Submission (#8711) Approved

"I got it! I got it!" Laurel struggled with the line that was hanging from the heavily floral trees, trying to get it free. "Just wiggle it to the left and you should be able to release it so we can get it down safely." She gave it a few more tugs to illustrate what she was talking about as the rope lifted the basket a little higher into the air.

Her fellow partner rolled their eyes at the commands but still complied, using their back paws to nudge the rope further along the branch they were sitting on. The basket swayed below, threatening to tip all of its contents onto the ground below and the pale kittom stifled a shout, not wanting to make things worse. "Easy does it, almost down..." Spriggin instead called out to the third in the party who was in the process of tieing a third rope to the basket. "Are you done? Is it tied off?"

While hanging from their legs up-side down, almost hidden in the fairy shrouds around them, Maggie deftly wrapped the last loop around the handles of the fruit-filled basket and tightened it with a brisk tug. "Yup! We are all good, commence the lowering!" With that, the green and blue kittom scrambled back up so she was on top of the branch rather than hanging from it and then held onto her rope tightly. "Ready to heave, ho?!" she added in a sing-song voice.

Laurel nodded and called out again, "On three!" She was almost hanging on her end of the rope as if her life depended on it, the heavy basket almost the same weight as herself. The blue kittom took a deep breath before counting down. "Three... two... one... and heave!"

Together the three kittoms lowered the basket from the pink swathed trees with little mishap and cheered as their precious cargo hit the ground. They rolled up their respective ropes, hooking them onto belts before peering at the loot safely nestled within the woven fronds of the basket.

"See, told you it would be worth it," Spriggin stuck out their tongue at Maggie as they grinned with joy at the success of their haul. Colourful swirls decorated their face and arms in vibrant blues and purples while Maggie's glasses partially obscured her equally vibrant green and cyan swirls.

The green and blue kittom wrinkled her nose for a moment before heaving a sigh. "Yes, you are right, it was worth it and a fun experience." She didn't like the feeling of the paint dried into her fur but knew it was an important aspect of hunting for Wanderweave. "All thanks to Laurel for our amazing designs though. You look positively day-glo in all that paint!" Maggie couldn't help but tease back before turning to their third party member. "You did a gorgeous job on our paint, thank you."

Laurel gave a flourishing bow that was followed with a nod and a wink. "I needed to practice my skills and you two were willing guinea pigs." She looked down at her own arms, were swirled in white paint, white contrasted nicely with her darker blue fur. "What can I say, I was inspired by the beautiful floral gardens that are all around here. She waved her arms towards the fairy shrouds and the rainbow of gardens that surrounded them.

"I can definitely see the inspiration!" Spriggin chimed in agreement before picking up the cover of the basket and raising it into the air. "Now lets get these covered and take them back up to the village so we can join in with the festivities of a successful harvest!" They glanced into the basket where a large pile of the striped, rainbow coloured, fruit lay nestled in the soft fabric lining.

Maggie nodded and took the cover from Spriggin, closing the basket with the ties that attached the lid firmly to the sides and then looking for the branches to slip into the handles to make transport much easier. "Laurel, you are the native to Faerindell, would you like to lead the way so we don't get lost?" She tucked one pile into one side and then tucked the second into her side. "Spriggin and I can carry the basket right behind you."

Laurel nodded and pointed towards the bubbling brook that wound through the brightly coloured garden they had ended up in. "Sure, we just need to follow the water, through the thick of the fairy shrouds, and then the path should be clear all the way to the village outskirts!" She picked up the third pole and used it to maneuver some of the overgrown flowers carefully out of the way so that the small traveling group would not damage them as they went past. "Let me know if you'd like me to take over with the carrying. I can't let you two have all the fun."

"Sounds good!" Spriggin hoisted their branch onto their shoulder, waiting for Maggie to do the same. With a quick nod at the green kittom they started a sing-song to start the beat and began the treck forward.

"A wandering we will go...
A wandering we will go...
Weaving flowers here or there
Searching for fruit everywhere
Swirls of paint brings magical sight
Bring the sweetness into the light
A wandering we will go!"

Spriggin's voice was joined by the two others as they made their way towards the village, enjoying the bright colours of both their own adornments as well as the fragrant flowers that surrounded them. The trio looked forward to the celebration to follow when they got back home.