…And please share your light with Mom, Keke, Keke’s mom, Granny Nauka, and all the nice ladies in Junonia.

  Cannoli tapped her clasped hands against her forehead as she silently recited the names of those closest to her. It was hard to remember everyone else in Junonia, but she wanted to make sure that Lady Saoirse didn’t forget to take care of them, too.

  A sting on her left knee resurfaced against the hard floorboards—she’d scraped it playing tag with Keke just that afternoon.

  Oh! Yeah! Um, Lady Saoirse, if it isn’t too much to ask, Keke’s really hoping her mom will give her a bow for her eighth nameday this year. I think it would make Keke really happy. Could you maybe tell Elona? It’s next week. But I know you’re busy, so I’ll make sure to remind you again. Just in case.

  She chewed her lower lip and dragged her tail across the backs of her thighs. Mom always said Cannoli should share everything with their goddess. Her day, her deepest secrets, her dreams. A catgirl’s bond with Saoirse was unlike any other.

  But…she told Mom and Keke all of this stuff, too. So this didn’t feel much different. Just weird having to do so in silence. Could Saoirse really hear her thoughts? Cannoli sniffed and shifted her weight to her good knee.

  I think that’s all today. I hope that’s okay. I love you!

  Cannoli reached her arms over her bed and pushed herself to her feet. She arched her back and locked her knees, sighing with the stretch.

  “All finished praying, Cannoli?”

  She squeaked and rolled onto her back. She hadn’t heard Mom come into her room. “Yes! Just finished.” Cannoli grunted as she curled upward and grabbed her feet, pulling them in until her legs crossed.

  “Good girl.” Aurora’s gentle smile filled Cannoli with pride as she crossed the room to join her on the bed. “What are you thankful for today, sweet?”

  Cannoli was ready for the question. It was hard on unfun days to come up with things to be thankful for, but today was perfect. “I’m thankful for the yummy breakfast Mommy made me, and for my best friend Keke, and for my warm bed, and for the fishies!”

  Aurora’s deep blue eyes sparkled in the way that they did when Cannoli said something that made her laugh. “For the fishies?”

  “Of course! We couldn’t have had dinner without them!” Cannoli beamed. “And for Lady Saoirse’s light, of course!”

  “Excellent choices.” Aurora stroked a hand through Cannoli’s long hair, its color an exact match to her own. “Would you like me to braid your hair?”

  “Yes, please! I’ll be thankful for that, too.” Cannoli turned to face her pillows, then gathered her stuffed pawm civet into her arms. She’d named him Marbles, since that’s what they dropped when Mom sang to them.

  Aurora went to find a hairbrush and ties for Cannoli’s hair while Cannoli toyed with Marbles’s tiny paws. She’d tried to sing to them once, but she’d forgotten the song halfway through, and the little pawm civet skittered back to its hole. They were just so cute. How could anyone focus when they wanted to skip the song and get right to the scritches?!

  Maybe once she was older, after she picked her Class, she could sing as beautifully as Mom. Then she could give them all the scritches she wanted!

  Aurora returned and carefully drew the brush over Cannoli’s hair.

  “Mom?”

  “Hm?”

  “When will I get to pick my Class?”

  Aurora laughed. “Did we not discuss this just a few days ago?”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Remind me? Please?”

  “When Lady Saoirse deems you ready. As I’ve told you, it’s a little different for everyone.”

  “When did you have yours?”Cannoli walked Marbles over her calves, letting him hop down onto the bed and back into her lap. Just like her future pet pawm civet would when he wanted cuddles.

  “When I was thirteen.”

  Cannoli heaved an exasperated sigh. “That’s so far away!”

  “You’re closer now than you were when you asked before.” There was a slight pull to the right half of Cannoli’s head as Aurora split the first braid into three sections. “Your time will come before you know it.”

  Cannoli hummed. “And if I want to help Keke like you do with her mom, I choose [Acolyte], right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And then, once I’ve Leveled it high enough, I can be a [Bishop], like you?”

  “You’ve forgotten your Second Class,” Aurora chided gently.

  Cannoli looked at Marbles as if he’d betrayed her. How could her stuffy let her forget? “Marbles told me that [Bishop] was after [Acolyte]!”

  “Cannoli, we do not place our own faults onto others.”

  An embarrassed burning flooded Cannoli’s cheeks. She winced and stroked the top of Marbles’s head. “R-right. [Priest] comes after [Acolyte].”

  “I believe you owe someone an apology.”

  “Sorry, Marbles,” Cannoli murmured. It’s okay, she imagined him purring, I still want scritches! She wanted the embarrassed tingling in her tummy to go away, so she pressed on. “When my Level is high enough to be a [Priest], what happens next?”

  “Lady Saoirse will need to deem you worthy.” Aurora tied off the first braid and moved on to the second. “There will be tests you must pass, and you will have to work very hard to do so.”

