Woten scowled as he watched Sindri, in the form of a fluffy brown cat, pouncing through the flowers. “He needs to grow up,” he said, shaking his head.

Anna smiled. “He is growing,” she said. Was it only a couple years ago he was a kitten toddling beside her? “He’s growing faster than any of the rest of us.”

She looked over at her adjutant and added, “There’s a difference between growing up and becoming mature, Woten,” she said. Then she shook her head and turned back to Sindri. “He wouldn’t be Sindri if he acted mature.”

As she said those words, Sindri tried to pounce on a swaying flower. He misjudged the leap and tumbled tail over head down a small slope. Then he sat up, shook his head and spotted Anna. With a chirp, he came bounding over to her.

“I prefer him to be just a bit kittenish,” Anna murmured, as Sindri rubbed against her ankles affectionately.