And a Little Bell Jingled in Ardenweald

And A Little Bell Jingled in Ardenweald

All one needs is a nighttime forest illuminated by powerful magics to create the most beautiful landscape ever. Such forests as Teldrasil, Ashenvale, or Val’sharrah certainly fit the bill. Towering trees that touched the sky presented the two-legged, the four-legged, and the winged things below it with a dark, beautiful forest to protect them. Any of these held trees large enough to build a large manor home from, such as the humans made. Their enormous trunks took a length of time to walk around, and their roots alone often grew to the size of whole trees in other forests around the world. Such was the canopy among deeply green treetops that, night or day, the forest below was in a perpetual state of peaceful, quiet night, the paths illuminated by ornate Kaldorei lampposts. The magic of moonwells and druidism and priestesses of Elune, not to mention the blessing of Elune herself, allowed the forests to thrive and grow and be glad. One really couldn’t be faulted for declaring any of these or other Kaldorei forests to be the most beautiful place on Azeroth.

In life, they may very well be correct.

In the afterlife, however, in the Shadowlands, there stands a forest like none on Azeroth. Its name is Ardenweald. In this forest, it seems to be perpetually night primarily because it is so. At any hour, it’s as dark as night, even when in an open glade or amongst a crisscrossing of beautiful little creeks and streams where no trees take root. One can, from there, look up and see a night sky filled with stars, the constellations of which appear to take on the pattern of fae markings and runes. There were wonderfully shaped trees with elegant twisting and turning patterns in their trunks and branches that matured at a dozen feet or so, others that grew to about a hundred feet, all with lovely dark purple leaves. There were even the ruins of hollowed-out tree trunks that were so massive, entire camps of fae beings like those in the Wild Hunt could dwell within them. But most remarkable of all these trees were those that stood to several hundreds of feet in height, trees with towering straight trunks whose branches were all at the very top, expanding out like a disc, each branch curling to form part of a spiral pattern around the canopy and, if one watched, swirled slowly around in a never-ending circle as its star-like lights glowed from its branches. At the very center of these branches, right at the pinnacle of the tree’s trunk, it seemed like the entire universe glowed in a soft, night-blue light.

The most prominent of these trees was the Heart of the Forest. The Heart stood several times higher than the rest of its powerfully magical kind, perhaps a thousand feet or more, and many times broader. It’s spiraling canopy was visible from anywhere in Ardenweald, its branches ever seeming to spread protectively over the forest around it. True to its name, the Heart of the Forest was deep in the center of Ardenweald. Within dwelled several Night Fae of various types, including the Winter Queen herself, ruler of all Ardenweald, a tall Night Fae that dwarfed the rest. The woman wore dark robes and had spiraling antlers of her own that resembled the strange trees, albeit vertically. With her eternal wisdom, she had governed Ardenweald and seen to its affairs since time immemorial.

The rest of Ardenweald included much other life. Blue-green grass and moss covered the forest floor. Tall flowering plants that bloomed from root to tip with fuchsia blossoms lined creeks alongside fae fern-like plans with immensely broad leaves. These creeks held fish and large frogs and cranes and much other wildlife. Runestags with spiraling antlers that resembled the Winter Queen’s grazed in the grass as moths large enough for a person to ride floated by idyllically. Runesabres hunted runestags. Massive insects called gorm infested some areas and had to be routinely culled by the Wild Hunt, lest they wither the forest. All this and much, much more resided in Ardenweald, and a startling percentage glowed and glittered a soft blue with anima magic. The perpetual night air smelled of night air, as well as a woodsy smell that mingled pleasantly with the scent of fresh, cool water, grass, moss, and a certain floral scent unlike anything that could possibly be found on Azeroth. The air was always the perfect temperature, not too cool, not too warm. Despite pockets of the forest infested with unfriendly forces, to walk along the peaceful paths of the forest of night was to know peace and tranquility.

One such pocket of the forest, the Growthworks, was, like a few other areas in the forest, infested with nasty little troublemaking creatures known as sprites. These little troublemakers stood barely a couple feet high, yet were shockingly malevolent, mischievous, and bloodthirsty. They throve on dirty tricks and thievery and often bloodthirst. These little beings tended to keep together in swarms, their sheer numbers making them formidable where their diminutive stature did not. Thought fought with their toxic nature magic, claws, and their gnarled little staves. They abducted fae, tormented innocent animals, stole things, and participated in many other forms of mischief. With their pale lavender skin, eerily glowing pale blue eyes and claws, and head, shoulders, chest, forearms, lower legs, and tail tips all growing broad blue-green leaves, not to mention their entwined leafy loincloths, they were also masters of hiding amongst the foliage of the forest if they felt so inclined.

