//------------------------------//
// Chapter 36 - Worgen Hard Or Hardly Worgen? 
// Story: My Little Warcraft - New Friends 
// by Shin Guyviroth 
//------------------------------//

It was all just a tad too much for the blood elf. When was the last time he had such a good time? Even though he lived through the years as though they were days, with his memory keeping track of events as quick, he couldn't remember the last time he had such a party, surrounded by those whom he called his friends. How long had it been since he sat at a table eating a large cake, playing party games, and drinking so much that he fell arse over head when he tried to sit up from his seat?

He felt like he didn't deserve to be there.

With Applejack's barn house -- the venue of Pinkie's grand party -- getting the last of the cleaning sorted, Gai'vahros sat upon a bundle of cube-shaped haystacks, looking over to the horizon as the sun sat at midday. His eyes were ever set upon the view in front of him -- a giant apple tree orchard that spanned lord knows how far. 

Gentle hoofsteps padded the grass as Twilight made her way towards him. "Oh, Gai'vahros," she called out, She gave a soft sigh. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Sorry about that," he replied as he turned towards her, rotating on his backside and facing her. "Didn't mean to worry you, my Lady Twilight."

But despite that usual, cheery tone, Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You okay?" she asked with suspicion. "What's on your mind?"

"Hm? No, nothing. Just thought I'd come and get some fresh air. Beats the smell of timber and oil paint, you know?"

"That's a fair excuse, Gai'vahros, but I know when something's bothering you." Twilight climbed upon the stacks and sat next to Gai'vahros. "Whenever you're down you always sit and look up at the sky or into the distance. So, what's wrong?"

With a soft sigh, Gai'vahros leaned back onto his hands and gazed off onwards. "It's been a weird week," he responded. "Ever since I came here I've been thinking about what's happening back home. Makes me wonder what will have changed when I go back. It's pretty scary…"

Twilight paused for a moment to consider her words. "Don't take this the wrong way," she spoke, "but you said it yourself that you're just an adventurer, right? I'm sure that there will be others who will take your place and do as good a job as you would."

"Aye, but it's not all that simple. I was supposed to help lead the blood knights, but now that's left solely to Lady Liadrin. I just hope that it won't be too much of a burden for her -- or at the very least she'll have some company with her."

Twilight couldn't help but giggle. "You're pretty overprotective."

"Oh, shush." Gai'vahros smirked and gave Twilight a gentle nudge, chuckling ever slightly. "So, where's everyone else?"

"Applejack and Pinkie Pie are both cleaning up the barn house. Some party, huh?"

"Yeah, it was pretty wild."

"Gilda and Rainbow Dash took off on their own somewhere. I guess they're catching up with each other." A sweet smile crept over her lips. "I'm glad that they got back together, you know? In fact, I'm glad that we've all managed to put our differences aside."

"I know what you mean," agreed Gai'vahros. "They say, "to err is mortal, but to forgive is divine". I always thought the phrase to be pretty stupid, but it's in trying times that you finally make sense of it."

"You found it pretty hard to forgive someone, Gai'vahros?"

"Not to forgive, but to put aside the grudge at least. When we finally beat the Lich King, something happened. Something I didn't think would ever happen in a million years. I felt… bad."

"Bad? Whatever for? This Lich King was going to destroy your world, right? He had already drove your people to extinction!"

"You're right. But after the dust settled, we didn't see a "Lich King". We saw Arthas Menethil -- the man whose soul was taken by his sword and became nothing more than a cold, ruthless killer. I still remember seeing him, laying upon the ice and dying, gasping for air with each breath. As the spirit of his father cradled his dying body, he asked of him, "Is it over". When I saw him… the hatred was gone. All I felt was a deep sense of pity for him. It was as if we had freed him of a curse, a possession."

Twilight sat in silence, listening intently towards the elf's words. "Kind of like when Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon…"

"I would think so, except Arthas wasn't fortunate enough to meet a kinder fate. It made me think. Made me change my stance and my views on things. Are people truly evil? Are they just misguided? or do they believe that their way is the right way? Is there truly evil in the world? Or are there just different views to the same situation?"

"I guess… but what about things like hurting kids? or attacking innocent people?"

