[Prompt] Descriptive Visitation

Oopsy Daisy. I forgots to post this after getting slammed at work and then floated the next night. Tonight is pretty chillax and I am almost done with my schoolwork actually, so I remembered lmao. Enjoy a bit of a unique prompt.

A challenge tied into a prompt. Your character is walking through the streets of one of their capital cities (Boralus, Dazar’alor, Stormwind, Orgrimmar, Ironforge, Thunderbluff, Silvermoon, Exodar, Shattrath, Dalaran). What do they see, hear, experience? How do they perceive it? What has changed in their views of the place they are in? Do they still enjoy being there, or do they despise it?

Challenge mode: Accomplish this prompt using 0 dialogue. Convey your character through body language and expression, paint the scene through description.


This is meant to be a fun exercise, so there aren’t many rules. I ask that posts be limited to two or three, as much longer is more like a short tale probably befitting its own thread.

Prompts are fun little things meant to inspire. You don’t have to perfectly match the prompt. Just let it inspire a thought.

I’m going to try and post these weekly, sometime between Saturday and Monday probably. Feedback and prompt ideas are welcome, so feel free to post them in here as well. Some prompts will be more thought provoking, some more whimsical. Respect your fellow writers.

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Hoofbeats echoed on the cobblestone streets of Boralus as the deathcharger plodded along lazily, unconcerned with anything except reaching her rider’s destination. The harness creaked as the rider, a burly armored death knight, shifted his weight in the saddle. Unease was apparent on his scarred features; perhaps it was his strange choice of attire, better suited to a paladin’s tastes. Perhaps it was the fair weather of a warm spring day. Whatever the reason, his expression betrayed almost as much feeling as the stony foothills about Stormwind.

Horse and rider continued on; the playful laughter of children falling quickly silent as boys and girls scuttled to their parents, peeking out warily from hiding as the rider passed. Morician exhaled slowly, sweeping his frosty blue gaze along the streets and guiding his mount around the few citizens that remained in his path. It was a charming city, though the strange nautical motifs were a bit too alien to ever feel like home. Still, there was plenty to do, and he had recieved a warmer welcome here than he had his first return to Stormwind.

A sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Welcome indeed, in the very loosest sense of the word. True, there were no pieces of rotten produce or other refuse being hurled at him this time, and the people wore smiles instead of snarls. But such small acts were simply window dressing for the undercurrent of fear prevalent among many. He was no fool; he saw how the crowds parted at his approach, granting his steed a wider berth than necessary. He had heard the hushed whispers behind his back; the scoldings mothers and fathers gave to children who asked too many questions.

Likewise, he had heard the rumors trickling in from Drustvar, and had seen some of the horrific things himself. And then there were those strange shadowy cultists to consider–the same that had corrupted the renowned Tidesages. Morician sighed quietly, shaking his head as he approached the stables. The Kul’tirans had suffered much; he could hardly fault them for being on edge. Yet like himself, they continued to endure and fight for what they believed in. At the end of the day, that’s all that really mattered.


Tried to keep it short and sweet since posting via mobile tends to cause formatting issues.

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Pausing to watch, as gentle breeze coloured the air in front of her, the lone elf breathed a sigh of relief. Magic! The once familiar landscape that unfolded around her was a rich tapestry of blues, greens, oranges and yellows, illuminating the forests, hills, and rivers of Eversong Woods. She breathed deep, letting the air of an eternal spring fill her lungs, before continuing onward. The path she walked did not share the same vibrancy as the woodlands around it. It was dull and blackened.

It was dead…

Time passed, and lone elf continued to walk. The hard earth beneath her feet felt… wrong. Initially gone unnoticed the blightened ground slowly leeched at her magic, subtly draining at the very life force that flowed through her body. A snarl came from her left, and instinctively she threw a dagger from her hip. The blade hit its mark, as she heard the would-be attacker fall to its knees, and then crumple to the ground. Her mouth curled into a smirk, the dead did not take her then, and the dead would certainly not take her now.

