View Full Version : Wild Child..
The sun was starting to dip towards the west when the last trainee of the day left the grounds. Dentrite Starblaze poured himself a goblet of moonberry juice and took a few moments rest before tackling the pile of documents on his bureau. People seldom saw the tedious administration that went into being a druid mentor and advisor. The record keeping, lesson archives, letters to trainers in the field, research papers, recipes for alchemists, and personal journals.
Looking out over Lake Elune’ara from his high balcony, Dentrite took in the calm serenity of the Moonglade atmosphere. The only sounds were of songbirds in the trees and chirping frogs from down among the reed beds of the lakeshore. Here and there he saw the occasional warden making their way along the boardwalks of Nighthaven, going about their business with peace and purpose. Kaldorei and Shu’halo alike.
There was a steady dripping of water from the eaves of his cottage, splashing in little puddles onto the balcony floor. Left overs from the warm rains that morning. In a nearby tree a nightingale preened its feathers, letting occasional tufts of down drift down to the mossy ground below.
Dentrite lifted his goblet to take a sip, the nightingale took flight and a fat droplet of water made its descent towards the floor. Then it happened. The droplet slowed in its fall until it froze in mid air. The nightingale’s wing beat also slowed, then stopped as the bird appeared suspended in mid flight. Dentrite himself was unaffected. He swiftly put down the goblet and braced himself for what he knew was coming.
” DENTRITE STARBLAZE..!! “
No matter how often The Keeper had spoken in this fashion to Dentrite’s mind over the countless years, each time it came as a shock. Remulos, Son of Cenarius was a powerful being and his presence, even in spirit, tended to overwhelm even the strongest will.
“Honor to you Keeper, My Lord. How may I serve?” Dentrite thought the words as he had learned so long ago.
” WE HAVE A TASK FOR THEE, MY SERVANT. TAKE THEE HENCE TO THE SOUTH OF THE GLADE. THERE AMONG THE FOOTHILLS NEAR THE BARROWS OF STORMRAGE THOU SHALL FIND A CHILD… SECURE THE CHILD. “
A child? What would a child be doing alone in those wooded foothills?
“My Lord. It shall be as you ask. But if I may, what am I to do with this child once I have found it?” asked Dentrite.
” THOU SHALL DO WHAT THOU HAST ALWAYS DONE. THOU SHALL ADMINISTER THY COUNSEL. THOU SHALL GUIDE AND NURTURE. TEACH THE CHILD. THYSELF AND THY FELLOW DRUIDS. THE CHILD IS AN EMPTY VESSEL AWAITING KNOWLEDGE. “
“Aye My Lord. It shall be as you say. This child, from where has it come? Who is this child?” But the contact was severed as swiftly as it was formed.
With a splash the droplet hit the balcony floor, the bird flew off in a flurry of wings. Time had resumed, the message complete. Dentrite knew he would receive no answer to his last question. Remulos only gave what information he deemed necessary and little more.
Dentrite Starblaze sighed. His paperwork would have to be put off once more. Gathering up his cloak and donning his heavy leather boots, he summoned his warder. The Shu’Halo would be of great benefit, being of feral strength and very skilled at woodcraft. The large tauren arrived and the two made ready to start the search.
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The daylight was almost gone when Dentrite and his warder arrived in the southern foothills of Moonglade. The Tauren had switched into feline form to better track any humanoids in the region. He had run off ahead to scout while Dentrite walked through the brush, alert for any sign of a presence.
He had completed a single sweep when in the distance he heard the roar of his Tauren warder carry to him on the evening breeze. He had found something! Sprinting towards the sound, Dentrite broke from the cover of the brush into a little clearing. Ahead of him was his warder, still in feline form. He had something cornered against the rocky wall of the southern slopes. As Dentrite approached he could begin to make out the figure of a woman. This was no child! Indeed, there was the pale, unclothed figure of a Kaldorei female, in her adulthood huddled into the stone as if willing it to swallow her up. The sense of fear emanating from her was palpable.
“Morin, she is frightened. Change back to your normal form.” The tauren complied, and where once stood a horned feline loomed the hulking figure of Morin, trying to appear unthreatening. At the sight of the tauren the woman visibly seemed to relax slightly. Curious.
“ I am Dentrite Starblaze. You have entered the enclave of Moonglade. My friend here and I mean you no harm. We seek a lost child in this area. Have you seen it?” asked Dentrite.
The woman looked at him with empty eyes. She probably didn’t hear him. Dentrite repeated his greeting and question. Same blank look. Perhaps the woman was traumatized.
