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The warm rays of the early morning sun pierced through gold and orange leaves of the mighty trees of Eversong Forest, burning off pre-dawn fog that had settled across the forest floor. A sliver of golden light fell across her brow and cheek, licking her chilled skin with the waning caress of summer’s heat. She cherished it as much as her split attention could allow, grey eyes with the barest glow of blue trained on the clearing ahead of her. Or, rather, the deer that inhabited it.
But Lireesa Windrunner, Ranger-General of Silvermoon and wielder of the legendary Thas’dorah, did not reach over her shoulder to retrieve a black fletched arrow. Instead, her ears swiveled faintly, catching the hints of two bowstrings flexing from distinct locations in the surrounding forest.
Almost simultaneously, two arrows flew, green fletching from the canopy, and white from underbrush to Lireesa’s left. They both careened toward the target, though the green one missed its mark, splintering off a tree trunk instead. Thankfully, the white one flew true, piercing the deer’s heart before the creature could even lift its head from the grass.
Lireesa strode forward toward the kill even as the sounds of rustling leaves and cracked branches bespoke her companions' movements. She reached the deer first, bracing her right hand over the beast’s flank as she squatted beside it.
“You’ve lost your touch, sister.” Haughtiness oozed from the words.
A groan responded. “Minn’da gave me the more difficult angle, Lady Moon.”
Lireesa grinned wryly as she turned her head toward her daughters’ approach, her gaze settling on the oldest of the pair. “Almost as if you have had a century’s experience to compensate.”
Alleria frowned toward her mother, but her response was cut off by Sylvanas’s mocking laughter. “Face it, Lady Sun,” the fair-haired elf replied. “I’m just better than you.”
“Sylvanas! I swear to Belore-”
“
Dalah’dorei,
” Lireesa cut in, setting a disapproving glare on both of them. “Your bickering will scare off any game for miles, and one deer will not suffice for this evening’s feast. Alleria, come, aid me in preparing your sister’s kill. Sylvanas, start tracking down more prey.”
Alleria sent a reproachful look toward her sister before kneeling beside Lireesa. Sylvanas stuck out her tongue with a buzzing huff then disappeared into the forest with a smug smile. Humming a soft tune, Lireesa paid her daughters’ rivalry no mind as she pulled out the arrow from the carcass. “How many times must I remind you both to retrieve your arrows, hm?” Her gaze lifted to snare Alleria’s sky blue eyes.
Alleria groaned as she glanced over to where her own arrow had fallen. “Minn’da, I thought this was supposed to be a family hunting trip,” she bemoaned, rising to her feet and retrieving the fallen missile.
“So it is,” Lireesa agreed as she shifted the deer into a better position to haul it back to Windrunner Village. “That does not mean I’ll avoid the chance to instill life lessons in the both of you.”
“Ranger training does not count as family time, Minn’da.”
---
Despite the sun only just reaching its zenith, the celebrations were in full swing across Windrunner Village. Dozens of stalls had sprung up along the road leading through the settlement, local and traveling merchants alike shouting over the din of merriment to pitch their wares. Lireesa strode among the people, immersing herself in the chatter and laughter of common folk, relishing in the chance to shed her titles and responsibilities. On this day, she was not Ranger-General, nor the matriarch of House Windrunner. She was simply Lireesa, and she valued the opportunity for revelry more with each passing year.
The Feast of Autumn’s Breath had become more of a holiday of changing seasons than a remembrance of the Highbourne's settling of Quel'thalas over the many years of peace. Still, tradition called for a lessening of duties for Farstriders and Magisters alike, allowing Lireesa a brief vacation from her otherwise overflowing list of responsibilities. Despite peace, the trolls never stopped harrying their borders.
Lireesa chose to spend her time alongside her family and the people they presided over. She inhaled deeply, identifying the scent roasting venison, the results of her morning hunt with Alleria and Sylvanas. Each of them had managed to fell a deer before returning to the Spire to change into more suitable clothing for the festivities in the village. Lireesa had chosen buckskin breeches and a loose, black tunic, leaving her raven hair to fall freely down to her lower back.
“Are you lost, milady fair?” Lireesa’s left ear flicked at the whispered words as a man approached from behind her, circling around her right side with a broad grin. His vibrant, blonde hair was cropped short, the top of which was tousled to give the appearance of a lack of care, though she knew better. His sky blue eyes glowed with mischievousness.
Lireesa smirked as he offered one of the treats he carried, fried balls of bread skewered on a stick and drenched in honey. “I don’t know, Sun-Hair,” she replied, taking an appreciative bite from the treat he offered without taking the stick from his hand. “Perhaps it’s my intention to get lost.”
Verath Windrunner cocked a brow at Lireesa’s display before snorting and waving the stick at her. “Here, just take it before the honey leaks onto my fingers.”
Lireesa chuckled, grabbing the snack from his hand and looping her arm around his own. “How we’re married when you can’t stand even the sweetness of honey, I’ll never come to understand.”
Verath let out a huff, nibbling on his own plain bread balls as his ears flicked in mock annoyance. “You’re telling me. And you managed to spoil my children with your sweet tooth, as well.”
“Speaking of our children,” she responded, scanning the crowded street. “Where have they gone off to?”
Verath hummed as he led them down the street at a leisurely pace. “Lirath is by the fountain in the town square, attracting a crowd with his lyre last I checked. Alleria, I haven’t seen since she dropped off the prizes of your morning hunt. And the Moons-” he paused, twisting around to also scan the crowd surrounding them. “Should be around here somewhere. ‘Reesa said something about getting woven flower crowns.”
