Part One.
In Which a Star Falls From Heaven

In the village of Lawrence, just beyond the main stretch of buildings and homes was the Winchester household. It was a tiny cabin of three bedrooms, two small rooms above where the three boys slept and one master room below where Katie Winchester slept. She was occasionally joined by her husband, John Winchester but the now traveling repair man was hardly home. He spent his time as far away from her and the three boys as possible though Katie tried not to blame herself for it. They'd been a happy, loving couple up until that fateful night when the twins, Dean and Sam, came into their lives.

Dean and Sam Winchester had mysteriously appeared on the doorstep of John and Katie Winchester's home on the night after the couple's honeymoon. The small infants were tucked away among the folds of worn blue silk, the same material of Mary's dress. The twins, with matching scrunched noses and glowing green eyes, and the silk cloth sat deep in a worn basket mostly made of wicker with a parchment tacked to the handle. The smaller one with the beginnings of dark brown hair growing from his scalp, wailed and wiggled for attention. The larger, though not by much, with just a small tuft of blonde hair watched the adults with wary fascination. John Winchester, still sullen and distracted, reached for the basket, pulling at the letter and reading it quietly to himself. Katie frowned and she stroked the blonde baby's forehead, fingers finding the elder infant's sharply pointed ears. He wasn't a normal baby and she feared, if John wanted to take them in, that she'd have to find a way to cover his flaws. John appeared as far off as he'd been that first morning after he crossed the Wall, regretting whatever it was that he had left back there that day. Katie decided to smile wistfully, and pretend that nothing was wrong. Especially when her husband laughed, loud and boisterous and full of joy when he was done reading the letter. Katie spotted two names written in very feminine script as John said "of course, she was a cat faerie after all."

Katie had chosen not to question or even contemplate the parentage of the infants, which became easier as they grew. Samuel, the younger or so the letter had stated, looked more and more like John with every passing year. He bore dark hair, his skin tanned well and his large, sympathetic eyes got him in and out of trouble as easily as an adorable puppy. He started off small, scrawny, a shadow of the elder twin who was paler in comparison, but by the size of his hands and feet, Katie knew he'd be a very large man; perhaps he'd be a giant.

Dean, the elder and leader of the three Winchester boys, had electric green eyes that startled people when they'd first meet him. His sandy colored hair matched his overall lighter appearance and Katie had insisted his hair be kept long for all of his seventeen years. The reason being was his rather significantly pointed ears. The sharp tips were unique in the simple village of Lawrence, in the whole of the country actually; and Katie felt it better they be hidden, that all of Dean be hidden.

It was to say, through the boy's youth, Dean spent his time inside the Winchester home or at school. In between these buildings he'd be watched over by John, when he was in town, or Bill Harvelle, when John was out of town. The boy was not even allowed near the Wall and John made sure his eldest knew the consequences if he ever did. This meant, as Adam, the youngest, and Sam, the middle child, ran about the brightly colored and fanciful fair, Dean was trapped in his room staring out the window and dreaming of what the other side of the stone border might look like. His only joy was the chocolates Sam would bring home to appease Dean's depression. That, and reading the storybooks John would bring home to Sam.

Like the usual early morning after a fair, Dean, Sam and Adam were sprawled across Dean's bed, eating the cat shaped chocolates that meowed at them, and hovering over a moving picture book Katie had bought Adam. Dean sighed dreamily as he watched the painted wind in the book sweep across the painted hill and rustled the dark hair of the painted girl in the story.

"What was the fair like today?" Dean asked his mind wandering to a recurring dream, one of himself in those distant lands beyond the Wall. He dreamed of adventures and sword fights and a beautiful, passionate wife by his side. Someone like the girl in the picture book who would never leave Dean's side, and never expect him to stay in one place.

Sam shrugged, always trying to sooth Dean's depression, "The same as last year."

