Alanon: Hyjal

I've been wanting to write something about Alanon for days now, but couldn't think of any ideas. Then yesterday at work, Inspiration Struck. So here you go, a story from Alanon's past. Enjoy!

(Massive Wall of Text Warning!!)
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Alanon was watching for them to come, but the horn calls still surprised him. He quickly moved through the healers' camp, to the edge where he could see. The Second Unit of the Night Elves' elite scouts rode past at a fast walk, mounts still dancing despite the hard journey. Alanon scanned faces as they went by, finally finding the two he sought. Jaryla kept her face forward, posture ramrod straight, though she did smile briefly at him as she went by. Indria, on the other hand, broke into a huge grin and waved when she saw him. He hid his own grin, waving back quickly before she was reprimanded by the squad's commander. Jaryla rolled her eyes at her daughter, then they were past and out of sight. He returned to the healers' tents.

They found him there shortly before dusk. His only warning was a whoop of delight, then Indria had him wrapped in an exuberant hug. He hugged her back, chuckling, as Jaryla came up. "Alright, Ria. I'm an old man, don't break me." She snorted at him. "You're not that old, Father," she teased back. "Is Quae around here somewhere?" "Yes," he answered. "And Pitch and Jahira are with the local scouts. Kel is.... well, I don't know. Probably wherever Dracoth is." "I'm gonna go find Quae then," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before she ran off. Alanon chuckled again, then turned to his lifelong best friend. "Ryla," he said in greeting. "How have you been?" "Same as usual," she replied. "You're looking good. Are you seeing anyone currently? I can never remember." His face clouded briefly. "No, no one since..." "Yes, her," she said darkly. He grabbed her arm. "Ryla, it's past. Don't start up again, please." She regarded him for a moment. "If that's what you want, Alanon. Hey, if you don't have plans, why don't you stop by for supper?" She looked him up and down, then winked. "And maybe for the night?" He laughed. "I'd be happy to."

* * * * * *

Jaryla's cooking was infinitely preferable to anything to be found in the healers' camp. After supper Indria excused herself, leaving her parents alone. The two Elves sat on a hillside, looking at the bustle all around. "Look at that," Alanon said softly. "Who'd have thought we would be allied with humans, let alone the races of the Horde?" Jaryla snorted. "It's necessary to defeat the Legion. I don't believe it will last one week past the end of this battle, whether we win or lose." He looked at her sharply, but let it drop, saying instead, "It's good to see you again. I've missed both of you." She smiled at him. "We've been busy, otherwise we'd visit more often. Ria misses her father a lot." "You wouldn't know it from the way she keeps running off," he chuckled. "I've seen her for all of an hour total so far." Jaryla grinned at him. "She'll settle down. You'll probably be tired of her by tomorrow's end." "Not likely," he answered softly. They sat in companionable silence for several minutes, then Jaryla took his hand and tugged. "It's getting late, and I'd like some sleep before daybreak," she said. He let her pull him to his feet, then followed her back to her tent.

They were both gone by the time he woke the next morning. Probably receiving their assignments. He dressed quickly, then returned to the healers' camp. Quae met him at his own tent, eyebrow arched and a knowing grin on her face. He ignored her and ducked inside, then looked around the tent. His cot was against one wall, with his travel chest at the foot. The rest of the tent was crowded with rolls of bandages, pots filled with salves or steeping herbs, crates packed with bottles or jars, and the like. Bunches of herbs, both dried and fresh, hung from the ceiling poles, giving the tent an interesting fragrance. Quae had followed him in, and stood looking around as well. "Do you think you have enough supplies here, brother?" she asked. He paid no attention to the sarcasm, and she sighed in frustration. "I have my things ready," she told him. "Elune will give me most of what I need, anyway." He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "And what if someone needs an elixir or ointment you don't have?" She grinned cheekily at him. "Then I'll just send them to you." He rolled his eyes and gave up.

Indria did find him later that morning. She followed him around for a good while, chattering constantly, and he tried to hide his grin at her enthusiasm. Finally Jaryla came to collect her daughter. "We need to go start our patrol, so we're familiar with it before the demons get here. Go get your gear together and your saber saddled." As Indria rushed off, Jaryla stood beside Alanon for a bit, taking in all the healers' preparations. "The demons have been sighted," she told him. "They're no more than two or three days off. Elune send that we won't need all this, though my gut tells me different." Alanon paused to look at her. "Where will you be patrolling?" he asked. "The back side of the mountain," she replied. "East. Not a terribly difficult route, but seems the most likely for a flanking attempt. If the demons think that far ahead." "Don't underestimate them," Alanon warned. "They can be tricky enough. Just look at what they did back in the First War." She shook her head. "I won't, Alanon. It just makes it... easier." She watched him for awhile as he packed up boxes of bandages, ready to be taken out to the field. "We should just make it back by dark," she finally said. "Want to swing by for supper again?" He nodded without stopping his work, and she left him, heading to her duty.

The following two days passed in a blur of activity, as all aspects of the army prepared for the coming demons. By the end of the second day, Alanon had run out of things to do. Pitch stopped by at sundown, the younger druid having grown bored sitting about the camp, and Alanon started a wrestling match with him just for something to do. The other healers stopped and watched the two cats, one jet-black, the other a dark smoky gray, as they tumbled around the tents. Their play was interrupted by horn calls, and the entire camp seemed to go on alert, staring as a whole at the hill where the call originated. "Demons in view!" called the sentry. "The Legion's coming!" The camp burst into motion all at once. The two druids looked at each other, then both went to their respective posts.

Alanon hardly slept that night. He kept getting up to make sure all was ready: splints and bandages, potions and elixirs, the dried herbs ready to be made into teas. And the potions of dreamfoil, for when nothing else could be done. He tried not to look at them any more than necessary. At last he fell into an uneasy sleep, filled with dreams he couldn't remember.

* * * * * *

The demons attacked just before dawn. The sounds woke Alanon, and he tumbled from his cot in a rush, dressing as quickly as he could and heading outside. The first wounded arrived shortly after, and he set to work with the others. He tried to use his healing spells as little as possible to save his energy, knowing it would be a long day. The most lightly wounded, however, he did heal with magic, so they could get back into the fray quickly. The day stretched on forever, and he wound up working far into the night, until at last he collapsed into his cot. He briefly wondered how his siblings were faring before he fell into exhausted sleep.

The next day was a repeat of the first, at least until Jaryla found him. He finished with the soldier he was treating, then turned and gave her a long hug before pulling back and looking at her. She looked as exhausted as he felt, her armor dusty and dinged in places. "How are things going out there?" he asked her quietly. "We're holding them, but barely," she replied. "Alanon... it's not just demons. They have undead, Scourge, in their ranks as well. And their cursed necromancers are raising our own dead against us, Elune blast them." She sighed and shook her head. "All we have to do is hold them back until Malfurion does whatever he's supposed to do, but I'm starting to wonder how long we'll last." He frowned worriedly. "Have you seen the others anywhere?" "I saw Kel at one point, sniping away with her pet bear." "Bear?... Oh, Dracoth. Any of the rest?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Alanon, but I'm sure they're okay," she said comfortingly. "I need to get back now, Indria and the others need me." He nodded, then with a final hug he let her go, watching her move off through the bustle. Soon he was distracted by another wave of wounded arriving, and he set back to work.

Pitch came in later that afternoon, to get a large cut on his arm looked at. As Alanon mended the bloody gash, then wrapped a bandage around it for protection, the younger druid told him what he knew. "They're pressing us from all sides. I don't think we can hold them much longer, but we can fall back if we have to- regroup on the slopes. Jahira's been with me, she's fine, and I've seen Kel a few times." Alanon nodded as he finished with his brother's arm. "Be careful, little brother. We don't know what they are planning." Pitch nodded absently, then headed back to the front.

The demons did break through soon after that, and the allied armies fell back to their second point of defense. More wounded came pouring in, a few of them requiring Alanon's dreamfoil potions. He tried to distance himself as he gave the potions, watching them fall into a sleep they would never wake from. But often he would imagine the soldier was someone he knew.

The third day was even bloodier than the previous two. The Legion pushed through again, and the Alliance and Horde armies fell back to the third point. Now they were almost at Nordrassil's base. Alanon could hear the fighting, could see it if he went to the edge of the camp, but he tried to push it from his mind. Then the runner came.

"They attacked from the east side, behind us," he told the others gathered around him quickly. "Big group. We're holding them off best we can, but Light send Malfurion is ready soon." With that the human clapped his helmet back on and continued on to the general's camps. Alanon stared after him, then looked toward the far eastern mountain slopes. Jaryla, Indria, how are you faring? he wondered. But duty soon called again, and he was left with no time for worry.

