Chapter two

As a chick, she'd heard the stories. She'd listened with rapturous attention alongside the other younglings as some of the elder sisters told tales of the jungle's apex predator. She'd listened and had been just as awed and terrified as the other harpy chicks as they were regaled with stories of unmatched strength and merciless brutality when provoked, of a legend no creature could ignore. She and the others were warned repeatedly to never encroach upon his territory, to cross him at their own peril and to show nothing but the utmost respect and fear should they ever encounter him by chance. They were told to steer clear of him.

And then the invaders came, slaughtering her sisters, her mother, her tribe and companions, leaving behind corpses and death, and capturing the rest to use for their own sick pleasures, forcing her to clumsily stumble through the jungle towards the only thing she thought could pose a threat to these monsters.

And so she barged into his territory, ready to beg the legendary creature for its assistance, ready to pay any price it may demand, and was stunned by what she actually found.

She'd built this image in her head of a terrifying creature wreathed blood and sitting atop a pile of bones and half eaten harpy corpses, a monster larger than life and impossible to even stand in the same vicinity as, let alone try and contend with. She approached this…legenday monster on impulse alone, fear, anger and desperation driving her actions and clouding her instincts, smothering them. She didn't even really expect to survive long enough to say anything.

So it was a shock…an utter shattering of her reality to see the unassuming being before her as she spoke her words of pleading. It was mind blowing, enough to send her crashing to the ground in a pain addled faint. She'd been expecting to meet a legend, assumed she was going to be spending her time in a presence so overwhelming that she'd hardly be able to breathe, if she even survived the meeting.

In a way she wasn't disappointed.

Because, although he didn't look like what she'd thought he would, he still held this…presence about him, this overwhelmingly powerful but calming spirit seemed to saturate the air of his territory. The Feral King…Anduin, was…something else. He was captivating in a way that she'd never thought possible for anything, beautiful in ways that reflected and surpassed the natural beauty of the jungle itself.

But he was so young! So unassuming!

There was no denying he was just as terrifying on all levels as he was beautiful. Even now, three days after she stumbled into his territory and gained his allegiance against the invaders, her instincts screamed at her. "run," the told her. "Submit," they also said. "Attack" "Defend!" But he just didn't fit the image.

He was a paradox, a puzzle her brain was still trying to piece together after building him up in her head for years and meeting the real thing and she was having trouble comprehending that.

And his territory was filled with so many fascinating objects.

Anduin tilted his head to the side, confusedly peering down at the harpy as he tended to her healing wounds, inquisitive to the mired of emotions playing on her face. The Harpy flinched under his gaze, a brief flash of embarrassment and fear dancing across her features before she looked away. He couldn't help but smile. Did she really think he was going to hurt her, after all of this? How amusing. But he supposed he could understand if only a little. With a slight sigh of acceptance, he cast aside his thoughts and continued to tend to the harpy's injuries, silently cleaning and tending to her wounds. She accepted his ministrations, forcing herself to relax as his hands skillfully danced across her wounds, placing a homemade salve that almost seemed to glow in the evening light as they seeped into her skin, smiling softly when she eyed the salve with open curiosity and fascination. He then turned his attention to her other arm, inspecting the limb for any serious injury and examining her feathers.

He'd never taken the time to examine a harpy up close before. Even when having to kill them, he'd always just moved on as quickly as possible afterwards, too concerned and usually still caught up in a fight to do so.

But now, as he gently ran his hands over her feathers, straightening those that he could out, he couldn't help but marvel at her beauty.

Blue eyes roved over her entire form, committing every detail to memory as he looked her over. She looked so much like a night elf, with elegant features and green skin. But that elegance was tempered by a savage beauty that also shown, with wicked talons, sharp teeth and feathered ears. A perfect mix of woman and bird she was, a savage beast under the guise of a beautiful girl, much like a lot of aspects of the jungle.

