TW: Sensitive Content Open The Farm In unum infernus ───〃★ BARN FIRE

[CHERRIE]

The moment the haybale starts to move he can feel the relief hitting him hard. Someone heard him and they aren't going to leave him to die like this. Despite everything and despite the pain searing his tail he keeps moving himself, shifting and pushing till he is able to get out of the burning straw that crowds around them. Gasping he turns to try and do something about his tail when a heavy sack is thrown over it. Hissing as pain surges he squeezes his eyes shut against the feeling and the gathering smoke. At least he is still alive though, at least he isn't forgotten. Quickly chartreuse eyes snap back open to look at his savior. Words glued to his throat as he pulls his ears forward. Merry... Merry saved him from the clutches of death and he swallows thickly. Fear still streaming through him but not enough to make him freeze still. "Th-thank you....thank you so much..." Though not out of the woods yet he has to express some form of gratitude because it could be his last if he doesn't make out of it here. But as he stands up to go, tail curled against his body, oozing blood he stop short when the other proclaims he will follow him. But he doesn't look like he is coming any time soon. "W-what? Are you insane, the fire will kill you?! Merry, you have to get out, you gotta go!" He doesn't mean to raise his voice because there is real fear that the other might die here. Just like he said if he doesn't get out he'll die.

Yet it seems the other is not going to go and his own fur bristle. Dang it, he better make it out alive. He has to. He looks at him, paws scrapping against the ground before he finally takes off. Jumping down from the loft and hitting the ground with a stumble. He tries not to look at the fire, or hear the beams overhead crashing down. His goal is to get out and to also hope that others make it out safely. The path is partially clear and he looks over his shoulder to see if Merry is making it, or at least coming along. Smoke is everywhere had he suddenly bursts forth from the burning building, gasping and soot covered but alive. He huffs sharply, panting and coughing before he falls down clumsily, turning his head to look at the remains of his tail.

 

[Hollow]

Hollow, -- 34 Moons / Barn Cat -- Ages on the 14th
Black spotted ghost tabby with bright amber eyes.
She is friendly, yet quiet, and always willing to help.

Tagging @Clover

---

"CLOVER NO!"

Hollow yelled, body moving before she could think as soon as Clover took off running. She whipped around as fast as she could, ripping up grass with her claws to get a better grip as she turned before sprinting after the younger cat, heading right toward the bright fire and burning barn. Smoke clouded her vision as she kicked up dirt, trying to reach her before she could get too close in her desperation to save her mother.

Clover was only two tail lengths ahead of her, then one, then none as she raced forward before she threw herself at the younger cat. She hit her hard, and they both went tumbling across the dry grass. Struggling for her bearings, Hollow lifted her head and shook it, but tensed when she saw Clover readying to leap up and make a run for it. Flames slowly spread away from the barn and into the flamable grass.

Hollow just barely got up in time, teeth closing around Clover's scruff, paws scrambling to stay standing as she fought to try and get to the barn. Hollow's paws skidded against the earth, and the fire creeping across the ground bit at her back paw. She screamed in pain, adrenaline firing off as she pulled up all her strength to drag Clover farther and farther away from the collapsing barn.

 

[Swiftwatcher]

SWIFT OF THE BARN

The old tom had been sleeping soundly, lost in the rare comfort of rest. But the peace wouldn't last. The fire came like a beast unchained. At first, he heard it, a distant roar, voices raised in panic. Then, he felt it... A creeping warmth, too strong, too wrong. His nose twitched, the acrid scent of smoke curling into his lungs. Slowly, groggily, he stirred. His mind was slow to wake, gears turning sluggishly as he blinked blearily into the haze. Smoke.

