Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Spell - Rejuvenation, heals the target over a period of time.

Most people thought he was dead and honestly, he was fine with that. During the war he became a hero while in truth, all he wanted was some peace and quiet. Of course, life is funny like that and it never goes as planned. Just like now. A simple delivery and supply run turned into a straight up nightmare. 

The icy wind swept under his hood and a shiver ran down his already freezing spine. Winterspring was beautiful and deserted which was perfect but when a snowstorm hit the lands, it became almost unbearable. His nightsaber groaned tiresome and he could feel the poor animal slowing down. It was almost too much for them both but they had to hold on, stopping now would mean certain death. 

“Please Bard, we have to keep going and you know it.” He mumbled as he pet the matted and frozen fur of the great beast. The animal groaned in agreement and gave it his all to keep the pace. After the successful delivery it was time for restocking but that is when everything went to hell. He had already lost the other mount, his supply mount, due to the weather and losing Bard would be the end of him. They were almost near the mountain range and maybe then, a cave would be their salvation.   

A high pitched screech and then a loud thump caught his attention. Did a bird just crash into a tree? What crazy avian would dare to challenge these weather conditions? No, this was way too loud for a normal bird. He wanted to press on but his conscience didn’t let him. With effort he steered his nightsaber to what he thought was the direction of the sound. His eyes peered through the waving snow and then he found a man half buried in the snow. He was laying face down, dressed in bright green robes and he saw little red pools being swept under the dusty snow. 

“Fucking hell…” He cursed loudly. His nightsaber nudged his leg and he quickly jumped off sinking to his knees into the snow. With difficulty he paved his way towards the man and dug him out of the loose powdery snow. He had a nasty looking head wound so he carefully scooped him up. When he both got them seated, he continued on and wondered if this was the last mistake he would ever make. 

After a while his nightsaber couldn’t run anymore and settled for a steady trot. He was now using the stranger as a source of warmth, hugging him tightly to keep them both warm. And then a ray of hope presented itself, in the corner of his eyes, he spotted something that resembled a cave. He quickly yanked the nightsaber reins and pointed him in the right direction. Bard immediately recognized his plan and used the last of his energy to sprint towards it.    

The three of them barreled into the cave and thank Elune, it was a small cavern with no other occupants. When he got the man, who he believed to be a druid, of the nightsaber, Bard crawled to the corner and collapsed. He lay awfully still but the occasional snore gave him indication that the beast was still alive. With a relieved sigh he walked to his pack on the back of the nightsaber and got out some wooden sticks. They were frozen and brittle but it didn’t matter, he had an enchanted fire stone that made quick work of the cold. Thank the goddess his lovely wife had thrown the stone into his pack at the last moment. 

Shortly after dressing the head wound, the druid stirred. He groaned loudly and he tried to sit up but failed. After some careful wiggling around, he did manage to crawl a little close to the warm fire as his skin registered the nearby heat.   

“Take it easy, you had a nasty fall.” He said while rummaging through his pack. 

“Where… where am I? Who are you?” The stranger asked croakily. His hand slowly touched the bandage and he winched. There was a soft green glow on his hand but it quickly disappeared and the druid slowly shook his head in defeat.  

“You got caught in a snowstorm in Winterspring, you were tossed against a tree... or flew against it because it may have looked appealing to you. I don’t know what happened but I just found you and took you with me. We are now sheltering in a cave inside the mountains.” The man looked at him with raised eyebrows and then barked a short laugh which, by the pained look on his face, he immediately regretted.  

“That’s a nice way of explaining a situation. But… Thank you for saving me. I was on my way back to Moonglade… I’m also not sure what happened but I’m glad you found me, this storm would have meant certain death for me.” His fingers caressed the area around the bandage in thought.  

“My Shan’do is going to kill me… I was already late and now, I’m really late.” The druid groaned again but this time succeeded in sitting up. They both remained silent for a few minutes, the wind howled and battered the mountain above them. With the druid quiet, he continued polishing his sword as the last fight and the relentless snow did a number on it.   

“I wish to repay you friend but also… ask for another favour. First of all, what’s your name?” The stranger asked with a defeated look on his young face. He looked at the boy from the corner of his eye with a sigh and pulled the hood more over his face. 

“You don’t need to pay me back, it’s fine.” He replied coolly. 

“But, I want to, you saved my life.” His green eyes lid up as he looked at him with gratitude. “Uhm but I also need to get back to Moonglade and I can’t fly like this. If it’s possible, can you drop me off in Moonglade? And then please, let me repay you with gold, food or anything.” The druid fiddled with his hands and he had an overall nervous look about him. This boy suddenly seemed even younger than he had first thought. It must have been his first mission. He cursed under his breath as a bubble of guilt pushed him into doing the right thing yet again.  

“Okay, fine. I will bring you to Moonglade.” He agreed with a huff. “We will leave as soon as my mount is back on its feet. I lost my other nightsaber so we have to share.” With that, he focussed on his sword again and the druid stayed respectfully quiet after thanking him. 

After a few hours the storm was still raging but Bard was up and about. He snuggled behind him and with his big paws started playing with the ends of his cloak. For such a big animal, he could be immensely cute. He petted him playfully and received a friendly headbutt. Bard would be fine now, they were near the mountain which shielded them more than being out in the open. He helped the druid up and they walked to the mouth of the cave.  

“Sit in front of me and try to keep my cloak around the both of us.” He instructed the young elf and with a simple nod, the druid complied. With a refreshed nightsaber and another source of warmth, they continued their way. He had been right, even though the weather was still horrible, following the foot of the mountains made the ride so much easier. 

Now another rough part was up ahead, the tunnel and most annoying of all, furbolgs. He told Bard to come up at their rear and the druid walked in the middle. A lot of furbolgs were thankfully asleep but some were awake or even patrolling. In the beginning he managed to shadowmeld stealth kill the patrolling ones but it became harder and harder not to get spotted. When the trio was seen by a group of six, they decided to just make a run for it. The druid had a painful look on his sweating face and Jarod started running next to him. 

“Up you go before you faint on us.” He yelled as he carefully threw him on Bard’s back. The nightsaber growled and the druid hugged the saber tightly with his eyes closed, clearly trying not to throw up.  

It was a freaking maze but he finally managed to find his way out. When they neared the end of the tunnel, they had woken up a lot of furbolgs but thankfully, the two night elves and the nightsaber were faster. As they dashed out on the other end, Bard came up next to him and he smoothly jumped up on the run. The druid opened one eye as he felt someone behind him and then excitement and relief filled his features. 

“Hahaha I have an immense headache but that was so exciting! And we made it!” The druid laughed and almost threw them both of the nightsaber in enthousiasme. 

“I’m glad you liked it… I didn’t.” He mumbled. The druid was still sitting in front of him with a big smile on his face. He looked rather innocent as he peered around in awe at the Moonglade nature surrounding them. A beautiful shining spectacle of every hue of green and blue in existence.  

“Is this your first time in Moonglade?” His voice was laced with curiosity. The druid looked back at him smiling sweetly and then nodded excitedly. 

“Yes it is! My mother is a high priest and a trainer in the temple of Elune and my father is a captain in the guard. They were thrilled when I showed talent for the druidic arts and wanted me to have the best teacher in order to make my decision. The path of a druid or follow my father into the guard. I only got into this group of druids two weeks ago for a trial period and this was my first time outside of Darnassus on a mission. I’m meeting my esteemed Shan’do and three of my druid brothers here. I hope they aren’t mad at me for being late, they didn’t look so happy when my father asked for me to be in their group.” The sudden life story had started out on a happy note but ended with a sad whisper. He could feel the insecurity radiate from the druid. The warrior or guard life would not suit this young boy but a druid could work and he seemed to have the heart of a healer or other ranged support.  

“Do not worry, druids are known to be caring. You will be fine once you explain what has happened.” He tried to reassure him. They had no more troubles on the way and the side mission could be considered a resounding success when he dropped the druid off in the city of Nighthaven. And much to his luck, there was a vendor nearby selling a few fine sabers of all colors and sizes.

“Be on your way now, you are already late. Good luck.” He gave the druid a small nod and turned to make his way to the saber vendor. A nice dark grey beauty had immediately caught his eye.  

“Let me buy you a new saber!” The boy exclaimed as he ran after him. 

“What?!” He spat in surprise. But the druid wasn’t deterred and quickly ran towards the vendor only to be greatly disappointed within mere seconds. 

“I don’t have enough gold to buy you a nightsaber.” The boy told him sadly. Of course, he already knew that and patted the druid on his shoulder as a way of thanks. 

“I have to do something to repay you! You even brought me to Nighthaven when you had no reason to comply…” He was taller than the druid and he looked down on him with pity. 

“Fine. Give me 10 gold.” The boy looked at him in annoyance but apparently an idea had struck him as he jogged back to the vendor. With a sigh, he followed the boy. 

“This man saved my life but he won’t let me repay him. Can I, I don’t know, buy a saddle or something?” The vendor laughed and looked at the druid as he shrugged. 

“It’s okay kid...” He told him again but when he looked at the silent druid, all the life had drained from his face. A tall buff druid with an angry scowl on his face had caught his attention and disappeared into a building. 

“Oh no. I have to go. Please wait for me, I will repay you later.” And with those words he sprinted off a hand clutching his bandage. The vendor stepped a little closer and shook his head. “Poor boy...” he mumbled. 

“Don’t accept any gold from the kid, I’m fine. So, how much for the dark grey… ohh… well. How much for the nightsaber that is currently cuddling with my own.” He said to the vendor. With generous laughter they both made their way to the gorgeous grey saber. 

“It’s a purebred Darnassian army saber. The Argent armor comes with it. She is young and feisty, so a bit of a temper at times but it seems she likes you both. She has been to battle but unfortunately came back without her champion. Because she is well trained, it will cost you…” The vendor looked him up and down. With a small smile he looked back at the saber. 

“Normally I would say at least 450 gold, maybe even 500 gold for outsiders. But for you, mister big time saviour… How about 400 gold?” He looked at the marvelous animal, she was truly in perfect condition and Bard already loved her by the looks of it. But he wanted to spend 250 gold max. If he were to pay 400 gold, he would only have 20 gold left. He sighed. It was too risky, so he had to go for a cheaper one. 

“I’m sorry buddy, it’s a great offer but we don’t have that money right now.” He said to Bard as he petted his back. “I thank you for your generosity, it is a good price but do you maybe have a nice one for 150-200 gold?” He asked the vendor as he looked around the other sabers.

“Of course, I have every price category. But it seems like this one would really fit you though. She is strong and truly worth every piece of gold.” The vendor seemed to think things over and then clapped him on the shoulder. “How about this? I have a few errands that need to be done and also, you saved the kid. I will sell you the saber for 250 gold and you will take care of my quests. Do we have a deal?” With a raised eyebrow he looked back at the saber only to find Bard sitting next to her with a judgemental look on his furry maw. 

“Guess I don’t have a choice. The beast has spoken. I will run your errands and here is your 250 gold. Thank you for the offer.” He couldn’t help but laugh at the new found lovers. The druid had repaid him through the mount vendor and he thought it would be nice to share the good news. He left the two sabers at the stables near the vendor and walked towards the building. As he neared, shouting was the first thing he heard.   

“You think you are important because your father called in a favor? I can’t believe it, this is all your fault. I’m the leader of this group and his honored Thero'shan, yet I got left behind to wait for you. He will return shortly to deal with you and don’t expect me to do you any courtesy, you are hardly worth my time.” The boy was sitting on a small stool as the other druid was pacing in front of him, waving his arms and complaining.  

“You didn’t even heal your wound, you truly are a useless idiot.” He sneered and with those words, the warrior had heard enough. 

“Hey, take it easy. The kid almost died out there, show a little compassion. That’s what you druids are all about, right?” He walked inside with his arms crossed and the boy looked at him in disbelief and admiration. “You can just go with your teacher next time, it’s more important that your fellow druid survived.” The tall druid closed the distance menacingly.

“Who do you think you are? This is a private conversation involving some much needed punishment. Who cares about the opinion of some lowly mercenary. Stay out of it.” The druid stood but a few inches from him. He had a dislikable face with dark edges around his eyes and by the looks of it, a constant sneer on his lips which caused deep wrinkles to form. With a snort he pushed the druid back, he didn’t like people standing in his personal space. 

“Back off leafboy, I’m the one who helped him in Winterspring. There is no need to get hostile, I’m not your enemy. I just came to tell our friend here, I got a nice discount on my nightsaber thanks to him.” The boy had a slight smile on his lips but the druid looked at him with outrage written on his ugly face. And much to his surprise the druid made a move to push him back. That was a wrong decision because instantly the warrior in him reacted and twisted the advancing arm behind the druid’s back. He groaned and started to struggle. 

“What is going on here?” A booming voice came from behind him. He immediately let go of the druid’s arm and turned around to see the source. A towering bare chested elf with luscious green manes and beard looked down on him. The gold orbs showed little mercy and he was flanked by two other druids. Anyone could instantly see that this elf was old, intelligent and most importantly, high ranking. This was bad news and he regretted bringing the young druid back here.   

“Leave us, now . And I will deal with you later, Starseeker.” The tall druid rumbled, the boy had a sorrowful expression mixed with fear on his sweaty face. And as he walked past them to leave, the older druid grabbed him painfully by the throat making the boy squeak. He turned his head from side to side and raised his other hand. The warrior immediately stepped forward, grabbing the hand in protection of the boy. But this wasn’t some vendor or peasant, this was someone with power and the warrior got pushed back with remarkable ease. A green glow enveloped the big hand and expertly healed the head wound in seconds. With an angry grunt he let the young druid go and he scrambled out of the room, closing the door behind him. The warrior quickly adjusted his hood in shame and looked down. 

“My apologies, I overstepped my boundaries. I’m the one that assisted your young apprentice in Winterspring. He was wounded and couldn’t fly anymore, so I brought him back here. I hope this information will make you go easy on him, he is a good kid. Now, if you will excuse me.” He rambled slightly as he tried to walk past the druid, he was extremely uncomfortable and wanted to leave as quickly as he could. If only his wife were here, as a former priestess of Elune, she was great with people and she could have resolved this easily... 

“Not so fast.” The druid replied darkly, this voice could make the most battle hardened warrior stop dead in his tracks. And he knew, because he was a battle hardened warrior. “Always the hero it seems, saving my student from certain death by snowflakes. How heroic you are. Tell me… friend. How can I repay you for such a noble deed?” He didn’t look the druid in the eyes but the voice dripping with sarcasm told him all he needed to know. These damn druids and their repaying. He just wanted to leave.

“No payment needed, it was my pleasure. Have a nice day.” Again he started walking towards the door, more quickly this time. With premature relief he grabbed the handle to open the door only to have a large hand slam it shut.   

“Now now, why in such a hurry? Don’t you wish to catch up? I mean, everyone thinks you are dead yet here you are, saving wayward druids in need.” He could feel him standing a few inches behind him as the looming form cast an ominous shadow over him. Not many night elves were taller than him but this guy was enormous even by taller elf standards. 

“Stay and be welcome, oh mighty Shadowsong.” It felt like a chain was suddenly wrapped around his throat and started squeezing. When the hand let go of the door, Jarod Shadowsong slowly turned around to look the druid in the eyes. He had a nasty look on his face, the taunting eyes looked menacing due to the cruel furrow of his brow. Jarod wasn’t sure why the druid was so angry at him but it made him feel dreadfully uneasy. This wasn’t someone he could easily beat or run away from.   

“I’m here for a few days, feel free to stay at my accommodations while you are here. It’s private and secluded, just the way you like it. I would love to hear all the wild stories and I’m sure everyone will be happy to hear you are alive and well.” The druid smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. To his shock, the cold golden orbs mirrored his own, he kind of recognized himself in them. A certain forced loneliness laced with loss and war.  

Jarod had worked closely with druids during wars and peace times. But he didn’t quit like them. He always felt that Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage and his druids were more concerned with nature and the Emerald Dream than the wellbeing of their own people. Not that Jarod was one to talk. Even though he stepped up and carried his weight and more, he was also not very interested in being among his own people. The moment he felt it was justified, he had left. He truly liked the quiet and led a reclusive life with his wife. Occasionally they did some quests, simple deliveries and supply runs. They had done so for millennia. He was busted a few times but managed to disappear before anything big happened. Not this time though.This felt like getting punched in the face.  

“You are mistaken, I am not the one you speak of. I just bought a mount and I will be leaving shortly. Please step aside so I can take my leave, you have more important things to do than spend your precious time with me.” He replied calmly but inside his heart was hammering in his chest. The druid blatantly ignored him. 

“Hmm I know, I could use a warrior of your caliber on a mission I have planned. How about you help me out and I in turn, will help you. It won’t take long and I’m sure you can see the benefits of helping us out. We are your people after all.” The druid told him as his right hand slowly removed the hood, fully exposing Jarod to the light. There was no fooling this man, if he wished to stay hidden, he would have to listen to him. 

“One mission and then I’m out of here.” He agreed and the druid chuckled lowly, it made his stomach recoil.  

“Ahh. Very well. Fandral Staghelm, Archdruid of Darnassus at your service, commander Shadowsong.” Jarod reeled at both the titles, he always hated being called commander and when the war ended he couldn’t wait to throw away the title. But the other title surprised him just as much. He had heard the stories of his people, keeping taps on everything was a nice little hobby of his wife and she shared everything with him. She had told him how Malfurion was still in the dream. Fandral was his number one student and had succeeded him, he was also responsible for raising Teldrassil in an attempt to regain the elven immortality. He was the one fighting Tyrande Whisperwind for control of the night elven people. That was just great, he had bumped into one of the two leaders of the night elves, what luck.    

“Follow me.” Fandral commanded him as he started walking. Jarod put his hood back up and followed the Archdruid with feet that felt like concrete. He prayed to all the gods of both the Alliance and Horde, that this would end well for him.

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The mission turned out to be quite straightforward and rather easy. Even though the young druid called Starseeker was healed, he wasn’t given the chance to come with them. Jarod and two other druids were to kill and distract the satyrs in Felwood while Staghelm captured the leader up ahead for interrogation. The blue haired elf was a sturdy and calm guardian druid, he said very little but did tend to give his fellow elves small smiles when they needed or deserved it. And then there was a black haired spellcaster who expertly switched between firing deadly moonbeams and rejuvenating life lines.

Jarod charged three satyr that wanted to flank the druid in bear form, they could be very sneaky and were incredibly annoying creatures. Of course Jarod had fought enough of them to know their way of thinking and the most effective way to end their pitiful lives. He picked up everything the bear next to him dropped or couldn’t see. Then a weird sensation made him look back and in the corner of his eye, he saw a shimmer. His legs moved before his mind could tell them to move. He charged and thrust out his sword mere inches from the spellcaster, there was shock on his face at the supposed betrayal. But of course Jarod didn’t attack the druid but the rogue behind him, the satyr dropped his weapons and with a gurgling scream fell to the floor. 

“... I’m… Thank you!” The druid named Fylerian looked at Jarod with his clear blue orbs wide in awe. 

“No problem.” Jarod simply nodded and quickly returned to the guardian Lurosa fighting up ahead. They had killed quite a lot of satyrs and the bodies started to stack up, the ground was slippery with demon blood and Jarod grunted in effort to keep steady. A new group of ten satyr started running towards the trio and with a sigh Jarod raised his sword. But then slight tremors made him step back and before he could do or say anything, giant roots shot from the ground. They cruelly impaled the satyrs and they screamed in pain as they slowly died like skewered pork meat. Jarod sneered at the distasteful display and he wasn’t the only one, the remaining satyr started running and hiding in fear but it was futile. More roots shot up and curled around the retreating satyr, slowly dragging them deeply into the earth or simply skewering or choking them to death.  

“Disgusting filth...” A low voice hissed behind them and there stood Fandral Staghelm, his right hand raised into a glowing claw-like grip, obviously making him the one commanding the roots. Jarod suddenly felt very uneasy, this wasn’t the behaviour he was used to seeing in druids. Fandral held a head with part of its torso still attached in his other hand. It was clearly ripped off the body with incredible force. Jarod swallowed and he returned his gaze to the Archdruid. There was a cruel and knowing smirk on his lined face. This was a man who could turn a war into your favor or nightmare depending what side he was on. 

“He was very cooperative so capture wasn’t needed.” Fandral smiles as he walks towards a fallen spear, picking it up and planting it in the ground. With very little effort he skewers the head on the spike and dramatically wipes his hands clean. 

“The mission was a success, we are leaving.” The Archdruid says without showing any emotion and shapeshifts into a big lunarwing owl. The other two druids change into giant crows with shining feathers in the color of their hair. Jarod rubs the back of his neck and sighs, he yet again regrets every decision that has brought him here.

“Do you want a written invitation? Get on. Now.” Fandral hisses in his bird form and Jarod quickly climbs on his back. His hands spread through the feathers beneath him. It feels soft and warm as he plays with them a little as they are strangely calming. There is no saddle or anything so Jarod has to clamp down with his thighs while he keeps his upper body low and his hands firmly intertwined with the feathers. It must be a marvelous sensation to be a druid, so free and graceful. The cool air wafted through his hair and short beard. There was peace and tranquility as the party flew back towards Nighthaven.

In secret Jarod was a little grateful that the quest with Fandral brought him to Felwood. Luckily one of the errands from the vendor was found there which meant one out of three chores were done. Jarod feels the pouch on his belt that contains freshly picked Songflowers and Windblossoms flap in the wind. Carefully his hand checks and secures the pouch just to be sure. Beneath him Fandral shifts and dips to catch a downdraft to glide on and Jarod sees his glowing eyes scour over the land below in observation. Maybe their quest wasn’t over just yet… Jarod lays low on Fandral’s back, his eyes straining and his ears twitching in search of clues. Minutes pass and nothing happens but Jarod can feel the tenseness radiating from Fandral through the feathers. Something is wrong and Jarod can’t wait until they cross into moonglade and out of this hell hole of an area. Then suddenly he feels it, a very slight tingle, as if a static thread was pulled from his spine. 

“MOVE! Everyone move!” Jarod screams and to his surprise Fandral reacts immediately. With a strong push of his wings the pair rises and the crows follow and sure enough, just in time. Fireballs start raining down from a nearby tree, targeting their previous positions. Jarod sees an ambush party of satyr clinging to branches in the tree to his right.

“Damn it, you nasty bast… arghhh…” Jarod grunts as Fandral twists and turns to avoid more fire and trees and all the while protecting his fellow druids. The thick canopy above them suddenly becomes a death trap and they are forced closer to the ground which of course has its own challenges. To his side the black crow struggles to avoid the fire and mazes of branches up ahead. His blue counterpart also has a rough time but stays aloft with more ease. He is clearly more versed in the feral arts. When a fireball separates Fandral and Jarod from the other two, the blue crow takes up the role as protector. He flies with everything he has got to help the other survive this ordeal. 