Another runner came in the early afternoon, and called them together. "We need volunteers to go to the front lines," he said. "Our numbers are growing too thin. If we don't hold them off here, we'll have no need for healers anyway." Alanon looked around as people started shuffling forward. He spotted Quae near the back, and she caught his eye, then slowly nodded. He nodded back, then stepped forward himself.

* * * * * *

The battle was hectic. Demons of all types, with Scourge filling in the gaps, were pressing forward relentlessly. Alanon, in his bear form, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the others, supporting and holding the line. He shifted out and cast his healing spells whenever he could, to aid the others as much as possible. Soon he was joined by a smaller white bear and a black panther. He spared a brief nod to his brother and sister, then focused back on the fray.

The horn sounded just before sundown. The battle paused, and Alanon watched with the rest as Hyjal's wisps all descended on Archimonde, then detonated. The explosion shook the entire mountain. Then, at last, it was over. He looked to Pitch and Jahira, then the three druids started moving among the nearby fallen, to give what aid they could. Jahira and Alanon cast their healing spells, while Pitch helped to move some of the bodies. They worked until it was too dark to see, then gave it over to the healer squads that began moving through with torches.

The druids all returned to Alanon's tent. Kel and Dracoth stopped by to check on them, and Alanon was relieved to see his older sister and his friend were okay. They sat around a small campfire, talking together wearily. "Alanon," Quae asked him, "have you heard from Jaryla or Indria yet?" "No," he said softly, worry creasing his forehead. His younger sister reached over and took his hand. "They're tough," she said comfortingly. "I'm sure they made it all right." But doubt showed on her face, mirrored on his own.

A runner came the next morning. Alanon's siblings had stayed to help the healers; even Kel wrapped bandages with them. Alanon paused what he was doing and called the Night Elf over. "Have you heard anything from the Second Unit scouts?" The Elf looked at him carefully. "The attack from the eastern side," he finally answered, "almost overwhelmed us. We're not completely sure yet, but it doesn't look good." After the man left, Alanon went out to the edge of the camp and just stood, staring out toward the eastern slopes. Quae came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up hope yet. Maybe they'll turn up tomorrow," she told him. Alanon replied softly, "Ryla never did like it when I worried. She knew I wouldn't rest until I knew they were safe." Quae couldn't think of an answer to that. She just stood by him, offering what comfort she could. At last Alanon turned back to the camp and returned to his work.

It was confirmed the following day. Groups had been dispatched to clean up any remaining enemies and look for survivors. The group sent to the eastern side came upon where the Second Unit had made their stand. It looked like they had given an excellent account for themselves, but the demons had proved too much. There were no survivors.

When Alanon heard the news, he left the camp, walking toward Nordrassil. He stopped at the base of the great Tree and stood there, shoulders shaking. Jahira, Quae and Pitch found him there. Jahira and Quae looked at each other helplessly, but Pitch went to his brother and sat next to him, sticking his nose into Alanon's hand. After a moment, the hand moved to his back, gripping the longer fur there tightly as the druid-cat whined softly.

* * * * * *

Quae found Alanon the next morning at daybreak, sitting on a fallen log. The morning was quiet, most of the army having left long before. Only the wounded were left, and they were setting out too, as soon as they were well enough to travel. Quae sat down next to her brother, glancing up at him. He stared straight ahead, not moving, but she knew he was aware of her. His face still looked haggard, though his eyes were clear. She cleared her throat.

"Alanon, are you alright?" He didn't answer at first. She waited patiently. Finally he broke the silence. "I still see them, when I close my eyes. It's hard to believe that they're gone," he said softly, his voice just above a whisper. Quae took his hand. "We all miss them, Alanon. But it'll be okay." "I know," he replied. "It's just... I've known her forever, you know. We grew up together. I never thought that she would be gone." He cleared his own throat roughly. "And Indria, oh gods. Her life was still just beginning." He stopped, swallowing hard.

Quae squeezed his hand gently, then sat quietly, looking around. The damage from the battle was apparent even here, but several groups were staying behind, to clear up and see what help they could give the World Tree. After several minutes she spoke again. "I'm coming home with you guys," she said. "To Ashenvale." He eyed her. "I can't imagine our parents would agree to that, to say nothing of the Temple." "Oh, they didn't like it. But I'm old enough to start making my own decisions. As to the Temple, well, they don't control me whatever they might think. It's not like I'm moving too far away to continue my training; if anything, you all are closer." Alanon grunted.

They sat together until the sun was well up, then returned to his tent. Kel and Dracoth were saying their goodbyes as they arrived, and after they left the others began packing up. Alanon left most of his herbal supplies for the healers staying behind; he could always replace them. Soon enough they were ready to go, and the druids and priestess all headed toward home.
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I'm working on another for Alanon, and have a Shaurria story almost finished. Love it when my writer's block goes away. Til next time, Happy Hunting!

How do you get a level 60 through a level 70 dungeon?

Very carefully, of course. >.>

Aely and her hubby ran Shaurria and Tadrith thru Sethekk Halls so they could finish off their Pilgrim achievements and get their titles/turkeys. Shaur was only level 60, so all I really did was hide well back while they all cleared. (Tad died lolz.) Since I wasn't doing much of anything, I started up Fraps, and here's the result!




Yes, apparently I like funky music. Well, actually I couldn't find the song I wanted on my PC, so I improvised. >.>

Shaurria went from 58 to 60 in no time flat, and after Windstar runs her thru Ramparts, I'm hoping she'll hit 61. Then I can log off happily. (Edit: got to be too late, so she didn't get her Ramps run. We're gonna hit it tomorrow night, hopefully.)

She adores flying (and heck, so do I >.>). Kinda stinks that she won't be able to get Cold Weather Flying when she reaches Northrend. It's hard to believe now that she's almost there.

I wanted to throw in some funny RP chat, since I've started using WowScribe, but I can't find the chat. >.> So for now, goodnight!

Updates 'n Stuff

First off, Shaurria has all her stuff back! Blizzard restored everything, as far as I know, so she's good to go. Same deal with the rest of my toons on that account, although the second account hasn't been fixed yet. I sent a ticket on Arvoss, probably should have done that at the same time as the other, but oh well. I did find he still had his beginner blue DK gear still in the bank, so at least he's dressed now.The rest I'm sure I'll get back eventually.

After getting her stuff back I went back to leveling with Shaur. Despite an interruption when our internet conked out for a bit, she did hit 58 pretty quick and I took her straight to Outland. I'm hoping she'll be pretty close to 60 by tomorrow, since she's (hopefully) getting a Sethekk Halls run-thru to finish off her holiday achievements then. I'd like her to be as little of an aggro-magnet as possible. >.>

Tonight was raid night on Gilneas and I wound up taking Barraccus, since he still had his dps gear. We ran through VOA and then Sartherion (with no drakes up, just a quick run), so he's a little closer to his Champion of the Frozen Wastes title. Honestly the only part of that I'm worried about is Malygos, he's already cleared Naxx and about half the heroic bosses. Just a matter of time now.

Haven't had any problems with the hacker, though I'm still pretty paranoid. I still can't figure out where I might have picked up the keylogger. I have let my cousin use it a couple times before, though, so I'm kinda wondering about that.

I've been itching to write stuff for a couple days now, but I don't have any story ideas. Ugh. I still have one of Shaur in the works, maybe I'll get inspired and finish it off soon. Which reminds me, if I'm going to move Pitch to Feathermoon, I'll need to think up a story for that, hmmm.

Ummm, can't think of anything else, though I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Til next time Happy Hunting!

Quae and Barraccus: Hopes

I know this has been long-delayed. Shaurria has been taking up most of my story-writing time lately. For a refresher, this happens right after this.

Also I'm borrowing the ideas for herb uses from the Wildfire Riders & Co., they have a thread about it here for reference.
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The next day Quae ran through everything the Honor Hold commanders told her to do quickly. With Barraccus' help, none of it took long. She was dismissed after turning in her last report, then she and Barraccus went back outside to their mounts. He turned to her before getting on Krallormu. "I'm presuming you have a spot picked out?" he asked with a grin, and she grinned back. "Follow me," she said, then urged Thoribas up and away. He scrambled into the saddle quickly and chased after her.

