Kuchibu

"Psst. Sarah!"

Sarah opened her eyes. Quinn stood before her with an animal in each arm. They looked like overgrown cats, but with opposable thumbs on their front paws. One was colored like a raccoon; the other was white with orange patches and had huge paws.

"What kind of animal are these?" asked Quinn.

Sarah chuckled. Her face held a mixture of amusement and something Quinn hadn’t seen before. Annoyance? Irritation?

"We call them kuchibu," she said.

"Koo chee boo?" asked Quinn.

"Kuchibu. They look like cats, but act more like raccoons. They’re clumsy, but sneaky, and surprisingly fast. They get into everything with those little paws of theirs. Where did you find them?"

"I found them going through Samson’s pack," said Quinn. "They were eating whatever food they found and throwing everything else on the ground."

"That’s typical," said Sarah.

"Are they tame?" asked Quinn. "They didn’t seem to object when I grabbed them."

"No," said Sarah. "They’re wild animals. They wouldn’t have come near our camp if Kulth-Ing were nearby. But they have no fear of humans, for some reason. They tend to flop and go limp when you pick one up."

"How cute!" said Quinn. He kissed the orange and white one on top of its head and said, "I’m gonna name you Bigfoot." He kissed the other and said, "And I’m gonna call you Sugar."

"Are they edible?" asked Zebulun, now awake.

Quinn’s eyes opened wide with horror. "No!"

"Don’t worry, Quinn," said Sarah, amusement in her eyes. She turned to Zebulun and said, "They’re not poisonous, but they’re not good. The meat has a foul taste."

"Good!" said Quinn, holding the creatures away from Zebulun.

Sarah’s expression changed. She stared at Quinn intently, her eyes narrowed. Quinn looked over at her and asked, "What?"

She looked at Quinn and smiled, mischief in her eyes. "I think you may have just inspired me, Quinn."

"Really?"

Sarah tilted her head back, listening to the wind and thinking.

Davion returned to camp a few minutes later. He looked tired, but deep in thought.

"Well?" asked Quinn. "How did it go?"

"It was…​ I’m in awe," said Davion. "The star folk somehow put images, concepts, and equations directly into my mind without language — just pulsating patterns of light. I can’t begin to understand it. It would take me three days to explain what I just learned in three hours."

Quinn smirked and said, "Please don’t!"

Davion tilted his head towards Quinn and said, "No."

Davion sat quiet for a moment. "I can learn so much from these angels," he said. He paused, lost in thought, then turned to Zebulun and asked, "Zeb, how long do you plan on staying here in Eastwood?"

"I have no plans," said Zebulun. "Coming here to warn them was it."

"You should stay for a time," said Sarah. "I can help you master your newfound abilities."

Zebulun looked at her, thought for a moment, and nodded. "Okay."

"Yay!" said Quinn, throwing his hands in the air. "I like it here. I love the star fairies, and I want to see the forest folk again. When can we go see them?"

"No need," said Sarah. "They’ll be visiting us soon enough. Our fight with the dragons is far from over."

Davion suddenly lifted his head and looked at Quinn, as if seeing him for the first time. "Are those cats?"