Submission (#2615) Approved

The Starfall Faire was drawing closer with every hour that passed by. Marco had recently begun spending more and more time with his face stuck in a book that he hadn’t noticed the event was near until it was only a few days away. It’s possible that he wouldn’t have even realized it was time for the Faire had his brother Mason not brought it up a week beforehand. The two were sitting at the table eating breakfast when Mason asked if Marco had any plans for the Starfall Faire. Marco paused halfway through biting into an apple, thinking to himself before going back to munching on the apple piece and swallowing it to clear his throat. He admitted that he didn't have any plans but decided to keep it a secret due to the fact that he hadn’t known it was drawing close. Either way, a smile crossed Mason’s face and said he was glad Marco didnt have any plans, because he was planning on going to Ealei to be in the heart of the celebration and wanted Marco to tag along. Marco supposed a break from his reading would be good for him, and the Starfall Faire was a once a year event so missing out would be a bit of a bummer. Mason reached a paw over and ruffled Marco’s hair, pleased with his answer.

Once breakfast was over, the two of them packed for a several day trip. With their bags full of supplies the two set off. Mason’s pomu road on his back like it enjoyed doing frequently while Marco’s pomu scurried next to him. The elnin and kittom with their pomus made their way down the rocky mountain that they lived on. Eventually they reached the harbor that held the boats that ventured all around Eyre on the water. This wasn’t Marco’s first time on a boat headed to Ealie, but after the two bought their passage and boarded the ship, it took awhile for him to get his sea legs. Sailing across the ocean on a boat would never feel the same as standing on sturdy ground. Eventually Marco settled down and spent the rest of the voyage staring out into the ocean, watching fish jump out from the water every so often, and sea birds circling the sky in search of their next meal.

The sight of Ealei would never stop surprising Marco. Before it was because the region was new, but now it was because of all the StarFall Faire decorations. The boat approached and stopped at the edge of a large wooden dock where other ships were sitting. Instead of leading up to solid ground, the wooden docks led to wooden staircases. The staircases led up towards the tree line where houses sat on wooden walkways and platforms. The elnin here lived in tree houses rather than on the ground. Ealei was special in that there werent many areas that had ground to walk on. Instead, the large trees grew out of the water. There were more roots that poked out of the area than actual land. Some of the roots that Marco could see were large enough that several elnin could stand together and wouldn’t risk falling over into the water due to lack of space.

Ealei was the home of the Stairfall Festival. As Marco climbed the steps he saw decorations everywhere. Brights red, blues, and yellows. All the decorations stood out against the green of the tree leaves and the crystal blue ocean below. There were a lot more elnin here than there had been last time. Just like Marco and Mason, they decided to celebrate the Starfall festival at the very heart of the party.

As they were walking around and checking out all the vendors, Marco heard a familiar voice call out his name. He turned and saw his friend Dawn waving at him and smiling as she approached. Heat rose to his cheeks, not expecting to see his friend and crush at the festival.

“Small world, huh?” Mason reached out to ruffle Marco’s hair before handing him over a pawful of sprinklers. “How about you and your friend go set these off somewhere nearby. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

Oh, wow. Not only was he going to spend some of the Starfall Festival with his crush, but alone? Well, kind of alone. When Dawn approached Marco flashed her a smile, trying to ignore his nerves. Dawn took his free paw into hers and led him over towards the edge of one of the walkways. From this spot, they had a great view of the ocean and sky without many tree branches and leaves obscuring their view. Marco offered her some of the handheld firework sprinklers, and the two took turns setting them off and watching the small lights dance and spark in front of them.

Before long the skies grew dark enough for the big fireworks to be set off. The soft sound of a whistle caught the two kittoms’ attention. Marco and Dawn both turned their heads towards the ocean just in time to watch a massive and brightly colored firework explode in the sky which reflected off of the gentle waves of the ocean below. The big fireworks were set off far away enough so that none of the tree houses or trees were at risk of catching fire. As the fireworks cracked and exploded in the sky, Marco looked over at Dawn. She was too entranced by the fireworks to notice their friend, nor did she notice him moving his free paw closer and closer to hers. Nerves got the best of Marco and he returned his paw to his side, sighing softly. Next time, he told himself. Next time.

By the time the fireworks were done it was late into the night. Mason came by to collect Marco, but when he saw how sleepy Dawn was as well he suggested that they could have a slumber party at their rented room together. The two kittoms were far too tired for any parties, but they said they were fine with the idea. The two kittoms and elnin headed inside for the night, everyone’s heads full of brightly colored memories and warm spirits.