Chapter 3: Prove yourself!

"Do you see these?" asked Sylvanas as she pointed at the three lonely deers in the middle of the forest.

"Of course, we do, Ranger-General" responded Elonis. Like the Ranger-General she and her group were huddling on a small hill. Their task was to bag a few of these animals to demonstrate that they were capable of hitting moving targets.

"Good. Kelrian, you will be the first who will try to take down one of these" announced Sylvanas and got up. Kelrian nodded and got up as well. He was wondering why Sylvanas had chosen him once again as the first to show what he was capable of. He didn't mind at all to be the first one.

He took his bow from his shoulder, pulling an arrow out of his quiver. He knocked the arrow, aiming at the nearest deer which was about one hundred feet away from him. The deer was moving - slowly but it was moving. Kelrian took a deep breath, regarding the deer with narrowed eyes as he kept aiming at it. He moved his upper body a little until he was sure that he had the right angle. He let loose the arrow, following it with his eyes. The arrow hit the deer in the ribs, causing that a pained cry came out of its snot. It didn't hesitate to run away in panic as fast as its legs allowed it. The other deers heard the cry and ran as well.

"That was a good shot" complimented Sylvanas.

"It was not even close to the head" responded Kelrian, sounding a bit disappointed in himself.

"It's okay, I didn't expect that from someone who hadn't been trained by an experienced hunter. You hit a moving target, that's all that matters"

"If you say so, Ranger-General"

Sylvanas pointed in the direction where the deer had run, looking at the others. "Come, we need to follow it if we want to get it"

She didn't wait until her group had agreed. She sprinted towards the pointed direction, following the deer. The group followed her for a while until she stopped.

"It has finally stopped after running for an hour" whispered Sylvanas, pointing at the deer. It was standing right in front of a small river, looking around for enemies. Sylvanas and her candidates were hiding behind the trunk of a very big tree so that the deer couldn't see them. It didn't seem to have sensed them either because it didn't run away. Instead, it trudged to the river and drank some water.

Sylvanas waited until the deer started moving again. It moved with average speed because it was convinced that no enemy was around. Sylvanas gave Zetai the signal to bag the animal. He nodded and stepped out behind the tree, knocking his arrow faster than any other group member would have done. Only Sylvanas would have been able to knock an arrow faster than him.

The arrow flew through the air, hitting the deer directly in the right eye. The deer made a pained sound, making few last steps before it collapsed on the ground and died.

"That was a perfect shot, Zetai" complimented Sylvanas.

"Thank you, Ranger-General"

"We have successfully bagged an animal. Does anyone of you know how to disembowel an animal?" asked Sylvanas looking from candidate to candidate. Zetai and Elonis raised their hands.

"It's okay if you don't know it. Knowing how to hunt and disembowel animals will be necessary for surviving in the wilds. Especially, during times of war. But I don't presuppose that you know that. You will learn that during your training soon enough if you become recruits".

Sylvanas looked at Zetai, pointing at the deer. "Can you carry it? You are very tall and muscular. I think you should be strong enough"

"Don't worry, Ranger-General. I have carried larger deers and even very big boars on my shoulders. I think I should be able to carry it for a while"

A satisfied smile appeared on Sylvanas' lips. "Good. We will disembowel it when we arrive at the camp where the next test will take place"

Zetai nodded and walked to the dead deer. He pulled his arrow out, waiting that Kelrian did the same. He bent down, lifting the deer and putting it on his shoulders without a problem. He stood up, receiving impressed expressions from Elonis, Elena and Kelrian. Sylvanas nodded, signalizing the group to follow her.

They did as they were told and walked with her over half an hour until they spotted another, smaller deer. Sylvanas signalized everyone to stop. She turned around, looking at Zetai who was still carrying the deer on his strong shoulders. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine. I should be able to carry this deer for a few more hours" he responded.