“What is your name lady? Again, we are no threat to you.” No answer. Dentrite made a motion towards the woman. In an instant she was on her feet and ran to cower behind the back of the huge Tauren. Morin looked questioningly at his master.
“Hmm, she seems to find you of a lesser threat than me, my friend,” Dentrite told the tauren. “Maybe we can use that.”
The two spent the better part of an hour trying to get some words out of the woman, but the most they could get were grunts and whimpers. It then occurred to Dentrite that this indeed was the “child” he had been sent to find! In body a woman, but her mind was that of a newborn, no language, no reason. It was as if she had lived her whole life in isolation.
The words of Remulos came back to Dentrite; “ The Child is an empty vessel awaiting knowledge..”
Dentrite took this revelation in stride. When dealing with a demi-god one had to expect the unexpected. They saw the world through different perspectives than the mortal denizens of Azeroth.
It took some coaxing to get the woman to accompany then back to Nighthaven and his cottage. They eventually had to resort to calming her with spells and getting her to drink a soothing elixir. But in time they had her fed, cleaned, properly clothed and sleeping in a guest bed.
Morin’s mate had arrived to administer to the woman, she seemed to be at ease with tauren and a woman’s touch might even take that farther. As she slept, Dentrite and the tauren woman did an inspection of her condition. She was lean, pale skinned with an almost blue/green tint unusual among Kaldorei. Her hair was snowy white, tied up in a topknot. Her facial features were angular and particularly harsh, at least to Dentrite’s eye. Some accident of birth?
She appeared otherwise in perfect health. Then they saw it. The scar. Brushing aside her hair from her neck revealed a nasty looking bite mark right over the jugular vein. The flesh appeared to have been deeply punctured in two round holes, as if some fanged beast had taken hold of her and teared away the tissues. It was healed over, but she would bear those marks for the rest of her days. What would have done this? Where did this woman come from that she would have endured such a savage wound?
“Watch over her tonight, “ Dentrite told the tauren. “ If she wakes, give her some more elixir to drink. If there is any problem, fetch me in haste. Take note of anything unusual.”
With that Dentrite left the guest room and returned to his study. He needed to plan his next move. Obviously he was meant to teach this woman. But he never imagined that instruction would commence with teaching her how to talk!
It was still dark out when Dentrite was shaken from his slumber. It was the tauren woman, Myrele. “Master, forgive my intrusion. You asked me to report immediately if anything unusual happened with the elf woman below. “
Dentrite wiped the sleep from his eyes. “Hmm? Oh yes of course. What is is Myrele?”
“I think you should come and see for yourself..”
Now he was intrigued. Dentrite roused himself out of bed and donned a robe. Following Myrele to the guest room he started to get a sense of what had prompted the wakening. Emanating from the room was the sound of vocalizations, not speech really, more an endless string of gibberish.
As Dentrite entered, he saw that the woman was still asleep, yet tossing and turning. Her jaw worked in a convulsive way, and every now and then she would make the sounds in bursts.
“It would appear she is dreaming Myrele. Probably still traumatized. Just stay with her and make sure she doesn’t fall out in her sleep.”
“No, you don’t understand Master. Much of that is nonsense noise, but mixed in every now and then are words that I think I understand. Or at least they sound vaguely familiar. “ Myrele looked concerned.
“Really Myrele? I can’t make out anything.” Dentrite paused to listen when the next burst came. He shook his head. “No, nothing there..”
“Yes, there was. I distinctly heard the word ‘wolf’, and there, just now she uttered what sounded like ‘ forest’.”
“Bah! I heard that not Myrele. I think you are imagining that.”
“That’s because you are listening for Kaldorei, or Common. The words she speaks are in Trollish!”
Dentrite looked at Myrele in silence for a time. “Are you certain?”
“Certain? No, it might just be coincidence. But they come too frequently for me to think it a fluke. They are in an uncommon dialect, spoken mostly by trolls of the old Amani Empire, and garbled somewhat. I suspect that neck wound has something to do with that. Perhaps her voice box is damaged. But there they are. There! She just said ‘mother’.” Myrele looked positively pleased at herself for figuring that out.
Dentrite pondered the situation for a while. The elf woman continued to utter the sounds. One word seemed to come up more frequent than others. It sounded like ‘Ooo pa.’.
When he asked Myrele about that word she shook her head. “No, not a word I recognize. But then I’m not an expert on the troll language. I just know what I was taught during my time with the Horde. Perhaps its her name? “ Myrele suggested.
“ Hmm.. possibly. We will try to determine that tomorrow. It fits as well as any. I think we might have solved the mystery of this woman. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn she was a troll slave, or prisoner. Recently escaped. She could have been a captive for ages, even since infancy! The poor dear.”
