Chapter Summaries

Dranosh set a needle-filled jerky trap for the pursuing wolf riders and their dire wolves while preparing to resume the journey. Broken caught up with the group, proving she could keep pace, and Dranosh accepted her as a traveling companion.

• Dranosh and Gordmanpu discussed the pursuit and decided to set a trap for the wolf riders' dire wolves.
• Dranosh and the others hid needles inside pieces of jerky and buried them near the campsite.
• Dranosh used Gale's urine to make a trail leading the dire wolves toward the doctored jerky.
• Broken stumbled into camp, exhausted, and Dranosh agreed she had earned a place with the group.

Dranosh's group fled through the night, leaving a misleading camp and discarded jerky for the pursuing Dire Wolf Knights. Riga's party stopped to rest after testing the jerky, while their roaming Dire Wolves caught an unusual scent.

• Dranosh woke the group and led them away, telling the Broken to leave her grass pile behind to lure their pursuers into stopping.
• Dranosh gave the Broken his clothes and had her discard her rags to make it harder for the Dire Wolves to track her scent.
• Gokos led Riga and five Orcs to the abandoned camp, where they found discarded jerky.
• Riga ordered Gokos to test the jerky by feeding it to his Dire Wolf, then had the wolf eat a second piece before declaring it safe.
• Riga's exhausted party ate and settled onto the grass piles to rest while their Dire Wolves roamed for prey.
• A skinny Dire Wolf caught an unusual scent and called the other wolves' attention to it.

Riga and the Orc wolf riders lost their Dire Wolves after the mounts ate jerky poisoned with steel needles. Riga abandoned the pursuit of the Goblin caravan, then turned his men against the Gokos brothers to make up for their losses.

• The Dire Wolves followed a scent to Dranosh's buried jerky, dug it up, and swallowed the meat with its hidden steel needles.
• The poisoned needles tore through the Dire Wolves' insides, and Riga realized the Goblin caravan had set a trap for them.
• As dawn broke, Riga and his men killed their suffering Dire Wolves, and Riga vowed revenge on the caravan.
• Riga refused to pursue the caravan on foot, warning that its traps could cost them their lives.
• Riga quietly arranged a plan with his subordinates, who surrounded the Gokos brothers after they had grieved their Dire Wolves.

After Riga demanded half of the Gokos brothers’ supplies to compensate for their dead Dire Wolves, Gokos used a staged offer of valuable ore to distract Riga’s men and turn the tables. With the fight reversed, Gokos asked Riga how they should settle the matter.

• Riga demanded that Gokos compensate his group for their dead Dire Wolves, and Gokos agreed to surrender half of the brothers’ supplies.
• Gokos and his brother produced their Space Bags, and Riga’s men began taking the most valuable goods.
• Gokos claimed he had precious Orichalcum Raw Ore and tossed its pouch so the contents scattered on the ground.
• As Riga’s men rushed for the ore, Gokos’s brother attacked them and cut down several men.
• Gokos and his brother formed a fighting pair, and Gokos killed a wounded man while asking Riga how they would settle the matter.

After forcing Riga to surrender his Space Bag, Gokos and his brother survived the confrontation and discussed how to protect themselves from retaliation. They decided to spread news of Riga’s losses and considered seeking refuge in Regar Territory someday.

• Gokos demanded Riga’s Space Bag as proof of peace, and Riga threw it away before fleeing with his last subordinate.
• Gokos’s brother found treasures in the bag, and Gokos explained that he had noticed Riga repeatedly touching it.
• Gokos told his brother to spread word of Riga’s losses so Riga’s enemies might deal with him.
• The brothers suspected the merchant caravan came from Regar Territory and discussed the possibility of joining it if life on the grasslands became untenable.
• Gokos and his brother left to spread news about Riga, while Gokos mourned his dead Dire Wolf.

Dranosh and his group reached a Regar Territory outpost, where Mar'jano explained how she became a Broken and was driven from Shattrath. She did not know why the Steel Spike Tribe had placed a bounty on her, leaving that mystery unresolved.

