Distant Starlight

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Leotamer
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Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight- Farsighted

The inky blackness was cold. He placed his hand on his neck. Once, there was a thousand tiny lights dancing around, casting vibrant blue and purple shadows. They have been reduced to a mere hand full, trembling in place. He felt something grab his shoulder and starting to pull him. He jumped. He began to tilt forward until his back was flat against the soft carpet. His ears started to ring and his eyes blinked open. He saw a German Shephard in a K9 uniform standing over him. Trying to scramble up, he said, "I apologize. Do you require something?"

Reaching his hand out to help the struggling Golden Retriever up, "I am the one who should be sorry for waking you up like that. Mom asked me to check on you. We are going on patrol soon."

As he tried to steady his self on his paws, he said, "I appreciate your concern."

The police dog sighed softly, "How have you been settling in? You haven't really meet anyone out of the house."

He took a moment to think about his answer, "Location is ephemeral."

"Really now. Well, I am busy today, but maybe over the weekend I could take you to the local dog club. It will." he was interrupted by a woman calling for Jax. He resumed, "I need to go, but think about."

He nodded his head. He noticed he was light-headed, but he also felt a spark of energy. Taking a few moments to compose himself, he muttered something to himself. His ears perked up and began to hear paw-steps through grass followed by a car door opening and then closing.

He heard Jax say, "I am worried about Sirius. I asked him to think about going to the Loyal Hound Club this weekend."

A car engine started. The female voice from before, Ms Hawthorne, replied "He just needs time to adjust. It will help if he gets out of the house, but try not to overwhelm him."

He hummed to himself for a bit, "He seems to like reading. Maybe I could get Dad to take him to the library?"

He started to hear the car pull out of the driveway. Ms Hawthorne said, "That sounds nice."

She continued to speak, but it became very distant before fading out entirely. The spark of power had been consumed.

Sirius grabbed the blue bandana around his neck. He didn't know what happened to his power. He had faint memories of a griffin and dragon fighting, but before he could see the resolution, there was a flash of green light and then nothing. He was reminded of his memories of being a puppy just learning magic, they were happy memories but the feeling of regression caused them to take a bitter tinge. He wondered where his master went. He convienced himself this was all a temporary arrangement until he got back.
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Harry Johnathan
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Harry Johnathan »

Nice, melancholic start.
Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But [The LORD] said, “Yes, you did laugh.” - Genesis 18:15 (NIV).
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I am really enjoying what you have written down here so far! I do look forward to seeing what else you have up your sleeve in this story!
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight - Directionless

Azure Creek was a pet-friendly, suburban gated community. Sirius had read about the development. It wasn't established by idealists, but it didn't seem like a bad place to live. He was attempting to find the park, but he managed to get lost. It was very frustrating. It shouldn't have been possible for him to get lost, at least that was how it was before. The brochure he was carrying had a semblance of a map, but it was not particular helpful. It appeared like the park was the east side, which could be useful, except it didn't have a compass rose and so that could be the north-east side for all he knew. All of the houses were nearly identical, and while Sirius could notice differences, wandering randomly probably would be faster than trying to map and navigate by them. Dogs usually have a good sense of smell, however Sirius' was underdeveloped. His reliance on sight, hearing and touch had dulled his other two primary senses.

Sirius' rambling train of thought was interrupted by someone saying, "Are you lost? This is your fourth time walking down this street."

Snapping to his head to the person who was speaking, a Labrador, and said, "I apologize. My name is Sirius. I am trying to locate the park."

Taking a moment to place the name, "You are the new dog at the Hawthorne house right? I am Thor. I could show you how to get there."

"I appreciate your assistance, but how are you aware of that?" he inquired.

Walking ahead, he answered, "My dad is related to your mom."

Sirius nodded, but didn't verbally reply. After a moment, Thor continued, "So do you want to play fetch when we get there?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. It appears as though I will stay here longer than I expected, and so I am trying to familiarize myself with the area." he said.

Thor nervously chuckled to himself, stopping himself as soon as he realized he was, "It is getting late. I will show you how to get home from the park then."
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Reading through this all know but I have to say it is impressive. A gold star for you!
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Thank you. I have been trying to get back into writing, but I appreciate that people are enjoying it. I am going to try to keep a face pace for the rest of the week, though I will try to slow down afterward. I don't have any particular plans for a schedule yet, right now it is just as I have motivation and can write something decent.

And while I am typing this, I will sneak in some author's notes:

I am writing this as I go. I have some plans and vague ideas but they are formulating in my head. My usual writing style is to plan out more in advance, however if I did, this would probably never been written and the point is to write something.

This does take place shortly after the events of Heaven's Not Enough, and all canon events happen at appropriate time unless contradicted.

And I am trying to a write a story that I would enjoy reading, and I was interested in Tarot's waning power and having magic power interact with everyday Suburbia in this interesting universe, and so that is what I writing. But one odd thread that helped me settle on this is the realization that we don't know what happened with Ptah's hat. Dragon made this extremely powerful artifact and it just vanished to who knows where. This made me think what other magick artifacts are just laying around because of her.
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Is it possible that past!Dragon when they all went to Ptah's timeline confiscated his hat and put it somewhere after Ptah and Satau fought with each other and she tried to punish them? At least it could have in canon I guess.
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Harry Johnathan
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Harry Johnathan »

That same "fantastical events" befalling suburbia is actually what drew me to 'Housepets!'; It reminded me of the old Amblin films Steven Spielberg made in the 70s and 80s (looking at you, Goonies, Gremlins and E.T)
Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But [The LORD] said, “Yes, you did laugh.” - Genesis 18:15 (NIV).
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight - Fantasy

Sirius was woken up by a gentle tugging on his shoulder. Mr Hawthorne reached out his hand with a slip of paper, "We are here. This is your library card. You need to attach it to your collar and wear it over your bandana."

Fidgeting the card on to his collar, Sirius tried to remember when he fell asleep. He remembered feeling tired when he got into the car, but he didn't think it was enough to doze off. He did not have the most restful sleep, but he was aware when he woke in the morning. He had spent most of the morning meditating. Before, it was a restful experience. It now seemed as though it drained him further. He did not notice it immediately, perhaps the rush of magick energy masked it.

