The Druid Ambassador
By Veeshan123
The structure that served as the headquarters of the Arch Druid was a somewhat unassuming sight, at least to a night elf. Like many buildings created by that race, it began as a large tree that had been molded and altered by various magics. It wasn't particularly tall or wide, nor were there any special markings or decorations that would denote it's importance. It was just kind of there.
And that was exactly how the Arch Druid Furion had wanted it. In fact, the Arch Druid was even hesitant about altering the tree's natural state. He had never really cared for the grand structures his people were famous for. In fact, it was said that before he had ascended to his position, he had lived in a den dug into the earth underneath a tree. The trees were his pillars, the rocks his statues, the streams his grand roadways. And very few questioned his choices, for it was his strong connection to nature that had saved his people from fiery destruction more then once.
But he was gone now. It had been a few years since he had suddenly vanished, and not even the keepers of the forest or the mighty dragons could find where he had gone. It was rumored that something had happened when he slipped into the Emerald Dream, an alternate plane where the life forces and the dreams of all living things coalesced into a surreal reality. Furion had always mentioned that navigating the Emerald Dream was a potentially dangerous thing, and as such, no one but the most experienced druids were allowed to attempt such a feat. But for the master of all druids to vanish, potentially due to some unforseen danger in the Dream, didn't bode well with many within race.
But none of that was on young Alu'tra's mind as she approached the building. Her stomach was in a knot and she felt trepidation as she approached the entrance. The new Arch Druid, Staghorn, had summoned her to speak with him personally. While she would have been ecstatic and honored by this turn of events during Furion's reign, she found herself somewhat hesitant of Staghorn. From her limited interaction with him, he had come across as cold, although that was perhaps too simple a word for it. Something just didn't feel right.
As she passed through the entrance of the building, she tried to sweep these thoughts from her mind, lest he detect any hesitation or suspicion on her part. After all, he was still a powerful figure and the leader of her order.
The warm glow of a small moonwell pool greeted her as she strode across the raw wooden floor towards a spiraling staircase. The mystical energies within the waters helped sustain the tree's life and energize the magic that were responsible for the tree's altered state. A lone druid, the pool's guardian, stood silently by it. He seemed deep in meditation, and was no doubt trying to commune with the life force of the building. Alu'tra began her ascension up the stairs, leaving him to his work.
"Somewhat quiet today," she thought to herself.
Indeed, as she neared the tops of the steps, she never came across another elf, druid or otherwise. She resolved herself as she made the last few strides into Staghorn's room.
"Ah child, I see you have arrived on time," a voice announced.
Alu'tra glanced in the direction of the voice. The Arch Druid, his back to her, was busying himself with some sort of plant matter on a table before him. She tried to keen her eyes to make out what sort of material it was, but stopped as he turned to face her.
"Fortunate for you...I do detest tardiness," he sneered.
The Night elves were known for their height to the other races, but Staghorn's tall stature was imposing even to others of his own kind. Towering a good 9 feet, he glanced down at the young druid before him. She was a rather pleasant sight. Her long silvery hair was done up in a tight ponytail, no doubt a means of managing it as well as presenting a favorable appearance. Her hair being pulled back also gave a better view of her beautiful pale lavender face, the most striking feature being her perfect almond shaped eyes that shone with a silver glow, although no doubt many non-elves would be drawn to her long pointed ears. Like many druids, she also wore minimal garb fashioned from the hides of animals, which better showed off her toned and curvy body.
But lust was not on his mind. He had more practical reasons for bringing her here.
"Perhaps you are wondering why you have been granted the honor of my company this hour?" He smirked. For some reason, his slight smile made her feel uneasy.
"I do wonder why you have picked a lowly druid such as myself to come before you this night," She said, her head bowed.
He strode forward a step and lifted her chin with his finger.
"I have called you here before me for a very special mission," Staghorn stated, "One of the utmost importance that few can fulfil."
She blinked for a moment and gently withdrew ever so slightly from the tip of his finger, so as to not insult him.
"If I may be so bold, may I ask what skills or qualities I possess that others more experienced may not?" She queried.
His eyes narrowed for a moment, then softened, "That, my young druid, is the very reason why I need you."
He stepped away for a moment, then turned his back to her.
"I need someone inexperienced, but also with certain qualities that are hard to find in those ranks," He continued, as if talking to the wall, "An experienced person will not work for what I have in store for you, purely because their experience would serve as more of a hindrance then an asset."