Myrele seemed to support that theory. “Indeed, the trolls of the Hinterlands breed wolves for war. Those neck wounds could have been made by one of those, in pursuit of an escapee. “
Dentrite nodded. “Yes, that would make sense. Good work Myrele. Keep me posted.” With that Dentrite returned to his chambers and tried to catch a few more moments sleep before the busy day ahead.
“OK, lets start from the top…” Dentrite took a sip from the ceramic cup on the table in front of him. The mild morning temperature was giving way to the heat of midday. Even in Moonglade, with the shade provided by the canopy of large trees, the midday sun could be scorching at this time of year.
Setting the cup down he pointed to it and caught the eye of the elf woman seated across the stone table from him. Carefully and deliberately he mouthed the word in the Common tongue , “ C u p “. He then motioned to the woman to repeat the word.
She blinked at him, looked confused for a moment, then hesitantly opened her mouth, “ K u p p ?”
“Good.. very close..” Dentrite repeated the word in Kaldorei. That proved more difficult. The woman was having problems making the throat vocalizations.. Myrele was right, that neck wound had delivered some permanent damage to the woman’s voice box. She appeared to have difficulty making “G” and to some degree “L” sounds. It would be best to adhere to Common for the time being.
She was certainly a quick learner. In the few hours they had spent at this exercise the woman had managed to pick up several dozen words and could string some together into rudimentary sentences. She also could understand much more when emphasis was added with gestures. She might even be ready for basic druid teachings in a day or so. Nothing too complicated, just the beginnings of healing and some minor defensive spells.
She seemed more at ease this morning, almost as if the events of last night were erased from her memory. With that thought Dentrite remembered what he meant to experiment with today. He knew virtually nothing about her and had no way of knowing how much she carried around in her mind.
Catching her gaze, which had wandered off to examine a butterfly on a nearby patch of wildflowers, Dentrite pointed to himself and said “ Dentrite”.. he then motioned to the woman. She didn’t understand.
At that moment she stood up and fixed her attention down towards the path leading up to the cottage from Nighthaven. Dentrite followed the woman’s gaze and was pleasantly surprised to see Myrele come into view in a few moments. Obviously the woman had some remarkable attunement to her environment, a talent that would have made her the envy of any hunter trainer. She would be an excellent candidate for the feral disciplines of druidism.
The woman seemed pleased to see Myrele. The large tauren female with the kind eyes had seemingly made quite the impression on her. “Ah, Myrele, you can assist me. I am just about to see if your theory is correct..” Myrele looked as if she didn’t understand, but took a seat next to Dentrite.
Once more Dentrite pointed to himself and said; “ Dentrite”.. he then pointed to Myrele and said; “ Myrele”. Holding his open palm towards the woman in invitation he looked at her questioningly. This time a look that he instantly recognized as understanding came across her face. However, it was swiftly followed by uncertainty. He remained silent, patience was paramount here. She might easily shut down if she had any sense that she was being ridiculed.
After a few moments, Dentrite repeated the sequence. This time the woman started opening her mouth, only to shut it again and shake her head to herself. She was obviously unsure of her response. But something was there, Dentrite was positive.
He was just about to give up and move on to something else when she shot her head up, looked between Dentrite and Myrele and uttered; “ Ooo ppa..eh?” She looked quizzical for a second, possibly unsure if she got it right, but then repeated with more confidence, “ Upa..e “. She slapped her chest. “Upae!”
Myrele clapped excitedly, mostly pleased for the woman, Upae’s success, but Dentrite also suspected there was some personal pride there for being proved correct. Well, she deserved that moment.
“Well Upae, that is good. We will make a druid out of you yet. “
Upae answered.. “Kupp..”
“ You almost have it Upae. I can sense the energies gathering, its just a matter of focus, then release..” Dentrite instructed.
Upae blinked and stared at Dentrite with a questioning look. Dentrite sighed and repeated “ Gather, good. Must catch, then think to throw..” Upae nodded understanding. A look of determination came over the woman as she started the motions. Soon a green glow appeared around her arms and slowly concentrated on her hands. Then, with a throwing gesture Upae shot her arms out towards the target stone Dentrite had set up. This time, a crackling bolt of emerald energy leapt across the distance towards the stone to fizzle out on its hard surface.
Dentrite clapped. “Excellent! Well done Upae!”. The woman bounced up and down in glee. “Upae did ‘ood!”
After a few more repetitions, the bolts became more forceful and effective. Yes, a fast learner. Dentrite was no fool. This was coming to the girl with tremendous ease, in spite of their limited communications. He suspected the groundwork had already been put in place by someone, or something. Only lying dormant. Dentrite could think of only one with the ability to do that; The Keeper himself, Remulos.