"I guess those things would be considered evil. But what I'm saying is that we can't just think things as black and white and then be ignorant to everything other than our own conclusions." 

But Twilight didn't reply. Truly, she didn't even need to. It was never something she had thought about before, but now that it was brought up she at least now had an opportunity to do so. What he said did make sense, after all.

"So, what about everyone else?" continued Gai'vahros.

"Oh, right. I think Rarity and Spike went to go collect gems, and Fluttershy said she was going to go check up on her animals for a quick moment."

"That's right, wasn't Mogan looking after them?"

"Apparently he got… um… "called back" to the Argent Crusade."

"Lucky him, getting teleported around so freely."

Twilight could almost taste the frustration behind his words. "You miss your world, don't you?" she asked softly.

"I kind of see it like a terrible job," replied Gai'vahros, though much to Twilight's confusion. She raised an eyebrow. "As much as I don't fancy going back to war, I'm compelled to do so. It's my duty to my people to do so, or rather my commitment to do so."

"Strange. Only a couple of days ago you said that fighting made you feel alive, like it was just a natural part of you as much as walking and breathing."

"War is a dirty business, you know. When you go to war, you don't fight for your own ideals; you fight for someone else's. You fight for things that you don't believe in, for ideals that aren't your own, and for a truth that you've only been fed. But you fight because you want to protect those you love and care about, and fighting is the only way to do it."

"There're things such as peace talks and negotiations, Gai'vahros."

"Only to those who do not have deaf ears. There are times when talks are not an option, because your enemy only wants to crush you and everyone else beneath their heels. That's how conquering works."

"I guess you've seen a lot of that…"

Gai'vahros smirked with a light chuckle. "I don't expect you to understand, my Lady Twilight. You are still young and naïve about these kinds of things. But I will say this: always keep your mind open, and never judge things as black or white."

"… I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Twilight looked onwards, but something caught her eye in the distance. Against the bright skies it could only be made out as a silhouette of a flying creature, almost bird-like. It was heading with great speed, but as it came closer it was only Fluttershy. "Oh, welcome back, Fluttershy," greeted Twilight with a smile. "How are all your animals?"

"T-They're fine," stammered Fluttershy, "but I've found something in the Everfree Forest!"

"What kind of "something"?"

"Well, I was flying back from my home and I noticed something large in the clearing -- something I'd not seen on the way to. So, I went down to check and it was… um…"

"It wasn't something… horrible, right?"

"N-no, no, no! It was just really… strange. It was an overturned caravan wagon."

Gai'vahros raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "An… overturned wagon? In the forest?" he repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah… but it was in a clearing where there's only a narrow path -- much too narrow for a wagon to get through."

Gai'vahros and Twilight shared glanced at each other, but Twilight only shrugged.

"How do you suppose it managed to get there?" Gai'vahros asked Twilight. "If it was dropped from the sky then surely we would have noticed it? Lady Fluttershy even testified that it wasn't there on her way to her home."

"I guess it could have just appeared in the clearing, like with a teleport or translocation spell." As Twilight finished, she noticed Gai'vahros had dropped into silence. "You have any idea what this could be?" she asked him.

"There's been a lot of appearing acts lately," he spoke up. "First I arrive, and then Liliandra shows up, and now presumably this caravan. Fluttershy, do you recognize the wagon as being of Equestrian design?"

"Oh… Well, now that I think about it, it looked kinda similar to the ones used in Manehattan, but… it looked a lot more decorative, and it had lanterns on the back of it."

"You think that this wagon came from your world, Gai'vahros?" asked Twilight.

"I have a pretty strong hunch that that's the case."

"Well then," Applejack called out from the side of the group, "how's about we all take a lil trip down to the Everfree Forest, then?" 

"Absolutely not," commanded Gai'vahros as he hopped down from the haystacks. "If this is another group of people from Azeroth then I can say that it could be a group of Gilneans."

Applejack only gazed at him in confusion. "And… what exactly is wrong with that?"

"Gilneans are trained hunters. To them you'd be seen as either fair game or pack mules that need taming. Or food."

"F-food?" stammered Fluttershy with a audible squeak, holding her fore-hooves up to her face. "W-what do you mean by that…?"

There wasn't much point in trying to find a way to soften the blow now. "Gilneans are… They're lycanthropes. Werewolves."