This day, they had caged several small critters of various types. Frogs and fawns, bunnies and birdies, kittens and moths and fish, all were rounded up and stuffed into cages or tanks and held prisoner for goodness knows what this time across those tree-root bridges and deep in the Growthworks. Someone had to go and get them back, quickly, before it was too late!

Ting.

A tiny jingle broke the silence across the stream from the Growthworks. It was a bit out of place. The tiny ring of a tiny piece of metal upon another tiny piece of metal rang out gently, the only thing to break the silence besides the occasional strike of a crane in the water, or the splash of a fish or a frog.

Ting-ting.

There it was again! A crane turned its head, looking for the source of the sound, ready to flee if some strange predator or sprite was coming near. But there was nothing, it couldn’t see anything in the immediate vicinity. It kept its head on a swivel anyway, looking about for danger.

Ting-ting, tinky-tinky ting, ting-a-ling-a-ling!

The crane wasted no more time. It spread its wings and leapt from the water to the skies with a flash, seeking a safer spot to hunt for frogs and fish elsewhere.

A curious figure approached. She looked like a figure one might find in such a forest as this, yet was not remotely native. She approached with bare, dirty, calloused little feet that padded along the dirt path with soft little pitter-patters. With long green hair, pale lavender skin not unlike that of the sprites, and exceptionally long, pointed ears, it was clear that this woman was a Kaldorei.

Yet the curiosity didn’t end there. This one was a dwarf among her kind, standing at only five and a half feet tall instead of closer to seven. She had wide hips, a somewhat disproportionally large rear, and almost no chest to speak of. The curious jingling sound was a curious bell tied to her ankle by a leather thong. She didn’t seem to have the athletic strength of her people; a strong breeze might have blown her right over. Her little rosebud mouth didn’t pull the attention away from the curious spread of freckles across her nose, cheeks, and the lengths of her ears, pulling attention away for a short moment from her large doe-like glowing eyes. Her oval-shaped face was framed by gorgeous long, green hair that bore braids about the width of a finger; two on the left, one on the right, and bearing earthen-colored beads, raven feathers, and one long feather that one from Azeroth would recognize as being from a hippogryph, the stem of which was decorated with one red bead, one blue bead, and one brown bead. She wore simple brown leather robes without sleeves, the straps of which slipped overtop her silken little shoulders. A black cloak with a cracked, grinning red skull embroidered upon it hung loosely down her little back, arching over her rump a bit.

Shari’adune Forestsong pitter-pattered down the path, her little ankle bell jingling all along, reaching the first of two flattened tree-root bridges. She was pulling anxiously on a braid with little hands that, along with her forearms, heavily bore old burn scars. She scanned quickly around before stepping onto the bridge, her companion coming into view behind her as her little feet pitter-pattered along the gnarled root bridge. Ting-tinky-ting!

A human woman, far more out of place here than Shari, stepped out. She was heavier than most women, though her weight was proportioned fairly well. She was the same height as Shari. She had pale, nearly snow-white skin, long, thick black hair, and wide, deeply purple doe eyes. Her little cherry nose wrinkled a couple of times as she inhaled the wonderful scent of the forest for the hundredth time that day. Causing her to stand out more were the fel-green summoning robes she wore under a tabard that matched Shari’s cloak, with the felfire shoulder guards blazing, and even more odd and alarming than that were the gaggle of imps, a floating felfire-engulfed, horned skull, and a towering wrathguard that stood at well over twice either woman’s height, wielding an enormous double-bladed axe and wearing armor with more axe-blades welded into it. The warlock woman that subjugated them had them following well behind, not wanting to disturb the tranquility of the stunningly beautiful forest.

“I believe this the place, Miss Natasha,” Shari said softly, still anxiously toying with her braid. Her voice was a soprano that was not dissimilar to that of a dryad.

“You’re never going to relent on the ‘Miss’ thing and just call me Nat, are you, Shari?” Miss Natasha Ebonlocke replied, her alto voice pleasantly contrasting with Shari’s as she grinned over at her little friend.

“No, Miss,” Shari said, returning a gentle smile of her own.

Miss Natasha giggled, stepping forward to walk alongside Shari across the first little bridge. Together, the pair crossed over the gnarled, slightly arching tree-root bridge to a large dirt mound rising from the center of the creek, Shari’s bell jingly gently. Tingy-ting-a-ting! Starting across the second, they could begin to see the first group of little sprites swarming around and chittering animatedly about something that had them quite excited.

“Oh gosh,” said Miss Natasha, stopping about halfway across the second gnarled little bridge. “They’re all over the place! And something has them really wound up!”

