The Great Harvest 2019: Pumpkin Snatch - Run!

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Biorhythm

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“Come on, Sunny, let’s get these pumpkins in before those clouds hit! I don’t want to be out here when that creeper shows up.” The silvery Tyto’s feathers fluffed as a chill shivered its way down her spine. Pebbles could play brave and blame the ice-touched wind whispering through the few leaves remaining on the trees around the pumpkin patch, but she’d be lying. Even as a night-loving Stryx, and in spite of the moon’s steady glow above, this place was giving her the creeps. Any flickering shadow could be the Wraith lurking about, and she did not want to find out which one he was behind.

“And you think I do? I’m hurrying!” her companion grumbled, wrestling with a stubborn vine. At last, the heavy orange fruit came away from its trappings with a *snap*. “Finally!” he chirped successfully from behind the pumpkin’s stem. Pebbles hefted her own gourd and together they trotted to a waiting cart to deposit their harvest. They had already gathered quite a few before night fell, but this cart wasn’t quite loaded as the sun bid them farewell and so they had carried on in spite of the dark.

“Just a few more.” Sunny shifted his wings uneasily. “That row’s almost done, and that should top off this load.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Pebbles answered. The two scurried back towards the waiting field and set back to work. The moon crept higher as they toiled, rushing to gather the last few treasures before she could reach her crest in the sky. “Where did Pudding go? I thought he was keeping watch.”

“Oh no… You’re right, I haven’t seen him in a while.” The brown-hued Tyto paused to glance around for his little friend. “Pudding?” he called.

“Shh!” Pebbles warned. “Not so loud. It could be out there.”

“Well how are we supposed to find him, then?”

“Let’s get a few more pumpkins and we can fly back to the cart. Maybe we can spot him from the air.”

“Fine…”

They set off again, multicolored leaves crinkling crisply under their talons. Soon they reached the row they had been working to clear, and each Tyto tugged at the vines of the pumpkins. Even with the task at hand, they couldn’t help but distractedly scan the surroundings. It seemed unnaturally dark, even with a Tyto’s spectacular night vision. The encroaching cloud cover wasn’t helping with that, either; it set the shadows wavering and blurred already indistinct shapes into monstrosities lurking just out of view.

*Splortch*.

“What was that?” Sunny asked, dropping the pumpkin. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Pebbles asked, shakily.

*Crunch*

“That!”

“Maybe it’s Pudding?” she suggested, although she didn’t sound too sure of herself. Pebbles snatched up her pumpkin and raised her wings, ready to bolt. “Let’s just get airborne.”

“This one’s stuck,” Sunny grumped, giving his own pumpkin another futile yank. Just then, a high-pitched shriek pierced the autumn air and sent the Tyto tumbling backwards with a shout, the pumpkin landing heavily on his chest – followed by a shivering lump of orange fuzz and wingleather.

Pebbles, meanwhile, had shot into the air with all the commotion. Peering down, she sighed with relief. “It IS just Pudding! Where have you been? Are you trying to give us a heart attack?”

The little Candycorn Bat shook his head frantically and pointed towards a particularly dark corner of the fields with one quivering claw. Feeling dread creep back into their bones, the Tytos followed his finger to find… nothing. “Aw, did you get spooked, buddy? It’s just a tree,” Sunny consoled Pudding as he righted himself clumsily, the pumpkin tumbling back to the ground. “We’re almost done, Pudding. Why don’t you find one of those baby pumpkins and help us finish off the cart?”

Pudding wasn’t having any of it. He hopped up and down, pointing furiously in the direction from which he’d come and emitting a series of frantic squeaks. As if on cue, something much larger bellowed back across the pumpkin patch. A gap in the clouds illuminated a hulking figure in the distance, fangs and spines glinting in the moonlight before the next passing wisp of cloud cover obscured it again. All that remained visible were the glowing embers of the creature’s eyes.

The trio could only gape in shock for a few moments before the steady *crunch*, *squelch*, *splortch* of approaching talons destroying pumpkins shook them to their senses. “Run!” Pebbles called from above as she wheeled back towards the cart. It was like flying through syrup, the cool night air doing little to  help her with her load. Sunny spread his wings below her, abandoning his pumpkin in the middle of the row while Pudding leapt out of the way and cowered behind one of the larger gourds. The much larger Tyto pounded by, trying to get into the air but too panicked to do it properly. He stumbled  and fell beak first into the dirt, his feet still clawing at the air as he cartwheeled down the aisle. He imagined he could feel the Wraith’s breath down his neck as he flailed. Oh, no, this is it! he thought.

 

CRACK.

 

“Get up here, you dummy!”

When he dared to open his eyes, there stood the Wraith – entirely too close, but covered in pumpkin guts and reeling from the heavy fruit that had been lobbed at his head. Pebbles swooped down and snagged one wing in her now-freed talons, rolling Sunny up and onto his feet again as the Wraith bellowed angrily behind them. The Tytos sprang into the air, hardly noticing that Pudding had latched onto one of Sunny’s legs. Their wings pounded as furiously as their hearts, and neither dared to look back until they had reached their cart. Landing, they paused to catch their breath.

“And you wanted to leave it in the fields so it would be closer,” Sunny panted as he rest one wing on the cartload of pumpkins. “They’d all be gone!”

“Well it wouldn’t have been a problem if we’d been done on time. Guess that row is just going to have to be unfinished.”

“I’m not going back, that’s for sure.” Pudding squealed agreement.

“No way. Let’s get these pumpkins home and call it a night!”

Together they pulled the half-filled cart to the safety of the village and retired for the evening.

 

 

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