A New Friendship

The humming grew louder. I knew he was happy, because he always hums when he is happy.

Dad came in the door and our eyes met. His brown eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled at me. I know he has seen many terrible things throughout his travels all over Azeroth, but you would never know it from the simple joy with which he approaches each new day.

"Hi, sweetie. Did you have a great day?"

"Yes, dad, it was very good. I made a new friend!"

"Really? Who is this new friend?"

"Her name is Tamashi. She is a new paladin in training. Our trainers gave us the afternoon to spend on our own, and we spent the whole day together."

"Tamashi..." His eyes went distant for a moment. "Oh, yes! I remember. She comes from a very good family. Why, one of her relations is an even more powerful druid than me. So, she is training to be a paladin?"

"Yes. We met up in Camp Narache when I was up there delivering a message for Gennia."

"She is your teacher. You should call her Ms. Runetotem."

"Sorry, daddy. Anyway, we met there and I went along with her to finish her quests in the camp so now she can move down here to Bloodhoof to continue her training!"

"That's wonderful, dear. But that would not take you the whole day. What other trouble did the two of you get into?"

"We went up to the digsite where the Bael'Dun dwarves have been. Ahmo Thunderhorn said that there were elementals there that were agitated over the dwarves' digging. He gave us a set of drums to play for them."

"So, Ahmo is now giving you new ways to bring harm to yourselves? I'm kidding of course - I know he would not intentionally endanger you. So how did things turn out?"

"Tamashi played the drums for the first elemental, and it became docile. However, when I played the drums for the next one, it became upset and attacked us. I was not prepared for that, and so it took me a moment to respond. Tamashi said, 'you're supposed to soothe them, not kill them.' Most of the elementals were content with our playing, though a couple more attacked us. When we were done, we returned to town and I spoke with Genn... Ms. Runetotem. Then I came home about twenty minutes before you got here."

I stopped in thought for a moment, then continued. "Daddy, why don't the people in town like me very much?"

He looked startled. "What do you mean?"

"Today, Tamashi said that she gets asked to do things like this a lot. I almost never do. In fact, I don't know if I would have gotten to do this task today if she had not been with me. Is it because they still think of me as an outsider?" I could feel my eyes starting to sting like I might cry, but I held back the tears.

"It could be. I'm sad that I did not see it before, and I am also disappointed that my people - my family, really - would treat you that way. You have lived here with me for some time now, and they should all know you."

"Oh, daddy, don't be sad. Besides, Tamashi is a wonderful friend, and I hope to spend many more days with her. When our studies allow, of course."

"All the same, I'm sorry that you had to experience that at such a young age. Your training will take you from the village soon enough, but I would like it to always be 'home' to you."

"Thanks, daddy. Home will always be wherever you are. Speaking of being where you are, what made you so happy this afternoon when you came home?"

"Oh, that? I was up in Thunder Bluff today and found lots of inscription work - enough to buy this." He opened his pack and pulled out a long brown cloak, much like his own. "I spoke with Quickhorn today, and he has invited you to become a Browncoat. Also, I brought home a special dinner to celebrate."

My eyes began leaking once again, but this time they were tears of joy.

-----

Author's note: Tamashi is a new character that a friend created to run with Lith'atal. Since she is not my own creation, I will try not to exert too much control over her story.

A History Lesson

The village was a nearly perfect getaway from the madness that still swept Azeroth. Nearly perfect, because even here some effects of the cataclysmic events could still be seen. After all, Thunder Bluff was only a short kodo-ride away, or a slightly longer jog on foot for those not fortunate enough to own a kodo or the coins necessary for a wyvern ride.

The addition of a flight master had initially been a heavily-used novelty, but then the Alliance had wiped out Camp Taurajo and taken over the southern Barrens. The Horde response, which included a heavily-fortified wall between Mulgore and the Barrens, had virtually halted all commerce that passed through Bloodhoof. On the one hand, the flight path made travel to and from Bloodhoof extremely simple, but on the other hand Bloodhoof had almost completely lost any relevance.

Now, on most days the flight master's post sat deserted and silent. Word was that the flight master, Tak, now rivaled Uthan Stillwater for his knowledge of fishing lore and wisdom. In fact, Innkeeper Kauth sometimes joked that Tak had his eyes on Uthan's job whenver he got around to retiring - or more likely, shuffled off to his ancesters. Uthan was not the retiring sort.

For a people like the Tauren, this isolation actually suited their purposes quite well. They recognized the immense value of their emerald valley, and treasured it all the more for the danger it faced on all sides. Here, in their own enclave, they lived at peace with their natural surroundings. Even those who had fought their way across the festering pits of undeath in Icecrown - or who now fought Deathwing and his minions - returned here to restore, recover and relax.

Matosawitko and Lith'atal rented a small tipi near the inn. Here, they had immediate access to the trainers and merchants. On the occasions when Mato traveled to Thunder Bluff or beyond, Lith stayed with Gennia Runetotem and continued her training.

Lith'atal looked forward to Sunday afternoons most of all. There were no formal lessons on Sunday. Instead, she and Mato would walk around the south half of the lake. Starting behind the inn, they would walk and talk as they worked their way around the lake to the bridge, then on around the shore until they arrived back home again. On these days, Mato would teach her about the plants, animals and other items they saw on their way.

