Submission (#4326) Approved

Elnin: https://worldofeyre.com/character/MYO-ELN203
Elnin 2: https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN2640
Word count: 993
Region: Faerindell ( Not Claiming AP )
+1 EC for pomu interaction

Total EC: 9

With every passing day, the end of the year was getting closer and closer. Even in Faerindell, where flowers bloomed all year around and the weather was pleasant, had a different feeling to it. The Starfall Faire was a warm memory in the hearts of elnin. Now it was time to start harvesting and making preparations for the upcoming miasma season.

Every elnin and kittom could contribute to the harvest season in some way. As Crystal fluttered through the town, she could already smell foods being prepared and cooked. In her excitement the kittom had forgotten to eat breakfast when she woke up, so the smells wafting through the air made her stomach grumble. Instead of heading back to grab a bite to eat she raised her paws and gave her cheeks a few paps, bringing her mind back to focus. She could eat all she wanted when she was done helping out. Until then- she needed to head to the orchards!

As a faenin kittom, Crystal was quite small compared to regular kittoms. While there was a place for everyone to help, several elnin had suggested to her that she could help out with food preparations, or even sit in a cart and help with the transportation of goods. Crystal wanted none of that! She wanted to help with harvesting the fruit in the orchards! Even if she was small, she had decided that she was strong enough and could be useful! Besides, sitting at home or sitting in a cart seemed super boring. She needed to be able to move around and fly or else she’d go nuts!

Crystal survived the strong food smells in town and made her way to the orchard. There were plenty of elnin already out in the orchards with baskets in hand, picking fruits off the trees and gently placing them in their baskets. Not only had Crystal forgotten to eat breakfast, but she forgot to bring a basket as well! Certainly there would be no harm in finding someone with an extra basket she could borrow, but the idea of asking for help made the kittom feel flustered. She wanted to do this on her own without any help! Once she knew what area she was going to help in, she’d figure out the whole basket thing then.

The kittom flew through into the orchard and began looking around for some fruit trees that hadn’t been touched yet. It was no surprise that a majority of the trees near the entrance had already been picked, so she moved deeper into the orchard. The amount of elnin dwindled the farther she headed into the orchard. Eventually, she found an area that had plenty of trees full of fruit. As she was deciding which tree to start picking from first, she heard a cry of pain somewhere. Crystal turned and looked around, and quickly spotted an elnin in one of the trees. The elnin girl was standing underneath a large branch of an apple tree, rubbing her head with both paws. Crystal fluttered over to the elnin and asked “Are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! I’m okay! One of the apples fell and hit me on the head, heehee. I’ll be sure to avoid the next one that falls down!”

Crystal looked at the ground near the elnin girl’s feet and saw several apples lying in the grass. Had they all hit her on the head? It was hard to say, but Crystal wouldn’t be surprised if that had happened, given how much the girl was rubbing her head. Crystal also spotted a nearly empty basket next to the elnin girl. The gears in Crystal’s head began to turn, and when an idea suddenly came to her the faenin kittom’s tail suddenly began to glow.

“I’m glad you’re okay! My name’s Crystal. How about I help you pick these apples? Four paws are quicker than two paws, right?”

“Oh! My name is Nina, and that sounds like a super great idea! Thanks for helping me out!!”

Now Crystal had a basket she could use to put fruit in, and Nina had someone to hang out with as she attempted to pick fruit off the branches (and try to avoid getting hit in the head again). Nina worked on the lower branches, standing on her tippy-toebeans to grab apples off the tree. Meanwhile, Crystal decided to fly up to the higher branches. She spotted several apples that Nina would never be able to reach. Problem was - the apples were about the same size as she was. Even if she managed to pick the apple off the branch, it’d be difficult for her to fly all the way down without the weight of the apple possibly dragging her quickly down to the ground.

As she mulled over her options, her shadow began to shudder. From her shadow popped out the kittom’s pomu, Gem! The pomu had black feathers like a regular pomu, but unlike standard pomu Gem’s tail matched Crystal’s, and the tips of their wings were pink. Gem fluttered over next to Crystal and gave her a small nuzzle to her cheek before flying over to the apple Crystal was eyeing. Four paws were better than two, but four paws and a set of wings were even better! With the help of Gem the pomu, Crystal and Gem managed to pluck the apple off the branch and fly it down to the basket with ease.

Crystal, Gem, and Nina spent a good chunk of the day picking apples from the pink-leafed apple trees. When Nina’s apple basket was finally full all three of them were tired but proud of their hard work. Several elnin came by and helped Nina move her apple basket to the main area. Crystal decided that while sitting around was boring, lounging in the basket and eating an apple as the other elnin moved it to the main area was a reward she earned.