"Training this early, eh Ezi? Did Krelios forget to take his anti-snoring elixir again?" Ranger-General Halduron remarked before chuckling by himself. He heard that Ranger-Captain Ezikell Moonpiercer, one of his fellow Farstriders and a dear friend of his, was once again training at the dead of night for an unknown reason. He knew his friend was going through some tough times, and he wanted to be there for him.
"I couldn't sleep," Ezikell replied. "I might as well do something productive instead of being stuck in my bed staring at the ceiling." Ezikell raised his bow, aiming at the target practice dummy that's already filled with his arrows. The moon illuminated his form, rigid but serious. With a swift move, he shot another arrow, hitting the center once more.
"Oh? Something troubling you, my friend?" Halduron asked, walking towards the spare table behind Ezikell and lowering his training bag onto the floor. He pulled out one of the chairs and sat on it before placing his bow onto the worn table.
"I-It's nothing..." Ezikell mumbled. "It's just that, my brother is coming back home tomorrow, and I don't know whether I should be thrilled or pissed." Ezikell snarled as he prepared to shoot another arrow. His quiver was almost out of arrows, but it doesn’t seem to faze him.
Halduron's eyes turned to Ezikell with worry as he slowly stood up before picking up his bow and quiver, intending to train with him. Evidently taller than Ezikell, his body formed a considerable shadow that forced Ezikell to release his hold on the bowstring and face him.
"I'll take that as you still haven't forgiven him," Halduron said. "But he has apologised and promised to make it up to you, no?"
"He has, countless times actually," Ezikell responded, lowering his bow to compose himself. "But, I still can't help but hate him for being such a coward."
"Come on now, he wasn't being a coward and you know that," Halduron responded. "Your father forced him to stay in Dalaran for his safety, and he would've wished you could be somewhere safe as well if not for your duties as a Farstrider." Halduron placed his hand on Ezikell’s shoulders, and a hint of awkwardness was felt between the two. Ezikell politely removed Halduron’s hand from his shoulder before turning his back slightly and looking out at the nearby river, hoping that he didn’t notice the blush forming on his cheeks.
"Yeah, my duties, hahaha..." Ezikell laughed sarcastically, his tone shifting from frustration to resignation. Halduron frowned at him, his face painted with the look of disappointment and sorrow.
"I've already told you, you can always leave the Farstriders. It's not going to be an issue, I promise you," Halduron reiterated. "If it's your father's legacy that you're worried about, then I'll-"
"It's not that simple, Halduron..." Ezikell interjected. "All my life, I've been told I'll be the one to carry the Moonpiercer legacy and be a Ranger-Lord just like my father. But now that he's gone, I can't help but feel that I have no choice but to carry that burden even more." Ezikell put his bow behind him, his blush from earlier now wiped from his cheeks.
Ever since his father's death at the hands of the Scourge during their invasion of Quel'thalas, Ezikell had both felt the burden of upholding the Moonpiercer legacy, while also not wanting to desecrate the memory of his father's sacrifice by choosing to follow a different path. In a way, his anger towards his brother both stemmed from a place of frustration and envy as his brother didn't have to face the same expectations placed by his father.
"I think it's time for me to get some sleep. I'm sorry that you had to see me like this again, Hald- I meant, Ranger-General Halduron," Ezikell fixed his mishap before putting his bow behind his back.
"Please, just call me Halduron. I'm still your friend before anything else," Halduron replied, his eyes now conveying a look of sadness towards his dear friend.
"Sorry, I just don't want the other Ranger-Captains to gossip about us again. You know how it is, haha..." Ezikell replied, his laugh even more hollow than earlier. "Shorel'aran, Ranger-General."
Ezikell forced a smile towards Halduron before picking up his own bag and walking to return to Silvermoon City. The light of the moon and a few nearby lampposts were the only things illuminating his path home. Halduron could only sigh as he looked at Ezikell walking towards the city.
“I’m sorry, Ezi. If only I had been more honest with you...” Halduron whispered to himself before sighing as Ezikell's silhouette faded into the distance.
phases of the moon 🌙 page one