Story of Talenthea: Tooth and Claw.

by Raining Fire Sun Feb 15, 2015 2:12 am

Today was just like any other day. The night sky was clear and bright with the stars shining beautifully. To many to count. They formed patterns us Night elves revered. Orion the great hunter. Ursa Major. The wind blew my dark blue hair. I rolled my eyes as I brushed it back down the way I liked it. My eyes glowed white as I stood, staring at the sky in wounder and amazement. My name is Thea, I'm a few decades old and a Night elf Druid. A shape shiftier. A protector of Nature and all that is good and wonderful on this Planet, Azeroth. Tomorrow, I will finally be given my chosen role as a Druid. Something the Priestesses watch and learn and then pick for you. There are four possible roles I could be given. Guardian. The role of Ursa Major. This role takes on the form of the mighty bear, Strong and proud. The leader of its squadron of Druids. Doesn't really suit my fancy. Restoration. The Healer. Uses Nature spells to heal wounded creatures, Its Ally's and even Nature its self. Balance. The druid that uses lunar, solar and nature spells to protect the forces of Nature with explosive force. Lastly, Feral. The role of Orion, the hunter. This role takes on the form of a great cat. A predator. Stealthy, relentless, Strong, fast smart and reliable.
What did I wish to be? I wished to be Restoration. The ability to heal always suited me. But I try not to think about. No one ever gets the role they wish to. But I guess tomorrow, we shall find out. Was I nervous? Heck yea! This is something we night elves work for our entire lives! And we spend the rest of our lives honoring! With a sigh, I finally decide to turn in for the night. It was late and I only had a few hours before I had to head to the temple. I was always the nocturnal type.
As morning came, I woke with to the sparkling eyes of a doe staring at me. A smile graced my lips as I stared up at the creature. "Good morning, Girl." I say as I reach out and brush the head of the deer. The doe nudged my body with its head, encouraging me to wake. I knew I had to get moving but I liked to take my time. Sitting up, everything was so much easier to see in the day time. Us night elves have built a fortress out of the trees and stone. Darnassus, The city of the night elf people. Everywhere you looked, nature flourished, The water was clean and sparkled from the sunlight bouncing off it. Wild animals often helped us with our daily lives. Everyday life was just beautiful here. Feeling another nudge on my back, I roll my eyes and finally stand. "Alright alright, keep your hooves on, I'm going." I said. With a short meep of good luck, I said good bye to the best friend I've ever had to start my role among my people. I was going to miss it here, And I was going to miss that deer most of all.
I walked into the great temple, Holding my head up with pride. No matter what they have chosen for me, I will accept it, I will work my hardest and I will protect everything we stand for. "Thea," A night elf Priestess began as I knelled down in respect. "You were a difficult one to chose for, But the council and I have reached a point we think will work best for you." The Priestess said as she stood over me, looking confident in their choice. "Thea, You are so full of confidence in everything you do, You never back down from anything, you never cut things short or take the easy way around. You are cunning, Yet laid back and relaxed. So we believe...." The pause was killing me! I just wanted to scream: 'What!? What am I?!" Of course I kept it together. "Rise Thea, The Feral Druid." As she said those words, she touched my head with her staff and suddenly my body began to change. I dropped to my hands as I tried not to fight this. My fingers closed in to small and slender paws, Claws as sharp as knives hiding in them. I felt my spine lengthen and become flexible. My head shifted into pointed ears and fangs grew from my maulers. My eyes become slits, Sharp and focused. Finally I felt a nimble tail extend from my spine. With a blood churning roar, My Transformation was complete, and I felt like I was just run over by a freaking boulder. And I think everyone knew that. "It's okay.... It'll get easier, I promise." The Priestess comforted me as I struggled to get my breathing under control. As I started to get the hang of my new body, I could finally tell that the night elves that had gathered for this ceremony were clapping for me. It felt good to feel such praise. "Come, Take a look at you new form." The Priestess said as she led me to the near by pool of water. Looking into it, I jumped at the face looking back at me. This Creature, Was me.. The fur was a dark blue, Midnight Black.. The fangs were as white as pearls, yet were obviously lethal weapons. I look down to my paws, The claws seemed just as dangerous. With proper care, I could do some seriously damage to my prey. I turned around to get my barrings. I never got a chance to look around the room before, yet it was weirder with my new eyes. It was just like any other night elf temple. The walls were pure white stone. In the center is where I stood, with a statue of a night elf , water pouring from the bowl that it held in its hands. Everything was so hard to recognize... But I knew I would someday get use to it. With a nod, I lifted my head and let out another roar and my people people cheered. I then shifted back to my normal formal, and the process was the complete opposite from what it was when I was turning into the vicious cat. The tail vanished into my body, My paws turned to hands and feet, my spine tightened and strengthened as I stood up right, And my head returned to its original size and shape. "Good Luck watching everything with your protective eyes Thea.. Now it's time for you to Meet your Squadron."

