Aetheria Thanksgiving Feast [Fiction]

The bright spring sky couldn't have heralded Aetheria Thanksgiving Feast any better.

A young Feyling, dressed in green-leaf coloured tunic and trousers, wings shimmering in the sunlight, chirped in excitement with her friend. They hovered in mid-air, holding hands and chuckling. Her mother huffed and puffed as she picked up a bag of their offerings to the queen for the Feast. Within seconds, they rose up further into the air and darted through the forest to the palace.

Approaching the palace, the Feylings sighted a squad of Aerins, birdlike creatures with the ability to manipulate air. They slowed down so as not to collide with the squad.

The Aerins circled the queen's palace built under the shade of a ginormous tree in the centre of Aetheria woods. It was their duty to ensure everything was in place for the Feast.

The cool breeze was in tandem with nature as the trees and plants rustled, their contact creating a symphony of music appealing to every creature in the enchanted woods. The baser creatures like insects, gnomes and dwarves crowded around the palace and took their seats on branches of old trees curved in a semi circle around the palace like an amphitheatre.

As the Aerins rounded up their aerial surveillance, the Feylings, led by their leader, fluttered into the palace, tiny sprinkles of fairy dust falling off their luminescent wings. They settled delicately on their seats, soft glow emanating from them and lighting up the green forest

Just then, a screeching sound pierced the sky sending the butterflies and insects scurrying into their hiding places. Either that or they get trampled on by the majestic creatures arriving.

Every creature in Aetheria could feel the vibrations rocking the sky followed by powerful thuds that shook the grounds as the Drakorians, ancient dragons, as old as the world had existed, angled their powerful wings and gently dropped down on the forest bed. Their numbers have dwindled over the years and Queen Selene had great respect for them, making them members of her wise council. Every word out of their mouth were considered prophecies in Aetheria.

Once the Drakorians had arrived, it was time for the monarch of Aetheria to walk into her palace and sit on her floral throne made of the finest flowers in the land. Then the Thanksgiving Feast would begin.

The squad of Aerins took to the sky in a formation, a Datura flower in between each of their beaks. They blew triumphant blasts from the floral trumpets. As the queen emerged from a distance, the Vorans who could camouflage with their surroundings appeared on their seats leading to snickers from the other creatures.

The Shadewalkers, known for their ability to traverse realms, phased into the palace in a cloud of darkness. They formed an entourage around the queen and escorted her to the throne.

Every representative of the creatures stood on a line, holding their offerings of thanks to be presented to the queen. Once the queen sat down, the celebrations began. Aetheria Thanksgiving Feast lasted for a week.

This short story is based on a fiction prompt: Craft a story about a community that celebrates a Thanksgiving-like holiday in a fantastical world. I hope you enjoyed reading.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

^{Image created by AI in Nightcafe Studio}