Falcon and Lotus spent most of the following day talking, but she made sure to include Julia now and then. Lotus still chose to sit behind her on the horse; sometimes she would lean her head against Julia's back and hug her, as if they had been best friends their whole lives.
By the end of the day though, Julia realized that it was impossible for anyone not to love Lotus. As unwilling as she was to even like her, the bard made her way into Julia’s heart very quickly. The splendor of her face was completely overshadowed by the beauty inside. Her perfection was endearing rather than irritating. Not that Julia’s jealous feelings at the way Falcon behaved around Lotus had lessened any, but it wasn’t Lotus’ fault. She was just the sun itself and couldn’t help but shine. It was simply her nature.
They swiftly settled into a routine. Every day they would talk or Lotus would sing cheerful songs while they traveled, and every night she would sing them to sleep, then curl up beside Julia, often holding her hand.
Julia had never come to feel so close to someone in such a short amount of time. But Lotus was just so open, so real, and Julia felt a strange connection with her. After a few days, it was as if she had known her for years.
Jade finally rejoined them as they began looking for a good spot to have dinner on the third night. They would be taking a nap afterwards, but that was all; they were waiting until the moon was high enough for Lotus to sing the song that would open the cave in Mount Aylios. It would only work, she said, if played directly under the moon.
“Falcon,” Lotus murmured as he helped her down from the horse, as if she couldn’t do it herself. “I want you to focus on Julia, or me, or something near you. Don’t look anywhere else.”
He nodded automatically, but asked, “Why?”
“These woods are home to the nymphs,” she explained. “If you look at a full nymph, not half―like me―you could be blinded.”
Julia, still standing beside her horse, gaped at her. “Seriously? Do I have to worry?”
“No, it’s only men who need to be careful,” Lotus replied. “It’s the nymphs’ beauty. They’re very gentle creatures, and their beauty is their only defense against the outside world, against people who may come to hurt them. Those people have always been men.”
“I hope it doesn’t affect cats.”
“Yeah, does it?” Julia asked.
“Does it what?” Lotus asked.
“Affect cats,” she repeated.
Lotus blinked, taking a moment to understand what Julia was asking. “Oh, no. Jade will be fine.”
“Whew, that’s good. By the way, there’s a stream back there; we should get some fish.”
Julia shook her head. “No, Lotus is cooking tonight, remember?” she said, stopping in the middle of the clearing they were setting up camp in, and picking up some sticks for the fire.
“Who are you talking to?” Falcon asked.
“You,” she answered. “Obviously.”
He shook his head. “But I didn’t say anything.”
She frowned in confusion.
“Do I actually sound like him?”
This time she saw that Falcon lips hadn't moved, and goosebumps covered her arms.
Falcon cocked his head to one side at her reaction. “Did you hear something?”
“I… I…” She looked around warily. “Didn’t you?” she whispered.
“Are you really that thick, or are you trying to be funny?”
She stared at Jade. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“I thought you knew he was your familiar,” Lotus said. “You really aren’t from this world, are you?” she added with a smile. “First they obey you, then you can feel what they’re feeling, and finally you can communicate telepathically. I heard of a mage who had a tiger as a familiar. You can imagine the reaction that got when he walked into a tavern.” She laughed.
Julia nodded slowly as she continued to stare at Jade. His green eyes held her gaze. “Why can’t they hear you?” she asked him.
“I don’t know.”
“He’s connected to you,” Lotus answered as if she had heard him. “A familiar is a regular animal that becomes just a companion at first, but the longer he or she is with you, the more their soul merges with yours. That’s why you can feel his emotions and hear his thoughts―because they, in a way, are yours.”
Julia blinked at her for a moment, then asked, “Can you talk to him like you did the deer?”
“No one can speak to him, not even a ranger―just you or another familiar. Mages often use their familiars to send messages to each other.”
“Oh… Wait―if he’s part of me, what happens if one of us gets hurt?”
“It’ll hurt the other. If he dies, it will hurt a lot," Lotus told her solemnly. "It’s worse the longer you’ve been together. I knew a mage who lost hers after twenty years of being together, and it killed her. But another mage who had his for thirteen just got very sick for a while. He said that the hole it leaves never heals, because it’s part of you that dies; it leaves permanent damage. However, if you were to die, even now, it would kill Jade. There have only been a few exceptions, and those were all large animals.”