Moonfire came to Upae even easier than the Wrath bolts did, and he scarce had to show her how to heal. She performed that as if she had always had a healing talent of some sort.
“Master?” Dentrite was called back from his musings by her questioning voice. “ Upae see other druids in the ‘ade. They are chan’in shape to .. bear? “ Dentrite nodded , it was a new word. “ Yes, bear. Other chan’in to bi’ cat. Upae 'earn this?”
She was asking about shape shifting. Dentrite was afraid of this. That would mean she would have to go to Darnasus, and speak with the Bearwalker. Not that he was of concern to Dentrite, but sending her to Darnasus would bring her under the scrutiny of Fandral Staghelm. Dentrite and Fandral did not see eye to eye, on a great many things. Not least of which was Staghelm’s obvious tendencies to xenophobia. He was not shy about his disapproval of admitting the Shu’Halo into the Circle. He also was obsessive about the Kaldorei regaining their lost immortality…
But Dentrite could see no way out of it. Upae would need to go to Darnasus eventually. All he could do was ensure she was sufficiently prepared. She wasn’t yet.. At the very least they needed to continue the language training, so that she could converse properly. The impediment caused by the neck wound alas would always be a burden. People could be cruel..
“Yes, Upae. You will learn that, and much more. When the time is right. But not today.”
Upae nodded, but Dentrite could see that she was slightly disappointed. Indeed, he had seen enough young druids over the ages to know a feral aptitude when he saw it. What was it Morin had called her? A natural born hunter..
" But Master Dentrite, It far away for Upae. Not even know how to 'et there." The woman looked distraught. She had just returned from Darnassus, having been successful in gaining her shape change ability from Mathrengyl Bearwalker. For the remainder of her training she needed to venture out into the world. Dentrite knew this and had told her as much.
But he was still concerned she would not be received by many fellow Kaldorei in a sympathetic light due to her limited vocabulary and impediment. His own people could be haughty. It would be best she journeyed in the Human lands of the Eastern continent, where she could train with less attention being drawn to her.
"It will be well Upae. Journey to Auberdine on the Darkshore coast. You know the way. Take the boat from the southern pier. It will take you to the harbour of Menethil. From their you can journey to the dwarven lands of Loch Modan. Ask the locals for directions to Ironforge and take the tram from there to Stormwind. In the park we have a Cenarion outpost where you can find support from an old friend of mine. Sheldras Moontree. Do not hesitate to approach him. He is a good man and his assistants are well thought of."
Upae looked nervous. This was something the girl was dreading, separation from the safe enclave of the Moonglade, and Master Dentrite's tutelage.
"Here, take this special hearthstone. It will allow you to return here whenever you wish, if even just to relax and talk."
"Thank you Master. I wi' use it wise'y."
They walked together in silence towards the hippogriff stand. Upae carrying her meager belongings on her back.
"You have more skill than you realize Upae. Trust in yourself and you will be fine."
Upae hesitated a moment, then threw her arms around the druid master and gave him a fierce hug. " I wi' try. I wi' never for'et you Dentrite."
And without a backward glance she mounted the hippogriff bound for Auberdine.
((excellent, as always))
((Thank You Clys.. it means much coming from you, considering you are the cause of this speech impediment.. :evil: )
Upae entered Stormwind with wide-eyed wonder. Never had she imagined the world held so many peoples of different types! Yes, her brief journey through Ironforge was an overwhelming experience, but by and large it was dim and dark and vast. She scarce took note of her surroundings as she was escorted to the tram by a helpful, if overly talkative gnome.
Stormwind by contrast was bright, open and full of interesting sights.
Her voyage from Menethil through the Wetlands was mostly a blur. She spent the better time just running to avoid the wildlife that infested the swamps. The dwarven lands of Loch Modan and Dun Modr were more peaceful. Upae had much time to think back on the days since she found herself waking up in the forests of Moonglade. Much of her memory of those first few days were fading, as if a bad dream that left an emotional echo, but no detail.
She remembered terror, the fear of awakening alone, cold and unaware of who or where she was. There was a distant recollection of floating, suspended in a misty nothingness for what seemed an eternity prior to her wakening. She thought she could vaguely remember voices, whispering things to her. What they spoke she could not say. She had occasional flashes of images when she slept those first few nights in Nighthaven, images of a white wolf, a black panther, a large stag-like figure and green mist. There was also the memory of pain; unimaginable body wracking pain, as the figures whispered to her.
