I do not own Fairy Tail that is Hiro Mashima's masterpiece.
March 24th 2020
Chapter 23 – The Stranger
It didn't take long for Star to reach the cave; off in the distance she could still hear the murmurs of Draco and the others discussing the Eclipse gate. Her heart clinched when she heard Zeref reveal the gate would open in four days.
Star always knew she would be leaving before the event, however; that knowledge did nothing to stop the lingering sting to her heart. Zeref's verification was just another reminder of what was just out of her reach, Natsu and her family. The seventh day of July the gate would open, Natsu would return to Earthland and she would be gone.
Shaking away the useless thoughts, Star focused on events she could affect, there was no time to waste, she needed to find Lucy and make things right.
As she moved closer to the cavern entrance, she could hear Lucy sniffling; Star slowly approached but made sure to make enough noise so not to startle the girl. As she approached, she could see her cousin's eyes were red and swollen from crying.
Star's gut dropped, 'damn I can be an ass at times, she's just a kid', she berated herself internally.
When Lucy saw Star, her eyes began to swell up with fresh tears, rising to her feet she lunged toward her cousin in gulfing the girl in a hug so tight she nearly knocked the wind from her.
"I'm so sorry…" Lucy sobbed over, and over again, through tears and sniveling, she clung to Star as if her life depended on it.
Star carefully pealed Lucy off of her, she then reached up running her fingers through her cousins tangled golden tresses, pushing the strands away from hiding her eyes. Allowing her a full view of Lucy's tear stained face, she never wanted to see her cousin look so lost again.
Star offered a slight smile as she forced her eyes to study the pain painted deep within Lucy's brown orbs, recording it to her memory. This was her fault, it was her words that had cut Lucy so deeply, in that moment she promised herself to NEVER hurt Lucy like this again.
With a tone an touch so gentle, the same she would use with her son Aiden, the way only a mother could be, Star began to mend the damage she had caused.
"It's okay. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you, or called you spoiled. I let the stress of today get to me and I lost my temper."
Overcome with emotion Star found herself joining her cousin as she too started to cry. She loved Lucy as much as she loved Natsu. She was home with her family, protected by her father's magic, it was the closest thing to being whole since the day she was locked away.
Being here with Lucy and Layla, had slowly stripped away the walls Star built to close out her feelings. It had taken decades of constant training to lock away her emotions. Yet, in this place, in time, she was just a ten-year-old girl, with no worries about who might see her as weak. It gave her tattered-soul time to heal, allowing a freedom she could not afford to display back on Earth or in the in-between.
The two sat together at the caves entrance and talked for what seemed like forever when your ten-years-old.
Once the tension in the air dissipated Star asked, "Are we good?"
"Yeah, were great!" Lucy exclaimed; with a deep sigh it was as if all her stress melted away.
Once she could breathe again, she noticed something strange, "hey, why are you using a glamour spell to look just like me?"
Star smiled with pride that her cousin recognized the spell.
"Because it was the only way I could come out of the room and let Zeref see me. Even Draco came out to visit in his dragon form. Oh, and I left him to watch over your mom."
Star went on to explained Layla's ruse for Zeref, Lucy accepted the information knowing her cousin would do whatever it took to protect her family.
Once Star felt things were safe, she released the glamour spell, instantly her blue eyes and long golden locks returned, and the two girls were back to normal, enjoying their time together laughing and playing games, as they ran about Igneel's cave.
Sometime later, Star was laying on the ground relaxing under the warmth of the summer sun, she found herself entranced, as she gazed at the sky, a perfect ocean of blue, not a cloud insight. She tried to get more comfortable, but the garments Layla had her wear while she stayed at the estate always, made her feel constricted. For a moment she considered changing but decided against it in case she would need to return in front of Zeref.
She heard giggling, she sat up to look around for her cousin, she spotted her off in the distance, dancing among a colorful kaleidoscope of butterflies. To Star, Lucy looked like the very essence of magic, glowing under the light of the sun. In all her travels with her mother about Earthland, even her years within the Fae courts back on Earth, Star had never met anyone else with a soul so pure and full of love.
It hurt Star when she thought about having to leave, her only comfort was she believed it would not be long before she would be able to reunite with Natsu and Lucy. There was also the premonition she had the first day she met her cousin. Knowing Natsu would find Lucy in time, gave Star a peace she couldn't understand, the thought made her feel whole. As if all this suffering would one day be made right.
