Scouting Out The Enemy

"This place is different to what we were just in." Athrodar said, looking over to Melonara who nodded her head.

"Less trees but more... Magic?" Melonara suggested, looking over to their third member Velonara.

"It does have a magical feel to it." Athrodar agreed, also looking over to Velonara who looked awestruck by the environment. "Don't you agree?" He asked, watching the ranger nod.

"It feels like home, but.. Different." Velonara told them. "Back home you could feel the magic in the air, it's just like here but it feels thinner?" She shook her head at her own statement. "Maybe not thinner but definitely less potent."

"We should find somewhere to make camp for an hour or two." Athrodar suggested, looking around the immediate surroundings to find a place to both make camp and to spot any potential demons in the area. "Then we take it in turns scouting in one direction and then another until we find them."

Melonara nodded her head in agreement. "Sounds like a solid plan to me." She said, patting Velonara on the back. "Let's go."

The three of them made their way further in to Azshara, finding several ancient statues and relics of their people's past along the way towards their camping spot, making Melonara stop several times to admire their work. "Look, once we find the Burning Legion, I'll let you pick one and take it home with you." Athrodar told her, getting a laugh from both rangers with him.

"I'm taking the biggest one back and you're going to help me." Melonara told him, making Athrodar laugh now.

"Deal." He agreed, looking over to Velonara who waved them over. "I think we may have found a place to camp." He said, making his way over to Velonara who pointed over to a group of trees that looked perfect to camp in for an hour or two.

"I'll take first leave." Velonara told them. "I'll be ten minutes, maybe twenty."

"Don't get caught." Athrodar told her, sitting down in front of a nearby tree and leaning back against it, pulling his hood further down his face to cover his eyes and focus on napping. "Wake me up when she returns."

"Taking the next leave then?" Melonara asked, sitting beside a boulder opposite Athrodar.

"Yup." He told her, folding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes. "Now if you'll excuse me, it's nap time."

Melonara smiled and made her way over to him, sitting beside the Lieutenant and resting her head on his shoulder. "Can your little sister rest beside you?"

Athrodar chuckled lightly and rest his head against hers. "Sure." He told her.

"I've never known someone to train so often."

Lor'themar looked over to Captain Elaria who stood beside him, smiling and returning his attention to Sylvanas. "Growing up with her and then competing to be the better ranger for decades against her, she gets like this when she's angry, upset or is looking for a distraction."

Elaria began to grin, folding her arms and watching the General train with five of her rangers. "I take it she's like this because that Lieutenant was sent away on a mission for the High Priestess?" She asked, watching Lor'themar nod his head.

"Almost likely." He told her. "Last time she was this into her training was shortly after her sister had left to fight the orcs on their home world." Lor'themar smiled a little but then looked over to Sylvanas who had knocked down three out of the five rangers surrounding her and changing his smile into a frown. "I didn't think she would fall back into this with him being gone, but clearly they are closer than I gave them credit for."

"Or she is dying to sleep with him but his job as a scout keeps getting in the way." Elaria said, looking over to Lor'themar who suddenly went red. "Interesting... I didn't think you would get embarrassed by that."

"She's a close friend of mine... I wasn't thinking about that at all." Lor'themar told her, hearing Elaria laugh.

"Fair point." She said, looking back over to Sylvanas. "I bet it is that though. It's probably been days since the last time they were together and if it's as new as I've heard, then they are both dying to jump in the sack together."

Lor'themar frowned at the Captain. "Is this really what you're thinking about now?"

Elaria shrugged her shoulders. "Of course. It's all I ever think about when I'm not on duty. Who's doing who, who can I sleep with, who have I slept with." She began to drift off when she thought about the last point, not noticing Lor'themar was calling for her.

"Captain?" He asked for the fifth time, finally snapping her out of her trance like state when he spoke loud enough. "I was going to ask if you believed the Burning Legion was actually here or not."

"I think it is." Elaria told him. "Too many coincidences for them not to be here. If everything is pointing to the bad guy, it has to be the bad guy, so to speak."

Lor'themar nodded his head slowly, looking over to Sylvanas who walked away from the five exhausted rangers she was sparring with and began to make her way over to the two of them. "I think you've broken them, General." He said, getting a roll of the eyes from Sylvanas.

"I best get them to work on their stamina then." Sylvanas said, looking Elaria up and down. "How about you?"

"As fun as it would be to spar with you, General, I have been tasked to watch over all of you to make sure nothing gets destroyed." Elaria told her with a fake smile, hating that she was on a glorified babysitting mission.

