Remembering My First... Companion Pet

As a hunter the word pet means a whole different thing to me.  Even when I first started the game.  I had no idea there was such a thing as a companion pet so of course when my night elf hunter finally made his way to Darnassus and I came across a vendor, because you know you talk to every single person you meet the first time through the game, and saw pets for sale I really wondered if I should get it.

Shylenai sold only two things, the great horned owl and the hawk owl.  Both carried the same price tag of 50 silver.  The first thing that went through my head was how cool it would be to have an owl pet and I looked at my gold, or should I say silver, to notice I only had about 18 silver.  So there would be no new pet for me, my nightsaber would have to fit the build.

After working my way through darnassus I decided that I really wanted to get the owl so I went back to dolanaar to farm some nightsabers because up to this point they dropped the best loot.  They often had a small leather collar on them that sold for 33 copper and that would mean I could really get the money I needed rather easily if I just would grind them.  It was also close to the village so I could clean out my exceptionally small bags quickly so I could grind some more collars being the collars did not stack.  I believe they do now.

I spent the next two days grinding those nightsabers and before I knew it I was sitting at around 80 silver and was ready to go get my new pet.

One might ask why I did not just tame an owl or at least attempt to but the answer to that was simple.  The owls there were not great horned owls or hawk owls.  They were also wild animals, these were from a vendor so that must mean they were better right?

I made my way back to darnassus happy and jumping all the way knowing I would be getting a new pet.  The whole way there I was trying to decide which one to get being I could only afford one.  Would it be the great horned owl or the hawk owl.  Hawk owl sounded like it would be a quick pet but great horned owl was great.  It would not say so in its name unless it was.

It might sound silly but I felt like I accomplished something great at the time.  So early in the game and I was buying myself a pet upgrade that was surely not meant for me being there was no way I would have been able to afford it if I had not grinded so much.

When I got to the vendor I was undecided still but settled on the great horned owl.  Because it was great of course.  Then I spent the next 20 or 30 minutes trying to figure out how to summon it.

I had my cat and all I could summon was my cat.  Why could I not summon my owl, I wanted to go out fighting with my owl.  I just could not figure out how to get it out as my main pet.  It was then, after much consideration and some playing around with my tabs that I learned something.  Companion pets are not pets like I thought when I heard the word pet.  They were these little things that followed you around and were purely cosmetic.

So I spent the better part of two days trying to get something that really served no purpose what so ever.  It wasn't the last time I would do something like that either, done it many times since and will probably do it again.  For all that time that might have been wasted I can say one thing, it was at least fun.  I felt as if I was working toward something and completed a task I made for myself.  It felt as if I accomplished something big.  For me at least.  It was the first companion pet I ever purchased and I have gathered up over 160 more since then but I will never forget that first one.

I called it out and quested with it for a little bit but it never really made it into my pet rotation of the ones I like to have out now.  It has fond memories attached to it but it is just an owl, nothing special, except for the memories of getting it.  Oddly enough my hunter, any of my hunters, have ever tamed an owl and probably never will.  For as much as I liked the idea of it to begin with I don't want one.  I got the one I really wanted, it was a companion pet instead and that suits me just fine even if I didn't know that is what it was when I got it.

So with pet battles becoming active shortly we all have to decide on what pets we want on our team.  As a hunter you know the sporebat will have to be one because sporebats are the best hunter pet.  If you do not believe me just watch this youtube video and you will see.  But one thing is for sure.  My great horned owl will be one of the first ones I play with.  I bought it with the intention to fight with it years ago and it might have taken a while but I will finally be able to.  So, years later, it is time to kick some butt with my owl.