Submission (#4395) Approved

A short story about Fahren and North’s childhood~

Wait I completely forgot bonuses for written prompts are based on word count;; Good thing I had a longer version that I can extend a bit- sorry about that >///<

North huffed as he lugged the piles of Feyhallow decorations Fahren insisted on bringing back home. While he was not one to celebrate such things, his sister was more than ecstatic about the spooky festivities- and who was he to decline his precious sister. They had gone out to pick a few decorations and costumes for the occasion. Fahren, who was not burdened with any luggage, bounced around excitedly along the path. 

“I wonder what I should be for next Feyhallow. How about a knight in shining armour,” Fahren mused. “You on the other hand probably don’t even need a costume. You already look as pale as a ghost. ”

Unamused, North quipped back, “How are you going to hold a sword if you can’t even carry all the stuff we bought?”

Fahren promptly closed her mouth and continued along the path, not wanting to admit her brother had a point. Feeling bad, she picked off a few items from the top of the bag to carry herself. 

The pair had already been walking for quite some time, as the nearest market was a long way off from home. They had unexpectedly set off on their shopping expedition in the afternoon because Fahren insisted they had to go today. 

The older kittom looked up at the setting sun with worry. While Zevija’s landscape was already predominantly red, the land looked especially haunting in the evenings. It was quite fitting for Feyhallow. It probably would have been smarter to stay in the underground cities for a night, but they had already left in a hurry with all their purchased Feyhallow decorations. 

“I think we’re going to have to find a place to stay overnight. We’re not going to make it home in time at this rate.”

“Mmm okay.”

Both kits were not fazed by the idea of sleeping outdoors. They were long accustomed to not having a guardian to watch over them so any bed was as good as the next. Fortunately, nights in Zevija were never cold, so it was just a matter of finding suitable ground. This however, was not an easy task either. Most of the overworld in this region was covered in hardened lava deposits or poisonous geysers. North squinted into the distance, his fae eyes helping him see in the dark. There was a small outcrop of rocks sandwiched together, forming a reasonably sized alcove. North nudged his sister toward that direction, dragging the bag of decorations behind him. 

Carefully, the two emptied the contents of the bag so they could form a makeshift nest to sleep in. Fahren settled into the back comfortably, and then North squeezed in, placing himself between his sister and the entrance. Sleepily, the two kittoms watched the last of the sun disappear behind the ashen mountains in the distance. The land never quite became fully dark in these areas. The active volcanoes would continue spewing their lava into the night, and the Eldertree burned like a bright furnace at all times. The sound of distant eruptions and tumbling rocks formed a strange lullaby that only kittoms born in Zevija were used to. Soon enough, both of the siblings were fast asleep.

Fahren was the first to wake. It was still plenty dark outside so she probably hadn’t been out for too long. She tried to close her eyes and fall back asleep, but there were ominous scratching sounds coming from the walls of the cave. The brave kittoms tried to shake it off, but her ears kept focusing on the growing noise. Getting nervous, she prodded her brother awake.

“Do you hear that? I’m scared.”

Annoyed that he was woken up, he twisted his body to face away from Fahren.

“I’m being serious… don’t you hear that sound? I think there’s something here with us.”

North stayed silent.

“Please.” Fahren pleaded. 

With a complacent sigh, North opened his Fae eyes wide and looked around. Satisfied that there was nothing to be worried about, he mumbled a reply,

“I literally do not see anything. If there was anything hiding my Fae eyes would’ve caught it. Go back to sleep, you scaredy cat.”

Knowing her brother wouldn’t budge further, Fahren begrudgingly went back to trying to sleep. Unfortunately, neither kittom could now fall asleep. North, who didn’t want to go back on his words, bit his tongue and stayed silent. Fahren on the other paw didn’t want to ask her good-for-nothing brother for help again. 

As the night went on, both kittoms became more and more scared. They were practically clinging to each other now, but neither would say a word to the other… And so by the time the sun rose, both kittoms hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. Wearily, North rose up and began packing their stuff from the rest of the journey pack. As he picked through the decorations, he noticed a small creature hiding under the costumes. It was a bat! And it was also probably what was keeping them up all night. Amused, North placed the sleeping bat in a small corner and went to wake Fahren up. 

“Man, I couldn't fall asleep at all because of those sounds,” complained Fahren. 

North hummed to himself. “...Maybe it was a monster who kidnaps kittoms that wake up their siblings in the middle of the night.”

“Hey! You were scared too!” Fahren exclaimed indignantly. 

Her brother chuckled at her defensiveness. North decided it would be funny to keep the truth from his little sister for a little longer.