Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Blizzard (though it would be nice ^_^;), and I am no making any profit from writing this. I'm writing this because 1) Warcraft III owns me, and 2) for fun, of course. ^_^
Chapter 3
Trees fell around Silvitas. Each tree that struck the ground made the earth rumble. She watched in awe as tree after tree fell, each revealing a Treant. Aeslanda had told Silvitas about Treants before, but this was the first time she actually saw them in person.
The Treants were beat down easily, but they served only as fodder. Archers & Huntresses revealed themselves and cut down many of the orcs, who were caught by surprised. Silvitas turned around, eyes wide, as she saw more of the Night Elves' army coming it: Chimaeras, Hippogryphs, Dryads, and Ballistae.
Silvitas was about to make her way into the forest, clutching her bleeding wound, when her ears caught a whizzing sound. She turned around as a Huntresses' glaive was making its way toward her. She jumped out of the way and hit the ground hard, cringing.
"H…Halt, night elf," Silvitas managed to say. "I am Silvitas Firestorm, daughter of Aeslanda, leader of the Firestorm Wolf Clan! I am on your side!"
"Daughter of the wolf, Aeslanda?" the Huntress hissed. "You look nothing like a wolf, outlander!" The Huntress readied for another attack, her panther hissing.
"Stop, Alantis!" a large centaur-like creature came bounding up to her. "The girl speaks the truth."
Alantis bowed her head. "I am sorry, wolf girl. Please forgive me."
Silvitas didn't know who their centaur creature was, but there was an immense sense of dignity and power surrounding him.
"My wound…" Silvitas lifted her hand off the wound. She shook her head. Don't be so weak… Silvitas told herself. "I-I must return to where I belong."
Silvitas began getting up, but the centaur gently pushed her down. "Don't be a fool, Silvitas. I am Cenarius, demigod of the night elves. You will never make it back to Aeslanda & Torvin with that wound of yours."
"How did you know my name?" Silvitas asked. "And Torvin…?"
Cenarius chuckled. His voice darkened as he spoke, "I have lived in these forests for eons, little one. I know all that goes on in these forests…Alantis, bring the girl to the Shadowleaves'' camp."
"Yes, Cenarius," the Huntress helped Silvitas up. Silvitas mounted the panther; it was much like mounting the wolves.
"To the Shadowleaves' camp!" the Huntress commanded. The panther immediately bounded off to the north.
Silvitas took one last look at the encampment the night elves were decimating. Treants, Archers, Huntresses, and Dryads all attacked the spiked buildings of the orcs, while the Chimaeras & Hippogryph Riders backed them up from above. The buildings were destroyed with ease…the power of the night elves amazed Silvitas.
Silvitas began to grow weak and dizzy. "Ugh…" she groaned.
"Hold on, we're almost there," Alantis reassured her. Sure enough they were. The base was small, but it had the much needed Moon Well.
"Greetings, Alantis," an Archer walked up to the Huntress. "What brings you do our base?"
"Help her down while I get the Moon Well's water, Shari," the Huntress said.
Shari grabbed hold of Silvitas and set her down on the ground. Silvitas began to grow weaker and weaker, slowly beginning to lose her grip on consciousness. The next and last thing she felt was cool water trickling down her throat
* * *
Something was poking at Silvitas' side. She squirmed. "Stop it…" she hissed. Whoever was poking her didn't stop. Annoyed, she opened her eyes, only to find Mother Aeslanda sniffing what used to be where her wound was.
"Mother Aeslanda! I-I didn't know it was you," Silvitas blushed slightly. "Sorry."
Aeslanda ignored her comments. "The water of these Moon Wells are interesting," she mused.
"Mother Aeslanda…" Silvitas tried to catch her attention.
"They have the power to heal quickly & effectively," Aeslanda continued to ramble on. "Much more effective than mine…"
"Mother Aeslanda!" Silvitas said louder.
"Oh?" Aeslanda turned around to look at Silvitas.
"Please stop it," Silvitas said. "It…it kinda tickles."