Mr Hawthorne asked, "Do you need help with that?"

Snapping out his thoughts, Sirius attached the card properly and let it rest of his bandana. He then looked down at his lap, and then around his seat, "Did you see where my list went?"

He paused, "Don't worry, I got your books and they are in the front area."

"Thank you. I apologize for the inconvenience." he said, unbuckling himself from the vehicle.

Sighing, "You don't need to be sorry. Look, I don't agree with this library's policies but it is best not to cause trouble. They ask that pets stay in the front lobby and pet area. If you need anything, I will be waiting in the front."

Entering the library and picking up his books, he looked for the pet area. Finding it was not difficult, as it had pet spelled out out in big, colorful letters. Walking through the glass door, a bell rung out, alerting a dusty grey cat sitting in the room, "What are you doing here so early?" he said, turning around, "Oh, I thought you was someone else."

"Greetings. I am Sirius." he said, looking around the room. It had a few small bookshelves and colorful plastic furniture, but was otherwise quite bare.

Adjusting his own plastic chair, "I'm Ash. I usually come here because no one else does."

Walking closer to look at the books, they seemed to be rather simple. Though he did see some exceptions, like the Pridelands series. "Are you the only one who likes to read here?"

Ash chuckled as if it was a joke, "No, I am just the only one who rather sit down here than at my house. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad but there isn't any private space there and right now one of my brothers is pretending to be a rockstar but with real instruments."

Placing his books down on one of the shelves and sitting down himself, he looked at the table he was sitting at and saw how paper and opened books was scattered over it. "What are you are working on you?"

Turning back to his table, "This? It is a tabletop campaign I am working on. We have a spot open if you want to join."

"Tabletop campaign." he muttered to himself, "Ah. I must decline. My master played, but I have always lacked the interest."

"You are new here right? Did your family just move in?" he asked.

"My master is currently away on business. I am living with the Hawthornes until he returns." he said.

"Hawthorne, that sounds familiar." he mused, "Well, mind if you ask a question that might sound a bit weird. Debbie insists a good campaign needs a dragon, but how can a dragon show up on a quest and not have it be something that needs to be slain or something to go tell them to fetch a macguffin."

"There could be a dragon whose tears cause floods, and whose sorrow must be remedied." he answered.

"You thought that up on the spot? Where did you pull that from." he asked, going to write it down.

Sirius himself didn't know, and tried to remember but his thoughts were interrupted by a bell ringing. Mr Hawthorne poked his head into the door, "I am sorry, but the clinic called. You can bring your books home with you."

On the car ride back, he tried to recall any more information on dragons. He peered into other worlds before, and he seen dragons, but he didn't remember any sorrowful ones. He thought it might help if he peered into the other worlds again, but he felt as though his bandana was fully charged and yet still lacking the power required to cast his gaze that far.
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Lovely work on getting this chapter up. I just love how it has come out. Awesome!
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight - Focus

Sirius walked around one of the neighbor's houses. The fence gate was open, and he could see Thor playing basketball. After a few moments, Thor noticed he was there and asked him what he was doing. He extended his paws, carrying a bag of dog treats in them, "I would appreciate if you accepted this as a gift."

Thor glanced at the packaging, "Thanks, but why?"

"My caretakers wish that I familiarize with the other pets living here, and that suggested that it would be easier to do so if I brought gifts." he replied, matter-of-factly.

"Aren't you being a bit to honest?" he asked.

He paused to think, "What reason would I have to conceal that information."

Thor tossed the basketball over into a basket, "So you only lie when you think you need to?"

With the same matter-of-factly tone, he replied, "No. I am always truthful."

Gently taking the bag of treats from his hands, "I am honestly not sure how I expected you to answer that. Why don't you come inside."

Walking through the back-door, and guided through the house, Sirius stepped into the living room. A beagle was sitting on the floor immediately in front of the sofa, crouched over something in his hands and was intensely focused on the television in front of him. Thor barked at him, "Trevor, we have a guest."

Not turning his head from the screen, he replied, "Hey. I am Trevor."

Nodding, he replied, "Greetings, my name is Sirius."

Thor said, "Sorry, he can get like this after getting a new game. You might be able to talk to him when he gets burnt out in a week." He turned his attention to the beagle, "Or if he gets it taken away again because he forgots that needs to sleep because of it."

"It is fine. I have forgotten to properly rest when I have been engaged with studying something that interests me." he said.

Thor didn't seem to know how to respond to that, "What do you want to do?"

Thinking for a moment, "Are you interested in magic?"

Trevor interjected, "I played a bit, but Jet is the one you want to talk to about MTG."

Sirius' eyes wandered to the screen, "What is that?"

"The card game? Where you talking about something else? Might and Magic?" he continued.

"I was speaking more generally." he stated.

"Oh, are you the Sirius that Ash mentioned. Did you change your mind about tabletop?" he replied.

Thor couldn't follow the conservation, and said, "I am going to put these treats up. Sirius, do you need anything from the kitchen."

"I would appreciate tea." he said.

Trevor also asked, "Can you get some soda."

Thor started walking to the kitchen, "You live here and can get it yourself."

Sirius ended up spending a few hours watching Trevor play, and neither spoke much, though he did ask a few questions about video gaming and tabletop. After Thor came back in and informed him how much time had passed, he excused himself and went home to continue his magic training.
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight - Turbulence

Sirius watched the rain from the window. The heavy rain tossed about by strong winds gave away to a distant, shadowy visage of serpentine form. The shape was illuminated only by the flashes of lightning, but never for long enough to catch more than a parting glance. The sound of thunder echoed with the sound of a mighty roar. The form begin to grow more distant and dissipate into clouds. He reached out to grab the image and pull it closer. The farther his paw reached, the more distant it seemed to be. It felt as though he was reaching into the ocean and attempting to grab a fish from the deepest abyss.

Reaching further through the wet, his magic caught something. It was hot. His mind instinctively let it go, even though it didn't cause any pain. He attempted to find it again, and yet it seemed to evade his gaze. It was hiding from him. Infuriatingly, it was successfully hiding from him. But he could tell, it was close. He needed answers, and he told himself that he would find them. Again, and again, his claws reached into the inky waters.

