Submission (#2343) Approved

Never before had Halcyon been to a land with so much water. 

Her home region of Faerindell has some peaceful streams running through its land, of course. Babbling brooks that zigzagged through the willows and poured into lakes from which the farmlands would get irrigated. She often enjoyed playing in these rivers with her siblings. 

Ealei, however, was all water. It was like the forest got lazy and couldn’t find any dry land to grow in, so it gave up and sprouted right in the middle of the ocean. Here, the massive roots of the mangroves served as bridges and walkways, and she was careful to mind her step lest she fall into the waters below. She could swim, and she didn’t generally mind getting her paws wet, but she’d hate to slip out of a tree and have to find her way back up to the treehouse inns that her family was staying at. She could see some strange creatures wiggling through the water that she’d rather not meet up close, too...

But lots of water meant lots of fish, right? And she was determined to catch one! Every other kittom she knew was doing it. She didn’t know why, but that didn’t matter right now; all that did matter was that she didn’t get left behind in the excitement.  

There were plenty of docks and boats nearby that seemed like popular fishing spots. She could see a lot of other elnin and kittoms there now, fishing or talking or even taking a snooze. Whether they were locals or visitors like herself, she couldn’t tell; maybe those docks really were the best place to catch something. 

But she didn’t want to go where everyone else was. Perhaps there was a super secret place somewhere where all the extra big fish went to hide that wasn’t near any of the most visited spots. So she found a more secluded area away from all the hustle and bustle, a little bit deeper beyond the town and into the quiet groves. 

The pond here was still and comforting, with the soft babbling of a stream running through the mangrove roots somewhere behind her. Her fishing rod wasn’t anything special - it was a questionably sturdy stick she broke off from one of the many trees she passed on the way here. Twine was hastily wrapped around the end to serve as the line, and a piece of pastry hung off the end for the ‘bait.’ She thought it was tasty, so surely the fish would, too, right?

She cast her line into the water and waited.

And waited…

How much waiting was she supposed to do, exactly? In all honesty, it probably hadn’t even been all that long, but time passes slowly for a young kit when they should be exploring and experiencing new things, not sitting patiently like this. 

Eventually, there was a slight tug at the end of the line. Finally…! She yanked on her rod, hard, and out of the water popped...

...Another kittom!

“You’re not a fish,” she blinked in surprise, though her voice was calm and even. Like she was just stating a simple fact; which, technically, it was. This blue-colored kittom nibbling on her pastry bait was not a fish.

“I’m not,” he agreed while swallowing the last of the strawberry treat. “But I was looking for one when I saw something really tasty-looking!”

Halcyon was, at the very least, glad her reasoning had somewhat worked. Just not on the right creature. “Did you see any other fish on your way here?” He could at least offer her some potential intel in exchange for the free snack. 

He shook his head. “No… but I’m sure they’re around. We can look together; my name’s Caspian!”

She might not have caught a fish... but she did catch a friend.