Meeting an Old Acquaintance

"Hey, what a small world. I never thought I'd run into you here. You have no idea—when I heard there was a worgen slaughtering enemies across the battlefield, you were the first person I thought of. But shouldn't you be in Darnassus right now?" Seeing Alpha's stunned expression, Adona's miserable mood from the past few days instantly improved.

Looking at the familiar face before him and that familiar, punchable grin, Alpha could not help but marvel, "I knew a guy with your abilities couldn't possibly be just some lord. I never expected you to be the commander of this fortress too. How many things have you been hiding from me?"

Adona chuckled. "Not much. Maybe just one or two things. Come on, sit down. Let's have a few drinks first." Without another word, he pressed Alpha into a seat, then even gave his head a rub. "So worgen fur is this soft. I'd never touched it before." Then, meeting Alpha's murderous glare, he sheepishly withdrew his hand. Adona had no doubt that if he left it there any longer, he would soon have to say goodbye to that hand.

Thus, under Alpha's murderous stare, Adona sat back down, cleared his throat a few times, raised his cup, and said, "Come on. A toast to our reunion."

After several cups, both men had relaxed. Adona asked, "You still haven't told me why you're here. Shouldn't you be staying in Darnassus right now?" Alpha took a bite of meat and said, "Don't tell me you don't know what's happened recently. I refuse to believe a guy like you didn't have even the slightest suspicion."

Adona rubbed his nose. "I just wanted to hear it from you. It feels more real when you say it. Start with the Battle of Ashenvale. I heard the fighting was especially fierce." Alpha had no choice but to recount everything one detail at a time, occasionally stopping to answer Adona's questions.

"In the end, the Alliance and the Horde signed a pact in Moonglade." After finishing, Alpha took a drink to wet his throat and waited for Adona to recover. Once he did, Adona took a huge gulp of wine and said, "So the Alliance and the Horde are allied now, and Azeroth entered the Cataclysm because of Deathwing's appearance. No wonder the Scourge has been attacking my fortress so frequently lately." Adona took an indignant bite of meat and looked at Alpha. "So what are you doing here? Don't tell me you had nothing better to do and came to see Northrend's snow while taking a look at what the Scourge looks like."

At that, Alpha set down his utensils and stared at Adona. "Can I trust you?" Adona rolled his eyes. "If you can't even trust me, who can you trust?" "But all I know is that you're the commander of Dauntless Fortress, and that you used to be the lord of Sentinel Territory." Adona looked at Alpha and said, "I'll tell you about my other identities when the time is right. You only need to understand one thing: I can give everything I have for the Alliance. That is enough." Looking into Adona's eyes, Alpha saw that unwavering resolve. He relaxed again, drank his wine, and said, "I came to find the Dragonflight." "The Dragonflight? The Dragonflight?! Cough, cough! Cough, cough!" Adona instantly choked on his own saliva. After recovering, he looked at Alpha and said, word by word, "The Dragonflight? You didn't misspeak? You came to find the Dragonflight? The Dragonflight that has vanished for who knows how many ages?" Seeing that Alpha did not look like he was joking, he suddenly stood and walked toward the door. "I need some cold air to calm down. Wait here for a while." Before Alpha could say anything, Adona had already gone out.

After a long time, Adona returned from outside carrying a chill with him. He sat down again, looked at Alpha, and said, "How do you plan to find them? No dragons have been seen here for a very long time." Alpha said, "I don't know either. I plan to stay with you for a few days and see if I can find any clues. Your place seems pretty dangerous." Adona considered it. "You can stay here for a few days. I'll also look through the records here for clues. But I don't keep freeloaders. If anything happens, you'll have to lend a hand." Alpha knew he could not possibly find the dragons alone, so he agreed. "All right, then thank you. Let me toast you." He raised his cup to Adona. And so, through the long night, neither of them knew how much more they drank.

In a small town several hundred kilometers from Dauntless Fortress in the Borean Tundra, few people could be seen, and only a handful of homes had their lights on. A tall figure was cast against a window. The shadow spoke. "Another worgen has arrived. A scar over his left eye, with black, gray, and white fur. Since the Cataclysm began, there have been more and more outsiders here. I hope he doesn't interfere with my mission. The last mission wasn't completed perfectly, but it was still decent enough. I wonder how that little fellow is doing. So far, he is the first person to leave a scar on my face. I heard he joined the war in Ashenvale. I hope he didn't die on the battlefield, or my fun will be greatly reduced. Tell those people to keep a close eye on this newly arrived worgen. Inform me immediately if there is any news." Then the lamp was extinguished. The cold wind swept past outside, and the entire town sank back into silence.

Within the hills outside Dauntless Fortress, faint rustling sounds emerged. One or two spiders appeared from time to time before swiftly vanishing again. From afar, one could see that several small hills were slowly moving toward Dauntless Fortress.

In the darkness, every operation proceeded slowly. All activity continued along its predetermined course.

Early the next morning, Alpha, who had spent nearly the entire night drinking, slowly sat up with the feeling that his head was about to explode. Only after the headache became bearable did he begin to examine his surroundings. A cramped cabin, a bed, and a table came into view. Then there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Alpha said. His throat was dry and scratchy, making his voice hoarse. Adona entered carrying a steaming bowl of black liquid. "I knew you were awake, so I specifically had the kitchen make you some hangover soup. But you really can't hold your liquor. You got drunk after just a few cups." Alpha took the bowl of hangover soup, looked at the liquid inside, and gritted his teeth before drinking it. Well, the color might have been strange, but the effect was not bad. At least his head did not hurt as much. After finishing it, Alpha looked at Adona, who was still in the room, and said, "Aren't you the commander-in-chief? Aren't you busy? Why are you still hanging around here? I heard it's very difficult just to get a chance to see you." Adona said indifferently, "That's all my adjutant's work. My adjutant can do anything. Besides, if I still have to personally give every order, what's the point of having adjutants? Wouldn't I be keeping them for nothing?" Hearing this, Alpha thought of the adjutant he had met yesterday, who had been busy beyond measure, and silently lit a candle for him. Having a superior like this was truly unfortunate.

Adona interrupted Alpha's speculation. "Since you're awake, come with me. I found some strange information in the journals of the previous commanders that may be useful to you. But be prepared—the information mentioned there may not be true. After all, it's been far too long."

Alpha tidied himself up and was about to change back into human form when Adona hurriedly stopped him. "Don't change back. After yesterday's battle, everyone knows you exist. Don't worry, this place doesn't judge by race, only by ability. Your abilities have already earned the recognition of most people." Alpha did not insist after hearing that and simply followed Adona's advice, remaining in worgen form. To be honest, after getting used to his worgen appearance, he felt somewhat unaccustomed to changing back into human form.