**Daydream** 

Behind her usual spot, the oak tree’s scaly trunk, the Katress Viola watched the human. The sun neared the horizon, earlier than her waking time, but it was wholly worth it. If she had gotten up any later, the human would already be in bed, and while she had been content with watching his face while it slumbered, she yearned for something more. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as resolved herself to make those daydreams a reality.

Viola stepped into the open for the first time. On the first step, her feet wobbled, but she blamed the weight she carried, two Chikipis. As she stumbled forward, a gust of wind rustled the grass, tickled her legs, and stimulated her mind. She inhaled the cool evening air, shook her head, and puffed her chest up—she had to make a good impression.    

Blue. The human’s blue bandanna dazzled in her memories. She had been on her last legs, fending off a pack of Wixens when he had chased them away with his earth magic. From then on, she had nicknamed him after the color of his bandanna. But today … she would ask for his name.  

The human was unloading wood logs into a crate when he noticed her. Viola froze at the same time he did. She waved her hand in the air to show she meant no harm but stopped when the Chikipi’s belly jiggled against her palm; her cheeks turned hot. The heat subsided from her face when he greeted her back—he remembered her.

As Viola drew closer, her pulse beat faster. The black hair he had turned out to be a dark shade of brown; it draped over his eyes, eyes filled with curiosity.   

She raised the Chikipis and wiggled them. “I brought some food,” Viola said. Although Humans didn’t understand Palspeech, she hoped the tone would carry over.   

Blue’s eyebrows rose in apprehension before he smiled politely. He nodded at her and gestured to a wooden table. As she faced away from him, Viola couldn’t help but smile as she burned Blue’s joyous expression into her memory.

The Chikipi’s shiny feathers, vibrant red comb, and plump shape marked it as a thriving Pal. These Chikipis lived in an enclave high on the mountain. She had carved a few stairs, but it had still taken hours to climb there. She ignored the aches in her foot as she tapped the ground to a tune she hummed.

Viola set the other gift, a bouquet of herbs, aside. Humans used earth magic in an odd way; they fired rocks from those shiny, grey tubes. She had seen humans search for these herbs and assumed they needed it for their rituals like she did. A full moon was coming soon, so she came at a good time.

Still humming a happy tune, Viola plucked the feathers from the Chikipi. When she finished, she turned her head to the side and snuck a glance at Blue. She lingered too long because Blue had seen her and flashed a polite smile at her. She snapped her head back to the table. A blush sprouted on her cheeks as she realized she had been caught. The embarrassment died down, and calmness returned. But, Blue’s dreamy smile lingered in her mind. Heat began to creep on her cheeks before she patted them—she had to focus! 

When she finished, she had fanned out the Chikipi slices on a plate. The fat glistened under the campfire light, and the meat platter resembled a rose in full bloom, a bouquet for Blue. For her first step in courtship, this offering would prove her a capable partner. She gave it one final check and fixed a “petal” by pushing it inward. There, it was neater now.

Viola strutted over to Blue, careful not to tip the plate over. She shoved the plate out and waited with a held breath.

Anon packed the last stone into the wooden chest and blew the dust off his arms. The vast skies stretched out before him, the sun already long gone, leaving his only company the low crackle of his campfire. The aches on his lower back pulsed in pain—a whole day of swinging around heavy tools would do that to you. Worse, he hadn’t yet, and the pit on his stomach grumbled. He sighed, and got to plucking the twigs out of his hair. 

He was picking a leaf out when something moved in the corner of his vision. Right, that Katress. It had surprised him when the Katress he saved showed up out of nowhere and seemed to want to thank him. 

He turned around and found her holding a plate. That was right—she came along with a gift. He shot up to study it closer. Drool pooled in his mouth. A plate of meat! Excitement surged in his chest, and he hugged the Katress. 

When he pulled away, the Katress remained frozen as if a Sparkit had shocked her. Then, she her face turned red. Anon remembered the grime on him and dusted off his hands, hoping she wasn’t angry. “Oops, sorry if I got you a bit dirty.” 

“*It’s fine*,” The Katress said.  

Anon sighed in relief at her response. The dusty imprint he left on her clothes still embarrassed him. “Here, I’ll cook dinner for us.” He reached to take the plate, but the Katress pulled back.

She picked a piece of meat and dangled it out. When Anon stared at the slice, unsure what she wanted, the Katress stepped closer and shoved it in his face. A light bulb lit up; some Pals preferred their food raw. While he had tried cooking his meat rare, eating it raw was a different story. 

The Katress moved the meat aside and mimed an eating motion to Anon. An expectant stare fixed itself on Anon, the Pal’s cerise eyes glowing. He gave the meat a second glance. His tongue said no, but his stomach screamed for food. Into his mouth, the Chikipi slice went. He chewed the meat with barely any effort and swallowed.

It didn’t taste bad. The meat went down easily, but the gamey taste lingered on his tongue. When the Katress offered him another piece of meat, he pointed to the campfire. The Katress mouth hung open, and she blushed.       

Anon washed up,  cooked half the meat, then handed the rest back to the Katress. They sat on a wood log ate in silence, though the Katress did stare at him a lot.

With their breakfast finished, Viola saddled herself next to Blue. She scooted closer, until their shoulders touched. In response, Anon stoked the fire, and it grew hotter around them. Viola tilted her head, then tried a different approach. She put a hand to her chest.

“My name is Viola," she said. "Viola," she said again, this time more slowly.  

After a brief pause, Blue seemed to understand. “Viola,” he said, pointing to her.

Viola squeed inside her head. Her heart pounded as she grinned and pointed to Blue. 

“Anon.” Blue pointed a thumb to his chest. 

“Anon,” Viola said. “*Anon*." She tasted the name on her tongue. As her heart pumped, a tingle of magical energy burned at her fingertips. She focused herself, controlling the flow so the mana circulated back inside, but her heart still beat against her chest. 

Anon had held his hand out when her paws cooled down. She bent down to kiss the back of it. Anon’s eyes flashed between confusion, surprise, then understanding. He smiled at her before kissing the back of her own paw. 

Her heart jumped out of her chest and a burst of flame sprouted from paws, tinging the grass below—Blue, no, Anon, had accepted her courtship. She couldn’t contain her delight, and she rubbed her cheeks. When that didn’t calm her down, she tried tugging her hat down on her head, but the fireworks continued to play in her head. 

Viola buried her face on Anon’s side, hiding her expression. She brushed her cheek against the fine fabric of Anon’s shirt, sneaking in a few sniffs. Anon’s warmth culled down the fireworks and fed a different typed of giddiness. When he rubbed her back, she giggled. Her throat started purring as he stroked up and down her shoulders.

Her worries about today’s meeting had dissipated, and not a single drop of nervousness dwelled in Viola. Her daydreams had come true, and it tasted sweeter than any fruit she’d eaten. Her eyes crinkled as she thought about the future. She’d move her belongings here tomorrow. As she tried to decide whether to bring her cauldron here, her eyelids grew heavy, and the aches in her toes made her foot go limp.  Soon, her thoughts came slower and flowed like honey. 

Her head swayed from lightheadedness, the blood flowing to her stomach. She yawned out, and her arms started to drop down. Into Anon’s warmth, she dug deeper. When she felt herself being lifted, she shifted her body and grabbed onto Anon, but her legs stayed limp. On something soft, she was placed down. When Anon’s presence no longer warmed her hands, she reached out to find it again. She grabbed onto something, a blanket. It covered her body and smelled like Anon. That was good enough. Something soft pressed itself against her forehead, and Viola the Katress smiled before drifting to sleep.