“You did NOT just talk. I’ve finally gone insane. Right? I misheard, or something! Can you understand me? Hello?”

There was silence for a few seconds, and Lily thought she might have been hallucinating or something. But, then it happened.

“Yes? I often understand. Can you hear me?”

Lily sat down and stared at Star wide eyed.

“Uh, yeah? You’re talking! Or like. Are you talking? Your mouth isn’t moving or anything like you’re talking.”

“I am always talking, you are not often listening.”

“Bullshit!”

“What does poop have to do with this? Please explain.”

“It’s– Ah, nevermind. I listen!”

“You do? You do not act like it. Are you pretending?”

“I don’t normally hear you! This is new!”

“Oh, that’s good. I have a lot of things I want to say. I’m sorry for the fire.”

“Oh. Yeah. It’s okay. You were trying to help me right?”

“Trying to help you. You said only prepared food. You said you were very hungry. I will always do my best to protect you, Lady Flamewalker.”

“Um. Lady what?”

“Lady Flamewalker, You, Master.”

Lily burst out laughing. She doubled over, and felt tears start to come to her eyes. What? That was WAY too impressive a thing to call her.

“What the heck are you talking about? My name is Lily. I’m just Lily.”

“No it isn’t. How about Shaper of the World Soul?”

“What do you mean it isn’t? I know my name! It’s Lily!”

“Do you? Conqueror of the Pit?”

“Are you– Are you sassing me right now? Where did you even get those names?”

Lily had to giggle again.

“I made them for you.”

“That’s… That’s not how that works.”

“Yes it is.”

“It is not! I had a name before I met you. It’s Lily. Lily!”

“You named me. So, I name you. That is the nature of our relationship, Lady Flamewalker, Shaper of the World Soul, Conqueror of the Pit, Maker of Lights, and Keeper of Duck Feet. I think of you as all of these things, as well as Master.”

“Ugh, this is going nowhere. Fine. Call me whatever you want for now. I gotta figure out what is making me able to understand you so we can make sure it doesn’t go away, okay?”

“It is obviously the circle.”

Lily rolled her eyes.

“Yeah! But like, what series of glyphs? Can I copy it onto a collar or something for you?”

“What is a collar?”

“What is with this spell? Are you telling me you understand the word Sass but not the word collar?”

“I was sassing you. So, I understand Sass. I have never had collar. Does it taste good?”

“What? No!”

“Does it smell good then?”

“It’s something you wear, like my clothes!”

“Oh. I don’t want that. Those look uncomfortable.”

“It’s not– Look. It’s just a little strip that goes around your neck. But if it’s uncomfortable for you, we’ll find something else you can have for the spell, okay?”

“Okay.”

Lily turned and started looking for the circle. Star put his nose to the ground and joined her. She wasn’t totally surprised when he found it first. She bent and started examining the circle.

“You’re really good at that, you know. Finding magic stuff.”

“I can smell the magic. Can you not smell it? It’s very strong.”

“Human noses don’t work as good as dog noses. But we have other strengths.”

“Do you?”

“Yes! Like thumbs!”

“Oh. I guess those do look useful.”

The circle was a lot simpler than Lily had expected. In fact, it was downright straightforward. A single glyph was causing the effect. Lily let out a relieved giggle, and realized she was close to tears with the intensity of that relief. But, she pushed the feeling down. She really didn’t want to experiment, and she wouldn’t really have to. It was one strange glyph, and she was already under the effects of it. There would be time to examine those feelings moving forward, but for now she just wanted to talk to her companion. 

First though, she got up and grabbed her notebook from the car, making sure to carefully record her new glyph.

“Looks like this is going to be easy! Almost sad I didn’t come here yesterday. Hey, does this spell make it easier for you to understand me too?”

“Yes. But I understand without it too. Most of the time.”

“Gonna have to figure this out. I suspect you’re not making any sound even though my brain interprets it that way. Oh, shit, idea!”

Lily pulled out her phone, and opened a voice notes app.

“Here, say something to me!”

“I don’t understand. What are we doing, Master?”

“Perfect, thanks. I’ll explain in a second.”

She played the recording back. Sure enough, she could hear herself telling Star to speak, and then nothing. Next she opened her camera and recorded a video.

“One more time, say something for me please!”

Star’s tail wagged, and he got into a playful stance.

“I don’t know what’s happening, but I am saying things for Master! You understand? You understand, yes?”

Lily stopped recording and played the video. The results of this surprised her. She’d somewhat expected to be able to understand Star’s body language, but the spell didn’t seem to be able to do anything for the recorded dog.

“Hmm. Okay, one more thing. I’m just trying to learn how the spell works and doesn’t work. So we know how to use it best! Lemme find something.”

