Starlight - Stargazing
#6 of Starlight
Chapter 6 - Stargazing
_Characters and Story Copyright Katya Saint Croix
Original Concept Copyright Lurking Dragon_
It's been almost been a week since I finally conquered my fear of water. Sally congratulates me daily on overcoming a great obstacle in my road. Katie and I have since become a tightly knit pair, spending most of our free time in each other's company. It's great to have a friend, even if they are a roughhousing Rooian.
"Star?" Katie poked my nose, looming over my form as I rested on the deck in my nightie, watching the stars overhead.
"Hm?" I wiggled my nose and gave a nip at her digit, "What's up, Katie?"
"You looked like you were ready to fall asleep. We've been planning this sleep over since Monday, so you could at least try to stay awake, silly!" Katie teased, poking my side lightly, "So, Crinkles, you dry?"
"Stop calling me that!" I growled softly and pounced upon her frame, pinning her down with moderate ease, "I'm Starlight, not Crinkles! And I'm dry, thank you very much."
"Okee-dokie, Crinkles." She stuck her tongue out at me and giggled wildly.
I was done arguing with her. She'd given me a pet name and there was nothing I could do about it. I was affectionately dubbed Crinkles, whether I wanted to be or not.
The night passed without an occurrence. Katie's perceptions about the soldiers were correct. They did not come looking for us in these caves. One would think that this sense of calm and tranquility would bring about, at least, a minor degree of peace. I barely slept that night. I kept having these nightmares about my home, about my Father's betrayal, about Malik...
I couldn't accept that Malik didn't care about me. He said he was using me, like a doll that young girls play with, but I had known him since I was a young girl, about the age of twelve. I got to know him over the five years he served my father, and I knew he was a good person. Still, he put me in an uncomfortable position and I couldn't forgive him for stealing my first kiss away from me.
The next morning, we rose early, Apollo's sphere shining it's light throughout the cavern, causing the multi-florescent colors to dance across the lukewarm cave walls. Katie, who took to waking earlier than I, was busy cooking us something to eat. The smell of ham and eggs caused my stomach to growl, forcing me to awaken with an unabated hunger.
"Sound's like someone is hungry." Katie teased, tossing a light dusting of salt and pepper into the dish; "It will be ready in a bit if you want to wash up. The water is pretty warm this morning. I put some soap and a fresh linen for you on the rocks over there." She gestured to a small rock formation that looked like a desk-sized mesa, vibrant with a smooth red-orange coloration.
"Thanks. I could use it... I feel tainted..." I slid my chain mail off, the metal clattering to the ground, followed by my belt and the rest of my clothing.
I couldn't deny that my body had it's own beauty to it. Malik was clearly in love with me, and it's understandable. Mother said I would grow up to be a beautiful maiden, but I guess she never thought it would be necessary to fight. It disheartens me to think that my actions might have made her upset. Slipping into the slightly bubbly water, the soothing heat rushing over my weary body, pulling the blood and salty sweat from my fur flesh, I gave a contented sigh.
I couldn't take my mind off of the previous day, and I don't think I'll ever be able to forget. Painful screams radiate in my mind, the screams of the villagers as they were murdered, raped, tortured... the very thought makes me cringe. Mother, if you were watching me then, would you have done differently than I? Would you have fled your home, leaving your people at the mercy of those unethical Corinthians?
"You really should stop thinking so much." Katie's voice snapped me from my dreary state, "The more you think about the past, the less beautiful you become. You'll worry yourself into gray fur."
"You talk as if you know what I am going through." I turned to glare at her, feeling quite irate.
"I may not know what it was like for you, but as long as you are alive, the kingdom can be restored. Let them think you died, and become stronger in that time. You'd be surprised what you're capable of doing."
"Humph..."
I didn't want to accept it, but she was right. I may have been a talented swordsman, but I could still learn a lot. Dakar has my sword, and I would get it back. That was mother's gift to me, and I'll not rest till it once again hangs at my side.
"Food's ready." Katie scooped some of the eggs and ham into a small pewter bowl and set it down beside her, working to fill a second.
