Seasonal Prompt: Wear Comfortable Socks

A cool, crisp morning air drifted through the bakery shop windows as Toast pushed them open. With a gentle inhalation she breathed in, the spices and scents from the rising breads and pastries mingling with the freshness of an outdoor world waiting to be explored. She hurriedly grabbed her satchel of essentials, threw the door open wide, and ran with reckless abandon down the street, drops of dew scattering beneath her paws.

Someone else can take care of the shop today, she thought to herself merrily. Toast was a hard worker, and dedicated to her craft, so she rarely took time out for herself; but today was to be different. Summer had fast blended into autumn, and thus brought with it unpredictable rains and cold spells; the fact that the sun had tentatively emerged this morning was nothing short of a miracle, and Toast was determined not to waste the opportunity.

Once she was out through the city gates, and certain no one else was around, she carefully unrolled the map she had stashed away in her satchel and smoothed out the wrinkled parchment on a nearby rock.

Where to head, that was the question. The Lothlere Plateaus were guaranteed to impress with their otherworldly views, and the thought of scaling the Miron Talus gave Toast a little adrenaline jolt, but that risky adventure could wait until she had gotten a little more climbing experience in first. Still, it would be nice to see such a spectacular landmark in real life, she thought, packing the map away, as she headed for the wooded paths of the Miron Valley.

The Valley trees were ancient, their gnarled and twisted branches reaching steadfastly towards the skies with fingers leafed in gold and flame. Toast wandered amongst them awestruck, noting the different shapes and colours of each leaf that drifted lazily down towards the moss-strewn earth. She imagined how she could capture the beauty of what lay before her, perhaps casting her own leaves in marzipan, replicating the cracking of branches under her paws with cinder toffee.

So much so was she lost in her imagination, that she didn’t realise how high she’d climbed until a previously unseen bird darted from the nearby ferns and startled her as it screeched past. Toast let out a relieved laugh, grateful that she was once again grounded in the present, and realised she now stood in front of a large marker sign.

The wooden sign was painted red, shaped like an arrow, and indicated the path around the base of the Miron Talus was only a short distance away. Toast trotted off in that direction, slinging a well-earned cinnamon pastry into her mouth to boost her spirit on her way.

The spongy mosses covering the forest floor grew thicker the further she went, and soon they carpeted the ground completely in a soft blanket of greeny-grey hues. Toast revelled in the fact that it felt like stepping onto the top of a giant earthy sponge cake, when suddenly the ground gave way beneath her, and she found herself crumpled in an undignified heap at the bottom of what seemed to be a dark pit of earth and rock. Shaking the moss and mud from her fur she recovered her composure and looked around curiously. The small cave was dimly lit; its damp walls were covered in small, unassuming-looking plants. Toast narrowed her eyes in the gloom and inspected one closely.

‘My goodness, it can’t be!’ She exclaimed, rifling through her satchel and quickly removing a well-thumbed book on culinary plants. She leafed through the pages until a striking illustration caught her attention and confirmed her suspicions. Incredibly, these humble little cave plants were a species of rare and precious herb, coveted by bakers the world over; and here Toast was, right in the centre of them. Not one to waste an opportunity, Toast swiftly set about gathering broad handfuls of crinkled leaves into her paws, inhaling the rich, lemony scent of them, before stashing them gently into her satchel pockets. She could have wept for joy at this unanticipated discovery, had her mind not been occupied with one other, slightly more pressing thought.

‘But how am I going to get myself out of here?’ She whispered, gazing wide-eyed at the damp cave walls so densely packed with herbs and soft ferns that scrambling up them would be a near impossibility. She was quietly considering whether the mossy floor would serve as a kind of rudimentary trampoline to bounce her way to freedom, when approaching footsteps attracted her attention.

‘Hello! Hello? Be you friend or foe, I am a bab in need of assistance if you’d be willing to help me!’ She wailed, hoping that the unidentified being above her would be benevolent enough in spirit to empathise with her cries. Two large, feathery ears surrounded by waves of candy-floss pink and lime hair appeared in the gap above her.

‘Hello?’ said the other bab warily, eyeing her with a look of confusion and concern. ‘What are you doing down there?’

‘Its my first time exploring the Valley; I only journeyed out to admire the woodlands but now I find myself stuck down here!’ Toast admitted, her cheeks flushing with the embarrassment of her ordeal. She squinted up against the sunlight and realised her rescue came in the form of Primrose, a popular, radiant and confident mantibab well-known about town. He was certainly no stranger to helping out his fellow Crederian friends and had earned the respect he was treated with through his natural kindness and dedication.

‘Hold on just a moment!’ He called, swiftly disappearing from view. Toast experienced a sudden jolt of anxiety – was she about to be abandoned after all? However, her doubts were instantly extinguished as a long rope of thick leafy vines gradually wound its way down the cave walls towards her.

‘Grab onto this, and don’t lose your nerve!’ Primrose shouted, and as Toast tentatively wrapped her paws around the vines she was gently hoisted out of the cave and into the dappled, glowing light of sunset. She let out a long sigh of relief and turned to thank a bemused Primrose, who laughed off any lingering concern and bid her farewell on her adventures, before prancing off elegantly towards the town. Toast dusted herself off, checked her newfound treasures were still securely tucked away, and slowly wandered her way back home to the bakery, where a cosy fire and a warm cup of tea soon soothed her into a restful sleep.

As dawn broke the next morning and the birds sang their welcome to the new day ahead, determined Toast was hard at work, kneading, twisting and baking with as much love and care as anyone truly dedicated to their craft could be. The hours passed like seconds, and when the flower shaped loaf emerged from the oven, golden brown and speckled with flecks of lemony cave herbs, Toast could do nothing but beam with joy, the light of the oven fire setting sparks dancing in her eyes. She may have lost her bearings, she thought, but Toast was sure she’d gained a new hiking friend for it, and she could think of no better way to thank him than the delivery of fresh bread and the promise of new adventures to be had!