Until the next day, the outpost remained unattacked. Hadrisha wasn't happy, but now she realized the truth more clearly, the tribe was only carrying out the next stage of their plan. Whatever their Ashenvale Commander had in mind, she knew that this man must be in a high position, and that he must have been personally appointed by the new High Chief, Garrosh Hellroar.

An hour after dawn, the gates of the outpost opened, and a detachment of leopard-mounted sentinels rushed out under the cover of archers and foot warriors, ready to meet any enemy they might encounter. Hadrisha herself led the charge, and the Nightblade Leopard under her seat smelled the orcs and let out a longing roar.

However, although they found traces of archers, they did not see any tribe present. It was as if they had melted into the shadows and disappeared as soon as they had completed their evil mission.

Dani blurted out her opinion. "We should have killed it in the night. I knew we had to do that. ”

Hadrisha paid no attention to her contempt for the decisions she had made. The commander once again considered his viable options. Of all the outposts, Hadrisha's location is the most important. This is largely determined by its location. It is roughly in the middle of the list of outposts that outline the Coalition's sphere of control. The other is the Silver Wing Outpost. The Silverwing Outpost is unique in that it is a defensive fortress in hostile territory, with the Horde's Broken Wood Outpost not far to the northeast. Even though the orcs were in full swing in other regions, the Silverwing Outpost was still standing. It was strengthened by the bravery of the defenders and a narrow passage connecting the outpost with other Union territories.

They had lost contact with the Silverwing Outpost, but that didn't mean it had fallen. The plume of smoke they had seen earlier was much more northerly. The Silver Wing Outpost is located further south across the River Flann. Hadrisha guessed that the smoke might have come from a lesser outpost. For example, the Lin Ge Temple. She hoped that the defenders there would hold their ground. Especially now that she can't help them.

There is no indication that the Silverwing outpost has fallen. This greatly encouraged the commander. But she also knew she had to act fast. If they could connect with the Silverwing Outpost, they would be able to form a more solid front line against the Horde.

No need to wait for Darnassus' reply. Although the supply convoy did not find Eladria's body, she had apparently died. It will take some time to restore communications, and nothing will help until then. Hadrisha had already sent three Nightblade Leopard riders to the west, but whatever the tribal commander had planned, he would be sure to put it into practice before the capital sent reinforcements.

"Silverwing Outpost...... Daini, I need to divide the army in two, one here to defend it. The other followed us to the Silver Wings. Act now. ”

"Shall we go today?"

"It's up to you. Hadrisha didn't care if her words or tone hurt Dani. The commander has lost patience, and her adjutant must understand who has the final say.

As if to prove that Hadrisha had underestimated herself, Dani had assigned the outpost garrison within an hour. Still, it feels like too long. The commander had been on guard against another surprise attack from the Horde. They didn't show up, but she couldn't tell if it was a good sign.

She considered keeping Dani in charge of the outpost, but chose another officer instead.

At this time, Hadrisha needed her most capable officers to serve on the front lines. And her ambitions aside, Dani is undoubtedly the best of the best.

The sentinels marched cautiously in columns. The leopard-riding scouts probed ahead and reported on time. They searched for the traces left by the tribe, but they only saw footprints in different directions, and there was no way to trace them.

Hadrisha didn't like the unpredictable tactics of the Horde lately. It wasn't the kind of war she was used to. Whoever coordinated the enemy's actions, he was always unexpected. She could only hope that her decision would turn back on their plans.

Despite the drastic changes in the world. At least reassuringly, the war continues, Hadrisha mused darkly. She hoped they had reached the Silver Wing outpost by now. In this way, no matter what conspiracy the tribe has next, they will be able to put up a proper resistance. The thought of this made her feel relieved. It would be better to give her the kind of clean warfare that she usually has, rather than the deceptive tricks that the tribe is now suddenly using.

Give her a real war.

War broke out...... And Varian didn't care.

His son left him. Anduin left him.

His former opponents in the arena would have laughed at the former gladiator's sad state at the moment...... If only they were alive. The great Rakash was in tears for his son at the moment.

A courier brought news of the war to Varian and his people, and the rest of the coalition was informed. The High Priestess wanted to organize an army to rush to Ashenvale, and asked the other nations to provide all the aid they could raise immediately. Naturally, Stormwind would lend a hand, but it didn't matter to Varian at all. For him, all of Azeroth lost its meaning. Anduin left him...... And he knew it was all through his fault.

It was yet another defeat he had suffered, and once again proved that it was better for him to go back to those times when he lost his memory and fight to the death against other scum in the world day in and day out. It would have been better if his father had died with him when he died; That way Tiffany wouldn't marry him and fall victim to another victim of his cursed life. So Anduin would be safe, because he-

He didn't exist at all.

Varian cursed himself, gulping down the rest of the wine. He longed for something like Stormwind whiskey instead of the Night Elves' sweet fruit wine. However, even if he drank enough of it, it would temporarily numb his brain. To accomplish this important task, Varian ordered his frustrated guards to get him more fruit wine or dwarven ale. And he sat in his chair, scolding himself endlessly towards the room where Anduin had slept not long ago.

The prince had already departed with the Draenei as he had said. Varian, for his part, postponed his return for the time being. He didn't want to go back to Stormwind alone...... At least not yet.

I lost him, Tiffany...... I lost you first. And now he has lost him......

There was a knock on the door. Varian frowned. His eyes were still fixed on Anduin's room. He had already given orders to the attendants. Bring him all the liquor you can find. This means that they can walk straight into the sight of their masters, regardless of etiquette. He just wants to get drunk and forget everything, and the sooner the better.

