Quel'Danil Hunting Lodge (from wowwiki.com)The elven hunting lodge was nothing short of breathtaking, like nothing I'd ever seen before. It looked so distinct, and yet seemed to fit the mountain forests as if it had grown from the ground. The elves called it "Quel'Danil," which meant "peak of the sun." Almost instantly I fell in love with the place, wanting to never leave. I was young then, and couldn't imagine how much that place would come to mean to me.
Anu'Serr took us around, showing us the big central area where the elves dined and relaxed and taking us to the armory where there was an awesome assortment of blades, bows and other weapons. He showed us the training grounds, where he let me try out a training sword. My father had taught me how to wield a blade, and Anu'Serr was again impressed by my ability. Finally, he took us to meet Jalinde Summerdrake, the elven captain in charge of the lodge. She, too, had fought alongside my father in the Second War, and greeted us warmly. She told us we were welcome to visit anytime.
I feel I should add now that even as a child I had always taken a great interest in nature. I used to love stories of the great dragons and legends that told of trees that could walk. My father said he'd even heard stories of wood elves who could turn into animals. From those stories and my free time in the forests of Hillsbrad during the Second War, I gained my love of the outdoors. I grew to prefer the countryside over the big cities of the Alliance. I preferred to spend my youth pretending I was a hunter in the forest than a soldier of the Alliance like the other boys.
During our visit, which lasted several weeks, something inside of me awoke. I felt an exhilaration being in such a natural-feeling place. It wasn't just that the building was isolated out in the middle of the forest; it was as if the lodge was the forest itself. I felt a lightness in my heart, a smile in my soul, and I felt at peace here. Looking back, it was the kind of feeling one gets when he returns home.
When it came time to leave, I told Mother and Father what I had felt. I told them I wanted to be a hunter, like the elves, and live in the forests. I thought they would just laugh, that Father would say he wanted me to grow up to be a mighty paladin or soldier or priest like him. Instead, he simply put his hand on my shoulder and said, "You'll make a fine hunter, son." I looked at my mother, almost expecting this to be a trick, but only saw a sincere smile on her face.*
When Anu'Serr learned of my desire, he made my parents an offer: if they would allow it, I could come to the lodge every summer and train with him. He offered to teach me how to hunt, track and move like an elf through the forest, to make armor and weapons as the elves do. My parents liked the idea, and held the high elves with great respect. So it was agreed.
I started that next year. In April, my father would take me to the lodge, and I would return home in November for winter. Over time, I began to spend more time with the elves, and shortly before my parents left the Hinterlands, I was all but a permanent resident at Quel'Danil.
Anu'Serr taught me much. He taught me how to move like an elf, swiftly and silently- because I am human, I didn't have the natural lightness with which elves move, so I had to learn to compensate. I'd never beat an elf in a foot race, but I learned to run undetected through the woods faster than most humans I know. I at least became quick enough to escape any troll threat, and that is no small feat, even for an elf. I also learned how to be virtually invisible, using my surroundings to shroud my presence, so that only the keenest eye or sense of smell would know something was out of place.
I was taught how to fight like an elf. Elves in general avoid the large, powerful but difficult-to-wield weapons preferred by humans and orcs. Especially in the woods, they prefer smaller but swifter weapons, for speed can be just as deadly as power. Anu'Serr taught me to use swords, daggers, staves and spears as weapons in almost any situation. I learned that the handle of a sword can be as effective a defensive tool as the blade is for offense. I came to know that a dagger properly wielded in the off-hand can deflect a blow or jab as effectively as a shield. I also learned how to fight and defend myself with my bare hands.
Though I was gifted with great speed of hand since birth, Anu'Serr saw room to grow. To increase my fighting speed, he had me practice sparring in heavy mail armor. When I fought as fast as I could, Anu'Serr would remove the armor, and my speed increased dramatically. It was through this practice that I began to rival some of the elves at Quel'Danil in fighting speed. I later learned why Anu'Serr trained me in this way- as a ranger and forest hunter, I would wear armor made of thick leather rather than heavy steel. To compensate for the difference, he taught me to be fast. He told me that in many situations, greater speed would compensate for stronger armor or weapons. I began to prefer using two swords in battle, using one to protect and one to attack as necessary.
Anu'Serr taught me much. He taught me how to move like an elf, swiftly and silently- because I am human, I didn't have the natural lightness with which elves move, so I had to learn to compensate. I'd never beat an elf in a foot race, but I learned to run undetected through the woods faster than most humans I know. I at least became quick enough to escape any troll threat, and that is no small feat, even for an elf. I also learned how to be virtually invisible, using my surroundings to shroud my presence, so that only the keenest eye or sense of smell would know something was out of place.
I was taught how to fight like an elf. Elves in general avoid the large, powerful but difficult-to-wield weapons preferred by humans and orcs. Especially in the woods, they prefer smaller but swifter weapons, for speed can be just as deadly as power. Anu'Serr taught me to use swords, daggers, staves and spears as weapons in almost any situation. I learned that the handle of a sword can be as effective a defensive tool as the blade is for offense. I came to know that a dagger properly wielded in the off-hand can deflect a blow or jab as effectively as a shield. I also learned how to fight and defend myself with my bare hands.
Though I was gifted with great speed of hand since birth, Anu'Serr saw room to grow. To increase my fighting speed, he had me practice sparring in heavy mail armor. When I fought as fast as I could, Anu'Serr would remove the armor, and my speed increased dramatically. It was through this practice that I began to rival some of the elves at Quel'Danil in fighting speed. I later learned why Anu'Serr trained me in this way- as a ranger and forest hunter, I would wear armor made of thick leather rather than heavy steel. To compensate for the difference, he taught me to be fast. He told me that in many situations, greater speed would compensate for stronger armor or weapons. I began to prefer using two swords in battle, using one to protect and one to attack as necessary.
Anu'Serr helped me improve my marksmanship. He taught me how to breathe just right so as to make the steadiest shot. I learned how to lead a moving target, and how where to strike a foe to bring it down in one shot. Anu'Serr even taught me to make my own bow and arrows, though it took me several tries to make one that seemed less a tool and more an extension of myself.
Each year, as I returned home to my family, they would comment on how different I was, how much older I seemed. I felt older, older than I thought I should feel for a boy still considered a youth. My biggest fear during those years was that I was growing away from my family, that I would become a stranger to them. But each time I was home, Father assured me that he and Mother loved me, were proud of me, and knew I was where I was supposed to be.
*Only later did I learn that Father had a dream while we were at the lodge. In it he had seen me as a man, dressed not in armor wielding a mighty sword or hammer like a paladin, but standing in the trees, apart from him, Mother and Katia. He told his dream to Mother, who said she had a feeling that same night that my destiny would take me along a different path than my father, herself, or even my sister. Father told me later than when I told them, even in my adolescent and boyish inexperience, that I wanted to be like an elf hunter, they both understood that this seemed to be the path that my life was to take.
*Only later did I learn that Father had a dream while we were at the lodge. In it he had seen me as a man, dressed not in armor wielding a mighty sword or hammer like a paladin, but standing in the trees, apart from him, Mother and Katia. He told his dream to Mother, who said she had a feeling that same night that my destiny would take me along a different path than my father, herself, or even my sister. Father told me later than when I told them, even in my adolescent and boyish inexperience, that I wanted to be like an elf hunter, they both understood that this seemed to be the path that my life was to take.
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