All that was fading daily now. The visions no longer plagued her sleep, the details of her discovery become sketchy. What replaced it were her memories of the kindly Dentrite Starblaze and his Tauren friends. He had spent long hours instructing Upae in language and eventually the druidic arts. Upae was astonished to discover that the more he taught, the more easily it came to her. It was as if it was all there in place somewhere inside already, it just needed his guidance to bring it out.
Still, she had much to learn and practice. She still found strange new words came slowly and piecing them together into phrases was frustrating at times. Worst thing was that, plus the fact she simply could not make some word sounds because of that scarring on her throat, meant many folk looked at her with a varying degree of pity and disdain. Upae was certain many thought her stupid or immature. It meant she avoided conversation if possible, which didn’t help her practice at language.
She wandered though Stormwind with no clear idea where to find the Park Dentrite had mentioned. She needed to locate Sheldras Moontree, the druid friend that called Stormwind home.
As she wandered the stone streets she examined all the people she passed. So many folk of different races. Here and there she saw others like herself. Kaldorei, she had learned. They all ignored her passage for the most part. Curiously, as she passed one tall Kaldorei man lounging near a set of stairs a brief shadow crossed her mind and a strange, slight tingling in her scalp and along her spine. Then it passed. Upae shrugged and continued her exploration.
It didn’t take long for her to realize she was hopelessly lost….
((Of course I'm the cause, and a small price to pay for your new druidic talents, I think you'll agree. :twisted: back atcha! ))
Thartis
06-27-2006, 12:17 PM
((looking foward to what is next))
“ Well now, ye be needin some help there lass?”
Upae turned around at the voice, but there was nobody to be seen. At least not until she looked down. There before her was an armoured dwarf with a golden beard and a twinkle in his eye. Hesitantly she answered, “ Yes p’ease, I’m ‘ost. “
Without so much as a raised eyebrow the dwarf responded, “ New to the city are ye? Well, where you be looking to get to?”
“Park, p’ease” answered Upae. The dwarf nodded and began to walk along the stone roadway. “Sure enough I can take ye there. I be heading that way anyways.”
“Thank you,” Upae answered and made after the retreating back of the dwarf.
He led them through a twist of alleys and across a couple bridges. “My name is Turen. What be your name lass?” asked the dwarf.
“Upae,”
“Pleased to meet you Upae. You be comin from Teldrassil?”
Upae shook her head, “No, I don’t know that p’ace, I come from Moon’ade.”
“Teldrassil, you know the World Tree,” replied Turen.
“Oh, I been to Darnasus, is that there?” asked Upae. Turen nodded.
“If you don’t mind me sayin, you best be working on your common if you want to be doing business in these parts.” The dwarf advised her. Upae felt a lump grow in her throat. She sensed he meant no insult and was trying to be helpful, but still it hurt.
In time the stone walk opened up into a large green expanse, with a moonwell in the center. The Park. Upae was pleased to see several Kaldorei surrounding the pool. One of them must be Sheldras Moontree.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the dwarf’s rough voice, “Upae would you come join me for a drink lass? There is a fine inn just over there.” Turen pointed across the park to a wooden fronted building.
“Drink, water?” Upae asked, not sure what the dwarf meant.
Turen chuckled. “Hehe, no lass, ale, mead maybe some wine. You do know what wine is right?” Upae shook her head.
“Hmm well, you should come try. Its on me.” With that the dwarf lead Upae off towards the inn.
“ Oh, wait p’ease a second!” asked Upae, and she dashed off towards the druids, making her introduction. A short time later she rejoined Turen. “ Ok, I need to come back 'ater.”
“Lets be off then lass,” and he led Upae into the inn. It was dark, and it took Upae a few seconds to adjust to the low light. A tall elf introduced himself as the bartender and asked for their order. Turen started up a conversation with him about what they had to drink, while Upae examined her surroundings. She was brought back by Turen asking what she wanted to drink.
“You choose p’ease ..” she said.
“Okay then, 2 mead please bartender,” the dwarf hollered.
While the barteder went about getting the drinks Turen said,” Upae lets sit.”
Upae shrugged and sat down on the wooden floor.
“Er, no. Over here in the chairs Upae.” Turen motioned to the chairs around the large wooden table. Upae was embarrassed, got up swiftly and skittered over to the chair to sit. Turen pretended not to notice.
The drinks came and Upae took a swig of the thick mead. It immediately sent a rush to her head. “Woah!” she exclaimed.
“Haha, yes it was like that my first hard drink at age 4..” said Turen. “You will get used to it. So Upae tell me about yourself. Do you have family?”
Upae shook her head, “ No fami’y, just Master Dentrite.”
“Hmm an orphan then?” Turen inquired.
