October 2022 Prompt

The moon is particularly bright tonight, hanging lazily in the night sky like a round, yellow eye. There's a strangeness in the air, a sense of being watched. Spirits are particularly restless this evening, and those wandering outside of their homes may find themselves at the whims of the more mischievous magic. Though it's highly unlikely anything malicious will happen, the spirits aren't above giving an unfortunate centaur or centauress the scare of a lifetime! Does anything odd happen to your character, good or bad?

User ImageAutumn truly was Freyr's favorite time of year. There was so much he loved about it that it was hard to put everything in to words. If someone asked him what his favorite part of autumn was or why he liked it more than other seasons he'd talk their ear off for half an hour without really ever picking between all the things he enjoyed. The beautiful foliage was hard to beat, but the crisp air and refreshing wind was up there too. Then there were all the treats that popped up this season due to the harvest being at its zenith: apples, pumpkins, corn, cranberries, pomegranates, more root vegetables than he could count, different types of squash...and that was just the crops that were only bearing fruit (literally and figuratively)! All of the wheat and other grains were brought in for the year and there were so many baked goods that incorporated all those aforementioned foods that it was impossible to eat them all. He was quite partial to the treats that involved apples of any kind.

With all that being said, there were a few things that did weigh against the good. Not enough for Freyr to consider another season his favorite, but they were certainly there and hard to ignore. The shorter days, for one. Freyr was just a tiny bit afraid of the dark and he always tried to get home before the sun fully set if he was alone. Some days started with frost on the ground, a harbinger of the cold winter months to come. And, of course, the spirits always seemed to be a bit more mischievous this time of year.

This was why Freyr was hugging his new knitted sweater to his chest as he walked quickly but carefully through the dense woods between where he lived and the little market he'd spent a bit too long at. He had a satchel full of the delicious baked goods he'd gone to the market for and he was trying not to jostle it too much as he walked, though little whispers in the leaves and rustling in the underbrush kept making him jerk and twist to try to see what was making the noise.

Finally a loud snap make him give a little shriek and he took off at a gallop, one hand reaching down to keep the satchel closed. After just a few moments of running he slowed to a trot, then a walk, then a complete stop. His heart was pounding in his chest and he closed his eyes, trying to focus himself.

"All right, Freyr," he said to himself, loud enough to hear his own voice but not so loud that if anything had been following him it wouldn't be able to. "It was probably just a squirrel looking for a nut. It's fine. We're fine. We're almost home and we're not going to run like a little foal the rest of the way there." Even as he talked to himself his shoulders began to creep up to his chin, his fingers tightening on the slightly scratchy fabric of the sweater in his hands. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he felt something watching him.

"Just ignore it," he whimpered to himself as he started to walk again, no longer looking around as he had been earlier. Now he kept his eyes on the path in front of him, still visible despite the sun having set not too long ago. The twilight light was barely enough to let him see by and with each minute it was fading a bit more but he was close to home and wouldn't be stuck out here in the pitch black. Not even the bright moon that was already in the sky would offer much light due to the thick canopy overhead.

"We're almost home," he continued. "Just a few more minutes and we can get a fire going, heat up some of that potato soup from yesterday, eat an apple twist from the market, get some tea going..." The more he talked to himself about how he was going to spend the rest of his evening the more confident he became and soon he was back to walking at a normal pace, though he definitely still felt the eyes of some unseen creature on his back. He forced himself to continue talking and eventually he began to see more of the darkening sky as the trees began to thin.

"Phew...almost there," Freyr said, relief in his voice. He was just about to launch into another little conversation with himself when a freezing wind ran from his haunches to his shoulders, trailing over his long spine like an icy hand. Freyr gave a little yelp but froze in place, the chilly touch almost paralyzing him. In those few moments when he was still a whirl of leaves danced around him on the cold zephyr, the centaur the epicenter of a tiny tornado. Cackling echoed around him in the wind, disorienting him a bit as it seemed to come from all directions at once while somehow being nowhere. It was only when something tugged on his tail that Freyr found his limbs able to move once more and he bolted, no longer worried about holding the satchel shut. The laughter followed him as he ran as hard as his legs could carry him, hooves pounding on the dirt path in time with his heart.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" His yell was loud and spooked and it appeased whatever spirits were making a game out of teasing the poor creature. If Freyr had been able to look behind him he would have seen the little whirlwind of leaves settle briefly into the shape of a creature that gave a small wave. The wind died down and the leaves collapsed into an innocent pile on the road, the spirit having had its fun. But Freyr didn't see, he was far too focused on leaving the woods and making a mad dash to his little cottage in the meadow.

Yes, it was true that autumn was Freyr's favorite season, but he had to admit that the spooky part was definitely not his favorite part!

WC: 1039