I rose from the water, grabbing the linen from the rock and dried off my fur in a hasty manner, quickly wrapping it around my frame and taking a seat on the ground next to her. Katie gave a soft giggle, which roused my attention briefly, picking up a bowl as she extended a pair of chopsticks to me. Taking them from her, I began to eat hastily. I had not eaten since high sun the previous day, so naturally, I was starving.
"Are you familiar with the customary morning song?" Katie frowned a bit, staring at my half empty bowl, as she had not yet begun to eat.
"Not really. Should I be?" I paused briefly, wiping a few pieces of egg from my maw.
"...Are all Aranians as weird as you?"
"What are you implying...?"
"Kouriyans like to start a day with a song or poem of some sort. It helps to provide us spiritual guidance for the day ahead."
"... And you said I'm weird..."
"Hey! Don't insult my culture!"
"Don't insult mine and we'll call it even. Aranians don't do that."
"Well, Kouriyans do!"
"Why are you making a big deal out of this?"
"Because we're taking you in! The least you can do is follow our traditions!"
"..." I placed the bowl on the ground and got dressed once again, tossing the wet linen aside.
"Where are you going?"
"I don't need you. No one ever asked you to save me."
"Stop being childish!"
"When I want your help, I'll ask you for it!" I growled at her softly, strapping my belt to my side, brushing a lock of hair from my face afterward, "I'm out of here."
"Star, wait..."
I didn't give her the moment to finish talking. I was already walking out of the cave, in a silent huff. She wanted me to denounce everything my mother loved dearly. She couldn't possible understand the issues I have with the mere thought of denouncing my heritage, denouncing my mother...
"Where does she get the audacity to tell me to denounce everything I know...?" I growled, hopping down from the ledge and to the path below me, "I don't need her..."
I grabbed a rock from the path and hurled it against the chasm wall, the impact causing the frail stone to shatter into thousands of pieces, as if it were merely a clot of dirt turned into dust from an explosive force equal to that of a volcano erupting. Katie's figure looked down at me from the ledge above, a slight breeze causing her robe to flap lightly in the wind. If she would ask such a thing of me in return for saving my life, I would much rather be dead. Starting down the pathway, to the southwest, I was beginning to feel as if this was a journey I had to make alone.
"Star?" Katie poked me lightly with the meter stick, "You aren't playing fair~..."
We were back in my room, Katie standing on my bed and me on the floor, the meter stick tied to my side with a belt. Sally poked her head into the doorway with a dreary scowl. Our play had obviously woken her up.
"You two need to keep it down..." She gave a yawn and wiped her eyes, "I have to go to work in the morning."
Up until this point, I had no idea what Sally really did for a living. She had stayed home with me all these days while James went to work, probably just to allow me to adjust safely. While she resumed her work, she would leave me in the care of a babysitter. I'm wondering whom she'll choose...
"Sorry, mom. Didn't mean to wake you." I rubbed the back of my head a bit, staring at the Lego piece that I had hurled into the wall. Thankfully, it left no mark.
"It's alright. Just consider this a warning..." She turned and left quietly, pulling the door closed behind her.
"Your mommy is nice." Katie flopped onto her tummy, putting her muzzle atop of my head and stared at the door.
I quickly turned and pawed at her many times. I don't know what it is about when she does that, but it makes me feel really weird. I really can't explain it, but it's one of those feelings that just makes me feel uncomfortable.
"Don't do that~." I kept my voice to a hushed yell, more along the lines of a scolding whisper then a yell, "It's weird."
"How so, Crinkles?" She stuck out her tongue and snickered.
"Mou... you really need to stop calling me that. And it just is." I pouted a bit, turning to walk about collecting the toys that were strewn about the room.
"If you say so." She bounced off the bed and to her feet, helping to collect the toys and make my room look remotely nice.
I got know Katie fairly well over the course of a week. Though the ever-bouncy Rooian has issues involving being overly playful and a tad bit clingy, she has a sweeter side. A few days ago, while we were playing in the yard, I fell over and scraped up my knees kind of bad. You'd think they would have made concrete a little bit softer after all these years, but it's probably harder now, since they have to endure the pressure of a Hover pushing down on them during landing and take off. In any case, it hurt a lot. Being in a child-like form means dealing with the issue of being a lot weaker. I usually don't whimper and whine from a scraped knee, and I hate to admit it... but I was bawling like a baby. Rather than giving me her usually sassy tone, Katie seemed very tender and loving. She helped me onto her back and she carried me inside to see Sally, who then freaked out, seeing me hurt, and tended to my wounds.