“Orphan? What is that?” asked Upae.
“Means no parents, no family.” Answered Turen. Upae nodded, “Yes, I have no parent”.
Turen ordered another round. The bartrender made some comment about Upae being too young. Upae snapped back “No, not too youn’ Master says I am o’de enouf!” Another person who thought her immature or stupid. Upae was upset, but tried to calm herself for Turen’s sake. He was kind after all. She decided to ask about him.
“Tauren,.” asked Upae
“Turen” answered Turen.
“Tooren,” replied Upae. Turen nodded, “close enough.”
“What do you do?” she asked. Turen swelled up his chest. “ I am a soldier!” he said. “Turen Longrifle , Soldier of the Alliance and Captain of the Ironforge Regiment!” he beamed.
Upae stood up and saluted him as she had seen the guards in Ironforge do to each other. He chuckled at that and seemed pleased. They made a bit more small talk but Upaew was starting to feel the effects of the second mead. Her head swam and she felt a little ill in the stomach.
“Tooren, Thank you for the drink. You are kind. But I must ‘o to s’eep. It was a ’on’ trip.” Upae rose and bowed to the dwarf. He stood and asked where she intended to sleep, “ Oh out in the park,” she replied.
“Hmm must be a druid thing,” said Turen. Upae nodded and left the inn. She found a quiet corner under the trees and lay down for a nap. She was content. She had found her way and met a new friend, one who was kind and did not ridicule.
Her last thought before sleep took her was wonder at how the dwarf kept his beard so shiny.
(( I believe got Turen's words and dialect right, I went from memory since I forgot to start chat logging.. ))
turen
07-02-2006, 02:50 AM
(( Hehe Grats on the win! Really enjoyed RPing that little interaction. For those wondering Turen sprinkles gold dust in his beard every morning))
Upae felt the crisp clean air of Moonglade fill her lungs. It was good to be back for a visit. She had progressed her training much since the day Dentrite Starblaze had sent her to the human lands on the Eastern Continent and had felt the urge to visit her mentor and share her experiences. Using the special hearthstone he had given her, Upae found herself back under the familiar canopy of trees and surrounded by the sounds of the songbirds.
Dentrite was pleased to see her and they had spent that whole morning sharing tales over thistle tea and cakes. The afternoon however Upae decided to take a walk among the forests to the south as Master Dentrite had many scheduled visits with druid trainees, all looking for guidance.
The mossy floor of the forest was cool and squishy underneath Upae's bare feet, and all around her was the hum of honeybees harvesting nectar from the various wildflowers growing on the forest shrubs. Gradually the landscape rose as Upae ventured near the southern foothills of the glade and the moss gave way to smooth, bare rock where she crossed the path leading up and into the sheer cliffs and the cavernous entrance to the Furbolg village under the mountain.
As she crossed the path to enter the woods on the western side of the path a glint of light caught her eye, something in the tall grasses next to the path reflecting the afternoon sun. Upae went over to investigate, to find a shiny black and silver object lying there. Picking it up Upae discovered it to be a leaf shaped jewel, carved out of some highly polished black stone. It was attached to a silver chain, forming a pendant. There were some symbols carved into both sides of the black stone leaf, Upae couldn't decipher them.
She admired the item for a bit, then popped it into her pack. Perhaps Master Dentrite would be able to tell her more about it.
She slowly made her way back to Nighthaven, arriving when the sun just started dipping below the western mountaintops.
That evening Upae and Dentrite shared supper. After the simple meal was finished she pulled out the pendant to show her mentor. " Master, I found this in the 'ade near the cave to the mountains. Do you know what it is? There is some stuff on it."
Dentrite took the pendant from Upae and examined it briefly. "Ah, yes, this is a Kaldorei family heirloom pendant Upae. Its carved out of obsidian, a dark stone found in quantity in Silithus. See here..? " he pointed to the symbols.." this is a given name, the owner. 'Barke' it says. Here on the other side is the family name, ' Daertha'. "
Dentrite pursed his lips in thought for a time. "Daertha. That is a druidic family I'm fairly certain. I seem to recall that. I haven't heard from them in a time however.."
He handed the pendant back to Upae. "You hold on to it for now. I will inquire after the Daerthas to see if any of them are missing an heirloom pendant."
Upae took the pendant back and was about to place it in her pack. But just a she was about to plop it in, she hesitated and with a shrug to Dentrite placed it over her head to let the leaf drop into the cleft between her breasts. It hung there warm and strangely comfortably. Dentrite didn't seem to notice, he was already rummaging around his study for historical papers.....
"Wake up sleepyhead! There's much to talk about and things that need doing.."
