A/N: Yay, another chapter! Hello all and thank you for the lovely praise for last chapter. I sure hope this one also generates lots of love (aka reviews!). This one is slightly longer than most because for some reason it just flowed so neatly together that I lost track of the length and before you know it I had 8 pages already! (On my writing program, sadly this doesn't look as long when converted to fanfiction . net.) Well enjoy the story everyone!
Chapter 11: The More The Merrier
It seemed to Anaiya that no sooner had she put head to pillow than she was being roughly and persistently shaken awake again. Irritation and confusion warred to be forefront in her mind, and she batted the hands away groggily. The hands went away for a brief moment, which made Anaiya relax with sleepy satisfaction and almost drift away back to the land of dreams.
Suddenly the hands came back with a vengeance, tearing the blankets off her and shaking her shoulder incessantly. Finally, with a resigned groan, she cracked one groggy eye open and peeked around. She was lying in an awkward position, twisted around so she was lying on her chest but with her legs splayed out and her head to the side.
For some reason, as she woke completely, she had the odd impression that there was something important she'd missed. She sat still for a few moments, blinking rapidly to dispel the sleep spots from her eyes.
Suddenly a throb seemed to descend on her skull from nowhere, forcing her to bring her hands to the side of her head and automatically start massaging her temple.
The owner of the hands snorted in amusement and Anaiya, having forgotten that she had been awakened by someone else and not of her own volition, paused mid rub and quickly glanced around, breathing in relief when she recognized the Innkeeper's daughter, Naluri. The Innkeeper must have sent her daughter to wake Anaiya up just like she'd asked last night. She had asked, hadn't she?
For some reason last night seemed a bit hazy, and trying to recall details made her head hurt more.
"Here, my mamma says to drink this when you are too much into your cups the night before, it helps get rid of the hangover." Thoughtfully the woman held out a small vial filled with a dark colored liquid, smiling generously.
Anaiya frowned. What was the girl talking about, hangover? She wasn't drunk! Oh wait, now she remembered, she had drank that whole mug of alcohol, whatever it was, right after talking to that insufferable Blood Elf. Even though she knew it was silly, she found herself blaming the Horde male just the same, consoling her aching head with the idea of getting back at him somehow.
Again, the girl gestured with the small vial, proffering it quite insistently toward the suffering Night Elf. With a grateful nod, Anaiya took the vial from the young elf's hands. She held it up to her lips, reflexively taking a sniff before drinking.
The liquid smelled kind of odd, not like anything she'd ever smelled before, kind of a minty scent, with a hint of cherries? She shrugged, then closed her eyes and drank it all in one swallow, figuring that if it was good enough to get rid of hangovers, it probably didn't taste very good. True enough, the stuff tasted horrid on her tongue, and she immediately made a disgusted face.
Naluri giggled, taking the now-empty vial back and placing it in an apron pocket while Anaiya was wiping her lips on her sleeve and grimacing.
"Everyone who drinks that stuff has the same reaction, but it really does help," the other Elvin assured her.
Anaiya nodded her thanks, and waved the girl away, wanting some privacy to dress. The serving girl left the room with a last glance, heading in the direction of what Anaiya assumed to be her aunt's room. She grinned. Her aunt probably had a worse hangover than she did.
Quickly she changed into the traveling attire that her aunt had purchased for her yesterday; a supple lion skin tunic edged in tan fur, a pair of tight fitting brown breeches, also trimmed in matching tan fur, and a durable dark brown leather belt with a shiny buckle. She attacked several small pouches to her belt, to hold the odds and ends her aunt had also bought for her.
Into a drawstring cloth bag she dumped the small amount of coin that she had brought with her from Darnassus. She hadn't decided on the best items to buy while in Moonglade, so had saved her money until she had come across something worthwhile. Now she was grateful that she hadn't given into impulse and bought some silly gadget. She somehow knew she'd want the money while on her journey.
She pulled on her boots, hand made by Meliri earlier in the year out of boar hide, stomping her feet several times to get comfortable. Lastly, she settled her light traveling gloves on her hands, then reached down and gathered up the straps to her backpack, swinging it up between her shoulder blades. To finish the ensemble was a slim, but sturdy looking oaken staff with a curlicue design at the top and curling ivy carved along the length.
This had been a gift from her new Tauren friend Bessany. Having never held a weapon other then the small dagger permitted her by the Priestesses of the Moon, Anaiya had quickly grown quite proud of her staff.
Standing in the center of her small room, she glanced at her surroundings one last time, checking to be sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She had left a thank you note on the wooden night stand, and had tidied the room as best she could. And now it was time to leave. A rising sense of thrill and anxiety had been building inside her belly as she dressed and assembled her gear.
