In this era, the Tauren were not yet the masters of Highmountain, and the majestic Thunder Totem had not yet been built. The greatest power in Highmountain was the Black Dragonflight, which had made its home here.
Following the intelligence provided by Malfurion, Andreas traveled north along the main river, climbing in elevation until he finally found one of the Tauren settlements—Rivermane Village—at the western foot of Highmountain. However, the place was currently shrouded in a somber atmosphere of grief and despair.
Tauren injured by the Shadowflame dragon breath lay near a tent with a large banner outside, groaning in pain. Not far from them lay numerous corpses wrapped in white cloth. Having recently suffered a frenzied attack from Neltharion, the Tauren's anti-air vigilance remained at its highest level.
As soon as Andreas approached the vicinity of Rivermane Village, the Tauren guards on the periphery immediately raised their bows and aimed, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"Wait, please!"
A familiar voice came from behind the group of Tauren. Koda Steelclaw addressed the guards, "Don't attack. That should be my druid companion."
Koda had seen the golden eagle form Andreas transformed into before and recognized him from a distance.
After landing safely, Andreas shifted back to his original form under the wary eyes of the Tauren, which finally allowed the surrounding guards to lower their guard.
Bypassing pleasantries, Andreas asked decisively, "Koda, what's the situation now?"
Koda shook her head with a bitter smile. "Not good. Because they drew the ire of the fallen Black Dragon King, the Tauren tribes have suffered significant losses in recent days. If Ohn'ahra hadn't risked further injury to force Neltharion back, the situation would likely be even worse."
Under Koda's concise explanation, Andreas roughly understood the difficulty in getting the Tauren to agree to send reinforcements to the front lines.
These Tauren still maintained a primitive tribal system. When major decisions needed to be made, the chieftains of each tribe would gather and vote on whether to execute a proposal. Neltharion's attack had dealt a heavy blow to the Tauren tribes, who lacked anti-air forces. While it wasn't a crippling blow, the primary concern of each tribe right now wasn't the battle at Zin-Azshari, but how to lead their people out of the shadow cast by the Black Dragon.
"There are many clans, large and small, living in Highmountain, but only the five major tribes hold significant influence and voting rights."
"Highmountain, Bloodtotem, Rivermane, Skyhorn, and Feltotem."
"Chieftain Huln Highmountain of the Highmountain tribe has a strong sense of the bigger picture; he was the first to support the Tauren participating in the final battle."
Koda led Andreas back to the tent the Tauren had prepared for her and explained the attitudes of the various tribes in detail.
"The Bloodtotem are also easy to convince. This brave and warlike tribe has always preferred to settle matters with their fists. They were won over long ago by Chieftain Huln's formidable personal strength and stand firmly on the side of the pro-war faction."
"The problem lies with the remaining three tribes."
Koda sighed softly. "First is the most resolute anti-war faction: Rivermane."
"This entire tribe follows the path of Shamanism and has a large number of spellcasters. Most of the shamans currently treating the wounded come from the Rivermane tribe, giving them high prestige among the Tauren. Chieftain Jarl Rivermane firmly opposes sending troops, believing that healing the physical and mental trauma of the clansmen should be the top priority."
"Next is Skyhorn. Their warriors are equally strong and brave, but they advocate launching a surprise attack to drive the Black Dragons out of Highmountain while Neltharion is away."
Andreas raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Drive out the Black Dragons? That's a bit overconfident, isn't it? Just with these Tauren who don't even have an air force?"
Koda rubbed her temples with a wry smile. "That's exactly the problem. Recently, after receiving tacit approval from Ohn'ahra, the Skyhorn tribe has been actively trying to contact the Great Eagles that soar through the skies of Highmountain. They want to domesticate these massive raptors to compensate for the Tauren's lack of aerial power."
"A drop in the bucket," Andreas shook his head. "Given the strength of an adult dragon, even if only dozens remain guarding the nest, it's not something the Tauren can easily challenge."
Koda agreed with a nod. "I think so too. But Chieftain Gavan Skyhorn is a stubborn man who sticks to his guns. He led the tribe's elites out five days ago, vowing to tame the Great Eagles for his use."
"Reckless and ill-advised," Andreas commented helplessly. "And what about the last one, Feltotem?"
"The Feltotem tribe's stance is more neutral, and they are the clan I am working hardest to win over." Koda continued, "The Feltotem live in the forests of Highmountain year-round. They were the first Tauren tribe to re-establish contact with Cenarius. Chieftain Kuran is rather indecisive.
On one hand, he wants to follow Cenarius's footsteps and reclaim our world from the demons. But on the other hand, the current state of the Tauren being attacked makes him hesitate. His swing vote determines which side holds the majority in the five-tribe vote."
Koda spread her hands powerlessly. "I've done my best to persuade Chieftain Kuran, but he still can't make up his mind."
"Master Stormrage said that since your memory loss, your handling of matters has become much more tactful, and you've become more eloquent. Safely rescuing Priestess Whisperwind from Queen Azshara is proof of that. Based on Priestess Whisperwind's recommendation, the Archdruid sent you here to replace me and the recently departed Rhonin and Broxigar to take over the heavy responsibility of negotiating with the Tauren."
Andreas looked at Koda with a face full of confusion. "Huh? Priestess Whisperwind recommended me? You're not joking, are you?"
Koda froze, asking in confusion, "Is there a problem? You were the one who rescued her, weren't you? Is it strange for her to recognize your ability?"
"Uh, fine, let's put that question aside for now." Andreas shook his head to clear away thoughts of Tyrande's strange attitude.
Resting his chin on his hand in contemplation for a moment, Andreas said thoughtfully, "To put it simply, the vote among the five major Tauren tribes is currently 2 to 2, with the Feltotem remaining undecided. I have one question, Koda: have you conducted a detailed reconnaissance of the number of Black Dragons remaining in Highmountain?"
Koda nodded. "I have. Although even Consort Sintharia fled because she couldn't withstand Neltharion's madness, there are still 15 adult dragons and over 100 drakes stationed near his lair. The whelps and dragon eggs are too numerous to count."
The combat power of whelps can be ignored; as long as one isn't foolish enough to be hit head-on by their tender breath, any ordinary soldier could defeat these baby dragons relatively easily. Drakes are more difficult; by Night Elf standards, a drake with high intelligence is an aerial force at least on par with a Two-headed Chimera, perhaps even stronger. Adult dragons are the backbone of the dragonflight. Although only 15 remain guarding Highmountain, if a proper solution isn't found, those mere 15 dragons could utterly destroy the entire Tauren race once war breaks out.
Seeing the look of calculation in Andreas's dark eyes, Koda suddenly shuddered.
"Why are you asking this? You don't actually plan to drive the Black Dragons out of Highmountain, do you?"
Snapping back to reality, Andreas looked up and asked curiously, "What else? Continue the soft persuasion with the Feltotem tribe? We don't have the time for that. The front lines are still under immense pressure. If we don't launch the final battle soon, the Burning Legion's reinforcements will only continue to gather. It's better to devise a plan and solve the Tauren's worries once and for all."