"Damn it, let me in!" They still didn't get in, so he roared. "Hurry up and bring the wine you found!"

The door finally opened, and with it came the last thing Varian wanted to hear. "I didn't bring any wine, but I thought there was a way to get you uplifted. (Translation: A pun here.) Spirit means both "spirit" and "spirit". )

The king's eyes remained on his son's dwelling. "I beg your pardon, I don't want anyone with me right now, not even you. ”

Malfurion walked past Varian to block his view. "Anduin doesn't want you to be like this. Especially because of the quarrel with him. Neither does your deceased wife want that. ”

The king frowned. "Please leave, Grand Druid. Malfurion said stubbornly. "If you don't want to talk, or you're willing to find a better way to vent your frustration. ”

Varian couldn't help but be interested. "If there's anything you can do to stop me from thinking nonsense, just say it. ”

"It's so much better than drinking here. We went hunting. ”

"Hunting?" He sat up straight. "You, as a druid, want to take me hunting, isn't that a violation of your creed?"

"Hunting is an important part of maintaining the balance of nature. We do not condemn bears - or wolves - for preying on their prey. And if humans, night elves, or others take what they need and respect nature's bounty, then there is no contradiction at all. Azeroth nurtures us, and my fellow believers give it back in their small ways. ”

"'Do your best'...... I know how powerful you are, Grand Druid. ”

Malfurion shrugged. "I have been given power, but with it comes responsibility. ”

Varian nodded. "True leaders must understand that with great power comes great responsibility. I know that too. ”

"Still. Enough has been said. I'm here just to ask you to relax on a hunt. If you're not interested......"

The king stood up. "Oh, I'm interested. ”

"Very well! let's gather your men—"

The Grand Druid's words were only met with a mocking snort. "I don't want some fat-brained monarch. A hundred squires had to be taken to scare the poor beast out of the bushes during the hunt, so that he and his poor courtiers could surround him and hack him to death or shoot him into a hedgehog! This is not hunting, this is barbarism that even the orcs cannot accept! No...... I prefer to sneak with a bow and hunt alone. If I succeed, I'll be in for a good time. If not, it means that the beast is stronger than me. ”

"That makes sense. The Night Elf gestured towards the door. "Then it's just you and me. ”

"You're going hunting, too? You can just call the beast to yourself! What kind of hunting is this?"

The Grand Druid smiled softly. "If you think I'm going to abuse my power on a situation like this, then you don't know me too well. Come, let's see who has a better harvest. ”

Varian was anxious to do something to forget Anduin's departure, and he couldn't wait any longer. He took out his bow and quiver, and left his dwelling gratefully, led by the Night Elves.

As they were out the door, two of the king's attendants returned. Both of them managed to get some cider or ale.

"Put it inside," the king decided, if the Night Elf's offer didn't help to ease his troubles, the wine would come in handy. "The Great Druid and I are going out for a walk alone. ”

The guards looked at the bow and arrow in his hand, but did not object, as usual. Varian followed in the footsteps of the Night Elves, not paying any attention to them. By this time, he had gradually become suspicious. If he goes it alone, hunting is just what he likes. But with the Night Elves on his side, he wouldn't be able to track down his prey. This would only make Varian more depressed.

Just as he was about to turn around and go back drinking, the two of them came to a forest with no Night Elf buildings in sight. Malfurion allowed his guests to watch the area in silence.

"It looks like a great place to hunt," Varian admitted. He looked at the Great Druid and saw that the other man had only one staff. "You're going to use that?"

In response, Malfurion leaned it against a tree. "No, I prefer to hunt in an animal way...... And incarnate as an animal. ”

Varian now finally understands the Night Elves' intentions. "You're going to be a feline!"

"Isn't it fair to hunt like this?"

Varian laughed, much to his own surprise. "If you're going to say you're going to be more successful than me, that's not enough. Are we hunting together?"

"I think we'll meet here then. I'm going to hunt here," he said, gesturing slightly, toward the north. "And you can go that way. I promise it's your got-after prey. ”

"Just what I wanted. ”

"Then good luck to you! With that, the Great Druid changed his form. He threw himself forward on all fours, his hands turning into clawed claws, and his coat vanished in favor of glossy black fur. His face widened, and his nose and mouth became a stubby, beastly mouth.

A strong nightblade leopard stood by the king's side.

"You'll need a bit of luck to win against me. Varian said challenged, now engrossed in it.

The big cat let out a low, amused growl, and rushed into the woods.

"Hah!" Varian didn't let his opponent get a head start. The king rushed into his own forest, and as he ran, his senses became active. He wielded his bow and arrows, and other than that, he carried a dagger at his waist. If something goes wrong with his bow, or if the prey is still alive under the arrow and needs to end its pain quickly, this dagger will be enough.

His ears picked up the sound of movement. Varian smelled the deer. He could not say why he had become like this in the hunt, unless the king himself had become some kind of ...... Free stuff.

Freely.

Wild deer are nearby. Varian tightened his bowstring, and he could take down his prey with just one arrow. He felt obligated to show as much respect as he could in the hunt, as the Night Elf had said.

Varian's anger at Malfurion was mostly gone. The Great Druid found a way to make the king feel relieved. Later he would thank Malfurion—

The deer burst into his field of vision and ran straight in this direction, not in the direction Varian had expected. It was a young buck that rushed to the king and forced him to jump to the side.

Just then, he came face to face with another hunter. (To be continued......)