He was shaken out of the trace by Jax. His eyes were readjusting, but through his ear's ringing he could hear him say, "You don't look well. You should bundle up."

As his sight regained clarity, he could see that he looked nervous. He muttered, "I appreciate your concern, but I am fine. Why." his thought was cut off when he realized he was shivering. He also realized that his magic was drained. He did not intend to enter a trance. It had been a long time since had lost himself within his own power. The headache, coldness and generally feeling of being drained were compounded with how disappointed he was in himself.

Jax didn't look amused, "You don't need to act tough." he said, and half-carried him to the living room.

Sitting on the couch covered in blankets was more comfortable, but did not help warm him. He thought attempting to explain it would not help matters, especially as he did not understand itself himself. It was a new experience. Even when he was first training in magic, he had not experienced anything comparable. He would have attempted to examine himself, however without a spark of magic, even this trivial task was beyond him. He felt as though he needed to regain his magic as soon as possible, however he could not focus buried in cover and in front of the television. He did consider his weakened state, but rationalized it that recharging his arcane power would likely improve his condition.

When he started to push free, he saw Jax's disapproving glare. Sirius stopped, laying back against the couch.

His mind wandered in a thousand different directions. He was concerned about this mysterious essence he encountered, and frustrated by his inability to identity it. He was able to catch, and he was thwarted by the primal instinct to withdraw from fire. He asked himself why he was drawn into that vision to begin with, and what relation it had to the new essence.

Eventually, he found his eyes growing heavy and shutting with his permission. He didn't realize how tired he was, and fell asleep.
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight - Contemplation

The last three days were unpleasant for Sirius. His dreams escaped him with half-remembered illusions of fire and water. It was not until this morning when was able to muster a fraction of his already reduced power. He was unable to identity what was happening, however he could tell it was passing. From the inspection he was able to do, it did not appear like there was any permeant damage. He wasn't even sure if it was appropriate to call it damage. There had been times where he was reckless with some of the master's items and was hurt. This was unlike this. He had difficulty sleeping and felt nauseous, but other than that and that which could be attributed to insomnia, he felt fine. He believed this was a reaction with the mysterious essence, however when attempted to divine traces of it, whatever magic he used broke down and failed completely. Magic was in general harder for him in this state, however having it fizzle like that was concerning. He decided he needed a new method to trace the mysterious essence, realizing the direct method would only result in more sleepless nights and drained magic, but being unable to admit defeat so easily.

During those three days, in addition to reading and visiting Trevor, he also began practicing writing runes. He was good at making the precise movements need to make complicated runic arrays, and he had memorized of all the runes he had found important, however remembering the more obscure runes and how to properly interconnect them was difficult. He could write basic runic arrays, however he had relied on books for the most complicated ones. Books he had no longer had access to. In addition, just because he knew how to write a rune, did not mean he knew how to activate it. He was still limited to his divination magic. Even then, he estimated it would take nearly all of his energy to use even a basic array. He was trained in writing in runic, however he did not typically use them himself.

He had been attempting to create a make-shift reference guide in order to make it easier on him. While trying to gather some of the loose pages into a binder, he noticed that he was missing a few pages. Considering he had not written done anything that could be dangerous, and that there was no way for any to even activate them to begin with, he wasn't concerned with it. It would just take more time to rewrite them. He was permitted use of one of the house's empty walk-in storage closets, where he stored his binder and moved his bed. He considered taping a few pages on the wall, however he didn't have any he could activate that would help.

He was still unsure what to do about the mysterious presence. He could not find it directly, nor did a cursory glance of the neighborhood reveal anything suspicious. He did not believe he could search invasively, and thus the next option left to him if he could not find something that did not belong is to find something that does belong but is missing.

-----

Elsewhere, Trevor frantically shoved his loose tabletop print-outs and notes into his backpack. Running to the kitchen, he grabbed various pet snacks, one vaguely labelled "Meat" and the "Vegetables".
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I love how this has come out and your writing is improving! Keep up the good work!
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight - Other

Trevor walked into the kitchen where Ash, Debbie and Jet were all sitting around a table. This one of their first few sessions into a new game, using a new system that Ash's dad bought him. He meekly holding up the bags of treats and asking, "What did I miss."

Debbie, a whitish rabbit, answered, "The talking part that you usually zone out for."

Jet, a pitch-black ferret, continued, "So, basically nothing. Though we did buy items. We didn't know what you wanted, so we just you some healing potions."

Debbie, remembering something, pulled out a small figurine of a dragon, "I also bought this."

Ash sighed, "Even though we don't play with maps."

The ferret jabbed, "We should."

"I already have to beg to print out as much stuff as I do. If one you wants to bring maps, we can play with maps." he said.

Trevor sat down and began digging through his pages, haphazardly tossing them on the table. One of the papers landed face-up and caught Debbie's eyes. She asked if she could see it, and she was handed it. The page was an intricate design of interlocking symbols. "Were did you get this." she said, turning it so that he could see.

It took a moment, "I think I saw Sirius drawing something like that at my house."

Jet smiled, "You said that might be the new dog interested in magic?"

Ash interjected, "Please don't scare off the new pet.

Feigning offense, "I would never."

"What about the thing you did to Snow?" he prodded.

Debbie, wanting to end that conservation quickly, loudly injected to nobody, "This is very pretty. Do you mind if I keep it over here. To look at."

Trevor shrugged, "Sure."

With that, she placed it down and purposefully made a thud by quickly setting her dragon mini on top of it. Ash sighed, and started, "And the inventor finally wakes up from his nap in the tavern and rejoins with our barbarian and wizard. You have heard rumors about strange rainstorms in the north, and so you actually go there, there is probably some who knows that one lightning spell Jet wants there too."

Debbie side-eyed the dungeon master, "And how do we know that?"

Ash just looked back at her, "It was a part of the rumors you heard. There was also a rumor about cheese smugglers and a boy who feel down the well."

Trevor spoke up, "So we are going to do the side-quests or not?"

Grabbing the vegetable snacks, she replied, "I am not sure"

Jet interrupted, "We need to go onward to get lightning sphere."

Annoyed, she butted back, "Don't you already know lightning bolt? Don't they do the same thing."