Shari looked over at the newest Cheshire Cat in the family. Miss Natasha seemed to be half as “wound up” as the creatures their contract had assigned them to clear out to free the abducted animals.

“Yes, Miss,” Shari said softly. “It would appear so.”

“Ready?” Miss Natasha grinned over at Shari again.

“I-I think so, Miss, yes…” Shari responded anxiously.

“Laz archim, mishun!” Miss Natasha rasped suddenly, using a growling voice and a language that was utterly unlike her. Her large, black diamond ring flashed with suddenly light, as did her richly purple eyes, and the docile wrathguard and imps well down the path behind them suddenly no longer seemed docile. The wrathguard dashed forward, surprising the sprites with his sudden appearance and onslaught, swinging his axe left, right, and center. Parts of sprite flew in every direction. The sprites that were further away quickly recovered, and began to swarm the wrathguard, slashing with claws, beating with staves, casting spells of toxic goop. Miss Natasha’s imps responded quickly, thinning out the advancing swarm with bolts of shadowflame, though one odd imp, one that made Shari smile a little to see, cast normal fireballs. Ishura, the imp she had given to Miss Natasha as a Winter Veil gift, was quite a profane and mischievous troublemaker, yet she was pleased Miss Natasha hadn’t detonated this one like she usually did with the rest of them.

As if reading her mind, Miss Natasha’s imps, their ranks growing due to her summoning spells that had them pouring forth out of little dark portals, suddenly all leapt forward together, detonating loudly and violently in the sea of sprites around Mek-barash the wrathguard. Now, none were left standing. Mek-barash flicked a bit of exploded imp from his shoulder, and moved uphill through the pretty trees, axe at the ready.

Shari noted his wounds, little bruises and cuts and cashes along his lower legs, in between bits of armor. Not for the first time, she marveled to herself that she’d ever heal one of the types of beings that had invaded this world numerous times to put it to the torch, but she reminded herself that this was their meatshield, and Miss Natasha’s own bodyguard. With that thought, she cast her nature spells of healing regeneration on the thing. His wounds healed and his bruises faded. Satisfied, she pitter-pattered after Miss Natasha, her bell jingling at her ankle. Tingy-ting, tingy-jing-a-ling!

Miss Natasha was heading further uphill into the trees and away from the creek. She would have enjoyed staying and playing with creatures in the gentle waters, but she reminded herself that there were other creatures that were caged and couldn’t play, not to mention Miss Natasha to look after, and she continued after her friend. Jingle-jingle, jingle-jingle, ting-tink-a-ting!

Suddenly, as they ran along the path along a terrace in between two beautiful waterfalls, Miss Natasha stopped! Shari stopped as well, following Miss Natasha’s gaze to a very low-cut tree stump that seemed to serve as a small table to four sprites. In the center of the table stood a sprite with a large, luminous feather hanging from his gnarled little staff. He spoke!

“Leave us be, leave us be! We’re having fun now, can’t you see? Flee now, scurry now, or get killed by me! Flee, flee, before I count to three!”

The capering sprite danced about on the stump-table as he spoke, his high-pitched voice scratchy and coarse. His antics drew malevolent cackles from his fellows, who danced about as well and shook their staves at Miss Natasha and Shari.

“We’re not leaving!” Miss Natasha responded. “Not until we’ve taken back those poor baby animals you took!”

The sprites cackled, and the one that seemed to be their leader spoke up again.

“Dead! Dead! They’ll soon be dead! Drained of blood and relieved of head! If you don’t leave, this fate you’ll dread!”

“You’ll do no such thing!” Miss Natasha snapped back, glaring at them. Shari marveled at how her gentle friend could sometimes behave in this manner. She kept silent, allowing the newest Cheshire Cat in the family to negotiate with the sprites.

“Warned you, warned you, I sure did too! Counting, counting, one… TWO!”

Shari gasped as the creature broke its word and attacked at two instead of three. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised the sprite leader had lied; these were malevolent sprites after all.

The attack came quickly, too. The sprite leader threw his hands forward, palms away from him fingers of either hand pointing in opposite directions as his the heels of his palms joined. A glop of green poison goop flew right at Miss Natasha, hitting her in the chest! Nat coughed immediately, looking unwell. Shari reacted quickly, casting a spell to cure poison, and another of rejuvenation. Meanwhile, Miss Natasha had sent her wrathguard forward. The four sprites around the table were quickly dispatched, but the leader was nowhere to be seen!

They heard tiny footsteps sprinting away ahead of them, and they followed. Ting-a-ting-a-tinky-tinky-tinky-tink-ting!

