The man in front of me was quiet for a while. Even though he had already noticed my poor condition, he remained as calm as the land itself. I thought it was strange. All the adults I had known would've already started a big fuss about it, asking if I was alright, things like that. But he didn't. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

"How did you end up here, child?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't say it out loud. Instead, I glanced back towards the city. Then I turned my view to my knees again, as tears began to force their way onto my eyes again, running down my cheeks. He seemed to guess my thoughts anyway.

"Were you with the refugees from Auberdine?"

I didn't know what 'refugees' meant, but I could guess. I nodded and wiped the salty liquid off my left cheek.

"I heard what happened. A terrible thing... But didn't anyone come with you?"

I sobbed and shook my head. I started to hope that the man would just leave me alone...what could he possibly do for me? My family was gone and my home had more than likely been burnt down. Again he seemed to read my mind.

"Cailea.... You are still young and have your whole life ahead of you. Why would you want to end it here? It's not like the trees around you wouldn't mourn you."

I barely caught even half of what he said, but it was enough to get my attention. I looked up into his eyes again and he looked deep into mine. It was the first moment I could see a hint of surprise on his aged face. I thought he saw something in me that others did not.

"Then", he said and straightened up a bit, "let me help you to find your path", he continued and held out a hand for me.

I hesitated. The idea of going anywhere with a complete stranger seemed like something I shouldn't be doing. But no matter which way I thought of it, he was right. There was no other way for me to go. So I took his hand and he helped me stand up.

"Now, you look like you could use a good meal. Let's go see what we can find in the tradesmen's terrace, shall we?"

I wanted to tell him I wasn't hungry, but my ability to speak seemed to be missing. So we went back inside the city. This time, however, I actually paid some attention to my surroundings. Of course my first thought was that the city was beautiful. Especially a part of it on the other side of the middle lake, that looked like a small grove with large treehouses. I stopped to look at it. The man holding my hand stopped as he realized that I wasn't moving.

"Ah, the cenarion enclave. That's where all the druids of the city are.", he said while looking the same way as I.

We found our way into a wooden house where a white-haired night elf woman was cooking something on a stove, which was placed behind a counter. The rest of the room was full of small round tables with chairs around each one. Each table also had a lantern in the middle, but none of them were lit in the middle of the day. The smell of food that dominated the air made my stomach growl heavily, but it didn't make me feel like I could eat.

The old elf pointed me at a table near the door.

"Wait here for a moment while I get something for you, alright?"

I sat on the chair he pulled up for me and watched as he went over to the counter. He spoke with the woman behind the counter for several minutes, then returned to me with a bowl of hot vegetable soup and a spoon.

I held the spoon in my hand for quite a while, but I didn't touch the food. All the while, the old elf patiently sat on the opposite side of the table, observing me.

"You should eat before it gets cold", he finally said.

I brought myself to taste the food. It was hot, but it was also very good. Slowly I began to eat and felt more hungry after each spoonful. When the bowl was about half empty, I had to stop to avoid burning my throat. The warm food seemed to have restored my ability to speak.

"Are you a druid?", I asked in a small, shy voice.

The question had been hovering about my mind since the moment I first saw him. He gave me a friendly smile and replied:

"Perhaps your mind isn't as young as what you look like. Yes, I am a druid."

He held out his hand into an offer to shake hands.

"Dalrith Cloudsky. Pleased to meet you."

I was stunned by his sudden formality, to say the least. Still, I responded in kind.

"Cailea Evergreen", I said and shook his hand.

I couldn't come up with anything more to say, so I continued my soup. He interrupted me soon enough.

"Do you know where your family is?"

I stopped eating and looked him in the eyes for several seconds. Then I looked back at my food as my eyes became watery again.

"They are with the stars now", I mumbled while trying hard not to shed any more tears. I attacked my food with renewed determination, to try not to think about what I just said. He remained silent until I had finished eating.

"Would you like to come and live in my house then? It's a small cottage in Ashenvale forest. I'm sure you'd like it more than the orphanage in Stormwind. Besides, it would be a shame to see such potential put to waste."

At my situation, the offer was already very tempting in itself, but it did seem just a bit too easy to be right.

"Potential?"

"Yes, I saw it in your eyes."

He took a better position on his seat and said in a very deep and meaningful tone:

"Cailea...you have what is needed to become a druid. I know it probably seems very far-fetched to you, but I was young once too, and I also didn't believe it at first."

I went silent, pondered his words. I toyed with the idea of running around as a big furry bear.

"I'd be a pretty poor druid. I don't even know any spells."

The old druid let out a hearty chuckle.

"Magic is something you have to learn. Nobody knows how to use it the minute they are born. Being a druid is about knowing the nature around you and preserving it's balance. And I believe you would become a fine druid. As I said, you have great potential."

I spent a while longer thinking about it. The more I thought about it, the better it sounded.

"Would I learn to turn into an animal?"

He smiled again.

"If you want to."

"I think I could try it."

"And I'm sure you won't regret it", he said and sat up.

"Come then, we have a long trip ahead."