Prologue

    I remember sneaking away one time to go look around the city. Emerald agreed to let me go with the condition that I reach for her at the first signs of trouble. Well. I did find trouble, but instead of calling for Emerald I shifted and charged in without thinking. A pack of moronoids were bullying a girl. I jumped in, scratching and growling, got kicked around and won. It was my first real fight! I was so proud of myself and scared at the same time. I knew I couldn’t tell anyone about it... That was when I remembered the girl. I looked over my shoulder and gasped... Horns? I meowed. Hearing that, made me realize I needed to turn back. So I did. I feinted soon after...

A Star has Fallen

    Every time I'd step outside, I’d feel cold. The sky is clear and the sun is out, but I am cold. All my childhood I felt cold and empty. I'd feel the stares on my skin as I walked the streets with my parents. Whenever I asked, they'd answer the same way: we were lucky to have a chance at a new life. I never understood that. Everything about us was different. Our looks. Our food. Our clothes. Our words. Just us. All of us. Not a single child wanted to play with me. I tried and tried and would only get the same in return - rocks and names thrown at me... Yet I never told my parents that... Freak. Weirdo. Hornedhead. Those were the most “popular” ones... Every time I'd come back with bruises and scratches, I'd lie about them. I climbed a tree and fell – I’d say. That - was the biggest lie of all. I never once fell climbing a tree. I enjoyed watching the beautiful creatures. Perhaps that was why I could never bring myself to hate them? They took my breath away each time I lied eyes on them... The pastel shades of skin. The vibrant hair colors... The slim figures... A fallen star... Each and every one of them... Astri. The City of Stars. The capital of Noxanda and its people. The Night Dwellers.

With me. A horned freak of nature, scorned by forbidden ancient magic, doomed to wear the markings of the fools till the day I die. An ugly Cornutese in the middle of a city full of stars... I was so angry for being born not a Noxian that to feel even a tiny bit closer to them I named myself Starlight... I wanted to bathe in that heavenly beauty... That’s how Amana Starlight came to be. My parents never objected. We didn’t have a family name anyways. Guess they figured it meant that I accepted Noxanda as my home. Well... It's difficult to be friends with something that rejects you... And yet I longed to belong... Even if I hated the sight of my own reflection and shadow... Until I met her...

She appeared out of thin air, swiping and growling. A cat. As big as me, with a shinning gray fur and a single blue line across her spine and tail, with eyes as blue as the sky. She fought my bullies off. They ruffed her up a bit, but she held her ground and protected me. The boys got a taste of a few nasty scratches and gave up. I didn’t even bother to listen in on their screams as they took off. The creature turned to me. Meowed once and turned into a girl. Her royal blue waves fell down her shoulders, engulfing her tiny body into streams of falling water. A beautiful green stone shined in the middle of her neck. She stood there completely naked.

“Are you hurt?” She asked me. I remember shaking my head in a lie. “Can you stand?” She asked again and staggered. “Oh... No...” She fell down and my body moved for me, catching her in my arms. She felt heavy and warm... For the first time in my life, I held a Star in my embrace...

    “My head...” The girl mumbles with her eyes closed still.

“Does it hurt?” I ask carefully. A shake.

“Just dizzy.” She says and slowly sits up. She looks kinda puffy... It's all my fault...

“Thank you.” I bow quickly.

“Huh?”

“Thank you for helping me.” I smile.

“Oh! That! Why didn’t you fight back?”

“Because I don’t belong here...” I mutter.

“Says who?” She looks angrily at me.

“I’m different...”

“So? You are human still, are you not?”

“Huh? “

“Of course, you are. Look. You are crying.” She crawls over to me and wipes a tear of my face.

“You’re naked...” I mumble.

“Drat!” She quickly crawls back and covers herself up with my dress. “I'll be in trouble for ripping that... Mind if I borrow this?” She holds the fabric out. I nod. “Thank you. I'm Zarri by the way.” She mumbles through the fabric as she puts the dress on. “What's your name?”

“Amana... But I don’t like it.”

“Why not?”

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I shrug.

“Well, do you have another name I can call you?” Zarri asks.

“Starlight.” I murmur.

“Amana Starlight... Ama-na... Ammi!” She throws her hands into the air. My heart skips a beat.

“Ammi?”

“Ammi and Zarri! What do you think!” A single heartbeat pounds through my entire body. “Do you like?” She crawls back to me.

“Ammi and Zarri?”

“Yeah! Wanna be friends?” Huh? Could this be? Me? Friends with... I stare at the beauty in front of me.

“You can say no, if you don’t wanna.” She smiles at me.

