Leaves danced on the summer breeze, and alighted on the tip of a little nose. Mitsuki giggled, going cross-eyed in an attempt to look at what had landed on her nose. Shaking it off, she pranced back into the shade inside the Great Oak, offering Stormchaser the dandelion she had picked for him. Instead of letting him take the flower from her, she leapt onto a root nearby and climbed up farther inside the tree, stopping when she was high enough to scrabble onto his back.

Giving him a playful stomp that contained approximately the strength of a falling leaf, she tucked the flower in his mane, wobbling as she wove its stem into the long fur that hung down from his neck. She almost fell off, catching herself just in time, but she ended up straddling his nose. Giving another little giggle, she slid off, landing with a huff as the ground knocked the wind out of her.

“I have to go find more flowers,” she declared purposefully, darting out of the Great Oak. She would be back.

This time she headed for the Crying Idol, picking as many poppies as she could carry. The little black doe returned to Stormchaser with her blue eyes sparkling. She wove the crimson flowers into his tail, reddish blooms in a sea of darkness. He only looked on with amusement, pausing now and then to examine her handiwork as she flitted in and out of sight. When he moved to lie down, she head butted him, teasing him about almost sitting on his flowers.

“And here I thought this was going to be a picnic,” he said, eyes glinting mischievously.

“It is, silly!” She disappeared once more, returning in the blink of an eye with a basket. She dragged it through the entrance of the oak. It was woven from reeds, rounded at the bottom, with no lid and a handle at the top. It was nearly as big as Mitsuki. Berries of every possible color and an array of edible plants and herbs filled the basket. It had taken her days to prepare, but it was worth it.

She pushed the basket closer, blushing when he nuzzled her and returning his nuzzle with a sheepish grin.

“You can help yourself, you know,” she teased. But she didn’t mean it. Mitsuki fetched a string of her favorite berries for him and then went back for a few berries for herself.

Today had been perfect.