Chapter 3: Reunited

"Nel…tharion…" a voice called out to him. The black dragon opened his eyes to find himself somewhere unknown. A black mist made up of wispy particles spun around his body, blocking him from looking around. The mist started to get closer to him as he began to feel its voice. The sound of countless wails blasted his mind as he could sense the anguish of thousands of souls calling out to him. They begged him to release them from the torture that they endured. Neltharion did not know what they spoke of and could not help them. The mist flew into his scales as it vanished. His eyes burned from the contact.

As his eyelids opened back up, he saw the desolate land he was in. The ground was dry and cracked, its red color being the only thing unique about it. It extended across the massive plateau he was on, and he could see mountains made of the same material in the distance. Although Neltharion had not seen this barren landscape before, it felt more familiar to him than he felt comfortable admitting.

"Neltharion…" the first voice called out to him again. His talons dug into the rock-like dirt he stood on as he felt chills run down his draconic spine. The voice he heard also sounded all too familiar to him. He could tell where it was coming from this time, so he started to walk towards it. He could feel something inside him beckoning him towards the source of the voice. He walked to the edge of what appeared to be a crater that had blood spilled around its borders. The dragon looked down into the massive hole to see a small elven form. The being wore a torn red cloak on its back and a pair of horns, one of them broken near the base, on its head. Neltharion knew that elven form anywhere. It was Alexstrasza.

He quickly shifted down into his human form as he ran up to the fallen Aspect. She was lying on her side with her back facing him. He pulled her onto her back, only to reel at what he saw. The Dragon Queen's corpse was damaged beyond almost all recognition. Her chest was ripped apart as if something had pulled it out from the inside. The eyes that once held the fire of life were black and empty, still left in a look of utter fear. Neltharion recoiled from the sight; the image forever stuck in his head.

Footsteps echoed into his ears as he saw black boots approaching him. He looked up from the ground to see a human standing before him.

"Father, what are you doing here?" he asked in a calm voice that was unaltered by the nearby mangled corpse.

"What… what happened here, my kin?"

"You couldn't save her. You couldn't save any of them, father."

Before Neltharion could respond, the sound of a neck cracking put him on alert. He turned towards Alexstrasza's corpse and watched in horror as it twisted in unnatural ways to stand up. Her black eyes were lit up again, this time with a purple glow.

"I called out to you but you didn't come over, so I had to shout. You never came. You left me to die, just like all those that you loved. You couldn't save them," she said in a cheery tone until her voice started to change into something alien. "It is inevitable that they will all die. There is nothing you can do to save them, Neltharion!" she continued as her voice twisted more and more until that last word. Neltharion could hear Alexstrasza's voice speaking his name, but also a voice he knew very well. The ground started to buckle as he saw Alexstrasza's corpse fall back to the ground as dust that was carried away by the wind.

Something shot up from the ground and started to flail around before another broke out in a different spot. Neltharion realized that they were tentacles. More and more came up from the earth until the shaking stopped. He was overwhelmed with an emotion he had not felt for a long time as something emerged from the ground. This emotion was fear.

The ground caved in as a massive head rose up from beneath its surface. He watched as a glowing sack of teeth emerged from the hole. Three closed eyes also showed as the enormous creature unveiled itself. The eyes opened, and three orange balls with black slits in them stared down at Neltharion. The massive beast of tentacles towered over his human form. He looked up to see The Corruptor, the Old God of the depths, his main corruptor. N'Zoth looked down upon him. The Aspect watched as the sun was blotted out by the dark mist that had earlier surrounded him.

"Fear… I prey on it. It tastes of sweet anguish, my Destroyer. Did you think I would let you live free for so long?" The Old God echoed with his slow and twisted voice. "I am your nightmare little dragon, your eternal torturer. You are doomed to fail, to watch as all that you hold dear comes to an end. Ysera, Nozdormu, Malygos, Alexstrasza... they all witnessed it." Neltharion continued to stare at the beast, unable to look away. "You will see THE HOUR OF TWILIGHT!" N'Zoth bellowed out as another beast came out from the depths. A massive eyeball appeared to the Aspect's left as C'Thun laughed. Another Old God shot up as Neltharion saw Yogg-Saron, a being made of a thousand maws, appear far to his right. The Three all focused on the tiny human form.

