(no subject)
We've reached a point where we're information gathering, now. We have a starting point to look for the children.
I'm getting ahead of myself.
Pook's return had me in knots. How do I act around her? Around Seb? If I express happiness that she's alive, will I kindle false hope in Pook's heart and bitter resentment in Seb's? How can I ignore her when I'm one of the only people remaining from her past life? Every moment at the Kodo was tense and uncomfortable. Any acknowledgment I might give Pook could hurt Seb. Any affection shown to Seb would only reopen Pook's wounds. I felt trapped, afraid to put a hoof wrong lest the floor collapse under me. Seb convinced me to go off and speak with her... to try to work through some of what had been hanging over our heads.
What started as a terse conversation quickly became a yelling match.
It's strange how we color our memories. There was a time I could have said, with absolute conviction, that Pook understood me like no one else in the world. Even after she was gone, I thought as much. It was a difficult connection to lose. When she resurfaced, I still believed it to be the case. I thought she'd understand the situation, even if she wasn't going to be happy about it. Deep down, she must still know me for who I am, I told myself.
All of that vanished like a splash of cold water when she loudly accused me of putting all the blame on her for returning.
In that instant, I experienced clarity as I hadn't since her return. She didn't know. She truly didn't know where I laid the blame. How could she not know something so simple, so integral, so core to who I am? This was the woman who had had an affair behind my back for nearly a year despite knowing how I felt about such things. The woman who never understood why I wouldn't try to "help" Ephe again.
She may have known me once, but she doesn't know me now.
I told her precisely where the blame lay and she insisted it wasn't my fault, as everyone always does. After the outburst we spoke a bit more civilly, and she agreed to let us try to help her shift back after a time.
When we met to explore what might be stopping her from shifting and aid her in the process, it was Sebrawyn, Ephe, and I. The bond Pook and I once shared is completely gone, so I was there as an observer. Ephe sought to guide her using her rusty druid knowledge, and Seb graciously aided through her newly-discovered connection with animals. In the end, they were able to get her to shift -- but the result was abominable. She was an empty, shrieking shell of an elf, face contorted, unable to stop screaming for an instant. It was through the light of An'she, directed by Ephe and I, that she managed to find peace enough to shift back.
It was clear to me that some magic was afoot, and I could think of no other way to handle it in a satisfactory manner. Even though my stomach wrenched as I said it, I suggested we dreamwalk to find out what was causing it and cleanse Pook of the darkness inside her. Seb stared at me as if I was mad and Ephe's look wasn't much better, but in the end, Pook agreed.
We needed someone to guide us, however, and that meant contacting Andralyn. She asked for an unnamed favor in return for her aid, which I was staunchly against. You never enter into such deals -- you always regret it. After some back and forth, Seb and I compromised upon giving Andralyn conditions under which Seb would be free of her obligation to the woman. The priest agreed, grudgingly, and came to perform the dreamwalk.
I'm certain that favor is going to bite us when we least expect it.
Arhena also wanted to help, and though she's dead and I was wary of influences being a problem, she's also been the one comforting Pook most since her return, so I agreed. It was Ephe, Arhena, and I, then, descending into Pook's mind to determine what was holding her back.
It's been a very long time since I connected with an animal's mind, and I'm ashamed to admit I was disoriented at first in the rapid-fire environments and scents. I found my balance shortly, however, and went hunting for familiar scents. Strongest over all, despite the flashes of Elwynn, Teldrassil, and the Barrens, was the scent of the sea. We followed it and were confronted by Pook in nightsaber form who warned us to turn back from the looming darkness on the horizon. We did not, and soon found ourselves confronted by it. It was a writhing darkness, gaining form at the corners of our eyes. Ephe summoned the light of An'she, as did I, and this was enough to taunt the magic into physical form. It was all darkness, claws, and teeth -- several of them -- and the three of us fought off the waves seeking to overwhelm us. From there, the black net stretching across our path was revealed. We hacked at it and had nearly broken through when a much larger manifestation appeared before us. It oozed fear, creeping into the corners of my mind, but thankfully it had given me a target and I had no qualms about attacking it. Through our continued assault, the creature infecting Pook's mind eventually dissipated and the path was open to us.
