Hey! Remember that cute little caterpillar (AKA ‘wakerpillar’) that attached itself to Riley Oh during her journey to the Spiritrealm and accompanied her back to the mortal world?
No?
That’s weird. Everyone’s been talking about Riley’s fuzzy new sidekick. But just what is the real story behind this bold and dynamic larva? Did Taggy escape the Spiritrealm yearning for a life of adventure and excitement?
Or is Taggy spying on Riley and her friends? Are they operating as a sinister secret agent working on behalf of the vengeful goddesses?
Or maybe Taggy is just an ordinary caterpillar who just likes hanging out on Riley’s warm sweater. We’d love to tell you, but . . . well, Taggy doesn’t talk. Taggy doesn’t do much of anything really. But that’s not going to stop us from getting to the bottom of this mystery and uncover Taggy’s true intentions. (Aside from the desire to eat leaves. That part is obvious.)
A Bug’s Life
Hattie, Emmett, Dahl, Noah, David, Areum, Cosette, all of those new RilOh stans . . . Riley’s team of trusted friends and allies has expanded dramatically over the course of the Gifted Clans trilogy. While ‘bringing something useful to the table’ isn’t a prerequisite for joining Riley’s friend group, each member of the team possesses at least one special talent. Even if that talent is something as benign as the ability to bake delicious cookies.
What does Taggy contribute? Well, if you ask Riley she would probably say something like, “Taggy gives me tons of emotional support when I need it the most!” Does someone need to remind this girl that since the end of The Last Fallen Moon, she’s developed her own online fan club?
Silent Partner
How exactly does an insect provide emotional support anyway? Also according to Riley, she can ‘sense’ what Taggy is thinking. Even though Taggy doesn’t speak, Riley is convinced that they can ‘communicate’ words of encouragement with nothing more than a gesture.
One wiggle means, ‘You’re doing a great job!’ Two wiggles mean, ‘Don’t ever give up! Believe in yourself!’. One short wiggle followed by a longer wiggle means, ‘Recent studies suggest that you should actually floss before you brush.’ We’re not going to pretend to understand how she knows what Taggy is saying, but if these ‘direct messages’ in any way help motivate her to save the world, we’re not complaining!
Tagalong
Maybe Taggy’s true talent is actually the power of indestructibility. Between trips from the Spiritrealm, to the Mortalrealm, to the Godrealm, Taggy has somehow avoided being stepped on, squished, or flicked against the wall. Very impressive. Especially considering that most caterpillars we know can’t survive a trip from the backyard to the windowsill.
Either that or Riley is just really good at making sure that Taggy is kept safe and secure at all times. All in all, this seems more likely. We just hope that on the eve of Age of the Final Eclipse, Riley doesn’t have to choose between fulfilling her destiny and making sure that Taggy is safe from harm.
Then again, if you’re not willing to sacrifice all of humanity for the sake of an adorable, defenseless animal companion, are you really much of a hero at all?
Just Leaf Me Be
We’ve combed through every single mention of Taggy during Riley’s latest quest, and we’re afraid to report that maybe there’s not much more to this caterpillar than meets the eye. And trust us, we had to squint pretty hard to even get a good look.
As far as we can tell, Taggy only cares about two things: climbing up and down Riley’s neck and eating juicy leaves. A simple creature with simple desires. Maybe there’s nothing else to say.
Except for the fact that [HUGE, MASSIVE, GAME-CHANGING SPOILER REDACTED] but anyone who reads The Last Fallen Realm closely and pays attention should have been able to figure that one out by now. It’s so obvious!
Want to see more of Taggy? Be sure to pick The Last Fallen Realm, A Gifted Clans Novel, on sale 6/6!