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She awoke to the sound of birdsong ringing through the trees. The predawn light filtered gray through the flaps of the small ragged tent she kept in the clearing under the massive trees of Teldrassil. She left the tent almost robotically, toting her herb bag and while relighting the fire for fresh water, she wished, not for the first time, for a tiny ounce of the fire magic the humans and gnomes wielded. She gathered her things, and put a small pot of water on the fire to boil. She dug without looking through her herb bag until her deft fingers ran across the packet of swiftthistle and packed a small amount of the crushed herb into a thin linen cloth, then tied the cloth with a string and dropped it into the warming water. The rejuvenating tea would be ready soon. She cast a weary glance at the tent, and paused long enough to reject the idea of carrying her armor with her. Yawning, she set off towards the sounds of the creek not far from her camp.
She stepped out onto the bank of the stream and after a bit of scouting to ascertain that she was indeed alone, she stripped out of the lightweight sleeping tunic and loose breeches. Hanging them on a nearby bush, she slipped silently into the cool waters of the stream and began rinsing away the nights sleep. She’d been plagued by dreams again. Her mother’s face, covered in tears.... She shuddered and submerged herself fully in the clear waters, swimming a dozen or so yards downstream to loosen her muscles, still tight from another night in a pallet instead of a proper bed. When she surfaced, the forest was quiet. She stopped, listening intently. Even the birds were silent, but try as she might, she couldn’t hear a thing.
Leaving the water as quickly and quietly as possible, she tiptoed towards her clothing a few yards upstream. Her lithe form glistened with water, and shone like silver in the hazy morning light.
The low growl from the bushes to her left startled her, but also revealed the source of her anxiety. Peering intently she finally picked out the nightsaber’s glowing yellow eyes among the dense foliage. She tried hard not to panic, realizing instantly that she had left her staff in the tent, and was not just vulnerably without her leather armor, but was stark naked, a distinct disadvantage. The large cat crept silently toward her, it’s upper body clearing the bushes, giving her a good hard look at the taught muscles under the black fur, and again, that soft throaty growl sounded. She frantically grasped for the words and began to chant almost inaudibly, shoving panic aside and begging Cenarius to help. Her relief was almost palpable as the plants on the forest floor responded to her call and sprang into action, entangling the cat’s legs in strong root tendrils. The animal howled it’s rage as she dashed past, grabbed her sleeping clothes, and tore back towards her campsite like a streak of silver lightening among the bushes.
She arrived breathless and stood panting in front of the campsite, her silky green hair hanging in damp tendrils around her face. Her tea boiled merrily over the fire, it’s aroma enticing in the still morning air. The sprint had dried her and she reached for her armor through the flap but again froze, her vest dangling from her fingertips....what???
She straightened and spun in a graceful movement and stopped dead when she saw the elf standing just inside the little circle of trees. His face was mostly in shadows, but his silver eyes roved appreciatively over her bare form. She hastily grabbed her sleeping tunic and dove for the cover of the tent with a shriek. Her cheeks burned as his chuckle broke the silence her scream had left behind, and she angrily shoved her arms into her leathers.
“Who are you?” she demanded, her dignity quite bruised, as she emerged from the tent, now mercifully fully clad in the supple, hand tooled leathers. She carried her staff, though she doubted she’d need it. If the stranger with the purple topknot meant her harm, he’d had ample opportunity to do so. So far, all she’d seen was a smirk.
“My name is Eaerylon,” he said simply, as if that explained everything, and handed her a mug of her own tea before settling comfortably across the fire from her with an ornately carved wooden mug of his own. She was still searching for a crafty, scathing retort when the nightsaber burst through the thicket behind him and rushed her. A sharp whistle brought it up short and it slunk to stand near the muscular elf, apparently a hunter. It growled indignantly at her and settled to the ground at its master’s feet. She reached for a cloth and began rubbing out the tea that had sloshed across her vest when she’d jumped back from the animal and glared at her intruders.
“Do you often accost women traveling alone? Is this sport or do you have so little control over that animal that it makes meals of unsuspecting bathers?” His laughter was rich and deep and she bristled further.
“Do you often streak naked as a babe through the forest in the mornings?” She scoffed at him but sat down finally, making quite a show of huffing and puffing.
“Sharza got away from me. I am truly sorry that he frightened you. He’s quite tame, I assure you. Though it may take him a while to forgive you for rooting him.”
She felt a little sheepish and covered it with another hmph. “My name is Kesily Nightsong.”
“A druid,” he reasoned, “And why are you out here instead of in a comfortable inn not far from here?”
“I like it here,” she shrugged, “Why are you here?”
“Greenspyre sent me to check on the forest elementals, and apparently Sharza picked up your scent, because he tore off this direction so fast I assumed there was danger.” His hand was lazily stroking between the cat’s ear, apparently unconsciously. Kesily decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“What’s wrong with the elementals that Rellian would get involved?” A small group forest elementals lived further upstream, and up to this point, kept mostly to themselves, to her knowledge. The smaller ones out here, not very bright,in her experience, were kind unless they felt cornered or threatened. The lumbering creatures were animated plant beings that to any but the Kaldorei seemed monsters. The night elves frequently enlisted the help of the elementals and knew that the elder ones were wise and mostly kind, if a little terse. They even employed them to act as guardians over the roads and their sprawling capital city, Darnassus.
“There are some reports of a sect of them attacking travelers and it’s not contained. There are four seperate regions on the island that have sent back these reports and locals fear to go near them now. Rellian sent me to discover the reason.”
Kesily couldn’t help but find herself intrigued. She immediately began packing up her little camp and prepping her bags for the trip.
“What are you doing?” he asked, rising to help her.
“Going with you.” She said simply, as if no other explanation was needed.
gloomy