"Watch as we consume all!" Yogg-Saron called out from the right as N'Zoth stabbed his tentacles into the ground. Neltharion felt something move beneath his feet as he turned around to see Wyrmrest Temple. Thousands of dragons flew around the temple as they guarded each of their Aspects. He watched tentacles come out of the ground and latch onto the structure's base as they started to corrupt the sacred place. Groups of dragons flew down to attack the limbs of The Corruptor, slashing their claws at them.

C'Thun had buried himself into the dirt as he glided through it like sand before assaulting Wyrmrest. His massive mouth came up from the ground as it swallowed dozens of dragons whole. He latched his own tentacles onto the temple as he empowered N'Zoth. Tendrils shot up from beneath the earth and latched onto dragons flying above them. They tried to squirm out of their grasp, but the tentacles squeezed them harder the more they resisted until the grip crushed their bones. The three Aspects defending Wyrmrest flew down to attack C'Thun, but they played into the Old Gods' trap. Yogg-Saron's laughter filled the sky as he hummed a spell. The ground below the Aspects turned to acid as the magic took effect, starting to burn away the scales of the mighty dragons. Neltharion watched as Nozdormu started to gargle out the blue acid he was sinking into as his body turned to nothing but a pile of golden sand.

Malygos, being the Spell-Weaver, was able to use his magic to escape the acid. He quickly cast a spell as the acid burned him, making him teleport into the air. Neltharion cheered for his brother, but Yogg-Saron appeared in the acid pool he had formed beneath Malygos.

"Your magic betrays you…" he whispered as Malygos started to come undone. His body folded in on itself as his blue scales were replaced with bloodied tissue. The Aspect fell into the acid as his skin burned and his insides spewed out. His body melted away as Yogg-Saron swallowed what was left of the Aspect with his massive maw. He swam up to the draconic structure and closed his jaw around its base. The trinity of Old Gods became unstoppable as they all connected. Wyrmrest began to break asunder as the building came down. The chaotic laughter of the Old Gods polluted Neltharion's ears as he watched the dragon sanctuary crumble into dust.

As the dust settled, he could only see Alexstrasza left alive, who was still trying to fight off the invaders while acid ate at her flesh.

"Run, Alexstrasza!" he yelled, pleading for her to flee. She ignored him as she charged towards N'Zoth. Her ruby body flew into the air as Yogg-Saron worked his magic onto her.

"Watch as we devour her essence!" The Corruptor teased. Alexstrasza began to scream out in agony as she felt the Old Gods enter into her mind. Every muscle within her body tightened as their dark powers assaulted her. She tried to resist them, but she could not withstand the will of The Three. Her body finally relaxed as she succumbed to their commands. She began to tear through pink flesh as she ripped her chest apart with her own claws. Neltharion could only start to weep as he saw what was happening. Her beating heart was exposed, and she smiled as she raised her arm up.

"NO!" he yelled before he watched her rip out her own heart and crush it within her talons. The organ burst like a grape as life itself shattered. Her body went limp as she fell to the ground, landing with a loud thump. Her blood ran from the gaping wound as her life seeped out. She looked towards Neltharion with such pain and sadness that he felt scared of the power she had over his emotions. He watched as her golden eyes closed, sealing the Life-Binder's fate.

Neltharion started to gain control of himself again, fuelled by rage and hatred, as he started to return to his draconic form. His pain gave him strength as he flew towards N'Zoth with his claws outstretched and his chest sending lava to his throat. Before he could strike at the Old God, darkness engulfed the world around him.

Do you think you can erase us from your flight?

Do you think that we will let them go so easily?

We have guided them for centuries,

Our roots run deep within their hearts.

How many of them do you think will come to you?

