The Adventures of Starmonia

Chapter One: Meta Knight

“Mommy, may I go visit Miss Scazzarda?” asked Cloudy.

Springtime turned away from the kitchen counter and the blueberry pie she was making and smiled at her youngest child. “Certainly, honey! Just bundle up good and don’t stay out too long. It’s freezing outside!”

“It’s December, Mommy. It’s naturally going to be freezing,” Cloudy replied, a know-it-all look crossing her face.

Springtime giggled and shooed her daughter out of the kitchen. “I know, dear. Now run along!”

Cloudy dashed up to her room and threw on her pink snowboots, a thick yellow jacket, a red beanie, and a beige scarf. She skipped downstairs and out the front door. For a long moment, she stood on the porch and gazed out over the giant pasture in which her house sat. The pasture was divided in two by a fence, the other side containing a tiny house in which no one lived. A fence surrounded the entire pasture.

Across the street was Cloudy’s school, Emmanuel Elementary, and next door to the school was Miriam Capperdale’s house. Miriam was Cloudy’s best friend.

Cloudy glanced down at the frosty grass stalks and windows of her house and grinned. The frost reminded her that it was two weeks to Christmas. While it was going to be Cloudy’s first Christmas, her mother had told her it was a very special time. Decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, baking cookies, and spending time with family and friends were just a few of the special traditions Springtime told Cloudy about. But her personal favorite thing about Christmas, Springtime had said, was celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and telling others about His love for them. That was why they celebrated the holidays in the first place.

Cloudy knew that if her mother loved Christmastime so much, then she knew she would too. Taking a flying leap off her porch, she landed in the grass. Scrambling to her feet, she jumped the fence onto the other property and ran across it for a minute or two before she found herself at the edge of Whispy Woods.

Cloudy took a step back. She wasn’t necessarily afraid of being in Whispy Woods—she had roamed it before with her parents in past months—but she was a little frightened by the eerie silence and the light fog. The silence was deafening, but the brave puppy was determined to press on with her mission. Shaking off her fear, she marched confidently into the woods.

As Cloudy walked, she thought about Scazzarda Stellarum, who lived in a cabin in Whispy Woods. She was a sweet old woman who had two children and a wonderful reputation. Cloudy had met Scazzarda last month when Cloudy and her mother had invited lots of guests to come to their Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn’t much fun at first because the school bully, Wylanda Coven, had incessantly complained about everything she had. Very ironic for Thanksgiving since it was a day on which you were supposed to be grateful for everything you had. Cloudy and her friends had attempted to explain to Wylanda what she could be grateful for, but Wylanda didn’t care. She had still complained. In the end, it was Cloudy who had brought Wylanda to her senses.

Cloudy took a deep breath of the cold, wintry air. It made her nose hurt and filled her with a fresh burst of energy. She had never experienced this freezing cold weather before, but she loved it. It made her feel so alive.

Cloudy plodded on for a minute or two more before she came upon a well-worn trail. It was used, that was clear, for it had hoofprints, claw marks, and footprints all over it. She decided to take the trail and see where it led her.

As Cloudy trotted along, she began to think about her family and friends.

Springtime and Showerstorm were Cloudy’s parents. Springtime looked almost like Cloudy’s twin, with the same black-and-white fur and sparkling emerald-colored eyes. Like Cloudy, she was a Malamute husky who loved adventure. But she was also a kind and loving mother who tried her absolute best to raise her kids up in God’s Word.

Like his sons, Showerstorm was a brown and white Siberian. He was quiet and thoughtful and loved meditating on the Bible, and he was a wonderful father who taught his children to be diligent and kind and Christlike toward others.

Cloudy’s thoughts then traveled to her siblings. Her oldest brother, Sniper, was the most annoying child in the family and loved pulling pranks and generally being a snot toward others. Her next four brothers—Sharkell, Yodi, Pancake, and Waffle—were very nice and friendly with others. The only sour note about them was that they sometimes tended to team up with Sniper in his pranks.

Azalea-Star was a gray and white Siberian with beautiful blue eyes like her aunt. She was amiable and sweet, but sometimes tended to be a little mouthy.

And that left Cloudy herself. Cloudburst was Cloudy’s real name, but everyone she knew called her Cloudy. Over a hundred years ago, Photron, the ruler of the universe and the forger of the sacred sword, Galaxia, had prophesied that a special Star Warrior would free Dreamland from disaster—disaster spelling N.M.E. The uniquely-shaped diamond mark on her left-front paw proved this, for it was what set her apart from the other possible Star Warriors. She had to fight for her planet along with the other Star Warriors she would one day meet. Cloudy was kind, compassionate, loyal, and protective of her family and friends.