"Fair enough." Sylvanas replied, looking over to Lor'themar. "Theron, you're up. Let's go."

Lor'themar sighed and began to walk forward. "Fine..."

"Good boy." Sylvanas said teasingly, grinning at him when he shook his head. "Don't worry, it will be quick."

"Hellscream." Thrall called out, walking beside Jaina who was in the middle of both her and Cairne. "Grom, we need to talk." He then said, watching several Orcs appear from the trees surrounding them. "No..." Thrall muttered, noticing the red, glowing eyes on all of them. "Grom!" He yelled, trying to find him in the crowd.

"Calm yourself, son of Durotan. I know why you are here." Grom walked out into the open, holding onto his axe and looking down at his other hand, opening and closing the palm of it. "I couldn't resist him, Thrall. The pointy ears were slaughtering us, they were protecting their trees and I was trying to protect our people."

"By drinking demon blood!?" Thrall exclaimed, stepping forward and exposing Jaina to him. "You should have left, these forests are dangerous and we have heard the demons are near." Thrall began to frown at the orc before him. "What do you mean you couldn't resist him?"

"The demon is here. His blood was what we all drank to fight off these pointy ears." Hellscream looked over to Cairne and the Jaina, lifting his axe up and holding onto it with both hands. "What is this pink skin doing here?"

Thrall looked back to Jaina and Cairne, giving the mage a reassuring nod before looking back to Grommash. "She's here to help you, we all are. Even more so now than before if that demon is here."

Cairne looked over to Jaina who looked both uncomfortable and a little scared to be there, gently placing a hand on her back and watching her jump a little. "I'll keep you safe, Lady Proudmoore." He told her. "But I think Thrall has this under control."

"I hope so." Jaina muttered, holding onto her staff tightly and watching Grom and the orcs around him closely and preparing herself to use a spell if the conversation takes a turn.

"Let us help you with this curse, Grom. Then we can face this demon together and be rid of him and his blood curse." Thrall suggested, watching Grom think about the proposal for a good couple minutes before having his judgement clouded by the demon blood coursing within his veins.

"How do I know you won't kill me?" Grom asked, holding onto his axe tightly as if he was about to attack.

"We won't kill you, brother." Thrall told him, holding onto his hammer and getting ready to parry the attack should Grom strike first. "Let us try to help you."

Grommash looked back and forth between Jaina and Thrall, settling to look at the orc and lowering his guard a little. "Fine. If you help us with this, we will push on to defeat that demon once and for all."

Thrall nodded his head in agreement. "We can do that."

"Good." Grom said, dropping his axe. "They have orders to kill you all should I die during your experiment."

Thrall looked around at the other orcs and slowly nodded his head. "Then we will make sure you survive this."

Athrodar slowly woke up from his short seven hour nap, looking over to Velonara who sat in front of him, eating her dinner. "Morning." She said to him, watching him sit up and look around, smiling when he noticed it was dark out. "About an hour ago now." She told him, looking up at the sky. "That's when it went dark."

"Why didn't you two wake me up?" Athrodar asked, rubbing his eyes, stretching and yawning.

"Melonara and I both agreed you needed to rest after basically working non stop since we arrived in Kalimdor. Scouting missions, patrols, guard duty... You're going to overdo it." Velonara handed him a roll. . "Eat and when she returns, you can go looking for the demons."

Athrodar took a bite from the roll he was handed, looking over to Velonara who focused on eating once more. "You know I'm your Lieutenant, right? You're getting a little comfortable with giving me orders."

"Sorry." Velonara told him, glancing up to the Lieutenant shortly after. "With how Melonara and the others are around you, I thought it was okay to talk to you like we're all equal."

Athrodar began to grin and watched the ranger frown at him. "I'm only pulling your leg, it's fine. Unless it's a serious matter, I don't really care as long as you know when to listen to orders."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't be in the General's company if I didn't know." Velonara told him, smiling at the Lieutenant. "Speaking of, how are things with you and the General? I've been trying to keep my nose out of it, but it's all the company can talk about since we've arrived here."

"Want some inside knowledge, huh?" Athrodar asked, watching the ranger grin. "Okay, then I'll tell you. I feel like she has something on her mind, but she won't tell me when I ask if she's okay the moment I catch her looking troubled."

Velonara frowned, not expecting that from him. "Hmm... Maybe you should ask her again when you see her like that and tell her you won't leave until she tells you."

