NOVEL NEXT Chapter 62: Elven Support
A/N: If you've enjoyed reading this story and want to hop on board my next story right at the moment of its conception, please check out The Soul Engine for me! It just started and I'm really excited for it~
-x-X-x-
The moment she lays eyes on Astranaar off in the distance, a smile spreads across Shandris’ face. Bringing her fingers to her lips, she lets out a sharp whistle before veering the Hippogryph she’s currently riding down from the sky. Behind her, the rest of the formation follows suit and lets her lead them down.
Rather than going in straight for a landing, Shandris takes the formation on a scenic route, allowing them all to see Astranaar in all its glory from a bird’s eye view for a few moments as they wing around for a while. She does so for multiple reasons, chief among them making sure she can see a proper place for all of them to land where they won’t make a mess. But she also wants to give their guest a chance to see that she wasn’t just telling tall tales.
They pass over not just Night Elves, but their allies as well. Orcs and tauren and humans alike are scattered across the city. Perhaps not in the same numbers as Shandris’ people, but they’re still more than visible in the sprawling Night Elf Capital’s population. Regardless, once they’ve flown in circles a handful of times, Shandris guides the formation down to an open field nearby where visiting Hippogryph Riders are expected to land and handlers are waiting with feed and water for their mounts.
Of course, most of the time these fields aren’t expected to host a veritable herd of Hippogryphs, which is why Shandris chooses one that has empty fields on either side of it, knowing full well that with their numbers, her group is going to spill out a fair bit.
Regardless, they land without any incident and when the handlers see that it’s her they don’t raise a fuss, even stopping to salute and bow their heads in respect to their ‘General’.
Even after all these months, Shandris was still getting used to being General Feathermoon. Sure, she’d spent an awful long time as a Sentinel Captain, so she was used to some level of leadership… but that didn’t change the fact that General was a massive step up. That said, she hadn’t been idle with it. She’d slipped into the role and shouldered the responsibility without complaint and she’d made the best of the last several months as General of the Sentinel Army.
The proof of her efforts dismounts from a Hippogryph right next to her as Shandris does the same, causing the Sentinel General to grin and plant her hands on her hips after handing the reins of her mount over to a handler.
“Well? What did I tell you? I said your people were welcome in these lands, did I not?”
The figure wears a hood and mask at first, but after a moment of hesitation, pulls the hood back and tugs the mask down. Eyes flicking over to the city where they’d seen orcs mingling with the other races, Garona Halforcen’s eyes narrow for a second as she grimaces.
“They were never my people. Not really.”
Shandris winces a little bit at that. She knew a little bit about the other woman’s past. Being only half-orc, Garona hadn’t had an easy life by any stretch of the imagination. Being a tool for monsters had made it even harder. Which was why when Rognak told Shandris to keep an eye out for her, the Night Elf Sentinel had done precisely that.
Though… she had to wonder if her beloved knew exactly how well that would turn out. He’d warned her that he didn’t know the precise timeline, and that Garona might not be an ally when they finally crossed paths… but Shandris had managed to arrive just in time to stop that ogre Cho’gall’s plans right in their tracks. Saving Garona from being brainwashed into serving the two-headed ogre and his cult had gone a long way to winning Shandris significant favor with the half-orc… but that didn’t keep Garona from being downright skittish.
That she’d even been willing to come this far… well, Shandris privately suspected Garona had more taken her up on the offer for a ride back to civilization more than anything. While Shandris had her forces setting up a more permanent base on an isle off the coast of Feralas that they had gone behind her back to name Feathermoon Stronghold, the area was still mostly untamed wilderness to the extent that even the name ‘Feralas’ was a little TOO on point.
It wasn’t like Ashenvale Forest either. That was their forest and always would be. Feralas was wildlands of a different sort, and so far down south that it had been quite some time since the Night Elves had focused their attention in that direction.
Regardless, Garona had agreed to come back with her, but she had seemed so very flighty ever since Shandris and her Sentinels had saved her and killed Cho’gall. The General couldn’t call them friends, but she liked to think they were friendly at least.
“… Will the Seer be around?”