We found ourselves in the churning Great Sea during the Shattering. There I watched as the Plainswind was tossed about like a child's plaything, Pook frantically trying to keep the children safe and aboard. I watched the ship take damage and end a mastless ruin at the mercy of the currents. I watched the darkness swarm the ship and claim Pook and the children. And all the while I could do nothing but observe my failure playing out before me. I tried to speak, to help, to do anything, but I was a mere spectre in her recollection, unable to affect the course of events.
It was after that that Pook appeared again, free of the darkness, and we left her mind to her. She remained in cat form once we'd awakened, saying she preferred it. She still insisted we couldn't find the children, but there was shadowy mind magic afoot, and that likely means a shadow priest of some variety. We'll find someone to talk to about it. For now, though, Pook is free of her unnatural shackles, we have a lead, and the immediate problems have been put to rest.
If that wasn't enough, Netah of all people emerged from whatever pit she'd been hiding in to show her face at the Kodo the other night. While she claimed she'd taken Baine's deal, anyone listening to her for a few seconds would be able to tell it for the lie it was. She was all but waving a Grimtotem banner in my face, attempting to mock me for turning my back on their values. Threatening me to come back into the fold, too.
She is an idiot. I don't know how blind she's been to the situation, but this isn't the time before the attack. Black-furred children are hunted down by other Horde children and beaten bloody for simply looking like the ones who killed Cairne. Every single unknown black-furred tauren is looked at askance. They're charged higher prices by goblins and Horde alike and given the least of everything. To declare your loyalty to the tribe is no longer merely something that will get you spat upon, but rather spitted through the heart with a spear. I would have only to tell people of her loyalty to have her torn down. She's used to bargaining from the position of strength, but she isn't prepared for the new world -- the one where her brother is unafraid to destroy her life if she dares try to touch his.
Gods, I just want to relax. Once we visit the healer in the next few days, Seb and I are heading to Nagrand for some much-needed time away from former lovers, cretinous sisters, and everything else.
I'm getting ahead of myself.
Pook's return had me in knots. How do I act around her? Around Seb? If I express happiness that she's alive, will I kindle false hope in Pook's heart and bitter resentment in Seb's? How can I ignore her when I'm one of the only people remaining from her past life? Every moment at the Kodo was tense and uncomfortable. Any acknowledgment I might give Pook could hurt Seb. Any affection shown to Seb would only reopen Pook's wounds. I felt trapped, afraid to put a hoof wrong lest the floor collapse under me. Seb convinced me to go off and speak with her... to try to work through some of what had been hanging over our heads.
What started as a terse conversation quickly became a yelling match.
It's strange how we color our memories. There was a time I could have said, with absolute conviction, that Pook understood me like no one else in the world. Even after she was gone, I thought as much. It was a difficult connection to lose. When she resurfaced, I still believed it to be the case. I thought she'd understand the situation, even if she wasn't going to be happy about it. Deep down, she must still know me for who I am, I told myself.
All of that vanished like a splash of cold water when she loudly accused me of putting all the blame on her for returning.
In that instant, I experienced clarity as I hadn't since her return. She didn't know. She truly didn't know where I laid the blame. How could she not know something so simple, so integral, so core to who I am? This was the woman who had had an affair behind my back for nearly a year despite knowing how I felt about such things. The woman who never understood why I wouldn't try to "help" Ephe again.
She may have known me once, but she doesn't know me now.
I told her precisely where the blame lay and she insisted it wasn't my fault, as everyone always does. After the outburst we spoke a bit more civilly, and she agreed to let us try to help her shift back after a time.
When we met to explore what might be stopping her from shifting and aid her in the process, it was Sebrawyn, Ephe, and I. The bond Pook and I once shared is completely gone, so I was there as an observer. Ephe sought to guide her using her rusty druid knowledge, and Seb graciously aided through her newly-discovered connection with animals. In the end, they were able to get her to shift -- but the result was abominable. She was an empty, shrieking shell of an elf, face contorted, unable to stop screaming for an instant. It was through the light of An'she, directed by Ephe and I, that she managed to find peace enough to shift back.
