Aren't The Stars Beautiful Tonight?

Prologue

I opened my eyes to see the stars still glazed over the sky on a flower field. Jack recommended we spend some time in peace and enjoy ourselves here, so I went along. We tried falling asleep, but I guess I wasn't successful.

The stars—a beautiful sight in the forest. They speak such kind words and tell such fascinating stories, and yet remain...untold to the hearts of many. Why is that? I do not know. Maybe I'll never know, maybe someone will tell me. I wish my goat friend would tell me, but he himself does not know. Sometimes, I wonder, if life appreciates itself. If the gazelles and lions peer over the mountains together in peace and enjoy the summer sun. If the lizards and the butterflies play games in the brink of dawn. That's what I usually think about at night, as I stare at the stars.

Jack and I have been roaming the forest, looking for a home to settle in, but with no luck. There are badgers that look to harm us, and foxes to deceive us. So we stay to ourselves most of the time, trying to not be a bother. I sometimes talk about having other friends, but who can we trust in these dangerous woods? Jack believes there are some we can trust, but I tend to disagree.

I laid in the field for a good while, thinking about what we will eat and where we would go until the sun came up and Jack finally came to wake as the birds-of-Paradise sang us songs.

He struggles to get up out of exhaustion. I laughed, for this was usual of him. "What are you laughing at, Emilia? This fat guy?" Jack comedically asked.

I laughed even harder. "Oh come on, you're not that fat. It's just funny to see you struggle so often."

"I'm glad I can entertain you." He retorted as he finally sat up and stood beside me.

"Were you able to fall asleep last night?" Jack inquired of me.

"Yes, but I ended up waking up too early." I answer. He looks me in the eye with concern, saying, "I don't know why you can't sleep. Of all the years I've known you, you can never have a restful night sleep."

"But you can." I say, looking down.

Jack looked away for a moment and sat next to me. "Sometimes, you don't need to be anxious for the next day. Each day has it's own issues. Let's focus on the now and what we can do today."

I nodded in agreement, and he licked my cheek. I often think too much of the future; he knew that very well.

We sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the clouds in the sky. Then, I began picking flowers from the field.

"What are you doing?" he asked in confusion. I just smiled and said, "You'll see."

He sits in defeat. You see, I'm very good with my paws, so I create contraptions or beautiful things, but Jack being a goat, he can't do many things but think of science and such.

Several minutes passed, and I was finally finished with what I was making. "This is for you." I said to him, and placed them on his head. I adorned his horns with vines and other flowers.

"What is it?" He asked.

"A flower crown." I answered. He smiled and looked into my eyes. I grinned, and caressed his furry cheeks. He put his head against mine in a gentle manner, like how the walking water lizard falls onto a river. We separated our heads and looked into each other's eyes.

"The crown suits you." I compliment him.

"Thanks, I'm pretty sure I do." He replies, posing dramatically as if to be starring in a play. I roll around the field laughing hard. "Buahaha! Stop it, stop! I can't breathe!"

We leave the field and head towards the forest once again. He treads as I lay on his back, eating some berries we found on the way.

"Where do we look today? The Red Trees? The Four-Trees?" I ask, looking up at the sky. He thinks for a moment.

"I was thinking...maybe check by the Oasis river? There are some good areas for home building, food and water."

"Oooh, I'm down for food, but I don't think I've been there."

"That would make sense, you're from the other side of the forest."

So we made our way there. We passed through the valley, the plains and the hills. It wasn't too far, apparently, which was good for the both of us. I slept on the way there.

And then we arrived. The Oasis river. He told me it's called the Nomad's Garden because of how beautiful it is. I gush over the luxury.

"Jack, this is perfect! There aren't so many trees that cover the sky, there's moss and fungi...oh and look!" I pause, jumping towards a berry bush.

"A berry bush! My favorite." I snuggle up on the moss and lay on my back. Jack smiles.

"I knew you'd like it." I sit up to look around some more. And there it was—a shallow cave, not too far from the river.

"Jack, we could live over in that den. It looks free." I point out. We walked towards the tree, but Jack examined it first. He can't help but be careful.
Once he was done, he nodded that it was safe. So we began building our den. I collected shells, pebbles and tiny crystals to put around the home.

"How does this look, hun?" I asked. He turned over from making beds, and he nodded with a smile. "It's beautiful. Keep doing you."

I turned back to what I was doing. Once I finished adorning the den, I padded towards the berries and herbs. Once collecting them, I brought them to Jack. He finishes the bedding and I dig a storage hole for foods and other sorts outside. And then we were finished.

"I think this is all we have to do, right?" I ask him. "Yeah, unless you want to plant some squash or watermelon for us to eat." he jokingly replied. I nudge him.

"Come on, you know we can't do that." I say. He shrugs. Suddenly, he jumps into the water! He begins to bathe.

"Emilia, come and join me!" He shouted. I shook my head.

"I don't know, Jack, haven't been in the water for a while now..."

"It's okay, I got you." He instantly replied. I look up to see him splashing around and having fun. Doesn't look dangerous, I thought to myself. So I ran and made a big splash. The two of us continued to bathe.

However, this moment of peace does not last forever, for there is a Lion that roams around the forest, picking on whomever he chooses. With the two of us alone, we were defenseless.

Or so I thought.