World of Warcraft: The Ties that Bind

by Blackdrag-rose

Val'sharah: Moonclaw Vale

"So Bloodclaw," Lyra commented, to which she looked down at the feral cat that was walking beside her, because she wasn't sure who he or she was, seeing how they were still in their cat form, "what can you tell me about yourself?"

"Well for one thing I abandoned by human name a long time ago, back when Gilneas was attacked by the worgen," Bloodclaw replied, though at the same time Lyra detected that the cat was bitter about the entire thing, which meant that something else had happened during that time, "Once I became a worgen I adopted a new name and helped the Alliance combat the Cataclysm that had rocked the world, using my powers as a druid to hunt down our foes and help heal allies when I had a chance. After Deathwing was killed I dedicated myself to my training as a druid, mastering my abilities and forging bonds with my fellow Order Leaders, before dealing with Garrosh and the Iron Horde. When Gul'dan escaped I returned to Azeroth and prepared myself for what could be coming... and now we have demons attacking the planet and something terrible seems to have awoken in the forest.

Oh, and in case it wasn't obvious by my body structure, I'm female... the only reason I'm telling you is because you look too confused when you look at me for this to be funny."

Lyra had to wonder what sort of terrible force could have awoken in the forest, but seeing how she didn't know anything about the druids and their lore she decided that it was best not to ask dumb questions until she caught back up with Trixie and Azuregos. Another thought that came up was that she had no knowledge on druids and the differences between a female druid and a male druid, so she was going to have to take Bloodclaw's word on her gender.

"What about you?" Bloodclaw asked, though at the same time she and Lyra crossed the road that was in front of them, before she glanced up at her companion, "I have never seen a night elf like you; a cross between an elf, a demon, and what I assume is a horse... or a pony, if what Khadgar said is true."

"He's correct, though at the moment I am technically one third night elf, one third demon, and one third pony," Lyra replied, though at the same time she hadn't expected her companion to actually ask her a question while they were walking, but she was glad to take her mind off of their task for a few moments, "I know that this might be hard for you to wrap your head around, but Trixie and I are actually from another world, one that's filled with more creatures like us... only they are full pony."

"Really?" Bloodclaw said, though there wasn't any hint of shock or confusion in her voice, which meant that the worgen was fine with the news, but Lyra guessed that it made sense because of the draenei, "So what are the two of you doing here? I don't mind the assistance in stopping the Legion, but I would think that you and Trixie would prefer your lives on your home planet... instead of being here, fighting an army of demons that want to destroy Azeroth."

"Once upon a time I would have agreed with you," Lyra stated, remembering what she had seen, and what she had done, that had changed her mind and enforced her decision to help aid Azeroth from the demons of the Burning Legion, "Truth be told I'm not even sure how Trixie and I suddenly moved from our homes on Equus, our home world, and arrived on Azeroth... or the Outlands in my case. The only known magical artifact in Equus that has the power to teleport the user from one world to the next is a crystal mirror that was resting in the castle of Princess Twilight, and I never entered her castle before I ended up here."

"Maybe someone tampered with the mirror and it sent out shockwaves that resonated with you and Trixie?" Bloodclaw suggested, though at the same time she and Lyra turned down the path they had been walking towards and headed towards their destination, "I'm no expert in magic, so that's all I can think of that might go that to you."

"Maybe..." Lyra said, to which she shook her head, because now Bloodclaw had brought up the one thing that had bothered her since she and arrived in the Outlands; how she, and by extent Trixie, had moved from Equus and were dropped off in their respective locations.

Lyra only knew of one creature that could have the power to make such a sudden change to an artifact that was supposed to have been created by Starswirl the Bearded, a certain draconequus that loved to spread chaos and generally annoyed the Royal Sisters. She had to wonder if Discord had played a hand in this and had cursed the mirror to send ponies to random worlds, where they had to help the inhabitants until he chose to retrieve them. Unfortunately she had no proof that the draconequus was behind this and would likely never know until she and Trixie finally returned to their home world... once they saved Azeroth from the Legion anyway.

The two of them then rounded the corner and came to a small village that looked like the one they had met Malfurion in, though there were satyrs and imps attacking the druids and attempting to corrupt the entire place... and there was a larger feral cat tearing into his attackers. Lyra and Bloodclaw noticed some enemies trying to flank Archdruid Thaon, as that was who the large feral cat had to be, to which they engaged the satyrs and interrupted their attacks. It didn't take them long to cut down and tear apart the small group of satyrs, especially because they weren't expecting the Archdruid to have reinforcements arriving, though Lyra did hear the large cat sigh for a moment as it turned to face them.

"I am grateful for your aid, visitors." Archdruid Thaon said, though at the same time he glanced back at the nearest group of satyrs and glared at them, as if he was daring them to come forward and attack him once more, "These wicked vermin must not prevail over my precious grove."

