Submission (#3868) Approved

It is the Quartet's first time in the cities of Bellmoril. Even though they didn't mean to, Saoirse and Donaar get lost in the busy marketplace. They end up enlisting the help of a helpful Elnin named Mitternacht who leads them back to their mother, Nolatari.

Word count: 1,813
Elnin AP is for: Saoirse
Other elnin: Donaar , Nolatari and Mitternacht
Mini requirement: Include an adult in the act

     "Come on! We are going to be late!" Saoirse skipped on ahead of the small group of kittoms as Nolatari led them across the unfamiliar marketplace. The golden leaves and decorations seemed a bit too yellow to her and the sun seemed a little brighter than she was used to but still her excitement was palpable. Not only was this their first time out of Silveil, this was their first time in such a big city. She knew they had been tasked with helping their mother to find a special fabric she needed for a client and Saoirse was determined to be useful. Grabbing the paw of her larger brother she pulled him ahead, looking around at all the brightly coloured stalls that were built under the shadowy golden canopy of birch trees.

     The dark navy blue kittom grumbled a little as he was pulled along. "Don't know why we need to rush, it's not like Mum is walking any faster. We gotta stay with the group." He wanted to be back in his bed at home, the larger kittom not as impressed with the new scenery.

     Slowing down to match her pace with her brother, Saoirse continued to look around at all the new sights. The cobblestone courtyard, with a fountain in the center was ringed with wares of all types and she couldn't wait to get a closer look at some of them.

     "Now now children; first rule is we need a location to go to if we get separated." Nolatari looked down to her four young kits and smiled softly. "I am here to find the weaver who has the fabric I ordered and then we can possibly stop by the bakery on our way back to the inn?" After spotting a large, gnarled tree in the center of the marketplace near the fountain she nodded and pointed it out to the kittoms. "This will be perfect, you should be able to see the tree from every spot in this market. Though hopefully you will stay with me and not get lost." The large, motherly elnin tapped on the youngest kit with the tip of her tail. "No getting distracted and chasing down any critters today Kai?" She smiled at the shorter white kittom and then herded the quartet in front of her, looking around to find the sign that would indicate the weaver's direction.

     After a few minutes the stalls changed from foods to crafts, leading them down a path surrounded by fabrics and yarns. Nolatari led the four kittoms inside a colourful alley and instructed them to stay close. This was easy enough for Zinnia and Kai who immediately started playing a game they had developed with beads, trinkets and a ball that bounced quite high in the corner of the closest stall, however Saoirse could sense the boredom steaming off Donaar and wanted to help out. She looked around the shops, admiring the many bolts of fabric, some solid and some patterned. There were practical fabrics used for the home, and more intricate fabrics used for fancy clothing or festival garb. There were even some types she had never come across before which is why their mother had come here to visit.

     Grabbing one of the bolts of dark shimmery blue fabric, Saoirse pulled it over to Donaar. "Look at this! You could be a pirate in this fabric!" She waved one end of the fabric at the dark kittom. "Can you just imagine it? The colour matches your fur." Without waiting for an answer she placed the fabric aside and then tugged him towards some other bolts of fabric by his arm. "Or how about these? I'm sure Mama could make these work into something elegant for you."

     Rolling his eyes a little at his younger sister, Donaar played along for a moment "Sure, but shiny isn't really my thing. I'd prefer something proper that could get dusty and dirty and not rip when I need to climb trees." Of all the siblings, he preferred action over words any day and was most likely to get into some kind of scrape by sunfall. Still, he let Saoirse pull him around if anything to keep her company while their mother was busy. It wasn't until a while later he looked back to see that not only they had turned a corner somehow and now couldn't see the family, he couldn't even see the fabric stalls they had been standing in front of! He shook his sister's arm to get her attention. "Hey, we are lost."

     Saorise looked up a little alarmed at first, her wide eyes looking up and down the alleyways of golden trees and colourful stalls. They were now in a section that seemed to be selling a lot of housewares and garden equipment, a section of locally grown poppies had caught her attention, the bright shades of reds and pinks something she had not seen before. She looked again, this time eyes reaching up as she attempted to look for the golden leafed tree their mother had pointed out earlier but had no luck. "What should we do?" she asked her brother.