Upae roused herself from the mossy hollow beneath the large tree outside Master Dentrite's cottage. She preferred to sleep outdoors, something that just seemed natural to her and gave Dentrite much amusement.
There over her towered the figure of her mentor. He seemed serene as always, but there was a rare undercurrent of haste in his tone.
Upae lifted herself up and followed Dentrite to the stone table in his garden. A breakfast was already prepared and waiting for them.
" I have news of the Daertha family. I knew the name, as I mentioned. An old druid family to be sure. But I have not heard from them for some time. Now I know why. Two of the brothers, Tagol and Nagol, have met sith some tragedy. Their graves lie side by side in northern Felwood, not far from the Cenarion outpost there. The third brother, Barke (Dentrite's eyes caught Upae's and he nodded once. The name on the pendant..) was a druid in training once, but his path took another turn in life. "
Dentrite paused to munch on a honey cake. He continued after swallowing and washing it down with some flavored water. " It is him that I am concerned about. He took a dark path. I had not known he was here in Moonglade otherwise I would have sent the sentinels to apprehend him for some questioning."
"As it is, even stranger news has just reached my ears early this morning. News from our contacts in Astranaar. A kaldorei matching the description of this Barke was caught up in an epic battle with a large, powerful Shu'halo warrior not long ago, and is believed to be holed up somewhere near the town recuperating. His mount was spotted wandering around the outskirts and the sentinels have him now."
Upae was listening intently. Something about all this was nagging at her memory, but she could not place it.
" I can't help but thing all this is related somehow. I will send an emmisary to Ashenvale to contact the sentinels and try to locate this Barke, if indeed it is him."
Then it hit Upae. She had met this Barke not long ago in Stormwind! She mentioned the meeting to Dentrite.
"Really? Well, that just adds to the whole mystery. It almost feels like outside forces are at work here. Upae, this means to me that you are the logical choice for this emmisary. But I fear you are not ready yet for a journey into that potentially hostile land. Soon, but not yet."
Upae fidgetted in her stone chair. "But, Dentrite, I want to 'o! I too think this is why I find the pendant. I was meant to be the one. It isnt far, just south of Darkshore. I wi'' make it safe."
Upae fixed Dentrite with a pleading stare. He sighed and nodded; "Very well, you may go. But please be careful and keep well hidden."
" I wi'. I promise!" Upae was pleased, a new land and new adventure awaited..
---------------------------
The scent was unmistakable. He was here not long ago, that was certain. If he was still lingering was another question.
Upae was in bear form, and as such was able to use those increased senses to her advantage. Also she found being in bear form helped her avoid the wildlife in and around the Ashenvale forests while she searched.
She had spoken to the sentinels in Astranaar and learned that they suspected Barke of being holed up in the area of the Shrine of Aessina. Indeed Upae had caught the scent almost immediately. His, and another musky scent. A tauren?
After a little searching Upae discovered a small, abandoned cottage on the hillside overlooking the shrine. The scent led straight to it.
Carefully following the trail, Upae approached the cottage. Her suspicions were soon confirmed as she entered the cottage to find a bloody, beaten figure sprawled out on the single cot. Swiftly Upae changed back to her normal form and called out to the figure. "Are you a'rite? Do you need he'p?" The figure stirred slightly. Not dead.
Upae carefully approached the figure and examined him. Yes, it was Barke alright, the man she met in Stormwind. " I wi'' try to hea' you , but I'm sti'' not that 'ood. I wi'' do my best.." Upae delivered her best healing spells onto the prone figure, and as she suspected they weren't sufficient to completely reverse the damage. They did have some effect however as he seemed to stirr awake and eventually was able to sit up.
It was then that Upae noticed he was blind.
His eyes, one a golden color, the other a silvery sheen, looked like they had suffered great trauma and were staring blankly in Upae's general direction.
" They found your mount in Astranaar. The sentine's have it" Upae told him.
"Who are you" he asked.
Upae answered, "Upae , I know you. We met in Stormwind. I was sent to 'ook for you. By master Dentrite of Moon'ade. We found this.." Upae removed the pendant from around her neck and handed it to Barke. He fumbled around until his hand caught the chain and he grasped it towards himself. After a few moments examining it with his fingertips his eyes went wide..
"Where did you get this?" he demanded with some vigor.
"I found it , In the 'rass near the tunnel 'eading to the outside." Upae told him.
"And you saw nothing else? Was there anyone nearby?" Upae shook her head, then quickly added "no" when she realized he didn't see her head shake.
" I gave this to someone, Llucia is her name. She would not have lost it easily. I'm worried. " he answered.
