Submission (#1940) Approved

Regional Affinity: Strynhalde
Elnin: ELN1266
1457 words
Submission #2

(A continuation, more or less of the other prompt, thanks again to CrystalBerri for letting me use their elnin Atlas for both)

THE PRETTIEST POMU

 

 

The tail end of Velia’s trip to Strynhalde was a lot more enjoyable than the start. 

 

The snowy hills and frozen trees had shifted from being strange and foreboding, now filling her with a unique comfort. There on the edge of town, she saw fields of white, mostly untouched since most of the foot traffic in and out of the city followed the caravan roads. Miasma season and its troubles usually upset her, but now she was grateful--thanks to it she and Atlas were forced to stay in Strynhalde for just a bit longer. Here with all this snow and ice that she wanted to explore and appreciate just a little bit more.

 

The older elnin had left her to her own devices, more or less. ‘Stay in town and out of the miasma and you’re golden,’ Atlas had told her, and since she’d already tested his trust enough this trip (by running off earlier), she chose to obey with no objections. Not to mention, even she didn’t want to leave the city’s protections and risk being poisoned.

 

So she’d found a nice quiet field on the edge of town--a perfect vantage point for taking in the landscape and perfect for Atlas to spot her purple and pink coat amongst the show when it was time to go.

 

A few elnin and kittoms came by and greeted her, one of which being someone she recognized--Mizuki, one of the newer members of their club. However, he couldn’t stay long. Taking his parting suggestion of making a snow-nin to pass the time, Velia entertained herself. It took less effort than she thought, especially after shifting onto her hind paws so she could better sculpt her freezing cold ‘clay’.

 

However, what stood before her as she gave the mound its final, loving pats wasn’t a snow-nin. 

 

It was a snow-pomu.

 

Now, Velia was no artist, but even she knew that the mound wasn’t anywhere close to being an Elnin. Tilting her head only made it look MORE like a pomu.

 

Though her earlier revelation had helped her curb her wishing for her pomu, and made her just a bit more patient, it still stung to stare at a pure white lump that reminded her of what she lacked.

 

Slowly she sank back onto her haunches, eyes locked on where the snow-pomu’s face would be.

 

A moment passed before she glanced over her shoulder, focusing on the ever large eldertree, the very same that had somehow encouraged her before. It had, in her mind, gifted her with a beautiful leaf that she had since worked into her pomu-less pomu lantern. However, it seemed to have no more gifts or wordless advice or strength for her now. Instead it seemed so far away, looking down on the slushy nin-filled streets of the city. 

 

She’d have to support herself this time, it seemed.

 

So she turned back to face the snow. To face her ‘pomu’, scooping up a stick and setting to finish what she didn’t know she started.

 

It only took an hour or so more, but she further solidified its shape, smoothing out its body and fluffing up two ear-looking things on its head. Next she carved a gentle face into it, gifted it some berries from her lunch to serve as its adorable round eyes and almond-shaped horns. Two sticks made perfect little arms, two more its little feet. 

 

And when she finished, a broad smile overtook her face. 

 

But something was missing…

 

It was a little premature, especially because there were more materials she wanted to use back home, but…

 

Carefully she placed her partially-finished, leaf-adorned lantern square between her snow-pomu’s feet, tilting her head as she looked over her work. A real pomu would have been better, but for now this one would do. ‘Til the end of her trip, at least.

 

Velia’s curly, nebulous tail gave a small wiggle, the little kittom prancing around the snow-pomu as she pondered if there was anything else to add. And when she decided it was complete, she gave it a firm, solid nod… “If my pomu hasn’t shown itself yet, that’s fine. I made one to tide me over!”

 

With a sigh she rubbed at her face, “I just wish I had a way to take it back with me. Atlas says that snow melts really easy, so I don’t think it would make the trip back.”

 

Knowing that she’d have to say goodbye to the snow-pomu eventually, she chose to curl up next to it, nestling into the snow to watch the leaf on her lanturn gently wiggle in the wind. 

 

But she was determined not to cry again. She knew that crying and being impatient wouldn’t make her real pomu show up any sooner.

 

“Velia? There you are.” 

 

Atlas’s voice rang across the clearing.and Velia’s massive ears shot upward. “Atlas!”

 

She hopped up and bounded toward him, much to his relief. The blue adult tilted his head, looking over the mound of snow, “Did you make that? It’s pretty neat!”

 

“Yeah,” Velia chimed, her tail a-waggin’. “I made it to feel better about not having a pomu of my own yet.”

 

“And you gave it your lantern?”

 

“Of course! It’ll need it because it’s miasma season.”

 

Atlas shook his head with a smile, “You’re adorable. But yeah, I’m sure you’ll get your own pomu soon. And sooner than you think!”

 

“What makes you say that?” Velia couldn’t hide her suspicion and disbelief. And yet, Atlas kept smiling, wrapping her in his long tail to give her a brief hug and a quick check to be sure she hadn’t hurt herself while he was away.

 

When he didn’t answer Velia glared at him, and prodded his forehead for an answer. 

 

“I wasn’t too much older than you when I got my pomu... “ He admitted, shaking his head, “Like I keep telling you, you just have to be patient.”

 

“But how did it appear? Did it show up with a boom? Or like, a shoo shoo shoo? Or a vywwwwween?”

 

Her noises only seemed to make his brows furrow, then he shook his head. “No, it… just… appeared. No flash, no fireworks, just… pomu.”

 

“... I don’t believe you.”

 

“You don’t have to believe me. You’ll see for yourself when yours shows up!” Atlas chuckled, releasing her and turning. “Now come on, we still have time to… to…”

 

He paused, and Velia followed his gaze…

 

Peeking from a dark void behind her were a pair of tiny, beady purple eyes and a pair of squishy purple horns. 

 

Both elnin paused, as though the slightest movement would scare it away. But the little black creature that groggily crawled its way out of Velia’s shadow hardly seemed afraid. In fact it gave a slow, comfortable blink before its eyes settled closed. A slow sleepy yawn escaped it as it toddled toward Velia.

 

She couldn’t quite explain how she felt--regardless she squirmed away from Atlas and turned to face it, her paws gently reaching out to it… 

 

It was brief, but the small creature and Velia touched, its small clawed hand gently squeezing one of her little toebeans in greeting. Tears started to form in Velia’s eyes, as she had no words. Not some super long speech or a string of lifelong promises. The first thing Velia thought to tell her pomu was, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Nimbus…”

 

It gave her paw a loving clench, before it gave a slow stretch and did what most pomu had to do during this time; it slowly grew warmer and released her, gently floating into the air as its horns shimmered and shone. And in an instant, the pomu Velia had waited so long to see transformed, a shimmering shard left in its place.

 

She stared at it in awe, only moving when Atlas gave her an encouraging nudge, after which she padded over to her lantern. No, this was Nimbus’s lanturn. She knew it was when she made it, and she was even more sure as she let Nimbus’s crystal rest safely inside it. Its purple glow felt so warm, and the loneliness that hounded her felt like it was weeks, years, and eons away. 

 

Velia wasn’t sure where her adventures would take her, or what kind of elnin she would meet along the way, but she had a traveling companion now. Someone that she was sure would always have her back, and what made her feel like her greatest adventures were finally ready to begin.

 

And it all started in a cold, fluffy, snow-filled world that she never thought would be home to one of her favorite, most precious memories and a friendship that she’d long been waiting for.