Of the few things that cats and humans could both eat, pumpkin was one of them. This didn't apply to Zaya, but every now and then she wanted to try what her human was having. The people here had a tradition where they would pick a fleshy round gourd and carve it into a decorative lantern, something unheard of from the Haza savanna. Hearing folktales of the origin of such traditions, Naram decided to make a gourd lantern for his sister, in hopes that its light would protect her spirit after death. Zaya came along, of course. Wherever the hunter went, she was not far behind. The nomad took his time surveying the ripe pumpkins in the patch while the cat looked on, sitting comfortably in an empty wheelbarrow. In the heat of Ignius, her long coat was stuffy, but with the cool breezes of Venti coming in–the temperature was just right. Zaya didn't really understand why people were looking at all these pumpkins, but it seemed fun. There were several families with small children and older adults searching high and low for the perfect one to bring back to the carving table.

As the sun began to rise in the sky, a few of the kids caught sight of the long-haired cat. They crowded around her with oohs and ahhs, and patted her all over. The younger ones were a bit rough when handling her, but she was patient and didn't mind. In her eyes, they were all little ones–even the adults. Once the gaggle of toddlers and schoolchildren were called away, she felt the urge to doze off with the sunlight being so warm. She tried to resist, as she didn't want to lose sight of her human. A short nap couldn't hurt… Closing her eyes, she tucked her paws underneath her body and curled her tail around as she shifted into the distinctive 'loaf' position. She was hard to miss–she was much larger than the average house cat.

A young girl only ten years old was walking through the fair. It was the second day and after the first one had gone a little bad. This time she was avoiding anything that could mess with her like that room had. And she brought her daggers just in case. There was so much to see and yet, Dala felt very bored. The fairs fun activities seemed to be boring and she couldn't help but wish she had something to take out all her aggression on. The scary sights and creepy monsters became just ugly things that made her yawn. The child went towards the pumpkin patch, hoping to be able to nab a pumpkin or two. Perhaps she could carve it and make REALLY scary faces.

Suddenly a fluff of fur caught her attention. It was a large loaf and when she looked closer, the child realized it was a cat! Her eyes widened as she gasped. The cat was a beautiful creature that captured all the cuteness of a pet. Dala hid behind the fence surrounding the pumpkin patch and gazed at the cat, wondering how best to approach it. She didn't want to scare it off. So she slowly crouched down to the ground and began crawling towards the cat. Trying to avoid being spotted. It was sleeping in the wheelbarrow so she was very careful in her approach. Once she finally got close enough, she reached out and began petting the kitty's head as gently as possible.

"A fluffster." She declared with a cheerful smile, "I betcha your the prettiest kitty around."

If the cat didn't flee, she'd even get the chance to cuddle it.

Zaya continued to sleep peacefully when a pair of hands began to pat her head. Instead of being alarmed, she stretched her neck and pushed her head into the hands, letting out a purr. Her big, fluffy tail began to swish in happiness. A calming and warm, fuzzy feeling filled the area around the cat as she enjoyed the affection. Opening her pale green eyes, Zaya stared up at the young girl. Bringing her paws out from under her body, she sat up and began to stretch out her legs. Blonde hair was something that fascinated the spirit guardian with the way it shone in the light. Sniffing to better remember the girl's scent, the long-haired cat began to groom Dala's hand. It was something she did to everyone she met as her way of blessing them. Little did they know, a simple rubbing or lick could make all of their weariness and troubles melt away. From the way this child looked at her, it was as if she was waiting for something. Flicking her ears, Zaya checked to see that Naram was still nearby before turning back to the girl. With a soft meow and a steady, gentle gaze–it was as if the cat was asking her what she wanted.

This was the first time a cat didn't hiss or flee whenever she came around. The cat's purrs were comforting and adorable in a way that made Dala's heart melt. In fact, the cat seemed to have no fear at all. The cat also licked her hand, showing it was perfectly fine with her presence. With a big smile, Dala picked up the cat, who was a little heavy, and began snuggling it. She rubbed her face in the cats fur and hugged it a little too tight. After she was done snuggling it she put it back on the wheelbarrow.

"I'm gonna call you fluffy until I find your real name." She said, "Where's your owner?"

There was no way a cat this fat wouldn't have an owner. Cats that lived on the streets were scruffy and barely had any meat on their bones. They were also terrified of humans. The fact this creature seemed well fed and wasn't scared made Dala believe it had and owner. The child sat down on a large pumpkin and looked at the cat curiously. What kind of cat went to a pumpkin patch? Were there that many prey? The sky was getting darker and darker, making the girl wonder if she should go home or not. But she decided she'd stay a little bit longer.

"Don't suppose you have night vision do ya?" Dala asked the cat jokingly.

