Submission (#2781) Approved

Amongst the night and gentle rain a long, wooden boat approached the region of Enmir. The Elnin aboard were mostly sound asleep, gathering energy for the morning yet-to-come. For a while, Hailey could count herself as one of them--at least until she thankfully woke herself from a nightmare. 

After her initial panic subsided, she realized she could barely recount what it was about, save for a swarm of rampaging Faerindalian fruit surrounding her. This drove her to leap to her feet, none too pleased to find she’d fallen asleep beside a pair of crates, no doubt filled with her dream-world attackers. 

The kittom headed toward the front of the boat, her small ears and hair clinging to her head as she took on rainwater. The crates and most of the boat’s passengers were all huddled under a canopy in the middle, but that wasn’t where she wanted to be. Hailey could have easily awoken one of the Elnin aboard and whined for comfort, but that wasn’t the type of kittom that she was.

No, she went to find comfort from the night sky. Not that she could see much of it for the fog and swampy trees.

When one spot on the boat failed her, she padded to another, head pointed high. Finally, she could see it--a spot of sky peeking through the fog and clouds, assisted by the bright moon. A wave of calm washed over her, until she felt her perspective change.

It didn’t take her long to realize someone was lifting her into the air, and with a bit of squirming she was able to see who. The boat’s owner and self-appointed captain, Oliver. From what she knew, this brown, shoal-tailed Elnin was a friend of her mother’s. (Even if Oliver always acted like they were more than friends.)

“Why, what are you doing awake, little star-gazer?” His teasing, faux-regal tone made her frown slightly. “Shouldn’t you be getting some rest for all the work we’ll be doing?”

With a light plop Oliver had set her down atop yet another crate, this one thankfully filled with wheat. When she didn’t answer, recalling her nightmare, the Elnin smirked at her.

“Did you have a bad dream?” He guessed, and his reaction to her expression confirmed what he needed to know. “It’s alright. It’s alright. Lucky for you, we’re almost there. You can take a nap later in one of the soft, comfy beds in town. That’ll probably help your dreams.”

Hailey couldn’t help but smile, knowing that she was getting the all-clear to sleep and skip out on--

“--After the work’s done.” Oliver added, much to her disappointment.

With a pout, she looked away, “I know I am supposed to be on this trip to help Elnin in need, but did it have to be the trip to Enmir? I don’t like it very much.”

“Yes, your parents mentioned something about you hating not being able to see the sky?”

“That, and the swamp is very…” Hailey searched for a word, eyeing a few fireflies dancing beyond the twisted trees nearby. “... crowded.”

That garnered a hearty laugh, and Hailey couldn’t help but giggle a bit too before she continued. “There are logs everywhere and moss and bugs and fog and slime! And clouds! And trees!”

Oliver leaned against the side of the ship, shaking his head, “Well, when you put it that way it does sound a bit cluttered. But I grew up here. It’s plenty nice. And I’ve seen my fair share of night skies then, and doing deliveries. You just got a little unlucky is all. The sky is a lot easier to see here when it isn’t raining ‘nin and paws.”

Hailey gave a nod, grateful that someone was awake to comfort her after all. Even so, she couldn’t wait to complain about her nightmare to her father when he woke up. 

They watched the swamp for a moment before Oliver sighed and spoke up again. “You should probably try to get back to sleep, kiddo. Your mother would impale me if you went back home to her with bags under your eyes.”

“I can’t--... I mean, what if I have my nightmare again?” Hailey fiddled with her paws.

“... It’ll sound like crap advice, but…” Oliver moved toward her, patting her on the head once or twice, “...try to dream of something else. Something you like. Something with no room for monsters or homework or pecans or whatever else it was that scared you.”

Hailey was sure his smile was meant to be reassuring, but it came off more as a smirk. Was he making fun of her? Even if he was, his half-assed advice was all she had for the time being, and it was better than nothing. 

Seemingly satisfied, Oliver trotted off to go check the sails, whistling some tune she didn’t know. And with some hesitation she walked back to her spot by the crates, followed her tail no less than three times, and plopped down to try sleeping once more.

The morning did come quickly, and though she wanted to drift back to sleep Hailey found it difficult. Which meant by the time everyone was waking up around sunrise, she was dead tired before the work even began. Thankfully, the adults weren’t too hard on her; there was only so much a child could do when loading and unloading heavy crates, after all. So she took to helping the other Elnin her age clear the way for the stronger adults and their cargo. There were snacks and games afterward, but ultimately it still felt like work. And though she wanted to wander off and snooze, it proved difficult with her father awake. 

But with the work finished and only a few things to ship back toward Faerindell, she naturally dozed off while the boat was being loaded. 

The Enmir weather had cleared up, but it paled in comparison to the night sky she dreamed of. The sky of her dreams was deep and dark and beautiful, clear of clouds but somehow super-loaded with fireflies and spiraling embers. And for now that was what she would imagine the Enmir sky really looked like. And that was what she resolved to come back to see one day, when the sky was clear, like Oliver said it could be. Hailey decided that she’d just have to take his word on it for now...