Now that all potential apocalypses had been averted and the weather mage had been up all night fixing the various blips in the ecosystem, it was possible for the Island to once again experience normal seasons, not just a single extreme weather pattern permanently connected to each corner of the landmass. This month it was autumn. For the residents, autumn meant running around barking at falling leaves, jumping into neatly stacked piles of leaves and rolling around in them, feeling the wind pull back your ears. It meant tightening the bands around your hats. It meant getting in the food stockpiles for the winter.

 

For Puppersnoopers and Martha in particular, it meant seeing your sister finally recovered from her near lethal illness and running around like any other healthy child of her age. In fact, she was so full of energy that her big brother couldn't keep up with her wild circles around the hill where the Anc's tree had once flourished. The adrenaline of that hectic quest around the entire island was wearing off, while Martha had several months' worth of potential energy to release.

 

Everyone rolled around laughing as the street sweeper barked his complaints at their behaviour.