The city’s shining walls began to show themselves from behind the trees, and the lone elf caught a glimpse of a radiant spire among the boughs above her. Silvermoon! She embraced the warming comfort of stone amalgamated with magic, finally, she had arrived home. The path before her did not stop with the main gate to the city; it still divided Silvermoon in two. Now that she was here, she could feel the population of her people was concentrated in the eastern district. The western district, however, felt empty.

Such loss! Sorrow filled her thoughts; a grief that lone elf had long believed banished from her mind. She fell to her knees, the grief was now replaced by a burning anger. Why had she returned here? This land still rotted! Its people clung to this… decrepit monument of failure! Oh! But there was power here! Magic she would consume, and then bring to bear against her enemies! No-longer would such power be hoarded by idle magisters and withered addicts!

An agonising pain erupted in her chest and began spreading out along her arms and down her body. No! She would maintain control! She heard voices in the distance, a patrol of Farstriders perhaps? They should not find her like this! The lone elf stood only to be knocked down from behind. More undead? How was it that this land was still plagued by so many? She turned and vaulted backwards, unlimbering the blades harnessed on her back, throwing them forward. She darted ahead to retrieve them from her marks as more silhouettes appeared before her.

The voices grew stronger, and she could hear the sounds of bows being drawn and soaring arrows. They had joined her fight! The cracks of breaking bones greeted snarls form the undead as she swung her blades. Numerous thuds surrounded her, arrows puncturing their targets. The number of silhouettes dissipated and the elf, no longer alone, paused to catch her breath. A wide grin spread across her face, and the intoxicating thrill of the hunt washed over her.

Her side suddenly seared with pain. An involuntary cry escaped her mouth as she stumbled, turning to face this new attacker. Its form was large and angular, and bright with magic. She could feel another blast of its energy was imminent, and the pain in her chest returned. Her pain flowed throughout her body, and the markings along her chest and arms glowed bright, there was no stopping it this time! The hunter ripped the blindfold from her eyes and a white-hot energy burst forth from her, accompanied by an otherworldly scream. Impacted by the blast, the assailant’s form shattered.

The world grew still around the hunter, the form before her flickering briefly with magical energy and then grew dull. It was a guardian construct. Magically automated and designed to patrol the forests, protecting elven villages. It must have mistaken her own fel-energy for that of a demon.

The approach of hurried footsteps interrupted the surrounding stillness. A voice, a member of the Farstrider patrol, called out. Their words dripped with apprehension, but fell on deaf ears. Retying the fel-infused cloth across her eyes, and without a word to her one-time comrades, the lone elf gathered her blades and leaped into the air. Leathery wings spread from her back, carrying her away. She would be too great a danger to those in the city, and would deny herself the comforts of the home she so very much desired, for now.

The lone elf embraced the call of the wilds once more, and in the wilds, she would hunt.

https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/barthilas/Ilinara/

I started to write this using Silvermoon as the backdrop, but the story unfolded better in Eversong. Hope you enjoy!

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I enjoyed both of these :smiley: sometimes, as writers, we use dialogue as a crutch to progress a tale, so I like this kind of challenge from time to time.

An arcane aura crackled to life as Kersia stepped through her portal into Stormwind. The familiar air of the mage tower greeted her on the other side. Her eyes adjusted to the dim glow of the mage light lanterns as she took in her surroundings. First, the mild chatter of portal goers and students filled Kersia’s ears. Familiarity. Kersia let out a breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding and her muscles relaxed.

Kersia glanced around and spotted a human male in golden armor hoisting a sword up to his shoulder. His face was beaded with sweat as he stepped towards the portal to Aszuna. Kersia smirked as she spotted a slight tremor to his steps. Was he afraid of the portal, or of his spirit filled destination? Kersia pondered the possibilities as she observed him from the distance. She did not sense magical prowess from him, not light nor otherwise. Just a simple brute then, out of place in this magical sanctum.

