The very walls around me tremble and shake, stones fall from the ceiling and echo in the distance. Something is getting closer, and it fills my heart with anxiety. I am like a child, stumbling and afraid in the darkness of this wretched prison. I pound my twisted fist against the wall and attempt to shout my frustration, but a gentle hand embraces me, calms me. The whispers console me, tell me not to allow the trembling of the world to frighten me. They tell me to look around, to take in every detail. The smooth stone walls, the polished floor. The floor is littered with corpses. The corpses, they are important. They are night elves, Kaldorei as I once was. They are not alone. Furred creatures are among the dead, and other more twisted beings like myself. There is something wrong with those beasts, they have a smell to them that reminds me of rotted eggs. Their fur glows slightly at the touch...what is this corruption? Are they like me? The whispers tell me that I should follow them. The trail of corpses...of course! The priestess was fighting before she appeared before me. She must have come from this direction. I praise my lady for her wit and like a hunter, I follow the trail.

I must say, despite my time in a cell, my muscles seem to still be quite limber. Despite having never hunted in my long life, it comes to me like second nature. My head and shoulders move on their own, and I almost can't keep from smiling at myself, playing predator like a cub. All too soon the trail comes to an end, putting a stop to my game. Strange, the exit to the prison has no guards, no bars or doorways. It simply leads out into an ancient looking cavern system, a barrow den. I recall that druids often slept in these dens while traversing the Dream or while living in their animal forms. I sniff the air and I can tell this barrow was populated until very recently. Bears, most likely the Druids of the Claw. Wait...I hear something, an echo within the caverns. It is the deep feminine voice again. She sounds stern, perhaps a fight has broken out? I remember that she and Illidan were going to leave the den and fight demons. That must mean they know of a way out. I resolve to follow them, but the whispers caution me. They tell me that my natural abilities to meld with the shadows would be useful. She truly is very wise, I never would have thought of that.

Following the path and the sounds of their echoing footsteps, I have found the priestess. Shan'do and The Betrayer are there as well. Strange, Malfurion seems unhappy to see his brother. I am curious what he did to be so distrusted by his kin, but for now my own survival comes first. I am not so foolish as to go anywhere near with the demon hunter freed. I do wish that I could speak to Shan'do Stormrage about my situation. He is the most powerful druid that I know of, surely he would know what to do. The priestess was kind, perhaps I could speak to her again? They've stopped now, but I am too far away to see why. I don't hear fighting. They seem to be lining up...of course. The exit to the dens were not built to be marched through. They must be at the exit. I will wait for them to leave and sneak out after them. I must be wary to keep out of the Betrayer's sight. They say that demon hunters can see dark magic through anything, even solid stone. I don't know if Xavius' magic still courses through me after all this time, but better to be safe. I am not eager to feel his blades upon my flesh again.

As I crawl from the barrow dens, I am blinded by the light. I am filled with bitter humor at Illidan not being able to have the same happen to him. I cannot resist a chuckle, but I am still unused to my voice. My laughter sounds like a sick bear coughing up its last meal. For some reason, this is even funnier to me and I double over into giggles. My happiness only grows and for a moment I am concerned as to why. Have I lost my mind at last? Suddenly it comes to me and I stand and take a deep breath. "Free! I'm free at last! Hah hah!" I burst into a clumsy jig and fall against the large roots of the den behind me. The feeling is like the brightness of the sun has entered my very soul and exploded outward. From the highborne's subjugation to my imprisonment by the queen and then again by the lowborn, I now suddenly realize that I have never known freedom as I do right at this moment. The whispers sound confused, they ask whether my freedom is truly such a momentous occasion? I laugh at her ignorance, not out of malice or bitterness, after all she probably doesn't know what it means to be enslaved. Of course it is! Finally, for this brief moment, nothing is hurting me, no one is hunting me. Considering my appearance, I tell her that such moments are sure to be a rarity until I can return to my true self. I must enjoy it to the fullest!

How I wish I had some juice or wine to go with my celebration. I temper myself and sneak to the nearby trees in search of nuts or berries. When I find them, however, I find that they turn to dust in my mouth and I sputter and spit them out. How vile this curse is, even now it robs me of simple pleasures. The whispers tell me that it is not so bad and she points out a small creature to me. It's a rabbit, white and furry. It's quite cute...plump...suddenly I'm salivating. I've never eaten meat before. It's not that druids frown upon that sort of thing or anything, it's natural for Kaldorei to be omnivores. It was the highborne who had disdain for it. Fruit, nuts, and certain vegetables were the only edible things to be found anywhere near the palace. I leap at the rabbit, and in an instant my claws tear through its flesh. It doesn't even scream. I wonder why it was so easy to catch when I realize that I had melded with the shadows during my leap. The rabbit didn't see me coming, and died instantly. This reassures me. If I am to eat living things, I would not want them to suffer. The whispers tell me not to bother with the emotions and feelings of my food. It is dead and will serve me as fuel, what it felt before that is irrelevant to me. I'm not sure I agree with that, but I do not say so. This rabbit is delicious. I ponder if I should try cooking it next time, but it tastes perfectly fine as it is...and while it unnerves me to say so, my sharp claws cut through it so cleanly that skinning the fur while I eat is almost like a game. I think I shall hunt down more rabbits before moving on. Perhaps I'll fashion together a few small pouches to hold my things. Clothes seem unnecessary, my fur is thick in all the right places. I am warm and covering my modesty at the same time, but I can't very well keep things in my fur.