Adam, however, was too young to lie, "The best ever! Mom took us to a tent where this hamster danced and sang! You should've seen it, Dean!"

Sam sighed, "Adam, what did we talk about?"

"Well it's not fair to lie to Dean, just because Dad doesn't want him to cross the Wall." Adam frowned, being the youngest and the one their shared father was least attentive to was never gentle with his obvious jealousy. Adam saw John's tight leash around Dean as favoritism, Dean saw it as a way for John to control the freak in his life. But Dean never let anyone in on what he thought about their father.

"Just humor me next time." Sam sighed and Dean smiled, mind drifting back to the perfect woman he'd someday see the world with.

Dean didn't like school but he liked Lisa Braeden. She was dark; dark hair, dark eyes, tanned skin that glowed in the sunlight. She smiled perfect with white teeth all the time and Dean knew he was in love. She was almost a year younger than Dean, nine months to be exact, and Dean never forgot her birthday. He never could because Lisa was perfect and everything he dreamed of, and her birthday was the day the break in the Wall allowed strangers into the fair. It was the day Dean was never allowed anywhere without a chaperon.

"Flowers, Lisa." On her 13th birthday, Dean presented her with lilies from his mother's garden, Sam dutifully watching them from a few steps away. Sam bit his lip, hoping that Dean's present would be enough to win Lisa's fair heart. Dean had gone through too much to have his present be mocked. Katie had slapped Dean's wrists with a ruler until they were raw because he'd picked them, but Dean had told Sam that Lisa was worth the pain. She smiled her usual disinterested grin and took the flowers. From that very moment, Dean knew he'd marry Lisa.

"Why do you like her?" Sam frowned as they sat in the field behind the home, as close to the Wall as Dean is allowed. Sam picked at grass and watched strangers get chased away from the Wall. Lisa's birthday was right in the middle of the fair, fell on the day that most strangers disappeared through the break, and Dean's wilted flowers were long forgotten as boys brought back glass cats that came alive and lollipops that sang. Every year was the same and clearly Sam, who'd yet to understand the draw of women and true love, was getting irritated.

"She's cute," Dean grinned and watched as their neighbor, Jessica Moore climbed the apple tree that neared the edge of the border and tried to sneak over the Wall. Jessica Moore was scrawny and flat chested. Her wild blonde hair was either free in a disaster of curls larger than her face or tucked up into a bowler hat. She was in trousers today as she nearly fell out of the tree before her father yanked her down by the collar and reprimanded her.

"Lisa's not that pretty," Sam frowned, plucked a handful of grass and tossed it at Dean, "Any girl looks okay in a bright dress and make up. She doesn't even like you so why do you keep trying to woo her?"

Dean laughed and brushed his dirty blonde hair behind his ears. When his fingertips ran over the pointed edge, he frowned and fixed his hair to cover them once more. Sam sighed but otherwise allowed Dean to cover his 'flaws', "Just wait, Sammy. Someday it'll all work out."

In Dean's seventeenth, almost eighteenth year, Lisa was proclaimed the prettiest girl in the village and everyone wanted her. Dean, especially, had an eye for Lisa and he sacrificed good hours with family to work in the town's only grocery shop just to get that little extra cash. His intent was to buy a diamond ring and the finest champagne for Lisa's birthday and hope that someone, like Matthew the soon-to-be-doctor, wouldn't find something prettier over the Wall.

"Hey Dean," Jessica smiled as she walked into the shop. She was filling out her dresses a little more now that she was 16 and Dean would not deny she was looking better wearing lower cut ones now. But she was still scrawny, pale and on the plain side and her large brown eyes often found Sam more appealing, so Dean remained strictly friendly with her, "So, I hear Lisa and a few girls are going to celebrate her birthday tonight."

Dean grinned, "Yeah?"

Jessica nodded frantically, "Yeah, they'll be in her room at about midnight tonight. Lisa, in particular, will be by the window."

Dean laughed, "Good work, Jess."