As if was obvious, she replied back, "But lightning sphere does it better. If you."

Ash cut them off, "We believe you. The party gathers your things and start the trek down the dirt path. As you keep travelling, it starts to drizzle. The more you push forward, the heavier the rain gets. Eventually, the path dissolves into mud and is considered difficult terrain."

The session continued as normal, a lot of bickering and very little actual progress. There was encounter with goblins, who all happened to have some magical resistance so that they were not obliterated in a single turn by the wizard, however he seemed to be happy rolling a large amount of damage die even if the actual damage he was dealing was scaled back, leading to a tenuous peace at the table. Trevor on the other hand seemed to have trouble remembering how the rules worked, often slipping back into thinking how the rules worked in another system they played or how they would play in a video game.

When the session came to the end, Jet was the first to leave as normal. She wasn't much for post-game socializing, and for some reason, people did not like it when a small pitch-black creature wondered around after dark.

Debbie put her dragon figurine in a pocket within her purse. She looked under it, and said, "Where did that drawing go?"

Ash interjected, "Didn't you leave it under your mini?"

Exasperated, she replied, "I thought so. But this" she said, lifting up the only paper that there, "is just a blank page."

Trevor casually glanced at the scattered papers, "It doesn't really matter. Hey, Ash, can I use your Xbox."

While Debbie continued to search, Ash replied, "Well, I don't mind you staying over, but Snow is going to come over soon."

"Thanks" he said, already have way to the living room.

Ash looked towards the person still digging through the papers, "Don't worry about it. I will look for it."

Debbie thanked him, and finished packing before leaving herself.

Later, Ash walked back into the kitchen and found Snow, a white cat, looking over some of the paper still scattered over the table. "Snow, I thought you said wasn't interested." he said.

Snow clarified, "I said I wasn't interested in spending multiple hours at a table with Jet. I would really hate it if I needed to throw one of your friend's out of the window. But no, I am looking at these inscriptions."

"Inscriptions?" he said, walking closer, "Oh, those drawings. We think Sirius left them over at Trevor's place."

Glancing back over them, "Who is Sirius?"

"He is a dog staying with the Hawthornes while his dad is away on business, why are you so interesting." he inquired.

Trying to think of an excuse, "I have been thinking about getting to calligraphy. Maybe this Sirius could give me some tips."

"I heard he isn't the most social dog, but he seemed to get along with me. What me to introduce you? I still need to find the one that lost in the shuffle and deliver them all to him." he said.

Her eyes widening, "One of them went missing?"

Pointing to the table, "This isn't the cleanest table. Apparently while the papers moved around it got switched with a blank piece of paper. Why do you seem so worried about it?"

Trying to think of another excuse, "Well, it must have spent a lot of time on these drawings. It is a shame if one got lost."

----

Debbie walked past her brother, Abe, practicing with interlocked hoops on the yard. He seemed to preoccupied to notice her. She sat her purse down in her and her brother's room. She reached her paw in to grab a pen, when she felt something gently scraping against arm. Grabbing that instead and pulling it out, she looked in disbelief as she saw her dragon figurine struggling to escape her grasp.
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Harry Johnathan
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Harry Johnathan »

Great job, Leo! It's far better than the literary equivalent of shovelware I'm pushing out!
Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But [The LORD] said, “Yes, you did laugh.” - Genesis 18:15 (NIV).
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Very nice work on this chapter that you have posted! It is very engrossing! And Ryder I think that both of your stories are actually pretty good.
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Harry Johnathan
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Harry Johnathan »

Amazee Dayzee wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 3:51 pm Very nice work on this chapter that you have posted! It is very engrossing! And Ryder I think that both of your stories are actually pretty good.
Then why does nobody read them? :cry:

Lol.
Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But [The LORD] said, “Yes, you did laugh.” - Genesis 18:15 (NIV).
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

I am glad people are enjoying this. I am probably one of the most critical people about my own work. I am happy with it so far, but there was one chapter I only begrudgingly posted. My grammar isn't the best, but I do have a lot of experience writing in third person, enough that I can pretend I know how the mutated monster of a language that is called English works.

I am not the biggest fan about talking about my work because I am not sure if I am saying the right things, and I tend to ramble. I have some trivia I could share like the latest chapter was actually started around the point where the session ended and then I backfilled everything that happened before it. I am not sure how much stuff like that actually interests people.

If anyone has any critiques or suggestions, you can feel free to leave them. I plan on telling the story I want to tell, but I wouldn't mind having something to go off to have a direction to consider.
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I really can't think of anything to critique you over right now since everything is perfect but if something does come up I will let you know!
Leotamer
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight - Identification

Snow placed the two runic arrays and the one blank page on a slanted study table. The table was cat-sized, and covered with various opened books and notes and had a drawer filled with an array of semi-magical odds and ends. They were nearly incomprehensible to her, however she could notice one them had some type of sleep or dream symbol in the center, surrounded by a more complicated arrangement. She held a quartz over a blue slip of paper and the crystal began to glow slightly. She continued to sweep the crystal over the pages, and each caused the same reaction. She muttered to herself that this must be the work of a genius level magician, and pondered the implications that would mean for Azure Creek.

----

Sirius had his paw to his chin, glaring at a particularly simple divination rune held in his binder. It was two symbols placed together, each one slightly modified to accommodate the other. The only simpler form of rune-craft would be to just have the single rune. He gently tap it with his other paw. Then, he held his paw against it. Next, he took the entire binder and pressed the rune into his bandana. Pulling it back, he placed his hand on it and forced his power through it, using to confirm that it was a rune and that it was on paper, and that it was magically and inedible.

He was using a very basic version of the identity spell, focused on what his master considered the three most important questions about an object: What is it? Is it magic? Can I eat it?

He considered if the unknown essence was still having an effect on him, but it continued to disrupt any attempt to find it within himself. Having an idea, he attempted to identity if had any presence within the rune, and he felt his magic begin to evaporate. Placing the rune-book behind his bed, he began to wonder his house, identifying various items and seeing if they had any connection to the presence, and each time he attempted to locate it, his magic fizzled.

