The beautiful chirping of a sunbird could be heard on the outskirts of town that afternoon. Damp leaves and gray clouds added to the soothing atmosphere. The bird looked around the little park, occasionally letting out a call. It stood on a crooked, brownish tree branch adorned with fine thorns. A deep red flower nearby caught its eye, drawing it closer to taste its nectar.

The sunbird was unaware that the faint sound of a butterfly egg cracking could be heard just beyond the neem tree where it was perched. Above the hibiscus plant, a soft, slightly blackish caterpillar emerged from the eggshell, which it then devoured entirely. Its eyes blinked several times. It scanned the cool afternoon atmosphere in the park. Slowly but surely, it moved toward a leaf, following another caterpillar that looked a few days older than itself, and ate the dark green, oval-shaped leaf with its rough, serrated edges. The caterpillar spent several days there, savoring the delicious taste of the hibiscus leaves.

In the mind of the spiny black caterpillar, it was deeply intrigued and curious about the taste of the leaves from the cluster of yellow flowers not far away. After two days of longing to try the leaves, it slowly made its way toward the lantana as the sun began to shine.

Upon arrival, it was briefly delighted by the leaf's slightly bitter, addictive flavor. Then, a strong wind blew against the plant, but because the caterpillar was clinging tightly to the leaf, it was safe. The shadow of a long, downward-curving bird's beak appeared. The caterpillar then hid beneath the lantana leaf. "Hey buddy, what are you doing behind that leaf?" asked the Sunbird cheerfully. The caterpillar didn't move and remained in its spot, silently praying that the bird would not eat it.

Feeling ignored, the bird decided to sip the nectar from the lantana flower while glancing several times at the leaf behind which a spiny black caterpillar was hiding. After eating for a while and feeling full, it approached the leaf. "Hello? Are you still there? You're okay, aren't you, Caterpillar? Let's be friends," the bird tried once more. Then, hesitantly, the caterpillar emerged and looked toward the bird fearfully.

"Come on, be my friend. Don't be afraid, I won't eat you," the bird promised, successfully convincing the caterpillar to move closer. "What's your name, buddy?" the bird chirped again. "Oh, my name is, um, I'm Patritia," she answered nervously. A loud silence fell for a few moments afterward. Patritia, who had initially looked down to avoid the Sunbird's gaze, then looked up in confusion because there was no sound. The bird seemed to be holding back a laugh. His slightly narrowed eyes at that moment made Patritia ask, "Is there something wrong with my name?"

Sunbird shook his head quickly, and his expression turned serious again. "Nothing's wrong, it's just that your name is… so charming I'm speechless. Oh, right, my name is Valerius. It's nice to meet you, cutie," he explained, not wanting to be misunderstood. Hearing that, Patritia mumbled a few times, as if trying to memorize the name of the animal she'd first befriended, "Valerius, vale rius? Vale… Um, vale?"

Valerius burst out laughing immediately. Patritia then frowned at him. "Goodness, you're so cute, Tia." Okay, Patritia was clearly speechless upon hearing that. Am I cute? Me? Patritia thought to herself. Then, they spent seven days together. Eating leaves and flowers together. Valerius listened to Patritia's various unique stories, and Patritia also learned many things from Valerius. They spent their time together happily.

On the eighth day since they met and the tenth day since Patritia became a caterpillar, they promised to meet at the same spot. This time, Patritia deliberately made her skin shimmer and got ready until a hairy caterpillar looked at her in wonder. "Tia, what are you doing?" it asked while chewing on a leaf. "I'm getting ready to meet Valerius, the sunbird who lives in the neem tree over there," she replied. "Valerius? Are you friends with a bird? Wow, Tia, you know birds usually eat caterpillars, right?" the hairy caterpillar asked again. "Vale is different, he's nice," she insisted. "Okay, Tia, you're not normal. Don't tell me you've fallen for him?" the hairy caterpillar accused, a remark met only with a puzzled expression from Patritia.

On the way to the promised spot, Patritia saw several other sunbirds in pairs on the tree where Valerius lived. "Tia, you finally came," Valerius's words snapped Patritia out of her daydream, and she put on a fake smile.

"What's wrong, Tia?" Valerius asked, sensing something was off. "You don't seem like yourself."

Patritia took a deep breath before letting it out sharply. "Vale, how old are you?" Patritia asked. "I'm eight months old. Why?" Valerius asked in return. "That means four more months — " she began, but Valerius cut her off impatiently, "Why? Out of the blue? Besides, four months is still a long time."

Patritia simply clamped her mouth shut, making Valerius even more suspicious. Between chewing on flower nectar, he occasionally glanced at Patritia, who had no appetite for leaves. "Tia, you know, you can tell me anything, right?" he assured her. Patritia nodded hesitantly, then looked at Valerius with sad eyes. Valerius, upon seeing that look, immediately understood and looked away at the empty flower juice.

"Vale, I know this sounds ridiculous, but you're my only friend. You're the only person I feel safe with. And I think… I love you, Vale," she said. That long sentence made Valerius burst out laughing so hard that, for the first time, Patritia realized Valerius wasn't as perfect as she'd thought, her ego had been hurt. Valerius was laughing at her words and her feelings. "Why are you laughing, Vale? I'm serious."

After hearing that, Valerius tried to take a breath to neutralize his expression. "That's the most ridiculous and stupid thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Tia, you're just a black caterpillar. I'm not even sure if you'll be able to eat again tonight or not. Meanwhile, I'll be around for a little longer. You're just a temporary friend to me. I'll be with the other beautiful sunbirds, not with a filthy caterpillar like you."

Hearing that, before Patritia could even process his words, the flapping of Valerius's wings sent her stumbling and falling onto a leaf that was lower than where she had been standing.