<13> Nighttime faded into morning, and both druids awoke to find themselves half-buried by leaves, both naked, and tightly clinging to one another. Both blushed, and both had the urge to actually address this passion-fueled relationship, but something about the look in each other’s eyes kept them both silent. Perhaps they thought that speaking of it might quench the intense flames that had sparked between them, but neither wished to take that risk, wanting to savor this, whatever it was, for as long as they could. Their following breakfast wasn’t nearly enough to help them focus on their shared duties. It was Quela’s turn to try and cobble together some of the buildings, while Nathan took his turn to scout some of the local pathways and potential escape routes for Auberdine. “Try and focus on the outer buildings first,” Nathan advised as he reluctantly let go of the night elf. “If we can reinforce them, we can simply build between them for an initial wall. “... Right,” Quela said with a half-smirk, then boldly slipped a hand down through Nathan’s fur. “You [i]sure[/i] you wouldn’t rather, I dunno… spend a little more time [i]here[/i] first?” Nathan’s smile faded, and he begrudgingly took a step back away from her reach. “As much as I would, Quela, we’ve already shirked our duties more than we should have. We still have an outpost to rebuild before we head back to Darnassus. We can’t afford to look incompetent in front of the Archdruid.” Quela grew serious in an instant. “Really? She won’t do anything to me. She can’t.” “Well, she can to me,” Nathan assured her. “Not if I tell her otherwise!” Nathan arched his brow. “Please, Quela.” “Screw Mom,” she spat. “Just stay here and we don’t ever have to leave, you know?” “We can’t do that,” Nathan said much more firmly and produced the stone that gave him senior rank over her. “Quela I need you to work on rebuilding. And that’s an [i]order[/i].” Quela’s jaw dropped, but before her fury could take its hold, Nathan turned away and strode right into the forest without another word. Suddenly Quela felt strangely sick to her stomach. [i]This is… this is bullshit![/i] she thought to herself and began furiously pacing back and forth. [i]How [b]dare[/b] he talk to me like that! How can he… after last night and the night before…! It’s unfair! He’s a novice and he has rank on me, then dares to throw it around like all the other asshole archdruids!? He’s no better than-![/i] Quela looked down and froze. Her bare foot hovered mere inches above a stroke of orange color. She drew back to find a beautiful sprig of Wild Steelbloom -an herb that wasn’t even native to Darkshore- poking from between two cobblestones. Its brilliant petals were the same color as Nathan’s glowing orange eyes, and for a moment she pictured him as he gave his ‘order’... and how reluctant he’d actually looked. [i]He… didn’t actually wanna do that,[/i] she thought and reached down to cradle the single flower. [i]I know he’s here to eventually take me home. I guess I forgot about that for a while… but he seems so earnest. And he’s right, if he didn’t do as he was told, he’d likely be removed from the Cenarion Circle altogether.[/i] The thought of returning home sickened Quela, but she realized that the sight of Nathan walking away from her had felt significantly worse. With a heavy sigh, Quela disappeared in smoke, replaced by a large, violet-furred bear. Her nose pressed to the ground, and within moments her stubby tail twitched, and she lumbered off in the direction Nathan had strode. The sound of rushing water met her ear as his scent grew stronger… then disappeared right at the river’s edge. The current wasn’t particularly strong, and it was apparent that the beaten path had led right to it before taking a sharp turn eastward. Quela followed without hesitation, and after a few minutes the sight of a black-furred, abnormally-large bear came into view, seated on his hindquarters beneath a tiny waterfall no taller than ten feet high. His matted fur half-covered his eyes, but the bear’s snort revealed he’d seen Quela coming. <”Found the bathing pools,”> he rumbled in otherwise-incoherent bear growls. <”The drinking water is at the top of the fall, here, but the aqueducts are no good anymore. They’ll need rebuilt.”> <”Yeah…”> Quela returned much less matter-of-factly. <”Hey, Nathan-”> <”Aren’t you supposed to be stacking stones?”> he sighed. Bear-Quela flinched. <”I’m sorry, okay?”> Nathan’s large head tipped forward out of the water to look at her properly. <”What was that?”> <”I’m [i]sorry[/i]! You’re… you’re right. I’m sorry for being a bitch about all of this. I just… really, really don’t wanna deal with my mother right now. Or at all, ever, anymore.”> Nathan shook the water from his ursine head, and sympathy flooded his eyes. <”You haven’t been a bitch, Quela. Just talk to me instead of shutting me down, will you?”> Quela didn’t say anything, but she dared to pad right up to the water’s edge to hear him better. <”I know you’re upset, especially at your mom, but I promise I had no idea what was going on when I came to you.”> <”I know you didn’t,”> she admitted and slowly stepped into the river to walk over to Nathan. <”And I’m sorry I might’ve thought you did. I just… I see red when I think about her. I don’t wanna go back when this is all over.”> <”And I don’t blame you,”> he added softly and dared to lean toward her to nuzzle her cheek. <”Maybe… maybe you won’t have to.”> Quela grew stern again. <”I won’t just let her kick you out.”> <”Maybe there’s a way she doesn’t have to,”> he returned simply. Quela’s tail twitched at this. <”How?”> <”I… don’t know yet,”> the worgen-bear admitted sheepishly. <“But I’m working on it. Forgive me for pulling the rank card. You’re easily my equal, if not my superior, anyway. I’m not gonna make you go back… but [i]ideally[/i] I’d rather not blow up my career in the process.”> Bear-Quela rumbled out a soft giggle and dropped her head into his furred shoulder. <”If she tries, I’ll… I’ll blow up her wardrobe first. Those archdruid robes are about the only things she seems to care about.”> Nathan couldn’t help but laugh right back and sigh. <”We’ll figure something out. I promise.”> <”Me too,”> she agreed, then flopped her entire, bulky body against his chest to sink between his legs. <”It’s us against Darnassus, eh?”> <”If that’s how it must be,”> Nathan joked and dropped a paw into her fur affectionately. Quela looked up at him and smiled as best as a bear could, then let her gaze drop back down into his lap… and quickly caught sight of her newest, favorite thing. <”But first thing’s first… when did [i]that[/i] become a problem, huh?”>