"You can also put it down as long as we hunt"

"I'm fine"

"If you say so" responded Sylvanas, looking at Elena and Elonis. "Elena will shot first but Elonis you will make yourself ready as well for the case that the animal doesn't die. I want you to shoot if the deer survives"

"As you wish" the two females said in unison. Elena looked at Elonis, receiving a confident smile from her. She gave her a nod and took her bow, pulling an arrow out of her quiver. She knocked the bow, aimed and fired. The arrow hit the deer in the neck but it was not enough to kill it. The suppressed noises, which were hearable, died away when Elonis' arrow hit the deer right between the eyes. The deer collapsed and stopped moving eventually.

"Nice shots" commented Sylvanas, walking to the deer. She bent down, regarding the dead animal. She whispered a few words before she pulled the arrows out. She handed them to the two women, signalizing that she was proud of them. Elonis and Elena smiled happily, making a curtsey. Sylvanas chuckled, signalizing that such gestures weren't necessary.

She signalized Kelrian to come over to her. He did that without hesitation, already knowing what she wanted from him. He bent down and picked the deer up, putting it on his shoulders. Kelrian was able to walk without problems because the deer was much smaller and lighter than Zetai's deer.

Sylvanas led the group through the forest, arriving at another camp which was a lot taller than the previous camp. They spotted another group of four people in the middle of the camp. Sylvanas and her group didn't hesitate to enter the camp and walk to the other group which consisted out of three males and one female. Behind them was Alleria sitting on a crate. She tilted her head as she saw the deers her sister's group was carrying.

She jumped up, walking over to her sister. Alleria stopped directly in front of Sylvanas, regarding her amused. "It seems that your group did well in hunting deers. Two deers mean that half of your candidates hit their targets"

"All of them hit the deers but not every shot was deadly. But that was not the task. The task was to hit a moving target. The task was not to kill one" reminded Sylvanas, signalizing that she was proud of her group.

"Two dears are better than nothing. Have you already asked if someone knows how to disembowel animals?"

"I did and it turned out that two of them know how to do it. How many of your group know that?" asked Sylvanas, looking at the group of her sister. The young woman with short blonde hair was the only one who raised her hand. Sylvanas looked back at her sister, giving her a teasing grin. Alleria tilted her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She gave Sylvanas a questioning look as she stared into her sky-blue eyes.

"That means nothing, little sister" spoke Alleria.

"I didn't say that this means anything, did I?"

"So, why are you grinning at me like this then?" asked Alleria, giving her a curious look.

She chuckled as she patted Alleria's shoulder "I don't know what you are talking about, dear sister"

Alleria rolled her eyes. "Anyways, our groups are here for the next test and not for listening to us while discussing"

Sylvanas turned her head, looking at her group. She received nods from Kelrian and the others, turning back to her sister immediately. "We are ready when you are"

"We are ready as well" responded Alleria.

"Alright, so that means we can go to the training area now" announced Sylvanas and guided her group over to the area which was covered by sand. She told Zetai and Kelrian to put the deers on the large table which stood at the edge of the area. They did as they were told and walked back to her.

Alleria stepped next to Sylvanas, looking at both groups. "The next test will be about your skill in close combat with and without weapons. Of course, you will only use training weapons made out of wood. There will be no gender restrictions which means that a female can also fight against a male. During times of war, nobody cares about which sex you are. Your enemies will try to kill you no matter if you are a woman or a man. There will be no one who wouldn't attack you because you are a woman. It's better for women to get used to fighting males from early on, so they can learn how to fight against enemies which are taller and stronger than you"

She looked at the two groups, receiving understanding nods from them. She looked at her sister, pointing at the table next to the one where the deers were lying. Sylvanas signalized her that she understood what she wanted from her. She walked over to the table and picked the bowl up, returning with it to her sister. She handed Alleria the bowl who shook it for a few seconds before she pulled out two scrunched up small pieces of paper. She unfolded the pieces and read out the names which were written on them.