It was clear to me that some magic was afoot, and I could think of no other way to handle it in a satisfactory manner. Even though my stomach wrenched as I said it, I suggested we dreamwalk to find out what was causing it and cleanse Pook of the darkness inside her. Seb stared at me as if I was mad and Ephe's look wasn't much better, but in the end, Pook agreed.
We needed someone to guide us, however, and that meant contacting Andralyn. She asked for an unnamed favor in return for her aid, which I was staunchly against. You never enter into such deals -- you always regret it. After some back and forth, Seb and I compromised upon giving Andralyn conditions under which Seb would be free of her obligation to the woman. The priest agreed, grudgingly, and came to perform the dreamwalk.
I'm certain that favor is going to bite us when we least expect it.
Arhena also wanted to help, and though she's dead and I was wary of influences being a problem, she's also been the one comforting Pook most since her return, so I agreed. It was Ephe, Arhena, and I, then, descending into Pook's mind to determine what was holding her back.
It's been a very long time since I connected with an animal's mind, and I'm ashamed to admit I was disoriented at first in the rapid-fire environments and scents. I found my balance shortly, however, and went hunting for familiar scents. Strongest over all, despite the flashes of Elwynn, Teldrassil, and the Barrens, was the scent of the sea. We followed it and were confronted by Pook in nightsaber form who warned us to turn back from the looming darkness on the horizon. We did not, and soon found ourselves confronted by it. It was a writhing darkness, gaining form at the corners of our eyes. Ephe summoned the light of An'she, as did I, and this was enough to taunt the magic into physical form. It was all darkness, claws, and teeth -- several of them -- and the three of us fought off the waves seeking to overwhelm us. From there, the black net stretching across our path was revealed. We hacked at it and had nearly broken through when a much larger manifestation appeared before us. It oozed fear, creeping into the corners of my mind, but thankfully it had given me a target and I had no qualms about attacking it. Through our continued assault, the creature infecting Pook's mind eventually dissipated and the path was open to us.
We found ourselves in the churning Great Sea during the Shattering. There I watched as the Plainswind was tossed about like a child's plaything, Pook frantically trying to keep the children safe and aboard. I watched the ship take damage and end a mastless ruin at the mercy of the currents. I watched the darkness swarm the ship and claim Pook and the children. And all the while I could do nothing but observe my failure playing out before me. I tried to speak, to help, to do anything, but I was a mere spectre in her recollection, unable to affect the course of events.
It was after that that Pook appeared again, free of the darkness, and we left her mind to her. She remained in cat form once we'd awakened, saying she preferred it. She still insisted we couldn't find the children, but there was shadowy mind magic afoot, and that likely means a shadow priest of some variety. We'll find someone to talk to about it. For now, though, Pook is free of her unnatural shackles, we have a lead, and the immediate problems have been put to rest.
If that wasn't enough, Netah of all people emerged from whatever pit she'd been hiding in to show her face at the Kodo the other night. While she claimed she'd taken Baine's deal, anyone listening to her for a few seconds would be able to tell it for the lie it was. She was all but waving a Grimtotem banner in my face, attempting to mock me for turning my back on their values. Threatening me to come back into the fold, too.
She is an idiot. I don't know how blind she's been to the situation, but this isn't the time before the attack. Black-furred children are hunted down by other Horde children and beaten bloody for simply looking like the ones who killed Cairne. Every single unknown black-furred tauren is looked at askance. They're charged higher prices by goblins and Horde alike and given the least of everything. To declare your loyalty to the tribe is no longer merely something that will get you spat upon, but rather spitted through the heart with a spear. I would have only to tell people of her loyalty to have her torn down. She's used to bargaining from the position of strength, but she isn't prepared for the new world -- the one where her brother is unafraid to destroy her life if she dares try to touch his.
Gods, I just want to relax. Once we visit the healer in the next few days, Seb and I are heading to Nagrand for some much-needed time away from former lovers, cretinous sisters, and everything else.