by Raining Fire Sun Feb 15, 2015 2:14 am

As we awaited the arrival of our new member, I was left twiddling my thumbs and Aquila was left pacing. What I did know was we were going to get a new feral.. What I didn't know was that that Feral had no experience what so ever.. Our original feral had fallen in battle about two weeks ago and we have been in the market for a new one ever since. "What do you think she's like, Nova?" Aquila finally asked, making me look up. Aquila was always very clean, like she exercised being clean every day. Her light blue hair was wrapped up in a neat pony tail and draped over her right shoulder like a rope. It reached from the back of her head to the stop of her stomach... I wonder how long it would be if it wasn't tightly pulled into that pony tail. She stood with a bit of a hunch when she was nervous or thinking a lot. I found it kind of weird how she did that. Aquila was covered in light green armor with a staff that was enchanted with growing vines strapped to her back. She wore a neckless with some sort of bird on it, and I often saw her rubbing it between her fingers... Probably a superstition to help with good luck I suppose. I on the other hand had teal colored hair. It was short but pulled into a nice Pony tail, but it was nothing like Aquila's. I wore purple armor, Nimble and light, it allowed for faster movement and easy to change in and out of forms if I needed to. But I was a Balance druid, I had only one form that I spent most of my life in. I shrug at Aquila's question and slowly look away. I was never one much for talking, but if I had something to say, I had my ways of making it heard. Aquila sighed and continued her pacing as we were left to our own thoughts. My main concern is what Elias might put her threw. Our first feral was his brother. Would he constantly compare her to him? Elias was slightly unfair at times, that was probably the worst he could do... Little did I know there were far worse things.
Just then, The Priestess walked in, and Aquila and I stood to attention. "Ladies I would like to Introduce you to your new Feral. Thea." As she said this the priestess reached her hand out and gestured off to something the wall blocked from view, But soon the nervous night elf showed herself in the door frame. Thea, as she was called, Was covered in skin tight, Black leather armor. Just by looking at that armor I knew it allowed for faster movement and easier changing of forms and even let the night elf to be a little more light footed, making for a stealthy air. I knew just by looking at her that we were going to get along great. "Hi everyone." She said, rubbing her arm nervously. The Priestess walked her in and began introductions. "Thea, This is Aquila, She's your Restoration druid." The Priestess said, "Nice to meet you," Aquila responded and Thea was quick to reply with "You to." Then they turned to me and I nodded. "And this is Nova. Just as her name suggest, She's your Balance Druid." The Priestess continued and I shook Thea's hand, a smile on my face as I say, "Welcome to the team." Thea nodded in return. She then proceeded to look around the room for the 'Other' one. Seeing her confusion, the priestess spoke up, also a little confused, "Where's Elias?" As if on queue, a mighty bear with silver fur came walking out of the next room. He fixed his eyes on Thea as he walked, his head low to the ground and a growl rippling from his throat, Clearly trying to intimidate her. But, unlike me and Aquila, Thea seemed unmoved. In fact, She seemed... Fascinated. With some trouble, The Druid shifted into her cat form and let out her own series of growls... She had fire, I'll give her that, But sooner or later she was going to learn why the Guardian was the leader. The bear tilted its head, Curious, then turned to the Priestess, Clearly outraged. Quick and effortless, The bear changed forms. It went from a hulking beast to a worgen. A werewolf like being. Unlike my people, The worgen were vicious humanoids. Makes you kind of glad they were on our side.. Most of the time. "What the hell is this!?" Elias yelled at the Priestess, a growl rumbling in the back of his throat. "You asked for a new feral for your team, Elias. This is your Feral." The Priestess responded calmly, Not moving even when the werewolf was in her face. "I asked for A new, PRO Feral! Not someone who just got their role the day you throw them into my team! I don't have time to train anyone! Especially this young one with no respect for authority!" Thea kind of reared back from those words, Clearly, they hurt her. She slowly shifted back to her original form and looked away from the group, Even more shy now. "How many forms does she even have?" Elias asked, gesturing to the new feral. "She has only the one at the moment. Elias, The council and I have a good feeling about her you won't even have a chance to understand, and we believe you can turn her into something we will all benefit from someday. I'm sorry you feel this way, But it's out of my hands." With that said, The priestess looked to me and handed me an envelope. "Your next job will be in Ashenvale. We have been getting reports of Horde and Demonic movement going on there. You are to slow it, or put a stop to it, and try to heal the woods there as much as possible... Good luck Druids." With those final words, The Priestess turned and was gone, leaving us four alone. Elias stormed off, Throwing a series of curse words I didn't even know he knew, Leaving us three night elves alone.. Time to build trust on an awkward situation.

