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You're standing in the middle of an empty field of lush green grass. Though it is the moon is not out and thin clouds cover most of the sky, the light the stars provide is sufficient enough for you to notice a strong, lupine figure making his way towards you.

Though his eyes are focused and sharp, his facial -disallowed_word- though some did because of the magic involved), but they could be added through the Alphen's deep magic. Some of us, the ones that share blood with the Alphen, had certain powers. Part of these powers meant that when we die we become one with the skies at last; we become stars.

Of course, a wolf could never become a true star. Stars are massive burning balls of gas in space. Aerons were far less bright, so to be thought of as a star we had to remain in the atmosphere to match their brightness.

He paused, and looked at a particularly bright star directly above him.

Death, however exciting becoming one with the skies would seem, was terrible to us. Each death was succeeded by almost a week of mourning. I hated the negativity that flowed through our pack during these times. Though deaths were rare, the week that followed each of them...

He looks away for a moment, in search of a word he knew he would never bring himself to use.

I had an older brother," He continues, "his name was Caelum. It means 'Heaven', just as my name, Astrum, means 'Star'. We were both sons of the Alphen's neice, so we shared the powers the majority of our pack had. However, I was born with wings, and he without.

We were as close as brothers could get; we did everything together, and when I was young he would teach me things, show me the world. Though he hadn't earned his wings yet, we dreamed of flying together.

I say I had an older brother, because it is my fault that he is -- no longer.

He breaks off and looks down at his paws. When he looks at you once more his eyes shine in an sad way.

It -- it was the day he would receive his wings. He had been playing with me and so he was late for the ceremony. As we made our way back to the pack, I caught sight of a squirrel and ran after it. My brother couldn't leave me when we were so far from home, so he chased after me.

I regret it now. I made too much noise. I chased that squirrel with all the life that was in me. What I didn't realise was that there was a hunter in the woods that day. He heard me barking and saw me. He kept us in sight for a while, until eventually, he aimed, fired, and thankfully missed me.

Unfortunately... what he accidentally hit instead of me... was...

At this point he broke off. By now the watery look in his eyes had finally produced tears. They were visible along the white fur around his eyes.

I didn't return to the pack. I never said goodbye to my mother, my father or any of my friends. I knew they would eventually find his body... and I doubted they would ever see me again.

My brother became a star. One night I spoke to him about it, I sat alone in a field very much like this one, and my brother's form appeared, ghostly, in the form of a lupe that was older than he had been when he died. It was disturbing to see him grow just as I did, even after he had already gone.

Eventually, I began to grow weak. The magic that had once protected me while I was in Aeron territory had left me forever. The blue in my fur started to fade, my limbs grew weak and weary. I decided to speak to my brother one last time before I died.

I made him an offer; I placed what little remained of my magic within his star, so that when I died and we were both stars, he could be brighter and more beautiful than myself.

But magic didn't work like that.

I stored the rest of my powers within him, and later that night, I died. My body lay in the middle of the field for some while, until eventually I felt... there again.

He looked as though he himself knew nothing about what had happened to him.

I remember standing, walking, running, all in a body that was the same, and yet... different to my old one. I realised I no longer had my wings, and truth be told I was not too upset by it. What fun I had that day; I leapt, trotted, pranced, until I saw civilisation.

Seeing Neopia for the first time was... strange. I remember glancing at it and feeling so far from home, though I didn't have one. I retreated from the towns and remained in the woods, until one day I noticed the minor differences.

One day I found a lake. I was enthralled by it. I padded to the banks and took a drink, and looked at myself. --And was afraid.

In this body my eyes are slightly bigger, my hind legs slightly smaller, and my tail swished in an almost feline-like way. It was awkward, extremely awkward, and apart from the minor differences, I hadn't changed at all.

It was then I decided to visit the city. I thought that if I was going to live in a completely new world, I may as well learn more about it.

Long story short, I met my current owner and all of her other pets. Some of them had eyes like mine, legs like mine, and tails that swished as mine did. I was glad that I was not the only one.

He chuckled to himself, before his eyes unfocused once more, and he paused. Eventually he breaks the silence by launching into a completely new and unrelated topic.

Have you ever, guest, experienced such great affection for another? I have. My mate Trikie and I met one fine winter day, on the coldest peak.

She belonged to a pack of which one of my adoptive cousins was Alpha, that would welcome any of their species with respect. I had come to meet my siblings, when I heard a beautiful voice that seemed to flow for evermore, even after it had finished. Such a sound was so rare, it made my heart skip a beat. Before then I had never believed in love at first sight.

At first I was a bit reluctant to be aquainted with her, and held my cards close to my chest. I do not know how, but she eventually found a way to get through to me, and soon I knew I was infatuated.

The smile upon his face gave him a glazed look, revealing the fact he was daydreaming.

He continues,

But alas, every love story has it's downs, and that includes mine. For a while Trikie had to depart, and soon we could no longer talk. That time didn't last long, however, because I proposed to her, and then we were wedded secretly, having waited half a year for our guests to find a suitable date.

And then it hapened again... but she, again, came back, and our relationship was still as strong as the day we fell in love. Since, we have also had a lovely daughter called Venerah, who, at such a young age, is quite a skilled guitarist. We've also had a son called Xiacor. He's got a slight mental and physical condition, that we'd rather keep private.

He gazes up at the stars, life's biggest and unanswerable questions racing through his head. He says to you, whilst his eyes are still focused upon the stars,

I would never live life any other way, and I can't imagine what would become of me without Trikie, Nerah and Xiac...

He turns, ready to race through the forest, to feel the air flowing through his damp fur.

Without them... I'd be nothing...

With that, the lupe's ebony tail swishs vividly, and he dashes into the forest, leaving you to stand alone in the middle of the field.

Leaving the stars your company.