The Stars Will Come

Chapter 9 - The Stars Are Coming

        I walked with Ryan for about twenty minutes, not finding a single source of water. I sat down on a rock and dropped my head into my hands.

        "I wish there was some water nearby. I'm so thirsty and I need to bring some back to Eden and Grift." I sighed. " We have to go back, Ryan. We might get lost if we continue moving farther away from Eden and Grift."

        I stood up and started walking back the way we had come. Ryan followed along behind me, when suddenly he barreled forward, almost knocking me to the ground.

        "Ryan! Where are you going!" I ran after Ryan. After going around a particularly wide tree, I almost fell into a river. Ryan sat at the edge of the river, lapping up some water.

        "Whoa, where did this come from? This was defiantly not here when we went through this part of the forest. Ryan, was it you?" I looked in amazement at the river then at Ryan. Ryan lifted his head and looked me in the eye. He blinked then returned back to drinking the water.

        I stumbled to the water and dropped down next to Ryan. I cupped some of water into my hands and raised it to my lips. I drank it in, savoring the wonderful taste. After gulping down some more handfuls, I looked around for something to carry the water in.

        "Ryan, do see a water bottle that might have been left behind by some campers?" I shifted through the leaves, finding nothing. I turned around to Ryan, half expecting him to produce something.

        He moved to the side, revealing an old canteen sitting on a rock. It was covered in dirt, but I was easily able to wash it off. I filled up the canteen, wondering at how it had magically appeared. I studied Ryan from the corner of my eye. He looked like any other male lion, golden colored with lots of fur.

        "Let's go, Ryan. We have to find some berries as well before going back to Eden. Hopefully, there are some berry bushes on the path that we walked along earlier, berry bushes that we mysteriously missed."

        This time Ryan walked in front of me, and soon enough, some berry bushes appeared from nowhere. I picked a few handfuls and put them in my pockets.

        By the time I had reached Eden and Grift, Ryan and I had passed seven rivers or streams and twenty-five berry bushes. It was the beginning of Autumn and berry bushes we growing almost instantly. There must have been an earthquake at some point while we were walking, that broke open the ground in certain places and caused new water sources. An earthquake that would have been impossible to miss.

        "Eden, I have had the most strangest walk of my entire life, and that is saying something. Eden... Eden... ?" Eden didn't raise her head. I walked over to where she was sitting and shook her gently. She then suddenly looked up at me and opened her mouth.

        "Ah... it's the child, the child of the Stars. I must warn you, They want you back. Run, hide. Take your followers and friends. Seek safety, before They arrive. Use your powers, they will help, but first you must learn them all. I see a day when you will be the most powerful of all Stars! But it's not a fixed point! You must win, child! Win and you will live on to be powerful. Pass the challenges and you may even meet the Right Ones. Heed my word, child of Stars. Listen and look up." Eden blinked a couple of times, her eyes unfocused. Once Eden was able to see again, she turned to look at me.

        "Oh! I must have fallen asleep. May? Are you alright? You look a bit sick." I waved her off.

        "I'll be fine. So... did you find anything interesting in my uncle's book?" I picked up the book from where Eden had dropped it when she had fallen asleep. Eden looked suspiciously at me, trying to catch my eye, but I looked at everything but her.

        "Hmm... Did I say something while I was asleep?" I turned around, refusing to look her in the eye.

        "No, do you want some water or berries? I found them while I was walking with Ryan." I pulled out a handful of berries and the canteen and turned back around. I forced them into Eden's hands, taking the book away from her at the same time.

        "Yes, thank you." Eden said quietly. "Are you going to read the book now?" I opened the book to the first page.

        "Yes, I'll be a while, so you might want to also take care of Grift. Give him some berries and water." I hurried over to a nearby tree and sat at it's base. Eden looked at me for a moment before turning to Grift.

        I sighed and started to read.