#hawkstrider

[feralrainbow]

Exploring the Dragon Isles!

[blue-eyed-banshee]

As many know, Sylvanas doesn't sleep. She just mimics sleeping as a habit.

She always has the same dream; Lirath, Verath and Lireesa.

Lirath is a grown adult and he tells her that he forgives her for what she had done as the banshee queen and to not be mad at Vereesa who indirectly caused his death.

Her parents would tell her how proud they are of her, especially her mother, because she took the mantle with courage and determination all those years to avenge her people.

Her father would be the loving father, full of wisdom and a caring heart, proud of her accomplishments. I'd like to think they're all in Ardenwheald, and when there was a new arbiter, he corrected where the souls went.

She would also see her hawkstrider, Snap running all throughout the land.

Lirath would be talking about how he performs at the amphitheater every night!

[serufu]

Any other former WoW players get an extreme feeling of deja vu or nostalgia when riding Torgal for the first time in ffxiv today and having wolf mount memories flood back to you, or is it just me lol

[thegreatyin]

no yeah precisely. peak mmo mount design will always be a shifty bird that looks vaguely homophobic a-la that one pikmin dog

oh yeah. for the uninitiated ive been completing my popular mmo trifecta by playing a bit of guild wars 2.

this is my absolutely edgy cunty plantgirl. she is 1 year old and a gatekeeper and a hater and god's favorite princess and the most beautiful and interesting girl in the world. her bird is named daisy

[mikaila-orchard]

Tally with her hawkstrider

Snrk! Perfect

[slackergami]

Do you think you could draw Sylvanas and Jaina riding her hawkstrider, Snap?

I could 🤔 for a price ofc huehue :^)))

[vg-bird-reviews]

Hawkstriders and Tallstriders from World of Warcraft!

10/5

Love their dinosaur swag!!! I like that first guy a lot

[unpleasant-ghoul]

Guess what, fuckers?

Sleep is for the weak, TROLLS are for the strong, and I am NOT fucking weak today.

So here I am again. With the same troll, Marhhaiji the Witch doctor. Now with colors. And a magpie that's actually a magpie and not a blob. And longer arms. And some bullshit attempt at shadows and lights, I just sorta slap them wherever, no desire to learn the proper ways. (also, those feathers? Not an honoring/imitating a Loa thing. "Killed some elf AND their hawkstrider at some point, still proud enough of it now to keep showing it off" thing)

[zariasona]

DWC Feb 18 - Casualty

@daily-writing-challenge

Midafternoon in the Emberspirit Manor, and Zariasona had burst into the foyer and slammed the door behind her. With her back against the doors, she rested her head against them and for the first time felt like she could truly breath.

One of the servants of the house saw her and blinked rapidly in surprise. "Young Mistress! I wasn't expecting you to be-"

"Shh! Please, Don't say anything. I need quiet. Please, I beg you." Zariasona's eyes were watering by the mere second.

The servant saw the despair in her eyes, and even though she wanted to help her, she merely nodded. "Yes, Young Mistress. Your secret is safe with me."

"I knew I could count on you." Zaria whispered. With that, she quickly walked into the sitting room knowing fully well that it was rarely used. It was always ready for guests, even if they were few and far between. She grabbed one of the books of the wall and sat before the fireplace on the sofa.

Hours passed, and she had managed to still remain silent in the sitting room. Suddenly, there was a loud pounding upon the door and one of the servants was quick to make their way.

A loud gasp. "Lord Coldstrider, I-" One of the servants had tried to speak but was abruptly cut off.

"Where is my wife?" The familiar, male voice bellowed out. Zaria slowly shut the book and set it upon the coffee table as she lifted herself to her feet. She wanted to move, but she waited. A calculated woman, she was even in the face of her deepest fears.

"Ah! Lord Coldstrider. Glad to see you here. What can I do for you?" This voice was also male, but one she knew well and brought her immense comfort without any hesitation. From the sounds of it, he had descended partially down the stairs into the foyer to speak down to him. "I thought you were with Zari at home. She's certainly not here." Based on how easily the words rolled off his tongue, it was hard to say if he knew or not that she was here.

"Don't play coy with me, old man. She's here, I know she is." Lord Coldstrider said, bellowing at the man upon the stairs.

Only then did Zariasona enter into the foyer with her hands trembling. "I am here." She said softly, her head low to avoid everyone's gaze.

The man upon the stairs knew Zariasona well, and could see how her hands trembled. It didn't take a hawkstrider breeder to know she was afraid of the man who just burst into the home.

"Zaria, darling, we have to go home. We have important matters to discuss." Lord Coldstrider soon crossed across the foyer to get to Zariasona.