Jade was as wide-eyed as Julia. “Let’s just make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Julia nodded her agreement. “So, why can he understand you guys?” she asked Lotus.
“Because being a familiar makes him as intelligent as a human, and being part of you means he's able to understand whatever languages you do. He can read whatever you can as well.”
“Huh. I have a familiar,” Julia said to herself.
“I knew he was your familiar,” Falcon said, smiling smugly. “Didn’t I tell you?”
She just nodded, barely paying attention to him and not taking her gaze off her cat.
A short while later, Lotus and Falcon ate their dinner on the other side of the fire while Julia kept staring at Jade. The idea of a familiar was a lot to take in. Jade seemed just as lost in thought as she was, though she didn’t hear him unless he spoke, or rather thought, directly to her.
“I guess we’re together for good, then.” He sounded amused. “I thought it was interesting how easy it was to find you―like a magnetic pull.”
“So, you’re just as clueless about this as I am?” she asked.
He nodded. “Before I found you, I was just… well, a normal cat, I guess. But the longer I was around you, the more I started to think… well, like a human. The changes were a bit scary; that’s why I left after that old guy’s cave. But I felt pulled back. I knew I had to stay with you, but I didn’t know why.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “It felt almost painful when you left.”
“You know, it’s kind of creepy with you talking to yourself like that,” Falcon said, half-joking.
She rolled her eyes. “Can I just think to you?” she asked in her mind.
“Yes,” Jade answered.
“Okay,” she thought, “but this is weird.”
His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug―it looked funny on a cat. “This is the only way I know how to communicate with you, so it feels natural to me.”
“Well, not for me.” She shook her head. “I think I’d rather stick to talking out loud for now.”
“I don't mind,” Jade and Falcon said at the same time. “I’ll get used to it,” Falcon added.
Jade and Julia talked for a while; not about anything of real importance, but she found that she was happy to have this new, unexpected friend, and she wanted to know everything about him―silly little things like his favorite color being green, the same as hers. She supposed that wasn’t really surprising.
Falcon and Lotus continued to speak quietly on the other side of the fire. It was a while before Julia turned her attention away from Jade to hear their conversation, but as soon as she did, she wished she hadn’t.
“…how you feel,” Lotus was saying.
Falcon was looking at her in wonder. “How do you know me so well? Can you read minds?”
She smiled at him. “No. I’m half Woodlander.” When that didn’t seem to explain anything, she elaborated, “Woodlanders are more sensitive to emotions. Being creatures of nature, we’re attuned to it. That’s what feelings are: they’re innate, organic, and honest―like everything else in nature. Hatred and love are the easiest to feel, and we can feel them even at a distance. Love is such a powerful force… and it’s practically stamped on your forehead.” She giggled at that.
He smiled a bit sheepishly.
It felt like a knife was stabbing Julia’s heart. She tried to push away the pain, knowing she should be happy that he had found someone. Lotus was wonderful; she was perfect for him. She was everything Julia wasn’t―beautiful and sweet and, of course, she was here, part of his world. Julia wiped her tears away before the others could see them.
“Hate, though―not to be confused with anger―hate is horrible,” Lotus said. "It hurts. It destroys.” She shook her head, as if warding away a bad thought.
She looked up at Falcon’s thoughtful face and beamed at him. “It will turn out well for you,” she promised. She raised her hand to touch his cheek, caressing and then cupping it. “Just trust what you feel. Don’t worry about the future or the past; cherish what is before you now, and it’ll work out.”
He looked lost in her eyes for a moment, then nodded slowly. “You’re right,” he conceded softly.
Julia swallowed past the lump in her throat. She couldn’t watch anymore. She went to her bedroll and lay down, keeping her back to Falcon and Lotus, but she could still see them in her mind, unable to stop herself from imagining them together, and the image made her chest physically ache.
Jade said nothing; he just curled up beside her, as if to comfort her, and she stroked his soft fur appreciatively.
She heard footsteps after a minute. “Jules?” Falcon asked from a few feet away. “You okay?”
“I’m just tired,” she said, struggling to keep her voice steady and neutral. She heard him walk away. She covered her mouth, keeping herself silent as she cried.