Kersia lost amusement in the frightened warrior after watching him for a few moments. She had business to attend to, and such side studies were a waste of her valuable time. For now. Kersia smiled as she let the familiar tingle of mana fill her within the tower. The mages may not appreciate the powerful flow of the leylines in this place, but Kersia always found it comforting. It was the only reason she tolerated teleporting right to the tower. Well, that and the silly magi laws. Kersia didn’t care much for all their laws, but obeying them kept the magi off her tail.

After basking in the leyline for a few moments, Kersia hear the tap of a foot behind her. She turned and found herself face to neck with a rather irritated looking old human woman. Her lips were contorted into a wrinkled scowl and her arms were crossed across her chest. The scent of mold and musty books wafted from the woman, a similar scent of all humans that reached that age, if Kersia was correct. The woman’s expression clearly marked that she felt superior to Kersia, Kersia’s elder. A point Kersia would secretly contest. Judging by what Kersia could figure from what she studied about humans and their ages, she was at least 142.8 times older than this woman. If not more. Still, Kersia understood the woman’s body language enough and she had no desire to linger anyway. After flashing a rather draconic smile with her suddenly shifting slitted eyes and far more pointed than a normal pandaren’s teeth, Kersia spun and made her way down the corridor to exit the portal sanctum.

Kersia passed by a couple of student engrossed in their books while sitting on a ledge. Behind them stood a tall statue of a lion. Not much of a magical symbol but a symbol of the Alliance. Kersia stared at the statue for several long seconds. Her arcane blue eyes glowed from the leyline as she took in the details of the sculpture. It certainly was well made. Kersia took in a deep breath, enjoying the fresh scents from the plants around the statue. She smile, marvelling at the small details as she turned and continued out of the room.

The portal out of the room felt like walking through water without getting wet. The sensation sent a shiver through Kersia as she moved forward and down the ramp out of the tower itself. Stars dotted the night’s sky, though the burning rust of the sunset still played on the far horizon. A crisp chill wove with the wind and Kersia found herself smiling as those on the ground below pulled their cloaks in tighter. She did not feel the chill. No, should one stand close to her, they would note how the air right near her was more lukewarm.

Kersia found her way down the ramp of the tower and set off down the paths of the mage district. Sounds of chatter and gossip affronted her ears at every turn and step. This was why she spent more time in her lab than in the streets. The nuances of social conversations and the distractions of those around were simple time wasters. She had work to do, specimens to see to, data to analyze.

Finally, Kersia turned into the alley where her home resided. The alley was narrow with plush green grass that the man who lived in the corner home kept tidy. Good thing too, since yard upkeep was another waste of time. Speaking of, the old man was engaged with a tall elf man in long black robes. Kersia saw the old man point at her and the stranger look her way. Something about his movements unsettled her and she couldn’t pick up his mana flow.

Analyzing the stranger, Kersia found him to be as old as she, if not older. Not unusual for the elves, but what was his interest in her? He stepped towards her, and Kersia got wind of mana. Immense mana, not unlike her own reserves, and a mana signature similar to her own. She snarled her lips, uncertain if this man was friend or foe.

Something sparked on the man’s finger tips and Kersia sensed a surge of mana in the air. With a quick thought and some mana of her own, she blinked behind the man and darted to her lab door. She glanced behind herself to see a puzzled expression on the pale elf’s face as she slipped inside and snapped the door shut behind her. She felt the dull thud of knocking reverberating on the other side of the thick oak door, but she did not sense any magic.

Kersia sighed and wove her hands to activate her wards. This was why she hated the city. So much hustle, so much noise, and so many prying figures. That and her data is skewed with only access to Alliance based studies. It was annoying, to say the least. Kersia had hopes after the fall of the Legion that she could get more data from the Horde side of things but no. Sylvanas had to go and ruin that. At least she could get data on the Kul Tirans. Well, more open data on them. Kersia could get into the cities and culture, but not always as a pandaren. It was so much easier to collect data in this form.

For now, she would tolerate living here.