"I don't think you will, Kan'this. You see, I can see what is going on here." His gaze shifted to Zaria as he spoke. "The sword." Zaria nodded and turned on a dime back into the sitting room as he continued to spoke. "You see, No one hurts my daughter. Especially my eldest daughter."

Zariasona came back into the room with the large sword, and the man came down the rest of the steps. "Here you are, Ann'da." She said weakly.

Kan'this Coldstrider felt the fear rising in his chest. He had tried to turn to run, but the door had already been locked. How did that happen? The damned mages in this house.

"Zaria, my darling daughter. We'll take care of this, together. And if anyone asks? It was an unfortunate camping trip for Lord Coldstrider this past weekend." Verethar Emberspirit said to her.

Hearing her fathers words, she found her strength once more. For the first time in what felt like eons, she could stand tall with her head held high again. "Of course, Ann'da. My word is my bond."

Kan'this didn't have the chance to run, or to save himself. The last thing he saw was Zariasona charging at him with blade in hand.

[chronicallyhaughty]

Bird in the Hand

“A survey of the runestones is long overdue, we are all in agreement on this.” Rommath nodded, and though his mouth was covered like always, Hal just knew he was smirking under there. “As this matter is intrinsically tied to the safety of our people, there is nobody else I would trust more on this mission,” Lor’themar continued, looking at Hal so earnestly, and Hal would ordinarily agree with the sentiment, but… Asking him to accompany a mage as they survey the runestones felt a bit too close to babysitting for his comfort.

[Halduron/Aethas, NSFW, AO3, Ko-fi]

Okay, here we go! Multichapter fic attempt! I have an outline, just gotta get the work done!!! (Beware – further kinks to be added!)

——————————

One never really gets used to being dumped. Halduron Brightwing has his eyes closed as he draws a deep breath, smelling hay and feathers and bird droppings, holds the air in his lungs for one moment, another… then sighs all of it out. A beak nudges his head, ruffling his hair affectionately.

‘I just don’t see us working long term,’ she had said.

Halduron opens his eyes to stare at the barding of his hawkstrider – his trusty Cerila, so named by his youngest sister – and his fingers laced through the straps. Feeling around, it’s a bit loose by the bridle so he tightens a buckle there before grabbing the reins and leading her outside. Her bright white plumage shines in the low sun.

They had been bold words for a woman who only gave him a month to try to prove himself. She hadn’t liked that he didn’t have much time for her. Well, maybe she simply had too much time, spending it all doing nothing to help anybody. Why he’d ever thought to try dating a socialite he’s not sure, but whatever. No use crying over spilled wine, as the saying goes.

He knows better than to get invested, he thinks firmly to himself as he mounts up and they make their way out of the courtyard, nodding at Oninath as he passes him and his recruits. This is why he typically tends towards renting partners by the hour, rather than try to keep them interested in spite of his many forays into Eversong. Speaking of…

“A survey of the runestones is long overdue, we are all in agreement on this.”

Rommath nodded, and though his mouth was covered like always, Hal just knew he was smirking under there.

“As this matter is intrinsically tied to the safety of our people, there is nobody else I would trust more on this mission,” Lor’themar continued, looking at Hal so earnestly, and Hal would ordinarily agree with the sentiment, but…

Asking him to accompany a mage as they survey the runestones felt a bit too close to babysitting for his comfort. At least the mage in question seemed as unhappy with the assignment as Hal was, even if Aethas Sunreaver was wearing that awful cowl, hiding his face. His body language told a clear story to anyone who cared enough to look: he was uncomfortable. To be standing before the three of them, to have been chosen for this… busywork; whatever his reason, they would likely have that much in common to fuel conversation during the trip. Or stop it dead at every turn, more likely.

And so here Halduron is now, dismounting at Thuron’s Livery and waving at the young woman who jogs up to take Cerila’s reins as he unhooks the saddlebags one by one. He is to leave his rather conspicuous warstrider behind in favor of a more drab individual provided by the stable master. This mission does require if not stealth, at the very least some discretion. He nods his thanks to the young woman who is already talking to Cerila in low, soothing tones and grabs his gear, slinging it over his own shoulder. He gets one last scratch in next to her beak before he lets the woman lead the animal away. No need for the bird to see Hal with another, after all.

He finds his reluctant companion standing awkwardly some ways away from the paddock by the main livery building, watching the hawkstriders within. The birds are of good stock, Perascamin Thuron providing many young sin’dorei with their first mounts as they first venture beyond the Thalassian borders. While not trained to bear heavy armor or see active combat, Thuron’s birds are well-known to have even temperaments, even if all hawkstriders are naturally inclined to do combat with would-be predators.