The wolf laughed and backed off, minding her own business. Silvitas blushed furiously and stood up, looking around. It was morning, and she was in the middle of the Shadowleaves' base. The sight of a Night Elf camp wasn't anything new to her. She'd see them time-to-time when she patrolled her clan's territory.
Silvitas remembered the first time she had seen a Night Elf settlement—and a Night Elf. She was only four springs old, and Torvin five. They both explored the forest at night, against Mother Aeslanda's will, and when Silvitas first laid her eyes upon the settlement, she was awed. The trees were three times bigger than the normal Ashenvale trees…and they moved. But what scared her more were the Archers & Huntresses that disappeared & reappeared with their invisibility magic. Silvitas mistook them for ghosts and ran back to the Den, pale and shaking. She told Mother Aeslanda what she had seen with Torvin, and she just laughed and then scolded both her & Torvin for going out in the forest without her permission.
The memory made Silvitas blush further. She couldn't believe how ignorant she was as a child. Thankfully, she knew much better about the forest now, and childhood fears no longer scared her.
She dusted off her pelt (which still had a slash in it, to her dismay) and looked around, becoming aware of her surroundings. Not only was Mother Aeslanda at the camp, but also Torvin and a few other adult wolves. She walked over to Torvin, surprised to find that her wound had completely healed—inside and out. All that was left was a barely visible scar. Now Silvitas knew why the Clan Mother interested in the Moon Wells' water.
"Are you alright, Torvin?" Silvitas asked. "I didn't bring back the stag…I just got myself into trouble, I'm sorry…"
Torvin nuzzled Silvitas. "It's okay, sister. The other wolves hunted in your place, and then we followed your scent over to here. As long as you're okay…" His voice trailed off.
"Is your wound okay, then?" Silvitas queried.
Torvin nodded. "The Night Elves were kind enough to offer me some of their water."
Silvitas smiled. "That's good, then…"
"Prepare yourselves! The greenskins come again!"
There was a roar, and Silvitas knew immediately who it was. Torvin's blood boiled with rage. He howled and sped into the battle. Silvitas turned around, but something was wrong. Their skins were tinged with the color of red, but there was still no doubt that they were still orcs.
She readied her bow at a Witchdoctor. She shot, and the Witchdoctor let out a cry before he fell to the ground. She fumbled for the next arrow, aiming at a Grunt. She fired, and it hit its mark, landing dead center in his chest…but it barely seemed to affect him.
"Look out!" a Night Elf cried.
Silvitas looked up and saw a boulder coming down near her. She leapt forward, somersaulting on the ground. The boulder crashed behind her, crashing into a Moon Well.
Silvitas hissed. There were far too many orcs…they were outnumbered. But she wouldn't stand down until Mother Aeslanda gave the orders. Concentrating on all the energy within her, she loaded her bow and aimed it straight towards the sky. She pulled the string back as far as it could go, then let go. The arrow went straight up into the hazy morning sky, clouds disappearing around the arrow. The sky turned red for a moment, then a barrage of Fire Arrows came down on the unsuspecting orcs, striking down the weaker ones.
Despite her efforts, Night Elves still fell before her. A spear was sent hurling towards Silvitas, grazing her arm. It immediately broke her concentration, and the flaming arrows stopped abruptly. The hole in the clouds that the arrow created covered itself again.
Silvitas realized that the attack sapped much of her mana, and she mentally slapped herself for not considering it before. Calling on her last stores of mana, she fired an arrow towards a Raider. The arrow split into 9, each hitting a different target.
Torvin, meanwhile, was biting and snapping at any orc that came his way. He was just as big as some of them, so it wasn't a hard job. Slashes marred his skin as he made his way through the army relentlessly.
A Kodo Beast came in his way. He snarled and lunged at it, flames suddenly engulfing his body as he slammed into the Kodo Beast. It cried in pain, and its rider fell off the gigantic beast, his skin charred and blistered.
Torvin suddenly caught sound of a distinct roar. His hair bristled at the sound of it, and he turned around to find Grom cutting down Huntresses.
"We have a score to settle, Grom!" Torvin growled, glowing. Torvin called upon all of his physical strength, taking the Avatar position. He grew to twice his size, and his muscles began to grow stronger, and his skin hardened.