She was both looking forward to, and dreading, this expedition. She stepped outside her room, and only quick footwork saved her from colliding quite painfully with her aunt, who had been coming from the other direction. Thankfully she spotted her aunt at the last moment and had managed to dance out of the way, brushing up against a large stone statue that was standing nearby. Once she caught her balance, Anaiya cheerfully grinned at her aunt's sour expression.
"Good morning Aunt Ver. How are you this fine day? Ready to head out?" Her aunt made a face, turning a slightly different shade, and squinted in the bright sunlight streaming through high arched windows.
"There is never anything good about mornings. I'd enjoy them better if they started later." That said, Verfanas made her way gingerly down the stairs and over to the main desk, where the Innkeeper was already at work setting out dishes of hot soup and washing cooking implements in between orders.
Anaiya took the stairs a bit more sedately, not wishing her head ache to return. Her aunt obviously either refused the wonderful hangover concoction, or it wasn't potent enough for her strenuous drinking habits.
From behind her, a stair creaked, and Anaiya was so startled she almost missed a step, turning around to see who was behind her. It was only the human rogue that was besotted with her aunt, wearing nothing but a loose pair of pants. His black hair was tousled and he looked about as hung-over as her aunt. As he stumbled past her, Anaiya shook her head, raising an eyebrow in amazement.
Key awoke to hearing muffled swearing and irritable voices. At first he was somewhat bewildered, glancing around the room several times before he remembered where he was and why. After several seconds, the voice that had woken him became understandable, and he recognized it as the older, drunk druid that had accompanied that pretty young elf maiden around yesterday.
Apparently, the aunt was annoyed at being woken up at such an "Elune-cursed hour" and had thrown something breakable, which crashed against the wall separating his room from hers. Another softer voice then spoke, saying words Key couldn't hear.
After a few moments, everything quieted down, but Key figured that that was his signal to get dressed and ready to travel, as he was sure that the pair of druids would be heading out soon. And even though the sweet young maiden had said they would accompany each other, he wanted to make sure that they all left together.
He rolled out of bed and started dressing with practiced efficiency, pausing only to nudge Shana awake in the bed next to him. "-Not be forgotten! For Sylvanas!" With a startled yell, Shana sat straight up in bed, a small brightly glowing dagger in hand. Key held up both hands and backed slightly away from her, more than a little disturbed by her response.
Seeing her comrade, Shana attempted to look ashamed and stowed the weapon away back where it came from and gracefully leapt out of bed, a lithe boney creature. Catching on quickly, she said not a word but began gathering her things as well.
Not surprisingly, she finished quicker than Key, seeing as how she only had a dress and a staff to gather, along with a small pack of rations and supplies, while he had to fix his armor and gather up his weapon and shield, along with his other supplies. Shana offered to help but damn it, cursed or not, he would carry his own things. He wasn't some helpless invalid.
This morning though, he was feeling a bit drained of energy, and he suspected it was the toxin taking its toll on his spirit, since it hadn't been cleansed recently. He sighed. Sometimes it just didn't pay to get out of bed.
At the door, the two both glanced back, making sure they had left nothing behind, as they both knew they'd never be back to Nighthaven. Not that Key would miss it. The place had grated on his nerves from the moment he'd arrived.
Both Horde quickly took the stairs and marched over to the Innkeeper's counter to pay for the rooms. Key grinned when he saw that the two Druids were also there, presumably doing the same thing.
Anaiya caught sight of the two Horde members coming in their direction and wrinkled her nose in dismay. She was half hoping they would change their minds about coming and would instead pick on some other poor travelers.
But then her conscious regrettably reminded her of the Paladin's condition and she sighed. As they drew nearer the two, Ver finished her business with the Innkeeper and turned around. Upon seeing the pair of Horde, she scowled and gestured to Anaiya, making to walk by the Blood Elf and Undead. Key raised a brow at Anaiya, who rolled her eyes and stood up.
"Aunt Ver? Um, wait for our….other party members please." She winced as she said this. Verfanas turned back around, obviously confused.
"Huh? Other party members? Who else is coming?"
Anaiya glanced at Key and Shana. Ver's eyes followed the movement, then widened and swung back to Anaiya. "Huh?" She said again.
Anaiya sighed. 'Why me'.
"Don't you remember Aunt Ver. They offered to accompany us on our journey to Winterspring as extra guards. In return, we help out the Paladin, who was struck with an illness. I told you this last night, and you were fine with it, remember?"
Her aunt furrowed her brow, obviously trying to remember.
"They want to come with us?" Anaiya nodded affirmation.
"I said that was ok?" Another nod.
"And we're going to be helping them?" Hesitant nod.
