With the seed of the corruption destroyed and nullified by the power of the Well of Eternity, an entire area of the Emerald Dream had been freed from the nightmare that was slowly trying to infect it. But many more points of infection existed, and they continued to grow at an alarming rate. As much as the forces allied with Ysera pushed the infection back, it would rise up in new places and begin to grow anew. And the Cenarions and their allies did not step away from battle without casualties. Many of the druids had fallen in the offensive. Many more had succombed to the nightmare and gone mad. Even as the celebrated their victory, the surviving forces turned their attention to tracking down the many corrupted druids who remained, and cut off from what had been controling them, were now simply roaming the forest, wrecking havoc. During the battle Shiawase had screamed and fallen to the ground, and Stormrage had prepared to kill the younger druid himself before he became an enemy, but as the other fallen druids would collapse and within moments turn on their allies, Shia remained on the ground, writhing and battling inner demons for some time.
"I beleived that you would be able to break away from the whisper." Stormrage said. He was sitting next to Shiawase as the younger druid lay, covered in furs and propped up against a log, sipping on a thin soup in front of a fire. His ear had been re-attached but his hearing remained damaged. Sounds that came from his right sounded murky, as if Shia were always underwater. Cirrimor was a few feet away at the bank of a river. Thendil had fallen in the last push towards the seed of the corruption. "When you were picked up by the Nightmare and swallowed I didn't expect I'd be seeing you again, however." The old druid chuckled. "You seem to have a habit of coming back to life."
Shiawase smiled. "Dying and living again, that seems to be all I'm good at."
"It's what happens when you take a cat for a totem."
"What are we going to do now?"
"Keep fighting. There's nothing else to do. But you are returning."
Shiawase blinked. "Why?"
"There are a number of reasons. For one, you staved off the corruption once, but this doesn't guarantee that you'll be sucessful a second time. Bringing you here, where you were more suspectable to the corruption of the nightmare was a mistake on my part. Secondly, the Emerald Dream will not be the only front on this war. The nightmare continues to seep into Azeroth. We need druids who are aware of its dangers walking the land and preventing the corruption from breaking through to that side. We suspect that The Emerald Dream is only being used as a bridge to Azeroth, the people there must be made aware of the danger.
"You have connections to the other races, you must assist them when it becomes time for them to fight this threat, and they will be needed to fight it. I feel this conflict will be just as, if not more peralous to our world than the arrival of the Burning Legion was. We druids are too few to face the nightmare alone, we will need all of Azeroth to push back the enemy."
"And you?"
"I will be staying, as will Cirrimor. Keeper Albagorm has decided to return to Azeroth with you and return to his post in Stonetalon Peak, both to protect Cirrimor and myself, and to fight the threat on that front."
"When should I return."
"Immediately, but I have to warn you, the way back is now extremely dangerous. You should prepare yourself for another trial. If you find you cannot return without succoming to the whispers that assail you, retreat back to the Dream and we will have to find another way to send aid to Azeroth."
Shiawase did not want to go through his nightmare ever again. But it seemed they weren't over yet. Perhaps they wouldn't be until the source of the nightmare was gone forever. He would just learn to fight it. He would hold in his mind the images of everything he truely held dear and drive the thought of everything else out of his head, and he would race home.
"Then I'll leave now." Shia struggled to his feet. Stormrage looked up at him in surprise.
"Perhaps you should gather your strength first."
"No, my mind is ready. If I wait I'll waver. I have many anchors in Azeroth, nothing will be able to pull me away from them, not even nightmares and whispers." Shiawase bowed to Stormrage. "Thank you brother, for everything. Elune bless you, and I hope we will meet again."
"We will meet again druid." Stormrage had returned to his somber, stone faced expression. "When this is over we will meet again, and I will see if you can do more then than die and be reborn."
Shiawase smirked, bowed again, and closed his eyes.
In his mind he envisioned a tunnel. It was dark and warm. Far in the distance was a faint, red light. It was a fire, a kitchen fire, the kitchen fire of the Crimson Jewel. The sound of rough dwarven voices and female laughter floated to Shia's ears. The smell of clam chowder wafted to his nose. Shia smiled to himself and began to walk towards the light.
"Child, come to me." The whisper came from nowhere. Shiawase stopped as a shiver rushed through his body. The smell of oil and smoke began to overwelm his senses. The sound of dying trees and thunking axes sunk into his ears. "Protect that which is precious to you. Protect your loved ones. Swear youself to me, your god, and I will give you the power to change the world."
Someone was crying. At the end of the tunnel Shiawase could see Astranaar. The villiagers had gathered around in a circle, and in the middle of it was a number of bodies. Young Faldreas lay dead on the ground, along with five other young elves. Their mangled bodies told of a one sided battle, a massacre. The young elve's friends and family were weeping. Their high wails peirced through Shiawase's ears like the screaming of his nightmare. Why hadn't Faldreas listend to Shiawase? Why had that idiot elf gone of and gotten himself killed? Didn't he realize how sad he had made those who loved him?
"Return as you are druid, and sadness like this will continue. This is the truth of your balance. It means that you are powerless to protect the ones you love. Who will be next, druid?"
