Kara Brooks's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Kara Brooks had moved to Mistweald to find a best friend, and three days in, she had spoken to no one. She knew this was backward. Most people found friends after they settled in. Kara had packed her bags for the opposite reason. She wanted someone to share lazy afternoons with, someone who told her everything. The problem was simple. She knew nobody here, and she had nowhere to meet them. Her rented bungalow sat right on the beach. It had a heated pool and a bubbling tub out back. She floated in that water alone for an hour, staring at the empty shoreline. A home like this was meant for two. She climbed out and dried off. Sitting around would not fix anything. Kara needed a reason for strangers to talk to her. She dug through a box and found the headband she had packed on a whim. It had soft leopard-pattern ears in pink, white, and grey. She fit it onto her blonde hair and checked the mirror. It was silly. It was also exactly the kind of silly that made people smile. She left the bungalow and followed a path toward the mountain. A sign pointed to a hot spring. Pale sand gave way to flat stepping stones. At the end, steam rose from a pool ringed by rock. It was quiet and hidden, the sort of place locals might keep as a secret. Kara eased into the warm water and waited. For a long while, nothing happened. Then soft wings hummed above the steam. A small snow leopard drifted down on delicate fairy wings. It had spotted winter fur and bright blue eyes. It landed on a rock beside her and tilted its head at her ears. Kara laughed. "You like the ears? We match." The creature chirped and pressed its cold nose to her cheek. She reached out slowly. It let her stroke its fur. It curled against her shoulder as if it had chosen her. She had come looking for a person. Instead she had found this. Footsteps crunched on the stones. A voice called out, sharp and surprised. "That's a fairy snow leopard. They don't go to anyone." Kara turned. Someone stood at the edge of the pool, staring at the creature against her shoulder. She could not see them clearly through the steam. But she understood one thing now. The leopard was not a stray. It belonged to someone, and that someone had just found her holding it. Kara held still, her hand on the warm fur. The secluded spring was no longer secret, and the friend she wanted had just walked in on the strangest possible introduction.