He chuckled softly to himself, startling the harpy as he stood, and said nothing as he exited his hut.

After another few days, Anduin became aware of the harpy following him around. There were questions in her eyes. He could practically taste her curiosity as he went about his daily chores. She kept her distance too, seemingly embarrassed about following him around or still afraid he'd lash out at her.

It was amusing. She was like a child stepping out into the world for the first time.

Perhaps she was.

She didn't look much older than he was after all.

He grew used to her presence over the days, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she adjusted to walking, and suppressing amused smiles at her almost child-like looks of fascination as she explored his camp. She was adorable, trying so hard to seem uninterested in the things he'd do around his home and failing miserably. It was a novel experience. He'd long since grown used to his solitude. There were no companions to be had out here. It was a free for all, every being for itself unless they somehow band up with more of their kind, but for him? There were no others like him out here. And even the night elves, the closest beings that could be considered like him despised his presence, so he stuck it out alone, striving to be the fiercest being out here in order to protect himself.

But as the days began to pass, he found he really liked having company. It didn't matter if this timid injured harpy didn't talk to him. He rarely talked anyway.

Her presence was enough. So he put all of his effort into helping her recover and adjust to life with only one wing arm.

"A-anduin."

A week into her stay, she finally felt well enough and brave enough to speak to the feral king, and Her courage bolstered by the fact that he has been nothing but kind to her, showed itself as she approached stumbling only slightly as she walked.

He turned to her abruptly, startling her. He always did that. He was always so ready to act at any moment the second anything caught his attention. She couldn't blame him for his reflexes though. To be lax meant death in the jungle.

His eyes flashed his question, asking her what it was she wanted. She hesitated.

"I.." she began suddenly more nervous than brave. But she then steeled herself, pulled the grim determination and anger she felt when she first came to this man.

"I'm feeling well enough to travel," she began. She made sure to stare into his eyes, so that he would see the resolve in them. "I request the help you promised me."

She waited for what seemed like an eternity as Anduin froze and stared at her. His bright blue eyes seemed to glow in their intensity and pierced right through her. She began to feel nervous again and worried that she'd overstepped her bounds.

But then he stood up and gave a single, quick and resolute nod.

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity. Anduin transformed in an instant, his whole aura changing as he began to arm and dress himself. She could only watch, shocked as he became the legendary creature she'd known he was before her eyes until he was stood in front of her, silent and waiting for her to speak.

She couldn't for well over a minute, too busy was she in taking in every detail of the being before her. It was…terrifying and awe inspiring the way he looked. She had just grown used to his relaxed appearance too, so seeing this…

He stood before her, slouched down, as if ready to slink off on all fours, his dark greyish blue cloak shrouding most of his body while the saber skull and coal obscured his face. Numerous weapons and armaments decorated his hands, arms and chest and the large bow upon his back completed the image of the savage warrior he was. There was more but he gave her no time think on them.

"Come," he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated within her breast, and then he crouched with his back presented to her. Ten whole seconds of shocked silence greeted the feral king's suggestion until he growled impatiently.

"I-If you're sure," she said nervously, and she climbed upon his back, noticing that she was actually quite a bit smaller than he was. Anduin nodded once he felt the harpy settle upon his back, her talons finding purchase on his cloak. She barely weighed anything.

He gave the Harpy two seconds to settle and then he was off, shooting up out of his territory and up into the canopy like he had a pair of wings on his feet, chuckling in his head at her startled yelp.

She marveled at his ability to just glide through the jungle trees so effortlessly, a few seconds later. The wind whipped at his hair and ticked her face as he moved, causing her to giggle to herself. It was odd. Just how safe she felt upon this being's back, how utterly freed she felt as she let herself go to the sensation of moving through the air.

This was even better than actual flight.

She was just beginning to fully lose herself when they came to a sudden stop, perched up in the high canopy bathed in the green tinted shade. She blinked, noticing the sun's twilight glow. How long had she been out of it? She had to wonder.