Ver scratched her head, further entangling already tangled blue hair. Then she shrugged.
"Well if that's what I said, I won't go back on it. But they better not try anything or I'll make sure they regret it."
She gave the two Horde a firm threatening stare, which had a somewhat reduced effect considering she swore and rubbed at her head as she said the last bit. The pair of Horde exchanged glances, than nodded at the druid.
With a grunt, Ver turned back around, muttering about the dangers of drinking too much and agreeing to crazy pacts with the enemy. Anaiya nearly sagged with relief. Good thing her aunt was open to interaction between the two sides or that wouldn't have gone over so well. The Blood Elf sauntered over to her as she was distracted and patted her on the shoulder.
"See babe, wasn't that bad at all. What you need is a man to take care of you."
She gave him a black look.
"Stop calling me babe, my name is Anaiya! And get your hand off me. Don't think that because I agreed to this deal that I have any sort of ideas about us. I just want all the information I can get on the trinket." She set off after her aunt, not wanting to be left behind. Key faked a wounded expression, than grinned.
"The tough ones are always the most exciting. I think I'm in love." Behind him, Shana sighed loudly, startling several night elves seated at nearby tables.
Outside the Inn, pale sunshine lit the beautiful and well tended path that led out of Nighthaven. During the daylight hours the thick overhang of trees obscured most of the sky, giving Moonglade a heavy surreal atmosphere, the feeling that it was always twilight, always shadowy.
Which of course was the design of the Night Elves, who as a whole, favored the shadowy shelter of the forests. Verfanas set a fast pace, quickly heading toward the small town's only true exit, where the path crossed a small stone bridge, and where Anaiya had met her first Tauren. Sure enough, there were two Tauren sentries standing on either side of the path, casually eyeing the small entourage as they approached.
Tawny colored tails swished lazily behind them as the large creatures focused on the party. Verfanas came to a halt directly in front of the Tauren, glancing behind her to make sure Anaiya was following. Anaiya then on reflex glanced over her own shoulder, making a face when she found that the Blood Elf and the Forsaken actually were following as well.
Somehow she always had this faint idea that the paladin had only been jesting about his proposition, as everything she'd ever heard about Blood Elves set them as self serving, uncaring, aloof elves who were held sway by their terrible magical addiction. And yet he had offered to share information, to accompany them and protect them along the way.
Although of course he did want medical aid in return for his services, but that seemed like such a small thing in return for the much needed information on the Nightmare and the circumstances surrounding the soul gem that held Eranikus captive.
When Key noticed that Anaiya had been staring at him for several minutes now, he raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner and gave her a smirk. Anaiya scowled and abruptly turned back around. Ahead of her, Verfanas was waving her hands and speaking rapidly to the Tauren in a low voice, supposedly explaining their reasons for leaving. The two Tauren shrugged and nodded.
They glanced over the party members, giving surprised expressions at the two Horde, but wisely kept silent. It was not their right to interfere in Cenarion Circle business. Verfanas gave each Tauren a huge smile before walking between them on down the path. Anaiya, following her aunt's lead, slipped between the two bulls as well. Trying hard not to shrink down when their shadows well over her, she nevertheless felt greatly relieved to be past.
Her aunt paused once she reached the bottom of the hill, where the path veered off in a leisurely winding Northward direction. Anaiya rushed to catch up, feeling a thrum of excitement make its way down her spine as she stepped further and further away from Nighthaven, her only connection to Darnassus and her old life.
The thrill of adventure had firmly caught hold of her and she had to stifle the urge to continue skipping down the path toward the distant mountain range. In case of trouble, her aunt had shown her a map of their route to Winterspring so that Anaiya would be more familiar with the correct paths to take.
"You ready for this?" Her aunt asked with a grin, clearly knowing exactly how Anaiya was feeling right now.
Anaiya returned the infectious grin, feeling ready for anything. At that moment the two Horde members sidled up to the pair. There was a moment of awkward silence.
Shana opened her mouth as if to say something, frowned, and pointed down the road.
"Friends of yours?" She inquired.
Both Verfanas and Anaiya turned to glance behind them, where the Forsaken was pointing, and were greeted with the sight of three familiar faces. Hands on her hips, Verfanas watched the trio approach from the opposite direction of Nighthaven. It was none other than Meliri, Bessany, and Verfanas' rogue lover, Umber. Meliri shifted her feet somewhat hesitantly, glancing at Bessany before giving Verfanas a weak smile.
"Um, hi Ana. Hi Miss Verfanas ma'am." She spotted the Horde and quickly sent Anaiya a questioning look. Anaiya shrugged.
"Hi….Meliri wasn't it? And Bessany?" She folded hr arms. "And Umber? Just what exactly are you three doing here, pray tell?"