"You again!" there was almost a look of surprise on Grom's face. Torvin took no heed of his comment and swiped at Grom with his gigantic paw. It merely knocked him to the side, barely doing damage. Torvin snarled and lunged at Grom, canines ready to tear apart flesh. Torvin came down on Grom, but as soon as his massive teeth clamped down on him, he disappeared.
"What magic is this?!" Torvin hissed. Grom seemed to be nowhere around. "Coward!"
There was the sound of hooves pounding against the ground. A stag? No, Torvin though. Something much larger than a stag… There was a flash of green, and immediately a Warlock fell before his eyes. He had no idea who did it, but he continued to fight through the army with his remaining Avatar.
Silvitas also caught the sound of galloping hooves, and looked around for the source of the sound. She quickly caught sight of Cenarius. Grom was taking Cenarius one on one, but she knew that Grom's army would soon back him up. Other Night Elves helped assist Cenarius, but many were quickly cut down by the orcs. Silvitas also became more aware of the base—or what was left of it. The Night Elves & the wolves were pushed back towards the end of the base, and though the Night Elves from the 2 other camps brought backup, Grom's army just kept on coming with inhuman strength.
It took little time for Cenarius to be almost completely surrounded by Grunts & Raiders.
Silvitas knew time was running short. Her mana had recharged during the battle, and she raised her bow into the air. She pulled it back, but suddenly she felt weak. She let go of the string, but it only flew a short distance before falling back down in the ground. She swore and turned around to face a Warlock who had snuck behind her. He grinned and a ball of energy was sent right at her. She tried to jump out of the way, but her own body was failing her. It was going far too slow, and the energy was going far to fast. She shut her eyes and tried to brace herself for the impact. The ball smashed into her chest, knocking the air out of her and sent her skidding across the ground. Silvitas groaned and got up ever so slowly. The Warlock gathered another ball of energy this time, only larger and more menacing.
"Silvitas!" Torvin ran over to her in the nick of time and snatched her up by her pelt. He jumped over the Warlock, his hind legs crashing into the orc's face, knocking him unconscious.
"Cenarius!" Aeslanda's voice rang through the forest. For the first time, Silvitas saw her mad. Aeslanda's fur was bristled and her mouth was pulled back into a snarl. "Back foul beasts!" Aeslanda glowed a reddish color, and the ground was ripped apart as a huge pillar of flame shot up into the sky. The orcs cried out in pain and several fell before Cenarius.
"Cenarius, you are no match for the orcs, no matter how powerful you may be!" Aeslanda cried out. "Retreat with what is left of your fellow Night Elves if you care for your life!"
"I am the heart of this land!" Cenarius yelled. "And I will never abandon it!"
"Cenarius…" Aeslanda's hissed. "Cenarius, sometimes it is better to run. You are not abandoning your kind. I am sure that they want you to live more than anything else. Please, for your sake, and for the Night Elves' sake…back off! This is your chance, Cenarius. Please…"
Cenarius hesitated for a moment. "Retreat, my warriors, retreat!" he cried out, and he leapt over Grom, Night Elves following behind him.
Silvitas felt the slowing effects wearing off, and her strength returning. She scrambled to get on Torvin, and he took off with Aeslanda, other wolves trailing behind him.
A/N: Well, here's the 3rd chapter. It took a little bit longer, I know…but I was stuck playing Bahamut Lagoon & Tales of Phantasia (hey, they may be old, but they're still FUN). I think I'm done with both right now. ^_^; It turned out different than I anticipated. I was planning on having Cenarius die, but I didn't really want to follow the story completely, so I changed it. I also reformatted the 1st and 2nd chapters, so the italics and everything else shows. And no, the orcs aren't going to be the enemies for the entire thing, Hyper Guyver, just for now. I just needed something to set the stage, and it just turned out to be this way.
Anyway, from the 21st to the 26th I'll be gone on vacation (I'm going to Canada), and school starts on the 28th. School will most likely bog my writing down, so they might not come as quickly as I would like them to. But anyway…hope you enjoyed this chapter!