Starscape

Chapter 4

Aaron sat atop his favorite floating island and stared up at the evening sky. This was his favorite time of the day; when the sky was alight with colors of orange and purple. He breathed in deeply, taking in the cool air. He watched Zeus, the blue gas giant, loom over Aurora, as well as the neighboring moons. Aaron exhaled and looked down at his bandaged arms, remembering the events of that day, so long ago. He was 13 years old, six years had passed since he landed on this planet. He was pulling at his bandages when he heard a rustle in the fauna behind him. Confusion swept over him. The island was more than 50 feet above the ground. How did another animal, besides a bird, get up here? He stood and turned towards the bushes, spear in hand. He crept forward on shaky legs as sweat beaded on his forehead. Aaron was barreled to the ground by something small and furry. The wind was knocked out of him momentarily and he raised up to see Juno sitting on his stomach.
"Gotcha again! Hahaha! You fall for it every single time, Aaron!" She giggled and rolled off him.
"Juno! I hate when you do that." He tried to look angry, but giggles soon escaped his lips and he laughed along with her.
"I'll get you back! Just you wait and see, you'll regret everything."
"Yeah sure!" Juno ruffled Aaron's red hair playfully; which earned her a mock glare.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Aaron watched her pull off her small backpack and take out a bundle of cloth. She unwrapped it, and revealed an assortment of scones with snapple pear jelly. She handed him one.
"Don't tell Perseus! I snuck these out of his cave." She laughed through mouthfuls of scone. Aaron nodded and bit into the pastry. These were his absolute favorite; he loved the sweet taste of the jelly and the flaky bread. He wiped his hands free of the crumbs and stood up.
"We should probably head back. You know how Perseus can be when we aren't back in time." Aaron threw on his own bag and grabbed his spear.
"Yeah, I wish we could stay out a little longer though. I think we're old enough!" Juno stood and crossed her arms in a pout.
"Maybe one day, Jun. Come on!" Aaron walked towards the edge of the island and looked down. The ground was far below them, but the height didn't bother in the least. He located a rope attached to a tree and walked over to it. He picked it up in his hand and felt the worn texture of it. He pulled; checking to make sure it was safe to use.
"You first, Juno." He held the rope out to her. She nodded and took it in her paws. She crawled on her belly towards the edge and slowly began to make her way down. After she had gone a good distance, Aaron grabbed the rope and followed after her. It took about 5 minutes to reach the ground, and when he did he opened and closed his aching hands from the decent. Aaron looked around at his surroundings. They were in a dense forest with twisting trees that had huge leaves. Their trunks dripped with a sweet sap that Juno often used for baking treats. The forest floor was dark from the shadows cast by the trees, and the fact that the sun had most likely gone down. But there was no problem navigating back home, for the forest was alight with small luminescent bugs that glowed in various colors. Juno was bouncing off the trees excitedly, and rolled in the grass. She laughed when she disturbed the insects as they flew into the air in a massive cloud of light. Aaron laughed along with his companion as they walked home. The forest soon thinned out into a large rolling plain. Even though they left the forest, the bugs were still present; lighting their way home. As they walked the plain gave way to a small mountain range overlooking one of the huge lakes that dotted the surface of the moon. The closer they got the more they could see the light coming from a large cave opening on the side of a cliff. Juno ran ahead, and Aaron stayed close behind her. Perseus was sitting in the cave opening watching them approach. The escape pod was situated near the lake shore, its lights gleaming in the night air. The ship had remained on all these years, drawing energy from the sun with its solar panels. Aaron spent most of his time aboard that ship, reading books from the expansive library, and fiddling with the many controls and switches the ship contained. A deep grumble sounded from the cave as they approached. Perseus lowered his head down and stared at the two young friends.
"I told you both about getting here before sundown." He watched them dip their heads in apology. Aaron looked up at the ancient beast before him. Perseus had raised him and Juno together since he landed here. He saw Perseus as a guardian; someone who would always be there for him. He dipped his head again.
"We're sorry Perseus. We were watching the stars and the time got away from us." Aaron felt Juno's paw take his hand and he squeezed in response. Perseus sighed deeply.
"It's alright. Both of you, retrieve your suppers and go to your rooms. You are grounded for the rest of the night." Juno and Aaron both groaned in unison. Before the two could protest, Perseus turned and made his way into the cave. Aaron and Juno followed close behind. The cave opened up into a large room with three passages branching off into different directions. Perseus went down the passageway located in the back of the cave. Juno jumped over to a large table in the middle of the room. Shelves with scrolls decorated the walls, along with a few books from the escape pod. Juno had fixed herself a plate of vegetables and berries, as well as a piece of Star Caribou. Aaron wasn't hungry and avoided the food entirely. Juno looked at him with mild concern.
"Are you going to eat?"
"No, I'm not hungry." Aaron propped his spear against the table.
"Do you wanna have a sleepover tonight?" Aaron looked up at the question. Juno had a large grin on her face.
"Perseus said we sleep in our own rooms tonight." Aaron crossed his arms.
"He's already asleep! Come on." Juno took his hand and lead him to his room. Aaron sighed and laid his bag down on the cave floor. His room wasn't very exciting. The walls were covered in shelves that contained random items he had found on the planet, including a few scrolls and books. His bed was located in the back. The bed was actually a mattress taken from the escape pod. He had dragged it in here with the help of Juno. The bed was a queen size and had two pillows on it along with a lot of covers. Aaron plopped onto the bed, completely exhausted. Juno sat on the floor and ate her meal before setting the plate on a shelf. Aaron's eyes were closed and he was under one layer of cover. He heard shuffling but didn't bother to opened his eyes. Juno had climbed a shelf over his bed and was flapping her tiny wings. She jumped and cannonballed right on top of Aaron. It took every ounce of strength in him not to scream out.
"Juno, what the heck??" He pushed her off and rubbed his stomach. Juno was a jumble of fur a giggles.
"I love irritating you! It's so much fun!" She giggled and laid next to him. She got under all the cover and turned to look at him.
"Aaron, will we always be best friends?" Aaron looked at her.
"Of course, why wouldn't we be?" Juno fluffed her pillow, keeping her eyes down.
"I don't know. Just a thought I guess" Juno laid her head down with a small sigh. Aaron turned and faced the wall. He closed his eyes and thought to himself. Memories of the crash flashed through his mind and his pulse quickened. His train of thought was broken when he heard a snore escape from Juno. He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling with a heavy sigh. Another sleepless night.