Chapter 14
Karis gripped Tylira tightly as they both soared through the air. The wind blew about her wildly, her face splattered with rain as the storm around them raged on. Karis knew that they were getting closer to Ashenvale, but the closer they got, the more violent the storm became.
A flash of light caused the young girl to let out a cry of terror as a bolt of lightning flew past them. This was certainly getting to be a dangerous trip for the two of them, but Karis had to admire the way that Tylira was moving through the air.
The druid seemed to be dodging and weaving about, as if anticipating where the next bolt of lightning was going to strike. In fact, none of them had actually come close to striking them, they just appeared to have.
Karis closed her eyes tight as there was another flash a short distance away. Her clothes were starting to become soaked through, even though they were quite thick in nature. Getting closer, Karis was able to make out the shape of a tower, the bolts of lightning illuminating the structure.
With a dip of her wings, Tylira caused the two of them to hurtle down towards the tower, Karis now starting to shiver from the cold. As they approached the tower, now flying just above the ground, Karis began to recognise it. They were approaching Raynewood Retreat.
As they flew up the hill to the Retreat, the Sentinels on guard stiffened slightly, their hands moving to their weapons in preparation. Karis couldn't help but notice that none of them seemed too happy to be out in the heavy rain, feeling slightly sorry for them.
As they approached the entrance to the Retreat, several of the Sentinels from inside came outside looking to be ready to attack. Upon seeing Karis, however, several of them relaxed, smiles spreading across their now soaking wet faces.
"Welcome!" one of them called out as Tylira landed just outside the entrance, allowing Karis to climb off before she shape shifted back into her Night Elf form.
"Quickly, get inside from the rain!" another said, ushering the two of them into the dry. The moment Karis was inside the Retreat she felt warmer. The Sentinels lead them further inside, taking them into a room where a warm fire was happily roaring.
"It is good to see you both again" came a voice from behind them, causing Karis and Tylira to turn around. Karis recognised the Sentinel before them; Sentinel Leya. When they had been in the Retreat before for those few days, she had been the one who watched over them the most.
"And you as well, Leya" Tylira said with a gentle bow and a smile. "Sorry to drop in unannounced like this, but the storm outside has been rather hectic."
"No need to apologise" Leya said, shaking her head slightly whilst smiling. "It is a powerful storm that is raging out there. Better to be safe in here and amongst friends, than soaking wet out there, hmm?"
Tylira smiled more and nodded slightly. Leya motioned for Tylira and Karis to sit down beside the fire, which they both promptly did. Karis held out her hands towards the fire, feeling its warmth reach out and lap at her bare palms.
After letting her hands warm up for a few moments, Karis pulled open her bag, her pet raven inside letting out a squawk as it ruffled its feathers and flew out, landing on a shelf near by. Karis smiled at the raven, watching it for a moment before slowly turning to look at the fire, catching part of a conversation between Tylira and Leya.
"You should know, the General came back here a few days after you had left. He was furious, looking to find both you and Karis. He was none too pleased with us, either."
Tylira nodded slightly as she listened to Leya. From the corner of her eye, she could see Tylira throw a quick look to her, but Karis ignored it, staying focused on the fire, listening intently to what was being said.
"He threatened us all with being dismissed from service as Sentinels and being sent to the front lines against what ever Horde force was attacking at the time." Karis heard Leya let out a slight sigh, pausing for a moment before continuing.
"None of us told him anything, though. We stood our ground and he eventually left, more furious than he was before. After seeing what he did to Karis, none of us are going to listen to that waste of a man. You are safe with us."
"Thank you" Tylira said, Karis hearing her rise from her seat and pace about slightly. "Your help is greatly appreciated. We had to leave from Moonglade earlier than we had planned due to his arrival at Nighthaven."
Karis closed her eyes as she thought about the poster she had seen of herself in Nighthaven. Her Uncle seemed to be determined to track her down again. As she thought about Nighthaven, Karis' stomach let out a growl in complain. There was a laugh from beside her that caused Karis to open her eyes.
"When was the last time you ate?" Leya asked Karis, looking over to her. Karis thought for a moment, realising that it had indeed been a while since she had eaten. They hadn't had the chance to eat before fleeing from Moonglade.
"A while…" Karis said quietly, looking down at the floor, the light from the fire causing shadows to dance along the hard wood surface.
"Then let's get you something to eat, then you can both get some rest whilst we wait for the storm to clear, agreed?" Leya said before motioning to one of the Sentinels who stood guard at the door. The other Sentinel nodded before vanishing through the door way.
A short while later, the Sentinel returned with two other Night Elf in tow. They each placed a selection of food down on a near by table, the smell of which only made Karis' stomach grumble even more. As soon as she was passed a plate, Karis rushed to the table picking up all sorts of pieces of food to munch on.
