Footprints and Pawprints
Dreamworlds 1
One boy’s footprints strayed into a stray Gate
And walked a forbidden path
Then he was brought to a new Dreamworld
There to begin a Journey new
One wolfcat’s pawprints stepped out for the first time
To guide the steps of a lost boy
To stand in the way of all that may harm him
To keep him from walking into trouble
Or at least, to try.
Footprints and Pawprints
Dreamworlds 1
Victory Low
Copyright 2011 by Victory Low
Smashwords Edition
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Table of Contents
(Tap links below for shortcut to chapter, tap chapter headers to return here)
“You can’t play with us!” they told him. “You can’t go where we’re going!”
“But… why?!” little Colin asked them.
Colin was a skinny boy with short brown hair and a deep frown. Tonight, as he Dreamed in this Dreamworld, he wore a brown vest and gray-striped shorts.
Right in front of him was a Gate – a white archway filled with shimmering blue light that led to a place far away. A Gate and three other kids.
The biggest of the three was a spiky haired boy in a bright red tracksuit. He laughed at Colin. “Because we don’t want you there!”
The girl on his left had yellow hair and wore a green dress. She said, “You’re too clumsy!”
The third kid, a tubby guy, scratched his head.
“Let’s go!” the leader of the three said, and walked through the Gate, zipping off to somewhere else here in Gardens Dreamworld.
The other two hurried after him.
Colin rushed after them, but the Gate stopped him.
“Let me in!” he shouted.
But the light in the Gate had turned red. Red meant he couldn’t get through… because the three of them were blocking him out.
“Colin.” His father stood behind him, a tall man in a dark brown suit.
“I want to go through!” eleven-year-old Colin told his dad.
“Leave them alone, son. The prayerman is here to meet us.” Dad told him.
“The prayerman is boring.” Colin turned to the Gate and tried to push at it again.
It still wouldn’t let him through. Two inches from the shimmering red light, he was stopped by an invisible barrier that felt like thick plastic.
“Help me?” Colin turned to his dad. “I want to go play with my friends.”
Dad paused. “Not now, son. I want you to meet the prayerman.”
“You’re boring.” Colin accused. “And you never help me.”
“Colin, listen to your father.” Mom joined them. She was very fair, had long black hair and wore a long white dress, as she often did.
Like Gracie, Colin’s younger sister. Gracie followed mom everywhere, all the time. She even followed mom’s dressing.
Colin fumed. Once mom was there, he was never going to win an argument with dad. “You’re just saying that because he’s your friend!”
“Where are your friends?” Gracie asked, looking around from behind mom.
Colin growled and stomped away.
“Where are they?” Gracie’s voice haunted him as he ran.
“Nobody understands me! Nobody cares about me!” Colin yelled. “Everyone just wants me to do what they say!”
He passed the prayerman on the way. The guy wore a suit like dad’s, except that his suit was black and he had a hat.
“Hello, Colin…” the prayerman said, but Colin rushed by without replying.
He barely saw the Gate open up in front of him before he was through it.
The Gate vanished behind him.
***
His parents were frantic.
Colin Rivers was missing for three hours. Nobody could tell them where he went or where that Gate came from. Gates didn’t appear out of nowhere, they were told. Things like that just didn’t happen.
They called everyone they could, but nobody had seen him. The prayerman and some others helped them search for the missing boy all over the Dreamworlds Network.
It was his sister, Gracie, who found him in the end. They had left her right where they were in Gardens Dreamworld and told her not to leave.
Colin, she said, was suddenly there behind her when she heard a weird sound and turned around.
The boy didn’t move the rest of the night. He said nothing and did not move no matter what anyone said or asked. He never stirred.
The only sign they found of him ever really having gone was a mark on the back of his right wrist – a mark in the shape of a diamond.
While they were discussing that mark, Colin woke up and vanished from Dreamworlds. They didn’t even realize he was gone until an hour later. When his parents woke up and checked, he had already gone to school.
They called the school. The teachers reported nothing strange, just that he was quiet and moody today.
When he came back from school, they asked him more questions.
“I don’t remember.” He said, and went on as if nothing had happened.
But something had happened. Something that made him much quieter, much moodier, than he’d been before he’d vanished.
Colin Rivers was never the same again.
They brought him to a new Dreamworld the very next night. Ten minutes after he went to sleep wearing the Dreamworlds headband, Dad and the Prayerman brought him through a series of Gates, and before he knew it, Colin was looking rather doubtfully at the front doors of a fat silver building covered with a glass dome.
Beside him, Dad turned to the Prayerman. “Are you sure about this?”
The Prayerman nodded. “It’s very popular with kids his age. I think it’s the best thing to do.”
Colin frowned at him, but Dad said, “It does look very popular, doesn’t it?”
They were not the only ones looking at those front doors. About twenty people were crowded around them, adults and children mixed together.
Dad looked around at the people there. “Hey, Tsion… is that them?”
Prayerman Tsion took one look and said, “Yes. That’s Nelson and Blake.”
Uncle Nelson and Uncle Blake…? Colin started to step away but Dad grabbed him and pulled him along at once.
“Nelson! Blake!” Dad waved. “Are your kids joining this World too?”
Colin wished he could run away and hide.
“Of course!” Uncle Nelson roared. “Jonah! Go say ‘hi’ to Colin!”
Colin clenched his fist. “Dad… I…”
“Isn’t this great, Colin? Your friends are here too.” Dad said, smiling broadly.
“They’re not my friends.” Colin tried to explain. “They don’t want to play with me.”
“Nonsense! You’ve been playing together for years!”
“Only because you…”
“Hello, Colin.” Jonah was all smiles. He still wore his red tracksuit. He looked at Uncle Nelson just to make sure his dad was seeing it.
“Hello, Colin.” Alicia still wore her green dress. Uncle Blake patted her head.
“Hi.” Larry, still as plump as ever, was the only one who looked a bit uncomfortable.
Uncle Blake frowned at him. “Larry, you should learn to be as friendly as your sister.”
“Yes, father.” Larry replied automatically, but he didn’t sound happy about it.
“Hi.” Colin told all three of them shortly.
He still remembered the last time he saw them.
We don’t want you there! You’re too clumsy!
But Dad was here, and their dads too. As long as they were here, Jonah, Alicia and Larry would be nice.
Colin stood there and said nothing.
***
Very soon, a loud voice came from the front door of the building they were waiting at.
“Attention, all new Travelers! Welcome to Nakama World! You are about to start a wonderful Journey with your Comrades, a Journey filled with adventure and excitement!”
