Submission (#3844) Approved

The city was bustling with elnin. Nalnalo was the capital of Ealei, and it was the height of the Starfall Faire, so it was expected that the city would be packed with elnin there for business, pleasure, and everything in between. During his travels Lixue had come across towns and cities that had many residents in it, but this place took the cake.

Lixue was sitting on the edge of one of the many wooden decks that stood merely several feet above the clear blue ocean waters. When he was in this spot earlier that day he could have looked down and seen all the rocks that lined the ocean floor, and the tree roots that dipped in and out of the waters from the large trees that make up Nalnalo. Now that it was evening and much darker out, all he could see at eye level were the vague outlines of the tree roots that stood out of the water. However, if he lifted his gaze upwards he could see a whole new site. The tree city above was lit up by many different colorful lanterns and lights from stalls offering a variety of food and trinkets to celebrate the holiday. With everything going on, Lixue wondered how the wooden bridges that connected the giant trees to each other managed to not buckle under the weight of everything going on.

Lixue was a traveler by nature.Staying in one place for too long without having an anchor wasn’t his style. Recently, he had traveled from the hot deserts of Ahza to Ealei. It had totally skipped his mind that the Starfall Faire was right around the corner, and that Ealei held the biggest celebration for it in Eyre. When he first realized what he had gotten himself into, Lixue was tempted to hop onto another boat and head somewhere else. Instead something inside him told him to stay, so he did, and he was glad for that decision. While he was in Ealei he had met several travelers like himself, kittom sisters named Daybreak and Dusk. Daybreak was the one who had come over and introduced the two of them to him, while Dusk was content hanging back and letting her sister do the talking. Since then, the three had decided to spend their time in Ealei together, enjoying the ocean waters and running across the tree bridges and everything in between.

At the moment, Lixue was waiting for the sisters as he sat on the dock. Daybreak had insisted on getting them snacks, and Dusk had quietly trailed behind her. Perhaps Daybreak had caught on that Lixue wasn’t the kind who wanted to hang out in the crowds to play games or fetch festival food for himself, or maybe she had something mischievous planned. Either way, he appreciated the gesture and let the two of them head off without any fuss.

Lixue decided to take the moment to collect his thoughts and feelings with the moment of peace. He looked away from the Festival in the tree tops and turned to look at the sky behind him. From the docks, the sky above looked as endless as the dark sea under it. Lixue was only able to focus on the sky for a few seconds before an explosion went off. He’d never admit it but the sound caused him to jump slightly, and the fur on his back stood on end as a soft whistling sound off in the distance whizzed up into the air. Another explosive sound rang through the sky as a large and colorful firework exploded in the sky, lighting the area up. Lixue totally forgot fireworks existed, but now that he knew where the sound was he allowed himself to relax and watched the sky for more.

Instead of more loud fireworks, he heard a voice come up from behind him.

“Ehhhh? The show started already? Aw, dang! I wanted to be here when they set the first one off!”

Lixue didn’t need to turn around to know that Daybreak had finally returned, but he did anyway. He saw the kittom holding a variety of goodies in her arms. Dusk came up from behind Daybreak, holding a small bowl full of pieces of takoyaki. She offered a piece of takoyaki to Lixue, who politely declined, and with a soft shrug she moved and sat down next to him and looked up at the sky. While Dusk had politely offered a snack, Daybreak stepped over, forced a bowl of what appeared to be colorful shaved ice into Lixue’s paws, then made her way closer to the edge of the dock and stood there to wait for another firework.

The bowl was cold in Lixue’s paws. He looked down at the shaved ice, watching as the colors of flavoring were beginning to sink into the ice and mix together. Never in a million years would he get something like this for himself. But… this night was different. A special occasion. He was spending a night at a festival with friends. Yes, he decided that he would consider these two friends. Lixue didn’t notice Dusk watching him as he finally picked up the wooden spoon that was lodged in the shaved ice and pop a spoonful of the flavored ice into his mouth. After a few more spoonfuls of ice, the sky began to light up with more lights and colors. All three kittoms turned to look up at the sky and watch the fireworks show light up both the sky and the ocean waters below.

While he originally wouldn’t have chosen this to be the way to spend his night, this definitely wasn’t bad at all. Maybe next year he’d travel back to Ealei, and see if he could spend the Starfall Faire with Daybreak and Dusk again.