Work Text:
On a cool, sunny day, the Smiling Critters gathered in the field of Rainbow Valley. Lying on the tables in front of them were multiple thin sticks, paint, colorful sheets, string, and some measuring and cutting tools.
Everyone, minus DogDay and CraftyCorn, stared at the materials, confused but intrigued.
“Hey Double D, what all this stuff for?” Asked Kickin, picking up a pair of scissors.
Chuckling, DogDay answered, “Well, today, we are going to make and fly our own kites.” He ended with a bright smile.
“Our own kites?” Bobby asked, eyes sparkling.
DogDay nodded. Crafty, who was standing next to DogDay, raised her hoof, rather timidly. “It was… my idea. Well, kinda my idea.”
“Crafty here,” DogDay started, placing a paw on the unicorn's shoulder, “ brought up making our own kites.” He turned to look at the other 5 critters. “I was already considering this being the group activity, but when she mentioned making our own, I thought it such a great idea that I knew we had to do it.”
Crafty blushed at the compliment and only got redder, as the other expressed interest in her suggestion. This was the first time she had ever pitched a group idea, so she was a bit embarrassed but happy nonetheless that her friends liked it.
They all gathered around, picking up the material as DogDay passed out instructions on how to make their own kites. The paints were Crafty’s, and she explained that she thought it would be fun to paint their own designs if anyone wanted to, of course.
Everyone, of course, wanted to. They all sat at one of the tables and got to work. They excitedly talked about what they were going to paint. Looking around, Bobby asked where CatNap was. It was about time he showed up.
“Let’s see, I saw him by the creek behind my home,” Bubba recalled. The cat had been lying by the edge, watching the water flow.
“Yeah, I saw him there too.” Picky baked up. “ On my way here. He was just sitting there.”
Getting up from his spot, DogDay let everyone know that he was going to get him. It wouldn’t be a group activity without CatNap’s presence. There was no guarantee that CatNap would participate, but it would be nice if he was at least present to see the spectacle.
Making his way to the creek, He began to look around. He should be here, or at least somewhere nearby.
CatNap tended to wander off without a destination, but when he picked a spot, he never went far from it. So if Bubba and Picky saw him by the creek, he was bound to be there. He looked under some tree roots, behind the bushes, inside burrows, and by the creek's edge, but could not spot his feline friend.
Cupping his paws around his mouth, he began to call out. “CatNap. Cat.Nap. Here, kity kitty, kitty. Where are you, bud?”
He raised his ears up in hopes of hearing any noise that would clue him to where CatNap was. A ruffle of leaves and a small mrrp from behind him was what he received. There, resting on a small tree was CatNap. He was well hidden among its leaves.
DogDay laughed, shaking his head; he should have known. He ran toward his friend, who was making his way down the trunk. DogDay didn't get a chance to greet him, as CatNap grabbed his face, sniffing him. DogDay stayed perfectly still; this was something CatNap sometimes did, but it still surprised him.
CatNap then began licking his cheeks in an attempt to clean him. DogDay giggled. It always tickled when CatNap did this.
Still holding his face, CatNap stared at him. Dirty is what that started meant. DogDay chuckled. “And whose fault do you think it is that I’m all dirty, huh?” CatNap nuzzled him, purring. DogDay pulled CatNap into a hug, wrapping his arms around the cat's waist.
“Sure, act all cute and innocent while blaming me for it,” he said, rolling his eyes. “You probably saw me looking for you, and didn't say anything.”
CatNap stuck his tongue out. Yeah, he had no defense; he did do that. DogDay let out a fond sigh. “Just what am I going to do with you, Naps?”
CatNap shrugged. If DogDay didn't know, he knew less. After a few moments of just staring at each other, DogDay and CatNap made their way to their friends. After making a quick pit stop at Bubba's for a towel to clean up.
When they arrived, DogDay was surprised that no one had finished their items. Bobby told him that Crafty had suggested waiting for them so they could all do it together. DogDay thanked her for her consideration. Crafty simply waved her hoof, saying it wouldn't be fun without everyone here. DogDay returned to his spot and started his work once again. CatNap chose to nap underneath the table.
Making the kites was a lot of fun. What wasn't fun was the short paint battle that ensued between Hoppy and Kickin. They both wanted to use the red paint at the same time. To make sure an argument didn't break out, Bubba gave each the same amount of paint to use. But as they began to run out, they began to add more to their plate. Then they began to accuse each other of using too much of the red paint. And then they began flicking and throwing paint in each other's direction, getting it everywhere but on their kites.
Bubba and Picky had very wisely moved from the splash zone for two reasons.
