Son of Sand and Ocean

It was only a few weeks ago that Kai had arrived to Bellmori by decision of his father who wanted him to study in one of the prestigious academies of Il'durahn. Kai will never forget what it was like to land in the city's great harbor: not a single grain of sand, instead the ground was made of stone. The variety of products traded was incredibly superior to that of Palu'au: not only were there the ships exporting and importing fruit, fish or jewelry, but there were also furniture, books, furs, rare ingredients, crystals... Kai kept looking here and there, also surprised by the number of elnin in the port doing business. Everything felt more refreshing compared to the tranquility and happiness of Palu'au. There was also less joy, more haste, more... anxiety?

Il'durahn could never have shown up in Kai's dreams either. Houses and dwellings that stood at least two floors high, nothing to envy from the one floor cabins that Kai was used to. Stone houses that were sure to stand up to any kind of weather, houses with wooden beams from sturdy trees, no palms or bushes. The flowers hanging from the balconies were not the typical hibiscus, the streets were more delicate but also colorful, with elnin and other creatures passing by, everyone had something to do or was enjoying a hot drink and a book.

The autumn itself painted the leaves of countless ancient trees on the academy campus, as well as creating a carpet of leaves in the colors of the rising sun. The buildings seemed to be containing ancient wisdom with thick walls over which vines climbed, giving the impression that they were trying to swallow the rock and bury all that knowledge.

Kai barely knew about the conversation the senior elnin had with his father, as he could not shake his amazement combined with the feeling of not belonging there. It was not long after his father kissed him in the forehead and wished him best luck when he was taken to his new bedroom. Kai received instructions about when to eat, when to return, when to start school and a thousand other things that Kai was grateful were written on paper. His first night was quite hard, as it was the next and the next. Kai slept with his favorite shell attached to his ear. Eventually he got used to the sound of the crimson leaves fluttering around instead of the whispers of the sea.

The beginning of the school year, getting used to the campus and learning to read were very hard months with Kai, but gradually he was learning and adapting. Do you know that at first he took shelter in the autumn parks so that nobody would bother him while he tried to catch up up with his classmates? Well, this story takes place in one of those escapades, which although Kai doesn't know it yet, it would be the beginning of his path in life:

Kai had waited for the rain to stop, watching through the small window of his room to go out to one of the parks within the campus boundaries. With his books on his shoulders, he walked out of the residence building. The raindrops could barely be heard hitting the ground. There were still puddles here and there in the road, so he spent most of the time dodging or jumping over them. At the entrance to the park there was a gigantic stone arch, hardly concealing the lushness and abundance of crimson and amber trees behind it.

Kai continued walking almost on automatic pilot. Inside the park the path was barely visible, for absolutely everything was covered with leaves that had perished after the continuous rain and winds of the past few days. There was still some time to go before Kai would have to leave the path and go into the forest of trees where his favourite trunk was, where he could study without interruption. He was not particularly keen on stepping on the wet ground, but perhaps the blanket of fallen leaves would keep his paws from getting too wet. Suddenly, through the corner of his eye, thanks to the countless hours of fishing, he caught a glimpse of a carp jumping just above the surface of the water. To his left was a fountain. A marble fountain. A wonderful marble fountain. It was decorated with marble vines that seemed to want to climb to the top of the fountain, where water was supposed to emanate if not for leaf litter and dust blocking it. Kai looked out at the bowl where the water from the fountain was stagnant. Its diameter was such that its entire class could fit into it. But... He saw it again. And again. In the fountain lived a small bank of white carp speckled with the same colours as the leaves of the trees that sheltered the park. The worst thing is that they were barely visible. Why? A thick layer of fallen leaves covered the surface of the water. Leaves everywhere. The carps were barely getting any oxygen through the leaf cover and were not getting any clean water either. The storm must have clogged up the fountain. Kai knew the only gardener who took care of the park, but he had heard that he was in bed these days recovering from a cold. So no one had checked the condition of the fountain recently. Kai didn't think twice about it. These carps didn't have much time left if he didn't do something. 

The fountain was very tall, and the marble dampened by the rain seemed an impossible challenge for a small kittom with nothing but calligraphy books on hand. He looked around until it hit him: he ran to a fallen branch, and with it in his mouth he carefully stepped into the fountain. With his wet feet it was going to be even harder to climb, but he managed to keep his balance on one of the statues that decorated the fountain at half height. The branch was quite long, and Kai began the maneuver of trying to release the water with it. The little boy fell into the water several times, but in the end... He succeeded, falling straight down one last time. A crystal-clear stream of water washed over his head. Kai smiled and proceeded to clean the pool from fallen leaves. In just a short time, the carps had regained their vitality. Kai stared at them for a long time as he finished drying. He was extremely happy to have been able to help them, and water and fish made him feel closer to home.

When Kai wanted to resume his journey into the forest he realized that most of the afternoon had passed, so he should return to his room soon. The little boy sighed and smiled. It had been worth it. And with one last look at the fountain and to the carps, he began his journey back.