Shandris frowns at that. Garona’s voice is both anticipatory and trepidatious. Ever since Shandris had let slip to the half-orc that Rognak had been the one to set her on the path to confronting Cho’gall and preventing Garona’s capture, Garona had seemed to half-want to meet him and half-not. Even now, even after coming all this way, she sounded as though she didn’t know herself whether Shandris’ answer would see her fleeing for the hills or not.
Still, all Shandris can do is shake her head and shrug.
“I don’t think so. I told you before, he’d left for a very important mission to Northrend before I headed down to Feralas. I don’t think they’ve returned quite yet so-!”
Before Shandris can finish her sentence with a ‘so why don’t you stick around for a while and we’ll wait for them together’, a voice calls out to her, cutting her off.
“General Feathermoon! News from the Temple!”
Blinking, Shandris looks over to her Lieutenant as the other Night Elf approaches, snapping off a crisp salute before relaying the information that she just got from one of the handlers.
“The High Priestess is back in residence, General. The Expedition has returned from Northrend and apparently word on the street is that their mission was a complete success!”
Shandris’ eyes widen and she very nearly leaps out of the pen and races towards the Temple right then and there. But while her body jerks in that direction, she remembers Garona’s presence at the last second and turns towards the half-orc, mouth open to tell her that the ‘Seer’ might just be back on the continent after all.
However, in the scant few seconds that Shandris has turned away, Garona has vanished. Not completely though. A quick scan of the area and Shandris just barely catches the half-orc, once more hooded and masked, disappearing into a crowd down a nearby street. Anyone else and Garona Halforcen would have gotten away clean, but Shandris Feathermoon had spent ten thousand years hunting in this forest, damn it.
Still… she doesn’t chase after the other woman. She doesn’t want to scare Garona anymore than necessary. Despite Garona’s past as an assassin and killer for evil fel-users, Rognak had spoken of the half-orc woman as a good person suffering from poor circumstances. And after everything, Shandris had to agree with him.
Garona would show up again… or she wouldn’t. Either way, Shandris had a reunion at the Temple of Elune that was WELL overdue.
Rather than race after Garona, Shandris turns in the opposite direction and races to the Temple. At a certain point, the General even takes to the rooftops, hopping across them in order to avoid getting caught up in the press of the crowds below. She has to come back down to pass over the bridges to Astranaar’s main island of course, but her face is enough for the guards to stand aside as she races into the Temple and up to the top floor.
And then… there she is. Tyrande Whisperwind stands looking resplendent in her signature white dress, speaking with one of the other Priestesses of Elune as Shandris arrives. Of course, Shandris’ somewhat explosive entrance complete with her having to skid to a halt draws their eyes.
Swallowing thickly, Shandris feels her spine straighten up as she meets Tyrande’s eyes.
“High Priestess Whisperwind. Welcome back.”
Tyrande raises a brow at that, but also the corner of her mouth, even as she tilts her head to the side.
“I feel as though that should be my line, General Feathermoon.”
Shandris flushes and for a brief moment wonders if there’s going to be a distance between them… but then Tyrande smiles a real smile and spreads her arms wide. Shandris doesn’t hesitate to throw herself into her mother’s chest as the two of them embrace. Softly chuckling, Tyrande holds her close and whispers into Shandris’ ear.
“Welcome home.”
-x-X-x-
They talk for hours and somehow Shandris finds herself in a somewhat compromising and very un-General-like position of having her head in Tyrande’s lap. The Sentinel General is laid out on a couch in Tyrande’s quarters at the very top of the Temple of Elune, while Tyrande sits there, running her fingers through Shandris’ hair and listening to everything she has to say.
Of course, Shandris has in turn interrogated Tyrande quite extensively about her time in Northrend. The experience sounds like it was… quite harrowing and if not for her own adventures, Shandris would be far more upset that she wasn’t allowed to come. As it is, she wouldn’t trade some of her experiences these past few months for the world. Besides, it sounded like her mother was in good hands. In some cases, VERY good hands.
“Shandris.”
Tyrande’s chiding tone lets Shandris know that her smugness has managed to leak out onto her face, prompting the Sentinel General to shoot the High Priestess of Elune an apologetic look even as Tyrande rolls her eyes in exasperation. Still… everything had worked out well. All had gone according to plan.
Frankly, the only way things could have been more perfect was if both Rognak AND Tyrande had been waiting in Astranaar for her when Shandris came home. But then…
“I suppose I understand why Rognak went on ahead, given Jaina’s condition. He’s probably in Theramore by now, checking in on her.”
