Submission (#7) Approved

Wick breathed in the crisp Kyendi air. It wouldn’t be long now before the miasma kept him restricted to the indoors. It was early in the day yet and Wick had slipped out of the house with Mallow in tow while Hanami slept in. They needed ideas for what to dress up in for the masquerade. There was no way Wick would miss it and his guardian Kormir had already heard an earful from the kittom about wanting to go. Walking down the streets of the town nestled in the thick forests of Kyendi vendors were advertising more than just food in the market.

Colorful fabrics and masks hung from stalls. Wick guessed some were left over from this year’s Starfall Faire but maybe adjusted slightly to fit the season. He itched to get his paws on a mask though. Admiring one stall in particular he scowled as the price far exceeded his allowance. There were so many colorful masks though. He pondered what would fit his fur well while Mallow stared equally in awe of the variation but perhaps with a little less interest in bringing one home. When Mallow began staring at his paws Wick knew he was in deep thought about something though and of course Wick’s strong desire to pry won out over biting his tongue.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked his eyes flitting from the masks to the other kittom. Mallow simply swished his tail for a moment, formulating a response before he settled on one. “Well I was wondering what ingredients they use for the paints.” He said with more interest. It was very like Mallow to think about such things. If it involved some plant then it was likely Mallow would have his paws in on it. Wick simply shook his head giving the masks one last longing glance before they headed home.

Kormir had bought them some supplies to make their costumes, though the mask Wick had received was quite plain. “You can decorate it.” He parroted his guardian’s word’s with a bit of annoyance as a paw pushed the blank mask away. Gazing out the window Wick watched the mist hang on the horizon and thought about the floating islands where he would meet Aisling later to scamper off to the masquerade with. Surely she had found a lovely mask already. Wick couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

Behind him he heard Mallow rummaging through a closet of the plants the kittom had a habit of collecting. Wick was confused for a moment before wandering over to watch the other kittom work. Crushing different plants and grinding them into fine powders Mallow would add some other ingredients to create all sorts of colors in small dishes. Soon the array of stains and paints was complete. Wick would have told the other he did not need so many colors if it were not for the fact Mallow had a blank mask to decorate too. Wick adjusted a few pieces and coated his mask in a white base. He wanted something that suited him so much like his fur he colored the mask white with soft yellow markings.

There was one golden paint too that Mallow had crushed something into to make it sparkle a bit. Wick had decided from looking at the booth’s many masks earlier he would go with a striped tiger-like pattern for his mask. He donned it before turning to Mallow. “What do you think?” He asked proudly to the other kittom whose paws were full of paint.

Mallow blinked at first but seemed to draw a conclusion. “It could be better.” He said flatly causing Wick’s jaw to drop behind the mask, his expression insulted. Mallow was surprisingly forward and while he usually appreciated that quality right now it stung a bit. “What do you mean it could be better?” Wick grumbled, an edge to his tone making it a bit sharp. He watched as Mallow walked over to the window. Wick thought for a moment the other kittom might just be ignoring him to go look at the mountain scape but instead the other drew the blinds shut. In the dim lighting of the last few beams of light leaking into the room Mallow once again returned to his closet. Out he pulled a piece of paper splattered with something that glowed like stars.

“This is what’s missing.” He concluded. Wick cast his mask aside for a moment, his eyes wide as they looked at the glowing paint. His interest was immediately captured. “How did you make this?” He asked, whiskers twitching as he waited for a response. “There’s a plant that causes this effect. Usually it’s grown in Enmir but I planted some here to see if I could reproduce the conditions it grows in. We would have to go pick more.” He explained after mentioning he had run out testing it. Wick swiftly moved to grab a bag to store the plants in and tugging Mallow by the scruff a bit he demanded they hurry. There would only be so much time before he had to go to meet his other friend.

When they got outside Mallow led the way. The vegetation was thick and overgrown along the path that Wick thought for a moment they might just be getting lost in a forest. He followed Mallow across some stones and under a path beneath one of Kyendi’s many waterfalls. The stones were cold and he nearly slipped a few times but eventually they arrived in a small area. Some dirt and moss had been situated in this place and a few plants were growing clustered together among others Mallow must have been trying to grow. The conditions were somewhat like Enmir. The cave had a warmth in it possibly due to being sheltered from the mountain winds and perhaps a hot spring ran nearby. The dampness and humidity were about right despite the waterfall scenery they had passed. Not all of the plants seemed to be fruitful though. One still looked too young to harvest, Mallow explained, while the other he had picked some of the fruit it bore recently. A small bit of fruit caught his eye though, nestled almost hidden entirely amongst the remaining leaves.

“This should do but we’ll have to use it sparingly.” He said. Wick who was not usually too careful seemed serious though. He was invested in this project and now would settle for no less. His mask had to glow. They arrived back home only to get swept off to dinner. Kormir raised a brow at Wick choking down his noodles and the occasional uncomfortable expression Mallow got on his face as he was kicked in the shin to hurry up. “Let Mallow eat.” Kormir warned though he could see the wait was grinding at Wick.

A little later Mallow finally finished and they hurried back to the room with the other paints. Mallow mixed up the new ingredient into a dish and it formed almost a clear paste, just ever so slightly tinted yellow. Applying it to the stripes they let it dry and hid in the closet to verify it glowed. Mallow dotted his own mask with some of the leftovers to add a neat patterned effect before he saw Wick off. Across the rocky pathways Wick had to be careful as they shifted to dirt and lush undergrowth. He got to the islands and jumped down to cross one and spot his friend in the distance. “Aisling let’s go! I have to show you my tiger mask. It will be even cooler tonight!” He boasted before hurriedly leading the way back towards the spot Kormir had told them to wait. The noble elnin would escort them to the masquerade just as soon as he finished getting dressed himself.