"Look."

Anduin's quiet voice penetrated her thoughts as easily as an arrow, causing her vision to focus instantly down to where he was gesturing.

Her eyes widened at what she saw.

"By Anveena's talon," she gasped as she spotted the carnage below. The two of them found themselves looking down on some night elven ruins overgrown with trees and covered in vines and plants, long since stripped of its roof, doors and porches, leaving behind only the stone wall and pillars. It had been a perfect place to settle. But now the entire area was a blood soaked horrific scene of slaughter. Harpy corpses lay scattered about, haphazardly left to rot where they'd been slain. Nests had been set ablaze and torn from the trees they hung from and eggs lay smashed and destroyed, some of which had been close to hatching.

Broken bodies and severed limbs decorated the ground and the small of death permeated the air.

Anduin took only a few seconds to scan the area before he descended from the trees to land in the middle of the destroyed Harpy nest. The girl on his back immediately dropped to the ground and began to check the bodies, desperately looking for survivors. Anduin began to look around as well. His eyes scanned everything, taking in the signs of battle. There were scorch marks on broken pillars and slashes in trees, evidence of nature magic the bird women were typically adept at using. He narrowed his eyes at a particularly large scorch mark in the middle of the floor. It radiated with a type of residual heat not natural for a typical fire. Magic he was unfamiliar with.

Something glinted just inside the peripherals to his right, making him whirl in that direction with a dagger out in an instant. He raised an eyebrow in fascinated confusion at what he saw. It was large and metal, glinting red and back with hints of purple with an odd shape. The red horseshoe symbol was boldly painted black on its surface. A trickle of recollection whispered the word, "Shield," into his mind, making his fascination grow.

He was just about to grab the thing when the harpy girl let out a startled scream and something crashed to the floor behind him. He spun, reflex and instinct alone guiding him with his glaive and cut through the air with such deadly force and speed that it sound like he cut the air itself, ready to fight off whatever was attacking, only to freeze when he met the terrified visage of the harpy girl. She stood a few yards back from him, gaping at the sudden display of savagery and speed, looking newly terrified of him, her eyes wide and gaping at his drawn weapon. Anduin felt something blossom in his chest he couldn't quite explain and he felt his face heat up. Shrugging apologetically, he folded his weapon and put it away before looking to the cause of the commotion.

"I-It fell out of the trees from above," said the Harpy girl as she approached slowly. Her eyes still held a wary gleam when looking at him but they weren't as terrified as they had been. She knelt and poked the thing's armored backside, her eyes gleaming at the shiny pieces of metal covering the thing.

It was…big. That was the first thing Anduin could surmise just from a glance. It was at least three heads taller than he and just as many times broad, covered from head to toe and red and white armor. Turning it over with a bit of effort, Anduin was met with the lifeless visage of a green skinned ogre-like being with black hair. He was dead, his throat savagely ripped out, green blood covered the being's chest and face. And his armor bore numerous slashes and dents.

"That's one of them," muttered the harpy. "That's one of the invaders."

Anduin hmmed as he continued to examine the creature. There was something familiar about it, something just outside the reach of his mind. He had a vague recollection of what this thing was, but he didn't know how or why. He took only a couple more minutes to examine the being before he began to move about, inspecting the ground in a growing circle of patrol until he spotted something of interest at last, just at the edge of the underbrush.

"Do you see something?" asked the harpy, following after him. Anduin didn't say anything at first. His eyes examined the ground and the surrounding underbrush, as if looking for something.

Then he knelt. The harpy knelt at his side, following his eye to the ground where he was inspecting a very large print. Her heart beat a bit fast in her chest at seeing it.

"Trail," began the Feral King with a satisfied huff as he rose. "Went that way." He gestured northwest. "Must hurry."

"Hurry?" she asked, unsure of what he meant.

