stifling covers.

Luna shook her head. “I'll tell you later,” she replied. “There's something I'm starting to wonder about...”

She gazed at her daughter a moment longer, just enough that Star began to feel paranoid. 'Does she know?' she wondered. Heaven forbid if she did. Finally, to Star's relief, the eyes left her.

“I'll see you soon,” Luna promised. “The boys will be around if you need anything.”

“Not Arrow or Angel?” asked Star weakly.

Luna shook her head. “They're spending some time with your father,” she replied. Casting one more worried look back at the quivering pup, she all but pleaded, “Get well soon.” And with that she left through the pet flap.

Star crawled out from under the covers and let out a big sigh of relief. How glad she was to be able to breathe! She sat, relishing the coolness but keeping her ears pricked in case anyone approached; a trick she had picked up from hearing accounts of Angel's misdeeds. Her sister didn't like to talk about how badly she had blown it, but for the ailing member of the family, anything was up for the asking.

Meanwhile, Luna was on her way over to Toby's, where she suspected the three would be playing one of their games. She wished it could be four, Star included, but that wouldn't happen until she recovered.

Which, as it turned out, was exactly what Luna was pinning her hopes on.

She arrived at Toby's to find he wasn't there, nor were the girls. Fresh tracks heading due east from the back door told her that her mate must have taken them on patrol with him. Not exactly a typical father/daughter activity, but is seemed to suit them.

Cutting through back yards and an alley or two, she headed on an intercept route with his usual beat. Although she wasn't quite as good a tracker as he, she knew his patterns well enough to make a near-perfect beeline for his halfway point. From there she could either backtrack to meet him partway, or follow the route to catch up with him. There was something they needed to discuss.

Luck was with her; she came out of an alley across town just as he and the girls were turning onto the street. A quick bark grabbed their attention and brought them running the rest of the way to her. “Mom!” barked Arrow, wagging her tail.

Toby was breathing hard as he brought up the rear. “Kids, you're going too hard on your old man. I'm not as young as I used to be,” he complained.

Angel shook her head. “Come on, Dad, we know you're faking it.”

Toby winced and raised a paw to his chest in dramatic fashion. “Me, fake? That hurts. And besides, I have no idea what you're talking about.” He held his wounded look through an upraised eyebrow from the younger daughter before turning to Luna. “What's up, hon?” he asked.

“It's Star,” she explained seriously. “I think I know why she's taking so long to get well...”

Star quickly dove under the blankets as the four came trooping back in. “Boy, that was fun!” Angel enthused.

“Yeah,” agreed Arrow. “Can we go again tomorrow?”

Toby rolled his shoulders and grinned. “Oh, I don't know. It's not really my turn to make the rounds tomorrow night, and I can't just go taking it away from one of the other dogs. I mean, I'm not even really on the police force, officially. I'm really just sort of a civilian's auxiliary.”

“Ogs-what-ary?” asked Angel.

“Auxiliary,” Luna explained. “It means he's not an official member, he just sort of helps out.”

“So help them out some more,” urged Arrow. “Please?”

“I have to admit, it was pretty fun,” Luna put in. “And I was only with you three for the last half or so.”

Toby heaved a mock-reluctant sigh. “Well, okay,” he agreed. “I'll ask Captain Orde; he's getting kind of old to be out on these cold nights anyway.”

“Yeah!” the girls cheered.

“But,” added Toby emphatically, before lowering his head to their level. In a conspiratorial stage-whisper, he finished, “Don't tell anyone I said he's old.”

A chorus of giggles sounded, matched by his own chuckle. Luna glanced in Star's direction and saw that the pup's chin was drooping.

'It's for a good cause,' she told herself. 'The more she wants to get better, the sooner she will.'

It didn't help. For the first time in her life, success made her feel like she needed a bath.

It's been said that being a parent is wanting to hug your kid and strangle them at the same time. While Toby and Luna had no anger towards their daughter, they found themselves faced with much the same conflicting desire. On the one hand, it hurt them deeply to allow, much less encourage, their other progeny to parade wellness in front of the sickly. But at the same time, there seemed no way around it. Star had everything she needed; all she lacked was the motivation.

Star, for her part, was certainly feeling the effects of their unorthodox prescription. At least once a day, be it in morning, afternoon, or evening, she would watch one or both of her parents come through with a gang of her siblings frolicking about in their wake like dolphins after a ship, chattering about the fun they had out on patrol or in the lot or no place in particular. And every time she longed to be out there with them.

The humans, meanwhile, asked the veterinarian to come over and have a look at their ailing pup. But he could find nothing wrong with her apart from her obvious lack of energy, and the stimulants he had to offer tasted awful and only increased her longing to get up and romp around with her family. Other dogs would have dropped the charade and surrendered to fate, but Star was determined to keep it up. It was the one thing she could do like her mother and sister: persevere.

It was after this veterinary visit that Luna began to have her doubts. What if, she wondered, Star was only convincing herself that she was sick for some reason? It was hardly unheard of, and it would explain everything perfectly: the moping, the lack of symptoms, and the futility of their efforts. She confided her doubts to her husband, and the two of them instantly fell upon the same plan. Perhaps if Star were pushed into a situation of independence, she would realize she was not as sick as she felt. So, the following morning, when Toby came to the house and the pups began their usual clamor of who would go with him now and who would stay to look after Star, Luna suggested they all go.

“What?” asked Star, visibly upset. “But Mommy...!”

Luna shook her head. “I'm sorry, dear, but we can't help it if you're sick. And since your symptoms are on the decline, we'll only have a little more time to spend together.”

“But what if she needs something?” asked Angel.

“Mrs. Calvin only stepped out for a few minutes,” Toby replied. “She'll be back soon.”

Nobody seemed happy about leaving Star by herself, but the parents were firm. As soon as they left, however, Luna seemed to have a change of heart. “Actually,” she said as soon as they were out of sight of the house, “I think maybe I should go back and keep an eye on her.”

She doubled back silently and slipped in the back door. Making her way through the rooms, she came up behind the front room where the puppies stayed.

Star couldn't believe it.. They had walked out on her! Abandoned her! Left her behind without so much as a second thought! What kind of family was this, anyway? She watched them leave from the front window, keeping a low profile in case they should look back, and then walked to the water dish for a long drink. Hiding in those blankets was hot, and her family's new treatment of her only raised her temperature all the more with her temper. “How can they do that?” she asked out loud. “They act like I don't matter, like I have no feelings!” She swatted the bowl with a vicious swipe of her paw, splashing water up around the sides. Suddenly her eyes grew wide and she frantically began to lap the water off the floor, erasing the evidence of her crime.

Unfortunately for her, witnesses are somewhat harder to erase. She was suddenly aware of Luna standing over her, looking very stern. At once she began to fake it, lest she be caught in good health.

“Oh, hi...” Cough, cough. “...Mom.” Cough. “I didn't... a-choo! ...didn't hear you come in.” And so saying, she burrowed under the covers and did her best to look miserable. “I think I'm feeling better.”

“Yes,” Luna replied, “Much better. So much better, in fact, that I've been watching you up and about, and you haven't shivered or sneezed once.”

Star cringed. “Mommy, I...”

“Lied,” her mother finished for her. Her voice was as serious as only a mother's can be when she has been deeply hurt by one of her children. “I don't know how long, but apparently you've been making us think you were ill when you were in perfect health. Why?”

Star looked down at the blankets beneath her. “I'm sorry,” was all she said.

“Why did you do it?” Luna asked, insistent now.

“Because... because I don't want to leave,” she confessed. “I want to stay here with you. And I wanted to make Angel and Arrow