Submission (#2361) Approved

Deep purple eyes flitted back and forth reflecting pink hues in the small beams of light that made it through the thick canopy to shine off the water’s surface below them. He knew he had seen something in the water below the large root he was perched atop, but at the moment all that Momo could see was the faint current carrying Yggdrasil’s fallen leaves lazily towards the great tree itself. Looking for the source of motion the young kittom had seen from the corner of their field of vision, luminous pale pink brows knitted together in concentration...another squint...nothing. How frustrating. 

Not really one for the outdoors, Momo rarely ventured down away from his caretakers in the tree top towns above and closer to the pools below them. Most of the time he was content to spend his time in the hustle and bustle of the crowded walkways getting to know the ever new faces within the town. A small sigh as he sat back on his haunches, other times it was nice to sit here below the noise looking westward through the tangle of roots lifting into the air at the glow of the afternoon sun imagining he could see the outline of the distant mainland shore. 

A splash this time to the left drew lavender tipped ears to the side. The kittom leaned over to look back into the water below. Again all he could see was the slight buzz of a few insects over the glassy surface freckled with the yellowing leaves drifting down from above. Each piece of fallen foliage twirled in the air before sailing downward to make fast fading ripples as they came to land and float among those that fell before them. As calm as the mangrove forest around him seemed, Momo knew something else was here and it bothered him to no end to not be able to solve the aquatic mystery around him. He prided himself on his attention to detail and he would find his hidden target if he had to stay until evening fell. Hiding himself, Momo laid down and peaked only a white snout and ever watchful eyes over the root’s edge. Maybe the soft glow of his markings were giving him away? Amethyst eyes narrowed in an intense stare. 

Time passed and that same focused stare began to wander as a brightly colored bug caught his attention. This way and that, up and around until the bug flew ever so close to the water. With a startle the kittom nearly fell off the back of their perch as one of the leaves on the water’s surface jumped up to grab the insect right as it was about to land on it. The little elnin rubbed his paws over his face. Was he imagining things? Dead leaves don’t just jump back up from where they were floating even if there had been a strong wind, something that was impossible here even if the wind could cause such a phenomenon with how the dense roots and branches blocked more than the slightest breeze. He was going to have to investigate this more thoroughly. 

Scooting down the tree and closer to the grouping of leaves on the water, Momo got a better view of what he had been searching for. While most of the leaves were indeed leaves, upon closer inspection some of the “leaves” had small eyes and little fins that occasionally pushed them along in the water to keep up with the rest of Yggdrasil’s sheadings. Their little bodies were mostly yellow with some greenish and brown speckling to make them more convincing as well as their long bodies top to bottom almost exactly matching the shape of the leaves in which they hid. It seemed small fish with excellent camouflage were his secretive companions for the afternoon. Gathering his things, the kittom started his climb back home if only to spin tales of his find for the other nin. He knew of one or two other kittoms he could probably convince that jumping leaves existed and it would be so much fun to watch the others try to solve this fishy puzzle for themselves.