The front doors opened, and out stepped a row of nurses in pink nurse uniforms, led by a nurse who had a red uniform. The leader was the one speaking.
“Nakama world is a Dreamworld where people live with Comrades. Comrades are animals who become our friends. They help us with all sorts of things. Travelers like you need Comrades to protect them against wild animals, or to capture Wilds and tame them.”
She waved at them with a notebook. “I’m Chief Breeder Larissa. All new Travelers, please step forward!”
“Go on.” Dad pushed Colin.
Colin stepped forward. Larry was on his right, then Alicia, Jonah, a short boy with glasses, a tall girl with green hair, a girl with black hair, and a boy who wore a yellow scarf.
“Phillip?” Larissa called.
The boy with the yellow scarf raised his hand.
Larissa checked her notebook. “Katrin.”
Black-hair girl raised her hand.
“Jonah. Alicia. Larry.”
They raised their hands.
“Henry.”
The boy with glasses raised one hand.
“Marita.”
Green-hair girl waved. “Just ‘Rita’, please.”
At last, Larissa turned to him. “You must be Colin.”
Colin nodded slowly.
“Good. Everyone’s here.” Larissa turned to one of the nurses behind. “Nami, if you will.”
The nurse on the far right stepped forward. Nami had long blue hair, and twinkling eyes. “Hi, everyone. Come on in.”
***
They followed her into the building, eight new Travelers and seven other nurses.
Behind them, Larissa was talking to all the parents outside. In front of them was a desk with badges on it.
Nami held one up. “These are for you. Wear the badge at all times – it identifies you as a Traveler and protects you from serious danger.”
She gave each of them a badge; a white shield with a black ‘T’ in the middle.
Colin frowned at his. “There’s no pin.”
“Just touch it to your shirt.” Nami said.
Colin touched it to his vest over the pocket. The badge suddenly stuck to it like a magnet.
He looked around at everyone else; everyone was wearing a badge. The other Travelers had white badges like his; the nurses had purple badges.
“Has everyone got badges?” Nami asked.
Everyone had. She led them down the hall into a big lift, round and wide enough for all of them to stand on and still have space to walk around.
It had no buttons.
“Upper floor.” Nami said aloud.
The lift obeyed, moving upwards for a short time.
And then Nami turned to them all. “Once the lift opens, you’ll find yourself in a place where you can choose your first Comrade. There are different kinds of Comrades here, but only those with a yellow tag on their collars are ready to bond with a Traveler.”
Jonah raised a hand. “What do we do when we find one?”
“One of us will be with you.” Nami glanced at the other nurses. “Just tell us when you’ve made your choice.”
The nurses separated, one to each of the new Travelers there. Nami stood behind Colin. “Ready?”
“Ready.” They answered.
Nami looked up at the lift’s ceiling. “Full Open.”
The walls and ceiling of the entire lift split into two and fell away to either side.
Colin stared.
***
“This looks like a zoo.” Alicia mentioned.
It did look like a zoo. Now that the lift walls were gone, Colin and the others stood in the center of a huge space filled with room after room, floor upon floor like a stadium. Every room had short walls up to Colin’s knees, and most held animals.
“How are we ever going to choose?” Henry’s eyes were wide. “There are so many!”
“Actually, the yellow tags are only on the lowest floor. The ones nearest to us.” Nami explained. “The others never have yellow tags. Some of them already belong with people and we’re just taking care of them for a while. Others have to be bought, or earned, or need special conditions to bond with.”
Jonah was the first to step off the lift and take a look at the yellow-tag animals around them. Alicia and Larry followed him, as they always did. Their nurses went too.
Henry went the opposite way. Rita went with him.
Phillip turned to his nurse. “Can you tell me about the yellow-tag animals?”
His nurse glanced at Nami, who shrugged. When that nurse hesitated, Nami answered Phillip herself.
“There are basically four choices this season.” Nami said and pointed. “That kind is the easiest to get along with.”
Nami was pointing at an orange mouse with long, pointed ears. Henry was carrying it in both hands, and it was sniffing at him curiously. There were many more in the room in front of him and Rita, and Rita was bending over the wall to pick another one up.
“It’s called a Lynxmouse. Lynxmice have good hearing and a good nose for finding food.”
The Lynxmouse gave Henry a twitch of the whiskers and then put on a big smile that looked just like Larissa.
Phillip looked doubtful. “I don’t think it can protect me against anything.”
“Any Comrade can grow strong, if you raise it right.” Nami told him. “But Lynxmice are popular more for their ability to find food than their ability to fight. And like I said; they’re very easy to get along with.”
Phillip glanced at Colin. Colin glanced back.
“Colorbits are also easy to get along with.” Nami went on, pointing to a room filled with rabbits of different colors. “The Pinkbits are the friendliest. Yellowbits are friendly too. Greenbits and Bluebits are less friendly, while Purplebits and Redbits can be a bit hard to get along with.”
Phillip frowned. “Does that mean that the Purple and Red bunnies are the strongest?”
“Maybe.” Nami shrugged. “But as I’ve said, it depends on how you raise them. A Pinkbit can be stronger than a Redbit if you raise it right.”
“What are the other two?” Phillip asked.
“Squirrels and Spiders.” Nami said shortly. “Flying Squirrels, actually… but they can be a bit mischievous and hard to control sometimes. The purple spiders are called Arachnids, and they’re popular for their webbing. Farmers like using their webs to protect their plants.”
Jonah an Arachnid in his hands. It was the same size as the Lynxmouse in Henry’s hands, or the Flying Squirrel in Alicia’s. All the starter Comrades were the same size.
Larry was looking at the Colorbits and the Lynxmice, scratching his head. Rita was walking towards the Arachnids.
Colin looked at Phillip and found Phillip looking at him.
Colin didn’t know what to do. He shrugged helplessly.
Phillip turned to the Colorbits and studied them a while.
But Colin looked beyond the yellow-tags, beyond the first ring of Comrades.
He saw different kinds of what looked like small dinosaurs. He saw Comrades that looked like walking plants. He saw creatures that seemed to be mixed up entirely. He pointed to one and asked Nami. “What is that?”
“That’s a Rhinotle.” Nami said, studying what looked like a mix of turtle and a rhinoceros. “Very strong in defense, but not very clever.”
“And that one?” Colin pointed.
“That’s a Stag Beetle.” Nami told him. “Colin, creatures like those are way beyond what you can handle right now. They’re much too strong for you. Focus on the ones you can handle first.”
“Mice, rabbits, squirrels and spiders.” Colin sighed.
“Exactly.”
