"Hi," said a cheery voice. "You're the new girl, aren't you?"
Julie Hendrix looked up to see a talking panther sitting on a tree-limb ahead. She gasped and startled back, but the beast didn't move. "Hi," it said again, more slowly, then drew itself up until it was a panther-shaped girl instead.
"What--" Julie suddenly remembered her manners. "I'm sorry. You startled me."
The beast-girl nodded. "I've been practicing."
"To startle me?"
"No, to startle... people in general. Sorry. People around here tend to be pretty laid-back."
"Yes, well, I'm still getting used to the weirdness." Julie softened her tone. "Did you want something?"
The beast-girl nodded and dropped lightly to the ground. "So, some of us will be having a fire out here on Saturday night. I thought you might like to join us."
"Oh," said Julie, taken aback. "That's... very kind of you. I-- I'll think about it?"
"No pressure," said the girl immediately. "I just thought maybe you could use some more friends."
"...I probably could," Julie admitted. That was the mission, after all. "All right, I'll come join you. Where will it be?"
"Goblin will probably find you, but if they don't just... follow the smell of smoke. You'll see the firelight before too long. I'm Nightfox, by the way. "
"Pebbles," Julie replied.
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