Chapter 4 Chapter Four: Ashenvale Express

Hadrisa finished her inspection of the outpost and returned to her command post.She was depressed, and not just because she lost an eye.All the outposts were functioning well, but Hadrisa was disturbed by the reports of the enemy from the watch officers.There should have been a small amount of orc activity in some areas, but nothing was found in the report.Where there is usually no activity, there are clues—though none quite as intense as what happened to Hadrissa and her party.A few footprints here, a broken arrow with a tribal emblem there, or a sudden loss of prey somewhere...these events alone don't speak for themselves, but taken together they portend a growing trouble.

The Commander sat cross-legged on a straw mat in his room.To her right, an overturned water glass and a small puddle of half-dried water indicate a previous failed attempt.Hadrissa has some sensory impairments due to her impaired vision.Although she is much more proficient now, she still hesitates for a moment now and then to be sure that her fingers have the correct parchment. She scanned the series of reports from the various outposts, her remaining one eye darting from one to the next.However, as Hadrissa looked towards the far left report, she was suddenly aware that Dany was standing there waiting.

For a split second Hadrissa noticed the look of impatience on her adjutant's face.This expression was fleeting, leaving only the determined expression that a sentinel lieutenant should have. Hadrissa wondered how long Dany had been waiting there.The Commander tried not to think about what would happen if it was a war and it wasn't Dany but an orc standing in her blind spot.When she stood up and looked at Dany, Hadrissa showed no sign of chagrin, neither her impatience at her mistake nor her impatience with the adjutant. "What's up?" "You called me." Hadrissa did, but she forgot about it.So she nodded and said, "I've read all the reports. I believe Darnassus must be alerted immediately. The orc attack near that outpost is the most disturbing one, but it's not the only one so far."

"They've been in that area before. Do you think this conflict is that important?" "Important enough to notify Admiral Shandris Feathermoon at once. Find a hippogryph rider and be ready to take off in a quarter of an hour." Dai Ni saluted and turned to leave.Hadrissa looked at the report one last time, then picked up the quill, and wrote on the parchment as many pertinent suggestions and connections as she could think of.By the time she finished writing, Dany had returned. "The rider is ready. My pick is Eladria Yunxiang." The commander nodded approvingly.Eladria is a skilled rider, perhaps the best in all of Ashenvale.

Hadrissa sealed the parchment into a small pocket and stood up again.She made her way to where the messenger was waiting, with Dany a step behind her.The messenger rode a large pale green animal with clawed forelegs and a crested head of a raptor—which also had a pair of long, terrifying antlers—and a body like the most massive stag.His wings are the bright orange of a sunset.The hippogryph's eyes are fierce and wise.They are allies of the night elves rather than property or pets.What the riders do is more to communicate with them than to drive them. As the commander approached, Eladria leaned in to salute.She was even thinner than Dani.On the other side of the pommel was strapped her moonblade and a bag full of feathered arrows.Her longbow was slung across her shoulders.

"Give it to no one but the general," Hadrisa instructed the messenger, handing the bag to her. "No one else," Eladria promised.She straightened up and saluted Hadrissa, then stuffed the bag into a large bag that hung from the curved pommel below her seat. "Go quickly," continued the commander. "Beware of the sea." "Storm is our fastest hippogryph." Eladria patted the mount's neck.The hippogryph nodded, eyes twinkling expectantly. "No one can catch up to him." After speaking, she drove the majestic mount to take off.Others retreated one after another, and the storm spread its wide wings and easily rose to the sky.

Hadrissa looked at the pair of partners, feeling a burst of envy in her heart.As a commander, she rarely had the opportunity to ride such a mount. "Dainie, I want you to double the number of patrols," Hadrisa said after the courier and hippogryph became a blurry dot. "Night and day. Especially night." "The orcs are smart enough to time their infiltration during the day," Dany pointed out to her, since most night elves were asleep then. "That's why we pay special attention at night." Her adjutant did not contradict her judgment.Hadrissa dismisses Dani and returns to her lodgings.There is no furniture in the room except straw mats and some necessary copywriting tools.What she used as a bed was nothing more than a larger and thicker straw mat.Unlike some officers, Hadrissa never spared herself, and she slept with the soldiers.

