Teldrassil. With no seasons, and the constant swirl of purplish pink energies that surrounded its boughs, there were no seasons and very few weather conditions that occurred. In fact, even a few hundred years before Colin had ever stepped foot upon this enormous tree, it looked no different from his first trip there.
The only difference were the inhabitants. Some were younger, others had left in the coming centuries, others arrived. The tiny settlement of Starbreeze Village had just been established, and a new couple had arrived, fresh from the mainland, seeking peace after a long series of, to say the least, turbulent events in their lives; a fact that was not lost on their neighbors.
The man, Eldris Shadowmoon, carried his reputation on his skin, and even fully clothed, his face bore the scars of his former life. Despite having the blessing of the highest Archdruids of Darnassus, there were still some who watched him skeptically, didn't speak to him, and avoided him at all costs. After all, his face carried the marks of the Illidari.
His wife, by association, carried the same scars. While Eldris wore scars drawn on by the infernal fires of demonic magic, his wife, Cayssarin, wore scars given to her by steel swords and bursts of flame from the hands of mages. She even wore a particularly nasty one down the side of her neck, given to her by her husband. After all, at one point, she had been tasked to kill him.
Despite a tumultuous history that rivaled the greatest of warriors, the two now were more than ready to settle on the Crown of the Earth, though scars coming as very unnatural to the natives, night elves who, in some cases, hadn't even witnessed violence.
Therefore, the two settled into a smaller settlement, where there were less people to stare at them. Regardless, the villagers more or less welcomed them, even if some of the children were a bit frightened of the newcomers. Soon enough, the two began having children of their own; the first being a son, Kelaeth.
He resembled his father, mightily so, which Eldris was immensely proud of. Having spent so many years watching his face become contorted by the fel magic he had been exposed to, he was nearly brought to tears by the pure face of his son, unadulterated by darkness. It was almost as though he'd looked into a mirror that showed his own early life.
Kelaeth grew up to be a strong man, nothing like many of the inhabitants of Teldrassil, who took life slowly. Kelaeth was much more prepared to take life by the reigns, and had quickly overgrown the massive tree. Combining the ferocious face of his father with the subtle culture of his mother, he grew up rather respected in Darnassus, eventually becoming a pupil of the Archdruid, Fandral Staghelm, whose tales of heroicism down in Silithus absolutely captivated the young man.
Staghelm was such a cunning, unshakeable force against the Qiraji, earning a name well known amongst the entire race: Kar'sis, the 'Hand of Earth'. Such ability to make one's self known, perhaps feared, by an entire population; the idea fascinated Kelaeth to no end. Although Staghelm was known as a rather stubborn opponent to Tyrande after Malfurion's departure, the man was rather gracious in private, almost coming to view Kelaeth as the son he had once lost.
Before any of this, however, Kelaeth was the oldest of siblings, which was a role he took seriously as protector. As his brothers and sisters began to increase, so too did his responsibility. First came Nylfallas, his younger brother.
Nylfallas turned out to be much more reserved than his brother. Where Kelaeth was as brash as his father, Nylfallas was much more strong in his subdued nature. Kelaeth could beat you into submission with his brute strength, but Nylfallas allowed his eyes to peer endlessly into his opponents, forcing their surrender from within. Although he rarely sought conflict, he did enjoy a good spar with his older brother, if only to prove himself unneeding of protection, especially once Vylira came along next.
With a sister came the two boy's unending desire to shield her from any advances, though Vylira was far too adventurous to simply stay at home or by her brothers' side. Oddly enough, her white hair was incredibly rare, and pretty much unseen upon Teldrassil, which caught the attention of everybody who laid eyes on her, much to the annoyance of her greatest defender, Kelaeth.
She did enjoy dueling with her older brothers as well; a trait that followed along all of the siblings, and even parents. Perhaps due to their not living there for the duration of their lives, Cayssarin, and especially Eldris, would both fall into periods where the endless flow of peace grew too monotonous for them, and it wasn't at all odd for the children to wake up to find their parents locking arms in combat, though it was well-known that, having lost most of his strength, Eldris often only won due to Cayssarin's "unintentional" misstep.
Aaleas and Y'eanel came next. The twins grew up as the others had, though Kelaeth had grown up enough that he wasn't around as often. The twins were the last ones who would grow up in the shadow of the eldest.
After the twins, Elris and Cayssarin stopped having children for a long while, probably due to Kelath and, eventually, Nylfallas going off into the world. Even Vylira had been accepted as an early candidate into the Sentries, leaving only the twins in their care. As they aged, the two slowed down, and the twins were often teased for not having been brought up as "rigorously" as the others had. Aaleas, a boy, took it upon himself to train mightily in order to prove himself to the siblings, while Y'eanel, a girl, couldn't have cared less. Far more distant that any others, she took up more artistic pursuits, which her parents favored, as in their older age, they found time to appreciate such things more.
