#nakiniki

Jiji had known before anyone else. After all, it was what familiars did best, especially a cat like him. He raised his nose up from his favourite armchair and Kiki watched as his nose twitched in the air. “Open a window,” he commanded at once, as he jumped up to all fours. Kiki scampered to the window sill to do just that. As the cold air seeped in, Jiji let out a loud, satisfied meow, tail curling in the air.

“Master Howl, Miss Kiki, I am delighted to inform you that the very first snow of winter is on its way!” He crowed.

Howl took off at once of course, and so did Kiki. Last night, they’d sailed together through pitch-black, up toward the clouds as the Jack Frost wind nipped at their noses. But when the first snowflake fell, they were there to collect it. It shone like a jewel in Howl’s little bottle.

“This really is the most magical time of year,” declared Jij when they came back in, snow stuck in their hair, just as Howl gave her a list of things to collect on the morrow. Yes-- magical indeed. Kiki smiled large, clutching her little list, and barely slept that night. She just watched the snow collect on her windowsill.

But morning was here and Kiki was out now, decked in her ingredient-hunting best. She’d gotten lots of gasps and delighted laughs, which were very rare-- you had happy laughs and amused laughs, but true delight was sneaky and quick, and could take many different shapes and sounds. It could be quiet in the corners of a person’s smile, or bubbling in the centre of a giggle. But when it snowed, delight ran amuck. Kiki felt it in her own chest, like a little filly kicking up her legs. She saw it explode like little firecrackers on Jiji’s toes, as he pounced on snowflakes or tried to swat them out of the air.

And then Kiki saw it-- wonderment. It caught her eye, turned her head and made her lips part, a puff of breath curling in the air. It emanated from a woman with dark hair and sun-skin, who was standing perfectly still, looking up as the snow fell from the sky like she’d never seen it before.

“Oh, Jiji, look at that,” breathed out Kiki. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Pure, unabashed wonderment,” Jiji meowed, prancing to her side. “Kiki, you simply most collect that. Wonderment is one of the most--”

“--rare, powerful ingredients, I know,” said Kiki. “But I don’t think I--I’ll ruin it if I just--”

“-- if you take it without sharing in it, I know,” said Jiji. “Well-- go on then!” He nudged the back of her ankle. “You can’t let it go!”

“R-right, right!” said Kiki and she crunched her way through the snow toward the woman.