<108>

	Both of them giggled and blinked away more tears, and after a few teary wipes, the two of them were smiling genuinely at each other once again.  “I’m so sorry, Lyrah.  I promise I’m happy for you, and I want you and Mr. Light- err, Thunderspear, all the happiness in the world.  I love you like family, both of you.  I have to.”

	Lyrah smiled all the warmer and leaned forward to embrace her friend fiercely.  “We love you too, Talla, so, so much.  You don’t have anything to apologize for.  We just want you to be happy, too.”

	“Really?” Talla added and drew back to look at her friend.

	“Really,” Lyrah insisted.  “In fact, from here on out, I’m gonna have to try and find you a girl!”

	Talla blushed profusely.  “That… that does sound nice.  Men seem fine and all, but I think I’d be a lot happier with just a girl.”

	“I kinda figured.  I’ve known you for ages, after all,” the shaman added with a wink.  “Just promise me that we’re still friends, no matter what happens?”

	Talla leaned forward yet again, and the two of them pressed their foreheads together affectionately.  “I promise.”

	“Me too,” Lyrah returned before hugging her one last time.  “We’ll get through this.  Trust me.”

	“I do!”  Talla’s confident smile said as much.

* * * * *

	The sun rose far redder that morning, which didn’t help the trio’s morale, but Lyrah’s confidence kept them going nonetheless.  “Be careful,” Drenan rumbled after dressing himself, then shared a tender kiss with his beloved daughter.

	“You too,” Lyrah whispered and reluctantly stepped backwards.  “I love you, Daddy.  Keep strong.”

	“I love you too, sweetheart,” he returned with a nervous smile.  He could only watch as Lyrah left the inn, then made her way through Splintertree Post and out of sight.

	Drenan turned to Talla, who had met him at their room early that morning.  “You ready?  Think you can show a novice hunter a few things?”

	Talla smiled at this and tapped the bow on her back.  “I have a few tricks that might help.”

* * * * *

	The sun rose ever higher as Lyrah clambered up the northward hill.  Looking out to the south, she had a full view of Splintertree Post, as well as the east-west path that ran past it, though the woods obscured anything to the south.  Her gaze turned northward instead, looking up at the towering cliffs that made up Mount Hyjal.  Nervous was an understatement, but as she placed a hand on her own belly, she felt a sense of calm wash over her.

	“Matriarch,” a gruff, gravelly, feminine voice suddenly echoed from behind her.  “We are at the ready.”

	Lyrah nearly  jumped right out of her fur.

* * * * *

	“No sign of barricades, ma’am, but there are no signs of relaxed defenses either,” the sentinel whispered.

	Quela was crouched up in one of the closer trees to Splintertree Post.  “Hmm.  Did they do anything at all?”

	“Drenan’s presence has been confirmed in the post, but Lyrah appeared to leave.”

	“Where did she go?”

	“We’re not certain.  We thought it necessary-”

	Quela’s glare silenced the sentinel.  “[i]Every moving piece[/i] in this assault is necessary!”

	“W-with all due respect, we don’t have time to pursue her at this stage.  Our window to attack is upon us.”

	The night elf growled.  “Fine.  On my mark.”  Quela watched an orc scout amble down the westward path, and the moment he was out of sight she barked, “Now!”

	The remaining guards of the outpost were completely blindsided as three dozen night elves dropped down from the surrounding trees.  A booming horn sounded in the distance, and another several dozen arrows arced through the sky from among the trees.

	Drenan and Talla were the only ones prepared.

	The huntress nocked an arrow, but it was far from necessary when Drenan hefted his spear and launched it skyward.  Like a bolt of lightning it streaked toward the closest arrow, splintering it in a shower of sparks that were drawn to the surrounding arrowheads, subsequently destroying them in the process.  The chain reaction was over within moments, and with a wave of his hand the spear returned in a flash of light.  Not a single arrow had made it through.

	“FUCK!” Quela swore and set her sights on Drenan.  “THAT ONE WILL DIE FIRST!” she roared to her troops.

* * * * *

	“Now!” cried Lyrah the moment the night elves appeared.

	The black-furred tauren next to her blew her booming horn.

* * * * *

	“Captain Quela!” cried one of her nearby sentinels.  “Rear flank!”

	Quela spun around to find several of her troops caught in rope snares, but that immediately became the least of her concerns when a massive, dark brown-furred tauren came barreling through the trees toward the elves.  He held no weapons, but his fists were clenched… as were the three dozen tauren charging in behind him.  “GRIMTOTEMS!  GUARD THE REAR, NOW!  AND FREE OUR SISTERS!”

	No matter what Splintertree Post had to defend itself with, Quela was certain the Grimtotems were far more dangerous.  Their head bull tossed aside three elves with one charge, then reeled a fist back to strike her.

	Until Drenan’s fist crashed into the bull’s jaw.

* * * * *

	Splintertree Post was in chaos, but a few of the troops were scrambling to set up defenses at the dual threats.  They, too, set their sights upon the Grimtotems, and several archers began raining down any arrow they could scrounge up against them.  Their barricades were like paper before the barbarian tauren, but some of the bulkier fighters were having some luck in lashing back at them.

	Drenan shook out his hand before a shocked Quela.  The Grimtotem who attacked her staggered off to one side, but was quick to recover.  “Focus on them!” Drenan rumbled, “Or we all die!”

	Quela grimaced, but nodded, and immediately shapeshifted into a vicious bear.  Both hunter and druid squared off against the massive tauren, and with united roars they clashed, fist and horn against spear and claw.
