Over the course of the next few days, the two spent plenty of time talking about anything and everything. Kyra had learned a lot, and was feeling more and more confident by the day that she was more prepared than ever to leave. Colin had recounted his story of getting to Teldrassil, particularly his venture through Darkshore, which was an immediate stop that Kyra wanted to make on her way into the world.
Oddly enough, Colin glossed over the story past that, as though he just teleported to Teldrassil itself, but she didn't think much about it, being too absorbed with his descriptions of Lor'danel. As they talked, they'd been taking in Shadowglen, which Colin took a great interest in, greatly admiring the great tree at its center.
The two had climbed the winding ramp to the top, and now descended back down as Kyra began, "All initiates train here. Since it's pretty much the farthest from Darnassus, it's more of a symbolic way to start down the path to being a Sentinel, or Priestess of Elune, or wherever we end up.
Colin nodded, rubbing some ichor from his robe that stubbornly clung on to it, "Why'd you become a Sentinel? I mean, besides wanting to leave here and pursue a legacy?"
She grinned at the thought of having a "legacy", and she answered, "Truth be told, I wasn't like this when I was a child. I was very frail, I guess, which is incredibly odd for us anyway. So for most of my life I was seen as weak, inferior; nobody dared tell me that, but I could see it on their faces. My parents and siblings were very kind, but even they saw me as a sort of burden."
They left the great ramp and stopped, "We aren't as "familial" in our nuclear families, at least not as familial as you may be accustomed to. We have a greater sense of family when it comes to night elves as a whole, so it's never really as magnified to a single group of four or five. So it was really no surprise that even my parents thought me worth little."
She peered over toward Colin, who was looking at her through a sort of vacant expression before he realized he was being stared at, lowering his head before she spoke, "Are you listening?"
"Of course!" he replied, readily, "I'm just, uh, enthralled, I guess."
"You seem to be enthralled often."
Muted, Colin tightened his lips, "I'd say it's more a testament to your storytelling."
"You get a knack for it when all you do is ask to hear them from travelers, I suppose," Kyra replied.
"In any case," she continued, "I trained and made myself stronger. I prayed to Elune, I wrestled the boys, and I even ran off in search of a bear or something to fight. Much to Talonkai's chagrin, surely."
She laughed, which Colin was sure was as rare as this conversation Kyra was having with another person, "I guess I just have an innate sense of proving people wrong. The reason I want to leave in simply because all my siblings have. Maybe I just want to prove myself."
Colin nodded with a smirk, "Well, I certainly hope you accomplish what you want to and more. You'd have a much longer path to greatness if you accompanied me through Azeroth, that's for sure."
Kyra looked at him, skeptically, "What does that mean?"
As far as Colin knew, she was being serious, not joking or making merry. Quickly noticing what he had implied, he nervously stared ahead, nearly quivering.
"Were you making a pass at me?" she asked, uncomfortably bluntly.
"N-No, of course not," he muttered, "I just meant it as a joke is all."
Kyra stared at him, almost cruelly, watching him rub his face in shame. Quickly enough, however, she revealed not only a smile, but a soft chuckle.
Colin looked at her, surprised, "Hang on. Were you teasing me?"
She grinned, nodding her head, "We may be as resilient as a rock surrounded by a river, but we still have fun. Didn't you know?"
Sighing, Colin lowered his head, "I was just beginning to forget…"
The two started off again as Kyra finished up her subdued giggling, "It's a good thing, in any case."
"What is?"
Kyra looked on as they walked, "It's quite the unspoken rule among night elves. We allow mortals to have our help, our time, but you never allow a mortal to have your heart. Especially if you're one who truly gives all to your lover, you never take a mortal. It gets incredibly lonely loving the ty of their lifetimes."
Colin couldn't help but notice a tug in his heart at hearing this, though he quickly understood it to be true. He didn't speak up, but Kyra began going on a tangent about some nursery rhyme or something that she'd been familiar with growing up, but Colin wasn't truly paying much attention.
With familiarity came expediency, most of Colin's time flew by. He had learned a lot, mostly in the first two days, surprisingly, but he couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness as he began to leave. He attributed it to the fact that he had, never before, spent much time with anyone in this fashion. True, he had friends, but even when exploring the most exotic of cultures, he had mostly been allowed to observe alone; he had never been assigned to spend the duration with any one person.