Aethas is dressed in simple adventuring-type clothes, looking like any fresh-faced mage just out of training, and with his face uncovered it is plain to see that he is apprehensive – far more so than the mission details warrant, as a matter of fact. Two young hawkstriders want to inspect the same tuft of grass, one of them shoving the other aside, causing it to throw its head back with a loud squawk and Aethas about jumps a foot into the air, clutching his staff close to his chest. Ah. Hal grins...

[Ko-fi]

[sheizara]

A couple of small golden pheasants pecked at a handful of birdseed she’d tossed out on the balcony, their feathers gleaming in the bright Eversong sun. Shei frowned a bit as she watched them from the large, round pillow pouf she’d thrown on the floor and had been using as a mattress. They were pretty little things, and their feathers would make gorgeous fletching. 

Her bow was across the room, and even though she tried to move slowly they scattered as soon her foot came in contact with an empty wine bottle that immediately rolled in a noisy circle. She took a minute to mentally curse the mess before reminding herself that shooting a bird on a balcony would be a little unsporting. 

There was a loud part of her that rebelled against cleaning this manor — how many times had she been on her knees in this very room, scrubbing the floors until her hands cracked and bled only to see Lady Sylmae toss a glass of wine onto the tile so she’d have to start over? 

It was hers now. She was the Lady, against all odds. 

Still, it was hard to ignore that she’d fallen into an unhelpful pattern with the place. It was easy to do nothing. There was safety in not making any decisions, but not making any decisions had led her here — a messy room, a house in dire need of repairs and tending to, and nothing much to show for it but tenants growing slowly more restless.

Something had to shift. She was going to have to be the one to shift it. 

Eversong was as beautiful to ride through as it had ever been, the estate’s stable hands had at least continued to take care of the dreamrunners that had fallen into her ownership when she’d claimed her titles and the horned courser handled the terrain more smoothly than any hawkstrider would have. It was on her list to find an appropriate way to thank them and anyone else who had not neglected the animals in her absence. 

Finding enjoyment in the journey helped set her nerves at ease, especially as the hour it took to get to her destination flew by. 

As soon as the small, but still stately, elvish manor house she’d been told to look for came into view they returned with a vengeance. Maybe the dreamrunner would bolt, and she’d have to busy herself with having to catch it again instead — it wouldn’t, her elvish command to stay would keep it compliant. Maybe no one would be home, and she’d have to turn around and come back later. 

A gentle chime sounded inside the house as soon as she hit the top stair on the way to knock on the door and a little alert rune flared on the frame. She hadn’t come this far to only come this far, and against her better judgment she continued to cross the small distance left between her and the cheerful violet welcome mat. 

The door opened before she could even put a hand on it. Pyraelia stared at her from behind her elegant spectacles, lilac eyebrow raised in an unspoken question, “Lady Tel’vaiel, this is a surprise.” 

At least it was her. Sheizara smiled her most charming, sheepish smile at the scholar, “Yeah. Sorry. Do you have a minute to talk?”

[blue-eyed-banshee]

Many people tend to forget Snap, Sylvanas' hawkstrider in life. I would have LOVED if they made a reference to him in the game!

[kharrisdawndancer]

DWC May 2023 - Day 6 - Gleaming/Hurt - Tinnaire

Tinnaire looked over the eye she’d found in her pocket-pouch. The iris was a deep russet, and the glasswork was strikingly well done--not just paint on porcelain, the cornea had been placed on as clear and domed as true-life. Subtle vessels had been both painted and pulled in the glass. The pupil was clearly a true absence not simply painted on as a circle.

It was, oddly, humanoid. Not feline, nor raptor, nor equine in nature. Not from a bear nor a lynx. No hawkstrider or even dragonoid. It was weighted, and slightly bigger than an elven eye would be in her hand. It felt solid. She glanced up at the others gathered around as they conversed and recuperated. Tinnaire went back to the inspection of the orb.

It hadn’t been imbued with magic to appear elven. It did not glow from within--in fact there was no magic at all in it. Subtle fire magic didn’t damage it while she held it between magically warmed fingertips, but neither did the material repel the magic. No fel radiated from it. It was inert.

Just glass.

It stared back at her.

She huffed a little laugh and slid it back into her pouch, fingers trailing over it before she snapped the cover closed. Tinn rejoined the conversations with the other mercenaries, but still she wondered: how had it gotten in her pocket?

@daily-writing-challenge

[gloamingdawn]

TMIT: Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book? What is the last thing you've read lately? Are you also interested in Steamy Romance Novels? (and the actual good erotic novels)

"Are there people who don't read? Yikes.