Yes, Katie is very strong. Much like their Earthly counterparts, Rooians are naturally very strong and enduring. Yes, I am also very light... I only weighed in at 92 lbs when I was an adult. Bear in mind that at that age, we usually weigh around 110 lbs. I was, by no means, a weakling though. I could lift 80 lbs without much effort.
I've grown rather attached to Katie, should the world forbid it to be so. Her bubbly, often childish nature makes one love her all the more. She's just one of those girls that someone can look at and say "She's a wild girl..." I just hope our bond of friendship remains just that.
Katie gave a soft tug on my tail, returning my mind to reality. I tilted my head a bit and craned my neck to look at her, looking rather curious as to why she would tug on my tail. Was I thinking out loud?
"What's bothering you? You got all quiet on me." She gave a few more tugs on my tail, giggling a bit at the slightly audible crinkle from beneath my nightie.
"Nothing. Just thinking, that's all." I pulled my tail away and put the last of the toys back into the toy chest, "What time is it?"
"About 10 PM. I bet this is the latest your parents have let you stay up."
"Yeah..."
"So, wanna chat for a bit? Your mommy said to be in bed by eleven, so we only got an hour" Katie bounced onto the bed, landing with her feet hanging off the side slightly.
"Sure. What would you like to talk about?"
A sinister grin stretched across her maw like a snake crawling from the bushes to strike upon its prey. It looked big enough to see from a passing hover, provided it was moving slow enough to see things clearly.
"How about we talk about past loves?" She clasped her paws together and giggled, "It would allow us to get to know each other even better."
I raised an eyebrow in her direction, puzzled at why one would choose to talk about something so private. There were things better left unsaid between us. I'll admit that Sally made us share a bed during naptime once or twice, but it wasn't anything major. Rather then breaking into an argument over the irrelevance of the topic, I decided to wet Katie's desire to know more about my past and nodded in agreement.
"Do you wanna go first or do you want me to?" She rolled over onto her tummy, with her elbows perched on the side of the bed, barely on the bed at all, her tail swaying from side to side slightly.
"You go first. You picked the topic after all, so it's better if you set the stage." I grinned crookedly and hopped onto the bed beside her, propping myself against the headboard of my bed.
"Okee-dokie Let's see... The first time I ever had a relationship with someone was in middle school. He was a cute Dragonian with a tall, slender figure and well formed muscles and a soft face..."
I could already see where this was going. Just like most girls, she appears to fall in love with someone because they look cute.
"However, it was his eyes that I loved the most. Those cool green eyes that look like emeralds shining brilliantly under the sun while they rest under the refreshing water of a stream..." Katie seemed to be getting lost in a daydream, as if she was seeing him vividly in the back of her mind.
She was definitely a girl who was all about looks. Hard to believe her childish nature and lovable heart would hide the fact she loved for looks, and not so much personality. How unlike her...
"He was really big in drama and music. He preformed in many musicals in both school and in town. He was very active in sports as well, and very big on his studies... but when things became too much for him, he loved to sit on the bench in his back yard, surrounded by tulips and midnight lilies..." Katie sighed heavily, "He was so sweet and caring..."
I found myself very intrigued by the way this tale was developing. Could I have misjudged her? She seemed to know his personality fairly well, but something in her tone told me that things were going to become painfully evident.
"One day... things got really bad. He was cut from the school musical, and his coach cut him from the soccer team. His friends had begun to get involved in drugs, and he didn't want to be near them... a few days later, his mother was killed. She was raped and murdered when her hover ran out of fuel and she was forced to land in the middle of nowhere while on a business trip." She lowered her head, the obvious sign of tears welling up in her eyes as she sniffled a bit, wiping her nose on her sleeve, "He couldn't take it anymore... so he took his own life..."
... I wish I hadn't been told about that. I was completely wrong about Katie. She did love for personality, and this, even for me, was unbearably painful. I felt a pain ripping through my chest that made me double over with pain, tears of sorrow burning in my eyes...