The pair turned right, moving uphill again through an arch made by an enormous tree root. Then, a squeak of fright was suddenly followed by a loud thud in the dirt, and a squeak of pain! Shari stopped, looking behind her a couple feet. Miss Natasha had fallen down! She forgot her friend tended to fall down sometimes when running. Helping Miss Natasha to her feet, Shari cast another quick rejuvenation spell on her just in case, and the two made their way uphill, finding themselves looking at the opening to one of the many large, hollowed-out tree trucks that dotted the forest.

Inside, the creek that led to the waterfalls and down to the pair of gnarled bridges below now floated around a little island covered in luminous moss in the center of the trunk, where another low stump-table was. The leader was upon it, standing in the center, whacking rapidly at a hovering purple acorn with a white cap that was as large as the sprite whacking it. What the sprite hoped to accomplish was beyond Shari, and she looked on as Miss Natasha approached it.

“We’ve dealt with your friends below,” Miss Natasha warned. “We’ll deal with you the same way, if you don’t tell us where the animals are!”

“Oh dear, oh my, I wouldn’t hurt a fly! Please don’t hurt me, a friend am I! If help you want, then I will try!”

Miss Natasha blinked, surprised at the turn of events. She clearly hadn’t expected cooperation from the sprite and more than Shari did. Shari watched as her friend’s face next turned suspicious.

“You already lied about counting to three before attacking,” she pointed out. “Why should I believe that you’ll help us find the animals?”

“Help you, help you, yes yes yes! I’ll help you; it’s for the best! Don’t believe me, put me to test! Seek your critters further west!”

With that, the sprite leapt from the table, sprinting, as he’d indicated, off to the west. Miss Natasha followed, placing her feet carefully this time, and Shari jogged off right behind her. Jing-a-ling-a-ling! Tinkly-tinky-ting!

The two jogged out of the tree trunk, heading west. A low waterfall played merrily to their right in the dim light of the night forest. The dirt path soon led to one of the little Night Fae villages, the ones with the twisting, spiraling luminous branches that entwined to form shelter. However, there were no Night Fae here beyond more sprites. The sprites swarmed, and, a few explosions of imps and one wrathguard rampage later, the village was cleared of all opposition. Shari looked around. The leader wasn’t here, and neither were the animals! They set off again at a trot, Miss Natasha watching her footing carefully as she jogged along, her curves bouncing and jiggling from within her summoning robes and making them dance. Shari followed. Tinky-ting!

The path ran down the other side of the hill here, and to another luminous fae-moss covered area with yet another low-cut stump-table. The sprite here was surrounded by a large horde of his kind, all cackling madly at something that was, evidently, very funny. When Shari arrived with Miss Natasha, they turned and looked at them mischievously, not at all surprised to see them.

“Gosh!” Miss Natasha exclaimed. “I-it was an ambush! He tricked us!”

“Elune will protect us, Miss,” Shari said soothingly. “As will your minions.”

Nat nodded, her purple eyes flashing again, blending well with the luminous… everything around them. Her wrathguard surged forward, wading into the swarm of sprites, sending parts of them flying in every direction with his axe. Miss Natasha’s imps cast their spells alongside her as she cast her own shadowbolts and demonbolts. And this time, a pair of felhounds appeared, Dreadstalkers as they were called. They leapt forward into the prey, mauling sprite after sprite after sprite. Mek-barash somehow commanded the attention of all, however, and he was getting pummeled by toxic goop, tiny fists, and gnarled staved, and more and more gashes were opening on the exposed portions of his legs from their claws.

Shari acted quickly. She cast spells of rejuvenation repeatedly to heal up each gash as it appeared, her arms and hands moving quickly as she worked, occasionally casting a poison-cleansing spell for the toxic goop. When she took a step in any direction, she jingled again. Jingly-tinkle-ting!

It took a moment to clear the ambush out, but the sprites were eventually done for, their leader backed against a tree.

“I’ll ask again,” Miss Natasha said, advancing on him from behind Mek-barash, who had the blade of his axe to the sprite’s neck. “Where. Are. The animals?!”

“Oh me, oh me, I said west when I meant east! Your critter friends are to the east! But, tonight, on them we’ll feast!”

The sprite ducked below the axe blade and darted between Mek-barash’s tree-trunk legs, cackling gleefully. Mek-barash tried to grab the sprite leader as it darted between his legs, but the agile little creature was too quick and elusive. It sprinted past Shari and Miss Natasha on its speedy way back up the hill along the dirt path.

“Enkil-belan, re!” Miss Natasha rasped. A spiky-headed, black horse with a felflame-engulfed head, tail tip, and hooves galloped out of a sudden dark portal. Miss Natasha scrambled up, sitting sidesaddle as she usually did. She glanced over at Shari. Shari understood. She disappeared in a puff of smoke, a lovely doe standing there in her place, with Shari’s bell wrapped around the end of her tail with the same leather thong. Miss Natasha nodded, then urged her dreadsteed up the hill along the path. Shari galloped along after her, her bell jingling madly at the speed. Tingytingytingytingytingy, tingytingytingytingytingytingytingtingting!

