Submission (#3379) Approved

Lantern season had returned to Eyre once more, and all the elnin across all the regions were busy welcoming the new year. Travelers were preparing to venture out into the fog, merchants were packing up their dwindling wares, and locals were cooking up all kinds of tasty treats and meals to celebrate the coming of spring.

Tem had been stuck in Zevija all winter and he was just as relieved as everybody else to finally be able to move on. The first ship out of here and back to his islands wasn’t scheduled to leave until the next morning, so that meant he had all of today to do as he pleases. And what he pleased was to get his little shadow friend a brand new lantern crafted and ready for its crystallized self. Though he still had his lantern from the previous winter, he couldn’t just repeat the same one. Well, he could, and he honestly would have, because why would you waste a lantern that was still in perfectly good condition?

But some of the other kittoms he spent time with over the past season boasted about how they made new designs every single year and anyone who used the same one was “lazy” and “uncreative.” He wasn’t lazy or uncreative. He was practical! But it rubbed him the wrong way, so he decided he’d think of a new one, too.

And that led him to his current dilemma… What should he make? He’d never really been stumped with something like this before. He took a hard look at his surroundings - he might as well try to draw inspiration from the landscape in his design. The bright reds and sharp edges of Zevija were a stark contrast to the soft waves and seafoam greens of Palu’au, and to his own pelt and markings as well. It could be hard to get something to match well with him… But that was part of the challenge, he supposed.

He would admit that he felt a bit bothered by the sheer lack of life here. No trees, no water. No green or blue at all! Well, except the hot springs in the mountains, but those weren’t anything like the sea he loved, and some of them even shot water high into the air; not exactly a great swimming location. He didn’t like being hot, anyway. And the hard, rocky ground beneath his paws was nothing compared to the soft sands of his homeland. Instead of foliage-covered hills in the distance, his eyes met only the angled lines of canyons and pointed volcanoes.

He was so used to drawing the blue ocean, green palm trees, and colorful fish of Palu’au; this was definitely out of his comfort zone. He stared at the blank lantern in front of him as if it would just decorate itself for a long time before he finally shook himself out of it and gathered all the supplies he’d need. Paint, glue, ribbons, paper… shiny bits and bobs.

With paintbrush in paw, he got to work. Dusty yellows for the rocky wastelands laid the foundation. Sharper shapes in darker orange blotted the horizon, making up the canyons in the distance against a bright blue sky. If his lantern this year was going to represent Zevija, of course he had to include a volcano - that would become the focal point of the picture. Flame designs were a must, too; blasts of red and orange in various places around the lantern. He decided to get stylistic with his clouds, making them more like rounded rectangles put together in random segments to better fit the culture of this region compared to his classic round and puffy cotton-like ones. Or at least he thought it fit, anyway.

Lastly, he found some red ribbons inlaid with black script and tipped in gold and glued them to the bottom of the lantern. Done! He actually really, really liked how it looked. It reminded him of Ifrit. Though he greatly preferred the tropics, this exercise gave him a newfound appreciation for this faraway land.