Submission (#1734) Approved

Sabet traveled out from the deserts of Ahza with a pack full of equipment and snacks for the journey ahead. The kittom’s beige hat drifted behind him as the breeze picked up the more he approached the ocean. Luckily, the hat he purchased had a black, woven cord to loop around his neck to keep it from flying away.

He sailed across the sea and into territory unknown to him. With him he also carried a variety of maps and scrolls that appeared to be bursting from his dusty, slightly tattered backpack. His detailed parchment served as guides but those would lead him astray from the dig site that only passed along through word of mouth. He did, however, wield blank parchment and a quill to map out his journey and the dig site when time permitted.

Sabet arrived at his destination and was more than ready for traversing new lands in search of newer and greater treasures. He adjusted his rounded hat and descended down the ravine. Back in Ahza before traversing the desert further, he was purchasing a new set of excavation tools at a local shop in Bejali when he overheard a small group of elnin discussing this dig site. They spoke of how it was rumored to be filled with unseen relics and unknown, never before seen creatures long extinct.

His distaste for socializing nearly cost him this opportunity but he was able to set his issues aside and strike up a conversation. An opportunity such as this was one in a million and he was as awkward as he would be with anyone. Stumbling on his words, stuttering, soft spoken- he hated it- but he would not let this chance go and so he was prepared for all of his own speech impairments.

He wasn’t alone when setting his paws onto new soil of course. The kittom arrived with the very elnin he had overheard back in Ahza! The site had certainly been picked over but there were a lot of plots left to excavate. He tippy-tapped at his shadow and his pomu slid out, armed with the heavy gear necessary for careful extraction of the bones he set out to unearth.

Sabet tightened the black woven string, securing his hat atop his head before shouldering his pack off. He retrieved his paw covers and one after the other, he was ready to handle his delicate plot. Rather than re-equipping his backpack, Sabet instead carried it forth as he treaded quietly across the site.

After rubbing his paws together in anticipation for the dig, and taking a moment to readjust his gloves, he stepped gingerly into an untouched plot that lay a good distance apart from his team. As he worked the morning away, a smooth protrusion budded out from the stiff earth in his plot. The kittom leaned in and inspected the dark object with a glazed appearance. He retrieved his magnifying glass from his backpack and held it up, observing the details of this find.

Sabet continued to work around the organic material, careful not to chip or break the fossil. He finally extracted the black bone as it glistened in the sunlight. By mere speculation, Sabet determined this wasn’t your typical femur. It was small but sturdy and at least the length of his tail. He swept the earth with his fine-tipped brush and discovered three additional rib bones and a smooth round bone- almost looking like a patella.

He gazed about the site at the other elnin to check if anyone else had discovered bones or other treasures. After confirming that his teammates were as successful as him, he picked up what he had dug up and handed them over to the lead archaeologist. Perhaps they knew what creature these bones belonged to?

Sabet returned to his site and continued to dust the area. He was able to unearth more bones of, what he had speculated, the same species. Although he had hoped to take something home equivalent to metalware, he was content excavating since he did it so often back home among the sand dunes and other grassier areas.

His glowing eyes widened when a sharp object breached the layer of soil he was working with. Sabet looked closer, the glow from his eyes and horns illuminating his discoveries and giving off a faint reflection of his own. After picking around and pulling more of the dirt away, he made little progress. Whatever this object was, it was bigger than him- and the faint energy radiating off its self was beckoning him.

Now it would be unethical to withhold a piece of history, or at least this is what he told himself. But what safer place to keep this fossil than his own collection? His eyes shone with enthusiasm as he explored the idea of expanding his collection and opening it up to other unordinary objects: fossils!

Sabet was able to extract the fossil which reached from his paw to his shoulder, or at least what wasn’t broken off by time. The fossil appeared to be an opaque horn of sorts. The sharp tip of it curved slightly and the piece itself was incomplete. He set it aside and rose to communicate with his team and check if they had stumbled upon anything similar to his discovery.

After actively conversing with the other elnin, Sabet returned to his site and carefully held up the horn to catch a beam of sunlight that filtered through the treetops. As he did, his hat loosed and the cord rested on his shoulders with the cap resting at his lower back. He noted how the horn bore more of an alabaster sheen however, there was evidence of a keratin sheath- the makeup of any horn in contrast to his own species’ soft, jelly-like horns.

Sabet arched his back, yawning and reaching as far as he could. It had been a long day's work and Sabet had unearthed a great amount of fossils alongside his team. They each delivered their findings to the lead archaeologist but the horn he had found remained in his possession. He rotated the horn over and over and over again, his thoughts racing as he weighed his choices. Other elnin had found pieces of their own horns that they turned in and now it was his turn.

Picking up the horn, Sabet made his way to the table and laid it across the top. As much as he wanted to keep the horn, and as much as it pained him to let go of a relic unlike anything else he has found, this was his best choice. The horn would serve as a key to discovering what this creature was and he was not going down in history as the miser who impeded on this discovery.

Sabet calmly nodded his head and thanked the lead archaeologist for including him on this expedition. He summoned his pomu and reached into a smaller compartment of his backoack which was full of snacks. The kittom gifted his little shadow dweller a few berries. After their snack break, his pomu grabbed his excavation gear and dove head first into his shadow.

The kittom made his way back to camp, which was not too far from the dig site, in order to grab a warm meal and much needed rest. He hunkered down beside the fire, removing his gloves to stow away and bring his hat off in front of him. Sabet stretched once more, being reminded of home by how intensely the fire burned. It was there he couldn’t wait to return to but for now, he would take his time and attempt to enjoy the company of others for once.