She dug through her phone. She’d really just downloaded and put media wherever she could while the internet was still working, and she knew she had something for this. Her eyes lit up when she found it. An episode of anime! Perfect. She opened it up and sat down so both her and Star could see it. The show was Neon Genesis Evangelion, and she had the subtitled version. She clicked to the middle. The first thing she noticed was that she could understand the spoken lines perfectly. Then she turned and looked at Star.

“What about you? Can you hear it? Can you understand it like you can me?”

Star’s tail wagged.

“Yes. I understand. Like I hear you. Not with my ears. But I understand.”

“Wait, not with your ears? I’m hearing you with my ears. At least, it feels like it.”

“No, no. Not with my ears. With my heart.”

“Huh. Okaaaay. That’s interesting. I wonder if it’s because so much of your communication is body language? So the parts of your brain dedicated to processing language aren’t all auditory?”

Star stared at her for a few seconds, and then leapt forward, tackling her and licking her face.

“Don’t understand. I’m so happy to talk. So happy to be heard. I love you Master. Love love love love love.”

Lily laughed and hugged him around the middle.

“I love you too. Ah! Stop! That’s grosssss!”

“Never stop. I’ll always love Master.”

It took a few minutes for Lily to be able to push him off of her, but she didn’t really mind. When she finally did, she had so many questions left to ask.

“Well, well. Before anything else, thank you for all those times you saved me. And also! How the hell did you get the Stag?”

“I fought the leader of the dog pack, and then ordered their surrender in the form of hunting together. I graciously left them half. I am benevolent.”

“I– What? You fought off that pack of dogs?”

“No. Only the leader. I tracked and fought the leader. It was the hardest battle of my life. The great demon was fierce, and nearly ended me. But I used my mind, and I won by hiding myself in the sun’s light.”

“I can’t even pretend to have understood all that. Okay, so you beat her? She won’t give us trouble anymore?”

“She will give us no trouble. She is submissive to me now. I can gather the pack to hunt, if you wish, Master.”

“Uh… No. I’m good. Thanks. Wait, so you had help dragging that carcass all the way home?”

“Of course. Did you think I did it myself?”

“Well. Yeah, I guess.”

Star’s tail began wagging hard.

“I am happy you think so highly of me, Lady Flamewalker.”

“Could you drop the Lady Flamewalker stuff? I’m not that cool, I promise.”

“You are.”

“You’re my dog, you’re practically required by law to think that. It’s not true!”

“Yes it is. What is law?”

“Law is… not important. Don’t worry about it. They don’t exist anymore. Do you know what’s up with these?”

Lily raised her hands, still showing opalescent beneath her skin. They hurt a little, but that was hardly at the top of her mind right now.

“The magic broke through your flesh and poured out of you. It was very bad.”

“Yeah, I kinda put that much together. Any idea about whether the marks will heal or what is going to happen with them?”

“I’m sorry Master. I don’t know.”

Lily sighed. But, it wasn’t Star’s fault. She was just hoping. He did seem to know a lot about this stuff. Or at least have generally helpful instincts.

“Don’t worry about it. Is that what’s up with the mark on your forehead?”

She pointed to the mark on Star’s fur, which did have a very similar shape. She’d been wondering for a while, but now she had a chance to just ask.

“I don’t remember that far back.”

“Huh. Really? How far do you remember?”

“Not a lot before the night of certain death. Even less from before I met you.”

“The night of certain death? I can’t believe I have to ask, but, um, which one?”

“The den ruining spell. You were injured. Bleeding on the floor.”

“Oh. Yeah. Geez, my hands have really gone through it huh? I’m going to be safer from now on. I’m getting scared to do magic, and that isn’t sustainable.”

“You should be scared.”

“...Huh?”

“You should be scared.”

“No, I heard you. What do you mean?”

“The power is dangerous. You don’t value your life enough. Be scared. Be cautious. Be better.”

“Wow, harsh! But, I don’t think you’re wrong. I just don’t care that much about my life you know? I mean. I do. Sometimes. It’s complicated.”

Star approached and laid his head in her lap, letting out a big dog sigh and getting comfortable.

“It shouldn’t be complicated.”

“Yeah, I guess not.”

They sat in silence for a good amount of time, just enjoying each other’s company. For all they had the ability to talk now, they’d gotten used to existing without that and some things didn’t need to be said. But, as darkness really began to fall, Lily perked up.

“Hey. Remember the cooking shows from last night?”

Star sat up and looked at her.

“Yes, I liked them. I want to watch more, and try again. I will get it right this time.”

Lily laughed.

“Okay, but next time we try you’re using the barbeque outside okay?”

His tail wagged and he licked her hand.

“Yes, I understand. Outside. I will cook outside.”

“Okay, well about those cooking shows. I have an idea. This place we’re in right now? It’s for watching shows. All kinds of shows! Let’s take a trip back home and get the stuff we need. Then we can watch some things together all night tonight! And you’ll understand them completely!”