Phillip had chosen a Bluebit, and Larry had picked up a Yellowbit. Rita found the most active Arachnid in the entire hall. It kept trying to climb out of her hands.
Two rabbits… two spiders… a mouse and a squirrel.
Colin looked at the Lynxmice. He looked at the Squirrels.
Easy to handle mice… they’re good at finding food… but they’re probably the weakest of the lot… Squirrels are hard to control… they’re naughty… and they can fly away.
Colin shook his head. “This is hard.”
“Just pick one. You can get more Comrades later.” Nami told him. “If you want to catch Comrades, the best one here for the job is the Arachnid.”
Colin thought about it. “I don’t like spiders.”
“Well, whatever it is, take your time.” Nami said. “You’re already the last one.”
“Isn’t there any other Comrade I can take?” Colin asked.
“There is.” A soft voice said from behind him.
Colin jumped. Nami jumped too, and her nurse hat fell off. Both of them turned to see a lady in a white coat; a lady with a blue visor and dark brown hair.
“Michi!” Nami stared. “Where did you come from?!”
“My lab, of course.” Michi answered in that soft voice. She looked at Colin intently. “You will do.”
And with that, she held out a bundle of fur.
“What’s this?” Colin blinked, as she put it into his hand.
And then the bundle of fur lifted out a small sharp nose and blinked at him with soft brown eyes.
***
It was small. Smaller than the yellow-tag Comrades that everyone else had gotten. This one was about half their size, and fit in just one of his hands.
“Hello…” Colin paused, blinking right back at it. Sharp nose… sharp ears… soft eyes… fur. Soft, white fur. It looked like a wolf cub.
It stood up and Colin saw that it wasn’t just a white wolf. Its paws didn’t look like a dog’s or a wolf’s. Those paws looked like a cat’s. That tail too.
“A wolfcat.” Nami told him. “One of Michi’s breedings. Colin, don’t take it. Michi’s breedings don’t do very well.”
“What’s wrong with my breedings?” Michi asked, in that same soft voice.
Nami growled. “Michi, take back your… product. It’s so small, and it’s white!”
Colin stared into the face of the wolfcat cub. The wolfcat cub stared back.
And suddenly, he realized something.
The cub was afraid.
“Me too.” Colin whispered. “I don’t know what’s going on either.”
Together, they glanced at the two ladies. Nami was giving Michi a lecture. Michi, on the other hand, was studying Colin. At last, she spoke. “Contact me any time.”
Nami spoke too. “Colin, that Comrade’s not… normal…” she told him. “It’s not!”
“That’s okay.” Colin told her, and even as he said it, he realized the truth. “I’m not normal either.”
“Everybody thinks that.” Nami told him flatly.
Colin didn’t answer her. Instead, he asked the wolfcat, “What’s your name?”
Nami coughed. “Um… Colin… they don’t have names… not until you give them names.”
But the wolfcat looked back at Colin with soft brown eyes and said, “Yip.”
“Shiro.” Michi said, as she left. “His name is Shiro.”
“Shiro.” Colin said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Yip.” Shiro replied just as politely.
Nami didn’t like it. She kept telling Colin why it wasn’t a good idea to Travel with Shiro as his Comrade. “Michi’s stuff NEVER does well! He’s so small, he has to be weak! And…!”
But Colin wasn’t really listening. He felt that Shiro was a lot like himself. He didn’t know what Shiro could or couldn’t do just yet, but he liked the wolfcat.
Nami asked one last time. “Colin, are you sure about this?”
“Yes.” Colin answered.
Nami gave up. “Fine. He’s your problem.” she said. “We better go. Everyone else has already left.”
She was right. Everyone else had already taken their new Comrades and disappeared somewhere.
“Where did they go?” Colin asked.
“To register.” Nami said. “Follow me.”
She brought him across the place to a room under the second ring of animal pens. Inside, was a camera and a soft black tile on the floor.
“Colin, you and your Comrade need to put your feet down on the black plate together to register.”
“Put my feet down…?” Colin didn’t understand.
“Just one foot each.” Nami explained. “We need your footprint and Shiro’s pawprint side by side. After that, you’re officially registered as Traveler and Comrade.”
“Oh.” Colin said, and put Shiro down.
Shiro sniffed at the Plate, then turned to Colin. “Yip?”
“Yip.” Colin replied, and put his right foot down on the plate. Shiro put his right forepaw on it.
When they took their feet off the black plate, they left one footprint and one pawprint outlined in white.
“There it is.” Nami said, giving them a resigned nod. “Those are the first of the many footprints and pawprints you’ll be leaving all over this world from now on.
“Your Journey has officially begun.”
“This is your Traveler Watch.” Nami said, holding up a bracelet. It was a broad band of silver, with a small screen showing the time in front. “Put it on.”
She helped him as he slid his hand through the bracelet. Then, when it hung loosely on his wrist, she tapped it sharply. The bracelet closed in to fit Colin’s arm.
“Your watch has lots of stuff in it – phone, phone book, map, voice diary, alarm clock, travel log, travel guide, rulebook, and more.”
“How do I use it?” Colin asked.
“We’re Dreaming, remember?” Nami made a small laugh. “Just think of what you want and touch it.”
Colin touched it and thought of checking who he had in his phone book.
A list popped out of the watch, like a sheet of paper hanging in mid-air. Colin saw a listing of Comrade Homes, Training Centers, Tournament Arenas and oddly enough, Michi.
“Contact me anytime you need to.” Nami told him.
The moment she said it, Nami’s contact appeared on his contact list.
“So that’s how it works.” Colin realized. “You just say it, and I get your contact in my phone book.”
“Exactly.” Nami nodded. “You’re ready to Journey now. If you want, you can bring your Comrades to the nearest Comrade Home to give them a place to stay while you’re awake. Most Travelers do that until they can afford to build their own house or something. You can collect him and continue your Journey with him afterwards.”
“You mean, like a hotel?”
“Something like that.” Nami said. “For new Travelers, we provide room and care for free. After the first week, however, we start charging you based on what we need to do for your Comrade.”
“So I need my own house here after one week.” Colin frowned. “How do I travel around if I have a house?”
Nami laughed. “Don’t worry about that just yet. You’ll find out if and when you get one. For now, just concentrate on raising up your first Comrade or getting your second.”
“How do I do that?” Colin asked.
Nami thought for a bit. “I can tell you, but you’re actually supposed to go to the Training Center. It’s in the middle of town. We call it ‘Sunshine Gym’ because it’s got the word ‘GYM’ on the roof.”
“Do all Training Centers have the word ‘GYM’ on the roof?” Colin had to ask.