One day as they walked, Lith'atal asked a question that had been forming in her mind for some time.

"Dad, why are we druids? I mean, why are there druids, and paladins, and all of these other classes of adventurers?"

He paused and looked at his girl, already on her way to becoming a young woman. Though she barely reached his waist, she already had knowledge and strength beyond her years.

"You mean, where did druids come from, and why? What is it about the druidic arts that attracted me many years ago, and you likewise more recently? How do druids see the world and respond to it?"

"I suppose that's a start." She smiled mischeviously up at him.

He snorted a mostly-suppressed laugh.

"How about if I tackle the last question first? Druids have a high view of the natural order of things. Nature runs best when we don't meddle with it. Now, sometimes things are introduced that upset the natural balance. Plagues, disasters, that sort of thing. Some have causes that we can fight against. Others are out of our control and we must let the will of Mu'sha be done."

"But isn't fighting against those things actually meddling?"

"That is a great question, Lith. And that is one of the primary reasons for the division between different druidic branches. The night elf druids believe it is our role - their role - to protect nature at all costs. However, they also tend to be rather closed-minded toward any viewpoint but their own and rather ham-fisted in their implementation. Some of their efforts have actually caused as much harm as they have prevented."

"In other words, as long as they believe themselves to know what is best, then others' viewpoints really don't matter?"

"Precisely. Tauren, on the other hand, take a much more lighthanded approach. We tend to watch things develop - sometimes perhaps a bit too long - before deciding to take action. And our actions are rarely as absolute as our night elf brothers and sisters. However, I believe we treasure nature just as much - if not more so - because we allow time for it to take corrective action on its own. But if we do take action, we believe it to be the only alternative and will fight to the death to complete it."

"What about the other druidic races, Trolls and..." She stopped for a moment and shivered. "Worgen?"

"First allow me to point out that, though you are in fact a Troll and a druid, you're somewhat of an abberation - an oddity."

"Daddy!"

"Well, it's true. You are a Troll in race, but you live among Tauren and are trained by Tauren. There is a latent druidic line within the Trolls, but as far as we know you are not actually related to it in any way - certainly not by way of training. Now, then. The interesting thing is that both the Troll and Worgen druids represent withdrawal from nature or circumstances, for various reasons."

"For example, until just a few weeks before we met, nobody even knew there were Troll druids. There were whispered rumors of cats that were really people, living among the tigers of the Echo Isles. But nobody had actually seen one until the events that brought about Zalazane's fall and the reclamation of the islands."

She looked pensive, reminded for a moment of the scant memory she carried of her own parents and their capture, disappearance and apparent death at the hands of Zalazane. After bowing her head briefly, she looked up and nodded for him to continue.

"One could argue - and many have - that they were containing and fighting against Zalazane all along. However, some of our fellow druids wanted to know why they hadn't revealed their presence before, and I agree. It's circumstantial, but the evidence suggests that they could have been waiting to join whichever side was strongest. Almost a mercenary approach. They were content to disconnect from all of Troll society rather than have a meaningful impact during the long years of struggle."

"Now, that doesn't really answer the question at hand, but it has a strong scent to it. If they were content to let their own people suffer without a homeland for so long, how bad would things have to become before they would tackle a larger issue? No, much like their disconnect from society, they also have disconnected from nature."

"To some extent, Worgen are even worse, or at least more heartbreaking. They actually started as humans, but were so engrossed - enslaved or addicted - by one aspect of druidism that they became beasts. Their story is one of profound sadness and pain. However, their withdrawal from the world was not entirely by their own choice. Instead, the Gilnean leadership locked them away, perhaps intending it to remain permanent. And not only the druids; they locked away the entire kingdom. Even their re-emergence into world politics has as much to do with the actions of the Forsaken as it does with the Gilneans or the Alliance. By all accounts, the Forsaken hated Gilneas and intended to take it over by force. Unfortunately, the rest of the Horde was either unaware or unwilling to intervene. The Gilneans turned to the Alliance for aid, and it was given."

"To be fair, during their self-imposed exile the Gilneans apparently relied upon druidism - among other arts - in order to survive. The nature-based magic of the druids would be essential in a self-contained microcosm. But they also tend toward the same introspective insularism... let me say that a different way before your eyes glaze over. They have a similarly high view of themselves as the night elves."

Mato looked up to see that they had completed their circuit of the lake. "Shall we go around again? That way I can answer some more of your questions."

"Yes! Please, daddy?"

"Okay. But when your legs are sore in the morning, don't blame me." He smiled.

"Now, let's talk about where druids, or druidism, comes from. Cenarius was the son of Mu'sha and the white stag Apa'ro. You recall the large banners in the hall on Elder Rise? One of them talks about the emergence of Cenarius. Now, Cenarius trained the Tauren and elves - the ones that we now call "night" elves - in the druidic arts. As I understand it, he himself learned from Ysera, the Green Dragon aspect."

"So the Tauren and night elves were the first druids, and the Trolls and Worgen came later?"

"There is some contention on that point. In general, it seems that the night elves - most notably Malfurion Stormrage - began to receive training from Cenarius slightly before the Tauren. However, it is not clear that the Trolls ever received training from Cenarius or anyone else from the Cenarion branch. Their druidic customs may go back to an older source, or may at least be a separate branch of druidism that developed independently. The Worgen are more recent, apparently having received training from night elf druids following the creation of the Emerald Dream."

