Submission (#7474) Approved

Yiling ran down the wooden path that snaked through the outskirts of the village, his small paws kicking up dust as he ran; a telltale sign that no one in a long time had been down here. The path was on the lower levels of Yggdrasil, the giant elder tree of Ealei. A little tucked away, almost hidden among the giant roots.

The setting sun was casting long shadows across the roots, and the scent of the nearby salt water was carried in the evening breeze all the way to the village. The sun reflected onto the bay below, making it shimmer and sparkle with golden hues. Everything was tinted golden, pink and orange. Yilings bright white reflected the golden sun as he approached his destination: an old, abandoned fishing hut that had sat forgotten for years…maybe even decades.
The villagers had talked about the hut in hushed tones, telling stories of creaky floors and mysterious sounds at night. Stories around the dinner table at the Inn, and whispers he overheard when he visited the market with Li Hua.
Unlike him though, Li Hua was not too interested in exploring spooky and dusty old buildings. “No thank you, I can live without cobwebs in my fur”, he said and turned on his heels when Yiling had told him about it.

Oh well. His loss.

Yiling grinned as he skidded to a halt in front of the building that was almost falling apart, his short tail twitching with excitement and swishing from side to side.

“Let’s see what all the fuss is about,” he said aloud and looked around, before he puffed out his chest and pushed the door open without a second thought. The wooden frame groaned under the pressure as it swung inward and revealed the dark room. Inside, the air was stale and smelled of old wood and saltwater, mixed with a faint mustiness from the years of neglect. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the wooden boards, casting flickering golden patterns on the floor. Glittering dust motes danced in the beams of light and the entire hut seemed to creak as if it were waking up from a long sleep, welcoming the first visitor it had in years.

Yiling scanned the room, amped up with excitement. The atmosphere was a little spooky, sure, but Yiling wasn’t one to be scared easily. In fact, the feeling of anticipation only made his fur bristle in delight. Without any more hesitation, the kittom darted inside, barely stopping to look around before his natural curiosity took over. The floorboards groaned even under his light weight, but the young one hardly noticed as he slinked from corner to corner, navigating the cramped space with ease.

An old fishing net, tangled and frayed, hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly in the breeze that slipped through the cracks in the walls. Yiling bounced over to it, pawing at the netting, his mind racing with ideas. “Ohhh… wait a minute. I could totally use this for a trap or something,” he mused to himself. Maybe his mom could help him fix it? It would be a waste to leave it, when Ealei offered such a variety of uses for a net here. He could fish for so many different things in the ocean…!

But he was getting ahead of himself - there was still more to see.

On a dusty table in the corner was a series of old, rusted fishing tools; hooks, a weathered knife, and a few wooden bobbers. Yiling walked up to the table, his paws sending a cloud of dust into the air. He sneezed, shaking his head, and then leaned in to inspect the tools, his tail flicking eagerly behind him.

“Look at this old stuff,” he murmured, before picking up a rusty hook carefully. “Bet these could still catch something if you knew what you were doing.” He grinned, even though he didn’t actually know how to fish with hooks - yet. They planned on staying in Ealei a while longer, so he had plenty of time to learn.

As he explored further, Yiling noticed something sparkling in the back corner of the room, half-buried under a pile of old fishing crates. His ears perked up and he ran over to examine it further.

“What’ve we got here?”

He dug through the crates, his paws moving fast, sending wood and old ropes scattering across the floor until finally, he uncovered it: a small, intricately carved wooden box, covered in dust but otherwise intact. The carvings were of waves and tiny fish, swirling around the edges of the box, plated in gold foil that was slowly peeling off due to the years sitting in the hut, being semi-exposed to the elements.

Yiling’s eyes sparkled as he pulled the box free, his tail twitching even faster now. “Now this looks interesting.”

He sat back, carefully lifting the lid. Inside was something completely unexpected; a small glass bottle, sealed with a cork, with something shimmering inside. Yiling tilted his head, trying to figure out what it was. The liquid inside seemed to glow faintly, catching the last of the evening sunlight. It was almost… magical.
“… What is this?” he wondered, turning the bottle over in his paws. Maybe it was some kind of potion? A spell? … Or maybe a treasure from one of the fishermen who used to live here? His imagination ran wild with possibilities.

“I bet no one’s seen this in years! Li Hua will be so excited when I show him!” Yiling said, standing up and holding the bottle high as if it were a trophy. And in a sense it was - a trophy for being brave, for exploring the abandoned building all by himself! Almost like a grown up.

But just as he was about to pocket the bottle, he heard a faint sound; a soft, rhythmic tapping, like something tapping against the window. His ears perked up, and he spun around, the fur on the back of his neck standing up - with excitement rather than fear.

Something new?

...Someone new?

Alas - at the window, a branch, heavy with manaberries, gently tapped against the glass, its leaves rustling in the breeze. For a moment, Yiling laughed at himself and almost felt disappointed. "Just a branch," he said, shrugging it off. But that small thrill of mystery lingered in the air. Yggradsil was sending its regards….

Clutching the bottle to his chest, Yiling took one last look around the hut. The old walls, the forgotten fishing gear, the dusty floor, it all felt like part of some grand, untold story. And Yiling, of course, was right in the middle of it. He could feel it in his bones. There were secrets here, things long forgotten, and now it was up to him to uncover them. …next time!

With a final grin, he tucked the bottle into his small satchel and walked toward the door. He pushed it open and stepped out into the fresh evening air. The village lights were just starting to flicker in the distance. It was time to go back to the Inn; his mother and Li Hua were probably waiting with dinner for him. And he was eager to tell them all about his adventure. Maybe…just maybe… he could convince Li Hua to join him next time.
As he trotted back down the path, tail held high, he glanced over his shoulder at the hut, feeling a strange sense of pride. It might have been abandoned, but for a moment, it had felt like the center of the world to him.

And who knew what other treasures might still be hiding in there?