Fred and the other troll left after another hour, and other foot traffic in the shop died down. Not much later, the shop was empty and I took my chance. "Hey Betty, can you lock the door?"

The click removed the stress from my shoulders and I turned to the Cat, who hadn't really moved all day. His sandwich from lunch still sat on the counter in the kitchen, and I left it there after picking him up.

"How does Chinese sound for dinner?" I said, and I held him close.

"Tasty…" He didn't fight me as all. "I'll be okay, just tired."

He closed his green eyes and rested in my arms. I took the moment to place the repeat order and scratch behind his ear. Once the order was confirmed, I headed up the steps to the living room before placing him on the couch with a blanket tucked under him. Warmth from the stones in the fireplace gave the place a pleasant mood as I hurried back downstairs.

A loud knock had me switching from heading to the kitchen and to the front door instead. The familiar delivery guy stood outside, and I rushed to unlock it to take the bags of food. He gave me a nod before hurrying on his way.

"Betty, however you do that, it's amazing," I whispered as I pivoted back to the kitchen. The heavy bag reminded me we'd have way too much food, since Indigo wasn't here.

I snagged the sandwich I'd left on the counter and tossed it in the fridge. The bags on the counter were gone when I turned around. A rush of warmth came from the floor, along with the impression to breathe.

I paused, taking a deep breath.

"Thanks, Betty… I just get worried about him, especially when I don't know how to help." My focus switched to trying to let my brain relax and not rush through things. That Cat said he was just tired. Yet, he'd done something to that elf that was sick.

This time I moved slower and with a purpose as I headed back upstairs to the living room. The Cat remained in his spot on the couch, with the soft blanket tucked around his curled up form. Various plates of Chinese sat on the coffee table, based on what we normally ate. Indigo's soup wasn't present, but two plates both containing the spicy chicken, noodles and egg rolls looked delightful.

I smiled and grabbed my plate, suddenly staring.

Snow still fell beyond the glass in the windows, and the lights on the tree sparkled softly. My hidden surprise for Indigo called for me to use it, but I ignored it, wanting to not use it until I could give her the present.

The same went for the Cat's present, but again, I'd wait until the solstice. Hopefully, both of them would enjoy their gifts.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Using chopsticks, I slowly ate the chicken and the noodles until the Cat stirred.

His eyes opened, and he gazed at the warm plate of Chinese on the coffee table.

"Oh, food…"

"Yep, you'll need to eat up, it's the spicy chicken you love," I said after swallowing a bite. The restaurant had really outdone themselves with our order today. Everything was perfect.

He lifted himself up slowly and leaped over to the coffee table with ease, but then he lowered himself next to his plate. Normally, he stood while eating.

Yet, it didn't take long for food to vanish off his plate.

At that I relaxed even further. He was eating, awake, and doing as well as I could hope. That had to mean something.

"You're staring…" grumbled the Cat in between bites.

My chopsticks paused halfway to my mouth with a piece of chicken in them. I lowered them back to my bowl.

"I worry about you…"

"I am fine, the food is good." The Cat continued chowing down on the massive plate.

"Good… Do you want to talk about today?" I ate a couple of bites.

The Cat didn't respond for several moments.

"There is nothing to talk about."

"Okay. Well, Allisa was pretty nice, and whatever you did, helped… I guess?"

The Cat paused, then nodded. "She will be fine now."

The silence stretched out, and I finished my plate before setting it on the coffee table. I left my egg roll for last, crunching down on it, careful to not get crumbs everywhere.

"That sketch was fantastic. I wonder who it was? He had tall ears like the dragons, and kind of like Liluth."

"The ears were not like the dragons, the dragons copied…" his voice trailed off and he stared at his plate for a moment without responding. "The fey lords."

I leaned back on the couch, watching the Cat who suddenly seemed quiet.

"Well, isn't that a chicken and the egg problem… The dragons would say the Fey Lords copied them, while the Fey Lords would say the dragons copied them."

"That isn't the dragon's natural form, it's one they decide to shift into. The Fey Lords' natural forms normally included the ears. They were created with them." The Cat paused like he couldn't believe the words had come out of his mouth.

"You okay?" I asked, finishing up my egg roll.

He nodded slowly, looking thoughtful.

"I'll ask one of the dragons when they return Indigo about the ears, and see what they say…" At least I'd distracted him with the conversation about the sketch. I wanted to ask more about it, but the Cat still seemed to be in a weird space.

"I am an expert on this topic, after all." The Cat said as he glared at me before chomping down on the rest of his chicken.

"I mean, your ears are a little pointed, though kind of fuzzy compared to the drawing."

The Cat's tail twitched erratically, as he coughed like he'd swallowed it wrong before crouching down like he was going to launch himself at me.

"I surrender," I said, grabbing a pillow and holding it out in front of me. I peeked above it and found him back on the couch, his plate completely cleared.

"Not funny…"

"No, hilarious."

The Cat rolled his eyes at me as I chuckled some more. At least he appeared more normal now. However, I couldn't help but wonder what Fey Lord it was that Allisa had sketched.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.