- They didn't want to get paint on themselves or their kites.
- They could sense the murderous intent from the usually shy unicorn and did not wish to get caught in the crossfire of her fury
Paint spilling and ending up on everything but the desired object was normal; it was expected, but to waste paint in a petty argument such as this was unacceptable to Carfty. If Hoppy and Kickin wanted more red paint, she would have happily provided more, but instead her two friends were treating her supplies as toys to be swung around and thrown at each other.
No one said anything; no one moved. They instead watched as Crafty made her way to the rabbit and chicken. Crafty was normally a very shy and sweet girl. She didn't like conflict, and she sometimes could have a hard time putting her hoof down, but something she never tolerated was having her art supplies misused, like they were now. They were here to paint kites, not have a paint war.
By now, Hoppy and Kickin had honestly stopped bickering; they never really took any of their arguments seriously, and this was no different. They were both covered in red paint, but they were smiling. The battle was fun, but they were ready to get back to painting their kites when they felt a cold shiver down their spines. And was it them, or did the air also get colder?
“Kickin. Chicken. Hoppy. Hopscotch. What are you both doing with my paints?”, asked a calm voice.
They slowly and fearfully turned to find a furious Crafty. There was a smile on her face despite the cold look in her eyes. Her arms were crossed, and her horn sparked with magic.
Oh, they messed up. They were screwed. A blast of magic was their punishment.
After that ‘minor inconvenience’, they all managed to successfully make their own kites. Now all there was to do was fly them. It wasn't too windy, so there was no fear of anyone getting pulled away. “Alright, is everyone ready?” DogDay asked, looking at his friends. After receiving confirmation, he looked straight ahead, “Ok. Ready. Set. Go!”
They all ran, watching in awe as their kites lifted, flying high in the sky. For most of the day, they spent flying their kites. Kickin and Hoppy were competing to see who could keep the kites up the longest. DogDay and Picky were trying to do tricks with theirs. Bubba was testing wind currents with his. And Bobby and Crafty were just leisurely sitting and watching their kites.
Even CatNap was flying one. Well kinda. Not wanting the feline to be left out, Crafty made an extra kite specially for him. She tied it to his tail, so he could fly it even as he slept. She threw it up into the air and watched as the wind picked it up. She smiled proudly. With a little nod, she ran to continue her own fun kite day.
Eventually, a strong gust of wind passed by. It began to drag and pull them. It took all their might to not let themselves get swept up by the strong winds, but thankfully no one lost their kite or fell.
“Man, that was close,” said Hoppy, wiping her forehead. “I almost lost my kite—And there goes CatNap,” she spoke calmly, as CatNap flew away with his kite.
Wait.
“Guys! CatNap’s flying away!” she yelled, catching the others' attention. They all were shocked, as yes, CatNap was indeed in the sky, being taken away.
“CatNap!” DogDay screamed, running after his friend. Kite abandoned. The others ran after him. Crafty ran a bit behind everyone else, feeling guilty. She had tied the string to CatNap and didn’t check on him when the wind had calmed down. If she had, then maybe her friend wouldn’t be flying away from them.
Crafty was going to use her magic to hopefully bring CatNap down, but doubt made her reconsider.
Thankfully the chase didn’t last long. Eventually the kite stopped due to getting tangled in some trees. Including CatNap. The cat was now hanging upside down. They stood underneath the base, wondering what to do next.
“Ok, ok,” DogDay began, “ Hoppy, go back to the table and bring back one of the tablecloths and some scissors.” A pause. “Bring the scissors in a bag; don’t want you hurting yourself in the process.”
Hoppy gave a salute, running back. A few moments passed, and she returned with the needed items. The plan was for DogDay to climb up the tree and try to untangle CatNap. He instructed Bobby, Bubba, Hoppy, and Kickin to hold the cloth open to catch CatNap in case he fell. Picky and Crafty were to keep their eyes open in case DogDay missed anything. With all that said, DogDay began his climb. Crafty watched as DogDay carefully untangled and cut the string from the tree branches and CatNap’s tail. She watched as DogDay struggled with the last knot, a particularly stubborn one. As subtly as possible, she tried to use her magic to help untie it.
Once undone (she did it), CatNap fell; thankfully, the others were able to catch him. CatNap woke up, yawning wide, unbothered and unaware. He was placed gently on the ground, where not even a second later, DogDay tackled CatNap in a hug, relieved that his best friend was ok. Bobby was not far behind, pulling both boys into a tight hug.
Seeing as no one was hurt, and they were all just fussing over CatNap or teasing DogDay for being a worry wort, Crafty informed Picky that she was going home, telling her she wasn’t feeling well. Picky gave her a concerned look and asked if she was ok, but she ignored it and left.
