"You will be assigned as a trainee Sentinel under Nightwhisper's command," Melyria said.
Relara's heart soared. This was what she had dreamed of for years!
Nightwhisper met Melyria's eyes for a brief moment and gave a slight nod. Then she smiled warmly and gently touched Relara's shoulder.
"I will take good care of Whitemoon," she said.
"She needs proper guidance after what she's been through," Melyria said quietly.
"Of course, Commander. I understand completely." Nightwhisper placed her fist over her heart. "Enshu-falah-nah."
"Asha'falah," Melyria replied with a dismissive wave. "Take her to your squad."
Nightwhisper guided Relara away from the commander's office, walking slowly down the spiral staircase as she spoke in a quiet voice. "I will introduce you to the squad under my command, and show you our living quarters as well," she explained. "I will also personally confirm your current skills through testing and observation. Is that clear?"
"Yes!" Relara said hurriedly.
Nightwhisper patted her shoulder gently and led her out of Raynewood Tower toward one of the massive trees surrounding the marble structure. Wooden platforms and walkways connected dozens of trees at various heights, creating a small village in the canopy.
"Each tree serves as living quarters for a squad of Sentinels," Nightwhisper explained as they approached a particularly large oak. "Commander Frostshadow commands around forty Sentinels total, organized into ten squads. You'll join my squad as the fourth Sentinel under my command."
While they walked up the curved ramp that spiraled around the tree trunk, Nightwhisper continued speaking. "My given name is Medriel, by the way. I prefer my sisters use it when we're not in formal situations."
"Thank you for sharing that with me, Medriel," Relara replied respectfully.
"How many years have you seen, young Whitemoon?" Medriel asked as they climbed higher.
"Two hundred and fifty," Relara answered.
Medriel nodded without surprise. "A good age for beginning your service. You're old enough to have developed your skills, but young enough to adapt to our ways."
They reached a wider section of the ramp, and two other Sentinels approached them from below. The first was a warrior wearing light metal armor that left parts of her arms, belly, and thighs exposed for mobility. The second was clearly an archer, who wore small shoulder pads, arm guards, knee pads, a band across her chest, and a loincloth. Everything was crafted from supple dark leather designed for maximum stealth and movement through the forests.
"Ishnu-alah, Medriel!" the warrior called out, embracing her warmly.
"Shaha Lor'ma, sisters," Medriel replied, returning the hug. "This is Relara Whitemoon, our new trainee."
The archer smiled and also hugged Medriel before looking curiously at Relara's tattoos.
They waved goodbye and continued up the ramp and soon arrived at a large platform of living wood. It was a wide, circular space open to the air with a low, carved railing of interwoven roots around the edges. There was no ceiling beyond the branches and leaves of the tree itself. A weapon rack had been carved directly into the massive trunk, holding moonglaives, bows, and daggers in organized rows.
A low round table grown from the tree itself dominated the center of the platform, with empty dishes suggesting it was where the squad took their meals. Cushions surrounded the table, and one Sentinel with light blue hair was sitting there quietly reading a book.
Relara noticed that an isolated corner of the platform was surrounded by living wood walls, with an entrance covered entirely by thin leaves.
She assumed this served as the sleeping quarters.
The light-blue haired Sentinel raised her head and smiled upon seeing Nightwhisper.
"Elune-adore, Medriel," she said warmly, then looked at Relara with raised eyebrows.
Medriel let go of Relara's shoulder and knocked on the living wood wall of the sleeping quarters.
"Amare! Come out here, please."
One more purple-haired Sentinel pushed aside the thin leaves covering the entrance, stretching and yawning as if she had been napping.
"Heyy," she said sleepily, then noticed Relara standing there. "Oh! We have a visitor."
Medriel placed her hand gently on Relara's waist and guided her toward the cushions around the low table. "Everyone, please sit. I have important news to share."
She settled Relara down on a soft cushion beside her own, keeping her hand resting lightly on Relara's back in a comforting gesture. The other two Sentinels quickly joined them around the table, their eyes curious and welcoming.
