Submission (#2538) Approved

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping. The water beneath the mangroves rose and dipped gently, as, in the distance, the waves crashed against the edge of the mangrove forest. Tall tree roots sprawled about, twisted and climbing over rocks, and fading away in the depths of the waters. Siren rubbed her eyes, feeling a bit peckish after awakening from her nap. Where the heck was her partner in crime?

Not too long before this moment, Ena and Siren had decided to go on a bit of a small excursion. Ena had very excitedly taken out a glass bottle and several pebbles that had different regions scrawled onto the backs of them. Then, Ena spun the bottle for where their next adventures could take place. The small white kittom had been jumping up and down excitedly as the bottle spun, only to be sorely disappointed when the bottle landed in the middle of two pebbles. Siren reached over, about to flip the pebbles to see which one she would rather go visit, when Ena’s paw stopped hers from moving.

She pouted, “Again. We have to spin it again!”

Siren laughed a bit internally, but nodded gravely and helped Ena spin the bottle again. And again. And again. After countless tries (I’ve lost count, I’m afraid), the finicky glass bottle finally landed in front of one singular pebble. With shaking paws, and very dramatic gestures, Ena flipped the pebble over. Looking at the pebble, she squealed, and raised it up in the air as high as she could reach with both paws.

“Where are we going?” laughed Siren. Ah, this small white kittom was so very amusing. 

“There are lots of trees,” Ena bounced up and down a little on her hind paws.

“Don’t all the regions have a lot of trees?” Siren grinned at Ena’s unconscious antics.

“Not Ahza!” Ena scolded Siren, shaking her head vehemently.

“Alright, you’re right. Any other clues?”

“All the Elnin live high up!”

“Kyendi…? That wouldn’t make sense,” Siren muttered to herself, “Most of the floating islands aren’t reachable or are a bit too small. I give up. Where are we headed, Ena?”

Ena just smiled at Siren with a goofy/cheeky little grin.

“You gonna leave me in suspense or am I going to have to find out for myself?” Siren was quite a bit taller than the small kittom, and both of them knew if she wanted to pry the pebble from the white kittom’s paws, she could do so with ease. Siren teasingly began to creep closer to Ena, her paws ready to tickle her friend.

“Ealei, Ealei, Ealei! We’re going to Ealei!” Ena quickly chirped out.

And together they went to Ealei. The mangroves were honestly something Siren had been eager to see, pretty much ever since she had read a book about them. According to the book she had read, without mangrove trees, the rest of the island would be washed away by the crashing waves of the sea, the soil eroded away over the course of time. But because mangroves have such amazing roots that grow deep into the water and soil below, each layer of mangrove trees actually calm the raging waves from the ocean bit by bit. By the time one gets to the larger mangrove trees and the towns and houses, the water is basically almost still, rippling occasionally, but mostly tranquil.

Back to the present, Siren looked about, feeling a bit lost. Her little travel companion had burrowed herself into Siren’s fur, and the two had fallen asleep after scrambling over so many roots, and climbing up a few trees to get to the tree cities. They had both been exhausted. Where had Ena gone? Siren gently stretched her limbs, while listening to the leaves rustle nearby in the ocean breezes. She tried to ignore the pit in her stomach, and focus on the beautiful nature around her. Time seemed to stand still, and quite honestly Siren had no idea how many minutes or hours had passed while she sat there, just listening. She heard a bit of huffing and puffing, as the sounds of a very dear and familiar kittom struggled to climb up the tree. Eyes closed, Siren smiled, as she listened. Ena was clearly trying her best to be considerate and not wake up the taller dark kittom. Ena was sweating a little bit, and she bit her lip with a bit of frustration. 

“Need some help?” A voice called down gently. Siren’s yellow eyes met Ena’s--it would be cruel to let the little one suffer for too long. Ena grinned up at Siren. “Yes please!”

After scrambling up the tree at last, Ena triumphantly opened her pouch, and pulled out several cups, each with several kebab sticks with meat on them. The snacks were an Ealei classic, grilled eel, and a delicacy Siren had wanted to try again for quite some time. The eel was threaded onto a stick and grilled over a charcoal fire. The oil that would drip from the eel would actually hit the charcoal, releasing a smoky flavor into the eel. Siren was thrilled, to say the least, and eagerly tried the still steaming kebob. Ena must have bought them right after they were cooked, and ran all the way back to Siren to share the joy. Together, the two of them devoured the multiple sticks of grilled eel.

“Thank you Ena, for the delicious eel snack,” Siren sighed contentedly. Ena said nothing, but shared a beautiful smile and a fond look.