“Okay, explain to me again how this works?”

Kuro exhales a sigh, then draws a breath. “You’ll be called before The Grandfather Tree’s Chevil, Sefri. You’ll announce your name, your age, and something personal about yourself. Then, she picks your mate for the night from the crowd of bachelors.”

“And there’s nothing I can do to get out of this.”

“Believe me, I’ve tried.”

I release a long sigh and stare across our empty den at the Grandfather Tree. It’s the afternoon before Couple’s Night, and I’d rather be anywhere but here. “I really, really don’t want to do this.”

What a waste of time. I could be doing something useful tonight like learning how to fight other Dragons, or helping the flock survive the winter by hunting for prey. But instead I have to go along with this pointless blind date ritual! Don’t they understand that I’m flying home in the spring and nothing is going to stop me?

Laying beside me, Kuro nuzzles her head into my neck feathers. “They can make you spend time with a bachelor, but they can’t make you enjoy it.”

“What do you mean?”

She smirks a grin full of fangs. “You can be a little rude to the boy you’re paired with. I do it all the time.”

A little rude?

I suppose that corroborates Nakino’s story about the night he was mated to Kuro. Though if the doctor is to be believed, then their night ended after Kuro screamed at him and flew away. That’s more ‘mean’ than ‘rude’. Still, there’s a certain appeal to intentionally ruining my compulsory date. Besides the fact that I’ve just… never been on a date before, I can’t imagine what would happen if some lovestruck boy began swooning over me everywhere I went.

“Okay, maybe…” I smile half-heartedly, imaging the heartbroken look on some poor drakon’s face. “But what about you, Kuro? Everyone knows i’m leaving the flock in greenwing, but you’ve got the rest of your life to look forward to. Why aren’t you taking tonight more seriously?”

Kuro may dislike blind dates, but remaining single is far worse. Kin who don’t take a mate have reduced privileges, and forced dating is just the start. Wouldn’t it be a huge weight off her wings If she finally found someone close to her?

Kuro’s smile dims slightly, and she turns to stare out the entrance of our den. The afternoon sun is beginning to dim, and it won’t be long before the ceremony begins. “I tried that once with Relmoon,” she mumbles softly. “And it didn’t work out. I guess… I haven’t been paired with the right Kin yet.”

So, she’s still waiting for someone to sweep her off her talons. I’ve never been in love before, so I don’t think I can relate. “But, that means tonight could be the night you finally meet him, right?”

Kuro remains silent, lying motionless as she stares through the entrance of the den.

I rub my wing against her flank. “Promise me you’ll take your mate seriously. When I fly home, I wanna leave behind a happy Dragon.”

At that utterance, Kuro swivels her head towards me. She grimaces, seemingly shocked by something I said.

I tilt my head. “What is it?”

Kuro frowns slightly and shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I just…” she stops, and her face curls into a gentle smile. “It’s just I sometimes forget that you’re leaving in greenwing. We make a great team, you know?”

Ah.

Well, I suppose that’s true. Kuro and I have butchered more prey for the Grandfather Tree than any pair of hunters the past few days. As prey becomes more and more scarce, I can tell our efforts are appreciated, despite the fact that I’m a Farlander.

“I’ll try to take my mate seriously tonight,” Kuro continues. Her muzzle curls into a curt smile. “But, no promises.”

I’m not sure why, but Kuro seems unusually sincere right now. That’s great! I wasn’t kidding, I’ll be so much happier leaving Felra if I know she found someone special to her. I already know the night is going to be miserable for me, but if it can be special for Kuro, then I’ll be happy it happened.

Under the canopy of the ancient Grandfather Tree, a scruffy old drakaina steps forward to the mossy ledge of a mighty root. Tawny and tattered, bearing whiskers that drape to the ground, her feathers tell a story of old age and countless seasons illuminated by the mysterious, pale orange lights of the oldest tree on the moon. Loosening her wings in avid anticipation, she gazes down at the crowd of young Kin assembled before her. The Grandfather Tree’s Chevil stretches her long neck and issues a rolling cry to call the crowd to order.

ROOOARRR!!

Sefri’s call echoes across the clearing, silencing the singles on the ground and the numerous spectators gathered on the lowest branches of the great tree. When all is quiet, Sefri folds her brown wings and smiles to the crowd. “Blue Skies, Brothers and Sisters. Welcome to Couple’s Night. As your Chevil, I have the distinction of leading many of our flock’s most cherished traditions. But of them all, Couple’s Night is my favorite. Many of your fellow Kin met their lifelong mates on Couple’s Night. Some of you may do the same this evening.”

