“Was all that about us being bonded since I was a small child true?” I asked Lily. We had left the house just before sunrise with a satchel full of potions, salves, and tinctures that Susie’s mother needed in her role as the village healer. I had another satchel that was filled with the same items that several of the villagers had ordered.

“Yep.”

“Then why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“I wanted to, but your parents always chase me away and you stopped playing with me.”

“Oh.”

“But it’s alright. We’re together now and that is all that matters,” Lily replied and kissed my cheek. She really seemed to love showing me affection. Lily yawned.

“Don’t start,” I said.

“Don’t start what?”

“Yawning. It’s contagious.”

My familiar looked concerned. “Really? Is yawning a disease? But I’m a magical being, I can’t get sick. How do you cure it?”

I laughed. Lily stopped her tirade and stood in the air in front of my face with her hands on her hips. “Jase, are you teasing me?”

“Just a little. You’ve watched humans for years. Haven’t you ever seen one yawn and then others do the same?”

“Maybe,” the pixie answered and tapped her chin in thought. After a moment, she continued, “Yes, I have.”

“Yawning is not a disease, but it is one of those things that for some reason people and some dogs will start doing after they see someone else do it,” I said with a shrug.

“Oh. Ok,” Lily replied with a shrug of her own. She turned to fly away leading me down the path.

“Lily, this way,” I called out to my pixie a few minutes later at a fork in the path.

“We’re not going into the village?”

“Not yet. We must deliver to some farms, the wood mill first, and some fishermen first. We started early so we could catch the farmers and fishermen before they got going in their fields or out in their boats.”

“Ok! Wait for me!” Lily exclaimed zipping back in my direction.

*

“Do you smell that?” Lily asked in an excited tone of voice. We were almost to the first farm.

“No. What do you smell?”

“Evening primrose nectar! Follow me!” the pixie near shouted and took off from my shoulder and flew into the meadow beside the path.

“Lily, wait!” I called to my familiar. She didn’t listen though. I took off across the meadow after the pixie. A few minutes later I heard Lily singing.

“Let it be seen the nectar will sing to us. Alleluia! Whoever drinks some bay she be as she should. Thing of wonder!”

“Lily? Are you ok?” I asked.

“Let it now be taught if a pixie is as she ought the nectar will sing. It’s a wonderful thing!” Lily continued to sing and then giggled.

“Lily, what’s wrong?”

“Drink your nectar deep, drink it well. I’ll drink my own in parallel. But take great care and don’t leave your nectar near the trail,” she continued her song.

I found the pixie sitting on the ground in front of an evening primrose flower. She looked like she had been drinking mead, wine, or beer all night. I laughed. “Are you drunk?”

“If the rich throw a riotous party, let us too then be noisy and hearty. To your good health! Bless the good neighbor with rations to eat, take up the meat! Now let us drink to the queen in pints so we won’t be called mean.”

“Yeah, you’re drunk,” I said. I picked up Lily and cradled her in my left hand. With my right I picked a few of the primroses since they could be used for treating sore throats and the oil could be used to help the skin. I put the flowers in the third satchel I had brought for Lily to ride in. “This would be easier if you were sober, and you won’t be getting in here.”

“I’m fine,” Lily replied and hiccupped. To prove her point she took flight. She dipped, bobbed, and spun in circles. None on purpose either. She landed on my still open hand. “I don’t feel so good.” Lily then leaned over my fingers and threw up.

“At least you didn’t get any on me,” I muttered as I started walking back toward the trail and farm.

“Wee! The world is spinning!”

I smiled. “You’re going to be one interesting companion.”

“Let it be seen the nectar will sing to us. Alleluia!” Lily replied as she started singing her drinking song again.

*

“Hi Fred. Hi Jed,” I greeted the twins as I made the last stop before heading into the village proper to deliver to the healer. My friends didn’t smile like they normally did but greeted me in return. “Here are your dad’s requested supplies.”

“Thanks,” Fred said taking the potions and salves. He took them and went inside.

“He’ll be back in a moment with your money.”

“Alright,” I replied. I wanted to show off Lily, but since she was drunk, I decided not to. “What’s wrong? You two seem out of it this morning?”

“Nothing is wrong. We just have a busy day ahead of us,” Jed answered in a subdued tone. His brother returned before I could say anything else.

“Here you go,” Fred said offering me a coin purse. I didn’t bother counting it as I trusted my friends and there were two people that were part of the village that nobody wanted to tick off or cheat. Those were the healer and alchemist. People valued their health after all.

We stood in an awkward silence for a moment. “Well, I guess I’ll be heading on to finish my deliveries.”

“Alright. We got work to do too,” Fred replied. The twins turned and headed to their dad’s boats.

“They, “Lily began and hiccupped, “don’t seem that friendly.”

“Yeah, that’s not like them,” I replied to my drunken, yet insightful familiar.

*

“Hey Susie. I have your mom’s order,” I said tapping the satchel after Susie answered their door.

“Oh. Hi Jase. If you don’t mind handing me the satchel, I’ll take it in and empty it. Then I’ll bring you the money,” Susie said holding out her hand. She had not opened the door as she normally did.

“Ok,” I replied lifting the satchel strap over my head and handing the bag to her. “Susie, is everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything is ok. I’ll be right back,” Susie answered and shut the door on me.

“I may be drunk on nectar, but it seems to me that your friends are treating you badly,” Lily observed. “The itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the waterspout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out.”

“What are you singing now?” I asked after laughing.

“The itsy-bitsy spider. It’s a nursery rhyme.”

I shook my head. Before I could say anything else, the door opened. Susie held out the satchel. “The money is in the satchel.”

“Thanks,” I replied taking the bag. “What’s wrong Susie?”

“You didn’t bond with a familiar. I can’t be seen with you anymore.”

My mouth fell open. I snapped it shut. “I do have a familiar.”

“Don’t lie to me. The whole village saw you run away in shame without being chosen.”

“My familiar is in this satchel,” I said pulling the one Lily was in around so Susie could look inside. I opened the flap and held the bag up towards Susie. “Her name is Lily.”

“Boo!” the pixie shouted jumping up and then fell back into the bag laughing as Susie screamed and slammed the door shut.

“Thanks Lily.”