A Boring War of Attrition

As Deren had predicted, the battle in Ashenvale entered a suffocating and prolonged new phase. The war cries that had once shaken the skies and the legion-scale charges had become things of the past, replaced by a silent yet crueler war of attrition that tested one's will even more severely.

The Night Elves had completely abandoned any fantasy of driving the Orcs out of Ashenvale in the short term. Instead, they steadfastly carried out the new strategy Tyrande had brought back from Theramore—a slow bleeding campaign founded on extreme patience and precise calculation.

The rhythm of the war changed completely.

Every day, flocks of Raptor Druids that had finished resting took flight from behind the elven lines. Their sharp eyes swept over the Orc-occupied land below as they became streaks of swiftly moving, deadly shadows diving deep into Orc-controlled territory.

Coordinating with them were squads of Gryphons carrying elite Sentinel archers and battle priests. These Sky Cavalry units were even more agile, circling above forest clearings and Orc trails like precise venomous bees, greedily seeking any exposed and vulnerable prey.

Their tactical objectives had fundamentally changed. They no longer sought to seize strategic high ground or destroy strongholds, but to inflict the greatest possible casualties on the Orcs, disrupt their logistics, and wear down their nerves.

An Orc logging party of around ten might be laboriously chopping down ancient trees one moment, only to be engulfed by chain lightning and scorching Moonfire the next. This would be followed by precise poisoned or enchanted arrows shooting out from the shadows of the forest. The battles erupted with extreme suddenness and ended just as swiftly.

The elven raiding forces strictly adhered to the principle of striking once and leaving immediately. Whether they succeeded or not, they would swiftly withdraw before Orc reinforcements