Leafpool had traveled until she had seen the sun peek above the horizon, and then she had dove downwards into the green pine forest below. Now, she had created a shabby nest of twigs, and decided it would be safe to stay in her falcon form for now.
She curled up in her new nest, and her wings ached from how much flying she had done. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Starry Sky’s sleep was restless and full of nightmares. She woke up with a start, shivering even under the protection of the bush, and wondered what had woken her. Maybe the nightmares.
But then she heard a solitary, shrill cry shriek from deeper in the woods, and knew that that was what had woken her.
She grabbed her bow and notched an arrow before creeping out of the bush. Talon swooped down and perched on her shoulder, squawking, and then took to the sky again, flying in the direction of where the cry had been from. Star followed her hawk, moving stealthily through the trees.
They entered a clearing in the pine-tree forest. In the center of the clearing, a falcon was on the ground, one wing bloodied. A trio of foxes circled the falcon, snapping and growling.
Star burst into the clearing, drawing her dagger. “Leave that poor falcon alone!” She hissed, and the foxes turned to face her.
The largest fox, dark brown and muzzle stained with blood, leaped at Star, snapping its jaws. Star dodged left and counterattacked, stabbing the fox in the side. The fox landed on its side and scrambled to get up, barking at Star in rage.
Just then one of the other foxes bit Star’s tail. Star yowled and said, “Hey! That HURT!” and turned to face the fox. She slashed at its face, and the fox yelped and scampered away into the bushes.
The largest fox had scrambled to its feet by now. It yelped and clawed at Star feebly. It barely left a scratch.
Star dispatched that fox in a swift blow.
The final fox, tawny-colored and young, seemed to be wondering if this had been a smart idea. It whimpered when Star approached, and then turned tail and fled into the forest.
As Star turned to the falcon, it changed. It grew larger and sprouted white fur, and then it was a Tabaxi, just like Star, its white fur stained with blood from its injured arm.
“Thanks,” The Tabaxi said. “I thought I was done for!”
So the Tabaxi was a druid. This wasn’t shocking to Star; there were many druids out in the world. After all, her own sister, Moon, was a druid, too.
“No problem,” Star said. “Happy to help. What’s your name?”
“Snow–Um, Leafpool.” The Tabaxi said. “You?”
“I’m Starry Sky. You can just call me Star, though.” Star said.
“Nice to meet you.” Leafpool said.
“You from around here?” Star asked.
“Yeah. Why do you ask?” Leafpool said, sounding suspicious.
“Well… Long story short, let’s just say I got catnapped by some pirates and then got stuck on Wherever We Are Now.”
“So… you want me to be a guide?” Leafpool asked.
“Yeah, basically, until I get somewhere where I can get on a boat and get back home.”
“Ok.” Leafpool said after a moment of consideration. “We’ll travel together, then.”
Leafpool was not very happy about having to go back to a place where people might recognize her, but after her encounter with the foxes she knew it would be safer to travel with someone who could fight. Star also knew how to hunt, find water, and forage in the forest, which made Leafpool wonder how much useful knowledge she had missed when she was stuck inside the castle. However, Star taught Leafpool how to fight, and even made a spruce-wood bow for her. They usually skirted around towns they encountered, and Star explained to Leafpool that she didn’t like the feeling of being trapped in between buildings. Leafpool didn’t understand how Star didn’t like the shelter the buildings provided, but Leafpool didn’t object, because the less people that might recognize her, the better.
And life moved on peacefully, until one night, under the full moon, Leafpool had a nightmare.