Anduin nodded once. "Hunted you." He began. "Captured survivors. Took them away."

The world seemed to freeze as soon as he said those words. The Harpy girl stared at him with quickly comprehending eyes as they widened. That's right! The invaders had come for them for more than simply slaughter! Vivid images of some of the vile things some of them had been doing to her sisters flooded her mind as she stared at Anduin. And the resolve that bid her to seek out the feral king in the first place flared even brighter. Anduin noticed the look in her eyes and crouched in front of her.

"Come," he gently ordered while gesturing to his back. The harpy returned to her place on his back and the two were once more soaring through the trees.

(-)

Edana Hatetalon blearily opened her eyes just a crack as the smell of food reached her nose, her pained body shifting with each breath she forced through her battered torso. She suppressed a groan as she awoke, mind still clearing itself of the fogginess of an exhausted awakening.

"Well well well look who's finally up. It certainly took you long enough."

She turned a snarling visage upon the source of the voice with a suddenness that would have sent anyone scurrying back with a startled yelp. The being standing before her didn't even so much as flinch as she glared, hatred overwhelming her entire being.

"Heh. Fiesty one aren't you? I'm not surprised. You made quite the impression on my men, little harpy."

It took her a second to fully take in the creature she was seeing. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before. Her mind tried to recall any time she'd laid eyes on such a being but all she could recall were flashes, of screams of pain. Death and horror, and anger so intense she lost herself to her bestial nature. There were flashes of tauren and trolls, and even the large green skins. This creature was something else.

He was squat, and ugly, with long floppy pointed ears and an exaggerated nose. His beady eyes shone with a perverse greed that set her on edge. And where did this insignificant creature get off on calling her "little?" she was positive she could carry him off in one talon. He was definitely nowhere near prime material for procreation. A snack is all he'd be good for.

The creature grinned, showing a row of gold plated pointy teeth. "Whatsa matter? Cat got your tongue? Heh heh."

His entire demeanor was one of smug arrogance. Something this little insect had no business having while dealing with her. She went to let him know that by lunging at him with a screech, her talon swiping at his face. It got nowhere near. Before she could fully even extend her arm, she became very aware of the fact that she was effectively chained to the floor of her…cage. She was in a cage! The thing rattled as her arm tweaked painfully at having its momentum so suddenly halted, and it finally….FINALLY dawned on her just what sort of position she was in.

The creature's eyes gleamed in triumph as hers widened in indignation, trepidation and anger.

"There it is," he said while leaning in to make absolutely sure that she could see him looking at her. He stared into her eyes with no fear. There was something sick in his gaze, one that sent her instincts into overdrive. This was a predator. Just what type, she'd never encountered before.

"You see, little harpy, you and your kind have a price on your heads. You've been hounding the expedition for an annoying amount of time." He pulled out a small dagger and flipped it into the air periodically, almost tauntingly. "And the Horde has grown tired of it. So here we are."

Confusion set in. Who was hounding who? She and her coven stayed deep in the jungle, away from many of the other residents! This idiot clearly mistook her for another harpy coven, one that was probably threatened when these beasts invaded their territory. She resisted the urge to growl at him while informing him of such. She owed this thing nothing and she certainly wasn't about to betray her own kind in any way.

The creature frowned. "Still not talking eh? Stubborn." He leaned forward again, as if searching for something in her eyes. "Or perhaps you really are just a dumb animal, unable to understand what I'm saying." He sighed. "If so then I've really wasted five days of my life haven't I?" He ran the dagger along the bars of the cage, seemingly contemplating. But then he smirked.

"But I don't believe that." He began to circle around the cage, now trailing a finger across the bars until the digit caught the edge of the cloth tarp that she was just noticing was covering the back half of the cage. She watched unblinkingly as he dragged the tarp off of the cage, seemingly taking perverse pleasure in dragging out the process, until at last the rest of her surroundings were unveiled before her.