“Actually… yes.”
***
Dad and the prayerman were talking as Colin stepped out of the Comrade Home. The prayerman gave him a smile, and said, “There he is. Found your Comrade?”
Colin nodded in reply. “This is Shiro.”
The prayerman smiled. “Hello, Shiro.”
Dad petted him on the head. “He’s a cute little furball, isn’t he?”
“A cute white furball.” The prayerman agreed. “I think Colin’s done well, don’t you?”
“I think so.” Dad paused then. He looked at Colin in a strange way. “Larissa says you’d be better off without us interfering... and you’re obviously ready to get started.”
Colin nodded slowly.
Dad cleared his throat. “I’ll be off, then. If you need anything…”
“Call you?” Colin knew what Dad was going to say.
“Yes. Call me.”
Colin felt a little twitch in his watch and knew that Dad had just been registered as a contact in his phone book. “Okay.”
“Right.” Dad took a deep breath. “Bye, Colin.”
“Bye.” Colin waved.
“Yip.” Shiro added his own goodbye.
The prayerman waved as he and Dad headed back up the road. Colin watched them go for a bit, then looked to Shiro. “What do you think?”
Shiro twisted his head to one side, then shrugged. “Yip.”
“Really…?” Colin was surprised. “You don’t think they’re weird?”
Shiro shook his head.
“You should get to know them better.” Colin told him.
Shiro barked a laugh, and they headed down the road towards Sunshine Town together.
***
Sunshine Town was filled with Comrades.
Everywhere he looked, Colin saw people with Comrades. There were Comrades even smaller than Shiro, and Comrades large enough for people to ride on. There were Comrades of all colors, and all kinds.
On the left, a girl rode what looked like a black lion, with another girl and a green penguin walking beside her. On the right, a man and a trio of long-armed monkeys were fixing a house’s roof. Down the road, a boy was playing tug-of-war with a large red fox that had a whole lot of tails (Nine, maybe? Colin tried to count, but the tails kept moving).
Then there was that lady at the shop who stood on top of what looked like two rather flat blue crocodiles. The man selling her something at the shop was working with two chubby orange bears and a tiger that bounced on a long springy tail. Behind the lady on the flat crocodiles, a boy with glasses and a zebra-striped seal waited in line for his turn to buy something.
Comrades were everywhere, doing everything.
“Watch out!” Someone yelped from behind him. Colin turned to see Shiro almost trampled by a hopping yellow melon. It almost looked like it had a face…
The ‘fruit’ blinked at him and hummed a curious tone. The man who walked with the hopping pot patted it on the head and said, “I think he’s new here, Mandras. He seems to be a bit lost.”
“Uh… sorry.” Colin stepped back. “Here, Shiro, we better not block the road.”
Shiro wriggled a bit when Colin caught him up in both hands, then had an idea. He scampered up Colin’s left arm and sat down on Colin’s shoulder, wrapping his tail all the way around Colin’s back.
“Won’t you fall off?” Colin had to ask.
Shiro sniffed.
Colin tried walking with Shiro on his shoulder and found, to his surprise, that Shiro kept his balance very well. Maybe it was his tail or something, but Shiro sat there quite comfortably and didn’t lose his balance even when Colin almost bumped into someone and had to stop suddenly.
“Okay.” Colin smiled. Shiro felt warm and cozy sitting on his shoulder. Colin nudged Shiro with his nose. “Let’s go to the Training Center.”
***
The Gym itself looked like a glass eggshell that anyone could see into. Inside, Colin saw Comrades training with machines, other Comrades, and with Dreamers.
Colin, however, had a problem.
He couldn’t find the door.
“How do I get in?” he asked a nearby girl, someone who had a blue kitten on her shoulder the way Colin had Shiro on his. She had short black hair, bright green eyes, and a rather intent look on her face. She looked familiar. Very familiar. Where had he seen her before…?
“Just follow the road.” She pointed. “See where the road seems to go into the glass?”
“I don’t see any entrance.” Colin said, looking for it.
“You will.” She told him. “The wall only opens up as much as it needs to. It was made that way so that the bigger Comrades could get in.”
“The wall opens?” Colin stared.
“Try it.” She suggested.
Colin did just that and was startled when the wall just disappeared in front of him, making an opening large enough for him to walk through comfortably.
“Wow.” Colin said, staring at the missing wall as he walked through. As soon as he was inside, the wall appeared again.
The girl at the front desk was a short, brown girl with a very round face. She blinked at him. “Can I help you?”
“Uh… I was told to come to the Gym.” Colin said.
“A white badge…” she noticed. “You must be one of the new Travelers.”
“Yes.” Colin nodded. “That’s right.”
“But why didn’t you bring your Comrade with you?” she asked next.
“My… Comrade…?” Colin blinked, then looked at Shiro.
But Shiro wasn’t there. He wasn’t on Colin’s shoulder any more.
“Wha…?!” Colin jumped. “Where did he go?!”
Shiro had disappeared.
***
He checked under the desk, around the hallway, and all over the hall. “Are you sure he didn’t come in with me?”
“I’m sure.” The girl at the desk said. “You came in alone.”
“Oh no! Where could he have gone?” Colin groaned.
Nami’s voice haunted him. Michi’s stuff NEVER does well…
He could imagine what she’d say if she found out. “Way to go, Colin. Not even one hour and you’ve already lost your Comrade.”
“Where did he GO?!” Colin dashed out of the Gym and went looking for Shiro.
***
Henry was outside, coming back with two Lynxmice when Colin almost crashed into him as he rushed out to find Shiro.
“Did you see him?” Colin asked Henry.
“Who?” Henry was blur.
“My wolfcat! A little white furball with a pointy nose and a long tail!” Colin said.
“White wolfcat? I saw Katrin chasing one just now.” Henry pointed up the road.
“Katrin…?” The name sounded VERY familiar.
“She was there with us when we first started.” Henry reminded him. “Black hair? Green eyes?”
Katrin! Colin remembered now. She was one of the eight new Travelers…
“Wait a minute.” Colin frowned. “I don’t remember seeing her pick her Comrade.”
Henry shrugged. “Whatever it is, she was chasing a white wolfcat and a blue kitten. Maybe that’s the one you’re looking for.”
A white wolfcat and a blue kitten… the kitten’s hers… but… Colin groaned. “Which way did they go?”
Henry pointed again. “That way.”
“Thanks, Henry.”
***
Rita was coming back with her Arachnid and a walking plant with a head full of teeth. “Katrin chasing a white furball and a blue kitten? Yeah, they were headed down the road, all the way out of town.”
