Change of Direction [Story - Yhanta and Proudwolf]
Two tauren sat on Thunder Bluff, overlooking the lowest rise, watching inhabitants and guests scurry about under their hooves. The male slouched serenely, chewing idly on a stalk of sour grass while he gently petted the spotted rabbit sitting in his lap. The female, in contrast, huddled in a cloud of preoccupied gloom. They sat in silence for some longish time.
Suddenly, the female said, "Proudwolf - how did you know that being a shaman was right for you?"
The male blinked, looked at his companion, and spat out the chewed stem. "Well, I heard the voice of the Spirits, and..."
"Oh, Spirits!" the female shouted, and flopped over backwards to lie on the grass. "Spirits! They never stop talking to me, always wanting things of me... their voices drown out everything else. Ever since I was stupid enough to ask them for my name, just a simple memory... I wish they'd leave me alone!"
Proudwolf sighed, looking out over the green expanse of Mulgore. "You're not enjoying being a druid, are you, Yhanta?"
The female tauren went limp, staring at the sky above her. "No," she said quietly. "It's... too much. I see things, hear things, all the time. I still haven't been able to get anything done, not for a long while."
"You... don't have to be a druid, you know." Proudwolf blinked as Yhanta sat up abruptly and glared at him, then shrugged. "It's true. You could stop doing it."
Yhanta looked away, out over the hills again. "I could... but it would be... like giving up."
The shaman laughed. "It would be like admitting that you were wrong, and you hate that," he said, smiling into her furious glare. "But you were wrong - you're miserable as a druid, it doesn't suit you at all. Isn't it better to admit you were wrong, and do something that will let you have a life?"
Her anger melted away as suddenly as it had come, and Yhanta sighed. "It'd be better than sitting around here or Booty Bay all day, stuck in a half-dream. But... what can I do?" She looked at the balls of lightning that circled Proudwolf's body. "I don't want to be a shaman, either - the voices would still bother me."
"No, that's not for you," he agreed, shaking his head. "I'm not sure. I think you'll have to pick up a sword or a bow and find out for yourself. Nobody else can choose a path for you."
Yhanta snorted, but she looked somewhat less depressed than she had been. "First, I'll have to go to the Moonglade and talk to the elders there... that'll be... hard."
"You won't be the first, who walked the path of the Spirits for a time only to find that they could not give what the Spirits demanded," Proudwolf said softly. "I think they will understand. And if they give you any trouble, just let me know - I'll fly up there and knock some sense into them." The tauren grinned widely, suddenly looking like a calf barely out of his youth, and Yhanta laughed.
"I know I can count on you, little brother," she said fondly, leaning over to kiss his nose. "And I can count on my little sister, too... I haven't seen her in so long, I hope I can count on her, anyway."
"On Khydann? Of course you can." Proudwolf leaned back again and plucked another stalk of sour grass. "We're Thistledown kids. We don't have anyone else, so we have to keep an eye out for each other. She'll help you any way she can."
Yhanta leaned back and sighed, but now she smiled softly. "You're right. I'll write to her before I go to Moonglade." As she took another deep breath, Proudwolf glanced over, and was happy to see that she looked more at peace than she had since she'd started her training, over a year ago.
Suddenly, the female said, "Proudwolf - how did you know that being a shaman was right for you?"
The male blinked, looked at his companion, and spat out the chewed stem. "Well, I heard the voice of the Spirits, and..."
"Oh, Spirits!" the female shouted, and flopped over backwards to lie on the grass. "Spirits! They never stop talking to me, always wanting things of me... their voices drown out everything else. Ever since I was stupid enough to ask them for my name, just a simple memory... I wish they'd leave me alone!"
Proudwolf sighed, looking out over the green expanse of Mulgore. "You're not enjoying being a druid, are you, Yhanta?"
The female tauren went limp, staring at the sky above her. "No," she said quietly. "It's... too much. I see things, hear things, all the time. I still haven't been able to get anything done, not for a long while."
"You... don't have to be a druid, you know." Proudwolf blinked as Yhanta sat up abruptly and glared at him, then shrugged. "It's true. You could stop doing it."
Yhanta looked away, out over the hills again. "I could... but it would be... like giving up."
The shaman laughed. "It would be like admitting that you were wrong, and you hate that," he said, smiling into her furious glare. "But you were wrong - you're miserable as a druid, it doesn't suit you at all. Isn't it better to admit you were wrong, and do something that will let you have a life?"
Her anger melted away as suddenly as it had come, and Yhanta sighed. "It'd be better than sitting around here or Booty Bay all day, stuck in a half-dream. But... what can I do?" She looked at the balls of lightning that circled Proudwolf's body. "I don't want to be a shaman, either - the voices would still bother me."
"No, that's not for you," he agreed, shaking his head. "I'm not sure. I think you'll have to pick up a sword or a bow and find out for yourself. Nobody else can choose a path for you."
Yhanta snorted, but she looked somewhat less depressed than she had been. "First, I'll have to go to the Moonglade and talk to the elders there... that'll be... hard."
"You won't be the first, who walked the path of the Spirits for a time only to find that they could not give what the Spirits demanded," Proudwolf said softly. "I think they will understand. And if they give you any trouble, just let me know - I'll fly up there and knock some sense into them." The tauren grinned widely, suddenly looking like a calf barely out of his youth, and Yhanta laughed.
"I know I can count on you, little brother," she said fondly, leaning over to kiss his nose. "And I can count on my little sister, too... I haven't seen her in so long, I hope I can count on her, anyway."
"On Khydann? Of course you can." Proudwolf leaned back again and plucked another stalk of sour grass. "We're Thistledown kids. We don't have anyone else, so we have to keep an eye out for each other. She'll help you any way she can."
Yhanta leaned back and sighed, but now she smiled softly. "You're right. I'll write to her before I go to Moonglade." As she took another deep breath, Proudwolf glanced over, and was happy to see that she looked more at peace than she had since she'd started her training, over a year ago.