Submission (#2196) Approved

He had not been in Silveil very long, but somehow he had quickly become accustomed to the bustle of the city and the perpetual movement of passers-by that could be felt at almost any time of the day, especially as the hours were not very different from each other.

Honestly, having previously lived in a region where he used to sneak around all day had also helped him learn quickly how to get around the lantern-lit alleys. And above all... he learned not to get into trouble with the suspicious figures crouching in certain places… waiting for some absent-minded citizen to end up where they shouldn't have.

At least he knew that the city was safe enough... although he was worried that with the arrival of a bunch of new young cats like him, some might end up in trouble. He had already seen many of them wandering happily from here to there without the supervision of an elnin. He had been doing well anyway.

And despite those thoughts he had other matters to focus on.

That day he had something on his mind that particularly troubled him. He had seen that among his possessions a carved gem that he had always been particularly fond of was missing. He had looked everywhere he could think of and had not been able to find it. Worst of all, it was the only thing missing from his collection.... Had it been stolen in an oversight or did he just not know where it had ended up?

He crossed his legs and mulled over the idea of.... really getting into trouble and asking around in untrustworthy elnin circles from the night city.

He set to work and began to walk the streets with confidence, peering out from time to time to look at the night-lit waters in case his object had fallen into the water. He was unsuccessful in finding it so he was closer to his destination, although at that moment he heard some tumult in a nearby alley.

- I found it! Give it back! I don't know whose it is and that's why you can't have it! -a young cat's voice could be heard demanding to be listened to.

Levi cautiously peeked around the corner to observe the scene closely. There appeared to be a small white kittom facing a couple of kittoms who seemed to be laughing at how small she was. To his surprise though, the reflections from the flashlights illuminated the shiny object and he noticed that it was exactly what he was looking for.

He sighed. At least it must have been just two kittoms who were making a big deal out of themselves and not something worse... it wasn't what he had intended, but at least the situation seemed easy enough to resolve. Or so he hoped.

As he continued to listen and watch the little one jump back and forth trying to get the carved gem, he ran to get a flashlight from the street and a box to cover the light. He carefully made his way into the alley without being seen and then carefully broke off one end of the box to recreate a shadow of a regal elnin on the wall and shouted.

- Guys, I think I've spotted someone suspicious in that alley! Let's go see if we can catch some thieves or scare some cats that shouldn't be around!

It hadn't been their best performance, but at least it was enough to make the two kittoms decide to take to their heels and leave the object behind.

He calmly approached the white kittom who still didn't know whether to run away as well or how she had gotten so lucky.

- Hey, are you okay? I think you have something that's mine. – Levi said calmy.

- Huh?! W-What?! I really wasn't doing anything wrong! - she exclaimed nervously.

- No, no, don't worry, I have no intention of doing anything suspicious. Have you only been here a short time? Not everyone is dangerous, if you frequent the main part of town these things never happen. And, now... -he pointed to the gem- that's mine.

- O-oh... Are you sure? You must have a way to prove to me that it's yours! -she shouted much more confidently as she realized that the other kittom was not a threat, hugging the gem against her chest.

- Really...? All right, all right, come with me, I'll show you the rest of the collection... Will that be enough? You will see that they are very similar... to the ones I already have.

The little kittom seemed to think about it for a few moments but finally agreed.

Fortunately, once he showed her all his gems, he had no problem in recovering what he had lost, and despite the strangeness of the situation, it was still an interesting day.