Usually, when I plan to write an article, I’m the one asking for an interview. Imagine my surprise when a missive found me, asking me to come in the little island of Cat Ta Berry for a reunion. At first, I was confused… And then I realised how very little is known about the inhabitants of that place, the Berries.

It’s without a hint of hesitation that I went there, with questions running in my head, hoping to get answers… And I was welcomed by a little group of charming ladies. Small by their size, but with the biggest possible grin. Here’s the tale of their people they accepted to share with me.

What exactly is a Berry?
Strawberry: We are what you’d call feys, but we also are part plants and part felines.

Felines… Is it purely a mimetic thing, or do Berries have a common ancestor with tabaxis, for example?
Huckleberry: It takes magic and our Blessed Mother to be a Berry.

Who or what is that Blessed Mother and what does she do to bring life to your people?
Cocoaberry: She grants us her bless! And a true name that must never be spoken!
Huckleberry: Lets just keep it at that. Blessed Mother. How she brings us life is not to be known publically.

There seems to be very little males amidst your population, why is that? And is it a problem for the future of Cat Ta Berry?
Strawberry: Not at all. We reproduce in a unique way, but we can still have offsprings normally with a male. However, if none are around, we have other means.
Honeyberry: With the rarity of male berries it would be impossible to rely on normal means of reproducing.
Strawberry: How it works out is we exchange essences, and our bodies are pressed together. After a time, an orb forms in our hands. That orb is then planted in the ground , grows into a pod and gives birth to another Berry.
Huckleberry: The Mother gave the Huckleberry essence to my pod, so therefore, my name is Hucklebery.
Strawberry: Each of us have a unique name when we are born. Some are named after fruits, others after other types but we all are, after all, berries. Most of us nurse our unborn sisters by reading, singing or just talking to them as they grow.

What is the political regime in Cat Ta berry? How the laws are decided, how they are enforced…
Cocoaberry: We have democratically elected a monarch. Straw is our queen. As for the laws, they were written a long time ago.
Strawberry: We do bend the rules if under certain situations, though.

Slavery is forbidden in Cat Ta Berry. Does that mean that any slave reaching your land would be immediately considered free?
Strawberry: True. We do see it that way as, on this island, everyone is free. Slave owners can come here with their slaves, but if any slave demands to be freed, the CatTaberry protectors would act to free that person. Even in cases where slavery is administered as a punishment for a crime, we do not endorse it as a viable solution.
Cocoaberry: We berries had a very negative experience regarding slavery, therefore it’s a kind of taboo!

The law forbids for a lot of strangers to install themselves in Cat Ta Berry. Notably the « tall folks ». Who’s allowed and who’s not? Isn’t it a form of racism?
Strawberry: Our island was, for a time, only for our members but we found out other short races were being bullied so we open our island so only short races can live here.
Cocoaberry : I think racism would be full grown discrimination, which isn’t the case. They just can’t buy proprieties around, mostly because this is a sanctuary for small folks.

There was an exception in the past for a « tall folk » to inhabit in your island: Celeste, former chief of the protectors. Could such exception occur again?
Huckleberry: We’ve had many people who cared about us Berries and would be our protectors. That is how we accepted them.

You’d accept anyone willing to act as a protector?
Cocoaberry: Not anyone. They must be approved before becoming one, but anyone can apply.

The creatures in Cat Ta Berry are quite strange: gummy bears, gummy worms… Where do they come from?
Cocoaberry: They are manifestations of dreams touched by the magic of our island. Magic of the Darkberries, and now they run wild.
Huckleberry: Mother protects us from Darkberries and keeps that cave they live in in check.

Darkberries formed an adversary clans to yours. What is the source of this conflict between your people? Any hope it’d come to an end?
Cocoaberry: They are berries that renounced Mother’s grace and rebelled. They got corrupted and evil, trying to harm and spread their rotten seed.
Huckleberry: Mother wanted us to live in peace. As in all races, there has to have some confliction. Different personalities and failure to get along. They wanted to be the leaders and rule us all.

Cat Ta Berry is known for being a touristic island. What sort of activities can be done here?
Huckleberry: We have a casino, a training ground, amazing beaches, a very unusual pet shop, an hospital…

Any last words you’d want to address to our readers?
Cocoaberry: Welcome to my house. Come freely, go safely and leave something of the happiness you bring!
Huckleberry: I’ll tell them: « Come visit us and spend your coins in our casino so we can finish building our Mall. »

Our conversation went on and on, and they even offered me a brief tour of their island. As I write these lines, I’m still not uncertain of what to think about Cat Ta Berry and its inhabitants… But such is the nature of fey-touched to be whimsical, mysterious, inscrutable… And all the more fascinating.

Vincent D. Ryder