His pupils shrunk to slits. " Fire... " The word left his mouth in a hoarse whisper before terror gripped him like a vice. He shot to his paws, heart hammering wildly in his chest. The barn, it's on fire! The realization hit like a strike of lightning. Screams tore through the air. Shadows darted frantically in the haze. Where were his kits?! " Honey?! " His ears pinned back, straining to pick out familiar voices. Had she gotten Sweet out? Had Hornet escaped? The fire raged on, snapping and cracking as it devoured the barn. He had to move. Now. Through the thickening smoke, he caught sight of Merry, standing seemingly frozen, unmoving. He saw Cherrie dash off, thought perhaps Merry had helped the other escape... But now the fool wasn't leaving.

" Merry! " he bellowed, shouldering against him in urgency. " Lad, we need to go! " His voice was firm, desperate. Merry barely reacted, his eyes flickering upward. Goldy. He was looking for Goldy. " GOLDY! " the old tom called, voice hoarse. " Are you certain he's still up there?! He could've already gotten out! " He had to believe that. He had to. Stars, please... Let his kits be safe. " Hornet?! " His voice broke on the name, his chest heaving as he frantically searched. Honey would make sure Sweet was safe, but what about his daughter? Had she made it out?!

The flames were closing in. The smoke was thick... Choking, suffocating. He turned back to Merry, his expression grim, resolute. " You can't stay here, lad. " he growled, urgency tightening in his throat. " The smoke will kill you before the fire does! "

There was no time left. They had to run.

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

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

@Merry

 

[Pebble]

pebble

I'm on top of the world, 'ey, waiting on this for a while now, paying my dues to the dirt

" Dusty! " Pebble's cry rang out, his voice raw with desperation. Relief flooded his eyes as the familiar figure burst through the smoke, braving the fire to reach him. And just as quickly as she had saved him, she was gone. He wouldn't let it be in vain. " O-okay! " he choked out, forcing his paws to move. He bolted through the opening she had made, lungs burning as he tore toward the outside world, toward safety. If it was safe at all.

The moment he stumbled into the open air, he skittered frantically, wild-eyed. The night was alive with chaos, shouts, flickering shadows against the inferno. " Ice?! Mama Alder?! " His voice cracked as he whipped his head around, darting from one side to the other, searching for any sign of them. Please don't still be inside. Tears blurred his vision as he turned back, staring at the place that had been their home, now a blazing, collapsing nightmare.

" C-Coyote?! " His voice came out small, barely more than a whimper and then it broke as sobs wrecked through his small frame.

═════════════⊹⊱ ⟡ ⊰⊹═════════════

 

[Hibiscus.'s iconHibiscus.]

Something is wrong. Something is wrong. Hibiscus could feel it with all his body, as he jerked awake from his restless nightmare. He was still trying to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions and sounds when it did hit him: boy, was it hot in there or was it just him?

He jumped out of the pile of hay he was using as a bed. Fire! Fire everywhere... He gave a step forward, in the direction of the opening, of the exit, of salvation, and then another step before stopping. The other cats! The little kittens! Everyone who was still asleep and could have trouble fleeing. He couldn't abandon them! Not like that!

He heard a cat shouting "FIRE!". The smoke made Hibi cough, his throat so irritated, he still looked around, trying to find someone he could help. He saw a cat. He thought he had already seen her around before. Her name was maybe Lark?

"We need to leave!" he yelled, running towards her. He ran as fast as he could, yet it wasn't fast enough. It would never be enough. A part of the ceiling started to collapse, burning wood falling towards both of them, in between them, separating them. "NO!"

Hibi felt the embers falling on him. He felt the burning sensation in his muzzle and cheek, in his shoulder and back. He yelled in pain. He wasn't sure if for the burnt patches of fur or for the cat he couldn't save.

"No, no, no!" he whispered, desolated. He couldn't save her. He couldn't save her. There was no way to pass through the burning wood.

Hibiscus ran for the door. He couldn't save her no matter how much he tried. It was a lost cause. He felt his lungs burning with the smoke. He ran away from the barn, and he just collapsed at a safe distance from the flames, outside. He couldn't save her. He couldn't save her....

