As night fell over the far reaches of northern Alaska, just before the harsh winter began, groups of animals emerged from the thick forest to gather around a pond to talk peacefully to each other about their year before the cold set in.

     The pond was named “Heaven’s Mirror”. It was named this because it makes an identical reflection of the moon at its highest point in its path across the sky.

     As the majority of the animals gathered around the west bank of Heaven’s Mirror, a female timber wolf jumped onto a large boulder and scanned the crowd below her.

      The group of animals included several branches of the wolf family, moose, grizzly bears, elk, several verities of deer, bobcats, lynxes, mountain goats, many types of rodents, and many members of the bird family. 

     “Announcing the start of this year’s meeting will be Balthazar, alpha of the Red Fang Timber Pack and sole surviving member of the original OAP (Organization of Animal Peace) Council that founded these animal meetings,” she called out to the many animals in front of her. 

     She leapt off the boulder as another timber wolf climbed up to take her place. He was obviously older than most other wolves. 

     His coat, what used to be dark grey, had been lightened with time to a grey similar to dust. His face and back was riddled with scars and he had gone blind in his left eye from the many battles he fought. 

     “Thank you, my granddaughter,” he said to the she-wolf in a low voice, then directed his attention to the crowd as a small group of foxes came into the clearing.

     “To start off, I’ll explain the purpose of these meetings and the rules included,” Balthazar addressed to the crowd. 

     “These meetings we have here were started when my brother, Corvix, may he rest in peace, decided that all animals in this region deserve a break from the struggle to survive.

     “So, while risking his life many times in the process, he went to as many animals as he could find to tell them his idea: A one night sanctuary for all animals. Any animal that would listen spread the word.

     “On the night of the first meeting, over one hundred animals showed up, herbivores, carnivores and omnivores all together peacefully.

     “Three representatives from each species were elected to represent their species, and to bestow punishment on those of their species that broke the rules of these peace meetings.

     “Each representative was instructed to choose a successor when they neared death, and if there wasn’t a successor chosen in times, the animal’s last living mate would take their place.

     “I suspect that I will die before the meeting next year, so I would like to publicly announce that I have selected my heir, and it is none other than my granddaughter, Mythra!”

     When Balthazar had finished his long speech and announced his heir, all the animals cheered and celebrated in congratulations for Mythra. 

     Mythra, who was the wolf who had announced the beginning of the meeting and introduced Balthazar to the animal crowd, nodded her head respectfully towards her grandfather.

     “Thank you so much, grandfather. I am honored that you chose me.”

     Balthazar tried to smile at her, but the scars on his face made it appear more as a friendly snarl. 

     “You deserve nothing less, my dear,” he whispered to her, then turned his attention back to the crowd. 

     “Now, the rules of these meetings. Pay attention younglings, because this is very important. 

     “The rules are simple: Carnivores and omnivores, there will be no killing. If you want to eat meat, then you must bring meat that was killed at least three hours before the meeting started. If you are hungry and cannot find any food beforehand, feel free to ask for others to share. Please know that it is a choice, not a requirement, to share food.

     “If these rules are broken, you will be killed for your misdeeds and your body will be considered permitted food for anyone who wants to eat it,” Balthazar had said the sentence with a wickedly malicious look in his good eye. Then he leapt off the boulder and began walking around the animals slowly, on his guard for any danger or rule breaking.

     As Balthazar walked through the crowd, he caught wisps of conversation from groups of animals.

     “So, bear, what’s the vegetation like in…”

     “Dormir! It’s been so long, what, three years now? How’s the…”

     “It’s kinda weird, living so close to a wolf pack, but we help each other out. They provide protection for me, I let them know where the elk are heading in the spring….”

     “My cousin Alibarix died during that late frost last year, you know, that one that…”

     As Balthazar walked through a small group, he recognized and greeted several animals he had met during the previous yearly meetings. 

     Suddenly, several cries rang out from the animals closest to the ponds edge. Balthazar and several other larger animals ran towards the commotion, teeth bared, claws ready, antlers aimed to strike. 

     Many of the older animals had trained themselves to fight the animals that broke the peace rules of the meeting, and were prepared to fight any animal causing problems.

     When the group reached the edge of the pond, they all stopped dead in their tracks. They had expected to find one animal killing another, to which Balthazar would kill and let his pack eat to carcass until the bones were picked clean, but this was something no animal had seen before.

     What laid before the animals was unknown and mysterious. Heaven’s Mirror had turned solid. Not frozen into ice, but just solid, like the water had become a form of gelatin.

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     And what was even more unexpected was that there was a human, a man, standing in the center of the pond.

     “It’s a human, but I’ve never seen a human like that before. It looks so strange,” Mythra said as she slowly walked up behind Balthazar and gazed at the strange figure on the solid water. 

     It didn’t look like any of the humans Balthazar had come across either. The humans he had seen wore brown furs and leather over their dark brown skin and had tufts of brown or black hair atop their heads.

     This human wore strange fabrics of many dark blue and purple hues, its head didn’t have a single hair on it, and it’s skin was a very pale color, almost a very light yellow color. Its face was strange as well, with very small, almost completely black eyes, no visible nose, and a very thin, very small mouth.

     In its left hand, it carried a large, thin staff, colored a blue-grey with white specks flecked in random places and had a waning crescent moon as a figurehead.

     The many animals continued to stare at the odd scene on the lake with the strange looking human, then the human started walking towards them. It walked with full confidence and a steady form, which made Balthazar uneasy.

     Every time he had encountered a human, Balthazar had always smelled massive amounts of fear coming from the humans when they saw him. Humans recognized and feared the fact that wolves can and will kill humans if given a reasonable cause.

     But this human walked forward without a whiff of fear, as if Balthazar and the other animals were nothing more than tame creatures who were domesticated long ago and were not meant to be feared.