Bessany mumbled something and ducked her head, hiding behind her two large braids.
The human rogue chuckled and sauntered forward, putting his arms around Verfanas' waist and snuggling into her. "My dear we couldn't just let you wander off into the unknown wilds of Azeroth could we? We're coming with you to keep you safe and make sure your lovely figure stays all in one piece." He nipped at the older Druid's nose, eliciting a pleased gasp.
Then the druid came back to her senses and shoved the rogue away. He chuckled again as he stumbled backward, vanishing seconds afterward. Verfanas rolled her eyes.
"I don't need 'protecting', oh Umber dear. If anything you'd be the one getting in trouble and we'd be the ones risking our necks bailing you out." She said this to the air at large, staring ahead with a bored expression.
Anaiya felt like saying 'awwwww'. Her aunt and the rogue were so cute together. Best not mention that to her aunt though. She had the feeling her aunt was in denial about the type of feelings she had for the rogue. Verfanas then turned her attention on the two still visible. Meliri held up her hands to forestall any protests.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of going off to get myself killed for some strange crazy dragon."
Everyone raised eyebrows.
"Uh…I meant to say, I just wanted to come with Bessany so I could say good bye to you and wish you a safe journey. I know I'd be nothing but a burden and I need to finish my studies anyway. It's back to Darnassus with me." She then nudged Bessany.
The bovine girl stepped forward slightly and straightened up, standing to her full height.
"I know I'm young and fairly knew to my calling. I know that I do not have much in the way of experience and talent. But I would like to offer my services as a healer on your venture. I understand the risks, perhaps more than you realize, with this quest, and am fully prepared for it. I promise to not hinder you or slow down the party. I humbly ask for this chance to gain some experience and to help out a new friend."
She smiled tentatively at Anaiya as she said the last, and Anaiya felt warmed by Bessany's declaration. Verfanas was silent, gazing at the Tauren girl. Then she gave a careless shrug, shifting her polearm around to her other shoulder.
"Sure, why not. After all someone needs to keep an eye on the pansy and the zombie." The blood elf voiced an indignant protest. Bessany clapped her furred hands together and rushed forward. Naturally Anaiya eagerly hugged her most recent friend, quite happy to have someone nearer her own age along on the quest, although she was saddened that Mel had no inclination to join them. She reached out and hugged her night elf friend as well.
"Watch out for that Blood Elf, he has his eye on you." Mel whispered in her ear as they hugged. For some reason Anaiya couldn't explained, she felt her face heat up at the comment. Mostly because when Mel spoke, she could only think of the fact that he'd laid more than his eye on her earlier when he'd groped her. She still hadn't told anyone about that. With a final wave, Mel turned and made her way back up the path behind them toward the little bridge that led to Nighthaven.
Feeling a bit saddened, Anaiya gathered up her backpack and weapon, which she'd dropped upon recognizing the trio in the road.
Verfanas gave a look to each of them. "Since we're traveling together, how about we do a round of names just so that we all get a bit more familiar with each other. And I don't care how silly you think that is." She added the last part as the blood elf opened his mouth to protest.
She pointed to herself. "Verfanas. I'm leadin' this quest, so you follow my orders, especially when it concerns the health of the rest of you. Speak up if your having trouble or need help."
She fixed her eyes on Anaiya and Bessany as she said this, clearly more concerned with the young inexperienced Druids than the Paladin and Priestess. Key snorted.
Anaiya, not sure what to do, waved hesitantly. "I'm Anaiya. I'm her niece. I'm the carrier of the trinket that is the point of this whole journey. We're going to help free Eranikus and try our best to end the evil that is the Nightmare." She reflexibly patted the small woven pouch on her belt that housed the soul trinket as she spoke, reassureing herself as to its presense.
Verfanas gave her a proud smile. There was another awkward silence as the rest wondered who would speak next. Finally, the Forsaken raised a hand.
"Shana, I'm a Priestess of the Holy arts, I came here with him." She pointed at Key.
Bessany introduced herself next.
Finally everyone looked at Key.
He stared back blankly.
Shana nudged him.
He grunted.
She hissed at him, and he sighed and rolled his eyes, obviously feeling quite put out.
"Fine. This makes me feel like I'm part of some sort of creepy cult gathering. Name's Keyanomir, a Paladin. I'm only here for myself, cause the little lady and I made a deal so I can get back home faster." He sent a wink in Anaiya's direction. "Pretty name by the way babe, I like it."
Verfanas glanced between the two with narrowed eyes, obviously the Blood Elf fancied Anaiya, but did she feel the same? For Anaiya's sake, Verfanas hoped not. Anyway, with that settled, Verfanas felt they could finally get this crazy trek under way.