Accepting the hug, Zaya didn't struggle when Dala picked her up and hugged her. With her magic, the small human was already happier, something that the cat was proud of. The girl then asked where her owner was, and she turned her head towards Naram's direction before looking back at Dala. Her ears picked up the sound of…giggling that wasn't like the kind that came from children or curious people. Folding her front paws, she stretched out her neck again as if trying to touch her nose with the girl. When the blonde girl asked if she could see in the dark, Zaya responded by chattering. She was content and comfortable, but the sky was getting darker and her human hadn't come back yet. The number of people wandering around the pumpkin patch dwindled, as parents were leading their children back home with promises of another visit to the fair soon. As night approached, the long-haired cat became alert. Something wasn't right. Her human shouldn't have taken so long just to find a big round gourd. It was becoming far too quiet here.

Standing up, she jumped off the wheelbarrow and started pacing around Dala, as if she was searching for something. Her tail was lowered and no longer swaying in the carefree manner as before. Zaya was anxious. Every so often she would turn to look back at the girl, as if something was on her mind. While they had soaked up the warm rays of a peaceful afternoon, nightfall had been steadily approaching and the witching hour was drawing close. The giggling the guardian beast heard now was low chuckling, and the atmosphere was changing. As darkness came, the fog began to creep in. There were still a few people hanging around the pumpkin patch: some young couples looking for a place for a midnight tryst, older couples having an evening stroll, and grandparents tagging along with their grandchildren for one last romp before it was time to go.

It was now that Zaya's heart started to race, her pupils fully dilated. She had lost track of her human's scent. Letting out a plaintive cry, the cat tried to call out to the nomad to let him know he needed to come back. Whenever she cried like this, he would usually come running. But when she didn't hear him answer or pick up his scent on the wind, her anxiety turned to panic. Staying close to Dala, Zaya then fixated her gaze on the pumpkin the girl was sitting on. In the distance, the clock chimed twelve–and the leisurely little garden underwent a ghastly transformation. The faint giggling one could hear if they were by themselves was very much audible, and at first one couldn't tell where it was coming from. But then–as the moons shed a sickly pale light from above–it became clear that there were hundreds of malicious glowing eyes in the darkness. The fog was rolling in thick, and there were shadows of things that would dart past you or sneak up behind you only to shrink back when you turned to look. 

The cat seemed to grow anxious after Dala asked the creature about its owner. The long haired cat became alert and was pacing around, as if it was looking for something. Soon the cat let out a cry, as if she was trying to summon a kitten. Realizing that the cat was truly lost, Dala hopped off of the large pumpkin and gave the cat a few pets, in an attempt to let her know she wasn't alone. As the sun lowered in the sky and darkness surrounded the area, the pumpkin patch went under a transformation. The child could finally hear the giggling and couldn't tell where it was from. The fog was thick and the moon revealed a thousand eyes glowing in the darkness. Either they were rats or….something else.

"Of course the one charming thing about this place turns creepy." Dala muttered to herself.

Pushing down her own growing fear, she looked towards the cat and let out a small sigh.

"You're owner has to be around here somewhere." The child stated, "The sooner we find them, the sooner we can get out of here."

She wouldn't give the cat a choice to say no to her help. This was a fluffy cute cat, and that alone gave her more courage to face whatever those glowing eyes were. She drew her daggers and began to step towards the strange glowing eyes with a gulp. Then she looked back to see if the cat was going to come with her. Sitting around and waiting for the owner to come back wouldn't work, even if it was potentially safer.

"You coming?" She asked.

That nagging feeling she had wasn't mere worry after all. A powerful malevolent air filled the pumpkin patch, and it made her fur stand on end. What frightened Zaya wasn't the evil spirits that had made themselves manifest–it was the thought that her human was in grave danger. And not just him, but many others whom she had caught the scent of before the ominous fog rolled in. Although the guardian beast had grown weak with the passing of time, she would not allow anything or anyone to harm those who she had chosen to protect. As the child comforted her, she pawed at Dala's leg, granting the girl a temporary blessing of protection. No magic or weapon would be allowed to harm her while it held, and the long-haired cat prepared to charge into the mists alongside her. Taking the lead, the cat began to run until something sprang into her path. Gnarled, thorny vines slithered to block their way as the plants here came to life. Furrowing her brow, Zaya began backing up before crouching low into a familiar position any cat owner would recognize.

Wiggling her body side to side, in the next moment she sprung into the air like a coiled spring finally released. Zaya sailed over the brambles, green eyes gleaming in the darkness. There was a loud yowl followed by a hiss as she landed on a pumpkin with a sinister face and cackling grin. The evil orange gourd mocked the large house cat, but that soon turned into screaming as a furious Zaya began scratching its eyes out. Biting, gnawing, and cat-slapping–the mackerel tabby battered the wicked piece of living produce until it was a chewed-up mess. The brambles receded, revealing the cat's carnage. She was still angrily carving the screeching pumpkin a new face as the way forward was clear. Looking back at the blonde girl, the feline calmly walked back to her as if to imply that the nuisance had been taken care of. Some of the glowing eyes in the shadows scuttled off and the giggling died down after that. Taking a brief moment, Zaya began to groom herself as a show of confidence. She was quite satisfied with teaching the monster pumpkin a lesson.

