Mystro looked the the night starry sky with his bright purple eyes. Mystro lifted one paw and stared at the pawprint he had left. His pawsetps were so gentle yet they still had an impact on the earth. This world was still fragile, weak and vulnerable. Just like it was with his mother, it was now his job to protect what was remaining. He learned everything he could from his mother before she traveled to join the Great Sky Spirits. Now she watched over him like the rest of the Great Sky Spirits, guiding him and silently judging him among all the others. If he angered them he would know it soon enough but his mother went through an entire lifetime without angering them. It was his duty to do the same and honor the Great Sky Spirits like she had. His black and white fluffy tail brushed across the earth gently and his purple eyes were directed at the ground. He pressed his paw gently in the dirt and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the earth as he did so. After a minute had passed he looked up to the Great Sky Spirits once more. His ears perked, and every so often, flickered as if they were picking up sound, although the area was eerie silent, not a sound to be heard. Mystro believed he could hear the Great Sky Spirits talk to him, he believed he could feel the Earth's pain and suffering with each pawstep he took just like his mother once claimed to do. He would follow in her pawsteps and help others as well as spirits of the dead to rest in peace, and travel to join the Great Sky Spirits. That is what he truly believed.

even if it's just
in your wildest dreams

Alarik was still traveling, exploring and hoping to meet new people. He figured if he wanted excitement in his life, he'd have to go looking for it himself. And winter was turning into spring now, which meant that the lands he was exploring were much more interesting to look at. He liked the cold weather of winter, but eventually one grew tired of the endless sea of white.

After spending some time in the east, Alarik ventured south for a slight change of scenery. Today he found himself in the plains, walking through the long grasses and patches of earth that poked out through the snow. It was a nice night, cold but not unbearably so. Alarik walked on with his own thoughts as company until suddenly he saw someone else up ahead. Another male, looking up at the night sky. He didn't want to disturb him, so he restrained from sending a friendly bark of greeting and instead waited until he was closer. Close enough to speak at a normal volume. Of course, the night was silent so the stranger could probably hear Alarik approaching anyway. "Lovely night, isn't it?" he said by way of greeting.

Mystro was still staring in the night sky when he heard a voice call out to him. His purple gaze looked over to the other wolf before looking up to the sky again. After a while he turned to the wolf and finally spoke.

"The night is lovely, yes."

He smiled softly to him and then looked back up to the stars with his purple gaze. So far he hadn't found a mate, he hadn't been able to pass on his religion to his kin and that worried him greatly. He let out a small sigh as he continued to just stare up at the night starry sky.

even if it's just
in your wildest dreams

Alright, so maybe this stranger was a bit quiet. But he seemed very at peace where he was. For a moment Alarik considered just walking away, leaving the other male to enjoy whatever it was he was doing. But in the end his curiosity won out and he stepped a bit closer, settling on his haunches and looking up at the sky too. Alarik was the dreamy type, so he'd spent plenty of nights gazing up at the stars. But this stranger looked at the stars with a different sort of intensity.

And so, quietly, he asked "What are you looking at?" Perhaps the male would tell him what was up there. He might even learn something new. "I've admired the stars before, but never like that," he said, keeping his voice a whisper. He felt like anything above a whisper would be rude, somehow.

Mystro continued to look at the stars until the wolf sat down with him and began to look at them too, but his eyes showed that he had no idea what he was seeing and he only confirmed that when he spoke and asked him what he was looking at.

"I am not gazing at the stars. No, I am looking upon our ancestors as they look upon me. You see, when we die, we become a star just like them, to watch over everyone, to guide them. They are called the Great Sky Spirits. I am a Spirit Sage, born to follow under the Great Sky Spirits, to guide the lost souls, to aid souls that are distressed and help them to move on. I protect the innocent, the needy."

He spoke in a wise voice before finally looking to him. He gave him a small smile before standing up slowly. He hadn't talked about this in a while to another. Nobody had shown interest until now.

"We each see things differently, we were born and raised differently, we each have different views on the world. I was raised as a Spirit Sage, and you were raised in a completely different way. Tell me, what do you see?"