by Raining Fire Mon Feb 16, 2015 10:56 am

Well my first day wasn't really what I was hoping... But in the end, who ever has a perfect first day? Yea, I just got to believe that it'll get better with time. As we all waited for Elias to finish blowing of some steam, we sat silently, keeping to ourselves. The two druids must of known how lonely and awkward I felt, But they must of not known how to comfort me. Which would be understandable. I can't imagine what they might be going threw. Finally, after what felt like a decade, one of us spoke up. "He's not always like that, you know." Nova, The Balance druid said without even looking up at me. "Elias, I mean." She continued, now looking in my direction. "He's typically a good leader, We can all get along just fine, Whenever he's in the mood though." The Night elf said, and I let out a sigh. "What does he hate me?" I asked, leaning forward. "It's not that he hates you," Aquila, The Restoration druid pitched in. "It's just he expected someone... More experienced. Our Squadron has to often take on dangerous, and even life threatening missions... And he doesn't think your ready for that, and he doesn't want to take the time to make you ready for that." She said and I really didn't know how to respond to that. "So... He under estimates me?" I asked, a raised eye brow. The two druids looked to each other, then back to me and Nova just shrugged. "I wouldn't say that really... Truth is none of us know what your capable of, and possibility is you don't know what your capable of ether. Doing something like this Thea, Take time, Takes training. Rest assured, Aquila and I will see to it you get the best possible training, and we promise to keep you alive on our missions." Nova said and I nod my thanks to the two before falling silent once more.
After awhile, Elias finally showed himself and all three of us stood up and looked his way. He walked across the room into the arch way leading out of the fort. "Thea, Come with me please." He said and waited for me to walk out past him. I looked to Aquila and Nova, fear and confusion clearly written in my eyes and on my face. Nova gave me an encouraging nod, and I decided I better do what I was told. I really didn't want to make this guy mad, not again. I stepped out and walked, Elias close behind me. The look on his face was almost emotionless, It scared me how anyone could be like that. We stopped in a clearing, far from the eyes of anyone else. "Shift." Elias told me as he stood with his arms crossed. Caught kind of by surprise, It took me awhile to fully comprehend what he was saying. "NOW!" He yelled. Shaken up, I shifted into my cat form. I fall to all fours as my hands and feet quickly turn to paws, My finger nails into claws, Fangs growing from my maulers as my head slowly shifts into that of a cat, My spine erupts into a tail rather painfully, Finally I'm full cat. I look up to Elias, wondering what exactly was going on. "Shift back." He said. It was easier to shift into a cat, But shifting back, That was hard, not to mention painful. Never-the-less, I returned to my original form. "Again." He said, and I finally understood what was going on. He was training me! Now that I understood what was happening, I shifted like I had a purpose. "Faster!" He would yell at me repeatedly, Forcing me past my my limit. I could hardly take these repeated shifts! We go on until I finally fall to my stomach, stuck in my cat form. "Get up! We're not done!" The worgen yelled and I stayed down, panting. I couldn't do this. I was done. I needed to stop. I needed out. If this druid wanted me gone he was doing a very good job of getting it done. "I said.... Get... UP!" Suddenly a roar echoed in the woods and I look up in time a silver bear charging at me. My eyes open wide, it was like I was seeing every thing in slow motion. I quickly stood to my feet to dodge the incoming attack. But, even with this heightened state of awareness, I was still to tired, To slow. I was quickly pinned under the bear's massive paws, I felt the beast bite the back of my feline neck in a display of dominance. No matter how much I struggled, no matter how many times I tried to claw at him to get him off of me, nothing I did was good enough. He would just push me down and bite me harder. "Let's not forget who's in charge. After all, In my pack, you are nothing but a cub, Young and naive.." With that said, The druid finally let his weight off of me and I stood, giving my head a good shake before looking up to see the worgen returning to the the fortress. I now knew. I had to stay. I had to prove him wrong! I had to get strong, and then, someday, Over throw him. One day, I will be the pack leader. 'Just you wait, Elias.' With that thought in mind, she rushed after him, Returning to their so called hideout.

by Raining Fire Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:58 am

I walk into the Fortress with an air of confidence that made both Nova and Aquila stop and turn to look at me. Concern was clearly written on their faces. They must of been wondering why it took me so long to get back. I wonder what conclusions they came up with in their own mind.. Never-the-less, They both turned their attention back to Elias as he spoke about the ways they were going to get to Ashenvale. "We'll Take a few hippogriffs to Darkshore and then Travel form the wrest of the way to Ashenvale." He said, closing the map and turning to look at me. I spot a small amount of disappointment in his eyes, But at the same time he seemed a little glad I wasn't gone.. As if all that back there was a test, and I passed by not leaving. He then looked over his shoulders to the other two. "Someone will have to give Thea a ride, seeing she doesn't have her own travel form yet... Let's move! we're losing day light!" All three of us followed the worgen out.
It didn't take us long at all to get hippogriff to fly us to Darkshore. When we landed, Nova shifted into an Elk-like creature and invited me on her back. After a moment of taking in my surroundings, we were off. Darkshore, like the name suggest, was quite dark and next to the shore line. Many animal species lived here. Stags, Bears, Saber's, And that's only naming three. Darkshore had many broken up area's along the main rode, where the street would once connect fully, was now broken up into small islands about five feet away from each other. Large ledges, Water ways now all breaking these apart, Making travel difficult, But nothing us druids couldn't handle. It wasn't long till we reached Ashenvale and I was able to see my first bit of action. And what I saw was pure evil. Orc's and Undead all In one place, destroying sacred ground, cutting down trees, even the Ancients! Tree people. More like tree giants, the Ancient protectors of Nature, they cut one down and started to Harvest him. This, obviously mad me mad, And of course, made the others feel the same way. Elias turned back to his true form and looked to me. "Okay Thea, here's your first mission. Sneak in there and give us a rough idea of how many we're dealing with. Under no circumstance are you to engage against any of them alone." He told me and I nodded in return. My first real mission. There was no way I was going to screw this up. I Jumped off of Nova's back and quickly shifted into my cat form, So fast I'm pretty sure Elias was impressed. Not giving any of them a second look, I used my feline talon's to climb a near by tree. I walk out on a low hanging branch, using the shadow's, my dark colored fur, and the leaves and branches for cover. I walk as far out as possible, Getting a pretty good view of the area. I give one long scan of the ground below, Trying to get a good number for Elias. I nod after coming to one and quickly turn back and return to the group. "There's somewhere around fifty or Eighty down there, Give or take.... What's your plan?" I asked the worgen, not bothering to shift forms. It took awhile for the Guardian to reply, but when he did, one could clearly see he wasn't to happy with the choice he had come to. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, But I think a stealth tactic would be our best shot. We'll break up into two teams. Thea you'll come with me, Nova and Aquila you go together. Take out as many as possible as quietly as possible. When they finally realize what's going us, prepare to be swarmed. The reason we are breaking up into two groups is to minimize the amount we are swarmed by. Nova, Aquila, Listen for Thea's roar, and regroup. Thea, when I give the signal, release the loudest roar you can." After a few moments of going over ifs and buts, we all wish each other luck and depart on our separate ways to take out this horde. Elias changed into his own cat form and we sneaked threw the shadows together. When we came out to attack our target, We did so quickly and silently. Watching Elias, I learned a great deal on how to ambush unsuspecting prey. What impressed me was he was using this to train me, which struck me as a little odd. Beneath that tough guy exterior, Maybe Elias really did care about me, Maybe he really did care if I became a good feral. Soon, after Elias had me watch him take down a target a few times, it finally came time for me to try. To say I was nervous was an understatement. If I did this wrong, My enemy could retaliate and kill me, but if I did it right, I would have my first kill. Truthfully, None of those two options appealed to me very much. But this was all for the good for my people, and for the animals. If I don't protect them, who will? I soon locked my eyes on an unsuspecting undead and slowly crept up on him until I was practically on top of him. Then, I pounced. Digging claws deep in his back and pulling him down. Before he could scream, I close my jaws around his neck and quickly snap it and vanish into the shadows before anyone became aware of my presence. I looked to Elias who gave me a reassuring nod and we continued to take out as many as possible. Until Elias looked at me and said, "Roar." Not giving it a second thought, I lifted myself on my front paws, rearing up as I lift my head straight up and let out a blood curdling roar and then all hell broke loose. We were suddenly ambushed by a dozen orcs and undead, There was to many to fight. Elias changed into his bear form and charged into the center of the mass, Nova and Aquila showing up suddenly behind me, charging to give him a helping hand. After shaking away my shock, I quickly looked around. Finding a tree, I quickly climbed it and found the nearest low hanging branch. "Where is Thea!" I heard Elias yell in a rather panicked voice. I got over the center of the battle just in time to see Elias and Nova get slammed aside by a Fel fire elemental. These hulking creatures were made entirely of demon fire and molten boulders. After wiping out the horde, it was no surprise to see a warlock had summoned this thing. Elias struggled to stand, even with Aquila giving him the many healing spells at her disposal. The Fel beast approached Elias and lifted an arm to blast him with Fel fire. I knew I had to do something, and fast. Letting out a roar, I ran and jumped off the branch, Flying to the creature, I dug my claws into its rocks and quickly slid down, Sparks flying off my claws as I did. It turned, Good. I had its attention. It lifted its arm and brought it down quickly, trying to strike me with its fel fire, But as it did, time began to slow. I charged, acting fast on my instincts, I jumped out of the way as the fire rushed toward me. I dug my claws into its leg and using my mighty jaw, I severed the fire connecting the leg to the torso, Making the beast struggled to balance on one leg. As it tried to regain it's balance, I did the same to the other leg, and it just fell to the ground, Becoming nothing but a pile of rubble. Breathing hard in fear and anticipation, I look behind me, Elias, Nova and Aquila all looking at me in amazement. After a few moments, Elias spoke up. "Let's head to Astranaar to rest and recuperate."

