Luna walked into her usual dining room and found everything changed. For years the room had been precisely the same; largely empty save for a small table with a single place setting. Now, however, the table had been replaced with a larger one and there were two places set. Her comfortable wing-backed chair still stood at one end of the table, but a low couch had been placed at the other.
Stripes padded in behind her and made a little sound of inquiry that was almost a meow.
"Good morning," said Luna. Somehow the change to her routine felt unsettling, even though it was her orders that had brought it about. And yet she found she was delighted to see the feline alien, and very curious what he would think about the breakfast she'd provided. "I hope you're hungry, I've sent for quite a lot of food. Feel free to sample it all and eat what you like. I am not a literal alicorn in the old sense of the word, but I can in fact cure poisoning, too, should something prove to sit ill with you. Otherwise I'd be much more cautious about giving you every food on the breakfast menu." She smiled.
Stripes tilted his head curiously. "Alicorn?" he said.
"Ah, yes, the translation spell probably doesn't quite know what to do with that one, does it? It means several different things. The most literal is 'the horn of a unicorn', an ancient object that was said to have magical powers, including the ability to cure any poison. It's also the name of a mythical sort of... divine animal; a unicorn with both horn and wings. The alicorns were said to be something like gods, holding great power. I suspect that's why we immortals are sometimes called alicorns. We are much like those old myths in abilities, if not in appearance."
Stripes nodded silently, his expression thoughtful.
"Do you have people like that on your home world?"
He frowned. "Like, but not same as." His frown turned into a scowl and he shook his head.
"I will work on the translation spell more today, hopefully I can fix it."
"Thanks."
"But come, breakfast is here. Seat yourself and eat." Servants were filing into the room, carrying covered serving platters. Luna took a seat in her chair and Stripes jumped up onto his couch, regarding the table curiously. It was soon half-covered in platters, for Luna had indeed ordered nearly everything the palace kitchen could offer for breakfast. The feline's teeth suggested he was a carnivore, but she had no idea what he might like or dislike. And his size suggested he'd have a large appetite, so she'd erred on the side of excess.
Stripes reached out and lifted the cover of the nearest platter, grasping the handle with a stubby thumb on his forepaw that Luna hadn't realized he had. He sniffed the contents curiously. The platter contained a pile of bacon, and apparently that met with his approval, for he immediately set about devouring the entire pile.
He ate neatly, picking up each piece almost delicately between his teeth, but the pieces vanished swiftly. When the bacon was gone he pushed the platter back and pulled forward another one. This proved to hold a stack of pancakes under its silver cover. He tilted his head at them and sniffed them thoroughly. He took a bite from the one on top and chewed it thoughtfully for a moment. Then he turned his attention to the little ramekin of butter sitting beside the stack. Luna blinked as he tasted it and then almost instantly devoured the entire thing. A small porcelain jug of syrup next to it was also tasted, and Stripes lapped up some of it, but didn't finish the whole thing. He pushed the pancakes aside and moved to the next platter.
This one held an omelette, made with ham and cheese. Stripes sampled it cautiously, and chewed thoughtfully for a moment, before apparently deciding it would do and eating the whole thing.
The following platter held a small stack of ham steaks, which were devoured even faster than the bacon had been, and somewhat more messily, for the feline got his paws involved in tearing pieces from them. He paused then and groomed them clean with his tongue before continuing.
Under the next silver dome was a bowl of porridge, with ramekins bearing butter and sugar beside it, along with a small jug of cream. A bit of porridge was lapped up but instantly rejected. The butter was eaten quickly, just as the last serving had been, and the sugar was sampled and mostly eaten. Then Stripes investigated the cream, and this was evidently a hit for not only he he lap it up rapidly, but he took the jug in his forepaws and tilted it at every angle, so that he could lick the inside completely clean.
A platter of sausages was investigated and a couple of them eaten, but the rest weren't finished. Perhaps the spices involved weren't quite to the feline's taste. A second omelette, this one involving mushrooms, was also partially eaten. The plate of hash browns following it was rejected after a few bites, and then a second plate of sausages, these ones in a somewhat different style, apparently proved more acceptable and were completely consumed.
