The previous night had been particularly dark and oppressive as rain clouds had blocked the cold, mysterious light of the moon and twinkling specks of stars. Furthermore visibility had been made worse by the fall of seemingly endless droplets of water onto the already soggy grounds. However, zombies had not yet learned to be quiet when stalking pray; their shuffling footsteps kicked up the puddles of water upon the ground as howls of hunger escaped their throats subconsciously.

The mud within the awakening fields slowed their journeys allowing the defending parties to almost leisurely halt their approach, meaning protecting their walls this night could not really be considered much worse than other and the only consequences were needing to soak in a warm bath after ending their shift of duties. Not that everyone did and one person did happen to fall ill, but Paul recovered well enough, just felt he suffered more than he did as he was chided for his foolishness by Autumn, while mercilessly laughed at by his best friend.

The rain lightened by daybreak and fully stopped by the time breakfast had ended. Remaining was the freshness of greenery and the lingering scent of damp earth upon the wind. The clean aromas were swept around the grounds gently and pushed into buildings via open windows and doors, stirring the more stagnant air within.

Plants cannot talk, but they still reach for the sun when it appears in the sky and show dissatisfaction when their roots are too dry. The more conscious ones growing within the indoor environment either coquettishly wrapped vining tendrils around the corners of a young man's clothing as he passed, threw leaves and petals in tantrum or leaned away sulkily as he tried to touch them.

The young man sighed and shook his head, but still gave into them. He turned the tap of a barrel on, the contents spilling into the hose of a makeshift watering system for the indoor garden, before impressively creating a refreshing rain from nowhere which sprinkled water over leaves and vegetables. Even the ordinary plants seemed to shiver with joy as the delicious liquid touched both stem and root in a way so satisfying it could not be described even in human words.

After his plants stilled and became quiet, the young man moved towards where winter cauliflowers had been growing through the cold season. Most of them had long since been harvested, but there were a handful remaining and about to go to seed. Of course this was not a bad thing, Nathan welcomed this stage of all his plants life cycles even though this meant that some could no longer sustain his own as food. The seeds produced instead would be collected, stored and in the example of the cauliflowers would be planted out in the autumn for next year.

So three were selected for tonight's plate, while the other two would be left alone to flower. The cauliflowers were fairly large as much of his produce tended to be, but it was still as tasty as if it had been a tender, small mouthful plucked early. And with Autumn's deft hand, the flavour was often enhanced further, Nathan's mouth watered at the thought, but such was fleeting as his thoughts automatically sprung back to his purpose of harvesting.

The vegetables were placed in a wheelbarrow outside the glass double doors, ready to be transported, along with the last of the harvestable parsnips which in other gardens might be quite woody by now and armfuls of various greens. The youth left the doors to the long, well lit room open that the plants could enjoy the breeze more, now that they'd drank their fill and promised them out loud that he would bring back some compost and liquid feed to nourish them later. The raised beds were increasingly becoming patchy and although they were not exposed to the harshness of the elements, it did not mean that the exposed soil wasn't becoming dry and sterile still, though it was at a slower pace.

Nathan waited several minutes beside the wheelbarrow, his eyes flickering anxiously towards the far door of the room. He counted one hundred and eighty seconds before his patience became tested and he stepped a pace back into the winter garden room. But before he could take another step, the far door opened and his Xian entered in a calm, collected manner while holding a large basket. The tension in Nathan's spine instantly melted and he exhaled.

"Did you wait long, beloved?" Ren Zexian asked him, softly having already noted the worry in his lover's sparkling blue eyes. Ever since he'd been injured by a mutated raven in the previous week, the anxieties within his beloved had once more risen to the surface of his being, causing a renewed need to remain beside him. Of course, it was impossible for them to remain shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip always for the each had their own duties, thus Ren Zexian could only reassure him, informing him of his location when away and trying to remain prompt, returning to him at the first possible moment.

