Submission (#1928) Approved

A small watery blue kittom tosses and turns in his sleep. Subconsciously his small white paw reaches out searching for his Pomu. The golden yellow paw pads softly reach out searching for his fluff ball. Oh... that's right... Poru went into hibernation didn't he..., the blue kittom thinks to himself. Bleary eyed, he rubs his golden eyes, and ruffles his blue toned hair, before doing a long cat stretch and looking around the room. The asian style room, is well furnished with several plants of different sizes in different decorative vases. Sunlight streams in through the window, brightening the dark varnished wooden floors and polished asian furniture. Oh yeah... I'm in Kyendi now, the kittom thinks to himself, before hopping out of bed and gently making it the way Poru had taught him how. After getting through his morning routine he swings open the closet and pulls out his Pomu's lantern, gently patting his hibernating Pomu's crystal. It was only a few seasons ago he had setup his lantern with glee! He'd painted rippling waves in a gorgeous traditional Kyendi style, and using paper, glue and various sticks of different sizes and shapes, he had created his masterpiece of a lantern. He'd tugged it around everywhere wondering if his Pomu would come from his shadows in the mountains, the grasslands, the beach even! But of course it happened when he least expected it, just walking along his favourite lake in Kyendi, when suddenly he felt something soft and fluffy climb up his leg, and boom! Poru was there!!! And ever since then the duo had been inseperable.
"Oh Poru... I can't believe it's been a few seasons since we met! It's going to be so weird staying here with Miss Airi... but I, Ripple will do my best to make you proud! Until you're back that is. Heh, then it's back to the mischief making!" Ripple whispers to his Pomu's crystal and can't help but see it twinkle in the light as if Poru was saying 'oh you endless troublemaker' in his usual pomu way. Feeling a little better having received a 'potential' sign from his Pomu, Ripple ties the lantern onto his right leg and does a little twirl in front of the mirror. After checking he's presentable enough he gives a nod to his mirror-self and heads out of the guesthouse Poru and he had arrived at just the previous day.

Ripple flexed his soft white paws against the hard varnished wooden floors, polished to a shine. This is something I'm never going to get used to, he thinks to himself, before looking out at the view from the patio walkway. Tall round mountains dot the landscape in front of him. Most, towering up into the skies above, but a few remain small enough to see the tops of. Beautiful rolling low clouds move slowly in the morning sunshine and small birds twitter and flutter about the garden nearby. Ripple lets out a low whistle at the sight. Although he could never get used to the grandeur of Airi's place, he could always appreciate the view she had. It was something about the neverending mist that seemed to playfully coil and weave through the mountains. After admiring the sight for several minutes he shakes his head and heads onwards to the Airi's main house. Several Elnin seem to be moving about in a hurry all seem to be heading to the large restaurant at the base of the house. Ripple, had met Airi back when he was just a newborn kittom, she'd taken him in and had him travel with her for most of his life! Little did he know she was actually the owner of a rather well off hotel in Kyendi! It was strange how she'd never mentioned it to him before... but then, he thought to himself, maybe she just wanted a friend who wouldn't treat her like the rich heiress she was. As he wandered into the hotels breakfast lounge, he saw it was already a bustle with elnin and kittoms! Many already scoffing down foods to head back to the breakfast bar and try some new delicacy. Ripple followed them avidly, keenly aware of the many smells emanating from the bar... several of them were very familiar.... Huh, he thought to himself, this dish... was the one we found when we were in Ealei! A- and this dish uses those fruits Poru and I gathered from Faerindell! Maybe all along throughout our travels she was actually finding new foods to bring back to her hotel. Stunned at the revelation, he piles up his plate high with the many delicacies - and a few he hadn't seen before - and then trotted back to the table the waiter had assigned him to. After trying the first two dishes, Ripple couldn't help but find himself scoffing down the delicious breakfast and going for seconds! Then thirds.... aaand maybe taking a few for the road in a small serviette. Finally feeling satisfied he heads towards the reception desk Poru and himself had seen last night. As he walks over a curvy black and white elnin with lace-like patterns runs up to him, her long wavy hair bouncing with her every movement.
"RIPPLE! COME HERE YOU!" she exclaims and swoops him up in a hug with her two front paws.
"A-a-Airi!" he chokes out as she squeezes him tightly.
"I heard word you were here! One of the receptionists informed me last night that you had finally arrived at my humble abode! How was your trip? I heard you helped my friend get his hands on a rare greater horned fire beetle in Silveil! You must tell me all about it. Oh, I'm squishing you too hard aren't I?" quickly she lets go of the small blue kittom, and ruffles his hair with her paw, before flicking her long black hair behind her shoulder.
"Y-yeah... it was exciting! I didn't know the Eyre had so many different places to see!!! Not to mention.. uhh... your uh 'humble abode' is rather... er... fancy?"
"Oh pish-posh, it's nothing fancy! You should see the top 10 hotels in Kyendi! Now THAT's fancy! I see Poru has gone into hibernation. It's about time, dear, honestly I was thinking he was staying awake far too long for a Pomu... but I guess he had to keep an eye on you and make sure you made it to my place in time after all. Now come along Ripple! I have to take you to this Rice festival that's happening! It'll make you feel much better I promise!" she says animatedly, before bounding over to the exit of the hotel and waving at him to follow. Ripple sighs, shaking his head at Airi, and stifling a smile at her reckless excitement. Sometimes, all you need is a good friend to cheer you up when you miss your Pomu.