He once again turned towards her, "The forest, as I hope you know, is inhabited by various creatures. Some of these creatures are very ancient and powerful...almost like deities or royalty of the forest. Their continued existence is essential for the well being of everything within the forest, since everything plays an interconnected role."
"Of course, Arch Druid," She answered.
He continued, "And as I hope you also know, our role as druids is many times to provide assistance to some of these creatures. To serve as keepers, as ambassadors, as servants."
Staghorn made his way back to the table he was at when Alu'tra first entered. He took a handful of the plant material and hefted it in his hand, as if checking it's weight.
"One of the denizens of the forest, Lady Sathrah, has as of late grown despondent to our kind. She distrusts any of the venerable druids I send her way, perhaps fearful of guised trickery," He gently let the pile in his hand slide back into the heaped collection on the table.
Alu'tra turned his way, "So, you want to send an inexperienced druid so she doesn't feel intimidated or fearful."
Staghorn turned directly towards her, his glance piercing right through her.
"I am glad to see you have some wit about you..." He slightly grinned, "Yes, exactly."
She shifted slightly, "And I am to try to secure her trust so that our druids can once again gain an audience with her again."
He nodded, "Yes, and it would be best if you left right away..."
A wide grin came to his face. The knot began to fill her stomach again.
"...although, there are a few things you will have to know first."
---------------------------------------------------
Alu'tra swiftly made her way through the dark forest. It had been some hours since she had left the city on the behest of Staghorn's orders, but she still felt slightly uneasy from her visit with him. After their conversation, he had informed her she would have to make the journey without clothing. She was confused by the request until he explained to her it was in the hopes that it would help the appearance that she did not pose a threat to Lady Sathrah. A naked and thus more vulnerable druid, he explained, would have a greater chance of piercing the veil of distrust she had woven around herself. Besides, she would not run into any other Night Elves, so modestly really was not an issue.
It was the way that he had looked at her as she disrobed that disturbed her, though. There was something in his eyes. It wasn't lust...it was something else. Even worse was when he placed his hand on her shoulder before she left. She wasn't able to put her finger on it, and she had tried to hide her misgivings as she bared herself before him. He never gave any indication of noticing her feelings, however, and proceeded to inform her of where the Lady resided.
"I'm just glad to be back out in the wilderness again," She reassured herself.
Every so often she would pass through the moonlight that had seeped it's way through the canopy above, bathing her sleek nude form in a soft glow, before she slipped back into the darkness of the woods a moment later. The forest seemed to be getting denser as she continued onward. It became harder to travel at as quick a pace she had been moving at before, in part due to the thick plant growth and in part due to the fact her nude body was more susceptible to scratches and scrapes. She made her way along, parting the foliage, until she suddenly found herself in a clearing.
There was no growth on the ground, save for the tall trees that stretched out towards the sky. Not a flower or shrub or even a blade of grass, just hard packed dirt. Pulling herself free of the brush, she stepped out onto the cool earthen floor. She looked upward towards the treetops, and was greeted by an inky darkness. Some clouds had covered the moon, snuffing out it's glow.
"This is the place," She reminded herself.
She walked forward, deeper into the clearing.
"Lady Sathrah!" She called out, "I have come on the behalf of the Cenarion Circle of druids and Arch Druid Staghorn to seek an audience with you."
The darkness responded with silence. Her eyes searched about, hoping to maybe catch of glimpse of where she might be.
"Lady Sathrah!" She once again called out, "I have come before you, naked and unarmed, in the hopes that you will be willing to grant me an audience, without fear from my hand or the hand of my kind."
A soft skittering sound emanated from the darkness ahead of her. Her acute elven ears drunk in the noise and immediately directed her vision towards where it had originated from. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out if the noise had come from the Lady or not.
"My Lady," She said, softer then before, "You may come out. I am not your enemy, nor a threat to you."
Once again she heard the same sound, somewhat closer this time. She stepped towards it.
"May the light of Elune shine on both of us and..." She cut herself short as she walked into something, her arms splaying out as she instinctively raised them to push herself back. She couldn't see what it was, but it yielded and stretched slightly to her weight. Startled by this, she went to take a step back, and found that she couldn't. Whatever she had run into was incredibly sticky as well. She tried to wrench her arms away, but found they too were hopelessly affixed to the barrier that entrapped her. Her legs were likewise a lost cause, although she still barely had some footing on the ground. She attempted to use this leverage to shift herself, but only succeeded in rocking back and forth.
