CHAPTER 9
"Us?" Alicia asked Warmy Cozy, her voice echoing down towards the cliff.
"Yeah, duh!" Warmy Cozy yelled back. "Me and the gachapanions! They ain't even mine except for North Star --"
She pointed to the owl gachapanion on top of her head.
"-- I just babysit the things for some extra crayons!"
Suddenly, a swarm of other gachapanions of all shapes and sizes stormed through the shrubs and leaped into the tunnel. By the time the flurry of gachapanions rolled over, there were at least a couple dozen of them surrounding Warmy Cozy.
Alicia was next to go down, and Twig followed. The taller gachagon tucked her wings in and sped down the tunnel like a toboggan. Alicia attempted to skate down the tunnel, and remained surprisingly balanced for a bit until the tunnel took a sharp drop. She took on this drop with ease, sitting and sliding down the ice. Twig panted and hissed as she went down. The tunnel was a perfectly-carved cylinder of pure ice. There were faint etchings, stones and leaves, and even possible fossils embedded in it. It was hard to tell though, as it was so dark and it therefore looked more like a void.
Alicia skidded to a stop at the end of the tunnel, but Twig almost fell off the edge. She throttled past the edge, but flapped her wings vigorously to avoid a fatal fall.
The view was perhaps even better here than on the cliffside above. The night sky rested in a cradle of mountains which made up the rest of Snowsboro. Snowflakes silently swept through the air, carried by gusts of wind. More stray fireworks shot into the sky, encapsulating this cliff as the perfect place to view the incoming lightshow.
"See how cool this place is?" Warmy Cozy said cheerily. Alicia nodded while petting one of the many gachapanions. Twig stuck to looking at the night sky. Then, the sound of another creature bellowed through the tunnel.
The creature which came out was a gachagon, though it also looked quite similar to a reindeer. Its neck and back were covered by a mane of mistletoe, and both lights and gachapon balls cohabitated its gacha fluid. Two flimsy stick horns crowned its forehead.
"How'd you get here?" Warmy Cozy exclaimed in surprise.
"Saw the tunnel!" the reindeer gachagon said simply. "Looked to be less crowded than the top cliff. I woulda been squashed by those guys!"
Warmy Cozy paused, then frowned.
"Dammit," she said to herself. "I forgot to cover the tunnel. You weren't supposed to come here, but as long as no one else comes--"
Eyes from above gazed at the cliff. A bunch of gachagons on the higher-up cliff retreated, seeking out the uncovered tunnel. The sound of more gachagons entering the tunnel penetrated Warmy Cozy's eardrums.
"Down..." she sighed.
CHAPTER 10
Though Warmy Cozy's intentions were to maintain a secret, quiet location to view the fireworks, the curiosity of her fellow gachas ripped that plan to shreds. Every second, another creature exited the secret tunnel. It wasn't even just gachagons; there were bitlings and creatures the group didn't even recognize. The bitlings eagerly slid down the tunnel like dogs running through grass, and continued to romp around on the cliff. The cliff grew more claustrophobic as more creatures slid down the tunnel. Eventually, once the cliff had become just as crowded as the one above, the arrival of new faces slowed.
The bustle and chaos of dozens of individuals on a small cliff's edge resonated throughout Snowsboro. Some pushed each other around for space, while others took to the skies and rested on branches. Twig held Alicia close, blanketing her with her massive wings. She kept a close eye on the crowd to make sure no one would mess around with her friend. Warmy Cozy sighed again, sitting on the very edge of the cliff with her head buried in her hands.
Then, the noise of the crowd disappeared. The bells of the Snowsboro Clock Tower rang with furor. 12:00. 2022.
The entire crowd shouted uniformly, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Then, the first real firework rose up. It birthed an explosion of colors and lights which slowly descended to the ground. The falling sparkles were like will-o'wisps. Oohs and ahhs filled the air like the fireworks. Blasts of light continued to streak the sky. It was as if all of the stars surrounding the Keep in the sky decided to go supernova all at once. Gachagons cheered, bitlings barked, and gachapanions bustled around in excitement. Alicia dispensed a gachapon ball from in her pouch. Then, she nudged Twig.
"Friend?" she asked. Twig cautiously took the ball and opened it to see a tiny Sweet Heart candy. The words "you're awesome" engraved the sweet treat. In response, Twig coughed up a gachapon ball of her own and tapped on Alicia's shoulder. She giddily took the ball and opened it; inside the ebony container was a black cat doll with red dots for eyes.
"Friend." Twig added.
