Author's Note: A lot of the people that are up an coming to this Fanfiction are b ased on the characters my friends play and those who have interacted with Cera in game. While their meeting in this story is not exactly the same as it was within WoW, it's still somewhat similar, and was exaggerated a little to add to the story rather then hinder it cause their meetings in game were simple or I had forgotten how they met. I want to thank all my friends for giving me permission to include their awesome characters in my story. ^_^

Chapter Two

Homeless

Cera was placed on a boat bound for Stormwind with several other Gilneans. Before their departure each one was taught how to control their worgen side when and when not they wished to be seen in it. As soon as she had learned to return to her normal self it was what she had done, she never wished to see that other horrible beast she had become. The king of Stormwind had been informed of the incoming group, and as such had given an announcement to his city to treat these people as what they were, people.

Not everyone agreed with their king, and in response to these new people, new worgen as many stated, greeting their new citizens with sneers and dirty looks. Cera was hopelessly confused, she didn't understand why she was here, why she couldn't go back to her home in Gilneas. Had the city been over run by feral worgen? She thought to ask some of the other people, but she wasn't sure how to. The Gilneans that chose to remain in worgen form scared her, and most of the ones that remained human were too upset in their own rights. It was best to leave everyone alone.

The boat was docked at the harbor, Gilneans alike being shuttled out like sheep from pasture. Cera was among them, looking up at the large city from where she could see it. She was much shorter compared to other humans, and even in that accursed other form, she was short. Being able to see anything at her height was more then an achievement. She was lucky enough to be able to see past any of the people around her.

As predicted the people of Stormwind were not as friendly as one may have thought. Dirty looks were given, people talked of them in whispers as they passed. It was hard to walk with the feeling of heavy stares boring down upon them.

"Why has the king allowed these beasts into our city?" One woman whispered to another.

"What if they turn on us?"

"They are not safe! What will the children think of nightmarish beasts walking the streets!"

Each person they passed, each insult whispered behind their backs was like a slap in the face to Cera.

No, I'm not like them … I'm not a beast … I'm not a vision of nightmare! She thought to herself as a man gave her a disgusted look. The group of people had soon dispersed, leaving Cera to her own. What was she going to do now? A day ago she was living her semi happy life in Gilneas, eating apples, working her job at the market, and living each day as peaceful as the last. Suddenly in mere hours her life was changed, for the worst.

Cera found herself wandering the streets aimlessly, in a daze and almost zombie like. She didn't know where she was going, she didn't even know where she was. It felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, and it didn't help that she felt like she didn't know anything. Cera had lived a sheltered life, her entire existence was spent behind the wall of Greymane, she had no knowledge of anything that happened, that went on beyond it. She really had no clue as to why the wall was built.

She never questioned why though, for that wall signified solitude, strong will, and protection. Who would want to question something that protected? Since she knew nothing of went on beyond the wall, she never wished to know, lest it disrupt the peaceful life she lived. Now she was practically ripped from that dream life she had and thrown to the wolves in a sense. She could no longer claim her old life, she was no longer human. As much as she refused to accept it, she was a Worgen, and nothing could ever change that now.

"Hey, do you think this one's still alive?"

"Poke her again!" The light snicker of children greeted Ceralena this morning, along with a jab in the side with a stick. She winced, quickly smacking the stick away as her eyes shot open, glaring at the two boys from behind her glasses.

"AH! RUN! BEORE SHE TURNS INTO A WOLF MAN!" One of them cried out, the both of them rushing off and laughing. Wrapped in a dirty blanket, Cera was finally waking up. She was homeless, living within the streets of Stormwind like one of the many already homeless people there. Although a large amount of them had migrated to Westfall, most Gilneans stayed within the city. A large amount of them had found jobs and had returned to a semi normal life.

Cera didn't have any extraordinary skills. She tried writing like her mother, but wasn't as skilled. The only thing she had to fall back on was craftsmanship. She had practiced making jewelery, and when she had the materials she would make some and sell them for money in order to keep herself alive. They weren't fantastic, but they were home made, and held more sentimental value rather then something from one of the larger shops.

Today she wasn't feeling too well, she didn't even feel like moving. She forced herself up however, throwing the dirty blanket aside and smoothing out her hair as she could. She certainly didn't look presentable. It had been a week since she first arrived in Stormwind, she mostly kept to herself as people avoided her like the plague, but she kind of knew her way around the city now.

She stayed in the Old Town district of the city, there were plenty of alleys, places she could sleep and once in a while a sympathetic citizen would give her food from the local pub "Pig and Whistle" when she couldn't afford something on her own. A simple walk for today was all she needed, once the "new kid on the block" fad died down she'd be able to walk freely without criticizing eyes on her.

