Companions - Not of the Sihnon variety.

Companions in World of Warcraft go by many other names: vanity pets, minipets and even non-combat pets. To some folks, a companion may even be called "friend". A companion can exist alongside a hunter's pet or warlock's minion, but companions do not engage in combat. Although engineers can craft combat pets, such pets are separate from companions. Some roleplayers create some form of relationship between their character and their companion(s). A player can improvise emotes to flesh out the companion, such as:

/em chuckles, watching her prairie chicken squawk at you.
/s I don't think Dawn likes you, very much. Try giving her some chicken feed.

A companion can also play a part in a character's background history, or affect their life in current. For example, perhaps a Troll character has a black kingsnake as a companion. When asked, the Troll could say that they captured their kingsnake as per family or clan tradition. This could actually be expanded to an ingame Clan (guild), where members are given a snake companion upon reaching some sort of milestone - this would play into the character's history. Perhaps the snake acts as a familiar, which would then continue to hold a role in the character's developing life.

I had been thinking about companion pets, and whether or not I thought Avanina should have one (or more.) I decided that she has an itch for collecting pets, spurred on by her ability to master and summon various demons as she becomes a more powerful warlock. I visited WarcraftPets.com and browsed around through their database of companions. It's a great reference site where you can also register to keep log of all the pets you've collected.

After searching through the list, I decided that I'd make the White Kitten my first goal for Avanina, because cats do roam around Eversong and Silvermoon City, yet a white kitten seems more of a rarity. A white kitten would surely catch Avanina's eye and win her over with ease. In honest, I'm surprised that no additional cat companions were added in the expansion, considering how they seem native to the region of Eversong. Some sort of fel-inflicted kitty with rather big fangs, perhaps... With the vendor being chased by a cat... Screaming and bloodied... Just imagine!

A few days ago, I ran Mahinva all the way from the Exodar to Stormwind City. I could've asked around for a teleport, but then I'd of missed out on collecting a few flight paths. She stood around in Stormwind, fishing and waiting. It took about 1 1/2 hours before Lil Timmy decided to appear which was fine by me! Lil Timmy has a rather long timer from what I've read, and he doesn't seem to spawn on a set schedule. Quickly, Mahinva purchased a white kitten, a female as revealed from Timmy's ramblings. It seems Timmy's father let him keep one white kitten, but not the kitten's sister.

Mahinva then made the long journey to Stranglethorn Vale and listed the white kitten up for auction. She was quickly purchased by a warlock named Gaian, who then ran off to meet Avanina and gave her the cat carrier.

But, who's Gaian?! You may exclaim to yourself.

Gaian would be my husband's warlock. He decided that he enjoyed the warlock class (I knew he would!)

But, what happened to Krant?! Isn't Avanina married to Krant?! You my sharply observe.

Well, they were wed, but that's a whole different story altogether!

For now, Avanina only has a white kitten, who will keep Avanina company. Although there are many, many companions in World of Warcraft, I only have my heart set on one more: the Firefly. Any more that Avanina finds will be fine and dandy, but I've got grabby hands for that little glowing bug. When I was playing Sec, I ran across a Bogflare Needler and dismounted. I knew that particular Needler would drop a Firefly, and it did. It was the second Needler I'd killed in Zangarmarsh, and I am sad that it is soulbound to Sec, as I am no longer playing her.

One day, that little Firefly will be mine again but until then, Avanina's got an affectionate little kitten to stay by her side.

(Oh, and if you caught the Firefly reference in the title, you earn a cookie! *Dispenses cookie.*)