Luna suddenly realized that Stripes was nearly done, and she'd been so fascinated by watching him eat that she'd barely even sipped her coffee, let alone touched the hash browns and eggs set before her. She picked up her fork and turned her attention to her food. It was good, as always. She could have ordered something more elaborate, the palace kitchens were home to three entirely different cooks, but she liked simple fare, especially for breakfast, and tended to mostly employ the plain cook's skills rather than the highly trained gourmet chef. The pastry chef was also kept busy, though, as Luna did have a little bit of a sweet tooth.
She took a swig of her coffee, which demonstrated that by having four sugars but no cream. Hot, black and sweet, just the way she liked it.
Something tickled her elbow and she jerked, nearly spilling the coffee.
"Sorry," said Stripes. He was standing beside her, close enough that his whiskers had brushed her. "Finished. No drink though? Yours, what is?"
"Oh dear. I completely forget to order you something to drink. I'm sorry. This is coffee that I'm drinking. It's a stimulant, something to help one wake up after a restless night."
The feline's ears perked up. "Yes? Can have?"
"Well... I have no idea if it will work on you, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. Selene? Please send for a large coffee for Mister Stripes." She remembered his lapping up of the cream earlier and added, "with plenty of cream and sugar."
"Yes, your highness," came the cool, feminine voice.
Stripes looked up at the ceiling, but of course there was nothing to see there. He tilted his head. "Who?"
"That's Selene. She's an artificial intelligence. She takes care of me."
"Ah." Stripes nodded. Luna wondered if he actually understood what an artificial intelligence was. He seemed quite smart but it was obvious that his home world was fairly low tech.
A few minutes later the coffee arrived. It came in a broad, low mug, which made Luna smile in approval. Somebody in the kitchen had thought about the difficulty of a feline drinking from a standard coffee mug. A jug of cream sat beside it on the tray, and a little stack of sugar cubes stood on a lace doily, with a small silver spoon beside them.
Stripes sniffed the mug, and lapped up a quick taste. He made a face, then moved on the inspect the rest of the tray. He picked up and crunched a sugar cube experimentally, and immediately dropped several into the drink, then poured in the entire pitcher of cream as well, making the coffee a pale caramel color. This was followed by a pause while he licked every spare drop of cream from the pitcher. Then he picked up the spoon with care and gave it a few stirs, and finally lapped at the drink. He gave an approving nod and continued, lapping slowly, savoring it. Luna returned her attention to her own breakfast, which was now somewhat cold, but polished off her plate quickly enough while Stripes finished his cup of coffee.
"I would love to spend the rest of the morning with you," said Luna when she was done, "but I want to take some time to look over your translation spell and see if it can be improved. I suspect you'd prefer to be able to speak clearly."
Stripes nodded emphatically, and Luna smiled.
"In that case, I'll see you again at lunch. If you need anything, address Selene and she will see to it that you're provided with it. Feel free to explore the gardens or look around the castle. Any doors that are locked are areas I'd prefer you didn't venture into, but much of this place is open to the public. There are quite a few interesting art installations, and the view from the castle walls is excellent. I'd prefer you didn't leave until you're more familiar with how things work here, if that's alright with you."
Stripes nodded again, and Luna rose and departed, headed for her workroom. Like her studio, it was attached to her personal quarters, but it was much less cluttered. Spells were dangerous things, prone to interacting in unexpected ways. Leaving them lying around half-finished the way she was prone to leaving artwork would eventually result in disaster.
She opened the locked door with a key and a spark of personal magic and stepped inside, surveying the space. She'd taken an hour or so to hastily construct the translation spell, with input from Selene, who was herself a partially magical construct, so it was not as if the room was unfamiliar, but she had designed it herself, to perfectly suit her needs, and it was always pleasing to step inside.
A series of circles and pentagrams inlaid in the floor took up most of the room. A bookshelf full of reference books occupied one long wall. A workbench stretched along another, and a large desk with a pigeon-hole back full of scrolls occupied most of a third. There were no windows. There was one simple, old-fashioned filament light bulb overhead. More complicated lighting tended to fail, technology and magic weren't incompatible, but they interacted in strange ways at times.
Luna sent a glowing ball of energy soaring up to supplement the dim yellowish glow, then went to the desk. The reference books she'd used earlier were still there, as was the printout Selene had given to her last night. She sat down in the comfortable chair and pulled out a sheet of paper to scribble notes on. Time to figure out what she'd done wrong.