The training grounds were rather empty in the morning, so Cera took the opportunity to sit around in the quiet. This morning however it seemed she wasn't the only one who had that idea. Cera stopped in her tracks at the sound of sword hitting wood, a young man in simple plate armor and a sword and shield whacked away at one of the training dummies. He looked to be in his early twenties, long brown hair tied back in a rogue knot. He had deep brown eyes that almost looked black if one saw them from a distance.

He occasionally would throw around lights that did much damage to his targets, causing Cera's attention to stick to him. She hid herself behind a tree, watching what he was doing, she had never seen anything like that before! This warrior was somehow able to call upon the Light and use it to his will! He didn't seem to notice her watching him, which she was very much grateful for. In order to better understand what he was she decided to take notes, getting a small notebook and a quill from her satchel.

Cera began taking notes, writing everything he did as she quietly observed him from behind the tree. It wasn't long though before the man realized he had eyes upon him, and stopped, looking around for the source. She stopped writing, hiding herself farther behind the tree, not noticing that her back end was sticking out from the other side of the tree.

"Who's there?" He looked at the other side of the tree where her back was seen, she gritting her teeth before moving forward to step out from behind the tree.

"How were you doing that?" Cera suddenly asked, disregarding his question.

"Doing what?" He returned, a little confusion in his voice.

"That thing with the Light, how were you using it, you don't look like any priest I've seen..."

"Using … priest … what?"

"How were you telling the Light to attack that dummy?" Cera shouted and pointed at the dummy he was recently hitting.

"I'm a paladin..." The man spoke low, shy demeanor. He then fell completely silent once he realized he was holding a conversation with a woman. Ceralena let herself sit on the ground, pen and pad ready as she looked at him expectantly. He wasn't sure what to say, he wasn't terribly well at talking with women in the first place and with this one that had been watching him from behind a tree, he was a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"My name is Ceralena Lambelle, who are you?" Cera introduced herself after a large amount of silence. Normally she didn't give the time of day to anyone here, but for some reason this young man seemed different. She really wanted to know who he was and how he did what he did. At first he didn't say anything, half tempted to turn around and continue what he was doing, ignoring her, but finally he sighed, speaking softly and shyly.

"Balverine Carrick."

"Nice name." She nodded in approval. Balverine looked around nervously, as if looking for a way to escape the conversation. He then looked down as she now stood in front of him, holding her hand out for a shake. He watched her before taking it, giving a soft smile. He noticed her disheveled appearance, messy hair, she looked like she had not bathed for a while, luckily she didn't smell like it yet.

"Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before till now." He asked her politely, Cera releasing his hand with a light blush.

"I just arrived here a week ago actually. I come from-" Cera stopped herself. She knew how people treated her if they knew she was Gilnean, and if this man was anything like the people of this city, she knew better then to tell him where she came from. "... in the mountains..."

"The mountains?" He said with more confusion in his voice. Lucky for Cera she didn't have the accent most Gilneans did, so she could easily hide her identity when it came to this.

"Yup, deep in the mountains!" She affirmed her answer. "Now, could you explain to me what a … Paladin is?"

"Oh … um … well..." He began to speak. He wasn't the one to come to for information, but since he was the only one there, he decided to share the knowledge he had. He began to explain to her what Paladins were, how they did what they did, and where they originated. Cera soaked up the information like a sponge, writing down what she could to have it for later use.

The conversation went on for a while, the both of them growing more comfortable in each others presence. Cera didn't feel the need to worry about how he saw her and well … Balverine simply felt better he didn't have to contribute to the talk alone. It soon had gotten dark, the two standing and saying their good-byes. It seemed like to her that she had finally made a friend in the city, he was nice to her, didn't think less of her if she looked a mess, and even helped her learn some things she didn't know before.

"Ceralena, where do you live? I'll walk you home, make sure you're alright." Balverine asked her with a small bashful smile.

"O-Oh! No that's alright … It's … right in town here, you know!" Cera laughed nervously, waving her hands in front of her in denial. "T-Thanks for all the input! See you later!"

"Wait!" He attempted to talk her out of it but she was already rushing off, he giving a simple wave and a confused look. "Alright, bye then..."

Once Cera was sure she was out of eyesight she gave a soft sigh, smiling softly as she hugged herself. Finally! A friend of some sort! She was more excited about this then one person should be, but in her situation is was a miracle she had friends at all. She walked back to her alley with a skip in her step and a smile on her face, the happiest she had been in the past days.

She arrived at her spot when that smile on her face was suddenly gone, looking down where her dirty blanket should have been she was met with nothing. She looked around the area, wondering if one of the other homeless took it, but couldn't find anything at all. With a sigh she sat down, crossing her arms with a disappointed grunt.

A hard object was thrown at her head, causing her to yelp out as she flailed her arms over her head, taking cover from the assault. The children from earlier laughed as they pointed at her, waving a few bones in their hands.

