Firecracker shivered. Even in the warm air of a summer night, his orange pelt did nothing to warm him up. His paws were chilly, and his nose sniffled as if he had a cold.
...maybe he did have a cold.
He had been feeling a bit sick.
Through the trees that shaded his front porch, he watched the stars.
The dark sky was illuminated with clusters of the glowing dots. When he was younger, he would step outside in the darkest times of night and draw maps of the constellations. It was a hobby of his.
He admired stargazing.
But often he got lonely doing it.
To Firecracker, loneliness was one of the worst feelings.
He missed his daughter, Flare, who was going into her second year of Golden Phoenix Academy with her friends. He was so proud of her for making a slot as a student, but it also shot out his nerves. Even when Flare was always a happy-go-lucky cub, Firecracker still new she was really anxious about leaving. He worried about her because he knew his daughter would get into trouble sooner or later. If only she stayed young. Then she wouldn't have had to leave.
Firecracker wouldn't have to relive that day, long ago.
His heart still broke to think about it.
About 'her'.

Phoenix was a dark golden-pelted fox. She had short legs and a wide face. Her eyes were big and green like pine trees.
And she was everything to Firecracker.
She had a warm smile. Her pelt shone in the light like the sun. She was carefree and optimistic. And she had extraordinary fire powers. She could make fiery wings that let her fly up and in the clouds.
Firecracker loved her.
So much.
And she loved him back.
So why did she have to go?
When she knew she would leave him behind?
When she knew she would leave behind her daughter?
What changed in her?
Firecracker shook out the thoughts. I don't want another anxious fit... He needed to get back inside. And sleep, if he could. He mixed up his thoughts enough times that he sometimes couldn't tell if he was dreaming or awake.
He dragged his paws across the patio and through the front door. As he closed the door behind him, he stared into the main hallway of his house, which looked like an abyss of uncertainty without the lights on. Firecracker didn't know what items on the floor he would step on next. And just staring into it made him feel dizzy.
Close to the wall, he crawled down the hallway and to the left, where the rooms were. The first door was Flare's room, where she once slept.
Firecracker nearly choked on his breath when he recalled a time when Flare was only six.

"I'm right here, Flare." He soothed, wrapping his fluffy tail around his daughter's paws.
He felt her flinch. "I'm scared of the dark!" She wailed, trembling. "I can't even see you!"
"Okay, easy." Firecracker hushed, crouching down beside her. "There's no reason to be scared of the dark."
"Yes there is!" Flare snapped loudly. "How will I be able to see you? Or my toys?" Or my whole room!?"
"Hey! You bark at me with that volume, I'll bark at you back!" Firecracker said, silencing Flare. He softened his voice. "Come with me."
As he stood up and started to walk out, Flare whimpered.
"I'm right in front of you, sweetie." Firecracker murmured. "Stand up and walk with me."
The tiny kit shuffled her paws for a few seconds. Then she stood and trotted, paws tapping against the floor. Firecracker felt her cheek against the tip of his tail.
They slowly walked out of the room and through the hallway.
"You said I'm never allowed in here in the middle of the night, Daddy!" Flare said.
"Yes, I did say that," Firecracker replied, "but I want to show you something"
"Ooh, is it exciting?" Flare asked eagerly. "Can we invite Lightning and the twins?"
"No, no! They're probably all asleep my now!" Firecracker laughed. "This is something I used to do a lot with my daddy when I was little."
They stopped at the front door. Firecracker peeked through the messy door window, trying to catch a glimpse of the sky. He saw faint starlight.
He opened the door and walked out to the front porch. Flare hesitantly followed him.
"Look up at the stars." Firecracker whispered.
Flare sat down beside him and looked up. Her eyes widened. "The stars are so bright tonight!" She gasped.
"Not so loud!" Firecracker hushed once more, lightly brushing her ear with his tail. "Our neighbors are all sleeping."
"Sorry!" Flare brought down her voice slightly.
Firecracker smirked. His daughter was always a loud one no matter what.
"Aren't the stars beautiful?"
"They are!" Flare said, awestruck. "There's the Big Dipper!" She pointed at the well-known constellation. "I learned about that at school! Did you know it's also called Ursa Major? It means Big Bear!"
"Yup." Firecracker said. "Your Grandpa called it the 'Cooking Pot.'"
Flare laughed. "That's funny!"
"Do you know why I'm showing you the stars?"
"No... But I like the stars!"
Firecracker smiled. "It's... just so you get used to the dark." He said. "Grandpa used to tell me this when I was your age. The dark is hard to see through, but it's how we can see light."
"...huh?!" Flare frowned.
"Without the night sky, you wouldn't be able to see the stars. It's always good to have the dark, ya know?"
Flare continued to gaze up above.
Firecracker thought of an analogy for art. Flare loved drawing. "...Think of it like... black paper and white pencils. You use those at school, right? Darkness is like the drawing space for light. You understand me?"
Flare nodded.
Firecracker touched his nose to her forehead. "Why don't we go back to bed, alright?"
Flare nodded, burying her nose into his fur...

Firecracker tried to hold back tears. He continued, trudging along his way to his room.
He didn't even bother to curl up. He flopped down into bed, lying on his side, relishing the soft sheets. He stared at the wall, barely able to see the pictures posted on the wall.
They were pictures of him and Flare at special occasions throughout the years; one was of Flare sharing popsicles with her best friend, Lightning. Others were a variety of her silly faces at birthday parties.
Firecracker closed his eyes. How lonely his house was without his family.
If only he could go back in time.
Before Flare took the bus to the city. He would've said, "Be sure to come back and visit, alright?"
Or if he could go back even before that, to the day Phoenix left.
All the things he could've told her...
To convince her to stay.
But he never had the time.
Or the confidence.
His heart twisted painfully. He was an idiot.
"I just wish I got the chance to tell you, little songbird..." He mumbled.
"...I really do love ya. Nothing in the world would ever replace you..."
He began to spiral into dreams, watching memories of years past pile upon him.
"I would give anything in the world... Just to see you again, even if just once..."
It was once again a gloomy night for Firecracker.