The Ball is weeks away and the locals have a small gathering

It's late afternoon after a long week. It would have been longer
without the help to get all the bamboo back so quickly.

As they look about, the elders are all satified and declare a small
festival type night with stories, music and games. Kittens, puppies
and little 2foots squeal with delight and scamper home to snag 'parti
clothes'. It doesn't have to be fancy, just something that feels like
dressed up for a parti.

Others grab musical instruments or small ping-pong balls for a game of
paw-pong, a local favorite.

It's a bit like Jai-Lei but with the paw in a cup shape to hit the ball
about to one another. A sort of handball but with the object to keep
the ball going and matched to each others skill. There is no point
scoring. In the process though, they exercise the paw for their
awesome paw-greetings.

Noticing P2nya working over her books, a dapper middle aged kittah
invites her to share a plate of fingerling fish in fish sauce graced by
just a touch of nip. He's an Australian Mist cat, named Milo.