Alanon: In Search of Peace

This is going back in time a bit. I think Barraccus was still in Nagrand here.
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Alanon watched from his place in the back with the other healers as Highlord Bolvar Fordragon and his men approached the gates of Angrathar. He was as excited as the others as the first Scourge soldiers met the army of the Alliance and were smashed into pieces. And he cheered when Saurfang the Younger led his horde soldiers to stand with the Alliance forces, and threw the Scourge back until there were no undead left.

Then Arthas came out...

The Forsaken attacked...

From his vantage point, Alanon watched as Bolvar and his soldiers fell, overcome by the Forsaken's toxin. The despair he felt was absolute.

The dragons came. Alexstrasza told him to rally the Alliance leaders. She called him a hero.

He had never felt less like one.

* * * * * * * * *

The ship's horn blaring the change of the shift woke him. He sat up in the cramped bunk, careful not to bump his head again. The despair from his dream was still with him, and he knew that the previous day's events had triggered it. He recalled the sight of the battleground; the broken Horde and Alliance soldiers scattered everywhere, the Scourge forces wandering through, and the necromancers doing their work, raising the dead to serve their dread master. Alanon had had to search for hours just to find a soldier with enough life left to speak with him. He had expected to hear of how they had all been defeated by the Scourge. But the story he was told caught him by complete surprise.

"We...had the Sc-...Scourge...beaten," the dying soldier panted. "But then...those...Horde came and...and attacked us...from behind...We never...saw it...coming...Turned to fight them...and were trapped between... Scourge and Horde...Not a chance....." The soldier's eyes glazed over, and Alanon, still reeling from the man's tale, gently closed them and said a quick prayer to Elune.

When he returned to the Skybreaker and reported to the ship's captain, the human was livid. He immediately ordered the druid back out, to find and kill as many Horde soldiers as he could find. Alanon just stared at him in shock. "No," he finally replied. The human's eyes widened. "No, you say? I am your commanding officer! You do as I say or I'll have you tried for treason!" "No, you won't," Alanon shot back. "I am not one of your enlisted, I am a volunteer, and as such I am not subject to your regulations. I am ending my volunteer duty, now." With that he turned his back on the captain and walked out to the deck. He could feel the man's rage beating on him every step of the way.

He had kept out of sight until darkness came and most of the crew bedded down. With no clear idea of what to do next, Alanon had done the same.

Now he stepped out onto the deck again. He stared out over the icy landscape, his mind numb. He knew he was in danger of burning out, perhaps even of going mad, like some soldiers he had known that had seen too much. Cenarius, he thought, give me your wisdom. Malorne guide my path. Your servant is lost. Almost as if in reply to his plea, he suddenly thought of green forest and marshy ground, full of life. He remembered the strange creature he had saved there, who had invited him to come visit his village.

He was decided. He would return to Sholazar Basin.

"Oi, you," he suddenly heard behind him. "Wut d'ya think yer doin' there?" Without replying the druid stepped onto the ship's railing and balanced there for an instant. The crewman muttered under his breath and started over to stop the "crazy druid" before he hurt himself. His mutter became a startled oath as Alanon abruptly flung himself from the ship's railing and disappeared over the side. The crewman rushed over, shouting "Man overboard!" But when he reached the railing, all he saw was a large purplish bird winging away toward the southwest.

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Will be continued... :)