Dawnshifter, emissary of the wilds

Name: Dawnshifter
Age: he didn't keep track, though he was an adult by the first invasion of the legion

Dawnshifter was one of the first druids. First, not meaning the first (Malfurion), but more like the 5th or 6th. His obssession, as some called it, with plantlife made him an easy pick for the path of the druid. when he slept with the other druids in the emerald dream, his body walked as a cat, leading a pack of other druids who were in a similar state. His leadership abilities during this time still continue untill today, and accepting orders is something he does hesitantly, being used to giving them. When the horn of cenarius sounded in the caverns where the druids of the claw walked as bears, the call echoed into the surrounding forests, waking him and his companions from the emerald dream. The years of his travels as a beast left him feeling more cofortable as a cat than an elf.

Dawnshifter was never especially close to his family, since he spent many hours of every day studying plants that he kept in a seperate room of the house. A specific plant that he had found secluded in the forest, taking years of study. It was a black lotus, though he didn't know that at the time. Even though he was not close to them, he still cared for them deeply. They died protecting Cenarius from the orcs that succeeded in slaying him.

At the battle of Mount Hyjal Dawnshifter headed raiding parties that struck down necromancers and other key legion fighters as they marched towards the defensive fortifications. This meathod is also Dawnshifter's favorite attack style, taking out key opposition to cripple the opponent for the assault forces to destroy with ease.

Hate: Orcs (for slaying family and Cenarius, destruction of forests, demonic influences)

Hate: Deamons (destruction of life, suffering inflicted on the night elves)

Need to destroy: the blood elves (dangerous magic adiction, aiding the orcs, highborn opened the way for the burning legion the first time)

undead including the forsaken (it is unatural that they exist at all, the plague and death that they brought to the land)

Will Kill: Trolls (ancient hate, aiding orcs, no redeaming qualities)

Uncertain: Tauren (noble people who believe in protecting nature, they worship the earth mother, and some even become druids)

Uncertain: Alliance races (they help fight those above but also cut down woods)

Uncertain: night elves (His own people, but the selfish act of planting the new world tree has shaken his trust in them)

Friend: Druids including Tauren (many share the same respect for life and goals that Dawnshifter does)

Dawnshifter pursued a place in Eternity after fighting alongside another druid who called herself Riverwisp (who has left the guild). She said good things about the guild and it's people. When he spoke with the head of the guild, Jaster, about joining, he was appalled to find that a warlock was leading them. Warlocks have deamon blood in them, controll deamons, steal the souls of their victims, and are against life in general. Having heard of Jaster's might earlier, he did not attack him as would have been his first reaction. hiding his anger of such a person, he answered Jaster's questions and was allowed into the guild. After hearing many good things about Jaster and his leadership Dawnshifter decided that Jaster had redeaming qualities, and did not deserve to be killed. Dawnshifter decided that the best course of action in Jaster's case would be to continue observing him, and in the case that he became the servant of the deamons instead of the master, to strike him down swiftly before the demonic corruption spread to the other members of the guild. Dawnshifter joined Eternity to act as a voice for the life that was not well represented in Eternity

Dawnshifter Quotes

"I stand for the wilds, and the wilds are ANGRY"

"those who seek power for power's sake are as likely to destroy their allies as they are their enemies"

"I am like the weed, for no matter how many times you cut me down I will return"

"as long as I live you will not harm the wilds, and as long as i am supported by the wilds I will continue to live"

story told in first person (Dawnshifter's point of view)

I was told that Andorhal was once a city filled with life. I was told that it now lies silent, with only the occasional noises made by the undead disturbing it. Standing on one of the many small hills overlooking the city I heard silence, and the sound split my head with pain. There was not a single bird to be heard, the grass which was left was a collection of shells with nothing left in them, and the trees left standing did nothing more than cast shadows. Standing at the in the middle of the cities ruins stood the reason I came to Andorhal, a lich. Surrounded by the animated corpses of the soldiers who fought and died there he touched the bodies brought before him and watched as they rose to serve him.

I took a small vial out of my belt and downed it's contents quickly. It tasted like dirt and had about the same texture. The undead of the city grew began to stand out. I could sense their presence through the broken walls and behind every hill. The vial turned to sand and fell through my fingers. I let my concentration on my elven form fade. My fingers became claws, teeth became fangs, and the leather armor I wore condensed and adhered to my skin becoming part of me, just as they had been part of another beast before me. I was a panther, or at least mostly a panther since i was still myself.

A couple stretches later and after a few flexes of my claws I headed down into the city. It was dawn, the best time to hunt. Shadows were long, deep and plentiful, so it was seedlings play to avoid the rotten gaze of the various patrolling undead. As a shadow i made my way to the center of the city. Once I was withing a rocks throw of the lich I crouched in the shade of a tree. Sitting there, the tree whispered to me. I nearly cried to hear its voice. It was the only living thing I had met for miles, since entering the plaguelands. While waiting for my companion to arrive I conversed with the lone tree.

It didn't take long before the sounds of battle broke out down the road. A paladin clad in a dull golden set of plate armor was swinging a giant mace, smashing any undead that was intelligent enough to step in her path. 10, 15, 20 undead fell before her hammer as she worked her way towards my hiding spot. She looked more annoyed than anything else about the undead's attempt to stop her. After her blows had scattered their bones to far parts of the city she stopped next to my tree. I slipped out of the shadows to greet her. The hammer in her hand twitched as I appeared, then rested on her shoulder as she recognized me.

"Hello Dawn," she said almost formally, with little emphasis.

She called herself Lost which I always thought was an interesting name for someone who was guided by "the light."

"Lost," I growled to her in greeting.

"Let's bring down this lich," she hissed, her eyes shifting to the summoner.

I've always liked paladins when it comes to their view of the undead. She started towards the circle of undead guarding their master, while I slipped back into the shadows to take them from behind.

Lost shrugged off the first wave of undead with a single swing, bringing her almost face to face with the lich. She swung to kill, but her blow landed with a heavy *thud* as it was blocked by an abomination, or flesh golem as they are now called. The lich raised his gaze from his work, and began a spell. He didn't finish it, becuase it is incredibly hard to concentrate when you're hit from behind and then knifed in the back, which is what I had decided to do to him at that time. He turned a way from lost and through a spell at me, which i dodged, though i felt the cold as it hit the ground. The lich screamed as I ripped away at his substance, It felt like swinging through water. Distracted by the ear splitting sound I failed to dodge the next blast of ice. It hit me in the face, throwing me back. I smelled death, and saw the rotting face of a corpse that Lost had no doubt dealt with. The cold seeped through my body, sapping energy as it went. my breathing slowed. The lich must have decided I was dead, because he turned and started firing ice at Lost who had all but eliminated the guard.

I concentrated with my numbed mind and switched back to my elven form, and asked the nearby tree I had conversed with earlier for some of it's energy. Heat returned to my flesh, and sharpness to my mind. I sprang from the ground, slipping back into cat form as i flew through the air. Lost landed a blow on the lich, I roared, striking again from behind. He screamed again this time collapsing to the onslaught. The lich's energies dissapated, his remains falling to the ground. I roared in triumph and Lost ripped an insignia from the lich's corpse.

After a short conversation, I suppose I don't talk much, Lost left the city. I returned to the tree and sat next to it for several hours afterward. I thanked it for its help and restored the life it had let me borrow. I listened to its story, the story of death and loss. In the end I left to return to the moonglade, where the trees were alive, and the birds sang, to recover for the next fight.