We have always pulled the strings,

What can you do without us, for you are nothing?

"We decide our fates, not you!"

Don't be so confident,

As you will see the truth in time, Destroyer...

Neltharion awoke with sweat on his scales, still shaken from the encounter. He could hear the liquid sizzle as it dropped into the lava he laid in. He hoped he was right and that his flight could still be saved from the Old Gods. He hoped what he saw was just a nightmare. Without a flight, he would be alone in his duties to protect the planet. Sure, the other Aspects could comfort him, but he would be the one to ensure safety to the planet itself. All black dragons had heard his message, so he had high hopes that his kin would be able to free themselves from the Old Gods, if they were willing. If not, he would have to kill off the rest of his flight if they still refused to turn back. Then, he would remake the Black Dragonflight, this time without corruption, as long as he could turn at least one female away from the Old Gods. Otherwise, he would no longer have a flight.

Although his words were stone walls built around himself that kept those hopes alive, the whispers of the Old Gods were the foundation the stone was laid on. The walls protected him from outside threats, but how could he protect against something already inside his inner sanctum?

He climbed out of his resting area before stretching out his limbs. His wings extended after a moment as he flew away from his cave, headed towards Dragonblight. His massive wings allowed him to travel faster than any other dragon (besides Galakrond when he was alive). Within a short time, Wyrmrest Temple came into view as the sun started to illuminate the dark sky. Neltharion's eyes adjusted to the light just in time to make a successful landing at the base of the dragon temple. Frozen snow slid between his claws as he gripped the chilled stone. He saw a red dragon run towards him as if he had been waiting for his arrival.

"The Queen is expecting you, Neltharion. She told me to tell you that she has a guest you should meet. She also said that you're a beauty sleeper," the red told him. He snorted at the word "beauty" and "guest," wondering why his sister would bring some mortal to meet him. "Follow me, please," the red said as he started to walk towards Wyrmrest. Neltharion followed him reluctantly, stopping at the entrance to the lower level of the structure. The red he had been following shifted into a mortal guise and bowed. The black dragon looked over to see Alexstrasza in her elven form with a human next to her. He turned himself into his human form so he could discuss with them and not frighten the human. "Just as you requested, I told him of his resting habits and the guest," the red dragon said to his queen as he left the scene.

"Neltharion, your flight awaits us—but first, I must introduce you to him," Alexstrasza said while pointing to the human form at her side. "This is Wrathion." Neltharion cocked his head at the name.

"I've never heard of a human being named Wrathion," he said while eyeing the human up and down. He realized the name was one like his own.

"That's because he isn't a human; he is a dragon. He is the current ambassador for your flight and the one who found the whelp you left in your dragonshrine. He also happens to be the only pure black dragon, born untouched by the Old Gods, that we have seen."

"What?! How? I thought there wasn't a way to purify dragons, so how did this happen?" Neltharion asked in shock.

"We only recently found out that the experiments had been successful on an egg. I sent one of my flight to a secret location tasked with finding a way to purify black eggs a while ago. We didn't know that she had succeeded because Deathwing killed her before she could send word of her results; that was until Wrathion arrived. He told me how he found one of her journals explaining her findings from the experiment and that she had purified an egg. Sadly though, the journal did not say what she had done to turn the egg, only that she had found a way. There is one thing quite interesting from that same journal that you should hear." Alexstrasza took in a deep breath. "It said that the 'eggs' had been purified…"

Neltharion realized what she was saying. "Wrathion wasn't the only pure egg. We don't know how many others there are or if the dragons are even still alive. I know this is a lot to take in right now, but we need to go to the Obsidian Dragonshrine. I'll give you two a minute." He was baffled with awe that Alexstrasza had still been trying to find a way to save the Black Dragonflight despite all the suffering they had caused her own. He shook his head as he turned towards the human. Once again, he stared at the human form.