"That was a long time ago..." Katie sat back up and wiped her eyes dry, "I cried for weeks when I thought of him... but one day, I realized that he wouldn't have wanted people to mourn his loss. Everything just came down too fast, and it overtook him."
"That's still hard to accept. Forcing yourself not to cry is like telling yourself you can lift a hover. You and I both know that we can't just hide how we feel inside. It just hurts all the more." I sat up and inched over to her, wrapping my arms around her frame lightly and resting my forehead against her shoulder, "You are my friend, and I wanna help take the pain away... but you have to admit that the pain is still there for it to ever go away..."
When did I become a preacher? Here I am giving advice, and I had barely done that at all.
"Open your heart...and the pain goes away." I smiled a bit and nuzzled the back of her neck lightly.
Katie smiled and stroked my paw softly in hers, looking up at the ceiling with a look of mixed emotions.
"It's your turn, you know." Katie turned to poke my nose lightly with a digit, giggling softly, "I wanna know about you."
I wiggled my nose and crawled back to my spot on the bed, resting against the headboard, gazing up at the ceiling of my room, the ceiling fan twirling slowly overhead.
"I've never once been in love." I spoke with such a tone that it was hard to not believe.
"Wha? You've never experienced love? Not even once?" Katie folded her arms over her chest, "I know that's impossible."
"Believe what you will. I have never once fallen in love. Something... happened to me, when I was young, something that destroyed my will to love anyone."
"What to do you mean?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Come on! I told you about my first love!"
"You didn't tell me his name either."
".... It was Davis."
"Well Tobias destroyed my will to ever love again."
"Tobias?"
"...Someone from my past that I try to forget every moment of my life."
"But why?"
"I can't ask you to understand. It's...really private. Maybe another time."
Like I was going to tell her that Tobias...
"You'll tell me when you are ready." Katie gave a yawn and curled up on the bed, "I'm really tired."
"Get some rest, Katie." I lifted her head a bit and slipped my pillow underneath it, grabbing the corner of the comforter and folding it over her frame.
"What about you?"
"I'll be headed for bed in a bit."
"Alright..." She yawned again and began to doze off.
Slipping from the bed, I walked toward the door, adjusting the light control to dim the source of light in the room to a low level, the room barely illuminated with a soft orange glow, as if the sun was setting just outside my window. I stood next to the door, watching Katie slumber peacefully while my mind thought over events from my past. I left my room quietly, walking past the master bedroom and downstairs, unlocking the backdoor to go stand on the patio for a bit.
The night air was crisp and cool, not bitter, as I would have thought. I walked over to the railing and looked off into the night sky, the stars twinkling brightly overhead. I kept thinking about the past, my incomplete memories and the nightmares that still haunt me today.
"Mind if I talk with you, mom?" I spoke softly, staring up at a twinkling green star in the far off reaches of space, my home, Altanis...
"I... don't know how I feel much these days. I've come so far since you used to watch over me as a child, yet I feel the same now as I felt then."
I knew that my mother couldn't answer, and that my voice could never be heard back on Altanis, but I didn't care. I still felt like my mother was watching over me, and no matter what, I knew she was listening.
"What Tobias did... what... you killed him for, I can still remember it..."
The wind picked up a bit, my nightie waving in the breeze of this cold May night... I felt like crying, but at the same time, I felt warm. No, I didn't have an accident. It was like someone was holding me. It was like there were two sets of arms around me, holding me close. I could feel the warmth of their bodies, but there was no one in this hallow night other than myself.
"Katie wouldn't understand. She's a bright kid, but she would misunderstand." I sighed and rested my head against the railing, "I miss you, mommy. I know you would want me to be strong, but I keep falling back to where I was."
From the rooftop, someone was watching me. Their eyes that resembled sapphires in the shadows of the night, the char-colored sky only illuminating those orbs ten-fold. I had taken notice to them, but took them for a pair of distant planets that were in view of Earth. Though I was mistaken, I didn't really mind. The mysterious figure slipped down from the rooftop, landing with a soft thump on the ground, standing up as if the two-story fall didn't faze them at all. It was about this time that I became aware of their presence. I wasn't worried or even scared. The figure slowly walked up the stairs of the deck, while I stood by and merely watched them. As the light of the moon caught their face, I was filled with bewilderment... It was the lady from the pool.
