Recovery was a slow process.
Cassi insisted I not try to get out of bed the first day. I spent it watching sunlight trickle through the thatched roof, drinking potions, and letting him dab his strange medicines onto the infections winding up my legs.
The fever came and went in waves. Sometimes I sweated so much I felt like a dried-up sponge, while other times I shivered until my teeth chattered. Whenever those crashing tides hit, Cassi hovered like a worried shadow.
"You need to go eat," I rasped between fevered breaths. "Leave me for a while. Go eat."
He studied my face and I could see the gears turning in his head. Why did he have to be this stubborn?
"You're going to need food," I groaned.
He raised his eyebrows. I saw the light return to his eyes in a rush, "Want to see a trick?"
I nodded weakly.
He let out a clear, melodic whistle—and just like that, two birds swooped through the open window. One shimmered yellow with orange tail feathers, the other a deep aqua with green speckles.
They landed neatly on the bed and dropped two violet fruits, chirping proudly.
Cassi beamed and scratched each bird gently on the head. They nudged his fingers like cats wanting more. I had never seen anything like it.
He shooed them off with mock sternness and turned to me with the goofiest smile. "They're pretty clever, huh?"
I smiled faintly back. "How did you teach them that?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he peeled one of the fruits and took a bite, a trickle of juice sliding down his cheek. I found myself wanting to reach up and wipe it away. My fingers curled into the fur blanket instead.
He noticed my movement, even though it had been slight.
He had guessed my thoughts, "You're still too weak to sit at the table," he said gently, reaching for another piece. "Eat here."
He offered me a chunk. I hesitated, then looked into his face. I had the strangest impulse to open my mouth ever so slightly. His blush deepened as he gingerly placed the fruit onto my tongue. I devoured it no doubt spraying flecks of juice.
He didn't comment if I did.
So we ate like that. The birds brought our food. Cassi pet them, shooed them off, and blushed every time our fingers brushed. The silence between us felt tender and clumsy. I told myself the warmth in my cheeks was from the fever.
By the second day, I'd had enough of lying in bed.
I woke before Cassi and decided—foolish or not—I was going to stand. I swung my legs over the edge and winced at the sight of the wounds: still green with paste but visibly healing. I wiped some of it away and tested my balance, one foot at a time.
"Vie!" Cassi's voice rang out as I wobbled upright.
"I'm fine!" I gasped, breath catching.
"Vie, I think you should—"
"I'll go mad if I lie in bed another day."
He frowned but offered his arm. I took it gratefully as he helped me shuffle to the table. I winced sitting down, but it felt like progress.
He whistled again, and on cue, our breakfast arrived—feathered and winged.
"It's like they know exactly what we want," I said.
"It's breakfast time," he shrugged, a touch of red in his cheeks. "I usually feed them now."
The birds nipped affectionately at his fingers. I reached to pet one, but it hopped away. Cassi frowned.
"It's okay," I said quickly. "I'm a stranger to them."
"This is Vie," he said to the birds. Then, gently, he took my hand and placed it on the yellow bird's head. "Be nice to her. She's our friend."
At his words, the birds transformed—chirping happily, nudging me for affection. I laughed, startled.
"They really like you," Cassi said, eyes twinkling. "They know a good person when they meet one."
Their feathers were more spiny than I'd expected—not soft, but alive with motion. I could imagine these wings were powerful when they were in motion. They would need to be to ferry our meals like this.
Cassi stood to fetch something. The birds followed him like ducklings.
Left alone, I decided I should write Tails again.
Dearest Sister,
So much has happened since my last letter… which I lost when I was shipwrecked. The jungle is amazing. I've met a boy named Cassi.
Cassi has lots of pet birds, and they're all colourful. Today I petted one. You'd love it here, I'm quite sure—
I stopped. Would Tails want to hear about all this fun, while she was still stuck with Father? Would my joy just make her sad?
I scratched out the paragraph and tried again.
I've been sick with an infection, but we've treated it. Cassi makes incredible medicine from the plants here.
Now it sounded too grim. What if that made her worry?
I sighed in frustration.
"Trying to write your sister?" Cassi's voice came from over my shoulder.
I instinctively covered the page. He didn't pry. Instead, he held something out to me—a feather, dazzling blue, glittering like it had been dipped in stars.
"When you send it," he said softly, "include this."
I stared at it in stunned silence.
"It's perfect," I whispered. "Tails will love it."
He smiled... but then that brightness slowly faded. He turned away, almost like my joy startled him.