“Noah, tell me a story this world is fond of…” Michael asked lazily as they sat around the campfire, looking at the stars. The others had fallen asleep hours ago and now only Michael and Noah remained awake.
“Have you ever heard of ‘The Golden Banner’, Michael?”
“…of course not.”
Noah sat up gruffly and cleared his throat before beginning.
“They say the stars are really lanterns of heavenly beings lighting up the night.
People that never grow old and wander the night skies endlessly, creating constellations and leading travelers with their endless lights. They would hunt nightmares, and defend dreams, striving to keep the night safe. These hunters were called “Estrelles” although are now more commonly known as Lantern, or, Star folk.
Once however, on a stormy night the wind howled, lightning flashed and thunder rang throughout the world, obstructing the sky from the ground. Above the clouds, few lanterns flickered on and off, while the others ran in their fluid way across what seemed to be the insubstantial space of the sky. Suddenly a gateway seemed to open in the clouds, and a pool of endless darkness swirled from it. A dark blank hole in the sky itself. Endlessly churning and inhaling all that was near. The only distinct part of the rift were two red beacons…the eyes of the monster. A screech pierced the air as it inhaled once more. Thousands on the “Estrelles” were pulled into the vortex and lost, their screams of agony and helplessness filling the air above. With each hunter or lantern bearer that was brought in by this creature another streak of lightning would flash across the sky, more loud and stronger than the last.-”
Noah let out a long belch as he sipped from his flagon again.
Michael leaning so intently towards the dwarf he nearly scorched his face in the fire.
“don’t stop now! What happens!!!!”
“oh be patient” Noah grumbled before continuing.
“yes, well…-one lantern bearer in particular was watching all this with some concern. So far away was she from the rift that she was in no particular danger. Yet. You see this one “Estrelle” was long since gone from the rest. For her hair was so golden and bright that her lantern would reflect against it causing a light so dazzling and intense you could go blind from staring too long, this earned her the name of “The Golden Banner”. And so she now lay lonely beside the moon. Often in her withdrawl and lonliness she would shoot arrows of silver metal into the night sky, smaller beams of light and watch them arc towards the earth much to the amazement of the people who would see them. Thinking fast, she tried to shoot the creature, but her bow could not reach far enough to land a shot and only seemed to gather the attention of the void dweller. So, then her eyes fell upon the nearest object. The smooth, strong surface of the moon. With one swipe of a sword she carved a fragment off the moon, in the shape of a bow. This, would be the best chance she had. Meanwhile the void was growing stronger and bigger, even from where she stood the pulling force was enough to almost knock her off her feet. Aiming the crescent stone and pulling back the string with all her might she let loose a single arrow.
Landing straight between the eyes.
Howling in pain the monster bellowed and pushed but soon began to shrink, as if being sucked into its own vacuum, until disappearing completely.
She had saved her entire race. A Hero. Unfortunately the other Estrelles were only angry with her for breaking the moon in the way she had. And as punishment was set to fix the broken pieces as best she could. To this day we see the moon being replenished to its proper form, but somehow the broken pieces wont fit just right and fall away from each other again, if not disappearing completely. And only the Light from the golden banner lets the moon shine.”
Noah finished his tale and looked towards Michael expectantly who simply sputtered,
“that’s awful! She saved their sorry hides and that’s what she gets! What the bloody f-”
“It’s only a story lad” said Noah calmly although he remembered his first reaction when hearing the story being quite similar.
“Not only that, it was awfully written! I can’t believe anyone can do so many run on thoughts and jumble them all up and expect anyone to understand it.” Michael said pointedly with a scowl on his face.
“Don’t blame me!” grumbled Noah.
“It’s her fault.”
“What’d I do!?”
“You’re the one writing this blasted story!”
“I’m barely (age)”
“that doesn’t mean you have to make our lives miserable because you cant write properly!”
“you cant even read!”
“since when!?”
“since I wrote you that way!"
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