"The Emerald Dream? What is that?"

"Sorry, young one. We would run out of daylight walking around this lake before I could even hope to cover that topic. That must wait for another day. However, in a nutshell it is one of those ideas that may have sounded really good but has ended up being called the Emerald Nightmare."

"The Worgen were known as Druids of the Scythe because they were somehow bound to the Scythe of Elune. That is the night-elven word for Mu'sha, by the way. Somehow, this binding resulted in the curse that turned them into Worgen and passed it among the population of Gilneas. As I mentioned, the first Druids of the Scythe fixated upon their feral forms and pack-like behavior to such an extent that they either forgot how or were unable to fully retain humanity."

"This history is interesting, but what about you? What attracted you to druidism? And did you see the same thing in me when we met?"

"As Tauren, we live very close to the land. Not that we elevate it above ourselves, but we live in symbiosis - mutual benefit - with it. For example, look at the kodo. He is one of the most noble creatures of the plains. Yet we hunt the kodo. We tame him and ride on his back or use him for a beast of burden. We kill and eat the kodo. We use his skin for clothes and tents. In fact, a significant step in the life of any Tauren child is his first kodo hunt and kill. It is then that we judge he is ready to become an adult. But what do we do for the kodo? After all, a symbiosis should benefit both sides."

"When we moved into these lands, the centaur ran rampant over them. They would have hunted the kodo to extinction. We protect the land. We keep it safe from invaders and those who would take advantage of it. We make sure our lakes remain pure, and that there is grass and range for them to run, breed and grow. We take no more of their number than is necessary. The kodo fears little in these lands anyway. With our protection, he need not fear anything."

"However, that doesn't really answer your question. For me specifically, I saw the honor and duty of protecting this land. Furthermore, I saw that the druids, more than any other group, valued our natural resources for what they were. As you know, one of the most significant - and noticeable - features of a druid is the ability to shapeshift into other forms. Have you noticed that all of the forms are 'natural'? They are the forms of things that we see around us in nature. Druids do not become demons or dragons or other fantastical shapes. Not that those things do not exist - they do. But their forms are based on things that originate outside the world. Instead, we become birds, cats, bears, owlbeasts and seals. We become things that are in essence purely natural."

"What about bats? Gennia says that the Trolls also transform into bats."

"Yes, and bats." He tousled her hair. "But that's not entirely the answer either. My interest in druidism, I mean. Being a druid is complex and challenging. You will make choices throughout your training that will drastically affect the rest of your life. Druids can fill many different roles, both within society and within a military structure. Some use the power of the earth to become great healers. Some harness the power of the sun and moon to become magic casters - almost like nature-based mages. Some, like me, have chosen to concentrate on their feral forms - bear form to act as the leaders and protectors of a group, or cat form to inflict massive damage through shredding attacks."

"Paladins can fill those same roles, can't they? Or shaman, except perhaps for the protector role."

"Yes, but they remain in one form. When you see a druid, you know from across the city exactly which branch they have chosen. You wear that expertise like a badge of honor. As for you, when I met you I knew immediately that you were special. That you were strong, even though you were scared and in deep trouble. Those are good attributes for a druid."

She looked up with a twinkle in her eye. "Daddy, be serious. All you knew was that I was crying like a baby and you wanted to make it stop."

"Ha! Is that what you think? If you want to cry like a baby..." He wrapped her in his arm and began to tickle her ribs, but she squirmed away and ran out of reach.

"You might be bigger, but I'm faster. Race you to the house!" She was off like a shot. He shouted after her.

"If you're in such a hurry, maybe you should be a mage so you could blink everywhere!"

She ignored him.

-----

Author's notes: 

This story is set approximately three years after the events described in my previous stories. In part this is because I believe that a gap of some period of time is required for all of the Cataclysmic aftershocks to occur, such as zones that change from desolate to lush, towns that must be rebuilt, etc.  As far as I know, we don't really have an "official" timeline yet.  Also, I think it makes a better story from a character development perspective.

I know I've kind of left it hanging, but her parents are really dead. I'm not going to introduce a parental-rights conflict in this story arc. If I think it's a story worth telling, maybe I will cover her backstory in more detail someday. For now, let's leave that thread where it is.

A Painful Memory

I had never been to Thunder Bluff before. I had never even been out of Durotar before. We rode the zep... zeb... big balloon from Orgrimmar to Thunder Bluff, and my new daddy pointed out all kinds of exciting places that he had seen during his adventures. We saw the Barrens, with herds of animals. Some of them looked very scary. We saw lots of lions. I like lions.

My daddy can change himself to look like a lion. He looks kind of scary, but I knew the first time I saw him that he was really nice. He saved me from a big rock monster. He was a lion then. Most of the time he is a Tauren. Tauren are very big, and they have horns and hoofs - even the girls. Sometimes my daddy looks like a bear. That is really scary. But I know it is still him, and I love him even when he is a bear. But I am glad when he changes back into a lion, or a Tauren.

