Elona and Keke perched at the end of the dock, both holding fishing rods cast far into the ocean. While Elona held hers with the comfort of experience, Keke gripped the handle and reel with clammy fingers. Her miscast that very morning had summoned an angry Defiled to the surface. Luckily, her mother had dealt with it quickly, reacting to her [Fisherman’s Sense of Danger]. Even so, the experience had encouraged Keke to keep a much closer eye on her line.

“The fish aren’t going to come out of your rod. You don’t have to squeeze it that hard,” Elona laughed and ruffled the hair between Keke’s ears. “Relax, love. Not all is lost.”

Keke sighed and flexed her fingers around the handle. Thirteen years old, and she was still scared out of her mind of the Defiled. “Does… does it ever get easier?”

“Hmm?” Elona hummed, glancing at her daughter. “Does what get easier?”

“Seeing the Defiled? Coming face-to-face with them?” Keke still remembered the day she’d faced off against the fox-tailed beast that had nearly claimed her mother. Many nights, it reappeared in her nightmares, finishing the job it had begun. She shuddered with the thought.

“I don’t think ‘easier’ is the right word,” Elona began. “However, one day, you’ll have others you care for and want to protect. Facing them will become necessary. You’ll experience something greater than fear—obligation.”

“Is that what you felt this morning?” When the fish-faced Defiled’s roar had churned the waves above it, Elona had shot to her feet, [Combat Mode] enabled, and her bow nocked and drawn. Keke had barely had enough time to snatch their rods and move behind her before the first arrows pierced into the Defiled’s scaly head.

“It is. It’s what I feel every day.” Elona nodded. “I’m certain you’ll understand someday. Especially if you have kittens of your own.”

Keke flushed at the thought. “But there needs to be a man around for that, right? Like Dad?”

“Mhm.”

A tall wave crashed against the pier’s posts, splashing a thin mist over Keke’s bare calves. “There hasn’t been one in a long time, it seems.”

“Not since your father. That’s right.” Elona gently tugged on her line in idle thought. “Some islands are more fortunate than others with the appearance of men.”

“You mean, like, they don’t have to wait as long?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Elona stretched her legs and tail, allowing the latter to settle behind Keke. “But, who are we to question Saoirse’s interventions?”

“I think we should be allowed to question her methods,” Keke grumbled.

Elona raised an eyebrow. “Don’t let too many people hear you say that out loud.”

Keke frowned. “Well, it’s not really fair, is it? You’ve said some of the other islands have huge cities brimming with catgirls. Ni Island doesn’t have anywhere like that. Shouldn’t we be first in line, then?”

“Perhaps. But we have less people to protect and fewer mouths to feed. Our way of life is simpler than the other islands, and so, it doesn’t require as many hands to maintain our balance.” Elona shrugged. “We have a Party here that can take care of the Defiled and the Encroachers.”

“You mean you, Cannoli’s mom, and the others,” Keke said flatly. “But is it enough?”

“They have names, you know,” Elona chuckled.

Keke blushed. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“You should always do your best with what you have. Strengthen what you can control and let go of what you can’t. We can’t force another man to appear, so we must be enough.”

Keke chewed on her mother’s advice in silence for a time. Elona reeled in a sizeable fish and added it to the dangling chain attached to the post.

I still haven’t caught anything, Keke thought sourly. She exhaled her frustration and continued on with the next string of thoughts addling her young mind. “If a man does show up, what will it be like?”

“Well, that’s impossible to say. He could be tall or short, funny or serious, smart or slow.”

“I know that!” Keke giggled. “What I mean is, what do I do?”

“Be yourself, sweet. He may take you into his Party, or if you find that isn’t for you, you can raise your very own kitten.”

The thought of not following in her mother’s path sparked an excitement in Keke that overwhelmed her words. “I want to travel! And fight! I want to be strong and brave like you!”

“There’s more than one way to be strong and brave, Keke. Being a mother is strong and brave, too.”

“Yeah, but I want to see the world!” Keke gestured out to sea, imagining the outlines of Ichi, San, Shi, and Nyarlothep just there in the distance. “I want to meet new people and help them like you did. And then, maybe, I’ll have a kitten. Maybe two.” She kicked her feet out, and her ears stood high on her head, reaching for the sunlight. “I have to make sure he likes me! So I can be in his Party!”

Elona tipped Keke’s chin, bringing their gazes together. “Don’t be anyone other than yourself, Keke. Promise me.”

Keke hissed in a quick breath of air, the elation pounding in her chest slowing with her mother’s stern gaze. “But—”

“No, Keke. No ‘but.’ Promise me you’ll always be true to yourself.”