“No! NO! I'LL BE YOUR FRIEND!” I jump up and bow. “Thank you very much!” Zarri laughs at me.

“You don’t need to thank me, silly!”

“But I...” She grabs my hand into hers.

“I should be thanking you!” She smiles again. I feel my heart pound inside my head. “I never had a friend before!” Neither have I... “Thanks, Ammi!” She hugs me and I cry.

“I’m sorry! Where does it hurt!”

I shake my head. “I...m...jus...t...so...ha...ppyyyyyyyyyy...” I cry out and cover my face.

“How strange, I only ever cry when I'm sad. I haven’t been so happy before that I'd cry...” I hear a tiny voice and remember the creature sitting in front of me. I open my palms and see Zarri hugging her knees and her brow furrowed. She seems to be thinking hard about something. I stare at her, tracing the image of her and burning it into my mind.

“Oh well, maybe one day I can understand how you feel. Here.” She reaches out again and wipes my face with a corner of the dress.

“How did you get here, anyways? Do you live here? Are you passing by? Where are your parents? Do you have any siblings? What do you like to play with? Are you cold? Hungry?” Zarri's questions pour down like a storm. I feel myself giggle, Zarri stops and stares, and my laugh picks up more from her confused look. The more I laugh the more Zarri giggles too. Another minute goes by and we both end up laughing hard. Slowly, I begin to calm down, wiping the last of my happy tears away. Zarri gets back to normal too, eventually. I wait for her to breath out one more time and answer all her questions:

I live here, in Astri, with my parents and no siblings. No, I don’t know why we live here instead of Cornutora. Yes, I wonder around a lot by myself. I don’t play much of anything, because I don’t have any friends. I like climbing trees and watching people from above. My dream is to climb on a roof in the city and watch the Stars from there. Zarri looks at me confused with that one, because she can see all the stars right from her window. Noxian houses are built so you could see the sky from any room and window. I giggle to myself. Last I tell her that I am neither cold, nor hungry. It's a beautiful end of spring, it's been getting warmer each day and yes, I like Astri and Noxanda a lot.

“I just don’t like my horns...” It slips out of me and I cover my mouth quickly.

“Why? What's wrong with them?” Zarri grabs my head and leans over me. “They look fine to me.” She lets go of me.

“You have lovely horns and they suit you.” She tells me as she sits down in front of me again. “You should be proud of them. They are a rep...rep..re..pre..sen..tation! Yeah! Your horns are a representation of who you are! Like my ears!” She turns her head sideways and flicks her long, pointy ear. “The same way the Balli have their red skin! And Primerians... What do Primerians have again?” She mumbles for a second under her nose.

“Brains!” She smacks her little fist into her palm. “They have their brains! See it doesn’t matter what we look like! We are all people!” She spreads her arms to the sides again.

“There is no difference what we look like on the outside, we all feel the same way on the inside.” Zarri places a fingertip right below my neck.

“I...” I take a breath in and Zarri grabs my hands, and stares at them for a good minute.

“These scratches and scars. You got them defending yourself, didn’t you?” She looks at me all serious. “You always hold your hands up over your head like so;” she puts my arms up to my head; “that's why you don’t have scars on the inside of your hands. If you had fell out of a tree or something you'd be bruised all over.” Such a serious look...

“How do you know this?” I ask her in a whisper.

“I have a good Teacher and a great Master!” She smiles silly again. “Don’t worry. I'll protect you from now on. But you have to promise me not to go anywhere without me, ok? I...” She pauses. “Iiiiii sometimes have stuff to do, but I'll come get you when I can, ok?”

“Ok.”

“Good! No show me where you live! I'll take you home!” Zarri stands up and gives me her hand. I take it and stand up. “Lead the way! Sorry I can’t stay long this time, but I need to get back now too. I'll return the dress next time, thanks for lending it to me.”

“Keep it. It looks better on you than it ever did on me.”

“Why do you say that?” Zarri stops and stares at me again.

“Because it's true.” I blink fast a few times.

“I don’t believe you.” She grabs my hand again and stomps away. She then stops suddenly again.

“I have no idea where I'm going.” She says and I giggle again.

“This way.” I show her the back route I take home.

“Do you want to come over?” I ask her.

“Maybe next time.” Zarri answers looking around. “Can you see that corner from your window?” She points to the side.

“Yes.” I nod.

“Good. I'll be there when I can to come see you. I have to go back now. Sorry.” Zarri hugs me. “Now don’t go out without me. Alright!” She rushes off. “Promise!”

“I promise!” I call out to her.

    Ever since that day, I spent all of my efforts on studying medicine the most. I never wanted to see her hurt for my sake again...