Hello dear readers! Welcome to the beginning of what will be an adventurous journey and an emotional rollercoaster! Thanks to positive support I received while in the experimental stage, this story has now been graduated to a proper full story! Of course, my thanks goes out to all who supported, and will hopefully continue to support. Without them, I wouldn't have had the motivation to continue.

This is a story based on the webcomic "Tamberlane", with this particular chapter serving as the prologue that takes place the night before the beginning of chapter 1 of the comic. I know its nothing spectacular right off the bat, but the way its written, the story is meant to develop at a steady pace. Many parts of the story will be in the form of journal entries by Oakewood however a lot of it will also be in third person as some scenes are not as impactful as journal entries.

This story is also available on AO3 under the same name. The full description of the story is posted there. (Not possible here due to the character limit.)

Without further ado, please enjoy the journey, and as always, do remember to review. Feedback is really important and helps me continue and write better.


PROLOGUE

Night of Nights

"I don't see it."

"Patience. It should be passing by at any moment now. Just keep checking the Tiberius constellation, in the direction of the Orel Prime star." Oakewood casually advised without shifting his attention away from the pipe in his paw. He took out a wad of tobacco and stuffed it in the chamber, seating himself on a rock next to where Ainsley had set up the telescope. They moved the scope to look where he had directed and waited.

"The perfect cloudless night sky, and yet no sight of it. I swear it's like these things just like to muck about with us!" Ainsley complained.

"The cosmos don't function on our whims unfortunately. I suppose it's a bit like fishing. You just cast your line, and then wait patiently." Oakewood replied, producing a match and lighting his pipe as he brought it to his lips and took a few puffs. "Be glad it's today: there's a forecast for rain tomorrow."

"There is? Oh lord, well I hope it's not during the day. I have plans to go out scavenging in the forest."

"You've been scavenging in that forest for as long as I can remember. How on earth is there even anything left to find in there?" Oakewood asked offhandedly.

"You'd be surprised. It takes patience and skill to find anything in a place as vast as that. And I haven't even explored it all! Granted, even with that skill, some days it's bad luck, but other times have yielded good runs."

"Hmph. So basically wander around and hope to find something. Sounds like a pointless venture." He dismissed. This aggravated the marten, who turned their full attention to him for a moment.

"I'd like to see you try you old coot!"

"No thank you. This 'old coot' has more important things to do than run around aimlessly all day in a godforsaken forest."

"Oh yes, I'm sure someone needs to keep an eye on those naughty books so they don't jump off the shelves and run away!" Ainsley mocked. Oakewood frowned and glared at them, but he wasn't interested in prolonging this squabble any further.

"Well, you're lucky: The forecast is for the night, assuming its accurate." He clarified, puffing his pipe again as Ainsley resumed peering through the scope.

"Hmm. Orel Prime is a bit brighter than I remember last time." Ainsley commented.

"Perhaps because the sky is clearer than before. Perhaps there might have been debris or something in the view that time. Or perhaps you didn't clean your lens."

"I'll have you know I keep my instruments spotless, thank you very much!" They responded, much to the coyote's amusement.

The two waited in silence for a while, but Oakewood was perfectly content puffing away at his pipe while he admired the clear night sky in that time. As Ainsley looked on through the scope, they examined the surrounding stars and began to mutter something.

"Hmm… King at G8 behind a line of three pawns… Rook to E8… That's a checkmate."

"What?" Oakewood questioned with a perked ear.

"Some of the stars are lined up like chess pieces. I just visualize a chessboard behind them and… practice."

"You use stars to practice your game? Huh, no wonder you play so poorly." Oakewood shook his head disapprovingly. The annoyed marten finally spun around to face him fully.

"I almost had you last time! I almost had you! I don't know where you cooked up that dirty trick to checkmate me!"

"It was a perfectly legitimate move. You'd have probably anticipated it if you had practiced with creatures rather than stars." Oakewood countered, casually tapping the ash out of his pipe.

"Hmph! Not like there's a lot of chess players in Treehollow to begin with." They said, turning to look once more through the telescope. Oakewood pondered something for a moment.

"You know, you could have just asked me. But… I might be able to spare some time to teach you a thing or two, if you want." He finally spoke. Ainsley looked at him once more, clearly touched by the offer.

"Really? I thought you were too busy. And you just preferred to be alone. It's why I didn't ask."

"Most of the time, yes. But winters do tend to be quiet enough that I wouldn't mind the occasional distraction. As long as it's not before sunrise!" He sternly emphasized the last sentence.

"I'll be sure to take you up on that offer! No promises about the sunrise part though." They smiled, resuming their viewing through the scope as Oakewood glared at them. No sooner had they done so that they found what they were looking for.

"My word, there it is! Caz! Right on schedule!" They marveled excitedly. Oakewood turned around to look sideways at the distant shooting star they were looking for with a satisfied smirk.

"Of course it is. Books don't lie." Oakewood stated matter-of-factly as he waved an astronomy book he had brought along. "The predictions are very accurate. Astronomers have been studying and recording sightings for centuries. It's all in here."

"A greater magnitude than Dora the previous winter. And the tail stretches farther too." Ainsley noted, tracking the movement of the shooting star as it sailed across the midnight sky. It was visible even with the naked eye but the telescope allowed a closer look at the celestial object.

