Meteor Shower

With her eyes on the stars above them, Fern listens to Sota’s soft voice with a smile. Turning her ocean-hued gaze toward him, she sees the small smile on his lips. Her smile is genuine and her words heartfelt as she says, “It’s not cheesy Sota. The world would be a much better place if there were more wolves in it that thought like you. Sometimes, all it takes is one random act of kindness to leave a mark. My mom used to tell me that it isn’t what the world remembers about you that is important; it is the friends you leave behind. Happy moments mean the world to others and I know I’ll forgot this night or the kind wolf that I got to share it with.” Her smile grows for a moment, before she adds, “I am thankful that I got to meet you.”

Their gazes turn back to sky, silence passing in comfort between them before Sota asks about her past and Fern starts her tale. When she mentions Resin, the gray girl notices Sota’s smile grow and he speaks of Resin, causing the girl’s lips to tick up in a sad, longing smile. She continues on, needing to voice her story but getting choked up. When her voice wavers, Sota scoots closer and Fern is thankful for his calming presence, his gentle nudge is met with a small smile as he explains about being a good listener. Everything about Sota is warm, kind, and friendly. A pang of sadness strikes her as the girl thinks of how much Meadow would have loved him.

Taking a long, deep breath, Fern calms her raging emotions. Once her mind has settled, the girl offers Sota a warm smile and soft chuckle as she says, “You are an exceptional listener.” A content sigh escapes as she adds, “I am realizing, now, that I haven’t lost anything. I have actually found so much more than I had. Now I have friends, family, a pack, Rudyard. And now… you.” The smile that appears is soft and kind, letting Sota know he has a friend in her. She goes on to explain, “But I didn’t know any of that when I first arrived. I felt broken, hopeless… lost. The long night only added to those feelings and I tried to run away when the sickness addled my brain.”

With a soft sigh, Fern looks up to the sky, taking a moment to watch the eternal stars. Her voice is filled with shame as she says, “When I finally came back to senses, I… I was too ashamed by everything that had happened. I didn’t want to upset anyone so I stayed away.” Turning her gaze back to Sota a smile ticks up the corners of her mouth as she says, “But fate wouldn’t let me stay away. A bear forced me to return and, since I came back, I have found this is truly where I belong.” While her story is filled with sorrow, loneliness and defeat, Fern realizes just how happy is she is now. There are no tears, only happy moments filed with friends and family.

A question tickles her mind and forces her to ask Sota, “What about you Sota? What brought you here?” Any sadness that had clung to the girl while she told her story is gone, replaced with a desire to learn more about Sota and his life.


"Fern"