Submission (#3644) Approved

Being left alone to travel was... odd to Linn, but it was something that had grown on her. No longer was her mentor looking out for her almost 24/7, and though she had been instructed to touch base, per se, every so often, not to mention send messages for Fafnir to make sure she was fine, the kittom had been mostly left to her own devices. Mostly, anyways; since Misfit had been picked up a season or so prior, Linn had rarely strayed from his side, nor had he.

They'd left the region they'd met in, and had spent an extended stay in Strynhalde, where they were currently stationed. While Miasma season being done with had not made the snow melt (in fact, nothing ever would!), it did make the weather a bit less... harsh in its entirety. They had settled themselves in a cave near one of the many mountainous villages, given Misfit still did not quite like civilization all that much, and she, in turn, rather wished to explore the wilderness while still wanting to keep the commodity of resources within reach. You know, just in case. One never knew when it could come in handy to get some extra food, or some baked goods; sometimes she just craved warm, exquisite food, and though her partner was great at fishing... cookies and pastries were her weakness.

Keeping their little hideout clean had been a process, but now that miasma season was over, she figured it was perhaps time for a more in depth cleaning session. They had managed to wall off the bitter cold with a makeshift door they'd built over the past time when they'd gotten there, but snow still had its way of creeping in when it was constantly snowing outside! The fire they'd built also meant constant ashes, and though ventilation was indeed something they had worked on, there was no getting rid of them.

She was quite sure they would, in time, move on, and this cave would serve someone else just fine as a small, little, humble abode to explore the white forests. Until then though, keeping it clean was imperative, and as she worked her brush under the cracks and behind rock formations, she waited for her partner to return with something to eat. Thankfully, he did not seem to mind the cold weather outside, and even managed to dip into the water and grab some fish, shaking off the cold with ease; something Linn did not understand. She would much rather stay dry, thank you very much!

"Linn, look! I caught a BIG one!"

The dark kittom turned her head from the rock formation she'd been brushing and cleaning, the one they tended to use as a make shift table, noticing Misfit near the door. His voice had been muffled when he'd spoken, and she could clearly see why. The stripped boy held a fish in his mouth that was nearly the size of his entire head. So big was his catch, that he was clearly struggling to walk straight, or hold his head up proudly, and she smiled as she went to help him.

Unfortunately, fish meant scales and this, in turn meant that they'd be spending a nice amount of time cleaning even more after they were done prepping it up for dinner. Clean, clean, clean... the chore was never really over when half their diet consisted of fish, and the snow outside kept wanting to creep indoors! Still, it was quite worth it for the lovely environment they were engulfed in. Just the trees' bark being white was breath taking enough, and though the leaves were no longer crystalized, they had actually arrived during the tale end of the freeze, getting to see their beauty before the crystal bid adieu until the next season.

Once the fish was clean and set up next to the fire, both she and her partner left the door to their cave open and settled near the entrance to watch the sun go down. It would soon get a bit colder, but nothing new to the region. She rather enjoyed the way the light vanished behind the frozen tundra like landscape and turned the sky a myriad of colors; colors Misfit had once pointed out reminded him of the color on her winglets. Perhaps he was right. The notion made her shift her body a bit closer his, huddling up to him for warmth, "I hope you realize I wasn't even done cleaning and I'm roping you in after dinner to continue," she said.

A small snort was the reply she got out of the other kittom, "Deep cleaning the cave we'll leave? But why?" he didn't sound like he was against the idea, just slightly confused as to the reasoning behind the notion.

"Well, I figured, Miasma season is over. It's just... what you do, right? Deep cleaning? Fafnir always did it back home. I like to keep things organized, and besides. Don't you like the idea of leaving the cave all nice and cozy for someone else to find once we're gone and have moved on?"

"Hmmm..." there was a long silence as the fish tailed kittom thought about Aislinn's words, digesting them, "I guess I hadn't thought of it like that. When I was alone, I didn't quite look around where I was staying all that much, or the state it was. I just found a place and went there. Can't quite remember much about... before, you know?"

She nodded, burrowed a bit deeper against his fur and waited for their fish to finish cooking. Perhaps, the nightlights would shine that night, and tomorrow, she would finish deep cleaning the place. After that, who knew? Perhaps they would move on, or perhaps, she would finally manage to lure Misfit back home to Fafnir. She felt like her friend needed more friends, and possibly, and adult or two to actually talk to him and give him some sound advice. Misfit looked like he needed a mentor.