Submission (#931) Approved

Word Count: 787
EC Rewards:
6 EC (Completion)
Total: 6 EC

Regional Affinity: Bellmoril
Elnin: G-ELN458 (Lyulf)
https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/780241091/4717695944

New Years is a busy time for most families, and for Lyulf and Valista it was no different. While some areas of Bellmoril had forgone the extravagant New Year’s parties in favor of smaller events, their village still held a huge festival celebrating the bountiful harvest of the last year and praying for another in the coming year. The small village tended to rotate through the members when it came to who sat on the festival committee and this year Valista was head of the whole affair.

   She would take Lyulf to the meetings and as the planned the events, games, and food he listened intently, making sure that he could help run the festival when he got older. As he sat and watched the proceedings, he thought about the adults in the room and how they acted. He had always thought adults were “stuffy” and liked to suck the fun out of everything. But the way they ran the meetings meant everything was organized very nicely and the festival plan was laid out. The meeting was a little boring sure, but there were no conflicts or arguments that came up when talking about where to place vendors or what route the parade should take.

   As Valista and Lyulf walked home, he pondered the world of adults more. As a kid, he had held to the belief that adults made pointless rules and were overly protective. He didn’t want to let go of that quite yet, as most of the adults in his small town were constantly fussing over him as one of the few kittoms in the village.

   “Valista? If I grew up, I’d still be your foster son right? You wouldn’t just leave me...” He turned to his foster mother nervously.

  “What’s gotten into you? Of course, you’d still be my son. I raised you from a kittom. I’m not going to just abandon you because you grew a little bigger. Besides, elnin growth is tied to their internal mana. It could very well be a long time before you become an adult.” She paused, putting a paw to her chin, “Of course, it could also be tomorrow… there really is no way of knowing. You have nothing to worry about though. If for some reason you grow up tomorrow, you can still stay with me as long as you need.”

   She laughed and continued walking down the forest path back to their house. Lyulf trailed behind, looking up at the golden trees of Bellmoril and kicking the piling leaves underfoot. He didn’t understand the appeal to becoming an adult, but everyone seemed to think it was something everyone had to do. If elnin’s growth was connected to their inner mana, then there seemed to be no reason to grow up… after all, it was more fun to be a kid and you could do almost whatever you wanted.

   As he shredded a golden leaf with his small claws he thought about how he would grow up. He knew an elnin growing up was tied to mana, and a lot of prominent scholars believed an elnin’s internal mana could be increased by exploring the various regions on Eyre and exposing themselves to new experiences and new mana. If he ever wanted to grow up, he knew he had to leave his small town and travel the world. But he was worried about Valista. As a member of a species who had traveled through one of the windows to Erye and could leave at any time, she had nothing keeping her here except for Lyulf. He was scared that if he decided to leave and try to grow up, she would do the same in turn. Valista would leave him the house on the hill but would dash off to explore the stars and travel to all the planets she had told him about in her stories.

   “Lyulf? Are you coming sweetheart?” Valista was far ahead on the path now and turned back to her kittom worriedly. Lyulf looked up and ran toward her. He wasn’t going to tell her his plans yet, but maybe soon. Once the festival was over he could take the time to sit down and talk with her. Soon he would leave home and try to grow up. He wanted to explore the world and have just as many adventures as Valista had in her past. And he hoped she would wait for him, in the house on the hill. If she promised to wait for him to grow up and come back, he would bring her all sorts of fascinating trinkets and magical items. Cause he was a good son. And that would never change, no matter how old he was.