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| - “Hmmm….what do I remember…? I remember opening my eyes and watching the sun dance on the leaves above me for a while. After a while, I realized I didn’t know where I was.” The blood elf girl spoke in hushed tones as she and her dragonhawk strolled along on another errand. “I guess I should think about it more. Folks are going to ask me more and more, and it’s kinda embarrassing to tell them I don’t know.” Ceitidh paused to brush her hair back from her face and looked up at the trees. “It’s not really that exciting of a story, really. Or if it is, I don’t remember it.” Orain stopped and perched on a fallen tree nearby. “Oh, you want to hear what I know?” The dragonhawk nodded, folding his wings. Ceitidh chuckled. “All right then.” She sat in the grass, laying her bow and quiver at her side. “Well, like I said, the first I remember is staring at the sun. I don’t know how long I lay there, really, but I was unaware of pretty much everything for a while. I realized I didn’t know where I was, and sat up to look around. My head spun with the movement, and I laid back down for a while.” “Next I knew it was dawn, and there was a squirrel pulling on my hair. I got up to look around, and found my legs were scratched and bruised. I could still walk, though slowly. There were no signs of anyone else nearby. At least not recently. It looked like there had been others through- a scrap of cloth stuck to a tree by an arrow- a slightly rusted dagger… But these were faded and weathered.” “I tried to recall where I was- what had happened, but I could not. All I had was a vague feeling of pain, visions of a struggle, but nothing more. Everything beyond when I woke was gone. My own name even eluded me. I looked through the clothes I wore, torn and dirty, and found nothing. All I had was this bracelet I still wear- This at least tells my name.” The elf holds up her arm, a circlet on her wrist glinting gold in the sunlight. Etched across the surface are runes reading “Ceitidh” She takes it off and turns it over in her hand. “But that was all. There was nothing to tell me more, and I could not remember anything before that day.” With a soft sigh, the hunter outs the bracelet back on, pushing it snugly up her arm. “So I wandered in the forest. I followed what trails I could find. Every trail led to a dead end- often literally, with the decaying corpses of scourge, kal’dorei, and even sin’dorei. Most looked as though they had been there for months, if not years.” “I wandered like this for weeks on end. I knew some fruits and berries that were edible, and found roots and nuts as well. My long hair had become a tangled mess, so I was forced to chop it all off with a weathered sword I’d found. Since then I keep it short for convenience, mostly.” Ceitidh chuckles, and shakes her head, letting her black tresses fly in the sunlight. “Of course, I wasn’t the only one living in the forest.” The elven lass grins over at her reptilian companion. “The animals got used to me being there, and knew I wasn’t going to hurt them. Some mornings, I’d wake to find a squirrel with a pile of nuts chattering beside me. As darkness fell, I could look to the trees and see an owl watching over me. When the weather became colder, I’d be awoken during the night by the purring of a great lynx, curled up next to me for warmth.” “It really wasn’t all that bad of a life. I was comfortable- except for the nagging question of who I was, and how I got there. This lasted for several months.” “Then one morning I knew something was different. The animals were nervous. We could all tell there was a new presence in the forest. I could hear sounds that seemed familiar- though I knew I’d not heard them for some time.” Orain hopped off his stump and waddled closer to Ceitidh, head tipped to one side as if listening intently. She chuckled and continued her story. “They were voices. Sin’dorei voices carried on the wind. I ran to meet them, hoping that perhaps whoever it was would know me. It was a party of Farstriders, scouting the woods. They were amazed to see me- but none knew who I could be.” “Traveling with them, I proved to be a reliable and useful guide. I told them all I knew- all I had seen in the forest, and led them to the places I had seen. They told me that the woods were a source of constant raids and skirmishes, but they had not heard of any within the past year. If I had been part of a raid, I was the only sin’dorei that had survived.” The dragonhawk laid his head on the girl’s leg, and she patted it fondly. “So I lived and trained there with the Farstriders for two years, before they