They needn’t look long. A few stalls down the road, Lireesa and Verath found their middle daughters perched atop stools as two women wove their hair into an intricate braid around their respective heads, slipping the stems of wildflowers in between locks. Vereesa was beaming, hardly able to sit still as she chatted away at her sister about how her studies were progressing. Little Moon was not yet old enough to follow in the family trade, though she was already developing the telltale broad shouldered physique of an able bow woman.
Sylvanas, on the other hand, wore a pleasant smile that her mother knew was at least a bit forced. Lady Moon was always so particular about her hair, even as a child. But if anyone could get Sylvanas to sit through her hair being styled, it was her baby sister.
“Minn’da! Ann’da!” Vereesa exclaimed, bouncing atop her stool to her hairdresser’s apparent dismay. “Look at my crown!”
Lireesa leaned against her husband as she appraised her youngest daughter’s hair. It looked gorgeous, with red and orange buds dotting along the looping braid settled about the crown of her head. Glancing to the side, she noted Sylvanas’s matching braid sported blue and purple flowers instead. “You both look wonderful, Little Moon.”
“Absolutely stunning,” Verath agreed with a cheeky smile directed at Sylvanas. “I’m sure Velonara would love to see it.”
“Ann’da,” Sylvanas hissed, her brow creasing with a stern frown.
Vereesa giggled. “Oh, come on, Lady Moon, even Lirath knows you’re sweet for her.”
The tips of Sylvanas’s ears grew a gentle pink tone and Lireesa swore her middle daughter would have shrunk in on herself if not for the hairdresser busy weaving her hair. “She is just a friend.”
“Of course, dear,” Lireesa replied, shooting a warning glare toward Vereesa to drop it. “Have you two seen Lady Sun?”
Vereesa shook her head, causing her hairdresser to scowl. Sylvanas, however, hummed in response, “She mentioned she was gathering something for Ann’da?”
All three sets of Windrunner eyes turned to the patriarch of the family as Verath cleared his throat. “Oh, right!” He grinned sheepishly back at Lireesa’s raised brow. “It’s a surprise, elun’dalahn.” He patted her arm in a gesture of reassurance.
Lireesa let out a soft ‘hmph’ before pointedly taking a large bite out of her treat. “It better not be what I think it is.”
---
It absolutely was what Lireesa thought it was.
As the Windrunner clan, sans Lirath and Alleria, walked up the path leading toward the Spire at the end of the day, they were greeted by a gleeful shout. Without further preamble, Verath ducked behind Lireesa and his children as a blunted arrow flew through the air, striking the Ranger-General squarely in the chest. She blinked as it bounced off of her and landed on the ground, before noting the bright green circle of paint on her tunic.
Verath snickered as he united with Alleria and Lirath off the side of the road, taking the bow offered to him. “I have you now, Lady Windrunner!”
Lireesa narrowed her eyes at her husband and turncoat children. “An ambush? In my own lands?” she responded dramatically, calling back with a voice that could cut across a battlefield. She glanced toward Sylvanas and Vereesa with a sly smirk. “Quick, Moons, we must make it to the armory and repel these invaders!”
Lireesa, Sylvanas and Vereesa sprinted up the hill leading to their home, using their arms to block as many arrows that Verath, Alleria and Lirath sent in their direction. On the porch, they found three strung practice bows and a barrel of similarly blunted arrows, tips drenched in purple paint.
Thus, a playful war broke out between the Suns and Moons of House Windrunner. Sylvanas chased Alleria around the gardens surrounding Windrunner Spire, trading shots back and forth with little success. Lirath eventually yielded under Vereesa’s superior assault, his chest, face and hair coated in purple paint by the time they were done. And Lireesa launched arrow after arrow against Verath from her advantageous position on the porch, managing to land more than a few hits while dodging much of his return fire.
“Enough is enough, Lady Windrunner!” Verath called, holding up his bow over his head as he slid out from behind a tree trunk, a purple streak across his right cheekbone.
Lireesa kept her bow drawn, still aiming at her husband should he try anything. “Is it, Lord Windrunner?” she replied, her booming voice carrying easily to the forest’s edge that he had hidden within.
Verath continued to approach, bow still held aloft as Alleria and Sylvanas came to join their younger siblings on the porch behind Lireesa. Verath grinned despite the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He came to stand before his wife as she lowered her bow, then slipped down to one knee. “I yield to your superior skill, milady.”
Lireesa smiled down at her husband, admiring how the dark orange of the setting sun shined across his face. She stepped forward and braced her hand along the side of his face, guiding his gaze to meet her own. “Then I accept your surrender, milord.” She bent over, pressing her lips to his in a sensual kiss.
“Blegh!” Lirath exclaimed, rousing snickers from his older siblings.
“Come on, Little Sun,” Alleria responded, helping her brother rise to his feet. “Let’s let Minn’da and Ann’da have some space. You need a bath, anyway.”
“You, too, Little Moon,” Sylvanas agreed, taking her older sister’s cue to corral their younger siblings and allow their parents their private moment.
Lireesa pulled back, running her hand through Verath’s hair. “Dalah belore rea faer.”
Her husband smiled up at her as he pulled her down to her knees in front of him. “And you are my moon and heart, Lireesa.”
Their mouths met once more as the last rays of the setting sun disappeared beyond the horizon.