He placed the basket of eggs upon the wheelbarrow then allowed Nathan to carefully clean his hands with his waters. Once dry, he reached to touch Nathan's face and the youth leaned into them like a small kitten seeking warmth. They exchanged a brief kiss then Ren Zexian began to move the wheelbarrow, the smile upon his face a reflection of that on his adorable lover's.

He found that while he regretted his carelessness with that blazing red bird caused Nathan to worry, he couldn't help but enjoy the youth's stickiness.

They pushed the wheelbarrow the length of two large front gardens and around two large houses, the numerous patches of squishy mud not much of a hindrance with Ren Zexian's strength and finally they reached the kitchen. Then Nathan acted strangely, tearing off a few vivid green leaves from the cauliflower heads, before tugging Ren Zexian to follow him then retreating to a nearby garden bed, one that happened to be filled with herbs.

Some of these herbs had been forced to survive within a blanket of white all winter, but had come back stronger, leaving the weak ones to die quietly and return to the soil. Others were seedlings, volunteers from the previous year's flowering herbs and welcome additions to the gardens. Each leaf was tender and each stem was sweet, but they remained unplagued by unwelcome visitations.

Nathan brushed past many plants, releasing various aromas into the air, such as the strong scent of mint and the slightly spicy smell of the chives, lifting bushy leaves and peering under, until he paused at an abundant carpet of time. There, he placed the rich leaves from the cauliflower. A small, slimy and silvery body appeared, tugging a vividly golden shell upon its back as it was lured forward by the scent of the cauliflower leaves. It's bulbous eyes upon their eye stalks seemed to move briefly towards Nathan's direction, before it slowly moved onto the leaves to eat.

Ren Zexian quickly understood; this little snail was a mutation of its kind, but likely not any sort. It had begun to cultivate! Indeed, this had once been an ordinary thing for him to come across, for most beasts absorbed some sort of spiritual essence in his previous world and naturally evolved in the process. While only a few would develop to the point of consciously cultivating, there had been an incalculable number of beasts so even a tiny percent of cultivating beasts would outweigh that of human cultivators. Just that these spiritual beasts were sought after by human cultivators to improve their own bases as well as the natural competition for territory, power and such like amongst beasts, thus the numbers were kept from exploding and overwhelming the cultivation world.

Presumably, this little snail's intelligence had evolved first, thus its ability to learn. Likely, it was also territorial, guarding this rich, but small space from other predators hence these herbs were abundant and untroubled for the most part. And herbs, even these mundane sort, generally had some spiritual nature to begin with. Blessed with Nathan's waters regularly, this area was heady with spiritual energy compared with surrounding areas. The little snail naturally enjoyed these advantages and unknowingly provided benefits for its landlords as well.

The wheelbarrow was emptied of vegetables and filled instead with compostable waste; Nathan had already mentioned that he planned to fill those distant beds with fresh compost, ready to plant early some summer cropping plants and frost tender plants that they could enjoy some harvests ahead of the usual time. Not everything, mind you, Ren Zexian had learned that some plants were just too fussy and that the unheated room would still be too cold for some plants to live in. Others might complain a bit, but they wouldn't die and they'd be protected from late frosts as well.

"Whatever you wish, beloved," Ren Zexian agreed, warmly and was rewarded with a brilliant, bright smile. His eyes darkened and throat became dry, but he did not reveal the sudden temptation that smile wrought.

There were many, many compost bins that seemed to conform with a mathematical equation that experienced gardeners could comprehend, while others could just agree that it did indeed work. The waste was placed into a specific compost bin, while in a different one, rich dark spoil teaming with life awaited. Ren Zexian helped his lover fill the wheelbarrow and later, they would return to the bins to fill them with either dried grass clippings or leaf mulch; Nathan would know.

But when they were done, Nathan would likely have smears of dirt here and there and where he was happy and unaware of the mess one minute, he would become uncomfortable and insist on a shower in the next. This was not meant to be an invitation, but it was purposefully interpreted as one. Nathan did not complain until after he discovered that they had slept through the hour he preferred to eat his dinner.

Author's note; Sorry for the disappearance, this month has been a full one so far. I'm endlessly trying to encourage myself to find sometime to write and the stop procrastinating when I do.