Mists of Change - a short story about Patch 5.0.4

Something was coming.  There were whispers in the alleys and crazy heralds in the streets shouting about the rise of a new World.  Navimie thought it must be another full moon.  Next month was the coming of the apocalypse, some cried.  Others said that old gods would rise again.  One lunatic troll clutched at her robes saying that the Sha were upon them, and Navimie had cast Soothe, watching with satisfaction as the crazed look left his eyes, and he sat on his haunches, his face impassive, with maybe a hint of a smile.  She cast a rejuvenation on him to calm him further and smiled as the warmth of the healing spell wafted around him like a summer breeze.

But yesterday, when she woke, she FELT different.  She stared at herself in the mirror, wondering what it was that was different.  She felt a little... diminished.  She couldn't explain the feeling.

As she stepped out to head to the Valley of Wisdom she stopped short in her tracks, and looked around her incredulously.  The streets were awash with people - great throngs and crowds concentrated around the Auction Houses, profession trainers and the training dummies.  She hadn't seen this many people since... maybe, since Deathwing shattered the world.

Shifting into flight form she headed to Shalla Whiteleaf, the druid trainer in Orgrimmar.  Perhaps she could explain what was going on.  She swooped in front of Shalla and changed back to Tauren, and greeted her druid sister with a wave.

"Shalla, my sister, what is happening?  I feel different, as if nature's elements within me have..." Navimie paused as she struggled to find the right words.  "Changed somehow.  I feel more ... animal like, if that is possible?  Oh," she threw her hands up in frustration.  "I can't explain it!"

"Changes are coming, my sister," said Shalla, patting her arm reassuringly.  "The Earthmother herself as felt it, and like all things in nature, she is trying to adapt, to grow to it."  Shalla held her hand up as she cast Wild Mushrooms upon the ground beneath Navimie's hooves.  "Observe."

It was difficult for her not to step out of the mushrooms.  Navimie braced herself for the stench of spores and fungal cloud that the mushrooms emitted which caused damage and slowed enemies, and prepared to cast a Rejuvenation upon herself to help soothe the minor injury the cloud caused.  However, as Shalla cast Detonate, rather than acrid spores which would sting her eyes, the mushrooms bloomed like spring flowers, and an earthy smell surrounded her, that was refreshing and calming.  Navimie's eyes opened wide as she realised these were healing mushrooms.

"How...?"

"The power that the Earthmother has allowed us to tap into is changing, Navimie," said Shalla.  "These mushrooms are not the only thing that those of the healing arts can now access.  Our healing spells are different as well, some more powerful, others more draining on our mana.  We can even Barkskin others now."  Shalla cast Barkskin on herself and Navimie.  Navimie looked in awe at the magical skin that covered her hide, exactly the same as the Barkskin she cast on herself.  Now that was a very useful spell indeed.

Mana was the energy source for casting all spells in all schools of magic.  Navimie started to cast lifebloom and rejuvenation on herself, and noted that the healing effects of lifebloom lasted a lot longer than it used to.  However, she found that she depleted her mana reserves very quickly, and had to rest.  Navimie frowned.  This would not do in raid party or in a battleground.  She would need to improve on her mana regeneration if she was going to survive.

Navimie saw a wounded Blood Elf warrior riding into the Valley, his plate mail dented and scratched.  She cast a Healing Touch on him and felt the Harmony within her rise, boosting her natural healing power.  She felt exulted as she noticed that Harmony remained longer with her than it did previously.  The blood elf turned to her and bowed his head in acknowledgement, returning a blessing of might to her in exchange.

It was time to visit the Ethereals in the Drag and ask them to adjust her magical energies to improve her mana regenerative powers.  As she cast travel form, she yelped.  No, she didn't yelp, she bleated.  Navimie stared in shock at her hooves as she noticed that instead of paws she still had hooves.  She trotted over to the pond and stared in surprise at the stag that looked back at her.  She could feel traces of Malorne's magic within her, and she studied her new form with interest.  She reared on her hind legs, and raced down the Drag, as swift as she had been when she was a cheetah.

Navimie had no idea what the Earthmother was adapting to, what forces of nature had caused these changes for all druids.  But as she surged forward in the image of Malorne, the great protector of nature, Navimie knew that with her new found gifts she would find a way to battle this new threat to her home in Azeroth.

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This story is my submission for this weeks Blog Azeroth Shared Topic: Headcanon put forward by Akabeko of Red Cow Rise:

Canon refers to the actual events and characters that exist in a fictional world. Headcanon refers to any situations or characters that are imagined by fans of said fictional world. Sometimes they are silly, like the fact that Garrosh's favorite treat is lemon squares. Sometimes they are serious, like positing that tauren store grief in the lungs.  What are your headcanons, and where did you get the idea?