He eventually wandered into the kitchen, where Ms Hawthorne had something pressed against her ear and was talking to nobody in particular. It took him a second to realize that she was talking on a phone. He had heard about cell phones and seen them in his visions, however it was sometimes hard to keep track of what was native to this dimension or not. He still was unsure about unicorns.

Ms. Hawthorne stopped him while he was identifying a loaf of bread, her phone placed on the table, "Sirius, what are you doing?"

Answering matter-of-factly, "Examining the bread, it is stale." he said. His master was convinced that every half-decent identity spell needed that functionality.

Unsure of how to reply, she took the bread from his hand and set it back on the counter, "I will be sure we get more the next trip to the grocery. Did you happen to overhear anything?"

Having been most preoccupied with his task, he answered, "I believe it was something about a dog seeking higher education?"

She sighed and wordlessly patted his head.

Sirius continued his examination outside, including a tree, a signpost, one of his neighbor's doors. They were inedible, and whenever he attempted to find the essence, his magic vanished.

His search continued to the walls of the gated community. A large brick wall, easily over the head of any dog or cat, with metal spikes running over the top. He attempted to identity the wall, and it was composed of brick, however he did not receive back how edible the brick wall was. Looking at his paw and beginning to rapidly deplete his own magick reserves, he noticed that the wall was imbued with powerful magic. He felt the same mysterious power as before begin to drawn within him, and even attempting to pull back, some amount of it was implanted within him. He could feel it once again suppressing his power.

He believed it would be another few days before the energy would pass and could once again recharge, he at least claimed this as a victory. He thanked his master's wisdom. Most identity spells only return useful information, and thus can be fooled by illusions which react to identity spells by effectively returning a stock answer. By always returning trivial information as well, such as if brick is edible or how fresh food is, it is a simpler way to foil such illusions without expending a lot more effort to simply brute-force illusions that may not exist. That, and he was particular about his bread not being stale. Though Sirius smiled at the thought that never stopped him from eating leftover pizza.
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Re: Distant Starlight

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This was such a lovely inclusion to the story! Nice work!
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Visitor

After learning that the mysterious presence resided in the wall surronding him, the next step was attempt to examine the area outside of it. Asking the Hawthornes about it, they seemed reluctant. After specifying the library, they were more willing. He didn't see why it mattered. However, it was delayed until the end of the month. He accepted this short reprive from his investigation, taking them at their word that they were busy.

That night, he had managed to remember one of the essence induced dreams. There was a harsh desert landscape. It started to gently rain, and yet the rain never ceased. It gradually rained harder and harder. The unceasing storm transformed the land into an ocean. A ball of fire shot across the sky, landing and sinking beneath the waves. And yet the flame did not surrender its heat to the ocean, but the earth beneath it. The ground's heat began to swell, and attempted to push upwards however the waters acted against it.

He awoke, his senses disoriented and shifting and his stomach unsettled. Mr. Hawthorne found him in the bathroom. While the reaction was more severe, it was not entirely unexpected. He had directly made contact with the essence rather than brushing against it. Trying to rationally explain what happened did not seem to help, it must have been because he was still half-asleep. He simplified the situation as him consuming something that did not agree with his constitution. He withdrew, though the he couldn't help but feel insulted by being admonished not to eat trash. He would not have needed to make such direct contact had someone not placed a third-rate illusion over it. If he had not be so diminished, he might not have even recognized that there was an illusion there.

After that night, the worst had passed. Jax, speakly indirectly to an unhelpful extent, informed him that the Hawthornes were concerned for his health and was why they were worried about taking him out. He did not know why that needed to be a secret, though his assurances didn't seem to help him anymore than Mr. Hawthorne.

One thing that did worry him was that it might diminish his magic. However, after the effect passed, he seemed to have greater power. It was only marginal, but it was large enough to be noticed. This was motivating, but he tried to remember his Master's wisdom, "Playing with unknowable cosmic forces is a dangerous game, so always be sure to stack the deck as much as you can." He shouldn't get hasty, it could wait until the new year.

He was invited to all-pet holiday party for Christmas at the Loyal Hound Club. He had heard there was a story behind that, and wondered if they did anything differently though didn't bother to ask. The day after it, he woke up with his memory of the event completely blocked and a Christmas card reading, "I am sorry, it was important - Kris". He decided that nausence could be handled later.

The next scheduled event was for New Years, a nice holiday for magicians that involved dealing with significantly less spirits than either Halloween or Christmas. He wasn't entirely sure how they celebrated other than there would be food. He was informed that there was no fireworks, which he was not upset about.

A few days before the year could end, Sirius woke up and walked out of his small closet room. Walking into a kitchen, he saw a Labrador and asked, "Who are you?"

He turned around, he looked very similiar to Thor but was distinctive. He also wore a thunderbolt tag, while most animals in the region had plates on collars, apparently they have tiny computers in them. The new dog spoke, "You can tell I am not Thor?"

Sirius nodded, "You are slightly shorter."

He seemed to be annoyed, "Oh yeah." he said, before he started to walk off.

A few moments later, he was pushed back into the kitchen by a new human, he introduced himself, "Hey Sirius. I am Ms. Hawthorne's nephew." gesturing towards dog with his arms-crossed, "This is Zeus."

Sirius replied, "Greetings." and started to walk off himself.

The human called out, "Aren't you curious why I am in your house?"

Stated as obvious fact, "This is not my house."
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Re: Distant Starlight

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I just love the fact that I just dove right into this! It is so awesome!
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Family

Jak approached Sirius standing in front of some machine sitting on the kitchen corner, "What is that?"

Sirius, taking part of the device off and tipping it over to pour some type of liquid into a cup, "An electric kettle."

Vaguely remembering some about that at the holiday party, "Why do you have an electric kettle?"

Taking a sip, "To brew tea? I would have preferred a regular kettle, but I do not have permission to use the stove."

"Well. I. Wait. Why didn't you just ask someone to make you tea?" he asked.

Taking another sip, "It was simpler to go without and then I was gifted an electric kettle."

"You know you don't need to do everything yourself right?" he said.

"I appreciate your hospitality. If a need arises, I will inform you." he said, he then reached out his hands, "Would you like some tea?"