(Hope this isn’t to old, wanted to do a tandem post with this and the vocal disagreement. One challenge to my strength the other to my weakness. They are not in the Warcraft setting because i’m having a hard time writing in wow, but really wanted to post something for the challenge. Feedback would be welcome) (Edit: this also ended up way longer than i thought, sorry about that)

Kyo’cho walked anxiously along the small path through the woods in her true kitsune form. Her fur was black and gray like her fathers, uncommon but not rare or remarkable. She kept her hair in a long braid that went down to her knees and was tied with a red bow. Her ears ended in gray tufts.

Kitsune were often seen as exotic by those not accustomed to seeing them, but even among her kin Kyo stood out, a fact that had caused her problems for most of her life. Nine tails each tipped with gray fanned out behind her, swaying lightly in the breeze, belying her agitation.

Daily since starting her journey, she had doubted the merit of her decision to come here. Now being so close those doubts nagged at her insistently. She tried to focus on the scenery around her to avoid second guessing her choice.

The forest here was old, the trees tall. What light made it through the canopy of the ancient boughs did so as sparse shafts that deepened the shadows and provided sparse illumination. Every surface around her; from the trunks of the towering trees, to the boulders and rocks, were covered in thick moss and lichen. A light mist hung in the cool air, adding a mystical feel to the twilight depths of the forest.

The forest smelled of life; on the cool breeze that meandered casually through the trees, she could smell the moist and earthy scent of decay and renewal. The occasional fleeting smell of animals that heard her approach and moved upwind. The sap dripping down the ancient trunks, and the smell of old rain still making its way down through the trees.

Rustling leaves and creaking branches offered a peaceful background as she walked. Birdsong rang out through the canopy, Kyo knew many of them from books she read in her youth. She listened as they sang songs warning others to stay away. Songs that begged for sex in very blunt ways. Songs that told her they considered her the only threat around, as they warned one another about her presence.

She pondered how the songs lost much of their beauty and magic when you knew what the words meant, seizing on the distraction to take her mind off what lay ahead.

The path was small and poorly maintained, and would have been overgrown if more light reached this far. It was traveled so infrequently that it was barely a depression in the leaf-clutter with the occasional mushroom covered log that needed to be scaled. Kyo’cho followed it for ease rather than any safety it offered.

Few people traveled these woods but Kyo had spent her childhood here. Off the path one way was where she held tea-parties with her dolls using mushrooms of rainwater for cups. Another direction, she had climbed the smaller trees that were growing into a gap in the canopy above, left behind when an older tree had fallen. Still another way she had almost died after being bitten by a snake. Sight, sound, and smell brought memories flooding back to her as she walked, making her more anxious the closer she came to her destination.

As she moved further on the trees eventually thinned and the wind picked up, not yet blunted by the press of trees it was laden with the smell of flowers, grass, and warmth. She stepped out into a clearing, and squinted, her eyes adjusting to the light as the sun warmed her dark fur. Spring was almost over, the flowers and tall prairie grass bent and flowed like waves in the wind, a green lake that crashed upon the shore of the small path. The path wound through the meadow to a house atop a low hill. The years had aged it but it was still familiar.

The house was small, she knew from memory it was only two rooms and a kitchen. Made of logs and mud it had always been very organic but now seemed even more as ivy had crawled its way up most of the walls. The grass was clearly cultivated several yards out from the base but looked as though it was due for work. As she moved further up the path, a small garden came into view, neat rows of plants and vines budding with flowers, fruits, and vegetables ran right up to the house.

Down the hill from the garden a well worn path lead to a small shrine, Kyo’s breathing faltered as she saw it. Without thinking she stepped off the path her, stride leaving a furrow in the knee-high grass. Burrs and hidden sticks scratched at her legs as she walked but she was too focused on the shrine to notice.

It was a simple stone slab, wider than a headstone, with an arched canopy and a stone bowl carved into the dais at its base. Symbols were carved into the dark stone, along with the image of a fox with nine tails. Prayer charms hung loosely from the canopy, spinning and swaying in the breeze. Damp ash sat in the bowl, a sign of recent use. Time and weather had long ago washed it away leaving no trace, but in her minds eye she could still see the blood on the base pooling from the wound in Kazuna’s head, as fresh as the day it happened.