"It's good to see you again, Star." She slowly walked up and stood beside me, a set of nine tails flowing behind her like water down a calm brook.
"Y-you're the lady from the pool..." I stammered. I had not expected to encounter them again so soon.
"So you remember me?"
"You gave me an encouraging smile."
The lady laughed quietly to herself. It would appear that I misunderstood what she meant by 'remembering' her. I felt as if I knew her really well, but my memory was very foggy, and I couldn't remember. I don't know why, but I reached up and took her paw lightly, to the best that I could. She tilted her head a bit, gazing down at my diminutive figure, a slight smile spread across her lips as she took my paw in hers and lowered it to her side.
I knew she was an Alluatran; this much was very evident in her figure, but there is something that made her very special, and not just because of the legends. She was like my mother... she had nine tails.
"You miss Aika, don't you?" She reverted her gaze to the distant moon, her skirt waving lightly in the night breeze.
I couldn't answer her. It struck me as very surprising that this stranger knew my mother's name, but perhaps they had heard the tales of my parents and how they met. I embraced her arm lightly, holding it close, softly nuzzling the silky fur that smelt of fresh lavender and lilac.
"I miss her as well..." She curled her tails around me and lifted me up onto her back, holding me lightly against her as we gazed out to the full moon.
"Mommy used to sing me a lullaby that I liked a lot..." Draping my arms around her neck slightly, I rested my head on her shoulder, closing my eyes and taking in the feeling of all of this.
I felt like I was in my mother's arms once again... She used to take me from my crib when I was an infant and sit on the porch of our home, looking up at the moon. Sometimes, the moon would be red. The Elders said that when the moon turns red, the people who had died were being reborn. Not all of them would come back during one red moon. It was the spirit's way of coming back to those they loved.
One night, my mother began to sing a soft song. Even though I was very young, I still remember the tune very well. I don't think she shared that song with anyone but me...
Red Moon...Red Moon...
Cleanses the sinful and makes them anew
Shining brightly in the night sky,
Waiting for the souls...
Who will be born again tonight?
Who will be born again tonight?
...Be born again tonight...?
I could hear it being sung in my own mind... that is, until I looked at the still unknown lady. Though I don't know who she is, she evidently knew me very well. What I saw would have shocked me had it not made me feel much safer with her...
"Who will be born again tonight?" I heard her whispering, as if she could hear the tune as well, "Who will be born again tonight?"
"H-how... do you know mommy's song?" I turned to face her, her eyes gazing straight at the moon, its pale, white light accentuating their deep blues.
"I just do... Something that beautiful should be known by everyone."
"But..."
"Some things are better left unsaid."
"...Who are you?"
"You'll find out sooner or later."
I could not shake the idea that this stranger had some important connection to my past and the memories of my mother and my life back on Altanis. She refused to answer my questions at every turn, but I knew that she seemed very familiar. The smell, the feeling of her fur... It's something I should know but I can't remember!
"You should be heading for bed soon. It looks like it's past 11 PM." She reached over her shoulder to scratch lightly behind my left ear.
She knew my weak spot! Call it feral of me to have such a trait. Behind my left ear is a tender spot that I love to be scratched. It's like dropping into heaven... I never told anyone about it! Only someone close to me would know about that!
Perhaps it was an illusion, but at that moment, the moon turned a soft shade of red. Was this a sign? I couldn't tell. The world around me felt like it was slowly melting away, leaving me in the arms of this stranger. The porch never left us, remaining there as the scenery returned in the form of a dense grove of trees, the area smelling lightly of tulips, roses, and lilac; and the moon, with it's red luminosity, shined down on us like a beacon from heaven, guiding us home...
Without reason, she simply began to sing Mother's song, singing out to the red moon before us. With joy, I, too, began to sing along with her, our voices echoing into the distance in a scenic round.
Red Moon, Red Moon...
Cleanses the sinful and makes them anew...
Shining brightly in the night sky...
Waiting for the souls...
We exchanged a slight glance, and with a reflective exuberance, we began the verse again, together. It was as if our voices were the same, singing out to the moon, so far away, but without a care or worry of what others would think. We were as one. We were the same. I was her, and she was me.
