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Snufkin shifted from his position in the grass, laying down on his back as he watched the sunset. He remained alone for a few minutes as he simply watched the colours paint the sky. It was quite the beautiful sight, but not as much as what he planned to show his friends.
He heard his company before he saw them.
Little My, his chaotic half sister, was trampling up the hill while spouting complaints to Moomin about his lacklustre attempts to keep this between the two of them. Moomin, fur as white as ever he presumed, was vehemently denying any innuendo she seemed to be implying. Snorkmaiden laughed endearingly at the silly argument, and Snufkin could imagine the flowers in her hair that he couldn't yet see. He could sense Sniff's nervous presence at the back of the group despite his hesitant silence, perhaps a bit overwhelmed with the increasingly loud bickering.
The banter stopped as Moomin noticed him, and he knew since he cut off his flustered reply and called out his name.
"Snufkin!"
The joy in his voice brought a smile to his face, and Little My snickered as if whatever point she was claiming had been proven.
He didn't know when he closed them, but Snufkin opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight he had expected.
Little My was grinning mischievously and he didn't want to know what she was planning. He supposed that she may get distracted by what he wished to show them, but those chances were low.
Moomin was bounding over and making quick pace to cover the gap. His fur was as presumed, white as a new winters snow. A smile was stretched across his face at the sight of his best friend.
Snorkmaiden's latest flower crown was made of pink and cream flowers this time, and it complimented her nicely. She always did seem to have quite the sense of fashion. She was beside Little My and giggling along with her, paw covering her mouth as she did so.
Sniff was hanging out at the back, timidly glancing over to Little My and he supposed that she had tormented him on the way as well. He fiddled with his hands in his nervousness, probably expecting a dangerous nighttime expedition of sorts.
Moomin skidded happily to a halt in front of him, exclaiming his name out again. "Snufkin!" There was a blinding grin on his face and Snufkin had to avert his gaze slightly.
He tipped his hat over his eyes to make it less obvious before calmly returning the greeting. "Moomin."
He watched as Moomin's face flared up in embarrassment before clearing his throat and 'fixing' his greeting. "Ah, uh, Snufkin."
Little My rolled her eyes before flinging herself over to jump on his stomach. Snufkin recoiled slightly at that, as even if Little My didn't weigh too much it was still painful for a brief second. She then settled down, sitting right where she had landed. He laughed at that, sitting up and making her roll off. He scooped her into his arms before she could fully fall off, receiving an annoyed bite in turn. She grumbled briefly, trying to squirm out of his grasp before giving up.
"Little My!" Moomin chided at the display, but he too was giggling lightly.
Snufkin patted her head, narrowly avoiding her teeth as she bit down on the air where his hand was only a second before. He placed her on the rim of his hat, a spot she seemed to enjoy occasionally. She huffed, but remained. He'd have to be more careful moving his head now. More for his own sake than hers; she'd be fine if she were to fall. He, however, would not.
Snorkmaiden breezed over to them, placing down the picnic basket she had brought.
"I presumed we were going to be staying here so I brought some food to enjoy," she explained, voice soft compared to the tone of the other two.
Sniff seemed confused, albeit relieved, at that bit of news. He eventually made his way over to the group, voicing his befuddlement. "How'd you know that, Snorkmaiden?" While Snufkin had long since gotten used to his voice, it did take a few seconds to acclimate to his more high pitched tone.
"Well, Snufkin doesn't really like bringing us to dangerous places in the dark, and a lot of the more exciting things that we haven't found yet are far enough away that it would be quite risky to travel to at night," she explained.
"Quite correct, Snorkmaiden. What I want to show you will be right here in a bit." Sniff seemed very interested with that tidbit.
"Ooh, is it something I can sell?"
Snufkin chuckled at the predictable question. "No, no, not exactly. It wouldn't be nearly as beautiful if you did."
Sniff looked even more puzzled than before. "Then why are we trying to find it?"
"We're not trying to find it, Sniff, we're simply waiting for it to happen." Snufkin explained, letting his eyes slip back closed.
Sniff didn't pry further, and a small silence enveloped the group. He heard Moomin settle down beside him, and the rustle of fabric as Snorkmaiden set up the picnic blanket. He heard the grass being disturbed as Sniff looked around for things to sell, and felt Little My jump off of his hat to go annoy him.
Snufkin lay back down on his back, exhaling and feeling any remaining tension drain from his shoulders. He blindly brought out his harmonica, but refrained from playing it quite yet, simply feeling the cold metal warm up in the palm of his hand through the glove that separated them.
He dozed lightly with one eye cracked open to remain aware of his surroundings. There was a relaxing silence between Moomin and him, the faint giggle of Little My off in the distance as she ran around tormenting Sniff while Snorkmaiden watched from the sidelines.