They are almost in the clear but before they can celebrate they need to pass a narrow gorge. Fandral adjusts his speed so the two druids can pull up to them but when they finally reach them, a fireball speeds straight for the group. Jarod raises his arm in protection and then the whole world suddenly shudders and twirls. He tightly closes his eyes and his stomach turns. When he smacks against something he quickly opens his eyes to assess the damage. 

“Are you alright?” Fandral asks and Jarod looks around in confusion, he feels fine but didn’t they crash? Both druids are still in crow form and Fandral is holding them by their feet as they bungle in the air, Jarod guesses they are unconscious. Fandral’s other arm is curled around Jarod in a protective manner as they stand on the ground. Massive roots are twisted around Fandral’s legs and back. By the looks of it, the Archdruid protected and caught all three of his entourage and safely transported them to the surface via the roots. Jarod had to admit, he was impressed. 

“How dare you… hngrrrr….” Fandral growled deeply in his throat and it kept rolling off his tongue, Jarod could feel the vibrations of the snarl. It sounded like a mixture of a large feline and a wolf, quite ominous as Fandral’s lips were retracted and his canines were bared. Jarod reached for his sword and stepped away from the druid’s embrace as the satyr gathered around. Without looking back at the Archdruid he just charged right in and slashed at the hideous creatures. They were no match for him. 

Jarod whirled around and lopped off the head of a sneaky rogue trying to flank him. When he looked back, two satyr launched a heroic leap and Jarod raised his sword in defense. But the impact never came. The first satyr simply exploded into bloody dust when a white beam from the skies incinerated him and the other got his head caved in by Fandral’s right hook. They fought side by side to annihilate the attacking satyr, the movements were fluent and practiced, like they had fought beside each other for years. Every move Jarod made, Fandral compensated perfectly. For some reason there was this odd sense of trust between them. Sword and claw, fist and nature’s magic made short work of their enemies.   

The satyr were quickly dealt with and Jarod took in the sights. In the back, the two crows were cradled carefully in the roots for protection. And then Jarod finally noticed the burns on Fandral’s back. He had used his own body to shield Jarod and the two druids while in flight. It looked painful as the angry dark red spread over the muscles like a plague but Jarod didn’t dare say anything, let alone touch it to see if there was an infection. 

“Argh… Shan’do… what happened?” Lurosa had transformed to his elven form and was now rubbing a nasty bruised bump on his forehead, blood pouring down the sides. Fandral turned and shook his head with a small smile. 

“Nothing we couldn’t handle. Are you alright?” Fandral asked as they both walked back towards the roots. The other druid was still in his crow form. Fandral stepped up to the druid and tenderly placed a hand upon the side of his face. The younger druid closed his eyes and leaned into the touch as a green glow enveloped his head. Slowly the bump disappeared and the bruises faded away. 

“My thanks, Shan’do. Shall I carry Fylerian the rest of the way?” The druid asked and Fandral nodded. Without further delay, they transformed and went on their way. Jarod settled on the bed of feathers but noticed the blood and damage even when Fandral was in his owl form. He avoided the burned area and leaned a little more to the left.

Jarod was still rather speechless by the contrast of behaviour. The rough nearly choking of Starseeker while healing his head wound to the tender care of the blue haired guardian druid. Fylerian had woken up during the flight and opted to sit on the back of his larger crow buddy in elven form. While they were flying, Fylerian healed himself and Jarod was reminded of the usefulness of these druids. They could fly, summon roots, heal wounds, damage from a distance or rip your face off with teeth and claws.   

Nighthaven glowed on the horizon and Jarod finally started to relax. Starseeker was waiting for them to land and excitedly waved when he saw Jarod noticed him. A little up ahead was the bully from the day before with his arms folded across his chest and yet another deep scowl on his face. Jarod carefully jumped off Fandral back which earned him a sneer from the silver haired ruffian. 

“The mission was a success, I will process the information. You two go with Starseeker and Lethyn, go practice and meditate. I will call upon you when needed.” Fandral grasped his hands behind his back and nodded to the druids. They gracefully bowed and walked away. Starseeker gave him a little smile over his shoulder and then joined his brothers. Jarod winked and turned to find a tree to sleep under, he wasn’t the youngest anymore and this was more action than he was used to. He loudly cracked his shoulder and pulled the hood further over his head. The sky rumbled a little which could only mean rain in the near future.  

“Ahh my friend! Do you have good news for me?” A friendly voice called out to him. Jarod took the pouch from his belt and swiped the Satyr blood from it before handing it over to the vendor. He looked over the contents and nodded with an impressed curl of the lip. 

“This looks perfect and even more than I asked for. Thank you!” The slender green haired elf bowed deeply and Jarod nodded his thanks. As he walked in silence small droplets of rain fell on his hood and he moved further into the nearby woods. He needed some peace and quiet after the eventful mission. A lot of trees gave perfect cover against rain as their branches and leaves were thick and overgrown. When he found a nice spot he plopped himself down and pushed his back against the tree trunk with a groan. Jarod wasn’t used to it anymore, all the interacting and being friendly to other people. Who knew one could dismiss such vital behavior with the ease he had. Was Shalasyr like this as well? No… no she wasn’t. Her smiling visage flashed before his eyes and he realised he missed her. 

“This… This is a joke right?” Said a deep voice to his right. Jarod sighed in annoyance and peered from under his hood to the intruder. Fandral didn’t hide the look of disdain on his bearded face.

“I didn’t say anything. Let alone make a joke.” Jarod responded and wiggled in his cloak to make himself more comfortable. 

“Get up you idiot.” Fandral hissed and when Jarod didn’t move, he harshly grabbed him by the arm. The Archdruid was infuriatingly strong as he easily hoisted Jarod to his feet. 

“Don’t you have travels ahead of you? I’m guessing that sleeping against a tree will be your accommodations for a while so at least rest in comfort when it is possible. Did you really fall this far? Is this truly what you desire now?” The Archdruid sounded like he was scolding a child while in truth, Jarod was the older one. At least Fandral had let go of his arm or else the parent-child picture would have been complete. With a resigned grunt Jarod shrugged and followed the annoying druid. He didn’t have the mental strength to argue with a highly trained elven politician. His wife had told him this man could make Tyrande cower and he could see why she did that. On the other hand, he also understood why so many elves looked up to him, Fandral was completely different from a druid like Malfurion and yet, there was an urge to follow and trust him. Jarod sighed again, he couldn’t wait to be back home.    

Fandral’s accommodations were on the edge of Nighthaven. It was not big but it was up very high in a gnarled tree. It looked rather fashionable but then again, he was an Archdruid. The whole way there Fandral was mocking the older elf just like he had done when they first met the day before. Jarod always hated snobby elves and this man was the King of sarcasme and status abuse. In another life they might have been a good sparring duo but in this lifetime, Jarod was too jaded to accept Fandral and his stubborn ways. Jarod got shown to the guest room and then Fandral turned to leave. 

“I’m not a healer but doesn’t that need healing at some point?” Jarod said as he lazily leaned against the doorway. Fandral looked over his shoulder and puffed in vexation. 

“Mind your own business, this is nothing to me. I will heal it later, I’m busy.” The Archdruid said arrogantly, looking down his nose and Jarod rolled his eyes. He removed his glove, hooking it to his belt and stepped forward. Jarod roughly slapped his hand near the burn and Fandral flinched as he growled, his right knee even buckled a little.  

“Pfff yeah right. Who are you acting all tough for, there is no shame in getting hurt to protect your friends or family. It’s a good trait to feel the need to protect and help others. Isn’t that what makes a good druid?” Jarod meant it as a compliment, he was genuinely impressed with the care and strength Fandral had shown earlier. But the Archdruid didn’t agree. He angrily turned around and his nostril flared as he stared down on Jarod. By Elune this man was ginormous.

“What family? What friends? I’m not friends with my students. You and I are even less than that.” Fandral spat out and Jarod could see the regret in his eyes. It sounded petty and childish, like he was hiding something. There was definitely a nerve touched. Jarod raised his eyebrow in question and Fandral just huffed in his usual superior manner. Jarod choose to ignore it. 

“My bad. I guess it was an accident then. We must have fallen into your lap for protection.” Jarod shrugged uninterestedly and turned to enter the room in order to escape this escalation. Fandral, on the other hand, stops him the same way he had stopped him the day before by using his body as a blocking tool.  

“What? Disappointed? Did you want us to be friends?” Fandral hissed next to Jarod's ear. The warrior was so done with the games as he felt Fandrals’s warmth behind him and he pushed the druid back with his elbow. When he turned to look at him there was a weird sense of insecurity in the eyes of the tall green haired Archdruid which made Jarod lose his train of thought.   

“If you will excuse me…” Jarod mumbled and again tried to enter his room. Fandral’s eye twitched and then his demeanor changed within a second. When Jarod saw Fandral turn and leave, he looked like the strong, stoic leader he had been from day one. His hands were balled into fists hanging astride his body. Jarod keeps staring at him until Fandral rounds a corner and steps out of view. What was that strange look? Just thinking about it makes his stomach flutter and turn, as if he were on a ship. Jarod shakes his head and sits down on the wooden leaf covered bed. The moment his head hits the soft pillow, he is gone from the world of the living. 

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It was deep into the night when he woke up, feeling the need for some water. As he stumbles towards the dresser with a glass and pitcher on it, Jarod hears a small crashing sound in the distance. Something fell to the ground and was partially broken by the sound of it. After drinking his glass of water he sneaks out of his room and looks around the humble tree home with a refreshed outlook. 

Bright white lights shine down through the moving treetops, making the ground look like a dancing river. The green and blue hues from the local flora and fauna glow peacefully and insects are chirping their high pitched songs. It looks truly beautiful and Jarod stands for more than a moment to take in the sights. In the corner of his eye and a level higher up into the tree home, a little light caught his eye. It was warm and golden instead of cold and blue. Probably a candle. Jarod lets his bare feet slide softly over the tree trunk path and apart from his slow controlled breathing, he makes no sounds whatsoever.    

As he approaches the room, he hears someone walk around and occasionally grunt. Jarod lets his hand rest upon the door to feel the vibrations. The pacing wasn’t calm and collected but distressed or even a bit angry. And then suddenly it stops. Jarod can’t hear breathing nor walking. He holds his own breath in measure to the stillness.  

“May I remind you, it’s rude to eavesdrop.” Fandral’s voice sounds strict yet soft at the same time but most of all, it sounds tired and restless. That was mighty mortal of the bigger than life Archdruid. Jarod chuckles despite himself and nods. 

“Yes, I am well aware of that.” He simply says as he leans against the doorframe. With a few strides Fandral walks towards the door but doesn't open it. Jarod can sense him standing on the other side. 

“What are you doing here? Is something wrong? Are you uncomfortable?” Fandral asks in that same voice again, it's strangely caring. The oddness of it all makes Jarod’s long pointy ears twitch in anticipation. The questions sound so genuine and friendly, it could almost make you forget what a complete dickhead he was earlier. Almost but not quite. 

“Nothing is wrong, just taking a midnight stroll. Is that allowed?” Jarod coolly replies. Slowly the door opens and he sees Fandral peeking around the door. 

“And your stroll led you here?” Fandral asks with a scowl on his face, the soft voice doesn’t match the facial expression and it makes Jarod frown in response. Fandral opens the door further and now straightens his back, Jarod guesses he is well over 8 feet tall. 

“Do you want to end your tour with a drink?” Fandral opted in a much sterner voice which didn’t invite Jarod in the slightest. But for some reason and against better judgement the older elf shrugs and nods. Fandral gives a short snort and, to Jarod’s surprise, smilles. The simple smile makes him look approachable and companionable. It’s funny that such a small gesture could do so much for someone's appearance.  

“Red or white?” Staghelm asks as he walks in front of Jarod. The room looks bare. One corner has a bed with everything needed around it and the other corner has a big desk, two bookcases and a deer statue. The rest of the room is minimalistic and empty.

“Red.” Jarod replies as he scans the room. Two broken earthenware lay under the windowsill near the bookcase and when Jarod looks back at Fandral he sighs to see the dried blood wound mixed with dirt.

“Let me atleast clean it.” The older elf says as he shakes his head in annoyance. Fandral turns around to look at Jarod while pouring their drinks. 

“Ohh that. I will heal it now, I forgot.” Fandral closes his eyes and a green swirl covers his upper body, slowly the burn starts to twitch and mend back together. And just like that, Fandral turned back to pouring the drinks and stacking some books. Jarod walks towards the water basin near the bed and dips a piece of cloth into the cold water. He makes his way to Fandral with the dripping cloth in his hand and without saying anything starts cleaning the slowly healing flesh wound. 

“What the hel…. Ahhnn…” Fandral moans weakly and Jarod is taken aback by the sound. He feels his face burn under a blush as Fandral kneels down to give Jarod perfect access. Unfortunately for him, Jarod isn’t the most caring person and he roughly cleans the wound, making Fandral shudder under his touch. Jarod swallows loudly as he kind of likes seeing Fandral squirm under him.  

“Uhm, all done…” Jarod murmurs and throws the cloth in a nearby basket. Fandral stands up and looks down on Jarod with a strangely erotic look on his face. Maybe Fandral had way too much to drink or maybe he doesn’t mind the rough treatment. When Fandral hands Jarod his wine, he pretty much downs his own cup in one go.

“It’s a simple wine, not that strong.” Fandral mumbles as an excuse but when Jarod takes a sip, it is way stronger than anything he and his wife drink at home. This is quality stuff and it tastes delicious. Fandral refills his own cup again and Jarod walks towards the bookcase, he loves to read and is in desperate need of a distraction. His finger slides over the book backs and he sips his drink every few seconds, Fandral has a great collection of books and nice taste in wine. The second his cup is empty, Fandral comes to refill it. At the end of the second bookcase, Jarod has had four cups of the delicious wine and his shoulders tingle in a relaxed manner. 

When he sees a certain book, he turns to ask Fandral about it but manages to trip over a little pile of books on the floor. Much to his luck, he lands not on the books but on a bucket of sorts. The lid flies off and part of the contents spill over Jarod, it’s extremely sticky and the elf raises his goo-covered hand in disgust.

“What the hell is this?!” Jarod tries to assess the honey-like texture and looks at Fandral. There is an angry scowl on his face but also something else akin to fear. The Archdruid stomps over to Jarod.  

“That is morrowgrain paste. Do you know how much morrowgrain is needed to fill a whole bucket? And you ruined it.” Fandral bares his sharp teeth and Jarod is overtaken by guilt. The way Fandral’s eyes dart around makes Jarod think his mind is at full tilt. He is definitely hiding something but even if he is acting weird, it doesn’t change the fact that Jarod is at fault for damaging his properties. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose. Where can I find morrowgrain, I will get you more. I can repay you.” Jarod stammers and tries to get as much back into the bucket as he can. Fandral’s face displays a parental nostalgia as he calms down.

“Did you have a trip to Un’Goro Crater planned? Or do you fancy spending hours peeling and grinding the grains? I think not… Leave it, Shadowsong, it is fine.” Fandral says in defeat and he turns to grab himself another drink leaving Jarod to wiggle around in the sticky mess. Jarod wants to leave this place without any feelings or attachments, no payments from pushy young druids or owed favors because he did something wrong. He would find a way to fix this, although the strange quivering in his core also concerned him greatly.  

“I have a bath in the back and you can borrow clothing from me. Go get cleaned up before it hardens or starts to irritate.” Fandral mumbles as he pours his drink. The elven commander wants to lighten the mood and most of all, distract himself from the discomfort. 

“Ahh thank you. But uhm… You wear real clothing? Since when?” Jarod snorts while looking at Fandral who is dressed only in leather spaulders, gloves and a floor length druidic skirt with a belt. Fandral empties his cup while trying not to choke and looks in ridicule at the smirking sticky elf on the floor. There is a light darkening on his cheek and then he suddenly starts laughing. The deep rumble fills the room and Jarod’s stomach flutters wildly. The look on Fandral's visage is something, Jarod believes, not many people have seen before. It’s relaxed and friendly so Jarod can’t help but react to it.  

“Haha. Hilarious. Now go bathe yourself.” Fandral says while smiling at him and Jarod shakes his head while grinning. He should indeed laugh more, it would be good for the Archdruid. Jarod struggles to stand and then makes his way towards the bath. This has been such a weird couple of days, he can scarcely believe it.

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Thank you so much for reading <3
And see you soon in the next chapter.

Chapter Text

Spell - Entangling roots, roots the target in place for a certain amount of time.

Jarod looks at the ripples in the bathwater as he lets his fingers brush the cold water. Of course he is used to washing with cold water but not quite in the setting he is in right now. Fandral sighs loudly behind him and Jarod jumps a little. With his eyes closed, Fandral stands next to Jarod and holds his hand just above the water. Orange and red tendrils curl around his arm and wrist and then slowly enter the water. Jarod looks at the display as if watching someone dance. It looks elegant and beautiful as the swirls curl through the clear water.  

“Ohh…” Jarod gasps as he feels the water heating up around his fingers. Fandral opens his eyes, bright orange rings cover his irises and then he silently walks away. The commander thanks the Archdruid through the partition that separates the bathtub from the room. He throws his clothing in a dirty sticky heap and carefully lets himself sink into the heated water. With a loud groan he sits down and the warm water starts massaging his aching muscles. Jarod washes himself thoroughly and then stretches his arms above his head as he rolls his neck. At the third moan of pleasure he suddenly remembers that he isn’t alone and mumbles a soft apology. 

Never would he have thought his week would go like this but then again, Azeroth has a way of throwing annoying situations at the old elf. But, this lovely bath does help to forgive and forget what has happened. Jarod’s fingers weave around playfully in the water and he leans the back of his head on the edge as he closes his eyes. He wasn’t aware druids could use fire magic to heat up water. Even after spending so much time with the druids in wars, Jarod had never seen a druid cast fire. His thoughts slowly drift away as the water warms his body. 

The next time Jarod opens his eyes it feels like days have passed in the blink of an eye. There is a small stool with a bundle on it and his clothes are gone. Jarod sits up and looks around in search of Fandral, but the partition is working quite well and he can’t see past it. He hears nothing but the sloshing water nor does he sense Fandral’s presence. 

“Fandral?” Jarod says quietly and he waits tentatively for an answer. “Fandral?” He says again but a little louder. When he makes an effort to get up, Fandral rounds the corner of the partition and Jarod quickly sinks back into the bathtub making water spill over the sides.

“What?” Fandral sternly replies as he crosses his arms watching the spilled water on the floor with a raised eyebrow. The Archdruid looks even bigger with Jarod sitting so low. “Do you need someone to wash your back?” Fandral adds with a bit of a smile. Jarod snorts at the joke and sits back into the warm water in a more relaxed manner. 

“Sorry, just checking if you were still here. I was afraid you were gone.” Jarod says while stretching his legs, he only just noticed how big the bathtub is and also, how weirdly his comment may have sounded. A lightheadedness quickly starts to creep up into his head.   

“Hmm… and where would I go? This is my room and my house so… I’m right here.” Fandral’s words sound bitchy but his tone is soft and it catches Jarod off guard. Again. He turns to look at Fandral in response but it becomes a weird silent staring and he feels his cheeks burn in shame. Suddenly Jarod’s heart is pounding like crazy and he feels sick to his stomach, he sits up with the intention of stepping out of the bath. The sensation of being trapped completely overwhelms him and he sways.   

“Are you well?” Fandral asks him and steps forward in concern. Jarod tries to wave him off but his sarcastic laugh turns into a groan when it feels like he is being stabbed through the eye. With one shaky hand he supports the side of his head while the other hand seeks stability. 

“What the…” He starts to mutter when all of the sudden a strong arm pulls him upwards. Jarod wobbles as Fandral hoists him up straight. They look at each other for far too long and Jarod gets extremely uncomfortable. He mumbles a thanks and tries to pull away from the towering Archdruid, only to slip and fall against him. Fandral catches him with ease and immediately turns it into something akin to a hug. Jarod’s wet naked body is pressed forcefully against Fandral's bare chest and scratchy skirt. For some crazy reason he cannot control his rapid breathing and pounding heart. While his body may be cooling down, Jarod feels himself burn up on the inside and he knows the Archdruid is aware of everything. A flowing feeling quickly spreads from his head to his toes and he moans softly as he starts to feel a lot better. His problems and worries seem to just melt away. The green swirls slowly fade away from his body but he still feels the effects. What did Fandral cast on him?      

“My apologies. I think the heat got the better of me.” Jarod says surprisingly steady and he pushes Fandral away. The Archdruid steps back and the commander can’t bear to look at him directly. Without a word, Fandral turns, gives him a towel and then vanishes behind the partition. Jarod carefully steps out of the bathtub and dries himself off, he curses his shaking hands and slightly hardened dick while doing so. What is wrong with him?! His mind is racing a hundred thoughts a second. He quickly pulls on the pants that were laid out for him, it sacks a little as it's too big. Jarod shakes his head in a physical attempt to clear his thoughts and rounds the room divider. 

“Thank you for the bath and drinks. I will take my leave now, I have taken up enough of your time and hospitality.” Jarod mumbles as he walks towards the door. He sees Fandral turn around from the dresser while putting down a vial in the corner of his eye. Stray droplets of water run down his face as his wet hair bounces with every step. The door is almost within reach but then he feels something on the ground. With a surprised grunt he looks down and sees a small root crawling up his ankle. 

“It’s alright, I have nothing planned.” The Archdruid voices booms through the room. Jarod swallows loudly and adjusts his loose pants. And then Fandral’s arms slip around his waist pulling him backwards against the tall strong body. Jarod feels himself breathing faster and he winces at the sudden desire for physical contact. Everywhere Fandral is touching him, his skin tingles and starts to burn up.  

“I’m sorry…” Jarod says on instinct and he feels the Archdruid shift behind him. Fandral chuckles and the vibrations send shivers up Jarod’s spine. With growing terror in his heart, Jarod feels his pants tightening and he unconsciously pushes back against Fandral. He can’t help it as there is a sudden deep seeded need within him that seeks out the Archdruid.  

“Feel free to stay for a bit, I’m sure you will enjoy it almost as much as I will.” Fandral’s breath tickles against his ear and his cheeks start to glow. Jarod struggles slightly against the broad chest pinned to his back. Meanwhile more roots have crawled up his legs keeping him firmly in place. Jarod wants to comment on that but then Fandral kisses his neck and licks his earlobe softly with a surprisingly hot tongue. 

“Hnn…” Jarod moans in embarrassment as Fandral’s hands start to roam his muscled physique freely. His body reacts instantly and he raises his arms over his head to pull Fandral closer, his hands tangling the long green hair. The Archdruid bends down and nuzzles his neck. Jarod closes his eyes tightly as he tries to forget the world around him.  