Several hours later, she sat back and regarded the scattered papers in front of her. She thought she'd found the problem. Given that she'd written the original spell in a bit of a hurry, errors weren't surprising. There were several minor flaws she'd turned up. Most didn't actually impair the final result, but a few could potentially be causing the problem in question. Now it was a matter of re-writing the spell to correct those flaws. She stood and stretched before diving back into her task.
"Selene? Have you been monitoring Stripes?" she asked.
"Oh yes." The synthetic voice sounded amused, which was something Selene rarely allowed herself. She preferred to project an aloof, rather stereotypical AI persona most of the time.
"Oh?" said Luna, curious about what Selene might find so amusing.
"Yes. He's been exploring. He's been all the way to the observation deck on top of the tower, and now he's wandering the halls, poking his nose into every room that's not locked. Including some that perhaps should have been, there have been a number of minor incidents."
"Oh dear. You didn't stop him?"
"I was not directed to. And no permanent harm has been done. A number of servants and a few dignitaries have been quite startled, though, and I have received numerous reports of a 'wild animal' at large in the castle."
"Selene... you have control of all the locks, you know. You really shouldn't be letting him get into people's private quarters."
"Not even the Sigma Draconis ambassador's?"
Luna couldn't hold back a sudden snort of laughter. "Well... I suppose I'll forgive you for letting him startle that old blowhard. I've wanted to shake her up, or just shake her, often enough myself. But please don't let him do that again."
"Yes, your highness."
"Where is he now?"
"Two floors down. He's probably going to poke his nose into the kitchen any minute now."
"If he makes them ruin lunch I'll be very put out," said Luna with a frown. "Can you please redirect him somewhere else for now?"
"Yes, your highness." Selene's tone was still amused, and Luna shook her head. All kinds of things were being shaken up by the feline's presence, it seemed. She would probably have to send the delegation from Sigma Draconis some sort of formal apology.
She probably should be annoyed about that, but she wasn't. She found she was enjoying having Stripes around. She prized her solitude, yet even though she'd always jealously guarded such moments of privacy as breakfast alone, she'd invited him without a second thought, and had very much enjoyed having him there. He was... different. A breath of fresh air in a life that had been getting more than a little bit stagnant.
She sighed softly as she admitted that to herself. The challenges that had kept her involved and motivated a thousand years ago, when humanity had first set foot on the moon, were all long since dealt with. The exciting days of shepherding a rapidly budding lunar colony were ancient history. Even the stresses of the middle centuries, when she'd been establishing trade ties and working on making her principality self-sufficient, were all in the past. She still looked after her people and advocated for her domain on the galactic stage, but she had to admit that she'd let herself slide into complacency. Her more hands-off approach to local government had been justifiable when she'd been spending most of her efforts on interstellar relations, but how long had it been since she'd done more there than the most perfunctory and basic of diplomatic moves?
It was time something shook her up. Perhaps if Stripes hadn't arrived something else might have. Her maneuvering against the changelings had sparked a bit of interest, and it was possible that threat would yet turn into something serious enough to require her full attention, yet perhaps not. Either way, it was good to have something positive to engage her mind, rather than only threats and dangers.
And speaking of engaging her mind, it was time to write the new version of the translation spell. She sat back down and bent over her desk, pen in hand.
"Your highness?" Selene's voice, still sounding amused, interrupted her about half an hour later.
"Yes?"
"There's a... situation you should be aware of developing."
Luna looked up, though of course she couldn't see Selene, and raise her eyebrows. "A situation?"
"Yes. I'm afraid security has been called, but I thought you might wish to intervene, or have me do so, before they arrive."
"Oh dear. It's Stripes again, isn't it? What has he gotten himself into?"
Luna resisted the urge to put her hand over her face as she stood in the doorway and took in the scene. The castle incorporated a great many technological wonders in its design, from the obvious elevators and lights to the subtle climate controls that kept each part of it just the right temperature and humidity. All these things required maintenance, so there was a fairly extensive workshop located on the lowest floor of the castle proper.
An even larger shop was tucked away elsewhere in the capital tower, and some things were sent down there for repairs, but most could be fixed on site. This required technicians as well as shop space, and there were currently four of them in the room. Two of them were on top of a desk in the far corner. One was actually under a workbench, and a third had made an impromptu barricade from a few pieces of sheet metal and was clutching a welder like a weapon, which it actually could be at very close quarters. Her violent trembling, however, suggested that she was probably not going to be very good at wielding it.
