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Between Druids

By nightdragon0

I landed with a soft thud on the mossy ground. A quick glance around revealed no hostiles, or any creatures in the immediate vicinity for that matter. The small opening which I'd used to enter the cavern was within sight, providing a quick escape route if anything were to go wrong.

Small for my normal Tauren body, but sufficient for my current form, that of a horned, brown-furred cat.

"Our scribes and alchemists want to look at a few more herb species for their research, so you're going to go get them, flower-picker." I sighed at the thought. Not his exact words, but that was pretty much the impression I got from the Captain back at Thrallmar. Being a Tauren and a druid, it was hard to avoid the stereotype at times.

The good part was that I was getting some time off after I was done with this assignment, and was looking forward to heading back to Thunder Bluff. With the task in mind, I returned to my natural Tauren body and begun walking along the side of the cavern.

Underbog, as this place was known to adventurers, was a series of caverns partially taken over by the Naga in Zangarmarsh. While heavily explored during the surge into Outland, it was all but deserted now with the defeat of the Naga and the recent war effort in Northrend. In turn, nature was slowly beginning to reclaim this land. Spotting a red-colored Sanguine Hibiscus, I paused to collect the rare plant, placing it into the herb pouch slung around my shoulder.

The evening light streamed in through the cracks on the cavern's ceiling, far too high up for me to make out clearly. While it did provide sufficient light for now, it would be getting darker soon. Hopefully I would be done with my task soon.

I was just reaching over for another herb when I caught the whiff of a familiar scent...blood. Drawing upon my druid abilities, I assumed the form of a cat again, dropped down to all fours. With my now enhanced sense of smell, I traced the scent around the corner and down a pathway.

Lying there was the corpse of a Sporebat, and it was a relatively fresh kill. I didn't sense any other creatures around and moved in the examine the carcass. It had been mauled and ripped apart for sure, but by no creature that naturally lived here. The claw and teeth marks were rather similar to my own.

Another druid? I wondered.

"Oh, our scouts have mentioned seeing some Alliance Night elves around the vicinity of the Underbog too. We don't know if they're planning anything funny, but if you run into one, it'll be a very big bonus on your part if you find out." That had been the second part of the orders, which I hadn't really paid much attention to.

I started at a faint rustling and backed around the corner, drawing on the power of the shadows to camouflage my cat form with the surroundings. The rustling became footsteps, which drew nearer, until a Night elf stepped around the corner. He seemed to be a druid from his outfit, but I didn't recognize him as anyone from the Cenarion Expedition camp. Neither was he wearing their prominent tabard.

As I pondered on whether to approach him or not, the Night elf knelt over in the corner, shifting something about which was blocked from my view. I continued watching from my position and noted that he was constantly glancing around and over his shoulder, as if on the lookout for something.

That definitely seems suspicious..either that or he senses my presence. Hmm....

The Night elf then transformed into his dark-blue cat form and continued clawing at that spot, which was still out of my view.

Maybe if I could get closer...

I shifted my position and accidentally knocked a small rock loose. The Night elf-cat whirled around. He technically shouldn't have had been able to see me in my stealth mode, but the shock of his staring straight at me broke my concentration. That left us with the awkward situation of a Tauren and Night elf in cat form, glaring at each other.

Some instinct simply clicked in my mind, and I pounced. The Night elf defended himself, jerking his body out of the way and slashing with his claws. I drew back with a roar, rearing up on my hind legs and slashing. The whole thing turned into a clawing frenzy driven more by bestial instincts than anything else. One of his slashes raked me across the left side of my face. Howling, I sank my fangs into his shoulder, provoking a pain-stricken yelp in return.

However, he also pulled back, dragging both of us down a steep slope. My jaws hit the rocky ground, sending a wave of pain up my body. Next thing I knew, I'd slipped off a ledge and plunged into the icy cold water below.

It didn't take me long to scramble out of the cold water, coughing and spluttering. The Night elf was nowhere in sight now, but I was still slightly disorientated. Panting, I lay down to recover, trying to make sense of where I now was.

The arrow was so sudden that I barely caught sight of it. However, I most certainly felt it as it plunged into my thigh. I sprang up in spite of the pain, homing my senses in on my attacker. A Broken draenei was standing across the cavern, yelling in some strange language as he readied another arrow.

I didn't have much time to think, sprinting away as the arrow whizzed past my body. Letting off a snarl, I quickly closed the gap with my superior speed. The Broken barely moved, and only dodged my pouncing attack at the last second. I heard the distinctive click seconds before a wave of cold blasted my mind.

A hunter's freezing trap, and I was caught in it. Frozen in the ice and cursing my own stupidity. I could neither move a muscle nor even blink, but my viewpoint was enough to see the hunter begin to channel a spell.

My head begun to hurt really badly. My bestial instincts were howling. And then, the freezing trap was broken. I tried to resume the attack, but my body just wouldn't move. But I then saw my paws step forward, and I realized that my body was moving, just not responding to my commands.

No...it can't be...I'm being taken....as a hunter's pet?

The thought stirred panic in my mind. But even as my Tauren mind struggled, my bestial mind grew more passive. It was getting harder and harder to maintain my string of thought. My mind felt sleepy, like it was ...fading away. Was my bestial side truly overwriting my true self? Was I just going to disappear like this?

