Nephfei Prompt: Mending Day 2021
Chicory had always considered themself to be very creative.
It took a lot of colorful thoughts and meticulous planning to come up with the pranks they would play on the residents of Winglin, and they were a shining example of a spinx who was quick thinking and good with their paws; clearly it all came from having such a great thinker in their noggin!
Yes, normally they'd be congratulating themself and their big, creative brain. So why was it failing them now?! Today of all days!
Held carefully between their clever paws was a big ball of orange and yellow yarn, object number one of their latest project. They scowled at object two; a pair of knitting needles hovering in the air before their eyes, and sent a glowering look towards object three; the little book flipped open to a page full of messy scratchy handwriting that detailed the steps to knitting a basic scarf. Right here in front of them were all the components for a perfectly sparky and thoughtful gift, but the task at hand was proving to be so much harder than they'd anticipated!
"Cast on." They muttered, sending a string of yarn zipping upward to wrap around a needle in a similar knot to the crude diagram shown. "Forty...five? stitches? Loop it like this and pull it through..."
Dainty fangs chewed their lower lip thoughtfully as they wound the yarn onto the needle, carefully counting along the row to make sure the stitches were exact. It was the sixth time they'd attempted this project since last night, so right now the plan was to get further than the... other five attempts, which lay scattered around in various stages of dropped stitches and tangled thread.
They could do better, they thought to themself, brow furrowed in concentration. This had to be the perfect scarf! They had to get the pattern down! It was already Mending day and they'd woefully misjudged how long their little project would take!
"This bit goes over, this bit goes under and that's how you knit a stitch." they squinted down at the book, making sure they were understanding it correctly. "And after you knit one you do this and then pur.. purrl? Purrl the second one like so..."
Their wings fluttered in response to their racing thoughts, causing the spinxyn to pause and look over their shoulder to admire them. Two perfect little feathered things in the same shades of brown as the leaf and branch patterns across their body, a lovely gift bestowed to each side of their tail. Chicory was a fairly harmless spinx by most standards, and their wings had come from a very special harpip indeed...
His name was Sagi. Sagittarius. A bird that was more legs than body, whom they'd known since they were just a kitten. Back then they'd called him 'Legs Baby' to try and make fun of him, but he'd just laughed and taken it into stride. Cue many years and a long friendship later, and now Legs Baby was the only name he answered to.
Legs was their best friend of a hundred silly names and a thousand more good pranks and memories, their partner in crime who had bailed Chicory out of more sticky situations than they cared to admit. To them he was a whole pal and a half, and this Mending Day present was all for him. Him, and the wings and happy times he'd bestowed upon them over the years.
If there was one thing they knew their best and most leggyful friend adored, it was knitting. And so, they'd come up with the perfect plan to make him something to do with his favorite hobby as a show of appreciation! Chicory had gone all out buying the big ball of of soft yarn with its sunset yellow and orange shades. It was the same color as the markings around their harpip friend's eyes, and reminiscent of his favorite time of day. They couldn't count the number of evenings they'd spent together, chatting about the day's events as the sun had gone down over the horizon...
Chicory sighed at the memory, listening to the knitting needles clicking overhead while they licked a paw pad to flip to the next page. Their stitches still matched the pattern, good! No snares nor tangles or dropped loops yet, also good! It had sounded so easy when they'd asked him to describe it to them and write it all down, but they hadn't anticipated the tangled wool, the little loops slipping off the needle, the whole pattern looking.... weird and stringy and curly.
The spinxyn suppressed a yawn as they fumbled with the needles, quickening their speed as they kept an eye on the sun. "Knit two here, purrl two there, wiggle the wool a lil so it doesn't bunch up too tightly..." they repeated the instructions softly to themself as they continued their work. Sixth attempt is the charm? they wondered, peering suspiciously at the growing length of scarf. It was at least half the length of their arm now which was... further than any of the previous attempts. Don't mess this up now, Chicory... they chided themself.
They'd bought him a little card yesterday too, from one of the local shops. Scribbled 'I'M THANKFUL FOR MY BEST FRIEND LEGS BABY ON MENDING DAY :D' on the inside and doodled their faces on the back with a bunch of little hearts. Platonic hearts, of course. Legs already had someone in the romance department and Chicory wasn't exactly looking. This was gonna be a cool best-friend present on this cool thanks-for-being-my-best-friend-and-also-blessing-me-with-these-neat-lil-wings day.
The large shady tree they were knitting under was going to be their meeting place at noon. Chicory thought they'd have the scarf long done by then, but it hadn't quite worked out that way... what was supposed to be a few hours worth of planned and careful work had stretched out to an all-night affair as they struggled to get the basics of knitting down. But what mattered was the thought, right? They flipped the needles around to begin a new row, settling into a somewhat hasty rhythm as they kept their eyes on the sun.
