Star Keeper

As I took the youngest members home I heard their hushed complaints about not being able to join us at the feast and get in on the festivities. I mussed up the hair of the last child, with a wave to the last mother who smiled and thanked me. As the pups got tucked in with their mothers in their homes I thought about the Keeper and how everyone acted around this time of year just because of a prophecy. I have always wanted the legend to be real, but I never understood why the Keeper would let her daughters come here, of all places.

"Braith, hurry up or you won't get to eat," yelled the Chief Elder smiling.
I smiled back and ran as fast as my long legs would carry me to get to the banquet table. I filled my plate as high as it would go and tried to find a spot at the tables, but all the pack members my age turned away from me as I walked by. The Elders were too deep in their conversations, so they didn’t acknowledge my presence. I sighed heavily as I walked to a nearby rock. I got used to being shunned like this, but sometimes it took a heavy toll on me.

Ever since I was a pup it happened that way. My parents got murdered by hunters when I was very young. They left me in an old Oak Tree and told me to pretend I was playing hide and seek when they heard the hunters. The Chief Elder found me two days later when I was wandering around crying because hunger and loneliness filled me with fear. The Chief Elder took me in and watched over me like I was one of his own ever since.

I don’t remember much about my parents. I try to remember, but every time I try to picture them in my head I only remember little things. My mother had long, curly brown hair that looked like melting chocolate, and this warmth radiating from her smile that always made me feel safe, like the Keeper's bright light. Father had stone grey eyes, like mine, and his course, coal black fur when he changed into his wolf form. He used to let me ride on his back for fun running through the forest when he wasn’t too busy with the Elders. I can almost feel the wind rushing through my hair and the tuffs of his fur slipping through my fingers as he raced through the woods. I got labeled "outcast" because many people blame me for bringing the hunters to the village. Yes, I did beg my dad for a ride like any other pup would, but I was young when my parents got spotted and hunted. How was I supposed to save them? We had to relocate after their burial. Since then the Chief Elder was really cautious about how far we got to run from our village, and we always ran together except during the lunar eclipse.

I blinked the tears away and watched the women of our tribe dance under the Keeper. Their skin shimmered like millions of stars as they danced. One of the women, Serena, was dancing closer to me and caught my eye. When our eyes met she winked. Her black hair flowed down her back and swayed with the curves of her body as she moved. I gave her a devilish grin and even from just the soft glow of the fire her face burned bright with her blush. I chuckled as she turned away from me, continuing to dance closer to the fire with the others. Getting into trouble was my way of grabbing the attention of my pack, and for that many of the girls in the pack found me utterly attractive for being a "bad wolf".

After the pack finished eating it was time to put the fire out and clean up the mess. The women wrapped up their ritualistic dance, and Serena gave me a soft kiss on my cheek for good luck with finding the Star. It was almost time for the eclipse to begin, and that meant it was time to pick out the hunting grounds.

Every male wanted a particular spot to look for the Star. Most of the spots were rumored to be where the Star would fall. As the spots got picked, I saw two fellow teenage pack members tussle over a spot both of them wanted. Instead of having to fight over a spot, I ran in the opposite direction from where the other wolves wanted to hunt. Most of them would be arguing most of the night anyways, rather than hunting. I wanted a little peace and time alone with my thoughts.

Every lunar eclipse for as long as I can remember was the same as the one that happened tonight. The only exception was that the Protector never told the story before; it was always the Chief Elder. I didn't think much about it and shrugged off any wary thoughts. The rouse meant to force the rumors of the Protector’s death to stop, and the pack couldn’t make up stories on how he died any longer. I smile at the thought of how many people believed the legend, even more since he was, in fact, still alive. I had to admit even though it was my favorite story that the Chief Elder told but that's all it is—just a story. Like stars really fell from the sky every five hundred years, ha!

I was excited for once I could go out at the night alone. Out here, there were no pups to look after and no Elders telling me what I was wrong with me. For tonight, it was just me and the moon. Well, mostly just me. The moon became darker with every passing moment due to the eclipse. The woods obscured in darkness and the animals hid away for the night. Even though the animals were silent, there was still a slight breeze that rustled the leaves around my feet and in the treetops. A peaceful sensation filled me, which happened to be exactly what I came for on this cool night.

I figured I would set up my perimeter on the south side of our reservation since everyone predicted that when the Star fell on this night she’d fall with the last glimpse of the moon on the north side. That notion made me laugh. Science and magic had nothing to do with the Keeper’s decisions. How they thought anyone predict the almighty Keeper's choices baffled me?

I sniffed the cool air while I slowly put down my bag, looking all around me. My bones cracked as I shifted into my wolf form. I began to set up my perimeter on the south end of our reservation, about twenty yards in each direction. Every other wolf fought over the north property because of the rumors and prediction that the Star would fall with the last glimpse of the Keeper. All the fighting and rushing toward the north amused me. Why would the Star Keeper let one of her precious, beautiful daughters slip at the last second?