by Raining Fire Wed Feb 25, 2015 1:04 am

As I rode into Astranaar onto of Nova in Elk form, One thing quickly jumped out at me. Astranaar was under attack. Orc of Wyvern's casting fire spells and small bombs onto the houses. Night elves and Worgen all scrambled to put out the flames and shoot down their enemy's. Elias turned and changed into his true form. "Alright, We're not going to find any rest here." He said. It took all my will power to not pop up and say, 'You think?' So I just kept my big mouth shut and listened to his plan. "Nova, Thea, Focus on getting the orcs out of the air! Aquila and I will put out the fires!" I quickly hopped off of Nova's back as she shifted. She locked eyes on a rider over head. After a moment of channeling some kind of blue energy into her hands, she hit the rider with a strong spell that sent its Wyvern spiraling toward the ground, crashing hard into a near by tree. I took her lead and focused on my own target. A strong vine launched from my hands and wrapped around the foot of the wyvern, and before I knew what was happening, I was lifted off the ground. Hanging onto the vine for dear life, I started to climb it. But looking ahead of me, I noticed I didn't need to. When the rider rounded a tree, I went in the other direction, Wrapping the vine completely around the strong tree and tying a knot in the vine. I changed into my cat form and dug my claws into the bark and watched as my plan was carried out. As I suspected, The vine wouldn't break, and the Wyvern could not pull a tree out of its roots. It flapped its bat like wings frantically, But soon tired and fell, The vine pulling the creature and its rider toward the massive tree until they smashed upon it. I grinned as I watched them hang there and using one of my claws, I cut them loose and climbed higher into the tree and settled on a branch. The pupils in my eyes narrowed as I watched a rider and his wyvern fly in close to the branch. I run, leaped and dug my claws into the wyverns wing membrane. Hearing his creature scream in such pain, The orc turned to face me, and I bare my fangs and let out a loud roar, Making the orc bare his own fangs, or tusk. I climbed higher up the Wyvern, Shredding the wing as I did. The orc unsheathe his sword and started to swing it at me. But even on my uneven terrine I was on, I was still able to avoid his attacks with ease. I then leaped on top of the falling wyvern, and then tackled the orc. We both plummeted and continued to fight one another as we fell. He smacked me across the face with his massive fist and turned us over, so my back was facing the ground. I looked behind me to see I was falling toward one of Astranaar's buildings, and if I landed where I thought I would, on a side ways post, my back would snap. I looked back to my enemy and dug my claws in his eye and quickly flipped us, making him smash on the post, breaking my fall. I leaped off the orc and slid down the roof and then jumped off that roof and landed gently on the ground, where Nova stood laughing, clearly impressed. Good, I seemed to be earning my place with these druids. Suddenly, a rider flew above us, circled and launched something heading right for Nova. I lock my feline eyes on it and quickly realized what it was. "Nova! Look out!" I yell and ran in front of her, and felt my body begin to change, rather painfully. My feline muzzle began to stretch and slender down, my shoulders grew as my head lowered closer to the ground, My front legs bulged with thick muscle and my hind legs seem to launch straight up. My claws seemed to stretch just as my muzzle had done, growing a lot more teeth then I was use to. But before I could figure out what I had changed into, I felt a sharp pain in my side as the arrow had planted its self in my thick hide. I fell to the ground as Nova blasted the rider out of the sky, then look down at me. "Thea!" I heard Elias yell as he ran to me in his bear form. The last thing I saw was Aquila ripping the arrow from my side and then trying to heal the wound, and then I blacked out.