N.M.E. stood for Night Mare Enterprises, an intergalactic company with sold monsters. The president of the company, Nightmare, was an evil demon who sought to rule the universe with an iron fist. He was cruel, coldhearted, and enjoyed making others miserable.

But though there was so much wickedness in the world, Cloudy did not give up faith. She believed the prophecy and trusted in her God, and she refused to back down no matter what happened to her. It would take more than a wicked, abusive president of a monster company to make her back down.

A short time later, Cloudy reached the end of the trail and glanced up in surprise. A small cabin, with its paint chipped and its roof with several shingles missing from it, loomed in front of her. A dirt driveway led to the side of the cabin and a rusty metal by the cabin said “Stellarum” on the side. Cloudy though the whole place looked abandoned and mussed.

“This must be the right place,” Cloudy mused to herself. She frowned. “But how can such a clean and neat woman as Scazzarda live in such a dirty and dilapidated building?”

Cloudy took a step onto the driveway, then stopped. She felt very queer, as if a sixth sense were warning her not to go onto the property. Cloudy, little as she was, sensed extreme danger lurking nearby.

A rustle behind her startled her. She whirled to face whoever or whatever it was, but saw nothing. She frowned, her beginning to stand on end. She felt very uneasy. Something was fishy here.

Then Cloudy unmistakably hear something her ears could not deny. It was clear, sharp, and strong. Footsteps. Someone was behind her and was creeping up on her. Cloudy tensed, ready to spring. Every muscle in her body told her to run, but she didn’t. She had to see who was pursuing her. Who in their right mind would be stalking a young girl? she thought.

Though the footsteps came nearer, Cloudy held her ground. She decided to turn around on the count of three and see who was there. “One!” she counted under her breath. The footsteps sounded closer. “Two!” Then the footsteps stopped, and Cloudy felt her blood freeze upon hearing the schwiiing of a sword being drawn.

“Three!” Cloudy counted. She spun around, quickly snatched up a heavy stick from the ground, and threw it at the dark figure standing behind her. The sword flew from his hand and landed in the grass near Cloudy as he fell backward. Cloudy marched over to him and bared her fangs.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

The figure stood up slowly and stepped into a pool of sunlight pouring through the canopy of trees. Cloudy observed the stranger. He wore a navy-blue cape, gray pauldrons with yellow lining, and around, silver mask through which only his yellow eyes showed. Upon seeing him, she gasped and withdrew.

“Goodness, child!” the stranger exclaimed. “I didn’t recognize you at first! I thought you were a monster! I’m sorry.”

Cloudy’s eyes widened in amazement. She knew this person. He was Magnus Stellarum, Scazzarda’s eldest son. He had come to the Thanksgiving feast with Scazzarda and chatted a little with Cloudy. However, the puppy didn’t know much about him.

“Hey, you’re Magnus Stellarum!” Cloudy blurted out.

The figure raised his head and gave her a strange, uncomfortable look—or so it seemed to Cloudy. She couldn’t tell for sure because he had a mask on. “Yes,” he said slowly. “But I do not wish to be called Magnus.”

Cloudy tilted her head to the side, puzzled. He acted rather odd whenever anyone else besides his mother called him Magnus. Cloudy couldn’t understand why he was so sensitive to that name. She thought it was nice.

“Then what can I call you?” she asked.

“You may call me Meta Knight. All of my friends do.”

“Meta Knight?” Cloudy repeated.

“It’s a moniker, child,” Meta Knight explained.

Cloudy gave him a blank stare. “Uh, what in the world is a moniker?”

Meta Knight’s voice was full of patience as he told her, “A moniker is a nickname given to someone that describes their personality, character, or attitude.” He tapped his foot rhythmically as he went on, “My name, Meta Knight, is given to me because I wear a mask and dress like a knight. My nickname means ‘beyond youth,’ and truly, I am beyond youth.” Then he suddenly smiled at Cloudy. “Um, forgive me, child, but I forgot your name.”

Cloudy giggled at the thought of anyone forgetting her name. It was short and fairly easy to remember! “My name’s Cloudburst, but you can call me Cloudy.” Then her ears perked up as she gazed up at Meta Knight, her emerald eyes full of curiosity. “But if Meta Knight means ‘beyond youth,’ then what does Magnus Stellarum mean?”

Meta Knight looked down. “It means ‘greatest of the stars.’”

“Wow! Are you really the greatest of the stars?” Cloudy asked.