The two Cheshire Cats dashed up the dirt path at a full gallop, retracing their steps through the now-cleared Night Fae Village at the top, splashing through the creek, through the house-sized hollow tree stump they’d been in before. They looked around, Miss Natasha dismounting, and Shari reverting to Kaldorei form. Shari wished she knew how to track like the huntresses among her people could. She looked around. There were tracks here, alright, as the dirt path right next to the creek was damp. Tiny tracks, shaped exactly like the sprites’ feet, ran in every direction, crossing, re-crossing, and trampling still more tracks. Shari felt that the huntresses of her tribe could pick out the right path, but she, herself, was at a loss.

“Erm… Shari…” Miss Natasha spoke up. “I just had a thought…”

“Yes, Miss?” Shari responded.

“Well…” Miss Natasha started slowly. “That sprite guy… He’s all like, lying and stuff… What if the thought occurred to him that if he told us, after so many lies, that the animals were to the east, we’d not believe him, and go look someplace else? What if the animals really are east of here after all?”

Shari blinked at that. “I… am unsure, Miss. I am unused to the concept of lying, as it is an impossibility for me to do. However, Elune grant that you are correct.”

“Well, it’s the only thing remotely resembling a lead that we have, and one direction is as good as the next,” Miss Natasha mused. “We may as well head east after all, on that notion.”

Shari nodded, falling in behind Miss Natasha again, her bell ringing. Jing-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling!

Shari followed Miss Natasha east along the path out of the hollowed-out tree, finding dry dirt again as the path wound more or less in the direction Miss Natasha had chosen. They came upon a clearing with no trees, one with an oddly level, flat ground, where luminescent moss grew and glowed in a spiral around the precise center of the clearing. The clearing held no sprites, and no nearby sounds of cackling glee. They ventured into the clearing, crossing it, marveling at its beauty, but progressing ever eastward. The path resumed its winding easterly route through the trees. Miss Natasha and Shari followed it, Shari’s bell still tinkling merrily as she strode along behind her friend.

The sounds of rushing water could soon be heard ahead again. The pair strode along, Shari’s bell the only sound, though the roaring water ahead likely drowned it out to anyone near the water. They slowed. Shari followed Miss Natasha as Miss Natasha crept up to the edge of the path, where the trees opened up to yet another of Ardenweald’s many streams. A somewhat taller waterfall was here, accounting for the roaring water.

Miss Natasha suddenly froze again. Shari opened her mouth to speak, but Miss Natasha held a finger to her plump red lips, then pointed forward with it. Shari peered around Miss Natasha’s rather larger body, gasping herself. There, dead ahead, what appeared to be dozens of sprites were trotting up to the waterfall merrily, disappearing behind the cascading water. The flow of sprites never seemed to cease. In droves they came, darting behind the waterfall, yet none ever came out. It was utterly puzzling to Shari how so very many sprites could fit behind the sheet of falling water, yet none ever emerge from the other side. She crept a step closer to Miss Natasha (tinky-tink!), leaning forward to whisper.

“How are they doing it?”

“Huh?” Miss Natasha whispered back.

“How are they fitting so very many of themselves behind that waterfall?”

“Oh! Erm… I believe the waterfall is hiding a cave entrance.”

“Oh!” repeated Shari, nodding slowly. “You are very wise, Miss Natasha.”

Miss Natasha blushed deeply at that, smiling bashfully down at the dirt path beneath her feet, hands clasped sheepishly behind her.

“Oh g-gosh…” she spluttered. “Th-thanks, Shari… I… I think you’re all smart and stuff too!”

“No, Miss,” Shari corrected. “The Lady has informed me that I am not.”

Miss Natasha, for some reason, winced at her answer, and Shari was curious to know what she was thinking, but, before she could ask, Miss Natasha was starting forward again. Shari followed. Tink-tinky-ting-a-ling-a-ling!

Miss Natasha stopped behind a large tree at the very edge of the grove here, peering around its right side, her long black tresses swinging to the right to dangle below her head loosely. She watched until the veritable army of sprites stopped appearing from the trees on the other side of the creek, then watched for more for a time. When no more came, she turned to look back at Shari.

“Are you ready?” Miss Natasha asked.

“F-for what, Miss?”

“Are you ready to go save the animals? I think they’re down in that cave! I bet that’s why all those sprites are all excited and all running into one place!”

