Author's Note: First off, I really appreciate the reviews, guys. DemonBredChild, Esperanza, Jaime, and Evelynn; thank you! Also, it's come to my attention (courtesy of the sharp-eyed Evelynn) that I ought to get a real beta reader. If anyone has the time and inclination, please send me an email. A thorough knowlege of Warcraft lore isn't a must, but a bonus for sure. At least then I'll know if I'm about to make myself look stupid. Secondly, I know it seems that the story is progessing rather slowly for which I apologize. However, the things mentioned have bearing on the plot (yes, there is one!), no matter how roundabout it may seem. Please stick with me and thanks for the patience! Thirdly, someone asked for a better physical description of Maria and Holly. However, I'd like to avoid that. They're supposed to be, well, two regular schmoes. Whatever two regular schmoes look like in your imagination, that's them. I'm trying to avoid going the "Mary Sue" route with them.
Maria hoped she wasn't salivating to the point of embarrassment. She guessed she probably was anyway. She was sure no one could blame her for it, though.
Around her sat the four male Kaldorei Druids in various states of undress. They seemed a bit perturbed at her presence but Maria would have to be physically dragged away from the scene. As it was the Druids were meditating and did not appreciate the gaping human girl who had wandered into their precious time communing with the forest. Ferend in particular seemed irked; he kept twitching and huffing.
To Maria's eyes they were the most perfect beings she had ever seen. Their bodies were long and leanly muscled, their skin tinted in soft hues of lavender or even blue. Their almond-shaped eyes were closed in their meditation but were they open she knew they would glow with the supernatural luminosity she had seen before. Each face was smooth with nary a wrinkle or even a blemish. Long hair swept their shoulders and backs in shades of green or purple, even white. Maria sighed happily. The men before here were, quite simply, perfect.
Holly strolled toward Maria and frowned, noticing the expression on her companion's face. She had no idea why; the other girl was staring at a bunch of gangly tree-hugging hippies with girlie hair. To boot, their ridiculously long ears were great to poke someone's eye out. Maria's choice in lust objects struck her as lacking. Quite frankly, they just looked like a bunch of lanky metrosexuals.
She clapped a hand on Maria's shoulder and smiled when her friend jumped. "Stop harassing them, Maria. I'm pretty sure they have some kind of law against blatant sexual harassment."
Maria groaned. "Tell me they aren't the prettiest things ever!"
"They aren't the prettiest things ever," Holly deadpanned. "If you want pretty, go hit on a Sentinel. I don't think it would make you officially gay, though I've had my suspicions about you for a while now. I'm almost convinced these guys here don't even have a discernable gender."
Maria pouted. "Go away. It's like taking in fine art; I can't fully appreciate it with you being so negative and carping in my ear." She took to one Druid in particular. While she couldn't quite remember his name (had it been Ferend? Fererin? Something along those lines), he was by far her favorite. Who couldn't like stark white hair against lilac-tinted skin? He exuded peace and a genuine belonging to nature. She almost could not picture him in civilization of any sort.
"Snap to, Maria. I'm disgusted just watching you. You're not just undressing that guy with your eyes; you're a hell of a lot further! Oh, squick. I can just hear you composing poetry in your head with words like 'love', 'declarations', and the old favorite, 'passion'."
"Oh, not hardly," Maria snapped. Actually her mental poetry was a sight dirtier than Holly imagined, but she felt it best to keep that to herself. Words like 'heat', 'friction', and the standby 'you're place or mine?' were closer to the truth, but she did not think Holly could stomach that. "What do you want?"
"The Sentinels are gearing up. By the looks of it they're getting ready to move out. They've made it pretty clear we're going with them." Holly toed at the rich soil, muddling a green sprout. The area was creepy to her, especially since the night elves only seemed to move, well, in the night. She supposed the Kaldorei were well adjusted to it, being a nocturnal race, but she just looked like an idiot squinting into the blanketing dark all the time. Hopefully there would be some sort of artificial light generated in town though electricity was probably out of the question.
"How can you tell?" Maria asked.
"Tell what?" Holly was still preoccupied with staring into the woods beyond.
"Well, how do you know we're supposed to go with them? I mean, it's dusk. Shouldn't we wait until morning?"
"Technically this is morning to them. Probably along the lines of asscrack-of-dawn early, if I had to guess. Remember, they're night elves. That's pretty indicative of their habits. Besides, aren't you the fangirl? Don't you know all the Warcraft lore?"
