Kyra stared up toward the tall peaks of Hyjal, her eyes narrowed in recognizance. She and Colin were to meet her parents at the base of Hyjal, which was about as far as Eldris was comfortable going alone. Kel'aeth was still just barely able to walk, even after a year, and with bring all their belongings down from the fiery peaks, he preferred to take it slow. Of course, Colin and Kyra both objected to him and his wife coming down at all without help, but the elder Shadowmoon was very quick to remind them of their previous ascent.

For the last few hours, Kyra had been mesmerized by the elegantly demure atmosphere that surrounded Ashenvale, which she'd began to be unaccustomed to since living in Stonetalon. Now, she watched the chokingly grim and dark rocks that jutted up to the top of this mountain; a chaotic reminder of that time just a year ago.

Colin, on the other hand, had spent the last few hours dealing with something of an illness building up within him, though he was sure it was just a cold or something. His sinuses were shot, but that could easily have been due to the different altitudes and landscapes he had already passed through so quickly.

He ignored the fact that such things hadn't ever happened before to him… He was an adventurer, or traveler, after all.

Still, he managed well enough not to tip Kyra off that anything might be wrong. He continued carrying his share of supplies, though as the two finally made their way far enough up the mountain to see the Sanctuary of Malorne, Colin was more than thrilled at the prospect of a breather.

"Ah ha!" Kyra spoke up, her breaths thin from exhaustion, "Told you it wasn't much farther."

Colin grinned between his own labored breaths, "Hey, it's not as if I took the scenic, memorable route last time. You probably of some elven sense, anyway, that tips you off to sanctuaries or wisp gardens or, you know."

Kyra giggled, certainly uncharacteristically, as she stood there, stretching her arms into the air, "That's actually a mix between something horrible and something adorable. Assuming the legends are true, it'd be just a conglomeration of dead ancestors."

Groaning, Colin joined Kyra at the top of the small hill they'd just overtaken, "Well, I certainly didn't mean it like that. At least we're decent enough on time; they didn't beat us here. Though, knowing them, I wouldn't exactly be shocked if they just went on."

Pulling out a sheet of paper, Kyra's lips contorted in thought, "Normally I'd agree, but it sounds like, at least, my father is worried about Kelaeth. Night elves simply don't take a year to recover; he probably thinks he needs the Teldrassilian air or something."

"Well, it worked wonders for me," Colin noted, simply, "Anyway, shall we continue? A break seems very good, considering this smoky air we're breathing."

Kyra nodded in agreement as they began down the opposite side of the outcropping, leaving Colin to examine the rudimentary map he had acquired quite a bit ago, his eyes running across the parchment as they walked over the cragged earth, "Any reason we're meeting here?"

"Hmm?" Kyra sounded through closed lips.

Colin went on, "Well, it seems further down that most other notable meeting places, if Eldris truly was concerned. I know your people have a bevy of deities; is Malorne so revered?"

Kyra smiled, spinning around slowly to watch Colin as she carefully walked backwards, "Well, all things considered, he should be revered by even you."

Questioningly, Colin watched her as she smiled, bringing a hand to her chin as if to mimic some ancient teacher, "For one, Malorne is the lover of Elune; secondly, he's the father of Cenarius and, thirdly, the dear friend of Ysera. For one so humbly attached to all of our goings-on, it may simply be appropriate."

Colin watched her distantly, taking in her simple tale, though she quickly shrugged, "That, and he's the White Stag. Why not pray to him before a journey?"

Looking away, Colin chuckled lightly, "Once again, you prove your way with stories."

"You were enthralled two years ago as well," Kyra grinned, earning a similar look from her lover.

He replied, "Now that you're the traveler, you just seem to get better."

She nodded proudly, spinning back to walk along properly as the two came up toward the rather modest shrine. Kyra was the first to arrive, carefully lowering her small knapsack onto the ground with a deep sigh, leaning back against one of the columns as she relaxed.

"Ahh, and now we-"

She opened her eyes to see Colin struggling with his last few steps up toward the shine, Kyra's legs immediately rushing into motion as she came to his side, though he was quick to dismiss her aid, "It's nothing. It's just been a long trip is all."

In reality, his muscles had begun to ache all over, though he wouldn't dare derail the current plan. Kyra still grabbed ahold of his backpack and pulled it off his shoulder, helping to, at least, keep him balanced. She watched him worriedly as he groaned himself, falling against one of the columns and sliding to the ground to take a seat.

"Huh, I don't remember it being this bad last time," he muttered to himself, "What, did I have in night elf years or something?"

Kyra eyed him, examining his body, as she replied, "I mean, we hit adulthood pretty fast, then sort of head to a gradual maturity. Then again, you're a human; I'm not entire sure how you'd operate."

She knelt down and reached into her knapsack, pulling out one of the small vials of moonwater, which Colin immediately refused upon seeing it, "No, no; we don't even know if they'll need some. Trust me, I'm fine."

Kyra's thumb ran up and down the vial as she watched him suspiciously, Colin noticing her stare, which he replied to with a smile, "Hey, the guy who can't walk always gets help before the guy who can. Y'eanel would know that."