Quae found an outcropping of rock and waited for Barraccus to catch up to her before nudging Thoribas down. She dismissed the gryphon, knowing he wouldn't go far, and turned to see Barraccus already off Kral's back, looking around. They were as alone as they could be; even the orcs of Zeth'gor nearby were no bigger than ants in the distance. He turned to face her, grinning. "Nice spot," he said. "So what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Quae looked at him appraisingly, until his grin turned mischievous, then she abruptly dismissed her shadows. "First, love, take off your shirt." His eyebrows went up, but he complied without comment, having grown used to this routine. Quae helped him with his armor, then he pulled his shirt off and sat. Quae knelt next to him, her hands already starting to glow with holy energy. Placing one hand on his chest, she let the power flow into him and closed her eyes, following it with her senses. It filtered through muscles and blood vessels, then deeper to bones and organs. She felt it when it came upon anything out of order, guiding it as it healed cuts and scratches, then a pulled muscle she hadn't even realized he had.

He flexed his arm when she finished, testing the now-healed shoulder muscle, and grinned at her. "Thanks." She still just studied him, a slight frown her only expression. "You're sure it doesn't hurt anything?" she asked him. Arien's words echoed through her head- "It's not a good way to test, since healing works on the Forsaken just like it does on us"- but she pushed them away.

Barraccus caught her hand in his own and pulled it away, breaking the contact and the healing spell. "Quae," he began, his expression now as serious as hers. "You've been doing this every day we've had together for the last couple months. What is it?"

She closed her eyes briefly, opening them again to look into his. "Tell me again how you died," she said softly, just above a whisper. He raised an eyebrow, and she smiled slightly. "I'm not changing the subject. Trust me." Now he closed his eyes for a moment, then looked out into the distance. "I don't remember. All I can recall is his eyes digging into mine, then blackness. When I woke I was in Acherus, and my training began. What does it have to do with anything?"

Quae took a deep breath. Elune, she prayed silently, give me the right words. "I've been thinking about it the last few months. Don't you think death would have been a bit more... memorable?" He shrugged. "I don't know, Quae. But what does it have to do with whatever you've been doing?" "Barraccus," she began, then paused, suddenly uncertain. Finally she blurted, "What if you didn't die?"

He blinked, surprised. "What do you mean?" "What if you never died, love? I've been researching this in Stormwind's library, and nothing I've found says you have to die to become a death knight. Light, Arthas was a death knight before he became the Lich King, and he never died; there are all sorts of accounts of it. And I found a strange book, that says if you agree to it, you simply receive the powers." She hoped no one from the Temple found out she had read that book. Creepy and mysterious didn't even begin to describe it; it had probably belonged to a cultist once.

Barraccus stared at her as she spoke, the skepticism in his eyes slowly being replaced by uncertainty. He mouthed the words agree to it after her, then as she finished he looked at her sharply. "Why are you so sure of this, Quae? I mean, it'd be wonderful, but still..."

"Think about it, love," she told him. "If you're not undead, the Temple can't touch you. The charges against me would be dropped, we could make our vows official, and... when we're ready, we could start a family." At the word family, his expression changed, a look of pain and longing flashing briefly across his face. "But Quae," he said. "That should prove it if nothing else does. I mean, shouldn't something have, you know, happened by now?"

Quae had been expecting him to ask that, but she still dropped her gaze. "Umm, about that," she said hesitantly. "I'm afraid I haven't been totally honest with you, Barraccus." She glanced up at him; he had gone completely still, his expression unreadable. "Quae," he said quietly. "Are you...?" She gave him a small, sad smile. "No," she replied, and his face showed disappointment for a moment, before he regained control. "Then what do you mean?" "You know the tea I make every morning?" she asked, and he nodded. She took a deep breath. "It's earthroot." She watched his face carefully.

He was silent, staring at nothing for a long while. Finally he looked up at her. "Earthroot?" She nodded, still watching him. "You really think I'm not an undead?" "Yes, I'm getting sure of it," she replied, and he nodded. She studied him as they sat in silence for several more minutes. "Barraccus," she said hesitantly. "If you want me to stop taking the tea..." He shook his head. "No, you might as well stay on it. At least I can get it for you from now on. I'm guessing Alanon was providing it before?" "Yes," she replied. "Love... are you all right?"

He didn't answer right away, instead looking off into space, his expression still unreadable. Finally he looked at her, and after a moment he cracked a grin. "Yea, I think I'm more than all right." Quae smiled back, fighting back the worry that came when she saw the hope slowly growing in his eyes.

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P. S. - Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!

I can't believe this...

I got up for work this morning early enough that I had some free time before I left, so I thought I would check my email. It wouldn't let me log into my email account. I even typed my address and password very carefully three times; it just wouldn't let me on. So yea, my email account was hacked, which led me to start thinking...

I tried logging on WoW soon as the thought hit me, and yep. Couldn't log in 'cause my password had been changed. I tried resetting my password on both the game and my email, just to screw with whoever did this, even though I couldn't do anything because I still couldn't get into my email. I started every scan I could on my computer, virus scan, spybot and malware, then had to run to get to work. Longest day ever.

When I finally got off work, I went to my parents' so my dad could help me out. I started a new email account, then called Blizzard. Had to wait on hold for over 30 minutes, but someone finally got to me, and the actual process of getting my account back didn't take long at all, thank goodness. Still have all my toons, at least, though they did hit me pretty hard.

Kudos to my sister, who skipped out on a couple extra hours of sleep to keep watch on things in-game and check the scans when they were finished.

Damage report- Feathermoon
They cleaned out the guild bank, since all my toons had full access. All items and money gone, which makes me feel bad, but we had nothing really special in there anyway. Shaurria was stripped, all her bags gone, and 6 silver left to her name. She still has her Pilgrim's robe and hat, so at least she can still finish the meta and get her pet turkey. Arvoss was taken out of the guild, which scared me to death cause I thought they were gonna transfer him off, or delete him (they didn't! whew). He is also stripped and bagless, though he has a bit more money than Shaur, around 73 silver. Also when I logged on him he had an auction in the mail, he had won a coarse thread. /scratch head. I believe they probably transferred my Alliance gold over to Horde, which seems to be confirmed because Kaledain was parked in Booty Bay. He and Khaotic had the same treatment, but at least they still have their pets. And thank goodness for hoarding RP clothes! Naked hunters are embarrassing. >.>

Narzabeki had her money taken, but oddly enough that was it. Guess what she had wasn't worth selling off.

Durotan
My low levels seem to still have their gear, though the only one I checked was Drenka. Rajast still had his armor and most, if not all, of his engineering stuff, though the rest of it was gone, along with his weapon. Didn't check on Heylookimded, but he was still dressed so I'm guessing he's alright. My high-levels were all stripped except for the heirlooms and tier gear, since none of those are vendor-able. Taurron only has his tabard left. :(

Moon Guard, Silver Hand, and Wyrmrest Accord
My tauren death knight on WA wasn't touched, he still had his armor and gold. My account was set on that server though, so maybe I just interupted them before they could get to him. Andrano was also untouched. Gwynifar and Khlar were stripped and my guild disbanded. I'm actually ok with this, since I've been thinking of transferring Khlar to Wyrmrest anyway. They do need their darned money back though.

Gilneas
This was what actually worried me the most. Thankfully my toons there didn't have full access to the guild bank, though they did take out what they could. Also, Alanon was taken out of the guild. My sister was able to talk to our guildies, so at least they knew what was going on. Same deal with my lowbies as the other servers, they still had their gear but no money and bags missing. They seemed a bit sloppier on the lowbies though, a couple of them still had some of their bags. Pitch, Quae and Alanon were stripped of course, except for heirlooms and Alanon's tier stuff.

Barraccus on the other hand, still had all the gear he had equipped. He also had all his personal bags, though I haven't checked his bank yet. When I logged on him, he was out in Borean at the fire/water elemental place, his bags empty except for trash and an herb bag equipped. I think they were gonna use him for some farming, and can't really blame them- he is geared pretty well. What burns me is that I just got him a tanking set put together, and now it's all gone. I'm hoping Blizz can replace it all.

I think that's it. Once my account was straight I put a ticket in and got an answer back fairly quickly, but they're saying it'll be 3-4 days to get all my guys stuff back. With the holidays, I'm kind of expecting it to be even longer. Until everything is straight again, I'll probably just be RPing on Shaur mostly. Would love to be on Arvoss too, but he only has his tabard to wear, so that'd be kinda awkward. >.>

So here's hoping I get my stuff back soon. I could really care less about the gold, since I can always get more, but it's kinda hard to farm stuff with no armor or weapons. Til next time, Happy Hunting!

Shaurria: D&D Alignment

Yesterday in Feathermoon's OOC chat, several people were talking about old D&D games they had played, and it reminded me of that quiz I did with Barraccus ages ago. So I tracked the quiz down, and did it for Shaurria. Her results:


I Am A: Neutral Good Human Druid/Ranger (1st/1st Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-16

Dexterity-15

Constitution-15

Intelligence-12

Wisdom-13

Charisma-11


Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.


Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.


Primary Class:
Druids gain power not by ruling nature but by being at one with it. They hate the unnatural, including aberrations or undead, and destroy them where possible. Druids receive divine spells from nature, not the gods, and can gain an array of powers as they gain experience, including the ability to take the shapes of animals. The weapons and armor of a druid are restricted by their traditional oaths, not simply training. A druid's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast.


Secondary Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

And her alignment scores:

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (27)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (19)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (26)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (18)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXX (7)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXXXX (5)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXXX (7)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Chaos --- XXXXX (5)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Evil ---- (0)

Race:
Human ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Dwarf ---- XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Elf ------ XXXXXX (6)
Gnome ---- XXXXXXXX (8)
Halfling - XXXXXX (6)
Half-Elf - XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Half-Orc - XXXX (4)

Class:
Barbarian - (0)
Bard ------ (0)
Cleric ---- (0)
Druid ----- XXXXXXXX (8)
Fighter --- (0)
Monk ------ (-21)
Paladin --- (-17)
Ranger ---- XXXXXXXX (8)
Rogue ----- (-10)
Sorcerer -- (-2)
Wizard ---- (-8)


So she really is a druid! :D The ranger part also works well for her, I think. Her alignment is about what I thought it'd be- Neutral, leaning towards Good. The fact she was only one point from being True Neutral works for me too.

I'm not sure how her being "human" works. I'm guessing it picked human for her because she's very adaptable, which isn't common for elves. But then, looking at her life ever since Starbreeze was attacked, she's been kinda forced to either adapt, or die. So, yea, I'll go with it.

And now it's time for bed. I can hardly believe that it's almost Thanksgiving. And after that, just another month until Christmas!! /boggle

Til next time, Happy Hunting!

Pilgrim's Bounty Boredom

An unexpected bonus of having a couple of my Hordies on Feathermoon- some cross-faction RP! This was just for amusement, as Khaotic scouted out the Horde tables for Shaur and Tadrith. Enjoy!
___________________

The festival tables just outside Silvermoon City were empty. Occasionally someone would run up for a quick bite, but soon they were off again. The only constant visitors were the guards, and the lone blood elf standing there, her big black lion beside her.

Alti looked up at Khaotic and blinked slowly. She absently patted his neck. "We're just waiting to see if that kitty shows up again," she told him. He seemed to accept her explanation, as he just sat down and began grooming his tail. Khaotic peered around the tables, then sighed to herself and sat at a table to wait.

She must have dozed off, because she was startled when a shy "Mrow" came from behind her. She quickly got up and turned to see. It was the same druid-cat she had seen at Orgrimmar, and then at Undercity. "Oh, you did come! I was starting to wonder," she said, and the cat grinned at her (as much as a cat could grin) and started toward her. A shout stopped her though, and she looked wide-eyed at the guard running toward her before spinning and dashing off. Khaotic glared at the guard as he gave chase, but it was a wasted effort. She headed over to where Jess was tethered and pulled herself into the saddle, then nudged the raptor into a walk and followed.

She passed the guard as he headed back to the tables, but he ignored her withering stare. She went on, and found a cheetah standing near the Dead Scar, panting as it looked around. Khaotic pulled Jess to a halt and peered at the cat, who blinked at her. Abruptly the cheetah was gone, and in it's place was the smoky blue-gray druid-cat from before. "Okay, it is you," Khaotic said as she swung down carefully from her mount and came closer. She stopped before the cat and studied her for a bit. "You know," she said conversationally. "You're a little skinny."

The tall (and rather cute, she had to admit) Night elf hunter that seemed to be with the druid quirked an eyebrow questioningly at her. She wished, again, that they had some way to communicate besides hand gestures. Well, she thought, I bet I can talk to this little thing just fine. She knelt down in front of the cat and began petting her. The druid immediately began purring, soft at first but quickly growing louder as Khaotic's fingers worked their way around to her ears and began scratching. She lay down in front of the hunter, to make it easier to reach, and Khaotic grinned to herself. This was too easy.

Alti suddenly snarled, nudging her leg with his nose. Khaotic freed one hand to pat him soothingly. "Go lay down, Alti," she told the jealous lion. He grumbled, but obeyed. She turned back to the young druid. "I bet Kaled would love to meet you," she said as she sat, pulling the cat's head into her lap as much as her bulging stomach would allow and continuing the ear scratches. The druid's purr suddenly grew much louder, and she pressed into Khaotic's hands, twitching one back leg a little. "Aha!" Khaotic exclaimed. "Found a good spot." She kept scratching at the spot, speaking nonsense to her softly. After a bit, she switched to Thalassian. "Okay, Orcish is tiring." The cat didn't respond, except to press into the scratches again.

After a few minutes, the other Night elf stirred and said something to the druid. Khaotic wished she had taken the time to learn Darnassian as she listened. Their languages weren't that different, but there was enough difference to make it too garbled to understand. The cat looked up at him, then nodded her head. He said something else to her, and she looked faintly disappointed. Looked like the visit was over. She tickled the cat's ear again. "I think he wants to go." With a final pat, she stood up with some difficulty, one hand trying to support her back. She would be so glad when the baby came and she didn't have all the extra weight.

The druid looked up at her, one eyebrow cocked. She purred uncertainly. "Go on home," Khaotic told her. "I have a husband to get home to." She waved at the druid to emphasize the point, then as an afterthought she waved at the other hunter too. He bowed politely, then headed to his saber mount, his pet following.

The druid purred at her again, then stepped over and rubbed her head against Khaotic's leg. Then she trotted after the other Night elf, tail twitching happily. Khaotic watched them go, then looked down to Alti, who had returned to her side. "They were a nice bunch," she told him, and he blinked at her. "Probably never see them again, but it was nice." She patted the black lion, then turned and headed back to Jess. Time to go home to Kaled.

A few notes

BRD is awesome. Shaurria got a level running thru it, then reached her next level turning quests in. By the time she was done, she was almost halfway to level #3.

Shaur is 54 1/2 now. Wheeee!

She got to see a happy drunken Aely. Oops, I mean a tipsy Aely *ahem*. It was nice because up til now she's only seen a sad dr- I mean tipsy Aely. Shaur was a bit... confused. It was amusing. :)

I didn't play her much this weekend 'cause I took Barraccus on a guild alt run thru Naxx. It was fun. And he finished his tank set!

He got to tank-kite the adds for Gluth. That's a lot more fun with a DK than with a hunter. >.>

I went ahead and bought his dual-spec for Gluth. He has a copy of what Arvoss' tank spec will be when he reaches 80.

Finished the night with Kel'Thuzad, and Barraccus got to offtank the adds.

After Naxx was done with, a couple guildies and I (still on Barraccus) went to start on Pilgrim's Bounty stuff. It was fun til I got too tired to keep track of what we were doing, then I gave up and logged.

I'm a little annoyed by the achievements. I have 3 toons that are pet-collectors, and only one of them has a decent cooking skill. So since the achievement requires you to actually cook all the food, I'm going to have to level up Pitch and Shaur's cooking. But that's something I'll worry about later. Although, thinking about Shaur and Pitch each with fat little turkeys following them is providing plenty of incentive.

And finally, the Onyxian Whelpling is cute, but it's one of the most psycho-looking whelplings I've ever seen.


Going to go crash now, til next time Happy Hunting!

Directions

Anyone that's been reading my blog for awhile may (or may not :P) have noticed I've changed a couple things. My blogroll has been edited a few times, both to weed out blogs that seem to be dead, and to add a few others that I've found. I have a new profile picture (/waves at Shaurria-clone :D) and I've updated the "About Me" bit. I'm still planning a few more changes for the future, as soon as I figure out exactly what I want.

When I first started Spirit Bond, I was big on my hunters; this seems to have shoe-horned it into being a "hunter blog." This wasn't my intention, and I've been wondering if anyone has been like "Where did all the hunter posts go?" If you've been reading it for the hunter posts, I'm sorry to disappoint, but my main reason for creating the blog was to post RP stories, along with anything I just needed to get out of my head. I've been focusing on my druids a lot lately, and death knights before then, and obviously I write about what I'm playing at the time. Who knows? Maybe I'll get back to the hunters again someday.

I won't be changing the blog's name, or my header picture, even tho they are both hunter-centric (sp?). Kaledain was my original reason for starting this, and just because he's not in every post doesn't mean he's not a big part of the blog.

And just to clarify, I'm not ranting about anything here. I really don't even mind if Spirit Bond is still considered a "hunter blog." I just wanted to explain things in case anyone was wondering what was going on.