It won't be long, the senior commander thought to himself.It won't be long before Eladria reaches Darnassus.It won't take long to fly over.She was quite happy about it.General Shandris will hear what worries her and work on it. Still, Hadrisa knew they needed to add more outposts.The weary commander lay back on her couch and began to calculate how best to deploy the forces available to him.This made her calm down further.When the letter reaches the General and her plans are in order, the Horde will be in for a terrible surprise if they dare to launch a new attack.As long as their pre-plan was disrupted, the orcs would have nothing to worry about.

Satisfied with her purpose, and eager to relieve the pain of her eyes by resting, Hadrissa fell asleep at last in peace. Soon, Ashenvale will be safe again... The messenger smiled.At this moment, she and the hippogryph were soaring above the woods.They were already deep into night elf territory, and both rider and mount knew tree skimming would save time.Eladria had promised Hadrissa that they would send the report to Darnassus as soon as possible.Both she and Storm are bent on fulfilling this promise.What's more, they can't ruin their reputation in the hearts of other partners. Hippogryph's powerful wings flapped vigorously.Leaving miles behind, Elladria left her companions to decide when and where to rest; no seasoned rider would think they knew better than the hippogryph herself.

The night elf felt good about the cool breeze, and she knew the storm would do the same.Eladria stared at the scenery below, and decided to change the direction of flight, which might further shorten the flight time.She patted the left side of the hippogryph's broad, muscular neck, communicating her thoughts to the mount with a series of touches.This method is much better than shouting loudly in the wind. Suddenly, without warning, the hippogryph shook violently, flapping its wings in a startlingly clumsy gesture. The night elf clung to his mount and turned his head to look at one wing.