Zetai Lightspark and Vardon Highstrider.

The first round was without weapons. Zetai was a lot taller than his opponent but Vardon was faster than him. But not fast enough. He managed to hit Zetai a few times but his punches didn't bother the man of giant stature. Zetai needed only two precise punches to cause that Vardon stumbled out of the marked combat zone. Zetai won the fight because his opponent left the combat zone.

He walked to Vardon and helped him up but didn't say anything to him. He returned to his group, ignoring the impressed facial expressions of Elonis, Elena and Kelrian. Sylvanas and Alleria were also impressed but they didn't show it. Zetai stepped behind Sylvanas and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Alleria pulled two more pieces of paper of the bowl, announcing the next pairing.

Kelrian had to fight against the blonde woman from the other group. Her name was Kelia Goodwood.

Kelrian entered the combat zone, feeling a bit unsure about fighting against a woman. He didn't think that women were weaker than men, nevertheless, he still felt uncertain about fighting against one. His mother had always taught him that it was forbidden to hit girls and women. He was well brought up but he also knew that he couldn't spare a troll or an orc woman in future wars. He knew that in dangerous situations he couldn't pay attention to the gender of his enemy. He knew that he had to kill women one day if he would become a ranger. Like almost all races on Azeroth, trolls and orcs also sent their women into battle. Female orcs and trolls were known to be very fast and deadly same counted for high elven women.

He knew this test was not a dangerous situation but also knew that he had to fight a woman one day. He thought it was better that he would get used to fighting or sparring with women so that he would be prepared if he had to fight female orcs or trolls in a future battle.

He took a deep breath, signalizing the Windrunner sisters that he was ready. The battle began as Kelia did the same. Both competitors didn't do anything during the first few seconds. They just stood there on their spots, making defensive postures.

Eventually, Kelia came closer and started to attack. Kelrian managed to block most of her punches with his elbows, only a few hit him in the side. He stayed passive for the first two minutes and only tried to block or dodge her attacks. He was hit a few times but he remained unflappable.

Finally, after he was hit at least ten times, he went over to attack. Both fighters exchanged blows but every time it was in Kelrian's favour. He had the upper hand but not because she was a woman and he was a man. He had the upper hand because he had gained experience during the previous examinations. He knew the weaknesses of the average candidate so he knew very well how to bait her and score a few extra hits. In the end, after they had traded blows for five minutes, he managed to push her out of the combat zone, winning the battle.

Kelia didn't look happy that she had lost the fight but she was not sad because she knew that there were more chances for her to prove herself. She went to Kelrian, shook his hand and told him that he had fought well. Kelrian thanked her, telling her that he was hoping that she would be able to prove herself in the next duels. She thanked him, walking back to her group.

Kelrian did the same, noticing the happy smile which lasted on Sylvanas' lips for a few moments. He gave her a small smile, looking at her for a few seconds before he stepped next to her and looked at Alleria who fished out the next pairing.

She announced the next pairing and the next, and the next and so on until it was Kelrian's turn again. He had the misfortune to compete against Zetai. The brute didn't need more than three punches to throw Kelrian out of the combat zone. Kelrian's upper body was hurting but other than that he was uninjured. Zetai hadn't used any unnecessary violence so Kelrian was able to attend the next round.

Each competitor was able to choose between multiple weapons. Kelrian chose a one-hand sword while Elena chose two daggers. Elonis chose a spear and Zetai chose a large two-hand sword. Kelrian was silently praying to the light that he wouldn't have to fight against Zetai. He knew that his chance to win would be pretty low if he had to face Zetai.

In his opinion, Zetai was by far the strongest and most skilled candidate of these two groups. He assumed that Zetai would pass the examination with ease. He had heard about the Lightspark family, but he didn't know much about them. He had never heard of a member of the Lightspark family which became a Farstrider. He didn't even know what Zetai's family was doing. He could only assume that Zetai would make a fine Farstrider and become very successful and well-respected. He was sure that Zetai will bring great honour to his family.

