Submission (#6198) Approved

The night air was crisp in Silveil and the light pollution of the large city made it difficult to see the stars in the sky. A small kittom, whose fur resembled such a deep cool-colored sky, wove his way through the streets with a small bag of items secured a bit awkwardly over a shoulder to rest on his back. They navigated the streets past the places filled with laughter and gambling and out to the edge of town. Some might argue that a small kittom carrying a bag away from the more populated areas was an invitation for trouble, so much so that the kittom didn’t notice the pawsteps that wandered after them. Only when they had been walking away from the busy streets and along the docks at the city’s edge did they notice the sound of the paws treading not far behind them.

Sazial, was the kittom’s name, and he was a fairly independent kittom so it was only fair he felt a little suspicious when he realized he was being followed. Quickly he peered over the edge of the dock, seeing it didn’t drop immediately into the water of the lake below. Only a small sandy shore resided below the dock, so he jumped off the dock’s edge with a bit of a rough landing before he quickly skittered beneath the docks. There he could hide where the lake's surface did not reach. He heard footsteps on the dock above and when he thought they had wandered away and all had grown quiet, he started to rummage through his bag, pulling out some shells and baubles. He had been manipulating the sand a bit by using his paws to carve out an image of the tree reflected beneath the water on the beach. Unfortunately when it came time to decorate the sandy image he couldn’t find what he had most hoped to use on the image of Silveil’s elder tree. At least he was starting to mull over his disappointment when suddenly a string of lights dangled down from the dock above. He peered up to let out an abrupt squeak of surprise.

Above him on the dock was fluffy elnin with a mostly white coat of fur and a multitude of tails with dark, yet colorful patterns on them. As Sazial’s eyes adjusted to the light he could make out faint cloud markings on the elnin’s fur and eyes and horns that were each an independent color. Saziel wasn’t guilty of anything, at least he hadn’t stolen the items he brought but he worried a bit about being misunderstood with how he’d been wandering around so cautiously. Maybe it was bad information he had been told that shrine decorating was something one should do alone. As he was thinking about it though the elnin on the docks spoke. “You dropped this in the crowded streets back there. Isn’t it a bit dangerous to wander too far from the city though? The lake is pretty still tonight but a kittom shouldn’t wander off to the docks all alone.” The elnin chided a bit, a friendly expression on their face as they were reminded of some of the interesting tales he had been told when he was younger. The look Sazial gave him was a childish scowl, as though he wouldn’t bother responding to a stranger.

With a shrug, Carnelian dropped the lights fully down to the kittom before admiring the shrine Sazial was crafting. There were some stones at the base of the drawing in the sand and some shells resting in the drawn branches. The lights were actually just jars with some glowing mushrooms placed in a few of them. For the remaining jars, Sazial opened them and dipped them in the water so some of the bioluminescent life that had washed up would fill the small containers. Then he rested the stringed together jars on top of his tree drawing and secured the ends of the rope to the posts holding up the dock.

Satisfied with his work Sazial looked up at the elnin above, begrudgingly accepting a hand from Carnelian in order to clamber back up onto the dock. “You’re a really annoying stranger.” Sazial commented, watching the lake level rise slowly as time went on. He really just wanted to make his shrine in peace but somehow Carnelian must have not thought it was safe so all Sazial could do was let out a small huff. “Well you’re quite the artist.” Carnelian said, as he plopped down, disregarding the unfriendly attempt to make him leave. Together the two watched the shrine in silence and as the water level rose over time, the image of the eldertree drawn in the sand slowly was washed away. Maybe some shrines were meant to last, but not this one.

As the evening went on, the little jars filled with glowing mushrooms and lake life bobbed on the water’s surface, the last peaceful sign of the shrine. Beneath the jars was Silveil’s elder tree, at least the surface that reflected it, and subtle ripples as the jars floated there. The lake’s surface also reflected the stars that could be seen a bit clearer than when Sazial had been in the city. He didn’t know who the stranger was, in fact they never shared names, but even Sazial had to admit it was a better sight to share than enjoy alone. “Thanks for bringing the lights I dropped.” Sazial’s voice quietly piped up. If Carnelian hadn’t shown as much kindness, the shrine wouldn’t have remained as long. Eventually Carnelian offered to help retrieve the rope of lit up jars too, if only to make sure a certain kittom didn’t fall into the lake. It was shallow enough at this point, but the experience would definitely not be pleasant.