Stars

Long ago, there was a land without light and without stars, where a grotesque creature prowled within the shadows of the Great Forest. Here, a small village of people had survived for ages, living harmoniously among the trees and the foliage and the sky. This village had only two rules: don't leave the village alone, and don't go out during the night. These rules existed because of the people's fear of the monster that lurked just outside the village and the fact that there had been incidents with it before.

The first time that a person disappeared was three years ago, while they were on a hunting trip alone. Nobody knows for sure what happened to them only that their body lay outside the village the next morning, shredded to pieces. The next incident occurred the following year, when a small group of children wandered into the forest after the sun had set. Just like the last time, each of their corpses were placed outside of the village for the rest of the people to find once the sun had come up in the morning. Since the attacks happened once a year, all of the villagers anxiously waited and wondered who would be next.

Many suns later, a new body was found outside of the village, this time, it was the youngest son of the leader of the town. The previous night, many of the townspeople had heard a voice coming from the Great Forest, but were too afraid to even look out their windows. Near his body was a note written in the blood of the boy. On it was just one word. Sacrifice. The loss of yet another took a great toll on the town, especially the boy's older brother, and they decided that they had to put an end to this madness.

That evening the oldest brother slipped into the forest alone under the cover of darkness. The death of his kid brother had ignited a fire within him that wouldn't die until he had avenged him, and he wasn't going to let the town rules stop him. Using a torch to light his way, the oldest son followed the tracks of the creature that was doing the killing. It was difficult to do so because every so often the tracks would change from animal to animal, but the boy knew that it was the creature. The trees started to disperse as he came to a clearing near the Great Height, a cliff with a sheer drop. What he saw lying near the edge was no monster at all, but a human; or so he thought.

Approaching, the boy realized that it wasn't alive at all, but it was skin. It was as if a human had shed their skin like a snake. He immediately realized what had been doing all of the killings. In his younger years, he would listen to stories of witches that could take the form of any animal. These creatures, called Skinwalkers could also imitate any voice or sound, luring people out of the safety of their homes.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the beast slink towards him on all fours. Suddenly, the creature leaped towards the boy and slashed at him, leaving gaping claw marks in his chest. The next time that it jumped towards him, he moved to the side, sending the thing tumbling off of the cliff. The boy's injuries were too great, and he died on the cliff that night.

When the sun rose the next morning, all of the townspeople noticed that yet another person was missing, the other son of the leader. They checked outside of the village but his body was not there. Finally, his body was discovered.

That evening, the brothers bodies were burned together, and their ashes were put into a jar. All of the villagers walked silently through the forest towards the Great Height, where they released their ashes into the night sky. Legend has it that the boys' fraternal-love was so great that when their ashes were released into the sky, they sparkled and lit up the sky. To this day, if you look up, you can still see the ashes of the boys twinkling in the dark sky.