I almost finished up marking my perimeter. Sniffing around a few more trees allowed me to double check for intruders, and marked my territory once more. I finally found a place to set up for the night after checking and marking my surroundings—a gutted hole in a pretty good size Oak Tree. It reminded me a lot of the tree my parents left me in before hunters attacked them. I looked up at the tree; it had to beat least a hundred years old. The old but sturdy tree would provide decent shelter for the night, and I fit inside comfortably in my wolf form.I managed to get my "hunting" spot and shelter finished before the eclipse stole the light, but I didn't want to hunt or sleep just yet. Every muscle in my body wanted to run. This was the first time in a long time I got to be alone in the woods. I could run as fast as I wanted and as long as I wanted. I was definitely going to take advantage of the fun.

I stretched my legs as the cool breeze caught the ends of my coppery fur. There’s nothing like running through the woods for a wolf. Ask any wolf and they all will say the same. You feel so alive and not confined by the human body. Tonight, something different lingered in the air; I hadn’t felt anything like it before. The air seemed little more electric like it was on edge. Glancing around, with my better vision, I didn’t detect any oddity or impending danger nor did I smell anything funny. 'Are you really letting this legend get to you?' I asked myself. 'There is nothing different. Don't lose your head!' I looked around once more; everything seemed to be alright, so I finally began my run.

The wind whipped through my fur as I took long strides across about two miles of forest. I found a small river in my path, but it didn't stop me—jumping from embankment to embankment only made the run more thrilling. After tiring myself out, I headed back to my camp, and I didn't want to be too far away when light faded out. That’s when I notice a bright light slipped from the last glimmer of the moon before the eclipse took the moon for itself. It was incredible.
The light fell faster and faster, and as I stared at the light coming straight for me. The light's beauty mesmerized me so much that I almost didn't realize that if I didn't move it would pummel me into the ground.

I quickly leaped away and covered my head with my paws. Just then the earth shook, dirt and rubble fell over me. When I looked back, a small crater formed in the place where I once stood. I slowly made my way to the crater’s edge. The light that fell from the sky illuminated the surrounding darkness as I watched in wonderment. 'What do I do?' I panicked. Howling to signal to the others seemed like a good idea for a moment, but I quickly shook that far from my mind. They'd call me a liar and take the credit for finding the Star if the Chief Elder didn't find me first. As I contemplated whether to call the rest of the pack, the light faded a little. It was forming a shape! I squinted trying to make it out. After a few minutes, the light appeared form a human. It was a human form covered by an unexplainable white hot intensity and heat emanated from it. It was almost as if the human was covered by fire. Without further thought I rushed to the small stream I had seen earlier in my run. I grabbed a bottle that some pedestrian must’ve flung from a car window and filled it with water. My only thought was to put out the flame and save the human from the flame.

I rushed back to the human as fast as possible, and doused it with the water. I prayed the small Pepsi bottle would be enough, but from the amount of fire around the body I knew it probably wouldn’t be. The light didn’t falter; however, the human let out a blood curdling scream as it bolted up right. Long, wavy hair flowed down its back; I guessed the light must be a woman like in the legend. After a moment the fire began to dim and finally go out. It became evident that this Star had to be a woman. Soot from the fire and mud from the crater covered her bare arms and legs. She tried to brush off most of the muck.

I tried to wrap my mind around my vision. I just saw a female fall from the sky in a ball of white fire… No! I wouldn’t allow myself to think the obvious, but as she sat there staring at me I couldn’t help staring back. I noticed as the light surrounding her slowly began to fade that she was different from any other woman I had ever seen. She had hair the color of our blazing bonfire and her makeup made her face seem darker, almost dangerous. Her full lips matched the color of her burning hair, and her eyes shimmered with silver lining. I'd never seen anyone with a hoop in the middle of their lip, but she had one. I tried to look over her body, but the brilliant light still surrounded her for the most part. I could see her bare shoulders and the shape of her collarbone clearly. The strange markings I saw covering her arms and shoulders caught my attention. They moved as if they had a life of their own and shimmered on her skin unlike any markings on the humans I'd ever seen, but they did not appear on her legs. I could see from her mid-thigh to her toes, and there was no trace of a scratch let alone those amazing markings.

As I looked her over again, I sighed heavily with disbelief. I had to admit that this woman had to be a Star. The legend had to be true. She began to rise from her crater, and I backed away from her. She frightened me more than I thought a Star would. In all the stories I’d ever heard the Star was always weakened from her fall, but this Star showed no signs of weakness. She radiated nothing less than the essence of power. What kind of Star was she?

She opened her mouth to speak, but a shrill, unbearable sound came from her lips. I covered my ears with my paws before I realized that it sounded to me because of my sensitive hearing. Shaking off some of my sensitivity, I tried to listen to her. She was hard to understand at first. I'm pretty sure she wasn’t speaking English, which I realized after she spoke the words, "Is this the right one?" 'Was she really trying to find the right language so I'd understand her?' I tilted my head a little and sniffed at her to show acknowledgement but mostly because I had grown curious. She simply nodded in return and stood up very slowly; her legs were weak and shaky as she walked away.

My first instinct ordered me to follow her. I had to protect her, but I was frozen for a moment with the realization of my situation—the legend is real, and I have been blessed with a Star.