Shari paled a bit, but then set her face determinedly and nodded. She wasn’t about to let all those animals be tormented until they perished and were eaten by all these sprites. She set out from behind the trees, following Miss Natasha. Shari’s ankle jingled as the two darted to the waterfall, slipping behind it from the opposite side that the sprites had.

Miss Natasha stopped after she got inside. Shari stopped behind her. Shari already knew about Miss Natasha’s keen night vision, vision she’d gotten from living her life in Duskwood. Her own Kaldorei vision matched and surpassed it, and her vision adjusted to the darkness first. She waited patiently for Miss Natasha’s vision to adapt. It didn’t take long.

Miss Natasha looked around with Shari as she set forth. The dirt cave went directly under one particularly large, broad tree, and tree roots ranging from the size of a strand of hair to the size of Shari’s torso broke through the ceiling, walls, and floor, twisting and winding along the cave. Shari was careful not to trip. Jingle-jingle, jingly-tinkly-ting!

The air was quite still here, and rather chilly. Shari wrapped her cloak with the family’s crest around her, the red skull crossing her flat chest sideways as she tried to keep warm. At first, all she could smell was the dirt that was sifting between her toes at every step. But, as she made her way further in, the sounds of the waterfall disappearing behind, she could smell something else. Something foul, something that, though it smelled perfectly natural somehow, it smelled revolting too. Eventually the scent’s identity occurred to her. Droppings. Animal droppings. Was this where they were? She looked over at Miss Natasha. The human’s woman’s nose was wrinkled, a faint hint of disgust on her face. Shari nodded. This must be the place.

The cave twisted after a time, winding right, then left, then right again. It never forked, fortunately, which made Shari feel as though she’d be able to find her way out again when they were done here. Shari followed along still as Miss Natasha led the way. The smell of animal droppings grew stronger.

Suddenly, Shari heard it – the cackling laughter of many sprites gathered in one place!

“Miss!” Shari whispered loudly, placing a tiny hand on Miss Natasha’s shoulder.

Miss Natasha stopped, turning to gaze at Shari in confusion.

“Don’t you hear it?” Shari asked.

“No… I… I have human ears, Shari…” Miss Natasha responded.

“Right, I had forgotten for a moment. But Miss… I hear them… I hear the sprites’ laughter up ahead!”

Miss Natasha gulped nervously, nodding. She turned and set out again. Shari followed. Tinkly-tinkly-tinkly-ting!

The two made their way along the tunnel for a time, and eventually Miss Natasha gasped, looking over her shoulder at Shari and tapping her ear as she went along. Miss Natasha now heard them as well. They continued on, so deep in the tunnel now that Miss Natasha’s curious, glowing purple eyes was all the light they had to see by. On and on the tunnel went. On and on the two Cheshire Cats went.

Shari gasped again, and again she put her little burned hand on Miss Natasha’s shoulder, again she pointed forward.

Miss Natasha stopped, peering ahead, gasping as well.

“Light!” Miss Natasha whispered. “Torchlight! We’ve found them! We’re almost there, Shari!”

Shari nodded their agreement as they moved forward again, Miss Natasha still leading the way, Shari still following behind. Tinkly-tinkly-tinkly-ting!

All at once, around a curve, the light suddenly grew very bright! Shari peered around Miss Natasha, and noticed their tunnel had come to an end at a wide-open space. Inside were scores upon scores of sprites, many of whom carried torches. They were gathered around a platform in the center of the large, circular room. The platform was piled with crates on top of crates, and a row of aquatic tanks along one side. All the abducted animals, the cats, the deer, the rabbits, the foxes, the birds, the frogs, the fish, and so many more, all were in the crates and tanks. All were surrounded by noisy, cackling, jostling sprites.

Upon the pile of crates stood the loudest cackling sprite of all, the sprite with the feather dangling on his staff.

The sprite leader.

Shari darted forward with a cry of despair for the poor animals there. JINGly-tinkly-tinkly-TING!

The sprites instantly quieted, turning to face the door. The sprite leader peered in the direction of the tunnel, squinting into the dark space there.

“Bell? Bell? Do show and tell! Come out here and join as well!”

A sea of faces stared into their tunnel, scores of sprite faces that peered with squinting eyes as their leader did. To Shari’s surprise, Miss Natasha stood up straight, sauntering right out into the light!

“Let those animals go!” Miss Natasha demanded forcefully. “NOW!”

“Stay, stay, the feast will stay! So will you, to your dismay! You’ll be bones by end of day!”

The leader’s words drew an uproar from the sprites, who cackled with glee and began to advance on Miss Natasha. Shari felt a surge of fear; surely this was far too many to overcome for just two people? She set her face, planting her feet, ready to bring to bear every healing and cleansing spell she knew so she could keep her friend on her feet.

