[Gift] [💼 A morning in a busy city (24) 💼]

The small body wakes up with the first glimmer of light through the window of the city alcove. This morning is a special day: the Solstice lies ahead, an event that even the kazuli feel as something important, though they can't always explain why. The city around wakes up with a distinctive noise: the rumble of traffic, the roll call of birds on rooftops, and the sound of water running through the grooves along the streets.

Adiantum stretches out his supple body, feeling the slight shiver that reminds them of the need for a morning routine. Their morning begins with tending to the plants, a small garden growing right on the windowsill. Gardens in the homes of the kazuli are not just a decoration, but part of everyday life and being. Without this ritual, the day feels empty, as if something is missing.

When the plants are nourished and hydrated, Adiantum goes outside, passing through many mazes of walls and fences until they reach a small corner with a spring bursting out of a rocky wall. Other kazulis begin to congregate around it. They meet here every morning - silently or with quiet whispering. Some come to “watch” the town, others to savor the morning dew or simply to greet the day together. Our baby, on the other hand, stands in the shadow of the wall and listens to the sound of the water and the voices of other creatures. Although it doesn't always participate in these conversations, the presence of other kazulies creates a sense of coziness.

Today, things look a little different. There is a sense of tension in the air, of anticipation. Adiantum knows it is because of the Solstice. Returning home later than usual, the kazuli notices how the city is beginning to prepare for this long day. Garlands appear on the streets, and plumiies raise light structures that will be lit up for days and nights to come.

Polar day arrives and the sky, unusually bright this time, fills everything around with light. Kazulis slow their movements, as if absorbing the light into their bodies, and stand not far from their bigger brothers. Adiantum feels this light pass through, filling with a new sense of life.

The celebration continues, but unlike the plumii, for the original inhabitants of this planet it is quiet, almost intimate. Kazuli do not hold noisy feasts, their celebration is about connecting with nature, with each other, and with themselves. Adiantum returns home, tired but happy. It waters its plants again, saying something quiet, almost indistinguishable to them.

The long day ends smoothly. Casualty curls up on the soft bedding, feeling the light left in him slowly fade away, leaving room for the new. Tomorrow a new year will begin, and our kazuli will greet it with the same sense of peace and gratitude.