 

[goldy]

☆ Smoke clouded his thoughts long before the screech about fire, run, get out, can't breath- circled his brain. He had been tucked in the hay in the loft, where he normally rested, head beneath his paws and in the middle of dreaming about gravel roads and what smelt like acrid smoke in the monster they had been dumped out of. His shoulders twitched, head slowly rising, the blaze of light blinding him briefly. Everything felt.. slow, slow and harsh. The ringing in his ears was probably from the spitting and popping tar in the beams that were starting to creak and fall. And the longer he laid here, looking on at the blaze and feeling the heat, the longer it took for him to move.

He isn't quite so sure what's kept him stuck here so long, paws still tucked and unmoving, unblinking, at flames but a foot away from his face. It hurt. But this was the first home he, and his brother, had ever known. The first place to truly take them in, to keep them well fed and put together and with friends, daresay family, to surround them. Slowly, Goldy pushed to his paws, head turning to where his name was being shouted. He swallows thickly, then leaps through the fire that would have otherwise trapped him. He feels fur singe and his skin scream in pain, but he barely staggers, teeth grit and eyes narrowed against the smoke. "Go- Go, get out!" He snaps towards Merry, towards the old-timer that was wheezing about his brother and himself, to whoever else lagged for his sake.

Goldy scampers after them, shoulder knocking against his brother to get some sense into him. He doesn't look at the burns that lap at his skin- there would be chance for that later, even if it was sucking more breath from his lungs then he could bear. "Go! I got to get somecat out." He urges. "I'll find you. I promise. Ain't broke one before." He says, dragging a kind of smirk onto his face, one that would lie to his brother enough to scream I'm confident, I'm okay, get out, go! Goldy leaps from the loft after Merry does, but instead of running out, he turns towards the blaze and dives towards a hidden corner in the wash-stall.

Teeth grasped at a far darker flank, hauling @RED up no matter the complaint. "I am not leaving you here. Let's go!" He says, voice tight with pain and smoke-damage and an urgency to save as many lives as he could. He waits until Red stumbles in front of him, keeps an eye on the wound on the inside of his leg the best he can. Goldy goes at his pace, trying his best to make sure Red clears the sagging barn doors, pushing him through any flames that barred their path. They emerge the barn barely a minute or two after Merry would have, Goldy heaving breaths. "Go on, keep goin'." He urges, the panic of large animals and small animals alike hanging thick in the air.

Summoning a breath, he shouts- "We need to keep goin'! Clear out! Don't get trampled by horses, we need t' keep moving and get a safe distance!" He orders, eyes shifting around as he counts heads, tallies who isn't with them, which kits are screaming for their parents. His teeth grits together, but he keeps by Red and Merry, steering them towards the fenceline away from the barn.

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ GOD MONEYS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT ☆ THE SICK AMONG THE PURE

• "speech"
  // talking to merry, red, and looking for any stragglers! he's urging everyone to gather at a spot away from the fire
  

• 

• GOLDY he/him, mouser of the barn, thirty-five moons.
  ☆ A tall, long warm golden-brown tabby with aqua eyes. Often wearing a confident smile or chatting someone up.
  ☆ mentored by who / mentoring no one
  ☆ older sibling to merry
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Merry]

—————————— Dreaming along in a pace you'll understand. ✦

As panic curled its claws around Merry's mind, as did the smoke coursed its way through his every sense. For a moment his whole existence a blur. The pleas of Cherrie for him to leave was nothing more than another roar in his ears, the cry of the flames nipping at his fur and the rush of blood through his ears amalgamated to a rush of utter nothingness in his mind. As if his paws had become molten to the wood underfoot, for just a brief moment, he was numb to the searing heat treating his very being.