by Raining Fire Mon Mar 02, 2015 9:12 pm

I remember thinking, 'Am I dead?' as I felt space close around me. The darkness I was enveloped in was becoming not so dark. I struggled to open my eyes, managing to open it just a crack, and threw that crack, I could just barely make out Elias's form, watching me. Waiting for me to wake. Quickly, I shut my eye, threatening to once again go back into a slumber. "No, don't you dare pass out again!" I heard Elias say before feeling a sharp pain on the left side of my face, jerking me and my senses awake. "Welcome back to the real world miss Thea." The worgen said as I looked around the room. Nothing to out of the ordinary for night elf buildings. I was on an upper floor of an Inn, typically there would only be one upper floor, and this building was no different, but it was a little bigger then most. There were several beds, must be the place where they treat the wounded. Which I quickly found out, I was. As I tried to stand, I felt a sharp pain in my side, and I stopped all movement and grabbed at the pain with a massive paw... Wait... Paw? I looked at the extension of my body like it was foreign. This wasn't like my cat form paw, No, this was different. The claws were longer and retractable. The paw its self was large and covered with black fur, just like my cat form. I looked to Elias with a confused look, and he seemed to rather enjoy this. He took out a small mirror and showed it to me. I was completely baffled by what I saw. "Congratulations Thea, You have discovered your second form. The Bear form." This felt so completely different from my cat form! Everything was heavier, so much more dense and full of muscle. The head on this form was so much more narrow. Looking to Elias, he began to explain. "Druids have more then one form. Two or three forms for Combat, depending on the type of Druid. The main two are Cat and Bear. And then three Travel forms, Stag or Cheetah, Orca For under water Travel, and then flight form. Druids all discover their forms in different ways, in different orders, But no matter what, Flight form is always last. Your Bear form seemed to awaken in you when you needed it too. Our forms are real creatures from the Emerald Dream... Well, I guess you can only call them as real as the Emerald Dream. The Emerald Dream is something that connects all Druids. We usually have to go into this dream to Learn these new forms, Or, in better words, meet them." I tried to follow on everything he said, tried to comprehend, But I guess I was still very out of it.. "It's the same thing, Shifting... I'll teach you how to chose between forms later..." Elias said, And once again, I went threw the slow, painful process as shifting. My hind and front legs shrunk, The claws practically vanished as my fingers returned to their normal shape, My Muzzle shrunk down as well as my head rounded up a little bit, my ears returned to their normal pointy selves and my long blue hair grew back quickly as I finally stood on my real legs again. "Elias, as I blacked out I noticed where the riders were coming from!" I said, clutching my wounded side. "If we take out where their coming from, we can stop this attack for good!" He stopped and finally looked at me seriously. Good, I had his attention. "Their all coming from the large hill over looking Astranaar, Which makes me think they may have a base up there. Take out the base, stop the attack. Cut the head off the snake," I continued, And Elias finished the sentence for me, "And the body dies... Alright! I'll Gather the other two, Are you fit to fight?" He asked me, And I quickly stood up a little taller, head held high. "Yes" At that one word, Elias quickly nodded. "Alright, See if you can go scout out what we're dealing with, Nova Aquila and I will meet you there when your finished." He said and we rushed outside together before parting ways quickly. I never really got to see Astranaar before now. It was located on a small island in the middle of a small lake. Only three major buildings and two houses, One house on ether side of the island. The Building I just came out off was the inn, The inn was the only building on the left side on the island, the other two ere on the right, One was used for tactical planning, while the others was used for over flow injured that the Inn could not harbor. After taking in the sight, I quickly and effortlessly changed into my cat form and ran out of Astranaar and started climbing the hill over looking the island. I quickly kept to the shadows as I arrived at my destination. I was actually surprised by how right I was. The Orc's had countless Wyvern's and Riders ready to deploy. The Forge they had made was continuously pouring out weapons and armor for the troops, while one orc sat at a table and shouted out orders. He wore heavier armor then the wrest, while armed to the teeth! Literately, Even his tusk had an armor covering that would easily bite threw anything. In his hand he held a spiked ball and chain, And he wore a crossbow on his back, already loaded and ready to use when he needed... This, was not going to be easy. I quickly made my way back down the hill to Meet with the others and quickly relayed what I saw. "Alright, Here's the plan." Elias started, "Nova, Aquila and I will rush in full fury. In the chaos Thea, You sneak threw, release the Wyverns, Destroy the forge and then regroup. Should you encounter resistance... You know what to do." With that, we all agreed, Elias changed into his bear form and looked at us. "Ready?" We all nodded, and the three charged. I was always impressed when I saw them work together. Nova watched out For Aquila, while blasting as many orcs as she could. Elias was always in the center of it all, Taking Mace's and Arrows head on, While Aquila Healed him quickly, so it was like nothing had ever happened to him.. Soon, the attention was all on them, and it was my turn. Keeping to the shadows, I destroyed the weapons and armor by dumping it all into the forge, then I manged to get a large amount of water and destroy the forge all together. Next came the Wyvern's. I avoided combat when I could, But I made the mob easier for the others when I was able to as well. I quickly came to the Stables where the Wyvern's were being held. These pour creatures looked at me, almost like they expected me to kill them. It was obvious how the orcs treated these things. Tortured, beaten, or even killed. No. My job was to protect the forces of Nature. These Wyvern's were apart of that force. I shifted back into my normal form and quickly soothed them. One by one, I rid them of their saddles and broke the chains holding them down and watched with pride as they flew free, Back to where they came from. A crushing noise next to me made me snap to attention. An arrow had just lodge its self in the wood of the stables not two inches from my head, I quickly look for the orc who fire the arrow, Only to stare directly at the head orc from earlier. "Well well, Look what we have here. A puny Night elf." The Orc said as he threw his crossbow to the side and drew out his mace. "Puny? Your one to talk, I've seen Hogs bigger then you!" I quickly countered.. What I would do not to have a smart mouth.. "Why you little!" After those few words, The orc charged me, swinging his weapon above his head. I quickly ducked under his first attack, then side stepped his next one, lodging the ball into the ground. I quickly changed into my cat form and climbed up his shoulder. Digging my claws into the open spots in his armor. The Orc didn't even seem to wince at my claws. He swiftly grabbed my head and threw me off like I was nothing. I stood to see him taking his weapon out of the ground and slowly walking toward me. "So, I'm dealing with a druid... Don't see many more of your kind these days." The orc said, coming closer. "Maybe your people are finally... Going 'Extinct' like the beast you are!" The orc quickly charged again, but those words hit a nerve. I charged back, Jump in the air, shifted in mid air, Planted my normal feet in his face, jumped off him, once again shifting in mid air, but this time, I was a bear, and I fell right on top of the orc, crushing him under my weight. I could feel him struggle from underneath me, His hands fumbled to grab at anything, but I tied his mace down with tree roots. All I had to do was wait.. "My people... Will never Go Extinct so long as the forces of Nature still pulses within this world... Some of us may die, but for everyone that does, Another will take its place." I growled, Until finally, he went limp and Elias, Aquila, Nova and myself were able to finally stop the attack on Astranaar.. We were finally able to rest.

