Savage

So, to expand on what happened earlier, after the hour spent trying to do the first Alliance quest (not even kidding, it took an hour of sitting in the copters before people figured out how to do the quest with the limit exceeded on how many engines could be in the air), I managed to catch sight of Bloody Tracks. My heart crawled into my throat as I noticed them and began to follow them backwards. Across the zone I went, using Camouflage to stay safe. I kept losing sight of the next track, however. Even when I cast a flare to see if I was at the end of the line, I got nothing. Confused, I kept roaming, eyeing the maps to make certain I was on course.

A Draenei hunter appeared ahead of me, telling me she hadn't been hunting as long as I had. But, unfortunately, she seemed to be hunting Savage, too, for she knew to follow the tracks backwards. Along we went, and I ran ahead up the correct path, and she followed me. I dropped my Camouflage early and a tiger began to attack me. Even with poor level 85 gear, he didn't hit me for a lot, so I ignored him. I found the edge of the tracks and backed up to wait for the next one to be placed. She dropped one early. No Savage. I dropped one, Savage came up... I hit tame! It wouldn't go off because of the other cat getting in my way somehow... Not sure why, but I had him targeted, and it wouldn't go off. She hit tame... Angry over her trying to steal a mob off of my flare, I shot him, but he wasn't aggroing her, so I couldn't take back my discovery. Not even an apology was uttered on her behalf. I went and quested to get it out of my system.

Earlier today, I came back around and sought out the tracks again. And, again, I found them! Savage was around! But, again, I couldn't continue the trail through the halfway point. I couldn't find any other tracks, and the ones that I had found faded. My heart sank, for surely Savage had been tamed again. I had lost again. But at least it wasn't a painful act, and just the challenge of the hunt. Others want him. Not just me. I went back to questing again, feeling better than my reaction before. I can be happy for someone who deserved it.

Later, I came and sought. No tracks. And again, even later still into the evening, I sought. And I found tracks. My impression was that they were facing the same way as they had the last two times, but upon closer inspection, they were tracking back the other way (heading to the western end of the zone instead of east). Surprise caught me as I saw, right before my eyes, another track dropped. I fumbled, realized I had my Water Strider out, and seeing other hunters around, dismissed it. I stood on the latest track and kept looking... There, a track! I flared... too close to the foot print as Savage winked into existence, his name grayed out from a previously failed attempt at a tame, then faded. Readiness and Flare again, and I hit tame!

And my Savage has come home to me. I dont' know who failed to tame this beautiful creature earlier. I don't know what his/her name will be yet, I've been insisting that my boyfriend name the kitty. He's not so good with names, of course... But I don't mind. Good names take time to think over. For now, I'm just admiring this glorious creature at my side. A set of stripes around his neck look like a collar. :3