It was then the moon finally emerged from the clouds that had cloaked it. The clearing was suddenly awash in a blinding light and Alu'tra was forced to clench her eyes shut until the shock of light burning into her retinas had passed. When she finally opened them, she was startled by what she saw. What she had thought was an empty clearing was now full of glowing, silvery webs. Thick strands suspended between trees, shining with the brightness of the moon. Beautiful luminescent spiraling nets that appeared to be more works of magic then the works of a spider.
Appreciation for this beauty quickly faded away from Alu'tra, however, as the maker of these marvels came into her sight. A massive spider, as white as ivory, briskly made it's way over to her. It's multiple eyes, as dark as obsidian, inspected her. The young night elf tried to keep calm.
"Brings...you...why...to...this...place?" A voice in Alu'tra's head queried.
She blinked for a moment, suddenly realizing it was the spider that was speaking to her. Remembering her druidic training, she tried to reach out with her mind. To speak with animals usually required a physical connection with the animal itself, but somehow the web of this spider was serving the same purpose.
"I am Alu'tra...I have been sent by Arch Druid Staghorn to gain an audience with you," She projected back towards the spider.
The spider's mandibles clicked, it's head quickly darting in different directions.
"Staghorn...serve...him....do...you?" The spider responded.
"I am a druid of the circle, and he is the leader, so I serve him," She answered back. Alu'tra hoped the spider wouldn't detect her distaste for the Arch Druid. She wasn't quite sure if such an emotion could harm this meeting.
"You...seek....thing...he...wants?" The spider asked, "You...come....for...it...take...steal..".
The elf blinked, confused, "I don't understand. Steal what? He asked me speak with you."
"Lies..." The spider shot back. Alu'tra began to feel uneasy. She was hardly in a position to defend herself, should this meeting sour.
"I do not lie to you, I was told that you had become distrustful of the druids and I was sent to reestablish contact," She calmly thought, trying to infuse whatever emotions she could into the message in the hopes the creature would recognize her sincerity.
"Stench...you...carry....Staghorn...unclean...herb...Morrowgrain..." The spider retorted, the pace of the words quickening, "Slave...mate...maybe...are...you...deceive...try...you...no..."
Before she could respond, the massive spider leapt forward at a speed not even an elf could fathom. It's ivory fangs sank into her collarbone, spewing paralyzing venom into her blood stream as they sunk into her pale purple flesh. She cried out in pain, struggling to free herself from the web. The poison worked quickly, though, and soon her cries and struggles began to fade. She felt a tingle spread throughout her limbs and muscles, followed by a brief numbness, and then coolness. The elf tried to move, but found she was completely unable to voluntarily command any of her muscles. She hung in the web, motionless and silent, but still very much alive. She felt a cool breeze blow against her bare skin.
"Tasted...it...when...bit...you....unclean...herb...cannot....deny..." The spider informed her.
Alu'tra tried to answer back, but found that the venom had clouded her mind slightly. Inexperienced in the ways of the druid, she was unable to regain a connection with the spider. Powerless to do anything, she listened and hoped her assailant would believe her.
"Lesson...must...teach...example...I...make...where...death...he...try...make...life...I...make", the spider explained to her. Alu'tra wasn't sure what the spider was talking about, but she chastised herself for not listening to her gut instinct more. The herb that Staghorn had been handling and working with, she thought. He wanted to make sure the spider, Lady Sathrah, detected it on her body. He wanted to make sure he sent someone who was ill equipped to defend their position, to speak nothing of their life, when the spider began to suspect treachery. He wanted Alu'tra to fall prey to the arachnid. But to what end, she thought. She didn't have to wait long to find out.
"Life...from...death....birth...from...death," The spider droned, as it approached her defenseless form. It stopped for a moment, then reared up on it's back legs. The underside of the beast loomed over her as it tried to gain a footing on the web holding her. The druid could still move her eyes, and looked down towards the abdomen. She then better understood what the spider was talking about. A section of the exoskeleton split open, and a long transparent tube began to snake from it. An ovipositor. It glistened with some sort of slime.
"Fine...host...brood.." The spider cooly told her.
The tube, now extended a good three feet, drew near her exposed sex. Mentally, she screamed out for the spider to stop this, but her own mind was the sole audience. The tip of the tube pressed against her labia, slowly spreading her vagina as it began to penetrate her. An enzyme in the slime began to reverse the paralyzing effect in that region, and she felt a mix of revulsion and confusion as the blood rushed to and engorged her slit. It soon bumped against her hymen, but a slight thrust was all that was needed to break through the impeding barrier. If the elf could have winced in pain, she would have. As the length of the tube slid deeper into her, the area around Alu'tra's hairless sex began to glisten with a mixture of the beast's slime and her own fluids.
