The sound of footsteps on the wooden ramp announced Amare and Shindre's return, their arms loaded with steaming dishes and bottles of wine. Relara's cheeks flushed deep purple as she realized she was still sitting in Medriel's lap, and she quickly tried to wiggle free.
Medriel chuckled softly and loosened her arms, allowing Relara to scramble back to her own cushion just as the other two Sentinels walked onto the platform.
"They gave us enough food for an entire garrison," Amare panted, setting down a large covered pot that smelled incredible. "The cooks insisted we take extra portions when I mentioned we had a new sister who hadn't eaten properly in weeks."
Shindre placed several wooden bowls and a platter of skewered meat on the living wood table. "Spider Kabobs, fresh from the fire," she announced proudly. "And Amare managed to convince them to give us an entire pot of Darnassus Kimchi Stew instead of just individual servings."
"By Elune's light, that smells amazing," Relara whispered.
"When did you last have a real meal?" Amare asked as she began ladling the spicy stew into bowls.
"I honestly can't remember," Relara admitted. "The satyrs gave us moldy bread and dirty water, but before that... my father was drugging me to keep me unconscious, so I wasn't eating much even then."
Shindre's eyebrows rose as she handed Relara a bowl of the steaming stew. "How long were you unconscious?"
"Eight months," Relara said quietly, accepting the bowl with grateful hands.
"Eight months!?" Amare nearly dropped the ladle.
Medriel's eyes flashed with anger. "Your father has much to answer for," she muttered darkly.
Relara took her first spoonful of the kimchi stew and nearly moaned with pleasure. The spicy fermented vegetables mixed with tender chunks of meat and rich broth was the most delicious thing she had tasted in almost a year. She began eating with desperate hunger, barely pausing to breathe between bites.
"Slow down, sister," Shindre said gently. "The food isn't going anywhere, and you'll make yourself sick if you eat too quickly after starving for so long."
"I can't help it," Relara mumbled around another mouthful. "This is incredible."
Amare beamed with pride as she settled onto her cushion with her own bowl. "I may have mentioned to the cooks that this was for a special welcome feast, and they might have added some extra seasonings they normally save for festival days."
"You always know how to get the best food out of the kitchens," Medriel said with fond exasperation. "I swear you could charm a saber cat into sharing its kill."
"Food is one of life's greatest pleasures," Amare replied philosophically, taking a large bite of spider kabob. "Why settle for bland rations when you can have something that makes your soul sing?"
Shindre reached over and brushed a crumb from Amare's chin with gentle fingers. "Because some of us actually have to think about our supply lines, love," she said with an amused smile, pressing a quick kiss to Amare's palm before settling back with her own meal.
"Speaking of supplies," Medriel quickly swallowed down a spider kabob and spoke, "Commander Melyria mentioned the situation in northern Ashenvale is getting worse. The demons from Felwood keep pushing south, and we're having to patrol further and further from our safe zones."
Shindre sighed. "I've been reading the reports from the forward scouts. It's been five years since the Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal, but Felwood is still crawling with demons and corrupted creatures. Every month they try to expand their territory."
"And now we have the Horde chopping down our forests from the east," Amare pouted. "The orcs and their goblin machines are destroying centuries of growth in mere days. It makes my heart weep to see such devastation."
Relara bit her lip at the mention of orcs. "How close have they come to Raynewood?"
"Too close for comfort," Medriel replied darkly. "But Keeper Ordanus has been invaluable in driving them back. One of Cenarius's eldest sons, with power that makes the very forest itself rise against our enemies. His dryads and that forest nymph Halannia have saved countless Sentinel lives."
"The orcs have only been on Kalimdor for three years," Shindre said. "Three years since they established that... Durotar place. Can you believe it? They just sailed across the ocean and decided our continent belonged to them too."
"They didn't even ask permission," Medriel's grip tightened on her bowl. "Just started chopping down our forests and attacking our people. The humans should have thrown them all back through that Dark Portal to whatever hellhole they crawled out of."
Amare reached for one of the wine bottles they'd brought up from the kitchens. "This talk is getting too dark for a welcome feast," she declared, pulling the cork with a satisfying pop.
"Moonberry wine, aged in silverleaf barrels. Perfect for washing away unpleasant thoughts."
She poured generous portions into wooden cups, the pale purple liquid glowing faintly in the moonlight.
Relara took a large sip that made her eyes water slightly from the alcohol content.
"Easy there, sister," Shindre laughed. "Moonberry wine is stronger than it tastes."
"I haven't had wine in a long time," Relara said, already feeling warmth spreading through her chest. "This is wonderful."
"The humans were too soft," Medriel barely touched her own cup as she continued ranting. "Putting orcs in camps instead of executing them for their crimes. Look what that mercy got them… orcs running wild across our forests now."
Relara took another large gulp of the moonberry wine, feeling the alcohol warm her stomach. The sweet berry flavor was incredible after weeks of stale water. "My mother always said the humans meant well, but they don't understand how dangerous orcs really are."
