Shade Cat stared blankly at the ever-changing scenery overhead, but he still struggled to stand up. Standing on Gina, he braced his front paws against the edge of the coffin and looked outside.
The river in the forest shimmered like gemstones. A bushy-tailed squirrel clutching a pinecone atop a tree by the river curiously watched the coffin drift past, while a wild Luku Bird drinking by the water raised its head and cried out, as though greeting the silver cat.
The autumn wind was pleasantly cool, and the golden forest marked the most beautiful season of fall. From the treetops spanning the sky above the river channel, a golden leaf spiraled down toward the water. It landed atop Shade Cat's head, then slid down into the coffin.
Shade Cat instinctively looked at the leaf, only to see it land beside the lifeless puppet. Miss Puppet was gone.
The cat blinked, then felt the drifting coffin come to a stop. A shadow blocked out the sunlight from the side. When he turned to look, a half-elven Witch wearing a Yellow Moon Earring in her left ear and a Silver Moon Earring in her right, dressed in an emerald-green robe, with golden hair seeming to glow beneath the trees, was smiling at him.
That smile was the most beautiful flower of autumn:
"I'd wondered what you would look like the next time I saw you. I imagined many possibilities, but I never expected you to be a cat. Still, this looks quite nice."
She reached out and picked up Shade Cat, bringing Little Mia along with him, still clutching the silver cat's tail.
Hearing that familiar voice, Gina hurriedly sat up from the coffin, pressing both hands against its edge:
"Oh! Miss Olanord!"
The lifeless puppet slid off her and to the