said I was ready to set out on my own for more training. A reptilian grin met Ceitidh’s smile, and she laughed heartily. “Yes, my Orain, that’s when I met you.” She scratched at his head, and leaned her own against the tree, looking across the horizon. “In my dreams, and even sometimes in waking hours, I hear a song echoing through my head. I know the song holds the key to my past, but I can only hear it in the distance.” “So that is what we hunt, my Orain. We seek the song.” I am going to start writing in this book as a journal. So much of my past has been forgotten and lost. Perhaps this small thing will at least preserve these days, even though I am certain many things from these past weeks will be burned on my heart forever. I never want to loose these memories. I have lost enough, only to be left with vague impressions and faint tugs on my mind. So here I am, and where do I start…? It’s been a little over a month since I set out on this journey. Since the Farstriders decided it was time for me to move on… to see how I could fare on my own. I set off knowing no one, hardly knowing who I was. And now… well… I am not alone anymore. My faithful dragonhawk stays nearby, worries over me at times. I named him “Orain,” for the song I hear in my head. The sound of his wings at times beats with the tempo, and he has learned to respond to melodies. These are much less likely to attract the attention of our prey than shouts or whistles. We’ve run far and long these past weeks. We’ve seen beauty, sorrow, and twinges of hope. There is much out there for us to do- many who need help. So my tales will need to wait. Orain is done with his breakfast, so we need to move on. I will write more soon. Spiders…why do there have to be so many of them? My beloved laughs at me when I gripe about them, but he’d never woken up with spiders all over him before- never found them in his food, hair, clothes… So yes, Orain and I do go out of our way sometimes to thin out the population a bit. There are far too many. And now there’s a few less. I did not see any when I traveled through Mulgore the other day. That is another thing to love about that grassy expanse… It stirred so many emotions looking over those hills. I wanted so much to take off my boots and go rolling in the grass- almost as if I’d done it before… But beyond vague feelings, I still don’t remember. I think my Love was frustrated with me, trying to get me to remember. But I can’t. What secrets lie in the past that my mind wants to forget so strenuously? Great loss? Some days I don’t want to remember. But I think the green plains will now stay close to my heart. So what should I say about my heart? Start at the beginning, I suppose… One evening a while back, Orain and I were wandering around Silvermoon. I was hoping perhaps I’d meet some new people. I truly had no clue… We stopped for a minute in front of the auction hall, and I gave Orain his supper. A tall sin’dorei man with long white hair walked up to admire Orain. How anyone could miss such a beautiful creature as my pet, I don’t know… He introduced himself as Killorn, a warlock in training. He asked if I’d like to go sit and talk a while somewhere nearby. So we did. We sat and shared our stories. The most amazing thing… our stories were nearly identical! Here I had been afraid that others would look down on me for not knowing my heritage and past. Then by wonderful chance, I found someone who would understand. He woke in the Dead scar only a year before- not knowing anything about his past. His one link to the past is a silver ring he wears- not terribly different in style to my bracelet. Like my song, he had been haunted by dreams he connected to his past. Something elusive that would help him remember. The scene he saw was of a plain- golden and vast. Before him, the shape of a woman, dark-haired and facing the other way. He could never see her face. The past worries him so much. Over the next couple weeks, we spoke often, sharing what we knew- talking about our training and quests, learning more of each other. One evening in Silvermoon, we sat and talked awhile. He introduced me to a new drink, which felt rather odd. I only had one, but he drank several. Eventually, he had to go lie down, after running into walls and such. I sat down next to him, making sure he’d be all right. He looked up at me and smiled, whispering, “You are truly more beautiful than the Sunwell itself… Perhaps someday…” Then he passed out. I was shocked. Was it the drink talking? Or did he really feel that way? I waited there a while, until I knew he would sleep through the night, and headed back into the wilds. It was such a