru the foothills to the mountains." Luci said slamming her hand down on the map. Nilly pushed luci's hand away and said "or, we can fly into chillwind camp, then head south a bit and boom we're in the mountains." Both Luci and Hairy stopped and stared at the map as Nilly pointed out where they should go. "we could run into some trouble at Stalinbrad, who knows what has taken up residence there." Hairy said pointing at the location on the map. "what you afraid if getting your dress stained. Besides we can't avoid everything. You do know we will have ogres and yeti to deal with once we get into Alterac." Nilly said, shifting her pack. "look Nilly is right we fly into chillwind, and it will take days off or journey and the sooner we find this reindeer the faster we can't get back to the hunt." Luci said folding up the map and putting it back into her robes. They quickly gathered their stuff and headed to the flight master. "hiya, what can I do for ya?" The flight master said. There were several large griffons roosting on nests behind her. They are truly beautify animals, with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. Some of the fastest flyers in the Alliance that is for sure. "can we get a flight to Chillwind Camp in Western Plaguelands. Please." Luci asked politely. "you betcha, why ya headed there? Place is pretty quiet now that we have retaken Andorhal." The flight master said while getting the first bird set for take off. "ok which one of ya is first?" She said looking at the companions. "I'll go first." Luci said climbing on to the griffon."see ya there" she shouted as the griffon took off. Nilly followed suit, taking the next griffon, Hairy was last as he had to give the bird time to get used to his scent and weight. Being in his worgen form had its advantages and disadvantages and flying happen to fit under the disadvantages. Though many griffons had seen worgens during their flights and had undoubtedly carried them as well, still the natural instinct to fear the worgens was always there. After all he was a predator and could easily make a meal out of any beast he chose. After a few minutes of squawking defiance from the griffon it took to the air with hairy on its back. Finally on his way to chillwind camp he sighed hoping he would make it there by nightfall.
Nilly and Luci arrived a few minutes apart from each other, both sore from the griffon saddles and wind beaten. Luci looked at Nilly and immediately burst out in laughter "Nills your hair! What ya do get struck by lightning?" Nilly ran her hands thru her hair trying to smooth it out "well you didn't fair any better, you look like a tornado styled your hair." Nilly said pointing and laughing at Luci. They both laughed until they were out of breath, then tried to smooth out their hair in silence as they waited for Hairy. It was around dusk when Hairys' griffon was spotted on the horizon. Within a few minutes Hairy was on the ground and looking for his friends. He found the two of them, next to the only building in camp. They had made a fire and were prepping for tomorrows journey."Hairy, you made it before dark. Thank goodness we were getting a little worried." Luci said offering him a cup of warm cider. "It good to see some griffons can handle the dog smell for more then half the flight" Nilly said chuckling. Hairy snorted and sat down "bird was just lucky we was over a lake we he decided to freak out." He chuckled and began looking over his things to make sure nothing had fallen off during the flight. "do you think maybe someone around here has heard anything about the reindeer?" Luci asked the friends. "I don't know, but it would be worth asking around I guess" Nilly said. With that Luci stood up and dusted off her robes, and walked over to a group of guards and vendors and began chatting away. Luci had a way of getting even the most reserved person to open up to her. She had used that irresistible charm on Hairy, during a skirmish many years ago causing him to spill his guts and confess his affections for her. He swore he would follow her to hell and back if she asked him to and he has several times over. He knows she cares for him, even though she has never come out and said it. Anyone that knows her can see it in her eyes and her movements when she is near him. He watched her chat it up with the grp and smiled knowing she would get all the info they needed and prolly anything else she wanted to.