Sighing, Jak moved his nose down and sniffed it. He then immediately pulled his back and did his best to hold back his gag reflex, choking out, "I am good." Sirius seemed to smirk at that, causing Jak to glare a bit, "You find that funny?"

Setting the cup on the corner, "You reminded me of Procyon."

Composing himself, "Procyon?"

"He was a dog who lived with me and shared the same master." he replied.

"Why didn't you feel comfortable share this before?" he proded, in the gentlest voice he could muster.

Puzzled, he said, "For all the questions you asked, you never asked about it."

Trying to maintain his calm and collective voice, but poorly, "We asked if you lived with any brothers or sisters."

"I didn't live with any of my brothers or sisters. I do not believe any lived in the same state as me" he said, muttering to himself, "Vermont, California, Wyoming" still confused by the conversation.

"Now doesn't seem to be the right time to have this conversation. You are still to." he bite his tongue. "You are still adjusting."

While he was still unsure what he was talking about, he picked his cup back off and started to walk off. Jax stopped him, "Wait. There is something else I would like to ask you. How would you feel about Zeus and his uncle staying here for awhile?" Sirius raised his eyebrow, and before he could ask the question, he was answered with, "The human that came with him."

Taking another sip of tea, "I have no reason to object."

"Well, Zeus can be ... a bit competitive." he said.

"I have heard Zeus and his brother play basketball. I would appreciate it if there noise did not intrude upon my reading or meditation." he answered.

He wordless said, "This is a bad idea." though Sirius could read his lips. "You can enjoy your tea now."
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Questioning

Sirius was sitting on the floor, sketching something on a notepad. Zeus walked in, "Something I don't understand is that you can tell me and my brother apart at a glance, but can't walk down and take a turn to make a straight path to the park?"

Responding matter-of-factly, "I did not know which direction the park was in. I was also trying to make a mental map of the area using the houses."

"Aren't all of the houses identical?" he said skeptically.

"Near identical. It did make the task far more difficult." he answered.

Putting his paw to his forward, "Why would you need to do that?" he said.

He tapped his pencil on the pad for a moment, "It has various usages, but it is unlikely I will completely appreciate them before master returns."

Sighing, "This has been bothering me. Why do you call him master? Don't you think that is weird?"

Casually setting his current color pencil in an arrangement of others, and picking up another to continue, he replied, "Why would it be? It is was his role and title. He was the senior of the household, and the most responsible for its affairs. He had invited me into it in order to teach me."

Pausing, "So, you think of him as just some type of teacher?"

"While dismissive of his status and his responsibilities, it is not entirely inaccurate." he responded.

Jak walked in, his eyes glaring at Zeus, "I think that is enough."

Zeus glared back, "Fine. Though if it isn't to offend anyone, can I ask what you are drawing?"

Sirius gently sat the pencil down, and turned his notepad to the two others. It was an arrangement of sharp lines and geometric shapes. The top portion was drawn in blue, followed by a portion in green, and finally an incompleted red sections. The lines were straight, but other than that, it resembled scribbles.

While Jak just nodded, Zeus asked what both were thinking, "So what is it?"

"A picture of the four seasons." he answered.

Zeus glanced over to Jak, and continued, "Ok, but why?"

"Is it not approriate to reflect upon the changing of the seasons towards the end of the calender year?" he asked.

Jak asked, "Did you draw anything else?" to which he responded by flipping the previous page over. It was a rather intricate drawing of a snowflake.

Half-joking, Zeus asked, "Do you have any deep reason for drawing that?"

Missing the tone of his voice, he answered, "It is snowing at my house. I don't know exactly why I decided to draw it, it just." he said, not knowing how to finish the thought.

The two dogs exchanged looks, before leaving Sirius to his drawing.
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Re: Distant Starlight

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This is just so freaking awesome here! I love it!
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Tranquil

The birds sung, and the squirrels casually collected acorns scattered plentifully across the ground.

A wolf club sat at the edge of the lake. He held his heads up with his paws and his feet were submerged in the water.

A younger skunk approached him, "The weather is good."

Kicking at the water casually, "The weather is always good."

"Well, not everyone has that luxury. Not everyone has scheduled rain, Apex. You could show the elder's some respect." he said.

"It isn't Apex anymore. I realized I was being stupid." before the skunk had a chance to be relieved, he continued, "I am Tyrant now. I am going to live with the humans."

Covering his eyes with his paws, "How did you. Why. Just how did you even get worse? Did you hit your head on something?"

"Bella said it will work this time." he said, defiantly.

"Of course Bella is involved. You know how dangerous humans are." he pleaded.

Crossing his paws, "Then we will get along."

"Are you really that desperately to leave? The guardian has blessed us with this paradise." he said.

"It might be a paradise for a herbivore." he retorted.

"And what is that suppose to mean" he said.

Kicking the water again, "You know what it means."

Turning away and taking a step, he paused, "Why do I need to care more about your health than you do? Do what you want, but know this can't end good. Guardian ensure it doesn't end to badly."
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Beautiful job as always! I love the way you wrote this chapter!
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Ordered

Jax and the other police dogs were setting up the park for the new years party. Mostly dragging out plastic folding tables and setting them with snacks. One of the K9s, a reddish brown greyhound, dragged out a rope and asked, "Should we have it this year."

Jax walked over and said, "Zeus is spending New Years out of town with his uncle." Everyone who heard it seemed to be relieved, and the greyhound set it on the concrete and asked for the tape, using it to mark a half-way spot and then laying the rope over it.

After finishing setting everything up, Jax sat on a bench and started to drink some water. Felix, a shorter English pointer who was mostly white with patchs of brown on his paws, stomach and over his left eye and ear, approached him and asked him, "How are you holding up?"

Jax answered, "I am doing perfectly fine."

"If you ever need anyone to talk too, I can always lend an ear" he continued.

Taking another glup of water, "I will keep it under consideration."

"Well, the captain wants another update on Sirius." he said quickly and softly.

"If I had anything to report, I would have reported it. He hasn't gotten sick since the last time I reported in. He starting to feel a bit home-sick, but that is about it." he answered.

"Has he made any improvements since the last time you had an update." he poked.

"My last update was only a short while ago, and these things take time." he said, trying to keep an even tone.

