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Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a great plain. On this plain stood one house, the only house for a long, long distance. This house held but one woman, who had great compassion for all living things, both plant life and wildlife. She was known by the name Emberly Tide, though she always used the name Miss Emberly.

Winter had settled on the plain at this time; the flourishing grass was covered in a thin layer of frost every morning, the sparse trees nearly in the same state, though they somewhat sheltered the grass below them. The sun was just starting to rise that morning, as was Miss Emberly. She rose from bed, wearing a smile as bright as the dawn. Today, on March 18th, she was seventy, though by the way she walked, and the way she smiled, you would only guess she was thirty-five. Her face's wrinkles were all but absent, and her frame had grown smaller as she aged, but this never stopped her from getting up at dawn for her morning walk. Miss Emberly's walks were always imporant to her; the life on the great plain was her closest friend. She stepped outside, her warm smile nearly melting the frost around her. She took a sip out of her mug, which was filled with hot chocolate. The dawn's light was starting to grow brighter, causing the frost to melt into little droplets of water. The water droplets then took in the dawn's light, and sent it out with even more joy and color. This was how Miss Emberly always started her days, and she wouldn't trade it for the world. As she started to walk, the sun rose higher in the sky, bringing out the brilliant blue color. The unmelted frost crunched softly as she stepped, rounding her house, and walking towards her very favorite spot in the whole plain: Lantern Mound. This was the highest point in all the plain; from here, she could view a great distance, out towards the sunrise. On Lantern Mount was a small stump, where Miss Emberly sat, watching the sunrise, lost in thoughts.

Today, however, was different. As she sat atop the mound, and settled herself down on the stump, Miss Emberly could hear a faint squeaking sound. After a few minutes of looking around, she finally found the source. Near the base of the stump, there was a burrow. Miss Emberly smiled and peeked inside, croutching down. Inside was the precious sight of two foxes, the mother and father, gently caring to what looked like five newborn cubs. She smiled upon seeing this, greatly happy with seeing new life upon the plain. Foxes, raccoons, owls, and hedgehogs were some of the most common animals she saw, though, at other times, Miss Emberly saw wild cats, trotting silently along the plain, eyes locked on their prey. Miss Emberly returned to the stump, a new warmth in her heart.

Almost five months later, the cubs were already great trouble to their parents, and had many adventures without said parent's consent. One of these foxes was known as Okubi, and he was far more inquisitive than the rest of his siblings. Okubi had always wondered about what lay past the borders that his parents had set. He wondered about the many different kinds of animals he saw while falling asleep, what the house just across the way was for, but the thing he wondered most about was the stars. One night, while coming back to the den, Okubi's mother noticed him sitting outside, gazing upwards. That night, the sky was crystal clear, and filled to the brim with stars, the moon shining brightly overhead. Nyrobi, Okubi's mother, came up beside him, giving him a motherly nuzzle. "Mother.. why do the stars shine so?" Okubi asked softly, wonder in his voice. "Because, Okubi, up there, they're dancing." Nyrobi responed, her tail curling around him for warmth. "Why do they dance on their own?" The young fox inquired, head still tilted upwards. "They're not alone, for they have the moon, and they have each other." Okubi seemed to like this answer, but he soon asked another question. "May I dance with them, mother?" His eyes were full of starlight. "Okubi, the stars will never stop dancing. They wait for you to join them.." Nyrobi said softly. "But not tonight. Tonight, the stars ask you to sleep, and tonight, they dance to a sweet, soft lullaby." With that, Nyrobi gently took Okubi back into the den, and curled around his siblings for warmth.

That night, Okubi dreamed he was dancing with the stars. The music was a soft, sweet lullaby; with an elegant bow, the dance began. Gentle at first, the stars danced, but soon the music was lively, and Okubi found himself being twirled about, the ballad of the stars soon gaining energy. He began to grow energetic with the stars, and started to match their pace. Through the Milky Way Okubi danced, he sometimes having the lead, the stars leading him at others. There was so much to see, all in one night, and in one dance. He twirled through galaxies, slow-danced through solar systems, and bounded about through nebulae. But soon, the dance calmed, the music once again a lullaby. The plain came into view, and the stars bid him farewell. As the music faded, Okubi saw the stars resuming their slow dance, the moon watching them with what seemed like happiness.

As Okubi would grow older, he would begin to see a strange old woman visiting the stump on the top of Lantern Mound. After almost a year, he befriended the woman, who he found was known as Miss Emberly. Every morning, the two would meet at the stump, watching the sun gently relieve the stars of their dance.

Okubi was never to forget that dream, the dream of dancing with the stars, and he never gave up on the dream of one day truely dancing with them. He never forgot the soft, sweet lullaby, the Ballad of the Stars, one that started off slow and gentle, but grew energetic.

And one day, Okubi had children of his own, and they, too, would gaze up at the night sky, wondering why the stars shined so. "Because, Teinu, up there, they're dancing."

Even after Okubi finally did join the star's dancing, his children never forgot the story that he told, nor his grandchildren.

On a clear starry night, Tienu looked up, his own children asleep in the den. On nights like these, he was always reminded of his father, Okubi, and his dancing compainion Miss Emberly. The two danced in the stars together, the music soft and sweet, growing energetic, and ending tranquil and peaceful. And, as Okubi's mother had promised, the stars never stopped dancing.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
-Eleanor Roosevelt