Looking around, they were amazed by the transformation one town could have over a few days. The dim and dreary town was not much but a few houses on a dirt road with a Fence, but today. It was a marvelous sight.

They were awed at the familiar decorations being hung in honor of the cherished season. Red lamps and streamers hung over and between each doorway, the clothes of everyone they met were of fiery oranges and yellows. Some sported streaming ribbons in similar colors wrapped around their arms and in the hair of the town ladies. Others wore a rainbow as they walked the streets, busily setting aside booths and games to be enjoyed later when the celebration begins in earnest.

The smell of sweet bread and other treats, baking in the uncountable ovens across Pine Rest. The overwhelming scents of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, clung to the air and the nostrils of anyone passing by. It smelled like heaven.

Tolan and Vir could each pick out their favorites from among the various recipes currently being put to paces. The spits and Soup pots were all full, pancakes and roast chickens, stews of a hundred different varieties. And they each knew their favorites by heart, or rather by scent alone. Like hunting dogs chasing a rabbit in the forest of scents.

Tolan pointed to something in the distance "Look, there she is." Then sheepishly turned away and tried to pretend he hadn't. Vir rolled his eyes at his brothers' antics "Hallo Tamia!" he yelled. Beckoning the girl over to them

"No don't, I-" Tolan tried to shush his brother, but Tamia was already walking their way

"Ah, isn't this the girl you want to marry? Stop Get off me!" Vir cried as he started wrestling with his brother in the middle of the street.

"Hello, Vir, Tolan." her voice was soft with amusement, like watching kid goats butting heads.

The two men pulled away from each other "Uh, Hello Tamia, I uh," Tolan stumbled with his words becoming mere babbling in record time, Vir laughed. "You truly are a Woodsmen brother, A poet could not have done better."

He snickered mockingly, Tolan gave him a spiteful look as Tamia turned her head to the side to snicker in slight amusement, but kept her dark slopping eyes on Tolan. A playful smile pulled at the sides of her thin lips, undecided if she should laugh aloud or preserve some dignity.

" Good Weather for the Festival," Tolan remarked, Tamia turned to face him and politely nodded.

"Aye, it should be calm, but there are dark clouds on hills, But Men are worried it might spoil tonight's fun," she said, brushing back a lock of dark chestnut hair from her rounded face. Tolan swore his heart could be heard by everyone there.

"I certainly hope not, I want to-uh, It would ruin all the food!" He exclaimed, then kicked himself in the same breath.

Tamia sighed, slightly disappointed "Well, we shall see. I see you all tomorrow. I have a few errands to attend to, excuse me." She said quietly pushing past them. Tolan watched her go, as Vir checked the sun.

"Oi, Tolan," he said tapping his brother on the shoulder.

"Hmm."

"Nana's House, Suns starting to fall, Let's go," Teir stated.

"I blame you for this, I wasn't ready" Tolan replied gruffly, still looking back over his shoulder in the direction Tamia went like he'd lost something, or to admire the passing figure as it slowly disappeared in the crowd.

"If you want her, go get her, otherwise start walking," Vir said flatly.

"Tomorrow, at the feast. I'll tell her then." He replied, not turning from his spot.

"Yeah, sure. Come on, Nana is waiting." Vir said, Starting to walk away, Tolan trailing behind at a few paces distance, still mired in his thoughts and regrets.

It didn't take them long to find their old family home amongst the huddled cottages, there were only two roads through town, or more accurately. One main road and two wide allies.

Nana lived in the second alleyway, towards the back and close to the Battlements, in the smallest house. Not much more than two rooms on top of each other and a kitchen.

Everyone knew where each other lived, being bundled together like sheaves of grain, huddled inside the walls to stay safe from night predators and the roaming bands of evil Wolves and Wild Dogs.

Though many had tried and were presumed victorious, the evil creatures always seem to return, as if from the dead. Such were the tales of Tobias the Warrior, Greymond the Hunter, and more. Warriors against the dark spirits of the night, before the Blessed, came and drove off the demons.

Teir started to knock when the door flew open and a young Billy goat eyed them suspicious ire, While Tolan and Meir felt their eyes fall out from shock

A voice called from behind the goat "Izzat My Boys?!" the sounds of an old woman shuffling about, banging pots and pans together. "Yes, Nana It's Us. Call off this Beast!" Tolan cried. And old wisened laugh echoed from the back of the house.

"Alright Groggy, Let them in, it's just my two lost Boys."

The Goat snorted and backed away from the door, Given how it glared at them Tolan could feel his old self rising to haunt him. That goat had been the bane of them in their youth, but not before being the subject of their greatest gag to date.

Vir sighed in relief before walking into the house. There wasn't much furniture besides a simple wood stove and a few good chairs, the house was filled with smoke as they wandered in. A tall staircase was tucked around a corner, Vir looked about while Tolan sat down, The Goat, Groggy, lurked nearby, chewing on some spare cud it found.

"Nana?" Vir called out.

"In the Kitchen Vir!" the old woman called back.