strange feeling- I did not know quite how to react. I had the strangest dream last night.. I have to write it down lest I forget it. I woke, or at least thought I did, to early morning sunlight filtered through red curtains. I was lying in a large bed, with sheets of red and cream satin. Instead of the woolen and linen robes I’m used to, I wore a rich satin robe, embroidered at the hem with many flowers. The room was large and bright, obviously not any inn I’d been in. There were several plants in the room, and niches in the walls with figures in them. A large mirror stood by a wardrobe on one side of the room. I sighed, snuggling under the covers, not wanting to leave the cool, comfortable sheets. There was music in the distance, and the sounds of others bustling around in the morning light. For some reason, I felt more at home in this room than any place I remember. I heard a bit of rustling, and felt a weight at my feet. Something was crawling up the sheets! Tentatively, I peeked over the covers to find myself face to face with a huge spider! With a yell, I threw off the covers- knocking the spider off in the process. Grabbing a pillow, I threw it at the spider, and watched it skitter out the door. Laughter erupted from the hallway, and a small dark haired boy’s face peeked around the door. “Got you sis!” The boy laughed, skipping off down the hall. I threw a pillow at the retreating figure, trying hard to suppress my own giggles. Where to start? The past week has covered so much… I suppose I should start with Monday... It happened again... the darkness overtook us. But we hope it will be the last time… Killorn had said he was injured- stung in the shoulder by the poisoned spear of a naga. He tried to tell me it was nothing, but it was obvious to me he was truly in pain. We’d not seen each other in so long; we agreed to meet in Silvermoon. I met him there, and sat on the couch next to him. He pulled me closer, which brought my head into contact with his injury. He yelped in pain, and I demanded to see it. Opening his shirt, he revealed a festering wound larger than my hand. I brought out my dagger and some bandages to tend to it. I held my dagger to the wound to help drain the poison. It took all my willpower to break the skin. Killorn took my hand, pulling the dagger farther into his shoulder. I yanked it away, bandaging the wound, pouring a healing potion over it. From the shock and pain, Killorn passed out in my lap. I finished the bandaging quickly; trying to make certain he was comfortable. I sat there stroking his hair, and he started muttering. He called my name. “I’m here love...You’re all right…” Then his voice changed- just as it had…the last time… I backed away, trembling. “Are you ready, Ceitidh? Are you ready..?” I was speechless, trying to decide what I needed to do. Julian, a young rogue we know was in the room. He demanded to know what was going on. I told him to leave- “just leave. I will take care of this…” From the bed, Killorn stood. His eyes were black and his voice low and raspy. “Are you ready, Ceitidh? Ready to Die..?” I knew it was not my beloved advancing on me with a raised dagger, but that the demon had taken control again. Julian pulled out his swords, ready to jump in. I pleaded with him to put away his weapons…it would only make it worse… but he refused. Sometimes running is the best answer. The demon turned to focus on Julian, shoving me aside and saying he’d deal with me later. His attack was verbal- emotional. He dredged up memories and regrets trying to spur Julian to further anger- claiming he was the one who had killed Julian’s family. I stayed behind Killorn, whispering, begging for him to come back, telling Julian to just leave. The black eyes turned with a snarl, sharp teeth gnashing in my face. He grabbed my arm and threw me to the floor, shoving me roughly to the side with his foot before turning back to the rogue. Julian turned the demon’s attention back to me. “Look what you’re doing to your own love…” The demon laughed. “Yesss…” he hissed. “Come to me, Ceitidh… come…” I stood slowly, wavering. How could I resist my heart? Julian and a blood knight that happened by both stepped between us, warning me off, and trying to threaten the demon. At that point I knew it was useless. If the demon wanted me- I would go. The others would be free to leave. Whatever torment lay behind that evil look, I must face it. The demon continued to call me to him. “Ceitidh...come to me…my wife... you are mine... come to me…” So I did. As long as it was focused on me, the world would be safe. It would not take my love- or anyone else. I told the others they should