Star was caught up in her thoughts of the future when suddenly a large crash came from the nearby forest line, near the base of the mountain. It was the farthest edge of Igneel's lands; Star figured an animal was probably pushing up close to the trees.
She had to admit it startled her to hear something so large, so close by. Most larger animals stayed away from the dragon's barrier; Lucy however seemed excited and took off running toward the tree line.
"Lucy stop! It's not safe we need to stay on my father's lands!" Star cried out, as she tried to get untangled from the heavy garments she wore.
Lucy yelled back over her shoulder, "I won't go far I just want to see what's making that sound. I've never seen any really large animals before."
Star got up to start running after Lucy, her cousin already had some distance on her. Frustration filled her as she was forced not to use her magic to enhance her speed, it would be too big of a chance. She knew Zeref was too skilled of a mage, not to notice a different type of magic within Igneel's land.
That meant there would be no summoning another dragon spirit either, the gamble too risky with the dark mage so close by. She would have to handle this as a human and only use the most basic of her Celestial magic she could willed with her hands.
Star sent a whined trill into the air to alert Draco of the possible trouble. She could hear his return growl, a promise to come as soon as possible, but for now, he was helpless to leave. While Zeref was there, he needed to keep an eye on the mage; he knew he had to protect Layla at all cost, even if it meant his master would have to handle things for now.
Star knew she was on her own, she just hoped Lucy would stop before crossing over the barrier.
Lucy had a good lead on her cousin, normally she would have been outrun by the girl. Lost to the thrill of adventure, Lucy ignored the echo of Star's pleas. Forgotten was the very real danger Zeref posed to everyone on the estate, or why Star was holding back. All Lucy could focus on was the thrill of the moment.
As she continued at full speed, she could see, out of the corner of her eye her cousin was starting to catch up. However, Star was not used to running in fine gowns; she always would change into pants or shorts so not to limit her movement. Where Lucy was accustomed to heavy long skirts and dresses, giving her the advantage in the short breakaway.
Lucy gave another burst of energy, her training with Star and Draco had really paid off she could run longer and faster than ever. As she reached the tree line, she heard the noise again; something large was pushing up against the trees.
She could see the birds taking off into the air, disturbed by whatever was out stomping about. Lucy started to feel an air of unease. She was considering retreating to the safety of the cave, when she heard a muffled noise that sounded like a man's outburst.
'Now this was an adventure' she thought. She knew no one ever dared to come close to the Heartfilia estate unless invited by her momma or her papa. As she reached the tree line, she could see a light red shimmer she'd never noticed before. As she passed through the barrier, she became encompassed by what felt like a warm gentle breeze.
'Was that Igneel's magic?' she wondered as she continued to run forward.
Within a few minutes, she had found what she was looking for; a short distance ahead of her stood a mountain Vulcan or Gorian as they were called in these lands. It was not just one there where several and they seemed to be moving as a pack.
Lucy froze in place knowing instantly she had made a mistake; she listened desperately for the man's voice but heard nothing. Fear gripped at her, she realized it was probably the Gorian's beast mumblings all along; now all she wanted to do was go back to the safety of the estate.
While a single, Gorain were not normally deadly; when they moved in a pack, the results were quite the opposite. Lucy had heard the accounts from the estate staff, of Gorian packs killing hunters or campers who stumble into their territory. At one point her father had extra security brought in to help a nearby town at the request of her mother because people were showing up dead near the forest edge.
Lucy stepped back slowly, moving away from the scene in front of her, failing to realize a Gorain had watched her come through the barrier and was currently stalking her from behind. The others also smelled her as she entered the tree line. The beasts were moving slowly, acting unaware of her presence while silently boxing in their prey.
She continued to slowly move backwards so not to draw the beast's attention, as Lucy turned to run there blocking her path was the largest of the Gorian's. The beast smiled down at her with a row of deadly teeth, she could tell it was wickedly pleased by her distress.
Not wasting a moment Lucy turned to run another direction only to see the other Gorian's where all now facing her, smiling while moving in closer, blocking all possible escape routes.
Lucy knew she was in trouble, her body started to tremble, her only hope was to use the training Star and Draco had been drumming into her over the last couple of weeks. Even though she was outnumbered, and scared Lucy took up a fighting stance pulling out the weapon Draco had gifted her.
