Submission (#2769) Approved

Ashe huffed and puffed, their little face screwed up in effort. The cart of apples they were hauling didn’t budge. They sat on the ground, pouting. Lux, their mother, laughed as she came up beside them, taking the handles of the cart and easily pushing it onwards down the path. “How about you help Sol with his baskets?” she said, her melodic voice drifting back towards Ashe, who was now full on lying on the ground. 

Ashe stared up at the canopy of red, orange, and gold leaves. Like most days in Bellmoril, the weather was crisp; a brisk breeze rustled the trees in their fiery regalia. The carts of apples they were hauling were bound for somewhere far less pleasant; the icy plains and sharp peaks of Strynhalde. However, the small family would not have to go that far, luckily... goodness, that was most of the way across Eyre! No, they were simply taking the apples as far as the well-trodden safe paths permitted before handing them off to adventurers to transport to the coast. So Ashe was able to at least try to enjoy the autumn colors and distant mountain landscapes fully knowing that soon enough they’d be back safe in their bed. 

Finally, they rolled over and hauled themself to their paws. They trudged over to Sol, still grumpy from their inability to pull the entire cart. The scrawny yellow kittom had dropped his basket of apples in order to better chase orange-and-red leaves as they drifted to the ground. Sol trotted to meet them, smiling around a mouth full of leaves.

“You’re supposed to be helping, not leaf-catching,” Ashe griped, picking up both Sol’s discarded basket and their own and hefting them onto their back. 

“Pbbbttt!” Sol spat out his leaves, which drifted around an unamused Ashe’s face. “Lighten up, Ashe! When else will we get a chance to see what things are like so far from the village?” He asked, prancing about. 

“I guess,” Ashe said. Truth be told, they did like the red-and-gold Bellmoril forest, filled with the rustle of leaves and chirping birds. “It’s a little scary, though, being so far from home. Especially if winter is on its way. Aren’t you afraid of the miasma?”

Sol thought about this, pausing mid-prance. “I guess not? We should be safe on the paths. And we’ll be back with time to spare. These apples, though, they still have a long way to go.”

Ashe frowned. “I hope they make it to Strynhalde in time, then,” they said, frowning and shifting the baskets on their back uncomfortably. They took a determined breath and strode forward with renewed effort, trying to catch up with Lux. 

“Hey!” Ashe shouted as Sol grabbed an apple from their basket. “That’s not allowed,” they pouted, though they made no move to stop their rambunctious friend for fear of upsetting their baskets. 

“I’m just helping to lighten your load for you!” Sol said with a wink, taking a crunchy bite of ‘his’ apple. “Otherwise you might not make it in time.” He nimbly dodged a swat from Ashe, still burdened under both theirs and Sol’s little portion of the harvest.

“Come, little ones!” Lux called suddenly, pausing to set her cart down. “The clearing up ahead has a great view of the eldertree.”

The kittoms stopped squabbling and hurried to catch up with her. They gasped as the eldertree came fully into view. Where before, they could only see the golden tops of the leaves when they craned their necks, in the space between the forest trees they could now see the massive, pure white trunk and branches that looked like they arched into infinity.

“Best take the view in,” Lux sighed dreamily, gazing up at the great tree. “When winter comes, we’ll have to be indoors again for some time.”

Ashe and Sol groaned in unison. They weren’t keen on spending months inside learning how to do hair (for another entire winter) with Rhea.

The three of them sat together for a few moments, gazing at the Eldertree. Then, they hefted their packs of harvest goods once more and continued onwards, thinking of future adventures, the coming winter, and most of all, the warm beds that awaited them at the end of their journey.