The thick, sturdy logs of the causeway creaked quietly beneath the wide, soft soles of the elekks, in stark contrast to the distinct footfalls of the humans’ steel-shod chargers. The elevated boardwalk had obviously been dimensioned for travellers on foot, forcing the Draenei delegates to proceed in a line, trunk to tail. The Exarchs were arranged in front of and behind the Ambassador, though there was still enough room for Theluin to continue riding alongside on soundless Saber paws while the adjutants covered the edges of the boardwalk. Conversation was kept to a minimum, however, in order to not attract unwanted attention from any potential rogue parties.
Once more bringing up the rear, Tuan and Eli rode side by side in silence. The Paladin stared ahead with unseeing eyes, letting the natural sounds of the marshland suffuse his senses. The she-rogue in turn kept craning her head around, often leaning back and bracing a hand against Sandy’s armoured rear to catch fleeting glimpses of the imposing mushroom heads far above the perpetual swamp mist.
The journey was uneventful; apart from a few tense instances when the local wildlife would suddenly appear out of the shimmering underbrush to take a closer look at the travellers out of curiosity or territorial instinct, there was nothing to impede the travelling company’s slow but steady progress.
Eli found himself staring with unmitigated fascination at a particularly striking specimen: a towering entity akin to a gargantuan tripod striding gracefully along the shallow water channels on tall, slender tentacles, crested by a small, peculiar body like an organic-looking ellipsoid disc with a single, luminescent head peeking out. Another pair of limbs, ending in broad leaf-like appendages, hung partially tucked-up like feeder tendrils in front, trailing a floating, phosphorescent dust behind the creature, which continued along its path paying little to no attention to the mounted delegation.
