An Anthro's Tale

Final Preperations

Tess and I walked from the pizza place. The night sky was crystal clear and lit by million's of tiny stars and the full moon,which dominated the sky. The street lights glowed a soft orange,leaving small patches of darkness in between their influence. The traffic lights were changing from green,to yellow,to red,even though no cars were present. I always liked walking at night,I liked how everything was so peacefully,so serene. I liked how I could perk up my ears and lay in the dark,my scales giving me perfect cover in the dark as I listened to the sounds of the night around me. Tess and I followed the sidewalk which twisted through town,eventually coming to the park and my favorite place in town. The park had opened back in 2001 and ever since I was old enough I had always loved going there,that love hadn't changed over the years,or since I'd become an Anthro.

Tess and I walked off the sidewalk and into the grass the feeling of it on my paws was much preferred to the rough,hard concrete. Tess and I walked up the hill and lay at the base of a large tree and looked  up into the sky.

"What was it you wanted to show me sis?" I asked stretching out a bit.

"Stargazing",Tess said,"I'mma teach you how to do it."

"Stargazing?" I asked.

Tess streched a bit. "I did it a lot when I was on my own",she replied,"when ever I was out in the woods and the sky was clear,I'd roll onto my back and just stare at the stars,I always found it soothing."

She reached into the pocket of her military filed jacket,and M65 as Dad called it,and pulled up a folded piece of paper. She he handed it to me and I unfolded it,revealing a map of the night sky.

"I know the names of every constellation by heart",Tess said,she pointed into the sky,"look,there's Orion."

I looked where my sister was pointing and saw a half horse,half man hybrid holding a club and shield,or was it a bow and arrow?

"Pleiades",Tess pointed to a group of six,brightly shining stars.

"The north star",Tess said,"so named because it always points north."

"The big dipper." Tess pointed to a group of stars that closely resembled a giant ladle.

I folded up the map and handed it back to Tess,"How do you know all of this stuff sis?"

Tess took the map and put it back in her pocket.

"I spent a lot of time in and out of library's as a drifter,"she replied,"and I spent even more time in the sky,time was really all I had,so I made do with it,I know the names of all the star clusters and constellations by heart."

"Cool",I said yawning a bit.

Tess pushed herself up and held out her paw. "Lets get home before you fall asleep."

I took my sister's paw and she pulled me up. We walked down the hill and headed for home. Tess pointed out several more star groups on the way and we even saw a meteor shoot by,and that was cool. When we finally got home,Tess knocked on the door and Dad came to answer.

"Just before curfew",he joked,"you got lucky."

We laughed as we stepped inside. Tess hung her jacket on the hooks that lined the wall as I kicked off my sneakers and walked inside. Will and Taylor were playing Halo Five and James was sitting on the couch with his laptop in front of him and Mom was watching the news. Tess went to her room while I went upstairs and showered off. I quickly dressed and fell into bed,falling off minutes.

The next morning I woke to the smell of breakfast frying on the stove. Judging my the smell it was my favorite breakfast of eggs,sausage and bacon. I pulled on my shirt and a pair of cargo pants and slid down stairs. Breakfast was already done and everyone was helping themselves. I quickly grabbed a plate and took two eggs,piling on the usual toppings,two sausages and six pieces of bacon before sitting down at the table.