Heart Of A Crystal

Chapter One : The Stray

Buster stared at the traffic light in front of him. The city's ambiance slowly faded out of his mind as his thoughts consumed him. 'What have you gotten yourself into Buster Moon?' He thought to himself. 'Becoming the foster parent of a 16-year-old gray wolf?! She hasn't spoken since her father's trial. I can't say I blame her. I know he was a bad man, but he was still her father. I wonder what the dynamic was before all of this? Before I let my ambitions ruin this young wolf's life?! She had everything she could ever want! A guaranteed successful future for sure. But now... no, she just has a suitcase and a lifetime of memories..'

"Uhm," Porsha's gentle voice broke his train of thought, "Mr. Moon, the light is green."

Buster looked up to see the green light, and the city's ambiance came back all at once. The angry driver behind him blasted his horn, "Hey stupid! Green Means Go!!!"

"Right, Sorry!" Buster called out as he drove through, continuing on to his apartment. "So, got everything you need from your old place?" He could hear the awkwardness in his voice, but small talk was all he could think of to try and break the ice.

Porsha took a break from staring out her window to answer him with a simple nod.

"Right, awesome. Bell City has so much to offer! Fun parks, close to the beach, shopping centers, and of course the best theater." He paused in a moment of fear, remembering when Jimmy threw him off the stage set, "And no more reminders of the Crystal Empire." His words faded away as he finished his sentence. Remembering the terror, he felt that night and every time after he saw Mr. Crystal's face. He swallowed hard and held up his head, 'I'll be a better guardian/parent than you've ever been, Jimmy! Mark my words.'

"Porsha, I know this must be hard for you, but leaving everything behind in Red Shore City is the best decision. The farther away you can get from Mr. Crystal, the better."

Porsha turned back to look out her window again, "Can we not talk about my dad." Her voice quivered as she held back tears for her father. Her hurt ran deep, remembering his last words to her, 'Why doesn't he love me?! Am I really the reason mom left us?' Her thoughts tormented her as she watched the beachfront pass by her window.

He looked over at the hurting wolf, "Yeah... I, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." He trailed off again as he focused on the road. 'I have to do better than that, Buster Moon. She's hurting, be there for her. But what does being there for her look like?...'

The rest of the drive was relatively quiet and uneventful. They arrived back at his apartment around 9 p.m.

After a quick tour of the apartment, they parted ways for the night, and both went to their rooms.

Porsha opened the door to her new room, taking in all the unfamiliar scents. The white walls and basic furniture were nothing like she was used to. She walked over to her window and opened it to let the city air in. It had a bit of an ocean smell to its freshness, perhaps a little bit better than the familiar scent of Red Shore City's musk.

She set her suitcase aside as she turned down the sheets to her new bed. Not bothering to change clothes, she climbed in and curled up in the sheets hugging her pillow. A single tear fell from her eye and rolled down her face as she began to softly cry into her pillow. Profoundly missing the life that was taken from her, she wondered if she'd ever be loved again. She left behind no friends in Red Shore City, and her father was the only family she had. "I'm a stray.." She cried to herself, hugging her pillow tighter.

Lost in her thoughts, she soon fell asleep to start reliving the nightmares she's had for weeks.