Submission (#2053) Approved

Regional Affinity: Kyendi
Claiming Regional Affinity for: (ELN1200)
Word Count: 1,828


This is for my resonance quest, act 2.
My Elnin (#1575) Atlas was the adult used in the act.

Already a few days had passed since the grand rescue mission that Taiki was quite proud of. The very next morning they had headed back to the village and once the little kittom had been reunited with her family, Atlas had agreed they could stay in the region a bit longer. 

 

Now, as they walked through the jungle paths, Tai couldn’t help but peak up at the vivid pink horned Elinin walking beside him. He wanted to ask so many things of him but Atlas often dodged questions if he thought the kits he watched after could find the answer themselves. Not wanting to be overly pestering like a certain purple kittom he knew. Instead of bombarding him, he looked upwards, watching sun rays spill through heavy leaves and thick branches so far up ahead of them. It seemed no matter how much he tried to study the foliage and all it had to offer--the lush area was always changing or had another path he had yet to explore. 

 

Though his intention was to walk carefully, his eyes weren’t exactly looking where he was going and he found his paws tripping him up, slipping over slick moss covered stones. Grunting as he landed on his white colored belly, Tai huffed and once again found himself peaking up to see if Atlas had even noticed. Instead of seeing his usually calm face, he saw the blue Elinin smirking down at him, head tilted with amusement. “Do pay attention to where you are going, Taiki. Just because I am here with you does not mean you can cloud watch and walk at the same time.” although his voice was a bit chidding, he nudged the younger kit up with a paw, Taiki reclaiming his footing. “Just what are we doing out here? Are we looking for someone else? What about the map?” His sentence was spoken quickly as he lept over a small log, landing in a small puddle with a smile over his shoulder at the other. 

 

Shaking his head, Atlas moved vines from hanging in the way and followed the pink kittom that seemed to always have more energy than himself. “Today we’re checking on the camps a bit from town. Sometimes you’ll want to go ahead and make sure they had supplies or food if you can.” His tone was softer now as he climbed upon a taller rock, pulling out the map from his travelling bag to spread it out in front of him. “Why?” Taiki quipped back, standing on his back legs to put his paws on the edge of the stone. His eyes swept over the map, squinting at the upside down words from where he was. 

 

“It’s the right thing to do. The camps we stop by on our travels were probably stocked by another adventurer. You can’t expect to find full camps if you never fill any yourself.” Atlas pointed to a portion of the map now, tall rounded mountains and hills near the top. “Here. Let’s go.” 

 

The map now rolled up and away they headed back off, the jungle ground giving way to grassy plains and tree trunks being replaced with hills arching upwards towards blue skies. Taiki sniffed the grass with interest, always trying to keep close as he and Atlas strolled. He had enough of getting lost and though he had a Pomu now all his own he didn’t think his escort would put up with him if he wandered off again. 

 

The further they got, the more misty it seemed to get until finally the jungle trees they had been traveling through we’re far behind them and the misty rolling mountains laid ahead as the only destination. 

 

Arriving within the misted area, Taiki began to inch away just a bit by bit, moving through the dew covered grass. The fields we’re open enough and as long as he didn’t go running up hills or past the mountains he knew Atlas could still see him. Already, he could see the other Elinin placing things carefully inside of a tent nestled near a tree trunk that must have fallen over forever ago. It gave good shelter from the rain by the looks of it and Tai could see the protection stones glinting from where he was in the afternoon sun. 

 

All of Eyre was so very big and each little part fit together in a perfect puzzle when one stepped back. Part of him wondered if he’d be able to find out where his puzzle piece fit exactly. That’s what this trip's all about after all, finding out just where he would settle eventually when he was an adult and seeing the regions as much as he could. Then again, no Elinin truly stayed in one place for very long even once they had found a purpose for their day to day lives. Part of it just filled him with the right amount of adventuring wonder to always be on the road and keeping his pink blooming home in his heart instead of nestling within it’s pastel fields. 