"Here doggy, have a bone!" One snickered at her, throwing another at her. She flinched as it hit her again, she grabbing one of the two that were thrown at her and chucking it back at them. The two children screamed from the sudden lash out and turned running off, dropping their things as they did. Cera frowned as she looked down at the ground, arms crossing around herself under her chest as she held herself.

The night had passed on for her luckily uneventful, morning of a new day had arrived and Cera could be found laying against her side, although she had the feeling of eyes upon her. Her own eyes opened to look around groggy at a small group a people around her. Sitting up she watched as the group quickly dispersed, Cera looking around in confusion as to what they were looking at. Dried tears had gone down the side of her face, she must have been crying in her sleep again.

She stood as she took the back of her sleeve, wiping the dried tears away and adjusting her satchel on her side. She was lucky enough no one tried to take it but that was because she always wore it. Ceralena stood, looking up to the sky as a few birds flew past. How lucky would she be to get wings and just fly away from this life she was forced in. A light smile formed on her face at the sight, giving an admirable sigh as she longed to take off into the skies with them.

While she was off daydreaming in the skies, her attention was elsewhere, two men had moved into the alleyway. They both looked at each other, then smirked as they reached out, taking Cera by the arms and pinning her back against the wall. She gasped out as her attention was ripped back into reality, her eyes wide as the two men grinned at her.

"My my, what's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" One of them licked their lips, gripping her shoulder painfully tight. She whined before she threw herself forward, taking the two by surprise but in turn the tight grip on her shoulder and the sudden jerk forward caused her clothing to rip at the shoulder. Without the support of the fabric, her shirt looked too big for her as half of it hung off her shoulder.

Shoving away she grabbed her bag, taking off down the alleyway while the men gave quick pursuit. She moved out into the main streets, slamming into someone and causing herself to fall backwards to the ground and her glasses to fly off her face. Blurry eyes looked up at the figure, however even if she couldn't see who it was, she knew the scent anywhere.

"M-Mister Balverine!" She stuttered up at him, the paladin looking down at her before looking up at the two men who stopped short of the exit of the alley. They took one look at him before running back down the alleyway and out of sight. Cera turned, watching the blurred figures leave before turning her attention up at Bal.

"You alright Cera?" He asked, offering a hand to help her up. She didn't take his hand, instead was feeling around the ground for her glasses. He looked at her, then to her glasses off to the side, her kneeling down and picking them up before placing them in her hands. "Here..."

"T-Thanks..." Cera spoke softly as she placed her, glancing up at him before she blushed once she found out where he caught her.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" He asked her, peering behind her at the alley. It was then when he noticed her clothing had been ripped, and the disheveled state she was in. "Do you … live here?"

"N-No!" She blurted out a little too defensively. She then sighed, reluctantly nodding her head. She was ashamed to be seen like this, she letting her bag drop to the ground as she landed on her knees.

"Ceralena, I had no idea you were homeless." Balverine frowned with concern, just now noticing the bandages around her neck. "And you're hurt, when did this happen?"

Cera blinked, reaching to her neck to feel the wool bandages wrapped around it. Where did she get these from? She couldn't remember the reason she wore them. As a matter of fact she didn't even feel the cloth most the time. She concentrated, trying to remember the reason for the bandage before it hit her. She remembered the reason...

"M-Mister Johnathan?" Cera could remember the fear, remembered the pain she felt at the clawed hands of her former friend. The feeling of his teeth around her neck, the loss of breath. She remembered a foggy glimpse of several Gilnean citizens coming to her aid, killing Johnathan in the process but his fate was unavoidable. Cera stared blankly into space, Balverine waving his hand in front of her face a little in order to snap her out of it. She finally managed to come to, she blinking before looking at him with a deep frown.

"Er … look, why don't you come with me to the Cathedral, I'm sure there's some people there that can help you better then I can." Balverine said with a smile to her, however he quickly withdrew his hand, as to avoid any close contact with her.

"Yeah..." It was all she could manage to blurt out, still looking a little traumatized at her flashback.

After a while of a walk Balverine had led her to a large building. Long steps with a blue silk carpet leading up the middle of it to a large architectural masterpiece. This was the Cathedral of Light, home to the priests and paladins of Stormwind. Cera knew this building from her daily wandering of the streets, but was never really inclined to get up to it for a closer look. The Paladin at her side smiled a little as he watched her look around the great hall with interest.

"Are you hungry at all?" He offered her a smile as they headed into the small side room. This place was an area for the public, it held many books on shelves which quickly caught Cera's interest. However the mention of food was more important. She nodded to him, pressing her glasses up closer to her face. Balverine offered her one of the chairs at the tables in the area, letting her sit while he hustled off to find her a meal.