• Dranosh and his group arrived at the southern outpost, where Karas welcomed them and arranged a place to rest.
• Dranosh, Mar'jano, Gordmanpu, and the others slept for a day before sharing a meal prepared by Karas.
• Dranosh asked Mar'jano what she planned to do after reaching the safe zone, and she anxiously agreed to explain her past rather than be sent away.
• Mar'jano told Dranosh she had been born in Shattrath and had become a Broken after a sudden transformation, despite having no known exposure to Fel Energy.
• Mar'jano explained that she was imprisoned and then driven out of Shattrath before wandering into Nagrand.
• Dranosh asked why the Steel Spike Tribe had put a bounty on her, but Mar'jano said she did not know.

Dranosh brought Mar'jano, a Broken fleeing the Horde, into the Regar Territory and reported his mission to Regar. Regar questioned where the Draenei in Shattrath had come from after the Draenei had been nearly wiped out.

• Dranosh convinced Mar'jano to join the Regar Territory, and the group traveled back overnight.
• The patrol verified Dranosh and Mar'jano's identities before allowing them into the territory, where Mar'jano marveled at its wheat fields.
• Dranosh left Mar'jano with Gordmanpu and went to report his mission to Regar.
• Regar praised Dranosh and said the territory welcomed anyone who followed its rules, regardless of race.
• Regar recalled the slaughter of the Draenei and asked Dranosh where the Draenei who now lived in Shattrath had come from.

Dranosh worried that the Horde’s customs and leadership would doom its war in Ashenvale, and he considered telling his father how Regar Territory had been built differently. In Ashenvale, Thrall confronted a warlord over an ambush and ordered the Orcs to rely less on scarce meat and eat grain and vegetables.

• Regar told Dranosh that the Broken might regain the Holy Light through help from Paladins, though their ties to Stormwind made the prospect difficult, and Dranosh resolved to take Mar'jano to them.
• Dranosh returned to his hut and concluded that Ashenvale’s terrain, dwindling prey, and the Horde’s disregard for ordinary soldiers made victory unlikely.
• Dranosh considered writing to King Saurfang about Regar Territory, recognizing that reform in the Horde would be blocked by clan leaders defending their authority.
• A warlord complained to Thrall that Night Elf ambushers had killed most of his warriors after they crossed the border in search of food.
• Saurfang reported that hunting parties were finding less than half their former prey, and Thrall ordered the Orcs to stop crossing the border and begin eating flour, wheat cakes, and vegetables.

Thrall prepared the Frostwolf Clan for war while trying to reduce meat rations and introduce bread, hoping the clan could endure scarcity and eventually grow its own food. When the warriors received less meat, they gathered outside his tent to demand more.

• After a warlord complained about bread, Thrall told Saurfang to prepare for battle and let the other clans continue raiding the elves.
• Thrall ordered the Frostwolf officers, including himself, to eat more bread and save meat for the warriors.
• Thrall and Saurfang discussed developing agriculture with help from Druids and Shamans once the conflict in Ashenvale was settled.
• Saurfang arranged for officers to receive fresh bread and reduced meat rations, while Thrall's plan was explained to the warriors.
• Some people stirred up the dissatisfied warriors, who surrounded Thrall's tent and demanded more meat.
• Thrall emerged in armor and realized the crowd had gathered to protest their reduced rations.

Thrall quelled Frostwolf warriors' protest over reduced meat rations by explaining that he and the officers would eat bread too, then promised to share meals with each unit. After the crowd dispersed, he realized Frostwolf officers had encouraged the unrest and planned to use his visits to find loyal soldiers and strengthen his authority.

• Thrall stopped the noisy crowd with Doomhammer and explained that dwindling game had forced him to reduce meat portions for everyone, including himself.
• Saurfang showed the warriors Thrall's meal and had a guard explain that he received the same reduced ration, persuading the crowd to apologize.
• Thrall addressed the Frostwolf warriors, framed eating bread as a sacrifice for future victories, and promised to eat with each unit starting the next day.
• The warriors accepted the policy and returned to their barracks, while the officers who had led them remained resentful.
• Thrall told Saurfang that Frostwolf officers had encouraged the protest to avoid eating bread themselves, and planned to identify loyal soldiers during his visits and promote them as junior officers.

Thrall’s bread reform unsettled the Horde’s clans, while he and Saurfang worked to keep it from becoming an open challenge to their authority. The chapter ended with Thrall agreeing to create a Frostwolf unit for wandering warriors, offering a way to recruit them without directly accepting deserters from other clans.