"For the most part, yes I do. It's just that, hello; we were tossed into Azeroth pretty crazily. Under these circumstances I can't just remember every little thing." Maria never took her eyes from her Druid of choice, memorizing his features for…later use. "In the lore there's even the story of Kilnar Goldensword, an elven woman, and Daelin Proudmore, a human naval officer. They had an affair and even a daughter who became a warrior. I can't remember the kid's name, but there's proof that some intermarriage is possible."
"We aren't either hot or talented enough to hook up with night elves, Maria. Be realistic. Besides, aren't they immortal? We're young now, but we're going to sag and wrinkle eventually. I'd rather do that with a human than someone who's going to look eternally young and beautiful." Holly truly hoped Maria was not busily convincing herself that she was destined for love with one of their rescuers.
Maria huffed. "Technically they aren't immortal. They lost their immortality when Malfurion Stormrage defeated Archimonde, destroying the power of Nordrassil. That's…a huge moment in Azeroth's history, especially for these elves. Still, they're supposed to live a very long time. They're still gorgeous, and so what if I look, at least? Don't you have an eye for beauty?"
"No," Holly smirked. "I have an eye for the good-looking, and these guys sure aren't it. All the same, whatever floats your boat. If you like these girls, well, that's fine with me. As long as it isn't me, in which case I'm flattered but uninterested."
Maria shot Holly a withering look. "Talking with you is pointless. What do I need to do before we leave? How much time do I have?"
Holly considered that. "I'd say an hour at most. You ought to get cleaned up. There's a washbasin in our room. The homeowner, ah, I think he's a Mr. Garen Mistway, is cooking something that smells horrifyingly like a seafood dish. Have I mentioned that I hate seafood? Because I do. I hate it a whole lot." She scowled. Who cooked seafood for breakfast? She had to get to a human area and quick.
"On the bright side, we're eating. Everything they've done for us is incredibly kind," Maria reminded her.
"I didn't say I didn't appreciate it, though I realize it came off that way. I know how bad we could have it. By all rights we should still be up that crappy tree waiting for the wolves to go away. I really am thankful for all their efforts on our behalf. However, Maria, I would like to point out that we are sitting amidst four meditating night elf Druids in Azeroth. The implications of that make me a might prickly. My recent behavior's largely a defense mechanism. I apologize."
"Implications?"
"I'll discuss them while we're traveling. Now's not the time."
Maria rolled her eyes. "This isn't more of your whole, 'We can be royalty and rich,' spiel, is it?"
"No, because I've come to the conclusion that I'll have to be a whole lot brainier or craftier to pull that off. This is more of a 'necessary facts-of-life' discussion." Holly rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm headed to the kitchen to see if I can help. I guess I need to learn how to cook the Dark Ages way."
"You can't cook the normal way," Maria reminded her.
"No, but I'd better start learning in general. Any sort of knowledge is good to have, particularly one that facilitates eating." Holly tilted her head toward Maria. "You ought to join me. As I recall, you considered vanilla ice cream breakfast."
"Oh, only that one time!" Maria rounded on Holly.
Illestre chuckled as she watched the two humans bickering. They were certainly an odd pair. Neither seemed familiar with Kaldorei culture, though that was to be expected. Her people had been secluded from the other races for so long…until the Orcs appeared in their forests, chopping and burning with appalling abandon. Though they were in the Darkshore region at the moment, her party would soon be shipped to Ashenvale to combat the illegitimate Horde claim on the Eastern border. Silverwing Outpost specifically had suffered many recent attacks. She felt acidic hatred flow through her veins at the thought of her fellow proud Kaldorei who had fallen.
Relia saw her compatriot's sudden change in expression and sighed, guessing at its cause. "Do not worry," she comforted. "We will soon join the rest of our party. Auberdine will see us reequipped and ready. You will see."
Illestre nodded tiredly. "I know, of course. I only wish the Archdruid would take territorial matters more seriously. He thinks only of…"
"Of our lives?" Relia prompted testily. "He works tirelessly to restore our immortality. Tyrande Whisperwind is too shortsighted with regards to"-
Illestre recoiled and rubbed at a nonexistent smudge on her arm. "Our immortality was given for good cause! I…do not relish the thought of aging, but the Burning Legion has been struck low." She tilted her chin up proudly. "I would give mine again, as would many I know. The Archdruid's willingness to compromise our bond with nature has seen Teldrassil corrupted. We can accept mortality. We cannot accept having our homes stolen and perverted."