"She really is hungry" Leya said, letting out a laugh as she watched Karis happily eat away at the food, savouring the taste of every item, occasionally offering some to her raven who had flown back over to her. "So, what else brings you to Ashenvale?" Leya asked, turning to Tylira.
Both Karis and Tylira stopped what they were doing, looking at each other. Tylira seemed to shrug slightly at Karis, as if asking if it was ok to tell her. Karis simply nodded slightly and smiled. She didn't really see the problem with telling at least Leya what they were doing.
"We are here as part of Karis' druid training" Tylira said, turning to look back to Leya who nodded slightly. "Although, we aren't entirely sure what we will be doing here yet. All we know is that we need to be here."
"Well, I hope that your training can wait until the storm has passed" Leya said looking over to Karis. There was silence for a moment before Karis realised that an unspoken question was being asked of her.
"Oh! Sorry!" she said, placing a piece of food back onto her plate quickly, feeling slightly embarrassed that she hadn't realised she was being asked something. "Yeah, I think it is ok to wait for a little while at least" she said, nodding her head slightly.
"Good" Leya said with a smile, standing up. "I have some duties I need to attend to. When you are done here, there is a room set aside that you can use until the storm has passed." With a polite bow, Leya left the room, the other Sentinels in the room following behind her so that only Tylira and Karis remained.
"Are you sure that we can wait?" Tylira asked Karis quietly, moving to sit beside the young girl. Karis finished chewing on the food in her mouth before swallowing it.
"Yeah, I think so…" she said quietly. "I can't explain it… but I don't feel like I need to hurry yet, if that makes sense?"
Tylira nodded slightly and smiled, reaching out and gently stroking the back of Karis' head, causing her to smile, closing her eyes.
"Yes, I understand what you are trying to say" she said with a faint laugh, looking at the young night elf. The two of them remained quiet for a short while, the only noise coming from the crackling of the fire, as Karis and Tylira finished eating their food.
"Hey, Tylira?" Karis suddenly said, looking over to Tylira as she took a sip from a glass of water. "What did you have to do for your first form?"
Tylira visibly paused for a moment, her eyes seeming to glaze over as she stared into space. A faint smile crept across her lips as she bowed her head slightly, some lose hair falling across her face.
"It was a long time ago now" she said slowly, her voice soft and quiet, almost to the point where Karis had to strain to hear her. "Unlike you, and most other druids, I didn't learn my travel form first. The first one I obtained was that of my aquatic form."
Karis nodded slightly, brushing some of her own hair behind her ear. She had read about some of the various aquatic forms that druids had obtained when she was first in Nighthaven. It was a form that a lot of druids didn't learn, unless they were looking to become masters of the art.
"I had to save a group of orca whales who were being forced onto beaches by goblin traders and left to die before being harvested for meat and other products." Tylira's gaze shifted to the fire, which she watched intently for a moment.
"Did you manage it?" Karis asked quietly, moving along her seat so that she was sat closer to Tylira.
"Yeah, I managed it eventually" Tylira said, a slight happy note present in her voice. "We managed to do more than save them, as well. We managed to shut down the harvesting company too. The spirit I had been talking with was very grateful for what I had done."
"Wow…" Karis said quietly, sitting back in the seat she was in, looking off at the far wall, picturing in her mind Tylira saving the orca's and stopping the goblins. "Were you scared at all?"
"Scared?" Tylira repeated, looking to Karis. A smile spread across her face before she moved so that she was sat down beside Karis. "I was terrified" she said with a laugh. "But it was made easier because I had people there to help me, like I am here to help you."
Karis couldn't help but let out a large smile as she listened to Tylira. What she had said was just what she needed to help soothe any fears that were niggling away at her. Closing her eyes, Karis leant against Tylira, the older Night Elf putting a gentle arm around her.
"Tomorrow…" Karis suddenly said, opening her eyes. "We will need to get moving tomorrow…" Tylira looked down at Karis, a slightly puzzled expression on her face.
"Are you talking about your task?" she asked quietly, watching as Karis sat up. The young girl nodded slightly. Karis wasn't sure why she suddenly knew that tomorrow they had to go. It was just a feeling, like everything else to do with the task so far. She hadn't known for sure that they had to come to Ashenvale for example, it had just been a feeling.
"Well then…" Tylira said, slowly getting up from the chair, stretching out her arms above her head, her armour moving easily with her. "Tomorrow we will set out and hopefully we can complete your task."
Karis smiled and nodded her head eagerly. She was getting very close now! All she had to do was complete the task, and then Vulpiera would grant her the ability to turn into a fox.
Karis jumped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Tylira, hugging her tightly, a hug that Tylira happily returned. All she had to do now was wait until morning, a wait that she knew was going to be a long one.