Moonglade and the Druids

Moonglade was an independent place surrounded by dense forests. At its center lay a lake called Moon God Lake, its blue waters filled with a calming power. There was no distinction between Alliance and Horde here. This was the sacred land of the Druids, where anyone who could comprehend nature could come to study.

Alpha appeared in the capital of Moonglade, Evernight Lane—the largest gathering place for Druids in Kalimdor. Nearly everyone here was a Druid, with only a handful of Sentinels and dryads. Alpha wandered through Evernight Lane, following his senses toward a Moonwell.

With a huff, the black panther lying by the well twitched its ears. It opened its eyes, saw Alpha, yawned, and closed them again to continue its nap. Behind it sat a Tauren. Yes, a Tauren. Long black hair draped over his body, and enormous curved horns rose from his head. Yet strangely, he radiated an aura of tranquility.

Alpha walked to his side and bowed, then sat down nearby. He knew that this Druid was communing with nature.

After a long while, the Tauren finally woke and said, "Your heart is far stronger than before. You have controlled the anger in your heart. Alpha, you have changed, and I am happy for you." "Thank you, Mentor Hamuul," Alpha replied respectfully.

Hamuul rose and said, "Come with me. Elune knows what you seek. Though your heart is stronger than before, it is still not strong enough." Seeing Alpha hesitate as if he wanted to speak, Hamuul merely shook his head.

The black panther beside them also stood, stretched lazily, and padded ahead of Alpha with unhurried steps.

They encountered quite a few Druids along the way. All of them respectfully greeted Hamuul. "Good day, Archdruid." Hamuul answered each of them in turn. At last, they stopped in a grove by the shore of Moon God Lake.

Hamuul looked at Alpha and said, "Release your nature. Here, you do not need to suppress it."

Alpha hesitated for a moment, but transformed nonetheless. A worgen appeared before Hamuul. Though Alpha was very tall, he was still a head shorter than Hamuul. In his transformed state, Alpha looked at Hamuul with pale blue eyes, waiting for his guidance.

Looking at the worgen before him, Hamuul remained as calm as ever. "No matter how many times I see them, I still believe worgen are a unique product of nature. Your thick fur gives you protection against the cold. Your sharp claws give you the ability to defend yourselves. Your strong limbs allow you to run faster. It is only that you have yet to fully uncover these gifts." Hamuul sighed regretfully. "Do you know why I say worgen are born Druids?" Alpha shook his head in confusion.

Hamuul slowly recounted a history unknown to the world. "The first worgen appeared 9,300 years before the opening of the Dark Portal. At the time, the Night Elves had been badly devastated by the Satyr army. Tyrande's adopted daughter, Shandris Feathermoon, commander of the Sentinel forces, proposed a new strategy: awaken the Druids sleeping in the Emerald Dream and fight alongside them. Malfurion Stormrage witnessed the Satyrs' cruelty and agreed to Shandris's request, sending out a summons to the powerful Druids of Kalimdor. With their aid, the Night Elves turned defeat into victory. But just as everyone was celebrating the war's end, a new threat emerged." Hamuul looked at Alpha and continued, "A group of Druids tried to harness the rage of Goldrinn, the Wild God, but transformed into savage wolf forms instead. Under Lalaier's leadership, they transformed once again into what we now call worgen. Lalaier and his brutal companions slaughtered friend and foe alike on the battlefield. Elves bitten by worgen would be infected by the worgen's poisonous curse and become worgen themselves."

Hamuul said sorrowfully, "With no other choice, Malfurion could only drive Lalaier and his worgen companions into the Emerald Dream, hoping they could enter a peaceful slumber there. We have always searched for a way to restore their reason—until your arrival."

Alpha could not calm himself for a long time. He had always thought worgen were merely a product of a curse. He had never expected their origins to stretch back so far. Suppressing the countless thoughts in his heart, Alpha asked, "Then what should I do now?" Hamuul said, "Feel your own body. Feel your anger. Since worgen are also a kind of Druid, use a Druid's method to control it. Druid transformations all originate from creatures of nature, while the power of those transformations comes from the ancient Wild Gods."

