First of all, I must set the stage with the backstory for tonight's events.
Long ago, I came back from a computer-induced WoW hiatus with the intent of taming Skoll straightaway. I had a slow flier at the time, so instead of flying around to check spawns, I decided to stake out the most promising spot and stay there. So I sat at the Bor's Breath spawn point...day after day. Once Vyragosa spawned, and was promptly annihilated before I could so much as twitch in her direction. And then, another slow day, interrupted by NPCScan going off. Wait...it's...TLPD?! In disbelief, I looked around wildly to spot him lazily circling out over the lake, high overhead. I shot up into range, prepare to fire...and freeze. I'm BM, I need my pet, it's in the stable! So...I cast Call Stabled Pet.
In midair.
I barely have time to utter 'FUUUUU-' before I hit the ground, and even the short corpse run was enough to put me far behind him, as ignorant as I was of his spawn points or his paths. I finally caught up to his corpse, lamenting as I took a screenshot to remind myself that yes, I'd seen the mythical beast. I returned to my camp, and tamed Vihar a day or two later. But I would always remember...
It became an anecdote that I would tell to others, my 'huntard moment.' I didn't believe myself 'crazy' enough to camp him, assuming that I'd had my chance and missed it--although I always hoped that maybe, someday, I would stumble upon him again. Much later, I came back from an AFK while grinding the Jeeves schematic for my warlock to discover that TLPD had come within range of me before dying. Had I missed my chance again?
Much, much later, I had gained valuable camping experience. I had huddled in the desert for three weeks, refusing to leave for more than the briefest spans of time until the blue Madexx I dubbed Samira joined me. If I could stick RNG like that out, perhaps, maybe, I could perservere to track down the TLPD once more? Still, a 1 in 5 chance was something different than whatever TLPD's odds of overriding Vyragosa's spawn are, I told myself.
Then 4.2 launched, and I set to camp the challenge tames. Magria, Ban'thalos, Deth'tilac, Solix, all joined me with unprecedented swiftness. Having hunkered down to spend much time chasing these beasts, I had pent up 'camping energy' to disperse. Laughing at myself a little, I began to casually sit at Bor's Breath for a couple of hours here, a few hours there. Distracted by another camp, I tamed Skarr, then kept bits-and-pieces camping--I hadn't quite decided if I seriously wanted to camp TLPD yet, fearing weeks of wasted effort.
During an AFK today, TLPD spawned. I came back to his corpse, killed and looted by the son of a friend. While disappointed, I was glad for him, and congratulated him before going on my way to clearing Firelands trash with the guild. During the run, one of the healers (a friend) reported a Vyragosa spawn, and afterward he and I decided to camp with another friend who was interested in the Time-Lost. Two or three hours passed, and our endurance was flagging. The other friend went to bed, and I hearthed and went to glance about Hyjal to see what rares I could see. As I popped around the Front with Eagle Eye, a panicked voice says, "Time-Lost Proto-Drake is up!"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"Invite back, summon!"
I burst out of the loading screen like my pants were on fire, racing towards the creature I hadn't quite dared to hope would be found alive. Afraid that he would path out over a sheer drop, I fired away...and landed with only a sliver of my health upon a harpy. My now-more-panicked friend dove for me with a Lay on Hands as I fire twice more, felling the Time-Lost Proto-Drake.
And now my grudge against him for my foolishness is satisfied...but my other friend that logged, he'll need a TLPD too.
And I'll always remember how friendship made a dream come true.