The balloon crossed over the mountains into Mulgore. My new daddy was very excited, because he was born in Mulgore. He showed me a small village far away by a big lake. That is where he was born. He called it "Bloodhoof". Mulgore has lots of lions too, and birds and wolves. There are also big animals called "kodo". My daddy has a kodo that he can ride on. They make the ground shake when they walk.

Mulgore is also very green. It is very different from Durotar where I was born, and it is different from the Barrens that we flew over. Durotar is always dusty and hot. There are not many plants, and the ones that do grow there have thorns. Mulgore looks like a happy place with lots of grass, plants and trees, and it does not have dust. There is lots of water, too. Not big, like the ocean, but much bigger than the fishing pond in Orgrimmar. The air is nice and cool.

The big balloon stopped at a bridge next to a high hill with tents on it, and we were in Thunder Bluff. There were bridges to other hills. My daddy called them "mesas". We walked down the bridge to the mesa and I looked all around. I never knew that anyone lived so high up in the air. I would not want to fall!

My daddy says the balloon is called a "zeppelin". They can fly all over the world, and the goblins make them. They fly them too. Goblins are even shorter than me, and they are always green. I saw goblins at the engineering shops in Orgrimmar, across the valley from the orphanage. I like engineering, because I like to make things. Goblins are kind of scary because they have big smiles with lots of teeth, and strange voices. But they also like engineering, so they must not be all bad.

We walked across a long bridge to another mesa. I looked down through the planks and saw the ground far away below us. There were some animals walking around down there, and a person too. There were ropes along the edges of the bridge to keep us from falling off. The next mesa had many merchants. My new daddy knew lots of people. He had been gone for a long time, and many people wanted to know about Northend and somebody called the Licking. I didn't really know what they were talking about, so I looked at all the trees and mountains. And people. Many of them were Tauren, but there were others too. I waved at a couple of trolls, and they smiled at me. I saw lots of trolls in Orgrimmar too. Some of them said they remembered my real mom and dad. I don't really remember them, though.

When my daddy was talking, suddenly lots of people started to point up in the air. Some of them screamed. I looked up too, and the zeppelin was there. Only it wasn't the same zeppelin. And it was on fire. Then we heard someone shouting "BURN WITH ME!". My daddy looked in that direction and then turned me around so I could not see. He asked the shop keeper to watch me. Her name was Fyr. My daddy ran toward the other mesa, shouting to someone else that wore a brown cloak just like his. "It's Quickhorn!" he shouted. They rushed away.

Fyr talked to me, but I was not paying attention. I was curious about where my daddy had gone. I asked Fyr if I could walk around and look at the other merchant shops. She said it was okay as long as I stayed within her sight. I watched until she had another customer, and then I sneaked away in the direction my daddy had gone. I soon saw him with a small group of people. Some of them were wearing brown coats. All of them seemed to be talking excitedly, maybe arguing. They were looking at one Tauren who looked like he was on fire. He was the one who shouted "BURN WITH ME!" Another person was doing something with her hands that made a golden light shoot at the burning man. Suddenly, I felt my legs become weak and I remembered my real mommy and daddy. I fell and everything went dark.

-----

The ball of blue flames danced above his palm. It crackled with excitement as it obeyed each of his commands. He laughed and laughed as the flames danced. A female troll - his wife? - sat nearby, concern etched across her face.

"Xar'tek, dis be unwise. Dat charm have fel magics wit'in it. You canna' control it."

"It be nothin', dear. Look, dey be harmless flames."

"Dat's not what I be callin' it. Dis 'harmless' toy already be costin' ya your best frien'."

"Cut da foolish talk, woman. Vol'mar don'a know fel magic from 'is own backside."

Suddenly the flames burst up brightly. They wrapped around the troll's hands, imprisoning them in a wreath of flame. He tried to pull back, but his arms were suddenly powerless. Then a dark, evil laugh ripped from his throat. The flames grew brighter and colder. He began to speak. "Zalaz..."

The little girl watched from the shadows as her mother rushed to strike the amulet from her husband's hand. The flames engulfed the pair, there was a bright flash and the room was empty. She screamed and ran from the house. A blue comet raced above the surface of the ocean, headed for the dark islands on the horizon.

They never returned to the house. Nor did she. She could not - must not.

-----

I woke up to find my new daddy leaning over me, while Fyr stood behind twisting her hands. His face was stern, but I could hear the care in his voice when he spoke.

"You sure know how to find trouble, little one. Or follow it."

"The fire - the one on fire. What happened?"

"We're going to find out. We're going to stop it."

I was not sure if he believed it, but I knew he meant it. My daddy can fix anything.

A Room With No View

There wasn't usually much light in the cell anyway, but the little that had been suddenly reduced by half. He stretched to look out the high, tiny window. It only afforded a small view of the roof next door and the sky beyond. A sky suddenly filled with dark ash and ominous clouds. Outside he could hear indistinct shouting, though most of it was muffled by the mumbling and chanting from the cells around him.

What's going on out there? Does anybody even know I'm here? Did Gammok let one of the Browncoats know about my arrest? Did he get arrested too, after the scene at the gate? What happened to the device - did it ever make it to the Earthen Ring?

How could I have been so stupid, not to realize that I would have to dismount?

Maybe if something is going on out there, I'll have an opportunity to form some new questions.

