Do away with medals

[Caspa Al-Fateh]

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She was delighted with the mild spring weather, and the flora and fauna that emerged at this time that seemed as new as if she'd never seen them before. The formidable trees that surrounded the Chien Hotel were set in ground newly dotted with small spring greens, and seemed much more lively than their original gloomy air. Of course, there wasn't much that would redeem the gloominess of the big old building but with little birds flitting here and there and the odd flower even daring to show its fragile face, there was an almost cheerful tint. Caspa was sniffing around the exterior of the building, looking for open sun-catching patches of ground. When she found one, she knelt and opened her hand. A few tiny black seeds nestled amongst the paw-pads. Spring was planting time, she knew, but she'd never tried it before and had no idea if the magic spark of life would still be in these insignificant specks. Caspa scratched away some of the still cold soil and poked a few holes, then sprinkled a seed or two in each one. She took a moment to remember the flowers of home, tall lilac-petalled poppies, fluttering like silk in the breeze of Samira. If these came up, it would be a taste of one of the few happier memories of where she came from. They probably wouldn't, the temperature was perhaps still too low and they might not have enough light or moisture. Thinking ahead, she'd kept some seeds in her leather bag, for planting later on. She didn't even consider if the other hotel residents would mind the sudden appearance of the odd patch of poppies here and there around the building's fringes. Who would complain about a flower?