The Gifted Star

Clouds glided across the fully risen moon, shinning rays of white light in patterns on the dirt path that Estella walked on with the lamb cradled in the nook of her arm. Her leather boots scuffed the ground, disturbing the natural noise and rhythm of the night. Crickets chirped their greetings to the dark, while from some distance a barn owl hooted its praises to the night and the cover it provided for hunting. Estella took comfort from the constant sounds, and continued her hopeful march towards the barn. She could see the dim outline of the farm buildings against the moonlight, as she ascended the last bump in the landscape. Relief flooded her and she paused to look upon the glorious sight.

However, her new found happiness came to an abrupt end as another sound reached her ears; the soft scuttling of paws. The noise stopped only a few seconds after Estella had, but she sensed that whatever was following her, knew that they had been discovered. She turned around slowly, backing up at the same time, and peered into the darkness that she had just come from. Two silted, golden eyes flashed in the torchlight, and a deep growl emitted from the creature that belonged to them. The little ewe let out a fearful baaing and started struggling in Estella’s arm. She held out the lantern, attempting to pierce the black, and get a glance of what monster now stalked them. The firelight did little to help the girl and lambs plight, as the animal easily evaded the light.

Estella felt all hope leave her as she heard more movement coming towards her. ‘If only I had a little light, I could maybe make a run for it,” she prayed to an unknown deity. As an answer to her pray, suddenly the clouds that covered the full moon shifted away and let its full brightness shine down on the land. Though, the new light highlighted a path to safety, it also revealed what was after them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Estella caught the first glance of the monster. She turned around to face her hunter. The cat-like creature was as big as bear, with pitch-black fur, and razor-sharp claws. Its deadly teeth glinted in the moonlight and it snarled in displeasure of being discovered. It was a terrible sight already, but it became even more so when Estella saw the animals tail; it was long and sleek, with an end that was shaped like the boardhead of an arrow. The unique looking appendage gave her the name of the cat; serafine. When she was younger, Estella had been told stories of the serafine and their ability to paralyze their prey with just one cut from their barbed tail. All her life she had been scared to go outside because of these horror stories, and now she stood face to face with one, with only a small fire as a weapon.

“Go away! Leave me alone!” Estella screamed at the large cat, while swinging the lantern around. The lamb added its own protest towards the serafine, but the racket and fire did nothing to deter the monster. Instead, the serafine let out a growl and pounced.

Estella jumped to the right just in time, as the animal flew by the area she had just been standing. She stumbled when she made contact again with the uneven farmland. Estella knew she had lost as she rolled down a small dip in the landscape. The serafine would soon be on her, and that was the end of it. All of the worries about homework, daily sibling skirmishes, and marriage melted into what felt like a distant past, the unpleasant present and future was all that she could think of.

She looked up from the dirt, only to have her fears confirmed; the serafine was slowly coming closer and closer. As a last resort, Estella hoisted herself off the ground to attempt a defense, but her defiance came to an abrupt end as pain rushed through her right ankle. The sudden agony emitting, from what looked to be, a sprained ankle sent her kneeling onto the ground. The cat purred in the pleasure, as their prey now looked completely helpless.

Estella bent her head in defeat, and allowed a tear roll down her filthy face. A small animal cry interrupted her despair, along with the approach from the oncoming monster. She looked up again to see the lamb, which had fallen out of Estella’s arms during the tumble, trying unsuccessfully to climb over a rock wall that separated the baby ewe from the security of the pastures.

The serafine looked at its human prey for a moment, deciding whether or not she would be able to escape if left alone for a minute, but the answer was obvious to the creature and it started forward towards the unprotected lamb. As the monster advanced on the other animal, the young ewe sensed its hunter and pressed itself into the rocks, hoping that somehow the barrier would protect it.

Estella stared in horror as she saw the lambs and her own death coming closer with each step of the monster. But what could she do? Each scenario she went through in her mind ended badly. She could make one last courageous effort and try to fight off the serafine; the result: death. Or leave behind the lamb and use its sacrifice to run away on a sprained ankle, hopefully being able to reach the barn or any other shelter before the overgrown cat caught up with her; the result: probably death.

She watched the serafine’s powerful muscles contract and its front dip towards the ground, preparing to lunge. Estella let out one last desperate cry to possibly distract or startle the monster, “Utanair!”

She had no idea what word she had spoken, it was originally supposed to be just a single ‘no’ but it had transformed into something completely different. As she spoke the mysterious language, time appeared to come to a halt. The serafine was in mid-jump, while the lamb continued to cower and press up against the rocks that trapped it. Estella’s word hung on the air, while inside her something stirred. A sensation rushed through every part of her being; physical and mental. Her body felt like every bruise, cut, sprain, and blister had been miraculously healed. Only a minute ago, if she had chosen to take on the serafine in one last attempt, she felt as if she would have won the fight.

Deep within, though, something even more powerful awakened. Whatever it was, sprung to life, it was like a flower finally blossoming after a long winter. At first the feeling tasted sweet and savory, but there was something else hidden inside of it. She could sense that it was even more beautiful and powerful than what she felt at the moment. Estella wanted to delve into the source as its alluring song called to her. It was mystery she needed to solve; a song she wanted to finish. As if reaching out a hand to catch the power, she began to dig inside the source. Before she could touch her goal, a terrifying howling stopped her.

Reality had caught up to her thoughts. Estella had expected to see the gruesome sight of the hunter eating its prey, but the image was very different. The serafine had burst out in flames; its once glossy fur fueled the fire. The creature roared in terror and pain, as it rolled on the ground in a desperate endeavor to kill the blaze.

Estella shielded her eyes and face against the heat. She still felt connected to the mysterious power, but could now taste something sour as it started draining her of everything. Painstakingly, she willed the energy to stop, even though the source still called to her. The moment she cut off the power, the flames stopped as well. It had been too late to save the serafine, that had only seconds ago tried to kill her and the little lamb, but Estella still felt loss when she looked into the dull yellow eyes.

Weariness gripped her as she rose once more to her feet. Estella’s vision started to blur and she knew that success at standing would be short-lived. Just before she collapsed to the hard ground, she could see the brilliance of torch-light speeding towards her location; the last haunting cry from the serafine had not gone unnoticed. Hope stirred in her again, but it was quickly replaced by an unimaginable weight pressing down on her mind and she finally succumbed to the dark void of unconsciousness.