"Father, I have wanted to meet you for so long. I never spoke to Deathwing either, but that was not you anyway. I hope you know that I, for one, do not blame you for what happened to our flight. I also do not blame you for what Deathwing did. I cannot speak for our flight, but I know that many dragons, specifically red ones, do blame you. They feel it is your fault the Blue Dragonflight lost so many, why your flight descended to corruption. Most importantly though, some of them blame you for what happened to all the flights. After the War of the Ancients, the other flights were never the same. The dragons lost their grip on the world. They fault you for this, and they also feel you are the one who had their queen imprisoned and used to create weapons for her captors. Do not give up your hopes for peace; I do not know how forgiving our flight and the others will be," Wrathion confessed to Neltharion. The Aspect winced at everything he was accused of, all of them the acts of an imposter. He turned his head away as he thought of how Deathwing had used the orcs to capture Alexstrasza and force her to birth war mounts for them. A tear began to sting his eyes before he blinked it away and turned back to Wrathion.

"I thank you for not being harsh to me, Wrathion. We will talk later, but for now, we must go see what will hopefully be the rest of our flight." Wrathion nodded in agreement as Neltharion began to lead the way to his dragonshrine, still thinking about Wrathion and the purified eggs that had been created.

Alexstrasza walked next to him as he climbed on top of the mountain that part of the Obsidian shrine was. He looked out from the top of the mountain—above the shrine's entrance—and saw dozens of black drakes. Even though there were only two hundred at most, Neltharion smiled. There was still hope for his flight. He and Alexstrasza shifted into their complete forms as the dragons below looked up to the mountain. Alexstrasza nodded to Neltharion, and then he cleared his throat, giving himself a second to prepare. With a short breath, he spoke.

"My children, it is I, Neltharion, and I have called you all here to offer you something. Before that, though, I would like to thank you all for listening to my call and coming to meet me now. It has been so long since we have truly gathered together. Now, to my offer. I was freed from the Old Gods and their influence right before Deathwing caused The Hour of Twilight, taking back control of my body. I suspect that you all felt their grip loosen from that moment forward, allowing you too to take back control. Our flight was ravaged—torn apart by Deathwing. Because of that, we lost almost all of our once-great flight, but we can return from our fall from grace. I'm offering you—nay, asking you—to rejoin the Black Dragonflight so we can build it back up to how it was. Back to when we protected the lands and were an equal part of all dragonkin. We can redeem ourselves like I am trying to do for myself. It will be trying, but we can remove the tarnish from our names together. Now I ask, which of you wish to do all the things I just said and will commit themselves?" Neltharion worded out, speaking with great power in his voice as he spoke. He watched as the crowd below all roared out words that meant yes. He looked to Alexstrasza with great happiness within his eyes and saw she was smiling as well. Her eyes met his as he could read what she was saying. She felt happy for him.

"I am glad to hear that, my kin. I speak to you now as your leader once again, bringing you great news. During the few days I have spent outside of my lair, I came across a black whelp that a group of humans was holding. This whelp has now been taken in by one of our own, Wrathion." He nodded at the dragon that had joined the crowd below. "This means that there are females in our flight. With their help, we can birth new generations of black dragons and grow our numbers back to how they once were. So, I ask for any females to step forward," Neltharion finished as he waited. Fear shot through every cell in his body as no one moved. He could hear gasps from below him as well as to his side. Alexstrasza walked up to him, raising her head towards his ear.

"The female didn't come… Maybe she got hurt on the way here, or captured, or something to explain her absence Nel," she said in a worried voice.

"I don't know, but the flight needs a broodmother if we hope to not eventually die out," he responded. He moved back to the crowd as he commanded. "We must find the female to start rebuilding our flight. Everyone, search for her! And if you get any leads, bring them to Wrathion. I hope that we find her—or else this will be a bittersweet reunion…" Neltharion turned away as the mass of dragons all started to take off, eager to find the female. "Maybe the Old Gods were right…" he whispered the traitorous thought to himself.

"What?" the Dragon Queen asked him.

"Nothing. Can we go to Wyrmrest to talk for a moment?"