“There might be people around so you will understand I will have to resort to… well, you know.” Fandral told him matter of factly as he commands the roots to let go with a simple snap of his fingers. The Archdruid leads Jarod towards the bed, his big hands feel like fire on his damp skin. Jarod swallows as his mouth goes dry at the thought of people hearing them. That was truly the last thing he would want and his mind keeps racing. Did he see anyone else when he was walking around the treehome? It wasn’t that big and Fandral didn’t seem like the person to have many servants around. But then again, maybe his pupils? 

“I won’t hurt you… not too much anyways.” Fandral growls into his ear as he pushes Jarod on the bed. A small root starts prying open his mouth and it snaps Jarod from his thoughts. The root wiggles between his teeth, acting as a makeshift gag. Jarod opens his mouth to protest but then the root slips in and expands, trapping his tongue and the words that needed to be said. Fandral pushes him back on the bed and more roots sprout forward, they slowly pull Jarod’s arms and legs into place. Fear settles in deeply and the elf struggles against them but it’s of no use. 

The flimsy pants are now being torn from his legs and Fandral has full access to everything. His semi hard cock twitches as Fandral lets his hands slide over his legs. Jarod wasn’t sure what he thought was going to happen but this wasn’t it. Although half of him wants this or maybe even needs this, the other half is in disarray.   

“Getting hard already, you must really like this huh?” Fandral toys with his cock, lightly slapping it from side to side. His hands travel over his body, pinching and rubbing his sensitive nipples and then massaging his abs and ribs. Jarod continues to grow harder as Fandral keeps giving him attention. It feels so good yet so wrong. The old elf groans.

“Looks like you are almost ready.” The Archdruid states as he steps off the bed. With sharp white teeth he yanks off his right glove while with his left hand, he unbuckles his belt leaving it to crash on the wooden floor. Shortly after it is followed by the other glove and skirt. Jarod watches the display with renewed interest and notices that Fandral is wearing nothing under his druid skirt. The green haired elf takes the vial of liquids from the dresser and walks back in full glory with lust written over his face and body. As Fandral joins Jarod on the bed, he takes out the cork and lets the content drip onto Jarod’s hard cock, the generous amount covers his manhood and flows over his balls. 

With a snap of Fandral’s fingers, the roots curl further around his legs and then lift them up in opposite directions. Jarod’s ass is now off the bed and Fandral takes the invitation to crawl between the open legs. The oil drips past his balls and ass only to fall on the bed sheets making a slippery mess. Long experienced fingers cup his balls, play with them as his other hand starts moving his foreskin over the sensitive head. Jarod moans against nature's gag, biting the tasteless root. Fandral keeps stimulating his balls, thoroughly massaging them in a nonchalant manner. Jarod occasionally bucks his hips in desperation accompanied with shame. After a while, Fandral starts wanking him instead of playing, moving faster and faster and Jarod can feel the orgasmic sensation bubbling in his stomach. He longs for it but then it suddenly stops. Jarod groans as he again bites the root in frustration. 

“I know a more exciting way for you to reach your much needed climax, commander. Be patient and let me show you. It’s quite entertaining. Well... at least for me.” Fandral looks positively demonical as he says it but Jarod doesn’t care, he just wants the release. He was sort of hoping the Archdruid’s warm mouth would finish the job but unfortunately not. Without warning, Fandral roughly shoves a finger inside his twitching asshole and Jarod hollows his back in shock and pain. He twists and turns against the roots but they don’t give much way. 

“Whoops.” Fandral says tauntingly and immediately adds another finger. The lust is evident on the tall elf’s face, he is panting and his mouth is slightly askew in pleasure. What’s more disturbing is that his crazed eyes keep flickering between Jarod’s nether regions and face. He clearly loves the sight of Jarod’s uncensored pain and pleasure showing on his features. 

Jarod wants the intrusion to leave and automatically tightens up his asshole but instead of taking his fingers out, Fandral starts scissoring and moving them. Jarod wasn’t expecting this, let alone this roughly and instead of letting it happen, he is protesting. Fandral must be aware of his distress but he doesn’t slow down. Quite the opposite, the more Jarod struggles, the tighter the roots become and the more Fandral experiments.  

“The more the merrier, right?” Fandral says as he smiles down at Jarod, it sends shivers up his spine and he wants it to end but instead a third finger seeks entrance. Jarod groans loudly and uses all of his strength to fight against the roots but he keeps failing. Every time he bites the root, it just expands and fills up the biting holes.  

“Oh I know, you must want more! I wanted to prepare you generously but I can see that you really need it so I’m happy to oblige. I am, after all, a benevolent leader of my people. I only live to serve .” Fandral ends the sentence in a ferallike growl which sends a new fresh panic up Jarod’s spine. The large fingers leave his damaged asshole and Jarod snorts in relief. However, when he looks down, he sees Fandral loom over him standing at the ready. The druid is already big by night elf standard and not just his height but apparently also, his cock size. Lightheadedness threatens to take his consciousness, his blood is running cold and his dick is now completely flaccid. 

“Just… try to relax.” Fandral sneers, settling his body in the right position. With renewed vigor Jarod starts struggling against the roots but before he can make some headway, he feels it burning. The head of Fandral’s cock has gained access with the help of the oil and it’s already too much, he quickly closes his eyes as a scream rises to the surface. Of course there is much more that is begging for entrance into the warm tightness. Jarod holds his breath as he feels himself stretching and tearing around the thick shaft while it’s slowly but brutally being pushed in. It feels like his whole body is on fire. 

“Hnaaaaaahnnn…” Jarod screams against the roots. When his vision shifts back to Fandral, the look on his face is that of pure bliss. Jarod bites the roots so hard his gums start throbbing from the pressure but for some odd reason, he can’t take his eyes off Fandral's gorgeous face contorted in pleasure. His eyes are half lidded, his cheeks are colored and his mouth is hanging open with drool pooling in the corner. He stops his advancing cock, by the looks of it, he is trying to control his breathing and his head luls forwards a little to look down on Jarod. 

“Don’t stop now… please… keep screaming for me.” He whispers with lust filled eyes. Jarod is enthralled by what he is witnessing and stops biting the root. His heart starts to beat even faster and to his surprise, his cock jumps back to life fairly quickly. Jarod keeps watching Fandral, putting every movement, line and sound to memory. He tries to assess the druid's mindset but it feels like looking at two different people fighting for control. Jarod is distracted as he exames the panting man before him. The Archdruid slightly cocks his head to the right with a raised eyebrow and abruptly starts pushing his dick in further. At first Jarod moans, trying to hold it together but he simply can’t. He resumes screaming and twisting against the roots and Fandral moans loudly when he bottoms out. 

Fandral catches his breath and pulls back slightly to look at the results, with one of his fingers he laps around Jarod’s asshole. It comes back covered with blood. Fandral smiles as he rubs his fingers together, smearing the blood between them and Jarod is looking aghast at the display. Then the Archdruid proceeds to lick off the blood while looking intensely down at Jarod, his tongue expertly circling around the long fingers. Jarod can’t stop looking at the erotic eyes staring into his soul and the little red blood stains on the lush full lips. His dick jumps excitedly in anticipation.  

“Hmm. Who knew you tasted this good…” Fandral whispers and then continues to slowly pull back his cock until the head is almost out. Jarod slightly relaxes as he feels the pressure dissipate. But then a yearning feeling fills his stomach, he feels empty and restless. The extreme need for more crawls back into his loins and his leaking cock twitches. Before he can figure out what it all means, Fandral slams himself back inside. With a scream Jarod hollows his back and looks at Fandral through teary eyes, the pain ripping through him like a two-handed sword. 

Fandral is breathing heavily and his eyes are now glued to Jarod’s face, he is begging him for a response. He moves out and slams back in without breaking eye contact. With every thrust Jarod feels his insides burn and rock. But then his screams turn to moans and his cock is starting to leak copious amounts of precum as it bounces almost playfully from the force. The Archdruid lifts his hand, the fingers twirling in the air and a small root circles the base of Jarod dick. It tightens but in a pleasurable way, not painful. Everything is now starting to feel a lot more desirable instead of forceful. The loss of control now feels freeing instead of constricting and panic has turned to sexual yearning. 

The slamming continues and Fandral is breathing more erratically now. His sharp pointy fingernails painfully dig into the flesh of Jarod's knees as he holds tightly in order to slam into the bound elf. Jarod’s vision becomes blurred as he starts to embrace all the strange new feelings. With every pounding he groans louder and louder but not because of the pain but because he is seeking more pleasure. Jarod’s body is reacting to everything Fandral does and it loves every bit of it. His eyes try to plead with Fandral but he fears the Archdruid might be too far gone. The root pulses around his throbbing manhood, teasing him relentlessly.  

The thrusts become weaker and more jerky, Jarod looks at Fandral and he has an ecstatic feral snarl on his face. Deep down inside of Jarod a strange attraction arises and the face that is staring at him becomes even more appealing. The thought that Jarod is making the stoic and cranky Archdruid lost in his desires, triggers something. Jarod tightens around Fandral and as a reaction, his half lidded glowing eyes roll back into his head. And suddenly Jarod doesn’t feel helpless or bound, he feels in command and even better, he feels wanted and sexual. He quivers visibly, Jarod adores these fresh new feelings and wants more. 

Jarod knows the Archdruid is nearing his end and so is he. On the slamming re-entry Fandral’s cock scraps against a painful tear and it makes Jarod howl. It hurts yet it feels so good in combination with the thought of coming like never before. Fandral slowly backs up, he is panting with drool dribbling down his chain. With a snap of his fingers, Fandral removes both the roots around Jarod’s cock and mouth. The old elf immediately gasps for air and coughs. The Archdruid gives him minimal time to recover as he grabs Jarod’s hips, nails digging into his flesh and raking the skin open. Jarod clenches his teeth together in pain and that's when Fandral starts ramming into him relentlessly. It's a high paced insane rhythm and Jarod cannot help but scream in response. But he isn’t the only one. He hears Fandral above him growling and grunted loudly in effort but also pleasure. 

Fandral hollers as he slams in one last time and then milks himself dry inside of Jarod. Taking his cock out just a little bit and then slowly pushing it back in. Jarod feels the thick semen cling to his inner walls. He is on the brink of his own orgasm and feels Fandral tapping near the sweet spot that makes him see double. But it’s not enough and the druid  knows it. The head of Jarod cock’s is painfully red and leaking in desperate need. Just a few strokes and it's done but instead Fandral steps off the bed. He wipes himself clean of the spilled sperm and blood. Jarod is so close and although he refuses to ask for it, his body doesn’t lie. 

“I didn’t forget you…” Fandral mocks him slyly. With an elegant hand he twirls his fingers around and then multiple roots enter Jarod’s torn asshole, slowly they all start to expand. First he gasps in shock and outrage but then he groans loudly as they fill him up in such a satisfying way. The asshole itself is thankfully being treated nicely but the roots double in size just after the damaged ring. To his surprise they keep going, Jarod’s insides are throbbing and feel like exploding. 

“No no, wait… no… arghh…” Jarod babbles as he trashes around and Fandral just chuckles darkly but then finally the roots find that little sweet patch and Jarod starts to moan uncontrollably. Shame painting his already darkened face.

“Oew, I found it.” And with those words Fandral sits down as he tightens his hand and with it, the roots barrage Jarod from the inside. Within a few seconds he is forced to have an explosive orgasm but it doesn’t stop there. His semen sprays high and far enough to land on his own neck. He yells and twists because the roots keep going, they suck, poke and caress the spot with inhuman speed. Both Jarod and his body don’t know what to do while being overstimulated in such a manner and his moans become cries. Fandral lets his free hand play aggressively with the twitching cock, spreading the fluids around and restricting the throbbing base. His body is being assaulted from the inside and outside with pleasure and before he knows it, he is rocked by another powerful climax that sunders his body. Jarod’s cock twitches and bounces as the elf hollows his back.

When he thinks he can take it no more and almost breaks down, the roots slow down and stop. They leave his body and then the bindings also loosen around his arms and legs. Jarod is totally wrecked, every muscle hurts, his lungs are burning and his mind is reeling. It feels like he just fought in three wars at once. His head luls to the side and he sees Fandral sitting on the bed with a smirk on his face. 

“Well well, twice even. Aren’t you lucky? Not really fair for me though, I think we should rectify that.” Fandral crawls onto the bed and makes his way to Jarod’s face. He positions himself above Jarod, seeing him upside down gives him an extra dimension of being big. One hand unceremoniously opens Jarod’s mouth and he has no power left to protest. Fandral slowly lets the head of his hardening cock wiggle on his tongue while his balls rest on Jarod’s forehead. 

“It’s okay, after seeing that display, I won’t take long. Just take a really deep breath and relax or it will only get worse.” Fandral's words may have been meant as friendly but the face that goes with it is terrifying, there is hardly any self control on it. The smell of blood that clings to his dick makes Jarod nauseous but some part of him still really wants this. He laps his tongue around the head, wetting it and then sucking it slightly while making sure his sharp canines don’t accidentally damage it. Fandral sits perfectly still and moans softly. Jarod continues lazily licking the head and shaft, his tongue playing around and his mind drowning in the moans provided by Fandral.  

“Hmmnn… So eager. That’s very promising.” Fandral chuckles, it’s a deliciously deep rumble that makes Jarod’s dick tingle. “But I require a little more, deep breaths now, it will be over soon...” Jarod takes a deep breath and then Fandral shoves pretty much his whole dick into Jarod’s mouth, he painfully hits the back of his throat before it curves down and Jarod chokes around it. His body is too weak to struggle but he feels it meekly twitching in protest. Fandral notices and tilts Jarod's head backwards for better access and then pulls out for him to catch his breath. Of course it doesn’t last long and Fandral starts ramming in quick bursts as it now slides down perfectly. His hips move with practiced skill and thrusts. Jarod would be impressed if he wasn’t currently choking to death on the druid’s meat.  

“Almost... “ Fandral moans and he clamps his hand painfully over Jarod's throat, the feeling is intense and black dots litter his vision. The lack of air is making his body feel like it’s floating as Fandral keeps ramming his cock down the restricted throat. An enormous burst of  sperm restricts Jarod even more as it shoots down the hatch. Fandral groans and lets go of Jarod's throat, he quickly retracts his dick leaving a trail of sperm on his face along the way. 

Jarod coughs, trying desperately to get some air into his lungs but it only works after he starts throwing up all the excess drool and semen. As Jarod dry heaves, Fandral cleans up around them and hands the coughing warrior a cup of water with mint leaves. He drinks it in one go and his throat tingles in response. Fandral takes the cup and Jarod feels the druid look down on him even with his eyes closed. With surprising care Fandral tilts his head and slowly moves closer to meet Jarod. He softly presses their lips together and kisses him tenderly. Their tongues dance and twist around each other as the kiss heats up. The bed shifts as Fandral lays down next to Jarod without breaking the kiss. His arm sneaks around Jarod’s back and pulls him flush against his own, while the other hand caresses a liquid stained cheek. The kiss again deepens and Fandral moans in Jarod’s mouth, the vibration sends an electric shock down the warrior's spine. This encounter is nothing like anything he has ever experienced. 

At some point they pull apart and Jarod leans against Fandral’s chest in exhaustion. The earthy smell mixed with sweat is intoxicating and Jarod pushes his nose against Fandral purple pink skin. While his nose travels between the Archdruid’s neck and chest, Jarod softly licks in between the sniffs. Fandral’s hand lazily strokes Jarod’s back as he halfway crawls unto the druid. Again Fandral groans, it’s such a deliciously cavernous sound, like an animal growling inside a hollow cave. It brings out untamed feelings hidden within Jarod. He bites down on the dark nipple and sees Fandral’s breathing shake as he contracts his muscles. Jarod lets his tongue circle around, tasting the salty sweat. The emboldened warrior lifts his legs until it hits the softness of Fandral’s balls and he lets them rest upon his leg. Jarod’s other hand roams over the hard sculpted pecs and as it wanders south, it meets up with semi hardened slippery flesh.     

Almost immediately Fandral pulls Jarod into another lengthy kiss, this time it is a lot sloppier. Their sharp teeth scrape together, slobbering sounds echo through the room and drool wettens their lips. With ease, the Archdruid shoves the warrior on his back and pushes his weight on him threateningly yet comforting. Jarod feels like he accidentally reawakened the beast within Fandral. But was it an accident though? Jarod’s body suddenly hungers for more although his mind is still in a state of shock of what happened and denial of its want. 

When Fandral starts licking Jarod’s neck and ear, he can’t hold back a moan. His hard dick jumps excitedly and he closes his eyes to fully enjoy the feeling of being lost under all that rough weight. Fandral is breathing faster and he nibbles painfully on his earlobe. And because he is so close to his ear Jarod can hear Fandral growl ever so lightly deep in the back of his throat. The sound makes him shudder in unexpected pleasure. 

Then finally Fandral pulls back and looks at Jarod, his chest is heaving and his lips are plump and shiny. His glowing gold orbs have a strange longing in them and despite himself Jarod reaches out to caress the darkened warm cheek. Fandral closes his eyes and leans heavily into the touch like an animal being petted by its owner. Jarod’s dick twitches in delight and his mind reels. Fandral takes the hand that is petting him and kisses the palm lovingly but when he opens his eyes, it’s a different animal staring back at Jarod. Fandral is no longer the sweet cuddly pet. 

“Turn around.” Fandral commands in a deep voice. Jarod tightens up and licks his bottom lip in anticipation. With a small nod he starts to turn but it’s not fast enough. A big hand helps Jarod and flips him over efficiently. Fandral licks between Jarod’s shoulder blades, his sharp canines brushing the many scars and he nuzzles the bumps of his spine. All the while he is very lightly groaning, even when Jarod is turned around, he can hear it. Subtly Jarod wiggles slightly to move the rock hard dick that is painfully trapped between himself and the bed. 

“Deep… breathes…” Fandral suddenly says and Jarod feels fear shoot to the surface but before he can say or do anything, Fandral shoves open his legs and forces the head inside. It all happens so fast and Jarod lets loose a scream into the pillow below him at the sudden intrusion. His asshole is still torn and swollen from the earlier use. The sensation feels extremely raw, Jarod pushes his head deeper into the pillow and his hands fist the soft animal skinned sheets. His shoulder muscles are tense, it costs him immense control to keep the lower half of his body as “relaxed” as possible. Fandral must have noticed because he stopped moving completely, he says nothing but just bends down and kisses Jarod’s shoulders and back. With tender kisses he works his way up and softly licks the back of Jarod’s neck. Slowly the warrior feels the tenseness flow from his body. 

“... relax…” Fandral whispers and despite himself Jarod shudders, these simple emotes make him feel like a youngling and he curses under his breath. Fandral just chuckles and he pushes in further. No brutal thrusts or slamming, just slow careful movements but nonetheless, he doesn’t stop once. Jarod closes his eyes tightly and grinds his teeth, everything burns and the torn skin feels chafed and sore.  

“Hnn… so good…” The Archdruid mumbles as he bottoms out. Jarod sinks his teeth into the pillow to keep from screaming like before. He feels the full weight of Fandral on his back, pushing him further into the bed. It feels… good. Incredibly good even. 

“Please, don’t hold back…” Fandral says as he sets a lazy pace. All the way out and then halfway in, all the way out and then almost all the way in. The druid alternates what he does but the momentum stays the same. Jarod’s body adjusts to it surprisingly fast and he strangely finds himself wanting more. Fandral stops for a second to sit up and places a warm hand on Jarod’s lower back before continuing his tempo. His teeth let go of the pillow and he slightly lifts his head. Jarod’s ears now pick up the sensual low moan Fandral makes every time he pulls out and the shudder he does when he pushes back in. Jarod’s dick drenches the sheets under them. Fandral keeps missing that sweet bundle of nerves that makes Jarod see color. He has to actively stop himself from pushing the druid further in and it’s driving him insane. 

Carefully Jarod tries to peer over his shoulder to look at what Fandral is doing. In the corner of his eye, he sees the druid’s eyes are closed and the long strong fingers of his right hand are locked around the base of his cock. In a moment of weakness and at the mere sight of the sexy druid, he accidentally moves his ass up in need. Fandral’s eyes snap open and Jarod’s head quickly swivels back to the front. The warrior curses his own desperation.    

“I said... don’t hold back.” Fandral repeats in a strict fashion, the warrior clearly hears the druid mentor surfacing. Jarod props himself up on his elbows and takes a deep breath, silently hoping he won’t regret this. 

“By the looks of it, you are the one holding back.” Jarod says with confidence and he gives Fandral a sly look over his shoulder. There is a little gasp from the Archdruid and a stutter in his movements but he quickly recovers, a fierce orange glow radiating from his eyes. Jarod feels his own eyes widen at the sight. Fandral leans back down and the weight returns to crush Jarod into a puddle of pleasure. 

“I am well aware of my desire to utterly destroy you but… I didn’t expect you to feel the same.” Fandral growls into his ear and Jarod twitches so much, he feels a large amount of precum leak from his cock. He opens his mouth to speak but Fandral covers it with his hand. 

“By Elune… you are so damn delectable… how can I resist the need to ruin you…” Fandral hums deeply as he licks Jarod’s neck generously from side to side. And then suddenly he screams. A loud, hoarse cry is ripped from Jarod’s throat and it bounces against the large hand. Fandral let his teeth sink deeply into the flesh of his shoulder and the sharp canines draw blood immediately. The slow pace is gone and Fandral is now slamming into Jarod like there is no tomorrow. His long thick cock rams into the Jarod’s abused hole and pierces the pleasurable nerve fibre that sends wave after wave of pure delight through his body. The pain turns to gratification very quickly and Jarod feels lightheaded as he moans desperately. 

Fandral grunts through his teeth while biting down harshly on Jarod’s shoulder, the warrior’s moans tumble from his lips in an unending stream. At this moment, there is no shame left in Jarod to care. The sheer pain of the bite, the pressure of Fandral fucking him into the bed, his dick being rubbed raw on the sheets and the ruthless assault on his ass make Jarod come like never before. The sticky thick liquid pools under Jarod and covers his cock as it's being dragged through it over and over.

Finally Fandral let’s go of Jarod's shoulder and he forcefully pulls Jarod backwards by the hand covering his mouth. Jarod collides with Fandral's body behind his own, the sweaty chest against his bloodied back. His head is being crushed between the hand and muscled pectoralis. And then Fandral continues to pound him, his cock flops around like crazy due to the fast pace and the pull of the skin hurts. Unfortunately, it also stimulates the sensitive head and slowly, it grows erect again. 

The Archdruid’s movements become erratic and he growls loudly as he comes deep within Jarod again. Both Fandral’s arms fall to his sides in fatigue as Jarod slides himself carefully off the druid’s softening dick and falls onto the bed. Of course he lands in a puddle of his own semen but Jarod has zero energy left to care about such things. It takes Fandral a full minute to start moving and instead of leaving or laying next to the exhausted warrior, he lays on top of him again. The Archdruid’s hot wet tongue laps over the wound made by his teeth and Jarod realises he is licking up the blood. The elven warrior says nothing but does note that Fandral did this before and he furrows his brow. Are all druids so fascinated by blood? 