Sitting beside me with her wings folded tight, Kuro grunts loud enough to momentarily steal the attention of some nearby singles. Ugh, why is she still being stubborn? I wish I could scold her, but she’s already attracted enough unwanted attention.

Sefri continues, “To take a mate and raise kits is one of the most sacred duties for members of this flock. Despite this, many of you live in the far reaches of our territory and rarely have an opportunity to visit other Kin. For your sake, and for those who have trouble finding their mate, we hold Couple’s Night.”

An inward grumble escapes Kuro, loud enough that only I can hear it. I brush my wing against her side to try and comfort her, but she doesn’t respond.

From there, Sefri explains the rules of the night. First, the drakons will introduce themselves. Once the bachelors have spoken, the drakainas wing forward to introduce themselves and be assigned a bachelor. Once you have your mate, you’re free to go anywhere as long as you both return to the Grandfather Tree in the morning morning. Supposedly, most couples decide to stay at the Grandfather Tree or travel somewhere close.

With the rules out of the way, it’s time for the bachelors to step forward. One by one, each drakon flies to the base of a rotting elderus stump, the one me and Kuro passed on our first visit to the Grandfather Tree. I recognize some of their faces — Kin I’ve seen in passing around Felra. The answers to the personality question are predictable — young drakons favor flying fast, fighting, and hunting prey. Of the lot, none of them stand out to me.

Except Nakino. Oh, yes. Much to my chagrin, he’s present tonight in the crowd of bachelors. I’ll happily go on a pointless date with any of the boring drakons as long as I don’t get paired with him. I caught him staring at me the day we went foraging together. He has a crush on me, I’m certain of it! Of all the Dragons here, he would enjoy a date with me the most. And that’s not good.

Why, you ask?

I’ve had some time to consider my feelings for Nakino, and they remain unchanged; I feel nothing for him. I want to stay friends with him, but in a strictly professional sense. He’d be the first to admit that working together, we make a great team. My formal training in botany, paired with his practical knowledge of Felra has nourished tangible benefits for the flock.

But if his feelings for me get out of control, then it could be all for naught. What if we decide to try dating, only for my feelings to never blossom? What if we break up and it isn’t amicable? Back in Varecia, I sometimes lent an ear to the service workers who were having relationship troubles. I met my favorite line cook, Roscoe, after taking the shortcut through the service hallway and finding him in tears outside the kitchen. A recent breakup had turned ugly, and in the ensuing mess, his dearest friends turned their backs on him. He was devastated.

I can’t allow something similar to happen to me and Nakino. Our contributions to the flock are far too important. When I get called before Sefri, I won’t say a thing about plants.

Eventually, all the Brothers are called forward. As the Sisters fly to the stump, I watch them with anxious eyes, hoping Nakino will be paired long before I’m called forward.

Eventually…

“Kuro, Daughter-Of-Mecali. Please wing forward.”

Stormclouds form in Kuro’s eyes as Sefri summons her. Slowly, she clambers to her talons and draws open her wings. As she prepares to take off, I notice the eyes of the Dragons around us. Most of them are watching Kuro with guarded expressions, but some are eying me. I meet the gaze of a mottled gray drakaina, and she quickly shifts her eyes to Kuro. Why was she staring at me? My name wasn’t called!

Kuro does as she’s told and takes flight to the elderus stump. As she lands, a blanket of silence falls across the Grandfather Tree. Single and spectator alike watch with bated breath to see who the most difficult Kin in the flock will be paired with.

“Kin of Keuvra,” Sefri speaks in an even tone. “Please introduce yourself.”

“Kuro, Daughter-Of-Mecali. 171 seasons old. I…” Kuro’s calm and commanding voice dissipates unexpectedly. She pauses in contemplation, smirks to herself and says, “…I really like the Farlands. A lot.”

Heads turn to their nearest neighbor and whispers rise among the singles, the first time such a disturbance has occurred this evening. What are they mumbling about? I glance around, straining to hear their conversations and notice more sets of eyes peering curiously toward me. They’re not talking about me, are they?! I’m the only Farlander here of course, but what does that have to do with Kuro saying she likes the Farlands?

“So it would seem,” Sefri says, raising her gravelly voice to gather the crowd’s attention. “I remember your mother, Kuro. You loved to hear to her tales of the Farlands, isn’t that right?”