"W-What!?" they all cried out at the same time, although Fluttershy wasn't as worried as the others.

"W-well, maybe I can try talking to them… and see if I can console them…"

"They're not animals, my Lady Fluttershy," settled Gai'vahros. "They're people, just like me and you. Well, you know, more like me… just more furry. And with longer claws."

Shifting on her hooves lightly, Applejack began to sweat. She could feel a bead or two run down her brow and along her cheek. "Uh… Heh… I think I'll just stay here an'… clean the barn… an' stuff."

"I'll stay and give you a hand," joined Twilight with a crude smile. "If that's okay with you, Gai'vahros?"

He merely shook his head with a smirk. "Sure, sure. I'd rather you kept out of this anyway, just to be on the safe side. Although, my Lady Fluttershy…"

"O-oh, um… Do you need me for something?" she asked softly.

"As much as I don't want to bring anyone in harm's way, I do need someone to show me the way, and… well, you're the only one who knows where it is."

"O-okay… Just follow me."





The tops of the trees blocked out nearly all sunlight that dared tried to pierce through, forming a phalanx-like formation over the land. If the darkness wasn't bad enough then the stagnant atmosphere and the heavy tension definitely put some strain on the elf. From the continuous shift from hard dirt to sticky mud to rocky terrain, trying to keep a good walking pace was like shifting through a thick bog. If it weren't for his rigid boots he was certainly sure that he would have broken his ankles by now.

But the tension he could feel in the area was incredible. Even though he had seen a lot of hostile creatures and monsters to the point that all but the most largest of wyrms and giants were trivial, he could feel it once more. That dark, foreboding feeling of fear of being pounced upon before you knew it. It reminded him of walking through the Ghostlands and Duskwood.

"How do you even keep your footing in this forest?" muttered Gai'vahros audibly. "I've climbed mountains easier than this."

"I don't think I'm having too much trouble," responded Fluttershy, leading the elf along a couple of feet in front. "But I guess I'm just used to walking around here every day."

"Every day? I thought you said this place was really dangerous?"

"Oh, well, it is… for other ponies, but I always talk to the animals here so that they would be more nice and not so vicious…"

"Huh. Sounds like a neat skill to have when trekking out in places like this, I suppose."

Climbing over the occasional log and leaping across the odd ditch, both of them found themselves upon a path that was a lot more forgiving towards Gai'vahros' ankles. It was almost like the entire pathway was stamped flat by passing travellers.

Fluttershy stopped as she came across a small cut-off that lead along another path. "This is the place," she said, looking down the narrow pathway that was flanked by large, thick trees. 

Gai'vahros understood what she meant by its size limiting what could travel across here. He was sure that a wagon cart couldn't get through here. "Great. Thank you, my Lady Fluttershy," he responded with a smile. "But I think you should head back -- quickly, now." 

"O-okay… Just… be careful…" Quickly she shot from the ground and soared out of and over the forest top, heading back towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Cautiously Gai'vahros took step after step upon the dirt path, but it was hard to keep his footing on ground that was largely cracked and rocky. The lack of light would have been a hindrance to most people but thankfully his darkvision lent some aid. 

But as he continued down the path, the terrain began to change. The dirt turned to moss and then to grass. The trees became more revitalizes, their bark not dried up or flaking off. It was as though the further this path went on, it showed the flora around him return to life.

And sure enough, as he stepped out from the path and into the clearing, it was covered in life. The area, perhaps fifty yards in diameter, was filled with grass, littered with flowers, and surrounded by trees that looked as though they had just returned to bloom for the Summer season. It was a marvel to behold, if confusing at the same time. 

In the middle of this lush scenery was the overturned, battered caravan that Fluttershy had seen. The exterior was shaped quiet weirdly, coloured in a smooth, ivory white with the timber struts giving it support were unpainted. The two sides were given blue tiled awnings, although many have either been dislodged or shattered. One of the wheels lay broken in half, while another was detached from the cart itself some feet away. As Fluttershy said, there were a few lanterns attached, although two seemed prefixed on the back. 

"Thought so," Gai'vahros muttered to himself. "Definitely a Gilnean caravan." Quickly he drew his sword and shield at the ready, carefully approaching what remains on the wreckage. Turning his head to view the roof of the wagon, he found only that a huge part of it had been knocked through, presumably by brute force. 

