Submission (#5425) Approved

A warm breeze greeted Nico as he was standing at the outskirts of the cliffs near Devara. He could hear the waterfalls rushing into the ocean beneath and the heavy waves crashing against the rocky cliffs. It felt humbling and empowering at the same time - Nico felt like he was on top of the world, looking out to the dark blue ocean that was stretching across the horizon.
The sun above Ahza turned the water into a glittering tapestry and Nico could feel the humidity of the sea foam settling in his fur. He purred softly; he just loved the sea and after traveling through the sandy desert for weeks on end it felt like he was finally home again. 

“Prrrrrt~!” Suddenly he could feel a fuzzy weight on his head - his Pomu had climbed on top of him and chirped in a lively manner.
“Hello there!” Nico chuckled softly as he observed his little black friend tumbling back down from his head and to his legs. “Is it time already? Sorry, I got lost in thoughts. I guess I really shouldn’t dawdle too long when we want to explore the shallow waters around here before Mom and Dad come back from the market.” And with one last glance at the ocean, he grabbed his Pomu carefully by the scruff before he headed back into the city.

This wasn’t the first time he was on his own. His parents trusted him and they didn’t want him to spend his days cooped up in the Inn. After all, Ahza was such a diverse place. Nico had already climbed giant skeletons, traveled with his parents across the sand dunes and spent time in the oasis, exploring the complex ecosystem and its inhabitants. Only the Eldertree was still a mystery to him, as they only stayed in Termina this time and didn’t head all the way up to Bejali.
//But next time I want to see the Eldertree up close for sure! Especially the dragon skeleton beneath the roots-//, the little black kittom thought, as he slithered through the narrow streets of Devara and its varied mudbrick houses.
He could hear the buzzing voices of all the elnins attending the different markets nearby. The warm air was filled with pleasant smells: herbs, spices and freshly made food.

Then - Nico stopped for a moment when something caught his eye.

He was in a little backstreet that spilled into one of the markets. All the elnins passing by merged into a colorful background, with one exception - a dark elnin with long black and white hair and vibrant pink horns stepped right in front of Nico. He couldn’t hear their voice but he saw that they were moving their head and talked to someone just outside of Nicos field of vision.

It felt like time slowed down for the little kittom, but his heart was beating as if it wanted to jump out of his chest and his whole body felt like he was being zapped. What the fluff was going on? He never experienced anything like it and he was trying to catch his breath like a fish out of the water. And before he could do anything, before he could take a step forward or say something, the beautiful stranger suddenly disappeared into the crowd.
//Oh no-!!// Nicos heart sank and without thinking about it, he ran to the end of the little side street and looked around - but he had no luck.
The mysterious dark elnin was gone, and the only thing lingering was a strong sense of heartache that Nico never felt before. 

.

Deeply confused and distraught, the little kittom had left the town behind and made his way to the rivers surrounding Devara. He was so puzzled; during all his travels he never experienced anything like it and his thoughts kept wandering back to the stranger until he reached a secluded area in the shallows of the river.

The water was shimmering in hues of bright blue and green and the current was slow. The area was abundant with colorful fish and all sorts of wildlife - the loudest of them being the frogs, waterbirds and dragonflies. Surrounded by lush vegetation of all sizes and giant palm trees it was the perfect place for playing and practicing his swimming skills. He couldn’t wait to dive into the cool water. It looked so inviting and refreshing and he was all alone in this area.
After spending weeks in the desert, this was a truly welcomed sight. The oases were pretty and all, but the waters around Devara just were a level above all else.

Just when he wanted to jump into the water, he suddenly heard rustling in the reeds. His ears perked up and his whole body became tense.
And all of the sudden Nico realized just how far away from the city he really was. He lowered his body, with his ears flat on his back, while slowly stepping backwards, without taking his eyes off the direction he heard the noise from. But he was truly shocked when he saw who emerged from behind the plants.

.

Mary was beyond frustrated when he headed out to the riverbanks of Devara. Cinder and the kittoms really tested his patience today, which was already running low the longer they stayed in Ahza. And Greywind, being the snarky smartass that he was, made things just so much worse. He desperately needed a break from those clowns - asap. So Mary turned to his favorite hiding spot - the far out shallows around Devara. A place where the river was so wide and calm, it almost felt more like a lake. The dense lily pads and long strands of underwater plants softly swayed in the calm current and Mary enjoyed swimming here, with the sunlight cascading through the leaves.
So the last thing he suspected was someone else finding this place, since most elnins would rather play and explore near the waterfalls. And yet, here he was, staring at a little black kittom which was surrounded by tiny embers of sunlight. 

