For when we come to summer's end, I'll go peacefully.

[forachange]

The world was a beautiful place. That was true beneath the ground as well, but everything up on the surface - even after a year - still inspired awe in Wembley. Autumn was wonderful, and he appreciated it more on his second experience. The first autumn he'd spent above-ground had been bittersweet; all those lovely colors, but they meant the leaves and plants were dying... Now, he had a bit of a better understanding of how things worked up here. Out on a walk with Gobo, he was able to appreciate it all. Everything seemed to bring him joy, from the nip in the air to-

"What a nice pinecone!"

Comments

[gobetween]

It certainly was nice out here, wasn't it? He got a minor thrill every time he could kick a few leaves up into the air, watching them flutter back down with a small giggle. It was early yet, but it was already looking like a promising walk with Wembley, and there was yet the bigger gathering planned for once the sun set, too. But that was then, and this was now, and right now...

"Wembley!" He laughed, grinning alongside at him. "That's the third pinecone you've picked up already!"

[forachange]

Wembley grinned over at Gobo as he tucked the pinecone away in his backpack.

"Fourth, actually! I found another good one when you tripped in that pile of leaves." It had taken Wembley a moment to notice that, earlier, distracted by the pinecone and all.

[gobetween]

"I didn't trip," he replied indignantly, while his mind helpfully replayed the incident; some leaves were slicker than others and maybe, just maybe, that'd caused him to slip. Slipping is not tripping. "And anyway, what're you even gonna do with all those pinecones?"

[forachange]

Wembley giggled, a bit at Gobo's attempted protest and a bit at his plans for his collection. "Well, I'm gonna make them into bird feeders! Chris showed me how you can spread them with peanut butter, and then cover that with seeds so the birds have a snack!"

[gobetween]

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea! I'll keep an eye out for pinecones too, then you'll have a whole collection by the time we get back."

[forachange]

Wembley's grin only grew at that, and he nodded. "Gee, thanks, Gobo, that's so nice of you!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Gobo's shoulders.

[gobetween]

He laughed and returned the hug, squeezing him for a moment. "Hey, anything to help out!"

On resuming their walk, it wasn't long before he caught something on the wind. Slowing his steps some, he lifted his snout into the breeze, sniffing a few times.

"Hey, do you smell that?"

[forachange]

Wembley had curiously been copying the gesture even before Gobo asked, so by the time the question was out there, an answer was just a split-second away.

"Apples!" Wembley started off in that direction, taking Gobo by the hand as he did so. "You know, it's nice to have so many delicious things around without having to go into the Gorgs' garden!"

[gobetween]

He laughed some, willingly following Wembley. "Yeah, we just go into other people's gardens instead!" Yes, that was with extenuating circumstances like permission, but the snark was right there.

Fraggle noses find food and so it wasn't long before they came up onto the tree. It was growing wild with the other trees, and was absolutely laden with fruit. The only problem was...

"Hmm." He rubbed his snout, looking up. "How to get the apples from up there to down here?"

[forachange]

Wembley looked up at the apples thoughtfully, rubbing the end of his nose. "Well, maybe... Naahhh, naahh, that wouldn't work," he murmured softly. "Oh! Maybe if we got up to the apples!"

Kinda made one wonder what the rejected idea had been.

[gobetween]

He did wonder that a moment, but tossed the question away in favor of acting on the clearly better idea.

"Sure! Why don't you climb up there, and I'll catch a couple in my scarf?" As he spoke about it he unwound it from his neck, stretching it over both arms.

[forachange]

Wembley blinked a couple of times, then looked from Gobo to the tree and back.

"Me? Up- Up there? I don't know, Gobo, it's pretty high up!"

[gobetween]

"Then if you fall, I'll catch you too." He laughed some, taking the scarf in both hands and flinging it over Wembley so he was stepped a little closer. Grinning, he tilted his head some.

"Trust me, alright?"

[forachange]

Wembley took advantage of the moment to steal a kiss, then pulled back and nodded. "I always do, Gobo."

Whether it was the promise or the kiss that made him feel more courageous - or just the combination - was hard to say, but he was certainly feeling capable. He found places in the bark to grip onto, and began to climb and shimmy his way up the tree. He did slide down a bit here and there, but never actually fell.

Eventually, he made it to the first branch holding any apples, climbing out onto it a bit and jostling it with his hands.

[gobetween]

Despite his confidence in Wembley's ability to do it and the promise to catch him if he fell, he still watched him almost worriedly as the other Fraggle shimmied up the tree. Each slip got a half-step forward, then a pull back as Wembley continued ascending.

Once he got up there, Gobo went over beneath the branch and held the long knit scarf out across his arms again. A minute or two of the jiggling and an apple fell, caught in the middle of the scarf "hammock" after a dive toward it. Laughing some, he folded his arms in and let the apple roll to the ground, then stood back up and readied himself.