Athrodar nodded his head slowly. "That could work." He muttered, looking o er to Melonara who returned to the just as he finished speaking, doubling over in exhaustion as she tried to catch her breath. "What happened?" The Lieutenant asked the moment he saw her.

"I found them..." Melonara told them, taking a deep breath. "They're along the coast to the east."

"How many?" Athrodar asked her, handing his second a water pouch.

"Thousands. Too many to count, that's for sure. At least ten times what we brought from Silvermoon, maybe five times what we have all together with the orcs, tauren and humans."

"We need to inform the rest of them." Athrodar said, packing up their camp. "Hopefully their numbers are enough to force the High Priestess into action."

"I hope so too." Velonara agreed, looking over to Melonara who nodded her head in agreement.

"I didn't hit you that hard." Sylvanas said, shaking her head at Lor'themar who was holding onto his arm.

"No, you didn't. But repeatedly hitting me in the same place tends to make it hurt after a while." Lor'themar told her in return, hearing his General laugh whilst they sat together to eat dinner for that night. "So I have to ask, seeing as you've brutally injured me."

Sylvanas sighed and rolled her eyes, watching him grin at her at the description of their sparring match. "It wasn't brutal."

"Agree to disagree." Lor'themar retorted, laughing when he saw her shake her head. "Anyway, seeing as you've brutally injured me, I want to know what brought on this sudden urge to train like there's no tomorrow?" He began to raise an eyebrow slowly when he saw Sylvanas look away and place her hand on her necklace. "Is it because the Lieutenant is away?" He asked her now, softening his voice to make her feel calmer than she looked.

"More or less." Sylvanas told him, rubbing her thumb over the jewel in her necklace. "He's been away before whilst we've been here, but this one feels different." She looked over to the Ranger Lord who was waiting for her to explain. "I think it's because he's actively looking for the enemy now. An enemy we have no knowledge of personally other than from book of our history." She looked down at the necklace in her hand now. "I think I'm scared he'll get caught whilst he's out there and I'll never see him again."

"He's a Sunblade." Lor'themar told her, watching Sylvanas look up to him and smiling back at her. "They're notoriously hard to kill." He then said, watching her look away and noticing her face turn to one of sadness. "Unless you know something I don't?"

"His father died a week ago. I... I haven't told anyone except the Prince and Clea... And now I suppose you." Sylvanas closed her eyes and held onto the necklace tightly. "I... I'm scared to tell him. I've waited too long and by now they've had the funeral. Dael'thaelas wouldn't wait for him, we both know that and he tends to do things as soon as possible so there's no doubt they've had it." Sylvanas sighed and lowered her head. "I don't know what to do."

"Make your mind up quickly, because the scouts have just returned." Lor'themar told her, nodding over to Athrodar, Melonara and Velonara in the distance. "Tell him or keep it a secret, I don't want to be involved anymore than I already am." He then said, standing up and leaving the General by herself.

When Sylvanas saw Athrodar look over to her, she smiled at him and got a smile back in return, only to watch him walk in the opposite direction of her and into a building on the other side of the village they were all in. "He's found them." She told herself, standing up and making her way over to the building.

The moment she entered the building, she heard the three scouts give their report to the High Priestess, Arch Druid and General of the Kaldorei. "... Thousands of them all along them coast, more than I could ever hope to count." Melonara told them. "We checked everywhere else, they're only gathering at the shore but I am certain they are easily five times what we've got. Maybe ten."

"Did I hear that right?" Sylvanas asked, stepping towards them. "Five times the numbers we have?"

Athrodar nodded his head, looking over to the General. "That's what she saw. I believe her too."

"That's enough, right?" Sylvanas now asked, looking over to Tyrande and Malfurion. "You don't need anything else to make up your minds, surely? Thousands of demons at your doorstep, please tell me you won't leave us to fend for ourselves against them?"

Tyrande and Malfurion both looked at each other, the High Priestess nodding slowly and looking back over to the General. "Whilst we wait for the other group to be done with the task we have set them, we will not say whether or not we will join you in the fight."

"Although with the news of the Burning Legions return, we will make an exception." Malfurion told them. "The Burning Legion are a threat we have dealt with before, we would be going back against everything we fought for the first time we faced them if we turned away our help now." Malfurion looked back over to Tyrande who placed a hand over the top of his.