She sighed and rested her elbows on the counter that separated Dean from the customers, "I don't understand why every one wants her. She's not that pretty."

Dean slapped her gently on the shoulder like he would when Adam pranced around with his toys from across the Wall, "She's beautiful and you're jealous."

Jessica shrugged but otherwise remained silent. They both knew Jessica was jealous. Lisa was a woman now, with popping curves and feminine eyes. Jessica was still mostly child with an unfulfilled crush on Dean's twin brother, "Good luck, Dean. You deserve to be happy."

"Thank you."

"Dean," Katie glared from the kitchen as Dean tried to sneak out of the house. She had just finished one of her coughing fits and was taking large gulps of water to clear the blood from her mouth. She'd been getting more and more sick over the last several months, leaving John to be far away less often. Like now, John was at the table with the rows of Katie's medication in front of them, recently opened and organized for the upcoming week. He was drinking whiskey, as usual, and untying Adam's tie. His youngest brother tried to bounce out of John's grasp, excited to be free of his dress clothing, "Where do you think you're going?"

Dean turned to face his parents. John stared at him sadly, it seemed like a permanent fixture on his father's face, especially the closer it got to fair season. They were close to two months away from Lisa's 18th birthday, two months Dean had to show Lisa he was honest about marrying her, that he wanted to marry her despite his shortcomings, "I'm just going into town."

"I don't like you going out at night, Dean." John sighed, "After Bill's death..."

John's best friend had been found dead at the edge of the Wall which caused the passage through to become more securitized. The apple tree had been cut down and no one was allowed to cross the Wall, except for the few who had...characteristics that allowed them through. Dean had been on lock down ever since, either his brothers or John himself would walk Dean to the shop and back. So Dean, going alone to Lisa's house in the middle of the night was not allowed.

"Your father is right, Dean," Katie frowned. She always gave Dean a sour look, like the one she gave him now; a snarling, disgusted look that made Dean feel pitiful, "You know you are not allowed outside at night."

"Dad," Dean tried not to whine, "I'm just going to see Lisa."

The room froze before Adam began to laugh, "Dean has a girlfriend!"

"I wish," he muttered before raising the basket of cheese and wine, "I want to properly court her."

"So you'll provide her with food and alcohol in the middle of the night." John frowned but Katie smiled, the first ever. She marched right over to Dean and fixed his suit. She corrected his white, wide neck shirt and corrected the white tie around his neck. She buttoned his black vest and finally fixed John's leather jacket around Dean's shoulders, "Good," she smoothed his hair over his ears, "Perfect, good luck."

"Katie!" John stood angrily.

She smiled and pushed him back to the table, coughing again on her way back to the kitchen, "It's alright, John. Dean will be fine."

With his parent's permission, Dean was off to woo his true love. He exhaled nervously and stepped out into the cool night air. He took a few steps before turning to see Sam upstairs in their shared bedroom. Sam gave him the thumbs up and with renewed courage, Dean walked towards his future.

He found Lisa's home a little after midnight. She was sitting by the window, laughing to her girlfriends. He spotted Jessica beside her, frowning. Jessica heaved a sigh, clearly bored with whatever they were talking about and her eyes turned to look out the window. Dean shifted on the street, catching the blonde's attention and turning to him. She waved at him, watching him gesture towards Lisa like a loon. He bent down to pick up a loose stone and threw it at her window. Jessica rolled her eyes and turned to Lisa. She shook the brunette's shoulder to get Lisa's attention but Jessica was ignored. He tossed another pebble at the window to get Lisa's attention. The brunette leaned forward and giggled with the other women in the room and turned to open the window. Her wide smile faded when she turned bright brown eyes at him. He smiled nervously, clutching the basket to ease his nerves. She heaved a dramatic sigh and opened her window to speak to him.

"Oh, Dean," Lisa frowned, a bored look over her face as she spoke, "It's only you."