Stray tears traced their way along her muzzle as she looked from the shrine to a nearby patch of ground that looked no different than any other. She had lain there after the blow, confused why it had happened and afraid. Kyo watched her younger self stand and run into the forest, the echo of her mothers voice trailing behind the specter of her mind. Now over twenty years later, confusion had been replaced by understanding; fear, by anger and sadness.

She turned from memories to the object she had seen, but feared acknowledging. A respectful distance from the shrine, was a marble headstone. She expected that it would exist, it was part of why she was here, but its presence still meant confirming and confronting that everything she had guessed was true.

The ground around it was well tended, Iris had been planted on each side and their purple and blue flowers were in full bloom. Kyo stepped towards it slowly, wanting to hold onto that part of her that had always doubted what she knew. With no choice left but to walk away she knelt before the stone letting her tails fan out behind her on the ground humbly, as though she was unworthy to be here. Through eyes blurred with tears she read the inscription upon its marble surface while tracing the letters with her fingers.

Here lies our beloved daughter, lost before her time and without the love she was due.May she find both in the life after, and may those who read this understand that you never appreciate the bounty you have until it is gone.

4711- 4719 AR
K

Kyo stopped reading, she could not hold back the sobbing anymore. Her head hung and her chest heaved as she cried into her hand. She had come seeking closure, to visit the grave she knew would be here. To ask her parents why they had shunned her, even though she knew. Kyo ran her fingers over the rest of the name as she grieved anew, but something was off. What her fingers were telling her did not make sense, she ran them along the name again and it felt the same.

Frantically Kyo tried to dry her eyes, not believing what her fingers told her. Finally clear enough to see her eyes went wide as she read the full name on the grave

Kyo’cho

She blinked, and when her eyes opened it was still there, engraved into something too solid to disbelieve. Hundreds of thoughts went through her mind all at once, all fighting each-other to be registered first. They had cared? Had they forgiven her? If her grave was here, where was Kazuna’s?
Her head whipped towards the house and her eyes went wider. Did Kazuna have one?

Kyo ran up the hill sprinting the short distance and almost crashing into the door. Her heart was thundering in her chest loud enough that it was almost knocking on the door for her.

More questions came, should she knock or just go in? Were they even home? Was this still their home? Doubt came, what if Kazuna was buried elsewhere? With the tiny flame of hope lit once more, did she want to risk dousing it again? Would living without knowing be easier?

Her hand trembled as she raised it to the door, she knocked softly three times. The sound of movement inside made her stop breathing. With seemingly agonizing slowness the door opened the familiar creak of its hinges protesting until the door stood completely open framing a kitsune with auburn fur and a familiar friendly face ready to greet an unexpected guest. Kyo remembered to breath.

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Never too old, me thinks. If someone were to venture and seek prompts, my hope is they feel inclined to write and dive in. :smiley:

Some may say description is a waste, to let the reader fill in the blanks. But that is silly to me. Well written description helps add layer and emotion to the tale, much like yours. The paragraphs flow and emotion is invoked as we follow your character through childhood memory lane. I enjoyed the read.

Exercising writing is exercising writing. WoW or not. :smiley:

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:slight_smile: glad you liked it, i enjoyed writing these. I think i did a better job with this one but i learned a whole lot more from the conversation one.

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Vesthi’s feet sank softly into the twilight sands. Small mounds pressed outward as her weight settled on each foot. Ten long years. Darkshore had changed so much. So much devastation. The earth had cracked open with a gaping chasm. Auberdine had been obliterated. The dark forests were upheaved. Confused. Chaotic, and in pain. The ravages of war splintered throughout. And in the midst of it all Vesthi thought she had found its source. The heart of all the darkness. A thing she would never witness with her natural eyes loomed far off the shore. Once she’d been told it was a great and verdant wonder. A world tree. Brought into the world as a tribute to the resilience of her kin. A true wonder of the world. Magnificent to behold, she’d been told. Surpassed, possibly, by only the likes of the great Night Elven city that it cradled. It honored all that they had suffered and survived, boasting a gleaming gem dedicated to the splendor of the White Lady herself. More than a refuge of the Kaldorei, it was their home. Darnassus was the center of everything that was or was meant to be Night Elf.