“Zekul kiel!” Nat rasped. Shari watched, but nothing happened! What was this, another sprite trick? But then she noticed it – shadowy purple magics were swirling around her!

“Thank you for the Soulstone, Miss!”

“Any time, Shari,” Nat replied. “Ready to free those critters?”

“Yes, Miss.”

Miss Natasha nodded once, though she took a few steps backward. Shari followed suit, backing up a few paces, remaining behind Miss Natasha, waiting to heal her and Mek-barash.

“Laz archim, mishun!” Miss Natasha growled next. Mek-barash immediately charged forward, and her imps began to cast into the crowd of sprites. Several sprites fell. Mek-barash swung his axe with great force, again sending parts of sprites flying, but the sprites did not relent. They swarmed Mek-barash, pummeling him, gashing his legs with their claws, striking his bare feet and toes with their staves.

Miss Natasha began to incant at a feverish speed. Shari had no idea what she was saying, but she knew what she was seeing. It was as though the Legion itself was returning. Dark portals opened everywhere, pouring demons of a score of species forth. Another pair of dreadstalkers appeared to maul sprite after sprite. A few Shivarra appeared, swinging swords in all six of their arms. A felguard came forward, and another. A cluster of Eyes of Kil’rogg appeared, channeling beams of destructive power from their pupils into the crowd of sprites. These and many, many more appeared, and, capping it all off, a huge, hulking, spiky black demonic tyrant appeared, casting massive shadowbolts and inspiring the rest of Miss Natasha’s minions to fight much, much harder.

Shari cast healing spell after healing spell. Rejuvenation and lifebloom remained on Mek-barash continually, and a brilliantly green circle appeared from her Efflorescence spell. Regrowth flashed upon him again. Shari repeatedly cleaned poison from his body from the toxic goop that was being cast at him from range again and again and again.

But the sprites were just too numerous. For every sprite that fell from Miss Natasha, Mek-barash, the tyrant, and the horde of fel minions, a handful more rushed in to take its place. Miss Natasha, having only started out with a wrathguard and three imps, could not summon more fast enough to match numbers with a hundred-plus sprites. Her own numbers dwindled, the tyrant fell, and even Mek-barash, with Shari’s best healing, couldn’t hold up against the massive army of sprites alone. Before long, he fell too, disappearing back into the twisting nether like her other fallen minions.

“Mek-barash, re!” Miss Natasha squeaked rapidly. The wrathguard, fresh and whole, rushed out of the portal, but he fell again before more minions could be summoned to support him, even with all the heals Shari could focus on him. The sprites rushed at Miss Natasha next.

“Mek-ba-EEE! OUCH!” Miss Natasha wasn’t able to summon Mek-barash fast enough. Lacking armor and any ability to fight with fist and foot, Miss Natasha squeaked in pain repeatedly and fell next, drawing a dismayed cry from Shari as the sprites pummeled her with their staves until she stopped moving.

“Miss! NO!” Shari cried. She quickly cast a Rebirth spell. In the next instant, Miss Natasha was back on her feet, standing right beside her and shaking her head.

“Th-thanks, Shari,” Miss Natasha said unsteadily. “Now, into the tunnel! Chokepoint!”

“Ch-chokepoint, Miss?”

“Yeah! A tight point where only a few can come at us at a time!”

Shari nodded at the plan, turning to dash back into the tunnel. Tink-a-tink-a-tink-a-tink-a-tinky-tink-tink!

Miss Natasha turned, now looking fully recovered. She summoned Mek-barash once more, directing him to the tunnel opening. Mek-barash moved as ordered, spreading his feet and setting them solidly into the dirt. The sprites began to funnel in, and Mek-barash held them back with swing after swing after swing of his mighty axe. Miss Natasha was now free to cast at will, and Shari found herself little to do, as parts of sprites flew in every direction before they could reach the wrathguard. All Shari had to do was keep him healed and cleansed from the toxic goop spells.

Miss Natasha summoned imps. She summoned dreadstalkers. She summoned vilefiends. She summoned imps again. She summoned a never-ending army, directing them in that strange tongue, commanding them to move here and there and destroy the enemy, and the minions did so with obscene gusto.

“Benthadoom, gular!” Miss Natasha snapped next, her arms outstretched, palms facing forward. A blast of darkness exploded up ahead, stunning the massive army of sprites outside the tunnel, stopping them dead in their tracks.