"Of course. Let's go," she replied, beginning to take off from the mountain. The two dragons flew low to the ground before angling upwards to land at the top of the temple while making their forms reduce in size. He grabbed her by the arms as he started to talk.

"We have to find the female! Without her, the flight will have no future. My dragons are already searching for her; hopefully, they find something."

"I will have my dragons on the lookout as well."

"I'm going to go back to Stormwind to ask for the Alliance to report anything related to the female… and I will ask the same of the Horde."

"I thought you said you hated Garosh while you were still healing?" Alexstrasza questioned.

"This is something too important to be stopped by how I feel about him. I will have to do something in return knowing him, though, but I will gladly do it for his assistance. I hope that the mortals will also add to our search and will be useful."

"See you soon, hopefully," Alexstrasza said as she started to walk away.

"Wait," Neltharion said while walking in front of her. "I want to thank you for trying to find a way to save my flight, even though they have committed such horrors to your own."

"I was just doing the right thing," she answered humbly.

"What you did was beyond the right thing; it was incredibly compassionate and generous. We did not deserve your kindness," he said while putting his arms on hers, moving closer to her body. He put his head around hers and whispered to her, "Thank you." He let go of her and took flight, headed towards Stormwind again. Alexstrasza felt warmth in her cheeks, but luckily her scales were red, so it was hard to see how insanely she was blushing from his comments.

Neltharion flew down into the city while transforming into a human at the entrance to the throne room. This time, to his surprise, the guards backed away from him as if they were inviting him inside. Varian stood up from his golden throne as he saw the Aspect walk towards him with determination in his eyes.

"I can tell something is bothering you, Neltharion. What brings you to Stormwind again?" the king said as he walked towards the Aspect.

"I brought those who remained of my flight back together for the remaking of the dragonflight, but I found that there was no female at the gathering. In order to continue my flight, we need a female. I know one is alive because I found a very young black dragon when I took down the Red Cloth, but I need to find her before it is too late. I ask that you keep your eyes and ears open for any information on the black female, Varian."

"I'll see what I can do."

"This means more to me than you might ever know. Thank you," Neltharion replied before leaving the throne room. As he took flight in his true form, he headed this time to Kalimdor, where he would find Orgrimmar. His pure will filled his wings with strength as they carried him across the skies, eager to reach Durotar. Once he reached the barren landscape, he could see the Horde city was on alert. Orcs and trolls rushed through Orgrimmar as the dragoon approached. The front gates began to open as ranks of warriors poured out from within. They lined up into formation as one large orc came out the gates atop a worg (a larger and fiercer form of the wolf). He strolled to the front of his troops as he stared into the black Aspect's eyes without fear. Neltharion flared his wings as he began to hover in front of the small army.

"Garrosh Hellscream, I have come to make a de—" Neltharion spoke out lowly before Garrosh yelled out, "FIRE!"

With the Warchief's command, two catapults within the city launched giant stones into the air. Neltharion was agile enough to dodge one, but the other stone struck him in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground. As he smashed into the rocky ground, he growled loudly in frustration. His landing had made a small crater in the environment that caused a massive cloud of dust and dirt to rise into the air. His claw reached out from the cloud and gripped the stone, his talons stabbing into the earth. He pulled himself up from the divot and saw the warriors all charging towards him as Garrosh yelled out, "ATTACK!"

A group of trolls threw stone axes at Neltharion's head, and they hit their target, bouncing off of his obsidian scales. He turned his head away to avoid the rest of the incoming projectiles as he smashed his tail into the ground, causing a shockwave. The trolls fell to their feet from the force of the wave while he looked back at the party attacking him. The rows of Horde fighters began to split apart as one orc was getting closer. He saw Garrosh's worg running towards him and jumping with it's rider holding a massive axe in his hands.

"ENOUGH!" Neltharion roared out as he flapped his wings in one mighty blast. Garrosh was sent flying backward and tumbling onto the ground, the other warriors falling back as well from the force of the wingbeat. The dragon rose onto his limbs while he watched in annoyance as Garrosh stood up and tried to grab his axe. In return, he lowered his massive head down to the Warchief and snorted, sending the weapon sliding away. "I did not come to deal with your faulty attacks, Warchief. As I was saying, I have come to make a deal."