Kuro inclines her head, but her expression remains steady. “All the time.”

“There’s a nice boy from Craggy Bottom who’s quite the storyteller. His name is Skysiss, Son-Of-Tull, and I would like him to be your mate tonight.”

Sefri angles her wing past the elderus stump and onto a young drakon perched near a group of bachelors. As the eyes of the flock fall on him he ruffles slightly, partially obscuring his head behind his wing. His plumage is a striking striped white and auburn, accentuated further by vivid gold eyes. I don’t understand Lithan attraction, but if striking plumages are part of the equation, then this guy must be quite handsome.

Handsome or not, Kuro isn’t impressed. Her steady expression sinks into a glum frown as she gazes upon her mate for the night. She thanks Sefri in a banal voice and flicks her gaze to me, perhaps as a silent farewell. She takes flight from the stump and disappears into the crowd to perch by her mate.

“Asha, Daughter-Of-Kelani. Please wing forward.”

Like a needle being lifted off a phonograph, the conversations around the tree cease. Young and old, singles and spectators, every pair of eyes descends onto me. With a laborious sense of urgency I unfurl my wings and take flight to the rotting elderus stump.

As I land, Sefri wastes no time. With a certain glint in her eyes, she announces, “Child of The Goddess. Please introduce yourself.”

Was she looking forward to this? I push the thought aside and perform the Lithan equivalent of a curtsy, mantling my wings and dipping my head low. “Princess Asha Eloise Lordanou. I’m 24 years old, and I—“

“Years?” Sefri squawks uncharacteristically loud. “Fress, do you think I understand your strange Farlander words? Tell us, what is a year?”

Oh, um, right. They use seasons in Felra to mark the passage of time, not years. “A year is four seasons long, and it’s what we use in the Farlands to determine age. So, in seasons, I would be… um…” Rusted mathematical gears, abandoned for years, slowly groan to life inside my head. After a brief computational moment, I arrive at an answer. “…96. I’m 96 seasons old.”

“NINTEY-SIX?!” Sefri cackles. “Oh, you are far older than 96 seasons, Asha! Closer to Kuro’s age, I’d imagine!”

Whaaaat?

Me and Kuro? Close in age?

I always knew she was older than me — I could smell it the first time we met. But if she’s 171 seasons old, that makes her 43 years old! If she were a Lemur, she would be nearly the same age as Mom! But, thankfully, she’s not a Lemur. And as far as I can tell, Kuro is comparatively young for a Lithan. So, if 43 years is considered young, how long can Lithans live for?

How long… could I live for?

Before the thought of outliving every animal I’ve ever met is allowed to stew in my head, Sefri keeps talking. “Now then, Daughter-Of-Kelani. Tell us something about yourself.”

Oh, right! I’ve got the perfect answer. “…I also really like the Farlands!”

Scant laughs rise from the crowd, and even Sefri seems amused by my awkward response. But I was being obtuse on purpose — like hell I’m going to mention my love of plants before the flock and risk getting paired with Nakino!

“Oh, Asha,” Sefri chuckles, ruffling her feathers in amusement. “Everyone knows you like the Farlands. But I’ve heard some interesting stories around the tree about you! It seems you have quite the knack for plants!”

…

Oh, fweghing hell.

“Messi told me all about the time you help mend her injured wing. And just yesterday, Kikk mentioned you helped create a new treatment for sore throats!”

“Ah, yes,” I chuckle, feeling my feathers rise in apprehension. “I've been rather busy, haven't I?”

Don't pair me with Nakino.

Don't pair me with Nakino.

Don't pair me with Nakino.

“Daughter of Kelani, the flock is grateful for your contributions.” Slowly, Sefri rises to her talons and gazes down on me like a judge. “You already know our healer, Nakino. But I strongly suspect your time together has only just begun. Tonight, I would like you two to explore your feelings for each other. Child of the Goddess, until sunrise, you are mated to Nakino.”

Like a falling gavel, Sefri’s verdict echoes across the tree. She gestures her wing and points the way towards the black plumaged healer, sitting among the bachelors with a dumbstruck expression. As our eyes meet, his feathers relax and his face glows.

I struggle to imitate a smile.

I lope from the stump and rejoin the crowd, landing a short distance from the Dragon who used to be just a friend. He wastes no time trotting forward to join me.

“Oh, Asha…” he trails off, trying to sound modest. “What a surprise. I-I guess we’re mates tonight, huh?”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I guess we are.”