  “I do work hard!” Cannoli announced. “I spent three years learning to bake cookies!”

  Aurora’s laughter returned, and the uncomfortable tingling vanished. “I think you mean three days.”

  “Uh-huh. And each one felt like a year.”

  “Well, then. Perhaps you will be the first [Priest] to earn your Class by baking cookies,” Aurora mused.

  “Cookies make everyone feel better! They’re like potions, but they don’t taste like grass.” Cannoli stuck out her tongue. “I wish potions tasted like cookies.”

  “Maybe there are some that do. We’ll have to ask Nauka on our next visit.” Aurora tied off the second braid, then ran her fingers over the tight plaiting.

  Cannoli wrapped one arm around Marbles and used her free hand to pick at the edges of the bandage over her knee. “Sometimes, Keke pretends to be a [Sniper] like her mom, and I pretend that I’m a [Bishop] like you.”

  “I know. I’ve seen the weapons the two of you like to make on the porch.”

  The embarrassment returned. “Oh…”

  “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I did the same when I was a kitten.”

  Cannoli craned her neck and tipped her head backward to see her mother’s face. “You made a scepter from a nyapple and a stick?”

  Aurora’s ears twitched, and the corner of her mouth pulled into a tiny smile. “I made a sword.”

  “A sword?” Cannoli gaped. Blood began rushing to her head from being upside down for too long, so she rocked her chin forward and puffed her cheeks. That usually made the feeling go away.

  “I fancied myself a [Magic Knight] after my mother.”

  “Then…why did you choose [Acolyte]?”

  Aurora wrapped her arms around Cannoli’s waist and pulled her close. “I discovered that this was my true calling. It’s where I fit in.” She rested her chin between Cannoli’s ears. “When your time to choose comes, you do not have to follow in my footsteps.”

  “But you and Elona keep Junonia safe! I want to be able to do that, too!”

  “There are many ways to protect those you care for, Cannoli. So long as you walk in Saoirse’s light, you will make me proud.”

  Cannoli rolled her tongue around in her mouth and looked at Marbles. She’d decided to be an [Acolyte] the moment Mom had explained choosing her Class. There was no other option. “Then I’ll be the [Acolyte] that makes you proud.”

  “If that is what’s in your heart, then I know you will.” Aurora kissed the top of Cannoli’s head and stood. She turned down the blankets on the bed, and Cannoli slid beneath them. “Sweet dreams, Cannoli.”

  “Potions that taste like cookies!” Cannoli giggled, hugging Marbles as Mom tucked her in.

  “May we both experience such a concoction.” Aurora turned the key on the small oil lamp beside the bed, draping the room in darkness. “Good night.”

  “Good night, Mom! I love you!”

  “I love you, too.” As Aurora closed her door, Cannoli pulled Marbles close to her chest and buried her head into her pillow.

  Just six more years, and she would be an [Acolyte] that made Mom proud.

  Volume One is out now on eBook, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback, and Audible! , , , and are available on eBook, Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback.

  Thanks for reading!

  Be sure to check out our for early access chapters, full-size artwork, acrylic pins, and more. Subscribe to the monthly for exclusive updates and coupons!

  Many thanks to our Patrons!

  Berserker Tier: SkySom, [William Martin]

  Scholar: Jack Sparrow, Flaming Moose, DiscountDan, Alex Bagster-Collins, Zachary C

  Curator: PhantomKnight, nick0, Runecaster, Lazarus G, LT_Ashpole, 0hawkclaw0, Sir Joe, Janna Shi Island’s Fury, Lord Taxus, Miles, Aycee, Tim W., Gavin D, Zarkis, Carlos M, Neko1967

  Powerhalf, Mitchell Aberson, Matt[hew] D Christensen, Travis, JC Quinn, HariboHeadHunter, King Jerkera, waymogunz, Phil, Centhi, Khii, Matt[hew] Johnson, Jason Walker, Belkorin, Rodney the Paladin, ICE.Paragon, Kyle McCoy, Cameron Garfalk, blackmambauk, NekoPix, Zerum Sparklez, Joshua williams, Michelle Hundt, Dave, Emily, Skade, Rosalee, SyloSpectre, Tonk, Twelve, hanani, Shags, Ranger Frank, Zak Stromquist, Spencer decoteau, Jacob Moore, Alex H Cowley, Zeklor, Neko1967, KH, Bilman, VKandis, ProfessorComputerMan, Victor Bugg, Vir Honestus, Steve Tatum, Brooke Grace, Hock, kenneth york, Kat L, WarptheSynth, Kat S, Aaron A, Queen Toast, GreatFireLegend, Ryan E, Draxx127, Wesley F, Bakenecro, BeanSauce, StarTin, Myrmarked, Bryan O, Mister Drake, Nye Winston-Corradino, Hahn Feder, Elissia, Pyromaniac, Lumberjack0716, stupidhand, Zaq

  Please remember to follow, favorite, and rate!

  Patreon | |