A/N: I began writing this story, and fan-fiction in general, a year ago, today. I've been pretty much writing non-stop ever since, and have accrued 300,577 words, two wonderful stories, and quite a bit of the most amazing people stopping by to read, leave reviews or PMs, and come back for more. It's pretty surreal, really :)

I'm not particularly good at anything at all, but I cannot explain well enough how much I enjoy conjuring up stories, writing them, and especially sharing them with all of you. So thank you if you frequent my stories; I'd love to hear from all of you :D I've started going through some writer's block the last two days (nearly missing this anniversary in the process) but I have no intentions of quitting any of these stories. Believe me, if there's anybody attached to anything I've written, I'm right there with you ;D

Thank you again, and I hope I can continue to be entertaining or dramatic for another year :)

Vylira had sent Colin off to fetch the three some drinks as she sat beside her sister atop one of the stone benches that lined the city, the two caring less of the state of their dresses now that their little show had ended. They had received plenty of stares, which was hardly normal, as everybody could only watch in awe of the single human in town with two night elf women around his arms. Even now, the two sisters couldn't help but giggle when thinking about the stunt.

Vylira leaned back, sighing contentedly as she stared up into the tree, nodding her head to herself, approvingly, "Man, even Mydrannul- He's seen more of the world than most, and even he was stopped in his tracks!"

She continued snickering mischievously, sighing as it came to a close, shaking her head in disbelief at how much of an uproar should arise in their stead, "That was fun, sister. Thanks."

"Huh?" Kyra wondered aloud, her attitude having been quite more reserved than her sister.

"Well, you know, not getting all bent out of shape or anything," Vylira shrugged, "I'd think most sisters would smack me if I suggested anything like I did today."

"Oh," Kyra muttered in reply, "I mean, I know you wouldn't do anything beyond screwing around. Both of you have in each other something you've both probably wanted your entire lives."

Vylira eyed her sister suspicious, "What are you getting at?"

Kyra laughed quietly, "I'm not accusing you of anything, so calm down. I just know that, for Colin, you're sort of like the sister he never had, and despite your triplet of brothers, you never were exactly close with any of them."

She peered off, "I mean, you were close with Kel, but I mean… Maybe you just see Colin as a substitute brother or something; I mean, you two get along like a brother and sister would, right?"

Vylira watched her, wide-eyed, "I thought it was just fun hanging out with him!"

Kyra grinned, "That might be it. I may just be crazy."

"No, no; I can see where you're right," Vylira shrugged, admittingly, "But I had no idea he wanted a sister; we're the worst!"

Kyra's eyes ran to the side of her face, staring at Vylira with a critical look, "And you can't mention that to him. I've said enough as it is. I would say that you'd never hurt him, but in your realm of teasing, I'm sure hurtful things don't exist."

Vylira scoffed, "C'mon, it's too fun a night to get into squabbles. Of course I won't say anything."

Kyra nodded approvingly, looking down at her dress and running a finger down one of the vines that wrapped around the fabric. The air became quiet for a moment, leaving Vylira with a shrug as she grew bored of the silence.

"I mean, after tonight, anything goes."

Kyra's hand now ran up her face in exasperation, her eyes rising to see Colin returning with three flutes of wine being carefully held within his two sets of fingers, his eyes narrowed in focus as he carefully stepped down the pathway toward the two sisters. Kyra hurried to her feet, reaching over to grasp two of the glasses, allowing Colin some relief.

"The wine tender assured me I must have needed more wine than normal, so he assured me hed fill them to the brim," Colin groaned, making sure no wine had spilled onto his suit.

"What," Vylira spoke up, lips cocked into a wry smirk, "Didn't think you could handle two ladies?"

"No," Colin replied, drolly, "He didn't think I could handle two Shadowmoon ladies."

Vylira managed a quiet chuckle as she took her glass, "Our reputation continues to precede us, it seems."

She happily stood up to dramatically take a rather large swig of her drink as Colin leaned against the back of the stone bench, shoving a hand into his pocket as he took his own sip, "It's a shame it took so long for me to see this city. It truly is gorgeous in its architecture and its atmosphere."

Kyra sat back down, on the same bench behind Colin, resting her head against his lower back, "Even for night elves, it can sometimes bring us to awe."

Vylira, already bored with their words, sat her empty glass down before twirling about, watching the skirt of her dress float in the breeze, earning the attention of her two companions. Kyra smiled softly at the sight of her elder sister enjoying herself so freely, though Colin took a rather different view of her.

He spoke swiftly, "It must truly be a grand scheme to employ warriors who are so fair, yet could twist your head off of your neck if need be."

Vylira paused, grinning, "Part of why I dressed without hindering my legs was so I could protect myself if necessary. I have no man for whom I dress, unlike some of us."

Kyra blushed, knowing well that she'd had Colin's eyes in mind when consulting, earlier, with Vinasia, but Colin went on with a laugh, "What evil do you need to defend against here?"