Deep blue eyes looked down at the table in front of her, a few books laid on it, along with one that was left open from the previous reader. She slowly reached across the table, pulling it towards her and adjusting her glasses so she could see the words more clearer. 'The Book of First Beginnings' was the name written on the cover, author named Father Aros Drakewing. Cera flipped over the pages, starting to read the contents inside.

It was a book about the religion of the Light, it's followers and the various groups that followed it. Cera was engrossed in the reading, nose deep into the book before she blinked once she realized eyes were upon her. She looked up, glancing around the room but didn't seem to notice anyone around. Going back to bury her nose in the book, it was interrupted when Balverine came into the room holding two plates of food.

Setting one down in front of him and one in front of her, he unwrapped the cloth from around them, showing two dinner plates complete with steak and small red potatoes. Cera looked down at the plate, giving a blank stare at the meat and potatoes. Balverine was already at work on his plate, taking large chunks of the steak he cut off and chewing them obnoxiously with his mouth open. Cera watched him, tilting her head before looking back down at her plate once more. She wasn't much of a meat eater, enjoying fruits, apples in particular, to the savory meats.

However once the smell of the steak caught her nose, she looked at it with a look of hunger. Unexplained urges to devour the meat coursed through her, her eyes getting a little bloodshot before she simply took the meat into her hands, chomping down on it and tearing pieces off ferociously. Balverine stopped what he was doing, watching her with an odd look which caused her to stop as well, mid bite she slowly lowered the steak from her mouth, her mouth still open as she did.

"I didn't get you a fork or knife, I'm sorry." He said, setting his own utensils down as he stood up.

"N-No no, it's okay! I prefer to eat my food with my hands anyway!" Cera lied through her teeth, closing her mouth once she set the steak down and pushed it away from her a little. She realized what she had done, that atrocity of a beast inside her almost escaped. She sighed as she lowered her head, Balverine taking a seat once more.

"You know, I'm sure the Cathedral will let you stay here till you get on your feet, that's what they're here for." He said, smiling before taking another bite of his meal. Cera looked up at him, smiling back softly as a blush went over her cheeks.

"That's very nice of them if they'd let me." She replied, looking down once again to hide her blush. Balverine looked at her with an odd look, unsure as to why she kept staring down.

"I'm positive they would, the people of the Clergy are wonderful people."

"Clergy?"

"Clergy of the Holy Light, they are the people who help keep this cathedral up and running, a guild of the finest paladins and priests." Balverine smiled, looking quite proud of the people he spoke of. Cera lifted her head finally, her blush had cleared up, somewhat.

"I would … love to meet some of them." Cera finally managed to speak out before placing her hands in her lap.

"Well you've already met one." He smirked, beaming a little in his smile.

"Huh?"

"I'm one of their members, I'm only a novice but some day soon I'll be a full fledged paladin."

"Oh!" Cera's eyes lit up as she smiled at him, reaching out and taking his hands in her own as hopped in her seat in excitement for him. Suddenly both their faces heated up in a blush, Cera quickly withdrawing her hands from his while Balverine hid his own under the table. He cleared his throat nervously, soon returning his hands from hiding as he reached for her half eaten plate.

"Are you finished? I'll take care of these if you are."

"Er … yeah, but … hey Bal?"

"Hng?" He stopped in mid grab of her plate, looking at her.

"I was wondering … where I come from … I didn't really learn a lot about the world, and you look like you know quite a lot about it. W-Would you mind … if I accompany you for a while? You could teach me everything about this world that I don't know." Cera smiled at him hopefully. He stared at her a long while, that small blush creeping up on his face as he contemplated his answer. It couldn't hurt, right? Maybe?

"Um well, sure I guess. I'm not exactly the best to come to for lessons but I'll see what I can do." Balverine replied. Cera's eyes lit up once more in happiness, but resisted the urge to grab his hands lest she start another awkward moment between them. Bal took the plates away, leaving the room and Cera to her thoughts.

Cera realized that Balverine was the only person she didn't call 'Mister'. Normally when addressing people she didn't know, or even people she did know, she always tacked a 'Mister' or 'Miss' in front of their name, regardless if they were married or not. However with him, she didn't feel the need to. She was comfortable with just saying his name normally. She wasn't sure why.

Once Balverine returned he showed her to the sleeping quarters. Surprisingly the beds weren't full, as a matter of fact there was only a few people here, despite the rising number of homeless people within the city. She wondered why that was the case.

"I'll be back in the morning I suppose." Balverine said, reaching back and scratching the back of his neck in a light embarrassed reaction. Ceralena nodded, smiling to him as she sat on the bed. He quickly left, trying to find refuge from the blush that was growing over his cheeks once again. Cera laid back into the bed once he was gone, arms behind her head as slowly she drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would be the new start in her life she was looking for, she just knew it.