To show respect to Malfurion, Andreas sent a formal application through official channels to the Archdruid, hoping to obtain his permission to join the battlefield with reinforcements.
However, this report never actually reached Malfurion's hands. At this time, Malfurion had been stationed at the front lines without rest since the beginning of the engagement, fully occupied with blocking the assault led by Xavarian.
The application was originally intended to be delivered directly to the frontline military camp in the Gorge of Sothann, but the messenger was intercepted while passing the Shrine of Malorne in the southwestern part of Mount Hyjal. Ultimately, the application was sent to Astranaar and fell into Tyrande's hands.
The High Priestess of Elune read the application with a displeased expression. Maintaining a forced calm, she told the escorted messenger, "Malfurion is currently busy repelling the enemy's offensive. For now, do not let such bothersome matters disturb him; I will handle the decision-making."
"But..."
"No 'buts'! Dismissed!"
Once the frustrated messenger was led away, Tyrande's face darkened as she crumpled the letter into a ball of trash.
"Hmph! We have not yet reached the end of our rope. I would rather call for reinforcements from the frontier garrisons than let you become the focus of the people's attention again."
Time is the best medicine for forgetting. Under Tyrande's information control, the people living in Astranaar had not heard news of the former Shadow Administrator, Andreas, for hundreds of years.
As time passed, Andreas was gradually forgotten; no one knew where he had gone or what he was doing now. Any achievements Andreas made outside would not reach the ears of the populace in Astranaar , including his previous merit in facilitating the return of the Shen'dralar.
...
"Intercepted by Tyrande?"
Andreas looked at the dejected messenger before him, caught between laughter and tears. "Doesn't that mean it's gone into the void?"
"My Lord, I am deeply sorry! Had I known, I should have chosen a safer route to the Gorge of Sothann."
Seeing the self-reproaching messenger bow ninety degrees, Andreas hurried to wave him off. "Forget it. Since the other side was prepared, you would likely have been intercepted regardless of which direction you bypassed. There's no need to blame yourself too much; you may leave."
After the messenger left the Lord's Manor council hall in low spirits, Andreas shrugged humorously at the gathered high-ranking officials of Moonshadow's Rest.
"It seems Tyrande still has no intention of letting me lead troops into the fray. She appears confident that the Druids can continue to hold the gorge."
Naisha lowered her head in thought for a moment. "From what I understand, although Tyrande is power-hungry and very narrow-minded, she never messes around when it comes to the big picture. I imagine Malfurion must indeed have a certain level of assurance, which is why she feels so emboldened to reject our aid."
"Assurance... is it?"
Andreas frowned, looking toward the magnificent dome of the council hall. "I have a bad feeling about this. Could it be related to this so-called 'assurance'?"
After a moment of silence and weighing the pros and cons, Andreas suddenly stood up and gave a decisive order. "Regardless, everyone, have your respective units ready for combat."
"We are not Tyrande's direct subordinates; we have no obligation to follow her commands. Moonshadow's Rest was established specifically to prevent irreparable damage if the highest command made wrong decisions."
Naisha nodded with a smile and stood up from her seat as well. "I agree. Although Tyrande rarely makes mistakes in major affairs, she is constantly prone to errors in smaller matters. To this day, I still don't understand why she was the one to succeed as High Priestess."
"I will have the combat priestess units ready to depart in the shortest time possible, awaiting your command at any moment."
Delier, Nawaz, and Feron followed Naisha's lead, expressing their support for the deployment. Andreas nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well. Although the modified Ranger units have not fully completed their reorganization, our original forces alone should be able to play a significant role on the battlefield. We will assemble at Moonshadow Square at exactly 18:00 this evening. We depart immediately after the pre-battle prayer to Elune."
"Yes!"
...
In the frontline positions at Starfall Village in Winterspring, Shandris stood up in surprise when she received the intelligence from Andreas.
"Deploying without permission?! This..."
Lunara tilted her head curiously to look at the letter in Shandris's hand. After reading the contents, an expression of astonishment also appeared on her face.
"While the defensive line at Mount Hyjal certainly needs support, for Andreas to force a deployment against Tyrande's wishes like this—is he not worried about triggering internal strife among the Night Elves?"
Shandris sighed and put down the letter. "While Andreas usually seems very easygoing, he also has a very stubborn side. Once he sets his mind on something, it is very difficult to change."
Lunara spread her hands helplessly. "It's a pity we can't pull away from here. Just defending against the Satyr offensive in Winterspring is taking all our effort."
Shandris nodded and spoke firmly. "Never mind. We must fulfill our own duties first; we cannot let this main body of Satyrs break through our line and invade Mount Hyjal."
Turning her gaze southward, the swirling snow made it impossible for Shandris to see the road ahead.
Andreas, don't let your temper run wild... Mentor is not the kind of person who can swallow her pride after being provoked.
...
The natural power of Druids comes from the wild. In a sense, the source of their strength is quite similar to that of the Wild Gods. As representative beings of nature, the strength of the Wild Gods is naturally something Druids learn from and imitate.
For instance, the Druid's Bear Form is an imitation of Ursoc, the Great Bear. Cat Form is learned from Ashamane, the Panther. Travel Form is learned from Malorne, the White Stag, and all flight forms are based on Aviana, the Mother of Birds, and her kin. Because the movements of a Turtle Form would be too slow, although the defense of Tortolla the Turtle is terrifying, very few Druids study such a transformation.
However, the Wolf Form of Goldrinn, the Wolf Ancient, is different. Unlike the solitary Panther, wolves usually move in packs; their coordination in hunting formations is something other sapient beings could learn much from.
Faced with the fierce impact of numerically superior Satyrs, some Druids under heavy pressure suggested learning from Goldrinn—attempting to master the wild fury of the Wolf God and relying on the pack's coordination to tear through the Satyrs' offensive formations.
Malfurion and Koda always held reservations about this suggestion, but high-ranking Druids including Fandral, Celestine (Shaun), and Ralaar Fangfire voiced their support for the proposal.
Just as Malfurion was hesitating whether to follow his instinctive resistance and firmly refuse the reckless use of Wolf Form, an accident occurred.
As a loyal follower of Goldrinn, Ralaar Fangfire dreamed of expanding the influence of Goldrinn and his own faction within the Druidic order. Ignoring the opposition of his colleagues, he resolutely led the followers of the Wolf God to secretly attempt the transformation behind the Archdruid's back.
Ralaar succeeded, but he also failed.
The transformation into Wolf Form was incomplete. Without the guidance of Goldrinn, his wild fury was difficult for mortals to harness. Ralaar and the other Druids transformed into a twisted shape somewhere between a wolf and a humanoid. All the Druids who had recklessly transformed were consumed by the raging fury within their hearts; they completely lost their reason, attacking all surrounding creatures indiscriminately.
When Andreas arrived at the head of twenty thousand elite troops, the situation within the Gorge of Sothann was in total chaos. The Worgen running wild on the battlefield had disrupted the originally orderly combat. The frenzied half-wolf Druids attacked both sides of the conflict without any concept of friend or foe, seeking only to vent the uncontrollable rage in their hearts.
"Uh... I remember now."
Standing on a hill in the center of an island in the lake west of the Gorge of Sothann, Andreas's mouth twitched as he complained in his heart.
No wonder I always felt like I forgot something. Worgen...