After about an hour, Luci came back to camp with an older gentleman on her arm. Hairy sneered and snorted at the sight. "green is not a good color on you, so settle down you know how she works" Nilly said in a whisper grabbing Hairys' arm. "Hi guys, I would love for you to meet this strapping warrior of the Scarlet Crusade, he runs the camp. Capt. Logan Brevard, these our my traveling companions Hairy and Nilly." Luci said almost squealing while she squeezed the captains arm. Both Nilly and Hairy simply nodded to the Captain. "Pleasure to meet, members of the Alliance Army." The captain said with a hint of arrogance. "the captain and I were just talking about how horribly lonely that reindeer most be trapped up in mountains like that. Weren't we captain?" Luci looked at the captain with batting eyelashes and an innocent smile. The captain pushed a piece of hair of Luci's face which elicited a low growl from Hairy who in turned got punched by Nilly. "yes yes we were. I think its a noble thing you three are trying to do on your only break from the war in Draenor." The captain noticing Hairys' menacing stare removed his hand from Luci's face. Luci sneering over at Hairy reached up and kissed the Captain on the cheek " oh that is really nice of you to say, but we are really doing it for the kids not the fame" she said sweetly. "Mmm yes, as I was saying, your actions are noble at the least and I have some information that may help you. A few days ago one of my scouts came across some deer tracks, he followed them deep into the mountains where he noticed a cave. Unfortunately he was ambushed by some ogres and had to make hasty retreat, but I'm willing to bet that deer if it was the right one is in that cave taking shelter." He promptly bowed to the friends and kissed Luci's hand "best of luck to you and be safe sweet Luci" turned and walked away. Luci walked over to Hairy and got in his face "you almost blew it dog, it took all my convincing to get him to share that little tidbit. You have no idea how frustrating you can be." She said storming off, to get some space. Nilly shook her head "it really is none of my business but you better make you claim or move on man, you can't be jealous over something that isn't yours" she said absently stoking the fire."Have you thought about what you are going to do when we finally defeat Garrosh" she asked Hairy. "Ofcourse, I have. I'm going to settle down open a little potions shop and have a family." Hairy said dismissively. Nilly nodded "And who are you going to have that family with" she asked looking at Hairy. "why you asking all these questions? Do you know what you are gonna do huh?" He said defensively trying to change the subject. "yep, gonna build robots and gadgets and solve the problem of pests in stormwind" Nilly said cheerfully. "you still didn't answer my question though. Who are you gonna have that family with" she stared at Hairy who was staring in the direction Luci stormed off in. "Nilly, you know who i want to have that family with" he said with a sigh, grabbing his bed roll out of his pack. "well it ain't gonna happen unless you ask her you know that right." Nilly said turning to grab her bed roll. "she'll be back, just give her a little bit" she said before settling into her blankets. "yeah I know Nills, I know." Hairy said laying down looking up at the stars.
Luci found herself walking amongst the graves of fallen heroes. She felt like she could walk for hours she was so angry. "How dare he ruin all my hard work. How dare he act like he has some sort of claim on me like I'm his. He got jealous over absolutely nothing. Its not like I was gonna go back to the captains' tent for the night and even if I did so what. He has never once said I want you for mine and mine alone. Yeah yeah he has confessed that he loves me and has always been there no matter the situation but hell I have heard those words before and they never meant much. Even coming from him. Why am I getting upset over his jealousy, why am I getting upset over his lack of commitment. Why should I care, if he wants me to be his or not... If it wasn't obvious, geez girl. You love him and you want him to claim you for his. When you picture your life after the war you see you and him and you know it." Luci let out an audible sigh "stupid dog" she said as she shook her head and headed back to her friends. Hairy smelled Luci's approach and relaxed, thankful that she was back and that she didn't smell of the captain. "goodnight Hairy, you can sleep now." Luci said unrolling her bed and getting settled for the night. Hairy flipped so his back was to the fire and whispered "goodnight my Luci, my love"
Dawn came early, and the camp seemed unusually busy for the small outpost it was, several couriers coming and going and a few of them looked like SI-7 members. Hairy was the first one awake and gently shook Nilly and Luci awake. Both yawning and realizing that they needed to get busy shook the sleep off and got the beds put away while Hairy made everyone some tea. They drank their tea quickly, and gathered up their gear. Having finished their tea and getting all packed up they headed out on foot.