With a shrug, Vylira widened her stance aggressively, "Would you like to volunteer?"

Colin shook his head mildly, "I'm sure that dress would cost a fortune should it come to harm, and I wouldn't wish to put you out."

"Uh huh," Vylira muttered, nearly wavering, "If I offered more than a duel, I bet you'd tear this dress to shreds."

Colin chuckled, reaching back behind him to pat Kyra's shoulder, "I believe your dear sister has passed into inebriation."

"Yeah, I just made a pass at you," Vylira spoke, unevenly, to which Kyra sighed, shaking her head as she stood and approached her sister.

"Nooooooo," Vylira drawled out weakly as Kyra reached out to grab her arms.

Colin made his way over as Kyra eyed him, the younger of the sisters speaking softly, "We'll just stay at an inn and head out in the morning."

He nodded, leaning down to swoop Vylira up into the air, her eyes growing wide in amazement, "Watch it. The last man who touched me uninvited nearly wore my claw marks on his face for the rest of his days."

Colin considered dropping her there, but figured the humor would be lost on her, currently. Besides, Kyra would have been far from amused, and at this moment, the younger of the two smiled softly, watching the two others as they walked along.

"You know," Kyra began, "I spent so many centuries thinking about how crazy and insane my family was. I can't say I spent much time thinking about my future mate, but on the off chances when it occurred, I thought it so silly, simply because no man would ever want to deal with us."

Her eyes flashed, "Yet here you are, carrying my insane and drunk sister down one of the very streets I've known my entire life. Not only that, Nylfalas is boring, yet you need his words. Kelaeth was evil, yet you…"

She trailed off in recollection her words trailing into the air coldly. Colin watched her quietly, not entirely sure of what to say. Luckily, at this point, Vylira was rather beyond inhibition.

"Yeah, and he lets his big sister tease him like any good brother," her words emerged, causing a sort of quiet shock from Kyra.

Colin turned to her, but only smiled warmly, shrugging as best he could given what he was carrying, "Furbolg's out of the bag?"

"You bet your ass it is," Vylira mumbled, "And you'd better treat my Kyra well. If she leaves you, you'd better believe I'd be something different when it comes to what a woman is to a man."

Colin's forehead wrinkled as he attempted to decipher her meaning, but he simply returned to Kyra with a droll look on his face, "Maybe I can't handle two Shadowmoon women."

Kyra grinned, "We're a rare breed. Don't worry; we normally don't end up in too odd of situations."

Shadowmoon shoved Ulric into the room of the inn, hurriedly spinning around and shoving it closed, locking it, and barring it with her body. She lowered her head in preparation, when suddenly, a loud knocking rang into her ear, nearly knocking her back in surprise.

"You can't stay here!" the gruff voice shouted out, "I'm not having-"

"He's not sick!" Shadowmoon shouted, "He's just a bit exhausted! Just- Just give him a second and we'll be right down!"

The pounding at the door continued as Shadowmoon peered behind her. Ulric was hunched over the desk, clutching either side of it as his face strained itself between wide, anguished eyes and bared teeth. He was sweating immensely, and his voice broke into grunts with every over quick breath as he restlessly attempted to focus on slowing his lungs.

Watching him, the next series of slamming broke through Shadowmoon's concentration, the innkeeper finally shouting, "I'll have the guards on ya!"

The man's thick steps rang through the wooden floor as he stomped away, leaving Shadowmoon to release herself from the door, turning to Ulric, whose breath was still beleaguered, her voice breaking into a shout, "Okay, what the fuck was that?!"

Ulric couldn't reply between his rapidly heavy breaths, though his eyes managed to flash in her direction for a brief moment. He groaned, painfully, his hand squeezing lightly against the wooden slat of the desk, the very material beginning to creak underneath his immense grasp.

Shadowmoon walked briskly toward him, reaching for his arm, but his opposite hand flew over, grasping her wrist as he suddenly spun his head around, almost snarling at her for almost touching him. She received as he pushed her away, his hand squeezing into a fist as he placed it down against the wooden table.

"I'm fine," his voice groaned, weakly, but also with a beastly, "Don't touch me. It'll pass; it's just a thing."

"Just a thing?!" Shadowmoon shouted, "I didn't sign up for this shit; you nearly ripped that man's arm off! That's not some "thing", stupid!"

Ulric didn't reply, but Shadowmoon turned back to the door, "Well we need to get out if the guards are coming."

"Just a second," Ulric growled, his fist pushing against the wood below, causing the loud groaning of weakening wood to break out into the air.

Suddenly, the wood tore into splintering pieces as his fist broke through the desk, his voice a heated snarl as he seethed through the pain, closing his eyes, tightly. His vision impaired, Shadowmoon eyed his arm, covered by his long sleeve. Taking the initiative, she nimbly walked over and, in a single movement, grasped his sleeve and yanking it up his arm, her eyes narrowing in examination.

