Starlight

                It was late one night, and Buster was still roaming around outside. He wasn’t tired yet, and he had always liked a clear, warm spring night for being outdoors. In fact, most members of the wizard’s household enjoyed such a night, and there were often nights for bonfires, stories, or stargazing. Tonight, however, Buster was the only one out, and he was enjoying the night and keeping an eye and an ear out for anything odd. He was very protective of his household, and he’d been around long enough to know that not all creatures were good.

                In the back of the house, just at the border of the woods, there was a small stream. Something about the splashing of the water didn’t sound as it usually did, so Buster began to walk toward it. There was definitely some small animal splashing into and out of the water. Coming nearer, he could make a small, dark creature that seemed to be trying to catch something on the surface of the water, and it was repeatedly falling in in its attempts. Getting closer, the animal was clearly a small dragon. Now, Buster could even make out the shining fragments of a dark eggshell nearby. He decided to sit and watch while figuring out how to introduce himself without frightening the small dragon.

                Pulling himself out of the water again, the little dragon shook himself, then sat back down on the bank to watch the running water and the little spots of light in it. He’d hatched on the bank a little bit ago and had been intrigued by the chattering of the water, as well as by the shifting lights on it. The small, white points of light in it especially interested him. Unfortunately, every time he tried to get close enough to really see or touch one, he fell in. After dragging himself out this time, he got the feeling he was being watched. Seeing a dark shape a little bit away on the other side of the stream, he tensed and inhaled with a quick hiss. 

                “Hey, it’s okay, I’m a friend. I just wanted to see if you needed any help,” came a voice from the black and white shape.

                “What are you?” asked the dragon.

                “A dog. I live over there with a couple of humans, lots of other dragons, and a few other animals,” replied Buster, walking up so he was right across from the new dragon.

                “Oh, okay,” he said, now back to being a little distracted by the water, since the dog didn’t seem dangerous.

                “What are you doing?” 

                “I’m trying to figure out what those shining things are. They’re fascinating.”

                Buster gave a small, not unkindly laugh – which is always a slightly strange sound from a dog. “Those? Those are reflections of those up there, and those are stars. You won’t catch them in the water.”

                “Ohhh. Amazing. What’s a star?”

                “The wizard could tell you that better than I can. I mainly know that they’re neat to look at, and that they can help you find your way when you’re lost, if you know them well enough.”

                “How does that work?”

                "Um, I can’t really explain that very well. Here, it’s getting late, how about if we go back to the house, and you can meet the wizard and ask him about all this tomorrow?”

                Very soon the next day, the dragon had a name: Gil, another word for “star”.