The night is young and, as her family and friends begin to gather around the great fire to share stories but, tonight, Andromeda has a different plan. Her purple form slips quietly through the hallways, the girl exiting the castle as noiselessly and quickly as she can. No matter how sneaky she thinks she is, there is always a companion watching and a shadow detaches itself from the darkness of the castle’s exterior to silently stalk after the pup. She does not see Bast but Bast sees her and that is all that matters.

Since they had arrived, Andy had heard tales of the plains that adjoin the castle, their name immediately drawing her curiosity to it. The stars have always called to her and this place is supposed to be the perfect spot for stargazing. A gentle autumn breeze rustles the stalks of grass as her paws quietly pass and the girl thanks anyone that is listening, that the sky is clear with no clouds mar the beauty of the heavens.

Finally, the pup reaches the spot she had staked out during the day, deeming it a great place to sit for the show. Folding her haunches, the pup lightly takes a seat amongst the grass and tilts her head back. At last, Andy lays her pale blue gaze on the millions of shining stars that glitter in the heavenly firmament. Her breath hitches at the sheer majesty of the night sky; from sparkling stars to the silvery moon that hangs among them. The wind blows and, while gentle, there is still the bite of an autumn chill in it.

But Andromeda does not notice anything on the earthly plain anymore because, for the first time since she was born, the girl feels at home.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

While her Fatalis side of the family had been over, bedtime had been a little more lenient. Or perhaps a little more easily forgotten over the telling of stories and jovial conversation in the great hall before the hearth. There was a certain kind of warmth that spread through the space- pups playing, adults laughing, fire crackling- in close proximity. It brought a bright grin to her face as she observed, but as she took a break from chasing her siblings in and out of the isles between the tables, a flash of movement caught in her peripheral just in time for her to see a small lavender silhouette disappear towards the foyer. Her curiosity instantly peaked. Talyssa hesitated for a moment before her better judgment lost out, and she rose to her paws to quietly follow the other girl out.

Once outside, it wasn't as dark as she would have thought. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the pale moonlight, she had no problems seeing her target vanish from view outside the courtyard. Quietly picking up her pace, Lyssa moved to pursue, interested in knowing where the peculiar Fatalis girl was headed.

It wasn't until she had made it to the plains that she and Thorn had explored earlier that the lavender fae finally stopped- reclining to her haunches and looking up to the sky. Uncertain of what the girl was looking at, Talyssa also glanced towards the sky- and was immediately awestruck. "Whoa!" She couldn't help but say aloud. The stars were so vivid against the veil of the night- beauty she had never before noticed. "They're so pretty!" She commented to the girl she had followed out here, finally approaching her in a more conversational range. "How did you know to come out here?" Lys asked a little more softly. Wondering how a place she had already been could look so vastly different than what she had seen in daylight.

Andromeda thought she had made a clean break from the families so, when a voice speaks up, the girl almost topples over in surprise. Wide, pale blue eyes turn to find a younger pup moving toward her. Head tilts as the other girl talks about the stars being pretty and a smile appears as her dips in agreement before a bashful expression at the question of how she knew to come out here. A lopsided grin tugs a corner of her lip up as she shrugs, saying, “I heard some of the adults talking about the view. I wanted to see them for myself. I never thought it be like this. The view is so… clear.”

Glancing up at the star-studded sky, Andy sucks in another breath at the sight, still in awe of the sheer beauty her. Looks back to the pup, she signals for her to come sit next to her and once she is close enough for the purple pup to lower her voice but still be heard clearly, she says, “My name’s Andy. The stars have always called to me. Since the day I could leave the den, I would sneak out to sit under their glow. There is something… comforting about them. Plus, I enjoy the stories linked to each one.”