Besides that, the people of Teldrassil were already rather solitary, and even Kyra had periods of time where she remained silent herself. That being said, being left alone was of no co sequence to Colin, who usually drew everything he could in order to preserve the imagery he had come to admire.
With two days left, Colin and Kyra had become familiar enough to become rather good friends. To her surprise, Kyra was comfortable enough to divulge stories about herself that she's never revealed before, though she wasn't exactly sure of the reason. Perhaps her peers just never asked, themselves, or maybe it was because, after Colin left, what he knew was of little consequence. In any case, she enjoyed having a sort of confidant, and Colin respected that trust.
"If you ever stop in Ashenvale, be sure to spot out my sister, Vylira; she'd a Silverwing herself," Kyra related, writing down the names and locations of her siblings as Colin stood beside her, skipping stones across one of the few lakes upon Teldrassil.
"You've mentioned her before," Colin noted, grinning, "You future Silverwing."
Kyra smiled herself, another trait she's noticed had come with Colin's arrival. She attributed it to just being alongside a human, but she couldn't say she hated being a bit more expressive. If anything, it only heightened her wanting to leave and be among mortals.
"My good friend, Lyera, she left for Stormwind," Kyra continued, writing it down, "And the last I heard of my parents, they were making a pilgrimage of sorts to Hyjal. My mother makes the best Ichor Soup this side of the Barrens."
Colin grimaced at the thought of such a meal, but he nodded anyway as Kyra returned his book to him, "Well, I'll certainly let her know you recommended it if I come across them."
Kyra nodded herself, smiling. Handing him the book, her hand remained extended, as if requesting a handshake, which Colin accepted. Her grip wasn't as firm as it had been when they'd first met, and, now, Colin was able to truly feel her hand, as he'd been too nervous the first time. It was a comforting feeling to have his hand held in hers.
"And remember to come across me when I finally leave here," she reminded, "I'll expect your furbolg wrestling skills to have increased."
Colin chuckled lightly before looking up the mound they had descended from, seeing Tyriel make her way down the steeping slope. Kyra excitedly made her way over to her, with Colin following behind her, noticing a sort of downtrodden expression on her face.
"Tyrie-" Kyra paused as her superior raised her hand to stop her.
"Okay, look," Tyriel sighed rubbing her face, "We're going to have to cut this short. I was hoping to make it the full week, but I suppose word travels faster when something like this happens."
Kyra watched Tyriel skeptically, but was surprised to Colin begin to pack whatever belongings he had outside of his rucksack, as though prepared for this.
"What's going on?" Kyra asked, shocked.
Tyriel sighed, "I didn't want to tell you much, since you're a very dedicated Sentinel, but bringing him here wasn't exactly…authorized. I had to sort of sneak him in, I suppose."
Kyra turned to Colin, who was now standing beside Tyriel, nodding. She turned back to Tyriel, who had returned to a neutral expression.
"I knew Colin from his attempts to visit, by the books, so when I had the idea to bring him in to help you, I knew he wouldn't have been accepted; he'd been rejected eighteen times, after all. I thought we'd be fine staying just a week, but word has gotten back to the Cenarion Circle that a human is here without permission, and I'm not about to get either of you in trouble."
Kyra looked back at Colin, who smiled sadly, "It was fun while it lasted. I'll come find you when you're out there, right?"
She didn't reply, only lowering her head as Tyriel reached over to pat her shoulder, "We need to leave immediately. I'll see you later, child. Come on, Colin."
Tyriel hurriedly ascended the hill, though Colin remained behind, lingering next to Kyra. She still didn't speak, caught between adhering to her duty, which Tyriel had circumnavigated, and this human who'd become a dear friend of hers. Colin remained behind for a moment, expecting her to say something, but she didn't.
"Goodbye," he spoke, quietly, before turning to follow Tyriel, who'd already left their sight.
As he left her sight as well, Kyra remained frozen there, trying to process all that had happened, unsure. She knew it was inevitable, even without this sour twist, but now that it had happened, she found that it truly did hurt. Much like her siblings, this friend was leaving her, as well, on this tree that was her home, but was also holding her back.