Mercy
As Vyra stood over the corpse she held out her runeblade and invoked the raising spell. In that moment a chill breeze clawed its way through the flight terrace of the Acherus. And with the wind came a memory, one that she had kept safe since she was child. With every year that passed in her life she found it ever more difficult to hold on to the experiences from her youth, but that one memory she could never forget.
The forests of Mount Hyjal gleamed pale silver from Elune’s light. Crickets clicked their wings and light bugs flickered like small yellow stars through the air. Vyra grasped her father’s massive furry neck as he carried her through the endless maze of trees and brush. The wind whipped by her face, filling her nose with the overwhelming scent of pine from the lush evergreens. Breathless and heart pounding, she giggled every time Anuron’s bear form leaped over a fallen log or stream. Sometimes she would get scared that she’d fall off, but then remembered how strong her father was. He could protect her from anything.
They slowed down upon entering a clearing, where the crowded trees yielded to knee high grass patterned with golden flowers. Vyra was confused at first, but then she saw the reason for her father’s abrupt stop. She jumped off and started to make her way over to it, but her father gave a deep dragging growl. She froze in her tracks, knowing full well that sound meant potential danger. Anuron stood up on his hind legs and sniffed the air. In a flash the great brown bear transformed into a tall night elf, wearing dark green leather robes with a halberd of bone and steel clutched in his hand. “Stay close to me, Vyra.” Her father gave her a reassuring grin through his deep blue beard and she did as was told.
They found an injured nightsaber with a huge gash torn through his side. Vyra had seen similar injuries before on other predators. The wound was from an antler, she was sure of it. The cat whimpered and slowly raised a paw towards her. She moved around, out of the reach of his claws and stooped to get a closer look. His black fur was mostly gray and one of his ears was clipped. Many scars covered his body. She cringed at seeing the blood flow from his injury, but knew everything would be okay. Her father was a great druid and he could heal anything just like he had healed the little red bird outside her window.
“End his suffering, Vyra.”
At first she thought she didn’t hear him right, but when she looked up and saw the frown on his face, her heart dropped. “No…why can’t you just heal him, father? You can heal anyone I know you can.”
Anuron knelt down and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. The golden light in his eyes darkened and his voice grew softer. “I could heal him, mend that wound there and send him on his way. But look into his eyes, my child. He’s very old and his heart doesn’t have that much strength left.”
She gazed into the cat’s dark eyes then. He whined in pain, staring back, his whiskers flicking as he sniffed at her. Her vision blurred suddenly and realized she was crying. Vyra hated crying in front of her parents, her mother would always tell her to stop, that it was unbecoming of a future sentinel. She wiped the tears away and placed her hand on his neck, running her fingers through his warm fur. The saber let out a long sigh and whimpered again.
“But you can heal him anyway. He can still live a while longer can’t he?” There was still hope. She only needed to make him understand. Things didn’t have to die just because they were old. Their own people were proof of that.
“He could,” her father said. “But he won’t really be living. His muscles and bones have broken down and his senses are failing. I don’t know yet if you have the gift to become a druid, but trust me. I can see his mind and his pain. He lost his mate many moons ago. His cubs have all grown and ventured off. Only he remains. Look into his eyes once more. Imagine a vine branching out from your mind into his. If you have the gift, you should feel at least a spark of his emotion and see fragments of his thoughts. He knows that this is his end…he’s ready for it.”
Vyra looked into the beast’s eyes again, straining until her head throbbed and her pulse pounded in her ears, but she couldn’t feel or see anything from him. “He doesn’t have to die now, maybe he can still-” It was no use, her father was right, but she didn’t want to admit it out loud. Disappointment fell over her and then shame as she lifted the dagger from her belt. More tears ran down her face, she brushed them away, harder than intended. Her father raised his hand over the saber and whispered words that she couldn’t understand, but the effect was easy enough to see. The beast’s heart quieted, his breathing slowed and then finally closed his eyes. She moved the dagger over his heart and looked to her father, wordless.
“You know your mother’s wishes for you, Vyra. Despite my best efforts…I’ve been unable to convince her otherwise. The sentinels mean everything to her and she wants you to be part of that legacy. Because of this path the day will come when you’ll have to kill an enemy. And if there is anything I can do, it will be to assure that your first kill is one of mercy.” Anuron took the old saber’s paws into his hands and nodded to her. “Go on, my little star, bring this old cat his peace. He deserves rest after all he’s been through.”
Vyra shoved the blade down with all her strength. The saber cried out a final time, his body shivering, before going still. When she pulled the dagger and saw the lifeblood dripping from the blade she dropped it. More of the beast’s blood stained her hands. She wiped them on her tunic, but the red only smeared further across her skin. Her heart raced, she wiped them again, harder that time, and kept on until her father stopped her, taking her hands into his. After a moment the panic in her chest ceased. Vyra had never hurt anything before in her life. When she glanced back to the nightsaber’s lifeless body, her stomach rose up to her throat. It was all she good do to not expel the food she ate earlier.
“It’s alright. You did well”. Anuron picked up the dagger, cleaned it and placed it back into her belt. “We will bury him now.”
Elune had reached the apex of the sky by the time they finished covering the grave. Vyra returned from the forest’s edge, hoping she found the right seed. She showed it to her father and he grinned. “Perfect. From his death a new tree will bloom and stand sentinel here forevermore.” Vyra placed it within the dirt and poured a splash of water over it. Anuron in turn whispered again, but this time he raised his hands and from his finger strands of verdant green energy flowed into the soil. After a few seconds, an evergreen sapling sprouted. The sight of the baby tree brought a shred of happiness to her heart. She sat down next to it and pulled out the ball of grass she collected.
Her father looked up to the myriad of stars and sang under Elune’s light:
"As the rain descends so do our lives,
falling through countless twists and turns,
into darkness we are destined,
to a place and time unknown,
do not be afraid, for her light will guide you home…"
While the song carried on, Vyra wove a small owl figurine out of the grass. Owls were her favorite animal, they represented wisdom, but were also great protectors. She buried it in the grave too so the old nightsaber and tree would have a friend. After the song ended, her father knelt down and dried her eyes with his calloused thumbs. He then lifted her chin so they could see each other. “I know it hurts right now, but tomorrow night, when you awake, the pain from this day will be less. And after more time passes, you will understand that you did the right thing here. Now, let’s hurry home. Your mother probably has her armor back on and is ready to start searching for us.”
The ghoul’s piercing scream jolted Vyra back to the present. Her father, the trees, the stars, and the warmth she remembered so vividly that night faded back into the dank coldness of the Ebon Hold. Her opponent stood before her, his torn lips revealing a mouth of rotten and shattered teeth.
“I hope you found your way home.” Vyra held out her hand and beckoned him forth.
Attack me.