Heart of the Storm

The sky crackled with the distant sound of thunder, the heavy rainclouds closing in over the forests of Ashenvale. Although the storm was still a way off, the tension of it could be felt in the air like some unknown threat lurking around the bend. In the small Kaldorei camp, Celessarae sighed, shifting in position on the log she sat on to grasp the handle of her mug more tightly.

Storms always brought on the aches. There was no way around it. It was like her arm had become a weather-vane, pulsing with agony that quickened in pace as the storm rode in. The druidess sighed again, sipping the hot herbal tea in her mug as she stared into the fire. The special mix would soothe some of the ache, but in weather like this it would never completely quell it. She set the mug down, running her right hand up and down her left arm in an attempt to massage the nagging ailment away.

The rest of the camp was quiet with most of the Kaldorei sleeping under light blankets on the ground. In the center of the small clearing a campfire had been prepared to cook the day's meal. It was mid-morning, and most of the Sentinels were resting as they readied themselves for another evening of skirmishes with the orc scouts that were pushing deeper into the forest.

Celessarae sat quietly, her eyes roaming over the encampment and studying those with her. Although no longer a Sentinel herself, her experience amongst them allowed her to pick out weaknesses in the defenses. The unit she was traveling with was made up of raw recruits who had only just completed their training, and it showed in the laxness with which they attended to guard duty. The druidess would have assigned far more of the capable fighters as sentries, but it was no longer her place to advise such things. It didn't matter anyway; the others might be sleeping during the daylight hours, but she rarely slept more than a few hours, her dreams always disjointed and disturbing. She preferred the silence of the sleeping camp and the privacy of her thoughts.

Celessarae's gaze roamed back towards the center of the camp, her silver eyes studying the forms sleeping closest to the fire. There amongst the sentinels were a few who had been assigned to ascertain what damage the orcs had done in their most recent incursion; three other young druids that were learning the ways of their elders as Celessarae herself was. Tucked beneath their fur blankets, they slept peacefully, as distant from her in that moment as when they were when awake. She gave a half-smile as she saw a pair of them snuggled together beneath the same blanket; it would be many more years before she managed to feel as relaxed and content as the two looked together, but that was the entire point of endeavoring to learn druidism anyway.

Even as the thought passed through her mind, the serenity of the overcast morning was shattered by a distant scream. It rose up from the forest, the sound of a male Kaldorei in anguish. Celessarae's eyes shot up and stared into the thick foliage, her ears perked to listen intently to the sound. Around her, the camp stirred, Sentinels awakening from their slumber in an instant, glaives in hand and bowstrings taut.

The sound faded off, only to rise up again a moment later. Celessarae rose from the log upon which she'd been sitting, striding quickly through the camp to where the leader of the Sentinels was issuing orders.

“I want four scouts out around that rise to the north immediately,” the Captain said as the druidess approached. “The rest of the camp is to be secured until we can determine what befell our observers.”

Celessarae stood patiently, allowing the elf to bark out the rest of her orders, watching her intently as was her habit. The Sentinel Captain looked calm and organized; exactly the traits one would want in a leader. She would forge the newer Sentinels into formidable opponents with a bit more time. The druidess only prayed she had that time.

When the elf turned, Celessarae dipped her head and addressed her directly, “Captain, our Shan'do is out there along with your scouts. He is the only male in this group not accounted for. That has to be him.”

The distant screams rose up again, and both elves fell silent as they listened with grim expressions on their faces, “I know druidess. My scouts will find out soon enough what has befallen them and then we'll-”

Her words were cut off as a Sentinel hurried into the middle of the camp, making a beeline towards the Captain, “Orcs! It looks as if they slaughtered the party we sent out to survey the damage to the forest and they have captured the druid. One of the scouts took an arrow to the arm and she's fallen back and is circling around our camp. I think it's an ambush!”

The Sentinel Captain frowned at the news, shaking her head slowly. She paused, weighing the situation in her mind, “Strike the camp. We need to move to more defensible ground. I can't lead this group into an ambush and heavy battle; we've neither the equipment for protracted combat nor the experience. Once we've secured our lines we'll send a message to the others nearby and mount an assault on their lumber crews and forward scouts.”

Several of the Sentinels nodded their understanding before springing into action. In moments the camp went from tense to a tide of organized chaos as the sentinels quickly picked up their gear, doused the campfire, and faded into the forest around them. As the Captain turned to organize her Sentinels, a pale hand gripped her arm. She glanced back to see the young druidess looking at her sternly.

“My Shan'do is in the clutches of orcs, Captain,” Celessarae said quietly. Behind her the other druids that had joined the Sentinel group gathered, speaking softly amongst themselves until hearing Celessarae and falling silent.