"Again, Wembley! Keep going!"

[forachange]

Grinning with pride, he realized his wondering earlier had been silly. It hadn't been the promise or the kiss - it had been Gobo believing in him.

That always did the trick.

He continued to shake the branch, arms starting to get a bit sore after a while. It was going to be worth it once they had enough apples, though - they looked and smelled delicious!

[gobetween]

The repeating shaking knocked another couple apples loose, and he scrambled to catch them. It was while rolling them off to the ground that a fourth fell, beaning him right on the noggin. He yelped in surprise, then rubbed the spot, scarf in hand still, and laughed.

"Alright! I think we- ooh!" That apple he was able to catch in his hands, and he held it up with a bright smile. "I think we got enough now!"

[forachange]

He was pleased with what they'd gathered, but definitely feeling to tired in the arms and hands to keep a steady grip on the way down... Of course, he thought with a rather playful smile, Gobo had said he'd catch him.

And really, that trust and faith went both ways.

"Okay, then, ready for your last catch, Gobo?" Wembley called down, not waiting much before taking the leap.

[gobetween]

"My last-?" He cut himself off shortly when he saw what Wembley was doing right before he did it. A brief war between instinct to run and instinct to not let Wembley hurt humself had Gobo in a brief awkward split, that had the resulting catch mostly being Wembley landing on him and pushing him to the ground.

Then again, with their similar sizes that would've been the end result anyway.

He lay there stunned a moment, then laughed lightly and looked up at him. "Hello."

[forachange]

"Hi," Wembley responded with a giggle - more one of disbelief that he'd just done that than anything else. He wasn't to keen on moving, but he figured he probably should, and got to his feet, offering Gobo a hand so he could do the same. "Nice catch."

[gobetween]

"Nice jump. Try it over water sometime, I bet Red would be jealous."

Getting to his feet, he gathered up the apples, dividing them up with two- and, after a brief moment with his knife on the fifth -and a half each. Man, they smelled even better up close! This would be a great snack for their walk.

[forachange]

Wembley snorted a bit as he laughed. "Oh, I don't know, imagine if Red had been the one up there. That would've been an incredible jump!"

The apples had his complete attention after that, though - he could hear how crisp and juicy they were when Gobo cut into one of them. A good sound, a wet kind of 'crrrrrup!'

"I think," Wembley was soon saying around a mouthful of apple, "this settles it: Autumn is my favorite season! I think. Hmm, maybe winter, winter's really cozy. Or maybe spring, when the flowers come out? Ooh, or summer!"

[gobetween]

"I think every season's got something good in it!" He worked on the half apple first, continuing to cut chunks off with his knife.

"Summer is probably my favorite, though. The air's alive with play, and the weather is almost always nice enough to hang out and explore, and when it's not it's nice enough for a swim!"

[forachange]

"Heh, yeah - I think so, too, but I always think that way," Wembley chuckled. "But yeah, those things are nice about the summer, I agree! That and that all the birds are home from their migrations!"

[gobetween]

"Yeah, that too! It's nice to see all the birds around again." He was silent a moment or two, thinking.

"You like birds a lot, huh Wembley?"

[forachange]

He nodded in response. "Yeah, ever since I hatched one. They're my favorite animals - and that bird was my favorite bird."

[gobetween]

"Yeah, that bird was pretty cool." He took his idea and folded it up, carefully tucking it away in a mental pocket for the next time he spoke with Chris.

"Oh! Daniel was telling me the other day about this neat farm just outside of Birchpointe that does some fall stuff! Hay rides, and pumpkin carving, and corn mazes." He snickered some. "I don't know what some of that stuff is, but it sounds great!"

[forachange]

Wembley stopped walking for a moment, staring ahead as he tried to figure out what a corn maze could be. Maybe you had to go through a maze while balancing corn on your nose? Maybe not. Also, how did you ride hay?

Oh well, it didn't matter. It certainly sounded fun, no matter what it is!

"Wow!" he gasped. "You wanna go check it out?"

[gobetween]

"Sure! We'll check it out tomorrow, alright?" Finishing the half apple, he started in on another one. "The perfect continuation of our autumnal adventurous expedition."

Red wasn't the only one who could use several words like that in a row.

[forachange]

"Yeah, I'd like that," Wembley said contentedly. "And maybe we can make it an annual autumnal expenturous- Shoot."

[gobetween]

He laughed warmly, if only because that'd been exactly what he had been trying to get out of using that phrase.

"Making it an annual thing sounds like a great idea!"

[forachange]

Wembley grinned, nodding. "Aw, yeah, it'll be fun!" He started on his half-apple, next, and the core of the first was tucked away into his pack. Maybe the birds would like having pinecones that smelled like apples!