Seeing the yearning in Alpha's eyes, Hamuul continued, "Just as I told you when we first met, the Wild Gods grant us many kinds of power, and Wild Gods is merely a general term. Aman'Sha, the god of panthers, grants us the wild power of running. Ursoc and Ursol, the great bear guardians, grant us the protective power of defense. Ganiir, guardian of the earth, grants us the healing power of restoration. Almighty Elune grants us the balancing power of the sun and moon. The guardian beast of the worgen is Goldrinn, the Wild God. But since you are the first worgen to regain your sanity, and Goldrinn has been missing for many years, we do not know what powers you possess. You can only discover that for yourselves."

Alpha asked anxiously, "What should I do? I have no idea where to begin, Mentor Hamuul. War is coming, and I do not have much time."

Hamuul looked at the black panther playing nearby and said, "Among your group of apprentices, you were the first to receive Aman'Sha's blessing. How did you sense Aman'Sha back then? Sense Goldrinn's power the same way now. Sit down, close your eyes, calm your heart, and feel it through your bloodline."

Alpha followed Hamuul's instructions and sat down, closing his eyes, but his heart remained restless. Suddenly, a cool current flowed down over him. That refreshing sensation calmed his long-turbulent heart. Guided by the current, Alpha merged with nature. Hamuul set down the bowl in his hand and looked at Alpha, who had already blended into nature. "May the waters of Moon God Lake help you." Blue-glowing lake water still remained in the bowl.

Alpha's soul had already left this place. At that moment, he did not know where he was. Everything before him was hazy; he could touch nothing and see nothing. Suddenly, an enormous roar came from every direction, deafening him. Then a hurricane swept toward him. Alpha flattened himself against the ground, gripping it tightly as his claws sank deep into the earth to keep himself from being blown away. The thick fog was scattered by the hurricane as well. Alpha barely forced his eyes open and saw only a huge shadow fly past him.

Alpha rose again and looked around at his now-clear surroundings. This place was lush and overflowing with life. Tempting, mouthwatering fruit hung from the trees, while animals played happily, completely unaffected by the earlier roar. Seeing such a peaceful scene, Alpha thought, Where is this? Why have I never heard of it? And what was that roar just now? Did it come from that vanished shadow?

Shaking his head, Alpha cleared those thoughts from his mind. His only purpose now was to find Goldrinn. But according to Mentor Hamuul, Goldrinn had been missing for a long time. How was he supposed to find him? Hamuul said to use the method he had used to find Aman'Sha, but even now, Alpha did not know how he had found Aman'Sha in the first place. Besides, he had Aman'Sha's Fang to help him back then. Now, he had nothing. Alpha immediately lost heart and began searching aimlessly, wandering without direction.

Who knew how long passed? Alpha still did not sense any summons. Sigh, it seems my cultivation is still insufficient, and my talent is lacking as well. Otherwise, how could I fail to find him no matter how hard I search?

Of course, Alpha did not know that over the countless years, many Druids stronger and more talented than him had searched for traces of Goldrinn, yet none had found anything.

At last, Alpha simply sat down. I do not know how long I have been here. I cannot keep going like this. I do not know whether the war in Ashenvale has begun, and I must get out quickly. I can search for Goldrinn later, but I only have one chance to join the Alliance. Alpha's thoughts drifted everywhere. Then Hamuul's words suddenly appeared in his mind: bloodline. Goldrinn's blood flowed in the veins of worgen. There was a faint connection between worgen and Goldrinn. Alpha became wildly excited. He had found a way.

He immediately began circulating the blood throughout his body, sensing the fluctuations within it. At last, in the blood vessels near his heart, Alpha sensed something strange. It was like a wolf racing at full speed. Following that strange sensation, Alpha felt as though he were parting layer after layer of fog. Then a majestic voice suddenly rang out in his heart:

"Who are you, and why do you disturb my slumber?"