Submission (#3862) Approved

It was a beautiful day. This was no surprise to Jack, as 99% of the time it was beautiful in Faerindell. When he walked through the cobblestone streets he was normally surrounded by stone buildings, flowers, and the occasional pink leaf that had made its way from a nearby orchard. He knew these streets like the back of his paw, and he felt blessed to have a job where he had the chance to roam through such beautiful places.

Before he could get his head stuck in the clouds with thoughts of flowers and pink leaves, Jack felt a small tuck on the bottom of his shirt. He blinked and looked down to see two kittoms standing next to him. A dark brown kitten with orange eyes blankly stared up at him, while another kitten with light brown eyes and a mix of brown and white fur held onto the corner of Jack’s shirt, tugging gently. When the white and brown kitten saw that he finally had Jack’s attention, he let go and smiled.

“Mr. Jack! Ms. Usachi told us all about you. She said you’re the fastest courier in all of Eyre, and have never lost a package! So, that means you can deliver a letter without losing it, right? Could you deliver this letter for me?”

Jack felt his shoulders tense up. Why did Usachi have to say all of that? Gosh, was she going around telling everyone this sort of thing? It was true that he was a courier, but saying he was the fastest couldn’t be true. Jack couldn’t remember the last time he lost a package or letter, but it probably happened before, and it wasn’t something Usachi should be boasting about. The winged elnin could feel his cheeks burn under his fur and was so glad the kittoms couldn’t see it.

“Well, let’s see this letter of yours!”

The white and brown kitten pulled out a letter from his pocket and handed it over to Jack, who gently took the letter and looked at the address. Everything was written out clearly, and he knew exactly where he would need to take this to - Nalnalo in Ealei. That was quite a distance away from where they were in Faerindell, but it was certainly doable. How could he call himself a courier if he couldn’t do a simple delivery like this one? Jack looked down at the kitten and smiled, giving a soft nod.

“I can definitely see to it that this letter gets safe and sound to where it needs to go. You can count on me.”

The brown and white kittom smiled brightly and shouted out a “Thank you, Mr. Jack!” before darting off. The brown kittom with orange eyes murmured a  ‘Thank you’ as well before turning and chasing after his brother. Jack watched the two turn the corner and disappear out of sight before looking back down at the letter. Well, if he was headed to Ealei, then he should pick up some other packages headed to Ealei as well before heading out of town.

By the next morning, Jack’s satchel was filled to the brim with letters and small packages. He stood at the edge of the boat, leaning gently against the rails, and watched as the boat sailed away from Faerindell. This wouldn’t be the worst boatride he’d ever taken, but it certainly would be a long one. Everytime he left the edge of the boat to sit down, eat, or take a nap, he’d come back to the rails to see a new sight - the darkness of Silveil, the sandy beaches of the Palu’au Islands, then the rippling sea with no land in sight. His ears perked up when a cry rang out that Ealei was in view. At that point he was quite done with standing around and doing nothing, and was quite happy to see the region of Ealei grow bigger and closer with every passing moment. Before he knew it, the boat was docking at the edge of Ealei at Port Pthalo.

Even if the boat ride had been a long journey, that was the easy part. The real challenge was getting all these letters and packages to their rightful owners. As he stepped out onto one of the wooden docks that separated the trees of Ealei with the rest of the sea, Jack pulled out his map and mulled over the best routes to take. The map wasn’t like the usual maps he was used to looking at - instead of paths marked over land, every path he took involved taking some sort of bridge. He looked away from the map towards the trees that made up Ealei as a whole. There was no solid ground here to trot on - instead, elnin had to either walk on wooden bridges that connected the towns and cities together, or put their skills to the test and hop across the large roots that dipped in and out of the water that created the mangroves of Ealei.

As exciting as it would be to stay near the crystal blue waters and venture across the tree roots, peering down to see the aquatic life and whatever else was lurking underneath the waters, Jack knew it was safest and fastest to up onto the bridges. That’s where the towns were, after all. Besides - what if he slipped and landed on a pointy rock in the waters? That sounded less than ideal. So, tucking away his childish desire to go exploring, Jack began his trek up a set of long, wooden stairs that lead up to one of the cities built on the branches of the giant trees.

The deliveries went smoothly in the beginning. He delivered all the letters at Port Pthalo, then made his way over to the capital city of Nalnalo. By the time he reached the city his paws were aching, not used to walking on so many wooden planks, but he continued on with a forced smile. Slowly but surely his satchel became lighter and lighter, and before long all he had was one letter left to deliver. It was the letter from the two kittoms he had met in Faerindell, who were apparently named Chip and Mocha, according to the return address. This letter was meant to be sent to someone named Crème. Jack made his way over to the address listed on the letter, which was at the end of a long stretch of similar looking wooden houses. Outside the last house on the ‘street’ was a white and cream colored kittom with bright blue eyes, sitting on the front steps kicking his feet slowly and staring up at the sky.

Upon Jack’s arrival, the kittom looked down from the sky. His eyes went from a bored and blank expression to glittering with excitement. The kittom jumped to his feet and skipped over towards Jack.

“Hello, sir~! Do you have a letter for me?”

“Sure do! Been waitin’ for this one, huh? One second, kiddo.”

Jack reached into his bag and pulled out the letter. As fate would have it, that was the moment a breeze whisked through the branches and leaves of the giant trees, sending a powerful enough force to tug the letter out of Jack’s hand. The winged elnin was quick to act, and he grabbed the letter out of the air right as it was about to cross over the wooden railing. The last thing he wanted in the world right now was to see what the letter looked like soaked in ocean water! He turned back to the kittom, smiling nervously, and handed him the letter with both paws. The kittom accepted the letter with both of his paws, looked at the return address, and smiled brightly.

“Thank you, sir! It’s been awhile since my friends wrote back! I’m really excited to read what they’ve been up to! Thank you, thank you!” With a skip to his step Crème headed inside his house to open and read his letter without the threat of any pesky wind blowing his letter away.

Without anything else left to deliver, Jack took a few moments to catch his breath. He stepped over to the wooden railing that stood between him and a very steep fall, and gazed out into the crystal ocean that reached over the horizon. Despite the small scare at the end, he could call this trip a huge success. Maybe he could stay in town for a day or two to rest his feet before setting off on some more deliveries. A nap and some food sounded amazing right about now.