"Wi'' you be a'rite? Can I get you anythin'? " Upae offered.
"Yes, please ask the sentinels in Astranaar to send my frostsaber to me. I will be fine otherwise." Barke answered.
"Ok, I can do that." Upae took out some liver pie and some milk and set them next to Barke. "Here, I put some food there. I wi'' ask the sentine's to send some medicine and food with your mount." Barke nodded.
" I wi'll 'o now. Rest and eat and you wi'' be 'etting better dere mon.." Upae blinked. Where had that strange accent come from?
She shook her head and went on.. " I wi'' send the mount, and te'' Dentrite you are ok."
Barke took her arm. " Please, find out about Llucia. If you see her, let her know what happened."
"Yes, I wi''." with that Upae left the cottage.
------------------------------
Dentrite was deep in thought. Upae had only just returned and went straight to her mentor with the news.
"Llucia you say? I wonder if that is Llucia Va'Lore?" he seemed irritated.
"I have no idea what a druid of her calibre would want with a character like this Barke Daertha. Indeed, I do believe I saw her in the glade not long ago, maybe a fortnight?"
Dentrite sat down and put his head in his cupped hands.
"You have done well Upae. Now, you can return at your leisure to your studies."
Upae nodded and went off to the flight master..
The sun had long since dipped below the western horizon and the inky blackness of nighfall permeated the Duskwood landscape. Not that much sunlight ever pierced the ever present veil of shadow that hung on the place like an eery blanket.
The night creatures were out and about, taking advantage of the darkness to hide themselves as they conducted their business of gathering food and such. But as always there were the predators. The silent hunters that took advantage of the bounty the night provided. Of these none surpassed the serpent in stealth. And no serpent surpassed the Lord of Serpents, Dambala.
A large rodent was poking its way through the tall grasses and dense shrubbery along the base of the hills that lined the main road between Raven Hill and Darkshire, in search of nuts and tubers. It paused for a second, little nose twitching to test the airs before breaking cover into a little clearing that held an open pit in the loamy soil. A good place to dig for tubers in the exposed dirt. It cared not for the nature or purpose of the pit, it could not know that it once served as a grave. A grave that was now empty. It could also not know that this particular grave was being watched..
The rodent held position at the brink of the dirty hole, taking one last inhale to make certain the pit was safe. It was the last inhale it would ever take. In less time than it took for it to twitch a whisker it was slammed by a force from behind, its little body skewered by two large fangs and filled with deadly neurotoxins. It stiffened and became paralized. It could not exhale, could not squeal. It could only watch in what horror its little mind could comprehend as it's head began to be worked into the mouth and gullet of a large viper. Thus it was consumed alive.
Dambala savoured the moment. To be able to partake in the pleasures of his charges, the serpents of the world, was something the Loa of Serpents enjoyed experiencing whenever he could. It was purely by chance that the little creature happened upon this site at the exact moment Dambala descended to investigate this gravesite on behalf of Ula'Tek. Chance that Dambala exploited.
The Serpent spirit, having finished his snack, slithered down into the depths of the exposed grave. This was not what he was expecting. Not by far. The vessel was missing. Ula'Tek had suspected something was wrong when he could no longer sense his vessel's presence among the creatures of this plane. Death was something that could be overcome with the proper powers, thus Ula'Tek was patient. In time his vessel would be restored. When this did not happen he took notice. It was a simple task learning the fate of the vessel. Tales abounded among the denizens of this plane, and in time those tales reached the ears of the servants of Ula'Tek and Dambala.
Dambala was dispatched to perform the ressurection. But now a new mystery presented itself. The vessel was gone. With a flick of its hyper-sensitive tongue Dambala/serpent tasted the air and ground around the gravesite. One sweep told Dambala volumes, Bethekk had been here. It was unmistakeble, Dambala could sense her spoor. What was she up to? It would do no good confronting her directly. Little would be revealed from that one of her purposes and neither Dambala nor Ula'Tek himself would be able to change that.
But there was another spoor present. One Dambala had not tasted before, but with the innate knowledge of a lesser Loa Dambala was able to determine the nature of the taint. It carried the stench of one of the Cenarions. The implications were astounding. A greater troll Loa and Scion of Cenarius in league! Not since the Great Wars of ancient times has contact between the gods been sought.
Dambala hissed his irritation. Then his pseudo body swelled and grew nebulous, until it became as a huge black writhing coil of darkness among the forest. Then with a silent burst the darkness imploded.
Ula'Tek will not be pleased..
(( Open to any troll priests or shaman who want to be in on the hunt for the "truth" on behalf of Ula'Tek and Dambala. ))
((Scratch that, make that ANY troll..))
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