Ulric suddenly pushed her away as he growled, his fist tearing through more wood as he pulled it through the desk back toward him, slipping his sleeve back down his arm, the fabric running along his nearly-bare skin, "What…are you…doing..?"

Shadowmoon stared him down, adjusting her shirt at the shoulder, where he'd shoved her, "This is some fucking worgen shit; I needed to make sure you weren't growing hair or something freaky like that!"

Ulric couldn't help a particularly feral grin, laughing through heavy heaves, "And?"

"I guess you check out," Shadowmoon shrugged, "But you can't blame me."

His mind having been taken off his condition, Ulric's breaths began to slowly even out, though his hands still locked around the edges of the desk as though they simply needed to exert energy that he needed to expel. His eyes closed once again, concentrating on his heart, which was beating a mile a minute.

"It's just a thing," he repeated, breathlessly, "Nothing more."

Shadowmoon examined him, skeptically, though she finally sighed, exasperatingly so, rolling her eyes as she turned away, "Whatever you say, cap."

Ulric grasped his wrist, as if checking his pulse, his breaths coming to a slow as he focused, eyes closed, his body finally relaxing as his head rolled back in relief.

"Okay," he spoke up, quietly, "What do you say we get back to the others?"

Shadowmoon shrugged, "All up to you. We'll have to go by window; an oddly routine thing, despite our craft as hunters and leatherworkers."

Ulric couldn't find the energy, nor the breath, to laugh, but he nodded with the faintest of smiles, "'tis what it is. Then, let's go."

He made his way toward the window, sliding open the pane before allowing Shadowmoon passage before following her out. With no sense of subtlety, the two simply walked along the rooftop, over toward a shorter building that would allow a safer descent.

Shadowmoon kept an eye on her leader's balance, but she also took time to turn and peer over the whole of Wintergarde Keep, taking in the frigidly blue atmosphere around them. Her hands quickly ran to either arm, rubbing up and down her skin as she groaned, annoyingly.

"You shouldn't ever lose your coat," Ulric reminded, "Or use it as a weapon. What if you'd done so against a wild animal out in a tundra? You'd freeze to death."

Shadowmoon gave him a sidelong glare, "Hey, I wasn't the one waving a sword around. If I hadn't used my coat, I'd have needed it to wrap around my waist, anyway, to stop the bleeding."

"That's even the side point," Shadowmoon muttered, unamusedly, "Stop looking after me; I'm more than capable of looking after myself, you know."

Ulrich grinned, "You know, of all the travelers I've have at my side, you, Shadowmoon, have been, far and away, just the most rebellious of the lot. Had I not known better, I'd think you were among our party against your will."

"Why? Because I find your advice to wear a coat in Northrend to be condescending?"

"I'm merely trying to find something normal to say," Ulrich shrugged, "Obviously, that scene back there was rather odd; I figured you could use some normal conversation."

Shadowmoon jumped down onto the lower rooftop, making sure to turn and offer her help as Ulrich did the same, though with a greater effort, a painful groan escaping him as he staggered at his feet, "Wouldn't it be just as condescending to assume I couldn't jump down on my own?"

"No," Shadowmoon replied, blandly, "Because you should know I understand how cold weather and coats work. As far as I know, your legs don't work properly at the moment. And speaking of, yes, I will need an explanation for earlier."

Ulrich shrugged, "The guy sucker punched me in the face; wouldn't you get worked up just the same?"

"Pfft," Shadowmoon scoffed, staring at Ulrich in surprise, "Not like that! I don't have the strength to rip a man's arm off, but sure, I'd seek out anger -fueled retribution, but I'd calm down. I had to drag you to a room and watch you nearly tear a desk apart; that's just not normal."

"It's just some odd condition I've had for a while; I just get worked up. You saw my arm," Ulrich reminded, "I'm no worgen or anything. My heart just speeds up and I can't catch a breath; that's why I try to be so even."

He could see Shadowmoon's critiquing stare, knowing she wasn't sure whether or not to believe him, but she did reply, unsurely, "…really?"

"Really," Ulrich confirmed, "Look, I'll even recount that story tonight over the fire. Remnaar's heard it enough to recite it himself, but it'll be new for Parvaen and, apparently, you."

Shadowmoon watched him with a dark curiosity, Ulric taking the opportunity to grin, "What? I'd have assumed Remnaar or Kota would have told you at some point. It's true that, to talk behind my back means that I've left you there, but within the company, I wouldn't consider it as such. In any case, it'll be a nice intro course for Parvaen before we take him out tomorrow for his first kiting."

Sighing heavily, Shadowmoon shook her head, "Even when it comes to topics you're rather open about, you remain quite enigmatic."

Ulric's arms rose widely in a dramatic shrug, simply shaking his head before the two took to being quite as they joined the major population of the Keep, "Just try not to have nightmares when you hear about my childhood, alright?"