"Master Moonclaw! What has become of your grove?" Bloodclaw asked, though Lyra noticed that her companion was being respectful by using the Archdruid's last name, to which she reflected to do the same thing when she had a chance to speak with the powerful druid.

"After the War of the Ancients, the surviving satyrs were assembled together." the Archdruid explained, though his tone indicated that he had no love for the satyrs, but Lyra suspected that he now hated them with a passion, "I argued to execute them for their transgressions, but our merciful nature won the day. I was overruled. Instead, the satyrs were placed in an eternal sleep deep below the roots of Shala’drassil. Now, somehow, they have awoken. We shall not make the same mistake again, if I must kill them all myself!"

"Archdruid Moonclaw, we come with news from Lorlathil," Lyra stated, drawing the Archdruid's attention to her for a moment, though she suspected that the powerful druid might not care for someone like her at the moment, "Cenarius has been stricken with some sort of curse and we need your help in aiding whatever Malfurion has planned."

"If Cenarius has need of my aid, he will surely have it." Archdruid moonclaw replied, though at the same time he beckoned to the area they were in, indicating that they had some work to do before they left the Vale behind, "However, even as we speak, the legions of darkness enclose upon us, twisting and slaying my disciples."

"Then we shall kill them and rescue your disciples," Bloodclaw said, to which Lyra nodded her head, as they had come to tell the Archdruid the news and knew that he couldn't leave without taking out the threat that was trying to overtake this village, "Where should we start?"

"Xandris the Dishonored was among the first to betray his brethren and accept the curse of Xavius." the Archdruid answered, though Lyra had the feeling that the person called 'Xavius' had to be important, even if she had no idea who that person was, "During the great war, it was he who led the slaughter of many of my comrades. The last time I met him on the battlefield he fled. Help me to dispense justice on this foul being."

"It will be done." Bloodclaw and Lyra said, to which they respectfully bowed to the powerful Archdruid and crossed the bridge that he had been standing on when they arrived in the village.

Their first course of action was to attack the imps that were attacking one of the druids that happened to be trapped by some dark and vile colored vines, though they were quick to dispatch their opponents and free the feral druid from the vines. Lyra spotted some satyrs trying to perform some sort of ritual on a totem, so she charged at them and cut them all down as she avoided their magic, though once they were all dead she raised the Twinblades and literally hacked the wooden totem to pieces. She and Bloodclaw then repeated their actions with the next few groups, where Lyra used herself as bait for the imps and satyrs, allowing her companion to sneak through the shadows and attack their enemies from behind.

The druids they saved expressed their gratitude in them saving their lives, though instead of running away they stayed in Moonclaw Vale and started freeing the rest of the captive druids... allowing Lyra and Bloodclaw to make their way to the larger satyr that was standing in the entrance of one of the buildings.

"These druids were weak…" Xandris the Dishonored said, to which he looked away from the bodies of the slain druids that were resting around him and stared at his new challengers, "I hope you have more fight in you than they did!"

Lyra immediately went on the defensive, allowing the satyr to attack her as she used the Twinblades to defend herself, while at the same time allowing Bloodclaw to use the shadows to her advantage against their opponent. Despite all of her training, however, Lyra could tell that the servant of Xavius was far stronger than anything she had fought in the past, as even the Wrath of Azshara was weaker than Xandris. That thought made her worry, because if Xavius could empower his minions to this degree, and she had no idea what the limit of his abilities were, she and the druids of Val'sharah could be fighting a losing battle. She had to wonder what the mysterious Xavius was hoping to gain by attacking Val'sharah and the druids that lived there, when he could be using his power to help stop the Legion... though she was sure that she and the others would find out what his intentions were soon enough.

The fight was abruptly brought to an end as Archdruid Moonclaw jumped out of the shadows and tore off Xandris' head with his teeth... causing Lyra and Bloodclaw to look at him in shock for a moment.

"Xandris has been slain, but there are others that must be dealt with if my grove is to be saved." the Archdruid said, though at the same time he spat out the satyr's head and stared down at the duo, "During the great war, Kagraxxis took great pleasure in corrupting the lands he once called home. Were it not for the foolish mercy of my fellow druids, I would have slain him myself. Find the demon and bring justice upon him. I must entrust this task to you alone, for I sense an even darker presence here… one that requires my personal attention."

With that said the Archdruid slipped back into the shadows and disappeared, to which Bloodclaw followed the path that took them up a hill on their left, only to head up another path that lead them to a cave entrance. Lyra followed after her companion and together they fought the satyrs and imps that stood in their way, as well as allowing some time for Lyra to break the other totems that were in front of them. Once they reached the entrance they followed the path down into the earth, where they eventually found their target patrolling a small area... one that had another druid that was locked in a cage at the moment.

Lyra looked at the satyr and knew that he was trying to corrupt the area he was in, which meant that he needed to die before they joined the Archdruid... to which she drew her weapons as she and Bloodclaw approached their target.

