Kestril
01-30-2006, 12:54 PM
((Alrighty...I'm at work and I don't know whether I care for this story or not, but I figured I'd post it anyways, lol Hope you enjoy, and be nice...I haven't written in a LONG while. :P ))
The full moon shone brightly on the lands of Azeroth, but there was one place where little of its light would reach. The once beautiful, but now forsaken area called Duskwood, stood dark and foreboding next to the lovely bright forests of Elwynn. Its trees now twisted and covered in webs from some nightmare creature, and its Human inhabitants now afraid of what demons lurked in the shadows. The tiny town of Darkshire lay nestled in the midst of all this blackness, and it was there, in the Scarlet Raven Inn, that a traveler lay sleeping in an upstairs room…a Night Elf Druid, who had heard of the evil that had crept into this town, and who vowed to do anything to help put an end to it…for a bit of coin of course.
The night wore on, and as it did, the moon was slowly engulfed by black clouds, cutting off all light to Duskwood. The Night Elf awoke then, sitting straight up in bed. Had she just heard something? Perhaps prowling in the dark corners of her room? Of course not. She was only being paranoid and letting her imagination run away from her. She wasn’t’ normally this skittish…it had to be caused in some part by her being here, as Duskwood did not seem to want visitors, and so she felt as if she was being punished for stepping foot inside its borders. That included her lack of any sleep since she’d arrived the previous day. She stood and moved to the window. Darkness…broken windows…webs…and those damned trees, met her gaze. Several members of the Night Watch, the protectors of the city, patrolled on the ground down below…they would not admit to being scared, but they, like the civilians who lived here, had no idea what they were up against. And so they had employed those who came to their tiny town to help rid Duskwood and themselves of the unknown dark menace that had consumed it.
“I may as well get to work myself…sleep is definitely out of the question for a while…,” she muttered to herself, as she switched her gaze from the Night Watch to the bags that lay next to her bedside, and after gathering up all her belongings, made her way downstairs.
“Ahh, Mistress Kestril! Did ya sleep well?” the innkeeper called as cheerily as one could in this town.
“Aye…the room is perfect.” the young Druid responded with a sleepy smile, and a small nod. “Please keep it held for me a while longer…I fear I have much work to do here.”
“But o’ course!” the innkeeper beamed back. “And …thank ya. You and tha others here helping have no idea what it means to us...”
Kestril simply bowed low and flashing the innkeeper the best smile she could, made her way outside.
The air was cool, damp, and thick, and Kestril found breathing very restrictive. She gazed at the enormous water fountain that sat at the center of town, and grimaced…what once must have been a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, had now been turned black and tainted like the rest of this place. Was nothing to be spared here? She continued her walk at a brisker pace, avoiding the eyes of the Night Watch and the single civilian out wandering…she had a job to finish and wanted to do so without interruption. But that was for naught, for the lone civilian rushed up to her, spoke very swift and very incoherently, and rushed off to the safety of the inn before Kestril could even finish a breath. She shook her head as if dumbstruck, a bewildered look on her face. What was that crazy old bat saying? She thought hard for a moment. Something about wolf men? Wait…she’d heard tale of these earlier in the day when she first arrived, and she quickly pulled out a tattered piece of parchment, on which she wrote quick notes about the various jobs she had taken up in the area. Scanning it quickly, she found what she was looking for…”Worgen…” she whispered to no one in particular. Well, it was a place to start anyways, and at least she had direction, as her eyes gathered “Brightwood Grove” and “Rotting Orchard” from her hasty scribbles. She decided to try the Grove first, as “bright” sounded a bit more appealing than “rot” at the moment. And so she continued her trek, leaving the small town behind her.
After a short walk, she noticed a road leading off into the woods, and what looked like stands of planted trees in the distance. Thinking this must be the place, she moved a bit closer, making sure to stick to the shadows. Then she saw it…huge, hairy, and hunched over…and those claws.... It did indeed look like a wolf man, its feral eyes scanning the trees hungrily. She could see why the town folk were afraid. But not her…her job was to “thin out” the Worgen population, and a rather wicked smile crossed her face as the thought ran through her head. This creature looked to be a worthy opponent, and it had been a while since that had been true. ‘Well…time to get to it,’ she thought to herself with a smile.
Stepping out from the shadows, she began to quietly chant a spell, her hands glowing a strange shade of green. The Worgen however, had exceptional hearing and instantly turned its gaze towards the Druid, and sprinted swiftly towards her…then suddenly its movement stopped and the creature howled in rage. Large roots and vines entangled his feet and legs stopping his forward momentum. Kestril smirked at the creature, then began to chant once again, and again a green light began to form around her hands. This time though, a great ball of emerald light went hurtling towards the creature, followed very closely by a beam of bright light that shot down from the heavens, as if from the great goddess, Elune, herself.
