"You had best be certain that everything you say is accurate." The Arch Druid's voice was utterly cold. His mood had already turned extremely sour the moment he heard the scout's report.
"The Sentinel Force in Ashenvale suffered heavy losses… and…" The scout's expression was conflicted. He wasn't sure if he would be thrown out of the room directly after saying what came next.
"What?! Say that again?!"
Fandral Staghelm's roar echoed from the treehouse, causing even the guards, who were accustomed to the Arch Druid's temper, to subtly glance over. It seemed the Arch Druid's outburst this time was far more severe than before.
However, the roar inside the house immediately subsided. A moment later, the scout scurried out of the treehouse, his face filled with lingering fear.
The Arch Druid's personal guard patted the haggard scout, offering a simple comfort to the unfortunate messenger, as the quality of the message was not something he could decide.
After the scout left with a bitter expression, Fandral stepped out of the house. His face was gloomy, and he said in a low voice, "Help me notify the High Priestess. I have important matters to see her about."
…
Inside the Moon God Temple on Mount Hyjal, the Priestess of Elune and their leader, Tyrande Whisperwind, were performing prayers when the footsteps of the Arch Druid Staghelm reached the priests' ears.
Tyrande stopped her prayer, her face extremely solemn, apparently having also received news or a revelation.
"Tyrande, we had best act immediately. Those barbaric and filthy races are slaughtering our brethren and defiling our sacred forests!"
Staghelm entered the main hall and spoke with a booming voice before Tyrande could open her mouth. The death of Cenarius had enraged him beyond measure. In thousands of years, there had only been one other time when he felt more hatred and sorrow than he did now.
"I was thinking the same, but Elune gave me a revelation. Behind this disaster is something even more evil at play," Tyrande's face showed a worried expression, "They… might have returned."
Staghelm's spirit was shaken. He naturally understood who Tyrande meant by "they," which caused much of the Arch Druid's anger to dissipate. It was as if someone had splashed a basin of cold water on him, calming him down from his fury.
"Are you sure? This…"
Tyrande nodded definitively. "Elune's revelations have never been wrong, and do you truly believe that orcs alone could kill Cenarius?"
As a Druid, Fandral naturally knew of Cenarius's power, but he had been blinded by anger earlier, unconsciously overlooking the possibility of orcs killing a forest god in the forest.
Even Fandral himself, who considered himself to have advanced far on the path of Druidism, did not believe he would be a match for Cenarius. How could a Great Demigod easily die at the hands of mortals?
Coupled with the descriptions from the surviving Ashenvale Sentinels, those orcs indeed behaved very strangely. At first, they were no match for the Sentinel Force and Cenarius, but overnight, their combat strength underwent a drastic change…
Their bodies became more robust, and they began to ignore injuries and pain. Their strength and speed significantly increased, allowing them to suddenly suppress the elves' offensive, despite having no advantage against the elves previously.
As long as the Sentinels' arrows didn't precisely strike their heads, those terrifying beasts, no matter how severely wounded, could fight for a long time, inflicting heavy losses on the Sentinels by essentially trading their lives.
Even after the collapse of the empire, the elves still guarded a considerable portion of territory, almost half of Kalimdor's land. The northern forests and mountains were almost entirely Night Elves territory.
Moreover, the reason they were unwilling to continue expanding and chose to remain steadfastly in the lands around Mount Hyjal was that they did not want to follow the old path of the Highborne and instead focused on guarding the World Tree Nordrassil and concealing the secret beneath the World Tree.
Thus, gradually, the elves' presence faded from the sight of other beings in Kalimdor, turning this ancient and legendary race almost into a myth.
But now… it was time for the legend to re-enter reality.
"Fandral, please trouble you to awaken Malfurion. We now need his and the other Druids' power."
Staghelm nodded. "I will awaken my mentor, but I hope that during this time, those orcs will receive the punishment they deserve."
Tyrande shifted her gaze, not directly agreeing to Staghelm's aggressive request. "I will notify the Sentinel Force and the Priestess to prepare for all dangers. Once Malfurion awakens, we will immediately go to Ashenvale to nip any evil in the bud."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Staghelm's eyes, but he only said, "Then I hope everything will be in time."
With that, the Arch Druid left the Moon God Temple. Tyrande saw the Arch Druid's displeasure, but she had no choice. Compared to the events in Ashenvale, Mount Hyjal was more important in her heart.
If Ashenvale was a trap to lure them away, wouldn't they fall right into the enemy's hands? Tyrande, who had fought against the Burning Legion before, understood that this destructive Legion crushed its enemies not just with brute force; the demons' schemes were no less cunning than any conspirator's.
The elves summoning demons in the first place was precisely falling into a massive deception, which caused Azeroth to pay a heavy price to drive the Burning Legion out.
Even to this day, thinking of the scene of cataclysmic destruction and widespread suffering back then, Tyrande still felt lingering fear. Perhaps one careless choice could lead Azeroth to follow in the footsteps of other worlds destroyed by demons.
Staghelm walked along the path on Mount Hyjal, his expression quite displeased. In his opinion, Tyrande was sometimes too indecisive. With the elves' power, defeating the orcs was not difficult; they were simply caught off guard by Grommash and his Warsong Clan.
The true threat might indeed not be the orcs, but those true Blackhands behind the scenes could only be exposed after the orcs were eliminated.
Awakening his mentor, Malfurion, would take some time, and Fandral worried that during this period of lost information from Ashenvale, some unexpected changes might occur.
"The elves need a more resolute leader… Mentor, I hope your awakening will change the current situation."
Although somewhat dissatisfied with Tyrande, Fandral Staghelm still held great respect for his teacher, Malfurion Stormrage. He was a Arch Druid and a selfless contributor.
While lost in thought, Fandral unconsciously arrived at the animal den where the Druids slept. A peaceful and serene aura emanated from the dark cave entrance, allowing one to feel calm after standing there for a moment.
Staghelm hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the animal den, his robust figure enveloped by the darkness.