"Sisters, this is Relara Whitemoon, our new trainee Sentinel," Medriel began. "Relara, these are my squad sisters. This is Shindre Darksong," she gestured to the light-blue haired Sentinel who had been reading, "and Amare Silversky," she indicated the purple-haired one who had just exited the sleeping quarters.
"Ishnu-alah, sister," Shindre said with a gentle smile.
"Welcome to our tree-home," Amare added drowsily.
Medriel's hand moved in small, soothing circles on Relara's back as she continued. "Relara has been through a terrible ordeal. She was captured by satyrs and held prisoner at a settlement called Night Run for weeks, but Elune blessed her with the strength to resist their corruption and escape."
Both Sentinels gasped.
"By the Moon Goddess," Shindre whispered, reaching across the table to take Relara's hand. "You poor thing."
Amare moved around the table and sat down on Relara's other side, wrapping her arm around Relara's shoulders. "You're safe now, sister. We won't let anything happen to you here."
The gentle touches and kind words from these Sentinels made Relara's chest tighten.
"She also helped rescue a night elf who had been transformed into a satyr," Medriel said. "Elune herself intervened during their escape, purifying him completely and granting Relara three powerful blessings."
"Three blessings?" Shindre asked in amazement. "What kind of blessings?"
Relara took a shaky breath, feeling tears starting to form in her amber eyes. "She protected me from corruption, the ability to see guiding wisps when I need help, and..."
She raised her hand and concentrated, manifesting her spiritual bow of silvery light.
Both Sentinels stared in wonder at the weapon made of pure spiritual energy.
"Elune's grace," Amare breathed.
"It's beautiful," Shindre added softly.
Relara dismissed the bow and wiped at her eyes, surprised to find tears running down her cheeks. She hadn't expected to cry, but the kindness from these Sentinels after everything she had endured was more than she could handle.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't know why I'm crying."
"Don't apologize," Amare said firmly, pulling her into a proper hug. "You've been through trauma that would break most people. It's natural to feel emotional when you're finally safe."
Shindre moved closer and joined the embrace, sandwiching Relara between the two warm, caring Sentinels. "We're your sisters now. You don't have to face anything alone anymore."
Medriel watched with a gentle smile, her hand still resting supportively on Relara's back. "Take all the time you need, Relara. There's no shame in tears among sisters."
After a few moments, Relara pulled back from the embrace and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Thank you. I feel better now."
"Good," Medriel said. "Now, I need to assess your current skills so I can plan your training properly. Tell us about yourself."
Relara straightened up, feeling more confident now that she was surrounded by supportive sisters. "I'm very skilled with the bow. My mother taught me to shoot almost before I could walk properly. I can hit targets at distances that would challenge most hunters."
"Excellent," Shindre nodded approvingly. "Archery is the foundation of Sentinel combat."
"I'm also quite good with daggers," Relara continued. "I know most Sentinels prefer the moonglaive, and I can use one adequately, but I've always felt more natural with shorter blades. There's something about the precision of dagger work that appeals to me."
Amare raised her hand. "I prefer daggers too!"
"What about other skills?" Medriel asked.
"I'm a master at skinning pelts and working leather," Relara said. "I can craft armor, boots, bracers, anything needed from animal hides. I also know some herbology and basic alchemy, though I'm still learning those arts."
"Those are valuable skills," Medriel muttered.
"My mother was a Sentinel," Relara added quietly. "She taught me everything she knew before..." She trailed off, not wanting to speak of her mother's capture again.
Medriel's eyes softened. "We should get some food in you," she said, changing the subject. "I imagine you haven't had a proper meal in quite some time."
Relara's stomach growled loudly at the mention of food, making her blush. "The satyrs only gave us scraps of moldy bread and dirty water. I can't remember the last time I had real food."
"That settles it then," Medriel declared. "We're having a feast to welcome our new sister properly."
Shindre perked up. "Oh! Could we get some Spider Kabobs from the kitchens?"
