Starry Sky desperately reached for her trusty dagger, her bound paws unable to grab hold of the weapon. Towering above her, a pirate loomed, his sword glinting evilly in the sunlight. The other pirates watched by the railing of the ship, eager to watch the new pest to be slayed.

Starry Sky unraveled her tail from the ropes. That ‘pest’ was her. And she knew she would be slayed if she could not get her dagger. Maybe her tail would be able to reach it…

Honestly, she had no idea how this had happened. All she was doing was traveling through the woods to meet her siblings and her archenemy-ally when the darn pirate stole Flame’s shell. As the shell was the last thing she had of her brother, it was the treasure she held most dear, so she of course attacked the pirate to get the shell back. But he had called out his friends and now she was stuck in this whole mess.

The pirate tensed, preparing to give the final blow. But Starry Sky did not cower in fear. 

“Talon, help me!” Starry said. Her pet hawk must be somewhere. And Talon was smart enough to know what she meant.

The pirate paused, confused by his prey’s words. In that moment, a flash of brown shot by, going faster than an arrow. The pirate fell in surprise.

Talon the hawk landed by Star’s dagger. Gripping it in his claws, he brung it to Starry. Starry Sky instantly cut through the ropes and leapt to her feet.

“Not so easy prey now, bad-breath?” She said, taunting her opponent.

He roared in fury and swiped at her. Starry Sky dodged out of the way and leapt at him in the opening he left. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. 

“You want more of that?” Starry Sky said, facing the other pirates. They backed away nervously.

“Now,” she said, holding out a paw. “Give it back. Now.”

The pirates instantly gave the shell, Star’s bow, and her quiver of arrows back, afraid of rousing her fury once more. 

Starry Sky sheathed her weapon and jumped off the boat and into the sea. The current threatened to drag her under, but years of practice had made Starry a strong swimmer, and she resisted the pull of the sea.

She saw dry land nearby. Was that where she had come from? She didn’t know. 

After a few minutes, she pulled herself onto a beach with golden sand. Wondering where she was, she looked around.

Nobody else was on the beach. Past where the sand started,  a forest of green trees slept peacefully, with no wind there to wake them. More comfortable in trees than sand, Starry Sky ventured into the woods, exploring until the sun began to set. Curling up in the protection of a big-leafed fern, Starry peacefully fell asleep.