leave, held my breath, and walked up to the demon encased in the body of the one I love more than anything. He pulled me roughly to himself, laughing. “There… that was not hard…be a good girl… you belong to me…my wife…” The dagger was raised once more, and I bowed my head, bracing for the worst. But the pain I expected did not come. Instead, my chin was lifted, and I felt a warm liquid pouring down my cheek. Opening my eyes, I saw that the demon had sliced Killorn’s arm, and it was his blood running down my face. The distorted smile grinned and laughed. “Yes... drink my blood... lover…” I tried to pull away, tried to grab the dagger away from his hand. As steadily as I could, I whispered, “please… don’t hurt him anymore… please... Killorn, my heart… come back…” The demon only laughed. Julian took the opportunity, and grabbed him from behind. The two struggled a while, moving out of the room and into the stairway. Finally, with a shout, they both tumbled over the railing onto the floor below. I practically flew down the stairs, falling in a heap beside them. Rolling Killorn over a bit, I found he had fallen on the dagger. I frantically pulled it free, and tore off parts of my robe to stem the flow of blood. After a few minutes- just as it had before, the blood stopped, the wound healed, and he lay still unbreathing. At that point my resolve collapsed, and I began sobbing uncontrollably. Julian came around, and asked if he was dead. I shook my head mutely, stroking Killorn’s hair and face. Suddenly he began breathing again, taking my hand, he looked up at me- his eyes green and voice soft once more. “Ce…” He smiled. “I’m here, Killorn, my heart…” He looked around slowly, realizing where he was. “How did I get here…?” He trailed off, concern growing on his face. “It happened again, didn’t it..?” I nodded, trying to cover my bloodstained cheek with my hair. “Oh Ceitidh… I...I didn’t hurt you, did I…?” “No- no, you didn’t. Just lay here and rest a bit…” As both men recovered, we agreed not to speak of what exactly had happened. Killorn did not remember, and Julian and I wanted to forget. While we sat and talked, Lilithia entered the inn. She could tell immediately that something had happened, and demanded to know what was up. So Killorn and I tried to explain to her about the times he’s been taken over- what starts them- what happens- and what ends them. She listened carefully, applying her knowledge of such things. The two of them discussed possibilities- both causes and solutions. I certainly didn’t want to have to deal with this all my life- but if I must, I must. If there was no way to safely remove the demon, I would have to take it in order to keep my Killorn. But if there was any way to rid him of it- without harming him… I would do all I could. ((to be continued...))
* -------------------------------------------------* (a different journal entry) Another dream last night. But this one was not a memory… more of a premonition I suppose. Again I woke in an unfamiliar place- a large, comfortable bed with many cushions, most embroidered in red and gold. A sweet autumn breeze came in from the windows, stirring the air in the room with a crispness and the scent of roses. Filmy purple and blue curtains danced in the wind- waving a greeting. There were trees near the windows. I could hear the rustle of leaves, and every once in a while, one would fly in through the window, skating its way across the floor. There were also the sounds of birds- several varieties- all going about their morning business. The first rays of the morning sun were coming in as well, causing the shadows of leaves to dance across the opposite wall. All I could do was lie there in perfect peace and contentment a while. Watching and listening. I was laying on my side, satin sheets tucked up to my chin. I noticed my arm was starting to get a little numb, so I decided to roll over on my back. But I found that I could not move any that way, for there was something behind me, impeding my movement. Whatever it was, I could not see in the morning shadows. But it was warm, and seemed as if it should be there. So I thought perhaps I should roll the other way. I would not be able to see the light around the room from my stomach, but at least I could relax better. I found that rolling on my stomach was impossible as well, and even trying brought odd feelings of discomfort. But I was so warm, comfortable, and sleepy- including my arm, which had fallen asleep- that I could not bring myself to move from where I lay. So I decided just to stay as I was-just relax. I could listen to the music of the trees a while longer. And perhaps when the