"Maybe I should talk with him." he said, casually.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." he retorted.

"The captain asked me to talk with him." he said.

Jax gaze shifted over the captain, a large Rottweiler and thought for a second. He sighed, "If the captain asked, the captain asked." he said.
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Exchange

"Yeah, I will meet you over there Ash." Snow said, her phone pushed into one shoulder while she awkwardly applied a poultice to her other shoulder. "Yes, love you too." she said as tried to hold the cloth on her shoulder, while picking up the phone and gently dropping it on the counter.

When she turned around, she saw a female black cat gently tapping her on the door frame to the professor's room. She braced herself, "What do you want, Donna?"

She feighed offense, "Is that anyway to take to your sister?" only prompting a glare. "Look, you still owe me a favor. And if you do this one little thing for me, I will even owe you a favor."

Snow sighed, "Did you sell your poultice supply again?"

"Do something once and you will never let someone hear the end of it will you?" she said, "But no. I need one of those runes I know you have recently borrowed and just have happened to not return yet."

"I am not giving you of all people something that can put people to sleep, I don't even want to know what scheme." she was interrupted, "The other one. The gate rune."

"How do you know that is what it is? And why would you need it?" she said.

"It is not for me. It is for someone I want to help out of the goodness of my heart." she replied. After seeing her sister roll her eyes, she continued, "What you don't believe me?"

"The fact I believe you is the exact reason why I am concerned, but if this is really a gate rune then I might need that favor." her voice pointed.

Meaninglessly gesturing with her paws, "And what if I am lying?"

"I don't know, but I would advise you find a real gate scroll to flee to another reality before I figure that out. If you know that it exists, you should know where to find it. I still need to get prepared." she said.
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Re: Distant Starlight

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I just love the work that you are putting into this! Excellent!
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Helper

Felix flipped through the papers, as he saw Jax return with Sirius. As he walked up towards them, Jax gave him a death glare before introducing him, "Sirius, this is Felix. He is another K9 officer."

Sirius replied, "Greetings, Felix."

"Hey. You don't need to be so formal. Do you mind if we have a chat over in the shade?" he said. Sirius nodded, and walked over. Jax still looked upset about this, but he went back and joined with another group of K9s. As they walked, Felix asked, "How are you adjusting."

"Adequately." he replied.

"Have you had any issues?" he said.

"It has been difficult finding accurate astrological data for this region." he said.

Not sure how to reply to that, he stumbled a bit, "Can I help with that?"

Sirius seemed to seriously consider the offer, and muttered to himself, "If I had some carrots and eggplants."

"Why do you need that?" he asked.

"You are correct. It would be very difficult to get natural spring water here." he said.

Trying to change the subject, "From what I heard, you like to do things yourself. Is there any reason you can't be more reliant on others?"

"Hospitality is virtue of vital importance." he said.

"Did your dad make you do a lot of chores?" he continued to prod.

"No. My father was not known for responsibility. I did help Procyon with the chores while living with Master however." he answered.

Felix raised an eyebrow, "And who is this Procyon?"

"He was a fellow student of the Master." he answered.

"And what was he?" he asked, when Sirius seemed confused, he eleborated, "Human, cat, dog?"

"He was a dog" he answered.

"You make it sound like you and Procyon were primarily responsible for house-keeping." he said.

"Yes. Procyon said that Master was not allowed near the dirty dishes after the Fantasia incident." he answered.

"Do you know what that incident was?" he said.

"No. They would always bicker whenever it was brought up." he said, smirking a bit. "I was told it was related to why a found a broken piece of plate behind the couch."

Felix paused, trying to absorb this information, and fully process it. While he did, Sirius did his best to cover his muzzle with his paw, and let out a yawn.

He pressed, "Where these types of incidents common?"

As Sirius thought about it again, A female malamute walked up to Felix dressed in a police uniform, and said, "Hey, Felix. I think the chief wanted to speak to you."

Felix glanced between the malamute and Sirius, to which she just smiled. "Ok, I will be right over. Sirius, you wouldn't mind talking later would you?"

Sirius suppressed another yawn, "I would not be opposed to that."
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Power

Sirius woke up. His paw immediately reached for his upper chest, and he expelled a sigh whenever he felt his bandana. Glancing around, he was in the clinic. The wall trimmings had distinctive paw-print pattern. His last memories were talking to Trevor at the New Years Celebration. There did not appear to be any magical block on his memory, and so the answer was likely mundane. He focused inner ward, and he felt that he was surging with power.

If he was in a clinic bed, there was likely a reason. He attempted to cast his gaze outward, and despite his efforts, the magic within refused his command. Startled, he placed his paw on the bedding and attempted to use his magic to identity with it, and the magic was unmoved by his intention. He tried again, embarrassed that he needed to resort to amateurish means, and muttered to himself. He tried again louder, "Identify." Such a simple spell should require no more than a thought, and yet even overflowing with power, he could not cast it.

As he grew more anxious, he felt the magic roil within him. He took a breath and calmed himself. It was entirely possible whatever rendered him unconscious or impacted his memory had temporarily damaged his ability to control his magic. After he relaxed himself, he pulled on his power and willed to his eyes, and so it was. Moving magic around the body was one of the most basic of basic techniques. Empowered, his eye-sight grew even sharper, even more than he expected. He saw the soft glow of magical aura around him. It wasn't the first time seeing it, but it was the first he was able to do with something so simple it could hardly be considered a spell.

He closed his eyes, and allowed the energy to return to its source. He allowed his eyes to rest while he thought. As he consider a million different possibilities with a thousand different caveats each, one possiblity stood out, perhaps he was unable to cast spells because he had to much magic. Absorbing to much magic at once could also explain the possible fainting, but raised the question how that happened. His master had taught him techniques to gather and store magic within himself, but the only way he knew to remove magic from himself was to cast spells or use magical devices. As he was just moving the power around within himself, the trick he did with his eyes consumes less than he would expect to generate passively.

He thought about calling Camilia. He diligently remembered her phone number, and she should have the tools needed to help him. However, he remembered the last time she visited and decided against it for now.

