[YOTB] Mochi Harvest

Shibani was a bun that was easy to please and easy to pleasure, thus the sight of the beautiful Faunt Caverns effortlessly put a wide grin on his face. As far as his eye could see were green fields that had gently swaying stalks; the breeze coming from the deeper tunnels that a bun could only guess what laid beyond. So mesmerizing was the scenery that even Dan took a few moments to take it all in, but unfortunately this trip wasn’t a vacation by any means. There was plenty of rice to go around this year, but the mochi maker did not need plenty of sacks to create the mochi. Just enough to accommodate experimental batches, he thought, though how many pieces that would entail was something he couldn’t quite guess.

Anyway, better to start sooner rather than later. Finding a good spot to camp could come later, although he already spotted a nearby clearing that only had soft grass not too far from where they were. That seemed like a good spot since Dan didn’t want to disturb the stalks. With that in mind, he directed Shibani to head towards that direction so that they could circle back there later. Then came the setting up of equipment–mostly a sickle and enough sacks that he should be able to carry back home. This was only going to be a one time trip, after all, there was no need to be greedy if he couldn’t even hold them all.

For a moment, Shibani feared that Dan was going to let him hold the sickle, but even if he had a spare, he only really handed him the sack of rice (to his relief). At the moment, the large cloth was light enough to make it easy to drag around, and it also put him in close proximity to Dan at all times. Watching him work was a treat, and the stalks were short enough that even their bun forms were sufficient in harvesting them.

On the other hand, as much as the mochi maker appreciated being admired, he had to admit that it was distracting him from the work. It also didn’t help that Shibani would sometimes waddle around to get a closer look, which meant that he had to be careful not to hit him by accident. After some time, though, his companion’s movements were getting a little sluggish, which may mean that there was more weight in the sack to lug around.

Perhaps to Dan this wasn’t all that much enriched rice, but Shibani soon had the urge to whine about the sack, especially since the mochi maker wasn’t slowing down with the harvesting at all. Eventually, Dan felt that he had filled up the sack enough and was the one who carried it back to their makeshift camp. Shibani would follow close by, all too happy about the weight off his shoulders, complimenting how strong his companion was. Dan could only blush and mumble, all too happy about his ego being stroked.

After another round of back and forth, Shibani would notice that not too far off was a cavern mouth that had a faint, blue glow. Checking the sack to ensure that none of the harvested rice would spill out, he asked Dan if he could check it out. The mochi maker didn’t mind, but did remind him to be careful, to which Shibani would cheerfully reply before setting off. Well, there was not much to set off–it was only a short walk, and even if he had only traveled a couple of meters, it was becoming clear that the cause of the glowing was something growing on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it looked quite similar to the rice that Dan was harvesting. Really, the only difference was that they glowed mysteriously. Hobbling back to his companion, Shibani asked for permission to use the spare sickle and try to harvest some of the newly discovered rice. Surely he could do it after watching Dan do it so many times, though of course it was easier said than done. After getting permission, it was just a matter of walking back, swinging the sickle, and then collecting the cut stalks into a smaller sack. Somehow, the rice sparkled in his tiny hooved hands. Shibani could only guess that the walls of the cavern, which contained cracks of a similar hued glow, had something to do with this rice looking a little different. He wondered if it would change the taste of the mochi that Dan would make.

Once he got back to the little camping spot, the mochi maker wasn’t quite sure what to make of this new rice that Shibani managed to find, but it didn’t look dangerous or poisonous, so it was worth a try. He thanked the bun by patting him on the head, half tempted with planting a kiss, but maybe that could be reserved for the evening when they were resting in the tent he had yet to set up.

More time passed, and eventually the light of the cavern ceiling had dimmed. Overall, Dan was pretty happy with the amount of sacks he had filled up, and there was that small one that Shibani was able to collect as well. Feeling proud of a job well done, he let his companion rest while he set up camp properly, including the pot and campfire where he could cook some of the surrounding stalks into a comforting porridge. All the while, Shibani would sometimes ask Dan more about his mentor or what he remembered about the last time he was here in the caverns. It helped pass the time, and before he knew it, night had fallen and the bowls were licked clean. It was time to take a well-deserved break.

With their beds set side by side under the tent, Shibani was all too happy to finally be lying down and getting ready to sleep. Dan was also appreciative of the lull, letting his companion snuggle up to him and lying down on his shoulder. He would wrap his arm around the smaller bun, thankful that he was not out here alone.