Stuffing the vial back into her knapsack, Kyra sighed, "Well, she'd also know to help out those who need it, regardless."

She made her way over toward him, sitting at his side and leaning against his body, "I know how to protect the man I love."

Colin scoffed, smirking as his head turned as best it could toward her, "I don't need protecting, though. Just rest. Now, allow me to take in some of this stonemasonry."

Kyra figured he meant visually, though as she realized he'd stopped moving, she looking up to find him working his way into a nap, his head leaning back against the stone; the touch of which apparently up to his satisfaction. She wanted to grin at how cute his face would become as he slept, but she couldn't help a burrowing worry from within. She sighed as she lowered her head, surrendering herself to her own level of exhaustion, her eyes sinking lower and lower as her mind ran through her future, again and again.

"You mere mortals find some pleasures underneath MY shrine?!"

Colin bolted awake, hurriedly twisting his body to find the source of that voice, suddenly turning up to the large, pristine statue of Malorne. Quickly, he fell back against the column with relief, his eyes having met the snickering body of Vylira, who was sitting atop the stature, her leg dangling off playfully.

Colin sighed, shaking his head, "You know, your entrances are bordering on heart attack inducing."

Smirking widely, Vylira lifted her shoulder as she tilted her head, "Meh, I figured you two could use a pep in your step. More so Kyra; she's still passed out there."

Sure enough, Colin turned to see Kyra still asleep, her body just barely rising and falling as her breaths came and went. Vylira skillfully managed her way down to the ground below, bowing as she completed her descent.

"Mom and dad knew I'd be around, so they figured I might as well join the posse on its way back to Teldrassil. That, and I get to see that blockhead again. Oooo; I haven't spoken to him since I kicked his ass so long ago!"

Colin watched her confusedly, which Vylira picked up on as she leaned her back against another column, "Oh, it was a scene, man. Ask the twins; they were there- they'd tell you I gave him the ol' what for!"

She giggled to herself, staring off toward the peak of Mount Hyjal, "Do you guys know when they should be getting here?"

Shaking his head, Colin shared her stare up the mountain, "No, but it shouldn't be too long from now. Unless something went wrong, of course, but we would have found out."

"Speaking of 'wrong', you seem under the weather," Vylira noted, grimly, "You okay?"

Colin nodded, "Yeah; I was just tired is all. I'm guessing after sucking up all the pollution in Stormwind, then living in Stonetalon for a year- it probably is taking some getting used to when it comes to breathing in this stuff."

Shrugging herself, Vylira simply accepted his explanation as Kyra's eye began to stir, the eldest of the two grinning at the sight, "HEY, SHRIMP!"

Kyra's eyes just opened before closing again in annoyance, her voice groaning deeply, "You know I hate that name."

Vylira giggled again, "Well you didn't wake up for my last stunt; I figured you had some ground to make up. So how is life down there? and I don't need at the weird stuff."

"Well, you know, you were there and all."

"Yeah, yeah, but Nylfallas visited, right?" Vylria goaded, her arms lightly flapping in front of her energetically, "Was he as cool as he was back when we were all still on Teldrassil? I bet his little wife stunted all that."

Colin pulled back his sleeve, revealing a rather large welt that surrounded the lightest of cuts down a sizeable portion of his arm, leaving Vylira to examine it with wide eyes and a cooing noise, "I mean, he had no problems breaking in the mate of his younger sister."

"Hmm," Vylira nodded as she crouched down in front of Colin, picking his arm up and examining it, "Eh, nah. This is kid stuff. Syheath brought a boy home and he left with a few scars; she wasn't even courting him!"

"I hope you've learned not to listen to her stories," Kyra sighed, "Or, at the very least, not believe them. Syheath was the 'wild' child, I suppose; she was always bringing home riff-raff. Most of those men probably deserved more than the scars they received."

Vylira snickered, "Oh, well yeah. She was obsessed with getting away, sort of like Kyra. Though, Syheath wasn't nearly as 'rigid', I suppose- she never joined the Sisters, and I mean, any traveling elf with a story about taking two steps into Desolace caught her interest; didn't matter whether he'd killed three men or was only worth his weight in dirt."

"Most of them were probably just lying anyway," Vylira concluded with a shrug, "A pretty thing running up to you at the docks, asking for a story; a long enough time out at sea, you'll say just about anything."

"I believe one of them claimed to have ridden the White Stag himself," Kyra groaned, lowering her head dejectedly, "I wish I could say we were all brought up to be intelligent enough."

Colin's eyes wandered down toward her, "And she's the one we haven't see, correct?"

Kyra nodded, though Vylira was the one to speak up as she hopped onto the cobbled stone wall that formed a ring around the statue, "She ran off, up north. That was when the Lich King was running amok and everybody and their dog had to venture up there. It made sense; she always loved hunting wild game and junk- the fact that that's all forbidden on Teldrassil only fueled it, no doubt."

She turned away, smirking, "It's funny. Mom and dad sought out Teldrassil for the very same reason that it forces so many of their children to rebel against it."

