Late one summer night, a night-elf was closing up her shop in Stormwind. Her name was Alaslay, and she was a former hunter for the Alliance's Army. Now, however, she ran her late mother's herb shop. It was a lot more peaceful than her former job, but she found it nice.

She was in her queen-sized bed with her tiger Whitestripe when a knock on her front door chased off the soft mists of dream. Alaslay stumbled to her feet and jolted down the stairs, wishing to return to the land of sleep.

"We're not open, come back in the morning." Alaslay muttered sleepily, before realizing she was talking to empty air. She blinked confused, and started to turn around when a high-pitched whimper pierced the air. Alaslay looked down, noticing a blue bundle with a note on it. She glanced around, wondering who placed the whimpering blanket on her doorstep, but all she saw was a blonde ponytail whipping around a corner.

'Was that a...? No, it couldn't have been...' Alaslay thought, when the bundle at her feet whimpered again. Stooping down, Alaslay the blanket into her arms, closing the door behind her with her elbow.

Alaslay placed the bundle down on her table, then looked at the note. She flipped it open and read what it said.

Hello. By the time you receive this note, I will be gone, so I'm informing everything you're no doubt curious about here. The bundle contains my month old child. He's old enough to drink from a bottle but can't talk or walk. I've left him with you to protect him. I don't trust Garrosh Hellscream and I fear he'll kill my child by sending him on dangerous quests. Please, I'm begging of you- protect and love my child as if he was your own.

-Petal of Silvermoon

P.S. His name is Zared.

As Alaslay finished reading the letter, the bundle- Zared- started crying. Dropping the letter, Alaslay pulled back the top of the bundle, showing off the child's bright, sunny hair. It was practically glowing in the darkness, the orange highlights resembling embers. His pale skin was milky and his small red mouth was open, emitting a loud, angry squeal.

Alaslay shushed the blood-elf- which he obviously was. She thought for a second, then darted up the stairs, looking for her storage. Digging to the bottom of the chest, she pulled out a bag.

Alaslay went back downstairs, where the baby had quieted down. His eyes were open now, and they resembled sapphires, glittering as they absorbed the room. He watched as Alaslay pulled a baby's bottle out of the bag and filled it with milk.

Zared blinked curiously at the bottle presented to him, then latched on, sucking on the teat shaped top. Alaslay, sighing with relief, emptied the rest of the bag. Her mother had always been very sentimental and kept practically everything from Alaslay's childhood. Her crib was sitting in a room upstairs collecting dust and her toys were carefully placed in a chest somewhere.

Alaslay sorted through the stuff she found in the bag. Diapers, bottles, a few binkies and some bibs in need of a good washing. Definitely enough to take care of an infant, right? Alaslay glanced at Zared. He had finished his bottle and was now staring at the night-elf.

Smiling, Alaslay picked up the child. She started walking up the stairs, burping him. She opened a pink door and looked into her childhood room. The crib sat in the corner and a twin bed and a desk took up the wall to the left.

Alaslay sat the child down on the desk and dragged the crib over by the door. Thankfully, the crib had wheels, so no time was wasted in moving it and dusting it off. Soon, Alaslay had the child in the crib, drifting off to sleep.

The former hunter smiled happily, looking down at the infant. Zared shifted in his sleep, cooing softly. Alaslay's heart melted.

"Zared," she murmured, looking at the child thoughtfully. "I could get used to being a mother."