Oh, how angry she was! The tears were brimming in her eyes and as much as she scrubbed at them with her paw, they would just keep coming back. She ran and ran and ran, trying to put as much distance between herself and the unusual bully. It was ridiculous, to get so worked up over something. But she couldn’t help it. Not now. The emotions raging through her was tearing her heart and she didn’t want to feel.

But she was feeling. And right now, she was feeling it deeply. Her heart was in a thousand pieces. She had bared her feelings to another male her age. Stupidly, she had told him. Caught up in the moment. She had barely spoken twelve words with her longtime crush and when she finally did mention admiring him… he gave her an uncomfortable look. Pointed out that her family was weird. Even if he tried to say it gently, it still hurt, still shattered her heart. And of course, forever defensive, she had unsheathed her claws and slapped him, raking her claws into his cheek.

And then she ran, like a coward. Like a star. ”Don’t be a star, Alt,” she mimicked to herself cruelly with a twisted smile.

--

It had been a full month before she had last seen the angry girl. And now, apparently, it was time to see her again. Sitting up from drinking water from the serene lake, he stared at her. Was she… crying? It was hard to see, even with the moon so bright. But… it definitely seemed like there was something glistening on her cheeks.

He watched silently for a moment, until she started talking to herself. He froze before he gave a gentle smile. Stars again. ”Why not be a star?” he called out softly to her, stepping out of the deep shadows and towards her.

--

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the voice called out. Sniffling, she wiped futilely at the tears again and looked over to see who it was. ”Oh no, it’s you again,” she moaned pitifully. She turned her head away, not willing to look at him. Maybe if she ignored him, he would leave her alone.

Fat chance, he was insane obviously. He would always meddle and be where he wasn’t wanted. In fact, this was the third time he was around when she didn’t want him to be. ”Go away,” she mumbled thickly, sniffling again.

--

Uongo tilted his head, a small smile playing on his expression, before he moved closer to her and the water line. He stared down into the water, humming lightly. ”You never did what I suggested, did you?” he asked lightly, staring into that bright water.

”If you did what I asked you to do, you would know that being a star isn’t too bad… or unreachable,” he said lightly.

--

What was he going on about? She sniffed loudly again, giving him a glare. Was he deaf? Did he not know what it meant to go? Could he not pick up on body language? Did he not realize that she wanted to be alone? How stupid could he be? ”What?” she asked irritably, rubbing at her eyes again.

He had said something about the stars… stars on a clear night. Oh… ”That’s stupid,” she mumbled.

--

”Just come here,” he told her, giving a smile over his shoulder. She was very stubborn, wasn’t she? But this weakened defense… it was a nice side, to see that she wasn’t always angry. Of course, being sad wasn’t good either but it still proved that she could express other emotions.

--

She gave him a glare at being told what to do but slowly moved next to him. With a roll of her eyes, she looked to the water… and then stared dumbfounded. The stars… they were in the water. Twinkling and glittering and right there in front of her face. She reached a paw out… dipped it in the water, watched the reflection shimmer. The whole pond was full of stars. It was… breathtaking.

She could reach the stars. Not actually but… they were there. A slow, wry grin reached her face. She would have to show papa this. Show him that the stars could be reached. They were still cowards but they weren’t out of reach. Dimly, she could see the river pebbles laying beneath the stars. A hiccup of a laugh escaped her. This method was ridiculous, childish… but it lifted her spirits for a moment.

She turned her gaze to the crazy adolescent, the liar, the thrall. Emotions were still rampaging through her, squeezing her heart tight. She was heartbroken, sad, lonely, and at the low of her confidence. And he had shown her a sight that was too beautiful and inspiring for words.

And so, she wasn’t going to speak words. No, she was going to show him. Slowly, she leaned forward, nuzzled her face into his neck. She wanted love and warmth. She wanted to feel wanted. And Uongo was kind. This would make her feel better. She was sure of it. She moved around him, trailing her tail over him, and nudged her head in a direction to get him to follow. She would regret this, she knew. But it was only once. Only one night. And then, she would pretend he didn’t exist any longer. She would move on to her life, become a pebble once more.

Just for that night, she wanted to feel like a star.

--

Uongo was confused at her beckon, heart in his throat. Why… did she want him to follow her? Her laugh had been surprisingly light and innocent. Her smile, however small, was filled with warmth. She did feel other emotions. And he was enchanted.

Dumbly, he let her nuzzle into him. His eyes were glued to her, mind unable to process what was happening. Follow him. That’s what he needed to do. Follow her and have his life changed. Did he want that? His mind hadn’t decided but his heart soared and his body moved on it’s own, following her into the shadows of the night.