“I know, Druidess,” The Captain replied. “We will look for him once we've secured our lines. The orcs want us to rush into the midst of their forces so they can cut us down. I am doing what needs to be done for all of us here.”

Celessarae took in the words, her face an expressionless mask behind the red-hued butterfly markings she bore. After a moment she spoke softly, her musical voice containing no hint of anger in it, “That is not sufficient. I won't leave him for the orcs to toy with. I...know what they are capable of. No one deserves that.”

“Druidess...” the Captain began. Her words faltered as Celessarae's face began to morph and elongate. Within the blink of an eye the Kaldorei had dropped to all fours, a sleek black cat taking her place. The speed with which she changed was impressive, and the form had with it none of the aches and pains that the weather had brought on.

Without another word the cat turned, trotting off into the forest.

******************************************

She ran through the forest now, unimpeded by the terrain, her aches, or even her own doubts. As a cat she had a natural urge to run beneath the trees, using the shadows to hide her from the eyes of her prey until the last moment. Her nose pressed forward, taking in the scent of the forest around her and the sickly smell of oil, metal, and blood that the orcs carried on them in the distance. They were hiding amongst the dense foliage, but it meant nothing to her now; they might as well have been standing in the middle of a clearing for all their skulking would do.

She passed the first of them quickly, ignoring them and keeping low to the ground. They heard and saw nothing, her body just a passing breeze as she made her way towards the screams that grew ever louder. A deep determination filled her now to rescue her Shan'do and pay back the creatures that were taking yet another thing from her.

She passed more orcs amongst the trees, their forms hunched down as if the plants would ever truly disguise their grotesque nature. It made her sick to think of them defiling more of her beloved forest but it was not something to dwell on as she ran. She had a mission first; the orcs could be dealt with later. Even as she thought this, Celessarae came upon a clearing where the orcs had dragged their captive.

There was a lot of blood. Much of it was from the slaughtered Sentinels that lay lifeless at the edge of the clearing. Even so, the male Kaldorei laying on the ground was covered with it as well, his body pinned to the forest floor by means of a sword that punctured his abdomen. Shallow cuts ran along his bare upper body, the purple-tinted blood running down and soaking the ground. Above him a rather vile looking orc stood, dagger in hand as he almost playfully cut the druid again. Another howl cut through the silent forest.

“Either they come for you, or you die,” the orc growled in broken Darnassian. It was clear that he was trained in the art of torture, for beyond the daggers clipped to his belt and held in his hand he also had an assortment of chains and whips on his person. One glance was enough for Celessarae to know that he needed to die immediately.

The orc grinned, bringing his dagger up and preparing to drive it into the Kaldorei's arm. Even as his blade descended, a heavy black cat slammed into him from behind, driving him forward and into the dirt. Celessarae landed atop her prey, her long fangs biting deep into his neck and locking into place. Although he tried to dislodge her, the loss of blood and suffocating jaws on his throat quickly silenced him and he grew still beneath her.

She had little time now and she knew it. The kill had been quick and quiet, but the screams had also faded and the other orcs would know. With a faint glimmer she shifted, her elven form stepping lightly over the dead orc and kneeling beside the wounded druid on the ground. He looked up at her through glassy eyes, shuddering with the pain.

“Shan'do,” she whispered quietly. Although the elf had trained her for only a short time, she had come to respect him greatly. He would not be the first of her teachers nor the last, but the moment would remain in her mind forever. Gently she reached out, gripping the sword that pinned him tightly. “Forgive me Shan'do.”

With a quick lurch she yanked the sword free. The druid gasped in agony, and Celessarae murmured quietly, sending a rejuvenation spell into the critically wounded elf. She was still inexperienced with healing magic, but it was enough to soothe his pain at least. A small blessing, but worth the delay.

He smiled at her, reaching up and placing a hand on her arm, “Thero'shan. Somehow I knew it would be you that would come to find me. I fear that you've come too late however, and our time together draws to a close.”

Celessarae's normally composed features broke into a frown and she quickly shook her head. The druid forestalled anything she might say by speaking again, his voice weak and broken, “It is true I'm afraid. I should have paid more attention to the knowledge I already possessed and watched for danger. My body...it is broken, and I will not leave this clearing. Go, before it is too late. Know that I am proud of you, and that you will grow much with your learning. Go and find another to teach you.”

