[PCH : TOT] Urs "Adventures"

Urs set down their giant bone and panted, looking around through their mop of brown fur. They had been standing there for quite some time under the “Trick or Treat” banner, directing Puppillars and Snailcats alike to the Adventurer’s Guild to complete quests. They guarded a large assortment of skull mask prizes. But as the day wore on, they were beginning to grow tired. Their stomach rumbled, and the crowd was thinning a bit as excited participants were directed off to their separate tasks. They had been working very very hard. They had been a good boy. Surely, they deserved a bit of a break? An adventure of their own, perhaps?

They stared guiltily at the pile of masks they were supposed to be watching. What if someone came while they were away and took them? They thought, frowning. Then, they pushed the pile of masks hurriedly under a nearby cloth-covered table full of refreshments and dog treats. Then, they pushed their giant bone in front of the table.

There. Out of sight, out of mind. Probably. 

Wagging their tail at a job well done, Urs headed off to find an adventure of their own.

---

Urs decided to adventure in the patchwork meadow. They had briefly considered the glowshroom forest, but it sounded a little dark and spooky and they didn’t want to get lost. Surely, there would be some nice bones hidden in the dirt here in the meadow? 

It was a brisk fall day, with midafternoon slowly but surely progressing into evening. The meadow was beautiful this time of year; though many of the summer flowers had died off, the change in color of the leaves and the emergence of plants like fall mums and goldenrod meant the landscape was still vibrant. They waded through the fields, their bulk cutting a path through the grasses. Adventuring was hard work!

In spite of the chill in the air, the setting sun still gave off a pleasant warmth, and combined with Urs’s thick fur, they felt quite comfortable. Birds were singing goodnight in the trees. They didn’t see any bones yet. But perhaps if they were a bit closer to the ground? Urs settled down in a nice spot beneath some branches, surrounded by flowers. Nope, no bones here. But they would relax a little here before continuing on. Just a short rest.

They closed their eyes.

---

Volzolan was cruising through the trick-or-treat crowd with her daughter Alia. Every so often, the pair would duck behind a table, switching out their costumes for new ones so that these “new customers” could swing back and get another round of treats, and by this time, Alia’s bag of ill-gotten gains was near overflowing. The little red Puppypillar was dressed as an old-timey bank robber, and Volz was the “sheriff,” so no one gave their suspicious bags a second look. It really was that easy!

“What do you think, Allie?” Volz asked. “This is hungry work. How about we check out the refreshments? Make sure to stuff as many cookies as you can into your pockets, okay?” Alia nodded and the duo snaked their way over to a table with a giant bone in front of it. 

Volz set Alia down on the table, where she began to shove pastries and pies into her bag.

Soon Graham came by with a fresh plate of s’mores. Alia ducked under the table, but then squeaked in alarm as her nose bumped something. 

“What is it, Allie?” Volz asked, bending around to see what had happened while trying to lean nonchalantly (and definitely not suspiciously) at the table. Alia raised the tablecloth to reveal a pile of skull masks.

“Oh my, isn’t this interesting?” Volzoltan said with a shark-like grin.

---

Urs woke up slowly and stretched and rolled over. They had such a nice nap in the field, and now it was nighttime. They were so cozy there under the tree... the buzzing of nighttime insects, singing their last songs before the winter...

Wasn’t there something they were supposed to be doing?

Urs jumped up with a start, causing some birds from the tree to fly off in alarm. They hurried back towards the trick-or-treating festival, huffing and puffing. Oh no, they had been away for so long! What if the masks were gone? What if everyone was upset at them? What if they weren’t a good boy?

One they had made it back to the patchwork field’s main path, the going was easier. But soon, they came to something strange... a candy lying in the middle of the road. They really had to make it back to their duty, but they looked around. Lying a few feet away was another candy. And a few feet beyond that along the path was... one of their skull masks?!

Urs looked back and forth anxiously, and then changed directions, following the path away from the festival and out further into the field, following the mysterious trail. A squashed cupcake... what looked like someone’s wallet... another mask? Each skull mask they came to, they picked up, and soon they were trying to hurry as fast as possible with an armful of masks. The flowers and grasses that had looked so friendly before were now dark and stretched ominously into the sky. 

Up ahead on the path, the strange trait Urs was following lead to a large shadow... or was it two smaller shadows? They were now thoroughly spooked, but Urs screwed up their courage and charged forward.

---

After a long night of trying to swipe as much stuff as possible, Volzoltan and Alia had decided to head home - after all, it was past Alia’s bedtime. 

Their bags were so full of ill-gotten gains, partially smushed pastries, candies, and skull masks that Alia hadn’t noticed when her bag had started to tear. The mother and daughter chatted about their spoils, even as they vanished from the bag.

Suddenly, Volzoltan was tapped on the shoulder.

“What’s the big idea?” She snapped, turning around. Behind her was a very large and very irate looking shaggy mountain of a Puppillar. They handed her one of the bone skull masks. As if to emphasize the point, at that moment, another one dropped out from Alia’s bag and onto the dirt path.

“Oops,” was all Volzoltan managed.

It looks like Urs had found some bones after all...