"I do not deal with dragons, especially ones like you, Deathwing! Everything you touch turns to ash. Hell, just you falling caused a crack in my land! The Horde does not deal with devils!" Garrosh responded smugly. Neltharion snickered at the brown orc's comments.

"I am not Deathwing; I am Neltharion. Have you not heard of me breaking the shackles that held me within Deathwing? I am not the Destroyer anymore; I am the Earth-Warder, protector of Azeroth itself. I have come seeking your aid." Garrosh wore a scowl on his face as he said nothing. "The Black Dragonflight is trying to rebuild and return to its former glory, but without a female, we cannot do that. One lives, but I don't know where she is. I ask that you and your Horde stay alert for any mention of the black female and that you tell my flight if you hear anything," the black continued.

"You want the Horde—a glorious group of warriors—to find you a wench? How pathetic. We are not the giving kind," the Warchief mocked.

"What could I do in return for my favor?" Garrosh smirked.

"You could burn down Stormwind and all withi—" he answered.

"Something that doesn't involve killing innocents, Warchief." Garrosh felt anger rise to his throat from how Neltharion said 'warchief,' but even he knew that he stood no match for the dragon Aspect.

"You take the fun out of it," Garrosh joked. "A being of your strength could prove a great defense for my troops. One of our nearby camps was overrun by a formidable group of centaur. You will protect a rank of my soldiers as they travel along the path to the camp from the centaur standing sentry to the area. If you can keep my men alive, I will consider your request."

"Fine. I will escort your forces. Where should I lead them?" Neltharion asked.

"I will lead them. I do not trust you, so I will be with you the whole time. Follow me, my legion!" Garrosh yelled out as he grabbed his axe and mounted his worg. His warriors followed him as the dragon morphed into a human form. Even though he was a human, he was larger than an average orc. As his hand extended, his flaming mace appeared, igniting in flame. Neltharion walked next to Garrosh at the front of the troop. They traveled for about a mile before Garrosh raised his hand, stopping his soldiers immediately at the pass.

The land was barren around the mortals. In the distance, red stone rose into the sky to form a giant arch in the land. Mountains connected to the gateway to the lands beyond. Tall, thin pillars extended from the ground nearby that had oddly shaped rocks atop their spire-like shapes. These strange formations were something that Neltharion marveled at. He felt bliss in their balanced shape.

"Watch yourselves!" Garrosh yelled out. "Get ready," he told the human. The group continued their march for a moment before Neltharion spotted something. He saw a centaur in the distance pull a bow back before shooting a burning arrow into the air. It weaved its way to the Horde forces and landed a few feet in front of Garrosh. He laughed at the attack. "How pathetic!" The sound of a war horn reverberated across the area as hundreds of centaur appeared. They all charged towards Garrosh and his soldiers in a circular formation that trapped the orcs and trolls. Arrows flew through the air towards Garrosh as archers shot from a distance. The orcs raised their shields up to block the incoming arrows. The wooden bolts landed on their shields, some piercing through and cutting their target. Neltharion reached out his hand as he grabbed an arrow midair in front of Garrosh's chest. The wooden construct burned to ash within his hand as he grabbed his mace. He lifted the weapon into the air as fire swept up from his feet and into the mace. It flew towards the ground and impacted, releasing an earth-shattering blast from the strike. The ground erupted upwards a distance away from the troops, killing several centaur caught in the explosion.

Neltharion shot forward with great force, landing within the lines of the charging centaur. He swung his mace around, knocking two of them onto the ground. With a raise of his hand, the earth swallowed them up. Another swing knocked out three more. One charged towards the human and was met with a spike of rock sent through his chest, killing him instantly. The man reached towards a nearby mountain and pulled his hand back as part of the landform cracked. Rocks came tumbling down the side of the mountain and crushed the centaur in their way. He dropped his mace to the ground and vanished in a fire as he began to turn into a dragon. As he grew, the centaur looked at him in fear while the dragon Aspect took form. Even though he wasn't the senseless maniac Deathwing was, many still feared Neltharion.

