Daear: Survival of the Fittest

The blood around his wounds had completely dried over by the time he had finished the chore. The hot Barrens' sun beat down on Daear and the fresh corpse of a raptor. The golden grass around them was stained with crimson flecks reminiscent of the recent battle.It was a fierce struggle. The raptor had ambushed Daear on his journey back to the Crossroads and the fight only ended minutes ago. Daear winced slightly as his movements strained the bite wound on his shoulder from the raptor's initial attack. He frowned slightly as he looked back down at the corpse. The raptor's eyes were dull and lifeless now, nothing like the fury filled ones it possessed a short time ago. Daear folded the hide he had recently removed from the beast and gave it a place in the Kodo hide pack he wore. His glace fell over the raptor's now exposed muscle, bruised and damaged from the massive hammer Daear carried with him. He was disappointed the meat was now worthless and would be waste. What better way to repay a worthy opponent he thought as he lifted the pack onto his broad shoulders and looked back into the lifeless eyes. "You fought well friend. Know that you shall live on". The words seemed to carry in the hot plains breeze that now blew. He turned and walked away from the corpse toward his destination. His journey did not end here.

Daear: The Hunt(Pt. 2)

Daear's eyes gazed into the starry Barrens' sky as he woke suddenly from his deep sleep. The dream was still fresh in his mind and haunted his thoughts. Is this a sign? he wondered, his gaze still locked on the heavens above. The dream surprised him as it was unlike the normal dreams he had of his family and tribe. He dreamed of a lion stalking through the golden barrens grass, the mighty hunter walking proud and strong. He was the mighty Barrens hunter. Soon shadows surrounded the lion and shadowy figures began come from the shadows toward the beast. The cornered lion tried to defend itself as the figures began to rend and tear at him. They clawed at it until his flesh was mangled and blood covered the ground. The lion was soon overcome and disappeared into the darkness.
That is when Daear woke. He stared into the star flecked sky pondering the dream. His thinking got him no where. The dream only seemed to frusterate and frighten him the more he thought about it. He began to wipe it from his mind and clear his head. The calm brought his connection to the elements back more vividly. He felt the earth he lay on cradle him and the wind carry away his fear and frustration. It was a comfort only this land could give him. Daear smiled widely know that all was well. We may fight and struggle he thought, but the elements will always give us comfort. He turned his head to one side and spotted Ero sleeping close by. He felt a strange sadness for the other Tauren. How can one find fullness with such a disconnection from the elements? Daear's mind wandered again. His achievement is his comfort. The thrill of the hunt and the love of the kill are his joy. He finds solace in being the mighty Barrens hunter. Daear's eyes widened at the thought as his mind reeled. Daear's whisper was taken with the wind "Ero, the Barrens hunter..." Suddenly his mind was shocked back into reality as teeth sank into his shoulder violently and a loud wail sounded behind him.

Daear: The Hunt(Pt. 1)

The moon bathed the plains in a soft white glow as the rolling hills of grass cast waving shadows in the dim light. A small fire flickered in the grasslands with the silhouettes sitting close to the flames edges. Daear and his companion, Ero, huddled close to a fire cooking kodo meat over the flames. Both were Taurens who lived in the Barrens their entire lives. Daear was a shaman in his tribe, and Ero was a revered hunter. He felled many beasts in the Barrens over his relatively short life, and the two grew up together often going on hunts together. Even after all the hunts Daear still was a mystery to Ero. He knew the young shaman respected the hunt and enjoyed it, but there was always something detached about Daear that bothered Ero. Daear never seemed to concentrate on the hunt, and this moment was no different. Ero looked at Daear, who's mind seemed to be wandering.
"Daear, is there something on your mind?"
The big Tauren looked at Ero, somewhat startled by the broken silence. "There is always much on my mind, friend. Why do you ask?"
"Your mind does not seem to be here, as it has been all day. Is something distracting you?"
Daear smiled "Yes something is." He paused and pointed out into the darkness of the plains. "What do you see out there?"
Ero was somewhat befuddled. He looked into the darkness, but could see nothing. "It's pitch black. There is nothing to see."
Daear's smile widened "That is where you are wrong, friend. There is a sleeping world out there. I can see the lions sleeping in the bushes, and the herds of kodo huddled up for the night. I see a living world out there. I also see my home." His voice trailed off into the darkness.
Ero gave him a frustrated look. "Don't you tell me that is distracting you. There is a lot going on right here."
"There is more going on out there." Daear pulled the now cooked meat from the fire, "Many spirits need healing and many souls need guidance."
Ero gave a scoff, "Maybe you should be back home with the seers and healers. I don't have much need for them out here on the hunt."
Daear smiled again, "Not all of us can be healers or seers, Ero."
"Why not? I thought that is what shamans were?" Ero gave a slight smirk.
Daear's smiled turned into a slight frown. "We all have our place tending the tree of life. Some heal it and others guide its growth, but there are more duties than that."
"Really? Like what?"
"Sometimes branches need to be pruned." Daear looked back into the darkness. "That is my job."