“Mishuneadare belaros!” she cried next, arms still outstretched, drawing her hands in a bit with clenched fists. A dark portal opened horizontally over the stunned sprite army like a black cloud, and from it, a huge swarm of bilescourge bats swarmed, darting to the cave floor to detonate, one after another after another. Bits of sprites went everywhere. She next rose one finger into the sky, swinging it forward as an army commander might when signaling his forces to charge. When she did, a score of imps leapt forward, detonating in the midst of the sprite army along with the bats. She next summoned more melee fighters. Mek-barash led the charge from there, mopping up what was left of the sprite army alongside felguards, shivarra, dreadstalkers, vilefiends, and several others that fought with blade, tooth, and claw. More imps came in behind that, led by another tyrant.

The tables were turned now. Miss Natasha and Shari were on the side with the numbers. Before long, Mek-barash was hacking the final sprite cleaning in two at the waist, his axe dripping with gore as he slowly advanced on the sprite leader, who was bouncing around in agitation atop the crates and yanking on his ears.

“Now, about these animals,” Miss Natasha grinned at the single sprite, holding up a hand at her forces for them to stop. She dismissed all but Mek-barash and a few imps, including Ishura, who always seemed to be out and by his mistress’s side when she was adventuring.

“Stop! Stop! I don’t wanna drop! My entire army has flopped!”

“You’ll personally get down and free every one of these critters,” Miss Natasha calmly said next. “Now.”

“Feast! Feast! Feast of beast! The feast was to be eat, here in the east!”

“Yeah, well, I don’t see anyone here to eat the feast, do you? Free the animals.”

Mek-barash moved forward next as Miss Natasha waved him on. The fourteen-foot-tall wrathguard was easily able to reach up and hold his axe to the sprite leader’s throat once again, even with the sprite atop the crates. The sprite trembled, reaching down to the crate he was standing on and opening it up. A crane darted out, bouncing over the carnage on the cave floor and running right to Shari to stand behind her, drawing a gentle smile from her rosebud lips. The sprite leader hopped down, opening another crate, and out dashed a little fox, also darting behind Shari. Shari smiled a bit more. The sprite opened crate after crate after crate, Mek-barash tossing aside empty crates so that the sprite could get to the ones in the center of the stack as well. When all the animals were released, Miss Natasha began incanting in that strange tongue again.

“No! No! I let them go! To me, for this, mercy you show!”

Miss Natasha grinned, and did not stop incanting for a moment. A few felguards land a shivarra later, and she had enough numbers to lift the fish and frog tanks. Shari, meanwhile, had an entire menagerie around her feet, and she cooed and giggled at the many playful animals that were so glad to be released. Mek-barash guarded the sprite while all the tanks were carried over to Miss Natasha.

“Right, out we get then,” Miss Natasha said, turning to Shari. She giggled as well when she saw all Shari’s new friends. Shari nodded, turning to leave, her many friends following her. Miss Natasha sent the felguards ahead to guard the front while they carried the fish tanks, and she left Mek-barash behind to guard the sprite. Shari wondered at that. Miss had allowed her soft heart to leave a malevolent sprite alive, regardless of what it had done, what it was about to do to those animals, what it was about to do to them. She couldn’t work out whether she agreed or not. The being had been altogether pitiful once alone, and she couldn’t have fathomed hurting it in that moment herself. She shook her head, making her way out of the tunnel, deciding to smile about the successful mission and having so many new animal friends instead. She hadn’t been surprised they’d come to her. After all, such animals did the same thing on Azeroth. She smile gently as she walked down the tunnel. Tinky-tinky-tinky-tinky-jingle-jingle-jingly-jingle!

The two emerged from the cave, coming out behind the waterfall again. Making their way around the cascading water, they went to the side of the pool. Miss Natasha had her felguards pour out the fish tanks, returning the fish and frogs to the water before dismissing them through dark portals. The two made their way peacefully along the paths now, the cranes eventually taking flight one by one to return to their nests, numerous other birds doing the same. The foxes and small saber cats and fawns and other critters also dispersed one by one, until soon the final animal, the first fox to have emerged, gave Shari’s right calf a warm nuzzle before turning and darting into the trees.

“Thank you for coming to rescue the animals with me, Miss Natasha,” Shari said. “I praise Elune for sending you to the family, and her infinite wisdom for selecting you and your empathy for this contract with me.”

“Of course!” replied Miss Natasha, smiling and nodding at her little friend. “I can’t stand by idly and ignore the torment of animals! I want them to be free too! Now they can go off and have adventures!”

Shari giggled at that, the fields of freckles across the top of her oval-shaped face widening as she smiled. The two made their way back to the Heart of the Forest triumphant, ready to turn in their contracts for the mission, their hearts full of joy and satisfaction as they strode along.

Jingly-jingly-jing-a-ling-a-ling, tinky-tinky-tink-a-lingy-ling-a-ling!