by Raining Fire Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:40 pm

The best part about completing a mission, or stopping an attack on a town, rescuing a whole species, would probably be the after party. Us four druids were able to kick back, laugh, have fun. And in my case, the other three we're able to tell me how well I did, or give me some tips. During this time, Nova and I were inseparable. She was so grateful to me for taking an arrow for her. Unlike my kind of druid, Balance druids we're a little easier to kill. They don't have fur or any kind of muscle to stop an arrow. I was only glad I was there, cause I was quickly finding out, I would not last long among this group without Nova. She was so supportive, so trust worthy. She was someone I could call a true friend. "Have you heard the story of Arch Druid Roscoe?" She asked me, and the look on my face quickly told her I hadn't. "Not this again." Elias moaned in the corner, obviously annoyed. "Oh come on Elias, It's a beautiful story, Especially when Nova tells it." Aquila said as she sat down and looked to Nova, Ready to listen. I too looked to Nova intently. She looked to me, smiled and started. "Everyone knows of the time the Night elves took up Arcane magic. Long ago, There lived a Night elf by the Name of Serene, She practiced arcane magic, along with a few others. But unlike the others, Serene's heart was captured by a Particular Druid." She stopped, a smile graced my face as I quickly knew where this was going. "Roscoe." I chirped, and Nova nodded. "But Roscoe wasn't just any druid. He was a Feral Arch Druid of the High Council. The High Council was not accepting to the ways of the Arcane and had ordered these arcane elves banished. But because of Serene, Roscoe fought to keep them apart of our culture, To no avail. He went to great lengths, and ended up getting banished. Roscoe was the best feral druid of his time, And probably still is.. Night elves live for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. Roscoe and Serene may still be alive to this day. Together, they live in love, in happiness, and in laughter." She finished and I was silently moved. To love someone like that... To be the best at what you do, and just throw it all away, just to be with the one you love... "He's been gone for hundreds of years people, No one has seen him, No one knows where he is or if he's even still alive! Can't we just leave this true love story in the past where it belongs?" Elias said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "There are signs he's still around, Elias. Roscoe often leaves claw marks in the sides of trees and rocks. No one knows why. Many think it's just so he doesn't get lost, other's think it's a language known only to his offspring. These offspring of his are probably high ranking ferals. Me of course... I think it's his way of just leaving a signature." Nova said, and we both smiled. "Yea yea yea, Okay. Let's just call it a night. We get up nice and early tomorrow to finish this mission." Elias said as he got up and started to leave. Sighing, Nova stood up and hugged me good night. After everyone was gone, I shifted into my cat form and crept out of the building we were in and climbed the closest tree I could find. Resting on a branch, I marveled at the star's and their beauty. Part of me wanted to catch one underneath my paws and hold it prisoner so I can look at it in awe. Imagining this, I slapped my paws down on a Lightning bug, being careful not to crush it. Looking under my paws, I look at the glowing light, purring. Then I quickly notice something that catches my attention. On the branch I was laying on, there were four slash marks going over one another like an X. I feel over it, and even put my claws in the slashes and follow them. These we're obviously put her by a great cat, but I don't remember it being me. I suddenly hear a growl above me, and I am face to face with two golden glowing eyes. Slowly, the growling got louder and I could see teeth. I quickly decided I didn't like this, and I hiss, Trying to intimidate my attacker. Or maybe it wasn't what I thought it was. After I hissed, The eyes vanished and then... Flew away.. I felt my whole body relax. It was just some kind of bird. I should of known.. But in all fairness it was pretty dark out and the creature had some pretty good cover, the leaves and branches hid it's whole body fairly well, so I shouldn't beat myself up. I then lay back down and look to the stars once more, before falling asleep on that branch some time during the night.

by Raining Fire Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:27 am

Chapter 8: Demons.

