Let me tell you a story.

When I first started World of Warcraft, and I mean when I really first started, within the first week before Pandaria ever dropped (I joined exactly a week before it released), I was primarily fascinated by mounts. I loved em. I loved the dragons the most, because I mean, who doesn't love dragons?

I would spend a lot of my downtime on Wowhead looking at all the mounts.

And out of all of them, the Drake of the North Wind was definitely my favorite. I didn't even know that there was a model viewer on Wowhead at the time so I never saw it in 3D, but just from screenshots, I thought it was so gorgeous, the prettiest mount in the game, with that lightblue and grey.

So of course I looked up how to get it. And I learned that it was from an instance. And this was actually before I had ever done an instance, even, and I didn't really know how they worked, but I did think that it would be impossible for me to ever get this mount. I saw a video on Youtube about soloing it as a Paladin, and I remember thinking, 'This is impossibly complicated, I'm not playing a paladin, I have a rogue and I don't think a rogue can solo that'. 

Obviously, this wasn't true, and as I leveled I became way more realistic about what I could and couldn't do at max level. Vortex Pinnacle was definitely one of those things that I could do, and over the last few months when I've had the time, I've been running it a few times before I get bored...

> no success

> favorite artist opens commissions, which are highly in demand

> SHIT

> get a slot

> oh boy

> send them info on Kal and Tugboat

> "I'm really sorry, I don't think I can draw this character!"

> lay down

> try not to cry

                “Ah, Jenova. I’ve brought more serpentrider relics for you.”

                The blood elf smiled as he watched the Pandaren woman open the carefully-bundled package, picking at the ancient pottery shards and weapon fragments. When she had counted them up—a formality alone, as he had long since proven himself capable of acquiring the needed amount each day—she looked up at him and smiled.

                “Thank you Kalameda. These relics are invaluable to our studies. We will learn much from them. If you could, please bring some more back tomorrow. We are always happy to receive them.”

                “Of course,” he said. He bid her farewell, and then headed across the grounds of The Arboretum, intent on visiting his hatchling before leaving for the day. The young azure serpent,  Bàofēngyǔ—a name that, he had been told, translated to ‘Tempest’ in the local language—had been taking up much of his time lately. Not that he could say that he had minded.

                Nothing in the mysterious land of Pandaria had entranced Kalameda the way that the cloud serpents had. Ever since his first stay at the Shrine of Two Moons, whereupon he had first gazed upon the great thundering serpent Alani gliding gracefully among the clouds, it had been his dream to someday befriend one of the majestic beasts and soar across the sky with them. Upon becoming eligible to do so, he had immediately traveled to The Jade Forest to seek out the Order of the Cloud Serpent, intent on joining. And now, with each passing day that his bond with Bàofēngyǔ strengthened and he prove himself to The Order by succeeding at their trials, he was becoming closer and closer to fulfilling his dream.

                He had been told that he was a very enthusiastic initiate, and with reluctance he would admit that he may have become a little obsessed. Not without good reason, of course. The plight of the Windward Isle was an exceptionally tragic one to him, and so he had spent nearly every spare moment patrolling the steep mountains on the island, in search of abandoned onyx serpent eggs. He had been determined to get to them before the sauroks could and deliver them to the safety of The Arboretum.  And, as it seemed upon his visit to his serpent’s enclosure that his dear Bàofēngyǔ was out for a flight herself, he thought that there would be no better use for his time than to patrol once more for wayward eggs.

                That was, until he heard the voice of Elder Anli calling out to him. He paused, glancing over at her, and when he saw her beckoning him he hurried over.

                “Is there something you need, Elder?” he asked, slightly puzzled at the expression on her face. It seemed slightly solemn—a far cry from the bright smile it usually held.

                Her voice was quiet as she replied, “I can no longer call myself your teacher, Kalameda.”

                For a second his mind spun. What did that mean? Was he being kicked out?! He tried to figure out what he could have possibly done. Had it been that thing that had happened at the Tavern in the Mists? But how could anyone here possibly have found out about that?! It was only when she elaborated, after what seemed like an eternally long time, that his mind stopped reeling.

                “You have proven yourself worthy of your cloud serpent, Kalameda. Today, you shall join our ranks. Are you ready?”

                From the corner of his eye now, he could see Bàofēngyǔ’s head peeking around the edge of one of the huts nearby. It seemed enormously larger than the last time he had seen her. Upon a hushed voice coming from that direction, however, the serpent quickly ducked her head back out of sight. Clearly, everyone around here was in on this except him.

                Kalameda turned back to Elder Anli, and bit his lip. Perhaps his eyes were even watering slightly—thank the Light for the sash he wore over them— as he replied, with a trembling voice,

                “Yes.”