Elsewhere, I'm still wondering what to do with my toons. Playing on Feathermoon (and even Moon Guard on occasion) has spoiled me enough that when I log on Gilneas or Durotan, I feel like something's missing. I have no idea if I'd be able to convince my Gilneas friends to move over to FM, but if they did, I'd move my guys over in a heartbeat. On Horde-side, I've decided I am transferring 5 more of my toons eventually; Boogga, Taurros, Zuuluu, Taurron, and Rajast are all on the list. I may even go really crazy and try doing a faction switch with one or two of them, though I haven't put any real thought into that yet. And I might, might transfer Pitchblàck over, too. Yes, that means I'll have 3 druids and 3 hunters all on the same server, but I accepted my addiction a long time ago. ;)

The rest of my Durotan toons will stay there, so I can chat on occasion with the friends I've made, but I don't know how much playtime they'll get. I'm already not playing them much, because I've been trying to level my "main" ones. To be honest, I really do have way too many characters, so I just might weed them out a bit.

Umm, let's see, what else...?

Shaurria is coming along pretty well. I'm gonna try to write something soon about how she's dealing with things, now that she's not shutting stuff in so much. Arvoss actually provided some insight to how she's feeling right now: "She's lettin' 'erself feel naow, 'stead o' keepin' it all locked away. Sae righ' naow she really dinnae ken wha' t' do wi' 'erself." (I was thinking this through at work a couple days ago. Yes, I was that bored, and yes, I talk to my characters in my head. >.>) Right now she's just being clingy with everyone she knows. I'm kinda hoping no one needs a Therapy Cat(TM) anytime soon, she may not be up for it yet.

I'm leveling Kaled and Khaotic OOCly for now, since it'd be kinda hard for Khaotic to do much of anything. ICly, they are chilling at their home with occasional short, leisurely trips so she doesn't go loony from boredom. I took them by the Noxilite campfire last Monday night, but no one was there. /shrug. Baby-day is scheduled for around Christmas-time, give or take a day or two. Oh, and she just tamed a warp stalker. :D


His name is Vress'lve which means "claw" in Drow. Now if they have any tough elite quests, they have 2 tank pets for hopefully better chances.

Arvoss is 73 now, halfway to 74. I'm pushing him along as fast as I can with my ADDness so he can start running heroics and stuff, both for gear and so I can learn how to DKTank effectively. Although noone has complained yet when I've tanked an instance, so I'm guessing I'm doing it right?

I found out a few days ago that I have another week of vacation. O.o So I'll be taking that at the end of the year, right after Christmas, and I'm gonna use it to level as many of my toons as possible. I'm not holding my breath, but it'd be awesome if I could get Arvoss and Taurros to 80, and get Shaur up to at least 60 (though she might get there before vacation even starts /crosses fingers). Then I'll still have Taurron, Pitch, Quae and Khlar to get to 80, but hey, every little bit helps, right?

Can't think of anything more, and I'm nodding off already. >.< Gonna crash for a bit before RP stuffs start tonight. Happy Hunting!

Shaurria: Breakdown

"Arvoss keeps tellin' me I shouldn't keep everything in. But it's hard, ya know? When you have t' worry bout just surviving, cause there's no one t' look out for ya. Easier t' shut it away, so you don't have to think about it. But... there's been so much trouble lately. I... I met Jolly, before he died. Think it'd be easier if I hadn't. Sometimes it seems like everyone is either dyin', or having someone they love die. Or go away. And I try to make people feel better, I really do. But then they go home, or it gets late and I have to go, and it's just me and my head, alone. Hard to keep the thoughts out when I'm alone. Sometimes, I remember what it was like when they were alive. When I didn't have to worry cause they took care of me. Arvoss and Windstar try, but they have their own stuff t' do. And, well... Ever since the Moonglade when I told 'em what had happened, I wind up thinkin' on it. It sneaks up on me. I'm so used t' shutting my feelings away, but it's getting so hard..."

* * * * * *

Shaurria walked out to a rocky outcrop and sat, staring at the waves. She heard the others saying their goodbyes, then Arrens went back inside his cave while Aely went to her charger and mounted. Shaur watched her go, then noticed Windstar and Takani heading her way. She turned back to the water.



Windstar padded up and peered at her closely, then sat down and nuzzled at her shoulder. On the other side Takani did the same, the young druid also trying to offer comfort. After a couple minutes, Shaurria finally left her cat shape. "I... I wish sometimes that I had something f-from them."

Takani opened his mouth to say something, then stopped himself. Windstar sighed softly.

Shaur looked down at her hands, clenched in her lap. "All I got's what's in my head," she said softly. "I know," Windstar said, just as quietly, as she put an arm around the younger druid. Shaur looked out at the water again. "I-I m-miss 'em."

Takani stared out at the water too now. After a bit he hesitantly said, "Have you... um... oh nevermind." There was silence for several minutes, broken only by the water lapping at the beach, and the creaking of the nearby ship.

Shaur stood up. "Oughta be getting home," she said without looking at the other two. "Shaur," Takani said, stopping her. "Have you ever thought about going back, just to see if you could find anything?" Shaur dropped her gaze. "N-no," she said quietly, then with surprising vehemence she added, "D-don't ever wanna go b-back." With that, she turned cat and quickly loped off, back to the trail that led to the mainland. She barely heard him say, "Sorry, Shaur..."

She ran to the water's edge and dove in, switching to her seal shape in the water. Climbing out on the other side, she ran through the cave and found herself back at Stromgarde. Climbing onto a large rock, she stopped and caught her breath.

She was aware when Star came up behind her. "Fuzzy?" Her voice was so quiet, it was almost a purr. Shaur twitched an ear, then lay down on the rock. She was getting so tired of running. She heard when Star padded up to her side, and looked back with one eye. Windstar was looking down at her, forehead creased with worry. "Shaur," she said gently. "Please talk to me? Keeping it all in is not going to help." Shaurria made a sound deep in her throat and turned her head away. Her eyes were burning, so she shut them tightly. Part of her wanted desperately for Windstar to hold her and make her feel better, but another part resisted. Habits formed from the months of living alone, learning to survive on her own, fought with what was left of the little druid she had been before. She shuddered.

Windstar left her cat form, sitting down beside her and stroking her back. She began murmuring quietly to the younger elf, soothingly. A pained whine started somewhere in Shaur's throat, quiet at first but gradually getting louder. Windstar kept petting, then gathered Shaur's head into her lap, rubbing her ears and scratching her ruff. Shaur shuddered again, then pressed against the other druid, hard. Abruptly she shifted out of cat, pressing into Star's side, sniffling as she buried her face in her shoulder. Windstar wrapped her in both arms, hugging her comfortingly. Behind them, Takani sat and watched, keeping his distance.

"M-m-miss them," Shaurria mumbled into Star's shoulder. "I know," Windstar replied. Keeping one arm around the little druid, she began gently stroking Shaur's hair with the other hand. Shaur sniffled again, then with a shiver she finally broke down and started sobbing. Windstar held her while she began softly humming an old Kal'dorei lullaby. It was one that Shaur's own mother had sung to her, and she cried even harder, clinging to Windstar tightly.

"It'll be alright, little one," Windstar said soothingly, despite the tight hold around her ribs. "Doesn't seem like it, but it will." "D-d-d-don't want'em t-t-t'be dead," Shaur managed to choke out between sobs. "I know. It's not fair," Windstar replied. Takani started to inch his way over, but Star looked at him over her shoulder and shook her head. He returned to his spot and lay back down, shivering.

After several long, agonizing minutes, Shaur's sobs slowed down, then stopped. Still holding Windstar in a death grip, she tried to wipe her face on her arm. Windstar glanced over her shoulder again. "Tak?" she asked. "Do you have a hanky or something like it?" He tossed over his pouch, which she caught. "Should be in there," he said. She dug around inside for a moment, then came up with the handkerchief and handed it to Shaur, who stared blankly at it for a second before taking it. She scrubbed at her face, her other arm still firmly holding onto Star. Handing it back, she sniffed a bit, then looked at Star. "H-h-home," she managed. Windstar nodded. "Mkay."

"W-w-where...?" Shaur started, then stopped. She gulped a bit, then tried again. "A-Arvoss." Windstar thought for a second. "I believe he was coming back to Stormwind today." "K-k-kay," Shaur said, sounding a bit better. "Got your 'stone?" Windstar asked her, and she nodded, sniffling again, then hiccuped. "Okay then," Star said with a quick squeeze. Shaur still hadn't let her go, so she had to gently pull away from the other druid as she stood. Shaur didn't fuss, she just started digging in her own pouch, finally holding up her hearthstone. "K-kay."

