Submission (#7983) Approved

High above the waves, far from the sand and soil of the mainland, Ealei brimmed with life, as towers of clouds surrounded the horizon and the air was fresh, carrying the unforgettable scent of the sea. Here, on the massive roots of Yggdrasil; the eldertree said to cradle the very spirit of Eyre itself; no proper ground anchored ones paws. Only bark, wood, stone, and winding roots, twisted and woven together by time and generations of elnins who had made a home in the tree above the waters.

Swaying walkways stretched between branches, dotted with lanterns that glowed faintly at dusk. Moss clung to the bark and tiny glowing insects blinked lazily in and out of sight, dancing between swaying vines, while plumb manaberries made the branches bend under their heavy weight. The gentle hush of waves below mixed with the melodic warbling of birds as night time crept over the island.

And somewhere far beneath, Ealeis waters were filled with light.

Driftwood was the first to lean off the dock, eyes fixed upwards as the first ribbons of color slid through the night sky. Pale pinks, soft golds, a glimmer of seafoam green - all streaking overhead, quiet, but hard to ignore.

“Oh-ho yes!” Driftwood shouted, jumping with excitement. “We’re getting a good one tonight! Look at that one - Red! Red! That one looked like a jellyfish!”

“I’m not sure jellyfish are shaped like strings,” Red said from his spot on the dock, chin resting on his folded paws. His tone was flat, but the edge of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“It’s an artistic interpretation, Red,” Driftwood said proudly, flopping onto his back. “You have to feel the shape.”

Next to them, Yuji chuckled softly. The white elnin had his satchel open, carefully sorting small vials and packets of dried herbs. “They are less vivid than last season,” he murmured. “Softer, too. I think the spirits must be watching from very far tonight, far in the deep.”

Subaru stood nearby on the wooden platform, scanning the horizon, the island, the kittoms. His sleek purple fur reflected faintly in the glow of the storm above. He was silent, as usual, but his presence was steady and grounding. One paw rested lightly against Yuji’s back, a quiet reminder: I’m here. I’m watching. I won’t let anything happen.

Driftwood sat up again, fur fluffed with the humidity. “Okay, Yuji,” he said, eyes sparkling. “Remind me what we’re looking for again? Glowy mushrooms? Sea lettuce? Stars-in-a-jar?”

Yuji smiled patiently. “No, little one. We’re collecting moonbud kelp and silvercap anemones. They only bloom when the light storms appear, and only near the surface.”

Red stood slowly, stretching. “And we’re doing this from a boat?”

Driftwood grinned. “Yes! The water’s calm, it’s warm, and there’s glowy nonsense everywhere. What could go wrong?”

Subaru’s eyes narrowed slightly. Red gave him a flat look. “Don’t answer that.”

[...]

The boat was small, built of polished driftwood and old mangrove roots, with lanterns strung along its rim. It rocked gently in the tide, casting soft glows on the glassy surface of the water.

Below them, the sea was alive.

Kelp forests drifted like ribbons in the current, glowing faintly blue beneath the boat. Colortul fish of all sizes darted in and out of coral towers, their scales reflecting the light storm like living gems. The water was warm, silken, and so clear that even without diving, the seabed seemed only a breath away.

And of course, Driftwood was already in the water.

“I love Ealei,” he declared, floating on his back. “Everything is wet, and alive, and beautiful. It’s like swimming through a warm lullaby.”

Red leaned over the edge, watching the little sea-bubbles Driftwood kicked up. “I don’t think lullabies usually have barnacles.”

“This one does! It’s called ‘The Ballad of Blub the Heroic Kelp Blob’” He spun in place. “Do you want to hear the first verse?”

“No.”

“It goes like this -!!”

“No.”

Yuji laughed from the bow, dipping a long-handled scoop into the water and collecting a silvery, feather-like anemone as it unfurled under the light of a descending beam. The motes of light danced around them on the water’s surface like fallen stars.

“They react to the motes,” Yuji said softly. “See how the petals open wider when the pink ones come close? It’s almost like they’re greeting them.”

“Maybe they are,” Driftwood said from the water. “Maybe they’re old friends. Maybe all these glowing things are just family reuniting in a place the rest of us can’t see.”

Subaru gently placed another moonbud kelp frond into the basket beside Yuji, brushing droplets of water from his fur. “If that’s true,” he murmured, “then Ealei must be where all the long-lost ones come home.”

That thought hushed them all for a moment.

The light storm above continued, streaks of gentle violet and sea-green painting the sky. It was eerie and beautiful all at once.

Driftwood floated close to the boat’s edge, gently humming the melody of his made-up lullaby. “Do you think we’ll ever find out why they vanish into the shadows?”

Yuji looked thoughtful. “Maybe it’s protection. Or reverence.”

“Or maybe they just join all the things lost to the shadows,” Red said, his voice low. “Of old things. Of memories. The light knows better than to disturb them, and instead just joins.”

Subaru nodded once. Yuji quietly reached out and took his paw.

Driftwood looked at Red with wide eyes. “That’s… kind of poetic, actually.”

Red blinked. “I have layers.”

“You’re like an emotional sea-onion.”

“... come closer and I’ll make you cry!”

[...]

Later, the boat drifted lazily back to the dock, the basket full of softly glowing sea flora. Driftwood was wrapped in a damp towel, fur puffed out in every direction, grinning up at the others while kicking his feet.

Red was toweling his ears with slow precision. “If you don’t dry off properly, you’re going to smell like sea pickles tomorrow.”

Driftwood dramatically collapsed backward. “I am a sea pickle, Red. I’ve become one with the reef.”

Yuji was already tucking their collected herbs into labeled containers. The glow of the storm still flickered overhead and the docks lanterns painted soft, golden halos on the planks.

Subaru leaned quietly against a mangrove trunk, one arm slung around Yuji, watching the stars dance above the branches of Yggdrasil. From their perch, they could see more boats scattered in the distance - tiny flickers of light in the endless black sea.

Driftwood rolled closer to Red, resting his chin on his friend’s tail. “Hey.”

Red didn’t look down. “Hm?”

“Thanks for coming out here with me. I know you don’t love boats. Or glowing sea lettuce. Or me yelling about string-shaped jellyfish.”

Red’s tail twitched. “I tolerate all of those things.”

“Even me?”

A pause.

“…Especially you.”