Submission (#2219) Approved

Addendum 4/25/2021:

Regional Affinity: Bellmoril,
Elnin: 1109

Hello! This is my first ever prompt submission on this site so I hope it was alright.

Submssion was for ELN1109 - Ceylon and takes place in Bellmoril where he is frantically searching for his misplaced satchel of collected spices. There is a brief cameo from ELN 1351 - Caspian. (I did receive permission from flyingwaysofducks to use him.)

ELN1109 - Ceylon is the one earning AP and the wordcount as calculated by GoogleDocs is 1569.

Thank you for your time!

P.S. - I attempted to add the characters but even though it pulled them in and showed their images it said they did not exist upon me hitting submit. I apologize!

Everything was non-stop hustle and bustle as the foster home he had been staying in for the past few months started to attempt to make way for the new wave of kittoms that would undoubtedly be gracing the formerly subdued halls before long.  Things were being moved every which way and by nearly every individual currently in residence, even if those aforementioned things did not belong to them.  It was all a mad dash to get the rooms looking pristine once more as well as to move in additional lodgings.

 

“Ceylon!”  One of the older nins called to him.  “I need you to get those papers on elemental channeling straightened up and put away.”

 

The order was incredibly clear and direct, however the execution left him feeling a little uneasy.  These were not his and someone had spent a great deal of time putting their research together up in Il'durahn to simply have it shoved into some cubby somewhere.  

 

“Now!”  The reminder sounded from behind him and he cringed as he stood over the papers, searching for any name or identifier that may get him out of this situation.

 

Unfortunately whoever had taken great pains to compile these notes had forgotten the most important detail, their name.  Heaving a great sigh he frantically looked around him in the hopes that one of the others who were also scrambling to get things moved may step forward and snatch them from his paws, but when no such instance occurred he was forced to simply do as he was told.

 

Trying his best to put them somewhere both out of the way and yet still visible he lined them up nicely and tucked them on one of the more obvious shelves in the room in the hopes that they would not be relocated again.  It was only then that a thought occurred to him that had him running back toward his own little nook with a feeling of foreboding welling up within his chest.  If everything had been fair game for shuffling, then so too were his things.

 

“No no no…” He whispered to himself, eyes wide and searching for the small satchel he had left sitting near his bed but was not where he had left it.  “Please be around here somewhere...please.”  

 

Tugging his blankets this way and that he felt around for the small parcel and, when that didn’t work, turned to ask a few of the others who were flurrying by.  Surely if one of them moved it then it had to be around here somewhere.  It had taken him such a long time to collect what he had and to lose it would surely break his little heart.  

 

“Caspian! Oh Caspian!”  He shouted frantically across the room the moment he caught sight of that familiar navy and white pelt.  “You have to help me!  Someone has moved the spices I’d collected in the woods and now I can’t find them!”  

 

His friend, noting the obvious urgency in his fellow kittom’s voice, made his way quickly over and attempted to help him recheck every little nook and cranny he had already gone over but to no avail.  The little sachet he had stored them in was nowhere to be found and no one else that he asked had seen it or had the time to help him search.  

 

“Sorry Ceylon,” Caspian began in earnest while giving a small nudge for comfort, “maybe someone took it to the kitchens or into the garden?  I wanna stick around and help but there are some things down at the cove I’ve gotta take care of.  I just ran up here to pick a few things up.”

 

“That’s alright.”  He replied a bit disappointedly but did his best to smile anyway.  Everyone was busy so it would not be fair of him to think they should stop whatever they were doing to help him find his little bag of spices.  “You’ve given me some good ideas so I’ll check there.”

 

“Good luck, catch you later for a game of tag?”  

 

The reply mingled with the goofy smile of his friend made him laugh and eased the weight in his chest some.

 

“Of course, now, get outta here.”

 

He did not waste any time watching Caspian leave before turning back to the search at hand, bobbing and weaving through a mass of bodies to get to the kitchen to see if perhaps the cook had somehow ended up with his collection.  Sadly, no matter where he looked or who he asked no one seemed to remember a satchel of odd looking spices being brought in or placed anywhere in the vicinity which meant his next option had to be the garden out back.

 

Slipping out relatively unseen in the joyful hysteria he took a large gulp of crisp, autumnal air and spent a moment watching the gold and red leaves sway lazily in the breeze.  Although Bellmoril had only been his first stop upon being sent from home in order to explore the world, it had been an unforgettable experience.  Even amidst the chaos the constant fall colors and altogether relaxed nature of the forest helped him to breathe a little easier.

 

The home he was staying at was a building made of forged stone that appeared to be held together by wooden beams of a sort.  The architecture had been the very first thing that had stuck out to him and it had allowed him to learn a new word that sounded pretty upon the tongue.  Renaissance.  Apparently the whole town was built in this style, from the cobblestone streets to the marvelous stone bridges and archways scattered throughout the city.  

 

Wiggling his paws in the fiery hued leaves that always seemed to litter the ground he smiled and focused for a moment on the delightful crunch they made.  Perhaps he would have to talk Caspian into making a pile again so that they may leap into it and pretend it was a fort they were defending from bandits and terrible beasties.  Or even as a safe haven from the swooping creatures that would dive down from the jagged mountains surrounding them, the terrain already aflame with orange, red and yellow thanks to the trees.  

 

Caspian had been his first friend when he’d arrived here, mainly because the mountain towns were not all that appreciative of outsiders. He hadn’t come to see Il'durahn like most who ventured here, but had instead wanted to focus on the forest and what manner of things the moist leaves and fields of tall, golden grass would yield to him in the way of spices.  It was hard to describe what had initially gotten him so interested in his hobby but he had come to the right place to explore it.

 

Beneath the multicolored leaves he could find plenty of little things here or there buried in the protected soil, or even growing off of the trees.  Some ranged in color from a deep, earthy brown to matching hues of orange, yellow or red like the forest they were found in, and each had a distinct scent and smell that added to the overall freshness of the air.

 

“The garden!”  He said at last, eyes snapping open from the apparent trance he had fallen into while trying to calm himself enough to resume the search for his missing satchel.  

 

Taking off like a shot he bounded through the fields of tall grass which somewhat reminded him of honey and looked especially marvelous in the matching colors of the sunset, leaping any small streams or creeks conveying their river boats of red leaves down to the cove and deftly dodging any toppled trees that made for wonderful climbing posts until the fence enclosing the garden came into view.   Hope sprang within him when he saw a few others already there moving things about.  Perhaps his satchel had been brought here after all!

 

Eying a particularly fat looking pumpkin, as he learned they were called, he made his way to the small wooden structure that acted as a tool shed and did his best to stay out of the way while resuming his search.  So far he had found at least a dozen satchels that he would need to open but it seemed that he might be in the right place.

 

“Aha!”  He cried upon stumbling on a bag that was rather more fragrant than the rest and snatching it up to dart out of the way of those trying to reorganize.

 

Finding a lovely tree to shelter under, he leaned against the sleek, white trunk, his fur catching a little at the rough black spots that poked through at random much unlike the smooth surface of the Eldertree’s trunk.  He could see it from where he was situated, forming a protective gold cocoon over Bellmoril.  But now was not the time to become lost in scenery once again!

 

Hastily he opened the bag and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the spices he had collected were still safely tucked within. Caspian had been right and he would certainly owe him after all of this.  From now on he would be twice as careful about where he put things considering the madness he had seen today.

 

“Thank goodness.”  He breathed and curled up to take a little nap under the calming canopy of red, orange and yellow overhead.