“Out of town…?” Colin rubbed his head. “Which way?”
“Towards Farmer Edward’s place.” Rita pointed. “I don’t think she’s going to catch the wolfcat and the kitten, though. They were faster than she was.”
“Oh great…” Colin groaned again. “Thanks, Rita.”
“Come battle me sometime!” Rita called as he ran after Shiro.
He passed by Jonah, Alicia and Larry on the way. They had new Comrades too – a whole bunch of Colorbits and a beetle that almost looked like a rock. Larry called to him. “Hey, Colin! Wanna battle?”
“I’m busy!” Colin yelled back, and ran past without another glance.
“Where’s your Comrade?” Alicia shouted after him.
Colin didn’t reply.
***
He caught up to Katrin, panting outside a farmhouse and a big sign that said “Farmer Edward’s Farm”.
“Katrin…” Colin coughed, also panting and trying to catch his breath. “Where’s…”
Katrin pointed farther down the road. “Too… fast…”
“What… happened...?” Colin struggled to breathe.
“That dumb furball…” Katrin coughed. “Chased my kitten… I couldn’t…”
“Shiro…” Colin groaned and sat down on the road with a thump. Katrin shook her head and managed one more step before she dropped to the road also.
They just sat there for a minute, doing their best to breathe. Both of them were sweating so much, their clothes were soaked.
Colin wondered if his body, sleeping back in the real world, was also sweating because of this. This was a Dreamworld, one of many on the Dreamworlds Network where Dreamers shared their dreams. Everyone here was Dreaming. Katrin could be on the other side of the world in real life, but in this Dreamworld, she was just three feet in front of him.
“We can’t catch them.” Katrin said. “They’re too fast.”
Katrin was probably right. Shiro was nowhere in sight, and Colin didn’t know how far ahead that furball had gotten.
But…
“We don’t have a choice.” Colin said. “We can’t do a thing around here without Comrades.”
Katrin turned to him. “What’s the problem with that white furball, anyway?! Why is he chasing my kitten?!”
Colin scratched his head. “Dogs chase cats, don’t they? I think a wolfcat is half-dog.”
“Then why isn’t he chasing every Lynxmouse around?” Katrin demanded.
“Why should he?” Colin asked.
“Because a Lynxmouse is a mix of a cat and a mouse. He’s a wolfcat, a mix of a wolf and a cat, so…”
“He has twice as much reason to chase a Lynxmouse.” Colin agreed and groaned again. “Henry’s going to hate me.”
“Well, DO something!” Katrin scolded him. “He’s your Comrade! You’ve got to bring him under control!”
“I haven’t learnt how!” Colin protested.
“Well, learn it, and learn it FAST!” she snapped.
Then a deep voice came from their left. “You two… what are you doing in front of my farm?”
***
Farmer Edward was a graying man who wore a floppy brown hat. He had a wolfcat too; a gray one, and it was as big as Colin himself.
“Chased a kitten…?” Farmer Edward was surprised. “I’ve never heard of a Comrade doing that before.”
“He’s a wolfcat.” Katrin said sourly.
Farmer Edward glanced at his own wolfcat, sitting there waiting for him patiently. “Mine never did anything like that.”
“Well, yours is smart.” Katrin growled. “Colin’s wolfcat is an idiot.”
“Hey!” Colin protested. But he turned to Farmer Edward and asked, “How do you get your wolfcat to do what you want him to do?”
“Well…” Farmer Edward scratched his head. “Usually, you just need to tell them. ‘Stay’, ‘go’, ‘follow’, ‘guard’… basic commands will do. If you’re in battle, you need to tell him which enemy to fight and what techniques to use if you want.”
“Really?” Colin scratched his head. “But I didn’t tell him to chase Katrin’s kitten.”
“Maybe he’s hungry.” Edward suggested and Katrin let out a yell of fright.
“Or maybe he’s just bored.” Edward said, but Katrin was already running off down the road again.
“Call me if you catch them!” Colin yelled after her, but she didn’t answer or slow down.
He just hoped that his contact had been registered in her phone book. Colin sighed. “What do I do…?”
Farmer Edward gave him a close look. “You’re a new Traveler, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Colin admitted.
“Your badge is white and totally clean. You’ve accomplished nothing, and any Comrade looking at you will know it at once. You know, Colin, Comrades are picky.”
“Picky?” Colin blinked.
“Yes. They won’t listen to you unless they respect you.” Edward explained. “If you tried to bond with a wolfcat as big and strong as mine, for example, he won’t let you.”
“But Shiro let me bond with him.” Colin protested.
“That’s just the first part. If he’s picky, you’ll need to earn his respect to get him to obey you.”
“How do I do that?” Colin asked.
Edward scratched his head. “Well… that’s a bit tricky. It depends on what your Comrade respects. Basically, you have to get to know him first.”
“How am I supposed to get to know him when he runs off like this?”
Edward sighed. “Try feeding or petting him. Comrades usually like things like that. Even if you don’t have his respect yet, he might like you enough to stay with you.”
Colin shook his head. “So I need to get him to like me, then I need to get to know what he respects, and then I have to earn his respect so that he’ll listen to what I say.”
“In short… yes.” Edward agreed.
“Is it always this hard?” Colin complained.
“That depends on your starter Comrade.” Edward said. “Those who took mice or easier rabbits never have this sort of problem. It’s those who try Redbits or Purplebits or Flying Squirrels that face this kind of trouble. Or those like you.”
“Like me?” Colin blinked.
“Yes. The kind who want to start off with something stronger than a yellow-tag.”
Colin realized it then. Shiro wasn’t a yellow-tag. He wasn’t supposed to be something a beginner started with.
Why didn’t Nami warn me about this?!
Oh wait…
She did.
When Jonah, Alicia and Larry dropped by Farmer Edward’s Farm later, they found Colin weeding a garden with a spade.
“What are you doing?” Alicia asked, totally confused.
“I’m earning money.” Colin grunted. “To buy food.”
“Us too, but we use our Comrades to do the work!” Larry said. “That’s what they’re for.”
“My case is a bit different.” Colin said. “I need to feed my Comrade to get it to like me and stay with me instead of running off.”
“It ran off…?!” Jonah burst out laughing. Alicia too.
“Is that possible?” Larry asked.
Farmer Edward showed up just then. “It is. Especially if it’s hungry. You three are here to work, right?”
“Right.” Larry answered.
“Come. Let’s get started.” Farmer Edward said, and brought them to another garden.
Colin took a break to watch them work. He soon discovered what Larry meant by using their Comrades to do the work.