The sooner she got to Everlook the sooner they could ditch those two Horde leeches. she didn't trust them one bit. As she set off, every so often she caught a hint of something off in certain patterns of her surroundings, an itch of being watched by something not there. Knowing exactly what was up, she planned on ignoring Umber as long as possible to make known her displeasure with him.
The strange party consisting of both Alliance and Horde made their way steadily down the small earthen path that led away from Nighthaven. The further away they became from the village, the more wild looking the path became.
After they had been on the dusty path for approximately half an hour to one hour, Anaiya noticed a small side path that veered off to the right. As Verfanas didn't pause or hesitate in her face paced walking, Anaiya knew that the side path was not the main route through the mountains.
Still, she was curious. As she drew abreast of the side path, she peered down its length as best she could, despite the undergrowth and brush that threatened to obstruct her view. A distance down the path she thought she caught a glimpse of several winged creatures resting calmly, with a Night Elf in the leathers of a Gryphon Master standing nearby.
'That must be one of those waypoint masters, the chain of flying gryphon's that I'd heard about from one of my texts on magical creatures. I remember something about the King hiring certain individuals to man posts in all habitable areas of the world so that adventurers and travelers could quickly move from city to city.' She wondered if one day she'd get to ride one of the great winged beasts. They always looked so beautiful and proud in the textbooks.
Soon enough their group fell under the shadow of the looming mountain range, the large protruding masses seeming almost to touch the top of the sky with their mass. Leaning her head way back, Anaiya squinted up at the tips, seeing that some were almost white near the very top. Thoughtfully she studied the mountains, having never gotten a close glimpse of any.
"Beautiful huh?" Beside her, Verfanas' voice was hushed, as if affected by the awe and majesty of the mountains. Before Anaiya could formulate a reply, the Paladin walked up and said "Yes, she sure is", then grinned impishly at Anaiya, who glared back in irritation.
He was just doing it to annoy her, she told herself, shifting a few paces away from him. The Forsaken priestess nudged Key in passing and shook her head at him in a disapproving way. This just made him chuckle.
"They are remarkable, it makes you wonder what sights those mountains have seen. What events they have witnessed." Bessany's quiet voice sent shivers down Anaiya's spine for some reason that she couldn't explain.
"Still," the Tauren continued, "They do not compare to the towering outcroppings that my home of Thunder Bluff rest on." She smiled softly, a wistful light in her eyes. Anaiya patted the bovine girl on the shoulder in understanding. Bessany nodded back gratefully.
"Alright," Verfanas said in a firm voice, and the others instinctively moved closer to her flamboyant form. Her green hued robes billowed in a stray gust of wind, than settled sedately about her ankles.
"We will go single file through the pass. I'll lead, and Umber can be last. I know the denizens of these tunnels so they will pose no threat to us unless we do something to provoke them first. So behave while in their home, show the utmost respect. We are only allowed to travel through this pass at the Firbolg's discretion."
As she mentioned her rogue lover's name, the air rippled to the left of her, and the human in question suddenly became visible, standing in a crouched position. Verfanas didn't even bat an eye at this sudden appearance, although Anaiya was sure all of the rest of them were just as startled as she was upon seeing the Rogue, who they had assumed had stayed behind.
Also, Anaiya was curious as to what a "Firbolg' was. Searching her mind, she couldn't come up with the picture, or description of anything that resembled that name. 'Oh well, I guess I'll find out won't I?' She thought with a mental shrug.
Verfanas then glanced around at the surrounding wilderness, one last check to make sure there wasn't anything threatening nearby, although she trusted Umber's judgment on his scouting, and he hadn't brought anything to her attention.
She gestured to the group to follow, and set off down the path once more, this time with the others quietly following in single file just like she had said. Anaiya was second, having quickly scrambled after her aunt. Bessany, who was standing beside Anaiya, became third in line.
Key maneuvered himself ahead of Shana, wanting to be as close to the Druids as possible. Shana just sighed in irritation, mumbling something about chivalry, and followed along behind the insufferable Blood Elf. Lastly, as Verfanas had suggested, Umber took up the end of the party, keeping his eye on both the party members ahead and the trail behind, constantly shifting to eye the nearby shadows as well.
Paranoia was a rogue's middle name after all.
One by one they climbed the slight incline that wound around a large stump of a tree, up into a small crevice that was cleverly hidden in the shadows of the mountain it was carved into. Anaiya did not even notice the opening until Verfanas disappeared into it, and with her heart pounding, the young druid had surged ahead, thinking something had befallen her aunt.