"Star please find me," Lucy screamed out knowing her cousin was only moments away, her voice would help pinpoint her location quickly, she just had to hold out until Star arrived.
Lucy watched the beasts as they continued to close in around her, the first one to lunge at her found his foot pulled out from underneath him, causing the Gorian to crash hard into the ground. Wrapped around the ankle of the beast was the end of a whip.
The weapon gifted to her from Draco, was from the Celestial realm and Lucy was able to control the weapon with deadly accuracy using her Celestial magic as the guide.
Lucy's attack gave her the much-needed opening to run; she didn't hesitate, stepping on top of the beast to create some distance from the others.
The attacked gave her a little distance but the relief was short lived as another Gorian jumped into her path. On her second attack, the beasts were ready for her. As Lucy went to strike the beast grabbed the whip, yanking it back, it one fluid motion the weapon was pulled free from her tiny hand, and thrown away to the side.
Lucy stiffened, quickly she looked right then left, hoping for an opening, there was nothing, she was trapped. The Gorian's released a malevolent growl, turning to a wicked laugh at her state of desperation. The beasts began to sneer as they moved in closer further boxing her in.
As the first beast reached out to grab at Lucy, his claws were knocked away, a hit accompanied with a burst of blinding light left a searing pain, the Gorian collapsed to his knees coddling his arm.
Star had arrived in time to attack the beast using her natural strength mixed with Celestial magic, to blind the beast while sending an intense jolt to its system. Star took her fighting stance in front of her cousin, positioning herself between the beast and Lucy.
Star glared at the beasts who dare attack her family, unleashing a growl on par with that of a real dragon, the Gorian's instinct told them this newcomer was a predator and should not be taken lightly.
However, Star being in her true body left the girls at a distinct disadvantage, vastly outnumbered and overpowered. She had to hold back her dragon magic; their best hope was to get to the barrier once inside, the beast could not follow.
Doing the only thing she could she released a warning roar to intimidate her foes, which in turn informed her dragon they were in real trouble. The situation was a delicate one, a wrong move, and Zeref would suspect something was wrong.
Star huffed in frustration, she had been in tight situations hundreds of times before, but today if she made a mistake, she could get herself, Lucy, or the entire estate killed.
Under a low snarl Star spoke, "Lucy we need to hold out until Draco can get here."
Star gave a side-glance to make sure Lucy was paying attention. She could tell her cousin was scared but at least she was trying to be brave, nodding quickly to let Star know she understood.
"Do you have your whip?" Star questioned in the lightest of a grumble.
"No… I'm sorry, the Gorian you attacked, snatched it from me, throwing it away." Lucy responded dejected.
"It's okay, just stay behind me." Star instructed her cousin. "I have a plan, but we need that whip. Remember the training when I grabbed your ankle?"
Lucy looked puzzled for a moment then remember the tactic her cousin had used against her recently, when she got too cocky during a training session.
"Ha! I got you this time Star; I can read all your moves!"
"You really think so… I'm sorry but your letting your guard down, it will be your downfall," Star warned.
Star then crouched down to the ground; Lucy was confused her cousin was careful never to attack her physically head on like this. Lucy knew something was off, she noticed a sliver of silver on the ground and before she could think. Star reached through a spatial tear she had created along the surface of the ground, her hand poking through an opening by Lucy's foot. Using her dragon reflexes, she easily pulled Lucy to the ground allowing Star to capture her for the win.
"Aww… no fair… that's cheating!" Lucy pouted.
"No, it's not cheating, Lucy listen, when faced with a REAL fight you have to use everything you have available to you. It's not just magic, strength, or knowledge, it's a combination of all those things that can mean the difference between life and death. There may be a time when you are outnumbered, where they have more powerful magic or may be physically stronger than you, but that doesn't equal defeat. It just means you have to fight smarter, find your opponent's weakness, and exploit it to your advantage. Do you understand?"
During one of their last training sessions the girls had together, Star taught Lucy about spatial tears, and how to use them to her advantage in battle. Today Lucy was getting the real-life experience Star had spoken of so often, whether she wanted it or not.
"Do you see your whip?" Star questioned calmly, doing what she could to ease Lucy's distress, all while refusing to take her eyes off the beasts who were closing in on them.
Lucy frantically looked around the forest floor and finally spotted it discarded halfway under a bush about fifty feet away from their current location.
