<101>

	“Nothing!” Aurida returned in a panic.  “I mean, nothing [i]for[/i] doing what I did.  I was worried Quela was gonna imprison you in Stormwind or something.”

	“Well… thanks I guess,” Lyrah sighed, her other hand protectively covering her still-soft belly.  “So now what?  Do I get thrown to your men as relief fodder or something?” she returned dryly.

	Aurida shook her head.  “The only men around here are druids, and they often make their lodging outside the camp, save for Quela’s husband and some of the other sentinels’ husbands.  And I wouldn’t let them anywhere near you anyway.  I’m gonna protect you.”

	“Can’t you just… set me free?” Lyrah prodded somewhat hopefully.

	The night elf’s ears drooped.  “I… I can’t, or I’d end up judged by Lady Tyrande Whisperwind herself.  I’ve risked so much already….”

	The tauren deflated entirely at this.  “Worth a try I guess,” she mumbled.  “I’ll just have to wait until Drenan comes back for me.”

	Aurida was quiet for a moment, choosing her words carefully.  “Well… if you think he can break through a camp of fifty sentinels, then I wouldn’t worry.  But….”

	Again, Lyrah’s heart sank even further.  As much faith and love as she had for her father, she knew he had been at a loss without his holy magic.  “Ugh… well, what [i]are[/i] we expected to do, then?  Just sit here and waste away while I get bigger and bigger?”

	The night elf looked down at Lyrah’s belly and smiled.  “Gimme a minute.”

* * * * *

	“Ngh!  Dammit!” Drenan grunted, rubbing his ankle and hoof.  Some of the slopes of Ashenvale were steeper than he had anticipated, and the encroaching darkness didn’t make things any easier.  He knew not how far he’d walked, but it most certainly wasn’t far enough.  The night air was chilling upon his bare skin, but his modest fur was enough to keep it from reaching his core.

	[i]’This won’t do.  I have seen bear prints all over the place.  I will die if I simply lay down in the middle of the forest, or starve to death before they found me.’[/i] he thought to himself.  Never had he missed the comfort of a warm bed more than right then, especially with the thought of having a naked Lyrah pressed up in front of him for warmth.  The thought of Lyrah herself, however, renewed his resolve, and suddenly he caught sight of an exceptionally straight branch jutting out from a nearby tree.  As if a candle flickered to life in his mind, Drenan easily broke the branch off at its base.  Using his hooves, the bull ran the hardened edge along the tip, forming it into a fine, surprisingly sharp point.

	[i]’At least I have a weapon, if a weak one.  Perhaps I can….’[/i]  The large tauren closed his eyes, and indeed he soon caught the gentle burbling of a nearby stream.  Drenan darted toward the south until he nearly walked right into the stream, and from there he patiently watched the water and waited.

	The bull surprised himself, for after but a few minutes he had a half dozen fish impaled on his makeshift spear.  Satisfied with his catch, he sought out a small clearing surrounded by tall trees, and there he built a modest ring of stones and filled it with dry branches.  [i]’This is Lyrah’s specialty.  She would have a fire going in no time,’[/i] he lamented to himself, and again he looked to his own hooves.  He carefully took a seat next to the ring, grabbed a sharp rock, and began to strike against the bottom of his right hoof.  He felt nothing as a few strikes began to produce sparks, and to his delight a crackling fire was soon flickering before him.

	The smell of cooking fish didn’t last long before they were in Drenan’s belly, and a contented sigh left the bull as he took in the small clearing he’d made camp in.  Well, he couldn't call it much of a camp without a tent or even clothes, but the naked bull laid on his back in the soft grass nonetheless.  His eyes turned skyward, and an ever-so-slight smile crossed his face upon seeing the sparkling stars peer through the canopy.

	‘[i]You can do this.  For Lyrah.  For yourself.[/i]’

* * * * *

	The next several days sped by as Drenan carefully made his way southward, working hard to avoid further encounters with sentinels or villages.  He knew no good could come from requesting aid from foreign night elves, and he dared not implore the Horde while lacking clothes, and he didn’t want the elves, or Lyrah, hurt anyway.  While the wilds certainly weren’t easy to traverse, Drenan had yet to encounter anything overly dangerous.

	Luck, however, runs dry easily.

	Drenan heard the growling first, and he stopped in his tracks to brandish his spear and crouch among the underbrush.  The growling intensified as he approached.  His heart beat faster.  His grip tightened upon his spear.

	As he peered into the small copse of trees, Drenan caught sight of a large, black-furred bear attempting to climb  up a stick-straight tree, upon one lower branch of which sat a [i]massive[/i], jet black-feathered owl.  The owl appeared to be clearly injured via a blood-laden gash upon its right foot, the middle talon of which had been completely removed.  The beast spread its massive wings -easily six feet from tip to tip- and beat them rapidly as if to scare off the bear, though it did not take flight.

	For a brief moment, the bull considered simply slipping away unnoticed.  The more he thought, however, the more unusual this seemed.  Were owls often prey for bears?  Why did it not fly?  The truth was that it did not matter to Drenan, and something in the back of his mind compelled him to interject.

	The bear had no inkling Drenan was there until the bull let out an almost primitive roar.  The beast spun just as Drenan came crashing down through the air on top of it, jabbing and slashing at it furiously with his spear.  The bear immediately cried out in pain and attempted to defend itself, swiping straight across Drenan’s chest, until the bull threw his entire weight down upon the beast’s back.  A fearsome stab lodged the spear into the bear’s haunch, but the simple branch snapped beneath the force of the powerful blow, leaving a long splinter jutting from the bear’s fur.  Both combatants roared as the bear rose up on its hind legs, and Drenan spun to throw both arms around the bear’s neck.  Its claws drew back in an attempt to rake at him, until the sound of a sharp shriek brought it around.

	The owl dropped from its perch, and its talons caught the bear squarely in both its eyes.