Kyra's eyes slowly ran up to meet Vylira, who looked back at her, curiously, "What? It's true! Look at you; you ran off as well. Perhaps not as recklessly as Syheath, but still, you did."

"That's different," Kyra replied, almost unsurely.

Vylira shrugged, "What, you wanted to run off and-"

"-and help my people," Kyra finished, "My goals may have changed since then, but not once did I ever hitch my star onto something as foolish as Syheath did."

The elder of the two lowered her head, smirking, "I'm not saying you were reckless; I was just pointing out an irony. I left too, as did Nylfallas and Kelaeth. Aaleas has made his way as well. Had we all just stayed, sure we'd have been bored out of our skulls, but how much crap would we not have gotten into?"

"I remind you, sister," Kyra spoke plainly, "Our oldest was taken into corruption upon that very same tree you seem to be praising."

Vylira sighed, shaking her head, "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Kyra rolled her eyes as best as a night elf could, though as silence began to fall upon the modest sanctuary, Colin began to mutter along, questioningly, "Do you miss it?"

Vylira looked up at him as he explained further, "I mean, why else would you agree to come with? The first thing you brought up about your brother was how you punched him out- there can't be too much there for you to resolve."

Staring at him further, a grin crept across Vylira's face, "You're quite astute, human. My sister must gain some insight by being partnered with you."

Kyra eyed her sarcastically, though Vylira only stuck her tongue out at her, "I mean, I mentioned it two years ago, I was getting tired of military service. Maturity is just catching up to me, I suppose."

She shrugged, "Gotta find myself a good man. Raise a family. All that nonsense. Thanks to you two, I have enough stories of the mainland and the Aspects running foul- of course I'd settle down on Teldrassil!"

Colin chuckled along with her observations, though he replied less happily, "So is this your last hurrah?"

"Naaah," Vylira replied hautily, her lips tilting in contemplation, "I've just been thinking. You two haven't helped anything; Kyra was the first of the girls to find a mate, so until you came around, the whole prospect was rather foreign to me. Seeing you two, I mean, it doesn't seem as bad as I would have thought."

She stood up, brushing off her light armor, "I always hated kids and all that shit, but I know if you two end up doing something, I'll be forced to love that thing and you two will influence me more than any of my superiors ever could."

Groaning rather frustratingly, Vylira stared at them unamused, "Seriously, you two are the worst."

Colin could only grin as he traced Vylira's sight, catching a small cart being rolled down into the valley where the three were. Helping Kyra up, the two stood up beside Vylira, who stared off with a distant look as she quickly recognized her older brother on the cart.

"You gonna be okay?" Kyra asked, slightly worriedly, "I've forgiven him."

"See?" Vylira complained, turning to her sister, "You two frickin' do everything first and I'm the one who follows. Seriously, it's a drag!"

Kyra smirked, though returned neutrally as the cart approached, Eldris and Cayssarin coming into view as their dark clothing nearly camouflaged into the landscape. Before they could arrive at the shrine, the three who were there had already begun walking to meet them, the two parents hugging either of the two daughters.

"You two have only aged a few centuries," Vylira muttered disapprovingly as she held her mother.

"Only in looks, dear," Cayssarin replied, boldly.

Vylira's face noticeably sunk, as if recalling some deeply repressed memory of her mother proving her physical prowess to her in a painful way. Opposite her, Kyra and her father held each other, though the two didn't share words. Eldris smiled as he saw Colin over his daughter's shoulder, nodding silently, to which Colin replied in kind.

"C'mon, dad; surely you have more to say than nothing!" Vylira goaded, though Eldris only chuckled, his body quaking against his daughter's until he pulled away.

He tilted his head in inquiry, "What, were you wanting a joke or something?"

"I don't know; mom showed off her claws. I figured you'd show off that quick wit or something."

Eldris laughed, "Well, getting down here slowed my legs as well as my wit, so you may have to wait a while. Until then, all I can really offer is a hug."

Vylira sighed as she relinquished herself to what he could offer, her voice mumbling into his shoulder, "My dad used to be cool…"

Surely enough, her father began to laugh at her words as she pulled away, "Now, we need a rest, so if you three don't mind hanging out a bit longer. How long have you all been here?"

"Uh, just an hour or so, I think," Colin recalled, "We got here first and both took a nap before Vylira got here."

Eldris nodded, "Ah ha. Well I hate to force you all to remain, but-"

"Actually," Colin spoke up, "As I was expecting this, I got in touch with a friend of mine around these parts…"

He knelt down and pulled out a rather large and heavy-looking weight, along with a long rope and two metal anchors for it to go through, "I guess you strap these on either end of the cart, and with a bit of magic, the weight sort of acts like a pendulum and the weight bobbing up and down gets the cart moving forward by itself."

His eyes squinted, "I mean, as far as he knew."

Eldris nodded as he examined the contraption, and even Vylira leaned in with interest, "Hmm. Proving yourself again, rook."

Colin smirked, "It really was the least I could do. Let me get this strapped up and, hopefully, you two can rest while we're on the move."