Chapter 1: Star Gazin'

Wander whistled a happy tune as he stared out into the galaxy. His blue eyes eagerly scanned the twinkling abyss, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Almost immediately he noticed some of his favorite constellations and began tracing them with one finger. There was the big dipper, the laughing traveler, and even the running Zbornak. He sighed and dropped his arm when he had finished tracing them all. It hung loosely at his side, swaying from the rocking motion of his friend Sylvia underneath him. He arched his head until he could see the tip of her magenta comb in front of his eyes. It tickled his face and caused him to sneeze loudly.

"AHHHHHHHCHOOOOO!" The force of the sneeze caused him to nearly fall off of Sylvia's back. Quickly he reached out his long limbs and grabbed on to the saddle. Pulling himself up, he scratched where his nose should be.

"You all right Wander?" Sylvia asked with concern. "You haven't really been talking much."

"Oh, I'm fine Sylvia!" Wander said with a big grin. "I was just thinkin' is all. Sometimes ya just gotta lay back and reeeeeeelax!" To emphasize his point, he turned himself around and reclined comfortably on his back.

"I hear you buddy." Sylvia said as she chuckled quietly. The rumble from her chest caused her back to vibrate.

"Hehehehe…" Wander giggled as the vibrations tickled the fur on his back. "Yep. Nothin' like a little star gazin' after a long day."

"Yeah." Sylvia said with a yawn. She stretched her neck out as long as she could before smacking her lips together. "You know what else hits the spot after a long day?"

"I sure do!" Wander said as his grin stretched even further across his face. "A SOOOOOOOONG!" He pulled out his banjo eagerly before strumming an energetic tune. "Oh! Stargazin' with my pal! Stargazin' with my friend! Stargazin' every night! Will the sky ever end?"

"Wander, I didn't mean-" Sylvia tried to interrupt but Wander was soon singing his tune with his face only a few inches away from hers.

"The stars twinkle and shine so bright! Brighter than the moon! Hold on Sylvia, hold on tight 'cause we're joinin' them soon!" He sang with glee. "Dee dee dee dee diddle doo! Dee dee diddle dum! Dee dee dee diddle doo fo fi fiddle fum!"

"WANDER!" Sylvia yelled at the singing nomad.

"Yes Sylvia ol' girl?" Wander asked with a big smile and raised eyebrows. He did not seem to notice the sheer annoyance on his companion's face. Batting his eyelashes, he waited for her to respond.

"I was actually thinking of sleep." Sylvia said with a hint of a smile behind her eyes. "Nice, quiet, non-musical sleep. Do you think you can manage that buddy?"

"Oh sure!" Wander yelled as he leapt off of her back. "I can handle that just fine!" He watched Sylvia curl up into a ball before plopping down on the ground. As he sat on the grass with his legs splayed to the sides, he watched her breathing slow until it was obvious she was dreaming.

The smile slipped from his face when he realized that he wasn't tired at all. Looking around at his surroundings, Wander tried to entertain himself. First he counted the trees, but when he reached eighty he decided to stop. Then he tried to smell the flowers, but after a few minutes of violent sneezing because of his pollen allergies he decided that wasn't the best way to pass the time either. Finally he began scratching the fluff on his chest. His back legs happily began to kick against the ground, causing him to give little giggles of pleasure. It always felt nice to be scratched. Unfortunately Star Nomads were very sturdy creatures and it took a lot of knowledge to be able to get just the right physical reaction from them. Of course he was ticklish and it didn't take much to make him laugh, but if he wanted a nice relaxing scratch that hit all the right points… it was a little more challenging. Wander was able to find the right places to scratch easily, but his best friend Sylvia had once tried for hours with no success. If he wanted to be scratched he had to be the one doing the scratching. When he finished he breathed deeply for a few minutes and waited for the giggles to stop before lifting his big eyes towards the stars. Sighing, Wander flopped down on his back and watched them twinkle.

"Sure would be nice to have someone else to do the scratchin' for a change." He mumbled to himself as his eyes scanned the sky for any more familiar constellations. His chest felt heavier than usual when he realized that he couldn't find any.

Rolling over to his side, he let out another sigh before humming a little tune to himself. "Dum dee da dum... dee dee diddle da dum." Closing his eyes, he tried to remember the lullaby his mom would sing to him when he felt sad. Irritated that it wasn't coming quickly, Wander scrunched his eyes shut tighter. He focused as hard as he could before finally releasing a breath that he had not realized he was holding. It was useless... he couldn't remember.

Sitting up, he hugged his knees close to his chest. Feeing the steady beating of his heart, Wander allowed a small smile to form on his face. "The darkest of times call for the sunniest of smiles Wander." He began giving himself one of his little pep talks, whispering quietly so he wouldn't wake his sleeping companion. "So what if it isn't coming to mind right now... it will. Ya just gotta keep thinkin' positive and soon it will happen. After all, thinking positive has gotcha this far hasn' it?"

Sitting up, he allowed his eyes to roam over to Sylvia. His smile grew as he watched her back rising and falling with each peaceful breath. "Yep. I got a great best friend, not to mention Lord Hater, Commander Peepers and the Watchdogs. All the other folks I haven't even met yet. All of them so unique and different from each other..."His smile faltered for a few seconds before reforming on his furry face. "Yeah... all so different."

He slowly walked over to Sylvia and climbed onto her back. Taking off his hat, he shoved his little body into it and wiggled around until he was comfortable. His eyes stared blankly at the sky for a few more minutes before he closed them. As he drifted off to sleep he mumbled, "Sure would be nice to have someone to scratch my chest..."