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Kipo could always find Wolf.
Kipo sometimes she could see a fuzzy, rainbow-colored outline around her closest friends. When she was younger, it was something just out of the corner of her eye that distracted her. But as she got older, it became more vivid. Kipo always felt this more strongly when she was a mute; maybe because it was something she didn't have to put into words. But when she was looking for Wolf in the fields she would see that beautiful light shoot right up into the sky, as if it was a beacon calling her home. She didn't tell Wolf, Benson or Dave because she thought they would find it silly or weird.
This was new for her, since she used to tell them everything. Even the silly, weird things. Especially the silly, weird things. Everyone seemed to have their own thing now. Benson was busy with the restaurant, Dave was busy eating everything in the restaurant and Wolf spent most of her time with the dogs. Kipo had felt responsible to keep the human and mute alliance going, even though things were going well.
---
"Mom, when you were a Mega Monkey did you ever see people… differently somehow?" Kipo was stirring soup on the stove while Song chopped vegetables.
"In what way?"
"There was something different about the way they looked?" Kipo hesitated. "Like they glowed a little? Or fuzzy looking, like when you look at a light and squint?"
Song gave Kipo a sad smile.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. If I did, I don't recall. It took me a while to just realize that the people around me weren't enemies. Why do you ask?"
"Just thought you might have some inside information," Kipo tried to make her smile look brighter than it felt. "You know, Mega to Mega!"
"Do you see something different when you're a jaguar?" Song raised an eyebrow.
"Nah," Kipo said, untying her apron and setting it on the counter. "Probably was just a trick of the light. Hey, okay if I bail on helping? I'll be home for dinner, promise."
"All right," Song gave her a knowing look that made Kipo wince a little inside. Mothers were such mind-readers. "Why don't you ask Wolf over for dinner?"
---
Kipo needed to find Wolf.
She felt her paws hit the field and started to relax a little. The big grassy field was like the first big hit of Explosion Berry Cola right to her stomach. Everything always felt so bubbly and wonderful. She was grateful every time she went Mega. Her buzzing thoughts could bounce freely among the huge jaguar instead of just inside of her tiny human brain.
Then she saw it. The beam of light that shot up from the field seemed to sparkle purple and pink with streaks of white.
The Mega Corgi puppies were getting almost as big as their mother and romped around Kipo's paws when she arrived. She delighted in their happy barks and nipped lightly at their hindquarters like the playful aunt she was. When she looked at Wolf, sitting high up on the mother's back, the beacon of light settled down and just became rosy, sparkly swirls around Wolf's head like a crown.
Kipo leapt up into the air and changed into her human self, landing with an "oof" on Mama Corgi's back.
"Ahhhh," Kipo sighed as she rolled over a few times. "I always forget how soft she is."
"Best bed I've ever slept on," Wolf agreed.
They both held on to Mama's fur as she settled down into the grass. The puppies nestled together in a heap nearby, exhausted from their play.
"Want to go for a walk?" Wolf said. "I've been with these dogs all day. Cute as they are, they are a handful."
"Of course," Kipo said. They slid down Mama's side and Kipo followed Wolf toward the forest. "Got any place in mind?"
"Just looking for some high places," Wolf said as she eyed some tall trees in the forest. She grinned at Kipo and it seemed as if some of those sparkly lights following Wolf actually went into Kipo. Tickling her a little. She couldn't help giggling.
"What?" Wolf frowned. Kipo coughed and gave a little shrug.
"Must have had some fur go down my shirt," Kipo said. "C'mon, race you to the treeline."
"Human feet only!" Wolf called out as she broke into a run.
When they made it to the forest's edge, Kipo leaned her hand against a tree to catch her breath.
"Whew… that is a lot harder on foot. I think I've been in the city too much; you beat me by a mile!"
"Not that much," Wolf said. But Kipo saw her smile. Wolf was most certainly not out of breath. "Can you still make it up there?"
"Obviously," Kipo snorted. "But… let's not race this time."
Kipo looked up. When she was 13, she had no problem scrambling up trees and hopping across branches. Racing through dangerous streets or dodging danger seemed like no problem at all. She clutched the painful stitch in her side; a reminder that it had been awhile since she had been this active. Her 18th birthday seemed a long time ago and ever since then she noticed more and more that she resembled something more like her mother than a kid.
Wolf, on the other hand, seemed as limber and agile as if time had never passed changed. Kipo noticed that Wolf had grown as well and not just… taller. Cautious at first, Wolf was now very enthusiastic about birthdays (especially cake) and adding the numbers up in her head she figured Wolf must be almost 17 by now.
They hauled themselves up onto a tree branch and looked out over the grassy meadow with the city far in the distance.
"Wow," Kipo said. "I never forgot how cool it looks from up here. Everything's so much quieter, too."
"Sometimes it's too quiet," Wolf said softly.
"What, really?" Kipo glanced over with surprise. "I thought I'd never hear that from you. I thought you loved it out here."
"I know," Wolf looked away for a moment. Kipo felt her heart start to race.
"I could come visit you more," Kipo said. "Help you with the --"
Wolf took her hand. There were no glowing, playful lights around Wolf now. When Kipo blinked her jaguar eyes, she could see them inside Wolf. She could still feel that tickly sensation inside her own chest.
"Will you take a trip with me?" Wolf said, looking nervous. "We've never really gone anywhere but here. There's got to be so much beyond not just Las Vistas, but the woods and the fields… we could be explorers!"
"I want to," Kipo said, squeezing Wolf's hand. "That sounds fantastic, honestly."
"But you wouldn't feel weird going without Benson and Dave?" Wolf said, squinting warily. "You'd be okay with it being just us? I'm sure Mandu would be okay with staying with your parents."
"Look, this is gonna sound really weird but when I see you, Wolf --"
"-- you see something different?"
Kipo gasped. "How did you know?"
Wolf laughed and squeezed Kipo's hand back. "You're really terrible at hiding things. Every time you looked at me.. I had this feeling that maybe you liked me more than a friend. I mean, I was kinda hoping you did. For a long time."
The glittering lights faded away like wisps and without the distraction Kipo could see Wolf clearly at last.
"Every time I looked for you," Kipo admitted, "I didn't know how badly I wanted to come and see you and.... oh! Oh no!"
"What?" Wolf abruptly took her hand away, shocked.
"Mom is going to kill me," Kipo pressed her hand to her forehead. "I'm supposed to be inviting you to dinner! We're gonna be late."
Wolf braced herself against the tree and helped Kipo up with her free hand. She smiled.
"Well, I accept your invitation. It'd be a good time to tell them our plans, right?"
"Exactly," Kipo said with a grin. "We could leave tomorrow. Oh, Wolf! We could leave tomorrow!"
"Let's get off this tree before you fall out of it," Wolf chuckled.
"Okay, but this time we're going down my way. Hold on."
Wolf howled with joy as they both leapt into the air, Kipo changing into Mega Jaguar form with Wolf clinging tightly to her furry head.
It was a long way down, but Kipo was used to landing safely and softly on her own four paws. With Wolf with her, she felt like she could have sprouted wings too.