Before the sun was even seen over the horizon, I was awoken by Elias, growling something in my ear. I was so out of it I could barely make out what he was saying, I moaned to for him to leave me alone, but the sound of wood cracking brought his words back to my mind. "Think fast." I realized what was happening and shot to my paws and quickly saw the branch I was sleeping on was starting to break. Before I had a chance to get off the branch, it snapped and started to fall. Nothing I haven't been threw before, with ease I silently landed and looked to Elias, who seemed to be laughing. "What's your problem Elias? Ever hear the saying: let sleeping druids lie?" Elias only shook his werewolf like head and looked to me. "Ever hear of the saying, early bird catches the worm? Forgive me but I want to teach you more about that new bear form before the other two woke up and we'd have to finish this mission." Even though I wasn't happy about it, I knew he was right, and I followed, still a little drowsy. We made our way to the center of Astranaar where Elias turned to face me and began to explain. "So for you, turning into your cat form has come easy, and that's to expect for a feral. Your going to be spending most of your life in that form. But each form has its uses, and bear form is able to take a hit better then cat form. But since your opposite is the bear, it's gonna come a little harder. But with patience and practice, You'll soon have it down." He said and I listened as well as I could. Shifting back into my normal humanoid form, I looked to him. "So how do I change into a bear on command?" I ask. "Same way as you do your cat form. It's completely all in your head. You practically just think the words, Bear form." He replied and I nodded. Closing my eyes, I focused on the physical form I wanted and waited for the change to happen. But to my dismay, nothing happened. I looked to Elias, confused and he nodded. "It's going to be a little tricky purely because your feral. I'll tell ya it wasn't easy for me to shift into a cat form. I found focusing and tightening your muscles help while thinking those two words. Bear Form." I nodded and followed his instruction. I brought my arms up to my sides and clinched my muscles hard, And sure enough, my body began to change. New forms were always a painful thing to experience. You could clearly see the bones moving around under my skin as I changed my shape. Finally, I was a bear again. Elias smiled and nodded, "Good, again." He said. I shifted back to my normal form and repeated the scenario repeatedly. We did this for about an hour until I was shifting in and out of my bear form just as quickly as my cat form. Luckily, Elias let me get my energy back with a quick cat nap before the other two woke and we heading out of Astranaar to finish this mission.
"Alright everyone, I have Information from Darnassus. There are two demons we must take out at Felfire hill in order to stop the Burning Legion. Gorgannon and Diathorus. They will be proctected by felguards, burning infernals and lashers. They are not to be underestimated. Stick together, and we should be fine." Elias said, with a few encouraging words, we mounted up and we were off. It didn't take us long to reach Felfire hill. Once we did, we all shifted into our preferred forms and charged in with blind fury. Elias and Nova were just dropping demon after demon. The three types that were here were all dangerous. Felguards were blue demons, wielding axes and swords. Lasher's we're small spell casters, wielding whips. Infernals were clearly monsters from another world. I had fought and defeated one on my first day here. A giant body of burning rocks, held together with green fel energy. I worked as the teams assassin, jumping out of the shadow's and killing my prey quickly before jumping back into the shadows once more. We faught our way threw the demon army with ease, and soon we were face to face with Gorgannon. This demon was different from the rest. He wore dark armor and had purple skin. He wielded a spear, with two swords floating in front of him. "Well well, I get to meet the famous druid pack. Where's your feral? Did he get eaten Elias?" Immediately, my first thought was how did he know all this? Then my second thought was, How badly was Elias going to let him get into his head? I hid in the shadows, ready to pounce when I needed to. "Shut the hell up demon." Elias growled. "Pour Elias. The Younger brother, always looking for big bros approval. Did he die before you can get that approval?" The demon taunted. "I said SHUT UP!" Elias roared and charged, but was quickly flicked aside by the demon. He turned and faced Nova and Aquila and started to charge up a spell, quickly, I knew I had to do something. I jumped in front of them and let out my own roar, and the demon stopped and stared at me. He seemed... Surprised... Scared... "Thea.... The Daughter of.... I fought your father once, Gave me this scar." He lifted up his left arm shoulder pad to reveal a scar streaking from the back of his neck, down his shoulder, and then down his arm to where he seemed to be missing a finger. I never knew my parents. My surprised expression must of told the demon I was not expecting this, and he grinned. With a thrust of his right arm, He froze both Nova and Aquila, leaving us two alone. "You knew my father?" I asked, and the demon nodded. "I only wished I had the chance to kill him before he vanished from the face of Azeroth... I guess I'll have to take my revenge out on his daughter!" The demon yelled and threw his spear at me, jumped threw the air, grabbed the floating swords and landed in front of me just as I avoided the spear. He struck the ground so hard with the swords it was like an earthquake. I relied purely on my speed. I ran under neath him, ripping my claws threw his legs as I did. He let out a laugh as green blood leaked from his wounds. "As I expected, You fight much like him." The demon said. I refused to let him into my head with talk of my father. He swung the sword once more, and I jumped over it, ripping my claws threw his weapon arm as I did, landed and gave a growl to the demon. "What was my father's name demon?" I hissed, my fangs bared. Clutching his bleeding wounds, he only chuckled. "You already know his name. How long till you find it in yourself is up to you." I didn't like that answer. I jumped on the demons back, dug my claws into the stumps of his wings and ripped them out of their sockets. The demon turned into a storm of bats and disappeared.. "We will meet again Druid." The words echoed in my mind. As he disappeared, Elias came to and Nova and Aquila regained their ability to move. I looked to them, saddened, but knew we still had to finish the mission. Aquila treated our wounds, and we continued to the last demon. Diathorus. He was just like Gorgannon, same purple skin, same bat like wings, same dark armor, yet he wielded daggers. He was no problem for us. After he fell, defeated, we all started to make the long track home.

by Raining Fire Wed Mar 18, 2015 9:15 am

Chapter 9: Home.

