Open The Farm I’LL CRAWL HOME TO HER ᯓ [ A CHILD ]

[temperance]

each step, trudged and heavy, sting young paw pads covered in scrapes and small cuts. the scant piles of snow numb the child's limbs, making her blissfully unaware of the accumulation of scars decorating the pale pinks of her dainty feet. scars of a journey a kitten should not have made… alone.

she stumbles towards a tall shelter wreathed in a hodgepodge of scents. a clouded breath escapes parted maw, weary gaze peering through the misty winter realm at the structure that beckoned her to it. temperance may be young, but she knows enough to understand she can find warmth and maybe food if she ventures inside. her body screams for rest and recuperation, even if her mind yearns to trudge on through and continue the search for her parent, their final words echoing in her ears.

'You are not safe in this place. These watching eyes do not have your best interest in mind, they are waiting for you to stumble, and they will bear false witness against you. Not now, and perhaps not soon, but they will turn on you.'

temperance wouldn't sit around in wait for the kingdom to turn on her. she couldn't. however, her pleas to charity and justice were not convincing enough to get them to follow her into the unknown — onto the path their parent had taken.

a rock catches her paw, sending the cinnamon lynx point kitten tumbling to the ground. a huff leaves her pained face, but temperance makes no move to immediately get up. her body is too tired and weary to do so.

'I love you dearly, we will meet again.'

after i rest… i will try again to find you, she thinks as sleep creeps in with the chill of the air, the rustling of plants and crunching of paw steps a distant noise in her mind.

 

[Sweetnose]

･ﾟ :｡･･ Tomorrow holds no promises ･ﾟ·:｡･ ✦ except the ones we've made.

It's easier for him to hunt alone where his hearing is not hampered by the pawsteps and hushed voices of others; he can focus intently on his task and more often than not manages find - he has become exceptional at kicking up mice before they can dive into burrows, at chasing rabbits following the thump of paws and kick of debris in his face that would blind any other cat but only slightly annoyed him - afterall, he was already blinded, what would a little grit do?
His ears prick upward, thin black triangles swiveling atop his head as he catches a sound that is decidedly not prey. Sweet has heard prey, he is familiar with the scent and noise of mice scurrying, the chirp and bouncing hops of a bird, his golden unseeing eyes peer out across the moorland as he head turns in the direction of the noise and he hears it again: the faintest huff of breath, pained and small, high and pitched - a kitten. Unmistakably a kitten. She could be directly in front of him and he wouldn't know, but he takes a tentative step toward where he heard the source as he speaks, his own voice a quiet whisper, "Hello?" The blind tom's meow is gentle, he was always softspoken but even moreso now he tries to keep his tone low and any infliction from his words.
At the same time he lowers his head, making himself small as settles in the tall grass, his nose brushes against the dying blades as he pushes it forward scenting carefully and moving inch by inch to a new smell, fresh rain and clay soil - strange and out of place here where the overpowering hay scent cloaked everything. Finally his nose touches softness, he catches himself before he recoils in panic and holds still, nudging carefully, "Are you alright?" A stupid question, perhaps, for any other cat but for Sweet he could detect no strong blood scent, just a faint stale onne and unfortunately his excellent tracking skills could not root out emotional despair. He hopes desperately a cat with functioning vision would be along soon.

･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･･ﾟ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟ･ i am lost here ｡✦ ･ﾟi am lost with you･ﾟ･

• 

  Sweetnose

  
  — Future WindClanner (Barncat)
  — He/Him
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  — Solid black tom w/yellow eyes. (Is Blind)
  #edc11a
  
  

 

[Flicker]

Flicker was beginning to find the endless snow unbearable. Since the dog incident, she was painfully aware of how it caught and dragged at fur and limb, slowing attack and escape just the same. Newleaf is coming. The cold has to give in, one way or another. To sprouts, to blooming flowers, to new life of all kinds. The snow would give way, and the moor would be free once more.

Spotting Sweet, Flicker doesn't immediately notice anything out of the ordinary. He is crouched, small form shrinking even smaller as he hunches over some find in the frost. Has he been hunting? He preferred to track and hunt alone, and alone he appeared to be.
"Hello there, Sweet," she purred, walking up beside him. "What've you got?" she asked, curiosity shifting to a stunned pause as her eyes fell upon the scarred and exhausted child. "Oh! You- Oh you poor thing, where did you come from?" Flicker could see no caregiver, no guardian to speak of. Just a single, weary kit. I should get Sparrow. That was her first thought. Glancing over the kit though, she did not appear grievously injured. Best to bring her to Sparrow, get her into the warmth of the barn more quickly.

"Can you walk, little one?" she asked gently, not wanting to just scoop her up and startle her. Glancing to Sweet, she couldn't help but ask questions, though she couldn't imagine they knew much more than she did. "Was there... Did she just show up, all by herself?"

 

[temperance]

perhaps she had dreamed the approaching paw steps and gentle voice? and perhaps she dreams still as a subtle warmth pressed to her weary frame. a strained purr, rough and ragged, escapes the child. temperance leans into sweet's touch, lingers there for a long moment before baby blues flutter open.

oh.

it was not a dream. temperance startles ever so, her rattling purr ceasing as she tries to push herself to her paws. a wince and a whine escape the weakened child, who gives up on rising as another figure approaches. instead she wiggles a couple inches from sweet, casting wary gaze upon flicker. she could not outrun them even if she tried — the best to do was hope their kindness lay deep within, beneath words alone.

"i…" temperance begins, looking between the two as she weighs her options. does she approach their questions with honesty? or lie to achieve self-preservation? maybe she will answer somewhere in the middle? yes… yes, that seems best. "i am lost. and i need a place to stay for the night." straightforward yet protective of her goals. the child may win over their sympathy for a time to recover, then escape to find solace.

