Submission (#3476) Approved

Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow was FINALLY the day; the day Momo would set out on his first trip alone. He would be headed to a small port town at the far edge of Ygdrasill’s massive roots before boarding a ship to the mainland. Sweet freedom was soon within his tiny white furred grasp. Judging by the angle of light filtering through the canopy above his home, the sun was beginning to hang low in the sky. There was so much to do before darkness set in if he wanted to leave on time in the morning. 

Momo’s amethyst gaze fell on the satchel given to him by his foster guardians, still empty and in need of supplies to be of any real use. Slinging the pack over the cherry blossom marking on his back the young kittom trotted off towards the door to his home. He had some fruit given to him by an owner of one of the many orchards growing in the vast branches above that he needed to collect. 

Making sure his bag was secure, he started a climb up the ladder across from the doorway leading up to the next ring of houses and buildings built onto the side of the great elder tree. If the fruit was to last on a journey it needed to be preserved and his own home was low enough to not receive a strong enough amount of sunlight to properly dry his prizes. One layer, two layers, and higher still he climbed before reaching the door of a kind cook who had allowed him to include his fruits and berries on the large drying rack behind the shop.  

Saying his thanks he loaded the crispy slices into a pouch before turning to head to his next destination. Momo almost skipped across the long rope bridge connecting to the next part of town on his way to see the shopkeeper who had promised to give him a few waterskins in exchange for the work he had been doing to help the elderly woman keep the shop clean over the past few weeks. Walking in the shop he was surprised with not only the water vessels he had been promised, but also a lovingly put together first aid kit. The box contained bandages, disinfectant, and a few herbs to help with fever or pain. She didn’t want “her little helper” to get hurt on his first big adventure. Sliding the waterskins and kit into a pocket within the bag he turned to head to his last destination, carefully smoothing the purple/pink fur atop his head where the grandmotherly woman had ruffled the tuff while hugging him goodbye. 

Deep purple eyes watched the counter weight pass by as he rode a lift back down to parts of the town much closer to the mangrove roots rising from below. Water started to come into view looking an almost inky black in the shadow of the fading afternoon light. Stepping free from the lift he hurried off to a local fishmonger’s stall. Unlike the tall human woman he just visited, this shop was run by two adult elnin just barely taller than the young kittom with their short munchkin legs. Short in stature, but big in personality the both hoisted Momo into the air, swinging him around and congratulating him on making this next big step. Out of the corner of his eye through the slight purple haze of his inner fire, the small nin just watched as the older of the two fishernin stuffed paw after paw full of salted fish into a bag. Momo tried to protest that honestly he could not eat as much fish as they were giving him and he had only paid for three small fish for his order. At this statement the older nin paused for a moment scratching their chin before shoving three more fish into the bag, never breaking eye contact, as if to make a point. 

After rearranging the contents of his travel bag several times he just barely got the package of preserved fish to fit with the other supplies he had collected for his journey. Laying his white belly over the top of the bag to hold the top flap shut he quickly fastened the buckles along the front before hoisting the heavy satchel onto his back once more. Traveling back up to his foster home, Momo watched as lamps were lit throughout the many platforms built among Yggdrasil's mighty branches. With the thick canopy of leaves ever present above the young elnin had never truly seen the starscape of the night sky, but he imagined it to greatly resemble the small flickering lights as far as he could see out into the distance. Perhaps tomorrow evening he could compare as he set sail to the mainland. 

Finally reaching home, he set his pack beside the coat his foster nin had carefully sewn for him. Despite his desire to leave Ealie and see more of the world, Momo knew he would miss the kindly man that had taken him and watched him grow up. Crawling into his bed for the last time the kittom pulled his blanket up to his shoulders to cover the soft glow from his tail and the markings on his back. How he was supposed to sleep he did not know. Even as he closed his eyes he could only imagine what the following day would have in store.