[PRP] Treasure in the Breeze

[Absolutiones]

Eugh. Another excessively windy autumn day. Did the wind ever stop? It was too cold and Echo knew it was only going to get colder. She wished summer would never end, it was all but the perfect season in her opinion. It was warm and food was plentiful. If she got too hot the river was nearby and very cool. Sigh. Hopefully the colder weather wouldn't drag on.

As her attention returned to the present she became acutely aware of Beetle chattering away beside her. About what, she wasn't quite sure nor did she particularly care. She was pretty sure this kid would ramble on for literal days if anyone would let him. So while she was glad to be away from Bone and Akefia for a while, being stuck with Beetle wasn't exactly her definition of a break.

The doe swiped at his ear and told him to hush up. It worked. But only for a moment.

wc: 156

 

[Absolutiones]

Beetle was so excited, he could barely contain himself. He had been given a super important mission by King Akefia himself!! Not only that, they were almost there! A shudder rippled down his spine. From excitement or the chilled breeze, he wasn't sure. He just knew there were great things in store for today!

"What do you think we'll find, Echo?" he prompted, glancing excitedly at the monochrome doe at his side. "Something tasty? Something sparkly? Ooh, ooh, maybe something nice and soft to snuggle with at night! Akefia seems like the kind of buck who could use something like that, don't you think?"

Echo looked toward him with an expression he had seen on her, and others for that matter, too many times before. "Shaddup, will ya?" she huffed, batting at his ear.

Beetle flinched and uttered an apology. He was quiet with his gaze downcast until the wind blew again. They had about reached the Tanglewood by then and with the breeze came a rain of spinning leaf-like things.

The lop's expression lit up as he watched them twirl. "Aha! Echo look! This is so cool!" With a giddy laugh, he ran and leaped at the whirling leaves, trying to catch them.

wc: 200
total: 356

 

[Absolutiones]

Echo looked up when she heard her name. She watched her companion jump around with a mix of confusion and disdain. She'd heard the kid was easily amused, but really? He was a master of coming up with new ways to amaze and annoy her.

"Tch. It's not that cool. Have you really never seen whirlybird before?"

The buck stopped and stared at her with wide eyes. "That's what they're called?" He paused and looked at the seeds that littered the ground. "I guess they do kinda look like feathers, huh? Do you think King Akefia would like them?"

Echo's jaw parted slightly, eyes narrowing. He... wasn't serious was he? "What? No. Why would he want whirlybirds? They're just stupid tree parts."

Beetle paused for a moment, probably upset by her blunt answer. "Well... I might take some home anyway. They're fun to play with!"

The doe rolled her eyes in response. "Whatever. Just don't forget the mission. We didn't come out here just to play."

Beetle nodded enthusiastically in reply, but that didn't stop him from jumping up at the whirlybirds every time the wind blew.

After a while, Echo got sort of fed up with it and decided to swipe one of the whirlybirds away from Beetle before he could reach it.

He was surprised at first, but not deterred. The lop drew in an excited breath. "!!! We could make a game out of this! Let's see who can catch the most before they hit the ground!"

Now Echo wasn't normally a fan of games, but when he put it like that, it sounded more like a challenge and she never backed down from a challenge. Especially not one she could easily win. "Alright, fine, but only because it's a good workout. First one to catch two wins. We do still have a mission to complete."

wc: 300
total: 556

 

[Absolutiones]

Beetle agreed eagerly. Finally he manage to convince her to play with him! They continued on their search, but really his mind was distracted. His gaze was focused intently upward, anxiously awaiting the next breeze to come through and blow down more whirlybirds.

Then it did. Beetle leaped toward the whirlybirds, blindly doing whatever he could think of to get hold of the spinning plant.

wc: 64
total: 620

 

[Absolutiones]

Echo would never admit it, but she was just as focused on the... ahem, competition as Beetle was. There was no way she was going to lose to a scrawny little punk like him. When the wind blew, she was ready. She launched herself up and toward the same whirlybird Beetle had been aiming for, attempting to snatch it away from him.

wc: 62
total: 682

 

[Absolutiones]

Echo looked smug when she came down victorious. She had a prideful smirk around the plant in her mouth. "You regret challenging me yet?" she asked, tossing the now damaged whirlybird aside.

Beetle huffed in reply. "No way! Even if I lose, I'm still having a lot of fun!"

The doe's expression withered. That probably wasn't the answer she was expecting, huh? Well, Beetle wasn't like a lot of rabbits. He was just here for a good time! No time for being sad, especially not today!

"Besides, that's only the first one!" the lop chimed just as the next breeze swept through the trees. He jumped up, determined to catch it this time.

wc: 110
total: 792

 

[Absolutiones]

In his haste, Beetle's jump ended up sloppy. She didn't have the time or energy to voice it, but it was deeply amusing to Echo to witness his failure. Instead, she focused on making her own attempt as perfect as possible, jumping up and expertly stealing the whirlybird from the air.

wc: 51
total: 843

 

[Absolutiones]

Beetle landed with a notable lack of grace. Being the resilient rabbit he was, though, he quickly got up and brushed himself off with a smile. "Haha, well, looks like you beat me fair and square. I had fun, though! Maybe we could do it again and I won't lose so spectacularly!"

"Heh, yeah, maybe. At least try and provide me with a challenge next time, will ya?"

Even the normally grumpy Echo seemed to be in better spirits after the mini contest despite her attempts to play it off. Beetle's day just kept getting better. All that was left was to find something magnificent to bring back to the king and it would be a perfect day!

"Heehee, okay, you got it!" Beetle answered happily. He let Echo retake the lead and their mission resumed.

wc: 133
total: 976