“Okay. I promise,” Keke whispered. If it was that important to her mother, how could she say otherwise? The weight of her stare was enough to quell her dreams of grandeur.

“Good.” Elona released Keke’s chin and smiled. “He’d be a fool not to choose you, love. You’re one of the finest shots on the island with a bow, you’ve taken to tracking and foraging like a bird takes wing, and you’ve a wise head on your shoulders.” She stroked Keke’s back before turning back to the ocean. “Not to mention, you’re cute as a button.”

“Mom!” Keke laughed, the tension evaporating from her shoulders. “Please don’t introduce us when he gets here. I’ll die of embarrassment.”

“Oh? You don’t want me to tell him you’re afraid of eight-legged roaches? Or that you cuddle a stuffed doll when you have nightmares?” Elona’s grin widened. “What about your love of singing? Surely he’ll hear your beautiful voice through the walls when you think no one is listening.”

“Goddess, help me. I had no idea you could hear me!” Keke squeaked. “No! No, no, no! You can’t say any of that!”

“Ruin all of my fun, then,” Elona sighed, rolling her eyes. “I suppose he’ll have to discover all of these things on his own.”

“Absolutely not. I’ll never tell!” Keke cried. “And Cannoli wouldn’t, either. She’s my best friend, and we’ll always keep each other’s secrets.”

“I’m surprised Cannoli isn’t here with us right now. You two are inseparable.” Elona quickly reeled in another fish. “A violet ryba! We’re in for a treat tonight.”

Keke’s mouth watered at the thought of her favorite fish cooked by her mother’s expert hands. But her confidence was quick to override her excitement as she realized she still hadn’t pulled in a fish. “The last time we took Cannoli with us, she lost two fishing rods.”

“They were just glorified branches, really. No harm done.” Elona dismissed Keke’s remark with a wave of her hand. “It may take her longer to learn how to fish than it did for us.”

“If she learns.”

Elona shrugged. “Even if she doesn’t, there are other things Cannoli’s good at. She’s been a quick study in the kitchen. She can help me cook our catch tonight.”

They sat in companionable silence when another pressing thought gnawed at the back of Keke’s mind. A confession that had plagued her for days, now. “There was, um, something else I wanted to ask you about.” As the words left her lips, her mouth went dry, and her heart sped.

“What’s that?”

Her face burned, and the sun suddenly felt exceptionally hot on her dark hair. “You know Bellini?”

“Of course. That’s Jaclyn’s daughter. She’s come to the house a few times before.”

Keke rubbed the back of her neck and focused her eyes on the very edge of her fishing rod. Butterflies fluttered in turbulent patterns inside her stomach, and she chewed her lower lip. “I… I kissed her.”

Elona was the picture of patience, her features placid and her posture unchanging. “You’re attracted to her, then?”

The red in Keke’s face and chest deepened. She leaned forward so her hair covered her cheeks. “I think so.”

“Does she feel the same way about you?”

The memory flooded her senses. Bellini’s soft lips and her warm, cerulean gaze. Keke had been so afraid she’d crossed a line that friends should never cross. But to her surprise, Bellini had touched her cheek and leaned in for another. “I think so.”

“Then invite her over more often,” Elona said easily.

Keke’s jaw dropped, and she silently at her mother.

“Why do you look so surprised?”

“I-I thought you would be mad! Or disappointed. I don’t know. I was so afraid to tell you.”

“If you care for each other, then take care of one another. Your feelings are perfectly normal, love.” She kissed Keke’s forehead.

“Is this the ‘obligation’ feeling you were talking about?”

“That’s for you to answer for yourself. But I would gamble that this may be a little different. Regardless, showing affection to the ones you care about is normal. So long as it’s reciprocated, of course.”

Keke narrowed her gaze. “You’re not going to tell her all of those embarrassing things, are you?”

“Hmm.” A wry smile tugged at Elona’s lips. Then her eyes flew wide, and she pointed at Keke’s bouncing fishing pole. “Hey! You’ve got one!”

Keke’s rod dipped, nearly knocking her over the dock. She squealed in surprise and leapt to her feet. She steadily reeled in the catch, cutting slack only when absolutely necessary. Her tongue poked between her lips as she concentrated on the jerking line. At last, a sizable violet ryba emerged from the surface, and Elona snatched it with her net.

“That’s the biggest fish we’ve caught all day!” Elona exclaimed. “Great job, sweet!”

Keke beamed with pride as Elona hooked her catch to the chain. Her thoughts returned to Bellini. “Mom, you can’t tell Bellini about Baby.” Her stuffed rabbit was one of the only things she had left of her father. But big girls didn’t sleep with stuffed dolls.

Elona’s grin returned. “I won’t make a promise I can’t keep.”