Even the desolation of Shadowmoon Valley could not prevent the shadows from concealing the presence of Tae'loren, an ancient hunter born from the times of the first Kaldorei Highborne. Too many times those piercing, perceptive golden orbs gleamed from the shadows upon Black Temple, Illidan's fallen throne. The shadows were not strained to conceal the hunter, blending with ashen-blue skin and a blue, braided mane the color of midnight. Reflexively those golden eyes tracked Illidan's minions, his demon hunters, Tae'loren's corrupted kin. He heard every graceful footfall, he felt the corresponding disruption of the air, and he smelled the vile corruption masking that pinch of life for each demon hunter Illidan had deceived. Though the official task of slaying the megalomaniac had long ago been dissolved, too many of Tae'loren's brethren had fallen at the fiend's hands for the hunter to simply dismiss Illidan and the threat to his home that he posed. Many thought him a bit pathological himself for attempting to infiltrate Illidan's fortress alone, but with the mental list of names of fallen that Tae'loren already possessed, he was not about to add his animal companions.<br/><br/>With brisk caution the hunter danced across the rocky terrain of the valley, the ground returning the night elf's efforts with affection, further masking his footfalls. Those golden eyes never left the two patrolling demon hunters, the ground under the hunter's feet guiding him to a large boulder to provide further cover. If this land did not have immediate relation to the hunter, it did with other lands that knew of him and his efforts to see the world restored. The first of the two was a lithe, like any elf, female. Mimicing the movement patterns of local creatures, Tae'loren began a series of scraping and tapping to lure the demon hunter away from her companion. The hunter lured her to a place where she would assume he was, in a niche beside the boulder, when he was actually crouched above it, blowing a tranquilizing dart into her. Leaping down, he quickly caught the female, gently bracing her against the boulder. He did not, however, prevent the clatter of her glaives, which quickly drew the attention of her male counterpart, who was rushing toward them, just as the hunter intended. He then hid in the niche, knowing the demon hunter male would be too preoccupied with his companion to spend enough time examining his surroundings. A second dart was airborne, quickly subduing the male as he fell into the hunter's waiting arms. He, too, was braced gently against the boulder, and will suppressed tears Tae'loren leaned down, kissing both on the forehead, whispering promises of returning them to their rightful home. He then gazed up, staring almost defiantly at Illidan's fortress before darting toward the entrance and beyond.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>