Two thick crossbow bolts shot through the Hippogryph's wings, right next to the muscle.Blood stained his bright wings and sprayed the treetops below. Eladria looked at the other wing, which was also pierced with a third crossbow bolt.More blood trickled down his feathers, leaving a streak across the sky. These arrows were shot very professionally, and the wound made it impossible for the Hippogryph to maintain its height.The storm tore at the trees with its forepaws and heels, struggling desperately not to fall.Broken branches and leaves lashed at the courier, and her mount's efforts became less and less effective. "Ah!" A branch as thick as her arm slammed into the night elf's chest, knocking Eladria out of breath.Then, she lost her balance and fell back. The storm bumped left and right among the trees.The sentinel finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell off the saddle. If it weren't for the dense layers of foliage in the forest, Eladria would have died.She fell on one thick branch after another, and more and more branches and leaves fell, and finally accumulated together to stop her falling.Eladria fell there dazed, her head and left arm dangling. Not far ahead, the injured Hippogryph was entangled in the bushes.The saddle on his back was caught by several branches, making it impossible for him to move for a moment.In a rage, however, the hippogryph broke loose, and the pommel fell a few yards below. Eladria heard Hippogryph's annoyed voice, and she tried to sit up, just in time to catch a glimpse of him struggling.Her longbow broke in the fall, and Eladria untied it from her shoulders.She was bruised and bloodstained, and one of her little fingers was bent at an impossible angle.Yet the night elf's only thoughts were her partner and the pouch.She scrambled nimbly toward the storm, pausing only to join her fingers to get a better grip on the branch. Although the Hippogryph broke free from the saddle, it still turned around awkwardly.Before the messenger could climb up a few steps, the giant beast suddenly stepped on the tree branch supporting him below.He let out a scream and fell through the layers of foliage before disappearing from Eladria's sight. She stared at the saddle not far below.Although she still wanted to help the hippogryph, Eladria knew it was her duty to retrieve the pouch.The night elf took one last look for signs of the storm, then leaped toward the saddle. The branches barely bear her weight.Although the hippogryph did not fall directly on these branches, the branches that fell from them did damage.Eladria quickly picked out the most suitable branch, and then jumped towards it. The place where she landed was only a short distance away from the saddle.But only then did she realize that the big pocket was so empty.The little bag containing the letters must have fallen somewhere down there, possibly even on the ground. Eladria took off her Moonblade and put it on her gauntlet.After a moment's consideration, the sentinel took the quiver with him. Far below came the angry cry of the storm.The night elves began to hop down from branch to branch.Eventually, she saw a patch of ground...and the mailbag. "Above Elune!" Eladria murmured.Regardless of the pain in her fingers, she grabbed the branch and jumped down again. A flying arrow passed her ear. She didn't see the archer, but she could tell his position from the trajectory of the arrows.Eladria untied the Moonblade and threw it out. It mowed through the remnants of the foliage and quickly disappeared from sight. A hoarse voice growled in pain.A moment later, the Moonblade flew back into the hands of the night elf.The edge was stained with fresh blood. The courier took a deep breath before jumping down the last distance.She could still see where the mailbag was, against the trunk of the tree she had just jumped off.Eladria held out her hand—— A blue-faced orc with fangs suddenly rushed out from behind the tree trunk, holding a huge ax high in his hand to split the night elf in two.He rushed forward, his bushy hair in a tight braid, tossing wildly.A sneer grinned across the orc's broad face, revealing a mouth full of teeth.Although his tusk is still intact, some of his other teeth have been broken in previous battles.This makes his already terrifying appearance look even more intimidating. The messenger hastily raised the moonblade, just in time to parry the blow of the battle axe.The brute strength of the mighty orc made her entire arm vibrate.Eladria gritted her teeth and stood by the mailbag, refusing to take a step back. The grinning orc struck again.The already wounded night elf felt every bone in her body rattling, but she persisted.Still, she knew the stalemate would not last long: more orcs were sure to join the fray. When the enemy raised his battle ax again and was about to slash, Eladria took a step back.The orc took the whole movement as evidence that the duel was in his favour, and he grinned wider. Eladria threw the Moonblade with all her might.It wasn't too far away, but her decisive blow gave the three-bladed weapon enough power. A curved blade sank deep into the orc's chest. The green-skinned warrior's footsteps faltered.Although not fatal, the wound was still quite serious.The orc raised his free hand, trying to free the moonblade. The night elf sprinted toward him.The opponent staggered back, and she drove the moonblade deeper.At the same time, she reached for her quiver and seized one of the arrow shafts. Eladria slammed the point of the arrow into the orc's throat. The orc let out a clucking sound.Though dying, he held onto the night elf.The two fell to the ground together. The messenger struggled to get away.She heard a movement not far away that didn't sound like a forest creature.Elladria realized that more orcs were coming, and she finally slammed the enemy's corpse away.Unfortunately, she couldn't pull out the Moonblade right away. There was a rustling sound from the left, and Eladria turned her head to look, just in time to see three orcs rushing towards her from behind a nearby tree.Eladria exerted all her strength, and finally pulled out the Moonblade with a puff.She spun to face the three orcs, knowing that her chances of victory were slim. Then... two more orcs entered the battlefield from the opposite direction, dashing her last hope of escaping with the pouch.Eladria stole a glance at the pouch.As long as she could buy herself a moment, she would at least have a chance to destroy the secret document inside. The night elf murmured Elune's name, then rushed towards the three nearest orcs.Her bold move had an effect: the orcs were taken aback when they expected her to break out in their direction.Eladria