As we rode back to the Night elven city of Darnassus, I kept thinking of what that demon said to me. No one ever spoke to me about my father. I never spoke about my father, but that was because, I never knew him. The night elves found me living alone as an infant along side the many animal species in the forest. Abandoned. Broken. Scared.The elves took me and raised me as apart of them... But the thing was, No one really knew where I came from. Growing up, I was the outsider. The unknown girl. I guess I should consider myself lucky. I was able to find a way to fit in. But I wouldn't need to try so hard if my parents didn't leave me abandoned in the forest. I wasn't even old enough to know what they looked like! I was that young, surviving on my own, in the forest, along side carnivores.. The same questions rang in my mind over and over again. Like, who was he? What was his name? But the real question was, why did he abandon me? Before I knew it, we were back in Lor'Danil in Darkshore, I hoped off of Nova's back and she shifted out of stag form and hopped on a Hipogriff, Elias, Aquila and myself going shortly afterwards. Longest flight of my life. I leaned my head against the beast and watched the water rush underneath me. When we landed, I couldn't wait to get into the city. I stepped threw the hidden portal in the tree, and spread my arms at the sight of home. I was greeted with a rush of cool wind, The sound of the trickling pools soothed me, the wild animals hung around doing their normal things as they wandered threw our city. Walking in, I was greeted with many smiling faces. Many of the night elves welcomed Us home, congratulated us on the completion of our mission, and even wanted to hear stories. Elias and I were just to tired to deal with crowds right then and there, so we tried to ignored them all, But he was doing much better job at it then I was. "Hey, Yea thanks! I uh... Not right now, maybe Lat- No I'm just tired." I said as we were quickly surrounded. The worst part about all of this was, I wanted to satisfy their curiosity, That was just me. I hated pushing them away, trying to avoid them, wiggling threw the crowds. Elias was just like, "Hey, get off me..." And kept walking. I really couldn't see how he could be like that.. Thankfully, Nova and Aquila were there and they actually started to tell tales of our mission. They were able to get the mobs attention, allowing for Elias and I to escape. As I walked into my old room I had before I was given my position of feral, The doe I knew so well came running and jumped into my arms. "I missed you too old girl." I said to the deer as I received multiple loving headbutts. I gently put her down and crashed on my bed, feeling like I could sleep for days. The doe cuddling up beside me, Everything quickly went dark.
When I woke, night had fallen over the city, It was dark, and the silence was almost eerie. From this, I knew something the was wrong. The Crickets should of been playing their music, something must of scared them into this silence. I roll from my bed, pet the sleeping doe and stepped outside to have a look around. At first look, nothing seemed to be amiss. I couldn't be more wrong. The first sign was the Claw mark in the side of a tree. four claw marks, from the paws of a great cat, in the shape of an X... As I reached out to touch it, a familiar growl sounded behind me. I turn and look in time to see a dark panther running away from me on the roof of my own home. "Wait!" I call out. I quickly shift into my own cat for and start pursuing the creature. We hopped from roof top to roof top, Tree branch to tree branch. This beast moved so quickly, and so silently, It was.. Beautiful. I had to increase my own speed just so it didn't lose me. We ran outside the city and into the woods. We hopped entire lakes, climbed up mountain ledges, slid down mountain ledges, and even hopped up and over large rocks. Until I finally manged to leap and tackle the beast. We tumbled and rolled, and to my surprise, the beast was on top of me, with a paw against my chest to pin me against the ground. I looked up into the golden eyes, unafraid of what might happen. Yet this creature. It wasn't an enemy. It wasn't intending to do me any harm... But the eyes... The eyes of a predator... They stared me down, and I could only feel myself cower beneath them. "Who are you? Why are you following me?" I asked. The beast let out a few growls, as if he was wondering if it should even answer. "I'm a friend. An ally. I am the shadow watching you, I am the claw in the tree. I am the roar in the night.... When you need me, I will be there. If you should find me, I will be gone.." From his voice, I knew he was a night elf. I knew he was a druid, a shape shifter... Soon, I felt the paw release the pressure from my chest and I was able to stand up and meet this druid eye to eye. His cat form was very clearly much larger then mine, meaning he was probably an old druid, living for possibly thousands of years. I could only feel curiosity toward this male.. There was so much I didn't know about him. I didn't even know if he was a friend. If he was sneaking around like this... Was he an outcast druid? There are a lot of rogue druids out there... "What is your name?" I asked him, trying to comprehend everything I know about him, and who he could possibly be... "I can't tell you that Thea.." He replied shortly. His voice was so deep. Each word he spoke just brought more and more questions. "Why can't you tell me your own name? How do I know if your even a friend if I don't know your name? How....." My next question stopped in my throat. I couldn't believe what was going on here. So much, at the same time.. "How do you know my name?" I finally manged to get out, afraid of his answer. "There are many who know who you are Thea... Not many are friendly... How I know your name isn't the matter at hand. Right now, the matter at hand is what I'm about to tell you." He quickly turned and faced me, his voice growing grave as he spoke. "Pretty soon Thea, You will have to fight for what you love. Because everything you know, is about to go up in flames. It will be up to you to fight the darkness ahead. You will face hard ships. Trust will become your enemy. To stop the fires, you will have to fight along side the flames." With those last words, he shifted into a large bird and took to the sky and was gone, Leaving me with only more questions and a racing heart. This didn't seem right. What was going on? Maybe he was an outcast, and the reason for that was.. He was insane! This druid... Couldn't be telling the truth... Could he?

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Story of Talenthea: Tooth and Claw.

Story of Talenthea: Tooth and Claw.

Chapter 2: Lunar

Chapter 3: Training.

Chapter 4: Ashenvale.

Chapter 5: Attack on Astranaar.

Chapter 6: Retaliation

Chapter 7: Shadows in the night.

Chapter 8: Demons

Chapter 9: Home

Re: Story of Talenthea: Tooth and Claw.