He looked around before pointing to a dark cloud hanging over a tree before singing in a wise spiritual tone as he normally did.

"Look at that cloud. As high as a tree, at least that's how it looks to me. How 'bout you? What do you see?
What if we see things differently?

Show me how the world looks through your eyes. Tell me 'bout the sunrise. Let me see the stars shine. Show me how the world looks through your eyes and I can show you how it looks through mine.

If I had wings and I could fly. I would tell you all about the sky. How 'bout you? If dreams came true what do you imagine you could do?

Show me how the world looks through your eyes. Tell me 'bout the sunrise. Let me see the stars shine. Show me how the world looks through your eyes and I can show you how it looks through mine and I could show you secret trails where no one's ever gone. I bet you've got secrets too so don't be shy. Show me how the world looks through your eyes. Tell me 'bout the sunrise. Let me see the stars shine. Show me how the world looks through your eyes and I can show you how it looks, let me show you how it looks through mine."

When Mystro was finally done, he smiled to the fellow wolf and looked back to the stars. He wondered how he would react, he wondered what he would do now.

@Alarik

even if it's just
in your wildest dreams

The two of them looked up at the stars in silence for a moment or two, before at last the other male began to explain to Alarik what he saw in the stars. He said they weren't stars at all, and that instead they were the Great Sky Spirits, watching over them from above. Alarik had his own belief system when it came to the fate of the dearly departed, and it didn't involve stars in such a literal way. But he listened respectfully.

Until the man started singing, his voice following something of a tune as he explained what he believed and asked Alarik to show him how he saw the world through his own eyes. Needless to say, Alarik was a little confused, especially by the singing. But he tried not to gawk at the man or laugh uncomfortably or do anything of the sort. He just cleared his throat, and try to gather his thoughts enough to form them into words.

"Well, my... my family..." he began. "We have a belief system of our own. But it is ancient, and rarely practiced." So, perhaps this wasn't what the male was interested in hearing. Alarik licked his lips and decided to just tell the stranger what he believed. "I think the world around us lives and breathes. I think we all have our fates already planned out for us, we just have to have the courage to go and find them ourselves. And as for happens to us when we die, I don't know... I'd like to think there is reward for the good and justice for the wicked, but I think your idea, the... the one with the stars, I think that's rather beautiful..." Alarik looked at the stars again, trying to see them in a new way, and it brought a small smile to his face.

Mystro listened to the wolf and gave a small nod at his words. He smiled brightly, before looking to him. Mystro hadn't told him everything about his belief, but he seemed to hold some of that in his heard and he liked that.

"Well you are correct. When we are born, we are given a destiny. We cannot change it no matter what we do. Everything we do, even now, us meeting, it has all been written down. We we're fated to meet. For reward, you're reward for being good is becoming a Great Sky Spirit, to gain ultimate knowledge, to gain ultimate youth, to be healthier than you have ever been before. That is your reward. When you are evil, when you anger the Great Sky Spirits, you are sent to hell, your worst nightmare. Whatever it may be. You are forced to suffer like you made everyone else suffer, a taste of your own medicine."

He spoke calmly but as always there was wisdom in his voice. He smiled and looked to him before looking back to the stars. His purple eyes stared upon them while he listened out for the stranger's words.

"By the way, my name is Mystro. It is nice to meet you."

He smiled and then continued to listen out to him, swishing his tail as he did so in a friendly manner.

even if it's just
in your wildest dreams

The stranger started to explain more about his beliefs. His religion seemed to be in agreement with what Alarik believed to be true: everyone was born with their story already written. He nodded a bit when the man told him that even their meeting was meant to be. Alarik did believe that. Believing everything was meant to be gave him a sense of comfort in his life.

As for the rest, about the good becoming Great Sky Spirits and the wicked being sent to hell to suffer? Well, he couldn't be sure. But he admired the stranger for his convictions. And then, he introduced himself. "Mystro," Alarik repeated, a small smile on his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Alarik."

He was quiet again for a time, looking up at the stars and admiring them for what he had always believed them to be. "I admire you for your beliefs, Mystro. And they make a lot of sense to me."

