Where the Waters Run Wild

The tint of the looking glass through which Draccus Moonsayer saw the world had gained an emerald hue. The shading of his perspective had not dampened the vibrancy of life around him.  The impact of his time within the Emerald Dream had instead only served to calm the inner turmoil within him, a stilling of the raging seas of his soul. He now walked on the soft, lush grass under toe with a calmness that mirrored a still pool.

He had entered the Dream as a Night Elf sentenced to serve time as a prisoner of his own making, but now he left that Realm as a Druid carrying within him a precious gift that would last forever. The Cenarion Circle Council had demonstrated to him the power of redemption through restoration and establishing a balance to his life.

That fateful night as he stood before the Council on trial before the Ceremony of Mending or Breaking he never could have fathomed how it would change him.

It was during this period away from the world of Azeroth that Draccus came to discover his foundation. A pillar of strength with which the rest of his life would be built around would be planted firmly in living by the spirit.

He was placed under the mentorship and guidance of Lady Anachan. She was noble Night Elf that had chosen to leave behind her long life on Azeroth and walk the Emerald Dream forevermore. Her centuries of experience and wisdom gave her a seasoned perspective on helping others in their journey. Along with her influential inscriptions to Draccus’s character there were three other specific Druids that were impressed upon his heart and mind. Akabeko Runetotem, Navimie Mistrunner, Lessah Wildmane.

These individual Druids each played a role that had spared his life and sent him along his destined path. Without their wisdom and foresight of him needing to find peace, he would have remained a tattered patchwork of incomplete pieces. The greatest loss would have been the wasted potential.

 ~~~~

The earthen brown robe that Draccus wore around his frame still had the emblem of the Cenarion Circle green tree across the chest. The warm sun, the blowing wind, and the dirt from the ground had thinned the material and dulled the stitching slightly. Living outside of the creature comforts of a Kaldorei lifestyle, fine linen fabrics, well attended to leather armor, and fresh baths from the Moonwell springs had forced him to survive on a simpler level of basic necessities.

One other major adjustment that Draccus had to make was the silence and long periods of isolation. The required stillness, in resting in the moment, had to be channeled constantly. Lady Anachan had insisted on stripping away the baggage and burdens that had weighed Draccus down.

She accurately commented the first time they met, “There is too much noise and disturbance vying for your focus. You must truly learn to listen and appreciate the littlest of things.”

“How do I silence the waves crashing against my mind when their volume has been building for so long?” Draccus asked, with a sincere doubt that he would ever quiet the storm churning behind the surface for any prolonged period of time.

“First you must trust again in the guidance of others that seek your best interests.” Anachan said, but with a softer tone this time. She had hit a nerve, because Draccus had subtly winced at the word, trust. “Will you openly trust another again?”

“I came here willingly… I submitted myself to the Cenarion Circle Council’s judgment… I…” Draccus responded rashly, full of unsure emotions that tapered off. “I am not sure I can trust anyone again let alone myself.”

“Trust is an act of surrender, of letting go. It can replace your fears, if you allow it to do so.”

“You are still so untrained in the ways of controlling your mind and how you perceive the world around you.” Anachan answered. “As a Druid you must find your roots and grow closer to the forces of Nature. She will aid you when you can learn how to trust her.”

With those words of guidance, she walked deeper into the woods, leaving Draccus to ponder those truths.

He needed to realize that instead of giving over to the weakening sense of loneliness and distrust that in its place he needed to connect and embrace his purpose in the world. It pained him to admit that his life would be bonded to those in his life, to other individuals.

For days, weeks, and months the only solace he found was in his surroundings. Nature left to her unbridled whims was able to create vast expanses of forest that teemed with life. The birds of various species each sang their own distinct music that together they produced such a sweet symphony that it blessed those that carefully listened.

In learning how to listen Draccus Moonsayer came to attune his ears and match the pace of his heart with the flow of water during his time within the Emerald Dream. The measured tempo inside of him was a gradual transition. For hours on end he would simply sit along the banks and listen. Water here traveled for miles at different speeds along its course. Sometimes the water roared violently as it rushed pass the gorges and mountain streams, and other times the water seemed to stop altogether in quietness as if reflecting on its own course.

Reflection had become his daily ritual. Who he had been, where he was now, and who and where he was meant to be after leaving the Emerald Dream. As beautiful and peaceful as the Dream was, it was the waking world where he needed to return.

“You have gained a measured peace about you young Druid.” Anachan spoke to him one day as she approached him watching a enchanting river flow by on its eternal quest.

“I have learned to listen and be still. Yet see the powerful currents beneath the water’s surface for what they are.” Draccus answered as he stood, still facing the River. “I can be both a force of reckoning that carves its own path and equally also a calming balm to nurture life.”

Draccus turned to intently look in Lady Anachan eyes. “Can you teach me how to harness this duality of forces that I am coming to see, hear, and respect within myself as a Kaldorei, as a Druid?”

For several moments the Lady Night Elf just stood there looking at Draccus Moonsayer to see if he had truly come to embrace those two unique forces inside him. After seeing an almost tangible peace radiate from him she shook her head slowly.

“There are still many lessons for you to study my brother Druid. I cannot teach you what you ask of me. But those that can and need to teach you those lessons await you outside the Emerald Dream. I was only tasked with helping you find a balance and peace about what you now know.”

“Who should I seek out when I re-enter the world of Azeroth in order to continue my training as a Druid?”

“You know of the three to whom you must visit once you re-enter the world of Azeroth.” Lady Anachan answered his question knowing that the same three that had sent him to her for guidance here would desire to see the change in him.

“Just as the waterways wash away the dirt and mud of her banks, so too must you cleanse any relationships not left intact. Before you can grow fully into the Druid you are meant to be, you need to demonstrate your new self-awareness through your daily actions.”

“Thank you Lady Anachan. For your wisdom and patience with me during our time together in the Emerald Dream. I will remain forever grateful. Although I am not sure who else will help me along my journey and the adventures ahead. I will always carry a part of you with me now. You gave me a renewed belief in the power to trust others and trust in myself.”

Draccus Moonsayer kissed her hand and bowed respectfully to his sister Druid. He picked up his wooden staff and walked back to the Portal which brought him here.