Her eyes widened.

Over two dozen eyes turned to her as one, all widening in shock and fear. They clamored as far as they could, trying to reach her from the confines of their own chains and cages. They all recognized her, some more so than others. And cries of anguish, pleading and despair began to rend the air.

"Is…is that the queen?"

"Sister Hatetalon?"

"No…NO!"

"H-How?"

"They got Lady Edana!"

"Matriarch?!"

She could only gape as the chained and caged Harpies began to squawk and screech, each trying to get her attention one way or another. She watched Horrified as her captor snarled suddenly and grabbed a young girl barely out of the hatchling stage by the neck.

"Shadddap!" The girl gagged as he shook her once, horrified young eyes staring into hers, begging for help. The others went deathly silent and still in an instant. "I won't be havin any more'a dat now, Ladies." He ran a thumb over the terrified girl's left cheek. "Unless you want this little treat end up as a treat? heh heh."

Numerous pairs of eyes narrowed in sudden fury, but they complied and relaxed as much as they could.

"That's better," said the captor. "And as for you." He turned back towards Edana and smirked again. "You are something else aren't you?" His eyes roved her entire form, shining with more greed as they did. "I've never seen anything like you. You tore through everyone that got in your way almost too easily. Heh. I'd be embarrassed if I wasn't so impressed!" He lifted his arms, seemingly forgetting the girl still clutched in his hand. Her cry of fear and pain as the chain linked to her ankle was pulled taught withered away at the control of Edena's rage.

"Before you showed up I was just gonna kill every single one of you foul smelling annoying birds, sell your feathers and claws for some profit and be on my way. It'd be the least you owe me for makin me have to traverse this shithole to get to you. But then...Oooh man. But then you appear outta nowhere with that body of yours, lookin like something out of a pleasure palace! I tell ya, it's no wonder you managed to kill so many of our group before we brought ya down! Nevermind the strength you posses, you'd win most of your fights just by striking the right pose!"

Confusion must have shown in Edena's Eyes because he laughed. "You don't even know. Hahaha. Oh well. I suppose you'll learn soon enough once we get to Dire Maul."

The words escaped her mouth before her brain could even begin to try and stop them, such was the shock of the destination this cretin had in store for her.

"Dire Maul?" she uttered in something akin to horror. The small man laughed.

"Ahah! So you DO talk! Wonderful! I thought I was going to have to torture one of your…subjects here to get you to open your mouth." Here, he brought the hatchling to his face to stare into here terrified eyes before he almost contemptuously tossed her away, ignoring as she yelped and was caught by an older sister who screeched at him. "Heh heh. But yes, my dear. We are taking you and the rest of these ladies here to Dire Maul. There is a lot of Potential in you and your kind that no one has ever bothered to notice before. Your strength and your beauty… I'm lookin at you and I see the pinnacle of your race. Heh. You may not even BE the pinnacle but there is potential. SO much potential and I intend to capitalize on it."

"How dare you!" screeched one of the other harpies. This one was a young adult, a slender athletic looking girl with short hair and very light pink plumage. She was wraught with injuries but her eyes flared with a savage rage of an unbroken spirit.

"The Queen of the Northspring isn't someone you'd ever be worthy of touching in any way! Try it and I'll kill you myself!"

The man turned to her instantly, his face never once changing from that infuriating smirk. "Heh. Like you tried to kill the last man to drag you to his tent? You have spirit, Girl, I'll give you that. But I suggest you shut your mouth, lest you end up like the rest of your clan." The girl screeched but was grabbed by another harpy and herded away from the man and into the protective embrace of a couple of others.

Edana recognized the plumage of the girl. Light green skin and pink plumage so light it could almost be mistaken for white. She was a member of a branch of the northspring that had taken up residence perilously close to the mysterious legend known as the Feral King. She examined the harpies and took in their features, noting the differing shades of green skin and pink feathers. Four different groups had been sacked by these invaders it seems, but out of all of them, the strong willed girl seemed to be the only survivor of her group. Her captor noticed where she was staring and opted to open his mouth again.