• A Warsong scout reported that Thrall had cut Frostwolf officers’ meat rations and punished a captain who skimmed food from the soldiers.
• The Warsong warlord worried that the Frostwolves’ reforms would stir similar demands among his own warriors and leave him unable to satisfy both soldiers and officers.
• Saurfang told Thrall that other clans were suspicious of the reform and that some Frostwolf officers wanted to defect; Thrall ordered the officers to surrender their rank and become ordinary soldiers.
• Thrall refused to accept warriors fleeing other clans, fearing that doing so would turn the clan chieftains against him and undermine the Horde.
• Saurfang proposed letting mistreated warriors become clanless wanderers, and Thrall agreed that the Frostwolves should establish a unit to manage newly arrived wandering warriors.

Onyxia grew uneasy over Deren and Aegwynn’s secret understanding while several women gathered for Deren’s lessons. Sylvanas arrived in a maid outfit to claim the prize from a bet, then challenged Onyxia to wear one too.

• Onyxia worried that Aegwynn and Deren were keeping something from her, while Deren hosted Ysera and Elaseth for lessons.
• Vereesa told Onyxia that Chromie had left the previous day to carry out a task for Deren.
• Sylvanas brought her younger sister to attend Deren’s lesson, and Onyxia let them in despite her irritation.
• Sylvanas appeared in a maid outfit and reminded Deren and Onyxia that she had won their bet by resolving the Orcs’ bribery and refusal to act.
• Onyxia tried to void the bet, but Sylvanas offered to cancel it if Onyxia also wore a maid outfit.

Deren's attempt to stop Sylvanas and Onyxia's rivalry failed, and their maid outfits disrupted his Heart Sutra lesson before Tyrande arrived. Tyrande then reported that Orc raids in Ashenvale had become organized and asked Deren for advice, bringing a consultation fee.

• Deren tried to end the wager between Sylvanas and Onyxia, but Onyxia accepted the challenge and went upstairs to change into the maid outfit.
• Deren began teaching the Heart Sutra, but Sylvanas and Onyxia entered wearing maid outfits and explained their wager to the gathered women.
• Tyrande arrived, mistook the scene for Deren making his companions dress up for him, and then regretted her accusation when she saw the serious group in the study.
• Tyrande told Deren that Orcs were conducting organized raids in Ashenvale, setting ambushes with elite support troops, and asked for his counsel while offering a bag of coins.

Tyrande consulted Deren about the Orcs’ increasingly aggressive raids, and he advised her to prepare for war without letting Thrall dictate its timing. They agreed she would place the army on a war footing, while Tyrande also took charge of selling Sunwell Water to the Nightborne to cover their military wages and potentially make a profit.

• Tyrande told Deren that Orc raiders had become much stronger and were inflicting heavy casualties on her forces.
• Deren explained that Thrall was provoking the elves to attack before they were fully prepared, and advised Tyrande to blockade the border and strike Orc units in their rear.
• Tyrande accepted Deren’s advice and decided to order the entire army into a state of war.
• Tyrande said the Duskwatch had adapted to fighting Orcs but suffered severe Mana Addiction and consumed Moonwell Water too quickly.
• Deren proposed selling Sunwell Water to the Nightborne at wholesale prices, and Tyrande agreed to handle the trade and bear responsibility for it.

Tyrande lost control after recognizing Sylvanas, erupting into hatred and then overwhelming grief. Deren suspected the reaction came from memories of another timeline, but he passed it off as stress, and Tyrande went upstairs with Onyxia to borrow a maid outfit.

• Tyrande felt intense hatred toward Sylvanas and nearly attacked her, but Onyxia blocked her view.
• Tyrande began sobbing, then blamed Sylvanas for her sudden emotional breakdown.
• Deren suspected fragments of another timeline had caused Tyrande’s reaction, but he told her it was probably stress and suggested trying a maid outfit.
• Tyrande asked to borrow Onyxia’s outfit, and Onyxia reluctantly led her upstairs to change.
• Sylvanas noticed Deren was hiding something and asked what it was.

