Submission (#7590) Approved

Early morning in Ealei could be quite wondrous to behold; three kittoms had gathered in the early morning mist clinging to the spreading branches of Yggdrasil with baskets in paw. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, tinting the mist faintly pink. The first kittom, sporting deep slate blue fur with patterns of gold, glanced around her small group and grinned. 

"Don't forget to check that they're safe to eat." Rozen cautioned, holding up her basket. Inside rested a bit of thickly knit burlap, a piece of paper rolled into a tube, and a glowing stone. The other two kittoms nodded, showing off their own makeshift candling items. The second kittom, the purple and white Persephone, gave a nervous smile and replied, "Lani said she'd show me how to check, but can you really see if there's a baby inside?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. 

Rozen nodded towards Lani, the last kittom of the trio, whose fur was a rich carpet of cobalt blue. Lani calmly explained, "When you find a nest, cover it with the burlap and use the tube and glowstone to check an egg. If you can see a dark blotch, it means the egg is too far along, we can't use it for baking. If the egg looks pink or only has slight dark lines in the light, it means it's safe to take." 

The three kittoms were planning to bake a variety of desserts, but they needed eggs. Even though Ealei had a market where they could buy eggs that had already been gathered, Rozen was adamant that they should gather the eggs themselves. "Remember, even if you find a nest with good eggs, don't take them all. We only need a dozen to make everything, and we don't want to hurt the birds." Rozen cautioned her friends.

The three younglings set off, crossing a rope bridge that linked Yggdrasil to surrounding stone spires. The rocky cliffs were perfect for terns and other large sea birds to nest, all they had to do was carefully examine ideal facets and spot the messy nests from below or above. Rozen was surprised at how windy the spire was, compared to the dense branches of Yggdrasil it was very different to feel the full force of the wind at her back. The three kittoms gleeful exploring quickly became serious; all of them wordlessly acknowledged why the adults normally only allowed the kits to help point out the nests. Climbing the sheer cliff was much scarier than they had expected. Behind and above them, adult elnin maneuvered themselves with experienced grace - they allowed the kits to continue gathering eggs but kept close by to prevent accidents. Allowing them to be independent while not abandoning them: this was the elnin caretaker role.  

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"Maybe buying them is better..." Rozen sighed in defeat as she and her friends returned to the solid foundation of Yggdrasil. Lani's eyes were tense, and Persephone was chewing on her paw anxiously. Between the fierce winds and slippery moss-covered rocks, the trio had suffered several heart-pounding moments while gathering eggs. They had each spied nearby adults watching with amused grins, but knowing they were not in any real danger didn’t change how scared they felt. Shaking off their tremors, the kittoms pushed their baskets together each called out how many eggs they had acquired. “Eleven.” Lani announced the grand total with relief. Most of the eggs were quite large, so she was confident they could split some and still make all the goodies they planned. 

“Let’s meet at my place after we get cleaned up.” Rozen was desperate to clean the muck from between her toes and lay down for a bit to rest. Lani and Persephone quickly agreed, leaving their baskets in Rozen’s care. Rozen slowly made her way up through the canopy to a line of open-air cabins where she stayed. The branches of Yggdrasil had been carefully trimmed and guided to form sturdy walls, and plants had been encouraged to grow in the spaces between to create a modestly private bower. 

Rozen set the egg baskets on the counter and removed the eggs, double checking each to be sure there wouldn’t be any issues. She finished by setting them in a single basket and turning towards the bathroom. “Chirru?” a curious chirp sounded near her feet. Rozen glanced down where her Pomu, Mai, was holding an object slightly larger than its body. ‘Oh. Right, I forgot! I wanted to ask Lani and Persephone about this…’ Rozen leaned down and scooped up the strange egg-shaped item. It was pale green like the underside of a leaf with strange markings and a cord tied around it, but it smelled…fresh? Rozen couldn’t place the scent, but she didn’t want to leave Mai waving it around any longer. Rozen decided to put the object in one of the leftover baskets, nestled in the burlap. Her friends would be coming over a bit later, so she decided to leave it where she would see it this time. That way, she wouldn’t forget to ask if they knew anything about the strange item. Satisfied with the basket of eggs for baking on one side and the egg-like object in a separate basket on the other, Rozen hurried off to get herself clean. After her bath, Rozen was so relaxed she collapsed into a pile of cushions and quickly passed out. 

 --- 

“Ro-Ro~!” Persephone sang brightly as she entered Rozen’s private bower. Persephone grinned as she spotted Rozen’s legs poking out from a pile of cushions. Ears twitching, Persephone could hear her friend’s uneven snoring. One paw twitched and stretched before twisting the other way. Clearly, Rozen was quite comfortably asleep, and it wouldn’t do for Persephone to wake her up yet. Mai hopped up to Persephone, chirping back at the greeting. “Hey, Mai!” Persephone tilted her head. “Well, if Ro-Ro is napping, what say you and I bake some cookies as snacks for later?”  Mai danced in response, rocking her feathery arms and tail to express excitement at the word snack. 