"Your mother was wise," Medriel said, then suddenly grabbed her wine cup and drained half of it in one long swallow. "The humans think they can tame savage beasts with kindness. They don't see what we see when orcs rampage through our sacred groves."
Shindre raised an eyebrow at her captain. "Medriel, perhaps we should remember that we did just join the Alliance. We're supposed to be working with the humans now."
"Alliance," Medriel spat, finishing the rest of her wine and reaching for the bottle. "We should never have lowered ourselves to that."
Amare leaned closer to Relara and whispered, "She always gets like this when she drinks."
Relara whispered back, "But she isn't wrong…"
"See?" Medriel pointed at Relara with her refilled cup, having overheard. "Even our newest sister understands. We are the children of the stars, blessed by Elune herself. These humans and dwarves and gnomes... they're like mayflies compared to us."
Shindre sighed and took a long sip of her own wine. "The Alliance has its benefits, Medriel. The dwarven rifles are quite effective against demons, and human cavalry has proven useful in open battles. We can learn from their tactics even if we're superior in other ways."
"Learn from them?" Medriel laughed bitterly, pouring herself another cup. "What tactics could they possibly teach us that we haven't perfected over millennia? We were fighting demons when their kingdoms were nothing but mud huts."
Amare giggled softly. "You have to admit, Medriel, their cooking techniques aren't terrible. Some of those human spice blends are quite interesting."
"Food doesn't win wars, dear Amare," Medriel said, though her tone softened when addressing her squad member. "And it certainly doesn't make up for their lacking decisiveness when it comes to dealing with real threats."
Relara found herself nodding along. The wine was making her feel bold.
"If the humans had just killed all the orcs from the start, maybe we could've wiped out a lot more demons by now..."
"Exactly!" Medriel slammed her cup down, sloshing wine onto the wooden table.
Shindre snorted and nearly choked on her wine. "By Elune's grace, we probably shouldn't be discussing genocide at a welcome feast," she said, wiping tears from her eyes as she giggled drunkenly. "No matter how much they might deserve it after what they did to our forests."
"You're right, you're right," Medriel waved her hand dismissively, though her eyes still burned with hatred.
Amare suddenly stood up with a mischievous grin, swaying slightly from the wine. "Speaking of things we should be doing," she said, reaching down to grab Shindre's hand, "my dear Shindre and I have some very important discussions to attend to in the sleeping area."
"Amare, we haven't finished eating," Shindre protested as Amare tugged her to her feet.
"The food will keep," Amare purred, pulling Shindre toward the curtained sleeping area at the far end of the platform. "And I'm sure Relara and Medriel can manage without us for a while."
"You're absolutely shameless," Shindre giggled, allowing herself to be dragged along despite her playful protests. "What will our new sister think of us?"
"She'll think we're properly celebrating her arrival," Amare called back over her shoulder with a wink before disappearing behind the curtains with Shindre in tow.
Relara's cheeks burned bright purple as she stared at the swaying curtains.
Medriel chuckled and refilled both their wine cups. "Those two have been inseparable since the day they met," she said fondly. "Amare seduced Shindre within a week of being assigned to my squad, and they've been like that ever since. It's actually quite beautiful to watch… they're matched in every way that matters."
"They're very lucky," Relara said quietly, taking a large gulp of wine to calm her nerves.
"The Sentinels are more than just a military unit," Medriel explained, her words slightly slurred from the alcohol. "When you patrol the wilds together, facing death side by side, bonds form that go deeper than mere friendship. Many of us find our life partners among our sister warriors."
Relara nodded, thinking of how comfortable Amare and Shindre seemed together.
"Tomorrow I'll need to confirm your skills personally," Medriel continued, leaning back against her cushions. "You've told me what you know, but I need to see your archery and blade work with my own eyes before I can properly assign your duties."
"Of course, Captain," Relara said, trying to focus on the discussion despite the wine making her head swim.
"After that, we'll begin your advanced training," Medriel muttered, counting off on her fingers. "You'll need to learn how to operate the Glaive Throwers - those massive ballistae we use for siege warfare and taking down large demons. The mechanisms are complex, but with your archery skills you should pick it up quickly."
"More importantly," Medriel smiled, "I want to train you as a hippogryph rider. We need skilled archers who can fight from the air, providing rapid response support for ground units and scouting deep into enemy territory."
"That sounds incredible," Relara breathed.
"It takes months of training to master," Medriel warned, though her smile showed how much she enjoyed the prospect of teaching. "The hippogryphs are intelligent and proud creatures that won't accept just anyone as a rider. You have to prove yourself worthy of their partnership."
Relara took another sip of wine, feeling overwhelmed by everything that was happening.
Just days ago she had been a prisoner facing demonic transformation, and now she was being offered training in Sentinel warfare techniques she had only dreamed about.
"I won't disappoint you, Captain," she said firmly, meeting Medriel's intense gaze.