The Worgen, now quite enraged, began to rip and tear at the bindings at its feet, until the roots could hold on no longer. As they gave way, the wolf man hurtled itself at the Night Elf with renewed hatred, and to Kestril’s surprise, was upon her quicker than she would have thought due to the creature’s massive size. The monster towered over the already tall Night Elf, and with a mighty swipe of a paw, its claws grazed Kestril’s shoulder as she leapt, a split second too late, to the side.
Kestril again called the roots to her aid, and moved back to safety, away from the creature’s claws, cursing her stupidity at underestimating her opponent. She could feel something hot and sticky flow down her arm, and realized she was bleeding. This creature was dangerous…more so than she had initially given it credit for. Again, she spoke strange words, and this time was herself engulfed briefly with the same odd green light. Almost immediately she could feel her flesh and muscle knitting itself back together, the wound closing. A strange feeling, yet one she had become accustomed to in her line of work…you couldn’t go out looking for a fight, without getting hurt a little yourself. She could fix her wounds, but unfortunately, she could do nothing for the blood and winced at the thought of having to try to get another crimson stain out of yet another piece of clothing she liked.
But there was now the situation before her, and she knew she could not beat this monster as she was now. She needed to be swifter and more agile, but still needed the power to destroy it. She grinned, almost feeling pity for the yowling creature before her, and with a single thought began to transform. Her silvery hair and pale pink skin began to fade away and in their places thick soft dark purple fur began to sprout. Her arms and legs shortened and became more muscular, and her hands and feet became paws with deadly claws. Her face elongated into that of a beautiful feline, her now yellow eyes shining brightly in the darkness. With tail flicking lazily back and forth, the transformed Druid gazed upon the Worgen, a hungry look on her maw. She knew the roots would give way at any moment, and when they did she would be ready.
Suddenly the Worgen leapt at her, the roots having lost their strength once again, and she deftly danced to the side. Kestril pounced on the wolf man then, catching a well muscled arm between her teeth and feeling it shred. The Worgen howled in pain, and swung its free arm and claws at the cat. While the claws missed, he hit her hard across the face, freeing his arm, and again he took the opportunity to lunge at the small feline with a growl, but she was too quick for him and again she moved out of the way. Going on the offensive again, she began to bat at the monster with outstretched claws, tearing at his flesh, and ripping him apart… It took her a long moment, in her animalistic rage, to realize that the Worgen no longer moved, that it no longer howled in its terrible voice. She moved back a bit then and sat on her haunches, staring at the creature’s still warm corpse, a small grin her bloodstained muzzle.
“I wonder how many more of you are out here tonight,” she purred in a sultry whisper with a wicked toothy grin. And with that she padded silently off into the shadows, intent on finding more of these wolf men…many more. She had to admit…they were fun to play with…
The full moon shone brightly on the lands of Azeroth, but there was one place where little of its light would reach. The once beautiful, but now forsaken area called Duskwood, stood dark and foreboding next to the lovely bright forests of Elwynn. Its trees now twisted and covered in webs from some nightmare creature, and its Human inhabitants now afraid of what demons lurked in the shadows. The tiny town of Darkshire lay nestled in the midst of all this blackness, and it was there, in the Scarlet Raven Inn, that a traveler lay sleeping in an upstairs room…a Night Elf Druid, who had heard of the evil that had crept into this town, and who vowed to do anything to help put an end to it…for a bit of coin of course.
The night wore on, and as it did, the moon was slowly engulfed by black clouds, cutting off all light to Duskwood. The Night Elf awoke then, sitting straight up in bed. Had she just heard something? Perhaps prowling in the dark corners of her room? Of course not. She was only being paranoid and letting her imagination run away from her. She wasn’t’ normally this skittish…it had to be caused in some part by her being here, as Duskwood did not seem to want visitors, and so she felt as if she was being punished for stepping foot inside its borders. That included her lack of any sleep since she’d arrived the previous day. She stood and moved to the window. Darkness…broken windows…webs…and those damned trees, met her gaze. Several members of the Night Watch, the protectors of the city, patrolled on the ground down below…they would not admit to being scared, but they, like the civilians who lived here, had no idea what they were up against. And so they had employed those who came to their tiny town to help rid Duskwood and themselves of the unknown dark menace that had consumed it.
“I may as well get to work myself…sleep is definitely out of the question for a while…,” she muttered to herself, as she switched her gaze from the Night Watch to the bags that lay next to her bedside, and after gathering up all her belongings, made her way downstairs.
“Ahh, Mistress Kestril! Did ya sleep well?” the innkeeper called as cheerily as one could in this town.
“Aye…the room is perfect.” the young Druid responded with a sleepy smile, and a small nod. “Please keep it held for me a while longer…I fear I have much work to do here.”
“But o’ course!” the innkeeper beamed back. “And …thank ya. You and tha others here helping have no idea what it means to us...”
Kestril simply bowed low and flashing the innkeeper the best smile she could, made her way outside.