Relia sucked in a breath. "Do you really think the Burning Legion fell with Archimonde? You know history better than that, Illestre. Yes, our sacrifice was great, but it hardly eradicated the threat. Teldrassil suffers from corruption but illness can be cured. Our souls will be re-entwined with our new World Tree. Such is our place."
The two were silent for a moment, each mulling over the other's views. Each knew the other represented an opinion held by many of the Kaldorei population. Each could see the merit of the other's argument. Strong racial ties and centuries of growing past petty squabbles saw them step back from the point of contention. They finished packing alongside one another and though the conflict was not resolved, it was unimportant for the time being.
Smaller concerns had to be dealt with. They had to reach Auberdine to resupply and receive orders. The humans had to be seen after, which likely meant a sea voyage to the port of Menethil. Illestre did not wish to send the ill-equipped duo over the wide sea without some sort of protection. Relia agreed. Who to send them with? Even after the cooperation during wartime humans rarely ventured to Kaldorei lands. What to do?
"It smells like fish," Maria hissed, poking Holly in the back. "Seriously."
Holly pointedly ignored her friend. She was almost fully absorbed in keeping control of the giant cat they rode. The physical gestures necessary to command the animal were unnervingly similar to riding a horse. The ride itself was vastly different. For one, the gait and impact were much smoother. Riding so close to the ground was utterly bizarre. All the same, there was a comfort in sitting astride a huge feline evolutionary throwback. There was also a rather undignified 'squee, I'm riding a sabrecat' bubbling up, but she chose not to voice it.
Maria clasped Holly around the waist, cheek pressed firmly into the shredded remains of her T-shirt. Holly had refused the offer of a homespun tunic and so looked like a psychotic homeless person, in Maria's opinion. Maria had taken the clothing on Holly's behalf and secreted it away in her own small leather backpack, courtesy of the kind homeowner. Holly could thank her for it later.
This all had to be some kind of joke or hallucination or...who knew what. Still, it all felt so real. Holly's clothes smelled like sweat, she could hear birds overhead, and could quite clearly see the earth and plants they traveled over. Surely she could not imagine things so vividly. Humidity plastered her hair and clothes against her skin, only slightly alleviated by the infrequent sea breeze which came more often the longer they traveled.
"Darkshore," Holly said suddenly, looking around. "I'm sure that's what this is supposed to be. I thought it was…well, a lot smaller."
"Well, the world looks small on a map, too. So in game, what did you play?"
"I...didn't play. I told you. It's a stupid dweeb game...but if I did play, it would be a Horde shammie. Tauren, specifically."
This time Maria whacked her across the shoulder. "You traitor! How could you roll Horde? Why? They're evil!"
"The Tauren are a gentle grassland-dwelling race who are misunderstood," Holly sniffed. Though Maria could not see it, her eyes lit up. "Oh my God, we could see Thunder Bluff! With the elevators and the tipi houses!"
Maria snorted. "Good luck. I don't know if you forgot, but we had better stick to Alliance areas."
"Ah, right. Not dying is sort of the primary goal for now. I still wish I could see Cairne." Holly reined the sabrecat to the left to follow the leading Sentinels. "I wonder how similar this place is to the game."
As if in response a strange cry went up from the darkened wood beyond. To Holly it sounded like some combination of a large bird's keening and a bear's deep bellow. The Sentinels were on alert immediately, swinging their huge mounts in the direction of the sound and dismounting. Holly suddenly felt an overwhelming gratitude for the cat they rode on.
Unlike the wolves, these predators took no pains to disguise their approach. Their bodies rammed through the underbrush and generally created a racket as they barreled toward the small traveling party. Holly and Maria sat astride their mount, paralyzed in fear and overwhelming curiosity.
At last the intruders came into view. Their round bodies were coated in ghostly white feathers and punctuated in flat clawed feet. A strange intelligence burned in their eyes and thick, shining beaks looked capable of removing an arm at the shoulder. Three carried crude metal swords while the fourth swung a gnarled, twisted staff wildly at the Sentinels.
If Holly and Maria had been capable of thinking more clearly or had level heads, they might have remarked upon the Sentinels' expert handling of the situation. Relia, as the more battle-hardened and close-quarter fighter, leapt to the fore and waylaid two sword wielding Moonkin. Seemingly unconcerned for her own safety, the Sentinel aggressively turned her glaive into the bodies of her enemies. Blood and feathers splattered across Relia's weapon and clothing unheeded. She ducked low and feigned to the left, snapping high and to the right when her enemy took the bait. One wickedly sharp glaive blade plunged deep into an attacker's eye. As the beast fell dead its companion howled its outrage and grief, then slammed into the Sentinel. She was momentarily stunned by the impact.
