It was dark and Mirae should have been asleep. Instead, she was sitting just outside the den staring up at the stars alongside Star, who was naming all of the constellations that she knew about (apparently her own parents had taught her the names of the stars). Iaeratu didn't know if what she was saying was true, but Mirae was thrilled at the information.
“How do you know all of these stars?” Mirae demanded. Iaeratu, Shae, Star and herself were all lying on their backs in the grass, staring up at the night star. It had taken some convincing to get Iaeratu to join them, but Mirae was very convincing. And loud.
Iaeratu was half asleep at the time as well, so lying down was fine.
“My parents used to tell me about them,” Star explained. “When I was younger, I never knew who my parents were. I just remembered falling, and that I was alone, and all I could see around me was stars. When I was found by my new parents, I assumed I had been a fallen star. I wanted so much to not feel alone, so the stars above me became my family. Slowly, as I grew up, I realised that my family weren't in the sky but around me, and I grew to love those who took care of my. My father’s den is nearby, in fact, I was on my way to see him when I stumbled upon you.”
“You thought you were a star?” Iaeratu sounded like she wanted to laugh.
Star huffed. “I was a cub.”
Iaeratu snickered to herself but said no more. Mirae, after all, was fascinated.
“That’s amazing,” Mirae whispered. “I don’t know my parents either. Do you think I’m a star too?” She sounded so eager and optimistic.
Shae looked saddened at the idea, but she patted Mirae’s paw. “You’re the brightest star in the sky, darling,” Shae assured her softly.
Star smiled gently. “You have family around you already, little one. You don’t need the stars to be your family,” she pointed out.
Mirae smiled. “That’s true! I have Shae, and Iaeratu now, and you!”
Iaeratu rolled her eyes. “You are really quick to adopt people,” she pointed out but didn’t deny her own connection with the offspring. She had no cubs of her own, and she had rescued the cub. Surely that meant that she was responsible for her.
Star chuckled. “She’s a cub, they have the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen,” she pointed out and smiled.
"Can we go see your father?" Mirae asked curiously.
Star looked surprised but nodded. "Of course, Papa loves visitors."
"Can I call him Grandpapa?"
Iaeratu groaned and rolled her eyes. Shae laughed and Star merely smiled. "Of course, he'd love that."
"Yay!" Mirae giggled, and pawed at Star. "Keep going! Tell me more about the stars!"
Star obeyed the small cubs commands with the patience of a saint, and Iaeratu was simply glad it was not on her to entertain the boisterous club. Loud cub was loud.
[WC: 508]
