16 Empathy Link

Bella yawned and stretched in the morning light of the sun through the tent.

"Good morning," she said as she smiled and pet my head.

I purred as her hand brushed passed my neck. Her gentle hand felt soothing. We

laid there for the longest time. We enjoyed the orange light of the sun through the thin cracks between the curtains. A beam of light caught Bella's face and her eyes glistened. Her lips shined with a comforting smile. I rubbed my head against her chest.

"Did you know that cats have a certain smell on the side of their head they can activate when they want to claim something as their own. That's usually what cats are doing when they rub their heads on something," Bella explained.

"So I guess that makes you mine," I replied instantly without thought.

In the thin gleam of light, I saw that her face started to turn red. She quickly grabbed me and pulled me closer into her chest. She looked away, embarrassed as can be, and realized how tight she'd been holding me. She softened her grip and apologized.

Then, she turned back to me and spoke, "I was thinking, could we possibly," she paused with tension in her lips, "create an empathy link between us?"

"What is that?" I asked with a mrow.

"It is a link between two people's emotions. If one person is scared, the other will know it. Also, we can share dream messages so if we ever get separated, we can know where the other person is and how they're feeling. I thought it might be useful," She answered. "The only catch, is that if one of us dies, so does the other."

"That sounds like the perfect idea. I've often wondered how you feel in certain moments," I told her again without thought beforehand. After I said that, I immediately regretted it. Not that she did anything bad, I was just embarrassed. I have wondered if she truely cared for me. I didn't want it to just be some act. If it was an act, why would she want me to fall for her? Just to torture me?

She blushed and looked away. It reminded me of a rabbit. A small, cute, fluffy rabbit. She looked embarrassed too. How could she be so radiant? So beautiful? So perfect? I couldn't help but take in that feeling. That feeling she gives me. Even if it seems like my doom, I should enjoy it while it lasts. I say that often, but it is something to live by, after all.

We spent all day gathering supplies and food. Supplies for the link and food for the week. She set up the supplies the way it should be set up. A circle was drawn in the dirt floor with another circle inside of it. There were designs in between the two circles to combine them into what looked like a ritual symbol. She placed the supplies in the middle of the circle and she put her hands on the edge of the circle. She told me to go to the directly across from her and place my paws in the circle too. She spoke in a language I recognized as Latin. Suddenly, the supplies in the center of the circle turned to rose petals of all types of bright colors. Purple, pink, orange, green, blue, red, white, and gold fluttered around us. It felt like I was being filled with energy. Her eyes glowed a bright blue, and her hair was lifted with the rose petals. She took a deep breath in, and then let it out. Her breath colored in gold, filled my lungs. Suddenly, everything slowly fell to the ground. The empathy link had finally been cast.