"Hey, Lisa," Dean blushed, "H-How are you tonight?"

She frowned, "Bored, I guess. What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you would join me for a picnic." He held up the basket, "Just a drink, I promise."

She frowned and turned back to the other women in the room. They all gave her disapproving looks until Jessica whispered something to Lisa. The brunette grinned brightly before turning back to Dean, "I'll be right down."

"Mmm," Lisa grinned as she sipped on the champagne Dean spent his entire savings on. Suffice to say, he still didn't have enough and decided to 'borrow' it from the shop. He was subsequently fired but Dean didn't care, because after tonight, he'd have Lisa as his fiancee. They sat on a blanket beneath the stars in the yard behind Dean's home in the empty field near the Wall. Lisa giggled, "This is delicious champagne, Dean. How did you afford this?"

"Um, well," Dean blushed.

"Dean!" Lisa gasped, "I hope you didn't lose your job over this!"

Dean laughed, "But that's the thing, Lisa. It's just a job. This is just a village. We can go anywhere and do anything!" She frowned at him and Dean stood up, gesturing to the stars, "The sky is the limit, Lisa! And I would give it all to you."

He was breathless with excitement, eyes electric green and shinning in the mystically odd way that made him abnormal in the village of Lawrence. His chest puffed up with his heaving breaths and, for just a little bit, Lisa was intrigued by him. Dean used this opportunity to his advantage, forcing the softest look he could and making sure his pointed ears were hidden, "Lisa, would you think it forward of me to kiss you?"

"Kiss Me?" Lisa paused, eyes seeking something, anything that was not Dean's face, "Yes, Dean that is very forward. Kissing is as intimate as marriage. And I will neither kiss nor marry you."

He frowned deeply, "Why? Why not me?" He knelt down beside her and took her hand, "I would go to the ends of the world, get the largest diamond and bring it back just for you. I'd go to Italy and bring you back a painting or a statue or gold! Anything you want is yours."

Lisa shrieked, appalled by his forward behavior and touching her like they were husband and wife. She yanked her hand away from him, "What I want is stability, Dean. You know Doctor Matthew is going all the way to London for an engagement ring."

Dean tried not to seem defeated, "Lisa, I would go to India and bring you back the ivory tusks to build you a house. I would go all the way to San Francisco and bring you back all the gold in the land, just to forge you all the jewelry you'll every need. I'll swim to Italy and buy all the spices so you'll never eat bland food again."

Lisa shrugged, sipping the champagne, "And what would you want in return for all of those nice things?"

"Kiss me," He pleaded, "There is nothing I would not do for your kiss, no mountain I would not scale, no river I would not swim through, no desert I would not cross. For a kiss, and the pledge of your hand."

Lisa titled her head thoughtfully, eyes glazed and dreamy with warmth from the champagne. Her deep brown eyes found the sky above and she smiled childishly. Just then, a blaze of light flashed across the sky, bright blue and yellow and Lisa grinned brightly, "A star. A shooting star!"

Dean frowned and his eyes followed hers to the single blaze of light crossing their path. He followed it, hypnotized by its unique blue color, the images of wings passing through his mind as it fell somewhere on the other side of the stone wall. Dean followed its path all the way to beyond the inconspicuous line of trees just beyond the boring little field Dean was not allowed to cross. She sighed, "It's so beautiful. Oh, to have a star forever in my pocket."

"And that's what I shall do. I'll bring you a shooting star. I'll bring you a star for your kiss and your loyalty."

"No," she sipped the last of the champagne and took Dean's hand, "You'll find me that shooting star, the one I just saw shoot across the sky. Find me that star, not another star and I'll give you your heart's desire."

Dean grinned, "You promise?"

"Cross my heart."