Larry had five Colorbits, two pink, two yellow, and one green. Farmer Edward gave him the same job as Colin’s – weeding.
But where Colin weeded one garden, Larry had a whole field to weed; and Larry didn’t use a spade. He just sent his Colorbits to eat the weeds up and dig out the roots.
Alicia was given a job to pick fruits. Her Flying Squirrel did that easily, jumping all over the branches of first one tree, then the next. She had a Greenbit too, and it stayed below, catching the fruits that her Squirrel tossed at it.
Jonah used his Arachnid to set up protective webbing over rows upon rows of plants. The beetle just sat there like a rock.
Colin shook his head. Weeding this garden would go much, much faster if Shiro was around to dig as well.
What happened? Colin kept asking himself that question over and over again. Why did Shiro leave me?
Farmer Edward said that Shiro didn’t like or respect him enough. That Colin had to feed the wolfcat and pet him and earn his respect.
Maybe he was right. He was an experienced man, after all. He should know.
But Colin remembered when he first met Shiro. He remembered how Shiro felt.
Shiro had been afraid too. He didn’t seem to dislike Colin… or disrespect him. Shiro had been…
Nervous.
Yes. Shiro had been nervous.
Colin frowned, thinking back on what happened when Shiro was almost squashed by that Mandras. The white wolfcat had scrambled up to his shoulder…
He hadn’t been nervous any more. Excited, yes. Playful, yes… but not nervous.
He didn’t dislike Colin.
Why did he run away? Why did he chase Katrin’s kitten?
“Colin.” Farmer Edward came up to him. “That’s enough. You’ve earned your pay.”
Colin stopped and wiped sweat from his forehead. “How much does fish or meat cost?”
“Four to five Clira for fresh fish. Eight to ten for good meat.” Edward told him. “Look, Colin, are you sure you want to go through with this?”
“What do you mean?” Colin asked.
“This wolfcat of yours…” Edward paused. “It’s not going to be easy to get him to follow you. It could take all night, maybe even tomorrow night as well.”
“I know.” Colin sighed. “Just earning money is taking me a long time.”
“You can try something else, you know.” Edward said. “Try a different Comrade. Go back to the Home and ask for a yellow-tag Starter Comrade because your wolfcat has run away.”
“What?!” Colin stared. “I can’t do that!”
“It’s okay.” Edward said. “I know it sounds embarrassing, but for a beginner, they’ll understand. Everyone makes mistakes at first.”
“That’s not it.” Colin protested. “Farmer Edward, the whole reason I’m working here, the whole reason I’m here at all, is to find my Comrade. I know you mean well, but Shiro’s my Comrade. I’m not going to abandon him just to make things easier.”
“He abandoned you.” Edward pointed out.
“We don’t know that for sure.” Colin shook his head. “He might have his reasons.”
Edward laughed. “Colin, he’s a wolfcat! An animal that’s half wolf and half cat! And he’s a Comrade who’s run away from you. What else would you call that but abandonment? Colin, he left you!”
“Maybe.” Colin didn’t think so. “But I haven’t left him.”
“Colin, you don’t understand. Comrades are around to serve you, and to do what you want them to. If your Comrade doesn’t want to be around, and doesn’t want to do what you ask, then what’s it for?” Edward demanded.
Colin paused and thought about that.
He looked at Jonah, Alicia and Larry, using their Comrades to perform farm work. He looked at Farmer Edward and his many Comrades who were doing things around the farm.
“Maybe.” Colin said slowly. “But maybe it’s different.”
“What do you mean by ‘different’?” Edward questioned.
“Well…” Colin thought about it some more. “For you, they’re… your job. I mean… you’re a farmer. You use them to do work and to get stuff to sell. But…”
“But…?” Edward waited.
“I’m not a farmer.” Colin said, trying to figure it out himself. “I’m not the same as you. I’m a Traveler, and I’m supposed to travel with my Comrade. He’s not my servant. He’s my friend.”
“A friend who leaves you behind to chase kittens.” Edward shook his head. “Some friend that is.”
“Maybe he has his reasons.” Colin shifted uncomfortably.
“Maybe he just doesn’t like you.” Edward said again.
Colin thought back, remembered the way Shiro looked… the way Shiro felt.
“That’s not it.” Colin said, suddenly feeling certain.
“And how do you know?” Edward asked.
“I felt it.” Colin answered.
“You… felt it?” Farmer Edward went off into full blown laughter. “You felt it?!”
“Yes.” Colin said simply. “I felt it.”
Or rather, he didn’t feel it. Shiro had been nervous, excited and playful, but he had not disliked Colin.
“You really are an idiot.” Edward concluded. “It’s going to be your own fault that you’ll be having such a hard time. Here: your pay for weeding the garden.”
He handed Colin five coins. Each had ‘10cr’ stamped on it.
“Fifty Clira.” Farmer Edward explained. “Bring those to the market on the east side of Sunshine Town and buy fish or meat or something.”
Colin nodded his thanks, and left the farm.
***
He was halfway back to Town when Katrin called him.
“Colin!” her voice was low and she spoke in a whisper. “Get over here! You’re not going to believe this.”
“What?” Colin blinked.
“I found them. Your Comrade and mine. Come quick!”
“Where?” Colin had to ask.
“I’ll send you a Nav Point.”
“A what…?”
A red triangle suddenly appeared on his watch. Colin twisted his arm towards himself to inspect it and it spun so that it kept pointing the same way.
“A Navigation point. Just follow the red arrow.” Katrin said.
“Okay!” Colin said, and started running.
***
Farmer Edward was surprised when he saw Colin running back the way you came. “Forgot something?”
“Katrin called. She found my wolfcat.” Colin explained, slowing down a little.
“This ought to be good.” Edward grunted, shaking his head. “They must be a long way away by now. Why don’t I give you a lift?”
“Really?” Colin stared.
“Yeah. Just let me get the truck.”
Farmer Edward’s truck was a big blue vehicle that smelled of vegetables.
“Sorry for all the trouble.” Colin sat next to Farmer Edward.
“It’s okay.” Edward said, putting on the seat belt. “I’m curious to know what happened too.”
It took them ten minutes before the red arrow started to change direction and they had to go off the road to follow it. After another two minutes of driving through open fields, they came up against more and more trees and they had to get out of the truck to follow the Nav Point.
“Stay close.” Farmer Edward warned Colin. “Graybark! Guard!”
Graybark, Edward’s wolfcat, had come with them on the back of the truck. Now he followed them with a sharp eye and a sharp nose out for any Wilds that may cause trouble.
