Short story on the return of Malfurion. Or at least, what happened in my own imagination.

Base: Warcraft.

Warnings: None.

Characters/etc. © Blizzard Entertainment.

Enjoy!

Also: Fixed things. Whoops.

The Keeper sensed the disturbance in his realm long before he took it upon himself to go searching for the source of it. As there were no hostile beasts in Moonglade, the Keeper could only wonder as to what could cause a disruption in his lands. The celestial beast was like his father, Cenarius, with a lower body like that of a stag and an upper body similar to the night elves'. He wore a long mane of green hair. In it grew leaves and twigs, and large, intimidating antlers sprouted from his skull, further adding to his visage as the Keeper of the Grove.

With a calm groan and the weathered creaking of rested bones, Remulos left the sanctity of his shrine. As he passed, guardians of Moonglade bowed their heads and knelt in reverence to their keeper. One in particular – a night elf male with a heavier muscular build and light cyan hair – struck his attention. Reaching out with one of his gnarled hands, made up of wood and roots instead of flesh and bones, Remulos lightly touched the guardian on his shoulder, laying upon him a blessing that would imbue him with the strength of a grove keeper should anything go awry during his absence. As the blessing finished, the guardian lifted his head towards the keeper, eyes bright with gratitude. The keeper nodded lightly at his work and moved on.

Remulos wandered the forests of Moonglade, his footfalls as light as a fawn's, and he gazed about the sanctum with silver pupil-less eyes as bright as the moon. This time, he sensed no disturbance amongst the spirits of nature or the many small lifeforms taking refuge in the calm forests, but, in fact a new sense of peace. What he had mistaken for a disturbance he realized was a temporary excitement that was followed by a serenity not felt since...

The Grove Keeper shook that notion from his head. It was foolish thinking, he knew. It had been a long time since their last interaction, but evil had no lifespan, and his brother-like companion could not have returned. But, as he neared lake Elune'Ara, the Grove Keeper felt his own heart grow light like a child to his returning father or the end of an arduous battle. From what cause, he could not say for sure, but rather his fanciful thinking overtook logic.

Remulos paused close enough to the lake to watch as a familiar figure sitting crossed-legged on the shore entertained a small bird that had landed on his finger.

It seemed logic, this time, had been mistaken.

The individual sensed Remulos' approach and turned with care, and if the Grove Keeper had any doubts about who he could be, that moment had banished them all. The figure was a night elf, like most inhabitants of the Moonglade, but he was far from a generic inhabitant. His skin was a deep shade of violet, his hair a deeper shade of green and hung loose around a young but jaded face. His eyes were sharp, yet gentle, and a little sunken in. They were, however, a striking gold, unlike most of his kind, due to his intimate connection with nature. His garments were unlike most night elves', which were decadent and colorful, while his were simple and earthy, in synch with his calling. And lastly, most noticeable above all else, were the mighty antlers that rose from his skull, rivaled only by those of Cenarius.

"Malfurion..." Keeper Remulos said, almost to himself, in wonder.

The arch druid's face held still, staring level at the Keeper for just a moment long enough to worry Remulos into thinking he had done something wrong or that perhaps, demigods forbid, the Nightmare had gotten to the druid.

As though having struggled with remembering the Keeper's name, the druid suddenly smiled, a gesture that stretched the lines around his mouth and eyes and relieved the Keeper of his worries. "Remulos, my old friend."

"How is this possible... You sit here before me whole, body and all. Has the Nightmare faded?" The Keeper moved forward.

"I fear the Nightmare will not soon be eradicated, but recent events have held it at bay. I was granted relief by Cenarius, who insisted I had spent enough time in the Dream already," Malfurion said, gently stroking the small bird in his palm with the back of his opposite index finger, "There has been a flood of druids entering the Dream. I found myself unsure what I would find should I return to the waking world, so I waited where I knew I would meet you, my friend."

Remulos was slightly confused. "How did you know I would come here?"

A smile played on the druid's features as he held the creature to eye level. "A little bird told me."

The Keeper laughed, which, not unlike his father, sent a calm breeze blowing and birds chirping. Malfurion smiled lightly at the similarity to his mentor. Finally, Remulos said, "Knowing you, Malfurion, I would not doubt that."

A/N: After Driven I really wanted to do short stories. I don't know if I can write another story that had so many chapters. For now I'm focusing on stories for WoW and AC/AC2, but I might go back into short FMA stories if I come up with anything decent. Not sure. -Black Haiyate