Gai'vahros ears pricked up. It was faint, but somewhere behind him he could hear the gentle rustling of leaves. The wind was wafting a cool, gentle breeze, but it wasn't enough to sway the branches of the tree tops, let alone the bushes on the ground. Turning around, he tried to focus on where the rustling was coming from. Slowly scanning from left to right, he shifted his eyes around to try and find anything out of the ordinary.

And the bushes rustled again. This time, though, he saw it. He gazed forward, raising his armaments in front. "Show yourself," he called out. But there was no response. He shifted his head to one side, trying to peer around to the side of the shrubbery. He didn't see anyone, but what caught his eye was something a bit more worrying. As he shifted his sight, the light reflected off of something round and silver like a ring. 

A ring with a fairly large hole in it.

A sudden locking sound came from the bush and, as quickly as he could, Gai'vahros raised his shield in front of him. What followed next was a sudden, loud bang, and him being knocked back against the wagon as a large amount of force bashed against the shield. His head snapped back, whacking the wagon, although his bushy ponytail cushioned most of the impact. Nonetheless, he could only see with a blurred vision.

A large figure rose from the bushes and stepped over it, making its way over to the prone elf. The figure was that of a slender female, complimented with a typical lady-like dress sense; she wore a beige tunic with sleeves up to the elbows and a long, green skirt. Around her head was a purple hood that tied under her chin.

But her form… Her form was most distinct. Her entire body was covered in thick, grey fur. Her hands and feet were bare, being bestial and more paw-like, with long, black claws stretching from their digits. Her face was canine, wolf-like, and vicious. Her expression was ever constantly angry, even if she had no reason to be.

She had her arms at her midriff, holding in her bony fingers a long, silver rifle, with her finger still on the trigger. Her breathing was heavy, and she let out a snarl as she stopped only a few feet in front of her target. "Well, what do we have here?" she spoke up, her voice deep and raspy. "Seems there's a lot of elves running around these days."

Gai'vahros looked up to her, keeping his eyes locked onto her toothy face. "Funny," he responded with a light smirk, "because I've not seen a lot of you "worgen" running around lately." His hand shifted slowly, reaching over for his sword that lay only a few inches away.

But the beast planted her foot on his glove, pinning his hand down, and raising the barrel of her rifle only inches away from his head. "I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you," she warned with a low growl. "There's a reason why I've survived in the Plaguelands for months. Make any sudden moves and I'll paint this caravan with a new colour I like to call, "Hint-Of-Brain"."

More rustling came from the side, along with the emergence of another two figures, both clad in heavy armor. The first was short yet stocky, his build large and muscular, with a huge, ginger beard. His was clad in dark blue and bronze armor, wielding a shield and a white warhammer. The second was another blood elf, with long, swept back red hair, and clad in shining silver armor with a blackened greatsword in hand.

"Are ya alright, Fiona?" called out the shorter of the two, sounding incredibly worried. "We heard a gunshot, an'--" he stopped for a moment as he saw her holding up Gai'vahros. "Well bust me balls an' send me to Ironforge, I never thought I'd see ye in action!"

But his elven companion had no reason to compliment her, deep in thought. "Wait a moment," he spoke up finally, making his way over to the two of them, "I've met this man before." Making his way over to the blood knight, Fiona lowered her rifle and stepped back. "You…! You are…!" His face turned a pale white. He stepped back, almost mortified.

"You recognize this elf, Tarenar?" asked Fiona. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"This… This is Lord Gai'vahros!" Quickly Tarenar planted his sword into the ground, kneeling down upon one knee. "Please, forgive her!" he begged, his head hung. He dared not make eye contact. 

"Um…" Gai'vahros looked around, almost as confused as the other two were by Tarenar's behaviour. "I've not been called a Lord before, but… thanks for the prestige?"

"Get up off yer knees, Tarenar," the dwarf protested, prodding his friend's arm with the head of his hammer. "Yer look like a right pansy."

"Gidwin," he responded, "you were there in Mount Hyjal, too! Do you not remember him?"

Turning to Gai'vahros, Gidwin moved his head closer, stroking his beard. "A-aye, you're right! You're that elf who's been fightin' in the Firelands invasion! But… Gai'vahros? That means you…!"