He paced up and down in front of the door again, glancing out occasionally to see if a guard would wander by. Anymore they mostly ignored him; the only excitement any of them had shown had occurred the previous evening when he had shifted into cat form and prowled to the corner of the cell during the evening head count. He had hoped one of them would open the door and present an opportunity to escape, but apparently they'd seen this trick before. The guard verified that both the door and the window were closed and locked, then called a nearby hunter with the ability to track hidden things. Within a few seconds, the hunter had verified his presence within the cell and marked him. The guard had not even said a word as he dejectedly came out of stealth and slumped by the wall, but merely chuckled and walked away.

I wonder why they keep the jail in the Valley of Honor?

From the various sounds around him, he had come to the conclusion that about half the prisoners were actual cultists. The others had merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or with the wrong items in their possession. However, the cultists were making tremendous progress in recruiting the rest. With the unusual events in the city, even some of the guards appeared to be listening more closely.

He glanced again at the small, barred window. The ash seemed to be falling even thicker now. The shouting seemed to have settled down, though there was an occasional outcry. Of course, the back of the Valley of Honor was far from the center of any activity.

An earthquake shook the ground. After a while one tended not to notice them much, since they never did much damage. However, this one continued for a minute or two longer than normal. He could now hear the worgs in the stable next door, howling and snapping. The shaking eventually stopped, but there was still an odd rumble in the air. Then the rumble was mixed with the clash of arms and the barked orders of military commanders.

He went to the cell door and looked around. One terrified guard ran down the hallway toward the main door, ignoring the questions and calls from the prisoners. The guard disappeared through the doorway, only to return within seconds, his face an even more sickly shade of green. Close behind him, a large earth elemental pounded the ground at his heels. The guard apparently hoped the doorway would halt or slow the elemental, but it paid the doorway no mind, crashing through the door and the wall beside it.

The guard grabbed a staff from a nearby rack and turned, ready to make a stand.

Hey, thats... "Hey, you jerk, that's my staff! If it gets damaged, I'll..."

He clearly didn't know what to do with a staff, especially one with flails attached to the headpiece. His swing missed and he nearly brained himself in the process. The elemental never slowed, even when the end of the staff poked it in the eye. The first impact from the boulder fist sent the staff clattering to the floor as the guard smacked against the far wall in a spread-eagle position. His eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the floor.

Having lost his target, the elemental now looked around for another. Sixty pairs of eyes glinted back at it in the darkness, and it rumbled in indecision. Matosawitko decided that it was time to act.

"Come here, you!" he taunted. "Let's see how tough you are without this wall between us!"

Moving with surprising speed, the elemental hurled itself at the cell door. The beams and bars shuddered, but held.

"Is that all you've got? No wonder we're not really scared of you!"

With the second blow, the door casing began to crack. Dust and stones were falling around Mato, but he held his ground. The elemental reared back and delivered its third blow.

As the elemental's rock arms began to move forward, Mato shifted into bear form and launched himself at the bottom half of the doorway. He hit the door just after the elemental's strike ripped it from the wall. The rotation from the elemental's force combined with his own caused the door to spin upward out of his way, striking a hard blow on the elemental's head as it passed. Mato shifted out of form, grabbed his staff from the floor, rolled with the momentum and shifted into cat form in one fluid motion. He glanced back to make sure the elemental was still following and leaped through the enlarged doorway of the jail.

I'll just have to worry about armor later.

The scene outside was one of utter chaos. A few horrified citizens ran screaming or cowered in terror. Nearby, a large rift spewed earth elementals even larger than the one he had just faced. On the other side of the valley he could see a similar rift spawning fire elementals. Around both milled a crowd of guards and citizens, fighting against the elementals with anything at their disposal. Two guards protected a small portal, into which most of the terrified citizens were fleeing. Other guards appeared to be erecting large siege barriers.

Having taken all of this in with a glance, Mato was reminded of his own, more pressing problem when he felt the earth begin to rumble beneath him from the approaching elemental. Turning to face it, he decided that it must have been a scout since it was barely half the size of the ones milling around down the street. It still was not one to be trifled with, however. He dodged its first attempt to crush him, using the opportunity to pounce behind it.

Mangle. Rake. Gah, it's turned already - can't shred. Mangle. breathe. Dodge. Rip. Sit still, you overgrown pebble! This is easier with a tank. Or, you know, somebody with armor. Mangle. breathe. Rake. Hey, let's go find a tank!

He turned abruptly in mid-strike and fled down the street toward the melee at the nearest rift. As the elemental neared the group, a nearby warrior taunted it and it turned away to attack him.

That's better. Okay, I had two strikes on it already. Let's put some hurt on it. Shred. Shred. Ooh, nice crit. Rip is still up, let's Ferocious Bite it. Ouch, think I maybe broke a tooth. Note to self - don't FB these guys anymore. More combos. Let's see. Mangle. Rake. breathe. Shr...

The warrior's axe crashed down on the elemental's head, splitting the rock cleanly in two. The rest of the elemental came apart in a shower of rocks and stones. Mato breathed hard for a second, then sprinted back up the street toward the jail in search of the rest of his gear. After a brief but frantic search, he found it neatly piled in a cabinet near the rack where his staff had been. He slapped the armor onto his body as he ran out of the building, ignoring the cries from those in the other cells.

