Conquest of the Horde

A shadow darts high above the forest ground below. It leaps from branch to branch, leaving only the subtle whisper of rustled leaves. The figure moves with agility and precision each jump timed perfectly and executed with the confidence of centuries of training. The figure weaves between the leaves avoiding the cones of silver light breaking through the tree tops.

The planet's sky line, streamed with other planets and Auroras casts its divine light from high above. The kaldorei stops silently on one large branch. A leaf hovers down to the ground far below. On instinct she moves to another branch, just in case that leaf would give away her position. She was becoming paranoid, this land troubled her. She couldn't sleep well, without having dreams that disturbed her. Dreams so vivid when she awoke she still looked at her surroundings suspiciously.

Finally coming to rest far away from where the leaf had fallen she stood, resting one palm against the massive tree trunk. Her turquoise braid hanging down to her chest, her face a scowl behind a tattoo. Umbra was looking for food. She had accompanied some Draenei who were traveling the lands for reasons of their own importance. Umbra didn't care, she wished to absorb their knowledge of the planet to better figure out what was going on. She knew the world was corrupted by demons, she just didn't know the feeling was this intense. Terokkar is also a large forest, she had a lot of ground to cover. Traveling was becoming difficult with her sleep deprivation.

It was then she became hungry, viciously hungry. She crouched down, her nails gripping into the bark. She scanned the area below her and began jumping tree to tree, branch to branch on a rapid decent. She landed to the ground softly, sending leaves slowly flying up around her. She began to glow green as her body and bone structure popped and morphed to the shape of a saber-toothed panther. She strolled licking her teeth, her shoulder blades rising and falling with each step. She had began falling into a savage lust.

She found prey and pounced, she gorged herself until her muzzle was matted with red entrails, her paws as well. Usually Umbra always prayed to Cenarius for any sacrifices given from the animals to feed herself. She would use their energy to protect the forests of the lands on Azeroth or Outland. This time she chewed and licked the bones clean, she didn't transform to pray nor did she second guess her savage rage. She was full, but still violently angry. She attacked another animal, and another before she had slaughtered half a dozen. She sat there, her tail slowly rocking back in forth with the poise of a rattlesnake. She was enraged, until a pack of warp stalkers approached.

Umbra was much to fatigued to fight Warp stalkers, she jumped onto the tree digging her claws into the bark and began crudely climbing like a leopard. She began glowing green, as her bone structure shrank, she still kept a feline form, but this was a smaller faster cat, so she had less weight to pull up as she ascended. She reached a branch that wasn't too high, and returned to her elven form. She looked down to the warp stalkers below hissing and clawing at the trunk of the tree.

She jumped in the air, her bones hollowing and morphing. Her clothes turning dark, then sectioning off into feathers. Black feathers trailed as she descended in the air, tears of oil slowly rocking to the ground. She had finally finished her transformation and rose to the sky above, looking to the sun and feeling it's warmth. She marveled at the feeling of this form, how it was invigorating and intoxicating. She flew for hours in no direction, feeling closer than ever to the ancient spirit of the bird. She flew higher, and higher thinking she never wanted to return to her elven form. Then her thinking began to slowly drift away, she began thinking as a bird, her consciousness drifted from her. She flew for a while longer, completely lost in feral ecstasy.



She awoke in a large tree, branches and twigs were around her. She was confused, she had slept in a nest. She sat up abruptly. She knew something was very wrong...She headed back to the Draenei, leaping tree to tree, not daring to change forms.

An elf sits with her legs crossed, her arms resting on her thighs with hands limp hanging off of her knees. The sky is dark, but still illuminated with ley lines and other planets on the horizon, the colors are surreal. The elf sits, with a hood hanging over her face, there she remains still in the dark. New shadows outlined on the floor, by the flickering lightning above. The rain begins to pour steadily over the city of Shattrath. Umbra, as she was known to the others was diving into her own mind. Trying to grasp lost memories.

Umbra's soul is filled with sorrow, she rocks slowly to one side in the room. She lets out a whimper. In her mind she is drenched, holding her dying brother in her hands. She can feel his weight in her hands, and in her heart. She shakes her head in reality, "Too far back.." she whispers painfully. She straightens her posture and exhales, the thunder and rain continue relentlessly. The phantom shadows change positions as lightning slashes through the sky.

Her eyes still closed, she focuses. Her consciousness goes black. She feels gravity pushing on what would be her body, she's on all fours crouched low. She opens her eyes, ebon paws greet her on a muddy surface. She looks up to see two familiar Draenei. An Achorite Telah glowing in a dim shell of golden light a look of confusion on his face. The other Nexariel, a female Draenei her hair and skin white as if cut from a full moon. Nexariel wasn't looking at Umbra with the same confusion as Telah, she was looking up in the air.

Umbra turned to her head to her left, she began feeling fire in her chest, and heat through her blood. Her fur frilled with excitement. The water reached up to the sky, like a semi-frozen geyser, shards of ice began to rain down at Umbra's location. She backpedals and jumps dodging a few, they sink into the mud in one motion like a dart board. Umbra growls then winces as one ice dart sinks just as smooth into her hind leg. Others rip past her scratching her back and sides.

The elf in the dark room, whimpers out loud. The thunder responds, she becomes silent once more.

Umbra feels, the warm blood pouring from her feline hind leg, as the ice quickly melts and splashes to the mud. Umbra growls and lowers her form, her tail waving high above her. Umbra felt her mass leaving her, as visually her fur ran from an oil color, to a sandy gold with sprinkles of black spots. She darted towards them
and quickly deviated to attack Nexariel, she pounced at her and clawed her cheek. A red line formed on her milk white skin, blood poured down her cheek in a intense red.

The elf in the dark room grins under her hood. Her fists clench as she remains quiet. The rain steadily pours.

Nexi reaches for her cheek, she glares at Umbra as she feels the wet blood on her fingertips. She waves her arm at Umbra horizontally nails extended outward. Umbra leaped back quickly, streaming with green ribbons of light. She could feel the marrow rushing from her bones, her internal organs shrinking preparing for the change. It was then she felt a slash of a blade across her chest as Nexi finished her swinging arch. The air before her hand wavered like a heat mirage, she had been cut with air.

The elf in the dark room, coughs. The shadows dance on the floor as the lighting flashes above, like a puppet for it's master.

The transformation is rushed yet complete, she is a bird with wings extended as Nexi brings her hands to her guard. The dark feathers rock slowly to the ground. She caws in feral ecstasy, she returns to a state of vibrant senses, and overwhelming instincts. She flies higher over the lake by the Draenei, she looks to the blood on her feathers, that must have been her claw at one point. It is then she blacks out.

The elf in the room sits quietly, her hood still on as she breathes heavily. Sweat drips from her chin as a cool gust of air flows through the open areas of the room. The thunder continues, she opens a fist and brings it to her chest. Her heart is racing, she closes her eyes trying to calm her self down. She breathes slow.

All is black, she feels as if she's sinking. She can feel the weight of water from all around her elven form, she opens her eyes all is blue. She turns around only by the force of the current, An all white figure walks on the surface blurred and rocking in the same motion as the waves. An all white hand reaches into the water and grabs for her.

The elf in the room suddenly opens her eyes. She stands and walks to the edge of the room, the area facing Shattrath has no wall. She removes her hood, her turquoise braid falls down to her chest. She watches the irregular planets in the rain.