Eyes move upward, settling on the starry heavens as she searches for the one she wants to point out first. Finally, she lifts a paw to point north, to a bright star that hangs in the middle of firmament and says, “See that bright one? It’s called Polaris. No matter where you are in the world, that will shine from the north.” Paw lowers as a smile tugs at her lips while she watches the star.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Talyssa could see the surprise spread across the other girl's features, which instantly made her feel a little bad. She didn't mean to take her off guard like that. Perhaps she should have made herself known sooner than what she had. But upon her appreciation for the stars, she could see Andromeda relax, a playfully friendly grin replacing the early shock. One that she mirrored for herself. When the Fatalis girl described eavesdropping on the adults, Talyssa offered her a knowing nod. Of course, she had done her fair share of listening in on conversations as well.

When a lull settled between them, Lyssie's attention was returned to the galaxy above. Content to sit in a moment of silence as they each took in the views. Completely engulfed in her viewing, she was only lightly aware of the introduction she was offered. "Nice to meet you, Andy. I'm Taly." She responded, in a similarly hushed tone, offering her own name in trade. When Andromeda explained how close she felt to the night sky, in this moment, Talyssa felt that she could kinda relate. Maybe not as strongly, but she definitely felt the draw now. "I've never noticed them before. Not like this." She started. "I mean, of course I know there are stars. There is just something different about them here." The earth-toned fae concurred before settling into another quiet observation.

Until Andy points out one of the brightest stars in the sky. Polaris. It was a unique name, but fitting for a star, she thought. "Oh, so if you ever needed to go North at night time, you'd just look for Polaris and follow him?" She asked, her curiosity taking over as she glanced to the lavender-hued fae at her side.

Andy sheepishly speaks of hearing adults about this place and the younger pup gives a knowing nod. In that moment, an understanding seems to form between them as the other girl settles in and shares her name. A warm smile touches Andromeda’s lips as the purple pup dips her head in greeting. Taly goes on to explain about how she has never seen them like this and the stargazing pup nods in understanding, saying, “This is the best view I have seen. There is nothing to obscure them, like trees or even the castle. Here they seem… endless.”

Pale blue eyes shift upward as they quietly observe the heavenly bodies, enjoying the celestial dance that the night sky provides. She points out Polaris to the young Carpathius pup and her gaze drifts down to Taly as she explains about it being in the North. The earthen girl is very smart and understands that she can follow Polaris to go North. Andromeda grins dipping her head in acknowledgment as she softly says, “That is correct. Polaris will lead you straight and true. All the others stars may change but that one,” a purple paw lifts to Polaris as she says, “will always be there.”

With that her gaze returns to Taly and Andy says, “You know, he has a story. A lot of the stars do. Whether they are real or not…” she shrugs her purple shoulders before saying, “well, I think that it helps give comfort. Ya know?” A soft shyness fills the purple pup’s form as she reveals things that she normally never shares with anyone. The stars are special to her in a way that many cannot seem to comprehend. Clearing her throat, she says, “Now, Polaris there was a great guardian. A huge, hulking white wolf that helped any and all who needed his guidance. He never led anyone astray.”

As she talks, her pale blue gaze returns to the bright, shining north star, offering him a smile as she says, “When his time on this earth came to an end, the gods put him up there so he could keep guiding wolves.” Andy watches the star for a moment, noticing the way it sparkles and shines in the crisp autumn night. Glancing to Taly, she quickly says, “Oh, uh, I’m not boring you, am I? I can stop.” The only other wolf she has met in her life (so far) that has the same love of heavens as her is her mother, Zee. However, Andromeda is always eager to share her knowledge with others.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

She couldn't quite come up with the reason the stars shone especially bright here in the plains. Not until Andromeda made her observation out loud. "That makes sense." Talyssa agreed, noting that the wide open space allowed an uninterrupted portal to the galaxy above. "Endless is a good way to put it," she said with a gentle nod before craning her neck back once more in an effort to take it all in. It seemed impossible to do so.