sun had risen a bit more, I would learn why I was unable to move. As the sun rose, I could see shadows of niches in the walls, fresh flowers peeking out of them. So fresh indeed, that lingering bits of dew clung to the petals. A dark figure- obviously not sin’dorei- shuffled around the room, arranging the flowers and pulling back the curtains before silently leaving the room. I began to make out the embroidery on the pillow at my head. Deep red and gold threads lovingly portrayed a dragonhawk- just like my Orain. Perhaps it had been made just for me… I then noticed three letters as well- an ornate monogram- C. A. M. I lay there a long while, tracing my fingers over the letters, trying to figure what they stood for. Suddenly, I felt the warmth behind me start to move. An arm embraced me, pulling me onto my back, and covering me in warmth. Before I could even open my eyes, my lips were touched by a gentle, loving kiss. Opening my eyes slowly, I found myself looking into the face of my beloved Killorn. Ceitidh Alarion McCloud… who I shall be… Looking over what I’ve written- unfinished tales, dreams, wonderings, I wonder where I really am. The recent past is known, the distant past comes back in pieces, and the future will be… it will be… So what about now? Where am I? What is it I’m supposed to be doing? Every time I turn around, there’s someone needing me to help them with something. So at least I know I’m needed for odd jobs and tasks. There’s a bit of freedom out there- traveling wherever. Some folks don’t like having Orain around- whether for his size, the flaming breath, or just a bit of distrust, since many of these places have never seen a dragonhawk. I have to remind myself constantly that even as beautiful, loyal, and friendly as I see Orain, most still see him as a wild creature- tamed, yes, but how tame? He does have his moments of mischief. Like when someone offers him anything strong to drink… I do have to admit, though, that as much as I love my Orain, I am captivated by these jungle cats. I have seen that white tiger prowling in the undergrowth many times. I know he sees me. We have a respect for each other now. Perhaps one day he will join Orain and me in our hunts. I will have to think on a suitable name to address him by. It must be regal… That is of course, if he deems me worthy to hunt with. So I suppose that is what I am now. I run, I hunt. I listen to the animals; I watch the sunshine and shadows. I wait. When it is time, I do what it is I must. I help wherever I can- I fulfill my duties. I strive for honor- not to be honored, but to exhibit it. I am a huntress, I walk the wilds. I am not alone, yet I walk. I can’t believe I haven’t written about meeting Dorrion yet! Not as if I’d forget, but it is definitely a significant thing to be remembered. One evening, my Killorn asked me to come to Orgrimmar to meet him. He had a new tailoring client he needed to deliver a package to, but was unable to get to Silvermoon to do so. So of course, I agreed to take it for him. I arrived at the inn where he had told me the man would be waiting. A young magus stood there looking rather nervous. I asked if he was Dorrion, and told him that Killorn had sent me. He nearly jumped through the roof! I tried hard not to laugh, trying to stay a good representative. Dorrion stared at me, muttering “is it...can it be…?” I started to feel like a kitten being sized up by a wolf, though I could sense no danger or malice. He walked around me, as if inspecting, eyes wide. Finally he paused. “What’s your name?” “Ceitidh.” I nearly whispered, unused to such scrutiny. What he did next really startled me. He hugged me! There were tears in his eyes, and he shouted, “You’re alive!” Now it was my turn to stand in shock. “You don’t remember?” I shook my head mutely. Pushing up his sleeve, he pulled off a gold bracelet exactly like mine. He held it a moment, and smiled. Suddenly, he stuck a finger in his mouth and bit it hard, breaking the skin. Rubbing the blood along the inside of the bracelet, he held it out so I could see. On the gold a word appeared- ‘Alarion.’ I pulled off my own bracelet, holding it a moment. He waited, smiling and nodding for me to continue. Holding my breath, I slid a finger along the blade of one of my swords, and spread the blood in the bracelet just as he had. I watched, stunned, as the same runes appeared. “Alarion…my name…?” I backed against the couch behind me, suddenly very unsteady. Again he embraced me. “I can’t believe I finally found you, sister.” Killorn had figured it out- arranged it even- what a wonderful surprise!
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