Star jumped up and ran a circle around Lily.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Go! Let’s go now! Let’s go! I’m excited, let’s go!”

Lily laughed and rose, heading back towards the car.

“Okay okay, let’s do it! I’ll get you a translation collar tomorrow. So, we won’t be able to understand each other on the drive, but we’ll be back soon. Okay?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Go! Now! Go!”

---

 

It was a short excited trip home to grab everything she needed. Laptop, hard drive, as many different kinds of cables as she could find, Bay (of course), snacks, blankets, pillows, and about a hundred other tiny things.

Then it was a short excited drive back to the theater, and unfortunately an hour of futzing with cords, her generator, eventually the same electricity spell she had used to power her car battery before she got it working.

But the moment the projector flickered to life showing her laptop’s desktop, Lily near screamed in delight. Unfortunately it was another ten minutes before she got audio working too, and then another ten to get the chaos emerald charging, but then Star and Lily were sitting and watching an episode of Master Chef on a huge screen.

Lily even brought popcorn. It was the bagged kind you could find in the chip aisle, but it was something, and she happily shared it with her companion.

“I don’t understand. Why do the contestants not defend themselves?”

“Huh? Well, you know. Gordon and the other chefs know what they’re talking about.”

“That is their work. They must be proud. We saw how hard they worked on that meal. To have it insulted so… Why don’t they fight the Master Chefs? Then they could judge their own meal's worthiness.”

“Well, because that wouldn’t make their food any better. They’re there to learn, not just compete.”

“I see. So the Master’s insults are designed to make them confront their weakness?”

“Well, kinda. There’s an element of that, but it’s also kind of a performance.”

“A performance? Explain.”

“Well, they’re probably not actually that mean. They’re acting like it, because we’re watching.”

“They know we’re watching!?”

Star leapt up and began to look around. The passenger seat was a pretty tight space for him to be doing that, so it looked really silly and Lily had to wait until she stopped laughing to answer him.

“No, no, not like that. I mean, sorta. But not us. This was meant for people to watch. They made it to be seen. So, they’re trying to make it into a good story, so it’s interesting for us. That’s all.”

“Oh. So these people exist somewhere? I want to meet Gordan Ramsay.”

“Ah. Well. I don’t know about that. They used to, at least. They’re gone now. I don’t know what happened.”

“Why would someone kill the Master Chefs? Is there a new Master Chef?”

“Not like that! Everyone went away. All except for me. I’m the only one left.”

Star went silent for a minute. The credits of the last episode they had watched were just finishing rolling, and the silence afterwards enveloped them.

“I have only known you.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s not your fault either. I know you can’t really understand this, but there used to be billions of people. More than you or I could ever meet or even count. Now it’s just me, and I don’t even know WHY it’s just me, or if I was left behind or anything else.”

After another long silence, Star asked a question.

“Do you miss them?”

“I don’t know. It’s complicated. I never really belonged with them, as much as I tried. If they’re all dead, then I don’t feel like I deserved to be the one left alive. If they’re all gone somewhere without me, I feel hurt that I was overlooked. If, if, if! I don’t know though. That’s what really gets me. The mystery of it. The people, the stars! That’s why I have to use this spell. It’s the only real lead I have.”

“It could be dangerous. I need to keep you safe.”

“It could be! But I don’t feel like I have a choice. Never knowing what’s on the other side is… It’s worse than danger. For me.”

“Worse than death?”

“I don’t know. But I do know I can’t live with the spell right there and never use it. I have to.”

“There is always a choice.”

“I don’t feel like–”

“Listen!”

Lily fell silent.

“There is always a choice. You are determined. Do not mistake them for the same. I fought the demon to protect you. There was a choice. I could have not fought. But you would have been in danger. So, I was determined. Not the lack of choice. There was only one path that led to where I wanted. But I select where I wanted. You want answers. There is only one path to answers. There are other paths to other places. You don’t want those other places. You are determined, not choiceless.”

The quiet went on for a few minutes, as they sat there and reflected. Finally, Lily spoke up.

“You’re like, a baby!”

“What?”

“You’re, what, probably not even a year old! You’re a baby! A baby dog! A puppy!”

“What? What?”

“How dare you be so smart already! That just doesn’t seem fair. There ought to be a penalty.”

“What? What penalty? I have been a good boy, don’t give me a penalty!”

“Nope! Rejected! Penalty time!”

Lily threw her arms around Star and pulled as much of him over onto her lap as she could. She played with his ears and jowls for a moment before just hugging him tightly.

“Master, you are suffocating me.”

“Too bad. Deal with it. Punishment time.”

“Master, please!”

“Okay okay fiiiine. Baby. Puppy.”

Star extracted himself and made a show of getting comfortable in the passenger seat again. Lily spoke again, in a more serious tone.

“Will you come with me?”

“Of course. I will always follow you.”

“Thanks Star.”