As he approached the jumbled crowd ahead, he heard a small voice crying to his right. He turned, seeing the orphanage just ahead and a large elemental rumbling at its doorway. The cries came from inside. Shifting into cat form, he stealthed and slipped past the elemental into the building.

A small Troll girl sat huddled in the back corner, sobbing in terror. Somehow she had been lost in the evacuation and had returned to the only safety she knew. He padded back to her.

"Hi, I know you can't see me, but I'm here to help you."

The girl squeaked in terror, looking around with saucer eyes.

"Why can't I see you? How do I know you're not another scary monster?"

"Do you know what a Tauren is?"

"Oh, yes, the cow-people. Are you a Tauren? But they're big! I should be able to see a big person. Matron Battlewail says I have very good eyes."

"I am a druid. That means I can change shape. One of my shapes is a large cat, like a lion. When I look like a cat, I can prowl. That means I sneak around without anyone seeing me."

"I like cats. We have a cat that lives here in the orphanage. I don't know where he went, though. He ran away when the rock monsters came."

"If you promise not to scream, can I come out of my prowl now? Become visible, I mean?"

"Okay."

When he materialized in front of her, she let out a quiet "eep," but quickly relaxed.

"I've seen cats like you in the city before. Sometimes they're with people who carry guns or bows. I thought they were pets."

"Some are just lions. The ones with horns are Tauren druids, and we are no one's pets."

She giggled at this.

"My name is Matosawitko. It means 'Crazy Red Bear'."

She giggled again. "You don't look crazy. Or like a bear. Your hair is kind of red, though."

"My father hoped I would be a great druid tank - like a warrior. But I never really liked it. 'Red' is fairly obvious. I'm not sure about the 'crazy' part. So what is your name?"

She looked down. "I did not have a name in Sen'jin. None of my friends did, either. We had not yet earned a name. After..." She paused. "When I came here, Matron Battlewail called me Lith'atal. But I don't even know what it means. I wish I had a real name." Her eyes began to fill again.

He reached a velveted paw under her chin and lifted her grimy, tear-stained face. "Lith'atal is a beautiful name. Perhaps you will grow into it. Or perhaps you will find your true name. How old are you, Lith'atal?"

"I will be ten my next birthday."

"So you will soon leave the orphanage to learn a trade or profession?"

She nodded.

"What do you want to do? What kinds of things do you like?"

"I like making things. Matron says I would make a good engineer - I like figuring out how things work. Of course, she asked me not to take apart any more things in the orphanage, after the bunk-bed fell down." She giggled again, the clouds from a moment ago forgotten once again.

"Oh, my. Well, that's understandable. I know many fine engineers. If you want to be an engineer, you probably want to learn how to mine ore, too. That is a good skill - it will make your body tough and strong. Anything else?"

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye for a second. "I... I think I would like to be a druid. Like you. Can I be a druid?"

"It is rare, but not unheard of. I met a troll druid once." She smiled with glee, but he grabbed her hands before she could clap. "Shhh.... I think it's time we get you out of here to safety."

"Okay. Is the rock monster gone yet?"

He turned. The elemental was no longer by the door. "I'm going to disappear again for a moment. I will be back for you. Wait right here." Stealthing himself once again, he prowled to the door and looked out.

The elemental invasion appeared to be winding down. The rifts appeared to have closed, and the elementals that remained were vastly outnumbered by defenders. Rock shards and elemental bracers littered the ground. He left stealth and turned back into the room. "I think it's safe, Lith'atal. I will take..."

The doorway shattered around him, spraying shards around the room. He rolled to the left as the elemental's fist smashed to the floor in the spot where his hindquarters had just been. Getting to his feet, he sprinted out into the street, shouting behind him as he went. "Stay there, and stay down! I'll be right back!"

The elemental lumbered after him, back toward the melee once again. Unlike the previous fight, he found it difficult to shake in its determined efforts to turn him into a Tauren pancake. However, as he dodged around, avoiding the elemental's blows, other fighters ran to his aid, attacking the elemental from every side. They quickly destroyed it, and then roared with approval as they noticed that no others remained. Slipping out of the crowd, he returned to the orphanage to retrieve Lith'atal.

"Lith'atal? Lith? It's safe now. Where are you?"

Trembling at the silence, he burst through the orphanage door. "Lith'atal?"

The girl lay at the end of a bunk-bed, a nasty cut oozing on her forehead. A rock from the doorway lay nearby.

"Oh, Lith'atal!" He stood frozen for a moment. Then she groaned, and he sprang into action. Laying one hand on her forehead and another on her shoulder, he began casting Healing Touch - the restoration spell he knew the best. He concentrated on her small face as the healing magic flowed through her. The spell complete, he sat back and continued to watch her intently. Then her eyes fluttered open and she smiled thinly.

"You're a lot bigger than you were before."

He chuckled. "And very much relieved, now that you're awake again. Come, we need to get you to a real medic."

He stooped and picked her up like a sack, her body hanging over his large arm. She giggled that giggle that made his heart skip a beat. "You don't know much about carrying kids around, do you?"

"I'll learn."

