A chilly breeze wafted through the large green leaves of the palm trees causing them to dance as the sun began to set over the stray lands in the distance. An eerie silence began to settle across the little section of the island the Kittom frequented. The calls of the native birds were beginning to become more and more distant until all Ebi could hear was the sound of the waves cascading on the shoreline. Something about this time of year made her more aware of her surroundings. She felt a subconscious urge to proceed with caution even with miniscule tasks like walking closer to the tree line. As the sun began to vanish further and left only a faint light, Ebi couldn’t help but stare at the ever darkening shadows near the lush islandic foliage that grew in size with each passing minute. The silence of the falling night was becoming deafening. Why couldn’t she hear the sounds of the festivities occurring in the nearby village? Eldrar had told her that they would be removing decorations and celebrating until late, so why had the world gone silent? As if she were under a spell, she began to approach the tree line. The sound of her paws crunching the sand pierced the serene silence of the night. She sensed something was hiding in the brush, and her suspicions were confirmed when a nearby bush began to shake violently. Ebi furrowed her brows, wondering if it was just one of the island’s many colorful inhabitants. Before she could inquire further, the rustling stopped abruptly. She blinked a few times and glanced around to see if any of the other foliage in the surrounding area would begin to shake as well. It didn’t, and an eerie silence began to fill her ears once again. The young Elnin let out a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding and decided to return to the shoreline. Once her back was turned, Eldrar’s pomu gracefully lit a pile of dried palm tree leaves on fire. The dehydrated foliage instantly became alive with light, ensuring that the scary carving of a malicious face would appear ten times larger than the Kittom on the tarp canvas that Eldrar had set up earlier. Ebi was the only one he had not managed to scare this season and he was determined to change that. The sudden burst of light was enough to make Ebi turn back in confusion. Her confusion soon changed to that of absolute horror at the large face towering over her. Its eyes were sharp in edges as if it were angry and its mouth was twisted into a horrific, open mouth smile. Ebi’s heart hit the sand as she stood frozen in horror, so much so that she began shaking and tears began to pool in her mint green eyes. As quickly as it had appeared, the face disappeared suddenly and left the petrified Kittom wondering if it was just her imagination. Eldrar cast a confused glance over at his pomu who was responsible for fanning the flames and keeping the fire going, but the little creature had let it die once he noticed the tears streaming down Ebi’s fluffly cheeks. His pomu crossed his arms at the Kittom and gestured for him to look at his friend. He peaked around the canvas and had to double take. He couldn’t believe he had made her cry. He had wanted to frighten her, not scare her to tears. He watched as she balled up on the sand and listened as she began to sob. Confused about what to do now, he gave his pomu an inquisitive look. The little creature gestured for him to go and comfort his distraught friend then shook his head in frustration at how dense Eldrar could be.
“Ebi, are you okay?” Eldrar inquired as he approached her shrinking form. She seemed like she was trying to be as small as possible. The Kittom flinched at the sound of someone’s voice since she thought she was alone. She lifted her head and saw her friend. A confused expression crossed her face.
“Where- ..” She trailed off as confusion hit her. She looked in the direction where she had seen the face and squinted harder. In the growing moonlight, the edges of the canvas that Eldrar used to project the face onto were becoming more visible. A pout crossed her face as she looked at him, realizing now that her friend had pranked her. She sprung to her feet and knocked some sand into his face with her right paw.
“That was not funny!” She raised her voice at him for the first time. She watched as he recoiled and attempted to brush the sand out of his hair. Her usually peaceful face was that of an angry scowl now.
“I guess I deserved that. I am sorry, Ebi. I just wanted to play a prank on you to help you feel involved since you’re usually out here near the water by yourself.” Eldrar muttered quietly. Ebi’s expression softened at his confession. She began to feel guilty for knocking sand in his face and helped him brush the remaining sand off.
“I’m sorry for throwing sand in your face, Eldrar..” Ebi trailed off. “There’s just something about this time of year that gives me the creeps. I don’t like it.”
“Well, yeah. It’s still Feyhallow season.”
