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	Drenan felt tears well in his eyes as his gaze drifted back up to look at his beautiful daughter.  “Please, Lyrah… there is something I dearly need you to understand… but it is not easy for me to speak of.”

	Lyrah’s anger appeared to soften for the moment.  “Y-you can tell me anything, dad.  Just say it.”

	The paladin inhaled deeply before exhaling the breath in a single, sharp burst of air.  “I… Lyrah, I… do not want you to… to….”

	“To be burdened with a baby?” Lyrah tried to finish for him curtly.  “To bear the curse of having my father’s child?  To be saddled with you forever?  To have to tell our kids and grandkids about their lineage?  I don’t give a shit about any of that!” she added with half of a growl of frustration.

	“... to end up like your mother… when she gave birth to you.”

	A gentle breeze could’ve blown Lyrah over, and this time her anger faded for good.  “Daddy…” she murmured.  “I… I’m sorry, I….”

	Drenan shook his head slowly.  “It is not your burden to bear,” he eked out between gasps and small tears.  “Just understand… if I were the one to… to… give you a child, and… and something happened to you… I will [i]not[/i] lose you,” he insisted, his breathing uneven and strained.  “Trust me, Lyrah… I want what you want, I swear it… but the cost-”

	Lyrah cut him off as she flung herself upon her father, careless of her lack of clothing as she smothered her face in his chest fur.  Her bare shoulders shook as quiet sobs slipped from her lips, her embrace returned by her father once more.  “Daddy… I’m sorry… I didn’t think….”

	“Shhhhhh,” he tried to calm her, though he was fighting back sobs just as much as she was.  “It is not your burden to bear,” he repeated quietly.  “That is the only reason I… hesitate.  I would give you all of Azeroth if I could… and I want to give you this… but… the memories….”

	Lyrah sniffled as she latched onto her father in an iron grip, and between her sobs, a raspy laugh escaped her before she spoke again.  “Why do you always gotta make me pry this crap outta you, ya dumb bull?”

	Drenan, likewise, eked out a soft chuckle at this.  “Maybe I just want to make sure you care enough to ask.”

	“That’s stupid.  You’re stupid,” she mumbled teasingly as she clung to her father, slowly wiping and sniffling away the tears of sadness.  “I’m… I’m so sorry, daddy.  I didn’t mean to… to doubt you.”

	The paladin squeezed his daughter all the tighter, letting himself lay back onto the bed to pull her tight to his bare chest.  “I am sorry, too.  Sorry for… for not telling you sooner.”  A long pause ensued as one of his weathered hands ran through her soft mane, his gaze floating lazily over the ceiling.  “I… I guess I just need some time, my love.  I do not want to deny you this, but the pain-”

	Lyrah’s head shifted upward and silenced him with a tender kiss on the lips.  Her reddened eyes gazed down at him with a thin smile on her face.  “It’s okay, daddy.  Really.  I love you, and I’m not going anywhere, no matter what.  We got all the time in the world.”

* * * * *

	Soren awkwardly shuffled his hooves in the sand as he glanced around the city of Gadgetzan.  The gray-furred tauren wore only a pair of shorts to grant him modesty, leaving his well-toned chest bare to the open sun of the desert.  A leather strap crossed his chest from his right shoulder to his left hip, and upon his back laid a massive, tauren-sized spear with a ring of feathers hanging around the base of the head.  He had heard wisps of crying and shouting as he’d left the inn, and he could only hope that his plans weren’t about to be derailed for one reason or another.

	A gasp of relief audibly left his lips as Drenan and Lyrah left the inn, holding hands affectionately with one another.  The couple had yet to purchase proper, comfortable attire from their short stay in Gadgetzan, and with the little gold they had, they’d procured a pair of neck-to-knee, featureless desert ponchos to wear in place of armor.  It granted them modesty despite not having anything beneath them, but they would suffice until they’d reached a more accommodating locale.  “Thank goodness,” Soren greeted them with a soft rumble.  “Everything okay, you two?”

	“Just fine,” Lyrah piped up with a smile and extended her right hand politely.  “I don’t think we’ve gotten to meet.  I’m Lyrah.”

	The young bull took her hand in a firm handshake.  “Soren Skyvine, at your service,” he greeted in return and shook Drenan’s hand shortly after.

	“A pleasure,” Lyrah returned politely with a smile.  “So, you’re Shele’s son?” she asked outright without hesitation.

	Soren’s gray cheeks darkened a bit.  “I am,” he admitted.  “But honestly, I haven’t seen my mom in years.  I’ve been living in Feralas with my dad for ages.”

	Both Drenan and Lyrah exchanged curious looks.  “How come?” Lyrah persisted.

	“Ehh… the druid lifestyle wasn’t for my dad, so he brought me South to raise me,” he added with an awkward smile.  “At least that’s what he told me.  Mom won’t say otherwise.”

	“Shele is a private one,” Drenan chimed in.  “But she has been kind to us both.”

	“Oh I love my mom,” Soren admitted with a hint of pride.  “And I’m glad she reached out.  I’ve been wanting an excuse to see her again for ages.”

	“Then I suppose we best get going,” Drenan rumbled and took his daughter’s hand once again, while the three of them began a slow stride toward the flight master.  “I… hate to admit it, Soren, but I have known Shele for a long time, and-”

	“She probably didn’t mention me,” Soren cut him off softly.  “Which is… kinda part of why I wanna go see her now.”  Lyrah’s brow arched in concern, but neither of the tauren dared to press him further.  The flight master had a short queue awaiting wyverns for travel, leaving the quiet between the trio open for Soren to pipe up with his own questions.  “If you don’t mind my asking, how do you guys know my mom?  The letter she sent me spoke very highly of you two.”

	It was Lyrah’s turn to shoot her father a nervous glance before he spoke.  “She has been a family friend of mine for years.  She… actually is how I met Lyrah.”

	Soren smiled cheerfully at this.  “Nosy, ain’t she?  [i]Loves[/i] trying to hook people up.  Looks like she picked a couple of winners though, if I may say.”

	Lyrah felt her cheeks grow hot, but Drenan simply gave her shoulder a squeeze as he returned Soren’s smile.  “It has not been easy, but it [i]has[/i] been worth it.”

	“Good,” Soren agreed.  “I bet you two could even pass as father and daughter if you wanted.”

	The hair stood up on the back of Lyrah’s neck at this.  “W-what makes you say that?” she prodded.

	Soren shrugged his wide shoulders.  “I dunno, you just have that look.  No offense, old bull,” he remarked to Drenan.

	Drenan had to force back an irritated snort at this.  “Noted,” was all he said.
