Wick pressed himself into the damp hollow of an ancient oak root, wings folded tight. A silver moonbeam sliced through the tall grass, but his own light stayed buried deep. The dark felt like a thick, safe blanket.
A faint, wavering chirp echoed from the meadow. Then another. Then a chorus of worried clicks stitched through the night. Wick's ears twitched. What was out there?
Wick crept to the edge and peered out. Three lost fireflies buzzed in frantic circles on the moonlit path. Their faint glows sputtered and died one by one.
He tugged at his abdomen, willing a spark. Only a tired puff of smoke came out. His light refused to wake. The fireflies drifted closer to the blackberry thicket, their paths tangling more with every pass.
Wick hid behind a broad leaf. A fourth firefly — smaller, darker — bumped into his wing with a soft thump. 'We can't find the glowing cluster,' it whispered.
Wick watched the lost fireflies circle back to him again and again. They weren't just lost. They were scared of the dark, just like him. He wasn't the only one trembling in the night.
Wick stepped onto a tall blade of grass. He raised his tail and let go. Not a spark — a steady, warm glow spilled out like liquid honey, pooling gold on the green blade beneath him.
The fireflies stopped buzzing and turned toward him. But a sudden gust of wind scattered them. Wick's glow tumbled toward a steep drop-off. He dove after it, wings outstretched.
He caught it just before it faded. The light surged through him — and suddenly the entire meadow was bathed in a ribbon of gold, bright and unbroken.
Wick landed softly on a toadstool. His light settled into a gentle hum, steady and sure. The crickets matched his rhythm. He was no longer trembling.
The lost fireflies formed a sparkling trail behind him, following his glow back toward the glowing cluster. Each one left a faint shimmer on the grass as they went.
Wick watched them go. Then he let his own light dim to a soft, sleepy pulse. The dark was still there. But it didn't feel like a blanket anymore. It felt like a canvas.