As the pair run off down the road, Ripple can't help but admire the scenery that he wasn't able to see the previous night. Aside from the tall round mountains and mist. Small waterfalls and rivulets of water line the roads and even a few of the mountains in the distance. And even further away to the east, islands that appear to be floating in mid air dot the sky. What a peculiar region! And Poru and I thought we had seen it all! Ripple's golden eyes gleam with excitement at the thought of new regions to explore that he hadn't even known existed. As they run down the mountain, Airi takes a sharp turn around a particularly tall cliff face, and Ripple follows suit, suddenly coming across a multi-stepped plateau of sorts! Fields filled with water and mud line each step on the plateau, and several large archway built of reeds in the shape of two large stalks of rice plant line the road going down the plateau to reach a small town of sorts. Airi, slows down her pace and waits for Ripple at the first archway.
"Woahhhh... what is this place?" he asks his friend.
"Heh, I thought you'd like it. It's one of the many towns of Sulapei! This one in particular is known for its variety of exotic rice, partially due to some of the breeds I've brought back from other regions, but mostly because the locals here have been experimenting growing and breeding different rice plants from eons ago! It's a tradition." Airi says with a soft smile, her pale grey eyes and cat winged eyeliner creasing with nostalgia as she remembers a time from when she herself was a kittom. After a brief pause she notices Ripple watching her keenly and coughs into her paw "A-anyways, for the last week they've been holding a rice festival, every day with delicious rice treats, and exciting shops. But since todays the last day of the event there's a few contests to be join in on as well! I've signed us up for the three-legged race and I've signed you up for the rice eating competition as well!"
"W-Wha-Hell yeah! Three-legged race! How're we going to do that when we've got eight legs between us?"
"Oh Ripple. Sometimes you're such a goose. We stand on our hind legs of course! And then you tie a bandana between my right and your left leg so then it'd be like altogether we have three legs!" Airi explains gesturing to her hindleg and his hindleg. "Do you want to practice?" she asks with a twinkle in her eye. Ripple, never one to back away from a challenge, grins and nods confidently. The duo then practice three-legged walking as they wander around the main street of the town. Small stalls line the main street selling anything and everything rice related! From weird souvenirs that Poru might like, to exotically coloured bags of rice to eat, if it was rice related, you bet there was a stall for it! There were even a few sculptures made from rice grains glued together so exquisitely it was as if they were sculpted from clay! After spending several hours exploring and almost tripping over their tied up legs the pair begin to feel like they're getting the hang of running around with three legs between themselves. Finally, an Elnin called out around the street that the 'three-legged race' competition would be starting shortly!
"Are you ready, kid?" Airi asks Ripple with a wink.
"I was born ready." Ripple replies with a smirk and the duo head to the starting line.

Several kittoms and elnin paired at random line the starting line. But Airi and Ripple had their eye on the prize. As they readied themselves, the sound of a buzzer rungout and they were off! Airi and Ripple quickly walked in sync mindful of the road ahead. As they made good time they found themselves slightly ahead of the pack, when suddenly the road ahead led straight into a large rice paddy field! As they jumped into the mud, they found themselves out of sync with this new obstacle and tripped over landing face first in the mud. Giggling as they got up, and wiping the mud off of their faces, they slowly waded together in time. Left. Right. Left. Right. And after several minutes of intense wading they found themselves back in the middle of the pack. Turning to look at each other with determination to win they nodded at each other, and began again at their fast walk speed. Slowly they began to move faster and faster, eventually getting out of the throng of elnin and kittoms, and somehow stumbling their way to a wonderful second place victory! As the duo collapsed at the end of the long race they grinned panting.
"Well.... that was... exciting... wasn't it?" Airi heaves out as she lies sprawled on the grassy patch at the finish line.
"YEAH! We were... so close to... being first!" Ripple pants back.
"Ah well... who knew it'd be a crazy three-legged obstacle race, huh?" Airi replies finally catching her breath. "They really should have written that down in the flyer. Otherwise I wouldn't have participated." she mutters under her breath, finally taking in the state of her muddied paws and matted hair.
"Awww, don't be like that! It was fun wasn't it?!" Ripple asks his golden eyes beaming bright with childish glee at having participated in such an exciting festival. Airi sighs and smiles at Ripple in return.
"Yes. Yes it was. But don't forget! You still have a rice eating contest! I hope you worked up an appetite" she retorts back. Ripple gulps in worry.

- a couple hours later -

Ripple collapses tired on the sauna bench back at the hotel. The rice eating contest had been a bust! Who knew some Elnin could eat THAT much rice?! He can't help thinking to himself. Ripple had only made it through four bowls before calling it quits, but there were some Elnin who managed a whole 9 bowls! And the winner even managed 12?! Guess I have a ways to go before I can get to that stage, he thinks to himself. But the day had been fun! And even though Poru wasn't around he'd bought him several souvenirs for the events he'd missed. It had been an exciting day, with many more to come. Even if Poru was asleep.