Submission (#3596) Approved

Telling time within the caverns of Zevija is almost impossible; sunlight was hardly flowing through the crevices of rock that loomed over many of the villages. Darcy was very used to this however, he wasn't concerned about what time of day it was as long as he had customers come through. Travelers came at all times.

Darcy had other plans this day, he wanted to make a bit of profit to save for an eventual permanent residence. The city of Hadaven had always captured his heart, he loved the people and the bustle of business. There were so many types of life there! The faenin loved the diversity and he felt the most at home within the hustle of the capital.

It was just a little too expensive yet to buy a house there.

So, he followed down some of the obscure trails winding down into veins of tunnels that usually lead down to hidden gems. Some never ventured down this far, either because it was too hazardous or too remote. Some tunnels were far too small for Elnin. Luckily, Darcy was smaller than most kittoms so he could navigate through quite easily. The lantern was more of a hassle, getting caught on jagged rocks as he bumbled along.

Soon enough he found a pocket of volcanic hot springs glowing with yellow algae. The pools were enough to light the room that he extinguished his lantern to save oil. Steam rose from the pools, peeking behind rocks deeper into the cave. Darcy would glide across the rocks speckled across the pools, unsure if he wanted to test the temperature. He found it a bit odd that stalks of long, white flowers settled themselves among the rocks, but walking on the larger boulders between pools, he felt moss between his toes. Yellowish grasses were sprouting out from the lichen and patches of orange blossoms sprinkled across a few of the rocks.

"Hmm, this doesn't seem like the place to find anything good... plus it's a bit smelly," he said, scrunching his nose at the scent of sulfur. Darcy pressed on though, his curiosity piqued at the interesting springs.

Definitely not something he'd dip his toes into, though...

Turning a corner, Darcy never would've expected another creature down there, let alone a kittom. He was stunned, pausing in mid-air before plopping onto a soft rock. The kittom didn't notice him yet, their eyes gazing at something in the distance. Their coat was a very stark contrast to the yellow—white with purple blotching across their coat.

"Hello?" Darcy called out, cautiously approaching. He was concerned about how this kittom got down here and why they were alone.

(You're alone too, Darcy.)

They turned their head toward him, their eyes glazed over with a certain lethargy. It seemed like this kittom had no idea where they were or what they were doing. Both stared at each other for what seemed like minutes but it was only twenty seconds before Darcy approached closer.

"What are you doing down here? Are you alone?" he inquired, her gaze never faltering until she finally nodded slowly. Darcy assumed it was a yes to both questions.

"Are you lost?"

Another nod.

"...Do you have a name? Mine is Darcy!"

The kittom finally turned toward him, their paws halfway submerged into a pool. Darcy blinked, a bit surprised the water was cool enough to stand in. "Ah, do you have a name?" he asked, prodding for more information.

"Anima..." they said, voice nearly a whisper and obvious that they did not use words very often. Darcy had dealt with these types before, but it was always awkward. he was such a chatterbox and enjoyed the conversation.

Still, he wanted to help this kittom if they were lost. He knew the way out... sort of.

"Well, Anima, do you have a guardian or something? I assume you're lost, you're way down here!"

Again, they nodded slowly. They approached him calmly, only pausing before him as if indicating that he should lead the way. Darcy smiled at them and started back the way he came. The both of them navigated between pools until he eventually found the pathway he had originated from. He was a bit unsure if this kittom could squeeze through the small cave, but they got in here somehow so... Darcy figured they'd try.

Turning on the lamp, the both of them wound through the narrow spaces. Anima seemed to have a little trouble in some spots but managed to wedge through just fine until the both of them were to the surface.

"We made it!" Darcy rejoiced, throwing his paws up in victory. Anima mimicked him only in gesture, not expression. "Now, we just need to find where your friends or guardian is. Maybe they're in the city which is pretty close to here... What do you think?"

Anima nodded her head slowly.

"Alright, come on then! It's this way!" Darcy turned his lantern off as he started up the main path. Anima followed closely behind.

Once they were on the edge of Hadaven, Darcy was wondering how they were going to find whoever they were trying to find. Anima didn't talk very much and he didn't know who exactly he was looking for. Luckily, the ones they planned to find had found them first.

"Anima!" yelled a voice. Before Darcy knew what was happening, another body tackled Anima to the ground. Another white kittom with swirls of purple, only gold had curled around her markings. She had winglets much like his own, which let Darcy become more comfortable. He always felt more comfortable with fellow faenin.

"Thank you for finding her." Darcy tilted his head up to an elnin whose hair flowed like a river over her dark body. Smoke lifted from her neck, an obvious wound she sustained that almost made Darcy speechless.

"Uh- Yeah! Of course! I figured someone would be looking for her." He smiled and looked back at the two sisters—the fae child scolding the little lost Anima.

"So... do you guys need a guide in this wonderful land of Zevija?"