Evacuation.

It Begins.

Belefon sighed gently as light shone through the tent-flap onto his face, waking him up. The young Highmountain Tauren wrinkled his snout and scratched at a large antler. "Just another day sorting and grading reagents." he thought to himself as he pulled himself out of his bedroll, giving his thick brown fur a quick brush-down then washing his face and antlers. Pulling on his leggings and harness before grabbing his bag and leaving.

As he exited the tent the smells of another morning in Highmountain washed over him. The scents of the nearby forest mixed with cold air from the peaks tended to wake one up, as he made his way across the bridge and around the Hall of Chieftains before taking the elevator to the upper floor of Thunder Totem, buying a hunk of spice bread for breakfast as he made his way to the shop.

"Morning Belefon." was the welcome from Sprig Hashhoof, his employer and owner of a small herbalists' shop on the upper veranda. "Start with the Aethril, the foragers dropped it off this morning." Belefon nodded and got to work, sorting the herbs into three baskets depending on colour and how healthy the plant appeared. The rest of the day passed with little event, although conversations about the Burning Legion presence to the South and West was a constant background theme. Belefon left late in the afternoon, stopping at his parents' tent for dinner before returning home.

Upon arrival at his tent, a scrap of parchment had been pinned to the tent-flap. "URGENT - High Chieftain Highmountain calls all the tribes to meet in the Hall of the Chieftains at the eighth drum tonight."

Belefon frowned, unpinning the scrap and taking it inside. Eighth drum swiftly arrived, and he made his way with the throng of his brothers and sisters towards the hall, spotting his friend Dav Ironhorn and making his way across to him.

"Dav, it's been too long, brother. Got any idea what the meet is about?" The Ironhorn bull, his close friend since they were calves, turned to him and smiled. "Not entirely sure, but its clearly important - all the Chieftains are here. Hope things have been going well for you in Thunder Totem?"

Belefon smiled back. "Not much apart from the usual, really. We need to arrange another evening in the tavern, get you away from that smithy-" At this point, the large drum in the centre of the hall was sounded, sending out a loud "BANG" that echoed through all the Tauren present, instantly silencing the crowd.

Mayla Highmountain stood at the edge of the platform, facing the throng. "Brothers and Sisters! Many of you are doubtless wondering why you have been called here. We have received contact from Dalaran, the floating city to the South that you have all been hearing about. Archmage Khadgar of the Kirn Tor, their ruling council, has sent word that the Burning Legion invasion has increased in size......and is using the Broken Isles as a staging point before invading the rest of Azeroth. Within days, they will be at our doorstep. Those of you unable to fight will be evacuated to Kalimdor with our cousins from Mulgore. But any that wish to stay and fight are more than welcome to stand fast alongside us!"
By this point her voice had risen to a shout over the hubbub from the crowd. "Return to your homes and prepare to either be evacuated or fight! HIGHMOUNTAIN WILL STAND!"
An answering roar came from the Tauren in the hall, before everyone began filtering out.

The Braves stationed by the doorways were handing scraps of parchment out from two bags. Belefon accepted a scrap of parchment on which was written:
"Present yourself to Lasan Skyhorn no later than the ninth drum in a days' time. He will be present on the upper terrace to arrange your transport to Dalaran, and onward evacuation to Kalimdor. Bring nothing more than basic supplies and a small bag of personal items."
Belefon immediately made his way to his parents' tent, finding the news that they were staying for now very difficult to bear. His father was needed to organise the tribes and lend his advice, and his mother was unwilling to leave without her life-saver. "Belefon, take care of yourself in that land. Perhaps it will even be a chance for you to shine, so-but remember we are always proud of you." was his father's parting words.

He returned back to his tent, packing few items in the knowledge that it would be cared for in his absence, and the following morning took the elevator back to the upper veranda. An elf clad in the rich purple garb of the Kirin Tor was standing by Lasan, as a small group of Tauren clustered around them. "All evacuees present themselves for immediate departure! Transport will be arriving soon." No sooner had the elf spoke than a Zeppelin, looking for all the world like a boat someone had slung under a bag, came into view to the South, clattering its way up to the veranda and docking surprisingly smoothly with a gap in the railing.

The group of Tauren promptly boarded, the zeppelin creaking and groaning under their weight. Belefon looked down at the deck, noticing with nervous shock that the ground was visible through gaps in the wood. Surely they're weren't going to actually fly in this machine? A Goblin wearing an oversize hat promptly strutted up to them, cupping his hands around his mouth to make himself heard. "Ladies and Gents! Three rules: No smoking, no fire magic and keep your tails, hooves, arms and.....uh, antlers inside the craft! Any questions? No? Cast off!"

Before any of the group had time to respond, the zeppelin pulled away from the city, slowly rising into the skies and wheeling around to head directly for Dalaran. Belefon along with others let out an audible gasp as it came into view. The floating mage-city made a amazing sight in the morning light, slim spires reaching into the sky. As the zeppelin approached closer, the sheer scale of the buildings made some of the group gasp. Before long it was possible to see people on balconies on some of the towers, as the zeppelin pulled past the city and aimed for a open platform on the southern side of the city. It landed with a jolt, a plank quickly being grabbed by four goblins and tossed over the side to form a ramp. The oversize-hat goblin promptly bawled "Welcome to Dalaran, hope you enjoyed the flight, ALL CHANGE!"

The group gingerly made their way down the ramp, at the bottom of which were a group of Tauren, most of whom were smiling gently. One older bull stepped forwards, beginning to speak. "Brothers and Sisters, welcome to Dalaran. I am Hamuul Runetotem, Elder Druid of Thunder Bluff and advisor to High Chieftain Baine Bloodhoof. We are here to offer you sanctuary in Mulgore, should you choose.

Belefon quickly joined the line that formed, eventually making his way to the front. The Elder Druid smiled gently at him, eyes taking in the large antlers and the thick copper fur across his shoulders and chest. "Greetings, young one. What's your name, and your occupation?" Belefon dipped his head politely before answering. "Elder. I'm Belefon Winterhorn. I work as an assistant in a herbalist's shop, and I was an initiate Shaman." Runetotem raised an eyebrow. "Hrm, -was- an initiate Shaman, eh..? What made you stop?" Belefon scratched at an antler awkwardly, avoiding eye contact for a moment. "I never found a mentor I could work with. All I've ever been taught is how to block out the spirits...." The Elder Druid nodded slowly, before the warm smile appeared back on his face. "I'm sure you'll find someone you can work with in Mulgore - and if not, there's sure to be someone in the Earthen Ring. Just wait with the others, and we'll be off soon."

Belefon dipped his head once again before heading to stand with the others, still gazing around in amazement as they were led off the platform and down a stairway into the streets of Dalaran. Adventurers and magi of all races wandered or hurried along, paying little attention to the group of antlered Tauren.  Belefon tried not to stare at the heavily armed Forsaken guarding a side-street as the group got led past a pair of Horde banners and down a slope towards some buildings. Hamuul led them up to a series of portals, before turning and standing next to one of them. "When you are ready, step through here. You'll come out in Thunder Bluff....we'll be putting you all up in the inn until you find your hooves. Feel free to explore the city and Mulgore, too. Earth Mother watch over you all."

Belefon promptly stepped through the portal, finding himself in an underground cavern that was filled with the stench of sulphur. He followed the others out of the cave towards the light, blinking as he emerged into the sweet, clear air of Mulgore. A gentle smile broke out on his face as he took in the view from the Bluff, finding a land that was almost entirely at peace.