I did it. Level 10! Finally! After hours of killing boars, grells, and an assortment of wildlife that clearly had it out for me, I hit the big one-oh. And, as if the game knew I was ready for something special, a shiny yellow “!” popped over the hunter trainer’s head.

Time to get a pet. My pet. I am about to become the mother of all queens—the ultimate Night Elf Hunter. And not just a pet, mind you, but a battle companion, a creature to fight beside me, to stand with me in the heat of battle.

Of course, it’s not as simple as picking out a cute little kitten and calling it a day. No, first, I have to prove myself. This means taming a spider. A spider. Like, the creepiest of creatures in Azeroth. But fine, I play along. Then, it’s an owl—apparently because being a bird mom is also part of the initiation process. But in my heart, all I wanted was one thing: that pesky sabre that had been chasing me around the forests of Teldrassil for days.

Finally, the taming trials are done, and now it’s time to hunt for the ultimate prize. Thankfully, I’ve got backup. My good friends from my old MSN RP group, Kayla and Zhalfirin, are with me, and together, we set out for Sabre Cat Hunting 101.

At this point, I have a new ability, too—Track Beasts. Beasts now pop up as little dots on my mini-map, which makes finding them a breeze. It’s like a magical cat radar. So, there we are, wandering through the glowing forests of Teldrassil, my mini-map lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Here kitty, kitty,” I whisper to myself, feeling the anticipation rise.

And then, I see him. The same spotted sabre that had nearly ended me more than once. This was personal now. We square off, and the fight is on. The sabre leaps, I shoot—then immediately panic because my health is plummeting. I should have been better prepared for this! (Later, of course, I’d learn that setting an ice trap beforehand helps with things like this… but I’m still a noob at this point.)

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By some miracle, I manage to survive, and the sabre is tamed. Victory!

Now comes the fun part—naming him. Zhalfirin casually mentions I can call him whatever I want, and without thinking too hard, I decide on “Dave.” Why? Because Dave sounds amazing. Dave is dependable. Dave gets things done. Little did I know that 16 years later, when I finally got a Boston Terrier, I would name him Dave too (though, I tried to call him Arthas, but my husband, Rob, wasn’t having it).

So, there I am, strutting through the forests of Teldrassil with Dave by my side, feeling like an absolute boss. He’s an awesome spotted sabre cat, and together, we’re unstoppable. I mean, I’ve got a pet, I’m level 10, and everything’s coming up Lexi. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and so it’s time to leave Teldrassil behind.

Our next destination? Darkshore.

Darkshore is far. I look at my map, and it’s basically on the other side of the world. But that’s fine because I’m in for a treat. We get a quest that involves flying on a hippogryph—basically a giant eagle taxi. Now, this was before Harry Potter made hippogriffs cool, but I didn’t need any convincing. You pay a few silver coins, and this majestic creature takes you soaring through the sky over oceans and mountains. It’s amazing.

We arrive in Darkshore, which is the exact opposite of Teldrassil. Everything here is shadowy and mysterious, the air thick with mist, the trees dark and ancient. I love it. The perfect setting for the next chapter of my journey.

While we’re running around, collecting quests and exploring the eerie landscape, I get a whisper. Now, for those unfamiliar, a whisper is basically an in-game private message. It’s from someone named Samuel.

He asks if we want to join a guild. Now, I’ve heard about guilds—groups of players who band together for quests, raids, and socializing. I figure, why not? But here’s the kicker: Samuel tells us it’s an RP interview. So, Kayla, Zhalfirin, and I agree to meet up with him for this “interview” on a beach in Darkshore, by a campfire.

And that’s where I met Sam.

Samuel is a calm, thoughtful type. His character is this tall, imposing figure—a Night Elf warrior with a mysterious backstory that I’m sure he’s dying to reveal. We sit around the campfire, and he starts asking us about our characters, our motivations, our goals. It’s a full-blown in-character role-playing session. I’m a bit awkward at first, not used to all this immersion, but Sam is patient. He asks me about Ana’s backstory, her ties to the Night Elves, her aspirations as a hunter.

By the end of it, I’m hooked. I feel like I’ve stepped into a whole new level of gameplay. This isn’t just about leveling and killing boars anymore—it’s about the stories we create, the characters we build, and the friendships we forge along the way.

And so, I joined my first guild, with Sam as one of the first people to help shape my RP life in Azeroth. It felt like the beginning of something much bigger than just a game.

Little did I know, that something would continue for many, many years.