The dark sea splashed over Vesthi’s toes. The waters fizzled and spat around her feet in complaint of the fel of her being. Peering out over the sea Vesthi’s normally ironclad discipline began to slip. Emotion bubbled to the surface. Vesthi hadn’t realized just how much she had looked forward to seeing this new home of her peop… of the Kaldorei. The very notion of its existence validated everything she had sacrificed. All that she had suffered and endured. Not to mention the horror she had wrought. That she might yet experience it’s splendor it with her own senses meant so much to her. She wouldn’t have been welcomed there, as was appropriate, nevertheless she wished to behold it if only once.

The normal sighted would only see a darkened husked looming silently off shore. A charred remnant of a once great people. Vesthi no longer had natural eyes, but instead had very keen unnatural senses. She focused and magically stretched her perception out across expanse. At this distance the details she could gather were sparse, but enough. The pain and horror of the scene painted itself across all her senses.

The heat of the fires that raged across that land. Boiling sap until the very trees exploded. Screams of terror. Loved ones yelling for each other. Brave souls suffering painful ends to allow for just one more escape. So many saved, yet so many more lost. Vesthi’s flesh felt as though it were burning from her. The moist air of the beach fizzled against the fel heat she radiated. The ghosts of that terrible night overwhelmed Vesthi and she had to pull back. The smoldering husk in the distance called to her, beckoning her to come and see. To witness the decimation of her people. Vesthi scrunched her toes in the sands contemplating if she should pay the tree a personal visit. It was unnecessary, she knew. She would only experience what she likely already knew. It was the phantom of a horror she’d already seen played out innumerable times before. Over countless other worlds. Upon untold numbers of peoples. Scenes she’d helped paint while in the service of Illidan herself, more times than she’d care to ever recall.

Vesthi held her bowed head. If only she could have sobbed… or wept. Gradually the well of emotions that had been building faded. Forced down in part by that iron cold facade she’d perfected. Vesthi’s ear twitched. A subtle distant movement from the dark forest behind brought her back to the moment. She had to move. Horde still patrolled these beaches and standing as she was in the dark sands left Vesthi dangerously exposed. She would never feel the winds of Teldrassil touch her flesh. Never hear the great boughs of the tree creak and groan in those winds. Never feel the stones of the streets of Darnassus beneath her feet. Her allowed what anguish remained to steep until that pain had distilled into anger. Once more Vesthi scrunched the twilight sands of Darkshore in her toes, savouring the rise of anger within until it bloomed into rage. She turned from the sea and vanished into the dark forests. There were horde heads to hunt.

I've been away for a bit and haven't been writing. I'm using your prompts to shake off the cob webs :) It's been a while...
[Prompt] Learning the TradeVesthi continues...
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Okay, this is probably bad. It’s my first time doing a promp…

The sky above Dalaran was dark and cold. Only a few stars glittered in the air, and almost no one was outside. Aanka stepped out of her small house, taking in the beautiful city. Reddish cobble was beneath her feet, and spiralling towers reached for the Great Beyond. The Night Elf walked slowly towards the edge of the city, running her fingers along the whitewashed walls of the various buildings.

As she made her way towards the northern part of Dalaran, the streets became narrower and darker. Finally, she made her way to the whitish-yellow brick wall around the main city. Aanka was now an expert at climbing up this part of the barrier - she knew every nook and hole, every small foothold and handhold. She made her way up with ease and gazed out at the ocean.

In the distance, she saw Suramar City surrounded by crimson red forests. It was dark like Dalaran, with only a few purple lights breaking the dark fog. She looked to the west and saw the hills of Azsuna - they reminded her of her life in Zin-Azshari.

