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Astrid’s eyes gleamed. “You really think so?”

To someone who had just face-planted into the river, a draw was generous. “Deal,” Astrid said, taking a moment to giggle at the state she was in. Soggy, dripping, lounging on a gritty surfaces—yet oddly comfortable. Forcing herself off the ground, she let out a grunt when sand stuck to her...

In a span of seconds, she was yanked back to the surface and rested on the bank. Feeling twice as heavy as before—from the evolution, or perhaps from waterlogged fur?—she rolled onto her stomach and laid down, forepaws cupped together. Briefly, she and her friend met eyes. “I… yeah, I—” She...

Astrid couldn’t see a single coherent thing. Rainbows and flashing lights sprinkled her vision for what felt like an eternity (really, less than twenty seconds had passed) and as she regained control, limbs foreign, body tingling, it was just in time to avoid hitting the water. Three new limbs...

Only when they got right up beside one another did Astrid realize just how close this was. She was cheating a bit, sure, but it had put her in position to try and take the lead. It was Brisa’s stamina versus her own. Plus her corruption, she quickly discovered. One blast of her power could only...

Something swelled up in Astrid’s chest as Brisa sprinted off, causing her to lose focus and very briefly slow down. She sounds so happy. Something about this is making her feel… alive. Friendly competition. That means a lot to Brisa, huh? Picking up speed again, Astrid knew she couldn’t let...

Astrid took off, bounding forward, river flowing along in her periphery (to her satisfaction, she realized they were outrunning the waves). Brisa fell in stride next to her, then ahead of her a bit, only for Astrid to close the gap again. Then repeat. The wind, the sun, the water—it felt...

“Sounds like a plan.” No use in waiting any longer; the sun was already descending towards the horizon. In the other direction: nothing but open land, the river, and the occasional tree or patch of tall grass. Astrid had assumed this area had been opened up for a reason, perhaps in the past...

She wasn’t often deterred from good food, but Astrid still felt energized from the battle. Energized… and sore. She’d get stiff if she kept sitting like this. And for goodness sake. There was a river here. Rivers only meant one thing. “You wanna race down the river to the treeline wayyy down...

Astrid thought it might be a compliment in passing—a courtesy. But then it kept coming, and coming, and all she could focus on was the river, because damn, it wasn’t like she could look at Brisa. Damn. I… Best she could expect from Mincinno was his usual well-intentioned, gruff advice. How to...

“Ohhh,” Astrid cooed, believing with her entire innocent heart that she understood. “That’s—huh. So it’s like, a cultural thing. Neat!” She rubbed her neck gingerly, but there was no need. She’d sustained no injuries there. “…Hey, there’s no need to apologize.” Her tails flexed, and the...

“No worries, it was a good one. Good fight.” A pause and a sheepish grin. “So, what… was that?”

In the end, Astrid was an Avalugg flipped on its back. Dazed, heart thumping, paralysis gripping her limbs—and pinned by a greater weight. Teeth brushed along the fur of her neck, halting whatever processing she’d been attempting. Whether Brisa pinning her by her lifeline was intentional or...

She barely saw it coming in time. Bright lights descended like jaws, quickly enclosing. Electricity nipped at her tails and she grit her teeth, digging into the dirt and pivoting away. With nothing but a prayer and Truffle’s words, she clenched her tails and willed the Radiance away from her. If...

By the way her friend ran, Astrid could tell Brisa wasn’t nursing anything. This world really did have bizarre healing properties. She didn’t plan to file any complaints though. Instead, she began to paint. Particles in the air around her liquified, then immediately crystallized. With a...

Astrid stopped watching the river’s crawl and followed Brisa, making note of the scorch marks planted across the open dirt canvas like arbitrary paint strokes. The water behind her was likely far enough from the clearing to be nothing more than a backdrop (she supposed that falling in would be a...

Astrid was no stranger to winning — and losing — fights with larger opponents. But she was also well aware of Brisa’s physical strength, and knew that it would not be a favorable matchup at close range. The evolution only sealed the deal. But she couldn’t help herself. “Bet I can stick your...

“I’m, y’know, good. A little burnt out, to be honest with you. I was at the festival for a while, dabbled here and there… but I didn’t stay long.”

“It’s nice to see you too!” Astrid said, the edges of her mouth ticking upwards in silent relief. Out here, there was plenty of shade from the sun, plenty of green to drown out the monotonous gray of the dorms, plenty of sights and smells to enjoy with some company. And indeed, she had very...

<><><> The sun crawled across clear skies above Treasure Town, full of activity. It was some kind of holiday, probably, because the streets seemed more crowded than usual. Voices were louder; there was less space to move. Astrid wasn’t here for a holiday. She made her way down to the dividing...