Submission (#2050) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 3
Act Type: Support
Word Count: 1058
Adult Elnin Present: Sola [ELN378]
Regional Affinity: Faerindell
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Cyn [ELN948]

"Are we almost theeere?" Cyn groaned. She couldn't imagine why anyone would need a Haven this far from the usual path, but Sola had absolutely insisted on taking her there. Cyn wasn't one to turn down adventure -- but this didn't sound like adventure! It was just work, and she had to carry all these heavy things. Well, alright, Sola was the one carrying most of the supplies, but Cyn's tiny body was also pulling along its own fair share of items! And the journey just seemed endless. Over the hills, and through the forest, and on, and on. 

Sola let out a loud chuckle. "Almost, almost! Keep your head up!" Cyn wanted to dramatically fall to the ground and flail her legs in protestation, but she just rolled her eyes and continued to trudge along the path. It had lightly showered the night before, and some parts of the dirt trail still had the consistency of slush. She carefully hopped over these areas, making sure that not too much of it got onto her snow-white fur. How troublesome this was! Why were they --

"Why are we coming to this one, right? That's what you wanted to ask." Sola tossed a grin back at a surprised Cyn, startled from her thoughts. "I can always tell what you're thinking. You think that this one is too far out of the way, that no one will bother to come here anyways, especially in a place as temperate as Faerindell." Sola stopped to do a few stretches, taking her time before abruptly continuing down the path. "It's important, to tend to Traveler's Havens. It's not always about whether someone will end up using them. We can't know that, after all. And it's more than just a kind gesture, though it is just that for a lot of people. For some of us, it's also an obligation, to preserve the work of those who came before, and the aspirations of those who will come after." 

Cyn lagged behind a beat, slowly taking in the things her mother said. She wanted to understand, to understand herself and this place and why it held a place in so many hearts. 

Sola checked back on Cyn, smiling. She continued. "The Haven represents many things. A peace after a long journey, an abundance after a dearth. No matter where you go, the feeling is the same. Sitting in there, surrounded by the bounty that others have labored for just to give to you -- it sometimes feels like they're actually there with you and sharing their warmth with you, however belated it may be." She closed her eyes. "You start to imagine what sorts of people stopped by here, whether to give or take, and perpetuate the cycle anew. And this thought alone, refreshes you in its own way... it's healing, almost. It brings you back to a whole, makes you remember that you do not ever walk alone."

The kittom's tiny head bobbed, as if trying to nod in understanding and forgetting how. It made sense -- maybe most of this was too layered for her to comprehend just yet, but at its core, she knew that feeling. 

"Aaaand we're here." Sola turned past an old weathered trunk and raised a paw with a flourish. Where she indicated, the yawning mouth of an unassuming cave came into view, gently accentuated by a stray sunbeam. A breeze picked up, and blew through the trees overhead, ruffling the soft pink flowers from their branches. And falling and falling they came, landing far below onto the trail, disappearing at once into the mass of colorful petals adorning the grass. They danced upon the path like a beacon, like a menagerie of faeries, whispering and wafting, inviting Cyn to draw near. 

They entered the cave together, and Sola lit the small lamp in the corner of the room, casting the sanctuary in a warm glow of gold. It was a simple place, and it couldn't have been much larger than a few elnins lined up chest to rump -- not even as large as Cyn's own room. There were two stools, and a small roll of bedding, and the remnants of a fireplace near the wall. Empty boxes lined the back of the cave, and a few letters were pinned here and there, the only evidence that anyone had been here at all. The pink petals, too, seemed to have been blown inside, and they littered the ground like so many jewels. Sola took out a thick piece of cloth from her pack and patted it down before setting it upon the ground. "Needed to change the rug in this place," she winked at Cyn. "Why don't you go set up the supplies and I'll take clean this place up a bit? 

And Cyn set to work, unpacking all the supplies that the both of them had brought. Plenty of dried and non-perishable foods, certainly enough to fill the boxes, and perhaps enough that she could sneak a few bites without Sola noticing. Into the crates they went, along with a fresh roll of towels and a few spare cups and utensils. Some bushels of straw and bundles of wood for the next one, and an assortment of traveling jackets for the next. Along the entrance she stacked a few talismans, specially carved by a neighborhood friend, to ward off whatever bit of mischief may seek to enter. Sitting back with a huff, she admired her work. This place was looking quite full, now! And from this point of view, she felt like she understood what Sola had meant. The Haven felt livelier now, as if there were more than just the two of them here, as if the warmth brought everything closer... and the closer it was, the less lonely it seemed...

"That was fast!" Sola remarked, looking up from her work and grinning. "You were pretty enthusiastic about this after all, huh?" Cyn nodded, and replied. "I think I know what you mean now." It was nice, to extend a paw to some mystery stranger that may or may not ever come. Regardless of the outcome, it felt like the initiation of a welcome, and in that moment she felt sure that some string in the universe would pull another towards the gesture, to complete it. "You don't ever walk alone."