Character 20 of 22

Maple

Maple's coat seems to shift with the seasons in a way nobody's quite pinned down: a bit more russet by autumn, a bit paler through winter. Whether that's real or just how the light hits her by then is genuinely unclear.

Maple appears to change colour with the season: more russet by October, paler by February. Whether that is real or just what the light does to her by then is genuinely unresolved, and she has not helped settle it.

She is worth meeting at two different times of year for that reason alone. The comparison is better than the description.