The elves believed that sending troops out now would be fine if everything went smoothly. But if they failed, the Orcs Forces might pursue the Hinterlands troops on the heels of its victory and ultimately enter the Hinterlands, drawing the region into the war too soon.
After careful consideration, the Wildhammer dwarves agreed with the elves. They sent an official reply to the Alliance's Supreme Command declining to deploy troops, agreeing only to send a hundred-strong gryphon flying force to both Southshore and Tarren Mill to improve the Alliance army's intelligence gathering and delivery speed.
After that, the Hinterlands enjoyed several more months of peace. Even by the time the troops had largely met their training standards, there was still no sign of an orc attack on The Hinterlands.
The dwarves' fortifications at Aerie Bastion were also largely complete by then. Although construction had yet to begin on the other civilian buildings, those defenses were already sufficient for a military fortress.
That day, the Wildhammer dwarves sent someone to consult the elves again about whether to march out of the Hinterlands. As it happened, the elves were also struggling to decide on that very matter.
That morning, a gryphon rider had delivered a battlefield reconnaissance report. They had discovered roughly twelve hundred Orcs Forces that had crossed the Alterac front and turned east. The Army General Staff believed this force was likely heading to attack Andorhal City in the Kingdom of Lordaeron.
What puzzled all the officers of the Army General Staff, however, was how these Orcs Forces had suddenly appeared there. How had they broken through the Allied Army's defenses in Alterac and slipped behind its lines undetected?
Although the Alliance had consistently been at a disadvantage on the battlefield in Alterac Valley, things had changed since the Kingdom