Lueran

Right on target. My arrows sliced through one another as all landed directly in the center, because apparently we took upon the skills of our mains. I wasn't about to complain. With a smug grin, I looked to Sinthar, who was staring at me with astonishment. Apparently he assumed that I wasn't powerful before. Well. I'd prove him wrong. I stroked Callow, a lot on my mind. Clearly I needed to save as many animals as possible. I could only hope that Eeri wasn't yet dead. From what I remembered, this Dreven character wasn't out to kill her just yet. Which was good, but I still wasn't really feeling this whole 'mercy' thing.

Sinthar walked up to me, startling me out of my thoughts. I frowned. "What is it?" I asked quietly, staring at him with eyes void of emotion. He looked down, almost seeming to blush.

"Ah well, you're very skilled in combat. Care to train with me?" he asked carefully. I tilted my head, because a little extra training would do no harm. So, I shrugged and nodded, bringing my bow out in front of me.

"Sure. Let's duel and see where I'm at," I muttered. Sinthar nodded and suddenly underwent a change. He shifted into an azure panther with pure white eyes and long glistening fangs. He had a slim but muscular build, and his claws were longer than normal. He bared his teeth and suddenly was gone.

Calmly I waited before suddenly I felt sharp claws sink into my back, indicating that this was indeed rather serious. Good, this would be practice for later when I went up against corrupted animals. That didn't mean I was planning on making any kill shots in either scenario.

I whirled and disengaged, entangling the large cat in a mass of sticky webs via spell. He roared and grew red, snapping the webs like they were mere strands of grass. He lunged at me, but I yelled, "Intimidation!" Callow leaped at the panther from behind and stunned him by latching onto his flank with serrated fangs. I shot at Sinthar's legs to weaken him slightly, but he wouldn't give in that easily. He tore at me and leaped, managing to tackle me to the ground. Just as he lunged for my throat, my hero came--Callow sunk his fangs into the druid's scruff and yanked him off of me. That gave me enough time to place an ice trap  on the ground. My serpent had landed some considerable great blows, but Sinthar was still going strong. That's why when I rolled away, I sighed in relief as the panther was encased in ice.

I gave a triumphant smirk but knew that I didn't have long. I used scatter shot once more, waited a bit, and then finally commanded Callow to intimidate once again. At this point I was just fucking around.

Sinthar groaned and shifted to night elf form, raising his arms in defeat. "To much crowd control!" he muttered, holding his head. He sat down, looking very dizzy. Out of concern, I walked over and sat next to him.

"I didn't want to hurt you when you were in panther form. Not the best walk in the park for me since I respect animals. But I think I controlled you enough so that if the need arises, we can capture the corrupted beasts," I explained. Sinthar nodded, flashing me a light smile and showing off those night elven fangs of his.

"You sure did prevented me from attacking. I should give you more credit, er..." he stopped, not knowing my name. I let the silence stretch for a moment before responding.

"My name is Lueran," I muttered, watching Sinthar for a second. The night elf considered this for a moment.

"Can...can I call you 'Viper'? You remind me so much of a snake. In a good way, I promise," he admitted, looking down. I blinked in surprise and slowly nodded. It wouldn't bring any harm,so why not?

"We should prolly get moving to the Outlands. I don't want to delay if animals are being killed," I pointed out, reminding him of the very grave situation. Sinthar quickly got to his feet, eyes wide.

"Yes! I agree...There's a portal right here in the city," he explained. Off we went down the path, passing by the soft grassy and earthen colors of the night elven cities, blended of course with plenty of royal purples. 

We walked along, and I felt some questions brewing in my mind. "Why did you and Tyrande not kill me? I am a Sin'dorei, after all..." I mused. Sinthar blinked, surprised at my question.

"We don't despise all blood elves. I sorta sensed something in touch with nature about you, and so did Tyrande, I think," he told me. I raised my eyebrows, glad that I was off the hook at least somewhat.

Silence stretched as we walked along. I took this opportunity to call out my raven and ruffle his feathers, tossing the bird a small bit of meat. Callow hissed with jealousy, causing me to laugh and bend down and give him a treat too. Sinthar watched this ordeal, rather amazed.

"You certainly have a way with animals," he observed. I just nodded, once again staring ahead.

"Indeed, one would expect that of a Beast Master," I replied in a matte-of-fact tone, glancing over to him. "But you're a druid, so you would know just as well." 

We arrived back at the Tyrande's palace and hastily requested a portal to the Outlands. I summoned my phoenix, more than ready for battle as I ran my hand along the flaming bird's body. Strange, I didn't get burned--Azeroth continued to amaze me with all of these little intricacies, that was for sure.

Sinthar

He was...strange, to say the least, but in a good way. I realized back when he was murdering my king(who, now that I thought about it, probably wasn't Varian) that I couldn't reasonably hurt him. I could attack him and train him, but would not inflict actual wounds that would scar him. He was a Sin'dorei, so my hesitation was nonsensical. 

This particular man was so serpent-like. I had to admit, I loved snakes; hell, I was a druid. He had a way with animals shared by very few others. But I could tell he wasn't from here...not from Azeroth, not even from Outlands. Where he came from I had no idea, but one way or another, I was going to help him.

When we emerged from the portal into Outlands, we took a moment to observe the land. Hellfire Peninsula hadn't changed much, as it was still a wretched wasteland that held the carnage of battle. I scowled. Such slaughter was unnecessary, but of course the orcs had to kill just for the hell of killing. To say the least, the situation angered me. Cracked, dead ground with just as many rotting bones as living creatures here, the Peninsula was a wasteland. Long ago it had been brimming with life, but unfortunately times change.

With a sigh, I flew forward on my mount and led the way. The journey to Terrokar would be a long one. Perhaps I could have a talk with this man. "Hey Viper..." I started. That got his attention. His eyes fell on me as he waited for me to continue with a raised brow, flicking his ear in acknowledgement. I gulped, suddenly at a loss for words.

Finally, I gathered up the courage to say something of value. "How did you get here? I mean, in Azeroth? It's pretty obvious that you're an outsider to this land," I muttered, hoping this wouldn't offend him.

He knitted her eyebrows together in thought. "Well," he started. "It's a long story. But in my world, Azeroth is a game. I had my own character and everything. I used to hang around collecting pets and mounts. I was good at it, too," he stated with a grin. But then his expression sobered.

"I didn't realize it was a real world. I had no idea how hard being trapped here would be. I mean, my best friend was taken by some ruthless asshole. All I want now is to go home and make sure she's safe, and I know she wants the same for me. We want to get home because...well...I don't know," he stopped, his green eyes darkening in thought. I found myself lost in them for a second, but quickly snapped out of it.

What was making him quiet, all of a sudden? I decided to just let him be and rode in silence. Soon enough, we came upon some grassy hills. I pointed, spotting the city built up of grey brick in the distance.

"Shattrath!" I gasped. Unfortunately, the sacred city was under siege. As we neared it, I could clearly see winged demons hacking away at the guards with swords, forcing limbs to fly and blood to gush. All races, be them Alliance or Horde, fought for their lives. Corrupted animals of all sorts ripped people to shreds. It took all the power of A'dal to hold them back, but clearly soon even that wouldn't be enough.

"We'll have back-up soon, but I don't know if it'll make it in time!" I called to Lue. He wasn't listening, for his eyes were fixed upon the animals.

"I have to save them," he said simply. Suddenly, he dove down with his phoenix and serpent into battle. I cursed and followed him. Seriously, he was going in without a plan?! His motives were clear, yes, but I could only hope that backup would arrive fast enough for proper aid.