No...no...help...I...I can't...resist...help...

CRASH! I was suddenly sent sprawling over. In spite of my weariness, I looked up and stared in shock.

It was the Night elf in his cat form, he'd knocked both the hunter and myself over, disrupting the spell. The hunter screamed in pain as the Night elf brought his jaws down on his hand, knocking his weapon aside. The hunter kicked the druid away, who bounded off the wall, and came running towards me.

I saw his jaws open and coming for my neck, but I didn't have the strength to move. I could only close my eyes and wait for the moment when his fangs would rip my throat out.

But that moment didn't come.

The jaws when for the scruff of my neck instead, and I was suddenly being lifted and dragged away. I could only open my eyes in shock. Was he actually dragging me away from the hunter? I so desperately wanted to ask why. But even if he could've somehow understand my growling, I barely had the strength.

The Broken had continued firing at us, and an explosive arrow shot knocked us apart. I rolled and crashed into the wall, reverting to my Tauren form. The Night elf had also shifted back to his natural form, looking just as bruised as me.

It didn't take an understanding of the Broken's language to know that he was really furious by now. I glanced towards the Night elf, who was charging up a whitish glow in his hands. However, he had his hands pointed towards the ceiling instead.

"Ash Karath!" he shouting, glancing at me.

Somehow, his intention got through to me. Our simultaneous Moonfire spells went off as the Broken got within range, sending the rocks from the tunnel's roof crashing down upon him. The Night elf was forced to shield his face as the rock showed hit him. Digging deep into my energy reserves, I dragged myself up and hauled the smaller druid to his feet.

Both of us then begun running alongside each other.

It seemed like an eternity before the two of us made our way out of the series of caverns and back to the surface level of Zangarmarsh. Both of us were bruised, battered, exhausted, but alive. We ended up collapsing on a patch of grass near one of the numerous entrances to the caverns made by previous adventurers.

It was an odd situation to say the least.

"Why...did you help me?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.

The Night elf turned towards me with a confused glance. Mentally, I slapped myself.

"Taur-ahe?" I asked hopefully.

The Night elf shook his head. It was pretty clear that it was going to be difficult to communicate verbally. Desperately, I racked my mind for any words of Darnassian I'd picked up in Moonglade. I'd been the first one to attack, but he'd still saved me from being turned into a hunter's pet. I was determined to learn why.

"Why did you help me?" I tried again, this time gesturing to him, myself and making a lifting motion.

He spoke a string of words in Darnassian, none of which I could really catch the meaning of. Now it was my turn to stare in confusion. Noting my expression, the Night elf gestured a 'come' and shifted into his Storm crow form. Calming my body, I did the same, although his feathers were a dark purple and mine a shade of brown.

Following behind him, I soared high above Zangarmarsh and into the neighboring plains of Nagrand. The early morning sun was just showing up in the horizon, surprising me that we'd been down in the caverns all night. A calm breeze was blowing past, giving a cooling feeling across my feathers. I caught a thermal and soared higher, mentally letting off a laugh. Something so simple was enough to give my comfort after that harrowing experience.

The Night elf then dropped down onto a cliff overlooking Nagrand, in his cat form, and I followed likewise. I watched as he pressed his paw onto the sand there, leaving the impression of it. He then sat on his hind legs and gestured over Nagrand with a paw, followed by touching his heart. I was still slightly confused, but he pulled my paw over and pressed it down, leaving a mark very similar to his own.

It was then that I understood. We were both druids, perhaps different in faction, but in another way united in the spirit of nature. The spirit to play our part in maintaining that great balance, and putting aside our differences to work towards that goal. We were connected through the powers of nature we draw upon, and the animals whose forms we assume.

The only way I could acknowledge was to return to my Tauren form and smile. He returned the gesture, and no further words were exchanged. We Tauren are naturally much larger than most other races, and I've been told that even one smiling can be pretty intimidating.

However, this here was different. It was a mutual, unspoken feeling.

As he was standing there, I took note of something. A herb pouch was strapped to his belt...with the leaf of a Sanguine Hibiscus hanging slightly out of it. There was one final thing I wanted to know. Waving to catch his attention, I showed him my own pouch, pointed to his, and made a lifting motion.

"You were there to collect herbs?"

He nodded, and gestured to my pouch. I smiled and nodded, indicating that I had been there for the same reason. I couldn't help but burst out laughing, and he did the same.

I suppose stereotypes were something he couldn't avoid either.

I stayed on long after the Night elf had taken his leave. Soon, I would have to go back and turn in my herbs. I could imagine having to report that the Alliance activity I'd encountered were 'flower-pickers', although leaving out the finer details was probably for the better. Knowing that old Orc, he'd then start droning on about Taurens and druids and being 'tree-huggers' and so forth. But I didn't really care.

Looking back at the paw marks on the ground, I had been reminded of something much more important. Tensions between the Horde and Alliance had been growing, even more so since the events of the Wrathgate and the battle for Undercity.

But in spite of all these conflicts and tensions going around, in spite of all the happenings, there would always be some ties that bind us druids.

When I get home, I have to make a note to visit Moonglade a little more often...