Submission (#7687) Approved

During a perfectly normal outing on a perfectly normal day in a perfectly normal part of the forest of Kyendi that Sohail has so often visited, he came across something… not so perfectly normal. 

He’d heard rumors of these things appearing here and there across Eyre, but hadn’t yet had the “pleasure” of coming across one himself. And suddenly, here it was, directly in the middle of the path he’d taken daily for almost a month, the very last time before he was to leave Kyendi: an egg.

A mysterious, stone-colored, grass-coated egg.

No one seemed to have any real idea what they actually even were, which really frustrated him. He hated not knowing things. Honestly, he had half a mind to try cracking it open and making a meal of it- that way, it’d at least be useful and not an irritating enigma. But even not dare mess with the fey, the ones believed to be responsible for the things. 

Speaking of the fey… as he stood and stared upon the lone egg in center of his path, he felt the eerie sense of being watched. Almost as if the eyes of the forest were upon him, waiting for what he might do next. The fey are populous here; many a nin have entered the thick, winding jungles of this land and never returned. Though it never bothered him before, the thought now made his fur stand on end. 

So, he grudgingly scooped the egg up into his sack and continued on his trek.

It was a bit risky, travelling into the edges of Kyendi this later in the year, but he had a mission to accomplish before the season’s end. He was deep down the peninsula of rounded hills and dense forest that extended beyond the region’s mainland and wrapped around Faerindell, looking for something that only existed on the very tip. And now, he thought ruefully, he’s got an unwanted stowaway.

When the sun dipped below the mountain peaks and casts even more darkness upon the already heavily shadowed jungle, he decided it was time to set up camp. He took a look around his surroundings: above, the canopy shook lightly in the wind. Beyond it, he could just barely make out the misty tops of the mountains. Behind him, there was a creek that separated into many smaller streams and drizzled down the tired rocks of the uneven landscape. 

As he pondered the best spot to settle down, his Pomu emerged from his shadow. He chirped happily as he stretched his arms and shook out his feathers, happy to be settling down for the night. Pffft, as if he did any of the work walking here, Sohail thought wryly. Instinctively, the little familiar set to work going in and out of Sohail’s large backpack and pulling out all the essentials: bedding, food, sticks and cloth for the makeshift shelter, and putting it all together. He’s helpful with that, at least. Once he had assembled an acceptable lodging, he came up and stood expectantly in front of Sohail. The kittom squinted at him for a moment, before sighing and reaching a paw out to ruffle his head. The Pomu swirled with glee, making more delighted chirps and leaning up into his paw. It almost got a chuckle out of him, but he held it down, instead allowing the corners of his mouth to lift slightly. As if taking that as a personal challenge, the Pomu suddenly pushed his body into Sohail’s, rubbing against him like an affectionate cat. The surprise of it got the cough of a laugh he was looking for, and he prattled off, satisfied. 

Shaking his head in exasperation, Sohail noticed the egg settled carefully among his pillows. His eyebrows furrowed. Why would the Pomu put it there? It can stay in the bag. When he went to grab it and put it away, an unexpected feeling of warmth came over him as his paw made contact. It was… weirdly comforting but also annoying. He doesn’t care for this egg… no, not at all. He was never good at taking care of things.

He tapped his foot against the ground impatiently. What did the thing even need? Warmth? Water? Sunlight? He glanced at his Pomu as if he would have answers, but the thing was curled up in his own bed and snoring loudly. Figures.

He paced uncharacteristically back and forth. What if it was already too late? Was he supposed to do something to keep it alive and just didn’t? He didn’t know why he was getting so worked up over it, but it was seriously bothering him. He touched the egg again- it was cold. Was that bad?? 

He took his blanket and put it over the egg. Wait, what if it needed air? He took it off. But it could still be cold… He settled for gently placing the egg on its side and tucking it in with the blanket partially over it. Okay, that’s probably good… right?

There’s also the fact of its earthy nature. Was it like a plant and share a plant’s needs, or did plants just happen to grow on it? Thinking, he took a cloth and trotted over to the nearby stream. Once he got it wet, he went back to the egg and stuck his paw out as if to squeeze the water onto it, but hesitated. What if the egg hates water? Would it hurt it? He went back and forth in his egg for several moments before deciding to just gently rub the egg with the damp cloth instead.

He tossed the rag aside and sighed. What was he doing? His eyelids began to droop; there was no use worrying about it anymore. He’d done all he could. With one last heavy sigh, he settled onto his pillow around the stupid egg and let himself drift off to sleep.