Submission (#3727) Approved

His time away from home had been long, Koko even wondered if he would remember what it had been like there. He had gotten used to the climate in Bellmoril which was a lot cooler and crispier than Ahza. As they had set foot through the border the scent of dry air filled the little kittom’s nose. Yes he was indeed in the place he called home. The first thing he did was throw himself on the ground rolling around in the sand. His mother looked at him curiously as she knew he hated being full of sand usually. But at this moment Ko was the happiest. His fur was completely covered in sand but the little one did not seem to mind, in fact he reveled in it. He laughed and smiled and his mother observed him strangely but soon she was laughing and smiling with him. She assumed it meant he was glad to be back in Ahza. It did not take long for Koko to get up with a cloud of sand following in his footsteps as he rushed to reach home. From his time away he had really missed his father and sister. He knew they would be waiting for him with dinner ready. He surely wasted no time rushing home. He ran and walked as fast as he could and for a small kittom that was a hard task to accomplish. But his mother knew he was determined as she tried to follow the pace of her son. She had no idea that he had that much energy in him to travel so many miles on foot. 

Before they had left Bellmoril they had corresponded and that’s when he had learnt that his father would have his famous stew ready for when he would arrive home. He had really missed his father cooking and his stew. Ko and his mother had attempted to recreate his recipe but with no avail had they succeeded. There was just something about the way his dad made it that no one else could. He was just that more determined to make it home as quickly as possible. He stopped dead in his tracks as he couldn’t take another step any further. The little one was absolutely out of breath. Taking gasps of air it’s almost as if he had forgotten the climate of Ahza and how hot the sun beamed on you. You would break a sweat without even walking. Luckily when he had decided to take his break he was near one of the many oases in the dunes. He quickly went and found some shade. Good thing they had prepared for the trip in much warmer hardious weather. It didn’t take Ko long for him to gulp down some refreshments. His mother looked at the time. They weren’t quite home but close and she told him “ Jump in the water if you want we have plenty of time to make it for dinner to cool you down.” She had barely finished the sentence and Koko was already jumping in. He swimmed around for some time as his body seemed to cool down. Ko felt much better once he had a good swim. Now he was just stretched out like a starfish floating around and Sprite was doing just the same. The sun was starting to be a bit cooler and they decided to continue their journey. 

He had forgotten what home looked like. The houses here were so different then what he had been seeing for months now that it was almost like a dream being home. He stretched out his paw to touch the frame in the doorway which was made of baked sand. It was as warm but yet cool to the touch as he remembered. There was something that he adored about how the buildings were made in Ahza that you saw nowhere else. But as he was reminiscing something else caught his attention. The scent that was coming from his house, it smelled like spices he had longed for. Before he could even make it in the doorway his sister Oriana came rushing at him and threw herself in his arms. He had missed her and she did as well. Instead of coming along for the trip she had stayed home with their father. While the siblings were embracing each other, Ha-ru finally peaked through the door and he was just as Koko remembered. He was wearing a kitchen apron and smelled of the food he had been cooking. Ko ran towards him and jumped in his arms. He was the happiest little kittom, he had tears rolling down his cheeks. 

It wasn’t long till they were all gathered at the table and Ha-ru served the meal. The scent was just as Koko remembered it smelled of meat, vegetables, herbs and spices. Before he took a bite he just took a big whiff of it taking it the smell. He was over the moon as he took in a big spoonful of it. His sister had even baked some fresh bread, which he enjoyed dipping in his bowl. Even his mother was glad to be home and enjoying her mate cooking. Ko enjoyed every last bite of it as he took his time to savor the meal that was prepared for him. He even took the time to lick his bowl with his last piece of bread. The time after the much awaited family reunion and meal was spent talking about their adventures apart from each other during the months of miasma. It’s the longest the family has spent away from each other but seeing each other again and catching up was as if those months had fled away. They were once again a big happy family.