Meanwhile, Naram found himself on the run from something. The seemingly harmless garden had changed itself in an instant, and now everything was out to kill him. The fog was making it difficult for him to tell if he was getting close to finding his way out, and he had nearly tripped several times. He swore it wasn't him being careless; it was as if roots and vines appeared before him out of thin air. The nomad and Dala weren't the only ones trapped in the garden's sudden about-face. Separated by the rolling fog, there was an old man and a small boy fleeing from a massive monstrosity looming overhead. With a large, round body and multiple tentacle like tendrils, a gargantuan gourd of great size was hunting them down in the pumpkin rows. With glowing eyes and a wide gaping maw full of razor-sharp teeth, its booming laughter sent chills down one's spine.

Charles Braun was an accounting clerk for a general store in Adeluna City. He and his grandson Trevor had come here to celebrate the beginning of Venti with Charles' son William, and his daughter-in-law Elizabeth. They had spent hours exploring the fairgrounds, and they were preparing to leave once William readied the horses. Wanting to give his grandson one last bit of fun before it was time to go, Mr. Braun brought Trevor to see the pumpkins in the garden. Everything had been fine until the sun went down and the witching hour arrived. The little boy tripped, and his grandfather quickly pulled him up before a thick vine wrapped around his foot. It pulled the man back, and the child screamed as his grandfather was torn away from him. "GRAMPA!!!" Fighting the vines off as hard as he could, the last thing Charles wanted was for Trevor to see him go like this. Shouting back, Mr. Braun told his grandson: "Don't worry about me! Run!" The fog began to part as the pale moonlight shone down on the pumpkins, illuminating the jack o' lantern-like abomination towering above it all.

The child followed after the cat and looked to her left when she saw a pumpkin with an evil grin. While the fluffy cat was taking care of a different pumpkin, Dala started stabbing the one she'd found in its face. Repeatedly. When she was finally done with it, there was nothing but half a pumpkin with multiple stab wounds. The child looked over towards the cat to see it had helped get rid of the pumpkins. She gave it a thumbs up before following it further into the garden, her daggers ready to attack any threats that might pop up. The girl kept her ears and eyes out for any sign of the owner or anybody else for that matter. She heard screams in the distance and raced towards the giant pumpkin jack o lantern that had captured some poor old man in its vines. They had approached the jack o lantern from behind, so the monster hadn't seen them yet. The child looked down at the cat, realizing she needed some help.

"Can you keep the vines off me?" She asked quietly.

Once she received what she assumed was an answer, she started running towards the monster. She hopped onto a large pumpkin then launched herself at the giant pumpkin creature. The girl stabbed its back with her daggers and used that as a way to keep on. The giant pumpkin monster retracted its fines from the old man and let out a shriek that could shatter glass. She gritted her teeth as she held on with all her might. Fortunately, she buried both daggers deep enough in the pumpkin. Dala yanked out the left dagger then stabbed higher up, more to the side. Using the daggers, she managed to climb towards the creature's eyes.

The vines began to reach up towards the creature's back, attempting to swat the girl off. Dala was relying on the cat's abilities to distract or do something about the vines. Despite just meeting it, she knew the creature was powerful, something about the cat made her feel confident in that. More pumpkins began to swarm towards the giant beast. Dala peaked towards the ground, still seeing the old man looking up at her in shock and horror.

"RUN YOU IDIOT!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

The old man took a hint and gathered up his grandson and began running out of the garden. Now the only people that had to be worried was her and the cat. She finally managed to grab onto the carved out eyes of the jack o lantern. Peering in, she could see a candle. How lucky! If only she could get in without falling off. The pumpkins were starting to swarm around in a mob. Dala prayed that the cat was doing fine as she tried to climb into the eye. She felt a vine wrap around her ankle, a smaller pumpkin was trying to pull her off but her grip was strong. She wiggled, trying to get it off.

The cat and the child ran side by side, moving quicker when screams pierced the air. When they finally found where it was coming from, they were met by a living jack o' lantern of monstrous size. With a tangling mass of vines for limbs, there was a poor man wrapped up in a coil, being hoisted upwards to an impending doom. Fortunately they approached from the back and the ghastly gourd of gargantuan proportions was too preoccupied by its victim to notice. With such a daunting enemy before them, dealing with it would be challenge. The girl bravely chose to face it head-on, and turned to guardian beast in disguise for a favor. "Can you keep the vines off me?" Dala asked Zaya. In response, the long-haired cat gave a small mew. As the girl climbed up the backside of the great pumpkin, the cat darted in front of the abomination and let out a screeching yowl to get its attention, puffing herself up and arching her back to look larger. This wouldn't do much to intimidate the creature, but it soon noticed the cat and began its chase. Admittedly, Zaya had no way to stop the pumpkin creature from using its vines. Her tiny claws wouldn't do much against its thick skin. However, what she could do was act as distraction while buying Dala time to help free the poor old human hanging high. 