Deep into Faerie, far away from the village of Lawrence and the border between the village and Faerie, there was a castle that sat as a symbol of power for the kingdom of Stormhold. Sick in bed, confined to a feather mattress filled with furs and red satin sheets was the eighty-first Lord of Stormhold, Samuel Campbell. He long out lived his wife and the normal age of a man, a gift the king earns upon assuming the throne, but he was withered now, sick of his lonely position in life. It was time for a new king, and for him to join his wife in the afterlife.

He'd gathered the last of his children, the eldest Mark, a quiet man with the same bright green eyes as the rest of the Campbell family and the youngest, Christian, a loud and aggressive man, and had them stand around his throne. His daughter stood off to one side, disappointed that she would not get her own opportunity to ascend the throne but never the less was a participant in their father's final hours. Gwen Campbell, a middle child with deep green eyes and dark hair, favored Christian and his leadership skills over the elder brother. Her cunning tricks had gotten rid of her brother's other competitors, his six brothers as well as their eldest sister and she was hoping to be rewarded by Christian when he assumed the throne.

"We are all here, father," Gwen smiled, "Why have you called my brothers to you bedside?"

Samuel heaved a deep sigh, "I'm dying, fading away to join my wife and ancestors in the beyond." There was a sullen tone to the room, fake but still present. The three children were on the tips of their toes, anticipation seeping out of them through their electric green eyes. Gwen coughed lightly and Samuel jolted, at attention once more, "Yes, you'll bury me in the mountains where my wife rests, at least, the one who survives."

"You're speaking to your successor, father?" Christian gulped, fingers resting on the edge of the bed, "Who might he be?"

Samuel grinned and pulled the simple amulet from around his neck. It was a small piece of gold shaped like an ancient face with two protruding horns. It was tied together to form a necklace by a thin black string. Though plain and hardly fitting its regal status, it still pulsed with power as Samuel held it high in his hands, "This will decide the fate of Stormhold."

The three siblings watched the amulet in awe as it twirled in Samuel's grasp, "Gwen," Samuel huffed, "Go to the window, tell me what you see."

She nodded and walked up to the grand window that overlooked the mountainside of Stormhold with the ocean beyond it, "I see..." She looked out to the night sky, with the stars twinkling above them and the land's darkness below them, "The sky, father. The evening sky above us, the sleepy lands below us."

Samuel chuckled, "Christian, go to the window, tell me what you see."

Christian frowned but did so, standing just behind his older sister and looking out the large window. He focused on the sky high above and the ground far below. The night sky was unusually clear for an early spring night. The sky was usually heavy with rain and the air cold but this night sky was bright, filled with the burning light of a single star, its brothers twinkling much lighter in the background. He turned to his father, "I see a star."

Samuel grinned bright and scheming, "Mark, Christian, bring me to the window."

His sons circled him, pulled his weak body from the bed and walked him to the window, the amulet was tightly grasped in his hand the entire way there. Samuel exhaled deeply and raised the amulet to the sky. The stars twinkled, their brightness reflected in the gold glow of the amulet. Samuel tossed it into the sky and the four watched as it arched up into the air and shot into through the sky, a comet-like tail trailing its path towards the brightest star in the night.

"To he who retrieves the stone, they symbol of Stormhold's power, may he inherit my life as the King of Stormhold." Samuel grinned, eyes fading as his own life slipped away, following the trail of the amulet.

"How are we to capture an amulet soaring through the sky," Gwen snickered, the excitement of the moment allowing her to forget that she would not have the opportunity to inherit the throne of Stormhold, "Do we place saddles on eagles and force them to fly us to Heaven?"

Samuel said nothing, too weak to form too many words and he wanted his last to be important, meaningful, reflective of the life he led and the path he's chosen for his children. The arch of the amulet faded into the path of the bright star, their light joined together for one breathless minute. Christian mused that it had been the star he'd spotted first, the brightest in the night sky. Mark had believed it to be the first evening star, the one a traveler must always follow to find north.

With a burst of light, partially white of the blazing star and partially blue from the amulet, the star tumbled to the lands below them. It was a streak of bright through the night sky before tumbling into the southern, west end of their kingdom.