But there weren’t any Wilds in sight. There had been a few earlier, which they passed by, but right here, there didn’t seem to be any wild animals at all.
Then what was this… uneasiness?
There was a feeling of tension in the air that Colin didn’t like. As if something bad was happening nearby.
And then, a sound broke the uneasy silence.
Shiro was howling.
***
“Shiro!” Colin dashed ahead with Edward behind him and Graybark at their backs. “Shiro!”
“Colin!” Katrin called from in front and to the left. Shiro was howling directly ahead of them.
Colin, Edward and Graybark burst out of the thick trees and found themselves in a clearing.
On their left, Katrin was getting up from behind a big rock. On their right, a big white lioness was snarling, trapped under a fallen tree.
In front of them was a fight.
On one side was Shiro, Katrin’s kitten, a black creature that looked like a mix between eagle and lion, a big green cat, a smaller red cat, a tall skinny cat with six legs, and a pink lion-face creature with a mane as large as its whole body.
On the other was what appeared to be an army of giant ants… and more and more ants were arriving even as Colin watched.
“Graybark! Attack the ants! Sonic Howl!” Farmer Edward ordered. Then, he tapped his watch. “Webby! Come to me! Firebull! Give her a ride!”
“Who are you talking to?” Colin asked, as Graybark dashed forward to join the fight.
“My Comrades! I’m calling them to come here!” Edward said. “The ants are trying to eat the white lioness. The others are protecting it, but there are too many ants!”
“What do we do?” Katrin asked.
“I’m calling my Arachnid over. She’ll spin a web around to stop the ants.” Edward paused and turned to Colin. “That white lioness over there… friend of theirs?”
“What?!” Colin and Katrin both jumped.
“Look at the Comrades and Wilds protecting her. They’re all cat-types.” Edward said. “I think they’re friends.”
“Then that means…” Katrin paused. “His wolfcat wasn’t chasing my kitten. They were both rushing here to save her.”
“I think so.” Edward agreed. “Come on! Your Comrades will fight to the death to defend their friend. If you want to save them from the ants, you’re going to have to save the lioness first. We’ll have to free her from under the tree.”
“How?” Colin asked.
“I have some rope in my truck.” Edward said. “We’ll tie it to the fallen tree and loop it over that branch…” he pointed. “Then, we’ll need Graybark and the bigger cats here to help us pull.”
Graybark was howling now, but his Howl seemed different from Shiro’s. When he Howled, the air rippled, and when it hit the ants, they seemed to be hurt. A few of them turned towards him and started attacking him.
“Graybark! Sonic Storm!” Edward called.
Graybark leapt back, aimed his muzzle to the sky and howled again.
But this Howl was different. The sonic ripples went up first, then came raining down on every nearby Ant. The nearest ants to Graybark were hit so heavily, they fell to the ground and slowed down in their crawl towards Graybark.
“Attack the nearest Ant! Piercing Fang!” Edward ordered.
Graybark lunged forward, and when he opened his mouth, his longest two teeth glowed bright. He bit the nearest Ant and his teeth hit hard.
The Ant collapsed. It fell down and didn’t move any more.
“Behind you! Tail Slash!” Edward shouted.
Graybark spun, and when he spun, his longer tail lashed the face of the Ant that tried to attack him from behind.
“Shock Bite!” Edward called, and Graybark lunged forward to bite the Ant he’d just hit with his tail.
That Ant collapsed and stopped moving also.
“Watch out!” Katrin ran forward.
Colin watched in amazement as she picked up a loose branch and whacked an Ant on the head just as it was about to bite at her kitten. Her little blue kitten snarled and clawed the Ant back, even as the Ant tried pushing at Katrin.
“Are you crazy?!” Edward yelled at her.
Colin looked around and found a rock small enough to throw. He took aim and threw it at the Ant pushing at Katrin.
He hit the Ant directly on one of the feelers.
“Ouch.” Farmer Edward winced. “That’s his most sensitive spot…”
He was right. Now the Ant was looking at Colin.
“Uhoh.” Colin said.
The Ant charged right for him, pushing Katrin out of the way, ignoring her kitten’s clawing. Shiro dashed forward and whacked it with his tail, but it ignored Shiro as well.
“Colin! Run!” Farmer Edward shouted.
“Run where?!” Colin asked.
“Just run!”
Colin glanced at the nearby trees. Maybe if he climbed one…
“Colin!” Katrin shouted, and Colin turned in time to see that Ant spitting something at him.
He jumped out of the way, but the Ant went on spitting. Whatever it was, Colin reasoned, it couldn’t be good. Poison, maybe, or acid.
“Take cover!” Edward said. Colin dodged behind a tree and let the Ant spit into the tree instead of him. “Stay right there! Graybark…”
But there was no need. From above, that black eagle/lion creature crashed down onto the Ant attacking Colin and struck with beak and claws. The Ant fell in a matter of moments.
“Whew.” Colin said.
“Are you all right?” Katrin asked, looking at him worriedly.
“I’m fine.” Colin answered.
“Watch out!” Edward shouted.
Katrin took one look and dashed forward, taking cover behind the same tree as Ant-spit flew past.
“Both of you, just… stay there!” Edward called. “It’s dangerous out here!”
“Okay…” Colin managed as more Ant-spit flew around.
He found Katrin looking at him worriedly.
“We’ll be fine.” He told her.
“It’s…” Katrin shook her head. “Sorry.”
“Huh?” Colin blinked. “For what?”
“For blaming you… when your wolfcat and Raiki ran off…”
“Oh. That.” Colin shook his head. “I thought the same thing too. It’s okay.”
And then a big spider popped its head out at them.
Katrin let out a yell and grabbed onto Colin so hard, he couldn’t breathe. “Kat…rin…”
“Webby!” Edward was suddenly there. “You’re here!”
Webby, Colin figured, meant that BIG Arachnid in front of his face. It was, he realized, sitting on top of a bull that had fire over its hooves.
“Firebull, Trample through the Ants!” Edward ordered. “Webby! Web Barrier!”
Colin looked at Katrin, staring at the big spider openly while still squeezing Colin hard. “Kat… I can’t… breathe…”
Katrin blinked, then suddenly realized what she was doing and jumped back, her face red. “Sorry…”
They watched Farmer Edward as he got to work, quickly tying that rope around the fallen tree. “Graybark, all you big cats… we need your help to pull this off the white lioness.”
They seemed to understand. All of them bit into the rope and started pulling.
“Colin! Katrin! Help pull!” Edward called. “Firebull! Get back here!”