With the conclusion she had drawn about the north star, a warm glow radiated from her in result of her insight. Polaris would lead you straight and true. The younger girl would certainly commit that to memory. While she was actively breaking curfew now, that wouldn't always be the case. There may come a time when the ability to navigate at night would come in handy. With her own pale blue gaze, she followed Andy's gesture with her eyes one more time to ensure that she had the right star.

Though, when she noticed movement in her peripheral, her attention returned to her new friend. "A story?" Lyssie echoed in genuine curiosity. The Fatalis girl needed no encouraging, she set in to describe Polaris as a massive white brute that was quite the navigator himself. "Wow." She mumbled softly, completely engaged in the telling of his tale. Andromeda went to find the star in the sky once more, but her focus was trained on the lavender fae. "They can do that?!" She asked in surprise. "Make a wolf into a star?" Talyssa quickly added, offering a clarification.

When Andromeda asked if she was boring, Lys rapidly shook her head. "No! Please keep going!" She insisted, waiting expectantly for the stories to continue.

The purple pup sits with the young Carpathius girl, enjoying their time stargazing. Taly is insightful and smart, easily figuring out that Polaris will always guide her North. Andy goes on to offer the story behind the bright star, a smile pulling at her lips as the pup softly mumbles her amazement at the story. When she mentions that the gods put him up there, Taly looks to her and exclaims in surprise, questioning if they can really make someone into a star.

Pale blue gaze moves to look at her new friend and she shrugs her shoulders in a noncommittally gesture as she says, “Mom says that the gods can do anything. The statues that have popped up in different lands are said to be their work. They have been known to give gifts and deal out punishments. I don’t think it would be difficult for them to make a wolf into a star… or stars.” A sheepish grin crosses Andy’s lips as the girl reveals what she has heard and what she believes about the faceless, nameless gods.

Worried that she might be boring Taly, the lavender girl is excited to find that the deer spotted pup actually seems interested in the stories. Andy’s smile grows and she turns her attention back to the sky, tilts her head back as she searches carefully for a constellation. A purple paw lifts to point out three bright stars as she says, “There. That is part of the constellation known as Orion.” Her paw traces the shape of Orion before, again, tracing the three bright stars as she explains, “That is his collar. Orion was the greatest hunter to ever roam the world. The gods loved him so much, that they put him up there to continue hunting through the ages.”

Paw drops back to the ground as she turns her gaze to Taly, eyebrows lifting as happiness sparkles in her eyes. Andy continues on, “That one is special for two reasons. First, Orion is only in the sky when the weather is cold. If you search for him during the summer, you won’t find him. And two, those three stars…” Attention turns back to the constellation, paw once again tracing the three stars but going done beyond them as she says, “point to the brightest star in the winter sky.” She stops a bright star that has a faint blue aura and says, “That is Sirius.”


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Gods can do anything. That was an intriguing thought. Surely even gods had limits to some degree, though. Maybe one day she would have an answer for that, but for now, she would nod along and take Andromeda's word for it. "Interesting ..." She responded aloud, the questioning tone to her voice matching the uncertainty of her mind.

After encouraging her new friend to keep going, she was granted the knowledge of a new constellation. The other girl drew her attention to a line of three stars.  "Orion." Talyssa echoed, saying the name for herself as to commit it to memory. Another wolf these gods painted into the sky. Was that really such a common fate? Thorn always went on about how he so badly wanted to be the greatest warrior. She wondered if he too would end up in the stars. The thought brought a warm smirk to the edge of her lips.

As if being the greatest hunter wasn't special enough, Andy went on to describe more interesting tidbits about Orion. "There are different stars at different times of the year?" That really surprised her! For as long as she could remember, there had always been stars in the sky on clear nights. To possess the knowledge that they would not always be the same was difficult to wrap her head around. Yet, when she named the third star, immediate recognition illuminated her gaze. "Like Grandpa?!" Talyssa asked in surprise. She returned her focus to the lavender fae at her side before quickly making an addendum. "Like your dad, I mean?"