The Winter Months (An MCYT Fanfic)

OCTOBER || Part 2

"Tommy, have you found anything yet?" Niki and Tommy were out in the forest looking for any extra food they could get their hands on. So far, Niki had found a small handful of walnuts, but that was it.

"The fuck do you think!?" Tommy snapped, turning to look at her with anger in his eyes. Niki wasn't mad or upset because of Tommy's sudden rage. Not only was it normal for him, but Niki felt the same. The frustration of the coming season had everyone in a swing of emotions. Tommy turned back around. "At this rate, we'll run out of food before the end of winter." Niki put a hand on Tommy's shoulder and made him face her.

"Hey, don't say that! We're gonna make it through the season, just like we have every other year before this." Tommy slightly moved his shoulder, but it was enough of a gesture to make Niki release her grip.

"Every other winter, we've barely made it to spring with the regular rations! Now, winter's gonna be longer and we can't find anything!" Tommy threw his arms up in frustration. Niki couldn't find anything to argue back with. Tommy got the last word.

"Let's search for 30 more minutes then," Niki said with a sigh. "And then we'll call it a day."

"No," Tommy responded. "As hopeless and worthless as our search has been so far, I can't go back until I have something that won't make us starve. Wilbur gave me a job, and I'm not going to disappoint him." Stubbornness and determination; Tommy's greatest strengths. "So if you want to go back in 30 minutes, go ahead. But I'm staying out here." He turned around to continue looking for something, anything. Niki continued as well with a smile on her face.

"Sometimes I don't think you realize how inspiring you can be, Tommy," Niki said. Tommy scoffed.

"Of course I know, it's why I'm so fucking awesome." Niki laughed, and Tommy smiled.

"We haven't checked the North forest yet," Tommy said. "We should start heading in that direction."

"Good idea," Niki replied.

~~~

"How many samples did you find that we can test?"

"Uhh... 4, but that's not counting possible combinations between them."

"Perfect. We'll set up the tests immediately."

Eret and Tubbo were busy inside the greenhouse trying to come up with ways to make their plants grow quicker and stronger. This would've been an exciting and adventurous feat if it weren't for the fact they only had 5 days until the snow came. If they failed, the whole village would starve. There was no room for errors or do-overs.

"To speed things up a little bit, I suggest we use plants that have only just sprouted instead of brand new seeds," Eret said, going to a pot with a few sprouts in it. "And we also need to make sure all the plants are the same to avoid different growing rates which would give us wrong information about the soil."

"So what's your plan?" Tubbo asked. Eret crouched to look under a table in which there were 4 giant containers of dirt.

"We get all the samples, plus the different combinations each in their own small pot." Eret came back up from the table with a stack of pots engulfed in a cautious embrace. "Then, we plant 1 sprout in each pot. From there, we observe and make a decision based on our research." She set down the pots on a clear table in the middle of the greenhouse and split the pile in two, giving one to Tubbo. They each began setting out all the pots across the table.

"Seems good enough," Tubbo said. "But we only have 5 days. How are we supposed to find the right soil and also re-pot all the plants in time?"

"As crazy as it sounds," Eret began. "We're counting on soil that will make the plants grow in 1 to 2 nights in the same way it would in weeks."