“I… I apologize.” Fandral whispers so softly Jarod almost doesn’t hear it. He closes his eyes and hums as the druid continues licking and kissing his injured shoulder. Without saying a word he just pats the druid’s hand that is resting on his arm. He wonders where along the way they became so attuned to each other. How did this happen? Why did they both want this? And the biggest question of them all, why did Jarod need this so badly? Unfortunately his brain is just as tired as his body and soon after, Jarod falls asleep with the Archdruid’s warm arms wrapped around him. 

Jarod wakes up the moment Fandral “subtly” removes his arm from under Jarod and gets out of bed. The druid disappears behind the partition and Jarod hears him sigh and shuffle around. Every muscle in his body protests against the slightest of movements but after some struggling, Jarod manages to get out of bed as well. The leaked semen makes his butt cheeks stick together and the thought alone makes Jarod groan.  

“I am needed elsewhere.” Fandral states from behind the partition, he sounds harsh and cold. Probably back to being the same old Archdruid and for some reason, it makes Jarod feel drained and discarded. He stands motionless next to the bed trying to clear his mind and figure out what to say to the druid. 

“But I prepared the bath for you.” The Darnassian leader softly adds while peeking around the partition with a small smile, it is very much out of character. Jarod lifts his head and looks at the Archdruid in exposed surprise. With three swiftly taken big steps, Fandral stands in front of Jarod. Or more like, towers over him. 

“Allow me.” The Archdruid says and one arm pulls Jarod against him as the other arm circles around. Jarod awkwardly hugs Fandral but he finds out the druid’s goal wasn’t a hug at all. His fingernails graze over the purple pink skin, leaving darkened lines as Jarod holds on for dear life as an overwhelming tingling sensation takes over his lower body.    

“Hnn aahhh…” Jarod moans softly and Fandral pulls him closer, this time it really does feel like a proper hug. The druid nuzzles his neck and the finger that was circling his badly bruised anus now slides inside. Jarod’s breathing hitches in preparation for the pain but he feels none. Instead the tingling spreads through his insides and provides relief with a hint of pleasure as Fandral slowly moves his long finger in and out. Without meaning to, Jarod feels himself relax into Fandral’s hold, leaning on the druid with all his weight.

“So tempting… hmmm...” Fandral whispers erotically next to his ear as he plants a soft kiss near the hairline. 

“I just healed you but now I feel like devouring you again…” The druid teases and Jarod pushes him back far enough to kiss him. Immediately a hand grabs Jarod’s head and angles it so Fandral has perfect access. The druid’s tongue tastes minty and it's very sloppy and greedy. Jarod moans into the kiss which makes Fandral kiss him even harder. And then suddenly Fandral stops, his glowing eyes angrily fixate on the door and he growls slightly. Like an enemy is waiting outside the door to attack them. Fandral’s hands leave Jarod’s body and the Archdruid straightens his back. With a single longing look at Jarod and a caring stroke on the cheek, he walks towards the door.

“Thanks for the healing.” Jarod says quietly but the druid doesn’t acknowledge it. Jarod sighs and puts a hand on his hip. “Yup. That was definitely worth it. I should go out at night to look around more often.” He adds in a cocky manner and to his surprise, the Archdruid freezes right before opening the door. Fandral glances over his shoulder to look at Jarod and he sees the slight darkening on his cheeks. Jarod chuckles as the almighty Archdruid suddenly looks very young. The interaction feels natural. It feels good. Jarod smiles genuinely at the druid.

“Ha. Agreed.” Fandral finally replies with a snarky smile on his lips. His sharp canines glint and his glowing golden orbs light up in excitement. Jarod can feel his stomach jump in anticipation. The Archdruid leaves and Jarod turns around with a fully rejuvenated body. But it is still dirty, healed or not. He walks to the bathtub and lets his fingers glide over the hot water. For the second time this week he thinks to himself... That this has been such a weird couple of days, he can scarcely believe it. Wait until Shalasyr hears about this, she will not believe him… 

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Thank you so very much for reading :)
See you soon in the next chapter!

Chapter Text

Spell - Shapeshift, the druid can shapeshift into a multitude of forms.

Jarod sits in the guestroom with his feet on the side table and a heavy book on his lap while drinking some delicious mint tea. Fandral has been gone for quite some time and Jarod even finished one of his two remaining quests. It involved getting hides from deers to the south which was easy for someone like Jarod. He might be a warrior but he is damn good with a bow and arrow. Tonight he will finish the last quest in the cover of darkness. It will also be good to see his new mount perform under pressure. The quest is mining some special ores near the furbolg-invested mountains in the east.

After another few hours of interesting literature, Jarod lays down the book and gets up to prepare for his quest. He walks into Nighthaven with a growling stomach in search of something to eat and supplies for mining. Jarod strolls on the wooden bridges towards the inn as he sees a familiar druid in the distance. He is not in the least bit surprised to see him getting berated again but he is a little bit surprised at the one waving his arms in exasperation. The warrior decides to ignore it, seeing as the last encounter didn’t end so well or at least not as expected. The young vendor girl smiles shyly as she sees Jarod approach and twirls her hair in an attempt to either hide her bashfulness or a lazy way to flirt. Of course, no one in their right mind pisses off the person handling their food so he smiles back in a friendly manner.  

“Hello there. May I have some warm cabbage kimchi with melon juice and a heaven peach please?” He politely asks and she giggles as if the warrior has made the best damn joke on the whole of Azeroth. It takes him effort not to roll his eyes. 

“Of course, it would be my pleasure! That's a big order for this late in the evening. Are you… going to eat that all by yourself?” The girl playfully asks as she rummages behind the wooden counter. She smoothly puts down a tray with a cup. The pitcher with melon juice smells freshly squeezed and Jarod inhales the sweet smell deeply. Luckily she fills the cup to the brim instead of half full, some people do that and it annoys the shit out of him. Jarod uncomfortably smiles at her childish flirtations.

“Yes, well... I have some questing to do so… you know.” Jarod plays with the little loose ends on the leather handle of his sword. He hates situations like this, it's awkward and unnecessary but he endures it as best as he can.

“Oew that sounds so dangerous! I will get you a nice big plate of hot kimchi!” The way the night elven girl says 'hot' makes Jarod cough into his hand. She disappears around the corner and after a short time comes back with a plate that has a huge pile of kimchi on it. The elf sets the plate down and expertly holds two big plump peaches in her other hand. 

“An extra big peach for the big strong warrior.” She winks and Jarod nervously barks a laugh. This girl is still so young, if she knew his real age and plain personality, she would be throwing him out the door instead of throwing herself on his plate. She basks in the glory of her victory and giggles. The warrior feels his eyebrow twitch as he keeps smiling. 

“That will be 65 silver.” The girl says but Jarod gives her 1 gold and tells her to keep the change. She claps excitedly and winks. Jarod wants to get out of there because he has a feeling she wishes to join him. Just as she is about to say or Elune forbid, ask something, they get interrupted. 

“Heeey!” The Starseeker boy comes running up and Jarod sighs in relief. He wishes the girl a good night and quickly pushes the druid ahead of him. Jarod nudges his head to the upper level where it is almost completely empty except for a lone night elf sleeping in the corner. They walk up the ramp and Jarod picks a table, setting down the tray and hanging the cloak over a chair. 

“What did you do this time?” Jarod asks as the young druid is about to sit down. Immediately he sighs and lets himself fall onto the seat, Starseeker almost topples over and the chair creaks loudly. The elf in the corner opens his eyes and shakes his head in annoyance. He turns his back to them and after a few seconds they hear him softly snore in the background. 

“Ahh… you saw my master yell at me again huh?” Starseeker says with a sad look on his face. “I don’t know. Actually I’m not sure what I did wrong but I guess I just rubbed him the wrong way. Again. I just… pfff... ” It's a serious conversation and it’s clear the druid is in distress but Jarod almost chokes on his kimchi as he remembers rubbing Fandral’s dick the night before. That definitely wasn’t the wrong way… The young druid continues without noticing.

“Maybe druidism is not my thing. I'm terrible at shapeshifting! The only form I can do correctly is my flight form. Both my nature and lunar attack skills are minimal. I can’t even produce a single root! My healing is usually top-notch but ever since...“ His voice trails off and Jarod just looks at the boy in silence. In his mind the puzzle clicks together. This kid has had trouble from the get go because his father called in a favor instead of letting him rise through the ranks. Thereafter he fails at half of what he is supposed to do and to make matters worse, he has a teacher like Staghelm. Yikes. Of course that would ruffle his druidic feathers.

To Jarod it was just a storm and a druid that flew against a tree, a simple mistake that led to a weary side-quest. But to the druid it was the two things he could do well and failing at them. He flew against a tree while it’s the only shapeshift form he can do and then he can’t even heal his own wounds. When they got to Nighthaven he immediately got berated for getting injured and not healing it properly. This boy must have lost all his confidence and it wasn’t even his fault. That storm was intense, not just some frizzy breeze. Jarod himself could have died and he has over ten thousand years of experience. ‘Death by snowflakes’ Fandral had said and Jarod groans loudly at the thought. The annoying feeling of taking responsibility to help the poor boy suddenly surfaces and he doesn’t even try to fight it.

“Okay, okay. Listen up, kid. You don’t have to excel at every aspect of being a druid to be a good druid. Just because you had a setback at the start doesn’t mean it ends here or that you are not suited. Sit out your time with Staghelm, learn as much as you can from him and then start at the bottom like everyone else. Meet friends, build a team, gain experience... Trust me, I was a guard when I was younger and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t suit you but being a druid does. You have the care and compassion that some of the other druids lack. Just look at your shouting buddy from earlier.” Jarod was killing the kimchi with his fork due to the intensity of the speech. He just really wanted to get his point across to the youngling. The druid sat gasping in disbelief. Even Jarod himself had not expected this pep talk.  

“Just… Just don’t give up. If you are to be a healer, and I know you will be a great healer one day, you must be strong willed. Helping people is what you want so both for them and for yourself, don’t give up.” Jarod ends his lecture with a satisfied nod and then continues eating while the druid tries to process it all. 

“You really think so? I mean… you hardly know me right?” Starseeker finally says after a good few minutes of silence. His voice sounds shaky but Jarod notices a new resolve behind it. He is a smart kid, he gets it. Jarod adds another bite in celebration of his small victory.  

“Yesh, I weally think sow.” Jarod says with his mouth full of delicious kimchi and the druid starts laughing. It’s a pleasant sound but their sleeping friend in the corner does not agree as he grunts in vexation. 

“I think Lethyn means well though, he is just… cranky sometimes.” The young elf adds in defense of his fellow druid brother.

“Hmm yeah... no, some people are just born annoying bastards and he is one of those people.” Jarod says with a sly grin on his face, making the druid giggle softly. He picks up the extra peach and throws it at the druid. Starseeker catches it expertly and turns the peach around in his hand.  

“You know what… you are right! I’m going to keep practicing so I can help people... just like you do.” Starseeker says as he suddenly jumps up. His face is beaming and his eyes have an energetic glow in them. Jarod nods at him encouragingly. 

“Thank you for everything. You not only saved me in that storm but also from making a huge mistake. I see that my path is clear.” Starseeker takes a big bite out of the juicy peach and hums about it being delicious. Jarod smiles fatherly at the sight, he is a good boy and the warrior meant what he said about him.

“I will go find my master, apologize and learn from my mistakes. You just watch, I’m going to be the best druid healer out there!” The young druid smirks and gives Jarod a determined nod before running off. 

“Go get ‘em kid.” Jarod says and finishes his kimchi in silence. As the cold tasty melon juice calms his burning throat, Jarod starts making a travel plan for gathering the ores. It shouldn’t take too long and he now actually feels excited by the little side-quest.

“Well, well… such a motivational speaker you are. So many hidden talents…” Jarod chokes on his juice and looks over his shoulder as he immediately recognises the deep voice. Fandral stands behind him with his arms folded, raising one of his eyebrows in mockery. Jarod grunts in annoyance and turns back towards his plate. Without getting an invitation or asking for one, Fandral sits down in Starseeker’s seat.

“Do you have plans for tonight? Or did you feel like having a big late night… snack.” Fandral says satirically while inspecting his long nails, there is a sneaky little grin on his face. Jarod lets the soft peach roll in his hand as he contemplates his reaction and Starseeker’s sad visage flashes through his mind. In the corner of his eye he sees the vendor girl cleaning tables and looking at him with an obvious side eye. He swallows loudly and glares back at Fandral, he does not wish to cause a scene but he feels quite annoyed with the Archdruid. 

“I got something important to do. My apologies. If you so desire, I can sleep somewhere else. Now, if you will excuse me.” Even Jarod thinks his words are way too formal but Fandral doesn’t seem to care as he just lazily leans on the table. With a sigh Jarod stands up and carefully puts the chair back in its place. The Archdruid is less subtle and with a screech shoves his chair back as he stands up. Damn this bastard is tall... 

“I think you know what I desire, Commander Shadowsong.” Fandral says darkly and it stops the older night elf dead in his tracks. The druid looms over him as he blocks Jarod’s way out. Smoothly he puts a large hand on Jarod’s chest and forces the night elf to walk backwards until his back hits the wall. Jarod feels his hand squishing the soft furry peach, the barely audible drip of the juices hitting the floor makes Fandral look down. The hand on his chest travels down Jarod’s arm and lifts the hand holding the leaking peach and Fandral chuckles deeply, the warrior’s heart skips a beat in response. The druid takes a big bite out of the peach making even more liquids spill.  

“Tasty…” The Archdruid whispers as he lifts Jarod’s hand higher. Fandral bows down and opens his mouth, the long warm tongue laps around Jarod’s wrist and works his way up to the juice-covered fingers. The nimble flesh doesn’t miss a spot and Jarod shivers as he looks at the erotic display happening right in front of him in this awfully public place. He is completely entranced by it, his legs frozen in place. Fandral closes his eyes as he blindly lets his tongue do all the work. Jarod opens his hand and the peach falls to the floor with a slushie plop, Fandral immediately doubles his efforts and licks the sticky palm royally. The older elf has his eyes glued to every movement. He angles his fingers so Fandral has to open his mouth further and when he does, Jarod pushes in three wet fingers. Watching the Archdruid’s mouth accommodate the change while his tongue still licks his palm is intoxicating to watch. With a tingle of surprise Jarod hears himself growl deep in his throat and the sound makes Fandral eyes snap open. The half lidded needy eyes lock with Jarod and the warrior roughly shoves his fingers in deeper. Fandral softly moans around the slippery digits and Jarod’s hardening dick jumps painfully against his leather pants. Any form of annoyance with the Archdruid evaporated. Unadulterated craving fills his very being, fuelling his already obvious needs. 

“You are a tempting little bitch, aren’t you...” Jarod savagely whispers, pure desire and want dripping from his deep voice. He can scarcely believe such words just left his mouth, normally he is calm and polite but this damn druid just awakens the animal inside. When Jarod retracts his fingers, saliva drips down Fandral’s lips and chin. The Archdruid looks delectable and gorgeous, Jarod feels the last of his control slipping at the very sight. He bares his teeth and forcefully grabs the taller elf by the throat, pulling him down until their lips crash together. Apparently Fandral has the same amount of self control as Jarod, which is practically none at this moment. The druid’s slick tongue pushes itself deep into Jarod’s willing mouth as he crushes him against the cold wall. With the rough and hungry kiss, Fandral’s sharp canine teeth scrape Jarod’s lip multiple times and the elf feels the skin tear. When the druid notices he immediately sucks painfully hard on Jarod’s ripped lip. Unlike the night before, the pain translates to pleasure instantly and the warrior bucks his hips needily.  

“Hnnn....” Jarod moans into the kiss without shame. Fandral shifts his weight and he can feel the hardness through the skirt. The warrior’s nails bury themselves deeply in the flesh of Fandral’s bare back and the druid breaks the kiss to hiss loudly. His eyes roll back while he leans into the pain Jarod causes in poorly hidden delight. As the warrior hungrily watches the others' enjoyment, he decides to make use of the moment and harshly bites on the exposed collarbone. Fandral’s face contorts, his eyes begging the old elf for more and it takes his breath away. It’s so beautiful that Jarod automatically reaches out. Fandral nuzzles his palm as the elf strokes his heated cheek, the druid closes his eyes again and groans, the action exposes his sharp teeth. Jarod uses his thumb to lift the druid’s lip, his finger caressing the long canine. The same teeth that bit so easily through the skin of his shoulder the night before. Despite himself Jarod shudders at the thought and starts nibbling on the sore cut in his lip.  

When Fandral’s eyes lock onto those of Jarod, it looks like he wants to say something but they get interrupted by a tauren druid downstairs who accidently kicks over a chair. Jarod hears the vendor girl laugh and help the customer, telling the tauren it’s okay. Fandral takes a small step back as he looks over his shoulder with a deadly glare. A shaky sigh escapes his lips as he puts both hands on the wall next to Jarod’s head, his chest heaving while he pants. The druid must be desperately trying to control himself. In the corner of his eye Jarod notices small movements and the once sleeping elf is looking at them. The Archdruid visibly bristles at the other man.  

“I suggest you keep sleeping or do you wish for me to help you lose consciousness?” The darkness seeps through every pore of Fandral’s deep voice and stance, the poor elf immediately turns his back to them. Downstairs the voices get a little louder and with a grunt Fandral steps away from Jarod. The warrior still leans heavily against the wall as suddenly two elves walk up the ramp to their floor, both holding drinks.

“That is what happened so… ohh… Archdruid Staghelm.” One of them says with a startle. “Ishnu-alah, my Shan’do, how do you fare on this lovely moon-filled night?” The silver haired elf continues as a light darkening spreads over his cheeks, he nods politely when he shoots a quick side-eye at Jarod. But then his gaze wanders to the bite mark on Fandral’s chest and his eyes narrow slightly. 

“Elune-Adore, Archdruid Lathorius. Fylerian.” Fandral simply states with annoyance, pulling to his full height. Of course the newcomers feel the tension and shift uncomfortably. Jarod looks at his cloak hanging over the chair and feels like he would murder a child just to get his hands on it right now. The vendor girl comes walking up the ramp with a bowl of wild rice cakes and her smile quickly disappears as she looks at the weird interaction in confusion. The druid called Fylerian takes the bowl and thanks her, she shoots Jarod a worried look before retreating downstairs.  

The Archdruid named Lathorius has long silver hair mirroring Jarod’s own but pulled into a tight tail on the back of his head. The pale white bluish chest and arms are bare but his broad shoulders carry beautiful white leaved pads with branches. The skirt is light blue and green with golden accessoires. It’s a calm and elegant combination just like the friendly druid himself. Fylerian on the other hand has a deep purple skin, royal blue hair with big bangs framing his slender face and on top a short bouncy tail. A midnight blue feathered leather armor with shoulder pads cover his torso leaving his forearms and hands bare. Greyish green pants and blue feathered yellow boots finished the eccentric look. The elf stands rather protectively of his friend due to Fandral hostile countenance. Clearly something transpired between the two, or maybe even three, of them. Jarod absently licks the cut on his lip and formulates the words to get him out of this sticky situation. With his swelling gone, he is safe to move around so he stands up straight, his chest squared.   

“I have a prior engagement. If you’ll please excuse me.” Jarod monotonically announces as he quickly wants to leave but of course, nothing is ever easy for the night elf commander. With a disgustingly wet, squishy sound he plants his boot on the fallen peach, followed by a loud crack of the nut breaking. Jarod stoically tries to contain himself as he avoids eye contact with three sets of eyes that are currently burning holes through him. A warm flow creeps up from his neck to his face and slowly he looks down to his foot, this day just couldn’t get any worse. 

--------------------------------

A sweet tingle runs down his spine as the Archdruid is currently being called ‘a tempting little bitch’. Fandral is temporarily shocked by the raw words uttered by Jarod. They sounded so hungry, so delectable, so very… Jarod removes his fingers from Fandral’s mouth and the druid is snapped from his overly horny thoughts. He looks down in a daze at the source that makes his dick harder than a rock. Jarod’s eyes widen as he looks up at the druid and then something changes. The warrior’s upper lip trembles when he bares his teeth, showing off white straight teeth with minor damage, Fandral notices one of his canines is crooked and the tip is broken off. The other one looks sharper than a knife though.

With the speed of a trained warrior, Jarod’s hand shoots forward and painfully grabs Fandral's slippery throat. His heart skips a beat as Jarod kisses him roughly and he eagerly joins in. Fandral’s sweet tasting mouth mixes with Jarod’s lightly spiced taste. It’s intoxicating to see this old commander of the night elves fall to his basic urges and Fandral loves every bit of it. He pushes himself against the warrior, trapping him. When the coppery taste of blood is added to the kiss, Fandral immediately chomps down on the deliciously swollen lip.  

Without warning a tearing of the flesh on his back breaks the flavoursome kiss and Fandral hisses loudly in pleasure. Little black spots litter his vision as his leaking cock bounces against the skirt and an incredible yearning takes over his mind. But Jarod isn’t done with the druid just yet. Fandral feels the sharp pain shoot through his chest as Jarod sinks his teeth into the muscles fresh around his collarbone, the warrior looks up from under his brow with a delectable desire. If it wasn’t for the public place, Fandral would have shoved that face unto his wet dick without a moment to spare. The thought alone clouds the druid’s mind with a pleasurable mist. 

Jarod let’s go with a dazed look on his face and slowly reaches up. Fandral pushes his face against the rough calloused hand as he closes his eyes to let his nose trace the scars and bumps. Jarod smells so incredibly good, he wants to feel and do so much more to him. Frustrations rise from his stomach in the form of a growling groan and he tries to bite it down, not willing to show the other elf that side of him yet again. Jarod responds by caressing his lips and plays with his teeth as Fandral keeps his head down, allowing the touch greedily. He doesn’t really understand why it all feels so good but Jarod makes the voices in his head silent and the constant pain feels bearable with the awkward warrior around. Fandral has not experienced these kinds of feelings in thousands of years. And they are happening with someone he used to hate in the Nighthaven inn of all places!? 

The older elf was eating a big nutritious meal and encouraging the young student because... Wait… Is he leaving? Did he lie to me? Panic suddenly crawls down his spine at the thought of Jarod leaving tonight. Fandral is so close to asking him to stay for just a little longer. If it’s necessary, he will command the warrior to stay. Or order him.... or tell him... or beg him. Fandral opens his eyes and mouth but then a loud bang shakes his concentration. When he looks over his shoulder he curses the clumsy stall bred tauren for her stupidity. These disgusting fake druids littering one of their sacred cities. Anger replaces the calmth and his headache returns a hundredfold, hitting the druid harsly in the back of his head. 