Sirius found himself drifting to sleep. His mind plagued with half-remembered dreams of fire and water.
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Really nice work as usual on this again! Keep on writing and giving us more!
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

While I don't have any official arc structure established, I am considering everything between Farsighted and Power to be the prologue, and that we are now starting the second major arc of the story, hopefully answering some of the mysteries surrounding Azure Creek in a satisfying manner.

As part of this, I thought it could be nice to have a bonus chapter concerning some of the minor characters that people have taken interest in. Any character is on the table, including background characters, except Sirius, any character from his backstory, humans and the wild animals. So if you have character you want to know more about, please tell me.
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Harry Johnathan »

The German-Shepherd from the opening.
Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But [The LORD] said, “Yes, you did laugh.” - Genesis 18:15 (NIV).
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Distant Starlight - Earlier

-- Earlier --

Jax was adjusting his K9 vest when he heard Ms. Hawthorne call to him, "Can you check on Sirius before we leave?"

After adjusting the last strip, he called back, "Will do."

He walked into the living room, and Sirius was sitting and it looked like he feel asleep. He gently patted his shoulder, and quietly said, "Sirius?"

After that didn't wake him, he started to pat him a bit more, until he eventually pulled a bit to hard and he jumped up. He began to lean forward, until he tried to steady himself back and only managed to end lying on his back. While he trying to scramble up, he said, "I apologize. Do you require something?"

Jax thought how he always spoke so formally and how he must still be nervous after the move, and said, "I am the one who should be sorry for waking you up like that. Mom asked me to check on you. We are going on patrol soon."

He had difficulty standing up straight, and seemed to fall asleep while sitting up. Maybe he wasn't getting enough sleep. As he started to get his bearing, he said, "I appreciate your concern."

Jax sighed, he also hadn't been getting out of the house at all. Pets being stuck in doors all day was sadly still a problem in some places. He gently said, "How have you been settling in? You haven't really meet anyone out of the house."

He replied strangely, "Location is ephemeral." What pup goes around staying ephemeral?

Taken a bit aback, he wanted to help him get out and make some friends, and continued, "Really now. Well, I am busy today, but maybe over the weekend I could take you to the local dog club. It will." His sentence was interrupted by Ms. Hawthorne calling for him, and so he quickly finished, "I need to go, but think about."

Jax quickly walked to the car, got into the backseat and buckled in, "I am worried about Sirius. I asked him to think about going to the Loyal Hound Club this weekend."

Ms Hawthorne started the engine, saying "He just needs time to adjust. It will help if he gets out of the house, but try not to overwhelm him."

Jax thought about it. Maybe he shouldn't drag the shy pup to the club, but he can't just stay in the house forever. Sirius did seem to read a lot, and the only one who goes over to the library is Ash and he gets along with everyone. And from what he remembered, Sirius said, "Dog, cat, rabbit, gerbil, racoon, wolf. It makes little difference." Thinking back, he probably should be more careful with ferals, but luckily there didn't seem any Azure Creek. The only animal he stated a distaste for was dolphins, and he could strangely agree.

He suggested, "He seems to like reading. Maybe I could get Dad to take him to the library?"

Hawthorne approved, and pulled out of the driveway. The trip was mostly silent. They had to stop by the police station, Ms. Hawthorne went through the front door while Jax went through a side door into the K9 area. The station was big, but rather empty. He walked into a room, and was ambushed by Felix, "So, have you put any more thought towards it?"

Jax keep walking towards his desk. It was one of several in the room, and was sadly next to Felix's. He barely used it, it was there to keep some papers. There is a surpising amount of paperwork for being a police dog that they don't tell you at the academy. "No." Before he could be smart, he continued, "No, I haven't. And the answer is still no."

Felix walked back up to him, "Come on. Obedience school would be good for him. Just because you had a bad experience."

Jax death glared him, "I suggest you end your thought there. Besides, I am not the one who makes that choice, Mr. Hawthorne does."

"And Mr. Hawthorne is saying no because he respects what you have to say." he interjected.

Taking out a pen and paper, he started to fill a form out, "Mr. Hawthorne is man of strongly conviction himself."

"You don't need to be so antagonistic. We want the same thing." he said.

Not looking up from his desk, "I want him to be happy. You want him to be a good dog."

He didn't need to look up to see the smirk on his muzzle, "Exactly. We want the same thing."

Jax went quiet and quickly finished it. He took it and half threw it at him, "Here is the report on how Sirius is doing, make your useful for a change and take it to the chief."

Taking it gently, "Don't you usually try to keep these out of my paws?"

Jax sighed, "And it hasn't worked, so might as well do away with the pretense. I need to go to the lockers and get ready for patrol."
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Re: Distant Starlight

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Absolutely loved it! I always look forward to new content from you!
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Re: Distant Starlight

Post by Leotamer »

Distant Starlight - Ripples

Elder Greenhoof looked his reflection in his lake. His pelt was shades of green and his antlers turned into wood and leaf by the guardian will. Occasionally, droplets of water would fall from the sky and disturb the water. This was the first time that it had rained against the will of the elders. It was rather concerning. It weighed heavily on his back, especially as he was supposedly in charge of the duty of controlling the rain. He had tried to dispel it, but for once, the sky didn't head his call. The birds had already began to spread rumors that he had caused this drizzle. While it is true that he wanted more rain, this pittance would hardly yield greener grass.

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Debbie desperately searched her room. When she returned home from celebrating New Year's, she checked her shoebox ready to place another quarter on the small horde. The pile of coins was untouched, but Draco had escaped. When she tried asking Abe about it, he had only vaguely remembered her getting the dragon figurine some time back, and only because she had insistently showed it to him. She had concerned asking him to join her search for him, or her asking her mom, but explaining it to either of them would be difficult when she didn't know what happening herself.

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Snow held a slab of some type of green crystal close to her chest. Normally she would be more skeptical of sudden turns of fortune like a magical device suddenly charging after being dead for months, however after the first few hours, it felt more like a cruel taunt than anything else so all is as it should. Holding it tighter, she taught, "SnowbellBelladonna02" and felt the tablet reverb meaning back to her, "I am sorry, but it seems like your username or password is incorrect. If you need a password reset, call our psychic hotline at ..." She set the tablet down. She rubbed her forehead, thinking that Bella could probably get into it, but that would require telling her that she still has it.
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