The tom was always the determined type, trying to prove himself at every conceivable opportunity to show the barn cats he could live up to Goldy's presence in their tight-knit homestead. He strived to be as strong, brave, and great as Goldy, but it was hard to deny that Merry sought the older cat for help. For any struggle he might have, he could turn to his first friend and role model, his brother. So with the one fleeting thought of Goldy still being in the flames, trapped somewhere, or worse? For a moment, it felt like the tom was a kitten again. That tiny thing was dumped at the barn by unloving two-leg hands. Tiny's paws were shaking as he looked up at Goldy, and then, fur was puffed in some vein in an attempt at being threatening. Even the cat brought him in and welcomed him like he was always family. They looked after him and raised him with the help of the older barn cats. Without Goldy, he wouldn't be the cat he is now, but God, would he be able to go on without his brother?..

Lost in his thoughts, the smoke and memories pricking his eyes painfully with tears, he just couldn't move. 'Maybe the fire could just-' His spiralling thoughts snapped like a mouse underfoot as he was brought to reality by something hitting his shoulder. For a moment, his fur bristled, but his gaze softened seeing Swift. Merry realised finally just how much everything hurt. Paws painful from some kind of burns, his fur was scorched from licks of the fire and most painful was the ache in his chest, the smoke made his mind a blur. As he went to speak in turn to the older cat, he couldn't stop the wheezing splutter of a cough dislodging itself from his throat, it stung his throat like a sickness, clinging to his lips with a bitter awful taste.

The younger tom looked up to the older as his body stopped shaking with the coughing that wracked his whole form. Swift was right, if anything Goldy surely had to have escaped by now, helping other cats out of the barn too. There were so many cats outside waiting for him, Hollow who he'd promised to follow out, Cherrie who he'd saved and demanded he not risk his life more, God did he hope Sparrow had gotten his little band of friends out the barn too. Merry pressed his eyes shut hard, trying to steady himself for a moment, nodding in agreement. "I'll keep an eye out for Hornet as well, but Swift, you gotta get outta here too; I'll come with now. It ain't safe to risk lookin' more...." He bit his tongue for a moment before speaking again, his voice clearly strained from the smoke, "Goldy and Hornet are smart; I'm certain they got outta here already." Merry spoke with a faux certainty as if to convince himself.

But like a prayer answered, fear left his body for just a moment as a telltale golden cat came into view. "You're okay..." He breathed- or it came out as a wheeze. Like a second wind had found its way to Merry's body, he nodded to his brother. He worried, knowing Goldy would do the same as he, going further into the barn to check for other cats, but as his brother said, he'd promised to make it out. And like hell he was gonna doubt that. His brother was a strong cat, and he needed to be strong, too. Though knowing Goldy was okay, Merry could finally get himself and Swift out too while he was at it, he motioned the older cat to follow in suit, he might be injured but he wasn't about to leave behind someone he looked up to and respected.

As he padded forward, Swift at his side, the young tom winced in pain. He'd not realised the pain in his paws from the flames; it'd be something he could look over when he got out of there. It didn't take long to reach the edge of the hayloft; it'd collapse soon if they didn't get out... He gulped hard, chest wheezing with an ache, mind starting to blur together from the smoke. Merry knew he couldn't jump straight down, and the state of his paws would leave him a yowling heap from the pain and dead weight. He couldn't let someone risk sticking around to drag him out if he did. Instead, his eyes flickered to the pile of hay leant against the wall, it'd be up in flames soon enough but it was his best case of clambering down. The tom didn't trust his balance on the ladder right now, after all.

Steadying his breathing as best he could, Merry lept forward and landed on top of the highest bale of hay. The prickly ends of the straw made the tom whine in pain; maybe it was worse than he thought... His body heaved in pain; he'd made a grave mistake pausing up in the hay loft, every last inch of his form crying out. Merry had to survive. He had to. Every movement was agony. Merry had no idea why, but he knew he had to get out. For a moment, he looked back to Swift, wanting to ensure the older tom made it out safe, too. The fire swirling all around was a hypnotizing daze, Merry couldn't quite logic his way through the fact this all was really happening, that lapse in awareness was enough for Merry to lose his footing descending the makeshift steps he'd found himself taking, falling hard with a yelp to the barn floor. Smouldering hay and debris scattered around him, cinders nipping at his pelt and a searing pain clawing at his hind leg like a frenzied animal. Blood laced his lips, catching his tongue on impact, another pain to join the amalgam that coursed through his body.