The stabs from the girl's daggers made the monster shriek in pain, forcing Zaya to fold down her ears and back away. If it was ear-splitting for the girl, it was several times worse for an animal–especially with more sensitive hearing. Holding fast with sheer willpower, Zaya leaped onto a vine and bit hard before quickly letting go. Making sure the pumpkin was targeting her instead of the child, she began to zigzag all over the place. It was a came of cat and mouse–with the cat being the great pumpkin. Whenever the vines looked like they were just about to grab her, Zaya would suddenly vanish and reappear somewhere not too far away. It was clear there was magic at work, as even the most agile of felines could be visually tracked from start to finish. Using this tactic, she was able to keep it occupied until Dala was in sight. The scuffle had attracted more of the pumpkin's smaller kin; the old man and a small boy managed to escape before the area was overrun. The situation was becoming worse as Dala was climbing inside the big pumpkin's glowing face.

Seeing a smaller gourd was trying to impede the child's movement, Zaya quickly leaped–teleporting in midair to land close enough towards it. Digging her claws into the giant pumpkin beast's flesh, she detached a front paw to rapidly smack the little pumpkin creeper until it fell to the ground below. This wasn't good; if both of them were on the pumpkin, then that meant there wasn't anybody drawing away its attention. In such a diminutive form, Zaya couldn't do anything…but somebody else could. Channeling the bond between her and her charge, the guardian beast used what little spiritual power she had to call the nomad to her location. Somewhere else in the misty pumpkin patch, Naram was stumbling around when he felt an overwhelming pulling sensation on every fiber of his being. The force grew stronger and stronger until it was as if an invisible hand suddenly dragged him through space in the blink of an eye. 

Emerging out of thin air, the hunter had to steady himself before looking over his shoulder at a horrifying sight. A plaintive cry which he knew all too well revealed the long-haired cat hanging on for dear life on the body of the ginormous, living orange squash. Still shaken from the initial shock, Naram quickly notched an arrow to his bow out of instinct. His hands were shaky, but his body followed through with the same motions he had performed many times in the past. "I'M COMING ZAYA!!!" The man shouted as an arrow whistled through the air. It struck the side of the great pumpkin's other eye, causing it to recoil in pain. Drawing his szabla with his other hand, Naram began carving through the swarms of small pumpkins that were trying to get at them. The pale light of the moons shone down from above, causing the blade to faintly glow when it was raised in the moonlight. Thick vines and hardened flesh were easily cut as its sharpness grew.

Zaya was a gift, one that Dala deeply treasured at the moment. Without that fluffy cat she would have gotten wrapped up, just like that old man. An arrow flew through the air and struck the side of the pumpkin's eye. There was a man shouting for the cat. Dala's face lit up with a smile, the owner had survived! Her heart filled with confidence at this new discovery as she continued to climb and crawl into the pumpkin's eye. She slid down the inside of the monster, all the way to where the bottom of the candle was. Inside everything was gooey and slippery. Seeds dripped from the ceiling while the walls were covered with stringy bits of pumpkin. The candle was large and heavy, but she had an idea.

Taking her knife, she walked to the opposite side of the face. For a moment she hesitated. If she did this, then there was a chance the cat and the owner could get hurt. If she didn't, they would certainly be harmed. She looked around the pumpkin and found some markings and little claws sticking through. She gave that side of the pumpkin a little poke to see if that was where the cat was. Realizing this was her chance, she carved out a hole, much to the horror of the giant jack o lantern, and peered over at the cat from the hole.

"Don't worry. Its me. I'm going to need you to go to your owner as fast as possible." She instructed.

Turning away from the cat, the girl focused her attention on the candle. Dala went to the candle's backside and began striking it with her knife. Once she got midway through, she jumped on the candle, making it fall like a tree in a forest. The candle landed on the bottom of the jack o lantern eye. The flame danced wildly before finally catching the pumpkin's exterior of fire. The pumpkin roared with pain as the fire began to surround it and spread. A sudden thought occurred to Dala.

"OH SHIT. I'm STILL in the pumpkin!" The child finally realized.

She used her daggers to climb to the mouth, unable to reach the eyes in time. Fire was all over but there was a hole where the mouth was. Dala gulped then jumped, only to remember that the jack o lantern monster was tall and there was a long drop below her.

"FUCK!" She screeched as she fell.