They pulled. They dug their feet into the ground, held on tight to the rope, and pulled as hard as they possibly could.
Slowly, the tree lifted. Slowly, the white lioness clawed her way out from under it.
“Keep pulling!” Farmer Edward called.
Colin was pulling too hard to answer.
Firebull grabbed the rope in his teeth and helped them pull. Graybark was straining so hard, his fur stood up on end. Even Webby was pulling the rope.
“Almost there!” Edward shouted.
Shiro was straining, and Raiki (Katrin’s kitten) had her back arched tightly. The black eagle/lion was tugging with its eyes closed.
“Almost!” Edward grunted. “And… there!”
With a sudden pop, the white lioness pulled her way free from under the trunk. Everyone dropped the rope all at once, and the log crashed onto the floor loudly.
“Whew.” Colin panted.
“Yip.” Shiro agreed, wheezing.
Katrin turned to Raiki. “Are you all right?”
“Mew.” Raiki answered.
“Good work, you guys.” Edward told his three Comrades.
They didn’t say anything.
The white lioness limped over to them. Her back left leg was injured, but she looked at them with proud eyes. “Raar.”
“You’re welcome.” Colin told her in polite reply.
She gave him a nod, and limped away into the forest. The smaller red cat followed her.
The other cat-type Comrades and Wilds scattered, going away in different directions. The Ants too, turned back.
“Well.” Farmer Edward looked at the fallen Ants left behind and thought for a bit. “Well, well, well.”
“What?” Colin asked.
Farmer Edward gave him a grin. “I think I just got more Comrades to help me on the Farm.”
***
Farmer Edward loaded the Ants onto the back of his truck with the help of his Comrades while Colin, Katrin, and their Comrades rested in the front. Then, he drove them to the Sunshine Town Comrade Home.
“What are we doing here?” Colin asked.
“You’ll see.” Farmer Edward said.
He went to the Ants and the back of his truck and said, “All of you, come with me.”
To Colin’s surprise, they got up and followed him.
Edward knocked on the door, and Larissa opened it. “Edward! What brings you here?”
“I’d like to register six new Comrades.” Edward smiled, nodding to the Ants.
“Six Megants?” Larissa blinked. “All at once?! How did you manage that many without the whole nest attacking you?”
“I was defending something.” Edward told her.
“Well…!” Larissa shook her head. “Come on in. Let’s get you bonded.”
She brought them straight to the Registration room. Colin and Katrin watched as Farmer Edward put his footprint beside each of the ants’ footprints on the black plate.
“Antone, Antwo, Anthree, Antfour, Antfive, and Antsix.” He named them all. “Let’s go home. I’ve got plenty of work for you all. We’re going to expand the farm.”
***
Jonah, Alicia and Larry were finished with their work by the time they arrived back at the Farm. Edward paid them all in the hundreds of Clira.
“They did a lot more than you did.” Edward explained to Colin as the three headed back to town.
“I know.” Colin said.
“But there’s still a bit more work you can do if you like.” Edward said. “I’ve been thinking of expanding the farm for two nights now, and with six new Comrades to help out, I think it’ll go easier. Especially since they’re hardworking Ant types. Until now, I didn’t have anything suited to cutting or biting down trees to clear more space.”
“Farmer Edward…” Katrin asked, “How many Comrades DO you have?”
“Me?” Edward thought about it. “Over twenty. Maybe thirty, including these six.”
“Wow.” Colin stared.
Edward laughed. “I run a farm, Colin. I need that many Comrades just to keep the place running. You’re a Traveler. You can get by with just one special Comrade or two. But me… I need a whole workforce, or Sunshine Town might suffer a food shortage.”
“I… see.” Colin managed.
“Especially since there are so many new Travelers and Comrades this season. We’re going to need more and more food.” Farmer Edward added. “And I’m going to need more and more help on the farm, so any time you need work…”
“I’ll come help you out.” Colin agreed.
“Me too.” Katrin said. “But for now, I think Raiki needs to rest. Goodbye, Farmer Edward.”
“Goodbye, Katrin. Goodbye, Colin.” Edward waved. “It was fun catching new Comrades with you two.”
“Thanks, Farmer Edward. I learnt a lot.” Colin grinned.
“Goodbye.”
On the way back to Town, Katrin asked, “Colin… how did Shiro and Raiki know that their friend was in trouble?”
Colin thought about it for a while. “Maybe they have their own way of communicating. Remember how Edward called Webby and Firebull to come all the way from the farm?”
“You mean, they can communicate without Traveler Watches?” Katrin asked.
Colin shrugged. “Who knows?”
Katrin thought for a bit, and said, “Call me if you need help with anything.”
Colin blinked. “What?”
Katrin shook her head. “Nothing. I already have your contact in my phone book, so I was just giving you mine.”
“Oh.”
They walked on in silence for a while more, their Comrades on their shoulders. Then, Colin asked, “Kat… where did you get your Comrade from?”
“Raiki? The scientist lady gave her to me.” Katrin said.
“Scientist lady…?” Colin blinked. “Blue visor? White coat?”
“Yeah. She said her name was Michi.”
That explained a lot.
“I should have guessed.” Colin said.
Shiro yawned.
Colin made a call.
“Who are you calling?” Katrin asked.
“I’m calling Michi.” Colin answered.
Michi picked up the call. “What is it, Colin?”
“Michi…” Colin paused, not sure if that’s what he should call her, but went on anyway. “Why did you give Katrin and I our Comrades?”
Katrin stared.
Michi, however, didn’t hesitate. “To the Kat, I gave a Cat. To the lost, I gave one to help him find his way.”
“Hey!” Katrin protested. “You gave me Raiki just because people call me ‘Kat’ for short?!”
“Is that Katrin?” Michi sounded pleased. “I didn’t know you two were… together.”
Something about the way Michi said ‘together’ made Colin a bit uneasy, but he wasn’t quite sure why.
“Hey!!” Katrin yelled.
“Is there a problem with your Comrades?” Michi asked, all cool and confident.
“Well, they ran off to rescue their friend without telling us and we had to chase them to get them back.” Colin said.
“But they did come back to you.” Michi pointed out.
“Well… we didn’t know if they would.” Colin went on. “Farmer Edward said Shiro might have abandoned me because he didn’t like me, or because he was hungry.”
Michi actually laughed at that. “Colin… have you checked your Comrade’s Traits?”
“My Comrade’s what?” Colin blinked.
Michi sighed. “Where are you?”
“Halfway to Town.” Colin mentioned. “From Farmer Edward’s place.”
“Meet me in Town, then. Where are you headed?”
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