It hurt. Dear God, it hurt, but it was enough to remind him he was alive, and here, and stuck in the inferno taking over his home. He wasn't going to die here with the remnance of his home.. He refused.

Swift close behind, Merry limped as fast as he could towards the barn doors. The heat was unbearable, dizzying almost; he couldn't stop now; as much as his body cried out to collapse from the pain in his chest, he couldn't give up now. Stepping out into the cool outside was some euphoria the tom had never felt before. He didn't hesitate to stop walking, pawing as far away from the barn as his aching body could. Hollow... Sparrow... Chick... For a moment, just a moment, Merry's panic leapt to life again, knowing Goldy was still in the barn. Until, of course, the older tom escaped with Red shortly after.

A smile parted the younger tom's lips; he tried to speak again, greeting his kin with the relief that washed over him. Though again he was wracked in a bitter cough, he couldn't catch his breath as desperately as he tried to gasp. It took a painful moment for Merry to recollect himself, instead padding silently and painfully, as Goldy commanded, towards the fence line. He couldn't stay standing for long, his paws giving way beneath him as he stumbled to a heap in the grass, he wasn't sure how injured he was, but the strangling sensation clung to his throat and lungs was all his attention could stick to. He refused to face the barn, laying there, his heart ached too much to behold the destruction of everything he ever knew.

— And it's harder than you think,

Telling dreams from one another. —

• escorting @Swiftwatcher out the barn ( @lionharted )!!!
• 
  Merry
  ✦—Barncat | 25 Moons
  ✦—He/Him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A skinny, tortoiseshell cat with bright green eyes and pelt speckled with hay.
  #9D6E46

 

[DAZ]

"I'm here," Daz reassures his mate as he appears, pressing his nose to Owl's shoulder briefly. Green eyes dart over her - unharmed, good, just scared. Scared is ... understandable, given the state of the barn. He has no idea how this had started, and doesn't particularly want to know. All he knows is- "Achoo!"

He turns, sneezing violently. A shudder runs down his back, hating the way that the reflex does nothing to clear the burning tang of smoke from his nose. As he does, the rest of his mate's calls reach clarity in his mind: Owl is a cat of kin, first and foremost. Daz knows she won't go far unless her sire and littermate are safe. Owl is also very, very pregnant. If she stays in this smoke for a long time, she's a goner.

"I'll go find Hoot'n'Chook." He blurts decisively, gently nudging her towards the other fleeing barncats. His resolute meow leaves little room for argument: Owl would know, as would most of the mousers, that once Daz made his mind up on something there was little anyone could do to change it. "Go with the others. We'll catch up!"

★ THE REST OF MY DAYS

• // looking for @Hootwhisker & @Chickenscratch
  
• DAZ ★ penned by wren
  — — he/she ; barncat
  — — mate to owl
  
  

 

[dawn]

Unfortunate is a mild way of putting it. Dawn stirs from her sleep, bleary and shocked, as cries of 'FIRE!' and the sour smell of smoke fills her lungs. Where the young molly had just been resting in a hay pile quickly becomes dangerous ground. Dawn scrambles to her feet with a wordless cry. She swivels her head around, but the smoke burns her eyes. She squeezes her tearful eyes shut, a brief reprieve from the burning, and lowers her head before uttering a weak "Oh, help me..." Whether a cry for the other barn cats and companions she finds here, or a prayer to some unknown entity she does not know.

Dawn grits her teeth. She cannot die here. Not like her mother. She squints against the smoke and smolder, and scrambles to follow the other fleeing cats. The movement to escape that is likely no more than a few long strides feels like a tenuous journey to the little chimera. Her throat and chest and eyes and mouth burn from smoke and adrenaline. As she breaks into the clean night air, and heaves a few heavy breaths and begins to feel her mind clear. Emotions sweep through her as she turns to see the barn, engulfed in fire.