The mood of the crowd swelled in spite of the lack of space. Everyone was too focused on the allure of the fireworks to care anyways. Every sparkle, boom, and glow in the sky seemed to make the cliff warmer and calmer. And when the final bursts of light made an appearance, that warm tingly feeling lingered for a long time. Long after the lightshow announcing the start of a new year.
sequiem
CHAPTER 9 "Us?" Alicia asked Warmy Cozy, her voice echoing down towards the cliff. "Yeah, duh!" Warmy Cozy yelled back. "Me and the gachapanions! They ain't even mine except for North Star --" She pointed to the owl gachapanion on top of her head. "-- I just babysit the things for some extra crayons!" Suddenly, a swarm of other gachapanions of all shapes and sizes stormed through the shrubs and leaped into the tunnel. By the time the flurry of gachapanions rolled over, there were at least a couple dozen of them surrounding Warmy Cozy. Alicia was next to go down, and Twig followed. The taller gachagon tucked her wings in and sped down the tunnel like a toboggan. Alicia attempted to skate down the tunnel, and remained surprisingly balanced for a bit until the tunnel took a sharp drop. She took on this drop with ease, sitting and sliding down the ice. Twig panted and hissed as she went down. The tunnel was a perfectly-carved cylinder of pure ice. There were faint etchings, stones and leaves, and even possible fossils embedded in it. It was hard to tell though, as it was so dark and it therefore looked more like a void. Alicia skidded to a stop at the end of the tunnel, but Twig almost fell off the edge. She throttled past the edge, but flapped her wings vigorously to avoid a fatal fall. The view was perhaps even better here than on the cliffside above. The night sky rested in a cradle of mountains which made up the rest of Snowsboro. Snowflakes silently swept through the air, carried by gusts of wind. More stray fireworks shot into the sky, encapsulating this cliff as the perfect place to view the incoming lightshow. "See how cool this place is?" Warmy Cozy said cheerily. Alicia nodded while petting one of the many gachapanions. Twig stuck to looking at the night sky. Then, the sound of another creature bellowed through the tunnel. The creature which came out was a gachagon, though it also looked quite similar to a reindeer. Its neck and back were covered by a mane of mistletoe, and both lights and gachapon balls cohabitated its gacha fluid. Two flimsy stick horns crowned its forehead. "How'd you get here?" Warmy Cozy exclaimed in surprise. "Saw the tunnel!" the reindeer gachagon said simply. "Looked to be less crowded than the top cliff. I woulda been squashed by those guys!" Warmy Cozy paused, then frowned. "Dammit," she said to herself. "I forgot to cover the tunnel. You weren't supposed to come here, but as long as no one else comes--" Eyes from above gazed at the cliff. A bunch of gachagons on the higher-up cliff retreated, seeking out the uncovered tunnel. The sound of more gachagons entering the tunnel penetrated Warmy Cozy's eardrums. "Down..." she sighed.
2022-01-18 00:10:29
Feature Comment
sequiem
CHAPTER 10 Though Warmy Cozy's intentions were to maintain a secret, quiet location to view the fireworks, the curiosity of her fellow gachas ripped that plan to shreds. Every second, another creature exited the secret tunnel. It wasn't even just gachagons; there were bitlings and creatures the group didn't even recognize. The bitlings eagerly slid down the tunnel like dogs running through grass, and continued to romp around on the cliff. The cliff grew more claustrophobic as more creatures slid down the tunnel. Eventually, once the cliff had become just as crowded as the one above, the arrival of new faces slowed. The bustle and chaos of dozens of individuals on a small cliff's edge resonated throughout Snowsboro. Some pushed each other around for space, while others took to the skies and rested on branches. Twig held Alicia close, blanketing her with her massive wings. She kept a close eye on the crowd to make sure no one would mess around with her friend. Warmy Cozy sighed again, sitting on the very edge of the cliff with her head buried in her hands. Then, the noise of the crowd disappeared. The bells of the Snowsboro Clock Tower rang with furor. 12:00. 2022. The entire crowd shouted uniformly, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Then, the first real firework rose up. It birthed an explosion of colors and lights which slowly descended to the ground. The falling sparkles were like will-o'wisps. Oohs and ahhs filled the air like the fireworks. Blasts of light continued to streak the sky. It was as if all of the stars surrounding the Keep in the sky decided to go supernova all at once. Gachagons cheered, bitlings barked, and gachapanions bustled around in excitement. Alicia dispensed a gachapon ball from in her pouch. Then, she nudged Twig. "Friend?" she asked. Twig cautiously took the ball and opened it to see a tiny Sweet Heart candy. The words "you're awesome" engraved the sweet treat. In response, Twig coughed up a gachapon ball of her own and tapped on Alicia's shoulder. She giddily took the ball and opened it; inside the ebony container was a black cat doll with red dots for eyes. "Friend." Twig added. The mood of the crowd swelled in spite of the lack of space. Everyone was too focused on the allure of the fireworks to care anyways. Every sparkle, boom, and glow in the sky seemed to make the cliff warmer and calmer. And when the final bursts of light made an appearance, that warm tingly feeling lingered for a long time. Long after the lightshow announcing the start of a new year.
2022-01-18 00:10:43
Feature Comment