Gai'vahros sighed. "Can I at least stand up, now?"

"O-of course," muttered the pair of them, rushing over to him and helping to pick him off the floor and stand him up, taking it in turns to brush the dirt from his armor.

"Oh, Lord Gai'vahros, please don't report me to the Lord Regent," pleaded Tarenar.

"An' dun hold any ill will to Fiona, here," added Gidwin. "She's jus' been a bit on edge after the recent happenings."

Without a hint of restraint, Fiona bopped the dwarf on the head with the butt of her rifle. "Enough of you, Gidwin. You're making me look bad."

"Wait, wait. Hold up," intervened Gai'vahros, cutting off their exchange. "What do you mean by, "recent happenings"? What on earth is going on on Azeroth?"

"What do you mean, "on Azeroth"?", asked Tarenar. "How can you not notice all of the thunderstorms and anomalies that's been going on the last few days?"

Gai'vahros stopped for a moment. He gazed at the three of them, one at a time, before realizing that they were not aware. "Guys -- and girl… You do realize that you're not on Azeroth anymore, right?"

The other three gazed at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. 

"Come on, now," chuckled Gidwin, "what do ya take us for? We ain't a troupe o' two brainless tin cans an' a fur rug! Of course we're still on Azeroth… right?"

But before Gai'vahros could answer, a loud noise of grouped footsteps made its was quickly towards them. The thundering trotting got ever louder until the whole group made their way to the clearing. Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy stood in front of the path, halting quickly.

"Gai'vahros," called out Twilight, her voice full of worry, struggling with bated breaths, "are you okay? We heard a loud noise!"

The others turned as they spoke out, and all apart from Gai'vahros were stunned. 

"Did that… Did that horse just talk?" asked Tarenar as he pointed towards Twilight.

Fiona, however, only raised her rifle to her sight. "It won't be for long," she said callously.

As the other ponies moved in front of Twilight, Gai'vahros stepped up to Fiona. "Give me that damn thing," he yelled at her, grasping the barrel of the rifle and yanking it from her grasp. "I'm getting real tired of you waving this thing around!" Without giving Gidwin a chance to pay attention, he tossed the rifle towards him, with the dwarf scrambling to get a hold of it. "As long as you're here, she doesn't lay a single paw on that gun -- or I'll cut her down myself. Are we clear on that?"

Fiona dared not to challenge him. Tarenar was not one to fight among his own kin given their people's experience, and the fact that he looked up to Gai'vahros like an idol. Gidwin, whose power was not as great as most other paladins, would never dream of facing up against the man who helped end the Lich King, destroy the Firelord, and vanquish the Destroyer of Worlds. 

"Aye… you can count on me," spoke Gidwin softly, holstering the rifle across his backpack.

Fluttershy, however, was not as intimidated as she was curious about them. "Um… So they aren't animals?" she asked with intrigue. "They look really… different from you." Her focus turned to Tarenar. "But you're another elf, right?"

Tarenar didn't know what to say at first. His mind was still flipping around in his head trying to get to grips that a winged horse was talking to him -- and incredibly well, too. Her sweet, gentle voice cooed into his ears in a way that gave him the great urge to cuddle her. "Y-yes," he spoke finally, "I'm a blood elf, like Lord Gai'vahros."

"Uh, "Lord" Gai'vahros?" repeated Applejack as she made her way forward. "What's the deal with that, Gai? You never told us you were a Lord."

"Hey, I only just found that out myself just now," he responded with a shrug. "Tell me, Tarenar, why the prestige?"

"You do not know? All knew blood knights are told about the greatest of blood knight champions -- Lady Liadrin, Lord Bloodwrath, Master Pyreanor, all of them. And then they always leave you, the best, till last."

"Huh. I never knew that the blood knight order cared so much."

"Also," intervened Fiona, approaching Fluttershy, "could you not refer to us as animals?"

Fluttershy squeaked, backing off quickly on light wings with her hooves to her mouth. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to insult you…"

"Could ye at least explain what in the nine hells is goin' on, lass?" spoke Gidwin in impatience.

"Don't worry," spoke Twilight as she approached, "I'll be happy to explain what is going on…"