Aanka turned away from the view and climbed back into Dalaran, a wistful expression on her face. She passed the same old streets, the same beautiful spires, and entered her small house.

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Well worded, concise, a lovely read. I enjoyed it :slight_smile:

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I enjoyed it :smiley: a good read and worded very well.

The waves crashed against the shores of the Azuremyst Isle. A thick pillar of smoke still rose, an angry scar in the sky the only remaining testament to the crimes of the Banshee Queen. The burned out husk of Teldrassil had been finally went out hours ago, but the once proud tree would not let its death been forgotten so easy.

A lone Kaldorei watched the smoke. Sadness filled her eyes. Bandages wrapped around her form hiding away vicious burn marks from when the Priestess had desperately tried to save families from the fires… and failed. It would be easy, all too easy, for her to forsake her vows to Elune as so many of her kin had, but she could not. She knew her goddess still watched over them and she also knew that Elune wept at the loss of life within the massive tree.

The air shook behind her as massive wings rapidly slowed the Bronze’s descent as he landed. Keraei wasn’t surprised at his appearance, in fact, she was expecting him. She slowly walked towards him as he shifted back to the usual elven form he opened his mouth to hail a greeting, but the sorrow in her eyes had him holding his words. The edges of her eyes teased the existence of tears. Both those that have come, and those that have yet to come.

Instead, he closed the remaining distance between them and embraced Keraei in a hug. The dam broke. He just held her as she started bawling. All the grief and anger she had been trying to hold in, she let it go. Takir held her close giving her the moment of support and safety that she needed at that time.

It took a long time before the tears stopped. The sun had set and the Pale Lady had started to rise. Eventually, she stopped holding onto him as her lifeline to existence and simply enjoyed his comforting presence.

When they finally parted, he held out two items to her. The first was Keraei’s scrollcase. The intricate silver that normally gleamed so brightly, was dulled by a thick layer of ash. The bronze dragons in-laid in the design were only barely visible. In his other hand contained a letter that contained the crest of the Alliance on it. A Call to Arms to join the Alliance war effort against the Horde. She reached out once but pulled her hand back. She knew the choice she had to make. There are more important things in this world that had to be dealt with.

She grabbed the Call to Arms and even if he tried to hide his reaction, she could tell he didn’t approve of her choice but nodded to her all the same. Takir assumed his true form once more and they returned to the Exodar to prepare to travel to Stormwind where the Alliance military was assembling for war.

Author's Note

In which Keraei deals with her grief of the Burning of Teldrassil and her decision to stop others from suffering the same fate.

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Benedikt always preferred Thunder Bluff at night. He’d long ago learned to negotiate the tyranny of Kalimdor’s sun but despite his respect for the Shu’Halo they’d have to agree to disagree on wardrobes. He stood out more than he already did in his flowing robes and capes at high noon in the market.

As An’she faded and Mu’sha rose Benedikt glided out from the Pools of Vision. He always levitated in the Bluff. Because the bridges were designed for heavier pedestrians and tended to sway with just his weight on them, he’d say. In reality though he just did not want to suffer the indignity of having to crane his neck up to meet eye contact with any given resident.

He made his way to Hunter’s Rise and exchanged a batch of healing potions for a promissory note ensuring his right to this week’s drained blood garnered from successful hunts. Benedikt was about to compliment them on last week’s kodo blood, his war bats seemed to very much enjoy it, but catching the implication of this statement he kept it to himself.

From there he floated back to the Middle Rise. He caught Winterhoof before closing and debated the finer points of horticulture. He made his way to Auctioneer Gullem to see how his stake in a large amount of Deviant fish from The Barrens was doing and was just about to return to the Pools when he was stopped by Fyr Mistrunner. He’d helped her brother recover from a nasty kodo racing incident the previous year and the baker seemed determined to repay him. This time she’d baked a meat pie with quilboar meat she said, having finally understood why Benedikt kept politely turning down her bread. Flattered he took the meal and scored a skin of Mulgore firewater from an inkeep on his way to the Great Totem that overlooked the city. Carefully as he’d done many times before he scaled it, trying not to leave too deep a mark on the wood with his claws as he did.