"And Darnassus Kimchi Pie!" Amare added eagerly. "The cooks made fresh ones, and the smell was driving me mad during my nap."
Medriel nodded approvingly. "Amare, Shindre, would you mind fetching everything from the kitchens? Get enough for all of us, and maybe some moonberry wine too..."
"Of course!" Shindre said, jumping to her feet with enthusiasm.
"We'll be back soon," Amare promised, following Shindre toward the ramp.
Medriel waved them goodbye as they disappeared down the curved walkway.
Once they were alone on the platform, Medriel moved closer to Relara and wrapped her arms around her in a warm embrace. "I heard what you said about your mother being captured by orcs," she said softly. "I can only imagine how much pain that must cause you."
Relara leaned into the comfort of Medriel's arms. "She was everything to me," Relara whispered against Medriel's shoulder. "She taught all I know, and I felt like part of my soul was ripped away when the orcs captured her..."
"Tell me what happened," Medriel urged.
Relara pulled back slightly to look into Medriel's eyes. "She was on patrol near the borders of our territory when a Warsong raiding party caught her patrol by surprise."
At the mention of the Warsong clan, Medriel's eyes flashed with fury. Her grip on Relara tightened, and her lips pulled back in a snarl that revealed her elongated canine teeth. "Those green-skinned savages," she hissed. "They defile everything they touch with their presence in our sacred forests."
Her father had told her to accept what had happened and move on with her life.
She knew that a Sentinel would understand exactly how she felt about the orcs.
"I want to kill every last one of them," Relara confessed. "I want to put arrows through their hearts and watch them bleed out in the dirt where they belong."
"Yes," Medriel breathed, her purple eyes lighting up with fierce approval. She pulled Relara closer until the younger night elf was almost sitting in her lap, cradled against her chest. "The orcs are a plague upon Azeroth that must be cleansed. Every breath they take in our forests is an insult to Elune herself."
"…my father tried to make me forget about revenge," Relara's muscles were tense from the sudden intimacy as she spoke. "He said hatred would consume me and that I should focus on healing instead of fighting. But how can I heal when those monsters are still out there?"
"Your father was wrong!" Medriel asserted.
"The desire for justice against those who harm our people is not something to be ashamed of. It's what makes us Sentinels. We are the Moon Goddess's hunters, and orcs are the prey that must be eliminated."
Relara looked at Medriel's face and saw the same burning hatred in her eyes that she felt in her own heart.
"You really understand," she whispered.
"I have killed forty-three orcs with my own hands," Medriel said with dark satisfaction. "Each one died slowly, and I made sure they knew why they were being punished before I ended their miserable lives."
The admission sent a thrill through Relara's body. This was what she had dreamed of… finding someone who shared her desire to make the orcs pay for what they had done.
"I want to learn from you," she said urgently.
"You will," Medriel promised. "But first, we need to make you into a proper Sentinel. The orcs are brutal fighters, and you'll need every advantage we can give you if you want to survive long enough to get your revenge."
"I'll train harder than any Sentinel before me if that's what it requires!"
"Good," Medriel seemed pleased. "I can already tell you have the heart of a true hunter. The way you escaped from those satyrs proves you have both courage and cunning."
"The satyrs were nothing compared to what I want to do to the orcs," Relara spat.
Medriel's hand moved to cup Relara's pale cheek. "I can see why Elune chose to bless you so heavily. The Moon Goddess needs warriors like you in the battles to come." she whispered.
Relara felt her cheeks warm under Medriel's touch, but she didn't pull away.
"Do you think my mother is still alive?" she asked, distracting herself.
"Orcs usually keep prisoners for slave labor or worse," Medriel said honestly. "But your mother was a Sentinel, which means she was trained to survive in hostile conditions. If anyone could endure captivity and find a way to escape, it would be one of our sisters..."
"I keep hoping I'll see her again someday," Relara sighed. "But part of me thinks it might be better if she died fighting rather than suffering whatever the orcs are doing to her."
