Submission (#4427) Approved

Prompt: Feyhallow Frights
Elnin Used: Nether [ELN028], Miya [ELN1960] and Idris [ELN2184] (the strange kittom)
Regional Affinity: None
Total Words: 958 [2 EC bonus]
Pomu used [1 EC]

A continuation of the last prompt!

The late night turned into the early morning as the festivities fell to a whisper. The group of kittoms had fun running around playing and decorating, chewing on candy, and sipping juice. They eventually got tired and settled down to rest a while, but Nether could not rest. Not quite yet, at least as a pumpkin sat on her body while her head sat in the grass.

For a moment, Nether peered around as much as she could not move her head. There were no kittoms in sight nor could she hear scuffling across the grass. They were either asleep or off to find something else to do. Perhaps Rao went to go find Miya or Oki. Wisp may have gone back home to Icarus. The others, she did not know. She seemed all but deserted to her own devices, which was a relief in some ways. She did, however, have an issue.

There was a pumpkin on her neck.

The kittoms worked hard to decorate it and Nether felt it wasn't her place to simply let it fall to the ground and smash apart. So, she willed her body to stay as still as possible as she whispered to her shadow. "Pip," she beckoned. "I need your assistance." The pomu who lived in her shadow poked their head out, looked toward her, and then up at the pumpkin, a little puzzled. Usually, they were summoned if she needed help with her head if it got too far from her body. It wasn't often, but it did happen with kittoms around.

"I need help getting the pumpkin down without smashing it. Can you do that?" The pomu sprung from her shadow and came to examine the situation closely. He leaned back and forth, trying to figure out a solution before lifting their arms as if they wanted to catch it. "You... want to catch it? Are you sure?" Pip nodded and waved their hands as a gesture to have the pumpkin drop toward them. "Well... Alright."

Nether slowly lifted her back legs, letting the pumpkin fall forward bit by bit. Eventually, it did slide from her neck and Pip managed to catch it, though they seemed to fall back, squished by the heavy gourd. Just as Nether was about to inquire about her pomu's condition, a startled scream rang out. The elnin's attention was directed toward a kittom who stumbled upon the awkward situation. They crouched into the grass as if trying to feel invisible, which they were to Nether's perspective as her head still lay on the ground. She could tell they were definitely shivering from the fear of having to see a headless body and a pumpkin who seemingly had a mind of its own.

Pip stood up, which made the kittom squeal again. The gourd seemed alive! Setting aside the pumpkin, the pomu attempted to calm the stranger kittom down, using a few gestures that everything was alright. The kittom seemed to respond well to this as they relaxed a little but still huddled into the grass. The pomu took this time to hop over to Nether's head and help her body attach. It was magnetic in nature as her head floated back up above her shoulders. It was relieving.

Once she had her bearings, Nether slowly padded over to the kittom still nestled into the grass. They looked up at her, a little hesitant to say anything so they backed up to get some space.

"Do not be afraid, child. I'm not going to hurt you." Nether sat down, dispelling any kind of intimidation she might have held. "I know what you see is... odd, but I will not hurt you nor will my corruption." The kittom perked up a little bit, nodding.

"Are you lost?" the elnin asked while the kittom glanced over both shoulders. They nodded shyly in response. "Alright, let's take you to Miya, my daughter. She'll help you get to where you need to be."

"Th-thank you..." they replied, slowly following behind Nether as she stood and started to walk in a direction. The pomu encouraged the kittom with enthusiastic gestures, hopping beside them as they followed the elnin. Despite the well-lit area from lanterns and the decorations strewn along the path, the dark trees felt ominous. The kittom still seemed uncomfortable with everything around them, quickly jumping forward to keep close to Nether. The woods were now more terrifying than an elnin with a missing neck.

"How much further?" they asked, eyes glued to the surroundings looking out for any monsters that may appear. Nether glanced back and sighed, replying that it wasn't much further. A pile of kittoms was visible in the near distance, which Nether wandered over to. Miya lay to the side of them, easy to arouse without disturbing the others.

"Miya... I need you to escort this kittom home," she said as her daughter stirred and rubbed her eyes. The fae child took a minute to stand and slowly walk over to the stranger, nodding. She wasn't quite sure who this kittom was as they weren't exactly in the group she chaperoned, but that didn't matter. She was responsible for them! Nether gave her that important task since the elnin couldn't keep tabs on all of them at once. Miya was trusted and acted like the big sister.

"I'll take them home. Come on, everything will be fine! Promise!" Miya reassured, nodding toward another path. The two set off down the trail to the nearest village. She figured someone may know this kittom there. Nether would stay behind and watch over the pile of kittoms that continued to slumber. She would lay down and relax, Pip slipping back into her shadow to rest as well.