Coincidentally, Andreas was lamenting the same issue back in Moonshadow's Rest.
"Within... 500 years? What exactly is Elune planning?"
Andreas scratched his silver hair in frustration. Unable to figure it out, he temporarily set the question aside.
During the recent Satyr War, Andreas had realized a significant weakness in the military of Moonshadow's Rest: the lack of an air force.
Currently, the mainstream air force of the Night Elves consisted of Hippogryph Riders. However, the Hippogryph nests were strictly controlled by Tyrande, and mature Hippogryphs were prioritized for her direct Sentinel units.
Unless he was prepared to completely break ties with Tyrande, it was virtually impossible to "wrest a tooth from the tiger's mouth." This meant that if Andreas wanted to establish an air force, he had to find and domesticate another flying species.
Aside from Hippogryphs, the first thing Andreas thought of was another native flying species of Kalimdor—the Wyvern.
Wyverns weren't hard to find and possessed strong reproductive capabilities; there were numerous nests in the Stonetalon Mountains. These wild and untamable creatures were even more ferocious than Hippogryphs. If successfully tamed, they could form an air force even more powerful than the Hippogryph Riders.
However, Andreas didn't reach a conclusion immediately, as there were several other flying creatures in Azeroth that could serve as alternatives.
Compared to Wyverns, Andreas was more interested in a creature known as the Chimaera. During the War of the Ancients, Chimaeras had fought as natural allies of the Night Elves, much like the Furbolgs and Quilboar. These powerful, two-headed aerial units were several times larger than Hippogryphs and possessed greater physical strength. They could even breathe venom or unleash lightning at enemies. Their only drawback was that they were less agile in the air than Hippogryphs—a necessary trade-off for their massive size.
The hypothetical enemies Andreas had in mind for his aerial unit were not small creatures like Hippogryphs or Wyverns, but rather more formidable flying demons, zeppelins, or even... the Dragonflights.
Although the Night Elves and the Dragonflights still maintained a good alliance, no one knew how long this cooperation would last or if conflicts would arise in the future. The unmanageable Dragon Soul remained a massive hidden danger; as long as the artifact was not destroyed, the possibility of Neltharion using it to manipulate the Dragonflights could not be ruled out.
Speaking of Dragons, the second target Andreas thought of was the Proto-Dragons of Northrend. Proto-Dragons were the precursors to the Dragon Aspects. The current five Great Dragonflights had only evolved into their current forms after being infused with the Titans' power; previously, they too were Proto-Dragons.
Unlike the highly intelligent Dragonflights, Proto-Dragons were savage and primitive. Their intelligence was very low, making them no different from wild beasts. Furthermore, Proto-Dragons were the favorite mounts of the Vrykul. Attempting to domesticate them would inevitably lead to conflict with the Vrykul spread throughout Northrend, which might even attract the attention of Loken and Yogg-Saron.
Although Andreas, who knew the future development of history, knew that N'Zoth would be the Old God who laughed last, at this point in time, Yogg-Saron was undoubtedly the most powerful. From his prison in Ulduar, Yogg-Saron had used a Vrykul woman named Sif to corrupt Loken, and then used Loken's hand to fracture and destroy the Titan Watchers of Ulduar.
Ulduar had now completely lost its function as the Forge of Wills. If Loken hadn't been suppressing reports to prevent them from reaching Algalon, the Observer would have long ago pressed the "reset button" to have the Forge of Origination reshape the world. Unless absolutely necessary, Andreas did not want to provoke Yogg-Saron in Northrend prematurely.
Unfortunately, the Dragonflayer clan, which occupied the most Proto-Dragon nests, had been Loken's lackeys for countless years. This massive Vrykul clan was entrenched around Howling Fjord, so the priority of domesticating Proto-Dragons had to be pushed back.
The remaining option was the Gryphons split off to the Eastern Kingdoms. With Moonshadow's Rest's current shipbuilding technology, importing Gryphons across the sea wouldn't be difficult. However, Gryphons shared the same problem as Wyverns: they held no advantage when facing large flying creatures.
Provisionally focusing on Chimaeras, Andreas began to recall their habitats. "Winterspring, Feralas... where else? They don't seem to be in Ashenvale or Felwood Forest."
Due to their different environments, the Chimaeras of Winterspring and Feralas differed not only in physical appearance but also in habits. Feralas Chimaeras were typical forest Chimaeras; their hides were mostly purple, they were relatively mild-tempered, and they possessed higher intelligence. The Night Empire had dealt with Chimaeras since before the War of the Ancients; asking the Shen'dralar in Ere'Thalas might yield useful advice from their scholars.
On the other hand, Winterspring Chimaeras were more ferocious and difficult to tame due to the harsh natural environment. Over years of evolution, their appearance had become snow-white for camouflage, and they were slightly less intelligent than their Feralas cousins.
Shandris had previously mentioned that while the Sentinels were purging the Satyrs from Frostsaber Rock, they had seen Chimaeras flying overhead. The Satyr occupation had caused Fel energy to overflow, severely impacting the local ecosystem. The Frostsaber cats and Chimaeras living there year-round were having a very difficult time.
When Shandris personally led her army to Frostsaber Rock, these creatures seemed to be crazed by hunger. Facing a large group of Hippogryph Riders, they actually initiated an attack, hoping to fill their bellies with Night Elves. After being beaten back by Shandris's troops, the group of Chimaeras slunk back to their nests to continue starving.
"Hmm... perhaps I can start with food? 'Kidnapping' the Chimaeras?"
Acting on the thought, Andreas immediately wrote a letter and summoned an Arcanist serving in the Lord's Manor, instructing him to deliver the letter to Shandris, who was still in Starfall Village hunting down the remaining Satyrs.
...
Receiving the letter, Shandris chuckled helplessly. "Using food to lure Chimaeras? He really comes up with the strangest ideas. But... perhaps it's actually feasible?"
Lunara also nodded in agreement. "I think so too. Because of the Fel damage, the natural ecosystem of Frostsaber Rock is recovering very slowly. If this continues, the number of local Frostsabers and Chimaeras will drastically decrease. Eventually, they will have to move away. It's better for Moonshadow's Rest to arrange a new home for them."
Shandris pondered for a moment. "I'll have the Sentinels scout the ecological situation of Frostsaber Rock first. Perhaps Moonshadow's Rest will have an air force very soon."
Lunara asked with a strange expression, "Shandris, aren't you worried about being punished by Tyrande for 'favoring an outsider'?"
"Hmph~" Shandris raised her head proudly. "What do you mean 'favoring an outsider'? I'm helping my own man rescue some endangered wildlife—who could that possibly bother? The Archdruid might even applaud if he found out."
Lunara rolled her eyes. "Suit yourself. But speaking of which... has Tyrande been acting a bit too quiet lately?"
Shandris was also quite puzzled by this. However, as a junior, it wasn't her place to criticize her mentor's style. Furthermore, Tyrande's current low-profile attitude was actually more beneficial for the stable development of Night Elf society.
...
Upon receiving Shandris's reply, Andreas smiled happily.
"It's like someone handing you a pillow just when you're getting sleepy. Leti!"
"Coming, coming~ Busy again?"
"Yeah. Gather the Druids and Moon Guards to get ready. Also, tell Maclay to prepare dozens of live pigs. We're going to Winterspring to kidnap... cough, to help endangered species relocate."