Red Moon, Red Moon
Cleanses the sinful and makes them anew...
Shining brightly in the night sky...
Waiting for the souls...
Who will be born again tonight?
Who will be born again tonight?
...Be born again tonight...?
Sleep began to overtake me, and I, in my state of euphoria, was unable to resist its hold. The still unnamed lady took notice of me drifting off as my voice began to become hushed and silent, as I fell limply against her shoulder, lost in the depths of sleep. Right before sleep overcame me, I heard her finish the song, mother's song, her lullaby...
"Who will be born again tonight?" She softly pulled me into her embrace, holding me close to her breast as she stroked my cheek tenderly with the back of her paw, "Who will be born again tonight? ...Be born again tonight...?"
I awoke the next morning curled up in my own bed. Katie was sleeping at my feet, and I was neatly tucked away beneath the covers. Did the events of last night actually occur? It was barely sunrise, and the stars were still out. Slipping from the bed quietly, as not to awaken Katie from her blissful sleep, I walked to my window and gazed out at the morning sky. The stars were still there, gazing down upon me with their warming light. The sky was pierced with rays of gold and red, as if painted there by some artist who wanted to capture the very essence of the sunrise itself... and the moon, with it's soft red hue, gave me a feeling that the world I once saw as dark and deluded was beginning to take shape as a beautiful world with much to discover.
"Red Moon..." I closed the blinds and crawled back into bed beside my sleeping bedmate.
Katie stirred slightly from her slumber, and I, inadvertently, brushed her cheek lightly in my paw. She's really cute when she's sleeping, in a childish sort of way. I guess that the mysterious lady tucked me in and left silently, leaving me to slumber.
"Muh..." Katie slowly opened her eyes, followed by an enormous yawn, "Star..?"
"Good morning, sleepy-head." I stuck my tongue out at her and giggled softly.
"Good morning to you too, little miss crinkles!" Katie rolled from under the covered with a roar of laughter.
Sally poked her head into the room, her toothbrush protruding from her maw as she looked at our antics with a wild curiosity. She gave a smirk, the kind of 'good morning' smirk that a parent gives a bunch of bratty children such as Katie and myself. Katie and I just simply gazed at her with blank expressions for a moment before she left, and soon after, both of us were overtaken by laughter.
"Your mommy is funny in the morning." Katie stretched a bit and walked toward the door, "Be right back. I gotta go potty."
Rolling my eyes as she left the room, I looked at the meter sticks protruding from the toy chest. What kind of adventures would my imagination be on right now...?
"Star, please wait." Katie leapt down from the ledge and placed a paw on my shoulder.
I didn't respond to her, but I did glance over my shoulder at her, giving her a mock glare of my discontent.
"Asking you to give up your way of life is wrong of me. I'm sorry. I thought you'd be willing to try our way of life, but I guess you think of your mother highly if you would fight against me so much to keep her memories and way of life alive." Katie gave a heavy sigh, "Please forgive me."
"At least you understand." I turned to face her, "I forgive you. I couldn't make this journey alone if I wanted to. Mother would be saddened if I did." I looked up at the sun, as it radiated its warmth and light down upon the Earth below. "I'm the only Aranian left. I have to preserve my culture, my mother's way of life. She'd want that."
"Are you certain that is what she would want?"
"..." I couldn't answer.
Would mother really want me to keep fighting for what my father had destroyed? Keeping the family name would only bring shame unto me. My father had dishonored me. It was time to start over... Arania was no more.
"I... have to move on." I kept my gaze on the blue skies overhead, not a single cloud to obstruct heaven's light from descending upon us.
"What?"
"Mother would want me to make my own way of life after what Father did to destroy our family name. He has dishonored me. The Saint Mark family ends with me. It's time I forge my own place in destiny, and cleanse my name from the darkness that my Father has tainted it with."
Katie hugged me softly from behind, resting her head against my back. I knew Katie would be all I have for a long time to come. In that moment, we both felt as if we had become something closer then friends. As she relinquished her hold on me, I smiled dimly and nodded to her, and together, we set off down the mountain road for the land of Kouriya.