Daear: Introduction to Daear Achlesu

[The following is an OOC description of Daear Achlesu's history and personaliy]

Daear is a Tauren who grew up in the Barrens near Camp Taurajo. For much of his young life he was being trained as a shaman. He never had the gift for communicating with the elements or acting as a spirit guide for his people. He found his place as a protector. He was strong fighter and excelled in martial combat. He found using the elements to help him fight was his greatest strength. This did not mean he was stuipd though. He grasped the philosophies and ideals of his role very well and believes fully in them. His tribe respected the hunt strongly as part of it's traditions. Unfortunatly Daear took little interest in this tradition. He respected it as part of his culture, but rarely payed it much attention. His best friend, Ero, on the other hand was a great hunter in the tribe and the two had many conflicts due to their perceptions of this tradition. After some tiem with the tribe and many travels to areas close to the Barrens, Daear realized his place was not with the tribe. One realization came after he discovered a common xenophobia amoung his people. He saw other as part of the world who needed help and protection, so a short time after an undead traveller came to thier camp he left to travel the world. Ero took personal offense to this and they have not got along since Daear first set out. Even during the infrequent visits Daear makes to the village Ero avoids him. After reaching Oggrimar Daear tried to learn about the cultures of all the other members of the horde. He decided to change his last name to something more traditional of the Forsaken, or the human culture, to give him a small similarity in that world and to slightly alienate him from his culture. This was simply a symbolic gesture he did more for his own sake than others. After spending some time in the Undercity he joing with a group who called themselves the "Ephemerals" and resided in their guild hall whenever he wasn't traveling.
Daear follows the tenants of shamanism, but has a slightly different outlook on it than his teachers. He follows the path of the elements and uses his abilities in a very similar manner to a paladin following the Light. He protects the weak and helps rid the world of evil. The definition of evil may be where Daear and Paladin dogma differ. To Daear evil tries to corrupt the natural order of things. This does not mean anyone who cuts down a tree or digs a hole is the ground is evil. It means people who abuse and hard the elemental balance of the world are evil to him. This could include someone trying to turn a desert into a jungle for almost any reason. It wasn't meant to be so it shouldn't be, is one of his modes of thinking. Even with this mentality he does not regard the Forsaken as unnatural. They are beings of freewill and existance alone, for a sentient creature, does not dictate the value of it's existance. He actually finds some of them to be good company, but is wary due to rumors of a new plague.
Overall Daear tends to be quiet and withdrawn yet kind. When at the guild hall he preferes to sit in a corner and listen to his guildmates interact. It reminds him of how well the world can fit together and work. It also reminds him of the individual people he is trying to protect, and making it personal in that way makes it more important to him.

OOC: Greeting and status

First off, if you are reading this I am quite impressed. I didn't think people read anything I posted. Please feel free to leave a comment or anything to let me know you are reading. I does wonders to keep me going.
Second, I am working on rewriting all the old posts from Daear's blog on Guildportal. Some of them were written with no preperation and were so bad they made me cry... lots. Until then you can go over to Guildportal and read all of Daear's stories here. Again, if you are reading this. Thanks a bunch. I appreciate it a lot. Hope to have some real content up for you soon!