Perhaps due to loneliness, Syheath came along, and from an early age, she had an affinity for the animals of Teldrassil. A bit more brusque than her sister at home, she filled the void left by the older children, she herself enjoying the fights Aaleas brought along.
Whatever pattern had drawn a line through each child, however, stopped at the youngest, Kyra.
Kyra was born sickly, from day one. Already the illest of ills in terms of premonitions, as night elves rarely developed sicknesses at all, many offered little hope for the small child, even some of her older siblings. Kelaeth wouldn't even look at her when visiting, and Nylfallas had already left the tree before she'd been born, though by many accounts, he had little interest.
The two who defended the child was Eldris and Cayssarin, her parents. If only due to her lack of health, Eldris doted on her mightily, in a way that none of the other children had received, and while Cayssarin wasn't quite as hands-on as her husband, she still cared greatly for her daughter. Y'eanel would often stay by her younger sister's side as well, possibly due to her being the most maternal of the bunch, though the greatest protector of young Kyra was always Vylira.
Vylira had grown up a soldier, and a rather gallant one at that. She also became a rather shrewd politician in Darnassus alongside her brother, Kelaeth, although in much different ways. Kelaeth was far more an opportunist, and while physically strong, he knew when to strike silently at opponents, and when he was found out for his ruthlessness, he oftentimes was smart enough to cast blame to others, though never to his sister.
A cunning and ravenous idealist, Vylira strove to smother corruption or wrongdoing, albeit unaware of her brother's partaking. She never backed down from a fight when it seemed at all helpless; it only forced her resolve to increase. So when Kyra came around, sickly and helpless, she immediately saw an underdog in need of aid.
While her parents were necessary to be there, and Y'eanel was just another girl to Kyra, at least at that age, Vylira came upon her like a rising guardian angel. Disregarding any and all duties, if Kyra was in need of something, Vylira immediately procured it and brought it home. One day, she was in a hearing about sending more supplies to Auberdine, when a page whispered in her ear that she was needed to bring some herb to cure a slight cough. She immediately jumped up and left, without a word, riding from Darnassus to Starbreeze in a matter of an hour or so; a feat so impressive that it had been discussed that a race should be run annually to commemorate it.
While most of her siblings warmed up to her, even Nylfallas had visited and grown to adore the child, Kelaeth never truly enjoyed her company. Already lost somewhat in the darker underbelly of Darnassian politics, his heart had subtly began to turn just as dark. Even so, as a sickly one, he looked upon as weak, or even unworthy to have his name; one he wished would one day be respected by many.
Kyra hardly ever saw him, but when she did, she could recognize his disfavor in her. It was one of the driving forces in her growing and training, an attempt at becoming stronger, and inevitably, the sickly child that few expected to live came up to become rather formidable.
Though she could never stop seeing her older brother's eyes watching her disapprovingly.
One day, Kyra sat outside her home, alone. Her parents had forbidden her from leaving the village, and although she sometimes would disobey the order, no doubt encouraged by Aaleas and Syheath, on this day she had nobody speaking opposing actions into her ear. Instead, she simply rearranged a collection of plants Teronis, their neighbor, had assembled in a sort of communal garden of vases.
She would lightly lift them by the stem, examine the length, type, and how much progression they had gone, and carefully carry them from one vase to another; a menial task to be sure. She sighed as she finished up, wiping her hands across the hem of her skirt, and looking out toward the path that led out of the village. Even now, she longed to leave, though not to such a magnanimous destination as the mainland.
Today, her parents had gone with the others to the lake, though Vylira was supposed to stop by to check on her on the way to Shadowglen. She had promised to show Kyra how to wrangle a boar the next time they'd met, which helped her cope with not going with the others.
Although she had grown out of many of her afflictions, Kyra still found it difficult to do many things that exerted too much energy. She could walk easy enough, but running long enough would easily leave her clutching her chest and coughing up blood. She had become very conscious of her condition, but still found herself too impulsive to worry; a trait shared by many other children, she thought.
She stood from her spot on the bench and walked up toward the road, staring off into the distance, watching for Vylira. She sighed impatiently, turning back toward the village. As she returned, Teronis was standing where she had been, examining her work.
"Very nicely done," he muttered lightly, his finger gently lifting the petals to be examined, "You've become rather good at this, young one."
Kyra groaned, upset, "Well I'm sure florists become well known at parties and things."
Teronis smiled slightly, "I've never witnessed anybody so disadvantaged trying to rush so fast through life. I would have thought most children here would easily fall into the routine placed here by our longing for immortality, but you almost seem eager to reach the end of your life."
"What life?" Kyra grumbled, angrily, as she fell down onto the bench, "I can't even leave the village."
With a look of sheer mischief, Teronis eyed her sidelong from his examination, "Now, be both know that to be false."
Kyra turned to him with a grimace, ashamedly, "Sorry."
The older man shrugged, pulling an herb from one of the vases, "I already told you there was no harm done. I don't mind covering for you as long as you remain safe. It would be a much different tale if I were to "take" you to Dolanaar only to have you fall ill."
