The Worgen insurrection served as a wake-up call for Malfurion and the Druidic order. The severe consequences of abusing natural forces and shapeshifting spells solidified Malfurion's resolve to standardize the Druidic code of conduct.
Since the war with the Satyrs had not yet completely concluded, the creation of the Cenarion Circle remained merely a draft for the time being.
However, the high-ranking Druids who had personally witnessed the Worgen crisis all voiced their support for the Archdruid's proposal. Among them, Koda Steelclaw, known for his conservative stance, was the most enthusiastic.
As a high-level member of the Druidic order himself, Andreas had no objections. Even if future developments were bound to deviate from the original history because of him, a global organization like the Cenarion Circle would undoubtedly play a constructive role in a diversified future.
Cenarius, revered as the spiritual leader of the Cenarion Circle, was also quite interested in his prized disciple's suggestion. He had always hoped that more Night Elves would embrace the Druidic path and help him maintain the peace and balance of nature.
Now that the war against the Satyrs was reaching a clearer stage, Cenarius volunteered to head to Moonglade. Many of his reclusive children lived in that secluded valley. With a bit of personal bias, Cenarius intended to establish the Cenarion Circle's headquarters there and planned to set out ahead of time to speak with them.
However, before heading to Moonglade, Cenarius—concerned for his eldest daughter's safety—decided to detour to the Starfall Village front in Winterspring. Perhaps he could even assist his precious daughter in the process.
Upon learning of Cenarius's itinerary, Andreas immediately expressed his intention to accompany him. Although the Satyrs' grand all-out assault was clearly losing momentum, the Sentinel forces led by Shandris had to first crush the Satyr coalition besieging Starfall Village to completely shatter the enemies' fighting spirit.
Malfurion and the others offered their blessings after hearing Andreas's plan. To Andreas's surprise, even Tyrande's attitude had shifted. Previously, the High Priestess looked as if she were ready to lash out at any moment; but now, although she still seemed to be in a foul mood, she at least refrained from directing any sharp interrogations at him.
Did the moon rise from the ground today?
Before entering the Dreamway opened by Cenarius, Andreas looked back at Tyrande with deep confusion. While Andreas's expression was merely inquisitive, his actions appeared to Tyrande as a blatant provocation.
Inhale... Exhale...
Recalling Elune's earlier warning, Tyrande forcibly suppressed her rage with a deep breath, barely managing to calm her explosive emotions.
...
When Andreas stepped out of the Dreamway behind Cenarius once again, they found themselves near Timbermaw Hold, at the junction of Felwood, Moonglade, and Winterspring.
The Timbermaw Furbolgs living here were the kin of the twin Bear Demigods, Ursoc and Ursol. Although they did not worship Cenarius, the Furbolgs maintained a respectful attitude out of deference to a Wild God, watching as Cenarius headed east into Winterspring.
Cenarius's galloping speed across the wilderness was staggering. Even Andreas, transformed into a Golden Eagle and flying with all his might, could barely keep up with his pace.
As a primordial deity native to Azeroth, Cenarius—much like his father—enjoyed certain privileges on the planet. The perpetually swirling snowflakes of Winterspring completely avoided Cenarius's path, and the evergreen plants laden with heavy snow along the way automatically parted to make room for the Forest Demigod.
When the two arrived at the front lines of the main battlefield, a battered defensive line presented itself before them. Night Elf-exclusive Glaive Throwers were stationed behind dilapidated wooden fences, most showing varying degrees of damage.
A few Satyr corpses remained impaled on the sharp tips of the low wooden barriers. Numerous Sentinels with bandages wrapped around their bodies sat haphazardly on the ground, resting against various objects in the camp.
Due to Tyrande's stubbornness, the recruitment pool for the Sentinels was relatively narrow, making the soldiers exclusively female. Before this war, these recruits were essentially rookies with only experience in suppressing bandits; only the female officers were veterans Tyrande had scavenged from various border guards.
However, having gone through this trial by blood and fire, the recruits had matured at a visible rate. Though they appeared weary, these soldiers did not remove their armor even while resting, and their weapons were kept in the most accessible spots. Should an emergency arise, they could transition to combat readiness in the shortest time possible.
In a sense, Tyrande's goal of possessing an elite army completely under her control was now half-realized. The other half would depend on what Shandris, the leader of the Sentinels, thought.
The tragic sights near the defensive line caused Andreas's relaxed expression to turn solemn. After offering some words of encouragement to the Moonshadow's Rest soldiers who had arrived earlier to reinforce the area, Andreas and Cenarius entered Starfall Village, the frontline command center.
Because of Winterspring's frigid climate, no Night Elves had lived there before Shandris led the Sentinels to occupy the region. Starfall Village was a new settlement established only in the last century, originally built to serve as a combat command headquarters.
The number of ordinary residents in the village was small; most were logistics personnel or medics for the Sentinels. They were currently busy distributing supplies and treating the wounded, making the village—cluttered with resources and injured soldiers—look somewhat chaotic.
Just as Andreas and Cenarius were soaking in the heavy and solemn atmosphere of the village, a blurry shadow suddenly brushed past them accompanied by a cheerful scream.
"...What's going on?"
Startled by the high-speed shadow, Andreas rubbed his eyes to refocus.
"Sigh~" Cenarius's dynamic vision was superior; he was already slapping his forehead with a wry smile.
A dryad with an expression of utter soul-exhaustion was charging recklessly through the small village, while a crazy girl was cheering with her hands hooked around the dryad's waist. It appeared the dryad was trying to use her high-speed movement to shake off the "sticky candy" attached to her.
However, even though the Night Elf woman's entire body was stretched flat and suspended in the air due to the high-speed gallop, her hands remained deathly gripped around the dryad's waist.
"Uh..."
Andreas finally caught a clear look at their faces. The cheering Night Elf was his only personal apprentice, Leticia Moonsong, and the dryad was, naturally, Cenarius's eldest daughter, Lunara.
Perhaps feeling that the sight of his daughter running wildly in the village was too embarrassing, Cenarius summoned a gentle breeze to block Lunara's path, the wind gradually forming an encirclement to bring her to a halt.
Cenarius asked a head-bowed, ashamed Lunara with a headache, "Lunara, if I recall correctly, aren't you still in a state of war?"
"Yes..."
Andreas guessed that this was definitely Leticia's doing and gave her a sharp, annoyed knock on the head. "What kind of trouble are you causing now? I sent you here to lead the team in supporting the war effort, not to harass Lunara!"
"Waaa~" Leticia rubbed her sore head pitifully. "But the war is almost over!"
"The Satyrs haven't launched an attack in a whole day. Sister Shandris said that their internal strife is becoming more obvious. We just need to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out and strike when the time is right to claim victory."