A Day on the Farm

The slightly chilly breeze of a few autumn nights came and left. Bapple, being a shy but friendly little pacapillar, loved staying over at Darling’s farm so far. The trees rustled in just the right way, the turnips blushed so adorably, and most importantly, the leaves were everywhere! Red leaves, yellow leaves, crunchy little skeletal looking leaves (those were the best). It was like gentle dancing decor for the farm!

Sadly, one of Bapple’s chores was to clean up all the rustled leaves that fell down throughout this breezy season. Good for them though, that left plenty of time to crunch and munch them when Darling wasn’t looking. They of course weren’t the tastiest exactly, but boy did they make a great sound!

Enjoying the company of this new found friend seemed to warm the weather as well though. At least that's how it felt, especially with all the homemade meals each day. A lot of nights were spent talking about what each other have seen in their years, and what adventures they’ve gone on. Over a lovely meal of course!
The lights would dim, the crickets would begin singing, and by the time the two were done babbling, it’d be long dark outside.
Stories of sick chicks, or a legendary berry bushel, were talked over dinner each night. A wonderful dish was shared, a beautiful dessert, and fresh crops to share of course. Sometimes the food was too good to talk about anything else though. Especially the shepherds pie that Darling made one night.

Eventually, Bapple learned how to help with the cooking too. Small tips here and there, or all the ways you can cook a farm fresh egg. But over time, they were equally working side by side to finish dinner. Something that they both appreciated, whether for learning and teaching a skill, or just spending time with each other!
Though Bapple’s favorites were all the sweets and treats that the very talented farmer would make for them. It was a little difficult getting those to turn out well sadly. But she did say it was something to be more precise about compared to the stews and such for dinner. Perhaps a bit more practice can’t hurt.

Surely Bapple will have a bit more practice over time though. It was only getting colder on the farm, and Darling didn’t have enough little nubs to help prepare! The tools had to be put away, the animals properly fed and tucked into their little houses sooner, and of course the crops protected. Not to mention the harsh weather incoming, for the pacas as well as the others. It usually wasn’t very pleasant for the poor apple’d paca in particular.

Usually it was spent in a tree with neighboring creatures, until they hibernated of course. A bit cramped, and full of acorns or assorted nuts. But once that stash of food was out, they had to fend for themself until spring.
A few times, it’s been dangerous for the poor thing too. Not enough flowers or dew to last anyone, let alone a whole paca. The few times that there's been patches of berry bushes hidden in a field somewhere, has been a wonderful surprise.
Not to be the devil’s advocate, but global warming has come in handy the last few years. A closer spring was good for the small paca, but maybe this year can be different thankfully. Darling hasn’t asked them to stay for the winter yet, but earning their keep might help a bit!

As Bapple looked up to the sky, noticing the sun lowered since last time they glanced, they got excited for dinner soon. Darling put something in the oven a bit ago, and the smell has been grazing outside, taunting them. Good thing it was dinnertime soon, they could hardly stand this amazing smell! Maybe it was stew again? Who knew, but Bapple quickly finished up the last remaining leaves and wobbled inside.