Spiritmal, The Deadly Glow

4. Stargazing

Winter drew closer to the rescue center. I yawned, asking her to slow down her pace a little. Eventually, she stopped right outside the facility. I got down, helping Winter park the wagon before removing the straps from her back.

"Thanks for the lift." Felix jumped down from the wagon, Topaz beside him.

"No problem." I replied, asking Winter if she could help me round up the Spiritmals for the night. She agreed instantly, running off to get the Spiritmals into the rescue center.

The sun was setting, painting the sky brilliant shades of orange and yellow, a few careful strokes of pink added into the mix. I smiled as I saw a flash of star shine whirling down from the sky, knowing that Star had arrived.

The light got closer, dimming in the process. Soon, we saw Star slowing herself down, finally landing on my outstretched hand.

"How are your parents Nova?" I called Star by her real name, earning a confused glance from Felix.

"They're well." She shifted a little, clearly uneasy about something.

"Something wrong?"

The glowstaride's eyes darkened slightly. Panic evident in their depths. "Em... I... I..."

"Shhhh... calm down. If you need time, you can tell me about whatever's bordering you when you feel ready. Ok?" I petted her feathers gently, producing a piece of turmeric bread. "Want some?"

She looked at the piece of bread blankly. "I'm not hungry... I'll have it later."

Now she was really starting to worry me.

"Whatever suits you." I beckoned her to sit on my shoulder, pocketing the turmeric bread.

"Can I stay a while longer?" Felix asked. I nodded, he clearly had a lot of questions, choosing not to ask them at the moment given the circumstances. "I guess I'll make dinner for us all." I replied. "Meet me at the dining room."

With that, I walked towards the house, Winter returning back to my heels.

"So... you're staying here now?" Star asked, clearly trying to strike up a conversation.

"Yep. I'm helping abandoned Spiritmals find new homes, doing research on them during their stay with me."

"That's neat." She replied as I walked into the room, feeding the hungry Spiritmals. Before they started eating, however, they instantly pelted me with questions.

"How were the ten?"

"Did Crunch actually find a home?"

"When will it be my turn?"

"Is that bird spiritmal joining our crew?"

I sighed a little, calming the Spiritmals down. "The giveaway was a success. All ten found new homes."

Murmurs of 'whoa' and 'amazing' could be heard around the room as the Spiritmals talked between themselves.

"How about the bird?" A scalemental asked.

"Meet Nova, she was my first Spiritmal." I introduced Star.

"But, I thought Winter was your only Spiritmal." A lionblitz perked up.

I shook my head. "Nova was my first. However, I decided to release her about three months after having her."

"Oh." The lionblitz replied, pin drop silence filling the room soon after.

"So, eat up your dinner." I finally spoke up. "I'll be back in about two hours for lights off. If any of you need me, you'll know where to find me." I finished, walking out of the room and leaving the Spiritmals to enjoy their food in peace.