The star fell here! She was sure of it. All around her she received confirmation. She could smell and see the dying embers of the star as it flitted out of life, taste its sadness and regret, and hear the star's last cries as it settled deep into the earth. Though the little wolf had been born in the heart of a maze-like forest, she had cultivated a taste for those patches of the canopy that could be pierced by either sun or moonlight. She liked to think that such natural affinity was witness to her divine birth, though she somehow had never managed to convince anyone of this otherwise obvious truth.

Really she enjoyed the blackberry fields far more than her pack home, thankful as she was for it. There was something about the open space that she enjoyed and that allowed her soul to expand. Breathing in deeply, she exhaled the cool, night air with an unveiled smile. She was pleased. Maybe it was fate that had brought her here, or maybe there was a reason she should be here.

At the very least, she had a star to find. So with eyebrows furrowed, the little wolf set her nose to the ground and began to sniff. She would track the star's trail in the air and through the bushes and find its heart. Maybe then she could ask for its story or at least have a little chat. Maybe the star knew how her home was and could also tell her about him. Though she hated to admit it, she missed him. Secretly, she prayed that the star had led him here. It was quite likely, the more she thought about it.

The guardian's voice did not startle her as much as annoy her. Whirling around herself, the little red wolf leaned forward with bowed head. Shamelessly, she shushed the older male. "Be quiet!" she muttered. "You might scare the old man away." She was walking on tiptoes. Her back was hunched with tension, and her green eyes bright and wide with anticipation. Returning her nose once more to the ground, she inhaled deeply. The scent of blackberries threatened to overwhelm her senses, and she wondered what this place was like during the prime of summer.

It was only after a few minutes that the little wolf's nose wrinkled in disdain. The trail was growing faint, no doubt because the star was dissipating back into the heavens. For a moment, she panicked. "Don't just stand there! Help me find him. He's a star well past his prime." Though it was clearly unclear to the other wolf exactly who or what she was referring to, it was more than crystal clear in her mind. She turned back to the older male and stared into his amber eyes and without a word pleaded for his assistance. This was unquestionably a matter of dire importance.