Submission (#4796) Approved

Oriana had been having the time of her life adventuring far from home. The climate here in Enmir was unlike anything she was used to. But somehow she managed to acclimate herself to it. Sure she missed the beaming sunshine of back home and how she spent some of her days sunbathing around an Oasis, but here there were lots more fun things to do and adventuring. She had never ran or climbed trees so much in her life. Ori started to enjoy the lack of sunshine here in the marshes as she could see fireflies day and night in the most obscure places. Back home she never even had seen one. She just had fun chasing them around and catching them in a jar and then making sure to release them once she had her fun with them. 

Her brother came running after her startling her as he yelled at her, she dropped her precious jar that had been given to her by a local Alchemist, which her parents had been friends with for years. It seemed one of her children had gone missing, which seemed odd since the kittom had grown up here all her life. Kanako was a cute but little troublesome one. Oriana had just wondered if maybe she hadn’t been simply hiding from everyone to play a trick. But this time it seemed that no one could find the kittom anywhere. Her mother Diana seemed really worried this time. Sure Kana liked to play tricks but somehow this time it felt really different and even her half sister Ami had no idea where she had gone. 

Even though Koko and Oriana weren’t from Enmir, from their time here they had gotten pretty accustomed to the ways and how the network of bridges worked around the moors. Diana had packed them with what they would need to go out and search for the lost kittom Kanako. They had rope, a little pocket knife and of course lanterns full of fireflies. Ori's mother, Nari had also made sure to pack a little medical kit in the event that Kana or one of them would get hurt. On the other hand Deedee had packed a few alchemical concoctions that had strange colours and that Oriana or Koko wouldn’t dare touch. They both looked at each other weirdly when they saw those being packed. 

They both set out and followed a map that was given to them of where Kanako would usually adventure. But she didn’t seem to be anywhere on any of the trails she would normally go by. They even went up and down these bridges twice! There was no sign of her. Oriana began to worry that she might truly be lost or worse ! Maybe she had fallen into one of the marshes and no one would ever find her. An even more grim thought came over her as her body began to shiver as if someone had walked over her grave. What if Kanako went in the Shaedmoor and gotten lost there. It was the one place in all of Enmir that Ori dare never visit again. Her one adventure had not ended well. Besides who would want to smell like that much muck for a week. That’s how long it had taken them to get rid of the smell on her. “ Ko do you really think Kana would go there?” But Koko shook his head as he was almost positive the little kittom would not adventure there. “ Unless she went there to find a special plant for her mother?” Replying back to his sister as they had heard the adults talking about this special flower that only grew in the darkest of the Shaedmoor with great alchemical properties. 

No longer debating the subject Oriana followed her brother towards the Shaedmoor. It was as dark and grim as she remembered it, but this time she was a lot more afraid than she was the last time. Sure her encounter had ended up simply being a toad but she was convinced much scarier things hid in there. But they had to find Kana and this was one of the only places left they hadn’t looked. Both kittoms threaded their path carefully, ready to run back home at any sudden sound. That's when they heard the noise. A loud shrieking noise that sounded like it came from above where they were. This time Oriana knew it wasn’t a toad as they didn’t climb trees and she pulled her arms over her head and yelled out terrified. Hearing the shriek again she yelled out in terror more as she felt something fall on her. Koko burst out in a loud laughter as he saw the two kittoms one on top of each other and some vines all over. It seemed Kanako had gotten herself stuck in hanging mossy vines from one of the trees in the Shaedmoor. 

Ori seemed knocked out cold, she wouldn’t move anymore, but maybe it was from the fright. However it might have been from Kana falling on top of her as Koko got her loose. He just thought, maybe if his sister spent less time being afraid and more time looking at her surroundings they wouldn’t be in this situation. Unfortunately there was no way those 2 kittoms could ever manage to carry Oriana back home with such a far distance to go. 

Rummaging through what they had packed Kanako found the perfect thing her mother had left behind. One of those strangely coloured concoctions, she didn’t even hesitate as she poured it on Ori and said “that will wake her right up!” Sure enough Oriana came back to her senses and wondered what had been going on. The two other kittoms filled her up on what happened but none told her about having poured that stuff on her. When they made it back to Kanako’s home the parents looked at the children horrified ! Maybe they should never let them adventure alone. One was full of vines and moss stuck in her fur, one had scrapes and blisters from having climbed a tree and fought some vines loose and the other well … the poor Oriana had her fur tinted another colour and screamed in anger when the adults told her what she looked like. I suppose these are the things that happen when kittoms are left to their own devices.