The air was cool, damp, and thick, and Kestril found breathing very restrictive. She gazed at the enormous water fountain that sat at the center of town, and grimaced…what once must have been a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, had now been turned black and tainted like the rest of this place. Was nothing to be spared here? She continued her walk at a brisker pace, avoiding the eyes of the Night Watch and the single civilian out wandering…she had a job to finish and wanted to do so without interruption. But that was for naught, for the lone civilian rushed up to her, spoke very swift and very incoherently, and rushed off to the safety of the inn before Kestril could even finish a breath. She shook her head as if dumbstruck, a bewildered look on her face. What was that crazy old bat saying? She thought hard for a moment. Something about wolf men? Wait…she’d heard tale of these earlier in the day when she first arrived, and she quickly pulled out a tattered piece of parchment, on which she wrote quick notes about the various jobs she had taken up in the area. Scanning it quickly, she found what she was looking for…”Worgen…” she whispered to no one in particular. Well, it was a place to start anyways, and at least she had direction, as her eyes gathered “Brightwood Grove” and “Rotting Orchard” from her hasty scribbles. She decided to try the Grove first, as “bright” sounded a bit more appealing than “rot” at the moment. And so she continued her trek, leaving the small town behind her.
After a short walk, she noticed a road leading off into the woods, and what looked like stands of planted trees in the distance. Thinking this must be the place, she moved a bit closer, making sure to stick to the shadows. Then she saw it…huge, hairy, and hunched over…and those claws.... It did indeed look like a wolf man, its feral eyes scanning the trees hungrily. She could see why the town folk were afraid. But not her…her job was to “thin out” the Worgen population, and a rather wicked smile crossed her face as the thought ran through her head. This creature looked to be a worthy opponent, and it had been a while since that had been true. ‘Well…time to get to it,’ she thought to herself with a smile.
Stepping out from the shadows, she began to quietly chant a spell, her hands glowing a strange shade of green. The Worgen however, had exceptional hearing and instantly turned its gaze towards the Druid, and sprinted swiftly towards her…then suddenly its movement stopped and the creature howled in rage. Large roots and vines entangled his feet and legs stopping his forward momentum. Kestril smirked at the creature, then began to chant once again, and again a green light began to form around her hands. This time though, a great ball of emerald light went hurtling towards the creature, followed very closely by a beam of bright light that shot down from the heavens, as if from the great goddess, Elune, herself.
The Worgen, now quite enraged, began to rip and tear at the bindings at its feet, until the roots could hold on no longer. As they gave way, the wolf man hurtled itself at the Night Elf with renewed hatred, and to Kestril’s surprise, was upon her quicker than she would have thought due to the creature’s massive size. The monster towered over the already tall Night Elf, and with a mighty swipe of a paw, its claws grazed Kestril’s shoulder as she leapt, a split second too late, to the side.
Kestril again called the roots to her aid, and moved back to safety, away from the creature’s claws, cursing her stupidity at underestimating her opponent. She could feel something hot and sticky flow down her arm, and realized she was bleeding. This creature was dangerous…more so than she had initially given it credit for. Again, she spoke strange words, and this time was herself engulfed briefly with the same odd green light. Almost immediately she could feel her flesh and muscle knitting itself back together, the wound closing. A strange feeling, yet one she had become accustomed to in her line of work…you couldn’t go out looking for a fight, without getting hurt a little yourself. She could fix her wounds, but unfortunately, she could do nothing for the blood and winced at the thought of having to try to get another crimson stain out of yet another piece of clothing she liked.
But there was now the situation before her, and she knew she could not beat this monster as she was now. She needed to be swifter and more agile, but still needed the power to destroy it. She grinned, almost feeling pity for the yowling creature before her, and with a single thought began to transform. Her silvery hair and pale pink skin began to fade away and in their places thick soft dark purple fur began to sprout. Her arms and legs shortened and became more muscular, and her hands and feet became paws with deadly claws. Her face elongated into that of a beautiful feline, her now yellow eyes shining brightly in the darkness. With tail flicking lazily back and forth, the transformed Druid gazed upon the Worgen, a hungry look on her maw. She knew the roots would give way at any moment, and when they did she would be ready.
Suddenly the Worgen leapt at her, the roots having lost their strength once again, and she deftly danced to the side. Kestril pounced on the wolf man then, catching a well muscled arm between her teeth and feeling it shred. The Worgen howled in pain, and swung its free arm and claws at the cat. While the claws missed, he hit her hard across the face, freeing his arm, and again he took the opportunity to lunge at the small feline with a growl, but she was too quick for him and again she moved out of the way. Going on the offensive again, she began to bat at the monster with outstretched claws, tearing at his flesh, and ripping him apart… It took her a long moment, in her animalistic rage, to realize that the Worgen no longer moved, that it no longer howled in its terrible voice. She moved back a bit then and sat on her haunches, staring at the creature’s still warm corpse, a small grin her bloodstained muzzle.
“I wonder how many more of you are out here tonight,” she purred in a sultry whisper with a wicked toothy grin. And with that she padded silently off into the shadows, intent on finding more of these wolf men…many more. She had to admit…they were fun to play with…