He felt his tail sway from side to side, invisible as it had been for years. It displaced the grass where it moved, but the soft breeze covered up that fact.
He was content.
He only roused himself when the stars began to dust the blackened sky, taking a moment to exhale and live in the moment. He felt the crisp air enter his lungs, the wind wrap around his skin and tussle his hair; his hat having fallen off of his head at some point during his rest. He heard the crickets begin to sing their symphony, an orchestra heralding the night as it blanketed the land.
He opened his eyes fully, turning to meet Moomin's peaceful gaze.
His head was still hazy as he spoke, letting it come out as a soft murmur. "It'll be happening soon," he told the boy beside him. He propped himself up into a sitting position, watching as Moomin nodded before standing to go tell the others.
He coaxed himself to stand as well, yawning to rid the slight tiredness from his system. His eyes drooped, and he supposed the recent late nights were catching up on him. No matter, he supposed, as he would be getting better sleep after this. He just wanted to know when this would happen to be able to share it with the others.
He bent over to grab the harmonica that had slipped out of his hand, feeling the familiar tingle of cold metal against warm skin, slightly muffled in its effect due to the fabric that separated the two.
His four companions returned back to where he was stood, watching as he stroked the harmonica gently with a gloved thumb.
He stood in silence for a few seconds, waiting for his cue. He observed the surroundings until he saw the faintest light flicker in the meadow. He brought the now warm metal up to his lips and began to play.
It was a nameless tune that no one had heard before; not even himself. It echoed the feeling of tranquility that surrounded them, the peace and waiting and the quiet nights that had led up to this moment. It was much quieter than any tune he had played before, but there wasn't a single note that held a melancholy feel. There was joy in it's creation, the brief flicker of improvisation, the love of waiting for something beautiful to arrive for perhaps days on end. The sense of fulfilment as that thing came and being able to watch it, surrounded by friends.
There was a quiet gasp, but he didn't stop playing.
He simply opened his eyes, watching the thousands of fireflies swirl around them in tune to his music.
It was a spectacle, watching them flit about the moonlit field as free as a bird. Some glowed brighter than others, and some were much more dull. But collectively they were as beautiful as they were individually, just so much more noticeable.
He continued to play, focusing on the feelings of the moment as he allowed himself to be absorbed by the beauty of it all. The fireflies flickered as they bumbled along, pausing only briefly in their journey to enjoy the music before carrying on along their way.
They flowed across the meadow like a river, their light fading in and out in a mesmerizing pattern.
Eventually, his throat tired of playing, so he left the song on a trailed note that perfectly encaptured the happy sort of sadness he felt. The last of the fireflies passed by him into the forest, and he watched where they had left until the last of their light faded.
He let his eyes slide back closed, drifting his hand down to his pocket to deposit his harmonica in it's usual spot.
He let his eyes rest for a moment, not wanting to keep them open for much longer. He was tired.
He ended up opening them again anyway, trailing over the awed faces of his friends. He gave a content smile before prompting a more verbal response out of them. "So, was it worth the wait?" His voice was still quiet, albeit a bit raw sounding now, not that he minded. It was worth it in his mind, and he hadn't played like that in quite some time.
"That was beautiful!" Snorkmaiden was the first to comment, eyes shining wonder. "I've never seen anything like it before!"
"Yeah!" Sniff agreed, though he still look slightly put off it wasn't something he could sell.
Little My let out a huff. "Just like you to trudge us up here to look at fireflies." Snufkin could hear the difference in her tone though, she was just as entranced by the display as the rest of them.
Moomin remained silent for a while longer before commenting, "it was really pretty." His voice was subdued, almost as gentle as Snorkmaiden's usual tone.
He felt himself warm in accomplishment. They had enjoyed it, and that was all that mattered to him.
A yawn escaped him before he could help it, and he looked up to the sky. There wouldn't be any harsh weather tonight, so it would be fine for him to spend the night here instead of in his tent. He ambled back over to the rest of them, having been a few paces away from them, before settling down onto the grass.
Moomin made a questioning sound, but Snufkin didn't bother explaining himself. His throat felt sore and he didn't want to strain it with conversation. He simply closed his eyes and felt the other four settle down around him.
He let consciousness ebb slowly away from him, but hadn't fully fallen asleep by the time Moomin spoke up.
He could tell the other three were asleep by this point due to the content of the single sentence his friend uttered.
"I think it was much more beautiful with your music."
Snufkin pulled his hat over his face to cover his smile and pretended the words didn't affect him nearly as much as they did.
(Moominmamma came to the hill after they didn't return when Snufkin had said they would and found all five asleep cuddled up to each other.
She smiled, grabbed a large blanket to tuck them in, wished them goodnight, and left them to rest.)