"Our people were one during those times." Tyrande told them, looking back over to the three scouts and General. "Although we disagreed with your ancestors use of magic before their banishment, I dare say it might be the only thing we disagreed with." She focused on Sylvanas. "After this war, perhaps we can get an audience with your Prince and talk things over. After all, ten thousand years is a long time to remain banished from your cousins."

Sylvanas smiled a little and looked over to Athrodar, Melonara and Velonara. "I think that might be something that the Prince might accept." She said, returning her attention to the High Priestess and Arch Druid. "But it's also up to our King and Convocation to make a final decision on such a thing."

"A matter for another time." Tyrande told them. "Today however, we will talk and begin to move our forces towards Azshara. As for you all, you may stay until we are ready to move out and face the demons. Most of our forces are at the World Tree in Hyjal. It shouldn't take more than a week to move everyone down here."

The four of them bowed to the High Priestess and Arch Druid, leaving the building shortly after and being told by Sylvanas to rest and grab some food. "Not you." Sylvanas said, taking hold of Athrodar's arm. "I need you."

Athrodar nodded his head slowly. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

Sylvanas smiled and shook her head. "No, you misunderstand. I need you." She told him, stepping forward and moving a hand between his legs. "It's been a while since the last time." She purred, feeling him twitch in her hand and grinning. "And every time we try, we get interrupted." She looked around and saw nobody was looking their way, grinning wider and removing her hand from between his legs, taking hold of his hand instead and nodding over to her tent. "I have been bullying my rangers and Lord Theron today because I have been dying to be alone with you."

Athrodar laughed and was dragged towards the General's tent. "Poor thing." He said, stopping in the middle of her tent when she stopped walking, moving his hands to her waist when she span around to face him and feeling her wrap her arms around his neck. "So is my mission to please the General tonight?"

"It is." Sylvanas cooed, gazing into his eyes when she felt him pull down her hood. "I need you to distract me from everything that has been going on lately. Just for tonight."

"With pleasure." Athrodar whispered, kissing his General and feeling her melt into the kiss.

"Lay down." Sylvanas told him, taking off her cloak and then her boots whilst Athrodar laid down in front of her. Once she was ready, Sylvanas sat down on his lap and leaned down to start kissing him again, moving her hands up to his head and pushing her fingers through his hair. "Did I mentioned that I have missed you?"

"No, but it doesn't hurt to hear it." Athrodar said, moving a hand under her tunic and lightly stroking his fingers across her back. "I have missed you too." He told her, watching her smile and moving his hands to her back now. "And if I'm being honest, I don't want to leave for several days." He told her, watching a smile slowly creep across her face. "I want to stay beside my General, making sure she is safe and happy."

Sylvanas felt her heart swell, laying on top of him completely now and hugging him tightly. "Hearing you say that makes me love you so much." She told him, pressing her ear to his chest and being sat up when Athrodar sat up too, holding onto him whilst he kissed her on the top of her head. "I don't deserve you."

"Nonsense. The General of Silvermoon and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen deserves the world." Athrodar told her, pulling her off him so he could look at her properly. "And I will give you the world. Maybe not now or in the next decade, but we have so much time left together, I will try my hardest to give you it."

"Can I ask you something?" Sylvanas asked him, watching Athrodar nod and placing a hand on his cheek. "Will you make love to me?" She asked, watching him tilt his head a little. "I don't want it to be hard, fast and something that will make me weak in the knees... I just want to hold onto you, gaze into yours eyes and enjoy every second of our time together in the slow, passionate lovemaking session that we could have."

Athrodar began to slowly smile and nodded his head. "I'd be more than happy to, General." He whispered to her, slowly taking off her tunic and then taking off his. "I'll make sure we never lose eye contact too if that's what you want?" He offered, watching her nod her head slowly as the nerves began to kick in. "Okay. Just relax and I will do whatever it is you want of me."

"Kiss me, before we start." She told him softly, placing a hand on his face when he gently kissed her again. "Tell me you love me." She said, wanting and needing to hear him say that all of a sudden.

"I love you." Athrodar whispered in her ear, kissing her on the neck shortly after. "More than anything." He added, feeling her wrap her arms around him and dig her nails into his back a little when he continued to kiss her neck. "More than anyone else." He then added, pulling down both his and then her ranger leggings and feeling Sylvanas wrap her legs around his waist the moment he slowly entered her. "You're my General." He said when he thrust forward slowly. "My lover." He then told her, feeling her arms and legs grip onto him tighter on the second thrust. "My world." He then whispered on the third thrust, hearing her whimper in his ear. "Is that enough?" He asked her, pulling back from her neck to gaze into her eyes and watch her nod her head.

