“Woah…” Callie breathed.

True to their word, Nora had led the catgirl down a quickly forming trail from the house to a well-maintained plot of land in the treeline. Much to Callie’s surprise, the ‘little plot of land’ that Nora mentioned was actually two large fields split by a carefully trimmed path of grass. On the left were small patches of vegetables, each with a unique myriad of reds, greens, and yellows.  The vines and stems twirled this way and that, as if the plants had decided to become a work of art. 

The field on the right was chock full of flowers. The far end was all red flowers that bled into orange, then yellow, green…

Nora smiled, “It’s a rainbow field! I think it looks great, if I do say so myself!”

A strong breeze suddenly hit the treeline, and it rustled in response. Petals of every color swirled into the air, enveloping the pair in a brief chromatic shower. The witch giggled, taking a few steps forward and doing a twirl before crouching down. They quickly pulled a long orange root out of the ground, and stood up to present their prize.

“Are you okay, Callie?”, they asked. “Your cheeks are all red.”

The question jolted the catgirl out of her stupor. “Nya!? Ah, I’m fine!”

Nora smirked, “Then get your butt over here and start picking!”

As it turned out, harvesting produce was actually really fun. Especially with Nora to keep her company. The witch regaled Callie with all sorts of tales as they worked. Alchemy, magic, and plenty of jokes did wonders to lift her mood. Plus, it only took Callie a few minutes before she got the hang of plucking and pulling various edibles from the ground. She was mid-pull when she heard another voice.

“Look, there she goes again,” it whispered. Startled, Callie dropped the long green veggie she was holding and stood, searching around wildly. 

“Hey kitten, you okay?” Nora asked with a frown.

“Y-Yeah,” Callie replied. Did she just imagine that?

“Mucking around in the dirt. What a disgrace.” Another voice! From directly behind? Callie whirled around, but again, nothing.

“I wonder why those girls even bother talking to her. I’ll bet their fathers put them up to it.”

“Honestly. She’s such a spoiled brat, and such a good-for-nothing,”

“So oblivious to the world,”

The voices were coming from all directions now, yet Callie still had yet to locate a single one. “S-stop!” she cried.

Nora’s voice cut through the air. “Spirits, calm yourselves!” A warm glow enveloped the catgirl, and the voices cut off in unison. 

Nora was next to the catgirl in an instant. “Hey, you’re okay now. Calm down for me, okay?”

“O-okay, miyaster…” Callie replied weakly.

“Were you having visions again?”

“No, just the voices this time...”

“Well, whatever terrible things you’re hearing?” Nora huffed, “They’re wrong. Dead wrong. Every last one of them.” 

“But-!”
“Callie, you’re the kindest, sweetest, cutest guest I’ve ever had. Don’t let some pseudo-curse monster convince you otherwise! You’re a good girl, and a great apprentice, okay?”

Callie blushed. “I don’t deserve that praise,” she argued. “ I just keep getting in your way…”

“You’re not in the way, and you deserve every bit of praise I’ve given you. It takes most people at least twice as long as you to learn the things I’ve shown you so far. Let me help you, please? From now on, tell me the second you hear anything, okay?”

“Okay…”

“Good girl. I have a reward for you.” Nora fished out a small gold bell from her pocket.

“A bell?” Callie asked.

Nora smiled warmly, “It’ll make more sense if you ring it.”

The catgirl did as instructed. The bell tingled softly, followed by silence. Then, there was a chorus of melodic bells in response, coming from the blue-violet gradient of the flower field. It was a beautiful sound, and did a lot to calm her down.

“Those are silverbelle flowers,” Nora explained, “The ones that ring are the ones that have fully bloomed. That’s the ones we want.”

“You sure know a lot about this forest,” Callie commented.

“Well, it is my home,” Nora giggled. “I don’t want you on the ground anymore, okay? I think that’s what’s triggering your panic attacks. You ring the bell, and I’ll pick the flowers, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good kitten!” Nora brushed herself off. Then stood, offering a hand to Callie. “Well then, shall we?”

“Hey, Nora?” Callie asked as the witch helped her up.

“What’s up?”

“Thanks. For being there for me, I mean. It really means a lot.”

Nora’s face turned a deep shade of crimson. “O-of course!”

Callie smirked, her playful mood already returning. “Miyaster, are you okay? Your face is all red.”