Vir sighed and moved deeper into the house. He passed a cramped dining table and the stove front beyond it. Where still hanging above the old brick oven was a certain white mink pelt that had always been there, a wedding present from their father to win over their mother. Nana had taken it as a memento of her lost daughter and Son in law.

Below it, hunched over the stove was an old woman, round and stocky, once black hair now grey from a life well spent. Well, most of it anyway.

"Ahh, Vir, I'd know those footsteps anywhere. Come in, Come in, I'm just finishing an old favorite for tonight. Thistle berry pie, good for the blood I hear." She turned her face wrinkled with time and pressed into a smiling shape by her stubbornness.

"Where's Tolan?! Didn't he come, He never misses Red Harvest." Vir smiled and pointed back towards the door. She simply tutted to herself and called out again "Tolan!" waiting a moment

"Yes, Nana?" Tolan replied Nana smiled, shouting between Vir and the door frame "Come and say hello dear Boy, It's been too long." The was a brief lapse in response "Tolan, Don't be a stranger." she inclined

There was the sound of steps and Tolan appeared in the door.

"Hu-Hello Nana." He grumbled. The old woman huffed.

"Don't Tell me, You're mopping cause you ran into Tam-Tam on the way over, didn't you." she tsked to herself. Tolan flushed in embarrassment.

"Every time, Doesn't matter when or how. You always get moody after meeting that Tamara girl." She huffed to herself.

"Tamia" Tolan corrected quietly. But Old Nana just waved him off.

"I near raised the whole town myself, cooked, cleaned, and scraped to keep you boys and a few extra going after those Devils had their way, and out of all of them, you still don't how to get a girl's attention." She shook her head in mock disappointment.

"And here I thought your grandfather had trouble, practically had to drag him into bed, Man that he was." She looked off wistfully into the sky. Tolan and his brother tried not to react, everyone knew why Nana had come to this town in its earliest days. And it wasn't for a respectable plot of land and a good husband.

"He meant well, nice man. But, ahh. I stopped riding that old horse a long time ago. But enough about my thistle patch of history, How have boys been, Why I haven't seen yah seen Vir had the bright idea of wrastling a bear way out in those woods. Scars okay?" Her heel turned from one to another, tugging at Virs shirt looking for the old claw marks.

"Nana, Nana, Stop that I'm fine. I got better." He squirmed as the old lady kept trying to tear his shirt open. Tolan snickered to himself and moved towards a large jar set on the table. Nana slapped his hand forcing him to recoil.

"Keep out of there, you're hands are probably filthy, And so are your clothes, Don't you boys wash? You'll catch a worm or something." waggling her finger, scolding them both.

"Well if Tolan would just-" Vir began, the old crone threw an accusatory finger at him.

"And before you blame your brother, I should remind You sorry young buck, that you have less of a prayer than he does." Vir scoffed at her accusations.

"Don't you scoff at me boy, you've gotten into some particularly interesting spots before. Not to mention the stocks once or twice." Her recollections made Vir visibly flinch.

"Why there isn't a girl alive in this village that wouldn't want to tan you hide after the stunts you pulled. Up to and Not including-" She took a breath and prepared to launch into an exhaustive list of devious exploits.

"Spoiled Butter, Replacing Blacksmiths Demire's Flux with Flour, Putting Pine Sap in a poor girl's hair, and All over the Meeting hall chairs. Trading painted apples, which were rotten by months, And that Night Rider stunt you pulled with the scarecrow strapped to that kid billygoat you found. Heavens Know How you managed to pull that off. And then-And then you and Tolan broke-." She was nowhere near done listing all the crimes between them, But Vir had plugged his ears and started humming to drone her out.

"The point is, You should be more like your brother and straighten out, lest you die in the woods and forget to leave me any grandbabies to hold." she huffed, winding down from her tirade.

"Ohh, listen to me, I'm like an old fox, going crazy in the moonlight, middle of the woods." She stretched out her arms and touched both young men with her hands.

"I keep forgetting the first thing about having you boys." she cooed

"What's that? Someone to badger for chores in you're old age." Everyone turned to face Tolan of all people, who was quietly nibbling on a piece of dried fruit that had, magically, appeared in his hands.

"Close your mouth and shut up, you'll spit fruit all over my kitchen." She scolded gently slapping his head.

"That you're all way be mine, silly. Your mine and no one else's." correcting her son's snide remark.

The smell of soot and char started to drift into the room, sniffing Nana pushed a finger through Vir with a cry.

"Don't Just stand there Boy, Get that pie before it burns to cinders, Tolan get your hand out of that jar, I ain't cooking for rats, you snitch." And like that the kitchen was furious with shouting and movement. Ending with Nana's Pie being rescued from the oven, only to later go missing from the shelf later that night after dinner, followed by more furious shouting and scolding and Nana swinging her ladle.

Vir and Tolan sat out in the night air of the alleyway, sharing in the spoils and passing the pie. Looking up at the golden harvest moon and quietly pondered the fortunes of life, breathing in the chilled night air.

As Red Harvest Eve passed over them, the world began to change once more.