"It was more than enough." She told him, not noticing the tears welling up in her eyes at his heartfelt confession. "Now show me how much you love me."

The next half an hour was filled with the soft moans of their love making. Sylvanas kept her arms and legs wrapped around him the entire time whilst they both gazed into each other's eyes, neither one of them wanting to look anywhere else as they grew significantly closer to one another throughout the whole thing. When they were done, Sylvanas moved a fur blanket over the two of them and cuddled up to him as close as she could get, letting out a satisfied sigh that was met by Athrodar placing an arm around her and dragging her in a little closer.

"Well worth the wait since our last session on the ship." Sylvanas whispered, pressing her ear to his chest. "Now you're officially mine." She added, hearing him chuckle lightly.

"That was never in doubt." He told her, kissing the top of her head. "The only elf I have grown this many feelings for."

Sylvanas closed her eyes and smiled, both listening to his heartbeat and his words. "Missions accomplished then." She whispered, hearing him chuckle some more. "Have you really not loved someone besides me?" She asked when she began to get curious.

Athrodar thought about it for close to a minute before shaking his head. "Not love, no. I had a crush on a few people throughout my life, but nothing has ever come from it except that. You're the first woman I've ever loved outside of my family." He looked down to Sylvanas and saw her looking up at him, placing a hand on her face and watching her close her eyes. "And I couldn't be happier with the person I love."

"You know you're the first person I've ever loved." Sylvanas told him. "I spent most of my time focusing on my job and didn't look at anything else."

"Really?" Athrodar asked, surprised. "What about that human you made a Ranger Lord? What was his name?"

"Nathanos?" Sylvanas asked, watching Athrodar nod. "I never loved him. I saw something special in him, sure. I knew he could be a fantastic ranger and he proved me right and the rest of them wrong, but I never had those feelings for him." Sylvanas began to think about the Ranger Lord. "Come to think of it, I don't know what has happened to him. He has probably perished to the undead as he left to return home the moment we got word of them... If he has fallen, we have lost a good ranger."

"I say we go look for him when we return home then." Athrodar told her, watching Sylvanas frown at him. "If he's as good as you say he is, it wouldn't hurt to have a human Ranger Lord in our ranks if ever we need to get something from the humans."

"There's that politician in you coming through." Sylvanas told him, chuckling when she saw him look away form her. "Fight it all you want, your family are built for that life eventually. You'll be a leading politician in the Convocation and I'll be your extremely beautiful and still young looking General wife."

Athrodar laughed and held her closely to his chest. "The rest of them will be jealous."

"Yes they will." Sylvanas agreed, closing her eyes and enjoying every second of being back in his arms. "I don't know what it is, but whenever you're here you always make me feel better. I was really agitated and liked hitting my rangers during out sparring practices whilst you were away, but having you back puts me at ease and happy."

"That's because you love me." Athrodar told her, feeling her nod her head against his chest. "And you know I love you too."

"I do." She whispered to him. "I never want to be away from you again..." She admitted, cuddling up to him a little closer. "I don't want this to leave this tent, but I hate that you have to leave for scouting missions and a part of me wants to keep you beside me the entire time and get someone else to go instead. Though... You're the best scout we have and I would be putting the rest of us in danger if someone else went and missed something you wouldn't."

"Then how about this. I request a transfer when we return home from a scout to just your Lieutenant Ranger. That way I could be your second in command and never leave your side again." He told her, hearing nothing in response and thinking she fell asleep until she began to speak again.

"That could work." Sylvanas told him after thinking about the idea. "Of course there could be some of my rangers who say I have a bias towards you."

"Something I think we both knew going into this." Athrodar told her, hearing Sylvanas laugh.

"True." She said, pulling back a little to look up at him. "Then I suppose we could do that. I have you as my second and my lover at the same time. You'll never leave my company or side again and we can spend the rest of our lives, loving each other and fighting beside one another." She placed a hand on his face and watched him lean into it. "We will learn each other's habits in battle too and be so in sync that nothing can touch us."

Athrodar laughed and leaned forward to kiss her, pressing his head against hers when they broke apart. "Always have to bring it back to us being in a fight together." He said, closing his eyes and smiling. "It would make us almost impossible to defeat."

"Then that's the plan on our return home." She told him, moving her head to his chest again and closing her eyes. "I'm going to go sleep now. Hold me whilst we both sleep."

"Will do." Athrodar told her, wrapping his arms around her and closing his eyes shortly after.