Fate is Efficient (Continued from Heading to Hatchmere)

13h (edited) • Main Story

...The dancer froze mid-twirl; I froze mid-step. For a heartbeat we all stared at one another...

Then the cloaked traveler blinked, looked from Sunny’s smoking snout to my frozen, half-crouched form in the bushes… and burst out laughing.

It wasn’t mocking or sharp — it was bright and genuine, the kind of laugh that chased the tension straight out of the clearing. She pressed a hand to her chest, tail flicking behind her as she caught her breath.

“Well,” she said, grinning wide enough to show sharp little fangs, “not the strangest percussion this one has danced to — but certainly the cutest.”

Sunny chirped, proud despite himself, and hid halfway behind my leg.

I raised my hands slowly. “In our defense,” I said, “he sneezes when he’s excited. And you were… very exciting.”

Her ears perked. “Ah! Then this one accepts full responsibility.” She gave a playful bow. “This humble entertainer is at your service.” Her bright blue eyes sparkled as they met mine. “And may this one know who you are?”

“Jack,” I said, relaxing at last and stepping into the clearing. “And the menace is Sunny.”

Sunny puffed a harmless curl of smoke in greeting.

The cat crouched to his level, utterly unafraid. “A fire-breather with manners,” she murmured approvingly. “You travel in excellent company, Jack.”

She gestured to her pack. “Come. You startled my song, but you have improved my morning. Sit. Eat.”

I hesitated, patting my own near-empty ration bag. “I won’t say no… but fair warning — town is the only thing between us and starvation.”

Her whiskers twitched. “Then fate is efficient today.”

We shared dried fruit, flatbread, and something spiced and unfamiliar that made Sunny sneeze again — thankfully without flames this time. The dancer listened as I spoke of the mountain pass, the long road, and the village below.

“This one travels that way as well,” she said, tail curling lazily. “But not with haste. Paths are more interesting when they twist.”

I smiled. “We’re a bit more… straight-line thinkers.”

She laughed softly. “Then we part as friends, not strangers.”

When we stood to leave, she slung her pack over her shoulder and gave us a small, sincere bow. As she did, she pressed a small bag of food into my hands. I tried to refuse, but she only smiled and nodded toward Sunny — as if that settled the matter. I obliged.

“This one would be delighted to meet you both again,” the entertainer said. “You are excellent and surprising company.”

Sunny chirped, and I tipped an imaginary hat. “Same to you.”

As we headed down the trail, I glanced back once. She was already dancing again, song drifting after us through the trees — lighter somehow, as if the morning itself had joined in.

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