"I rather regret the killing of that particular group. This was before my eyes had been opened you see and her group was the first we encountered. They fought. Well they tried anyway haha. Some of my men took a liking to them and dragged them along as camp followers. But only that one has survived until now. You birds don't go down without fighting I'll give you that. Sometimes accidents happen while trying to restrain you."

He flipped his Dagger. "It's like I said. You all have so much potential. I'm going to make a killing off you!"

When the girl went to shriek at him again he chuckled. "You do not have to worry your pretty little heads off. Your Queen has a much greater destiny than being a simple bed warmer, as I suspect do a lot of you."

He turned back to Edana. "No my dear, you instead will be my greatest Champion. I can feel it."

Just then the bushes parted and the rest of the invaders emerged from the underbrush carrying the carcasses of several small animals and a large bear. The harpies cringed away from them as they passed by, shooting hungry looks before beginning to set up camp and clean their kills.

"But until then. You might as well get comfortable. We're still three weeks out before we reach our destination." He turned and walked away, joining his companions in conversation and merriment.

Edana vowed to eat that cretin's heart.

Over the next two weeks she bore witness to these people as they traversed the jungle. They tromped along uncaring of where they were going. Totally unaware of how things operated in this jungle. They killed things for sport and they took pleasure from her captive sisters. They laughed and played, and more than one seemed intent on her. The small man whom she'd learned was named Fizzo seemed oddly protective of her, warding off the men as they approached, calling her his "Special Asset" whenever he had to explain why they couldn't touch her. She wondered why he hadn't done so himself if he was going to repeatedly say she was "His." It made no sense to her. None of this made sense. It threw her off.

And that wasn't even factoring the prospect of being taken to Dire Maul. If she was wary of going to that cursed place then the rest were terrified.

She comforted the others as much as she could. Most of the captives were young, very young, with only a small few being of age to procreate, but even they, she could tell had yet to even participate in their first raid. The laws of the jungle had yet to be taught to these girls and she had to constantly try and help them forge the kind of strong savage will that was needed to survive out here. But the progress was slow going. They were all scared, unprepared and their instincts untempered by life. It was impossible to explain to them that these things happen, and that the faster they accepted this, the easier it would be to survive and hopefully escape. This was too much, too fast. They were still children. The only thing keeping them together was Edana's presence. Their strong, unbroken, unafraid Queen acted as a beacon of hope. That was all she could do to keep them alive. She'd already learned the painful repercussions of trying to fight her way out of captivity.

It was at the dawn of the third week that everything changed…

…

Anduin and his companion soared through the jungle for two weeks, closing in on these mysterious harpy killers, following a trail so blatant, they both wondered just how much these invaders actually knew about surviving out here. But then again, given their apparent ferocity, it seemed to not really matter. It was a fairly quiet trip. Anduin wasn't much of a talker and the Harpy girl wasn't inclined to push any limits with him.

They did get to know each other more though. Anduin found himself fascinated by harpy hiarchy and culture, listening with rapt attention to her tales of hunts and mannerisms. He also learned that Harpies do not have names until they themselves distinguish themselves enough to earn a name. His companion was currently nameless, often times just going by Youngling or hatchling. He had a good bit of amusement at her response when asked if she was still considered a hatchling.

"I'm almost old enough to partake in a raid!" she'd said quite indignantly.

Her fascination with all things shiny amused him even more. She was always trying to get a hold of his broken sword, eyes wide in childlike wonder as he brandished it in the sunlight, causing the recently polished metal to gleam.