She finds herself scrambling again, but this time it is for an emotional sense of normalcy. Her eyes sweep across the others who have escaped- many of them clinging to their friends or family- and she tries to find a familiar face among them. Perhaps Merry or Hare will be among them. And for once, the quiet-dispositioned girl feels regretful that she did not get to know many of the other barn-dwelling cats before now. If they make it beyond this, Dawn thinks she may need to reevaluate her values a time or two.

I AM WHAT I AM ★ AND I AM NOTHING

• "speech"
  looking for @Merry & @harefoot !! (let me know if u wanna be untagged hehe)
  

• 

• DAWN she/her, barncat, six moons.
  ★ tortie x blue spotted tabby w/ low white chimera
  ★ mentored by none (yet)
  ★ relations tbd
  ★ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ★ penned by carat ↛ ccaarraatt on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Sparrowpaw]

———————————— The sun hesitates more on each evening's darkening ✦

Sleep had been nothing but fitful for Sparrow as of late, maybe the warming of the seasons was enough to disturb his rest but the young tom found himself stirring in his nest. There was a temptation to stretch his paws, go outside and pace the barn to wear himself grew stronger, though the nervous memory of the dog that tried to attack some of the barn cats was enough for them to stay curled up. He pawed at his bundle of leaves and seeds, maybe he could count them again? Inspect them for rot or the sorts. If he was gonna take care of his friends he couldn't let what he had go bad... But then again, it was late, too dark for a good inspection. Maybe when the sun rose...

The young tom was caught in a loop of thinking, thinking, overthinking; only snapped out by yowls from deeper within the barn... "Fire..." He breathed a single sound before the terror struck like a claw to the chest. "FIRE." Every last fur on Sparrow's pelt stood on end, the faintest scent of smoke was enough for their blood to run cold. This wasn't some cruel joke, no mean-spirited cat trying to scare them all awake. This was real. This was actually happening.

Rearing around to face Starling, who stirred at his yelp of terror, he pressed a paw hard at their side, jarring them awake as they looked to him with bleary eyes. "Ya' gotta get up." He whined, heart racing as their eyes flickered between the boards and metal they slept behind, if they'd not been awake it would have cooked them alive, the thought making his mouth bitter in terror. "Starlin' please the barn its- Ya' gotta get outside, take my bundle. I gotta help Chick." Their sibling tried to interject, but shoving Starling to the door, the others eyes widened seeing the fire up high in the barn, pleading Sparrow to be quick before hightailing out, shouting for cats to leave too.

Taking a shuddering breath, heart racing with adrenaline coursing through his whole form, he had to find Chick. He shouldn't be too far, curled up somewhere comfortable since he wasn't wound about Sparrow's side. His stomach dropped though, seeing the flames licking the hayloft, blood running cold knowing just how many cats slept up there. Merry, Ice, Pebble, Alder.... They swallowed hard, they couldn't help, so they had to just hope so desperately they'd all be okay.

Now, he needed to get Chick. Hopping up atop a nearby box, the tortie peered about the entrance, Chick had an awful habit of sleeping in the most peculiar places. "CHICK?" The tom called, eyes flicking between the open barn and the steadily growing fire, seconds felt like hours with his heart thumping hard. Though he could breath a sigh of relief seeing that telltale yellow fluff stirring from within an old monster wheel propped up admist some hay. Sparrow swallowed hard again, the smoke irritating his lungs as a breathed, padding as fast as he could towards Chick as cats poured out the barn, yowling and shouting. A cacophony of terror weeping from the smouldering walls. The tom nudged Chick hard at his side, stifling a cough as they spoke with urgency. "Chick, c'mon wake up the barn its-" The young tom's voice faultered, speaking the truth out loud was enough to make his stomach churn, the barn would be gone.... Sparrow blinked away the pain in their eyes before continuing, his voice pained. "We gotta go." Sparrow grabbed the bleary Chick by the scruff of his neck, dragging him out of the wheel. "We gotta go, now" He demanded, voice wavering. Sparrow wasn't brave like Swift, or strong like Buck, but he'd still try his best to save the cats he could.