Windstar glanced at Takani. Gently brushing some hair away from Shaur's face, she told her gently, "You go on ahead? I'll be right behind you." Shaurria nodded, then activated her stone. She appeared at the inn in Stormwind. Quickly turning kitty, she ran inside and up the stairs. Catching a familiar scent, she followed it like a lifeline to Arvoss' usual room.

Arvoss was woken by a furry bombshell landing on the bed. "Huhn?" he mumbled, then Shaur was pressing into his arms, whining softly. "Wassat, kitten? Wha's wrong?" She didn't answer, just trembled slightly as she cuddled in close. He gave up on the questions and just held her, rubbing and humming softly. She curled up, half in his lap, and gave a huge sigh, then seemed to settle down.

After she had finally fallen asleep, Arvoss studied her closely. There was no doubt that something was wrong, but whatever it was, the worst seemed to have passed. He would ask Star about it in the morning.

________________

Writing this was hard. A lot harder than I thought it would be. Poor kitty. Now that this is done with, I'm hoping she can start getting over all this.

Windstar did a bit about this as well, you can read her side of it here.

Shaurria: After Felwood

I'm posting this mostly for Crison (Frazle/Fastrada/Sydana/Takani here on Feathermoon) since he missed all the fun cause of his work schedule.

This continues from here. After Arvoss put out a call for help over the box, Aely and Feliche both came to the Moonglade. Windstar had to go meet them so they wouldn't get lost, then everyone started fussing over Shaurria. She did leave her cat form eventually, and since everyone was kinda tired of the Cat Spirit stepping around them, we moved a little ways so we (and him!) could have a little peace.




Shaur shifted back to cat here. Telling all of that kinda stressed her out, so she needed to, really.


At this point we wound up going back to Stormwind. Later that night, at the Pig, was when the city guards came and tried to arrest Tarquin. So much stuff went on that Shaur was quite thoroughly distracted from her own thoughts, til it was all over. Arvoss got a little stressed, so when the guards left he drank himself silly (and was kinda rude to a friend /sigh), then bedded down in a bunk at the Pig, and she joined him there later.
________________

So much <3's here. This still seems kinda new to me, even after being on Feathermoon for a few months now. I spent so long RPing with just myself, my sister and sometimes Crison, that finding a big group of people to RP with, especially people that have become friends with my little dysfunctional druid, is just.... well, EPIC. So, I guess this is thanks to the Wildfire Riders & Co. for "letting us in the door" to some awesome times. <3!

And now I'm having thoughts on what it'd be like to have Pitchblack over here. Darn it, I'm gonna be full here soon at this rate. >.>

Mission Accomplished!

Kaledain and Khaotic did their last Ravasaur daily today! (And got achievements for it, go figure. Apparently I was never able to do it for 5 days straight.)


Ta-da!!!


Their names are Sarnor (Kaled's) and Jess (Khaotic's), "swift" and "fang" respectively in the Drow tongue.

Still got a couple preparations to do, but I'll be transferring them later today. Woohoo!


Later: They are moved!

And Arvoss and Windstar have done the entire Wrathgate quest chain. Arvoss got pretty peeved during the battle in Undercity, because everything was either yanking him around or throwing him up against the walls. (Seriously, I mean everything was doing it. >.>)

Going to be working on some more Shaurria RPs for the next few days. Not exactly sure what I'm going to be doing, but hopefully whatever I wind up doing will go well. /crosses fingers

In which some alts get attention...

I mentioned in the OOC chat channel last night that I had a Horde alt on Feathermoon (a troll huntress named Narzabeki), and the ensuing brief discussion made me realize that I missed her. So today I continued giving Shaur a break and logged on Narza instead. Except I didn't get on her right away, because there was another alt I've been neglecting.

My baby druid on Durotan, Furrealz, has been sitting at level 19 for weeks. I keep meaning to finish up his level so he can have his kitty form and mount, but was always getting distracted. So with no such distractions today, I hopped on him first. He has the heirloom shoulders and chest, so it only took a few minutes until.... *drumroll*




He's a pretty kitty. I really like this look. Also, I love the Night elf druid cats, but the taurens look so much more... I don't know, muscly? Wild? Whatever it is, I love it.

He ran down to Bloodhoof Village in cat form, even though his cheetah is faster. (I just might have been admiring him. >.>) And, a couple minutes later he was all set.

I'll pick out a name for it sometime, right now I'm too tired to think of something.

So, mission accomplished and I hopped over to Narza. She's been sitting at level 16, but I stopped playing her for the longest time in favor of hanging out Alli-side. I decided I want to get her to 20 too, though, so she can get her raptor mount. She has no heirlooms, so I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. It took a little longer than with Furrealz, but I did get her up 2 levels, and almost through a third. I'll pick it up again tomorrow or Friday and finish her off.


I love her pets, too. She has an orange tiger that she tamed at level 10, named Khumal, a river crocolisk from the Barrens/Durotar border named Dantu, and she recently tamed Echeyakee, renamed Sione. It's going to be a bit of a challenge to balance questing and grinding so she can keep all 3 up with her, but hopefully she can pull it off.

My computer or something is having issues with the game, it keeps randomly freezing up at various loading screens. I have to ctrl-alt-delete it out and restart WoW every time. It only happens on Horde-side, especially when I'm on Kaledain and Khaotic, and Narza too it seems. It wouldn't be too bad, except every time it happened to Narza, when I got back in the game her UI would have reset and I'd have to fix it again. It also wiped her RSP (which it doesn't do with Kaled & Khaotic), so she doesn't have one up at the moment. It's annoying. :P

And final note, Kaled and Khaotic have been doing their dailies faithfully so far. Two more days should see them with shiny new mounts (with a lot less fluff, thank goodness) and they will be ready for transfers. My sis will be moving her druid Bearkat at the same time, so they'll have one of their old friends with them, hurray. The Ravasaur hatchlings, if you didn't know, grow with the number of teeth you have, so their "hatchlings" look almost like full-grown raptors now! :D


They're really cute. I'm getting kinda excited about finally being done with it.

Another side project I've been working on has been going around Azeroth taking screenshots of everything I can find. When Cataclysm hits, most of old-world Azeroth is going to be drastically different, so I'm collecting pictures of how it looked before. Then after Cataclysm is old news, I'll have the pics of how it used to be. Maybe I'm just cheesy. >.>

I'll probably post some of the better looking ones eventually, maybe do a whole blog post just for them. We'll see how it goes.

That's all I can think of for now. Til next time Happy Hunting!

Random stuffs and catching up

Arvoss is up to 72. He's been through Violet Hold, boo yea. Leveling is going slow, I'm missing the heirloom stuff. :P

Shaurria is still 52, gonna take her through Un'goro next but I didn't want to level her too much before we got the Felwood RP done. Hoping to have her in Outland in the next couple weeks.

Shaur's RP was -EPIC-. Big, BIG hugs and thanks to Aelflaed and Feliche (and Windstar of course!) for coming to Moonglade and fussing all over her. That is one big hurdle over with. Now maybe she can have a breakdown sometime in the next week or two and get that out of the way too. >.>

I screenshotted the chat boxes, so might have a story up sometime soon. Um, no promises tho, I'm having writer's block again.



Regular Tuesday night RP afterward was even more EPIC. We had a bunch of the Stormwind Guard come and try to arrest Tarquin, the Wildfire Riders' leader, only he wasn't there. It looked like they would arrest the whole bar at one point. Shaurria went off and hid like a good kitty, while Arvoss and the rest tried to keep their tempers in check. So much <3.

Kaledain and Khaotic are up to 17 ravasaur teeth! That means just 3 more days (if I remember to do the daily) then Transfers Incoming. I'm thinking about transferring my shammy Rajast at the same time, though I'll have to give him some serious thought because I haven't actively RP'ed on him yet. All I have is a general personality for him so far.

I'm putting off telling my Horde guild that I'm leaving, just cause I still love 'em. Just.... can't take the server much longer. I've given up on pugging instances; if I can't get a guild run, I just don't do it. This doesn't do much for leveling, but it's a good bit of gear I'm missing out on, and I want Taurros to be ready to start tanking heroics ASAP. My luck with pugs on Feathermoon hasn't been perfect, but it's been better than I've found on Durotan.

I've been skipping out on Gilneas for awhile now, and while I miss my toons, the break has been nice. I never payed attention to how stressful our raids were sometimes until I stopped going. Not saying they all were, some weekends we had a ton of fun, but the bad ones kinda stick with you longer.