Gifts were customary on Mending day, but Chicory hadn't prepared anything for any other residents in town. They'd given out a handful of hugs to any harpips that were willing, wishing them a happy Mending Day while simultaneously sticking little post-it notes with 'HAPPY MENDING DAY - LOVE C. >:3C' scrawled on them to their unsuspecting victims. A harmless sort of prank and a nice surprise to find later, surely! But it did make Chicory feel very devious and clever that they had tricked some locals into receiving well-wishes on such a special day.
They paused their work to test the scarf's length, wrapping it around their arm with a thoughtful hum. Legs had a thin neck... would this be a comfortable length for him? No, they didn't think so, it still seemed too short so they'd have to work on it more. Why couldn't this happen any faster?
They'd picked up a little box of chocolates for him on the way up to their spot, but over the course of the morning as they struggled with their work they might have eaten one here out of stress... maybe another there because these things were darn tasty... there might only have been one chocolate left at this point, and it was very possible it was taking all their willpower not to eat it too! They'd made themself feel better about it by offering to treat him to lunch once he got there. Legs wouldn't mind! With a determined little smile that was more like a gritting of teeth, they swapped their needles over and started on the final row.
--
Midday arrived, and with it came their harpip friend, gliding on the balmy breeze to make a stumbling and ungainly landing. Chicory had fallen asleep curled around a ribbon-wrapped box that now contained the contents of their Mending day present. Legs Baby wasn't sure if it would be right to wake them, the spinxyn looked completely tuckered out!
But the box had his name on it, and he was curious as to what its contents could be... stretching out a leg, he tapped Chicory's shoulder with a careful talon, rousing them from their slumber.
"Leeeegs!" They yawned, shaking the sleepiness from their eyes. "There you are! Happy Mending Day, friend!" They uncurled themself, nudging the present into his arms.
"Mendin' day?" The harpip looked surprised. "I hadn't even realized it were a holiday t'day! Is this for me? Is it gonna explode if I open it?" He peered at the box suspiciously, giving it a little shake as he lifted it to his ear.
Chicory couldn't help but laugh. "Its a day to be thankful, friend, not prankful!" They suppressed another yawn, rubbing at their eyes. "I stayed up all night making it for you! Open it up and tell me what you think!"
Legs didn't need to be asked twice. In one fluid motion, the ribbon that kept the box closed was pulled away, the lid removed, and he found himself peering down at the charming little card and the single beautifully wrapped chocolate nestled in a bed of a knitted wool scarf.
Chicory watched nervously as he lifted it out and held it between his wings. A night and a half's worth of work, the scarf had the clear signs of being made by an amateur. It was bunchy like an accordion and curly at the ends, the tension far too tight in some places and far too loose in others. But it was a very long and winding thing despite its.... visual imperfections, and the wool was soft and downy.
Legs wasn't saying anything though. Just staring as though he couldn't believe what was before his eyes.
"Sorry its not the best..." Chicory averted their gaze, staring down at their paws. "I wanted to make you something really personal since I'm... I'm thankful for you! A-and the gifts you've given me! But I didn't think it'd take me all night to-" they paused, seeing tears welling up in the harpip's eyes. "Oh gosh Legs, I didn't think it was gonna be so bad it'd make you cry!! I'm sorry!"
The harpip stared at them for a second with a tiny hiccuping sob. "Are you kiddin?" he squeaked, his face suddenly breaking out into a beaming smile. "Chicory I'm so touched! You made dis whole thing for me? By youself? Its such a good first project!! And its soft and the colors are so nice a-and... and..." With a wail, the harpip launched himself at them, throwing his wings around their neck in a tight hug. For a moment it was all the spinxyn could do to stand there, patting their friend on the back, stunned by his reaction.
"You don't hate it then?" they asked nervously. "You're not crying because its unspeakably ugly?"
The harpip shook his head, getting Chicory's fur wet with his tears. "S'only ugly if you are!" He laughed. "N'we both know for a fact you ain't ugly, friend!" He pulled back to gaze adoringly down at the lumpy scarf, using a corner to dry his eyes before winding it comfortably around his neck. "You were really thinkin of me when you made it, ja? I'd be a monster if I didn't love it."
Chicory's ears perked up, a wide grin spreading across their face. "Well! That... that makes me feel all sorts of good, Legs."
They watched him read the card and laugh about the doodles on the back, declined his offer to split the chocolate with them while sheepishly admitting they'd eaten the other five from the set, and told him about a great lil fish taco place that was just in town nearby.
"My treat." they purred, giving the harpip a fond nudge with their head. "If it counts to the old gods, I'm thankful for your friendship 'n company."
Would it count? they wondered. Chicory was rather neutral as far as the gods and the great spinxyn mischief of the past were concerned, but if their friendship with Legs meant something in the cosmos was slowly repairing, it wasn't a bad thought at all to celebrate it like this. They looked over at the harpip, at his cheerful face and the brightly colored scarf that was tucked comfortably around his neck, and couldn't help but smile themself.
"Lets get that grub!" They called, turning to head down the hill towards town. "And while we're eating you can tell me how I can get better at this witchcraft you call knitting."