Whitemoon was in the crowd. He regarded the corpses somberly, and then returned slowly to his hut, sat down next to his daughter's bed, and place her hand in his. She was shaking and moaning. Whitemoon clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and rested his head on Relara's bed covers. He lay there for a moment as she shivered and cried out in pain, and a small sob escaped his lips. Shiawase tried to move towards him, but he found himself frozen in place.
"If you return as you are, child, you will never be able to save this child. If you return, pain like this will continue. You will be helpless."
The panicking sensation of his waking hours returned to Shia and he began to shake. Was there nothing he could do to save those he loved? Was he truely doomed to live out his life helpless to the winds of change and balance?
"Come to me child," the darkness whispered. "Become my avatar and return the world to its true peace."
"No." He -would- save them. He -would- protect them. To lose those he loved was the natural order of things, but to fight tooth and nail for them was just as right. He would fight, and keep fighting, and cherish every moment of happiness that he could wrestle from that wartorn, tragedy ridden world. He would return. He would return to Whitemoon, to Relara, to Kitra, Olmag, Dagar, Ravine, Cole, everyone. They were waiting for Shiawase, not a lumbering zombie of nature. They were waiting for him.
"They have no need for a mad druid," The darkness whispered. "If you return to them as you are you will hurt them. You are mine druid. Refuse me and you will lose those you return to."
"NO!" Shia shouted. He would return. He would fight with every ounce of his strength and live to his oath. Fight when the fight was brought to him, protect that which was dear to him, and obey the balance of nature. He would live as he always had, but he would live with conviction. He would not let the nightmare enter Azeroth. He would not let it corrupt the land that he had decided to call his home.
"Then suffer child. Live your days afraid of sleep, wake to find your loved ones dead by your hand. You will come to me, you will bow to your god."
Shia found himself free, and he dashed towards the end of the tunnel as fast as his legs would carry him.
When Shiawase woke up he was lying in the cool grass of Stonetalon Peak. He moaned and struggled to sit upright, and immediately one of the druids who had remained behind was in front of him, mace hefted and eyes blazing in anticipation of battle. Shia looked up and smiled. "I've come back."
"Back?" The druid frowned.
"Yes. I need to return to Astranaar and send a letter to Darnassus. We have to get ready for a war."
The druid in front of him regarded Shiawase for a moment before letting his mace fall to his side. "You aren't insane?"
Shiawase laughed. "That's debateable, but I'm not a threat. I've come back to help the mortal races defend the Emerald Dream."
When Shia arrived at Astranaar Rimar and Rolger were there to greet him. The village was devoid of villagers.
"There was an incident Shia," Rimar explained. "Tha' stupid twigbrained little elf snuck out in the middle of the night with a couple o' his buddies and tried to set fire to the camp out East. Got themselves all killed. Town's buryin' em now."
Shiawase nodded silently. He had seen it.
"An' that friend o' yours, his daughter's in a real bad way. Hasn't stopped with the nightmares almost since you left."
"Is Whitemoon home?" Shiawase asked. Rimar nodded.
"'e always is. Won't live the girl's side. 'Es stopped eatin' too. You better smack him outta it."
Whitemoon was sleeping at Relara's side when Shiawase stepped into the house. The young elf girl was shivering in her bed, and occasionaly a wimper would escape her lips. Shiawase leaned over Whitemoon's sleeping form and put his hand on the girl's forehead. He closed his eyes.
"Keep fighting child, your father loves you, and you'll soon be free. We'll fight our nightmares together," Shiawase whispered. "Listen to your father's voice. He's the one that is dear to you, don't let your nightmare's tell you otherwise."
Relara let out a little shudder and was still. I'll protect you, though Shiawase. I'll find you in my dreams and we'll fight our way back together.
"Hrmm..." Whitemoon stirred. The fire had gone out in the hut, and Shia went to relight it and heat up some stew. As the smell off cooking began to fill the room, the older druid rubbed his eyes and look up.
"Who the? Shia?"
"None other."
Whitemoon jumped to his feet, ran over to Shiawase, and picked the druid up straight off the ground in a gigantic bear hug.
"What are you doing here? I was told you had gone back to the Emerald Dream and wasn't coming back again!"
"I found it more important to stay here. The other druids can fight in the Dream, I have to protect what I treasure."
Whitemoon pulled back and looked at Shiawase, who returned the look with a steady gaze of his own.
"They're saying that the druids are being afflicted with a disease."
"It's true."
"That they're attacking their brothers and sisters."
"Yes, they are."
"Are you alright Shia?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. And furthermore, so will your daughter."
Whitemoon turned back too look at little Relara, who was now sleeping peacefully. The older elf returned to her side and looked down incredulously.
"What did you do?"
"I simply told her to keep fighting. We're in the same battle, she and I, but I know we'll both be one the winning side. We're not just fighting for ourselves, you see."
"I don't understand." Whitemoon put his hand on his daughters forhead and rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve.
"I suppose you could say that I've come to realize that what's natural isn't the Emerald Dream. It's Azeroth. And all that she and I need to fight our battles is people in this world wishing us back. It's natural to want to return home to those you love. She'll come back to you, I know this for sure now."
Whitemoon nodded. "I don't know what you're talking about Shia, but I trust you."
"That's all that matters, isn't it?"
"I suppose it is."