Things took a more serious turn though when the trail led them to a series of ransacked harpy nests. Three different locations had been attacked, each one just as bloody and devastated as the last. The girl always looked for survivors while Anduin continued to examine the invader corpses. He became more and more grimfaced as the journey continued. And anger began to blossom within his heart each time he had to witness his young companion cry her eyes out at the senseless slaughter of her people. It got even worse when he started coming across corpses of animals, slain for seemingly no reason, with most only killed for a single paw or their fur. It was such a disrespectful waste of life.

By the time they finally closed in on the invaders, Anduin's mood was that of a low simmer, an eerie calm that set everything around him scurrying away. The harpy girl took comfort in his energy, nestled upon his back as they travelled. She's never felt so safe. And it was…a novel experience, to have something like the feral king so angered at the desecration of her and her sisters.

So she was not worried when he stopped suddenly and crouched into the nook of a large tree, looking down upon a camp surrounding a large bonfire.

"Look," he said. "Found them."

She peered over his shoulder with wide eyes, nervousness flooding her as she examined the area.

"Y-yes," she began. "That's definitely them." Her eyes found a particular individual amongst the group, a short, squat creature with greedy eyes and shiny teeth. She'd recognize that one from anywhere. His face was permanently etched into her…

"Gasp!"

Anduin tensed, a dagger in his had so suddenly it was as if he magicked it there. "What?" he said, looking around for a threat. But she wasn't looking around. Her eyes trembled as they stared down at the camp, wide and full of shock as they roved over the back part of the camp furthest away from the fire.

"M-Matriarch," she whispered in stunned horror. Anduin followed her gaze to a series of cages. His eyes roved over the battered forms of the harpies within. There weren't many. Not nearly as many as had been killed but they were definitely surviving captives. He noticed that the majority seemed to be young, even younger than his companion, which only lowered his opinion f these strangers even further.

But then his eyes landed on the largest cage.

Never in his life had he seen such a beautiful creature. He froze as his eyes found hers, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. He'd always known that harpies were beautiful creatures. Three weeks in the presence of his companion had taught him that. But the creature currently staring in his direction with wide startled eyes utterly blew his mind. She was big. He couldn't quite be sure how big, but he knew she dwarfed him and his companion combined. She radiated power and a regal, wild beauty that only a jungle queen could posses, with dark green skin and beautiful dark pink plumage. Her hair hung down to her lower back and flared out at the ends into long feathers that curved up and out. And her very curvaceous body shown with almost subtle but powerful muscles. She wore a headpiece like a crown upon her head that held a large feather, around her neck were several golden necklaces and around her waist was an emerald inlaid belt of gold over a plain loincloth. She was chained, forced to either sit or kneel but he could tell that her wingspan was perhaps the most impressive thing about her.

"T-that's Queen Edana," muttered his companion, unable to hide the shock. "T-that's not possible! H-How did they capture her!?"

"Shhh," softly demanded Anduin, snapping out of his dazed reverie as her cries began to get more and more distraught.

"Will rescue," he assured. "Stay calm."

She sniffled a couple of times but nodded. "O-okay. I trust you Anduin."

The Feral King smiled softly at her, causing her to smile back as she relaxed, before he crouched in to the shadows and began to wait.

"When they sleep," he muttered.

The harpy girl's resolve solidified as her heartbeat picked up, weeks of anticipation building up until finally reaching this point.

"Hold on my sisters," she muttered. "Hold on for just a bit longer…"

Back on the ground, Edana Hatetalon's eyes widened as a powerful and primal presence suddenly settled upon the area and she watched a pair of glowing blue eyes stare at her from the treeline on the other side of the camp.

"What…is that?" she muttered. The eyes stared at her for a good ten minutes before they closed and everything in that area blacked once again.

"There's something here," she muttered, gaining the attention of some of the other harpies.

She just hoped it wasn't an enemy.

AN: so once again im back after an unreasonably long hiatus. Computer/money problems are to blame. But here I am! Finally got this chapter out and im gonna be bustin my ass with my other fics as well. So tell me what ya thought and I'll see ya next time!