Fandral leans against the wall, his body shaking by the sudden cold shower and splitting pain in his skull. Everytime he sees Jarod, he becomes calm and distracted from his problems. Of course there is also the added bonus, that his dick springs to life every time they lock eyes. He just wants to pick him up, go home, throw him down and ravish him until he cannot stand anymore. The thought brings a slight smile to his lips but to his dismay, Fandral notices the elf in the corner. The Archdruid turns to look at him and an uncontrollable anger burns in his chest at the rude gawking fool. 

“I suggest you keep sleeping or do you wish for me to help you lose consciousness?” Fandral spits out and the elf immediately turns his back to them in fear. As he should. But then the druid hears a familiar voice and his bravado drops. There are a lot of people Fandral does not wish to see but this particular person is near the top of that list.  

‘Please... please let it not be him... not now.’ Fandral thinks to himself as he steps away from Jarod to look at the elves walking up the ramp. He clenches his fists tightly when his suspicions are confirmed. What Fandral wouldn’t do to be alone with Jarod just like the night before, he longs for him so much, it scares him. The instant allure of the elf and the strange connection is unique to Fandral. Jarod’s body, his humbled face, honest eyes, his touch, the uncensored screams, his taste, his...

“...uid Staghelm. Ishnu-alah, my Shan’do, how do you fare on this moon-filled night?” The soft voice shakes Fandral from his innermost thoughts and he curses himself. A blush lays upon Lathorius’s cheeks and Fandral quickly shifts his gaze to Fylerian next to him. He greets them both as politely as he can muster but is already working on an excuse to leave. When Fandral quickly side-eyes Jarod he notices the warrior is bleeding and when he glances down, he sees himself bleeding. What a sight they must be, that is probably why the servant girl had such a worried look on her face. This just couldn’t get any worse, Fandral thinks to himself while rolling his eyes. 

“I have a prior engagement. If you’ll please excuse me.” Jarod stoically tells them and Fandral immediately feels the anxiety seep in. His mind reels as he tries to think of a way to stay close to Jarod without looking like a complete crazy person. But then a weirdly loud squishing sound ending with a bone-like crunch draws his attention to the ground. He looks down at Jarod’s feet to see an exploded peach under his heavy boot. The commander looks emotionless and frozen, his eyes doing a hundred mile stare into oblivion. Ever so slowly Fandral sees a dark blush creep onto the warrior's impassive face. 

Captain of the Suramar guard Jarod Shadowsong is known for many great things. Simple facts like being the brother of the famous Maiev Shadowsong but also great feats such as surviving a direct encounter with Archimonde. He became a hero and leader to the night elves and was instrumental in easing tensions between the divided factions of elves. He is highly intelligent and a strategy master with many skills to offer. The great commander Shadowsong! Who was currently being utterly floored by a squashed heaven peach. 

Fandral wrinkles his nose as he watches Jarod intently. The older elf then slowly looks down at his dirty boot, lifting it. With a distraught and shameful look on his face he slightly turns to look at Fandral. A desperate look begs him to make the world disappear but all the druid sees is a cuteness he never thought possible in another man. Fandral’s eyes widen and he feels his mouth fall open. He sputters a raspy grunt and then the Archdruid can’t contain himself any longer. Fandral lets out a loud rolling laughter which ends in a snigger as he raises his hand to cover his mouth. 

Both Lathorius and Fylerian stare at him with their mouths wide open in disbelief. Fandral tries to think back to the last time he genuinely laughed like this but he can’t seem to remember. Although Fandral does enjoy chuckling due to malicious intent, mocking people or being sarcastic, this was laughter with happiness. The older elf gawks at the druid, his face a shade darker and bows his head in shame. While nervously scratching the back of his neck, he rummages through his belt pouch. Jarod pulls out a piece of cloth and quickly cleans his boot and the floor while Fandral continues to laugh. 

“Excuse me.” Jarod mumbles as he swiftly grabs his belongings and speeds down the ramp. Fandral can’t help but smile as he enjoys the moment before he focuses his attention back on the flabbergasted elves. The Archdruid feels rejuvenated and fresh, suddenly the world doesn’t seem so grey, depressing and most of all, lonely like mere minutes ago.  

“Well… that was certainly interesting. Unfortunately, I too have places to be. Enjoy your drinks. Ande'thoras-ethil, my dearest Thero’shan.” Fandral says to Lathorius looking down into the night elf’s eyes and placing a large hand on his chest which was way too friendly for Fandral’s standards. Fylerian bristles as he balls his fists and Fandral simply grins and nods his farewell to the jealous blue haired druid. With confidence and glee in his step Fandral smoothly strolls down the ramp. The vendor girl looks at him with her brow furrowed, clearly not happy with the Archdruid. He loudly snaps his fingers at the silly little girl and she steps back with her head bowed. 

“That’s more like it.” He mumbles to himself, clearly pleased. Outside the inn he lets his hand slide over the small tree next to the entrance. Fandral’s fingers caringly caress the bark as he asks upon a favour from nature’s child 

“Show me… where is he?” The Archdruid whispers to the tree as he closes his eyes, willingly giving himself to it. A foggy green smoke fills his vision and soon his mind races along the roots, insects, leaves and everything nature has to offer in beautiful Moonglade. After a minute or so, the green fast moving glow is replaced by blue and Fandral sees sky, grass, night sabers and finally, Jarod as the view shifts down. The Archdruid breathes out and silently thanks the tree, and by extension the whole of nature, for assisting him. With a low groan he twists his limbs and a second later, his body transforms into a giant lunar owl. His big strong wings flap with ease as he takes off into the night sky. Fandral sours high into the wind when he spots Jarod below, packing his two mounts with equipment as he talks to the mount vendor while making ready to depart. 

“So… you really are leaving…” Fandral says out loud and to his surprise, he hears the sadness in his own voice. Why is he suddenly so attached to the old warrior? Fandral had immediately recognized Jarod when he had walked into the room even though he tried to hide and rage had filled his heart. He wanted to annoy him, mock him or maybe even punish him for leaving his people to fend for themselves. Jarod believed in strategy, strength and was a high ranking member of the night elven army. With the commander in his corner, Fandral could have done away with Tyrande and her useless priestly babbles. Jarod holds no love or friendship with Malfurion just like Fandral has none. They would have made a powerful team and yet, he chose to leave everything behind, to throw it all away. Fandral has sacrificed everything for his people, everything! His whole life had revolved around becoming an Archdruid, an honorable person and the best leader he could be. This lowly guard had it all and just left. Then why… why did he adore this man so much?!

With an angry screech Fandral dove down towards the path Jarod was riding, halfway he transformed back into his night elf form and expertly landed in the middle of the road. His knees bent to cushion the blow and his right hand firmly planted on the ground for support while his left hand was raised in the air for balance. The harsh rocks cracked under his power and dust blew in various directions. When he looked up from his crouched position he bared his teeth defiantly at the warrior astride the night saber. Fandral slowly pulled to his full height and looked down his nose at the other elf even though he sat higher. Both animals growled in defense of their master. 

“What? Are you here to laugh some more? Hmm?” Jarod states with an angry curl of his lip. “I’m busy so save it for later when I’m back home.” Jarod adds in annoyance and he directs his night saber to walk around the Archdruid. Fandral’s hatred dissipates instantly as his heart leaps with joy at the two simple words. ‘...back home’ Jarod had said. He wasn’t leaving just yet! 

“Where are you going?” Fandral asks quietly as he turns around to face Jarod’s retreating back. 

“I have a quest to complete.” Jarod tells him with indifference. 

“Then I will join you. Moonglade holds no secrets from me. What do you...” The Archdruid starts walking towards Jarod but is surprised to see the warrior run off. 

“I will be fine!” Jarod yells as he spurs on his beast, Fandral snorts loudly at the challenge and within mere seconds he shapeshifts into a great stag. His hooves clatter violently on the stone path as he accepts the race. Blood courses through his body as the druid pushes his muscles to the limit but sure enough, he closes in on the warrior pulling next to him in a huff. Fandral isn’t sure if a stag can look smug but he feels like his message is coming across by the eye roll Jarod gives him.  

“Come on Bard, we can outrun this old druid!” Jarod taunts his mount and the big cat chortles. With a groan the animal speeds up and Fandral can't seem to keep up in his current form. Jarod has a cocky grin on his face as he looks over his shoulder. Of course the Archdruid cannot let this happen so he jumps up high and transforms into a saber with an intense dark green fur which borders to black. Lighter colored marks of druidic signs near his shoulders and wooden armor decorating weak spots. His eyes glow an angry red and his body expands, overtaken by green and white swirls as he dashes after Jarod. Within seconds he passes the warrior with ease and skids to a halt up front, blocking their way with teeth and claws. Big rakes scar the road and the deep roar echoes through the abandoned forest around them. 

"Wooaahhh, stop stop!" Jarod commands his mount as he pulls the reins and the animal stops inches from Fandral's growling maw. 

"Rrrrrnice trrrry… buuut noohrrr" Fandral purrs, followed by an animalistic chuckle. Jarod adjusts in his saddle and dramatically shrugs. The druid hums as he spots the humor and playfulness in the old visage. Interesting.  

“You don’t have to carry my weight nor supplies, Bard does. It’s simply an unfair battle and therefore unvalid.” Jarod mocks as he pats the saber on his furry head, scratching along his ear. The Archdruid shows his sharp feline teeth as he slowly cocks his head. 

“I’ll gladly carrrrrry yourrrr weightrrr…” Fandral’s eyes flare up wildly as he growls the tease and with lightning speed, he jumps. Bard bucks but is slower next to the smaller cat form of Fandral. And, of course, the beast is also incredibly inferior. 

“What the… ooof” Jarod drops the reins and is bashed off Bard’s back by the whole of Fandral’s weight, he is painfully thrown on the harsh stones and the air is knocked from his lungs. In the meanwhile, Fandral lands softly a feet away like nothing has happened. Jarod coughs and groans as the Archdruid circles him. His belly low to the ground, his ears flat and claws extended to keep the mounts at bay. The nose of his druid cat form is way more sensitive than his night elven nose and Fandral makes good use of it. He can smell everything on Jarod. The mint tea, citrus soap, spicy kimchi, sweet melon juice, his bloody lip, his sweat and most importantly, the stains of his arousal from earlier. Fandral inhales greedily and his spine bristles in desire. 

“Next time, just ask me to get off my mount…” Jarod mumbles as he rubs the back of his head while shushing his mounts, he is still on the cold stone floor but it doesn’t seem to bother him. Fandral crawls closer and growls as he stands over the fallen elf, all the smells assault his senses but two are clearly overpowering and the druid can hardly contain himself. With a big paw he pushes harshly down on Jarod’s chest until he groans from the intense pressure. Bard extends his claws and bares his teeth as he moves closer but Jarod stops him. 

“Down boy… it’s okay.” He murmurs from under the heavy paw and then they hear a clatter of hooves coming their way. Fandral snorts loudly at being interrupted yet again and bites down on Jarod's arm, dragging him over the floor and into the bushes. Both mounts instantly follow their master being hauled over the rough terrain. With a yank of the big feline head, Jarod flies the last part and lands on a patch of moss and grass. The cat jumps to his hindlegs and a second later, Fandral emerges as a night elf. Smoothly he walks barefooted towards the disheveled Jarod, easily shaking off his shoulder pads and with a grin unbuckles his belt and skirt.

“Oh damn…” Jarod whispers more to himself than anyone else as he watches intently at the cock bouncing with every step. Fandral revels under the stare which gets him even harder. 

“On your knees.” He commands and Jarod obeys instantly, like a trainer warrior he is on his feet only to sink back down to his knees. Fandral locks a hand under Jarod’s chin and with his thumb caresses the plump bottom lip. Slowly the lips part and his tongue wets both his lips and Fandral's finger. The more he plays with Jarod and his nimble tongue, the more impatient he becomes. His cock jumps nervously, begging to be swallowed in that slippery goodness. The Archdruid finally gives in.  

“Ready?” Fandral whispers and Jarod nods carefully with a tentative look. The Archdruid is impressed that the warrior knows that this isn’t just a normal blowjob and yet stays so calm. Better not disappoint him, Fandral thinks to himself and he lets his fingers curl around the throbbing throat. Jarod struggles slightly as he starts to choke and that’s when Fandral throws him against the tree in one swoop. The warrior coughs to catch his breath and Fandral’s fingers glow a bright green. Roots crawl along the trunk and bind Jarod in the process. The warrior opens his mouth to breathe or say something but it doesn’t matter because Fandral shoves his whole dick inside. It hits the back of Jarod’s throat and roughly curves down to accommodate the tight space. Fandral tangles his fingers in Jarod's beautiful silvery mane and makes sure he has a good grip. His hips move backwards slowly so he can watch his dripping dick emerge from Jarod’s eager mouth. And then he snaps forward. 

“By Elune… you feel so good… hnnn so incredible… you are… ahhhnn...” Fandral moans as he bucks his hips, letting his cock disappear into the delicious warm wetness. Jarod groans around the thickness that is Fandral and his eyes silently beg the druid for more. The Archdruid spots the bulge in the warrior pants and pushes upon it with his foot. Jarod’s eyes roll back into his head at the pressure and Fandral adores seeing him like this. 

“I rather like my position right here… so do it yourself.” The Archdruid mocks and to make his point, he drives his cock all the way in, feeling the elf gag and choke around him. It feels so good that he is afraid it will end too soon. With a snap of his fingers, a root leaves Jarod’s body, giving his right arm freedom to move. The abandoned root crawls up Fandral’s leg and tightly curls around the base of his cock and balls. 

“Aghhh hnnnnn… yessss…” Fandral groans loudly at the intense pressure and he looks back down on the warrior greedily sucking the darkened head, his tongue expertly teasing the skin and playing with the slit. The druid watches as he leans against the tree with one hand, the other under the drool stained chin of his lover. Jarod lets his hand slide down his own body, opens the cords on the front of his pants and starts playing with himself all the while keeping eye contact. Fandral feels his legs quiver at the sight. 

“You want more? Hmm?” He asks the warrior who is building up a faster pace pumping his own dick, the movements slightly rocking the standing druid. With a wet slurp Jarod slides his mouth of the long cock who is holding him at gunpoint and licks his lips with a pant. 

“No.” He says in a serious tone and Fandral feels his heart skip a beat in fear. But then Jarod gives him a command so utterly delicious he almost comes right there. 

“Give me everything .”Jarod says with a tremor in his voice and the druid gasps at the wonderful creature bound before him. Slowly he bows down so he can easily reach the warrior. Fandral’s chest rapidly shakes as his breathing speeds up and he clenches his jaws while baring his teeth. He softly takes Jarod’s head in both hands, his thumbs stroking the beautiful bluish pink skinned cheekbones. Fandral notices his hands are somewhat trembling due to the pure excitement. 

"Hnn you… whatever you desire.” The Archdruid says with his jaws still tightly clenched and he hears his own deep dark voice laced with hunger, the warrior’s eyes widen as he opens his mouth. Fandral grabs Jarod’s hair in one hand and an ear in the other for traction as he sets a brutal rhythm. This is not a lover’s blowjob, this is fucking Jarod’s face until it can no longer function without tasting Fandral’s thick cock. Even with the roots tightly bound around the base, the Archdruid cannot hold on, it feels too good. Jarod's ear visibly bruises at the immense pressure and the slobbering choking sounds echoes through the forest. Fandral is being overstimulated and he can’t hold it anymore. His climax explodes through his system and he yells his delight without shame, his legs shaking with effort. At the risk of falling over, he painfully slams his head against the trunk to keep standing. 

“Drink it… ahhh drink it all…” Fandral commands as he violently traps Jarod’s head between his groin and the tree behind him, forcing the warrior to drink it or die trying. When he is finally done milking himself dry in the tight throat he steps back, Jarod coughs violently while Fandral can do nothing but watch. The roots are slightly sagged and the warrior hangs in them, one arm bound and the other holding his softening dick. Thick white streaks of cum cover his hand and the grassy floor between them. When Jarod catches his breath Fandral steps forward and hands him a drinking pouch with mint water. Watching the warrior's tear stained cheeks, torn lips and messy hair make his cock twitch in delight. He wants more...

“I want to taste myself in you...” Fandral growls as he quickly pushes the water away and lets himself fall to the floor on his knees to be face to face with Jarod. 

“Then… taste me first…” The warrior grins wickedly and holds up his dirty cum covered hand. Fandral side eyes the streaks and smiles. “Gladly.” He says and starts licking and sucking on Jarod’s hand. The look on the warrior’s face is worth every bit, Jarod is openly in awe and follows the tongue cleaning him up. Jarod leans forward as he tries to kiss Fandral but his roots are still too tight for that. 

“Whoops.” Fandral chuckles and snaps his fingers, Jarod falls forward and throws his arms around the druid’s neck. They kiss softly at first but as Jarod pushes Fandral backwards and to the ground, it gets more rough. With his back pressed against the soft grass, Jarod sits on top of the naked druid almost fully dressed. With a sweet smile he starts to undress while remaining seated on the druid.  

"Oew, show me more, my precious Commander." Fandral whispers and Jarod frowns at the title. The Archdruid wonders why that bothers him so much? 

“Do you trust me?” Jarod suddenly asks while staring into Fandral’s soul and the Archdruid shifts slightly. He trusts no one, not even himself. But weirdly enough, when he thinks about it, he does seem attached and relaxed with Jarod. Even showing him things he would normally hide. Does that mean he trusts him? Or... 

“Maybe. Why?” Fandral asks with the insecurity of a child and he frowns deeply. 

“Let me do what I want.” Jarod retorts with a small smile and Fandral just nods. The warrior bends down and softly kisses the druid while stroking his cheek. It starts slowly and then he adds more tongue and pressure but not speed. The kiss is leisurely and relaxed. Fandral closes his eyes, letting Jarod lead the way. His muscles start to loosen, his head clears up and Fandral instinctively wraps his arms around the man on top of him. 

“Hmmmnn…” Jarod moans into the kiss and Fandral feels at peace as Jarod unhurriedly gyrates his hips, rubbing their groins together. When the warrior breaks the kiss Fandral stares into the half lidded eyes and lets his thumbs slide over the swollen lips. Jarod looks so good that Fandral can’t help but buck his hips. The elf snorts lightly and bends down to nibble on the druid’s ear. He licks, bites and kisses as he works his way down. Jarod is surprisingly loving but mixes things up by either biting or scratching when you least expect it, drawing all sorts of sounds from Fandral’s throat. 

“You really are a tease... aren’t you?” Fandral finally says as he has trouble regulating his breathing. Jarod sits up from licking his abs and looks down at Fandral’s leaking cock before locking eyes with a shit eating grin. 

“Yes. Because I want to.” Jarod shrugs. “I mean, look at you… You look delicious like this and I love it. So stay down because now it’s my turn.” Fandral feels his eyes widening at the strict tone. Jarod bows back down and let’s his tongue slide over the wet shaft of the straining dick. Fandral hisses as his muscles contract and his cock jumps against the teasing tongue. The Archdruid wants to move but with surprising strength Jarod pushes him down. When he looks at the warrior there is a higher authority in his eyes and Fandral freezes. 

“I said. Stay. Down.” The commander says and his whole body visibly shivers in response. Then Jarod looks at Fandral with a smile and starts licking his fingers. He starts with two, then three and ends with slicking up four long fingers. As his wet finger moves down to circle the tight hole, Fandral furrows his brow with a low growl but nonetheless, the finger slips in effortlessly. Jarod takes his sweet time opening the Archdruid up and enjoys it fully when Fandral starts squirming around. His body relaxes and tingles from the new found sensations. But he still wants more and a restless groan tumbles from his drooling lips. 

“For an elf that is almost ten thousand years old, you are surprisingly impatient.” Jarod chuckles and positions himself for the next step, with a strong grip he lifts Fandral's right leg letting it lean against his arm and shoulder. The warrior closes his eyes and moans as he slowly slips into the tightness while Fandral is entranced by Jarod’s every move. He accepts the other elf without making a sound. Even though the stretch burns.

Jarod rocks his hips at a lazy pace but makes sure to bottom out with every re-entry. The Archdruid feels so full and relaxed, every movement fills him up perfectly. Jarod’s hand plays around with the extremely slippery head of Fandral’s hungry cock and coordinates precisely with each thrust. He kisses the leg leaning against him and hums in pleasure. It’s like the warrior is giving him some sort of sexual massage instead of fucking him and Fandral is surprised that he is actually really enjoying it. Jarod let’s the leg slide to the side and he bends forwards. 

“I know that you feel great while being balls deep inside of me but you know… this feels pretty fucking nice as well.” Jarod whispers next to Fandral’s ear as he bites on it, hard, making the druid shudder against the warrior. 

“You are so warm… so tight… I just want fuck you until you break .” Jarod continues as he rakes his nails over the druid’s ribs and side. The pain converts to pleasure and threatens to drown him. 

“Make you beg for me… to see you overflow…” The warrior growls, Fandral closes his eyes letting the words drift through his mind as Jarod roughly pulls back the skin while squeezing his throbbing shaft. Jarod leaves all kinds of scratches and bite marks, he truly found the perfect combination between sex and pain. Fandral feels himself walking the line of pleasure as he is being teased and tortured relentlessly.   

There is no loud screaming but a steady low moan with every movement Jarod makes, Fandral is in awe at the calculated movements and perfect timing. But most of all, his stamina, the warrior switches positions regularly and holds them for as long as needed. Looking at the muscles working with the slow and determined movements looks incredibly sexy. And he makes sure to bend down often to either kiss or talk to the druid. But at some point, even Jarod cannot take it anymore, he pushes both Fandral’s legs down and increases the rhythm. He is now properly slamming into the druid reaching all the right places and the beautiful glowing eyes rolling back into his head. Jarod’s free hand pumps painfully harsh but stops right before Fandral feels his orgasm build towards its end. It isn’t fast and explosive but warm and loving. It feels like his whole body is experiencing the much needed climax and he starts to shake and pant in desperation. Just like Jarod said, Fandral is ready to beg.    

“Show me the real you… Come for me…” Jarod whispers as he keenly watches Fandral’s every move while trying to make the druid orgasm without using his hands. “Uhnn… By Elune, you are so… tight…” The pounding warrior growls and he eagerly bites his lip. The sight of Jarod lost in pleasure makes Fandral come in strong waves that wash over his whole body. He throws back his head as he moans and shakes violently as Jarod starts to milk and overstimulate him. With a few more thrusts the warrior also comes and Fandral can feel his insides being filled up by the liquid warmth. The Archdruid’s mind is quiet and feels muddled by pleasure, he quickly locks his arm around the sweating warrior and he gets a reward in the form of nibble on his throat.  

“I have been wanting to do that for a while now…” Jarod softly says and Fandral chuckles. 