Meta Knight shrugged. “Everyone says I am the greatest Star Warrior ever born. But that may soon change.”

“Huh?” Cloudy was confused. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that you may be the next greatest Star Warrior after me,” Meta Knight said.

Cloudy blinked at that. She didn’t truly believe that she would ever be as great as Meta Knight, but she decided not to pursue the subject further. Instead, she sat down and scratched her ear. “Meta Knight, do you live here?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Alone?” she prodded further.

“No,” he said. “I live with my mother and father.”

Cloudy knit her brow and shot him an inquisitive gaze. “Not to be rude, Mag—uh, Meta Knight, but how old are you?”

“Thirty years.” He smiled. “And you?”

“Almost nine months,” Cloudy replied. “But never mind that. I have a question.”

“Well, ask away, Cloudy.”

“If you’re thirty years old, why do you still live with your parents?”

Meta Knight instantly looked downcast or ashamed; Cloudy couldn’t tell which. She immediately felt stupid for asking him that question. “Cloudy, I have nowhere to go,” he said simply. “My wife and I were divorced a few years ago, but before that, she and I lived together in a little house not far from here. A few years after she left, I didn’t want to keep the house anymore, so I gave it to my daughter.” To himself he muttered, “I also don’t want Mother getting hurt. . .”

Cloudy’s curiosity was piqued. “What’s your daughter’s name?”

“Liloy.”

Cloudy was interested in Meta Knight’s family. “Your family sounds very, um, unique,” she said. Sensing the depressed air about him, she hastened to add, “Not in a bad way, of course. Just, um. . .”

“No, Cloudy,” Meta Knight replied sadly. “My family is not the best in the book. In fact, it is probably one of the worst.”

“What do you mean?”

Meta Knight shook his head. “I mean that my family is not one I’m proud of. I’m ashamed of it, very much so.”

“Why on earth?” Cloudy asked, then instantly wished she hadn’t. She knew it was impolite to pry into another’s family affairs. “I-I’m sorry. . .”

“No, Cloudy, you did nothing,” Meta Knight replied dully. He sighed deeply. “If you like, I will tell you about my family.”

“I’d like that,” Cloudy said. “My mom says the best way in order to get to know your new friends better is to talk to them and find out about their hobbies and pastimes, more about them, etc.”

Meta Knight couldn’t help but smile. “Are you saying you want to be my friend?”

“Of course.” She smirked ever so slightly. “What, you haven’t figured that out yet?” Both laughed at that. At the feast, Cloudy had given Meta Knight a poem emphasizing she wanted to be his friend.

“But we’re so far apart in age, Cloudy!” Meta Knight reminded her.

“Age doesn’t matter the slightest bit in friendship,” Cloudy said wisely. She walked up beside him and nudged his gloved hand with her nose. “Let’s be friends and get to know each other better.”

“Yes, let’s do. I will tell you more about my family.” Meta Knight suddenly cast a quick glance around. “But not in this place. It is dangerous here. Why don’t you lead me to your house, Cloudy? We can talk on the way over there.”

“Sounds fine,” answered Cloudy, but she was a little puzzled as to how Meta Knight’s property could be dangerous, However, she decided not to ask. “But I was going to visit your mother. Why don’t I do that and then walk home with you?”

“My mother is not home right now, Cloudy,” Meta Knight said softly. “Last I checked, she was working today.”

“Oh.” Cloudy smiled, then yawned. “Well, I’ll catch her later, In the meantime, let’s go to my house.”

“Would you like me to carry you?” Meta Knight asked.

Cloudy stared at him for a few seconds, then burst into laughter. “Carry me! Why? I can walk. I have legs, you know. Four of them, to be exact.”

Meta Knight chuckled. “I know, little one, but your house is about two miles away from here. You’re a little girl, you’ve walked a long way, and you’re tired. I can carry you back. I don’t mind.”

“Well, I am a little tired,” confessed Cloudy. “But I can walk on my own,” she quickly added. “Really.”

Meta Knight smiled and held out his hands. “Come on, let me carry you back home.”

“But I don’t want to put you to any trouble,” Cloudy objected. “Really, I don’t.”

“It’s no trouble. I’m happy to do it.” Before Cloudy could object again, Meta Knight had bent down and scooped the puppy into his arms. “Come on. We must hurry before it gets dark.”

“Okay,” Cloudy reluctantly agreed. She knew that no matter how much she argued, Meta Knight wasn’t going to change his mind, so she might as well relax and enjoy the ride. Meta Knight turned and began walking along the trail in the opposite direction from whence Cloudy had come.