"You know, the first time I saw this, I was here at this very spot many years ago." Oakewood reminisced, referring to the grassy knoll just on the outskirts of town where the two had come tonight to see a rare glimpse of passing shooting stars, as they did on other sighting opportunities as well.

"Was it the same back then too?"

"More or less. Maybe it passed a bit closer that day. Treehollow was different though." He mused, looking thoughtfully in the direction of the town, most of which was fairly visible from this elevated position. Fond memories of that era flooded his mind. There were fewer buildings, fewer inhabitants, more wilderness. Treehollow had been through a lot in his time here. Certain events, both good and bad, had taken place. And certain people had come and gone. People that formed the core of his circle of friends at the time.

Certain very special people…

"Take a good look. We won't be seeing this one again for a long time." He said.

Ainsley took his advice, keeping a close eye on it, studying it as it crossed the sky. They gasped, suddenly remembering something.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Quick! Make a wish!" They exclaimed, then closed their eyes and wished as hard as they could!

"Oh balderdash! Don't tell me you believe in that!" Oakewood facepalmed.

"Come on! No harm in trying!"

Oakewood gave up, and following Ainsley's example, closed his eyes and realized there was indeed something that he would have liked, no matter how slim the chance of that would be. By the time the two opened their eyes, the star was nearly out of sight. Ainsley was now done with the telescope and turned to address Oakewood.

"So… what did you wish for?" The marten asked with a gleeful smile.

"That's for me to know and you to quit asking about." Came the response, to their annoyance.

"Well, I wished to see an alien!" They proudly announced.

"Oh don't start that again Ainsley… there's absolutely no evidence of life out there! In all the books I've read, not one scholar has found anything proving that."

"Maybe we haven't made the advancements needed to find them yet."

"Or maybe they're just keeping as far away from you as possible." Oakewood quipped smugly, to which the marten frowned and stuck out his tongue back at him.

"In any case, there's already plenty we have yet to learn." He continued, patting the hard cover of the book in his paws.

"Speaking of, are there any other interesting sightings in that book?"

"You'll have to read it to find out." Oakewood said, taking another puff of his pipe.

"Mind if I borrow it?"

"Go right ahead." Oakewood smiled, offering the book to them. Ainsley reached for the book and was just about to grab it when Oakewood yanked it out of their reach, leaving them confused.

"Ah-ah-ah! Not like this. You'll have to go through the process. We'll head down to the library and I'll check this out for you, as well as other similar books I can recommend if you like." Oakewood smiled smugly and began gathering his things to prepare to leave.

"Utter knob." Ainsley muttered with a frown. They were just about to pack up the telescope when a shining object in the sky caught their attention.

"Um… Oakewood? You're sure Caz was the last one, right?"

"Yes, the last one this summer." He stated, still focused on his packing.

"Well… it looks like we missed one." Ainsley finished. This finally caught the coyote's attention, and he looked to where they were pointing. Sure enough, what appeared to be another shooting star was streaking across the sky.

"This can't be right." Oakewood frowned as he pulled out the book again and flipped through the pages to where he was. "The next predicted one is Cassandra, but that's not supposed to appear until next year."

"You don't suppose they forgot to predict this one?" Ainsley suggested.

"I don't believe so. The predictions are for recurring sightings. This one seems to have appeared for the first time." Oakewood narrowed his eyes as he stood up, staring at the mysterious meteorite.

"It's small, yet immensely bright and fast." Ainsley commented.

"That's because it's very close. Too close. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say it's going to impact somewhere."

The two watched it descend through the atmosphere, Ainsley doing so through the telescope.

"Absolutely fascinating! To be able to see one this close is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Oakewood marveled. "Can you make out what it looks like?"

"No, it's too bright. I can't… wait! A piece of it just broke off!"

"It's disintegrating in the atmosphere." Oakewood added. The two watched the shooting star plummet until it was out of sight beyond the horizon.

"It looks like it might have splashed somewhere out at sea." Ainsley concluded. Oakewood sighed.

"Pity. Could have been an excellent opportunity to study it." He thoughtfully gazed at where the star was last seen for a few moments, then continued his packing.

"Er… shouldn't we be concerned about this?" Ainsley asked.

"Nonsense. Shooting stars do sometimes impact. It's rare, but not unheard of. There have been recorded incidents in the past. In fact, some of them are even in this book. Besides, no need to worry. It's too far away from here, and It can't hurt us from the bottom of the sea." Oakewood assured as he picked up his satchel of belongings and made for the town.

Ainsley watched the horizon as well for a bit, his ears suddenly perking as an idea struck him.

"Wait! If this is the first time this star appeared, then we were the first ones to see it, right? That means we get to name it!" The marten announced with glee, quickly packing up the telescope so as not to be left behind by the departing coyote.

"Don't you think it's a bit pointless to name a shooting star that's… well… no longer a shooting star?" Oakewood called back, still continuing on his way downhill.

"I was thinking, since we both saw it, how about we call it Ainslewood? Or-or how about… how about… Oakeley?"

"Ugh, Ainsley please stop." He facepalmed. The marten quickly slung the packed telescope on their back and rushed to catch up with him, still excitedly continuing their rambling.

"What about naming it Treehollow in honor of the place it was seen? Or perhaps Rose in honor of the archipelago? Or… or…" they continued, the arguing voices of the two becoming more distant as they walked further away from the hilltop.