The sun rose over the mountains a brilliant crimson, the air was chilly but not uncomfortable. It cooled them as they hiked the dirt road that lead into Alterac Mountians. A few hours into their hike they road gave way to a small path that the friends could tell had not been used in a long time. "So, do ya wanna follow it" Nilly said. Both Luci and Hairy nodded in agreement. The path was not well maintained and as they ascended deeper into the mountains the more precarious it came. "maybe we should have stayed on the road" Luci said loudly. Just as the last word left her mouth an ever louder battle cry came from above them. Out of the trees three ruffians descended upon them with greed and evil written all over their faces. They immediately assumed their battle stance without a word. Nilly in the front with Luci off to her left and Hairy off on the right. It was a stance they were familiar with and their eyes shone with excitement. Hairy's eyes shone with a hint of green as he began to draw a dark rune in the air filling it with the smell of sulfur, at the same time Luci's eyes turned icy blue as a spark of blue flame formed in her open hand. Nilly in the forefront bouncing from foot to foot, spinning and teasing the ruffians "Do you really think you can take us?" The ruffians looked somewhat confused for a moment then began to charge. Nilly met the foremost ruffian with spinning heel kick right to the jaw knocking him out cold,Hairy let loose his magic, a cloud of black shot from his hand tossing the second ruffian back and impaling him on a tree branch, Luci threw the ball of blue flame at the third ruffian instantly igniting him, his screams quickly died as did he. They gathered around the knocked out ruffian, Nilly began to poke him repeatedly "wakey wakey sleepy head." He slowly stirred and tried to get up but was still woozy so he quickly fell back to the ground. "Slow down there speedy" Nilly said as she grabbed him by the wrist. "what's the big idea jumping us like that which I might add was pretty stupid" Hairy said pointedly. "seriously you need to pick your targets better" Nilly said tightening her grip on his wrists. "Hey watch it!" He screamed. "I don't have to tell you anything, you are messing with the wrong person" he said menacingly. "Obviously, you have no idea who you are dealing with" Luci said moving out of the way so he could see the corpses of his partners. "We do not take lightly to being jumped in broad daylight" Luci smiled. "Or any light for that matter" Hairy said. Nilly spun the ruffian around and stared at him fiercely "now, what the heck are you doing out here" she asked. Just then he broke free of Nilly's grasp and headed deeper into the mountains. They shrugged and decided not to go after him. If he brought friends back they would be long gone from the area and hopefully done with their assignment.
The continued on the path as it wound deeper into the mountains, which were continuously covered in snow. The eventually reached another split in the footpath. "this must be where the scout found the tracks." Luci said looking around. "look here, these are definitely deer tracks and the look a few days old." Hairy said pointing to the ground."well what are we waiting for, lets go find this dumb deer" Nilly said as she started down the path. Hairy and Luci followed. They traveled in silence on the look out for more tracks and suspicious sounds.[a]
They rounded the bend and came upon a clearing. Several cave entrances could be seen as well as some small camp sites that looked like they had not been used in a long while. Hairy who was the most familiar with this area sniffed the air and grimaced. "be careful, this place smells of death" he said. They entered the clearing slowly, mindful of their steps. The ground was snow covered and barren of trees. Somone one took great time in clearing this area Luci thought to herself. They approached the first cave entrance and were met with a foul stench. Upon inspecting the cave they discovered a pile of dead half eaten ogres. Though used to the smells of corpses and battle wounds these were different. Hairy used his staff to poke around and exam the wounds. Nilly looked for signs of a fight or any other sign that would help them understand why there were dead ogres in this cave. "look at these wounds, they were not made by a sword or even magick" hairy said while examing one of the ogres closely. "I can find no evidence of a fight, it looks like they were dragged in here" Nilly said while looking at the ground. "Guys, look at this" Luci said while lifting a tuft of fur from the cave entrance. Hairy sniffed it, and sneezed. Nilly looked closely at it then darted out of the cave. "is this what i think it is?" Luci asked. Nilly looked back in the cave and shook her head affirmatively. "yeti" hairy said under his breath. Both Hairy and Luci joined Nilly outside. All three cautiously looking around. "clearly these caves are food storage." Nilly said. "you dint think Metzen became a late night snack do you? Luci asked. "what animal would be stupid enough to seek sanctuary here" hairy rebuked. Just about that time, they heard a noise coming from a nearby cave. All three became instantly alert. Hands at the ready for what ever may come out. Two hooded figures emerged from a cave across the way with a tiny reindeer on a rope. The reindeer was struggling to break free, but didn't have the strength. "how did we get stuck with pet sitting duty" the first hooded figure lamented. "well if you hadn't taken it upon yourself to burn the camp down we wouldn't be on this damned detail" the second figure gruffed. The three friends realizing that they had not been noticed quickly sunk into the shadows of the cave.