"There," Samuel sighed and fell to the floor, his life swept from him with the final word. The three siblings stared at his body in confusion, unsure of what to do next.

Gwen was suddenly pushing the men to the door, "Go! Find the star and the amulet it holds!"

While the castle that ruled Stormhold rested in the Northern tip of Faerie, glowing white and bright in the light of the sun and moon, the home of the Lilim was a dark, foreboding place in the most eastern part of the kingdom. It sat in the shadows of high mountains, never seeing the rise of the sun, only its setting. It was a twisted, mangled building filled with reflective stone on the outside, dark glass on the inside. It carried the illusion of not existing at all, just to cloak the power of the three forms inside.

The youngest, a bright eyed blonde with deep black eyes watched the sky, focused on the blaze and twinkle of the stars above. She was withered and pale, her aged body covered in a large lump of black and brown cloth. She wheezed, taking large gulps of crisp night air through her mouth to get the oxygen she needed and when she took in too much, she coughed into her wrinkled hand. Her back was slumped forward slightly, her spine curving and unable to hold her body up rightly. Her breasts, small as they were, sagged against the top of her wrinkled stomach, hidden by a black, velour cloak as her frail body was susceptible to the cold.

"Meg!" A croaked cry from inside the main hall of the castle called the witch's attention back into the dusky, dirty part of the castle. Her elder sister, a fair headed woman that was mostly bald now, growled at the witch Meg from her slumped position on a couch. She was covered head to toe in thick, deep purple cloth, hiding all of her wrinkles, sagging skin, and balding hair. Her black eyes were dulling around the edges, she was aging rapidly and losing her sight as a result, "Even if you stare at that sky all night, a star will not fall."

Meg pouted, her attention focused on their brother who stood against the far window on the other side of the room, "Well, Lucifer told me to tell him when one fell. So, that's what I'm doing, Lilith. Some of us like to listen to our brother!"

Lilith rolled her eyes and the two launched into a fight, their worn voices piercing through the dead silence of the home. The eldest, the brother Lucifer watched the skies that twinkled over the distant Stormhold castle and lands beyond. He leaned against the cold window, bones too frail to hold him upright, and traced patterns on the fogging glass. His skin was marred with wrinkles and sagging skin, hair gray and almost gone. His clothes, a worn black cloak that fell off his thin, nearly skeletal body. His black eyes focused on the night sky, on a particular gleaming star in the distance that called his attention. There was suddenly a comet, a small blue streak across the sky, aiming right for the bright, low hanging star.

Lucifer watched closely as the lights collided, the stars blazed brightly and suddenly the one star was falling, hurtling towards the ground north of them.

"Shut up both of you!" He shouted as he pulled the grand windows opened and watched the path of the star fall to the lands between his own and the kingdom of Stormhold. It was time once again, "A star has fallen."

The elderly women stopped their bickering and fell on their eldest sibling. He grinned maliciously as he watched his sisters follow the burning light as well. They joined him in a cackle before they scrambled through a grand ballroom, a wide, dark room with Walls made of mirrors. They passed rows of animals trapped in cages, dangerous looking weapons hanging from Walls. Meg grabbed a silver buck knife with a wood handle, the edge mean and sharp with simple latin written up the side of the blade. Lilith grabbed a ferret from one of the cages sitting on top of an alligator cage.

"We must go seek the star!" Meg snickered, her withered body tried to jump around but failed as her bones creaked. She found herself in a dusty mirrored Wall and stroked her wrinkled cheeks, "I could do well with some more of a star's heart."

Lilith sighed, "But who will go this time?"

Meg raised her hand, "Me! I haven't gone on a hunt yet!"

"That's because you'll fail!"

"We will decide as we always decide," Lucifer sighed, interrupting them before a fight could start. He limped, dragging his lame leg through the main tiled floor.

