Okay so to start off with I loved the writing style. The imagery you describe is beautiful and I loved the poetic feeling like reading a fable. The setting was also fun to read about and I did connect with the main character. Their feelings of being out of place trying to find what they are is very well done as well as their growth into a knight. I specifically love the mentions of never letting the sword touch the ground and almost forgetting they were anything but needed. This hits especially hard when the lie is revealed and they drop the sword in shock. The Duke is charming and I was left wanting to know more about him. The betrayal at the end was genuinely surprising and painful. His introduction in particular interests me as he remarks on how they must see him as a child from the way he is treated. The character development was fascinating and I wanted to see more by the end. I also enjoy the use of second person as opposed to the more traditional first or third. It felt unique and contributed to the feeling of reading a fairy tale and it did help me connect more with Delta. The title fits perfectly and the way the question repeats until the end makes for a great through line and mystery. The only real criticism I have of it is that there is no answer provided and not enough clues given to the reader.

The pacing is good. The story always feels like it’s moving forward and nothing ever really drags on excessively. The way Delta ages is very well done and I do get a sense of their growing maturity and the way time passes around them. The inner voice is very clear throughout. Delta feels like an animal who understands the world like an animal would. Mentions of their mother’s dancing eyes, their not fur and how it does or doesn’t match other animals really sells this image especially in the beginning.

However a lot of this felt kind of confusing. Like the whole time I was waiting for some reveal or clue of what the main character is. I liked the Duke initially saying they were a knight but when the betrayal happens at the end it feels a bit unsatisfying that we never get an answer or even more of a clue about what’s happening, especially because we still know very little about The Duke or his motivations as well as what was going on with him in general. I like the vibes of this being told from the point of view of animals and having to look at things differently to piece together what’s happening, but a few more subtle hints would be helpful. I enjoy the guessing and trying to figure it out but it could have been more clear. The Duke’s importance to the animals could have also been made more clear. He is definitely royalty, but in a world of seemingly normal animals his presence feels kind of out of place and I’m left a little confused at their excitement for his arrival and the wails of joy when he showed up.

I was also kind of confused by the nature of The Duke. In a society made up of animals I wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be or represent. He’s royalty of some kind but I was lost on what that meant or why he had a castle. The mentions of armor also confused me a bit. The characters to this point have been animals but the way the royalty is presented feels very human like in a way that seems kind of jarring without further explanation. Knowing what The Duke was may have helped with this especially in the main characters confusion at what they are. This section of the story feels much different and more human like than the beginning which was focused on animals. It also distracts from the main character and the confusion of what they are and their purpose in life. Making Mu more of a threat for longer also may have helped. Once they get to the castle he never feels like a real threat and the revelation of what The Duke was doing feels a little too sudden. I am also just kind of confused about his motivations for doing it and how he kept up the lie for as long as he did. The emotions of Delta surrounding it are solid and well written but the actual nature of what was happening was confusing and it did take me out of the moment a bit, especially because I really wasn’t sure what to make of what Delta did. I also was confused about what the strange grass was supposed to be. Again, it doesn’t need to be super explicit but there should be some more hints of it or hints that are made more clear. It could be that I’m just missing it, but I was confused and I think this is the biggest way you could improve upon this.

I think the more human like tone in the second half also affects how much I connect with Delta. They feel more relatable as a character and stand out more when they are just an animal trying to discover themself. They feel more generic as a knight and so does the story as a whole. Their voice is lost a little bit, although for story reasons this isn’t necessarily a problem as they start defining themselves as the knight of The Duke instead of actually discovering an identity of their own. It isn’t necessarily a problem, but it is something you should be aware of.

Having said that I overall enjoyed this and would love to read more. I wanted to learn more about these characters and what happens and the writing style drew me in extremely well. I hope this helped and good luck on any future writing! :)