Now for non-WoW stuff- At work on Sunday, I was cutting the plastic wrapping off some dog food when my box cutter got a little too close to my fingers. >.> In short, I almost severed the tip of my thumb. It was... messy. Healing up nicely, but it's being slow.

It occurred to me recently that I don't have any grown-up pictures of Buster, so..... here ya go!


He's FAAAAAT! :(


While we were at our parents' house-sitting, he liked to come out when everyone else went to bed, and go crazy running up and down the stairs. It's a little blurry, but I'm surprised he stayed still long enough to get this, so... yea.

Been tinkering on my other games now and then. I almost forgot how much I loved Lord of the Rings Online. My dwarf guardian (think tank class) is ridiculously fun, especially for taking on large groups. He did die a couple times while I played him, I'm out of practice. My other characters are fun too, but the guardian is <3.

I have a ton of characters on Runes of Magic too. Their recent expansion added elves, with 2 new classes, so I made 2 elves, one of each class. The druid is a little hard to play at the start, but I'm really liking the warden so far. Pet class ftw!

That's all I can think of for now, and it's late again. Goodnight!

Shaurria: Felwood

For anyone that wanted to know why Shaurria doesn't like furbolgs, here ya go. Also, I'm hoping this will get the ball rolling on her history coming out, so she can start becoming more "normal."
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Shaurria buried her fangs into the wolf's neck, slapping it with one paw when it tried to bite her. It snarled savagely, then yelped as her vision was suddenly filled with white. She released the now-dead wolf and shook the ice particles from her face and neck, then glared at Arvoss. "Sorry kitten," he apologized. "Ah'll try nae t' 'it th' next one sae close." She purred briefly- apology accepted- then looked around.

Felwood was not the most pleasant place she had ever seen, but it wasn't so bad, either. Arvoss had been right when he said it was corrupted; she had been attacked twice now by diseased-looking wolves. She felt safe enough, though, with both Arvoss and Windstar to watch over her.

There were no more wolves in sight, so the trio continued on their way, reaching the Cenarion Circle outpost without further incident. Shaur explored the buildings, receiving a few pats from the druids in the process, while Star and Arvoss spoke with whoever was in charge. After just a few minutes she heard Arvoss call her, and they set out again, this time only going a short distance down the road.

Shaur had gone a little ways off the road, exploring but still within sight, when she saw the others stop in front of a figure. She started to trot toward them, then Windstar moved to the side and Shaur got a clear look at what they were talking to. She stopped dead. It was a furbolg.

Arvoss turned and saw her standing there. He waved her over, but she remained still. He frowned and said something to Star, who also turned to look at her. She replied to whatever he had asked her, and he nodded as if remembering something. They spoke together a bit longer before Arvoss turned back to the furbolg. Windstar came back to Shaurria. "It's alright, Fuzzy," she said. "You don't have to come any closer. He's friendly though." Shaur looked at her disbelievingly, then returned her attention to the furbolg, studying him.

His fur was dark. He kept staring at her even as he spoke with Arvoss. She did notice his eyes were a warm brown, with no hint of the red glow she still remembered. His gaze was suspicious, though, and she still didn't trust him. She was relieved when Arvoss turned and started back toward them. He gave Shaur a curious look as he rejoined them, but she looked away and he didn't ask the question that obviously bugged him. He simply pointed back south, away from the road. "Back tha' way," he said shortly, and they headed off.

Shaur "discovered" another wolf along the way, although she barely had time to swipe at it before Windstar had pounced on it, dispatching it with a bite to the spine. Shaur satisfied herself by kicking dirt on the corpse, then loped ahead to catch up to Arvoss. She reached his side long enough for a pat, then she paused to look around, panting slightly. Movement not far off caught her eye. When she saw what it was, she froze.

Spread out before them, a good distance away but still within easy view, was a village. But it wasn't the crude log huts that had caught Shaur's attention; it was the village's occupants. They were all furbolgs, and they were all growling and muttering among themselves. One turned to look in their direction, then lost interest and resumed it's pacing, but Shaur could still see the telltale red glow in its eyes. She couldn't move, couldn't make a sound, as all her worst memories and nightmares collapsed on her all at once.

She saw her parents' still forms at the feet of the white furbolg; the blood on its claws, the same red light in its eyes. She felt again the shock as she charged into it, mauling it long after it was dead, until she no longer knew where she was or what she was doing. She felt the fear and the hate, then the shame, that had driven her out of her home village. And the aching loneliness and pain that she still felt whenever she thought about her mother and father.

Shaurria wasn't even aware when she began a low-pitched whine, deep in her throat, but the sound made both Arvoss and Windstar turn to see what was the matter. The druid-cat was standing like a statue, her gaze locked on the village. Arvoss headed back to where she stood. "Kitten?" She either didn't hear him or was ignoring him. He knelt before her, but she seemed to look right through him, not seeing him at all. He waved a hand in front of her, then snapped his fingers, but got no response. Utterly confused, he looked to Windstar, but she looked as lost as he felt.

Shaurria couldn't see or hear him; she was locked inside memories real and imagined, seeing the furbolgs in the village coming for them, killing Star, killing Arvoss- then spreading out and covering the rest of the world, destroying everything they found, til she was alone. And then they would come after her...

After several minutes spent trying to get her out of whatever trance she was in, Arvoss had enough. "A'righ' lass, Ah'm gettin' ye out 'o 'ere an' tha's tha'," he muttered, then stooped down and lifted Shaurria in his arms. She gave a brief struggle before going limp, and he carried her easily back to the Emerald Sanctuary. Windstar followed, still watching Shaur worriedly.

Once away from the furbolg village, Shaurria slowly came back to herself. Arvoss sat on a fallen log next to where she lay, talking to her softly. Windstar finally finished explaining to the curious druids what had happened, and came over to join him. "Look at 'er, lass," he said as she sat. "Wha' 'appened t' 'er t' make 'er like tha', eh?" Windstar could only shrug as she looked down on the younger druid. Shaurria was looking around a little now, though her pupils were still dilated and every now and then her skin would twitch, as though to shake off a fly. She was panting heavily.

Arvoss shook his head. "Ah'm an idiot," he said. "Ah shouldnae 'ave taken 'er there." "You didn't know she'd be like that," Windstar was quick to say. "Neither of us did. She never said anything." "Ah ken she's frightened o' furbolgs," Arvoss countered. "An' wha's th' first thing Ah take 'er to? Bloody Laigh'." Star couldn't think of a reply to that, so she stayed quiet. The two sat and watched Shaur. Shaur panted.

After several minutes of this Arvoss stood. The movement made Shaur flinch, and his face tightened a bit. "This ain' workin'. S'there a place she'll feel more at 'ome, like?" Star only had to think for a moment. "The Moonglade. She has a... a friend, there." "A'righ' lass. Let's get 'er there."

Shaurria still refused to move, so Arvoss carried her to the hippogryph master. "Oi, ye got a big'un? Ah'll 'ave t' carry 'er in flight," he explained to the startled elf. "Um, yes, we do have one big enough to carry two," the flight master replied. "It'll cost a bit extra, but-" "A'righ'" Arvoss interrupted. "Done. Show me th' bird."

Once they landed in the Moonglade Shaur seemed to perk up a bit. In fact, she caught Arvoss off guard when she suddenly jumped from his arms and took off running. He started to pursue, but Windstar stopped him. "I know where she's going. It's not far," she told him.

They found her right where Windstar said, in the Cat Spirit's clearing. She lay in a huddle in the middle as the Spirit paced around her. Each time he passed close to her, he would pause to sniff or nuzzle her. Arvoss stopped in relief when he saw her, and settled down at the edge of the clearing. "She's lookin' bettah a'ready," he commented. "But naow wha'?" " I don't know," Star answered. Arvoss sighed, then suddenly started digging in his belt pouch, finally holding up his buzzbox. "Ye think annehone else o' 'er friends migh' 'ave bettah luck?" he asked. Star shrugged. "Worth a shot."
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That's it for now. Can't finish it yet cuz I need to see if anyone comes to help, and who it is if they do. Might have a part 2 after it's all worked out.

It Never Gets Old...

Taurros has become my 4th toon to go through the Wrathgate chain. I still get chills watching the cinematic.

I gave Shaur a break today so she can build up some rested xp, and wound up leveling both Taurros and Taurron, to 76 and 73 respectively. I want to get Taurron through Wrathgate next ASAP, then I may go back to Pitch and level him enough to get through it. Well, either Pitch or Arvoss, I would like to get Arvoss to 80 soon, so he can still help Shaur level through Outland. Once I get one of them finished, I'll go back and do the other.

Unfortunately I'm still feeling no inclination to play Zuuluu. Maybe a faction change is in order? I used to have a gnome rogue that I've been missing lately...

