This is a bit of an idea I had recently for some characters and how they might work. They're rare, but they all have the same kind of appearance (that you'll know after reading this). These characters will probably show up in many of my other stories to offer guidance, help, or advice. They are stars. I'd explain it here, but my idea for this has the star explain it all himself. So sit back, enjoy the ride, and we'll hope this all makes some kind of sense at the end.

   Luck clearly felt something was coming. It showed in her movements, her racing mind, the sharp looks she gave everything, and the repeated glances at the ceiling or sky. She prowled around with a suspicious gait, jumping at the slightest sound.

   Will was the first to notice and he quickly told Kate that something was wrong. When prompted by Kate, Luck couldn't put into words, or signs rather, what she felt. The most they got out of her was 'Like a rumble, but silent. From the sky.'

   "Could I enter your mind to see what you mean?" Kate asked, her expression confused and curious.

   Luck's eyes widened and she hissed. 'No!' she signed emphatically. 'Once was enough. I am sorry, my friend, but I cannot let you.'

   Kate bowed her head in a respectful nod. "Of course. I understand."

   Suddenly, Luck straightened. Before either Will or Kate could react, she leaped between the two. She changed as she moved, her arms changing into large black dragon wings and pushing her toward the roof at dangerous speeds.

   Will shouted after her. He pulled off his dark sunglasses in preparation for a fight, squinting against the bright sun.

   A silver streak caught their eyes in the darkening sky. Luck was pointed directly at the streak, fully dragon now. Two shapes, one small and silver while the other was large and black, collided in a tangle of movement. A moment later, Luck was gliding down toward the ground with something glowing and silver in her claws.

   Luck carefully deposited a tall man dressed in white on the driveway. She shifted back into human form the moment her feet touched the ground. She knelt next to the man as Will and Kate rushed over.

   On closer inspection, the man was taller than Kate had originally thought. He was at least seven and a half feet tall. His skin was pure white and glowed faintly, his hair was shimmering silver, and his clothes were pure white with a few tears from Luck's claws.

   Luck stood up and paced around them. She looked agitated, but ignored both Will and Kate when they asked if she was alright. Her form shifted and distorted as she moved, slowly adding or removing different parts. This happened when she was distracted and upset, her body couldn't decide if she wanted to change forms or not so it randomly altered her.

   Kate reached into the strange man's mind to rouse him. She was careful to avoid looking into his memories, but couldn't help noticing the feeling of vastness. Whoever he was, he held more memories than the three of them combined.

   The man jerked into a seated position at the touch of Kate's mind. A protective shield of solid thought surrounded his own mind. He studied them carefully with eyes that were almost the exact reverse of human eyes. Kate looked away from the odd gaze, unsettled by the pure black with a white pupil in the center. His eyes were wide and narrow, like those of an elf. His chin was pointed and all of his other features seemed to angle toward the center of his face.

   "I am too late," he said, struggling to his feet. "I had hoped for more time." He looked exhausted and weak now that he was conscious.

   Luck crouched, ready to pounce. "What do you mean 'too late'?" she hissed. Her singsong voice cut through the brief silence, startling Kate. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

   The man turned to Luck, obviously thinking she was the leader. He bowed respectfully, touching one hand to his forehead and the other to his chest. "Noble wolf, I am Rigel of the Stars. I am simply here to fulfill the duty of all Stars, to escape our own death for the briefest of times."

   Kate opened her mouth to speak, but when Rigel turned his gaze to her she closed it again. She couldn't think straight. A star escaping death? What did he mean? But, naturally, she couldn't put her thoughts into words.

   Thankfully, Luck kept her head, even as the other two tried to figure out what was being said. "Why are you escaping death? Should we be concerned for our own safety?"

   Rigel chuckled weakly and sat down hard on the steps leading to the door. "You are quite safe, noble wolf. The death is my own, it belongs to no one else. My star has died, I can only come where its light still shines. This is the last place I had time to travel to. Regrettably, I will not survive more than a few hours."

   Rigel looked up at the sky, where the stars were starting to appear in the darkness. Luck walked over and sat next to him in silence. Again, Kate started to ask something, but Luck shot her a warning look. 'He will speak in time,' her hands signed quickly.

   Rigel turned his gaze to Orion. He glowed brighter in the darkness, but it flickered unsteadily. "Humans give us our names you know," he said. "We hear them name our stars, and thus name us. We know the constellations that they assign us to. I was lucky to get a name and not a number. It gets difficult to remember the names of some Stars. I, myself, am from Orion. I am the seventh brightest star to be seen on Earth."

   Luck too looked up, listening in silence as she always did. Kate and Will sat down nearby, also looking up. They all felt that this Rigel needed to speak to them and that they needed to listen. None knew why.

   Rigel's glow faded a bit more as one of the brightest stars in Orion grew brighter. "When the light fades I'll be gone," he said, his voice more strained now. "If I had been faster I might have had years here. Some Stars are lucky enough to reach Earth hundreds of years before their light fades. I took my time coming, I was curious about the space away from my star."

   The star grew brighter and Rigel clenched his fists, his breathing growing quick. Luck touched his shoulder. "Is there anything we can do to stop it?" she asked, her bright green eyes filled with concern and a bit of fear.

   Rigel shook his head slowly, his eyes drooping. "N-no... There's nothing... you can do."

   A look of determination crossed Luck's face. "If you are going to die, we need to give you the rights of explorers."

   All three turned to Luck in confusion. She blushed and stood. "It is a custom among lone wolves. No death may come anywhere but under a tree." Without bothering to ask, she hauled Rigel to his feet.

   Rigel slumped against Luck, he was barely glowing now. His silver hair was now a muted grey. Kate and Will started to follow, but Luck shook her head. She half dragged Rigel across the open field to the large tree next to the pond. She lay him down against the tree.

   Rigel reached up and rested his hand on Luck's head as she shifted into a white wolf. "Thank you, noble wolf. I wish I could say that you will be remembered by the Stars, but I am too weak to send them a message."

   Luck lowered her head slightly. Rigel's hand slid down her long muzzle and fell to the ground. She whined quietly and huffed a breath on his chest. Rigel smiled. "Perhaps there is something I can do..."

   Rigel reached up again, this time with great difficulty and touched one finger between Luck's eyes. She forced herself to hold still, looking into his black eyes. Rigel's breath left him in a long sigh. What remained of the pale glow slid up his body and down his arm to the finger between Luck's eyes.

   "Go with speed, noble wolf," Rigel murmured. "Fly with grace. Remember the Stars."

   Luck shivered as the pale glow was absorbed into her fur. She felt it trail through her before returning to her head and curling around her brain. She felt Rigel's knowledge and flashes of memory in it.

   Rigel's hand fell again. The white dots in the centers of his eyes vanished. His glow was completely gone. Overhead, the brightly flaring star in Orion went dark.

   Luck turned her head up to the sky and howled. The final sendoff of the wolves. Sorrow, darkness...

  Peace.

Please let me know if that made any kind of sense. If you have any questions I'm happy to answer them. I feel like I missed some things in explaining how everything works.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. I have a few more short stories in the works (one of them is going to be really long. Like, longer than this.) I'm hoping to write a part in one of my novels pretty soon.

Until next time, may the speed force be with you!