Lucy was about to tell Star the location, when the largest of the Gorian's began to wickedly laugh at the girls.
"Poor little girlies," the beast sneered in a sick delight.
"It… It can talk; really talk… not just grumblings?" Lucy gasped. That made things even more horrifying, the Gorians were not just some mindless beasts running off animal instinct but calculating foes.
Star could feel Lucy tensing up, her fear releasing a scent into the air. This was not good because the Gorian's could also smell her fear.
"Yes, the beasts use possession magic, taking the minds of humans, there magic, and desires, essentially draining them of their life force. Gorian's seem to prefer strong males the more destructive and malevolent the better." Star carefully informed her cousin.
The head Gorian was now back on his feet after Lucy's attack, he focused on Star growling, then drew his maw into a devilish grin as he clicked his teeth at the girls as something dark flashed in his eyes.
"One of you is human other is… human but more, smell like great beast. This good! Human for lunch, keep the beast, in time can use for making strong babies."
The girls couldn't believe what they were hearing. These beasts were not only talking about murder but also using one of them for procreation. Lucy was still in shock when she noticed Star's temperature was rising quickly, she peered around her cousins' shoulder, what she saw had her pulling back shaking in fear.
Star was livid, she may have the body of a ten-year-old, but her soul was battle-worn, centuries old. The Gorian's vile words had set-off something deep and primal within Star, the glare she sported towards the beasts surrounding them promised vengeance.
Star was struggling to gain control of her rage; she knew she needed to calm down. She kept telling herself 'Zeref was still at the estate, no dragon or Fey magic'. Damn these beasts, which had enraged the soul of a drake, a dragon queen, this grievance demanded retribution.
Star snapped at the beast daring it to advance, then in a low deadly tone she spoke, "Lucy the whip?"
Lucy snapped out of her thoughts, pushing her fear aside, she quietly directed her cousin to where the whip had landed.
"Good job now be ready to reach through and grab it. Watch my right foot, that is where the opening will be. You know what to do, right?"
Understanding what her cousin wanted Lucy placed her hand on Star's shoulder and gave a slight nudge to let her know she was ready.
"Okay I'm about to piss-off this piece of crap in front of us." Star's eyes focused on the head Gorian.
Lucy gave a slight gasp, she had never heard her cousin use such language, she wondered what else was Star holding back. She would not have to wait long, she was about to see for herself, why her cousin was the feared 1st of the in-between.
Standing tall Star narrowed her eyes, a sick delight sparkled in her orbs, she gave a menacing grin to the beast which morphed into a deadly sneer as she shouted, "YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I WILL RIP YOU APART FOR YOUR VILE WORDS!"
The air shifted around the space as Star spoke to the Gorian's, she was enraged using that anger to carefully tap into only her Celestial power raising it slowly, static filled the air enough to make the beasts flinch. Her tormentors' eyes now reflected their fear, it was the opening Star needed.
Smiling wickedly at the beasts, she reveled in the fear she commanded, as she barked her order, "Now!"
Star slid her foot, along its path silver sparks followed. As instructed Lucy fell to the ground reaching her arm in through the opening, she could see her hand appear fifty feet away, allowing her to grab the discarded whip.
Lucy pulled her hand back from the opening of the spatial tear, wasting no time she sent out her whip, latching onto the leader's wrist.
Using all her strength she pulled the shocked beast forward enough to lose his balance. Star took advantage launching a kick connecting with the beast jaw. As her foot hit, Lucy heard a sickening crack, she knew the beasts jaw had to be broken as he fell silently to the ground.
The other Gorian's were in shock, how could two small girls knock out their leader; however, the shock didn't last long, and the group was again closing in. Star grabbed Lucy's wrist and ran for the opening they had created. She ordered her cousin to run as fast as she could toward Igneel's barrier, telling her no matter what keep going, do not stop, and to hold on to her whip.
The girls had a small lead, but it was not going to be enough to get them safely back across the barrier. Star was struggling with the thick skirts she was wearing; Lucy however was doing well and started moving slightly ahead.
They made a fast turn around the edge of a line of trees, and they could see the slight red glow of Igneel's magic peeking out among the last few trees. They were close but Star heard a noise coming up fast from her left side, Star's years of battles told her the beasts were again closing them in, moving up quickly from both sides.
With no time to think, Star grabbed Lucy by the wrist, "I'm so sorry about this; it might hurt but remember your training, roll out!"