"Don't give up hope yet," Medriel reassured her. "We've rescued Sentinels from orc camps before, sometimes months after their capture. Your mother might still be waiting for us to find her."
"The men back in Astranaar acted like wanting revenge makes me a bad person…"
"Men," Medriel scoffed. "Most of them are too soft to understand what real strength looks like. They sit around in their shops and taverns, talking about forgiveness while we women do the actual fighting to protect our people."
"But my father always said that men and women should work together," Relara said quietly.
"Your father was the one who drugged you and handed you over to satyrs," Medriel pointed out bluntly. "Does that sound like the wisdom of someone you should be listening to?"
Relara felt a flash of anger at the reminder of her father's betrayal. "You're right," she admitted. "He thought he was protecting me, but all he did was make me helpless."
"Exactly," Medriel curled her nose. "Men think protection means keeping women weak and sheltered. We know that real protection comes from making ourselves strong enough to fight our own battles."
"The few men who do have real courage usually end up as druids," Medriel sighed deeply, "and then they spend most of their time asleep in the Emerald Dream, tending to the wilds instead of dealing with the actual threats in the waking world. It's been too long since we've consistently had male druids who stayed awake long enough to be useful in a real crisis."
Relara nodded slowly. "So the women have to handle everything ourselves."
"We always have," Medriel said proudly. "High Priestess Tyrande leads our entire civilization. The Sentinels are an all-female military force. The priestesses of Elune are all women. Even our government is run by the Sisterhood. Men have their place in our society, but leadership and warfare are women's work."
"And that's why the men in Astranaar couldn't understand your desire for revenge," Medriel explained as she looked down at Relara. "They don't have the warrior spirit that Elune blessed women with. They think violence is something to be avoided rather than a tool for protecting what we love."
"But you understand," Relara said.
"Of course I do," Medriel tightened her arms around Relara. "I'm a woman and a Sentinel. I know that sometimes the only way to protect the innocent is to destroy those who would harm them. The orcs won't be stopped by pretty words or peaceful negotiations."
"I've never met a woman who talks about fighting the way you do."
"That's because your father kept you isolated from other warrior women," Medriel said with a slight edge to her voice. "He wanted you to be soft, just like most men prefer their women to be. But you were meant for something greater than that."
"How do you know?" Relara asked.
"Because Elune chose you," Medriel said simply. "The Moon Goddess doesn't waste her blessings on women who are meant to sit quietly at home. She marked you as one of her warriors, and now it's my job to help you become everything you're supposed to be."
Relara looked into Medriel's purple eyes and felt something flutter in her stomach.
"What am I supposed to become?"
"A hunter," Medriel said with a predatory smile. "A woman who strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies. Someone who can track down the orcs who took your mother and make them pay for every day of suffering they've caused."
"I want that more than anything," Relara whispered.
"Then stop worrying about what men think," Medriel commanded gently.
They sat together in comfortable silence for several minutes, with Medriel's arms wrapped affectionately around Relara and her fingers continuing to stroke the younger night elf's hair.
"What was your mother's name?" Medriel asked softly.
"Selenare Whitemoon," Relara replied. "She had the same white hair as me, but her eyes were silver instead of amber. She could put an arrow through a moving target at three hundred yards, and she taught me everything I know about archery."
"I'll remember her name," Medriel promised. "If we ever encounter orcs who might have information about Sentinel prisoners, I'll make sure to ask about Selenare specifically."
"You would do that for me?" Relara asked.
"Of course," Medriel immediately said. "You're my trainee now, which makes you my responsibility. But more than that, you're my sister. We take care of each other, no matter what."
Relara felt tears starting to form in her eyes again.
"I've never had sisters before," she whispered. "My father kept me isolated at home, trying to protect me from the world. I didn't realize how lonely I was until now."
"You'll never be lonely again," Medriel assured her, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Relara's head. "Shindre and Amare already adore you, and the rest of the Sentinels will welcome you with open arms once they hear your story."
"Thank you…" she smiled bashfully.