     “Greetings!” it called out when it was about five yards away from the pond’s edge.

     “A human that knows the language of the forest? Is that even possible?” A bear whispered to the left of Balthazar.

     Balthazar glared at the odd human and barked “Human! If you do speak the language of the wild, then know this: You are trespassing and interfering with animal tradition. Leave now and we all will spare you.” The human stopped walking and chuckled quietly.

     “My dear Balthazar, I am not human. I am the moon, which brings light to everyone during the darkest times.” There was a pause and several animals chuckled slightly.

     “Grandfather, there are old stories of natural forces taking on physical forms,” Mythra whispered to Balthazar. “Perhaps we really are looking at the moon in a physical body.”

     Balthazar remembered the old stories, and recalled the times his own, now deceased, mother had told him of the sun, moon, wind, and other forces of nature becoming physical on Earth.

     “There is no evidence proving that you aren’t the moon. Very well, if you say you are the moon, then we will refer to you as the moon,” Balthazar declared.

     The moon directed its attention towards Mythra. “Yes, young Mythra, you are correct. And I come before all of you because I request your help.”

      Balthazar thought for a moment, then said “If you are truly the moon, what could us animals do to help you, a force of nature?”

     The moon nodded twice, then replied “I light up the night, like the sun lights up the day. But I am not as powerful as the sun. My light waxes and wanes, and sometimes forces me to leave the world in total darkness. I ask that you animals will help me light up the night sky, will you help me?” 

     As the moon said that, it waved its hand over the pond, and patterns of light started to glow on the surface. Shapes and patterns formed by balls of light connected with very dim lines of the same light.

     “These are my constellation plans. You all may go and look at them. The water is solid, you can walk on it.”

     Many of the animals let their curiosity get the better of them and walked out onto the water. They did not sink, nor did the water even move an inch under their weight.

     “I must tell all of you,” the moon said. “Should any of you choose to help me, you must know that you’ll never be able to die, but you’ll also never be able to return to Earth.”

     Balthazar looked at the moon curiously.

     “You mean that if we help you, we’ll be up there, in the sky, with you?” The moon nodded and grinned.

     “Yes, those who offer to aid me will be up there in the sky with me. Will you be one of those joining me, Balthazar?” Balthazar chuckled and shook his head. 

     “No, I believe I will remain here. All I wish for is a peaceful death surrounded by my loving family. The moon nodded again and smiled bigger.

     “What a beautiful wish. I do hope you achieve it.”

     A large group of bears, lynxes, wolves, elk, deer, birds, and rodents walked over to the moon and said “We have decided that we will all help you light up the night sky, and we also understand that through this, we will not return to Earth.”

     The moon spread its arms and said “That is wonderful! I do advise you all to say goodbye to your loved ones now, before we go.”

     Mythra came up to Balthazar and asked curiously “You aren’t going? No last hurrah for you? No final adventure for you to go out with a bang with?”

     Balthazar laughed heartily and said “No, my dear Mythra. My days of adventuring are over for now. But after my time comes, I’m sure your great uncle Corvix and I will have countless more adventures together.”

     Then the moon walked to the middle of the pond, set its staff down, and called out “Alright, all those who are leaving with me, please come gather here!”

     Dozens of animals went and gathered around the moon, murmuring excitedly. The moon waved its hand over the group, and each animal turned into a brilliant ball of pure light, then the lights ascended into the sky and moved into place to mirror the images on the pond’s surface.

     The moon looked down and saw three foxes slowly walk up to it.

     “We want to help you too, but all the lights have been taken. There is no more room for us.” The moon smiled once more and said “Don’t worry, you three. I have one last idea that you can help me with.”

     The moon looked to the west, towards the closest mountain range. “Aurora Borealis,” it whispered with a small grin. 

     It then waved its hand over the foxes, like it had with the other animals. Slowly, their fur started to change color and start to glow.

     The left fox started its change on the face first, spreading from its nose a glowing green color, much like summertime grass. As the glow and color spread, it shifted into blue, like the water of the Pacific during the first few months of spring. Then its eyes changed purely to a glowing yellow, like the sunflower patches that cover the mountainsides in the fall.

     The fox in the middle started its change at the tip of its tail, turning to an orange like the setting sun in mid winter, fading towards its face into a bright yellow, like the fires human create to chase away their fear of darkness and cold. Its eyes then became a solid bright purple, like the purest of amethyst gems.

     The right and final fox began its change directly in the middle, a mix between blue like the night sky on the brightest nights, and purple, like the last lights of the sky after the sun sets. As the color spread to the tail, it became a purple like the thousands of wildflowers that cover the mountains in the summer. Towards the face, the color became a light blue, like an afternoon sky without a single cloud. The fox’s eyes then changed to a bright orange, much like a regular fox’s fur, but more vibrant and brighter than a fire.

     “There, you three look beautiful. Now, come join me above and we shall bring the brightest of lights to the darkest of nights,” the moon said with a proud look on its face. The foxes, shocked, but very excited, bounded over to the moon and jumped into the air together, their paws still running like they were running up an invisible hill.

     The moon then gave one final wave to the animals who were to remain on Earth, took its staff, then turned and followed the foxes up into the sky. 

     Once they all were up higher than the tallest mountain peak, the moon transformed with a bright flash back into the glowing orb it normally looked like. 

     All three of the foxes then ran in different directions, each leaving a wave-like trail of pure light matching their colors in their wake.

     As the great lights spread out, and the constellations and moon shone brightly, Balthazar looked on at the sky and grinned.

     Then quietly, he whispered “Oh, Corvix. One day, you and I will see these sights side by side. We’ll have more adventures than either of us can imagine. But until I join you, don’t wait up. Go and have some adventures while you wait for me.”