• Terra clutched the handle of her star net as she walked among the many other children, weaving around the merchants' tents and the many parents. Nervously looking up, she saw that years' stars, bursting with sweet Star Pieces. She waved to her friend, Joan, who was trying to untangle the web of her net. Joan looked up and smiled, but quickly returned to the tangled mess.
    Maybe I should go help her out, she thought, but as soon as the thought popped into her head all the knots came undone and Joan went sprawling backwards onto her rump. Terra let out a laugh and advanced up a small hill leading to Lunar Forest. Her mind was set on getting to Sun Pool.
    That's where the sweetest ones land. She stopped at the gate of the forest and gazed up at the sky. Cerberus, the triple star, was certain to crumble tonight. And perhaps Leo would also. What a shame it was, for such beautiful, big stars to come crumbling down.
    Terra gazed up at the protostar, Swana, and smiled dimly.
    Let's hope there are more protostars this year to replace the older ones, she thought. Stars had been becoming a bit scarcer lately. What if they all crumble and none of them are reborn? She thought with a gasp. She quickly pushed the thought to the back of her mind and ran through the open gate into Lunar Forest. It was nearly black as pitch. The cool, dark canopy loomed over her in an eerie, creeping sort of way. What could these trees be thinking? What have they seen in their lifetimes?
    There was a small very dim light at the end of the looping, twisting trees. Terra felt something furry, and warm brush against her leg. She craned her neck downward and saw a pair of large, blue eyes staring back up at her.
    "Virgo?!" she reached down and picked up the silver tabby kitten. He stared at her, ears twitching.
    "Why did you follow me here?" asked Terra. Virgo simply mewled at her and yawned, lazily.
    "You strange cat." she said putting him down. She walked towards the small opening, clicking her tongue and patting on her lap, beckoning for Virgo to follow her. Terra got down onto her hands and knees and began to crawl through the tiny space.
    "I'm getting far too big for this." she muttered. Virgo followed slowly after her as the pair ventured through the maze of crawlspaces. First turning left, then right, then right again. Until she finally came to an opening. The light was so bright, tears began to show in her eyes. She closed them tightly and opened them again, blinking away the surprisingly bright light.
    She got to her feet and pulled her net out of the loop in her belt, still gazing at the sky. It should be beginning soon.
    "Hey, Terra." a voice sounded from behind a tree. She jumped, as a shadowed figure appeared. She let out a sigh of relief, seeing that it was just Edgar.
    "You scared me!" she yelled, giving him a friendly shove.
    "Am I really that scary? That hurt a lot, Terra." she giggled as he gave a fake sniffle.
    "Oh, stop it. It's starting." Terra pointed towards the sky as Cerberus began to shake. Little silver drops began to fall from out of the light it gave off. They both held up their nets as the silver droplets fell around them. They quickly bent down and started stuffing the ones on the ground into sacks.
    "I bet I can get more than you!" Terra yelled playfully over the rumbling as Leo began to shudder. Edgar smiled back at her, accepting her challenge. Both their paces got faster as more Star Drops fell on them. Suddenly, Cerberus crumbled completely, letting out so many Star Drops, that the two moons where blurred in a flurry of shining silver. Edgar and Terra held up sacks trying to catch as many as they possibly could. As suddenly as Cerberus had, Leo crumbled under its own weight, scattering not as many Star Drops, but a good many of them.
    As the last few fell from the sky, the pair began to get as many more as they could, shaking trees and bushes and picking them up off the ground. They finally gave up and left the rest for Virgo to eat. They fell back in a fit of laughing, coughing, and panting. When they tried to steady themselves, they'd simply meet eachothers' eyes and fall back down laughing again. When they were too tired to laugh they simply sat down and dumped out their nets and sacks. It was obvious that Edgar had more than Terra.
    "Oh, I let you win!" she said.
    "No need to be a sore loser." Edgar laughed. Virgo scampered from a bush and jumped into Terra's arms, holding a fat Star Drop in his mouth. She tried laughing, but it hurt so much that she stopped after the first few seconds. She pulled a Star Drop from her pile and began to nibble on it. She looked at Edgar. Their gazes locked for a moment, but then they both looked in the other direction, turning red. There was a silence that was only broken by Virgo's noisy eating. She smiled and held his front arms over her arm, his legs dangling in her lap. It was a strange way to hold a cat, but he seemed to like it.
    "Um...Edgar?" she asked.
    "What is it?"
    "I'm really tired. May I please...lay my head on your shoulder?" he blushed and said,
    "Uh...sure." Terra carefully laid her head down on his right shoulder. She seemed to fit perfectly. She reached behind his back, found his hand, and grasped it loosely. It felt warm and soft and, somehow, safe. She sighed and looked up at the sky, watching the star dust scatter all over the sky.
    There's so much of it. she thought. Warm security washed through her.
    If only we could just stay here. Like this...forever... Her eyes gently closed and sleep fell upon her.