When his tall frame emerged from the reeds, he could see that the kittom quickly changed its positioning - from ready to attack to welcoming and… excited? //What an odd reaction// Mary thought to himself and his disappointment faded a little when he examined the delighted expression of the little one.

Nico couldn’t believe his eyes and luck. What were the odds that he would run into the beautiful stranger again, right here of all things? His thoughts were racing through his head, and he struggled to find his voice. He was so afraid the stranger would leave again, just like before, and then-

“You shouldn’t be out here alone.” 

A soft, dark voice interrupted his train of thoughts and he blinked, before he realized that Mary was walking towards him through a shallow patch in the water. He came to a halt in front of Nico, who blinked again and looked up. Up close the other elnin was even prettier and he could see all the starry markings across his body.

“Where are your parents?”

Mary couldn’t hide the slight annoyance in his voice and the judgment towards Nicos parents. What were they thinking? Letting a child run around on its own during the heat of the day in Ahza?

“Are you lost?”

He looked down at the golden kittom who was still staring at him starstruck, which resulted in Mary tilting his head a little to the side and questioning if the child understood him at all.
This was not ideal.
Fostering kittoms was Cinders strong suit, but not his and he was running out of ideas of what to do here.
“Mhm…”

Nico needed a little bit to process what was happening and then he realized the older one became irritated. “I’m not lost!”, he finally chirped and hopped backwards. He beamed at Mary, like this was the best day ever. “My mom and dad are at the market and I wanted to practice my swimming skills and maybe try diving. I’ve read all about it but I haven't had the chance to try it yet! The waters here are perfect though, since I can’t go to the waterfalls for this, because the rapids are way too strong for me, … so I came here!” Suddenly all the words spilled out of him and he couldn’t stop talking. “But before I could jump in the water and do anything, you showed up and now I’m all distracted!”

Mary raised an eyebrow in amusement and chuckled. His first impression of this kittom clearly needed some adjustment.

“Is that so? Well, my apologies, little one. I wasn’t expecting company here either”, he declared eloquently. “Maybe we can come to an agreement?” He smiled softly and watched over Nico, who was balancing on some rocks and roots near the riverbank and hunted insects. Mary couldn’t bring himself to leave the kittom all alone out here now and then chirped softly as he watched Nico catch a dragonfly.

“Do you know how to fish?”

The kittom shook his head. 

“... Do you wanna learn?”

Nico nodded in excitement. 

.

And so they spent the rest of the afternoon fishing in the shallows. As it turned out, Nico was an excellent learner and very quick to follow Marys instructions. He instantly trusted the older one, and his little heart enjoyed the time the two spent together. All he wanted was to be praised by Mary and for the other one to be proud of him - Nico couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing Mary.

But his fear was unfounded.

Mary quickly realized that Nico was very eager to learn and unlike Azure and Driftwood, who would rather play-fight with each other and bring chaos to their surroundings, Nico was very well behaved and had amazing instincts. It didn’t take long for the kittom to catch his first fish - with a little assistance of course. He taught Nico how to dive properly, how to hold his breath and explained to him which fish would be more tricky to catch than others. Soon he watched Nico dart through the clear water like he was always meant to do this.

“Well, look at you. Aren’t you a born little hunter?” Mary laid in the shade of the afternoon sun, drying off his long hair, while the fish Nico had caught were all secured in a little net beside him. The kittom beamed with joy and made his way back to Mary. The water caused Nicos fur to sparkle in the sunlight and he dropped another fish into the net.

“That’s the last one!”, he declared solemnly and Mary nodded in agreement, before closing his eyes and placing his head on his front paws. After all; any more fish and Nico wouldn’t be able to carry them all back home to his parents.

Then, all of the sudden, he felt Nico flop against him with all his weight and Mary opened his eyes in surprise and turned his head.

“I had no idea swimming was so exhausting…!” Nico felt like someone had increased gravity around him - his body felt heavy as soon as he was out of the water and now it had somehow gotten much worse. He could barely keep his eyes open and irritated from all that he snuggled up against Mary, hiding his face in the long hair of the older one. “What’s happening-?”, he mumbled in a daze.

“Oh~ my…  It’s alright now, don’t worry.”

Marys voice was soft and reassuring, while he wrapped himself around Nico in a protective manner. He forgot how much quicker kittoms bodies experienced exhaustion due to their low mana level. “This is completely normal after being in the water for so long, especially in warm weather like this”, he explained quietly, before he realized in amusement that Nico had already fallen asleep and nuzzled up against him.

“Well then.. Sleep well, little one.”