She exclaimed in surprise when she came upon the crevice, and daintily slipped between the slabs of rock. The sides were coated with a glistening moist type of moss or fungus that she could not identify, but that gave off a soft green glow that was oddly comforting in the almost darkness of the tunnel. The crevice itself was tiny. Anaiya had to stoop to not hit her head, but once inside, her mouth fell open as she glanced around.
The "tunnel" itself was wide, almost wide enough to walk three abreast, and the walls were so smooth she could barely make out the imperfections that dotted the rock, indications that the tunnel had been created by something other than nature. Inside the tunnel, the glowing green moss coated the walls and ceiling.
The roof of the tunnel was a good head taller than Anaiya, although despite this, she reflexively kept her shoulders hunched for fear of hitting her head. Small formations of oddly shaped rock protruded from the ceiling in random patterns, and small beads of moisture dripped from these spikes.
Glancing behind her, she caught Bessany's anxious glance, and reached back to blindly squeeze the Tauren's furred hand in comfort. The poor Horde druid must be so far out of her element, Anaiya realized. The Tauren's hand was trembling slightly in Anaiya's grip. Anaiya was feeling edgy herself despite her curiosity at finding this underground passage.
She was still wondering what a Firbolg was. And their footsteps were giving off eerie echoes that kept making her startle. Longing for the forest suddenly overcame her, and she had to swallow down the urge to scramble back the way she'd come for the exit, and fresh air. Fighting claustrophobia, she pressed forward after her aunt, who had slowed to a calm walk.
Since the floor was uneven and slick from the moisture falling from above, Anaiya kept her eyes on her feet as she walked, fearing a fall would crack her skull. When the last echoes of footfalls had stopped bouncing off the walls, Anaiya knew that all of them were now inside the passageway. For some many minutes the group traversed the tunnel in silence, only the striking of booted feet; or in the case of Bessany, hooves; striking stone as noise.
The further into the Firbolg tunnels they walked, the more Anaiya began to feel the walls pressing in on her. She had always prided herself on being able to stay calm in most situations, but the silence, the small enclosed dark tunnel, was making her feel trapped.
She knew it was her imagination, but she couldn't help but feel as if the tunnel was becoming smaller and smaller, and soon she found herself hunching her shoulders and ducking her head, as if fearing that the ceiling would suddenly loom down and press upon her.
She had no idea how the dwarves of Ironforge dealt with this, as she'd read their entire home was under a giant mountain. Deep in her own worries, she didn't notice the dip in the tunnel in time, and stumbled over the uneven footing.
With a gasp, she held out her hands, blindly looking for something to brace her fall. With a sudden jerk, though, she was pulled back onto her feet, and after assuring herself that she was alright, she turned around, seeing the Paladin standing behind her, fel green eyes glowing eerily in the dim lighting of the tunnel.
Her eyes followed his arm down to where he clutched her backpack, and she realized that he had pulled her back before she could fall completely. All this happened in the space of mere seconds. Up ahead, Verfanas halted.
"Are you okay Ana? What happened?" The older druid eyed the Paladin suspiciously, and Key dropped his arm with a dramatic sigh.
"Such thanks for saving the lovely damsel's life." He said with a flourish of his hand.
"Ya I'm fine Aunt Ver. I almost tripped over the uneven ground and the Paladin…err Keyanomir is his name? He grabbed me before I fell." Anaiya responded to her aunt's quiery, giving the Blood Elf an exasperated look for his continued smitten behavior. Verfanas raised a considerable eyebrow at this, glancing between the two.
"Thank you by the way, I'm grateful that you didn't let me fall." Anaiya said this to the blood elf behind her, who sketched a dramatic bow which looked quite comical in a dark tunnel. Anaiya resisted the urge to snicker at him.
Facing forward again, she raised her voice to be heard over the whispers that had started up behind her, "Aunt Ver? Are we almost out yet? I hate to sound whiny but this tunnel is getting a bit …"
She fished around for the right word, not knowing how best to voice her fears. Verfanas patted Anaiya's arm knowingly.
"I know, it can be a bit wearying. That is why I always choose to fly when I need to visit either Everlook or Nighthaven. We're almost to the Firbolg Hold, that is at the center of the tunnels. Then just a short side tunnel to get through, and we'll be in Winterspring!"
She said this last loud enough for the benefit of the rest, and there was a collective exhalation of relief throughout the tunnel. Verfanas chuckled at that. She hiked her polearm into a more comfortable position and set off again, her Night Elven vision lending her a bit of an advantage in the almost black tunnel.
The green lichen covering the walls grew dimmer until it was nearly non existent, making Anaiya increasingly nervous and jumpy. Then suddenly the tunnel opened up into a broad cavern, well lit with bright yellow torches mounted in brackets at even intervals.
