Star: The Brave Little Moon Otter

The snow fell silently outside the window, but the night was anything but peaceful as Little Tommy hid under his covers. He was only six years old, and he was having the worst time falling asleep on nights like tonight. Most people would have blamed it on the fact that he was new to town or on the fact that his parents were trying to get him into the habit of sleeping in his own room. However, as the night grew darker, the truth behind his hesitance to fall asleep drew closer and closer.

Just like the last few nights, when the moon rose to its full height in the sky, a dark figure came to his window. The figure was thin and hunched over, looking like a starving feral human, and its long, thin fingers reached out to tap on the window. Little Tommy wasn't the brightest of the children at his school, but even he knew better than to risk a journey to the window, especially with the creature there. The dark, soulless circles that served as its eyes and the dark mouth with jagged teeth confirmed that the creature wasn't friendly.

As much as Little Tommy tried to ignore the creature, the creature didn't give up so easily. When the window didn't open after the first few gentle taps from its long claws, it gave a terrifying inhuman groan that almost sounded as though the creature was in great pain. Tapping a bit harder on the window, the creature tried once again to get Little Tommy's attention. No matter how hard it tapped at the window, Little Tommy kept his head buried underneath the covers, praying that the creature would leave him alone.

What Little Tommy didn't know was that something was waiting for the creature, and that something was a fuzzy creature the size of a smaller dog hiding in his closet. This creature was not at all like the creature at the window. It resembled an otter with a thick coat that was perfect for the winter weather. The creature knew all about the creature at the window, and it knew about the danger Little Tommy was in.

As soon as the creature grew insistent at its tapping at the window, the furry creature threw open the closet door and raced towards the window, an angry hiss escaping its thin lips as it bared its teeth menacingly at the creature at the window. The creature at the window back away in surprise as the fuzzy creature stopped at the window, letting out angry hisses and squeaks to let the creature outside now that it wasn't welcome here any longer. Not wanting to anger the little creature anymore, the figure disappeared into the woods that outlined the house, never once looking back as it made its retreat.

The whole time the furry creature was scaring off the creature at the window, Little Tommy trembled under his covers, completely oblivious to what was happening at the window. He could hear the hisses and squeaks the creature as it scared off the creature at the window, but he didn't know that the creature was in his room was friendly and meant to protect him, not hurt him. As he made his peace and prepared for the creature to come for him, the creature abandoned the window and jumped onto the foot of his bed.

At first, the creature was confused by the sight of the fearful child hiding underneath his blankets. It didn't seem to understand that, even though the dangerous creature was gone, the boy was still frightened of the new creature in his room. As it sat down and curled its bushy tail around its lower body, it scratched its head in confusion at the little boy.

"What are you hiding from?" it asked, its voice cheery and high pitched like a cartoon character rather than the fierce creature it had been before. "The monster is gone. There's nothing to be scared of." Startled by the friendly voice of the creature, Little Tommy peeked out from underneath his covers to stare at the curious little creature. Seeing the creature, he frowned in confusion at the creature.

"Are you the one who was making all the noise?" he asked as he watched the creature. Just as confused as the boy, the creature tilted its head to the side curiously.

"I had to scare off the monster," the creature pointed out, trying to determine what the boy meant by his question. "Did I do something wrong?" Realizing that the creature meant him no harm, Little Tommy started to smile.

"No," he said as he examined the creature, "but I've never seen anything like you. What are you?" The fuzzy creature looked down at its poofy body and shrugged.

"I'm a Moon Otter," he informed Little Tommy. "The name is Star, and I protect children from the monsters of this world and ensure that nothing tries to hurt them while they rest." Little Tommy looked back at the window where the creature had been.

"Is that why you scared off the monster at my window?" he asked, and the creature nodded. Taking this into consideration, Little Tommy looked back at the creature. "You're not going to leave me, are you?" Star smiled comfortingly at Little Tommy as he waddled across the bed to sit next to Little Tommy.

"Of course not," he reassured Little Tommy as he tucked him back into bed. "As long as you need me, I'll be here for you. Nothing will ever hurt you as long as I'm here." As Little Tommy's eyes started to droop, Star kissed his forehead. "Rest now, little one. I will stand guard all night and make sure nothing hurts you while you sleep." Rather than answering, Little Tommy yawned and allowed his eyes to close, falling asleep almost as soon as his eyes were closed while Star kept watch like he promised.