Above the Stars and under the Flames

6. Anger

Thellandria ran her fingers through Nightwind's feathers, stepping away from the creature after having tied it to a post intended for mounts. These same nimble fingers soon found their way down to her necklace, where they lingered for some time while the druid stared off into the distance pensively.

Suddenly, the clasp around the necklace slipped, and the piece of jewelry began to fall toward the ground. Quick as a flash, Thellandria let out a surprised cry and snatched it up with startling agility. She brought it back up to her vision and stared at it intently, running an index finger over the pendant as if attempting to soothe it. Gently, she lifted the chain around her neck and fastened the clasp securely.

After doing so, she let out a content sigh and turned toward the nearby inn. It was a welcoming sight in these foreboding lands; after all, she was currently standing on the sandy, inhospitable ground of Silithus. Stepping inside, she resumed fiddling with the necklace and looked up as the innkeeper approached her.

"Hello, sister. My name is Calandrath. How can I help you?" the woman greeted; her shoulder-length purple hair stood as a stark contrast against the flowing green robes she wore.

Thellandria allowed a small smile of appreciation to flit across her lips as she accosted the innkeeper. "Nice to meet you, Calandrath. My name is Thellandria Cinderpelt." She had considered giving a false name, but she was a member of the Cenarion Circle who had spent much of her time serving on Mount Hyjal, so there was a chance she might be recognized. This would lead to some uncomfortable questions, which the druid was not too keen on answering, so she decided that in this particular case, honestly was the best policy. "I am looking to stay here for a few days-the exact number is uncertain as of right now, but it will likely be at least a couple of nights, probably much more."

Calandrath dipped her head once in assent. "We are almost never short of beds; Silithus isn't exactly a tourist hot-spot, and the soldiers positioned here almost always take up residence somewhere else-in designated bunkers, I presume, though I never did much enjoy meddling with their affairs, so I wouldn't really know."

Thellandria grew a bit surprised with herself. She noticed her fury rising as the innkeeper babbled on; usually, the druid was rather patient, but today, apparently she was not. Thankfully, before she could became too concerned with her rapidly increasing annoyance, Calandrath stopped speaking.

"But anyway," the innkeeper finished, "I'd be happy to accommodate you here. It'll cost you three gold per night, and you get a free breakfast in the morning."

Thellandria offered up her first payment right then and there. "Book me for tonight, at least, and I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up coming back here with another three gold tomorrow." She was about to leave, but a thought occurred to her, and she tilted her head at Calandrath. "Sorry, but.. have you seen a human Paladin come this way any time recently? He's high-ranking in the Alliance military; he probably had a plethora of badges attached to his armor."

Calandrath furrowed her brows in bemusement for a minute as she tried to remember someone fitting the description given to her. "Hrmm.." she murmured after a while. "No, I'm afraid not, sister. I'm sorry I can't be of any help."

Thellandria nodded quietly, a pang of disappointment hitting her briefly before fading away. No matter, she thought to herself. He will come soon.

She headed upstairs and began to unpack, placing her belongings in a drawer, the lock to which Calandrath had given the druid a key. Just as she finished, she began to hear noises outside. Among a cacophony of disgruntled voices, Thellandria could clearly hear the caw of a hippogryph. Narrowing her eyes, she rushed downstairs and stormed outside to see what was happening.

As she stepped outside, she spotted a throng of men and women trying to tie ropes around Nightwind as the hippogryph bucked and reared against them. Furious, Thellandria barged over toward them, rage clear on her face.

One of the men saw her coming and hurried straight toward her. "Sister! Is this your hippogryph?" he called out as he grew closer.

"Yes, she is, and I would absolutely love to know why you are currently seeking to harm her!" she spat angrily, sending scathing glares around at the group. They backed away slightly, and as soon as Nightwind caught sight of Thellandria, something glistened in the animal's eyes, and it immediately stopped struggling.

"She was out of control, sister! She went on an complete rampage; we were trying to subdue her when you came out!" the man explained, gesturing to the beast with one hand.

Thellandria's gaze did not grow remorseful. In fact, it only seemed to become more frustrated. "Does that look like an 'out of control,' 'rampaging' lunatic to you?" she demanded, pointing at Nightwind. "Because it certainly doesn't to me! If anything, she lashed out at you because you were intimidating her with your ridiculous ropes!" Her eyes burned with passion; the anger that had been gradually building up seemed to be leaking out of her amber stare.

The man looked exasperated. "But miss, we-"

"I am sure you all have better things to do than harass innocent animals," she interrupted. "I trust I won't have to deal with your insults in the future, lest there be consequences." Her glare silently challenged the men and women to protest; none of them did. "Good," she said finally, stepping forward and offering Nightwind a sweet pat on the head.

Those gathered slowly began to drift away, and once Thellandria was sure they were gone, she finally turned around and walked back inside and upstairs. Once up there, she puffed out a sigh and leaned heavily against a wall. The fury she had felt a few moments ago had actually scared her; she was not entirely certain where it had come from, or why.

What's happening to me?