     "Find the tree, it can't be that far away from the fabrics. Maybe if we retrace our steps?" Donaar was already looking for landmarks he remembered to see if they could figure out how to get back. With some luck they should be able to get back before anyone noticed they were missing.

     A few minutes later and both were starting to worry. They had taken a chance behind an alley that had a few honey cake sellers, one of the signature desserts of Bellmoril but came out in a spot that was very unfamiliar to either kittom. Turning to her brother Saoirse shook her head, "We are definitely lost. We should ask for help." She turned to the closest adult she could find, a dark elnin with dual-coloured eyes, and tugged on their sleeve. "Excuse me, do you know where the big golden tree that is growing in the pond is? The one in the middle of market?" Donaar's earlier words came back to her and she decided the tree was the better option than to look for the fabric stalls.

     "Big golden tree?" The adult blinked a few times as she registered from where the question was coming from. "My dears, are you lost? I know the tree which you speak of, but do you need help finding your parents too?" The motherly elnin immediately looked worriedly around for a moment in case she could see someone who looked similar to the pair but didn't catch sight of anyone. Errands can wait, this was much more important... She shifted the birch bundle she was holding to one arm before reaching a dark paw down. "I'm Mitternacht. I'd be happy to lead you there to the tree. May I know your names too?"

     Donaar hung back a moment and shook his head, always suspicious about new people. However, Saoirse gave a warm smile of relief and nodded. "I'm Saoirse, and this is my brother Donaar. Thank you so much! We really appreciate the help!" She took a look at the bundle of white and black sticks and attempted to examine them as they walked. "What kind of trees are those? I saw them when we first came in but Mama's been busy and we have had to be quiet so she can work and there are not any books on trees where we are staying..." She paused to take a breath and skip over a pavement as it changed colours from a terracotta to a sandy brown as the space opened up.

     The dark elnin chuckled softly at the barrage of information before answering, "These are birch trees. They are one of the most common here in Bellmoril. We use birch for many different things including medicines and decoration. I plan on weaving these thinner branches together to add some length to my fence outside my garden." She continued to speak as they crossed another open section into spaces that were now a little more familiar to the two kittoms. "Almost all the other trees in Bellmoril have bark that is different shades of browns, though the leaves are mostly reds, golds, or coppers. However, the birch tree has pale bark which some say is due to the blessing of the fairy folk. An injured fae, caught up in a storm, fell into the branches of a birch tree, whose bark was a dark grey, and leaves were dull orange. The birch tree took pity on the bedraggled fae and wrapped their branches into a small nest, covering the creature with it's dull leaves. Protected within, the fae was able to heal from their wounds and when they awoke, they were so thankful that they kissed the trunk of the birch tree and blessed it with healing powers. From that day forward, the birch has grown straight and proud with beautiful white bark and shimmering golden leaves. However, it still has markings of it's original grey bark to remind it of it's roots which is what we see today. This is also why the birch tree has healing powers when you make a tea from it's bark." As Mitternacht finished her story she noticed a navy blue elnin looking around the crowds next to the decorative pond in the middle of the marketplace.

     "Mama!" Donaar had noticed too and ran up to Nolatari, giving her a hug. She was about to scold him with worry in her eyes before she noticed Saoirse walk up hand in hand with Mitternacht.

     "Mitter, is that you?!" Nolatari was surprised to see her friend, and especially surprised to see Saoirse with her. "I knew you lived in Bellmoril, I did not think you lived within the main town. It is very nice to see you, and very timely too..." She eyed the two lost kittoms sternly before brightening to a smile for her friend and opening her arms in greeting. "Thank you for returning these two; I was getting worried."

     Mitternacht gave her friend a hug and tapped Saoirse on the shoulder. "Not a problem at all. Always happy to help." She chuckled lightly, "If I had known you were going to be here I'd invite you for dinner. How long are you staying?"

     With a gesture towards the colourful fabric side of the market Nolatari answered, "Just until I get my order situated. We can stick around for a few days though if you'd like..."

     As the adults chatted Saoirse stared at the branches held under Mitter's arm thoughtfully. She had decided birch trees had to be her favorite kind of trees with their white bark patterned with darker black lines. One day she wanted to design a dress that would exemplify such beauty!