Mystro listened to the wolf who was called Alarik. It was an interesting name. He looked to him and then gave him a small smile. He seemed generally interested in his beliefs Mystro looked to the stars before speaking once more in his usual wise and spiritual tone.

"Yes, please allow me to tell more. You see, for generations for generations, this belief has been going on in my family. It all started with a single wolf. The Great Sky Spirits chose him to carry their voice, chose him to aid the spirits who were distressed and needed help, to protect those who needed protection. He was born with a great destiny. To be the first ever Spirit Sage. They taught him everything he needed to know, and when he grew older and found a mate, they told him that his children would be born to follow the path of the Spirit Sage. He would need to teach them everything he knew, but not all children were meant for that path and some would stray. So it went on for generations. His children had children and the children of their children had children until eventually, I was born. My mother taught me what I needed to know in order to be a successful Spirit Sage, now my religion, the nest Spirit Sage relies on me finding a mate before it is too late. My mother joined the Great Sky Spirits earlier than expected, when I had turned one of age. It was upsetting but I knew she was always with me, even now."

He gave a smile up at the stars before looking at the wolf. He was happy, but at the same time there was slight worry in his expression. He worried that he would disappoint everyone, worried that the Spirit Sage would die with him

even if it's just
in your wildest dreams

It seemed this Mystro had much more to be said about his religion, so Alarik fell quiet and looked up at the stars as he listened patiently to everything the man said. This religion had been important to his family for generations and generations. It all began when one wolf was chosen to help the distressed and in need of protection. He was the first Spirit Sage. And when his children were born, he taught them to do the same, but not all of them followed the path.

It was an interesting story that ended with Mystro losing his mother, who had taught him to be a Spirit Sage. And now, he felt responsible. He had to carry on his beliefs and bring children to the world to keep the religion going. And that was something that Alarik could actually understand, in a way. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother," he said first, before going on: "I know this isn't quite the same thing, but I feel a similar pressure from my own family. You see, my blood, we're known as the Xanilov family. We were once great and powerful in this land, the leaders of a prosperous pack. But all of that crumbled, and now we're the progeny expected to bring greatness back to the Xanilov name."

Alarik sighed a little as he felt the weight on his shoulders again. "It's a lot to ask of someone."

Mystro listened to his story and gave a soft nod. He understood perfectly. He looked to the Great Sky Spirits for a moment before looking to him. He slowly walked up to him and gave him a soft lick against the ear in a comforting manner.

"Yes, I understand. It will be a shame if we do not pass our genes down. Sometimes though it is meant to be. I fear though, I fear dying and then the Great Sky Spirits are forgotten. Never looked at and admired like I admire them. Never gazed at and respected ever again. That is what I fear."

He looked to the stars with a worried look and gave a soft sigh. It would be such a shame if that were to ever happen. He didn't want that, he wanted them to always be remembered and he would do everything he could to make sure he could.

even if it's just
in your wildest dreams

Alarik held himself still as Mystro moved closer, placing a soft lick on his ear. It was oddly comforting, and he gave the man a gentle smile in return. His fears were understandable. When you had anything you believed was worth passing on, be it a name or a legacy or a system of beliefs, it was easy to fear oblivion. The chance that you might be forgotten entirely, blown away like vapor in the wind as soon as it was your time to leave this life.

Wow. Tonight had been quite introspective for Alarik. It had given him a lot to think about. He wanted to thank Mystro, to let him know that he appreciated his presence and his honesty in sharing what he believed. He couldn't deny there was something special about this man. "I'd like to make you a promise, my friend," Alarik said, his baritone voice hushed and earnest. "Even if you never have children of your own to share your beliefs with, I'll do what I can to make sure the Great Sky Spirits aren't forgotten. I may not be a Spirit Sage, myself, but I can promise you I won't forget what you told me."

His words were firm, and sincere. He hoped Mystro knew that what he said was true. He would remember the Great Sky Spirits, whenever he saw the stars twinkling at night. He would carry this night with him for years to come.