Everyone crowded around the entrance to this cavern, blinking in startled amazement at the abrupt return of almost normal lightning. Anaiya glanced around, mouth open. When she was told they were going to come to the Firbolg Hold, she wasn't sure what to expect, but this certainly wasn't it. The cavern was fairly enormous, with hollowed logs and small bridges crisscrossing the giant room on all levels.
The torches blazed merrily, with only the merest flicker from tunnel drafts. With squinted eyes, she could also make out shadowed alcoves here and there, that led to some mysterious destination. The air was comfortably warm, much more relaxing than the chilly damp temperature of the tunnel. And amongst all this bustled…creatures, the like of which Anaiya had never seen before.
The best she could describe them as was a cross between a bear and a wolverine, that walked on two legs and was apparently sentient, to all intents and purposes. The "Firbolgs" as she assumed they were, carried many different things as they went about their tasks. Some had simply made bows and quivers, others carried crude maces and cudgels. In one corner, a small crooked circle of sticks had been erected, and inside the circle smaller versions of the Firbolg creatures played and tumbled.
Upon the entry of the party, most activity in the Hold froze as each creature focused its eyes on the group, sizing them up, assessing the threat. Under their collective gazes Anaiya shifted a little closer to her aunt.
"Are you sure about this? They don't look very friendly." She whispered anxiously from behind Ver's polearm. Verfanas nodded casually.
"Yep, don't worry they like me. I rescued a few of their young ones one time and they've always been grateful about that. Or at least I think they have, it's hard to tell when they don't really speak the best Common. Come on, just keep calm."
She glanced behind her at everyone, made a 'come on' gesture, and started forward. The nearest Firbolg, a large white furred creature, stepped forward boldly, nose quivering as it made a sniffing motion in their direction. Anaiya couldn't contain her gasp. The creature paused it sniffed in Ver's direction, then its face broke into a snaggletooth grin and it bobbed its large ursine head up and down.
It shuffled backwards, running sort of awkwardly with long arms swinging. After it had made some grunts, whistles, simple words, and gestures at some of the other Firbolgs, they were all bobbing their heads in Ver's direction.
"They value their young above all else, their species is very small in population." Verfanas remarked over her shoulder.
Everyone in the group automatically settled back into the familiar single file routine, and let Verfanas lead the way since she'd been here before. She stepped up to a hollowed out half of a log that had been laid across the path, and then turned right and went up a slight incline and turned again.
By this point, Anaiya was thoroughly hoping for the dark tunnels again. She didn't like the Firbolg creatures; something about their bestial expressions and behavior was making her nervous. Verfanas moved in another direction once on the upper level, and around her lithe body Anaiya could see the opening of another tunnel ahead.
Within a few minutes they had entered the dark tunnel, and Anaiya visibly relaxed now that multiple eyes weren't boring into her back. Verfanas gave one glance back to make sure everyone was following. Anaiya glanced back as well, and saw the same relieved tension reflected in Bessany's eyes when her gaze landed on the Tauren. Anaiya smiled at her.
Soon the party had settled back into the relative normalcy of traveling through the darkened tunnels. The path here was a bit more worn and uneven, and Anaiya was having to concentrate more on her footing than on the view ahead. The lichen covering the walls was also thinner. As the hours ticked by, Anaiya became aware that it was becoming noticeably colder.
Eventually, she found herself rubbing her arms and shivering slightly. When they came upon a small niche in the tunnel wall, where a small indent had been carved out, Verfanas stopped.
"Ok we're almost to Winterspring, as I'm sure you can tell by the chill in the air. We've been traveling for quite a while now, and while I know you all are becoming quite antsy in this tunnel, I think a short rest would do us good. Ten minutes tops to catch out breath, re-hydrate, that sort of thing. When we leave, put on warmer clothing and keep your weapons away from bare skin. Its going to get much colder and I'm not dealing with any frostbitten fools."
Anaiya crouched down on her heels, carefully setting her oaken staff beside her, relieved to have a moment to rest. Truth be told, she wasn't in shape for long treks without rest. Although she was hoping that with time her body would become conditioned and it wouldn't affect her as much.
At Verfanas' bidding, she reached into her pack and brought out her heavier clothing, a soft woolen cape edged in white wolf fur with a matching white fur hood, along with fur-trimmed gloves. Moments after donning the new clothes she felt much warmer and happier.
Her shivering disappeared and her muscles warmed up, giving her new strength to continue. She sighed in contentment. Looking around at the others, she noticed Bessany had pulled on a short cloak made of some odd type of hair, along with simply made gloves to fit her unique hands. Other than that, she did not change her attire, and Anaiya realized that her warm thick body fur must keep her well insulated in colder climes.