Persephone approached the small kitchen counter where she found the eggs they had gathered. She picked through them, selecting the smallest ones since her cookie dough was more forgiving than the cakes Lani and Rozen planned to make. As she organized utensils and ingredients for the cookies, Persephone noticed an egg three times the size of the ones they had collected sitting on the other side of the counter. Impressed, Persephone picked it up and put it in her bowl of ingredients. It was odd looking, but the size would easily equal all the egg she needed – then the small eggs could be used to balance out the larger eggs. Proud of herself, Persephone continued to organize and started building the fire in the small wood stove. It would take time for the fire to calm down while keeping the proper temperature, so Persephone decided to pick through extra ingredients – dried fruits, nuts, spices, and so forth while also considering what shapes she would make. 

At the door, Lani staggered inside under a pile of books and tins. “Rozen, can you give me a hand?” Lani called from behind the impressive stack she carried. Persephone rushed over. “Ro-Ro is asleep, don’t yell!” she admonished, quickly taking half of Lani’s burden. Lani laughed – baking together had been Rozen’s idea, and yet she was asleep? Absolutely not. Lani dropped her books beside the door and stomped over to the pile of cushions where Rozen’s toes were sticking up. Lani pinched the soft toe beans, which immediately flailed wildly. “WAAH!” Rozen yelped as she fought to sit upright, thrashing until she reached the floor and stood up. “What was that for?!” Rozen pouted. She glanced around, noting the slant of the sunlight streaming through the branches meant it was much, much later than they had agreed – which also meant she was the only one who overslept. 

Lani and Persephone laughed as Rozen walked over to join them – the oven was even lit. Just how long was she out? Rozen’s eyes widened as she spotted the egg-like object in Persephone’s paw, hovering over the edge of a bowl. “NO, nononono, wait!” Rozen jumped and grabbed the bowl before Persephone could hit the object against the rim. Persephone blinked in surprise but didn’t put down the egg. 

“What’s wrong, Rozen? Is that bowl dirty? Is it Mai’s bathtub?” Lani’s eyes were on the bowl Rozen had snatched, while Persephone shrugged and reached for another bowl. 

“Guys please, wait! That’s not an egg – I think. I mean, it’s not for cooking with, at least.” Rozen hurriedly stopped Persephone’s next movement aimed at smashing the strange egg. Persephone looked at the egg in her hand and at Rozen. 

“I see. I did think it was weird that it’s decorated, but I kind of assumed Mai did it while you were asleep.” Persephone was awfully casual about it. 

Stressed, Rozen repeated, “Please put it back, I put it in a different basket so I could ask you guys what you thought it was. So, you do think it’s an egg, even though the shell feels so different than other eggs? I found it exactly like that, with the ribbon and everything.” Rozen explained how she found the object and that she thought it was enchanted. She did not tell them she also thought it was alive in some way and liked her quite a bit. 

Persephone tilted her head as she adjusted her opinion of the egg from food to treasure. She cradled it with both paws and examined it more closely. Slowly turning it, Persephone nodded. “I still think it’s an egg. I thought you or Mai added the cord, but it’s not terribly uncommon for birds to wrap their eggs in leaves when they leave them… Especially if it’s a type that leaves often or for long journeys, like the Luliria bird.” Persephone was fond of bird facts and explained the Luliria was a medium-large seabird that built a basket of twigs and leaves to carry its eggs from one nest to another, only leaving it unattended briefly when diving for fish. 

Lani moved in to examine the egg as well, tracing her paw over the engraved swirl. “I think it’s more likely to be a seed. The markings are too uniform and smooth to be an egg – even star-pock eggs are erratic in the star-shaped bumps when they lay. It’s so unique though… maybe it’s a seed for a world tree? No one has ever seen one before, that we know of, so maybe this is what they look like. It would explain why it gives off such a strange energy and why it feels like stone – it might be extremely hardy and dormant, waiting for the right conditions to sprout.” 

Rozen was uneasy with both her friends’ assessments, but they were at least as speculative as her own opinion. On the one paw, she had hoped one of her friends would know exactly what it was and tell her about the animal or plant it came from. On the other, both having incredible, even impossibly fantastic, guesses as to its origin made her feel a bit less crazy that she herself thought it had at least some kind of sentience. For one thing, the rather pleasant odor it usually emitted when Mai or Rozen handled it had given way to a different odor, almost as though the object was objecting to someone else handling it. 

The trio placed the strange egg back in the basket and Rozen moved it to a safe corner of her room, away from the oven and counter where the three proceeded to bake cookies and cake, with enough eggs left over for Rozen to have an omelet for breakfast the next day. In the corner, the egg seemed to quietly pulse with joy, unnoticed by the kittoms but enjoying their friendly atmosphere.