Andrano & Sangha

Andrano is my hunter on Silver Hand. I hadn't thought up a backstory for him, so I came up with this a couple days ago. Enjoy!
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Andrano Oakbough had wanted to be a druid from a very young age. His mother and her parents all belonged to the Cenarion Circle, and he wanted nothing more but to follow in their footsteps. His father, a hunter, was a little disappointed that his son didn't want to follow the hunter path, but nevertheless encouraged him, along with Andrano's mother and grandparents. They sent him to the Cenarion Enclave in Darnassus for training.

The druids there tried to teach Andrano, but found that he had little to no aptitude for druidic magic; every spell he tried either fizzled uselessly or failed completely. They kept trying, though, unwilling to ask the eager young night elf to give up. Andrano tried as hard as he could, but after one failure after another, he began to lose hope. Finally, one day after an attempt to see the Emerald Dream resulted in nothing but a nasty headache, he wandered away to Rut'theran Village, and on a whim he boarded the boat to Auberdine.

He walked off the dock and along the shoreline a little ways, lost in his thoughts. He barely noticed a friendly Sentinel who warned him about the wild animals as he passed. She watched him go by with a sympathetic smile, then returned to her post.

Andrano found some solace among the huge trees of Darkshore. He walked among them for probably an hour, staying reasonably close to Auberdine but keeping out of sight of the village. He had finally decided to go back before darkness fell when a low growl behind him made him freeze. He turned around very, very slowly.

About 30 yards behind him, a young moonstalker was watching him, partially hidden behind a tree. The black, striped cat looked to be about his age, comparably, but had a wariness and maturity about it already. As his eyes met those of the wild beast, Andrano felt a shock go through him, like a lightning bolt in his soul. In that moment, he knew they were connected somehow.

The moonstalker watched him for several more minutes, then slowly yet casually, it walked out into the open. He- for Andrano saw it was a male- paced over to a large fallen branch, then sharpened his claws on it. Then he sauntered off toward the deeper forest shadows; but before he went out of sight, he stopped and looked back at the night elf. His eyes burned into the elf's, an expectant look in them. As he continued on and passed out of sight, Andrano heard himself whisper, "I'll be back for you, when I'm ready, Sangha."

Andrano made his way back to Darnassus in a daze. He had no idea how he knew the moonstalker's name, but it suited him. The memory of his golden eyes boring into his own was foremost in his thoughts, and he knew at last what he had to do.

The druids were surprised, to say the least, when he reported to them that he had no further interest in their training. He thanked them politely and respectfully for their time, and told them he now felt a different calling. They just shook their heads as he turned to the hunter trainers nearby and requested training from them. He was accepted immediately; the hunters saw and recognized that look in his eyes.

As a hunter, Andrano finally felt that he fit in. The skills he was taught came easily, almost instinctively, and he passed his tests swiftly. The time finally came for him to learn to bond his companion; he passed that test as easily as the rest, and was pronounced fit to go find his heart-mate.

Andrano rushed back to Auberdine, fretting at the boat's slow pace. He disembarked and immediately trotted out into the woods, looking for signs of the cat he had seen there. He found no signs at first though, and grew worried. What if the cat had been killed by some adventurer, or another wild animal? What if he had gotten sick and died? He was eaten up with worry as he searched, then suddenly his thoughts scattered as he heard, again, a low growl behind him. He turned to look, hope rising.

Sangha stood behind him, studying him coolly. Andrano felt the same shock as before upon seeing the moonstalker again. He knelt down and began speaking to him.

"I've been training hard, Sangha. I'm ready now. Will you join me, and see this world together, my friend?"

The cat blinked slowly at him, then, as if he had understood every word, he began sauntering toward the night elf. Andrano held his breath as Sangha approached and stopped just out of arm's reach. He fumbled with his belt pouch and found a strip of jerky, then held it out to the moonstalker, as an offering. The big cat sniffed it, then stepped forward and took it, swallowing it without chewing. Then he butted his head against Andrano's arm, demanding more.

Andrano laughed as he dug out more meat for his new partner. He knew their journey had not even started yet, and there would be many hard times ahead, but as he bonded with his companion he felt that they could face anything, together.