Ranger Lord Elaeryn Stardrifter

Journey Beyond (2)

The Ranger Lord rose, brushing snow from his cloak as he made his way toward the cabin. It was an effort to do so calmly with nerves rattled as they were, yet he put one foot in front of the other, concentrating upon his breath to keep his muscles from tightening and thereby heightening the vague sense of anxiety he wrestled with. Upon reaching the doorway, he took in the carvings and knotwork whittled with care over the years. Each curve and spiral, each snarling face and graceful frond of fern, brought him back to the present moment and a state of expectant readiness. With an exhale he pushed open the heavy oaken door and uttered the only word that was worthy to break his concentration.

“Neri…?”

Despite stating it softly, her name traveled through the house to its intended target straight as an arrow from a Farstrider’s quiver. From the back room where she was attending to her long red hair after bathing, Neristrana’s ears immediately perked, catching the plaintive edge to the Ranger-Lord’s voice--something not often heard indeed. Tossing a robe about her form to cover bare shoulders, she rose from her desk and padded forward with haste.

“Alar'annalas,” she murmured with a slight inclination of her head and earnest, concerned eyes, “you seem distraught.”

She used his formal title. It had been quite some time since he had heard it. Then again, Neristrana Silvertread always had a way of inserting respect into her greetings and farewells. It was one of Elaeryn’s favorite things about the Captain. Rather than rushing toward informality with time and familiarity--or perhaps despite it--she remained overall as she was when they first met: respectful and steadfast to her principles. She took the world seriously, seeking not to diminish the import people and animals had to their ecological systems and each other. Life, even a long one, was fleeting. Neri grasped this concept intuitively and gave everyone their due be they king, commander, colleague, riding steed or hunting quarry. Nearly seven years together had not changed her regard, and he doubted it ever would.

Flashing through Ranger Lord’s mind in an instant, these thoughts caused the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes to deepen as he smiled slightly at her approach. Rather than her demurred title-proffering feeding his hubris, he felt more relaxed and in control--reminded of who he was in this world, ready to take on anything. The word had the intended effect as he felt his confidence bolstered and less self-conscious regarding relaying the strange message of what he had seen.

“Outside, by the water. I sought a moment of solace in nature and everything shifted. I believe I have had some sort of...vision, Neri. I cannot explain it beyond that. I have been summoned.  Called to the mountains.” He paused, running his hands through his hair, shaking out lingering flakes. “They were covered in deep snow and the air was thin and crisp. Perhaps Northrend, but then I can only imagine Pandaria. The atmosphere was bright and no known mountains are as high as what I have seen.”

“A vision, Lord Ranger? How unusual. And of Pandaria you say?” Her voice was quizzical, with a slight note of apprehension. The look which passed between them was loaded, communicating much without a word. Old wounds long healed but the scars were there to stay. As if to confirm their shared but unspoken thought, she peered down toward her chest at the tattooed tiger paws peeking just past the edges of the robe. “Are you sure they might not be the Storm Peaks?” she asked quietly after a pause, hugging the robe tighter to shield the marks from view as she glanced away.

Catching her subtle movement--the slight caving inward in old shame--he reached out to tug at the V-neck of the robe, exposing the tattoos. “We wear the marks of our lives with pride, Captain,” he murmured gently. Touching his left fingertips to his own chest, to where the hidden black heart-scar resided from the days of the Second War, he reached out with his right hand to touch each of her tattoos gently. Chilled, calloused fingers seared into the inked, fire-warmed flesh before they floated upward, index finger catching the crook of her chin to bring her eyes to meet his once again. “Mountains are not all,” he continued, eyes glittering in the half-light of the doorframe. “There was a great tiger; white, with blue eyes. I believe I have heard of such a creature.”

Imbued now with his self-possession, she stood up up a bit straighter and nodded, eyes glinting with interest. “And I have seen him, my Lord Ranger. Once, briefly, while serving upon the Isle of Thunder. He is a great spiritual force. Xuen the White Tiger, Spirit of Strength. I agree you have seen Pandaria.”

Xuen, of course. One of the August Celestials. Elaeryn’s knowledge of them was limited, but he knew enough to be perplexed. Why was the spiritual leader of the Pandaren people appearing to him? And now, in this place?

His fingers slid down to grasp her wrist. “Neri, you haven’t questioned me about this ‘vision’. It is not like me to speak as a mystic. Should I trust it?” His smokey green eyes searched her fair countenance for counsel, his head canting just slightly as lips pursed with unanswered questions.

She drank in that look, appreciating the vulnerability. Taking a long moment to respond, she inhaled slowly to gather her thoughts as she grasped his hand resolutely. “My Lord Ranger, as you have oft reminded me, we all evolve. When I was in Panardia, I saw sides of myself that I never thought possible. I witnessed great spirits incarnate; thunder in the shape of a Mogu; I worked side by side with trolls. The spirit of the tiger, my uncle’s very tigress in fact, touched me in ways that changed me forever.”

At his faintly surprised look, she nodded. “She saved me: my guardian, my Belmaria. I fancied for many years that I felt her watching over me, chalking it up to wishful thinking perhaps. But when I risked myself for that troll druid and was hit with the blow meant for her, everything shifted and I knew Belmaria’s presence was real. A gift. Though, of course later her essence lingered during my convalescence and I give in to baser instincts...” she swallowed, dancing around the topic of that indiscretion carefully, stroking his palm as she continued, flicking a glance down at his chest and the scar she knew lingered there. “She helped me push through the wounds, an impossible situation, and do what I had to do to survive. Ever since, I’ve felt a kinship to tigers and by proxy to the greatest tiger of them all, Xuen.”

Regarding her thoughtfully, he considered her words carefully. What she spoke of--a time when she had been nearly lost to him so far away--she had given herself to another member of her unit. Elaeryn had forgiven that long ago, knowing full well what can happen in war. Really, there was nothing to forgive. Losing her to a foreign conflict had been a nightmare scenario and he was content she had returned in one piece. Neristrana was his First Duty and always would be.

He peered once again to her tiger paw tattoos. “Balance in all things, Neri. Nothing great and powerful comes without a price or a learning curve. You are strong, and whatever may have lent itself to your aid I welcome. Tiger guardian spirits though...now -you’re- sounding like the mystic.”

“Perhaps. And you, Alar'annalas, are one of the most mystical people I have known,” she asserted, grinning.

Taken aback, dark brows arched as he glanced again to her face. “You don’t say.”

“You may not have had formal training in the clergy, but you are disciplined, forthright and true," she asserted, "and spend more time practicing your craft and examining your thoughts and motivations than most. Driven always to excel and improve, you bring out the best in those around you by thought and deed. Of late, I can see you are drawn ever more by the internal, touched by something timeless; so I cannot say I’m terribly surprised by this turn of events.”

Neri paused, shivering as she realized the door was still ajar. Tugging him into the warm room, she shut the door and leaned her back against it, squeezing his hand as she continued. “It seems to me rather, that this has been a long time coming. I have watched you change here, Elaeryn. Removed from the consuming nature of your duties at home you are open to other things. I trust your compass, I trust the tiger, and I say we should see where this path takes you.”