To his relief, he didn't need to fight against Zetai. Instead, he fought against two males of Alleria's group. The first fight was rough because his opponent was very skilled with his two daggers but in the end, Kelrian managed to disarm him and force him to surrender. The second fight was much easier. His opponent had also chosen a one-hand sword but he was not as skilled as Kelrian was. The young adolescent managed to push his opponent out of the combat zone.

Kelrian returned to his group after he had won his last fight, taking a seat on the bench on which Sylvanas was sitting. It was unmistakable that he was exhausted even though the last fight had been much easier than the first. Elonis took a seat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder, patting it softly. "Congratulations, Kelrian. You did pretty well"

"Thank you, Elonis. You are doing well too. You haven't lost a duel yet"

"Wait and see. I have a bad feeling that I have to fight against Zetai" responded the blue-haired woman.

"Hopefully not" replied Kelrian, the corners of his lips formed a small smile.

Elonis turned her head, straining her ears as she heard her name. She stood up and walked over to Alleria, wondering who her opponent will be. It turned out that Elena was her opponent. Both women bowed to the other as they entered the combat zone. They shook hands, wishing each other good luck. Kelrian only knew them for a few hours but during these hours he had gotten the assumption that Elonis and Elena were very close. He assumed that they were friends, very close friends, maybe even best friends.

He was curious who of them was better in close combat with weapons. He leaned a bit forward, noticing out of the corner of his eyes that Sylvanas was also regarding the pairing with curiosity. Her hands rested on the bench not far away from his. He regarded her hands for a few moments, wondering how her skin would feel like. He had accidentally touched her hand once and even though it had happened eight years ago he still remembered the soft touch of her skin.

He shifted his gaze away before he would do something he would regret later. He looked back at Elonis and Elena who were already fighting. They exchanged hits but none of them had the upper hand during the first five minutes. After an additional five minutes, Elonis slowly gained the upper hand. She hit Elena more than she did because she managed to dodge or block every second attack. Even though Elonis was doing better than her opponent, she wasn't able to win within the next five minutes.

Kelrian was still regarding them, wondering who would win. He didn't know why, but somehow, he was hoping that Elonis would win. He didn't know why he was favouring her. Maybe because she had been so friendly to him and had made sure that he wouldn't have gotten lost when they had followed the brown bear tracks. He was not sure about this.

He was still watching the duel as he suddenly felt something warm on his hand. He could only assume that it was Sylvanas' hand but as he turned his head to look at her, he noticed that Sylvanas' hands rested on her lap. He frowned as he regarded Sylvanas who was still watching the duel. He shook his head slightly, assuming that he had only imagined this.

For him, it was absurd to think that Sylvanas Windrunner, THE Sylvanas Windrunner would lay her hand on his. He was just an average young man who had the potential of becoming an average Farstrider. But she was Sylvanas freaking Windrunner. She was the most beautiful, the most respected, the most admired and the most skilled ranger of Quel'Thalas. There was no way that she would ever want something from him.

Kelrian shook his head again, making fun of himself that he had been so foolish to think that Sylvanas Windrunner would want something from him. She may be more friendly to him than to most of the other candidates and she may talk to him much more than to the others but that didn't mean that she would favour him.

At least he was thinking that. He couldn't know that Sylvanas was feeling something for him. She was definitely feeling something. She just couldn't tell what it was. Was it friendship? Was it admiration? Was it love? Or was it something completely different? She didn't know.

She turned her head, looking at the young male who had aroused her interest when they had met for the first time eight years ago. He was following the duel with interest and curiosity. She regarded him while he did that, only shifting her gaze away when he turned his head to look at her. She didn't blush nor did she show that she was a bit nervous while being around him. She just watched the duel until it was over. In the end, Elena had managed to win the duel even though it had looked very good for Elonis. Elena had won by tricking her opponent and pushing her out of the combat zone.