Illestre was not idle. She too jumped into action, glaive at the ready. The staff-wielding Moonkin stopped short of charging her and stood stock still for a moment. It narrowed its black eyes and concentrated. The clearing's air felt charged and tense; Illestre understood what was to come and ducked low. The blast of vivid blue-white lightening sailed just over her right shoulder and at Holly and Maria.
As Illestre charged, Holly and Maria were thrown from their mount in its panic to escape the electrical blast. Maria was tossed inelegantly away to the farthest edge of the clearing, her back slamming into a thick tree trunk. Dazed, she watched as Holly was dragged about wildly by the panicked cat. In horror, she realized one of Holly's feet still sat trapped in its stirrup. She watched as Holly curled at the waist and tried to free herself, all the while skidding on her rear in the mossy earth.
Holly's fingers worked desperately at the thick leather binding her foot to the crazed sabrecat. She had stupidly forgotten that these were not safety stirrups as she was used to. These would not release her foot quickly or easily. The cat veered right suddenly to escape impact with a Moonkin and Holly crashed into it. Feathers gagged her for a moment and she was happily free. Her elation died when she became horribly aware that her aching body was sitting against a struggling, armed Moonkin.
Holly rolled away and scrabbled desperately for her hunting knife. She came away empty handed. Where the fuck was it? What the hell was she supposed to do?
An enormous clawed foot raked at her, inches from her face. Holly cried out and scrambled to a standing position. The Moonkin stabbed at her and she dove away. The beast was a young warrior amongst its tribe; the invader would not escape him so easily. In his rage at the death of his comrade he sought revenge on the human. Holly felt a push of air and ducked away again, barely missing the foot's talons that sought to tear her spine from her back.
A glinting in the corner of her eye caught her attention as she fell again. Blessedly, as if through divine providence, lay one of the Sentinel's spears. Holly seized it and swung the point upward as the fleshy, feathered body of the Moonkin fell onto it. Its eyes bulged in surprise and agony as the weapon effectively disemboweled it. It collapsed onto her as she clung to the spear.
Illestre disarmed the Shaman Moonkin as it attempted to cast another spell. Her glaive flashed in the moonlight and the beast soon lay dead, his throat slashed open. She turned to aid Relia, only to find that her partner had finished dispatching her foes as well. The Sentinel swung to check on the humans. She gasped in surprise. A Moonkin lay dead nearby, one of the human's feet sticking out awkwardly from underneath it. Could it be that the girl had done battle? Despite herself she was impressed. She had killed it, even!
Maria wheezed and peeled herself from the trunk of the tree. Her body would not allow her to move quickly at all, but she had to help Holly if she could. The Sentinels reached Holly and the Moonkin quicker. They plucked the great weight off the girl and tossed it aside. To their consternation, Holly was blinking slowly up at them in a stupefied fashion.
Relia leaned down and gave the girl a good slap to bring her around. Holly did not even give notice. Maria reached them and sat next to her friend. She gripped one of her bloodied hands and squeezed.
"Holly?" she asked, leaning in close. "Holly, please, are you okay? Can you hear me? Do you know that I'm speaking to you?" In the tense seconds that followed Maria squeezed her hand again. It was slick with thick, fresh blood that had flooded down the spear shaft and onto Holly's skin. She began to cry. "Please, oh, God, Holly, get up! Insult me! Do something!" In the sudden stillness after battle she felt hyper-aware. Lightening bugs flashed irregularly nearby and the dark of night pressed in on all sides. She couldn't really be watching her friend die, could she?
"…M'ria?"
"Oh my God! Oh, God, Holly! I thought you were brain damaged or dying or I don't know what!" Maria sniffled and wiped at her runny nose.
"Very…very important, M'ria…" Holly rasped. Her face was dead serious, eyes boring into her friend.
Maria leaned in, wholly focused on what her friend was trying to say. "Yes?"
"Need to tell…you need to know…"
Maria began to sob in earnest.
Holly took a deep breath. Her voice came out strong and angry. "Your breath could knock a buzzard off a shit truck at fifty yards. Get off me!" Holly pushed Maria off her chest and sat upright.
"You-I can't even-you stupid bitch, I thought you were going to die!" Instead of slapping Holly, Maria tackled her at the waist, flattening her again. Holly would have preferred the slap.
"Breath! Nasty, skanky breath! Halitosis breath! Off, off, and away!" Holly gurgled from the dogpile. She managed to disentangle herself from the frantic Maria.