"plan of attack guys?" Nilly asked. "are they twilight hammer soldiers?" Luci asked. "looks like it, but why take the reindeer?" Nilly responded. "either way we need on alive for questioning" hairy stated. "well I guess its on me then" Luci sighed and started out of the cave. "wait!" Nilly rushed after her. "I can sneak over there and get the reindeer, then you and hairy can get down to business" Nilly said looking at both hairy and Luci. "alright lets do it." Luci said. With a nod Nilly began darting behind the boulders and snow drifts working her way to the reindeer. Luci began her preparations for casting as did Hairy. By the time Nilly reached the reindeer both Hairy and Luci stepped out of the cave into the light, still focusing on their target. The two hooded figures noticed them and began to charge towards them, dropping the rope holding Metzen. Nilly dashed out from behind the snow drift and grabbed the rope quickly leading Metzen to safety. Hairy quickly casted his chaos bolt sending one of the twilight hammer soldiers flying into the side of the cave entrance. Nilly watched as that soldier bounced off the rock wall and landed on the ground with a thud. As Hairy was recharging for another possible attack, the second Twilight soldier finally was close enough for Luci to cast. She quickly spun in a circle casting a ring of frost around her. The twilight hammer soldier was stunned as soon as he entered the ring. Hairy quickly tied the soldiers' hands and feet together and sat him next to the cave opening. Luci coming out of her trance like state, looked around for her led Metzen over to them and smiled"worked like a charm, and look you didn't kill them all this time" she snickered. They all giggled and were pleased with how everything had turned out.
The twilight hammer soldier started to come to, and began to groggily mumble something that couldn't be made out. They turned to face him, only to realize he was casting a teleportation spell. Nilly bum rushed him but was a fraction to late as she ran thru a shadow of the soldier. "damn it!" She exclaimed. "how the hell did he do that? I didn't think he was a caster" Luci stated. "his capture did seem a little to easy" hairy said with a shrug. Nilly reached in her pack and pulled out some gingerbread cookies and gave one to Metzen, who ate it happily. "are we camping her for the night" hairy asked as he was reaching into his pack for something to make his tea from. "oh hell no" Luci stated. "I'm am tired of this camping stuff I want a warm bed and a hot meal. I will be porting us out of here as soon as I have some strength back." Nilly bursted out with laughter "but its only been a few days" she mocked. "i don't care, I am ready to be home." Luci stated. Hairy smirked "sure you are Luci."
When Luci's strength returned she grabbed four glowing gems out of her pouch. Handing one to each of her companions including the reindeer, who held it in his mouth. "we ready?" She asked. "I am" Nilly said "will the reindeer be ok with this for of travel" hairy pondered out loud. "sure, hunters do it with their pets all the time" Nilly said, they all laughed. "Ironforge or Stormwind?" Luci inquired. Both Nilly and Hairy answered with "Stormwind"
Luci began casting, and as the world faded from view the friends sighed with relief knowing that their journey had come to an end. When the world came back into view, they were safely inside the mage tower of Stormwind. "lets take Metzen to the king and be done with this" Hairy said. Nodding in agreement the all walked to the keep with Metzen in tow.