“My apologies for not giving you a chance earlier.” The Archdruid mumbles, he is exhausted yet satisfied. He hasn’t felt this peaceful in so many years, the druid completely forgot what this state of mind was like. Always the pain that lingers, the voices and flashbacks of war and death. His brains are constantly thinking about plots, traitors, the next fight and if there is room for something else, his thoughts are spent on giving the night elven people back their immortality and guiding them down the right path. Now his mind only has Jarod in it. Fandral shifts slightly in the embrace as he feels Jarod’s warmth at his side. The druid wonders, has he ever felt like this? And how long will it last?

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Thank you for reading <3
See you in the next chapter?

Chapter Text

Spell - Prowl, the druid becomes one with the shadows as they enter stealth.

Fandral is tired of waiting and starts humming impatiently while stretching his back against the massive tree. Before him Jarod is searching for something in the bags on his night saber but failing to find it. The beast stands perfectly still to make it easier on the old elf. Clearly the animal is devoted to the warrior because he doesn’t take his watchful eyes off the Archdruid. Fandral sneers in contempt, successfully steering something deep within the dark gray saber named ‘Brad’. If only Jarod had changed the last letter to a ‘t’, then the name would be really accurate.  

“Just tell me where you need to go and I will guide you.” Fandral says in a snappy manner and Jarod sighs loudly. 

“Don’t rush me. I have a map here somewhere. You can just go back and do… well… whatever it is you Archdruid’s do, I’m fine here.” The warrior replies and Fandral rolls his eyes in annoyance. The map must have fallen out while racing and wrestling and the druid feels a strange sense of guilt. For some odd and childish reason he wishes to remain by the warrior’s side. Mere moments ago the older elf was dozing off on his chest in peaceful bliss and now he was stubbornly cursing and completely ignoring Fandral. 

“You don’t seem fine.” Fandral counters as he shifts his weight to his other leg while folding his arms. “Come on now… what do you require?” The Archdruid continues, although he desires to stay with him, Fandral isn’t known for his patience and it’s running out quickly. 

“By Elune…” Jarod mumbles and turns in a huff. Fandral raises his eyebrow in defiance and looks down his nose from a distance. He actively needs to suppress the primal urge to press down on the other night elf. His hunger must have shown on his face because with a slight fluster, Jarod turns away from him. Again. Fandral is about to speak his mind but is stopped by the slumped shoulders and heavy sigh. 

“Alright. I need to mine some special ores near the mountains in the east. There was a relatively safe route with a high chance of success which I had written down but I seem to have lost it…” Jarod says in shame, he is genuinely confused with himself for losing the map. Fandral anger dissipates quickly and he smiles lovingly at the old elf but then it dawns on him. Those mountains are crawling with furbolg, some massive elite ones but also strong rare ones. It wouldn’t be wise for anyone to go alone. Usually groups of three people are advised to go in as a party. Why would Jarod risk something like that for some ores? 

“Moonglade is a peaceful safe haven for druids and, if needed, travelers. Those mountains on the other hand are teeming with furbolg and other nasty creatures. Why would you go there alone? At night…” The Archdruid asks with an eyebrow raised. 

“I took on a quest to get those ores, it’s as simple as that. As for going alone against some furbolgs, it wouldn’t be the first time, I will be victorious I’m sure. At night they must be mostly asleep so I thought some careful sneaking would suffice.” Jarod answers nonchalantly and Fandral has to admit, he is impressed with the steady confidence. 

“Fortunately for you, you are not alone anymore… let us proceed.” The Archdruid states as he unfolds his arms and walks over to the somewhat annoyed warrior. Did he really think he was going to ditch Fandral? With a grumpy shake of his head Jarod reluctantly agrees to the druid joining. 

“Are you sure you want to ride that dirty mutt?” Fandral spits as he eyes the night saber. Both the elf and saber scowl intensely at the Archdruid and Jarod jumps up expertly on the beast's back, clapping him caringly on his furry neck. 

“We will forgive you this serious transgression but choose your words carefully next time. Or else I might end up telling your family an unfortunate accident happened to you.” Jarod snorts and Fandral rolls his eyes. 

“I don’t have a family anymore.” He simply states as he transforms into a giant feline. Even though the joke hurt more than he would like to admit. With grace and power he sprints off into the darkness towards the path. As he glances over his shoulder, he sees Jarod frown at the cold comment but nonetheless, he quickly follows and stays quiet.

Fandral pushes himself as he wishes to stay away from Jarod and any questions he may have. He expertly weaves through the trees, bushes and other foliage as he leads the way. Even though Brad can keep up seemingly with ease, the other saber is having some trouble. Riderless and her back fully packed with clunky bags is clearly not what she is used to. Fandral skids to an abrupt halt and gracefully jumps upon a jutted rock. His head raises high so Fandral can sniff the air, they are almost there and making great time. With a low groan the other saber catches up and Jarod leans sideways to pet her lovingly. 

“Just… rrrrr… a little furtherrrrr…” Fandral growls and there is an unreadable yet somewhat playful expression on the warrior’s face. The druid feels a prickling warmth spread through his body and in order to ignore it, he quickly turns away and jumps down. The soft and cool earth bounces under his heavy paws and he senses the two sabers standing at the ready. With a slight wiggle of his rear he kicks into a sprint, the air pushing his ears back and wet droplets cling to his back as he ducks between branches. 

“Woah…” Jarod yelps as Brad immediately responds and follows the Archdruid at top speed. Again the female starts trailing behind but it doesn’t matter, they are nearing their destination. Fandral jumps from a rock to the side of a falling tree and then flies through the air while transforming. The druid lands in a crouched position as he slides along the damp and mossy ground. Jarod halts further behind him and binds both animals to nearby trees, commanding them to be careful and not interfere. The big beasts blend nicely with the dark bushes surrounding them, keeping them safe. 

“You really do everything in style… don’t you.” Jarod remarks with a sly grin as he tilts his head to the side, his face is a little sweaty and his chest heaving slightly from the exertion. Fandral feels a cough get stuck in his throat as he looks dreamily at the cocky warrior. He looks so good…

“Pfff…” Fandral huffs, he cannot manage a normal sentence and he turns away. Without making a sound Fandral moves forward and reaches the treeline. There is a large group of fulborg gathered, they are growling and murmuring to each other in low tones. By the looks of it, they just finished hunting and are now gathering to retreat back to their lair. Fandral furrows his brow at the disgusting creatures, he could kill them all right here and now but his rage is halted by a warm hand on his arm. With genuine surprise the Archdruid looks to his left to see Jarod standing next to him. Did the damn warrior just sneak up on him without his knowledge?! Shock is replaced by awe, usually nobody goes unnoticed by the Archdruid. Jarod slightly tugs on Fandral's arm and the taller elf bows down. 

"Don't attack, any commotion will alert the others. Let us be patient." Jarod whispers and Fandral closes his eyes in sudden delight. The warm breath in combination with the husky and low tone of voice sends energetic waves down his spine. Fandral hums softly and without wanting too, his groin springs to life. Jarod nods as he watches the fulborgs, he steps in front of Fandral and leans against the big trunk of the tree. Their bodies are fully hidden by the leafage as they continue to observe through the tiny openings.

“There seems to be some trouble. They are… agitated.” Jarod mumbles seemingly more to himself than Fandral. The druid shifts to his other leg and suddenly the warrior's musky smell fills his nostrils, he can’t help but inhale deeply. His sharp long nails leave marks in the tree as Fandral puts too much pressure on them in a twisted form of frustration. Jarod looks up at the hand near his head damaging the bark and swallows. The druid strongly wishes to curl his hand around that pale throat, lightly squeezing it as he feels the warrior swallow him down. A low growl escapes through his teeth and Jarod slowly looks over his shoulder. There is a confused look on the old face but also a playful raised eyebrow. Clearly the pair isn’t going anywhere soon with the gathering of fulborgs. The Archdruid can’t contain himself and lowers his head to Jarod. 

“While we wait, how about we… make this interesting.” Fandral whispers as he pushes demandingly against Jarod’s back, squishing him against the tree he is leaning on. 

“I’m waiting for the right moment, once the group leaves, I want to move in.” Jarod mumbles as he wiggles to get his pinned down arms free. 

“Hnn… I want to move in as well…” Fandral purrs as he nibbles on the back of Jarod’s neck and the warrior visibly has to bite his tongue to suppress a moan. The druid’s hands are all over his body and he is reacting instantly. 

“Stop it. I have a quest to complete!” Jarod hisses as the rock near his knee and thigh is crushed against his taut muscles. Fandral, however, doesn’t stop. The huge hand clicks his belt free in a swift movement and Jarod’s breath hitches as he futilely tries to grab the falling pants. 

“Wait… what are you doing! Stop it!” The warrior tries again but the hand has now taken hold of his hardening flesh. With a low groan he covers his mouth and keeps his eyes focused on the group of enemies standing near the mountain ridge. Fandral pushes even harder against him and another moan threatens to escape. 

“Careful now. You don’t want them to hear you and attack us now do you?” The Archdruid chuckles the words deeply as his warm breath reaches Jarod’s long ears. The large hand expertly strokes and massages the slickening dick ever so slowly and it’s clearly driving Jarod insane. Fandral drinks in the lovely sight of the warrior squirming. 

“By Elune… cease this...” Jarod weakly tries again as his squinting eyes try to focus on the group of furbolg but Fandral quickly increases the pace of his hand. In the meantime, he scouts his surroundings and tries to organize all his desires which are now spilling like an overflowing bucket. If Fandral is truly honest with himself, he is extremely surprised by the fierce sex drive that is suddenly dominating him, even when he was married to his beloved wife it wasn’t this intense. A few hours ago, they were going at it like animals and now he is feeling starved. With a loud, and somewhat frustrated, growl he pulls Jarod away from the tree and pushes his torso down while blocking his legs. 

“What… what are you doing?!” Jarod curses and struggles to keep standing, his hands flat on the stone before him. The rounded muscled ass is high into the air and Fandral slips down the trousers further for perfect access. Before Jarod can continue his complaining and struggles, he rounds the tight hole with his tongue. The action draws a needy moan from the other elf and then the struggling gradually stops. With luscious yearning, Fandral lets himself go. 

“I’m doing… what I want.” Fandral states in between the licking and Jarod remains quiet as he expertly continues his assault. His hands massage every sensitive area they can find while his tongue does its work. Fandral can feel the slight tremble of pleasure as his nails bury themselves into the warm flesh of Jarod’s thighs. Precum drips in copious amounts from the reddening head and Fandral loves every sight and smell of the man in front of him. Alternating between his tongue and one of two fingers finally draws more moans from the warrior and Fandral can feel his dick painful rub against his druidic skirt.

“If you genuinely want to continue your quest… just tell me now.” The Archdruid tauntingly says but there is no reaction. Jarod’s right leg twitches uncontrollably as Fandral adds another finger to assault the bundle of nerves deep inside. “What do you desire?” He asks in a low tone.

“I… want… you…” Jarod softly whispers and Fandral’s eyes grow bigger as he watches the  older elf look hungrily back over his shoulder towards the druid. His breathing hitches and control seeps away. With a threatening growl he grabs the warrior by his shoulders and throws him on the soft patch of mossy grass behind them. Jarod catches himself on all fours as the druidic skirt drops to the earth. Before he can do anything else, Fandral lets himself drop to his knees and shivers as his hand slides over Jarod’s lower back. The other hand grabs a wet asscheek as he lines himself up.

“Hmm…” Fandral murmurs, his head softly rubs the slickened hole and Jarod hollows his back in anticipation. Without any further warning or patience, he pushed in harshly, watching his cock quickly and fully disappear into the warm flesh. Jarod groans and lets his torso drop to the ground, he shakes and his tight ring is spasming. Fandral smirks and even though he is already bottomed out, he pushes down hard. The warrior gets squished between Fandral and the mossy ground. 

“Interesting.” The Archdruid moans and he pulls out almost immediately only to slam back in. Jarod yells a loud groan and Fandral repeats his action three times before his cock gets painfully constricted. Jarod is shaking and out of breath. Fandral lets his hand slide to the front of the warrior and is welcomed by wet sticky moss and softening flesh. The warrior came only after a few well placed thrusts mixed with the rubbing of stimulating soft moss. 

“Tsk tsk… you are a bad one. Couldn’t even wait for me huh?” Fandral taunts and retracts his cumcovered fingers. “Hope you aren’t tired though. I’m far from done .” He adds in a growl and drives his fingers deep into Jarod’s mouth as he pulls the warrior back. A choked and muffled yelp sends a tingle up his spine, any sliver of remaining restraint is now gone. With renewed vigor he keeps pumping into the helpless elf as sharp canines cut the flesh of his fingers. The slightly awkward angle, the pain in his fingers, the spasming hole and tight pleasure combined make the druid see red. Every retraction ends in a double force slamming. Jarod cannot seem to control himself fully as sudden screams are pushed from his throat in both hurt and desire but Fandral doesn’t stop.

“Hnn… ahh… morrrree…” Fandral groans loudly as he pulls Jarod backwards, the warriors smell and moans are intoxicating. He needs more. His cock aches for release but Fandral tries to make it last for as long as he can. Of course, all good things come to an end and his orgasm builds up so high, he can’t stop it anymore. While Jarod moans around the bleeding fingers that hold his head into place, Fandral bites down harshly on the exposed neck near his ear. The skin is taut and the muscles hard so he knows it will hurt his lover but he can’t help himself. As he sinks his teeth into the flesh, he feels a deliciously tight spasm around his dick. Fandral comes at the same time as Jarod it seems and it makes him feel extremely satisfied. His muscles almost immediately relax and he lets go of Jarod, who sinks towards the ground with a grunt. 

“Lovely…” The druid whispers as he watches the exhausted and hunched form in front of him. Slowly he slips his softening dick from Jarod and attempts to catch the insane amount of sperm escaping. 

“For… fuck’s sake. I’m… trying to… finish a quest.” Jarod pants in frustration and Fandral can’t suppress a chuckle. 

“My apologies.” Fandral states as he pulls Jarod back in order to hug him. “You just bring out the beast in me.” He deeply purrs next to his ear and he feels the warrior shudder. 

“I don’t believe you need me to unleash that beast.” Jarod raises his arm over his head in order to put a gentle hand on the taller elf’s head. It’s a loving and surprisingly intimate gesture, it makes Fandral melt into Jarod. The druid wishes this moment could last forever but a rustle in the bushes makes them both alert. 

“Incoming.” Jarod whispers and with practiced speed, they are both dressed and at the ready in no time. Fandral hears a deep barking laugh and the rustling gets closer and closer. The druid transforms into a cat and slowly walks backwards into the dense shrubbery, leaving Jarod alone in the mossy clearing. As he prowls the perimeter, he keeps Jarod in the corner of his eye. 

“Ragath'a… Lok-Narash!” A burly green orc dual handing axes yells and from behind him a smirking troll steps up, sword leisurely resting on his shoulder. Jarod frowns but seems rather unmoved. Then a blood elf with flowing silver hair steps up to their side, his shield raised and his eyes leveling on the night elf in a combination of weariness and worry. 

“Throm-Ka. Ko uruk, ogg zugas.” Jarod smoothly replies with a hand on his hip. The blood elf seems to relax and nods but the other two start laughing. Which makes Fandral bristle.  

“Ko, ko! Lok-Narash!” The orc yells and he readies his weapons, the troll also takes the big sword in both hands and crouches slightly, his bulking muscles rippling. 

“Shan’dorei…” The blood elf says as he turns to his companions, Fandral can’t hear what he says to them as he quickly switches position. Jarod is watching them carefully but his expression has changed to something a little more friendly. And then suddenly the snap of twig alerts both elves of movement. Jarod rolls to the side and grabs his sword, raising it high as a couple of fulborg rush through the bushes in attack. 

“Damn!” Jarod curses as he gets ready to parry the upcoming charge but to both their surprise, the Horde also charges. However, they aren’t charging the furbolg but Jarod instead. Fandral is on the further end of the clearing and he needs to push off hard in order to get a sprint going. Jarod leaps high into the air and lands a few feet further with a deafening crash, the earth shatters under his feet and the accompanied roar staggers not only his enemies but also Fandral. With a smooth turn of a highly trained warrior he charges the group of furbolg, leaving the orc and troll to recover. 

“RUK! Magan!” The orc bellows to the troll but it’s too late, Fandral jumps and slashes widely. The crude sword breaks under the immense pressure and the troll cannot parry efficiently. Claws render his right arm useless, tearing it to shreds. Thick troll blood covers Fandral’s furr and the druid laughs in the form of rolling growl. Victory is his.  

“Lok'tar ogar!” Fandral hears from behind and he spins around with astounding speed, the druid revels in seeing the surprise on the ugly orcisch face. With a roll of the shoulder, one of the axes glances off his side and the other one plunges deep into the earth. A powerful claw bats away the annoying orc but then in the corner of his eye, a golden glow covers the troll and he moans as the healing takes away his pain. 

"No, you don't.” The saber growls and rushes towards the troll. With immense force he rakes his claw square over the blueish chest, blood sprays high into the air and the gurgling death scream dies out quickly. One down, two more to go. With a quick look Fandral confirms Jarod is easily holding his own with about six or seven corpses at his feet. 

“Ruzko!” A pained shout from the orc calling his friend draws Fandral into a one versus one fight with the green skinned monster. The elf always thought orcs were overrated. Strong, yes. Smart, not so much. Determined, definitely. Unkillable, not by a long shot. Nonetheless, Fandral switches to his bear form for the extra protection. They square off but it's clear the orc is no match for the ferocious combination of claw and teeth, he falls under the cruelty of the Archdruid within seconds.   

“You…” Fandral snarls as he turns to the blood elf. The horrible excuse for an elf drops his shield and hangs his arms in defeat. But the druid already started his charge and he isn’t stopping, his powerful jaws wide open to rip off the pathetic pale face of the weakling in front of him. Instead of flesh greeting his teeth it’s strong and unyielding steel. A familiar grunt and smell pulls him from his enraged state and with strength the enormous bear is pushed back. 

“Control yourself!” Jarod yells at him as blood fills his jaw. In shock Fandral unclenches his jaws as his maxilla starts to ache. A strange sort of anger fills the bear and his fur bristles. The warrior had body shielded the blood elf and stopped the charge by side blocking with his sword. Jarod had chosen to hurt Fandral instead of the enemy. The druid lets out an annoyed roar but Jarod seems unfazed as he turns his back to Fandral. 

“Doral ana'diel?” Jarod asks as he carefully clasps a hand on the slender shoulder of the filthy blood elf. Fandral growls lowly in his throat and starts to transform back into his elven form. He feels blood running down his mouth and chin but chooses to ignore it. As he walks to the pair, Jarod turns towards him and the blood elf cowers behind Jarod’s broad back. Fandral feels his blood boil as he looks down on the sad excuse for a living being. 

“Please Fandral, I got this.” The warrior whispers as he places a warm hand on his bare chest. At the soft touch and call of his name, Fandral feels his anger instantly halt. There is a caring and wise look on Jarod’s visage which seems to calm him down. With a simple nod, Fandral folds his arms and keeps quiet, his eyes never leaving the blood elf. They continue to talk in Thalassian and whenever the blood elf sneaks a peek at the towering figure, the druid snarls. 

“Elu'meniel mal alann. Al diel shala.” Jarod says to the blood elf and he gets a small smile and bow in return. With a sigh the elf takes a last grim look at his dead companions and then turns to leave.

“Why did you attack him? He tried stopping his team from attacking us.” The warrior says with a frown as he looks at Fandral’s bloodied face. “They were on the same quest, looking for the rare ores and unfortunately, that cost them their lives. Sinnomir will abandon the quest and return to Orgrimmar with a bruised ego and a promise to keep us out of his story.” Jarod smiles sadly and suddenly Fandral feels a flash of rage at the calling of the blood elf’s name. 

“You… I could have hurt you! Why in Cenarius’s name did you jump between us!?” Fandral fumes as he feels droplets of blood falling to his chest. Jarod raises an eyebrow and, to Fandral's surprise, scoffs. 

“Ahh, not to worry. I can handle you.” Jarod says cockily while folding his arms and even though Fandral is taller, the warrior seems to be looking down on him. The simple arrogant words stoke a flame deep within the druid but not in anger or rage. It’s awe that flows through him. He thinks back to the encounter and suddenly realizes that he was pushed back… Fandral was halted and pushed back in his bear form. There is so much more to Jarod than the Archdruid first thought. It has been such a long time since Fandral has had a worthy ally or foe. 

“Oh really…” Fandral drawls with a smirk. He is amazed by how much he adores this man. 

“Haha. Well… now that this is over. Let’s continue this exhausting quest.” The older elf simply states as he stretches. Fandral walks behind Jarod as he walks towards the mountains, stepping casually over the corpses of many furbolgs. The cuts are clean and deep, they did not suffer for long. Fandral snorts at the sentiment but says nothing. 

“I think they were scouts or a late party. The other furbolgs are inside now.” Jarod says as he points towards the entrance of the mountain. Both elves crouch and silently make their way towards the entrance. There is no guard standing watch. 

“I will go in first and scout ahead.” The Archdruid tells his companion while transforming into a cat once more. Giant paws claw slightly at the earth and as he starts prowling around. Without making a sound, he scouts far into the cave with his ears turned backwards. Small patches of ore are littered around but none are the rare kind he is looking for. Many furbolg sleep near the walls and thus the ores. Much to his luck Fandral spots a small corridor and it happens to lead to a big deposit of the rare ore. With minimal noise Fandral transforms back into his elven form and inspects the wall and area. 

“Let’s see.” He mumbles to himself as he tries to slowly, but most of all, quietly loosen the ores. His roots curl around the ore to keep it in place while steadily trying to pull it out. A beat of sweat rolls down the side of his face as he is completely focused on getting as much as possible. A feral growl from behind pulls him from his focus and he sees an angry furbolg standing in the narrow entrance of the corridor. Fandral curses and commands a root to rush towards the furbolg but its mouth is already opening wide. A large hand yanks the lower jaw down and a knife plunges in deeply into the wide open throat, with a bloody gurgle the beast grumples to the ground. 

“I thought you only went scouting?” Jarod jokingly says as he wipes the blade. Fandral rolls his eyes and murmurs a thanks. How did a warrior of all things not get spotted?! 

“Yeah, yeah. Just help me out already, it’s your damn quest!” Fandral hisses and Jarod jogs over to help him get the ores loose. There are a lot of earthy clumps surrounding the ore but it’s a great haul. They will have to walk multiple times to get everything back to the sabers. 

“Take a small amount and ready your mounts, I will prepare the rest for transport.” The Archdruid orders and Jarod takes an armful as he disappears through the narrow corridor back towards the entrance. Fandral has to admit, he would make a great rogue. 

Jarod remains with the sabers to load them up while Fandral keeps lugging the heavy ores around. When the last load is ready to be packed, Jarod steps forward to brush off all the grime from Fandral’s fur. At first the druid tenses but then loosens under the caring touch. It feels so natural and relaxing he could almost fall asleep right there and then. When both sabers are fully loaded, they have way more than needed. Satisfied, Jarod wipes his dusty hands on his trousers. He reaches for his waterskin and takes a big swig before handing it to Fandral. The Archdruid takes the flask without a second thought as if a force of habit. He cleans off the dried blood from earlier and then drinks.

