AN: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING WORLD OF WARCRAFT! ANY REAL IN GAME CHARACTERS AND WoW BELONGS TO BLIZZARD! NO COPY RIGHT INTENDED! IT'S A GREAT GAME! :)

**Kalimdor: Thunder Bluff**

15 & 1/2 years later...

The amber sun shined brightly over the beautiful and lush landscape of green. The winds in the sky swept across the large and seemingly endless grassy plains of Mulgore, swaying the long and standing grass of the endless fields.

It provided perfect cover.

It provided a distraction for the stealthed creature that made her way through the tall grass and to her target. The unknowing Tauren that was sitting cross legged in meditation.

The stealthed creature grinned and crept even closer to the Tauren ready to make her attack.

"Ah, I did not expect you back till next week, Echo. How was your training in Stormwind? Did your missions go well?" The deep voice resonated in Orchish and made the girl suddenly stop and trip over her feet, affectively causing her to drop her stealth in the process. Cairin turned slightly over his shoulder and grinned.

A pout had formed over the girl's face at being caught. She slumped her shoulder and sighed.

'Obviously my training is not good enough. You caught me. Also, I got beaten up by some jerk Hunter again. I don't like Stormwind; Master Shaw is a very cruel trainer.' Cairin watched her fingers twist and sign, he only chuckled and patted the spot near him. She brightened up and sat next to him.

"My dear Echo, training takes time and patience. A seed cannot grow into a mighty tree in but a few short years. You know this very well. I had trained for many, many years to become a heightened Druid; I am a very experienced old man. You did nothing wrong, it is just that I cannot be fooled so easily," Cairin chuckled. Those words seemed to brighten the girl's pouting face.

Echo pulled down her mask and let it rest around her neck. She grinned up at her sagely father.

'I will train as hard as I can, father. I will not give up nor let you down.'

Cairin lifted his hand and gently brought his Human child in for a hug as they sat in the peaceful grass.

"Your mother and I know you will. We know you and your brother will do amazing things. Tell me how are your language sessions going with Master Fizrocket?" Cairin couldn't help but smile as he watched Echo's face twist into a frown and her aura became filled with annoyance; she had a glum look.

'Father, that Goblin is insane. Master Fizrocket may be brilliant in many things and I do love learning the art of language from him, don't get me wrong, but he scares me sometimes.'

"Yes, Jex can be a little... ostentatious," Cairin chuckled.

'That's putting it lightly, father. Remember when he almost blew up Ezekeil's hands? Those are kind of important considering he is a Priest.' Cairin laughed loudly at his daughter's words.

"Crazy he may be, but Jex is an excellent language arts teacher." Echo huffed blowing out the strands of brown hair from her medium bangs.

'The lessons have going well. Besides Common, Orcish, Taurahe, Zandali, Goblin, Gnomish and Dwarven...blah blah blah, so on so forth... He is suggesting I start learning the more "delicate" of languages soon, something called Thalassian.'

Cairin leaned back a little.

"Ah, Thalassian. That is the language of the High Elves, my dear. Darnassian should be the next language as it is the cousin to Thalassian, the language of the Night Elves." Echo furrowed her dark brows in thought.

'Elves you say? I have never seen a High Elf before. I have meet Night Elves when you take me to Mount Hyjal and other Druidaic homes, but never a High Elf... tell me father, are they just as wonderful as Night Elves?' Echo quickly signed and got on her knees in front of her father, curious to the nature of the Elves.

"They are. High Elves are the undistinguished cousins to the Alliance's Night Elves. Their eyes glow as blue as the very sky over head and they are known to have hair the color of the sun and snow. They are a very kind and honorable people who value their people and home's safety and pride more than anything else." Cairin watched closely as a dreamy look came over his daughter's shining silver orbs, a soft smile formed.

'You think I will ever get to meet one? If they are like the Kaldorei, they must be a magical people too... Then again, knowing my luck I will probably be attacked by one.' A soft sigh escaped Echo's lips in thought.

"Only time will tell. Come..." Cairin stood up and gently clasped his hands over his daughters to help her up.

"Azeroth is a vast place, my child. There is so much to know and see; you must be resilient but patient. You have much ahead of you and so much to accomplish, do not cloud your mind with doubt. Believe me, believe in yourself. Now come, let us go home. Aellas is making Mutton stew."

'YES!' Cairin laughed loudly at the sudden excitement that washed over his daughter as she spun circles around him as they walked back to Thunder Bluff. He hummed to himself happily as Echo jumped and grabbed onto one of his great horns and hung there with a giant grin at him.

"I take the mission that Mathias Shaw sent you on was good?" Echo took a second to think and grinned again and dropped beside him to sign.

'As harsh as Master Shaw is and how hard he pushes me in training, I can see that I am improving in mission quality. I was able to finish this tedious mission in the Eastern Plaugelands in only three days. Though... recently I have accepted a different kind of mission, more personal than anything. To continue my training, I have now go to the Alterac Mountians. Master Shaw said it will be a crucial lesson in my steps to become a Rogue to study in the home of uh... I forgot the name of the city.' A hum of understanding reached Echo's ears from her father as he patted her head.

"The Alterac Mountains you say? I believe the city you are talking about is Dalaran, the Mage and magic capital of the world. You are coming along well, my child. But why Dalaran? You are not studying magic." Echo twisted her lips and brows in thought.

'He said discipline is the finest of teachers, or something along those lines. I am to self train myself around an environment that is completely foreign to me... why he chose 'Dalaran' is beyond me. Then something about sending me to a trainer near the city who is just as goo as him, but with different techniques.'

"Dalaran is the exact opposite of you, my child. Rogues do not study themselves in the art of arcane or magic. I have known well enough by now that they do not like the idea of being surrounded by such magic, but I do see what your trainer is trying do. You are being thrown in a place of complete isolation from your known grounds... interesting tactic." Echo sighed in defeat.

'I don't really want to go, if I had a REAL opinion in the matter that is. I don't really like casters, more specifically Mages, and those goddamn Hunters' volley,... they always beat me up in training.' Cairin laughed harder as they stepped on the platform taking them up to the cliff side city.

"You will do well."