User:Griffonclaw/Kestralil Shadowhawk

Kestralil's earliest memories are of the bandit gang with whom she ran during her childhood years. As a child she was used as a lookout and a distraction, bait for pickpockets and con artists within the band.

As she grew she became adept at the arts of sleight of hand and stealth, stealing her food and clothes when needed. She was often punished for pilfering "silly, useless things" like books when they came across obviously empty homes. Only to her, they weren't silly things. She loved to sit and admire the illustrations, and whenever the rare chance came, she would sit under an open window of whatever local schoolhouse she found and would listen.

As she grew towards adulthood, she developed into quite an attractive young woman, and her skill with knives kept some of the more insistent of the band; however, resentment among them that she constantly rebuffed them was growing. That night she'd curled up in her ragged bedroll by the campfire, and her eyes closed as her head swam with lovely pictures from book she'd been reading earlier. Thinking her asleep, a few of the men nearby began discussing their latest plot involving her; they planned to take her to Goldshire, and sell her to a slaver, who would give them a good price for her virginity.

That night Kestralil snuck away from the camp, leaving her treasured belongings behind, and made her way to Stormwind, where she lived on the streets for a few days before trying her hand at robbery. She entered the Pig & Whistle Tavern with larceny on her mind.

Admittedly, she'd planned to steal from the paladin, but she would only have taken what she truly needed. She'd been surprised when he'd made it known that he knew she was there, hidden, and even more surprised when he'd ordered a fine meal and set it across from himself at an empty seat.

With a cocky grin, he'd not looked at her when he offered her the empty seat and made it known that the plate was intended for her. Accepting defeat, she'd curled up in the chair, studying him, and forcing herself to delicately eat, not wanting to seem unladylike by wolfing down her meal. He'd even gone so far as to leave his coin pouch sitting in front of her, telling her that she was welcome to it since she seemed to be in need of it more so than he did. She'd just shaken her head, for even she had some sense of honor and she couldn't accept it especially since she'd been given what she would have spent some of the coin on.

As she ate, he calmly explained to her that if she sought honest employment, he would gladly write her a recommendation and had, in a non-judgemental tone pointed out that if she kept on her current path, she was likely to end up in the Stockades.

So far there had been no regrets to her choice. Her muscles ached from the long hours she had been putting in assisting the Alliance, but it felt good regardless. Her body was slowly filling out, her appearance becoming leggy and lithe, instead of her previous coltish and slightly scrawny look. She had sworn allegiance to the Hammer of Magni and was delighted that she was slowly finding acceptance with them, and she was learning that items earned were far far more rewarding than were items pilfered from honest folk.

Shortly after joining the Hammer of Magni, she began to date the paladin who had treated her with such kindness. She and Griffonclaw are currently engaged.