----

The medics at the clinic in the Drag had taken good care of Lith'atal's cut, and she rested easily all night as Mato sat beside the cot watching over her. They returned to the orphanage in the morning, Lith'atal riding on his shoulder with one arm wrapped around his neck. Matron Battlewail met them at the door. Matosawitko spoke first.

"Matron, I discovered something completely unexpected yesterday. Or, someone, rather. And even with all of the crazy things going on right now, I don't want to let her go. I want to adopt Lith'atal as my daughter."

A Blow to the Face

He heard the loud voices as soon as he exited the zeppelin tower. Arguing, complaining - angry voices. Not the sort of voices one usually heard around the front gates of Orgrimmar. In fact, they were usually deserted.

Even with the aural warning, he was not prepared for the sight at the gate. Lines of people - mostly commoners - standing in the warm morning sun as guards patted them down and rifled through their belongings.

"Mato, over here!"

He turned to see a slight young Orc standing near the gate. A smile flickered across his face before becoming serious once again. "Gammok. What's going on here?"

"Warchief's orders. He's worried about the disruptions that have been going on here lately. Fire elementals in the streets were bad enough, but now there are apparently even cultists stealing around the city in stealth, or performing strange rituals in preparation for some catastrophic event."

"Has Thrall lost his mind? This is no way to treat his people."

"You'd be right about that, right up to the point that Thrall isn't warchief anymore."

"WHAT?? What happened - a coup? This may destroy all."

"No, he gave it up willingly. Said he needed to go to Nagrand to consult with someone there, and that the Horde needs him there more than they need him here."

"Then who..."

"Garrosh Hellscream. He's been at Thrall's side for several weeks now, but..."

Matosawitko sank to the ground. "Gammok, I need you to hit me really hard in the face, right now. I must be dreaming, because I'm pretty sure you just told me that Thrall has abandoned us and left that whiny upstart Garrosh Huffsteam in charge."

Gammok looked uncomfortable. "Mato, it really isn't as bad as you..."

"NOT AS BAD AS I THINK? Let me tell you something - these Twilight Hammer guys are way more serious than we ever thought or dreamed. I just got back from Hillsbrad, where I saw an elemental rift that was spawned by one of those devices like they've been planting around Orgrimmar for the past week - the ones that they're manufacturing in that camp right over there. If those things start going off, in just a few days all of us will be swimming in more elementals than we can count. Certainly more than most can handle. I don't know what their ultimate goal is, but that's enough for global thermonuclear destruction right there. Whatever that means. They sound all nice and fuzzy with their 'join us and be saved' spiel, but they don't intend salvation for anyone. Especially since they're bringing the destruction that we need salvation FROM! And the leader of the Horde decides to take that exact moment to travel to another PLANET? Or dimension, or whatever Outland is..."

Panting from his outburst, Mato fell silent for a moment.

"Look. I brought back the device. I was going to show the Earthen Ring guy that's set up right outside the bank. Maybe he will know more about this."

"Umm... yeah, about that. You might not want to let any of the guards find that in your bags, or you'll be going to the pokey too."

"Mere possession of 'contraband' is now illegal even for someone who has fought ardently against the Scourge? Who has spoken directly to every Horde leader, more than once? Who fought beside Thrall and Lady Sylvanas after the Wrathgate, reclaiming the Undercity for the Horde? Who helped Vol'jin defeat Zalazane and reclaim the Echo Isles? How are we even supposed to get the leadership the information they'll need to make good decisions, if their flunkies automatically presume guilt until proven innocent? I outrank every one of those rent-a-cops over there - I'd like to see them try to put me in the slammer. I've carried more dangerous stuff than this through the streets of Dalaran and Orgrimmar, more than once."

"You're right. I know and you know that. Just... keep it hidden. That's all."

"Fine. Thanks for the stimulating conversation - and the information."

"That's what friends are for."

Matosawitko mounted his venomous ravasaur once again. He figured this was best, since the compartment containing the device would be hidden under his leg. He dug in his heels and moved toward the gate.

"Excuse me, sir. Could I inspect your papers?"

-----

Author's note: Gammok is inserted here as a literary device.  Any possible similarity to a real character is completely accidental.

A Convenient Happenstance

Although he heard the words that spilled from the lips of the tall blue girl, Matosawitko did not understand a bit. He knew most of the more popular swear words in Common, so he assumed that she must be speaking Draenei. The elementals were the reason he assumed she must be swearing; as fast as they could mow them down, more spewed from the rift. For himself, Mato cursed his chivalrous nature, for getting involved in this fight in the first place. Better to have just let her die - what was one Draenei more or less?

No, that wasn't right, was it? In theory the Alliance and Horde were at idealogical loggerheads. But he had met many individual members of the Alliance. Some even seemed like rather decent folk. "I mean, look at Thrall," he mused. "He maintains a working relationship - perhaps even friendship - with Jaina Proudmoore despite the fact that Varian Wrynn would cut him down in a heartbeat, given the opportunity." And the Draenei in particular seemed to hold to many of the same ideals as the Tauren.

A wry grin crossed his face as he mangled another elemental. Of all the random circumstances - to visit Hillsbrad Foothills on a simple delivery mission, only to end up fighting side-by-side with a Draenei hunter and her pet ravager. He had spotted the girl in the middle of a field, hopelessly outnumbered and about to be destroyed by the air elementals spawning around her. And instead of riding by, he had shifted into cat form and waded in.