My favorite type of books are histories. There's a lot to learn from the past. They help you understand people and their mindsets -- it's all cyclical.

The last thing I've read lately has been one of Ash's favorites, 'The Rainbow Phoenix'. He's also really been into 'If You Give a Hawkstrider a Lizard' lately.

I am not interested in Steamy Romance Novels or 'actual good erotic novels'. Glad there's a market for them, but they're not for me."

( Thanks @chothulu! )

[kaelsleftverdantsphere]

A lil thing of Kael and Rom being cute together, I am half asleep as I am writing this so if there are major typos, don't be surprised

╞═════𖠁𖠁═════╡

The prince always had to uphold some kind of persona, -look a certain way, act a certain way, talk a certain way- and he loathed it. He did anything in his power to not conform to what was expected of him. But as the elf aged, pretending felt much more comfortable than constant struggles.

In the arms of a certain someone, however, he never had to play a role. All that was expected of him was to love and to let the other love him. And for the time being, that he could do.

Rommath, his most trusted advisor, best friend and lover. He was special. Handsome, genius and, even though his demeanor might fool others, so tender and warm.

Some days, the two of them would lay in bed, exchanging lazy kisses, caressing one another's cheeks and being oh so close. It felt like a great change to the stereotype they got so used to. Normally constantly on their feet, seeing to their duties and playing their respective roles.

Kael chuckled and kissed his companion. "What animal would you be, if you weren't an elf?" He broke the silence while looking deeply into the other's eyes as if the future of their relationship depended on his answer.

"What kind of hell did you pull a question like that from?" He rolled his eyes. "A panther... And you would be a hawkstrider..."

"A hawkstrider?" The prince pouted. "They have tiny brains..."

"Exactly..." The mage snickered.

Kael sat up, grabbed a pillow and before Rommath knew it, it was in his face. "I am not stupid!" He threw the pillow away and got up on top of Rom. "You can be so rude... Sometimes I think you have no idea who you're talking to..."

"I am talking to Kael'thas Sunstrider... The royal dunce..." He smirked, raising his hands to hold the prince's face, slightly squeezing his cheeks together. "Aw, you can be so adorable when you're all pouty..."

"I hate you..." His face softened. "Why do you think I would be a hawkstrider?"

"Well, because, my love, your attention span is precisely as good as theirs is..." The dark haired elf was smiling, still caressing the other's cheeks.

"That's a lie..." He frowned.

"Oh really? Tell me, Kael, what did you do yesterday...?"

The blonde's face lit up. "I had practice with Voren'thal... He said, as always, that I have a natural gift for the arcane- well... As if I didn't know that, right?"

Rommath chuckled, nodding. "Yes, yes... And what were we talking about before?"

"Huh?"

"My point stands..."

"You're so rude!" The prince exclaimed after realizing. "I am no hawkstrider... Besides, if I were one and you were a... Panther... You would eat me..."

"I am well aware..." In an unguarded moment, the mage sat up and threw Kael back first onto the bed. "You're acting as if I would not be capable of besting you even now-" he said as he got on top of the blonde.

Kael'thas scoffed. "And as always you're doing your best to do exactly what I want from you..."

"How very lovely of me, isn't it? Always doing everything for your benefit... Hiding your hungovers from the king, always taking care of you-" He almost whispered the last five words into his ear.

"Oh you do take care of me so nicely, I have to give you that..." He smiled. "I... I want to marry you someday..."

The mage looked confused for a moment, a reaction rarely ever seen from him. "Marry me? Isn't that impossible?"

"Well... It will be hard... But then again, if my father has to choose between me running away and me being with you... I think he will be more than inclined to accept the latter..."

Rommath deeply inhaled and closed his eyes for but a moment. "I fear your naïvety is going to kill you one day, Kael..."

"Why would you say such a thing after I expressed my love for you?"

"Because it's the truth... You cannot truly believe Anasterian would let you marry me..."

"And what if I do? I would hope so, certainly... Wouldn't you?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I... Belore, of course I would... But I don't believe it could happen... And everytime I think about it my heart breaks just a bit more..."

Kael bit his lower lip and looked away, there was a moment of tense silence between the two for a bit. "Can we... Go back to cuddling?"

Rommath breathed a sigh of relief. "I feared you would never ask..."

[straightouttatheashes]

What does she hate and why?

"I fuckin hate birds. I don't know why. Hawkstrider incident when I was little, I guess? Birds and I just don't get along and I know how ironic that is, but seriously. Trust me on this." Phe lowers her voice. "It's like they can just sense me. They smell fear, you know. Or...mistrust. I'm not afraid of them."

ty @turning-through-the-never ))