"What are you gon…" Before Lucy could finish her sentence, Star used her strength to throw Lucy through the air, right through the barrier. She hit the ground hard but only had a few scrapes due to Lucy rolling out of the fall in the last moment.
Star smiled seeing her cousin safe on the other side of the barrier; however, in that brief moment of relief, she let her guard down giving the beasts an opening to strike.
Star was looking at Lucy, when she saw her cousin's eyes go wide in fear, she knew then she had fucked up. She felt it, the sting of her flesh torn open followed by a warm wetness that grew across her stomach area, a metallic aroma filled the air.
She didn't need to look down, to know what had happened, she gave the beast an opening, and it had sliced her stomach open as she released Lucy. All the girl could do now was cover the affected area and hope Draco would come soon. She knew if this didn't kill her, chances were Draco might for being foolish allowing a foe an opening.
Back in Layla's private gardens Draco was struggling. Currently he was under orders from Star not to leave Layla side as long as Zeref was on the property. No matter what, he was to protect Layla.
He had heard the calls from the girls, now the smell of Star's blood, along with her gasping in pain, invaded each of his senses. The dragon was physically resisting his natural instinct to go to her, the only thing preventing him was the Celestial magic order of his master, he was bound by his contract with Star.
Draco was so caught up in what was happening, he didn't notice Layla studying his every move. The Celestial mage knew something was amiss, this meeting needed to hurry along. Her motherly instinct was turning in knots she didn't know how, but she knew, the girls were in danger, they needed her.
Lucy was powerless as she watched in horror as Star held her stomach, deep red fluid gushed through her fingers, as her small hand struggled to cover the gaping gash. Star was struggling to breathe and had fallen to one knee, doing her best to back away. The Gorian who had inflicted the wound was licking his claws clean of the warm red liquid, savoring the taste of his prey. While the other beasts increased their taunts, closing in tighter around Star like a pack of wolves ready to devour their game.
Soon Lucy would not be able to see Star for the large creatures, she had to DO SOMETHING!
'Lucy we must protect Star' her mother's words echoed in her head. 'This is my fault! Star wouldn't be hurt if I hadn't passed through the barrier. She came to protect me!'
These thoughts roared through Lucy's head, before she could understand what she was doing, her training took hold. She sent out her whip through the barrier, connecting with the Gorian closest. Using all her strength, she sent out her magic to assist in pulling the Gorian from its feet, the creature lost its balance, causing the beast to fall backward into Igneel's magic barrier.
The Gorian howled in agony as it burst into flames; the barrier magic delivering pain to any who would seek to hurt one of the Heartfilia bloodline. The fire consumed the animal, within mere seconds, leaving nothing more than a smoking black carcass.
Now it was Lucy's turn to stare down the beasts, daring them to step any closer to her family. The beasts were dumbfounded by the death of the Gorian, giving the girl an opening. Lucy did not hesitate to send out her whip, catching Stars free arm, she apologized, as she knew her next action was going to cause her cousin great pain, but a dislocated shoulder was much better than death.
Lucy dug in her heals balancing her weight, as she tried to pull her cousin to safety. However, instead of Star moving forward, Lucy found herself being pulled back toward the barrier. A Gorian had used Lucy's inexperience against her anticipating her moves, grabbing onto the whip refusing to let its prey go.
Lucy quickly came up with a plan, instead fighting a battle of tug-or-war, she sprinted forward causing the beast to lose his footing, with no tension from the whip. As she ran back through the barrier, whip still in hand, as she took a fighting position in front of her injured cousin.
"Why haven't you called out to Draco?" Lucy chastised her cousin, as she kept a close eye on the beasts now circling them.
"I can't, I gave him an order to protect your mother no matter what happens. I don't trust Zeref and neither does Draco. Plus, right now with me bleeding like this his dragon instincts have to be going crazy; making him leave could cause him to lose control. He would destroy everything in his path to get to me."
"So, what happens when Zeref leaves?" Lucy questioned, fear evident in her voice.
"He will come find us, as long as I don't remove the Celestial order, he will be fine. Trust me on this a pissed off dragon is more deadly than anything I have ever seen."
Lucy nodded in understanding, as she screamed out, "Celestial dragon Draco, we are under attack. Please hurry and find us we are just beyond the barrier."