Crafty didn’t join her friends for the rest of the day. Her guilt got the better of her. She knew CatNap was most likely not mad at her. It wasn’t like him to get mad at anyone. He most likely didn’t even know or care about what happened. But Crafty did. And she couldn’t help but feel responsible.
She tried to distract herself from the feeling by drawing, painting, sketching. Something, anything, but she simply couldn't. CatNap could have gotten hurt because of her. What if the wind had suddenly stopped, and CatNap fell to the ground? With no one there to catch him or break his fall. What if the others had missed and CatNap did fall splat on the ground? Or DogDay fell down the tree while trying to get CatNap down. Hoppy could have tripped and fallen while she was running.
Her first time suggesting an activity almost ended with her friends getting hurt.
Crafty flinched in surprise upon hearing the gentle knocks on her door. She ignored it, hoping whoever it was would leave. But the knocks continued, more insistent but still keeping the gentleness of it. Seeing as whoever it was wasn't going to leave, Crafty went to open it. When she opened it, she found CatNap standing on the other side.
She slammed the door. What’s CatNap doing here, she thought nervously. The knocking continued. She couldn't let him in. She couldn't face him. Eventually, the knocking stopped. After a few minutes, she cautiously opened the door, peeking out. CatNap was gone. She let out a sigh of relief. Closing the door, she turned around to go back to her painting, but jumped when she saw CatNap right in front of her, in her room.
“How did you get in, CatNap?” she asked, looking around her room. CatNap didn't answer only pulled out his notebook, writing, ‘Are you ok, Crafty?’
“Of course.” Crafty nodded, smiling. She was fine. “Well, if that is it, I’ll be getting back to my drawing.”
‘Drawing?’
Painting. She meant painting. She walked to stand in front of the canvas. She moved the brush without really thinking. Her nervousness didn't go away, only increased as CatNap didn't leave but stood behind her, watching her paint
A piece of paper blocked her view of the canvas. ‘I’m not mad if that is what you're worried about.’
She turned around so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. “Mad? Why would—why would you be ma…mad?”
‘DogDay told me what happened,’ he wrote.
Oh.
Crafty bowed her head, rubbing her arm. “I’m sorry.” She whispered.
CatNap placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder. ‘It’s okay. It was an accident.’
“But you could have gotten hurt because I tied the string to your tail!”
‘You couldn’t have known that would happen, so don’t blame yourself. I do not blame you, nor am I mad. It actually makes me happy because you wanted me to be included in a way.’
Crafty furrowed her brow, unconvinced, but if CatNap said it was okay, then she would believe him. “Ok.”
They shared a smile before CatNap said something to her she didn’t expect. ‘Hey Crafty, what you did to untie the knot was pretty cool.’
What? Huh?
‘The knot. With your magic. You untied the last knot with your magic.’
She freaked. “Magic? No, I didn’t…I didn’t u—use any m—m—magic. What are you talking about." She stuttered, waving her hooves wildly in the air. CatNap just tilted his head, smiling confusedly. ‘But I felt your magic on the knot when you and DogDay were untying it from my tail.’
“You…felt it?”
A nod. Huh? That’s odd. Only those who could use magic could feel its presence. “CatNap… can you...use magic?” She asked slowly, bewildered.
Another nod. Oh. That was…interesting to say the least.
“Um…by any chance…are you good?”
He nodded once again. CatNap would say he’s pretty good.
“Can you…can you maybe… You know what, never mind, forget about it.”
CatNap grabbed her hoof and gave a gentle squeeze. Right, ok. She took a deep breath. “Can you help me practice my magic?!” She pleaded. She exhaled. She did it. She asked.
‘Help?’
“Um yes…you see I’m not very good with my magic. I’m honestly surprised I managed to help at all when I used it. And seeing as you can use it, I thought maybe…you could help…me?” She finished, letting a small squeak at the end.
CatNap nodded; of course, he would help. He let her know that he had many books about magic they could use. Many had simple spells for beginners so she wouldn't feel overwhelmed. She let out a little neigh of happiness.
“Oh… um… and... uh one more thing. Can it just be between the two of us…I think I would be too…um… nervous if the others knew.”
He gave her a thumbs up. “Ok, does…uh next Friday work for you?” She asked, unsure.
A nod. She noted how the tip of CatNap’s tail flickered back and forth. Looks like he was excited.
She clapped her hooves. Her horn let out a small sparkle of magic; she was buzzing with nervous excitement.
CatNap pointed to the abandoned canvas.
“Yes, we can paint if you like,” she giggled.