Today was a special day, one that I had been looking forward to, with some measure dread, for last year. Today I would complete my initiation as a full-fledged Hunter.
My night had been a tormented one, as always; in times of stress, the dream would come to me. As always, I had awakened in the pre-dawn light, sweating and gasping. Unable to sleep again, I dressed carefully in my hunting leathers that hid most of the physical scars of my childhood trauma. The mental traumas, those were another story – they waxed and waned depending on their “mood” (or mine). With a silent greeting to the watcher of the tribal fire, I knelt, breathing deeply to calm myself, both mentally and physically. For today, I would require all my faculties to be at their peak. Today, I would complete my training by showing my prowess at taming the three most common animals in Mulgore … the swift plainstrider, the vicious swoop, and the faithful wolf stalker.
While in my meditative mood, I reviewed what my Hunter trainer, Tala Ironhide, had taught me – the trick to taming a beast is knowing its nature: the plainstrider, a bird that had lost its ability to fly, had developed enormously powerful legs with which to outrun its enemies. If cornered, the sharp talons and beak of this tough bird could rip its attacker apart. The swoops were vicious birds of prey, one of the top predators of the air. Safe in its mastery of the air, it had few enemies, using its aerial advantage to prey on the hapless animals of the plains, striking the deathblow swiftly from above with its massive talons. The wolf stalker, a cunning animal that has the ability to hunt down its prey in long distance chases, delivering its killing blow with strong jaws and an impressive array of teeth.
It was my intention to first master the strider, to show my skill at approaching this wary animal. The second beast I hoped to tame was the swoop, to show my cunning at luring the king of the skies to where it was weakest – the ground. And finally the wolf stalker, which, if … no, when … I passed my initiation, would be my pet of choice as I roamed the plains.
As my conviction and confidence at passing the final test of my skill strengthened, a sense of calm flowed over me. At this point, as if by magic, Tala was by my side, dressed in her usual garb of black leathers. A Tauren of few words, she noted my now relaxed posture and looked me in the eye, and nodding once at me in satisfaction, handed me the taming stick I would use to complete my trials. Nodding in acknowledgement, I took the stick from her, and headed out from the camp … and toward my destiny.