“I’m walking back, I cannot mount either of them like this.” Jarod says as he takes Brad’s reins into his hand and starts walking back towards the path. Both sabers look annoyed and tiredly at Fandral as he empties the waterskin. The damn animals just keep bothering him.  

“Ride me.” The druid simply mumbles and Jarod smiles broadly. 

“I already did, remember?” He says with a smirk and Fandral barks a sudden laugh. The cheeky answer came with a gorgeous smile on the older elf’s bearded face. Fandral felt his stomach turn in excitement.  

“Then… ride me again.” Fandral tells him as he steps next to him. “And again and again.” He naughtily adds, making Jarod grin. 

“Well… you are the night elven highest Archdruid, how can I say no…” Jarod shrugs and Fandral immediately transforms back into his cat form. Sore back or no, there is nothing more he wants right now than for Jarod to climb on his back. 

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Jarod giggles into his hand as Fandral yet again emerges from the entrance, ores strapped to his back with faintly glowing green roots holding them in place. A fancy looking pack mule. Being a druid really is quite handy!

“How much more?” The warrior carefully asks, he has no idea in what kind of mood the druid is. At the start he seemed eager to assist but this probably wasn’t what he had in mind. The attack by the Horde and furbolgs was also not planned. Strong as he might be, Jarod noticed that Fandral’s mind wanders during fights which can be a dangerous thing. Jarod was pretty shaken up by the ferocious charge on the blood elf but funnily enough, not surprised. 

Fandral has more than once shown a tendency towards cruelty rather than mercy. Jarod feels the goodness inside the druid’s heart but there was also a strange darkness bubbling under the surface. He worries about it and wonders if it’s a false sense. After all, Fandral is one of the highest ranking Archdruids with Malfurion Stormrage being his only superior. Stormrage is currently asleep as he is walking the Emerald Dream, leaving Fandral in charge. He didn’t get to be at the top by being reckless and cruel, that is usually not how druids, or night elfs in general, work.  

“One morrrrre and then we arrrre done.” Fandral sighs, his deep voice warped by being in cat form. 

“We could just leave it, I have enough.” Jarod shrugs as he searches the furry maw for clues but Fandral shakes his head in determination. 

“Let’s take it allrrr.” And with those words, Fandral has gone back into the stealthy prowl. Jarod starts loading the ore onto the groaning saber. 

“Hold on buddy, you can do it.” Jarod says as he pats Bard’s muscular furred neck. He feels a soft push in his back and turns to pet the other saber as well, she is loaded up and ready to go. Jarod is just about done when Fandral brings in the last of the ores, his fur is shaded with dust and grime. 

“Ahh wait…” The elf steps closer and starts petting and rubbing Fandral’s dirty fur. When he is almost done, a low pleasant purr escapes the druid cat and Jarod can’t help but smile. Apparently, Fandral likes being petted. That’s so cute! Without showing the druid his loving smile, Jarod quickly turns away and starts loading the last of the ores. 

This was a lot more taxing than Jarod would have thought but the job is done, all that remains is going back to the vendor and delivering his portion. The rest can be sold for a profit which Jarod will share with Fandral. Brad looks grumpily and Jarod can’t help but feel sorry for his friend. These poor animals have been through much today and Jarod thinks back to having sex with Fandral while the sabers were… near. His face warms and he takes the reins firmly into his hand. Thank Elune no one else saw them do that…

“I’m walking back, I cannot mount either of them like this.” Jarod announces as he promptly starts walking towards the path. 

“Ride me.” Fandral mumbles and Jarod almost trips as his stomach flutters. 

“I already did, remember?” The warrior says with a grin, he can’t help himself and when Fandral starts laughing, he feels warmth spreading through him. The Archdruid looks relaxed and happy instead of annoyed and burdened. Jarod’s soul feels heavy at the thought of leaving soon but he is very grateful for having met Archdruid Fandral Staghelm. 

“Then… ride me again.” Fandral says as he falls into to step next to him. “And again and again.” The druid adds in a deep and naughty whisper, his warm breath tickling his ear and Jarod feels his dick jump against its confines. 

“Well… you are the night elven highest Archdruid, how can I say no…” Jarod shrugs and Fandral immediately transforms back into his cat form. The warrior smoothly climbs onto his back and to his surprise, Fandral keeps a relaxed pace so the sabers can easily keep up. Jarod lets his fingers slide through the soft fur like he did earlier, softly massaging the shoulder blades beneath as they move to the rhythm of walking. He feels all the muscles move under his legs and hands as Jarod is sitting on Fandral’s back without anything like a saddle. For some reason, it feels intoxicating. His hands move around, following the movements and his fingers gently rub and scratch the fur. 

“Jarrrrod…” Fandral growls and shakes the warrior from his self induced trance. “If you keep doing thatrrr… I won’t be rrrresponsible forrr what happens nextrrr…” The druid warns him and Jarod chuckles. 

“My apologies. Your fur feels great.” He replies and feels Fandral tighten under him. The druid remains quiet after that and Jarod can feel the discomfort of holding back an assortment of feelings.

“You are just a sweet little kitty… aren’t you?” Jarod chuckles as he leans forward, scratching Fandral behind his fluffy ear. With lightning speed, Fandral’s head whips back with his maw wide open and Jarod quickly pulls back his hand. 

“Whoops… Sorry sorry, I couldn’t resist!” The warrior laughs and Fandral slowly turns his head back but Jarod can see a glimmer of amusement in his feline eye. They continue the way back to Nighthaven at a lazy pace and Jarod almost falls asleep with the soft fur under his hands, the rhythmic walking and the clouded moonless night. But after a while a soft groan pulls Jarod from his thoughts as Brad tries to get his attention. The big muzzle motions towards the female night saber and Fandral stops walking as he recognises the signs. 

“They need rest and waterrr…” Fandral purrs and Jarod jumps off his back, leading the animals to a nearby stream. While the sabers drink and stretch, Fandral sits down next to Jarod. There is a long peaceful silence and Jarod’s mind wanders in the presence of nature’s beauty and the druid’s safety. Suddenly, the encounter in Nighthaven inn bubbles up.    

“Your friend in the inn looked like he wanted to catch up. My apologies for embarrassing you…” Jarod says softly as he keeps his eyes on the sabers near the waterline. They are both careful while drinking with the heavy loads on their backs. Brad really likes his new friend and is already acting quite protective, he keeps his eyes on her in case something might happen. Jarod can’t help but smile at the simplicity.   

“Hnn… I have nothing to say to him. It didn’t end on the best of terms.” Fandral snorts, he clearly doesn’t wish to talk about it which, of course, intrigues Jarod. 

“End?” Jarod raises his eyebrow in question, he can guess the situation but why guess when you can just ask. Fandral bares his teeth in annoyance but does answer after a short while. 

“Both our wives died so we turned to each other. My wife died during childbirth, leaving me with a son. His wife died while their willful daughter was still young.” There is a glossy and haunted look in Fandral’s eyes as Jarod peeks to his left. “It was fun while it lasted but we are too different and it caused… problems. Although Lathorius means well, I would rather not keep him around.” Fandral concludes and Jarod hears the heartlessness in his voice. But there is more to it, he feels it.

“I see. I’m sorry.” The warrior manages to croak out. Images of Lathorius and his admiration and disappointment flash before his eyes. Apparently Fandral has a type. Lathorius is also bearded and has flowing silver hair, much like Jarod himself. Was his late wife maybe also silver… The thought breaks.

“I have a feeling… you would rather keep no one around.” Jarod whispers, surprising himself and Fandral. It was nothing more than a thought and yet, it escaped his mouth so easily. Fandral’s beautiful golden orbs burn into Jarod’s side and it takes him courage to turn his head to meet those eyes. It would seem they contain only anger like they had done during the scolding of his druid pupil but now Jarod suddenly can see beyond that. There is pain, longing and… desperation? The druid looks away at the sound of rustling. 

“They have had enough rest. Let us continue.” Fandral says as he suddenly jumps up. The hurt seems to have left his eyes but he now seems anxious and squirrely even. Jarod sighs and nods in obedience but the strange feelings do not let his mind rest easily.

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It took me a long time but there is it. Chapter 4!
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it :D

Chapter Text

Spell - Moonfire, a beam of lunar light, shoots down from the moon itself, dealing damage over time.

The night starts to brighten to make way for the morning as they get on the main road towards Nighthaven. Jarod has not said a word since their conversation, and Fandral seems focused on the road. The big furry head frequently turned to either side and Jarod thought he might want to talk, but he was just watching their surroundings closely. Absently, the grizzled warrior weaves his hand through the feline fur, letting the strands of hair bounce under and between his fingers. Ever so slightly, he feels Fandral tense under him at the touch, but this time it saddens Jarod. Behavioral patterns that present in Fandral’s being isn’t something to be taken lightly, he clearly shows signs of trauma and…

“Get offrrr.” Fandral suddenly growls, and Jarod instantly obeys by sliding off the broad back. The Archdruid transforms back into his elven form and dusts off his skirt after stretching his shoulder blades. There is detachment and a lonely hollowness to the golden eyes and without a word, he starts walking towards Nighthaven. Jarod silently follows, he places his worries on the shelf as they enter the city, neither of them wanting any attention. Of course, no such luck. The Archdruid commands attention and respect anywhere he goes. Fandral crosses his arms, face sour, and looks off into the sky while Jarod continues walking.  

“By the Moon Goddess! Didn’t I give you a specific amount in the quest description?” The vendor exclaims with wide eyes as he inspects the fully packed, and now groaning, sabers. Jarod chuckles deeply. 

“You gave me all the information I needed, but I decided to get more because I can always use the extra gold. I’m willing to sell you some if you are interested.” Jarod explains to the startled trader. The original deal is only for a few ores, but he manages to sell more than half of his supply to the vendor. Earning him more gold than the mount had originally cost him.

“Elune must favor me for putting you unto my path. This is a fine haul!” The friendly man smiles at Jarod while clapping him on the shoulder. With a short cough, the warrior adjusts his hood and nods politely. “You might want to visit Meliri next, she is a friend of mine and the weapon smith. I’m sure she will have interest in the ores and if not, then Lorelae Wintersong, our trade goods vendor, will surely need it. Beware of her tactics though, Lorelae can be a stern woman.” With a shrug, the man turns to pet one of his sabers.     

“My thanks. I will visit them both but… I will start with Meliri.” Jarod gives the vendor a small smile and walks towards the stable master. The man sees him approach and extends an arm to the right as an indication for him to stable the sabers.  

“You did very well today girl, I will bring you some tasty treats but for now, please rest here.” Jarod whispers to the saber as he caresses her neck. She gives him a playful boop with her furry maw while settled down in the designated area filled with long grass and hay. “Will you please provide her with water, I will return shortly.” The warrior informs the groom, a young blue haired night elf female in gray light armor, as he throws her a gold piece. With a nod, she quickly sprints off.

“Come on boy.” The tired warrior sighs as he pulls the tired saber with him, still fully packed and loaded. Even without knowing where she is, Jarod easily spots Meliri by the sounds of hammering steel, which is strangely enough not completely out of place in the quiet town of Nighthaven. Meliri is a gorgeous woman with a friendly yet strong demeanor. She stands tall with her forest green hair pulled into a tail, her armor matching the green hair except for the darker knee-high boots and silver plated accents on her chest. Meliri is inspecting a short sword when Jarod enters. 

“How can I help you?” Meliri asks without turning to watch Jarod. 

“I have some rare ores for sale. Might you be interested in purchasing?” Jarod folds his arms as he watches her brightly blue eyes glide over the sword’s edge. With a sigh, she puts down the sword on the bench behind her and turns to look at Jarod. 

“All right. Show me what you got.” Meliri walks towards Jarod with a smile on her dark and plump lips, the tattoos covering her eyes and cheeks crinkling slightly at the motion. As they walk outside, Bard lifts his annoyed head with a little growl, but Meliri is unaffected by it and strides up to give him gentle strokes on his fuzzy cheek. 

“Don’t worry, my feline friend, I already made up my mind. The weight will be off you shortly. Well… provided your master will give an appropriate price.” She says, while winking at Jarod, who cannot help chuckling at her confidence. “These are rare ores from fulborg invested mountains, we don’t get much of this. How did you get a full saber worth?!” Meliri takes small bits of ore between her fingers, and she turns them for examination. 

“I had two sabers worth, but I already sold more than half. My prices are fair.” Jarod lets a hand rest on his hip while he waits for Meliri to finish marveling at the ores. 

“You did all that alone?” She exclaims, again without turning to face him. 

“Hmm… I’m stronger than I look.” Jarod replies playfully, which gets her attention. She turns to eye him up and down with a smirk. 

“Pfff, you look plenty strong to me.” Meliri lightly pets Bard on his neck and uses her other hand to whistle loudly. Within a few seconds, two night elves come running out and look at her for instructions. “Load everything into the back storage, on the left, use the easy access method and put down a drying cloth. Quickly now.” She orders and with curt nods, the men go to work. 

“You have yet to hear my offer.” The old elf shrugs and Meliri laughs. 

“Not to worry, you look like an honorable man, I’m sure it will be a respectable negotiation. Please follow me.” Meliri walks back inside and they both sit down on shabby wooden chairs to discuss the rest. It only takes a few minutes and with a shake of the head, Meliri throws in some extra gold because the price is too low. Apparently she had an order for a broadsword that needed that exact ore, and she now had plenty to make ten or even twelve broadswords. She was ecstatic with the deal they just made and slapped Jarod on his shoulder multiple times. 

With his back belt pockets filled with gold, Jarod strides into the crowded inn. There is a line with people wanting breakfast and supplies to start their day. When it’s finally his turn, Jarod orders six slabs of soft meat and four steamed mandu’s for his sabers. The warrior himself is more tired than hungry, so he simply orders three wild rice cakes and a drinking sack of morning glory dew. As the bulky night elf points towards a seat so he can wait, Jarod places down 2 gold, telling him to keep the change. With a grateful nod, the night elf quickly scrambles to fulfill the order. Jarod can see Bard keeping an eye on him as he sits outside, waiting patiently with his normally grayish white coat now stained and dusty.

“Shaha lor'ma.” Jarod tells the night elf as he comes out with the first load of supplies. The meat is stacked up and packed in thin skins to protect them. Jarod takes them and starts walking towards Bard to again load him up. He hears quick steps behind him as the night elf follows him. When Jarod turns, he is presented with three smaller packs and a sack. He places two of the packs on Bard’s back and hangs the drinking flask on his belt while holding the lightly steaming pack in his arms. The mandu’s smell divine, and he can hear his saber whining.   

“I also packed a spice bread, my gift to you. Ishnu-alah.” The night elf bows deeply and Jarod carefully climbs up on Bard’s back, trying not to drop the mandu. With a smile, he looks down on the other elf and starts riding towards the stables. He sees Fandral near one of the tree housings talking with three other druids. Two females and one male look intensely at the Archdruid, one clutching a rolled up scroll and the other holding an open map. Fandral points to a few places on the map and with a stern look makes his intentions clear. The group leaves after respectfully bowing, and then immediately another night elf comes running up. A scroll is exchanged and Fandral’s expression sours at the contents. He yells at the messenger, who bows deeply before running off. The crumbled scroll catches flame inside of Fandral’s hand as the druid snarls in the direction of the retreating messenger. 

“Keep no one around…” Jarod whispers to himself, a light pain shoots through his body and his heart suddenly feels constricted. He almost drops the mandu he is holding. Should he go to him? Jarod pulls on the Bard’s reins, redirecting the saber towards Fandral’s position, but then two druids come flying in. One is Lurosa, the blue haired quiet guardian druid from his previous mission, and the other is unknown. She is a rather ominous looking female dressed in dark stained armor from head to toe. Only her eyes, hands and ears are not covered by leather. Which feels strange to Jarod, as most druids have a more bare appearance and also make use of lighter, earthier colors. The only thing that gave away her being a druid was her tiny crow flight form.

They argue, well, mostly the female and Fandral argue. And then, in a huff, all three transform and fly away. Fandral is easy to recognize because, even in flight form, he is a lot larger than the others. Jarod pulls Bard to a halt and stares at the druids flying away in what appears to be the direction of Darnassus. Of course, the warrior wanted to say a proper goodbye to Fandral before leaving, but it seems his duties called him back. It made Jarod feel oddly saddened. He silently continues his way towards the stables, first things first, his mounts needed proper care.     

Sleep doesn’t stop an animal's nose from working, and her big fuzzy head is lifted from her paws as she looks up in Jarod’s direction. Of course, she smells the mandu. She stretches lazily and stands up in a ‘welcome back’ kind of motion. Jarod calls over the stable hand to get fresh grass and hay while he cleans his sabers. Both saddles and armors are put on the wooden railing behind them. The old elf cracks his knuckles and picks up a wet rag and a big brush. Of course, it's ladies first, so he cleans and brushes her fur until all the dust and ore crumbs are out of her coat, making it shine. He scratches behind her ear and gives the big saber a loving hug, fully content, she steps aside. 

Bard growls approvingly as Jarod turns to him, fresh wet rag and brush in hand. It takes a while for the saber to be, once again, white and bright. The deep green eyes shine in delight when Jarod is done with the cleaning. Both sabers lick and cuddle each other as they wait for the stable hand to finish cleaning their saddles and giving them access to their stable. Once done, they settle down and Jarod joins them. The steamed mandu has cooled down to eating temperatures, and both sabers gobble up their treats with gusto. Jarod lays the other meats on each side of their wooden drinking trough for them to eat whenever they so desire.

Jarod settles down against a hill of hay next to the wooden railing, and the stable hand looks at him expectantly. He raised his eyebrow and waves her closer. 

“Ishnu-dal-dieb. Is everything as you desire?” The girl asks and Jarod nods. 

“It is, my thanks. Say… what can you tell me about Nighthaven?” The warrior asks to ease the girl into answering his questions. She brightens at the questions about her, what he assumes, place of birth. 

“Ahh my lord! Nighthaven is the main settlement in the whole of Moonglade. We are primarily a night elven home, which is a safe haven for druids. We also accommodate Tauren druids, although not many. They are very big but gentle creatures, not all agree, but I like them.” She giggles a little and Jarod smiles as he listens. “Nighthaven is known for its association to druids, but we have more unique features like our specialty dressmaker, Geenia Sunshadow, expert bowyer Narianna and our specialist weaponsmith Meliri. Ohh, and when the Lunar Festival rolls around, everyone is welcome to celebrate with us. It’s my favorite time of year.” The night elf claps her hands in enthusiasm, and Jarod laughs to fuel her people's pleasing needs.  

“It all sounds wonderful! I haven’t been to Nighthaven often, but I really enjoyed my stay here. What about the people? Are there any… important people around that I might know?” Jarod tries to stay casual, but his brain is feeling a little bit too tired for the tricks he tries to pull. 

“Hmm…” The girl puts a finger to her lip as she thinks. “Well, there is Umber, he is human! And a very brilliant archivist, everyone respects him highly. Rabine Saturna has been away for months but recently returned to us. He is the majordomo of Keeper Remulos, how exciting is that!” She giggles and her cheeks turn a little darker, it seems she fancies the majordomo. Jarod nods, he doesn’t know the human, but he is familiar with Remulos and his commander. 

“Oh and of course Archdruid Fandral Staghelm and his retinue arrived, I think, a little over a  week ago. The whole of Nighthaven always changes when he stays with us. There is also talk of mistress Tyrande Whisperwind coming back next month. She often visits her beloved, and I even talked to her a few times. She has a gorgeous mount!” Her expressions changed between mentioning the leaders, not in a disrespectful way, but she seemed a little scared when mentioning Fandral. 

“Yes, High Priestess Whisperwind is indeed Elune’s light herself. Nighthaven gets a lot of attention, it seems. It truly is such a beautiful place.” Jarod says uncomfortably, he has seen Tyrande many times. “My apologies though, I’m not overly familiar with Archdruid Staghelm, what do you know of him?” He asks her while glancing to the side, taking in his shimmering green surroundings and trying to calm his mind. She hums in thought and tilts her head in a cute manner. Although, everyone seems young compared to Jarod.  

“Archdruid Staghelm is very different from Lady Tyrande, even though they are both leaders, he feels way more… intense. He is incredibly tall, which makes him look kind of frightening. He is one of the strongest druids and has a strategic mastermind. To be honest, being in his presence will make your skin tingle.” She gave him an awkward smile. “My father travels a lot to Darnassus, he told me those things, he really admires him.” With a short chortle, she straightens her back. 

“I see, sounds like an impressive figure.” Jarod was a little disappointed by the lack of in depth information. But the night elf hummed again, clearly feeling quite sociable. 

“It’s really sad though… I heard my father tell my mother that he lost his son in The War of the Shifting Sands. Apparently, his adored son was one of the military leaders who got captured.” She shivered visibly and Jarod cocked his head. 

“What is it?” He almost whispered. She lifted a hand to the side of her mouth and leaned a little closer with a sad look. “The son. Well, he got… ripped apart for all to see, including my father and the Lord Staghelm. The army's morale was shattered, and they lost many lives, but they still fought and won because of the Archdruid's strength. Or so my father says. A horrible place to be. My father had a lot of troubles when he returned from that war… nightmares and such.” The girl mumbled, her long slender eyebrows knitted together in empathy. 

“That… that was indeed very sad. My respects to your brave father.” Jarod agreed, and he felt a pit in his stomach. “Thank you for the information about Nighthaven, I learned a lot, but I will not take any more of your time.” The warrior quickly added and held out a gold piece for the girl to take. With a little squeal of delight, she thanked him and gave him one last piece of advice. Visiting Lake Elune’ara at night, with the lights and wisps reflecting in the water, was a sight to behold. Jarod forced a smile onto his face, and the girl left him to his thoughts. 

With a low growl, Bard got Jarod’s attention, and the night elf warrior snuggled close to his saber. He munched down on a rice cake before packing the rest up and throwing it to the side, eating wasn’t a priority. Jarod’s mind was struggling with the newly acquired information and drowsiness.

“Both our wives died, so we turned to each other.” Jarod whispered to himself. Fandral had lost his wife during childbirth and his son during the war. Assuming he was present at the birth, Fandral had seen his loved ones die before his eyes, apparently unable to help either of them. And still he was able to connect with his son, raise and educate him, only to lose him in the war. Jarod closed his eyes and thought back to the stern druid as his mind drifted. The words ‘I have a feeling… you would rather keep no one around’ with Fandral’s shocked face was the last thing Jarod thought of before darkness took him. 

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“What the… wake up, you bastard.” Jarod was kicked from his sleep to see the massive form of Fandral standing over him. There was a cranky sneer on his face and he looked extremely filthy.  