"Mate...you...were...not...it...seems..." The spider interjected, "Help...host...accept...package...more...easy...my...fluid...does" She wondered if it had sensed her emotions, or if it had merely guessed the obvious reaction from a being in her position.
After effortlessly sliding deep into her depths, the tube stopped. Lady Sathrah shifted slightly, her abdomen quivering ever so slightly. Suddenly, the ovipositor began to make a rhythmic pumping motion. Through the somewhat hazy translucent flesh of the tube, a stream of round white orbs could be seen inexorably being pushed towards her vagina, their bulk expanding the tube to accommodate them. Her entrance stretched slightly with each undulating pumping motion. Each pulse drew the eggs closer and closer to her body. She tried hard to focus her thoughts, in a desperate attempt to talk to the spider.
"I..." She managed, before she was interrupted by the sensation of an orb slipping through her sex's entrance and into her soft depths. And then another. And another. She felt herself being filled by a seemingly unending stream of eggs, pushed by the pulsing and throbbing tube, working their way past her labia, up her birth canal, and finally exiting the tube in the confines of her virgin womb. The spider relentlessly pumped eggs into the elf until Alu'tra felt she would quite literally burst. The spider, sensing this, began to withdraw the tube. As the length slid out, the tube deposited eggs all along the length of her private depths, as if not wanting to waste any of the space. With an audible and wet sucking sound, it exited her swollen slit. Slime, blood, and her juices dribbled onto the ground, where they were hungrily absorbed by the earthen floor.
The spider, moving a couple of it's legs down towards it's spinarettes, drew out a small swatch of silk. In one fluid motion, it bundled the silk into a small ball and then stuffed it in the entrance of her vagina, patting it gently into place with one of her legs. The sticky silk adhered easily to her skin, ensuring her opening was permanently sealed.
"One...more...deposit...be...sure..." Lady Sathrah informed the motionless elf.
"Stop...please...let...me...explain..." Alu'tra stammered in her mind, trying to ignore the pressure she felt from the large deposit of eggs that now lay within her.
Ignoring her pleas, or perhaps answering them, the giant spider quickly turned it's body around so that the ovipositor was now near the night elf's head. The tube, still smelling strongly of her sex, pressed into her lips and towards the back of her throat. She tried to gag, but still found she was unable to muster a simple act such as that. The quivering of tube heralded the arrival of more eggs. Another stream of white orbs began to make their way to her mouth, which was stretched to an O shape by the tube. The first of the eggs pushed it's way past her lips, pressing the tube down on her tongue. The bitter taste of the spider's slime mingled with the familiar taste of her own blood and the unfamiliar taste of her vagina's fluids. Quickening it's pace, since it didn't want to risk her asphyxiation, the spider speedily pumped another seemingly endless stream of eggs into the hapless elf. Like the womb, her stomach began to fill with a clutch of eggs. Satisfied with the deposit, the spider withdrew it's tube. Alu'tra welcomed the sweet air that once again could fill her lungs. The creature drew forth a mass of silk and plugged it into the elf's oral cavity, filling it to the brim with sticky webbing.
Still reeling, her eyes glanced downwards at her body. The elf's belly was distended, her insides filled with an untold number of eggs. Her pale purple skin shone with a slight sheen of sweat in the moonlight.
"Safe...I...make...you...until...hatch.." Lady Sathrah said in Alu'tra's mind, almost reassuringly.
The spider righted itself so it was once again facing the elf. Reaching forward with it's front legs, it began to gather the druid and the webbing together. The spider drew her fangs towards certain stretches of the webbing, cutting them and giving her easier access to the entangled prey. After a few short moments, she had cut Alu'tra completely free of the web. She clutched the elf, body like a ragdoll, almost lovingly.
Gripping the elf in such a fashion so that she could be easily be handled, she began to exude webbing from her spinarettes. The spider pulled forth a sheet of the shimmering soft material and spooled it around the ankles of the elf. Then, at an almost dizzying speed, it began to twirl and spin the elf. Endless supplies of silk exuded from Sathrah, coating and wrapping the elf tightly. The sticky cocoon worked it's way up her legs, drawing them firmly together. Over her smooth thighs it passed, and upwards around her hips and bottom, compressing her sex snugly. It continued over her bulging belly, the silk acting as a sort of corset. As her flesh compressed from the silk, the mass of eggs almost seemed to push back, making her feel pressed from the inside and the outside.