She grinned, how useful! Shana, the forsaken, was leaning against the tunnel wall with folded arms, golden orbs staring unblinkingly into the darkness. She made not a move to don warmer clothes, and the possible reason behind that sent a shiver of a different sort down Anaiya's spine.
Try as she might, she didn't think she would be able to get used to some things. The paladin was standing by Shana, absently rubbing his side. Anaiya frowned. He did look a bit paler than before, not well at all.
A pang of sympathy wormed its way through her before she stepped on it. He was a member of the Horde and did not deserve any compassion. Not to mention his forward behavior with her. She hoped he was alright.
Verfanas pulled up the hood of her own vivid green cloak with its unique mint green pattern. Her aunt's robes and cloak always made Anaiya a little envious each time she saw them, they were so beautiful. It was obvious that Verfanas wore them with pride.
Her human lover Umber was eyeing her with an admiring gaze that gave Anaiya the impression that he'd like to do more than just eye her if the others weren't there. All too quickly, Verfanas stood, picking up her polearm, which she had placed against the wall before crouching down herself (Of course, the weapon had unceremoniously clattered to the ground moments after being set against the wall, earning a suspicious scowl from the Paladin).
The older druid stretched languidly, then shook herself, somewhat like a giant cat after a nap. She gave a glance around to the rest of her ragtag party of Alliance and Horde, and shook her head in bemusement. What would the righteous and uptight citizens of Stormwind make of this little company. Probably hang the lot of them for treason. She grinned at the thought.
The rest of them stood reluctantly, eager to be out of the tunnels and the constant darkness, but also reluctant to continue walking. As they all set out again, Anaiya was dismayed to find that the Blood Elf had switched positions in the party and now stood directly behind her. She sighed. Would he just get over her already? Although she was sure he'd run after the next pretty head he could find. Ugh, men.
Echoes of booted feet on stone bounced all around the party as they moved on. And indeed it did become colder the further they went. Soon Anaiya's breath frosted in the air in front of her. She was supremely glad that Verfanas had bought her new warm armor.
Eventually she noticed that the walls no longer held the greenish glowing lichen, but were instead covered with a shining smooth sheet of ice, clear and glistening, as clear and thin as glass. Verfanas warned her not to touch it or her fingers would fuse to the ice. Carefully keeping her hands at her side, she craned her neck, eagerly looking for some sign that they were nearing the tunnel exit.
Then, just as abruptly as they had entered Timbermaw Hold, they were out of the tunnel. Bright white light assaulted Anaiya's eyes from all sides, so blinding that she reeled backward, rapidly blinking.
After a few moments her eyes adjusted to the whiteness, although she still saw orange spots when she blinked. What she beheld ahead of her was a wide expanse of blinding white mountains and wintergreen trees, everything coated with a heavy blanket of white. Anaiya had never seen so much snow. It went on for as far as her eyes could see.
At their feet lay a narrow, and little used path that had been forged into the otherwise unbroken white.
"Kalimdor, such a fantastic continent with a wide array of climates." Key's remark was so heavily laden with sarcasm that it made Anaiya give an involuntary chuckle.
She turned to her aunt, standing nearby, to ask where they had to go now to find the Spirit Speaker, but paused when she noticed Ver's odd stance. Her aunt was crouched, leaning slightly forward, with a wary tense look. Behind her aunt, Umber also was glancing around warily with hands on his twin daggers. Anaiya felt a cold thrill of dread creep down her neck.
"Aunt Ver? What's wrong?" Her voice didn't mean to come out so quivery, but she was more nervous than she thought. Her aunt frowned, lips pursed, eyeing the nearby brush and trees.
"Something doesn't feel right. I sense danger, a threat." She muttered the words without glancing away from the surrounding wilderness.
Anaiya instantly scanned the area as well, but her inexperienced eye noticed only gently rolling hills of white and snow laden trees. No wait, that tree branch moved! She squinted her eyes, and noticed that a small patch of the nearest evergreen tree was a different green than the rest.
This patch was a light, almost spectral green, translucent with a sort of odd gleam.
Anaiya gasped and meant to point this out to her aunt, but at that moment, all hell broke loose. The trees that had been quiet and still suddenly burst into a flurry of flying snow and large spectral green beasts. Anaiya shrank back against the rocky mountain they had just emerged from.
From behind her she heard a low snarl, and whirled around so fast she fell in the heavy snow, landing on her back. Staring down at her from a jagged outcropping of stone that protruded above the tunnel exit was a large spectral green lynx. Anaiya gasped in alarm.
The green beasts that had burst out of trees, which Anaiya realized with a dazed sense of dread, were owls, gave unearthly keening shrieks and descended upon the party with a vengeance. From above her, the lynx crouched, tail lashing, into a pouncing position, its emerald eyes fixed on her.