Tyrande’s fingers stop their movement and the Priestess tilts her head to the side, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“… Condition?”
Which of course sparks some confusion from Shandris, who finally sits up on the couch to look at Tyrande properly.
“… He didn’t tell you when the letter arrived? I’m surprised that he kept something like that to himself truth be told.”
Slowly shaking her head, Tyrande looks even more confused than before.
“Letter? Shandris, as one of the Expedition Leaders, I can tell you that we received no correspondence while we were in Northrend. Not Rognak, not any of us.”
Shandris’ eyes widen at that. For a moment, she’s left processing… before in the end, she just sort of blurts it out.
Brow furrowed, the Sentinel General frowns as Tyrande quietly processes this information.
“Hmph. Was she afraid of Rognak’s reaction or something? Silly girl… she must have decided to slow roll it. Humans can be so silly sometimes. Living life at breakneck speeds one moment, and then waffling about and tiptoeing around issues as though they’re immortal and have ten thousand years the next.”
Huffing, Shandris flops back down onto Tyrande’s lap, leading the Priestess of Elune to squawk indignantly before smiling indulgently as Shandris gets herself comfortable once more.
“Well, if Rognak left when you said he did, he would have made it to Orgrimmar and received the letter then before going onto Theramore, I imagine. So all’s well that ends well, right?”
Tyrande opens her mouth to reply to that-
C-CRASH!
Only for something to slam into the balcony just off of her quarters before she can say a word. Instantly, Shandris is up, pulling the dagger she always keeps on her from her boot. Tyrande rises to her feet as well, even as both of them face the balcony… just in time to see a familiar wyvern transform back into an even more familiar orc.
As Rognak stomps into the High Priestess’ quarters, Shandris puts her knife away and snickers, a wide grin on her face.
“Rognak! So good of you to join us! In fact, we were just talking about you~”
She ignores how her lecherous tone provokes an alarmed look from Tyrande… but can’t ignore the way Rognak huffs and shakes his head.
“Now is not the time, Shandris. Jaina is in danger.”
That gets the attention of both Night Elves, and they listen carefully as Rognak outlines the situation in clipped, short tones. Obviously, they have some questions… on the face of it, Jaina’s father coming to his daughter’s city to visit doesn’t seem like an inherently bad thing, even WITH a fleet of warships at his back. But the more Rognak explains, the graver and more dire the situation becomes in Shandris’ mind.
Finally finished with both his explanation and answering their questions to their satisfaction, Rognak turns to Tyrande and bows low at the waist.
“High Priestess Whisperwind… Warchief Thrall is currently mobilizing the Horde to go south to Theramore in the hopes of helping Lady Proudmoore maintain control over her seat. I am here to ask for your people’s aid in this endeavor. The Expedition Fleet in particular might aid us significantly in forcing the Lord Admiral to the bargaining table.”
To her credit, Tyrande doesn’t even hesitate.
“And you will have it, Chieftain. General Feathermoon, gather up as many Sentinels as you can and head for Dustwallow. I will go and see the Fleet moved into action myself. It will take us some time to get down the coast of Kalimdor however.
Rognak just nods at that.
“It will take the Horde time to come together as well. Time I can only hope we have.”
Hearing the worry in Rognak’s voice, Shandris grimaces and steps forward, placing a hand on her lover’s shoulder.
“It’s going to be alright, Rognak. We’re going to get Jaina back. No matter what.”
She considers mentioning Garona in the hopes that the success might boost his spirits… but no. Now is not the time for distractions. Rognak gives her a simple nod in return, and then all three of them go their separate ways. Mobilizing the Sentinels, moving the Fleet, and gearing up the Warsong Clan for what might be a war…
This wasn’t how Shandris had hoped their reunion would go. Especially after what she’d learned of everything that had transpired between Rognak and her mother in Northrend. But… Jaina was a priority. She wouldn’t let any harm come to the human woman. Not while she still drew breath.
-x-X-x-
If you'd like to read more of my work not seen on this website, check out Hentai-Foundry.com and QuestionableQuesting.com where I have over a thousand stories!
If you'd like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on Patreon.com/Cambrian
Thanks for reading!