"Soon, this wretched forest will be bathed in darkness!" Kagraxxis declared, indicating that there was something sinister happening to Val'sharah at the moment, which annoyed Bloodclaw, "You think you’ve won?"

The moment the fight started Lyra knew that Kagraxxis was as strong as Xandris, maybe even a little stronger then the now deceased satyr, which was why she felt the need to go on the offensive this time around. She used every skill she knew at the moment, the ones she had practiced with and the ones that she had learned since the attack on Mardum, and danced around the area to avoid damage being dealt to her. Bloodclaw tore into Kagraxxis' legs and jumped on his back when the opportunity presented itself, though when the satyr was distracted by the cat clawing at his back Lyra used the Twinblades and her offensive attacks to deal as much damage as possible before the satyr turned back to her.

It took them a few minutes to take out the satyr, but when victory was finally theirs they watched as the satyr collapsed on the ground and finally died, much to the joy of Lyra and Bloodclaw. With victory on their side once more they approached the cage and released the druid that was being held against her will, though they had the feeling that she had something important to tell them.

"You have my thanks, friends. I am Evelle Nightwhisper." the druid said, offering them a small bow at the moment, before she got serious once more, "If not for your timely arrival I would have surely perished here."

"What's going on in Val'sharah?" Bloodclaw asked, because she was hoping that while Evelle was able to get some information from her captor, "Why are there satyrs and imps attacking and killing druids?"

"Xavius has returned." Evelle replied, though that one sentence was enough to make Bloodclaw go still for a moment, informing Lyra that the mysterious Xavius had to be someone that the druids hated... maybe on the same level as they hated the Burning Legion.

"Im... impossible." Bloodclaw said, though Lyra could tell that there was definitely something she was missing, to which she resolved to ask Trixie or one of their druid friends who and what Xavius was when they had time.

"The Nightmare Lord is here in Val’sharah, personally orchestrating the corruption of this land." Evelle said, though this time both Lyra and Bloodclaw sweated a little, because if the big bad was actually here, in Val'sharah, that meant that things would be much harder than they were in Azsuna, "My captor revealed as much to me before I was to be sacrificed. We must find Thaon Moonclaw and inform him before it is too late!"

Bloodclaw quickly agreed and told Evelle to head back to Lorlathil, so she could inform the others about the information she had gleamed during her time as a captive, to which the druid agreed and left the two of them alone. The duo stood there for a few moments, allowing Bloodclaw to feel what was going on in Moonclaw Vale, before her eyes snapped open and she beckoned for Lyra to follow her. As they left the cave they were in Lyra noticed that the druids they had freed were openly fighting the satyr that were attacking their home, though it appeared that many of them were going to flee once their fight was over... but it gave them the opportunity to enter the building that Bloodclaw brought them to.

As they followed the passage downwards, however, Lyra caught sight of a projection that was walking towards them, one that appeared to be a satyr with some red crystals sticking out of his body in certain locations... as well as some spikes on his tail, which looked like thorns.

"He put up quite a fight," the image of Xavius said, though then he laughed, as if he found something funny, "but your archdruid belongs to me now..."

As the image faded away Lyra and Bloodclaw ventured down into the lowest chamber and found that Archdruid Moonclaw had indeed been corrupted, as there was a red aura and some sort of sinister red coating covering his fur. Lyra once again worried about their chances, because if Xavius was able to corrupt someone as powerful as Thaon there it made her wonder who else he might be able to corrupt. It was clear to her that Xavius was trying to turn the druids into his personal army, which meant that everyone that was corrupted had to die... otherwise the corruption would spread until all of Val'sharah was under his control.

Lyra sighed as she shifted into her Havoc form and landed beside the corrupted Archdruid, stunning him for a few seconds, before she brought her weapons down and cut into his skin, but it was clear that he was going to fight her to the death. As she fought in her empowered state Bloodclaw charged in and started attacking the person they had been sent to enlist the help of, clawing up his fur and dealing as much damage as she could to the former protector of Val'sharah. Thaon proved to be much more powerful with Xavius' power backing him, as he was able to fight on par with Lyra's empowered state, but she would not surrender to the corrupted druid... and her determination pushed Bloodclaw forward as well.

It was a relatively short fight in the end, as Lyra was able to deal a direct blow to Thaon's spine, which was completely on accident considering that she had been aiming elsewhere and the corrupted Archdruid had turned at the last second, but in the end she and Bloodclaw stood over the still form of Archdruid Moonclaw... though they were both shocked that they had survived the fight to begin with.

"Come on, let's get back to Lorlathil and tell Malfurion the news," Lyra said, though at the same time she reverted back to her normal demon hunter form, "Something tells me that the others might have their hands full... and might receive the same bad news as we just did."

She seriously hoped that this was the last that she and the others would see of Xavius, but she knew that was a foolish wish at the moment... to which she resolved to hunt him down and put him in the ground, after she and Trixie helped the druids with their mission and finally located Maiev.