Nanaai sprinted through the dark forest of Duskwood. Her bare elven feet made only the noise of soft padding through the thick undergrowth. Her nimble frame strengthened and made all the more flexible thanks to her bond with the Moonspirit. A self proclaimed child of Ela’Lothen, Nanaai’s typical elven senses were pushed just past their peak. She could feel the forest around her, sense the pulse of the thick otherworldly darkness surround her. Even with no moon light to guide her way her eyes could sense the subtle variations within the darkness; which is why it was all the more surprising that as she reached the peak of a steep hill She was suddenly there before her.
Vesthi stood at the crest of the steep hill. Her arms folded. Sporting a sly mischievous grin. Nanaai couldn’t stop. So sudden was Vesthi’s appearance that all she could do was crash into the lithe Demon Hunter and hope. Vesthi caught the charging Nanaai and wrapped her arms around the other Night Elf, sending the two hurling down the other side of the steep hill. Rolling together as one they finally came to rest at the bottom with Nanaai still firmly embraced in Vesthi’s arms.
The two panted deeply. “Are you alright?” Nanaai whispered. Vesthi replied with a nod that the other felt rather than saw. “I received your message. I came as swiftly as I could.” Vesthi’s embrace softened enough to finally allow Nanaai to move. In response Nanaai slipped her arms around Vesthi’s torso and held the Demon Hunter close. Her face nuzzled into Vesthi’s neck. “I’m glad.” Nanaai whispered. “You Illidari never cease to amaze me. I only faintly heard the twig snap that sent me running. I was hoping to beat you to this hill, but somehow you surpassed me. How do you do it?”
Vesthi gently ran her clawed finger tips through Nanaai’s silvery hair. “Nai,” Vesthi spoke gently, barely hiding the concern in her demon-toned voice. “That wasn’t me.”
At once both Nanaai and Vesthi tensed. Nanaai slipped out of Vesthi’s arms, rolled to the side and in a fluid movement was on her feet in a low feral crouch. Her throat rippled with a deep menacing growl. Her eyes black as night appeared as a ravenous raptor (bird-of-prey) searching the dark. Vesthi lifted to her feet with the grace only a supernatural being can summon, and called upon the fel within. Her tattoos glowed brightly casting eerie green shadows in the darkness. The light reflected within several pairs of eyes previously hidden in that darkness, which themselves glowed as eerie little orbs. Vesthi pulsed her Spectral Awareness to discover that they were surrounded. “I count eight.”
Nanaai whispered, her lips curled with a snarl. “Nightbane.” At the mentioning of the name a series of low deep growls rolled from the surrounding forest as thunder might from the dark cloudy night over head. Nanaai stretched out like a cat and assumed the form granted her by the Moonspirit, a darkly feathered cat-like beast with a piercing hawkish gaze, sharp talons, and an equally sharp beak. With little more than a soft owl-like cry Nanaai’s Moonspirit form vanished from sight.
With that display the entire pack of eight Nightbane Worgen erupted from the night, converging on Vesthi. The Demon Hunter grinned with malevolent delight. Her pulse quickened and the fel within pounded against her restraint for beautiful release! And Vesthi did just that. The Worgen’s bite was powerful, but the fel within made her stronger. The beasts found it difficult to pierce her demonic hide with either tooth or claw, yet their own supernatural fervor was unrelenting. Vesthi had her hands full parrying claw swipes and shoving away biting maws. Each time one managed to clamp their iron-like jaws on her shoulder, around her arm, or grab her leg with their hard dagger teeth, Vesthi made them pay. She grabbed one from her shoulder and snapped it’s jaw, sending it screaming in pain. Another lost it’s teeth along with it’s lower jaw when it lunged for her face. Her own claws found it difficult to rip through their though Worgen fur, but eventually they would. Two more were sent howling and screaming by Vesthi’s own ferocious assault. Giving in to her own feral impulses, Vesthi set herself to the chase. Unwilling to allow even a single one of them escape her fury.
A fifth Worgen charged at Vesthi from behind but was swiftly intercepted by a different Worgen which was clad in patches of armor which looked to just barely fit her large feral frame. The pair tussled for a moment but the Nightbane Worgen found itself swiftly outmatched, and it’s life put to an end. Vesthi continued her pursuit into the darkened forest after the other two. Distant growls and screams echoed through the silent forest, and were swiftly silenced. Moments later Vesthi calmly emerged from the thick undergrowth back into the small clearing at the foot of the hill. Gore stained her clawed hands, her mouth, and much of her torso. She considered the armor-clad Worgen with a fel-burning gaze.
The armor-clad Worgen had been bent over the beast she’d slain, examining the wolf-like corpse. She stood and raise both hands, open with palms outward. “I’m not with these. I’ve been stalking them.” Her voice deep with a notable bestial quality. Vesthi examined her carefully before offering a nod.
“Stalking. Not hunting?” Vesthi ask. Her irritation clear in her tone. The armored Worgen shook her head and explained.
“This was merely a hunting party. Their leader is the son of their Alpha. An older, stronger Worgen looking to expand his influence throughout Duskwood.” The Worgen let out a frustrated growl. “I was following their hunt, hoping they would lead me back to their den. I’ve been searching for the better part of this past month and this was the best lead I could come up with.” She shoved the corpse with her hind paw, then looked up at Vesthi apologetically. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware they had broken away from their game to hunt the likes of you. I can’t understand why they’d ever consider taking down an Illidari.”
Vesthi snarled at first, showing her fangs, which quickly melted to a grin as she licked her tongue across those fangs. “I wasn’t their prey. I was unexpected.” The armored Worgen looked confused, her question written across her face. Vesthi answered. “I was meeting a Druid here. It was her they were hunting.” A flash of concern pulled the armored Worgen to step over the corpse toward Vesthi, to which the Demon Hunter raised a halting hand. “She’s fine. Seems they also under estimated the power of the Druid they unwittingly chased.”
A pair of wide dark eyes glinted in the darkness. Vesthi and the other turned toward them. A soft avian screech mixed with the deep cat-like growl. The creature appeared to stand upright, and a Night Elven figure stepped barefoot from the thick undergrowth. Her silvery mane matted with gore and sweat. Her blackened eyes considered the armored Worgen briefly before turning to Vesthi. “I got two. The third slipped away while I was busy with them.”
“I’m glad to see you’re safe,” The Worgen expressed. “but which way was it headed?”
“He,” Nanaai corrected. “was galloping full speed south and east.” She gestured with an arm back the way she’d come. “I lost him back that direction, about a quarter of a mile.” The armored Worgen appeared to smile. She muttered, “Brilliant”, and looked to move past Nanaai. The Night Elven Druid held up her own gore stained hand at the Worgen, who paused quizzically. Nanaai seemed to almost admire her hand. “I managed to claw him in the fray.”
The armored Worgen again appeared to smile. She stepped forward with all the caution of a canine examining the outstretched hand of a stranger. She sniffed Nanaai’s hand before giving her fingers a gentle lick. The Worgen turned to the path and with a delighted huff set into a gallop, disappearing through the underbrush.
Nanaai quipped, “The hound has her sent.” She then gazed back at Vesthi as one might beseech a lover, asking if she could keep the stray. Vesthi smiled and shook her head. “I’m always up for a hunt.” Nanaai returned the smile and bound into the underbrush after the Worgen. A piercing bird-like screech followed. Vesthi gave the gore stained corpse one last glance before bounding into the darkness herself.