He pulled the herb to his face and took in a breath, nodding at the scent, "You know, we never had plants here so vibrant until your family arrived here. From two coming from such a dark past, only life seems to spring from them."
Kyra turned to him skeptically as he smiled once more, returning the small plant to its place, "Now, if you'll excuse me. Oh, and I do believe your sibling as arrived."
Kyra quickly shot a glance over her shoulder, but was quickly disappointed by the sight of Kelaeth, slowly walking into view as he read a piece of parchment clutched in his hand. Kyra sighed and stood up, her head lowered as she walked to meet him.
Her eyes trailed the greenery beneath her, watching her feet take step after step. Such a sight had been foreign to her earlier in life, and even now, watching her own legs move seemed to be such a wondrous thing to her. Though, the feeling didn't last long, as suddenly, she ran into a mighty object, though it turned out to be her brother.
She quickly lifted her head in fright, though he only looked down at her expressionlessly, his hand pulled to the side so that he could see, his voice as lifeless as his expression, "If you spend your life watching your feet, you'll never know where you're going."
With that, he turned and walked toward their parent's home, leaving Kyra behind him, though she slowly trudged behind him, following him inside. Kelaeth slowly made his way toward the table, pulling out a chair, and grumbled deeply in relief as he fell into it, leaning back in his chair, his head rolling backward. Without asking, Kyra walked toward the countertop, pulling over a pot of stew, though the noise brought forth a forceful reply from behind her.
"No," Kelaeth spoke, without moving, "That won't be necessary."
Kyra returned the pot and turned back around, hanging her head. Her relationship with this man was, indeed, a complex one. While he rarely ever spoke to her at all, all but refusing to acknowledge her as his sister, Kyra couldn't help but seek out his approval, for whatever reason. She had wanted to break free from her ailments, which were associated with his disdain, so perhaps the two were one in the same. But what she couldn't understand was the fear she could feel whenever he was around, and especially whenever the two were along, although that was incredibly rare.
"Where's Eldris?" he spoke, not having referred to the two as parents since he'd gained rank in Darnassus.
Kyra didn't move, but she did reply quietly, "Wellspring Lake. With everyone else."
Kelaeth didn't move, but was obviously annoyed, "Catching some exotic fish no doubt."
Kyra remained down, though she could tell by the creaking wood that he was moving in his chair. He leaned onto the table and reached up to rub his eyes as a shadow appeared through the entry way, with Vylira arriving behind it.
"Kyra? We got a- Oh."
She immediately noticed Kelaeth there, and Kyra behind him, though she quickly made her way over to the youngest, "He didn't hurt you did he?"
Kelaeth remained quiet as Kyra shook her head, though Vylira wasn't finished speaking, "Well if he does, just make sure you aim for the eyes."
In an instant, their brother rose to his feet and turned around shouting, "You got a problem?!"
Vylira only stuck her tongue out, turning to prepare herself some stew, "Hold your horses; I'm just teasing. Kyra, go sit down; you do enough preparing around here."
Kyra silently obeyed, being cautious not to sit too close to Kelaeth as he somberly returned to his seat. Kyra stared hard at the table top, intensely avoiding any sort of eye contact with her bother, though it only caused her to miss the fact that he'd started watching her.
"You know, there are orcs that treat their children better than you treat that girl," Vylira explained sarcastically, tapping the spoon against the edge of the bowl, "And no, I'm not going to just be quiet because she's sitting there."
She walked over and gently laid the bowl down in front of Kyra, before rushing around behind her and lifting her head, "I mean look how adorable she is!"
Although unable to move, Kyra's eyes nervously shot every with way until Vylira relinquished her hold, allowing her to quickly return to staring down at the table.
"She can't even look up," Kelaeth muttered dismissively, "You say she's gotten stronger, but when you start behind, you don't get any points making it to the starting line."
Vylira shot a stare at him, shouting, "Hey! I'd say her starting where she was at and still getting this far says far more than the boy that was given everything."
Kelaeth turned his face up toward her, angrily, "I'm here to see Eldris; not start a war under this roof."
"Then maybe show Kyra some respect!" she retorted once more, "You know, not once have you ever spoken her name."
Her brother didn't respond; only lowering his head as though to rest. Vylira huffed her way back toward the countertop, slamming the top of the pot back onto its place and angrily holding her fist against the wooden counter and pushing as hard as she could against it; the telltale creaking signaling her to stop.
"I'm so happy we have real men to call brothers," she spoke under her breath, knowing full well that Kelaeth could hear.
Quickly, he took to his feet, walking toward the entryway, waving at Vylira to follow along, "We'll see how much of a man I am when I have you on the ground, even in my current state."
Vylira shrugged as she followed along, rolling up her sleeves. And so, there Kyra sat alone, Vylira's campaign for her sister becoming about herself once again. She quietly lowered her head and collected a spoonful of soup, slowly eating what she could. The light from outside only shone lightly in this part of the room, leaving Kyra in the darkness. It was where she preferred.
For now.