took the opportunity to throw the moon blade while charging. The spinning blades forced the three orcs to scatter from one another.Moonblade shrieked past the orcs, then turned back, but instead of heading where the night elf had been, it flew to meet her where the pouch was. Yet she underestimated the speed of at least one of the other two orcs.By the time Eladria received the Moonblade, the orc had already got the pouch.The wild warrior turned to face her with the prize in one hand. The messenger waved the moon blade in his hand, and then suddenly kicked up.Although the orc's weight far exceeded hers, the force of this kick was enough to make his chest tight.Eladria took advantage of the victory to attack, hoping to knock him down and take him back to the pouch. To her surprise, another orc suddenly stood between them.His intrusion gave his comrades some respite, and now the two orcs fought the weary night elves at the same time. Eladria knew that three other orcs were approaching.She was cornered. Suddenly there was a low-pitched scream that shocked the soldiers.A huge figure flitted past the night elf, tearing the body of an orc with its powerful claws. Bleeding in many places and limping a front leg, the storm was still a formidable threat.He blocked Eladria with his body, and the sharp beak made it impossible for the orcs to pass through. His presence was well timed, and the night elf used the opportunity to drive back the two enemies in front of him.Then she cast a quick glance at the hippogryph, trying to assess his condition.Storm was unable to fly - evident from one of his badly drooped wings - but perhaps he could escape the battle with her. But first she had to get the mailbag. "Storm!" Seeing the hippogryph's reaction, Eladria gestured to the orc holding the stolen loot. The monster may not be able to fly anymore, but it can still jump.He clawed back the two orcs beside him, then turned and leaped over Eladria's head. The two orcs kept retreating in front of the Hippogryph.Storm didn't care about the other orc, just bit the warrior with the mailbag in his hand.But even in the face of such a threat, the orc refused to drop the mailbag.At the same time Eladria also rushed forward, intending to attack the orc whose attention was distracted by the storm. Storm opened its beak and thrust its head forward. A spear pierced the Hippogryph's chest from the side.With a hiss of shock, Storm staggered and collided with his rider, sending her flying. Eladria was rolling on the ground, and the world was spinning before her eyes.She felt a sharp pain in her chest, and she almost fainted. There was a short but scalp-numbing scream amidst the pain.Eladria heard a dull thump, then the scream of the storm.A moment later the ground shook suddenly, and something heavy and lifeless fell beside her. Pain consumed her... until at last it was all gone from sight. An orc who had fought Eladria bent over the night elf's motionless body.Blood was bubbling from a deep gash near the fresh messenger's left lung, and a curved blade from the Moonblade pierced her body as she rolled on the ground. "What's there to see?" another orc asked. "The wound is so deep, there's no way she's still alive." "If she was alive," said a low voice booming, "she deserved the death of a warrior. Facing a battle with no chance of winning, she was still so resolute and fearless." A shadow walked past a second orc, a much more massive warrior than himself, with one hand—brown rather than green—holding a tomahawk better suited for two-handed combat.The huge ax blade looked old, stained with old blood stains that were difficult to wash off.The most notable feature is the many small holes protruding near the handle of the axe. The other orcs also gathered together, and their number added up to at least a dozen.Three of them had wounds, indicative of previous fights with the Hippogryph. The warrior who got the pouch presented it to the chief. "No breath in sight. She's dead. It's something she fought so hard to protect, Great Warchief..." The leader slung the huge battle-axe back on his back, and took the mailbag.He was a Mag'har orc, so his skin was brown rather than green.His jaw was wider than that of most orcs, and a pair of protruding thick tusks were as sharp as daggers.Unlike the rest of the team, he had a bald head and a pair of huge curved tusks on each shoulder.This is in memory of his father, Grom.Because the owner of this pair of tusks was the abyss lord Mannoroth killed by his father.This powerful demon turned orcs into servants of the vicious Burning Legion.Grom slew Mannoroth, freeing his people from the demon's blood curse. The leader tore open the mailbag casually and read the information inside.His initial response was a contented grunt. "The spirit guides us. Let us be in the right place so we can catch this prey." He tucked the parchment into his waist pocket. "Fate is with us. Everything is in order. The night elves reacted just as I expected." "Garrosh Hellscream knows everything!" the orc who handed him the pouch announced loudly. "He will bring his foes to their doom, laughing loudly at their feeble struggles, and none shall escape his mighty battle-axe—Gorehowl!" "Gorehowl will soon be able to drink more night elf blood. Glory to the Great Horde forever." Garrosh replied in a voice full of expectation. "This is our land now..." He looked around. "So much timber. So much untapped mineral deposits. Foolish alliances that don't know how to use their land. We—we're going to build a great city here, no less than Orgrimmar." The other orcs let out a subdued but still powerful cheer.Despite being in the wilderness, they worry that others will hear them.The orcs are not afraid of fighting, but this task is the most important part of the whole plan, otherwise the great chief himself would not choose to lead the team himself.As for the messenger, it was just an exception: the scout spotted her from a distance, guessed from the flight route and speed that she was carrying something important, and immediately reported his discovery.Without hesitation, Garrosh ordered his marksmen to shoot the hippogryph down. "I've seen everything I need to see. Let's go back. The fleet is almost here." He grinned, already imagining how the cargo in the ship would kill. "My gift to the Alliance must be properly prepared..." There was another muffled cheer from the rest of the warriors.Garrosh released Gorehowl with a quick flick, and the unsettling shriek sounded again.The warchief lowered his tomahawk, and the sound stopped abruptly.Arms in both hands, he led his followers eastward. Behind them, Eladria moved, let out a short groan...and stayed still.