I still remember the world from the eyes of a child
Slowly those feelings were clouded by what I know now
Where has my heart gone?
An uneven trade for the real world
Oh! I, I want to go back to believing in everything
And knowing nothing at all
I still remember the sun always warm on my back
Somehow it seems colder now
Where has my heart gone?
Trapped in the eyes of a stranger
Oh! I, I want to go back to believing in everything
Where has my heart gone?
An uneven trade for the real world
Oh! I, I want to go back to believing in everything
Oh! Where? Where has my heart gone?
Trapped in the eyes of a stranger
Oh! I, I want to go back to
Believing in everything
I still remember
This story is mostly to explain a bit about how it fits her. I hope it makes sense. Enjoy!
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Shaurria lay in her favorite corner of the Park, her paws twitching while she slept. Windstar lay nearby, watching over her adopted ward. She still worried about the younger druid at times. Shaur had come a long way from the frightened bear she had escorted to Westfall, but she still had some ways to go before she could be considered "cured" of whatever had made her that way.
Shaur's lip curled in a faint snarl, and she gave a low whine, almost inaudible to any ears but a cat's. Windstar kept her watch, and wondered what she might be dreaming about.
* * * * * *
Shaurria ran through the trees, eager to see her parents and tell them the news. She could still remember the Great Bear Spirit's words to her, and how it felt the first time she had changed to a bear herself. She had just learned it a few hours ago, but it felt... right, somehow. She came in sight of Starbreeze Village, and abruptly skidded to a stop and stared.
The village was overrun with furbolgs. Shaur looked around everywhere, but she could see no elves. What had happened? Then she noticed the shapes scattered on the ground, and terror gripped her. The shapes were night elves. Fear called the bear shape she had just learned, and she crept through the village carefully, keeping to shadows along the houses' walls and trying to ignore the scent of blood heavy in the air. There were not many bodies, but to Shaur, it seemed that the whole village might have been slain.
She reached her own house at last and stopped outside for a moment. Her parents had to be okay. They were probably trapped inside, too frightened to come out, but the three of them would be able to get out of the village to safety. She crept around the corner and through the front door.
A big white furbolg turned from where it had been pawing through the shelves, a strange red light in its eyes. Shaur froze in fear, then saw the twisted bodies at its feet. Her parents.... Her grief and fear combined, forming a blind rage, and she roared at the furbolg and charged.
Hours later, she found herself wandering in a place she recognized as the Moonglade, still in her bear form, her claws sticky with blood. She could not remember where it had come from, and when she reached the shore of Lake Elune'ara, she changed to an elf and quickly washed the blood off. Then, her mind still in shock, she kept wandering.
You don't have to be alone. Come to me, little one. The words echoed in her head, and it took her a moment to realize she hadn't heard them with her ears. Dazed, she followed the voice to a huge panther, who sat and waited as she walked up. Do not fear, little one, he said again into her mind. I will take care of you. Shaurria curled up against his side and cried herself to sleep.
* * * * * *
You have the talent for the feral path, although whether you have the temperament remains to be seen. The Cat Spirit sat and regarded her as she stood before him. I can teach you, but it will not be easy. Shaurria thought of her parents, and her grief gave her determination. "I can do it," she said. I won't fail again, she thought.
* * * * * *
Shaurria cowered on the ground before the Great Cat Spirit, her neck scruff bleeding from his bite. You're still not quick enough, he said into her mind. When I'm teaching you, I am not your friend. I will not go easy on you. Now get up and try again. Shaur whimpered softly, but obeyed.
* * * * * *
Shaur crept through the undergrowth silently, nudging aside any twigs that might snap and betray her presence. The deer she was stalking nibbled on a bush, unaware of its danger.
Cats make better hunters than bears, the Spirit had told her with a haughty expression. But you are not quite ready for that yet. You must learn to care for yourself- predators are solitary, independent of others. Keep your friends close, for you never know when you might need them, but remember- depend on no one but yourself.
* * * * * *
Shaurria basked in the sun, shining down between the tree branches onto the Park's thick grass. Arvoss would be there soon with their picnic lunch, same as he had for the last few weeks. She had noticed that he didn't eat much, leaving most of it for her, but she never said anything. It was his choice, and the hunting in Elwynn was spare enough that Shaur took all the food she could get. Arvoss said she was having a growth spurt, but all she knew was that she was constantly hungry.
