Spring Sweep in bellmoril

The breeze felt cool on Calcifer's black, red and gold back. His golden veins and small spots glowed in the shade of a tree that almost mirrored his colouration. Gold, amber, rouge and burgundy. All the colours of autumn, yet it was nowhere near the season for most of the Eyre. Bellmoril, such an odd place! But... it does have some lovely scenery. Cal thought to himself as he closed his sunset coloured eyes and leaned into his shovel, enjoying this short respite before he had to go back to helping weed, and plant for the annual spring season. 'Come along and meet my partners in Bellmoril' Dad had said. 'It'll be fun and you'll get to see more of the Eyre' he had said. 'I promise it'll be a nice, relaxing time' he had said. Well, Dad, this is anything BUT lazing about. Calcifer thought, sighing as he felt his pomu, Sparky, pull on his leg to get moving again.
"Alright, alright, Sparks, I'm moving already!" Cal grumbled, stretching and rolling his head around his maned shoulders before, pulling the shovel out of the ground and getting back to digging out the weeds from the soil.

His family had been staying at a local Bellmorin farmer's house. Dad was besties with this farmer nin who had been helping supply some rare types of local Bellmorin plants for use in one of Dad's customer's paint dye workshops. Also so he could then get the paint and give it to one of his daughters, Uki, who loved to draw and paint. Dad spoils her rotten with the amount of painting supplies he's given her. Calcifer thought to himself, as he yanked a particularly stubborn root out of the ground. To entertain himself and Hiroka, they'd at first gone exploring the surrounding area, going on hikes along the mountainous autumn landscape, and finding weird bugs to bring back, and keep in little jars for fun! However, the spring of chill, fun, relaxing in the woods, had kinda turned into a working experience. When Dad had heard about how his farmer friend was having trouble getting the fields ready for planting this year, we were both recruited into weeding and planting duty. Ah well, it's almost done now, Cal thought to himself, and then I can go for another long nap in that sunny spot next to the field. Excited at the prospect, Cal continued weeding his section of the field, until finally just as the sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, he and his pomu Sparks, had finished their job.

Sparky pulled out a bright orange towel from his backpack and passed it to Calcifer, who gratefully wiped away the sweat from his eyes, before doing a fullbody shakedown, flicking his lop ears left and right as he got rid of the sweat. While he was tired having been in the fields all day, he had to admit... there was a sense of self-satisfaction with having worked hard all day, instead of just lazing about at the town square. He sat proudly on a stone by the field, marvelling over the perfectly brown soil with not a weed in sight. Someone let out a low whistle behind him.

"Good job son! Maybe we should make this a yearly tradition! Swing by Tanner's farm, help with the weeding, get in his good books so I can get him to give me some nice discounts on his produce" Ripple let out with a chuckle. Cal, rolled his head back to see his Dad, Ripple, leaning over the fence, his blue and gold bangs floating in an unforeseen wind. His fishy crown, gently swimming around the golden moon.

"Pshh, count me out. I'd rather help with looking after your shop back home. It was so much easier! Plus I could nap at the counter at lunch!"

"Uh... huh... ONLY at lunch?" Ripple asked cocking one eyebrow up slightly over his silver eye.

"W-well, the we don't REALLY get clients in, late afternoon. A-and anyways, they usually deal with you anyways! I just ring up any extra purchases/tidbits they want. Plus we have a bell if they can't see me behind the counter so it's not the end of the world if I catch a few more winks of shut-eye under the counter...." Calcifer said muttering to himself quietly. But his Dad just laughed, and ruffled his tuft of golden luminous hair.

"Well you did good, son. Why don't you come back with me to the house! Hiroka's been busy, sweeping away the cobwebs and dust up in the attic, and I heard from Tanner that his wife, Shia has been baking and preparing some delicious treats as a thank you afternoon tea for you both." He said with a smile at Calcifer, whose lop ears pricked up slightly at the mention of 'delicious treats'.

"YES! I wonder if it's going to be pumpkin pie... or maybe apple crumble! Oh man, let's go Sparks!" Cal called to his pomu, jumping up from the rock, and scrambling to get over the fence with Sparky in tow. As Calcifer lands on the other side of the fence next to his Dad, Sparky hopped from the fence onto Calcifer's back and snuggled into his mane for the ride back. Ripple grinned at his son, before the trio headed back to Tanner's house to eat a delicious spread of Bellmorin treats.