(in this world Moonwatcher did not get with Qibli, she got with Prince Winter, and had one egg, (with moon) named Starcaster, Female, Starcaster was born under 1 moon and had the power of Foresight fast forward 16 years to now...)
Starcaster hated her father.
She hated the way he smelled—like stale smoke and spilled liquor. She hated the way his voice curdled the air when he shouted, the way the cave walls seemed to shrink when he was angry. Most of all, she hated that her mother had chosen him.
Why not Qibli?
Her mother's oldest friend, her gentlest companion—he would've made her laugh, made her safe.
But safety wasn't what Moon had chosen.
And Starcaster would never understand why.
Her visions didn't help. They twisted like thorns around the truth, whispering hints she couldn't quite grasp. But even through the fog of her gift, one thing was clear:
Her mother had known what he was.
Why, Mother? Why him?
Maybe her father had raised his voice.
Maybe he'd raised his claws, once.
Maybe he muttered to things that weren't there and stared too long into the fire like he saw something waiting for him inside it.
And maybe—on cold nights, with the wind howling through the mountains—Starcaster had packed her things in silence, ready to disappear.
But her mother always stopped her.
Always.
"Mother?" Starcaster's voice trembled slightly as she stood in the cave's entrance.
Moon turned, half-lit by dying embers. "Yes, dear?"
Starcaster swallowed. "Why didn't you end up with Qibli?"
Silence.
A long one.
Moon's eyes flickered, distant. Not surprised. Not angry. Just... tired. As if the question had lived in her bones far longer than Starcaster had.
She didn't answer.
She didn't have to.
Starcaster felt the answer tighten in her chest like a secret no one had ever dared speak aloud.
She turned without another word and padded into her cave. The cold stone felt harder than usual beneath her claws. She began packing slowly, quietly, her wings trembling.
She wiped her eyes.
Just until midnight, she thought.
Then I'll be gone.
Gone from the silence.
Gone from the lies.
Gone before whatever haunted her father decided to look for someone else.
That night, Starcaster slipped away under the cover of darkness, leaving behind her conflicted mother and terrible father. Pantala—the distant, glittering world on the far side of the planet—called to her, but it was too far. Instead, she set her wings East, just beyond the borders of the Mud Kingdom.
She whispered a silent goodbye to Possibility, the town she had called home, and soared into the night sky.
When dawn broke, she found herself resting beneath the towering pines near Jade Mountain Academy. The forest was quiet except for the rustle of leaves and the occasional snap of twigs underfoot. Starcaster caught a few squirrels and a rabbit, her belly growling in thanks. She settled beside a slow-moving river and slept until the sun was high, her wings folded protectively around her.
Mother is probably freaking out by now, she thought with a small, bitter smile.
That evening, food was scarce. While crouching low, eyes sharp, she whispered in frustration, "Stay still, damn rabbit." To her shock, the rabbit froze—completely still.
What the moons? She poked it gently with her talon. Nothing. Then, daring to test, she said softly, "Do a flip."
The rabbit flipped—a perfect little flip—and then sat back down, frozen again.
"What in the moons..." Starcaster muttered. Is this rabbit enchanted? Or... am I the one?
Suddenly, realization hit like a lightning strike.
HOLY MOONS, I HAVE ANIMUS MAGIC.
Animus magic? Me? Starcaster's mind raced. Her grandfather—Morrowseer—was brother to Aunt Sunny's father, Stonemover, an Animus dragon. That meant the power ran in her bloodline. She had it.
Excited and curious, she tried another test. "Hop twice on one foot if I'm an Animus."
The rabbit complied—two perfect hops.
Her heart hammered. But then a sudden rustle in the trees made her jump back. A flash of crimson scales tumbled out, a dragon shimmering like molten rubies.
"Oh crap, sorry!" he stammered as he stumbled into her.
Their eyes met for a brief, electric moment. Then, as if struck, Starcaster was overwhelmed by a vision—fragments of a future tangled with this mysterious dragon.
"H-Hello, uh... what's your name?" he asked nervously.
"Starcaster," she replied cautiously. "You?"
"R-Ruby," he said, cheeks glowing deeper red.
Starcaster grinned, unable to resist a tease. "Well, you do look like one." She quickly looked away, cheeks warming.
"W-Well, I should get going... uh, yeah. Bye!" Ruby stammered, then took off into the trees, wings beating a swift rhythm.
A whisper inside Starcaster told her she'd see Ruby again—soon, maybe sooner.
As Ruby vanished into the twilight, Starcaster smiled and turned back to her hunt. Night fell, and a small hurricane began to swirl on the horizon, the wind whipping leaves and dust into a frenzied dance.
"Well, would you look at that—a baby hurricane," she murmured with a chuckle. "Guess I'm sleeping through this one."
That night, as the storm raged outside, Starcaster dreamed vivid visions—glimpses of a new life, fierce and wild, as a dragon no longer tied down, but free.
YOU ARE READING
The Stars of Power
Adventure(in this world Moonwatcher did not get with Qibli, she got with Prince Winter, and had one egg (with moon), named Starcaster, Female, Starcaster was born under 1 moon and had the power of Foresight fast forward 16 years to now...)