But it was more than the food that she waited for. Arvoss himself had somehow become very important to her. She felt... safe, when he was around, a feeling she hadn't had much since her parents had died. It was still too soon for her to call him "father," but that was close to what it felt like.
* * * * * *
"Come with me to the Pig tonight, Fuzzy," Windstar said. Shaur agreed despite her mood. The Cat Spirit had finally taught her to change to a cat, but then had given her some very unexpected news.
You can take my shape now. You no longer need me. You need to be with your own people; you have been wild long enough. Go, but remember, a part of me will be with you now. Go find your own path, little one. Shaurria wanted to protest, but her old fear had suddenly returned with his words, closing her throat, and all she could get out were a few muffled mews. He simply stared at her, his eyes distant and not at all like the comforting gaze that had been normal for all these weeks. So she finally turned away and went out into the world. Alone.
Now she followed Windstar, the only creature left in her world that she knew and trusted, up the stairs in the Pig & Whistle. 'Star led her to a table where she stopped and said, "Hello Frazle, Arvoss." Shaur looked up, her curiosity getting the better of her.
They were death knights, both of them; she could see that from the icy blue glow of their eyes. She had met a few death knights before, however, and none of them had hurt or frightened her. She sniffed at the gnome, Frazle- he seemed friendly enough, and had an interesting smell, a mix of oil, metal, and the food he was eating. Then she turned to the human, and met his eyes.
Arvoss looked back at her, studying her as she studied him. After a few minutes, he cracked a grin, showing the laugh lines around his mouth and eyes. Behind the glow she could see warmth, and something else, something that pulled at her and made her trust him like she had trusted no one except 'Star. He was as lonely as she was.
She found herself staying close to him the rest of the night. The budding friendship was sealed when he went off to the kitchen and brought back a big dinner for her, watching over her while she ate.
With a full stomach and an evening where she had a chance to relax, she slept very well that night. The next day she was just starting to get hungry when Arvoss showed up again, with a picnic lunch which he shared with her. She wound up tagging after him for most of the afternoon, as he went out to mine in the Elwynn Forest, then returned to Stormwind. He showed her how to smelt the ore and bring out the pure metal, though she didn't show much interest. She soon curled up to sleep near the forge, lulled by the heat and the sound of his voice.
* * * * * *
The lunches became a daily occurrence, with Windstar joining them on occasion. Then Arvoss bought a house in Ironforge, and after a few days he invited her to come see it. "Kitten," he said as she sniffed her way around the house. "Ah ken ye got no place ta stay 'cept for th' Park, an' if ye ever wan' ta, uh, stay 'ere, well, ye're welcome ta make this yer 'ome." Shaur paused in her sniffing and looked at him, then purred.
* * * * *
"Shaur, kitten, Ah dinnae wan' ta be stickin' mah nose in, but if ye ever wan' ta talk about annehthin', Ah'm right 'ere," Arvoss told her one day. They were sitting in the Park, their lunch finished and the basket packed up. She glanced at him, but he didn't look at her, as though afraid to make her nervous. "Uh, Star an' Ah ken tha' ye 'ad sommat bad 'appen, an' we wan' ta 'elp ye, if ye ever need it." Now he looked over at her, but instead of a night elf he found himself staring at a cat, her way of saying that she didn't wish to speak at that time. He sighed softly. "Kitten, ye cannae be 'idin' from things foreveh. Ye'll 'ave ta speak o' it sometahm, or ye'll neveh 'eal from it," he told her as gently as he could. She looked at him coolly, then stood and turned away. Arvoss stared down at his boots. He figured she would go off now, like she had the first time he had brought this up. She had avoided him the rest of that day, although she had been back the next when lunchtime came. Now he thought she would do the same.
He heard her move away, and sighed to himself, then suddenly he felt a bump on his back. Shaur rubbed up against him, purring, then nudged up underneath his arm. As he put his arm around her shoulders and grinned to himself, he thought that perhaps he had won some small victory this time, at least.
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That's it for now, although I want to write more. Will be continued, hopefully with pictures for the next part!
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