A grand chandelier hung low in the center of the room and a large double staircase led up to a platform, circling a worn fountain with a shallow pool beneath it. Lilith hobbled up one side of the double stairs while Meg helped Lucifer up the other flight. They came to a flat table where straps and buckles were attached, blood and organ bits stained the table. Lilith threw the ferret onto the table and Meg raised the knife to cut through the ferret's stomach.

"Whoever pulls the most significant organ will seek the star," Lucifer smiled. He closed his eyes and the two girls followed. Their wrinkled hands dug into the internals of the ferret. Lilith and Meg dug around, eyes tightly shut but Lucifer peeked one eye open, being sure to grab the most valuable organ.

"I have his liver!" Meg grinned and flashed the bloody organ.

"I have his stomach!" Lilith teased.

"And I have his heart." Lucifer showed them the small, still beating organ. The other two women pouted but conceded to their leader going on the long journey to seek the fallen star.

"You'll need the power of the last star that fell," Lilith retreated to a far corner where a silver box covered in black silk sat. Lilith gripped it tight, her fingers sizzling against the cloth. She sat it before them on the silver table and pulled away, her hands oily and red. The three put their fingers together and allowed a small spark of power to flow out, removing the cloth from the silver box.

Meg opened the lid and revealed a small glowing orb that shivered upon sighting them. The three smiled down at the shaking light while Lucifer took hold of it. It screamed a loud, painful screech, tendrils of red and gold spiking out at all angles in an attempt to get Lucifer to drop it. Lucifer laughed manically and swallowed the last of the star whole. He held it in his mouth tight until the screams died down, then he consumed it whole.

He shut his eyes tightly, a serene expression came over his face as the wrinkles and lines of old age began to fade away. He exhaled, pushing the rest of worn age and weakened body away from him in a puff of red magic. He was young again, sandy brown hair cut short and smooth and charming. The wide, sympathetic eyes scanned the dank, dark of their castle with pouty lips and a disappointed attitude. He ran a strong, muscular hand over his lightly stubbled face, "How do we live like this?"

He sighed, hands moving in rapid fire motion, moving aside dust and spider webs as he walked the steps and tile to the exit. Meg followed his graceful march, pulling a worn riding cloak from the dusty railing. Lilith huffed in indignation from the platform, watching Lucifer waste precious power on trivial things, "Find us the star, brother! You won't be the only one seeking it and we're running out of time."

Lucifer grinned, taking the thick black cloak from Meg. He stripped himself of the old, worn robe to reveal a simple black suit. He covered the suit with the thick cloak, folded the hood over his head to conceal himself, "I'll find the star, do not worry."

In the center of Stormhold there was a glade, untouched by by human life and surrounded by trees and flowers. It was a grove of unassuming trees, plain grass, and rows of small white flowers stretching towards the moon. The same as every night, for years and years, the silent grove would glow underneath the light of the moon and her children, the stars.

This night, however, was different. A blazing streak of gold shot across the sky and collided with the evening star. In a bright blue light that illuminated the ground like night had suddenly become day, the trees and flowers moved away from the brightness and the ground began to quake. Wild winds roared across the glade, uprooted trees and the moved the ground. Over the howl of the gale and crashing of trees, there was a soft tinkling sound like crystals hitting each other in a soft wind. The soft sound of rustling feathers was next and, finally, a scream that was more like the sound of bells than a scream at all.

The field was leveled in the shaking, screaming blast of light that collided with the ground. The former forest became nothing more than a wide crater of upturned dirt, a form of dark black tendrils and wide blue eyes was at the center of the crater. A bell-like cry rang out from the center of the crater, high and meek. The next cry was lower and sounding more like words being formed. The third cry was low, human-like and clearly forming a word. The voice came out masculine, deep and scratchy as the creature had worn down the vocal chords with his cries. The clearly formed word, grunted out and laced with pain was just a simple, 'fuck.'

Then the destroyed glade fell silent.