Lavanut

Chime sat by her front door, staring out the window. On most days, she would be out and about, doing things like a busy bee. Today, however, the colorful Crook got a notification that her package would be delivered today. She knew that sometime during the day, a mail person would arrive at her doorstep and drop off a package. An entire week’s worth of waiting, and it was about to pay off. One week ago, Chime was browsing certain online marketplaces and came upon an absolute diamond in the rough. Somebody was selling bake-it-yourself kits complete with premade sugar accents, professional grade piping bags, seven different frosting tips, and sachets of natural food colors. The pictures proudly displayed the end result, a delectable cake set in the shape of a CCCat’s head with a half-circle silicon mould for creating a sugar eyeball. This kit would be perfect for creating the perfect birthday cake for Jingle. Chime was roused from her wandering thoughts when a flash of movement caught

Myir stood in a line, head and shoulders above most of the other occupants. The white striped Crook couldn’t help but cross their arms and twitch their tail, trying to give off an air of vaguely detached indifference to mask their anxiety. All around Myir, kids and their caregivers were cahhtering with one another about how excited they were to sit with Fleece and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Fleece’s meet-n-greet sessions were commonplace as the star-tailed Crook loved to listen to the wishes of others. He often made the wishes come true, too, in one way or another during the holiday season. This year was somewhat different. This year Myir had something weighing on their mind that they wanted to talk to Fleece about, a certain holiday wish that they’d been secretly hoping for each year only to miss the mark each time. This was why Myir was bashfully waiting in line, surrounded by kids, to see Fleece and tell him what they’d like to receive as a gift this year. The

DJ Killter pushed their shopping cart in front of them, steering it deftly with one hand while checking their shopping list for the third time. Shopping and cooking weren’t things they considered themself great at, but when they received an invitation to a surprise potluck dinner, they were surprisingly happy to accept. The invitation came from Fleece, after all, and the jovial Crook was known for his uplifting events. Still, DJ Killter had their hands full with just one side dish to bring along. Looking over the list again, the green Crook resigned themself to strolling around the produce section. The invitation had playfully declared the mystery part of the potluck would be that Fleece would be making the main course- along with a few other dishes- and the guests could bring whatever they thought would go well with dinner. DJ Killter has no idea whether to go with something they loved eating, or something that would be of a neutral enough flavor profile to accompany just about any

“Yes?” Fin sighed, taking a call on his phone from the local hospital, “Fin speaking.” Short and to the point, no need to preemptively stress out if this was some sort of routine call. “Hi, you’re listed on Skipper’s patient file as his emergency contact. I’m calling to inform you that Skipper has recently been admitted and will likely be needing a ride home after his time in our care.” The voice on the other end of the line sounded tired, the kind of tired that Fin normally associated with ten hours on the clock and halfway through a twelfth coffee. “I understand. Thank you for letting me know.” Fin was looking around his home for anything he might want to take with him, and ultimately decided on a rugged burlap tote bag to carry some snacks and a book to read. “Do you know if I should head over now, or will he be in your care for longer?” An important question, it always paid to know what his sense of urgency should be. The voice on the phone went silent for a moment, though Fin

All the shelves looked the same, rows upon rows of soup cans. Jingle felt as if he was experiencing a rip in reality. “What was in those snickerdoodles?” The bell-tailed CCCat mumbled to himself while clutching his head. There should be no way that every aisle in this grocery store would be lined with soup, and yet... In another part of the store,Chime was having similar issues. “Excuse me, have you seen a CCCat with black and white striped limbs, with bells all over?” The colorful Crook asked a passing employee. The employee, an orange CCCat, pondered this question for a moment, then replied, “I think I saw someone matching that description in the soup aisle? They looked a little overwhelmed and didn’t respond when I offered assistance. That’s going to be aisle fifteen, turn around and take a left at the snack cakes display.” They pointed out the general direction to Chime. “Oh, thank you!” Chime smiled to the employee, then promptly walked off to hopefully reunite with Jingle.

Jingle stood on the far end of a brightly lit platform, standing in the bright green circle of a colored spotlight. Across the colorfully lacquered stage, Chime’s deceptively aloof stance was held in a circle of cool purple light. The platform, a level expanse of wondrously colored wood, was surrounded on all sides by tiered seating. This was the Circus Arena, a grand stage within which performers execute some of their flashiest tricks. Much larger and sturdier than a typical big top tent or a three ring circus stage, the durable materials of this arena were built with shielding in place for the masses of spectators. “Friends and enemies!” A bold voice crowed over the loudspeakers, “Place your bets and take your seats, the main event is about to begin!” The crowd roared with an electric air of anticipation, filling the air with excited chatter. Small streaks of colored light swirled around the arena floor, commanding the attention of the crowd and drawing their eyes to the CCCat and