 

[Solace]

♰ Solace knew that leaving meant they would, in all likelihood, never see their family again. If fortune looked kindly upon him, they would leave that place in their own time and lead peaceful lives of their own, and his face would dissipate from their memory into something vague and untroubling a childhood dream. He could only pray that the fallout he'd caused remain contained enough to keep their paws unsullied. Continuing this existence, as a stranger in this community hunting mice and living modest lives amidst the haybales, was like living as an apparition himself. Something like a self-made purgatory, wading in the absence of everything she held dear.

The cats of the Barn filtered in and out of the barn as they pleased, whether to try their claws at hunting prey amidst the shrubs and snow for a change or to simply get a bit of fresh air, Solace was no exception (perhaps they had adapted to the locals' lifestyle more easily than they thought they had). At first, mere curiosity brought her closer to the small gathering of others, the soft sound of voices carrying on the frigid leaf-baring breeze. It took only a moment of disbelief, a consideration that perhaps they were dreaming, but they rushed over regardless. He brushed past Sweet and Flicker to press his nose to kitten-soft fur, confirming that she was who he could recognize even at the end of time.

"Temperance, my sweet girl," she murmured, still in shock, "What are you doing here..?" It had to be a miracle, the journey he made was not an easy one, for a child to get this far was... It could only be mercy. He sent silent thanks to Whom it was owed, but saw swiftly that she had not gone completely unharmed, the scuffs on delicate paws broke her heart all over again.

Solace glanced back toward the one who had found her, "Thank you for your sharp ears..." and then to both of the other cats she gave a brief explanation, "She is my daughter, I thought... I had lost her. But we will be taking the rest of this conversation inside." His voice led no room for arguments over whether his kitten would be allowed in or not, and he would promptly turn his attention back to Temperance to pick her up by her scruff, "Let's get you to where it is warm."

♰ THERE IS NO BAD. THERE IS NO GOOD. I DRANK ALL THE BLOOD I COULD.

• ooc:
• ♰ solace- barn resident - 32 moons - she/they/he - parent of temperance and two other kittens. a handsome stranger with a ghost-filled past, a longhaired fawn point of average build that looks soft around the edges despite the hardship of leafbare. their dark blue eyes have an unnerving, too-watchful quality to them.
  
  - solace seems relatively polite, if cagey around questions of his life before his arrival. in any case, he's patient with the kittens and doesn't rile up any trouble around the barn, so the other residents don't mind her hanging around for the season.
  
  - speech in "A87C7C" , attack in underline, penned by eezy
• 

 

[CHERRIE]

It is not often that he finds himself wishing to mingle with the other cats that linger around the barn. These days he feels like it has become much too crowded. Yet he barely has any say in it anyway so he keeps his maw shut. Only vaguely being annoyed when one of the approaches him with something mundane or useless. Hearing voices is the only thing that attacked the lynx point and his eyes narrow, confusion wavering as he slips from the barn. His plume of a tail waves in the gentle yet chilly breeze as he allows his ears to pull forward. The sounds get louder and more incessant maybe even insistent as he nears the group gathered around something. "What are you being so noisy about?" He grumbles casually. His paws carry him around the pair only to see them staring at a kit. A child among strangers and in a strange land. It is obvious to him given the fact that he has never seen this child before. His maw pops open for a moment, snaps closed before he suddenly gives a sigh. Of course they won't just leave the kit out here in this cold. Almost everyone here is some sort of bleeding heart to him and so he glances to them before Solace appears. With a jagged turn of his head he looks over to her and the mystery of the child suddenly bursts forth. Crystal clear.

Yet he finds himself skeptical. A child suddenly found and so far away at that. "Right, right..." She simply lost the child. Thought she was lost. Regardless he shifts his paws and forces more of a warm smile towards Temperance though he hasn't exactly picked up on the name of the child just yet. Too caught up in how he feels about the situation in general. Instead he finally dips his head and turns to head back inside where he came from. They will likely follow given the kids condition and Solace has already said so herself. And he doesn't have the want to deal with a problem that is not his own. Though he does hope that the child gets better after such a journey.

 

[Swiftwatcher]

SWIFT OF THE BARN

He was a worrywart... He damn well couldn't help himself. Sweet was strong, independent, more than capable of handling himself… but that didn't stop the fatherly urge to check in. Today had been one of those days. Still, he'd tried to keep his distance, sauntering around, pretending to be busy with anything but trailing after one of his children. Bumblebee would've swatted me with a smile and a scolding if she had the chance…

The thought nearly pulled him under, but he shook it off before the sadness could take hold. He cleared his throat, ears perking as a shift in the air caught his attention. Voices... One, then another, then a third. His paws carried him closer. When the group finally came into view, he took them in with a curious tilt of his head. Solace stood there, speaking to the kit before his son, a kit she knew. A flick of his ear, a blink, and then Solace was lifting the little one by the scruff, murmuring about getting her to safety.

' Good... ' he thought. ' A child should be kept safe. '

" A surprise. " he finally meowed, stepping forward, his warm smile unfurling. " To see a face you thought lost, returned to you… A joy, truly. " His voice was steady, soothing, though his keen gaze flickered briefly over the kit, shaken, weary. Something had happened.

His tail brushed lightly against Sweet's as he continued toward Solace. " A wise decision to bring the little one inside. She looks tired, and those paws need tending. " Then, lowering his head slightly, he glanced at his son with a soft purr.

" Quite the adventure already, Sweet. "

Yet beneath his words, a quiet thought lingered... More strangers. More unexpected faces. Where had Solace and this kit come from?

I'll be your light, your match, your burning sun ——･ﾟ✦​

･ﾟ✦ —— I'll be the bright, in black that's making you run