Star Light, Star Bright

The stars shine brightly above the calico boy and the moon bathes the marble land in its silvery rays. Up here, on this small mountain, Calico Jack feels like he could reach up and scoop the heavens into his paws. He mutters to himself while tracing constellations with one, large paw, getting his bearings by reading the stars. A soft sound tickles his ears and he looks to where it orientated from, softly calling out to check if anyone is there. He is unprepared for the small wolf that silently stands up from her hiding place in the grass, revealing herself to his curious gaze.

She appears to be plucked from the very heavens that shine above them, her coat glittering with the same soft intensity as the stars above. Awe washes across his features as Jack looks at the woman, never before having seen such beauty in wolfen form. His icy gaze is intense but somehow, gentle as he catches the star-woman’s molten gold eyes and he offers her a small smile. With more confidence in his voice than the boy feels, he says, “Hello. I’m Calico Jack. Do you want to know how to read the stars?”

Once the beautiful wolf gives voice to her interest, and her name, Calico offers a huge, dreamy smile before moving to stand beside her. In another life, the boy may have thought himself worthy of getting to know the stranger better but, right here, right now, Aoede feels as ethereal and intangible as the stars in the sky. He easily dwarfs her in the height department so, with her permission, he seats himself behind her twinkling form and takes one of her delicate paws in one of his own. Gently, he lifts her leg while lowering his head so he can see the stars from her perspective.

First, he finds the brightest star in the sky and points their paws at it, softly whispering the name of their celestial partner, Polaris, into her ear. From there, their paws trace down Ursa Minor before jumping over to find Ursa Major. He offers the constellations names as they go, whispering all the strange and fantastic stories that he has heard about how the stars and constellations earned their names. From there he shows her where Cassiopeia rests, relaying a tale of how the queen had thought her daughter the most beautiful in the land and explains how she can find the vain queen year-round.

Calico Jack then shows her Boötes, Leo, Hydra, Virgo, Cancer, and Crater, the pair gently caressing their forms with their raised paws while keeping themselves firmly planted on earth. Finally, he returns their paws to the ground, lifting his head away from her own so that the boy can explain how these constellations only appear in Spring time. A faraway look comes over the patchwork boy as he loving explains how the stars shift from season to season so that others may come out to play.

Since he believes that Aoede is not really here, that she is just part of the night sky given an earthy form for the night, Calico Jack boldly interacts with her. While their time together is drawing to a close but, for now, the boy shares tales with the heavenly wolf for as long as he can.




WC: 554
Total WC: 1564 / 1500


"Calico Jack"