Relia turned to Illestre. "You see? There is more to them than we previously thought. She attacked the Moonkin in defense."
Illestre frowned. It certainly seemed that way. "Did you not see the battle?"
"I was quite busy at the time. I take it you did not see her fight either?"
"I did not, no." Illestre cocked an eyebrow. "Perhaps we would be remiss in not attempting to find a teacher of some sort for them. The tall one has courage, if not the experience. Maria might also have some aptitude for defense. The Alliance needs all the able bodied soldiers it can acquire…or create."
Relia looked skeptical. "I would be more likely to label Holly's victory an accident."
Illestre, always an optimist, disagreed. "I tell you, human women can be fierce. Perhaps they are not Kaldorei caliber, but at the least they could learn to protect themselves. With all manner of Trolls, Undead, and rcs about, it would be good."
"Let us decide this later. As it is we must now clean our weapons and redistribute our weight load. One mount has fled." Relia heaved a breath and got to work.
"Thankfully we are close to Auberdine. The militia leader there will need to know that the Moonkin have grown bolder. I cannot believe they attacked us so close to the town!" Illestre wiped a rag across a gore-coated glaive blade.
"I must wonder if they are advancing, or if they are being forced from their strongholds," Relia mused. "Perhaps once they were friendly with our people, but their corruption has driven them mad. The wolves that attacked the humans were also unusual. The Ghostpaw bloodline is of Ashenvale origin, is it not?"
"It is," agreed Illestre. "I had not thought of that. Curious indeed and more than a little alarming. When was the last time Auberdine received a scouting report?"
Relia mulled the question over. "In all honesty I do not know. I recall that such ventures had been stretched thinly due to the lack of trained scouts, but I have been along Darkshore's coastline for the past year, checking in on the citizenry."
"At any rate, we can mention our observations and concerns to the Auberdine defense." Illestre stretched and sighed. "I suppose we'll have to bear the humans with us as riders. I will take the smelly one and you may have the small one."
"Well, make sure Holly changes her clothes. She's got fresh blood all over her and you certainly do not want that to foul you." Relia motioned to Maria to join her.
The caravan was soon on its way, winding toward Auberdine. Holly sat sullenly behind Illestre, sulking at the homespuns she was forced into wearing. Maria goggled about in childlike wonder at their surroundings. Her diligence was rewarded; she sighted the gray peaks of Auberdine's buildings first.
"Holly!" She squealed. "Look! We're really here!"
Holly harrumphed and glowered. "Great. More fishy smell and all the disgusting seafood I can eat, all while wearing stupid scratchy thermal underwear."
Maria chose to ignore her friend's lack of enthusiasm. She was focused on the surroundings intently. The peaks of the buildings, while faintly visible, were mostly obscured by the fog rolling in from the sea. Faint lights glowed at the buildings' pinnacles. As they drew closer she could see the delicate nature of the architecture. Roofs seemed to glide down through the fog and ended in rolling carvings. Despite the thick fog many windows were open and unshuttered. She supposed that the townspeople had grown very used to the weather after living there for centuries.
To Maria's delight Kaldorei seemed everywhere. She had thought there would be more children but so far had seen only one, and he an adolescent at least. Well, the Kaldorei did have long lives. They could put childbirth and family life off for quite awhile.
Night elves bustled past the riders, paying them little heed. All seemed long and lean and utterly, hatefully beautiful. Holly felt squat and ungainly compared to them, though she knew she was not fat or flabby. Simply by comparison any human had to feel bulky. Many of the town's citizens carried baskets of fish or fruit in their arms or on top of their heads. A market of some sort was ahead as well. Her breath caught as she caught sight of a group of sooty dwarves, for they could be nothing else, around a glowing forge and anvil. She knew she was staring and probably incredibly rude but she couldn't help herself. A human man stopped to speak with a dwarf merchant under his canopied cart. Holly stared at the scene, utterly transfixed.
Beyond the sea rolled into the Auberdine shoreline. Mist rose from the surface languidly and was buffeted about by the odd sea breeze. Relia and Illestre smiled. Finally, they would be able to resupply and receive their orders. First, however, they would need to find suitable guardians for the humans and see them off.
Author's Note: Finally in town! The next chapter features looking for a group and the dreaded ninja'ing of items by a unscrupulous bit of riff-raff. Also, could it be that Holly stumbles across someone attractive? Maria's already infatuated with the Druid Ferend, and he makes an appearance next chapter as well.