The spider gathered her arms and placed them so they were pressed against her back, and did a few turns to ensure they would remain in place. Alu'tra felt slight discomfort as her arms pinched her upper back. The sticky cocoon continued upwards, enveloping her firm breasts within their gauze embrace. They compressed against her body, but still maintained their undeniable shape against the form of her wrapped body. The wrapping worked it's way past her shoulders and around her neck. The spider, thankfully, had not wrapped her throat tightly. The silk spun around her chin and lips, adding a another layer to her gag.
"Staghorn..I..hate...dont...do...this.." She attempted to plead as the wrapping worked it's way across her nose. Her shining silver eyes tried to plead with her captor, but only found themselves covered and forever obscured by the sheet of silk that wrapped around them.
Lady Sathrah finished the wrap, completely sealing Alu'tra's head. She then reversed the direction of the spinning, adding a second skin tight layer of silk to the already firmly encased elf. Satisfied with this final coating, the spider stopped cocooning her. Alu'tra's body, encased in the seamless wrap, shone as brightly as the silvery webs in the moonlight.
"Until...hatch..." The spider cooed. Holding the cocoon firmly with a few limbs, Lady Sathrah began to scale a tree. She stopped as she approached a strong limb of the mighty plant. Deciding it would be a good place to store the elf, she drew forth a swath of sticky silk and suspended Alu'tra upside down from the thick branch. The incapacitated druid hung there, swaying ever so slightly in the breeze, like a fruit waiting to ripen.
"Until...hatch..." The spider once more repeated, as it scaled back down the tree to attend to it's other errands.
Hours later, the poison began to weaken in the blood steam of the elf. Finding herself in control of her muscles again, she vainly tried to struggle in her silk prison. She thrashed in her cocoon and silently screamed into her thick gag, her body swaying wildly from the branch. Nearby a crow regarded the scene, then shifted it's attention to a troop of elven soldiers heading in the direction of Lady Sathrah's last whereabouts.
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"Arch Druid, you requested a report from the Moonguard?"
Staghorn, busy at his table of herbs, didn't bother turning to face the courier who brought him the news.
"Yes," He replied, examining the plants, "Were they successful?"
The courier, never shifting his gaze towards the Arch Druid, replied "Yes, they were successful. It's a shame the beast went feral like that...killing a poor night elf, one of your own druids no less!"
Staghorn, still not facing the courier, tried to feign dissatisfaction.
"Yes, quite a shame. Especially given the magical properties of the web she spun, blessed by the very goddess Elune. Tis a shame the batch we harvested will be the last."
The courier, finally breaking his straight gaze, looked towards the Arch Druid.
"Might I ask...what became of the poor victim?"
Staghorn grinned to himself, then turned to face the courier.
"I buried the poor drained girl deep in the woods," He lamented, " As a druid, it is only customary that she be laid to rest amongst the life she helped nurture."
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The cocooned body of Alu'tra lay flat on the cold stone floor of a cave. Occasionally her body would shift slightly, testing the bonds but knowing they would never break. She was slightly conscious, although still rather disoriented. The druid knew she wasn't hanging in a tree any longer, as she felt the hard rock press against her back.
"Ah my child," A familiar voice suddenly spoke.
Her cocooned form began to thrash around wildly on the floor, very muffled mmmphs emanating from her head. Staghorn couldn't decide if it was because she hoped to attract attention to her predicament, or whether she merely was trying to display her anger. Of course neither mattered.
"The young inside you, when they hatch, will serve as an excellent source of the enchanted silk I crave so much for my...experiments," He explained, "But for now I do not have a need for their services."
He kneeled down beside her body, then reached out and cusped one of her breasts. She arched her back and tried to wrestle away from his touch, unsuccessfully.
"As such, I've decided to let you ripen a bit. I'm sure the young spiders will most enjoy the delicious feast you will provide them," He chuckled. Staghorn lowered his head and kissed Alu'tra where he figured her wrapped lips would be. Her struggles immediately ceased. Alu'tra found herself slipping into a darkness, and there was nothing left but to embrace it.
"Sleep well, my child. Until I have need to harvest my fruit," He said to her now slumbering form.
She, and the egg clutch inside her, would remain in a state of stasis until his needs required their hatching. The web he had harvested from the clearing of Lady Sathrah would be more then adequate for now. As he left the cave, the entrance began to melt and seal behind him, forming a solid rock wall.
"Perhaps I could teach the young spiders to crave the taste of female elf," He pondered to himself, "When I finally control the Night Elf race and overthrow Priestess Tyrande, it would be a fitting end for her and her sisterhood."