Kael, the Skybound Wolf"

Deep in the northern wilds, there lived a young wolf unlike any other of his pack. Though Kael was strong, swift, and cunning he had one gift that stood him apart from other wolves. Kael could jump far and higher than any other wolf before him, as if the earth held him barely to the ground as he made his leaps through the air. The pack had often listened, whispering of old tales told of wolves who touched the stars. No one really believed that hokum-no one except Kael.

It was a cold, sharp night, with the full glow of the moon overhead, when something stumbled deep inside Kael. All it really seemed to consist of for him was a far-off, unfamiliar howl borne on the wind-it was one of those sounds that makes the skin crawl. He ran off into the forest without word to his pack; he ran along some unseen path bathed in moonlight.

For hours he ran across the ground unfolding beneath his paws, sure and swift as he went. Thick woods gave over to steep, jagged cliffs, and before him rose a mountain, its peak engulfed in swirling clouds. Kael felt the call growing stronger. He had to reach the summit.

The climb was treacherous, and still Kael did not fail. Finally, he crested the mountain range, and his breath was taken away from what had spread out before him. He stood along the edge of a great cliff, gazing out into a sea of stars stretching as far as the eye could see. In the very center of this flat plateau, an ancient stone glowed just barely in moonlight, its runes etched in it as old as the worlds' ages themselves.

The wind again howled louder; it dawned in his mind. He went back, took a deep breath, and with all the force he could muster, he leapt.

Higher and higher he flew, with the mountain precipice dropping far below him, and he mounting skyward toward the stars. The air around him shimmered and was weightless in a moment as if he became part of the sky. When he touched down, he found himself on no mountain at all but rather standing on an ethereal, glowing plain surrounded by stars.

And before him stood an enormous wolf, silvered from the breast down, and its eyes aging from millennia of knowledge. And then it spoke in a voice that seemed deep from within the earth, resonant as the drums that tolled for battles. "You have answered the call," he said. "Few are chosen, but fewer still rise to the challenge. You, Kael, are one of the Skybound.".

Kael felt himself swell with pride and terror. He bowed his head to her respectfully. The ancient wolf continued, "Your gift is much more than physical strength. You were always connected to the stars, to something beyond this world. Now you have to protect that balance—in earth and sky.".

At a nod, the ancient wolf turned and disappeared into the starlight, leaving Kael alone in this cosmos. When he blinked, back he was on the mountain, the cold wind brushing against his fur. Everything was different though. He felt his body lighter, his spirit stronger, and his senses sharper than ever.

And from that night forward, Kael was more than just a wolf. He was a legend to all the wild creatures. His tales were told as a wolf who could jump beyond the sky, touch the stars, and gain their wisdom. And so, every time that moon was full, Kael would disappear into the dark. He would return only when he believed that the stars had breathed into him their secrets.

Nobody knows where he went, but if you look up at the stars on clear nights, you might just catch a glimmer of him: a silver flash crossing the sky, jumping from star to star, balancing the worlds.