Fel Fire Valley

The two agreed on a plan and began following the new route toward Fel Fire Valley. Moonlight filtered through layers of leaves, dappling the path.

They followed the Night Elf trail for more than twenty minutes. Ahead, the path gradually fell into disrepair, its traces hidden by weeds until it finally disappeared beneath a small hill.

Kalei looked at the hill ahead, dismounted Big Black, and climbed up a narrow trail with his staff in hand.

With the burden off its back, Big Black immediately perked up. It threw back its head and let out a long howl, then gave Thisalee a slightly challenging look before racing up the hill at full speed.

Thisalee chuckled. Her snow-white tiger form crouched slightly, then let out a deafening roar and chased after him.

Leaning on his staff, Kalei watched the tiger and leopard vanish into the hills with a series of howls. He couldn't help staring in dismay. So after all that, he really was the one holding them back.

There was no helping it. He could only gather natural energy around himself to protect him as he pressed on.

With the natural energy guarding him, the mountains beneath his feet seemed to flatten. The brambles blocking his way parted on their own, while branches bent aside, clearing a path for him.

But no matter how fast he walked, he couldn't catch up with Thisalee and the now-plump Big Black.

The two were always darting back and forth around Kalei, glancing at him every so often as if they were laughing at him.

And so the man, leopard, and tiger crossed three hills in succession before finally reaching the foot of a towering mountain.

This mountain was higher than the others. Its slopes were dark, its bare rocks exposed, and its peak hidden in the clouds. A solemn, oppressive air hung over it.

Kalei called to Thisalee. "Lady Crow, we've reached our destination. Fel Fire Valley is somewhere in this mountain, but I can't tell exactly where. Could you scout it out?"

"Sure. Wait here for news."

A flash of light surrounded her, and her body rapidly shrank. In the blink of an eye, she had become a crow no bigger than a palm and soon disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Watching the direction in which Thisalee had vanished, Kalei couldn't help feeling impressed.

Thisalee had cultivated her crow form until she could control its size at will. That meant she had more or less mastered the secrets of transformation, and her skill probably ranked among the best in the entire Cenarion Circle.

On top of that, her overall strength had reached level 59. With her leading the way, Kalei felt much more at ease.

Big Black had been able to follow right behind Thisalee without falling behind, but it hadn't expected her to suddenly turn into a crow and fly away. It immediately felt a little downcast.

Kalei couldn't help walking over to rub its head. "What are you thinking about? Don't forget, you're a leopard. You think you can fly? And if you could fly, what would happen to Little Black?"

Big Black roared to say that if it could fly, it would take Little Black all over the Kalimdor Continent and would never lead its master astray.

Kalei could only say, "Whatever makes you happy."

As the man and leopard chatted at the foot of the mountain, Thisalee had already circled the mountain once. She landed on a small tree beside them.

Kalei stopped his aimless chatter with Big Black and asked, "How was it? Did you find the place?"

"I found a valley. I don't know if it's the Fel Fire Valley you mentioned, but it's very well hidden. Thick vines and trees block the entrance, making it hard to spot. There are quite a few caves inside, and Satyr could well be hiding there."

Kalei was surprised. "You already went inside?"

"No. I'm not reckless enough to run in there without any preparation. I only scouted it from high above the valley without lowering my altitude.

"But I spoke with some of the locals in the forest outside the valley and learned this from them."

Kalei knew that by "the locals outside the valley," she meant the small animals in the forest, such as squirrels and birds.

In World of Warcraft, any Druid who reached a certain level of cultivation could communicate with plants and animals and obtain the information they wanted from them.

Kalei thought for a moment before asking, "Lady Crow, do you think we should keep scouting?"

"Why not? We've already come this far. We should find out what's going on."

"Fine. Lead the way, and we'll get started at once."

Thisalee didn't waste words. She transformed into a white tiger again and led Kalei and Big Black toward Fel Fire Valley.

Since they were already very close to Fel Fire Valley, they were extremely careful from then on, moving almost without making a sound.

They climbed through the forest for more than thirty minutes, finally reaching a vantage point above Fel Fire Valley as the twin moons sank beyond the horizon.

They found a high spot that overlooked the whole valley and hid behind thick shrubs, carefully observing it in the faint purple moonlight.

The valley was quite large, about the size of five or six soccer fields. It was shaped like a gourd, with a narrow opening and a wide interior. The mountainsides on either side were steep as cliffs, and only a narrow passage connected it to the outside world. It was an ideal place to defend and difficult to attack.

After watching the valley for a while, Kalei glanced toward the horizon. "Lady Crow, it's almost dawn. Those Satyr who betrayed their kin aren't affected by sunlight, so we'd better find somewhere to hide, eat something, and rest for the day. We can act tonight. What do you think?"

"I agree, but we've known each other for a whole day now. You don't need to call me 'Lady' anymore. It feels strange. Just call me Thisalee."

Kalei smiled. "Then I'll take you up on that. You can just call me Kalei from now on, too."

They chatted casually for another moment to get to know each other better, then each found a place to eat and rest.

For Night Elves, especially those who had studied as Druids, camping outdoors was no problem at all.

Kalei ate some of the dry rations carried on Big Black, then found a secluded tree and lay on one of its branches to rest.

Thisalee had it even easier. She didn't need to find a hiding place; she simply perched in a tree in her crow form.

They rested through the whole day without being noticed by anyone.

The next night, they woke from their sleep, ate something, and began the next stage of their operation.

For safety, Thisalee took the lead in her crow form, scouting ahead. Kalei followed close behind, while Big Black brought up the rear.

The man, tiger, and leopard silently circled around the valley entrance and entered through a gentle slope.

It was colder inside the valley than outside, and a faint stench hung in the air, making them uncomfortable.

They walked some distance into the valley without seeing or hearing anything, which put them on alert.

Big Black, at the rear, was the first to sense danger and let out a low growl.

Hearing it, Kalei quickly crouched low. He cast Thick Skin on himself, then released natural energy like an invisible net, slowly spreading it out to search for enemies nearby.

But Thisalee, at the front, showed no reaction. She beat her wings unhurriedly and flew onward, all the way to the back of the valley, before returning the way she had come.

Seeing her return unharmed, Kalei relaxed a little and hurriedly asked, "Thisalee, how was it?"

"There's good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Kalei hadn't expected her to joke around at a time like this. She really was bold, with skill to match. He could only humor her patiently. "Tell me the good news first."

Thisalee smiled. "The good news is, there really are Satyr here."

Kalei said, "How is that good news? And what's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that they aren't in the valley. They're hiding in a natural cave behind it. The cave is very deep, and vines conceal its entrance, making it extremely hard to spot. There are quite a few fluctuations of shadow energy inside. Exploring it won't be easy."

She paused, looked at Kalei, and continued, "You haven't learned the art of transformation, so you can't hide your presence the way I can. Entering the cave would be dangerous. I suggest we wait outside while I go in alone to take a look. You can back me up from here."

Kalei had come all this way to track down the people who had murdered his father. There was no way he would turn back now. He refused Thisalee's suggestion and insisted on going in with her.

On the way here, Thisalee had already heard him tell her in detail about what had happened to his father. Seeing the anger in his eyes, she didn't know what to say. She sighed softly. "All right. If you insist, I'll take you in. But once we're inside, be careful. Don't lose your life to hatred."

Kalei nodded. "I understand. I won't joke around with my life."

Seeing that, Thisalee stopped trying to dissuade him. She led Kalei and Big Black through the valley toward the hidden cave.