Sylvanas looked back at Kelrian at the very moment where he stood up and walked over to his teammates, congratulating Elena for her unexpected victory. He told Elonis that her fighting style had really impressed him. He comforted her and also told her that she didn't need to be disappointed because had been doing well. Elonis thanked him, giving him a small smile.

Elonis went over to Elena and hugged her, rubbing her back softly. Elena kissed Elonis' cheek softly before she walked over to Sylvanas who had gotten up as well. Sylvanas congratulated her about her win, telling her that never giving up would always pay out. She thanked the Ranger-General and took a seat on the bench as the next pairing was announced. Elonis joined them, taking a seat as well.

Kelrian and the three women watched the rest of the test. Everyone of Kelrian's group had already fought four times so they could relax while watching the last few pairings which were doing pretty well.

There was no one who had lost every fight. Every candidate had won at least one fight. Most of the candidates had won two fights. Elonis, Kelia and Kelrian had been able to score three wins. Zetai and Elena were the only ones who had won four times. The two Windrunner sisters congratulated them and told them that they believed they will do well in the following tests. Zetai and Elena thanked them.

The Windrunner sisters separated after they had talked for ten minutes. Sylvanas and her group walked to the table on which the two deers were lying. Alleria guided her group to the eastern entrance and left the camp as fast as possible. Sylvanas walked over to a tent, entered it and returning with four wooden crates. She put them on the nearest free table, signalizing Zetai and Elonis to cut as much meat as possible out of the deers' bodies and put them in the crates.

"What do we do with the innards?" asked Elonis after they had filled all four crates.

"Put them in this crate and so I can throw them in the nearest forest. The lynxes will consume them" responded the Ranger-General, giving them a fifth crate which she had taken out of the tent as well.

"We could also skin the deers and bring their fur to the tanner of Suncrown Village" suggested Zetai.

"That's a good idea. We should do that" praised Sylvanas, signalizing Zetai and Elonis to skin them. Kelrian watched them doing that. He didn't get sick when he had watched them cutting out the innards of the deers and he was also able to watch them skinning the animals without needing to puke. He had learned how to skin an animal.

Each of the candidates had to carry one of these crates. Sylvanas carried the crate with the innards while Zetai also carried the furs over his shoulder. The group followed Sylvanas through the western entrance to the bordering path. They followed the path to the nearest forest, entering it so that Sylvanas was able to spread the innards over the ground. She turned around and walked back to the group, pointing at the outlines of a lake on the horizon.

"We have to follow this path if we want to reach the lake. There will the next test happen"

"So, we have to show our swimming skills, right?" asked Kelrian, regarding Sylvanas curiously.

"Your swimming and diving skills" corrected Sylvanas.

"Diving? I didn't remember having done that in the last two exams"

"The examination committee decided to add it to the test. Being able to swim and dive for very long will always be useful for a ranger"

"That makes sense"

"It does, indeed" responded Sylvanas, looking directly at him.

He was holding the crate right in front of his chest. It didn't seem that he had troubles carrying the crate which weighed at least seventy-seven pounds. He would have struggled to carry such a heavy crate over a longer distance eight years ago. But now where he was older and stronger, he had no problems carrying a crate full of delicious meat.

"You were the second fastest swimmer four years ago, weren't you?" Sylvanas asked Kelrian.

"I was. hope I can be the fastest this time"

"I hope so as well" responded Sylvanas, giving him a small smile. Kelrian returned the smile and stared into her gorgeous eyes for a few moments before he shifted his gaze back to the uneven path. He didn't want to stumble over a sticking out root and disgrace himself in front of the woman he admired so much.

Sylvanas and Kelrian didn't talk much but they glimpsed at each other from time to time without the other noticing. Neither did the other group members notice what was happening them between them as they continued to follow the path to the lake.