I'm thinking of transferring Kaledain and Khaotic in the next week or two. They're almost finished with Ravasaur dailies (only 5 more baby teeth!) and probably once they're done with that, I'll go ahead with it. And who knows, maybe my level 40 troll shaman will join them.

Got a story written up for some RPs with Arvoss, Shaurria, and Windstar, I'm gonna post it either tonight or tomorrow morning even though the RP will be occurring on Tuesday (if all goes well, /glares at work schedules).

Not much else to say, I'm tired and it's way too late, as usual. Goodnight!

. . . . . . .

(Taurros only has 4 levels to go! /rubs hands in glee)

Shaurria: Western Plaguelands

Just a quickie, inspired by Shaurria's first trip to the Plaguelands (if you don't count the candy buckets). This was at Uther's Tomb at Sorrow Hill, if you didn't already know.

Shaur is 52 now!! She'll be in Outland herself soon. :D

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Shaurria trotted away from the Argent Dawn officer just in time to see Arvoss ride up on Shade. She yowled and ran up to him. "'Eya, kitten," he grinned, swinging down from the saddle. She rubbed enthusiastically against his leg, pausing as he found her ear and started scratching. "D'ye got yer orders?" he asked her, and she purred at him. "A'righ', lass. Ah'll be close t' ye in case o' trouble, but ye're gonna 'ave t' do th' work," he told her with a mischievous grin. She growled playfully and ran off.

The officer had told her to thin out some of the nearby Scourge, so she set to work, luring them out of their groups one at a time and killing them as quickly as she could. She had worked her way partly across the field when she noticed Arvoss trot Shade past her, toward a large, white stone building. Once her current victim was dead for good, she followed.



She found him standing in front of the building's entrance, staring down the entryway. Shaurria paced up next to him and looked up; his face was pensive. She rrowed at him softly.

"S'a'righ', kitten," he said, then led her up to the monument. He stopped, then knelt on one knee while she came up and read the plaque. Arvoss broke the silence just as she finished. "S'a tomb o' one o' mah Order's finest," he said softly. "Ah think evereh paladin wanted t' be like Uther. 'E was th' first o' th' Silver 'And, th' founder ye could say."

Shaur shifted out of cat and sat next to him, staring at the statue for a few moments. "What happened to him?" she finally asked, though she thought she had an idea. Arvoss scowled. "'E was killed by th' Bloody Prince, Arthas 'imself," he said angrily. "One o' 'is own students." He paused, then shook his head. "Tha's jes' one o' th' crimes 'e's t' pay fer."

Shaurria nodded her understanding. Arvoss stared at the statue for a bit longer, then looked around outside. "Tha's why th' land 'ere is sae sick, kitten. 'E brought 'is bloody Scourge 'ere, an' wiped out most o' th' folk 'ere. Naow th' land suffers fer it."

Shaurria looked outside too, then returned her attention to the statue. After a moment she remembered something. "Didn't your family live here too?" she asked. Arvoss shook his head. "Nae," he told her. "Was further t' th' east, near Strat'olme."

There was another minute of silence, as Arvoss studied the statue without seeing it. "M'wife died before all this 'appened," he continued softly. "M'son...." He trailed off.

Shaurria glanced at him, hesitant to say anything. He rarely spoke about his family or past life, and she was afraid he would stop now. Finally she ventured, "Did he... die too?"

Arvoss sighed heavily. "Ah dinnae ken, kitten. 'E was s'posed t' be transferred t' Stormwind, as part o' 'is trainin'. Ah dinnae ken if 'e got out before th' Scourge 'it. Ah was..." He paused, looking a tad uncomfortable. Shaur just waited. "Ah was a'ready dead, then," he finished.

Shaurria frowned slightly and edged closer. She wrapped one arm around him in a hug. "I bet he got out," she told him, trying to sound confident. Arvoss grinned and hugged her back. "Ah 'ope sae, kitten," he said.

He abruptly stood up and brushed at his armor. "A'righ'," he said, more cheerfully. "Go oan back t' yer skelly-killin'. Ah'll be 'ere if ye need any 'elp." Shaur hopped to her feet and started back outside the tomb. "Kay," she said, then changed to cat and loped toward the nearest group of Scourge. Arvoss looked one more time at the statue behind him, giving it a salute before following the druid out.

Shaurria: Day of the Dead

Just another day in the life of my little druid. Setting up some RP soon though, that will make her Sadkitty for a few days. :(

You've been warned.
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Shaurria had no idea what to make of this.... "holiday." Why were all these people hanging around in graveyards? When she noticed a few of them were actually talking to spirits, she decided that was enough, and took off for the wilds.

Prowling around the Swamp of Sorrows til dusk, sniffing out herbs to sell, probably wasn't the best way to spend the day, but it kept her away from the "crazies" around the cities. And it kept her mind semi-occupied as well, so she didn't start thinking about what they were doing. Spirits of the dead were sacred to her, and though she knew that the living people she had seen were honoring the dead in some way, it still didn't seem right to her to disturb them. They should be left alone.

Finally growing tired of the swamp muck and the smells of mud and various flowers, she decided to track down Windstar. On a whim, she decided to go to Darkshire, on the other side of Deadwind Pass. She could take a gryphon from there to wherever she thought 'Star would be.

Shaur had a run of luck on her way through. She hadn't gone far into the Pass when her sensitive cat-nose picked up Windstar's recent trail. Chuckling to herself, she followed it down the road south.

She made it past giant, fierce birds and smelly ogres with no trouble. The old village at the foot of the tower of Karazhan was another matter. The ghosts that spotted her and gave chase looked like more than she could handle, so she sprinted through as fast as she could. She let out a yowl as she neared the back of the tower, and was relieved when she saw Star come running toward her. The older druid quickly made short work of the ghosts, and Shaur was more than happy to show how grateful she was by purring and rubbing against Star as thoroughly as she could. She followed Star back behind the tower.

She was surprised and pleased to find people she knew there. Aely was there dressed like a farmer, complete with shovel. Her druid friend Aleros was also there, and played with her for a bit with his fishing pole. She managed to pull free the fish he had on the line, and he was nice enough to cook it for her. While she shared the fish with Windstar, Aleros told a story to the few people that gathered around his cookfire. Shaurria knew it was supposed to be a scary story, but she wasn't frightened at all.

The evening passed uneventfully, except for another ghost or two that tried to rush Shaurria and were quickly stopped by Windstar. Then a newcomer showed up. She introduced herself as an author that apparently several people there knew. Shaur did her usual purr-greeting, then left her when she didn't show much interest in petting. The young druid headed over to the Bittertongue couple, where she began fussing over their baby. The newcomer followed and started a rather heated conversation with Bricu, however, and since most people had left already, Star suggested to Shaur that they leave as well. The two druids returned to Stormwind.

Once there, Shaurria and Windstar headed to the Pig & Whistle. Inside was one of the people from the Deadwind Pass party. Shaur only knew her dimly though, and settled for going over for a purr and a scratch. There was a newcomer at the bar, dressed similarly to one of the city guards. Shaur went over and politely sat and purred, then waited to see if he was friendly or not. He was, and even went so far as to buy her a bowl of milk. She set to lapping happily.

She had just finished it when she was startled by Arvoss, who snuck up on her and gently tweaked her ear. The stranger was promptly forgotten, and she greeted the death knight enthusiastically. Once Arvoss had gotten a drink from Elly and sat down, however, she was reminded of her manners and went back to apologize, with a purr and a headrub. Hard feelings soothed, she returned to Arvoss, and settled between his chair and Windstar's. Of course, they both were soon petting her as they chatted about small stuff they had been doing in Northrend.



Finally Arvoss looked down at her. "Ah'm thinkin' o' takin' kitten t' Felwood, tomorra," he said as he scratched Shaur's ears. She looked up at him curiously. "S'a forest," he explained. "Been corrupted by sommat. S'druids there." She purred and set her head back down on the table, satisfied.

After a bit longer, Arvoss stood up and stretched. "Tahm fer bed, Ah think," he announced. Windstar agreed. Shaurria followed them both to the Gilded Rose, then followed Arvoss up to his usual room. Curling up in her favorite corner, she soon fell asleep.

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P.S. Arvoss and Windstar are level 70 now!!! /boggle And Arvoss tanked a Nexus run. I've decided I love DK tanking. I think he needs more tanky stats though. Anyone got any advice for a leveling tank? Like, what kind of defense rating I should try to keep, just for level 70-76-ish dungeons? And any other stats I should look for (besides stamina, that's a given I think).

Any help is appreciated! Thanks in advance!