Deren concealed the mysterious cause of Tyrande’s emotional collapse by claiming that a humiliating outfit could serve as therapy. Tyrande felt calmer and went upstairs to change, while the others remained suspicious of Deren’s explanation and secrets.

• Sylvanas questioned Deren about Tyrande’s loss of control, but he refused to reveal the reason.
• Onyxia brought Tyrande downstairs wearing the maid outfit, and Deren asked whether it had eased her distress.
• Tyrande decided that the outfit’s embarrassment had displaced her earlier grief and hatred, and told Deren that she felt better.
• Deren urged Tyrande to change back before the supposed therapy had harmful effects, and she hurried upstairs with Onyxia.
• Ysera asked whether the therapy worked, and Deren explained that believing it was easier for Tyrande than learning the truth.

After Tyrande returned to the front lines, Sylvanas and Vereesa wondered why Tyrande hated Sylvanas, while Deren explained the cause to Onyxia. He revealed that fate was imposing remnants of the hatred between the two elves in White Jaina's Timeline, though it would not make them enemies in the current Timeline.

• Tyrande left Deren's house after suppressing her strange emotions, and Onyxia clung to Deren in confusion about Tyrande's behavior.
• Deren ended the gathering, and Sylvanas left with Vereesa while deciding to ask Deren and Chromie for information about Tyrande's hatred.
• Sylvanas persuaded Vereesa to help investigate, and the two Windrunners went home together.
• Onyxia sent Jaina and Anveena away, then asked Deren to explain his connection to the two elves.
• Deren told Onyxia that Tyrande and Sylvanas had an irreconcilable hatred in White Jaina's Timeline, and that fate was causing Tyrande's present sorrow and hatred without changing the current future.

Deren explained to Onyxia why Tyrande and Sylvanas felt an inexplicable hatred, then Tyrande returned to Ashenvale and prepared a renewed campaign against the Orcs. She privately struggled with the maid uniform Deren had given her until Illidan walked in and mistakenly offered to wear it himself.

• Deren told Onyxia that Sylvanas had burned the Night Elves' World Tree in the original Timeline, explaining the hatred Tyrande seemed to feel for her.
• Tyrande returned to Ashenvale, where Shandris reported mounting casualties from Orc attacks and worried that the sentinels were losing confidence.
• Tyrande ordered renewed total war, including nightly mage raids on Orc camps and repeated attacks on their rear.
• After Shandris left, Tyrande tried on the maid uniform in her imagination and blushed as she pictured herself wearing it before Deren.
• Illidan burst into Tyrande's room, saw the uniform, and claimed he could wear it too, so Tyrande angrily ordered him out.

Shandris prepared the elven forces to resume fighting the Orcs, assigning arcane support and sabotage missions while managing the Nightborne’s need for Sunwell Water. Azshara objected to destroying the land indiscriminately and began to propose a more precise approach.

• Shandris ordered the front line back to full readiness and assigned the Sindra Elves and Nightborne their roles in fighting and harassing the Orcs.
• Alysande demanded Moonwell Water for her raiding units, then drank Shandris’s sample of Sunwell Water and asked where to get more.
• Shandris promised Sunwell Water for the sabotage teams and ordered the forces to deny Ashenvale’s resources to the Orcs.
• Azshara warned that destroying forests and animals all at once would alert the Orcs and suggested a more precise strategy.
• Shandris challenged Azshara to explain her idea, and Azshara invited the others to hear it and offer suggestions.

Azshara proposed using Druids to quietly make the forest around the Orc camps wither before the elves set it ablaze. Shandris and the Druids argued over whether the plan betrayed nature, and the chapter ended with the Druids present choosing to support it for the Night Elves’ survival.

• Azshara explained that Druids could gradually wither the forest around the Orc camps, concealing the elves’ preparations until the Orcs could no longer defend their resources.
• Shandris asked the Druid representatives whether they could carry out Azshara’s plan, and the oldest Druid objected that destroying the forest violated their teachings.
• Azshara accused the Druids of betraying their kin by letting the Orcs use the forest’s resources, and Shandris condemned them for refusing to help the Sentinels fight the Orcs.
• Brol Bearskin agreed to carry out the plan, and another Druid joined him in rejecting the teachings of nature.
• The remaining Druids chose to support the plan and declared, “For the Night Elves, for victory!”