It took him a moment to realize that the elemental onslaught had finally ceased, the feral roar dying on his tongue. He shifted back into his Tauren form and checked himself all over. He had not sustained any apparent damage at all - despite their best efforts, the elementals simply could not hit him as he had dodged and weaved between them. The girl was clearly the worse for wear, though he doubted that she had sustained more than some deep cuts and bruises. Her pet ravager appeared to have a broken tooth and some other damage, but it hissed at him when he tried to take a closer look and he did not push his luck. He felt particularly attached to his fingers, and didn't intend to lose any to an orange, alien... whatever that thing was.

With a shrill whistle, Mato called to his ravasaur mount that had observed the action from near the road. It had halted as soon as he leaped from its back, and apparently had not moved from that spot throughout the fight. He rummaged through his saddle bag and passed a roll of bandages to the girl. Next, he rediscovered an old health potion that he had found somewhere or other, tossed into his bag and promptly forgotten. As a feral druid, he wasn't sure whether he should trust himself to cast any healing spells on her - he rarely used them, even on those of his own faction. He watched in silence as she bandaged her largest cuts and refreshed herself with the potion.

The girl spoke in flowing Draenei. He had picked up enough conversational Common during his travels through Northrend, but knew nothing of the Draenei language. However, her thankful intent was clear enough. He nodded in response and smiled. Then he replied in halting Common - "My name is Matosawitko." Her eyes lit up in recognition, as she patted her chest - "Auryon." Then she pointed at the ravager. "And that is Buka." Buka hissed again, apparently no more friendly now that they were on a first-name basis.

"How did you end up in this field, being killed by elementals?"

"We were on our way from Southshore over toward the big wall near Arathi Highlands. I noticed the disturbance in this field, and stopped to investigate." Auryon gestured to her right, where the rift had been. "What is that?" She pointed at an odd device lying in the grass.

"I have seen these around Orgrimmar. A cult calling themselves the Twilight Hammer is claiming that some great cataclysm - perhaps even the end of the world - will happen soon. Some of them carried devices like this."

She nodded. "I think I have seen the same group down in Stormwind. There have been some odd events there lately, with people talking about all kinds of weird things. Why, just yesterday I discovered that the guards are searching everyone who wants to come into the city. I saw four people arrested just because they had literature that had been distributed by some strange street preachers."

"I wonder if this device is somehow related to the rift? Should we show this to someone?"

"Given the damage they managed to do to me and Buka before you came along, I certainly don't want to touch it." She grimaced, flexing her arm. "If you will be near a city soon, you should take it."

Mato picked up the device. It was a metallic tube, oddly cold and covered with unusual markings. He tucked it into a safe compartment on his mount's saddle. "I'll see that someone from the Earthen Ring sees this as soon as possible."

"That sounds good. Thank you again for your help - I was almost sure that I would..."

Both turned at the sound of loud voices and baying hounds from the direction of Southshore. They could see a group of guards coming across the fields to investigate the commotion.

"Southshore guards, on their way to serve and protect. Although I have no particular fear of them, it is probably best for both of us that they don't find me here," Mato said, a growl tinting his voice. "Last time I was in these parts, the Southshore guards and I had a bit of a meeting. Certain words were exchanged. Also... certain arrows."

"I agree. Thank you again." She turned to watch him swing easily into the ravasaur's saddle. With a wave, he rode over the crest of the nearby hills, headed for Tarren Mill and a long night of travel.

All good things must come to a beginning

Greetings, traveler.  My name is Matosawitko, the owner and chief editor here.  I thought it would be wise at the beginning to fill you in on the characters you will encounter here as the story continues.

• Matosawitko - that's me!  My name means "Crazy red bear".  I am a Tauren druid, specializing in feral damage.  You will find more information on my history and abilities later in the story.
• Lith'atal - my adopted daughter.  She's really the primary focus of this journal.  She is a young Troll that I rescued from the Orgrimmar orphanage during an elemental invasion, and subsequently adopted.  Since then I have been training her in the druidic arts.

There may be some additional individuals that pop up from time to time, and I will attempt to introduce them properly as appropriate.

For the Horde!

-----

Author's note: Welcome, and thanks for reading this.  As noted in the sidebar, this is the continuation of a roleplay thread in my World of Warcraft guild forum.  (Browncoats represent!)  Unless noted otherwise, all major characters are my own.  In at least one case, a character was invented specifically for the story and does not represent an actual in-game character.

The first four journal entries were written originally for guild RP.  However, there may be minor variations from the previously published versions in order to allow them to stand on their own.  This will be most notable when Matosawitko and Lith'atal reach Thunder Bluff, since that story was originally part of a much larger RP thread and assumes quite a bit of knowledge about other events that were occurring at the time.

The journal is structured in such a way that larger-scope stories are told in third-person form and published by Matosawitko, while more personal "conversational" stories are in first-person form from Lith'atal.

A final note regarding my writing process - I usually start out with a really rough idea of the character's location and situation, and then let the story develop from there as I write it.  Therefore, the end result is usually completely unexpected.  This was how I discovered and adopted Lith in the first place.  Sometimes I have a slightly more structured framework, but the best stories seem to be the ones that I discover, not the ones where I had an agenda.