The pain drained away as I slowly opened my eyes. The sight of dried grass illuminated by the red glow of a heat lamp greeted me. How am I alive? I should be dead! I deserve to be dead! I slowly lifted my head.

Strangely, I felt like I had more dark magic than I had when I fell asleep. Did I somehow recover magic while I slept?

"Hoshi!" Saki grabbed me in a hug and buried her face in my fur. "Dwont ware ee wike thwat!"

"What?" I blink and look down at her.

She lifted her face off of my neck, then moved her head until my gold eyes met with her silver ones from beneath her new tan hat. "Don't scare me like that!" She scolded. "You looked like you were dying!" She paused, then increased the strength of her hug as she continued in a whispered voice, "did you have a nightmare?"

"A what?" I blinked at the unfamiliar word.

"A bad dream." She explained in a hushed whimper.

I scoffed, "monsters don't dream, so no, I didn't have a nightmare." I looked away. I dream, or at least I have dreamed a few times. If this was a dream, then it's the third time it's happened, the second night in a row since I rebelled. I winced at the last word of my thoughts.

I stood to my feet, which forced Saki to release me. "Now, I've left you in a safe place; I'm going now."

"I'm going with you!" Saki stated. "I'm going to learn how to fight monsters with you and save the world!"

I glared slightly at the older woman with flattened ears. "I did not allow you to care for her just for you to fill her mind with foolish ideas."

"She came up with this on her own," the woman was not intimidated by my stare, "and refused to listen to reason."

"I listened!" Saki defended herself, "I don't want to do that! I can be a hero with Hoshi!"

"I killed your parents; why do you trust me this much?" I demanded, "I'm a monster! Not some caretaker!"

"That was before—!" Saki cut herself off.

"Before what?" I demanded, but the child refused to answer. She's hiding something from me. Why can't she stay here, where it's safe, and not make stupid decisions? I mentally growled as I looked down at the small humanoid. "Fine, but I'm teaching you magic whether you like it or not."

"Deal!" Saki offered a hand, then lowered it as I eyed the hand in slight confusion. "When do we start?"

"Now." I moved to exit the stall.

"Wait, I can't let either one of you go without any supplies." The woman raised a hand in front of my snout.

I snorted but obeyed and angrily sat down while she continued to speak. I need to get away from here before I attract more monsters.

"Stay until I can gather up supplies for both of you. I'm not going to let a child go live who-knows-where without a bag for food and a blanket. You also need a harness if she is going to ride you, especially flying."

"I'm not wearing a harness," I snort, "absolutely not."

"It won't be bad." She assured me, but I didn't believe her. "I'll make you a harness Saki can slip onto you only when she needs it."

I huffed, then walked back to the center of the stall and settled back under the warmth of the lamp. "Fine then, go make preparations. I'll be here." I could already feel boredom setting in. Perhaps I could restore more of my magic levels if I slept while they did whatever they planned to do. My stomach growled, but I ignored it.

"Mrs. Hanna, could we bring Hoshi some food?" Saki looked up to the elder Stellan. "I heard his tummy grumble."

"I'm fine," I snort, "don't waste your resources on me." I spread my wings slightly to absorb more of the warmth from the heat lamp.

Saki crossed her arms and pouted.

Mrs. Hanna bent down to be closer to Saki's level. "Why don't you go into the house and pick out a blanket you like, and bring the first aid kit out here so I can change your friend's bandages?"

"Ok!" Saki grinned and nodded, then skipped across the wooden floors and out of the barn.

When she was gone, Mrs. Hanna looked at me. "You're an interesting case," she hummed. "She calls you "star" in the old language, though I doubt she knows your name is from the ancient language." She paused and contemplated her words. "Star dragon, an interesting name for a monster."

"And you are a Stellan." I huff. Now that I was close to her, I could tell that though she tried to hide it, her magic was strong.

"Why have you stopped destroying and killing?" She asked

"I killed a deer yesterday," I snorted, "I have not stopped."

"Then why won't you kill Saki, or me, for that matter? I've never heard of or seen a monster that can choose as you do. So why won't you kill?" She calmly leaned against the wall.

"I don't know!" I growled and rose to my feet, then spread my wings as far as the confined space would allow. The old Stellan stumbled but managed to catch herself on the short wall that separated the stall from the center of the barn. "I get it; I'm defective! I'm a monster that can't do what Master made him for!" I snarl, then fold my wings to my side as I laid down with my back to the woman.

"Do you know why we call ourselves Stellans?" The wood creaked slightly as the woman leaned against the short wall.

I outwardly ignored her, but internally, I listened. I didn't want to hear her story, but the small voice in my head implored me to listen, even if I later found the information worthless or not.

"Our ancient ancestors looked to the stars for guidance. They lead us to these lands, where they have been our haven from those that once persecuted us. We believe that the souls of our ancestors become stars, the ones who have done something extraordinary become constellations." She paused, then inhaled and exhaled before she continued. "You should be her guide and protector, just as the stars once guided and protected us."

I snorted, "I'm a monster, not a protector. I destroy and kill. You are the one that is supposed to be the protector and keep Saki here, safe from danger."

"You should see what your actions reflect. You've already protected Saki once, and perhaps you can help us end—ah, Saki, thank you." The woman quickly shifted the topic as the pitter-patter of Saki's feet as she ran down the hallway towards us.

I lifted my head in time to see Saki grinned and excitedly offered hand a painted white metal box to Mrs. Hanna.