Even though it hurt, Star couldn't help but laugh out loud. Her cousin was truly smart, while Star could not risk calling out to Draco, that didn't mean Lucy couldn't let him know exactly what was going on.
The beast stopped their advance, shaken by the girl's words. The injured one did smell like a great beast, and the other had magic that she used to control her whip. Was it possible one of these girls controlled one of the strongest Celestial creatures in existence? The beasts began to tremble moving cautiously away from the girls.
Lucy was anxiously watching the beast as she stood guard in front of Star; she was hoping her little outburst would buy them sometime. While the Gorians were known to be simple minded, it wouldn't take the predators long to realize a dragon wasn't coming. The beasts looked to be in a state of confusion as they stared between the fallen corpse of their comrade and the two girls who no longer looked scared but furious.
"NO… girlies got no dragon." One of the Gorian stated, "playin a trick, girlies woulda askd for help before."
The beast looked at each other snarling, believing they had been tricked; they began again to advance on the girls.
Lucy didn't know what to do, she had hoped they would had enough of an opening to get back across the barrier. Star took Lucy's hand and struggled to get back up to her feet, she then released another roar causing her foes to tremble.
Star glared into the eyes of the beast, she refused to show fear. Lucy had risked her life to come back for her and she was not about to waste that opportunity.
"It's no trick, but if you want a fight then we will give it to you. I promise you NONE of you will survive!" Star stated with the confidence of a dragon queen, Natsu never backed down from a fight and neither would she.
Lucy shuttered she didn't know why, but she believed her cousin's promise. This was a side of Star she had never seen, even though Star told her about the darkness inside her, which she released when she'd been pushed too far. Lucy couldn't believe Star could ever display so much cold rage.
Star struggled as she took position by Lucy's side, once stable she took her battle stance. If she was going die today, she was going to make sure she took some of these beasts with her.
"Well? Are we doing this?" Star taunted as she stood, even while bleeding-out, she refused to show fear.
At first, the beasts seemed stunned by the girl's threatening words, yet amongst themselves, the beast nodded in silent agreement turning back towards the girls giving their own challenge. In unison, the beasts released a howl reminiscent to that of a hunt.
The girls watched helplessly, understanding they were in a fight for their lives; they steadied themselves readying for the first attack.
"HEY what to you bastards think you're doing picking on some little girls!" A man's voice came booming through the woods.
Star was confused she knew she was struggling to remain conscious, as blood loss increased, but how did she miss such a strong magical presence or this man's scent?
'Three years with no battles, I'm losing my edge' she mused. When suddenly her line of sight was blocked by the large male.
Star blinked, this man was fast, intimidatingly large, she struggled to make out more but couldn't see any other details due to his long-tattered cape which cloaked his entire being.
"Hey, hold on kids, I know your scared and hurt, but I need you to stay behind me. Don't worry I'll take care of this quickly and get you both some help."
The girls looked at each other, it did not appear this man held any ill intentions, so for now they would do as he instructed. Lucy helped Star over to the nearest tree and the two huddled together. The stranger was true to his words, the girls could feel his magic build, as the beasts moved to attacked him all at once. The girl's eyes grew wide as the man did not try to move or block; he stood his ground as the air around him glowed with his magic.
The air became thick making it hard to breathe due to the magic pressure this man was building, Star couldn't believe a mere human could hold so much power. She wondered how strong he was as she could tell he was holding back.
As the beasts entered his magic circle, he drew back his arm and with one blow all the Gorians went down, their bodies crushed, broken, from one hit of this man's magic.
"Damn beast, you deserve what you got." The man spit at the Gorians carcasses.
Lucy helped Star to her feet, the stranger heard the girls shuffling.
"Hey, you kids need to sit down and rest," The man ordered as he turned to face the girls. Star began to shake violently as she caught a glimpse of this stranger's face.
"Dad? Daddy…" Star whimpered as tears streamed down her face with her remaining strength she tried to reach out to the stranger. It was no good she could feel herself falling, she slid through Lucy's fingers, then Star's world went black.
Soooo I've been away far to long... Let me just say life is crazy and will throw challenges your way.
Right now people are scared because we as a people face a foe we can not see. My best advice is to stay calm, be smart, think of others and follow instruction. This too shall pass...
I want to thank all of you that have liked or following the story. Special thanks to those who have left comments or PM's and to those who are now following: Nalalii, mysticterrier, barut12717, barut12717, SharonKing21, am9119, mysterogg.
