Image by Birgit from Pixabay

Andrada stepped out of the shower onto the dryers. Her hair blew around her and she sighed as she ate some of it as usual. She was melancholy. She’d just lost her brother and was feeling rather lonely. Her only family that she had left was her younger sister, and the two hadn’t spoken in years, not since the disastrous incident at her sister’s wedding between Andrada and Sofiana’s maid of honor.

She got dressed and wandered out into the living room. She was startled to see her best friend waiting for her. “Nikolai, what are you doing here?” Andrada asked.

“I came to see how you were doing,” he asked, his lightly accented voice warm and a welcome balm against the sorrow in her heart.

“Not good. You know where I just was,” Andrada said.

“I do, which is why I brought you a friend to keep you company,” Nikolai said. “But she must take to you, or else this won’t work.”

“She must take to me?” Andrada asked, confused. Nikolai opened the box he was carrying. Inside, nestled in a pile of blankets, was a small sleeping star cat. “Nikolai, she’s beautiful.”

The star cat, silvery white as all her kind were, opened large silver eyes and blinked. She hopped out of the box and began surveying the room. She noticed Andrada and came over to her. Andrada knelt down and extended trembling fingers towards the animal.

The cat sniffed them delicately and then headbutted her hand, purring up a storm. Andrada felt the mental connection snap into place that came with having a star cat. She heard the mental command to pick the cat up and she did so immediately.

“I think she likes you,” Nikolai said with a grin.

“I love her,” Andrada said. “I wonder what her name is?” She listened for a moment as a series of images popped into her head. “Her name is Suncatcher.”

“Suncatcher is such a perfect name for so lovely a being,” Nikolai said. “Treat her well and she will guard you for her life.”

“I will,” Andrada said. “Thank you, Nikolai.”

“You know I have two star cats. What am I going to do with a third?” he asked, laughing. “Someone brought her to me and I knew she wasn’t right for me but I thought of you and knew she might be the best fit for you.”

“What would I do without you, Nikolai?” Andrada said.

“Be miserable and lonely and depressed all the time,” Nikolai said practically. “That’s why we’re best friends. We keep each other from feeling that way. Considering you introduced me to my first star cat, I thought I’d return the favor.”

Suncatcher made a demand. “Oh dear, she’s hungry and I don’t have anything to give her right now,” Andrada said with some distress.

“I thought of that,” Nikolai said, walking over and picking up a large box. “Food, litter, a litter box, and dishes. I brought everything you’d need, just like you did for me.”

“Thank you, Nikolai,” Andrada said. He helped her set up everything and soon Suncatcher was happily munching away at her food and the two friends watched her, hand in hand and happy.