"Now, I'm going to show you how to wrap wounds." The older Stellan approached me with Saki at her heels as she opened the white box. She reached in and pulled out a pair of scissors. "First, we have to cut off the old bandages."

I warily watched as she used the scissors to slice the bandages that wrapped around my paws. I had multiple cuts on the fronts of my forelegs, and my fur was stained brown with dried blood all around them. However, the wounds seemed to be already half-healed.

"Now," she pulled out a cloth, then walked over to a curved metal pump outside the stall. She lifted a handle and pumped it a few times, and clean water soon burst from the pipe. She rinsed the rag, then returned to my side. "You need to clean the wound with clean water."

She pressed the rag into the cut, and it hurt. "Hey!" I barked as I jerked my leg away from her. Even with the cloth gone, the wound still stung.

"It's just water; it's going to sting, but someone as big and strong as you should be able to take it." Mrs. Hanna's voice was calm, but I could hear the taunting challenge in her tone.

I growled but did not resist as she pulled my paw back towards her. I solely focused on keeping myself from lashing out in pain to the point I failed to perceive Mrs. Hanna's instructive words.

I winced and growled as she once again began to clean the dried blood off of my wound. It still stung, but eventually, I became numb to the feeling, even as she moved to the other wounds on my back and my other foreleg.

With each painful twinge, my frustration and anger boiled within me, but I kept it in, even as the Stellan worked on the gash on my chest. I remained tense, and a growl escaped my throat. I need to destroy something. Not a Stellan... something else. I flexed my claws and shredded some of the hay, but the flimsy straw was not enough to satisfy my dark urges.

As the woman finished wrapping my final wound, I sensed a source of dark magic. Perfect. I need an outlet. I burst to my feet, which startled the old Stellan, but she caught herself before she stumbled and fell. "I'm going out." Anger dripped from my tone, and neither Stellan dared to argue with me as I made my way out of the wooden structure.

It's close. My hunger for magic consumed my focus as I spread my wings and jumped into the air. Though my wing was still a bit sore, it was functional. I glided in a circle as I pinpointed the source as its power grew. When I located the swirling black portal, I dove towards it.

I need to save my magic for when I need it most. I summoned a bit of my magic to surround my claws and slashed the first monster into a magic mist the second it arrived. That felt... good.

I looped around and absorbed as much of the magic as I could in my swift second pass before more monsters arrived. And it will sustain me. Already, I could feel my anger drain away, and the guilt of killing never arose.

Another monster emerged from the portal and narrowly avoided its death by my magic-tipped claws. The fox creature bounded away with sparks dancing down its golden fur, then wordlessly faced me.

I eyed it but kept a part of my focus on the still-open portal. A black bird with a long beak swooped through the swirling magic gate, and I rolled out of the way as it tried to stab me with its sharp spear-like beak. Thankfully, the portal closed, but I still had to fight both of these monsters.

The fox bolted into the golden grain fields toward the town. Before I could pursue it, the bird demanded my attention as it screeched and once again attempted to impale me with its beak.

With a growl, I retaliated with a swipe of my claws, but the magical tips barely scraped across the bird's back. It screamed in pain and briefly careened towards the ground but did not shatter into mist as I had hoped. You're not getting away that easily. Infuriated, I dove after the feathered fiend as it regained control of its flight. Just as it stabilized, my jaws grabbed the being's neck.

It shattered into magic dust; I greedily absorbed as much as I could before I chased the electric fox monster.

It ran faster than I can fly. Thankfully, it ran in a zig-zag pattern that allowed me to catch up to the speedy monster. However, it left a trail of electrified grain in its wake that prevented me from getting too close.

I'm going to have to use my armor to protect myself from electrical magic. A growl escaped my throat. I don't want to waste magic for such a small beast, but I will.

Despite my reservations, I summoned the rest of my armor and dove upon the beast with my enhanced claws. The fox narrowly escaped my grasp as slammed into the earth and winced as the electricity stung through my armor. I don't want to know what that would feel like without my armor. I need a new plan. This monster is too fast for me to catch.

I rose to my feet and glared as I once again took to the skies. I spotted the monster because of the distinctive trail it left. I blasted a bit of magic in front of its path as I dove.

This time, its brief hesitation was enough for me to hit it, and the monster died in an explosion of dirt, grain, and dark magic.

I reabsorbed my magical armor along with the dark magic, then winced as a bit of the fox's remaining elemental magic stunned me. Thankfully, it was not strong enough to burn my fur, but the static still raced through my body.

I caught my breath, then lifted myself off of the ground with a single beat of my wings. Panicked voices reached my ears, and I glanced towards the town. Too close. Mobs of people swarmed through the field towards my previous location, which was only a few plots away from the edge of the village.

I can't lead them back to Saki. I stunned myself with how much I cared as I dodged a blunt shovel hurled towards me. As I increased my altitude, I focused on the forest and sped towards it, leaving the running villagers far behind me.

I flew above the trees for several moments, then dove into the canopy and landed on a sturdy tree trunk. I should move back towards Mrs. Hanna's farm but stay in the woods, at least until nightfall. I jumped from tree to tree until I was on the ground, then began to walk at a swift pace towards the part of the forest closest to Mrs. Hanna's farm. Once I found a suitable tree, I climbed it and hid among the leaves.

Now, to wait.

Author Notes!

See? No death! Do you trust Hanna? What do you think Hoshi should do?