With one swipe of his mighty claws, five centaur were torn apart. Garrosh even looked with a hint of fear as the beast's tail swept the floor, bludgeoning nine more horse people to death. The remaining archers started to fire on the massive animal. He began to rear onto his haunches. The bolts only bounced off his dark scales, proving pointless against the Aspect. After a couple of seconds, Neltharion pushed his head forward as he fell back onto his limbs. A jet of fire shot out his mouth and towards his attackers. As he moved his head, waves of centaur burned alive from the attack of flame. The screams echoed across the landscape as dozens of centaur were burned until they became black husks. As he stopped his breath attack, he rushed forward and moved his wings across the ground, knocking enemies across the dirt. With another wingbeat, centaur flew into the sides of mountains, cracking their various bodies against the sides of the rocks. With a blast of the war horn that called the centaur out from hiding, the centaur started to retreat.

Garrosh raised his axe into the air, and his soldiers mirrored his movement as the Warchief screamed out in triumph. Neltharion roared at the fleeing enemies as they sped up their retreat. His eyes flashed with fire so any onlookers would be filled with horrid whispers that would haunt them forever. Smoke consumed his body as he slowly decreased in size before returning to his human form. His mace was in his hand again as he turned around, now facing part of the Horde. He walked back to Garrosh. A few orcs in the ranks stood uneasy as the black Aspect approached. Just from the dragon's display, almost all the warriors gained a variation of fear of the beast. They worried at the thought of what he could do if he were hellbent on ending them. Scenes of fire and ash floating in the air filled their minds as they watched the being walk up to their leader.

"I have fulfilled my end of the deal; now you will alert me of any information on the female."

"Yes I will, black dragon," Garrosh responded.

"Go to your camp for the sun sets on your mortal world, Warchief," Neltharion ended while pointing towards the falling sun. Garrosh nodded as he commanded his troops to march onward. Neltharion waited for them to leave, and then he transformed into his draconic form again. The wind carried him as he sped towards Northrend to check on his flight's progress in the search.

As he swept down to the Obsidian Dragonshrine, Neltharion saw a familiar dragon awaiting him,

"Do you have news, Wrathion?"

"Yes, I do, father. Varian told me he has information on the female and that he wants you to fly to Stormwind," Wrathion responded.

"Good work, hopefully, whatever he found is promising."

As the dragon walked into the Alliance capital in human form, he saw Varian waiting just past the front gate. He walked up to the king and asked him what he had found.

"Follow me; one of my subjects must tell you something," the king responded while gesturing for the dragon to follow. He led him into the civilian court of the city and to a woman clothed in rags. Varian told the woman to tell the human what she had told him.

"A few days ago, dragons were flyin' over Stormwind every hour, and it terrified us simple folk! They all seemed to be headed in one direction," the woman said. She then pointed northwest, towards Northrend. Neltharion started to regret coming here. He already knew of the many dragons flying to the frozen continent from his command. Nevertheless, he continued to listen. "I was lookin' up at the stars when I saw one dragon flyin' away. I swear it was flyin' towards Goldshire! I don't know what a dragon would want down there; only crazies ever go to that town. Either way, the town needs protection; what if the dragon attacks the town?" the woman said while getting more panicky as she continued. Varian calmed the woman down as she started to freak out.

"Thank you for this information; you have no idea how important finding this dragon is. Let me compensate you for your time," Neltharion said as he put one hand behind his back. With a flick of his wrist, a pebble flew into his hand. As he gripped the rock tightly, it cracked apart, and he shook his hand. He extended it to the woman, and she looked in surprise to see a ruby reflecting her face back to her. She quickly grabbed the gem and thanked Neltharion. After saying his goodbyes, he left the city and took flight towards Goldshire, incredibly determined to find the female of his flight.