“I was looking all over for you.” The Archdruid exclaimed with a deep rumble. “Why in Cenarius’s name are you sleeping between your mounts?! You savage…” Fandral shook his head and hauled Jarod to his feet. The warrior grunted as he looked around, it seemed to be a little past midday, which meant he only slept for a few hours. 

“You are the one covered in filth, so I guess we are both savages.” Jarod retorted a little bitchy due to his rude awakening. Fandral huffed and started walking away. 

“Why did you wake me? Hello?” Jarod quickly grabs the bags of food and the flask as he runs after Fandral. “If you are not going to talk to me, can you let me sleep next time?! Pff never mind, I will get myself a bath and bed in the inn. Maybe even take in some scenery.” The warrior has a hard time keeping up with the larger elf and turns towards the inn as Fandral doesn’t answer nor stop. Before he can get very far though, a hand grabs his arm and yanks him back. 

“Just follow me.” Fandral grumbles and Jarod sighs in defeat. The pair walk further away from Nighthaven, Jarod thought they were walking towards Fandral’s residence but halfway there, they turn to the right. Jarod raises his eyebrow in question, but Fandral just keeps marching ahead with a distracted frown on his face. At some point they follow alongside a stream and Jarod is tempted to stop and clean himself, but he dares not interrupt the druid. When their destination finally comes into view, Jarod is so distracted by his annoyed thoughts, he bumps into Fandral’s back when he stops. 

“Do not worry, we will have privacy here. Let us get cleaned.” The Archdruid states in a tired voice as if reading Jarod’s mind, and suddenly he looks deflated. Jarod feels the worry creep up his throat, so he merely nods in agreement. Fandral leads them up some exposed roots and at the top there is a little lake of sorts. It can fit seven or eight people and the fallen tree, protecting them from unwanted eyes. Water trickles softly down the rocks, forming a soothing pattern of slashing sounds.

As Fandral had done a few days ago with the bathwater in his room, he now does so on a bigger scale. Brightly glowing orange and red tendrils curl around his arm and wrist and then slowly swim in the water. They move around like fish, as their goal is to heat up this larger body of water. The glow lightens up the sides, showing normally hidden rocks. On their side, smooth rocks are stacked like crude stairs but on the other side, the water is clearly deeper.

“Get in.” Fandral commands as he starts peeling off his dirty clothing. He picks up the druidic skirt and hits it against a nearby tree. All kinds of dust and dirt fly around, and the skirt regains some of its color. Jarod simply shakes his clothes a little and drops it to the cold stone. It takes him longer to undress as he is wearing multiple layers, while the druid is already butt naked and enters the water with a relieved sigh. 

“I got some food left, if you are interested.” Jarod states as he fumbles around with his boots. After some ungraceful struggling, Jarod carefully steps on the smooth stone and feels the warm water caress his tired skin. When he is waist deep into the water, he turns and plucks out the remaining two rice cakes. With a casual toss he throws one to Fandral only to notice his eyes are closed while leaning against the rocks near the tree. But of course, he catches the cake without even opening his eyes, and Jarod smirks. 

“Show off.” The warrior chuckles as he carefully walks in Fandral’s direction while eating the rice cake and sits down. By Elune the water feels delightful.

“I usually don’t eat wild rice cakes.” The high and mighty Archdruid says with one eye open, and Jarod just shrugs. 

“Then don’t eat it.” Jarod reaches over to grab the rice cake from Fandral, but the druid takes a big bite as he closes his eyes again. When Jarod is done with his cake, he does the same. Letting the divine water relax his tired muscles. After a few minutes, he can feel eyes burning holes in his skull. 

“Still hungry?” The older elf taunts as he keeps his eyes closed, arms stretched out to the sides and head hanging loosely on the harsh stones. “Even without looking, I can feel you staring. You want to make me as wet as the surrounding water. Don’t you?” Jarod opens one half lidded eye to look to his left. Fandral looks like a wild animal ready to pound his prey. “I see. You hunger for me. You need me.” Jarod says with a smirk, it’s a fact, not a question. He is curious to see what the druid will do. He can sense the need to tun his recent stress into pleasure, even though they both had that release only a short while ago. 

“You little…” Fandral growls so deeply in his throat that Jarod can almost not make out the words. The druid moves forwards and Jarod pushes off the side to stand. Without any delay, Fandral takes Jarod’s head between his hands in order to kiss him. The warrior keeps a hand on the stones beside him, and the other rests on Fandral’s hip. It’s a sloppy and sweet yet salty kiss. Fandral’s hands travel from his face through his hair and grab hold, turning and pulling to control Jarod’s movements. When they break their kiss, there is a rare tenderness on the druid’s visage as one hand strokes the warrior’s face. 

“I thought… you had left…” Fandral whispers, and the surprising sadness and honesty in it, breaks Jarod’s heart. He covers Fandral’s hand with his own and quickly shakes his head. 

“To be honest, I thought you had left.” Jarod counters, and Fandral tilts his head. “I wanted to talk with you, but you flew off in such a hurry. I thought there was a world ending crisis.” The old elf chuckled a little. 

“I am needed back in Darnassus but… I managed to delay it for a day.” The Archdruid informs him. His thumb caresses Jarod’s cheek and his voice drops to a whisper. “Will you join me in Darnassus?” Such a loaded question, that will be met with an even heavier answer. The moment seems to last minutes. 

“No, I can’t. I have to get back to my wife, I have been away for too long…” Painfully the words hang between them, there is a struggle on Fandral’s face and Jarod isn’t sure what it is about. The fact Jarod mentioned his wife, that he isn’t joining him in Darnassus or that their… whatever this is… is inevitably ending. After a while, Fandral simply nods and bends down to kiss him again. It is soft and sweet. That is something Jarod simply can’t handle right now. He speeds up the kiss and moans hungerly to change the tone. It works. 

Jarod is crushed against the rocks, unfortunately not the smooth ones but the jagged rocks. The skin on his back breaks under the pressure. Fandral moves between his legs, letting the warrior rest some of his weight on the druid. Strong hands move lower on Jarod’s body, caressing his ribs, abs, hips and finally butt cheeks. As Fandral moves a little, Jarod can feel the girthy cock jump against his ass but before that, a finger moves in without warning, making him groan. 

“Hnn…” Fandral breaks the kiss and looks down on the wriggling warrior. The long finger expertly finds what it was looking for and soon, another finger joins in. Jarod lets his head hang backwards as his innermost nerves get massaged. Low moans join the sounds nature provides and after a minute, a loud snarl breaks the peace. Fandral bares his teeth as he tries to patiently prepare Jarod, but his self-restraint is failing. With the smallest of nods from the old elf, Fandral takes out his fingers and lines up his cock.

“Ahhhnnn!” Jarod holds on for dear life as he gets completely filled up with flesh. Pleasure and pain dance throughout his body. Blood is now running down his ruined back. Little red lines and the familiar iron smell only work to spur the druid on. The water sloshed around as Fandral pounds into Jarod, who is now moaning louder and louder. Not holding back, free to be ravaged. 

“Kiss… me.” The Archdruid orders, and Jarod throws his arms around the elf’s neck in order to pull closer and comply. It’s a deep and heated kiss, and yet, there is a tenderness in it. Jarod feels himself being carried to the side where the water is lower. Fandral is now holding him above the water, dick still buried inside, and Jarod stops the kiss. Slowly the druid starts moving again or, more like, he is moving the warrior onto his cock. Jarod’s hair is painfully clinging to the small wounds on his back, and he hisses with every movement. 

“Turn around.” Fandral says as he lowers Jarod to stand on the ground. He almost slips on the water covered rocks and finds a good position for his knees. The rounded ass is still above the waterline, but his legs, knees and arms are soaked in the still heated water. He hears Fandral chuckle behind him, and before he can ask anything, his hole is filled up again. 

“Perfection.” The words leave the druid's mouth in a purr. Fandral’s hands travel over the wounded back, gathering the strands of hair in one hand, and the other roams gently over the bloody cuts. He now uses Jarod’s hair for leverage to slam into him as his fingers and nails tease the small wounds. A high amount of pleasure mixed with delicious torment makes Jarod see double as he is being pounded. Slowly the hand makes its way down and Jarod’s breath hitches as Fandral pushes in a finger, stretching the ring even further. Sweet despair fills his mind and his body relaxes against the gratification. The druid’s finger slides along the shaft while the hard cock inside stays still, it’s such a strange and yet addictive feeling to be filled up by more than one thing. Jarod can still not believe Fandral can make him lose his mind so readily. 

“More…” Jarod pleads as his cock weeps into the warm water below. He feels Fandral move behind him and with a yank of his hair, Jarod is pulled against the druid’s chest. His knees chafe on the rocks below, and his cock bounces free of the water, recoiling a little at the cold air. Fandral licks and nibbles on Jarod’s long ear as he keeps a tight grip on the silver hair.  

“Want to move to the grass? Or stay here?” Fandral whispers and Jarod is too enthralled to reply, but with an exchange of looks, Fandral nods. “Grass it is.” The finger and large dick plop free and water runs down Jarod’s legs as he is picked up and carried to the grass patch. Fandral lays him down and immediately moves between Jarod’s legs in order to deep throat his cock. The warrior’s hands fly into the thick green hair, grabbing hold in desperation, and he groans loudly. It feels so good, he can feel himself thickening inside the tight throat. With a few tasty bobs, Fandral leaves the dripping cock to bounce in the cool air. 

“My apologies for your back.” The Archdruid states without much care in his voice as he slowly moves the skin over the head of his own cock. He watches Jarod intently as he continues to play with himself. Fandral moves forward enough to press their dicks together as his huge hand covers them both, moving the skins in union. The desire on Fandral’s face is intoxicating, this truly is a person of many masks. He looked like he was going to murder the whole of Nighthaven a few hours ago and now, he is so delectable, it hurts. After a minute of them looking at each other, Fandral finally continues the sex instead of just teasing. He kisses Jarod so deeply that it leaves the warrior breathless. But there is no time to recover as Archdruid pushes himself in balls deep, filling his lover up. He gasps and Fandral ever so slowly fucks Jarod into the grassland while licking and kissing him. It’s driving the warrior completely and utterly insane. 

“Hnn… ahh…” Every time Fandral steadily pushes in, it pulls a loud moan from Jarod’s lips. He is moving at such a leisurely pace, it gives Jarod a minor heart attack every time he is completely skewered. His organs move around to accommodate the size, and his own cock weeps in neglect, begging for some form of touch. It’s pure torture. And it feels amazing.

“Hnrrr.” Fandral growls as he starts to fully build his orgasm, the slow tempo is now killing him as well, but he refuses to give in, trying to remain loving and calm. This is very much unlike the druid, and it kind of feels like he is waiting for something. And then it hits Jarod, maybe Fandral wants to be pushed over the edge by… him. With a handful of luscious dark green hair, he pulls the druid from licking his neck, drool drips down his chin into his beard and his tongue still hangs from his mouth in surprise.  

“Damn you… Fuck me.” Jarod orders as he looks deep into the golden eyes. Fandral’s pupils dilate, his eye twitches, and his lips pull back into a feral snarl. The warrior’s mind is racing, he wants to give the druid more.

“ Now .” Jarod growls as best as he can and pulls him closer, opens his mouth to bite down on Fandral’s shoulder, like the druid had done to him. It feels foreign, but he tries to chomp down hard enough for it to hurt but not maim the other elf. His canine sink slowly into the hard flesh of the muscled shoulder. He can feel the shudders through the tissue, and Jarod feels a tingle of power over the Archdruid. 

“Arrgghn!” Fandral screams, the sound is laced with surprise, pain and a deep desire. Within a second, Jarod is being brutally pounded. The loose bits of flesh on his back tear off on the grass, nails dig deep into his upper arms and shoulders, and his hole feels raw and torn from the sheer force. It doesn’t even take a minute for Fandral to come deeply inside Jarod. The druid holds him tightly, his heavy breathing shaking with trembles of pleasure. It takes him longer to recover then the love they just made. 

“Hnn… ahhh…” Jarod moans deeply as Fandral slowly removes himself. Their eyes meet, and Fandral silently moves himself to hover over Jarod. With only the bare minimum of slicking to his ass, he lowers himself fully onto Jarod wet hard cock. It’s so very tight and warm, the warrior can do nothing but gasp and hold on to Fandral’s broad hips for dear life. 

“Hmm yes…” The older elf groans, and he tries everything in his power to make it last as long as possible, but he simply can’t. Fandral is moving fast and curvy, almost like a dance, and the sight is so enthralling that Jarod comes quickly and hard. His nails dig into the druid’s flesh as he milks himself of every drop. 

“Jarod.” Fandral calls his name, but he doesn’t respond, he wants this moment to last forever. Even when he is carried to the water and washed by caring hands, Jarod doesn’t speak or open his eyes. He just leans against the warm and hard body that is so gently handling him. Of course, everything good comes to an end. They spend hours in and near the water, from cuddling to kissing and just talking. Jarod even made the Archdruid smile a few times, a genuine smile. 

While walking back to Nighthaven, Fandral suddenly stopped and pulled Jarod to him. Instead of kissing him, what Jarod thought he was going to do, the druid pressed their foreheads together. Noses touching, eyes closed, breathing in sync. Without words, Fandral let go of Jarod and resumed their walk into town. The pit in the warrior’s stomach felt like the ore he had sold earlier that day. Something felt… wrong.    

Nighthaven is bustling with people and with a grunt Fandral turns to Jarod for the last time. His broad shoulders are straight, his head held high with arrogance, but his golden eyes show a sadness. With a tightly closed fist, Fandral pounds his chest once and holds the fist over his heart. 

“Save journey and thank you, Jarod, for everything. Ishnu-alah, Shal.” Fandral bows slightly and lets his hand fall to the side lifelessly. Jarod is speechless and feels a lump in his throat. 

“Shal…” The warrior whispers as he watches Fandral’s back as the druid walks away. Fandral had called him a shadow. The feeling of dread doubled, and Jarod didn’t want Fandral to leave. In the distance, he saw a group of elves notice the Archdruid, and they moved to intercept. Whatever he was going to do or say, it must be now.  

“Call for me, if you have need.” Jarod suddenly blurts, and Fandral stops in his tracks to turn in surprise. They look at each for a few seconds, and Fandral’s expression softens. With a scoff and smile, he nods to the older elf and resumes walking. Jarod hangs his head in defeat and wants to leave immediately. Suddenly, Nighthaven isn’t beautiful to him anymore. While packing up his belongings and making sure his sabers were rested for the road, Jarod feels eyes on him. Not the burning kind like Fandral’s stare, but they do feel as heavy. 

A female druid looks at him with a little knowing smile. She has two purple linear tattoos over her eyes, which get interrupted by a scar over her left eye and brow. The damaged eye is discolored from her other eye, which glows a bright bluish gray. She has long silvery hair that matches Jarod’s own. Her companions stand a little ways behind her, consisting of two humans, a male paladin by the looks of the golden armor and big shield and a female with a long dark purple dress, which is probably a mage or warlock. Then there is a serious looking night elf hunter who is playing with the fur of the ominously looking blue dire wolf. And last but not least, a very tall night elf rogue with piercing golden eyes and long green hair pulled into a high tail, he absently twirls his throwing knife while shaking his head. They are clearly lost in a debate and feel kind of out of place, just like Jarod. The group is probably just passing through or using Nighthaven as a meeting point. 

Jarod feels like he knows the night elf druid but cannot seem to place the woman. The paladin turns around in a huff and looks at Jarod, then he switches his gaze to the druid and he furrows his brow. They must be good friends because his stance changes to a more defensive position and Jarod feels like the bad guy just for watching in her direction. While she started it! 

“Come on, Tasz, we should go.” The paladin calls and they share a look. Before turning, she smiles at Jarod and politely bows. And then suddenly the name rings a bell, she is one of the famous adventurers that is well liked by both the Alliance and even by some of the Horde. A druid who is always helping with quests or difficult dungeons. Yes, Jarod has heard of her exploits, even when he has hidden from society. She might be on the road to becoming a champion of Azeroth, just like Jarod once was. As the druid walks back, they all look at her, as she explains what needs to be done. With curt nods, they all agree and follow their party leader as they all mount up on various animals to go on their next mission. 

Jarod takes in the last of Nighthaven with a sigh and then also turns to leave. It had been such an eventful couple of days, and he suddenly feels more than ready to leave it all behind. He swiftly climbs on top of Bard and takes the reins in his hands when he hears a familiar voice call out. 

“Wait, please wait!” A young druid comes running towards Jarod. Starseeker. In the background, the blue haired guardian and black haired spell caster both bow and smile at Jarod. The warrior mirrors their actions. He likes those two, they are strong and friendly druids, just the way he imagines what a true druid is. Not as jovial and clumsy as Starseeker or stoic as Fandral, but reliable, calm and caring. Jarod lowers his gaze to look at the young elf standing near the rear of his mount.  

“Don’t leave without saying goodbye. You have done so much for me and I would like to call you my friend, but... you never even told me your name.” There was a sadness on his face, and Jarod nudged Bard to turn around so he could see the boy clearly. In more than one way, the druid had also helped him and even though Jarod knows he doesn’t want to say it, he feels that he must. The boy deserves it.  

“And so, a friend you will have in me, Starseeker. My hope is our paths will cross again and when they do, Jarod Shadowsong will gladly have you as a healer. May Elune guide your path.” Jarod did a little fatherly nod and urged Bard to start walking. The shock of recognition was on the young druid’s face was priceless, color rising to his cheeks, mouth hanging open. Jarod starts laughing and raises his arm in a simple wave goodbye. As he glances over his shoulder, he sees the shape of Starseeker waving back with two arms high above his head. 

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What she had witnessed earlier in the forest as she flew over to join her friends was clearly not meant for eyes. They were entangled in something… quite hot! She recognizes her own leader, Fandral Staghelm, immediately, seeing as she frequently helps him by completing quests and collecting un'goro soil. The other man is familiar but takes a lot more digging into her memory. But she knows this, she is, after all, a loremaster! 

The books were about the War of the Ancients, it was a very interesting trilogy, and she remembers a handsome young night elf. A warrior with greatness in him but, unfortunately, not the will to lead. Jarod Shadowsong was his name, and this older, gruffly version looks suspiciously like him. As if hearing her thoughts, the silver haired man turns to look at her. After inspecting the party behind her, he narrows his eyes. She saw him and his sister in paintings, strewn about in the catacombs of the buried side of Darnassus. Hidden, forgotten. But she is positive, it’s Jarod Shadowsong. Still handsome, she mused with a grin. 

“Come on Tasz, we should go.” Her friend calls to her, and she decides to put the old night elf at ease. With a smile and bow, she shows her respect and at the same time, memorizes him. She is sure the future will have something big in store for him, the ones who never desire such things, always get it.

“Who knows. I might bump into him again along the way.” Tasz whispers to herself and smiles as she thinks back to the rough sexing couple she stumbled upon in the forest. She is still flabbergasted at not being caught by master Staghelm. One thing is certain, she will not look at him the same ever again! He has earned her respect in more than one way. It’s also not the first time she has been witness to something like this. But that is what makes life so much damn fun. 

“Maybe I should write a book about it…” She jokingly says before joining her party, they have an instance to complete after all. These quests aren't going to complete themselves.

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They have been traveling for over a day, and Jarod has stopped twice already to switch mounts. As expected, the two sabers truly go well together. He is currently on top of his new night saber named Alor'el. He chose that name for both her new-found relation to Bard and her gorgeous pelt. Alor'el, lover’s leaf, a legendary exquisite flower. 

Jarod pulls back the reins and whistles, it’s time to eat and rest. While they walk around to find a nice spot, he eats dried fruits and drinks the last bit of melon juice from his flask. He feeds the sabers, and then they crawl together, Alor’el quickly falls asleep while Bard just lays his head on her back, keeping an eye out for intruders. Jarod finds a comfy tree and wiggles against it, his mind wanders back to when Fandral yanked him off the ground when he did so last time. As Jarod smiles to himself, he shakes his head in disbelief. Even though everything they did is edged into his brain, he still finds it difficult to believe. Tired from all the riding, he slides into a nice slumber. 

Jarod turns around and looks at the barren land. In the distance there is something akin to a mountain, no wait, a volcano. Suddenly Jarod feels the heat as he zooms in on the volcano, it just shoots to him from far away and Jarod raises his arms in protection. When nothing happens, he lowers his arms to see what happened. The volcano stands strong in front of him, lava sputtering from the top. He carefully walks amongst the lava, cautious not to touch it. And then he sees a figure standing at the root of the volcano with fireballs hovering around him. Is he controlling the fireballs, or are they threatening him? As Jarod walks closer, he recognizes the person. Slowly the man turns around and even though his hair is a different color, his eyes are orange and burning tattoos cover his bare torso, he knows who it is. Fear roots him to the ground. 

“Fandral…” Jarod breathes out in shock. The Archdruid looks tired, hollow and alone. Fire is licking at his side, his feet slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. Jarod cannot reach him as the ground between them crumbles away. Fandral doesn’t say anything, and he stands tall as he accepts his fate. But his eyes… his eyes are begging for help. Jarod tries to move, but his legs don’t listen to him. Fandral starts talking to him, his mouth moves, but Jarod hears nothing. The eyes increasingly grow desperate, there is so much pain in them. And then a single reddish tear slides down his cheek, and Jarod feels his heart break. He knows he is too far away, but he still reaches out to the Archdruid. He sees movement, an attempt to reach for Jarod but then the tattoos on Fandral's skin crack and burst open, he screams a soundless cry and is swallowed up into the ground. 

“NOOOO!” Jarod bolts from the tree, tumbles forward, and lands painfully on his hands and knees. A worried Bard looks at him. He is sweating profoundly, and his vision is blurry. Quickly, Jarod jumps up and stumbles toward the road, he hears the saber groan behind him. When he reaches the road, he is out of breath, looking at the stones that leads back to Moonglade and Nighthaven. Should he go back? What does this mean? Is Fandral in danger? Jarod hides his face into his hands as he crashes to the ground and shakes his head. The lonely, pained eyes of Fandral flash before him, but then another image pushes Fandral aside. It’s a coughing Shalasyr in bed, she is pale and thin. Jarod lets his arms fall to his side as he sits on the ground, defeated. Bard nuzzles his arm and Alor’el whines from the treeline. Both animals feel his distress.   

“Shalasyr is waiting for me. I have to keep going.” Jarod mumbles and quickly saddles Bard up to continue their journey. But before he leaves, he again turns his face towards Nighthaven. At this point it’s more than a day away and Fandral might not even be there anymore. Jarod closes his eyes tightly, the thought of the burning Fandral makes his heart ache. He jumps on Bard’s back and continues the way home with a heavy soul.  

“Stay safe, Fandral, please stay safe.” He says with determined glowing eyes on the horizon. But deep down, he knows something terrible is going to happen. 

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That was it! The end of A Stag and his Shadow <3 I hope you enjoyed it.