I have eaten and slept. I am content and comfortable. I could remain like this forever, living off of the land. The whispers remind me that I still look like a monster, and would probably be killed on sight if someone caught me. That is a good point, I'm not the only one capable of melding with the shadows. I have taken some time to get my bearings, but much is different than last I saw them, and I was never much for travel. I think that I am somewhere to the North, perhaps in the mountains of Hyjal? I don't remember ever hearing about a gigantic tree in Hyjal before. I sense that the spirits have great affinity for it. I have found the trail left by the sentinels and I follow it to their camp. The Betrayer seems to be gathering a small number and heading west. Something tells me that there are demons in that location. I would not want to be confused as one of them, so I remain at the encampment. I sneak my way closer to the encampment and spy the priestess entering one of the lodges. I cannot simply enter, she would no doubt slay me in a heartbeat. So I move along its outer walls and see an entrance. I listen.

Malfurion is with her. They are speaking gently to each other. They must have been the ones fighting earlier, and now they are making up. I didn't know that Malfurion had a lover. They speak so tenderly, it is soothing to hear. More noises are coming from their lodge now, I no longer feel it is appropriate to keep listening. Part of me wants to stay and enjoy their music, and the whispers encourage me, but I feel too much respect for them. I sneak away, but I cannot help but enjoy the sounds they are making. Perhaps I'll wait until tomorrow. I find a nice tree not far from their encampment and dig a small hole at its base. It seems my claws are not just twisted murder weapons after all. They are good at maneuvering soil as well. Before long I have a bowl angled beneath the tree, its roots pushed aside enough to allow my large antlers through. I decide it best that my body go in first and my antlers lay out, disguised as roots. I feel quite clever as I use leaves to cover the entrance and settle into sleep.

I am awakened by a powerful pressure in my chest. I grasp at it and try to breath. I am in darkness. Am I still imprisoned? Was it all a dream? Who is my captor?! My head bursts from the ground and now I have leaves stuck in my antlers. It wasn't a dream. I sigh with relief. "Thank the gods, the spirits, and anyone else who may be listening." The whispers accept my gratitude and I laugh. Her clever wit never ceases to brighten my mood. I still feel that tightness in my chest and I look around. Many of the nearby trees have been destroyed, and the ground is turning hard. I remember this, from when the monsters invaded our forests before. In the distance I see three figures. One is dark and monstrously large, while the other two are smaller. I meld with the shadows, but am forced to stop at the forest's edge. The trees are barren near them, no shade to hide in. It is Shan'do and the priestess. They are speaking to the large monster. Malfurion is shouting at him. Even from here I can feel the disgust in his voice.

"At the cost of your soul? You are no brother of mine! Begone from this place and never set foot in our lands again!"

"So be it...brother."

The huge monster turns and leaves. The trees in his path ignite as he approaches and turns to dust in his wake. Was that Illidan? Is that what happened to The Betrayer? Despite myself, I feel a small amount of kinship toward him. He is like me, twisted by dark magic. The whispers tell me that we are not the same, that he chose his form in return for power. He chose this? Why? I would do anything to be rid of it and he willingly chooses to be turned into a monster? What good is power when you are hated by everyone? The whispers seem to sense my sadness and loneliness and attempt to console me. I feel her soft skin on my flesh and her sweet words in my ear. It doesn't really help, but I smile anyway. I begin to regret not staying the previous night, of not enjoying their music and then attempting to speak with them. They'll never listen to me now. The Betrayer has sealed my fate as well as his own. I sigh and turn away. I cannot bear to look at Shan'do and the priestess any longer. Their love breaks my heart.

I go south, away from Hyjal. The scent of corruption is getting stronger, but I no longer see the Kaldorei, and the spirits have fled. I begin to fear that I'll run into demons, be caught by monsters and tortured. Surprisingly, that is not what I find. My hooves and thick fur protect me as I cross a particularly thick collection of vines and shrubbery to find a young woman. She seems to have used magic to create a small pool of water for herself and is bathing in it. That's smart, I think to myself. The corruption has surely reached the water supply nearby, magic seems the safest way to clean yourself. I take a moment to study her. She is quite small, and her skin is pale. Her hair is golden like the sun and quite beautiful. She is not Kaldorei, I realize, but some other creature. She appears to be a sentient creature, and her body is not totally dissimilar to night elves or even myself. If she is a demon, she is a beautiful one. Oh dear, she's seen me now. I expect her to scream, but instead the water she'd been using to bathe now flies toward me. It has become ice cold and I am aware of sharp pain as I am forced backward and pinned, my lower body frozen against a tree. She rises and tells me to prepare for death and now I am begging for my life.

"Please, I am not your enemy, I am sorry for interrupting your cleansing. Do not kill me!"

She seems to have just realized that she is nude and scrambles to a pile of soft looking clothing nearby. I wonder what it's made of...it certainly isn't furs. She waves a pretty stick and a large creature made of water appears...I think it's looking at me. The whispers point out that I can still see the woman getting dressed through her minion. I'd forgotten that my mistress was so primal. Now it is my turn to chastise her. Now is not the time to be appreciating the beauty of others. Now the woman is dressed and she walks over to me, pressing a large gemstone affixed to her stick against my face.

"Now, you're going to tell me everything I want to know, or I'll send you back to your dark masters in pieces."

More pale creatures have appeared wearing strange metals. They must be her guards. Here we go again. Oh well, freedom was nice while it lasted.