 

Trotting up a small hill that gave him a bit of a better view, his peachy hued eyes swept over the shrouded fields before him, picking out another camp just a bit away. “I’ll be back, I’m going to stock another camp.” he called behind him, Atlas looking up from where he was and nodding with a wave of his paw. It seemed if he simply announced he was leaving to wander, the other didn’t mind as much as when he did his little adventuring acts. 

 

Glad to be able to stock a camp all by himself, he slid down the hill, rolling near the bottom but regaining his footing just in time. A toothy grin on his face as he strolled towards the old shelter he could see up ahead. It seemed it had been forgotten for a while compared to the others. Laid against a tree and covered in shade from his tall branches, it looked nearly untouched. The pieces of wood that made it’s roof had holes now, far too big to keep the rain out. Tai sat down in front of it, frowning. Should he fix it up? They had only brought clothes and food to stock the camps, not enough tools to fix one today. 

 

Looking about, his ears flicked which way then another, picking up the sound of rushing water. Confident, he stood and went that way, letting the sound lead him up another hill and through bushes before seeing a few stepping stones leading up into a….cave? No it looked too shallow to be a cave and he swore he could see light shimmering on the other side. Curious just where it led, the small pink and black kittom went forward, hoping up the stones and noting that the sound of water was nearly deafening here, mist splashing up from the large pond below. Getting to the archway of stone, he squeezed through, coming out on the other end. 

 

Before him lay a rushing waterfall, it’s water sparkling as sun rays made it’s surface look gilded with light. Jungle gave shade to the sight in front of him and he could hear animals all about. Ledges of stone and wood showed that other Elinin had also discovered this hide away but when he glanced around he saw no camp in sight. No matter, he figured if he found it others would as well so he could just make one. They couldn’t be very hard. 

 

Following the smooth stone walkway, he smiled down at the rippling water from above, using the almost natural bridge to get to the other side of the waters. Here, the waterfall was a bit more quiet but it still shimmered playfully at him as if welcoming him into the hidden groove. Sliding off his pack then, Taiki began to pull things out one by one. Cloth for bandages. Food that would stay well for at least a few days in the camp for any travelers that came by. Warm blankets should a chill come over the region. They were small things but Taiki had picked them all out himself and so for him they were perfect things to leave for the next Elinin. 

 

Deciding that the ledge where he stood was good enough, he picked up one end of a vibrant cloth and ran towards a tree. It’s branches dipped towards the water and he used it to tie one edge of the fabric as tight as he could with his mouth and paws. Tugging with teeth, he was glad to see it seemed good enough once he took a step back. Running to grab the other end, he pulled it taught and with one paw on the edge, he used another to push a rock onto it. Knowing he’d have to move quickly, he began to gather the rocks quickly, making a small pile until finally the other side was secure with the weight. 

 

Now, a vivid blanket under the tree and a ledge was a beacon of a resting point for another traveler. Nudging the folded blankets he still had left as well as the rest of his supplies, the camp was finally complete as he placed a protection stone at the back of the little makeshift tent. A few steps back, and Tai sat on his hunches, pride shimmering in his eyes. His first camp and he was sure someone else would find it useful to be able to watch the waterfall and rest. Glancing around, he dashed to a bush, grabbing a few berries and placing them at the mouth of the little archway he had originally squeezed through. Hopefully it would catch someone's attention and they’d see a camp was further inside. 

 

Squeezing back out, the little kit found himself bumping into a very solid form, Atlas standing there and peeking over the stones to see rushing water. “What were you doing Tai?” he asked, looking down with sharp pink eyes of his own. “I made a camp all by myself! I left a stone just like you taught me and oooh the water is so cool!” The kittom made a quick job of running in a circle around his elder, the older Elinin chuckling as he turned back to start the trek back home. “Very good, I’m sure someone will appreciate it though it’s time to get back to our own camp hmm? Tell me all about it on the walk.” Atlas led the younger boy, proud he had to admit, back towards the village. 

 

All along the way, Taiki chatted endlessly, overjoyed he had been able to help and do what they set out to do. It seemed each day was an adventure after all and he couldn’t wait to return and tell all of his friends about his journeys and what a whirlwind they had been in the jungle region.