Completely ignoring all four of them, in favor of lighting assembly that was in pieces on one workbench, was Stripes. He was up on his hind legs, his paws on either side of it, his tail twitching, and his whiskers seemed to be practically vibrating with energy as he examined the thing from every possible angle.
"Princess! Thank stars!" said one of the techs on the desk. "This animal just burst in and started running around the room. It must have gotten lose from the menagerie."
Luna raised one eyebrow. "'It' is Stripes, the newest ambassador to our world. I apologize for his intrusion, but you are in no danger, I assure you."
"Luna!" Stripes looked up from the workbench. "Can explain how works? Sunlight inside? No magic? What is?"
Luna laughed. The technicians stared. "It talks?" said the one under the workbench. Luna shot him a glare. "I believe I already said he is an ambassador. Not an animal."
"Uhm. Sorry." The man under the bench peered out, but still seemed reluctant to emerge.
Luna gave a little shrug, then walked over to Stripes and looked at the lighting unit. It was a fairly straightforward one, though it was of course much more complicated than the incandescent lights she remembered from her younger days. "It uses electricity to create light. It's not sunlight, it has no relation to the sun." A tiny pang went through her and she couldn't help but think, no more do I, these days.
"Electricity?"
"Your people don't have that yet, hmm? Electricity is the same as lightning. And it can also be made by rubbing something against fur under the right conditions, maybe you've done that and felt a small shock? They're merely different degrees of the same power."
"Ah! But rubbing fur not making this light."
Luna chuckled. "No, we don't generate electricity by rubbing fur. I can explain more if you like, but perhaps here is not the place to do it. You've rather frightened these people."
Stripes blinked and looked around, as if actually noticing the technicians for the first time. "Oh. Apologies," he said, giving a little nod to them. "Was excited. No mean hurt."
One of the techs on the desk climbed cautiously down. "It's okay."
Luna could just hear the one under the workbench mutter, "No it isn't." She chose to ignore that. The one clutching the welder put it down and straightened behind her barricade, looking embarrassed.
"Come, I'll explain more about electricity while we walk back to your quarters."
Stripes nodded and stepped away from the workbench. He followed Luna out of the room, leaving the four very relieved and also very embarrassed technicians behind. He was almost bouncing in the low gravity as they walked, taking far higher strides than strictly necessary. His whiskers will still twitching and his tail lashing.
"Feeling a little hyperactive?" asked Luna with a smile. "Perhaps tomorrow you shouldn't have any coffee."
"Ha! I have half, maybe. It was good. Is good to be out, to do, to see. Just wish I talk right!"
"I've been working on that, and I have a few ideas. I haven't quite finished the new version of the translation spell yet, but I will work on it more as time permits. Tomorrow, perhaps, I'll be able to get it done.
"Is good. But now, tell about electricity!"
Luna laughed and began to talk as they walked side by side through the castle's halls.
That evening, when her mundane responsibilities had been discharged and she could take up her dream-guard's mantle, she once again found the dreamscape at peace. She frowned. To have no sign of... interference for three nights running was highly unusual. What was she up to? Still, Luna had a goal this night, and was pleased enough to be able to reach it without conflict, so she spread her immaterial wings and soared through the dream bubbles, seeking. Selene had said that Stripes slept. Not all sleep was dreaming, but she hoped to find him here.
Her hopes were soon realized. She stepped into a dream bubble and found herself once more in an alien yet now-familiar forest night. Nocturnal animals called. A soft, warm breeze blew, rustling leaves and grasses. And a sense of presence lurked, unseen. Luna chuckled. So, that was to be the way of it again? She looked around, seeking any sign of the hunter that lurked here. There was no sound, no hint of orange and white in the dappled shadows.
Luna moved forward slowly, putting each foot down with care, probing mentally for a sense of another dreamer. He was here, somewhere, but where? A breeze flirted through the forest, sending the underbrush rustling. The sound meant that Stripes could be anywhere, about to pounce, and she would hear nothing. She spun, half expecting him to be behind her... and he dropped down from a tree branch overhead, sending her sprawling on the soft-mossy ground.
She lay there and laughed. "You win again!"
He stood over her grinning. "Yes."
Luna reached up and patted his cheek. She would never have been so familiar in the waking world, but here in the dream realm it was easier to feel comfortable. And besides, they'd done far more than touch the last time they'd dreamed together.