He reached the summit and sat down, mixing his firewater with a glug of human blood as he attacked his dinner with gusto. Looking over the city Thunder Bluff and the grass sea that surrounded it bathed in Mu’Sha’s merciful light, he felt at peace.

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Small Note

Well, mine is… not a nice place to visit, right now. So we’ll instead look in on Galenorn remembering the last time he was there. Tried to condense it, but probably still fairly long.

The Archdruid looked out from his perch, his amber eyes slowly passing over an undulating sea of trees. He knew where his eyes would eventually be drawn to, as much as he hated it, but he could not look away. Sure enough, far to the northwest, past where the trees gave way to the actual sea, there it stood. Even in the gloom of a perpetual eclipse, so great was the light of the White Lady that he could see the silhouette of the smouldering husk of Teldrassil.

Even now, weeks… maybe months, later, a gentle rain of fine ash fell. In some places, it even heaped like snow, deceptively white in the pale glow of the now rising Blue Child. Still too did the wind from the sea carry the smell of smoke, and the ever so faint trace of burnt flesh. A melancholy chorus of owls broke out in the forest around him, as far as his ears could reach, as the moonlight fell against the trunk of the fallen World Tree. Nature still keenly mourned such a loss of life.

Galenorn reached into his robes, in an internal pocket, close to his heart, and pulled out a small acorn. The warm golden brown shell gleamed in the faint moonlight. Until he turned it over. The other side was charred black, blistered, and cracked. He ran a thumb over the burned area, and once more heard the roar of flame, the crack of falling branches, and the scream of helpless civilians burned alive. The acorn in his hand would have been a Dryad one day. Would have been a pupil to the Archdruid, and his ward. Would have been a protector of Nature. Yet here she was, her life snuffed out before it even began.

He gently touched the charred half of the seed again. Visions came flooding into his mind this time, along with the sounds, one after another. Panicked creatures running confusedly across Darnassus, dodging the flames in one area, just to be consumed in another. Him charging into his burning home, coughing and choking on smoke and ash, most of his books, his life’s work, ablaze. Grabbing a cowering nightsaber cub, and reaching into a burning chest to retrieve a small acorn, praying it would be ok. Throngs of people screaming in the streets, some on fire, a few throwing themselves into the lake in front of the Temple in a futile attempt to put out the arcane flames. A mother grabbing his arm in blind panic, begging, pleading for him to take her son, and flee. The boy, no older than ten it seemed, absolutely paralyzed in fear. Turning into a giant owl, and grabbing the boy securely in his talons as he took off. The boy wailing and crying, twisting and thrashing, reaching out for his mother as the flames below swallowed everything. Swooping under the last standing branches of the falling World Tree, taking and squirrels and other desperate, stranded creatures who leaped upon his back. The sound of the boy’s racking sobs, even over the rush of the night air, as they raced over sea, forest, and mountain, all illuminated in a horrible red glow from behind him. Despicable Horde archers hastily trying to shoot them down, with the occassional blast of a Goblin firearm. Landing in Moonglade, and putting the boy and the creatures in the care of the gathered Priestesses and Druids. Fighting off five other Druids as they tried to hold Galenorn down and treat his burns and wounds. Running to the side of his beloved, kneeling in the earth beside his bed, bandages covering his burned face, hands, and torso, his breathing shallow and irregular.

Galenorn slowly opened his eyes, and came back to the present. He could feel them long before he could hear them. The forest recoiled from them, the unnatural magics that held the Forsaken together, the vile chemicals and emissions of the Goblins, the Fel taint of the Orcs, the foreign spirits of the Trolls, and the Arcane stench of the Blood Elves. The land cried out in pain under the trod of their hated feet. Sure enough, after a while his keen ears picked up the far off sound of iron-shod boots, and his eyes caught the distant specks of torchlight. The Archdruid looked up once more at the darkened disc of the moon.

The High Priestess was right. They would kill. Them. All.

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