Silverlight Terrace With a front-row seat to watch you live your life well

Of course! Maia paused just long enough to plant a playful kiss on Hymnal's cheek, suddenly unable to resist it. She loved so much that her daughter was here with her, sharing her love of exploration, asking for stories and honestly enjoying their time spent together. It was something she'd never be able to take for granted. As much as she loved her own mother, Osprey had been sick for much of the time and there'd been days when she hadn't even been able to muster a story. Her dad had always simply said she was tired, but Maia had known it went deeper than that. She hadn't known depression had a name until after she left.

My dad didn't tell many stories, but he did talk about the stars. Your granddad believed that spirits of heroes lived up there, wolves from stories of great things who passed a long time ago. But Charon, King of the mountain, was a good friend of mine. He said the Moonspear stretched so high that it touched the land of the stars, and one time he showed me a piece of it. It was stone, just like the mountain itself. So we had a different story.

The sun hides it during the day, but at night, we can see into the realm of the star wolves. Some are spirits of wolves gone before but others are born there, and all of them can look down and see into our world too. They watch us, listen to our stories, and know us by them. Maia had told stories of certain star wolves before, and considered repeating it, but then an idea struck her. She loved it so much that it immediately became a part of the world they had built.

The two worlds don't mingle often, but sometimes, star wolves are given the opportunity to walk this world too, just like wolves here are given the choice when they die. Whenever you see a star fall, that's a star wolf whose spirit is being sent to see what this world is like. Nothing against her dad's old stories, but her version was better. She looked at the mountain again, thinking of Charon and remembering, and then looked at Hymnal.

That's why the stars are such good listeners. And why it's good luck, wishing on a shooting star. You never know if that wolf will hear the wish and help to answer it.