Submission (#1923) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 3
Act Type: Character
Word Count: 1014
Adult Elnin Present: Kormir [ELN214]
Regional Affinity: Strynhalde
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Xylo [ELN1250]

Xylo never understood how a region so cold like Strynhalde could be so close to a region so hot like Ahza. The mountain range that separated them grew chilly as they came into the region known for being cold all year long. Xylo just felt grateful his fur was thicker in areas. He took after both of his parents with the fluffy mane keeping his neck and chest warm. Xylo felt exhausted when they finally arrived in a small cold village deep into Strynhalde past its mountains peaks. What he awoke to the next morning was unexpected though. Rolling around in the cozy blanket he squeaked as he felt something in his bed and quickly scrambled out from under the covers, his legs shivering at the sudden temperature change as even the warmed cabin was chillier than the blanket pile. Out crawled a sleepy small round pomu that blinked confused by Xylo’s scurrying. It teetered over to hug Xylo’s leg and buried it’s face in his fur. The kittom’s posture froze stiff as though they were out in the frozen tundra right now instead of the warm cabin. They had met Kormir’s pomu enough but this one was definitely not it so Xylo had their suspicions but somehow he felt like he couldn’t take his eyes off of it.

“Kormir…” The kittom squeaked out their guardian’s name cautiously as the grown elnin stirred in their sleep. Xylo couldn’t bring himself to shout at all so he instead plopped down. Kormir’s pomu he could see nestled among the blankets when he tilted his head which meant this pomu….was his? The kittom blinked at the revelation as though he should have known immediately. Why else would the little round familiar feel so comfortable to be around otherwise. Xylo quickly pulled out some board games the lodge had in a small side cabinet. The children’s games were simple, things akin to checkers and a few others with simple and easy to move pieces.

And so the games began for Xylo and his new friend. They shuffled around pieces and played with stacking some cards, though an irritable flick of Xylos tail managed to topple the tower a few consecutive times, causing him to lose his patience. Eventually he left it to his pomu who despite being young was fairly good with their balance. They managed to get a three card tower and Xylo held his breath out of fear even the smallest gust would cause it to fall. Every so often the kittom’s eyes wandered over to the frost covered window, wondering when Kormir would awake so he could take his new friend outside. It was cold but there was a lot of snow to play in out there and it packed a lot better than sand Kormir had informed him. Eventually the tower toppled from a shift in the air pressure in the cabin and Xylo could be patient no longer.

“On the count of three.” The kittom said softly as he and his pomu crept up to the blanket where Kormir was slumbering. “One….two….THREE!” Xylo announced before leaping on top of the blanket that rested over Kormir. The adult elnin snapped his eyes awake, startled. He was quick to recover though as he felt a pomu hug his face and he could hear Xylo chuckling on his back. “Isn’t it a bit early for pranks?” Kormir said, raising an eyebrow at the kittom as he breathed out through his nose with a slight huff. The kittom’s pomu friend released Kormir’s face and stepped back with a small “Pomu” greeting coming out of it’s mouth as it peered at the elnin.

“It’s time to go outside.” Xylo said confidently, as if he had been ready hours ago. Kormir cracked a gentle smile. At times Xylo could be a kittom that was a bit rough around the edges and stubborn but it was nice to see him warming up quickly to the idea of having a pomu. Even Kormir felt a bit bad that there weren’t as many kittoms around to keep Xylo company.

“Going to play outside with a new friend I see?” Kormir commented. Xylo nodded vigorously before plodding over to slip on a scarf and some warm boots to protect his feet in the snow. His Pomu came over and crawled up on his back to nestle itself between his mane and scarf at the base of Xylo’s neck. The two looked like quote the content pair. After donning his own traveling gear, at least the clothes to keep him a bit warmer, Kormir opened the door and out they went into the snow. His own Pomu started rolling a ball to craft one of the odd snowmen sculptures an elseworlder had shown them once and Xylo and his new pomu watched with interest before copying the action. Pretty soon they had a small snowman that was a few heads too high for its size but Kormir didn’t mention it.

The hours passed by out in the snow with Kormir watching over the kittom and pomus at play. Xylo eventually came up to him to catch his attention since he had been admiring the white pine trees and snow covered bushes while Xylo was in a safe range to play. Strynhalde was a fairly scenic region and perhaps they could find a good inn with a larger hot bath next time. Returning to their cabin they packed their things to head to a more populated town in the region where Kormir had to deliver more paperwork. Xylo packed diligently with the additional set of hands and a fairly encouraging pomu at his side. Picking up his small friend he set them in his bag this time, letting their head poke out but not much else to protect them from the cold. Xylo wasn’t sure if he necessarily needed to do as much or if pomus tolerated the cold well but he felt reassured by the action either way. It just felt safer to have his newly met friend at his side.