He flopped onto the moss beside her. Luna sat up, making herself comfortable on the moss and looked at him. "I'm glad I found you here. I had wanted to talk to you more today, but duty intervened."
"I understand. You're a ruler." Stripes stopped, blinking. "Wait, that's exactly what I meant to say. What the hell?"
"Huh. The translation spell seems to be working correctly now. Which means the track I was pursuing today was almost certainly the wrong one. And I've no idea what the right one would be. What the hell indeed." Luna blinked, then added, "So your people believe in hell?"
"Yes. Though the translation is giving me a kind of feeling that our hell and your hell are not quite the same thing. And I personally am not so sure it exists."
"You're not religious?"
Stripes gave a shrug. "I believe in the power of the shamans, I can see that with my own eyes, touch it with my own paws. I've never seen or touched or tasted a god or goddess. They might be real, but they might not."
"You're an agnostic, then?"
He pondered the sense that word gave him, and nodded. "That comes close enough, I suppose. What of you?"
"My ancestors were worshiped as gods and goddesses. For that matter, I and my sister have been worshiped as well! That sort of thing makes one cynical about faith. No, I don't believe in a higher power."
Stripes nodded. Something else she said caught his attention, though. "Will I be meeting this sister of yours?"
Luna tensed, her smile fading. She did not want to discuss her sister. "No," she said. Stripes didn't ask for any more.
There was an uncomfortable silence, but at length Luna deliberately straightened herself, put on a warmer expression, and said, "I should ask about your real name, now that you can tell it to me."
"He Who Stalks the Night," he said.
"That's a bit of a mouthful."
He chuckled. "That's the way of my people. Cub names are short and insignificant. Adult names must be earned, and have meaning. Truly, mine is still fairly short. I am nobody of note among us. The chief of my particular tribe is She Who Springs Strong And Swift To The Treetops To See The Horizon."
"Wow. So... does that mean I've been insulting you by calling you Stripes, since it's so short?"
He shrugged. "Maybe some of my people would be insulted. I don't mind, though." He gave a little cough and added, "Short names are also commonly used among family, close friends... and lovers."
She smiled. "Well, I would like to count you as a close friend." Her smile faded just a little. "I haven't had many of those lately."
"The burdens of rule?"
She shrugged, but gave no answer.
There was a long silence, which was surprisingly comfortable. Though as Stripes found his mind wandering, it drifted back to that first dream. With a sigh he broke the silence. "Luna... I must apologize again for what I did when last we dreamed together. I should not have-"
"Hush. You have apologized already. We shall speak no more of it."
"Then what will we speak of, since it seems we can finally actually talk?"
She smiled. "Tell me about this forest." She gestured to the dark wood around them. "Tell me what your home is like. I presume this is your home."
"It is, yes. I always preferred the forest to the village. People make demands on you. Trees do not." He smiled, rolling over onto his back and gazing up through the leaves to the sky above. "Neither do stars, though I suppose in a way they finally did, or I wouldn't be here."
Luna lay back too and looked up at the unfamiliar constellations. "For your sake I'm sorry. I'm sure you miss your home."
He gave another little shrug. "I was often lonely here as well. I do miss it. But still... I had no mate or cub to leave behind. I miss the world. I will miss my friends. But my soul is not broken because of it. And your world is so fascinating! I want to see more of it."
"I'll show you all I can." Luna smiled again. "Or have someone show you. Unfortunately I do have commitments. I could turn the dream to my world, if you like, and walk with you there. Though I also want to see your world."
"I can see more of your home when I wake. Come, I will show you mine now." He rose, and Luna rose too. She put her hand on his shoulders, and together they walked into the forest, as Stripes began speaking, telling her about the life he had left behind.
They walked and spoke, and she gathered a picture of a hunter-gatherer people, living just on the edge of leaving the stone age. They had some scraps of agriculture, and bits of simple metalwork. Stripe's tribe didn't make bronze, but he'd seen some, there were other tribes that had it. If they'd been less carnivorous they might be well into the bronze age, but they domesticated mostly animals, they didn't farm plants, and that meant they hadn't settled and built cities the way humanity had.
The world was fascinating, and Stripes proved to be a good conversationalist, once he could actually talk. So they walked and talked together until at last the dream began to dissolve around them and she could hear Selene's voice telling her that morning had arrived.