“N-no. No! I will get you to safety,” Celessarae said, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. Her words reached only the emptiness around her though, the elf laying before her so very still now. She could see his chest rising and falling slowly, but it was so weak; he had only a few more minutes unless she could get help. In desperation, she grabbed his arm, heaving to pull him into a sitting position, hoping to carry him to safety. A stab of agony shot up her left arm; a cruel reminder of her own treatment at the hands of the orcs. She fell backwards, landing on her rump as her Shan'do sighed quietly, slipping away before she could even think of the rudimentary spells she had to heal him.

In the distance, a stick snapped as an orc approached the edge of the clearing to investigate why the screaming had died down. Celessarae ignored the sound, sitting quietly in the soil, staring at the dead Kaldorei sadly. She had lost another connection, another attempt at a future. Only this time she had also gained something. She was not the same broken Sentinel that had first begun to learn druidism. The urge to grow, to learn and fight, had never flowed so strongly within her. It mingled with the primal fury and rage that the orcs instilled in her, that ran through her very blood, and made her heart pound with it.

Another stick snapped as she rose silently, silver eyes scanning the clearing around her. The silhouettes of orcs appeared as they surrounded her, first three, then four then eight of them, all with weapons drawn, each of them stepping into the clearing with a grin on their face. Here there was another elf to torture, another victim to add to the growing pile of bodies the lumber crew had racked up.

In the distance thunder rumbled, the sky's gray vastness framing the clearing as the orcs stepped closer. Celessarae was motionless for the longest time, only her ears flicking as she listened to where they were around her, visualizing the position of each in her mind.

And then the storm began.

Rain began to fall even as the first orc moved towards her. Amongst the gloom and falling water a shaft of moonlight descended, illuminating her blue hair like a halo on her head. Her astral form glowed as she brought her hands up, moonlight flowing in her hands. She was no Sentinel now, but there were other ways to fight, other ways she could be of use.

The first orc learned this as moonlight lanced down more brightly from above him, the searing hot white magic of her power cutting into his flesh. The rest of the orcs lurched towards her even as her hands came down, a burning shaft of pure sunlight setting another of the orcs alight. She murmured as she conjured her magic, the sound almost a song amongst the falling rain. The gloom contrasted sharply with the light of the moon and sun, the glowing energy sparkling as it struck falling drops of water.

One of the orcs behind her threw an ax, the deadly weapon spinning end over end as it hurtled towards her head. In an instant Celessarae was a cat once more, her lithe form slipping beneath the arc of the weapon and a claw swiping at the leg of an orc as she darted out of the circle they had made.

Orcs howled and turned to pursue her, only to find themselves facing the Kaldorei once again in her elven form, her features crumpled into a mask of hatred. She brought a hand up and crooked a finger and instantly vines began to wrap around the ankles of the closest orc, dragging him to the ground. His companions trampled him, eager to slaughter the nuisance. Instead they found only the wrathful glare of the sun as its light hurtled towards them.

Orcs tumbled backwards as the magic struck, howls echoing through the forest as they were burned alive by the searing energy. Around Celessarae the moonlight continued to glimmer; the power her Shan'do had taught her to harness soothing her even as it slaughtered her enemies. Another orc brought his ax up only to find the Druidess extending her hands towards him, a surge of starlight slamming into his chest and searing his armor away.

It continued on this way, the movements of her foes a blur to Celessarae as she dodged and sang and hurled her magic. Her form shifted constantly, like the flowing water that fell from the sky to bathe the battlefield. She was bathed in moonlight when her foes were far; a slinking cat when they were near, her agility allowing her to dodge free of them and slip behind them to wreak havoc once more.

After a time, the forest fell silent, with only the rain pattering down to make a sound. Celessarae stood motionless in the now muddy and blood-spattered clearing, her hair wetly clinging to her face as she surveyed the scene. Around her all of her foes had fallen, their bodies laying in the mud and joining the Kaldorei that they had slaughtered earlier. In the distance orcish war horns rose up as Kaldorei hunting horns sounded. It was clear that the Sentinels had found defensible ground and even now were engaging in battle with an enemy that would be missing a few of its soldiers.

In that moment of clarity, standing amongst the bodies of her allies and enemies alike, a sense of peace fell over the former Sentinel-turned Druidess. In that moment, Celessarae felt the soothing calm that came when the heart of a storm passes overhead, and she realized that the words of her Shan'do were true. She WOULD grow, she would learn more about the world and how to make herself a useful part of it. She would bring balance back to the forests and protect the lands of her people from those who would defile it.

Despite all she had lost, both in that moment and in previous battles and disasters, she would always have the forest. She would always have the moonlight that flowed down on her even now. She would always have Elune to guide her. She would heal and harm, as nature needed her to do. For her people, for herself.

Celessarae Moonfang finally understood her destiny.