in which a lot happens because i had six hours to do nothing but write it

And Doren, to Maggie's great surprise, brought a cat.

“Her name is Dawn,” Doren said. The cat was small and orange and curled in the crook of Doren's arm.

“That is a silly name,” commented Ellim, walking past. She gestured to the cat. “Am I allowed to cook her if she becomes too much of a pest?” Doren looked shocked. “What if we are too long at sea and start to starve?”

( You will not cook the cat, Maggie told her. )

words: 7112
total words: 30,717
quickie thanks to dear_tiger for tropical island and poisonous fruit info.