Quirltober 2021 Collection

Difèrne set down three pumpkins on the table. Peak quickly grabbed the biggest one, claiming that she needed "lots of space for her design". On the other hand, Cake politely accepted the one her friend's mother offered her.

The filly observed the plant with curiosity, trying to think of something to carve into it.

"Be careful, those are sharp," Difèrne warned, pushing an assortment of tools in Cake's direction.

The filly looked at the mares as they worked, studying the way their grip on the tools. Once she was ready, she picked up her biggest knife to open the pumpkin up. The flesh was harder than she expected, which made the task harder. She worked patiently to obtain a perfectly round hole. After that, she emptied out the pumpkin.

Taking a peek at her friend's pumpkin like one does to cheat on a test, the filly was reassured that her design could work.

She carved away, fully focused on her art, until she was distracted but a loud sploshing sound.

"Peak, what did you do that for?" Difèrne raised an eyebrow at the sight of her daughter stabbing her pumpkin with her horn.

Peak smiled. "Don't worry, Mom. It's all part of the plan." She winked and got back to work.

Cake shrugged the event off and resumed working. She was carving a cat's face into the pumpkin's surface so that the eyes would glow in the dark thanks to a homemade candle Difèrne had given her earlier this week.

Difèrne was amused by this choice, as she herself had chosen to carve a dog into hers. Cake laughed when she sae the similar looking face on the mare's pumpkin.

Then they asked Peak to show them hers. They wanted to know how the stabbing mark would look on the young mare's project.

They both gasped when Peak turned the pumpkin around to face them. In a delicate display of skills, the negative space had been carved out so that only Haukea's face would remain. They could imagine the candle light radiating around the portrait like a halo.

"It's so good!" Cake praised her friend.

"That's what a lot of practice looks like." Peak winked. "Yours looks nice as well for a first time. You have a steady grip on the tools."

The filly blushed, happy that she had done something by such a good carver's standard.