I don't remember how I came to stand in a field of flowers, their petals each a color of the rainbow, carried upward by a gentle wind. The sky was soft—not blue, but pinkish like watercolor hues painted on cream canvas. I couldn't see beyond the field; a soft fog covered whatever lay beyond. The scent was sweet and calming, like a morning sunrise.

  I looked around. The field seemed to stretch endlessly into the fog.

  Where am I?

  When I turned back, I saw a Felid boy standing in the distance, his back to me. His hair looked like mine—brown, tousled. His tail, with that distinctive white patch of the Birdsongs, swished once before stilling. He looked... about Sylvester's age. Two or three years older than me.

  He seemed to be waiting for something. His body remained still.

  There didn't seem to be anything else to do but approach him.

  Hesitantly, I took a step forward, my feet rustling against the flowers.

  Then another.

  And another.

  Until I stood behind him.

  He didn't turn. But the twitch of his ears told me he knew I was there.

  "Hello?" I said, leaning sideways to catch a glimpse of his face.

  He turned.

  My heart stopped.

  He had my face.

  The exact same face.

  Except for two red tribal markings running down from both eyes to his jaw.

  And his eyes... they were blue like Natalie's.

  Like mine before—

  A strange terror welled up inside me. Like seeing a ghost.

  He smiled. Sadly.

  A sudden gust stirred the flowers. Petals surged into the sky as the field brightened into a pinkish-white blur.

  Then...

  I opened my eyes to soft, golden glow in my shed. This was the first time I'd ever woken to such bright light. It felt different—soothing and safe. My mornings had always started dark and greyish, followed by Kaelen's command to get ready for training. But not today.

  The familiar smell of grass and Natalie-musk tickled my nose. Then came the gentle, rhythmic puff of warmth against my cheeks. Natalie was curled up beside me, close enough that I could count the eyelashes and freckles on her face.

  Then came the sound of jungle birds calling and the river trickling outside.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Peace.

  Finally.

  It made me sink into the softness beneath me—also new. My bed had always been a simple mat on the ground.

  My gaze drifted around to the low parapet of pillows surrounding us, my leg dangling over the edge. We were nestled in a small nest of pillows. When Morgan gave Natalie permission to sleep over at my shed, the first thing she did was tip a crate full of pillows from her porch above onto the ground below, while Kaelen and I just looked at each other. She said it was easier than carrying them all down. Morgan and Ollette treated it as normal Natalie behavior. But if I'd done that in Lumina Palace, Mama would have given me a look that could freeze the fountain in the courtyard.

  Then I'd watched her spend the entire evening after dinner arranging those pillows into a box-like nest, fluffing this one, spending minutes deciding which color or pattern went on top of which, her tail swishing excitedly behind her. And when she finally splayed her arms wide and puffed her tail big to present her creation to me, Kaelen was already sound asleep.

  But here's the strange thing. I couldn't sleep over at their hut above—not yet. But we were allowed in now.

  I don't get grown-ups. I don't get Natalie's dad at all.

  I moved the arm the Wolf had bitten. No more pain. The bandage had been removed. Juno hadn't been surprised my arm was healing so fast—she was a shaman, after all. I lifted it to the golden glow. There was still a faint, pinkish scar where the wolf's fangs had sunk in.

  It was around now that I realized the sun was already up. My shed didn't get this bright until midday.

  No red this time. No screaming.

  It felt so precious.

  Yet, in place of the nightmare, I'd seen a Felid boy with my face.

  Nathan.

  Someone important to Natalie's family.

  Her brother, no doubt.

  "Mmmm..."

  Natalie's sky blue eyes fluttered open, blurry from sleep. Her pupils narrowed into slits before dilating back into circles.

  "It's almost noon, Nat."

  "Really?"

  I felt the smooth, slightly oily rub of her nose against my cheek, and the brush of her hair against my eye.

  "Yeah, look at the sunlight."

  Natalie grinned, showing me her long canines. "You slept like a log, Herald. I'm glad you don't get nightmares anymore."

  "It's thanks to you, Nat."

  She giggled.

  Then we heard a low rumble. We stared at each other before Natalie shot an accusatory finger at me.

  "That was you, wasn't it?"

  "N-no! It's you! You're always hungry!"

  "Am not!"

  "Is too!"

  Her brows twitched and she flashed me a predatory grin. Before I could react, she was already on me and we tussled around like Felid cubs. She pinned my shoulders down and I hooked my legs around her waist and we both tumbled out of the nest, laughing loudly.

  We stopped after all the fight went out of me. Natalie whooped triumphantly over me as I lay panting. She never got tired.

  Defeat.

  First thing in the morning.

  Not that I hated it.

  We changed out of our sleeping clothes. For a whole year, I'd worn my royal light blue pajamas—the very same ones I wore the night everything ended. They were soft, made of thick cotton, covering my arms and legs. Good for Lumina, but completely wrong for this jungle. The shirt was constantly sticking to my body from sweat. The long pants were always snagging on something. This time, I'd decided to shed the tunic completely—be like the Felid kids. As for the pants, I asked Auntie Ollette to cut them off just above the knees. The waistband was coming loose, so she gave me a piece of sturdy cloth to use as a belt.

  I watched as Natalie pulled the front of her dark green dress up and tied the strings behind her neck. The dress left her entire back open and stopped above her knees. Perfect for this sort of place. Then she tied a simple sash adorned with beads and feathers around her waist, and put on a bracelet made of round wooden orbs around her right arm and left ankle.

  She noticed me staring at the ornaments. "These are for protection. Mum and Dad said I have to wear them." She showed me her wrist.

  "Are they magical, Nat?" I examined the bracelet closely—carved wooden beads with one cylindrical bead, strung together with red and green threads and a tiny tassel.

  "Mum said Juno blessed them. They keep sickness away." She held her arm close and touched the bracelet with her other hand. I saw a tinge of sadness as she stared at her protective charms.

  Somehow, my mind linked this to the Felid boy I'd seen in my dreams. The Felid boy who looked like me.

  Nathan.

  "I'm sure they do, Nat," I said, taking her hand.

  Her tail flicked once.

  Together, we went outside.

  [To be continued...]