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In the distant shining star I saw it... The fire burning so brightly within your eyes.

~~~

Of Stars and Flame

Prologue

~ Excursion ~

Shawn woke with a shiver as the cold chill of night air pervaded his small shelter, the fire he had lit to subdue it having faded to little more than embers. With a vague curse under his breath, the fox crawled out and breathed into the shallow pit of red and gray, a plume of ash drifting off the barely glowing remains as the rush of oxygen brought a little life back into them. "Great... Need more wood. Why didn't I gather any extra when it was still light out? Oh right, because I didn't have time after building 'that' instead!" he spoke with a gesture towards his makeshift home, followed by a quiet chuckle at how meaningless the gesture was with nobody around to see it. With a sigh and a huff, he pushed himself up to stand and stretched tiredly, shivering again and immediately reaching for his home-made cloak; which he had been using as both a bed and blanket up till now. Pulling it around his shoulders and hugging himself for warmth, the fox stumbled his way toward a dense patch of trees nearby, grabbing his machete in case he had to make something easier to carry.

After searching and gathering what little he could find that wasn't too wet to light, Shawn made his way back to his camp and dropped the bundle of sticks and twigs beside his shelter, taking the handful of dried pine needles and grass directly to the pit to get the fire going again before the embers died completely. To his dismay however, there was little more than ash left as he placed the tinder atop the formerly vibrant coals.

"Chres dretas..." he muttered with a resigned sigh, slipping down out of his crouch to sit on his knees instead as his tail fell still behind him. "Looks like I'll have to light you again... Hope I have the energy for this, but I'd rather not freeze." the fox rubbed his hands together for a bit of frictional warmth, then leaned in slightly and held out his right hand, palm to the kindling. Muttering something faintly under his breath, he set the clump of dried grass and needles alight with a small spark of energy. He shook out his fur and immediately reached for the bundle of sticks, setting them about with half-strategy and random coordination; watching with tired delight as they caught and the fire crackled back to life.

"Damn... Really hope you last this time." the fox spoke to the flame, slumping back to sit while pulling his tail into his lap for a bit of extra warmth. He debated shortly whether to try and rest again, though his tired body won out over his concern for keeping the fire going; crawling back onto his makeshift bed of grass and fern and curling up, tail hugged close. He watched the fluid flicker of flames and smiled vaguely before his eyes drifted closed, consciousness slowly leaving his body and leading him on to the blanketing comfort of sleep.

~~~

By the time the faint rays of light filtered through the canopy of the forest above him, the small fire was little more than embers again. The stray beams, refracted by a small pooling of morning dew, shone almost directly over the sleeping fox's face, bringing a quiet groan from him as it roused him from his slumber. He stirred and slowly pushed himself up to sit, glancing his still blinking eyes over the smoldering remains of his fire and letting out a low sigh. "Well... At least I was leaving today anyway." he muttered quietly, stretching lithely and leaning back on his elbows to look up through the trees. His breath played through the air on wispy tendrils as the chill morning sapped its warmth; a slight smile gracing his features, puffing out his bare chest and enjoying the cold charge of energy that coursed through him with every breath he drew. He loved being out here, in the wilderness. Away from the bustle of 'civilization' that he had sadly called home for most of his life.

It was back into that droll of normalcy however, back into the city, to just the limits of it where his apartment was nestled in among the many other cookie-cutter designed architecturally bland buildings. It was several dozen miles from his current location, this haven of forest and mountains that he preferred, though always had to abandon for a more mundane existence. He had no-one back home, if he could even call the place home. There were friends, sure, but none that he was 'that' close to, none who would stay over or hang out just because they wanted company. The closest he got was the occasional party he was more or less invited to. Of course... that wasn't going to happen anymore, not after last time.

Last time he went, some friends of the main reason he went to those parties had blindfolded him and tossed him over the balcony into the pool some ten feet below. He'd been in pain ever since - up until a week ago anyway - on the side he had plunged into the pool with, that broke that instance of rock-hard surface tension before the water enveloped his whole body. It's not that Shawn was mad at the husky, its not his fault his friends are jerks... But he'd rather avoid a repeat incident.

Shaking out his fur to rid himself of the chill in the air, Shawn gathered up his cloak and made sure the fire was completely out, pulling the heavy cloth tight around his lithe frame - more to conceal his nudity than from the cold - and made his way down the mountain-side towards his 'home'. He would have dressed more appropriately for his return, but unfortunately he had had a bit of a tumble through a thicket and what clothes he had brought - essentially everything he had been wearing - had been torn up beyond reasonable repair save for his cloak; so he'd just used them for kindling without taking his return trip into consideration...

His brief respite was over for this week, possibly the rest of the season considering how cold it was supposed to get. That thought bothered him, not being able to take these little excursions into the wilderness whenever the monotony of life was driving him crazy was going to be difficult. He'd have to find another way to cope now...

As he descended the final hill toward the parking-lot he had been dropped off in, Shawn was relieved to see his friend waiting where he expected; saving him the trouble - and possible embarrassment - of taking a bus instead. The leopard waved a paw to him and chuckled at the sight of the fox huddled up in his cloak as he was.

"Bit cold are we?" the feline teased, opening the passenger-side door for his friend.

"Yeah a bit... Fire didn't wanna stay lit, heh." Shawn pulled his cloak tighter around himself and slid into the seat, immediately grateful the leopard had turned the heat on in his car. He settled back and pulled on the seat belt, doing his best to keep at least his lower-half covered up with the cloak as not to unnecessarily expose himself, while his torso was inevitably bare to free his arms enough to move.

"Huh... Bit of exhibitionism eh? Good for you!" the leopard laughed a bit as he noticed the fox's lack of attire, sitting and buckling himself in before pulling the car into gear and beginning the semi-short drive back to Shawn's apartment.

"Hah... hah, yeah. I uh... kind of lost my clothes thanks to several grabby branches and bushes wanting pieces of them. Thanks again for the ride, by the way! It's great to not have to worry about this and taking a bus home..." Shawn sighed and leaned his head back against the head-rest, staring at the ceiling for a moment.

"Hey no worries bud, what're friends for if not helping each other out of extremely embarrassing situations?" the feline smirked and shook his head, admiring the novelty of his predicament.

"Really though, thanks Jay." Shawn was looking out the passenger window watching the trees slowly turn into lamp-posts and buildings, and let out a sigh.

"Not a problem buddy. You've helped me out of -sort of- similar situations in the past, I can't really say much!" the leopard chuckled.

The rest of the drive was held mostly in silence, only the occasional banter or question being asked before the car rolled to a stop in front of the fox's building. After reiterating his thanks, Shawn climbed out of Jay's car and pulled his cloak tight again, closing the door before climbing the flight of stairs up to his second-story apartment, the leopard making sure he was able to get inside before driving off.