---

Keeping to Chick's side, the pair escaped the barn mostly unscathed. They breathed a sigh of relief seeing their sibling okay, butting a gentle head against the side of the other. Immediately fretting about the both of them for any injuries, only to be reassured nothing was wrong. Though as more cats poured out, it couldn't be said the same for a lot of the other cats. Burns and gashes, exhaustion from the smoke. They were lucky at least the coldest moons were past them or else they'd be more doomed than it felt as if they already were. Sparrow desperately wanted to try and help these cats, these friends who cared for one another. But for just a moment Sparrow had to curl up at Chick and Starling's side and mourn what was lost.

But mourning wasn't something Sparrow could do in peace, as his mind raced trying to give themself a moment. 'Whos missin', this can't be everyone....' He scanned the crowd, looking to see who was here. They spotted Hollow, Merry's dear friend holding another smaller cat away from the flames, Clover he recalled. She looked heartbroken, the tom's heart shattered. The poor girls mother was no where to be seen. They looked to the smouldering barn, hearing creaks of the wood giving way within. He couldn't bare to look. Though... If Hollow was here, Merry wasn't with her? Maybe he was helping other cats?

Sparrow stood up from beside his two dearest companions, nudging them both gently. "Please don't go nowhere, 'm just gonna find Merry.". He padded through the group of cats, trying to figure out who was around and who wasn't. Lucille stared u horrified at the ignited barn, Hollow comforting Clover, Cherrie had an awful burn across his whole tail, the young tom cringed at the sight, oozing blood and seemed awfully painful. "Cherrie sir, it ain't much but I got some poppy seeds to help with yer tail, makes everythin' hurt helluva lot less." He pried open the small leafy bundle he had, setting aside the other plants he'd hoarded and carefully pushing forward the small amount of seeds he'd managed to scavenge up. "There ain't many, but I hope it helps ya' a lil."

Looking away from the older tom, trusting his herbs would be safe there for a moment, he peered around with a growing distress, so many cats were missing still. He would have gone into full overdrive if it wasn't for the sight of Merry limping out of the barn, Swift following behind. He sighed in relief, he was okay too at least. Or well... Sparrow watched as the top limped towards the fence line, as did all the other cats as demanded by Goldy, and the painful steps and heaving breaths struck fear again into the young cat. Sparrow padded towards Merry, heart dropping for a moment seeing him collapse to the grass with a huff. He nudged Merry's face with concern, but the other was still awake, just clearly in pain. "'m glad yer okay. I woulda given ya' my poppy seeds but I gave the last to Cherrie, he's burned somethin' foul." Sparrow whined, trying to be brave but his heart ached at this all.

With the cats gathering closer together, Sparrow checked again to see who was about, Dawn skittered out the barn too, plenty of the younger cats got out but he knew there were many missing. Ice and Pebble, Peafowl, Nutmeg and Meadow... Meadow. Any composure left the young tom realizing his other dearest friend, one who'd been at his side so much was no where to be seen. Not even her mother admist the crowd. Itd taken them this long to realize she was gone, what if she was... The young tom looked to the barn, smouldering with cinders rushing through the clear air, fire staring to lick the edges of the barn for where it started to escape. They wouldn't be able to go back in, they'd be useless to help. Instead he sought the help of the other cats around. "Meadow? Has anyone seen Meadow 'nd Nutmeg? I've not seen 'em anywhere?..." He breathed heavy, still scanning the cats, hoping for one of them to pop up. "Please tell me someones seen 'em."

——— Like grief and sweet memory,

Wildflower and barley. ———

• offerin @CHERRIE some poppy seeds for his burn pain and asking around in general if anyone seen meadow or nutmeg!
• 
  Sparrow(paw)
  ✦—Barncat -> Future Windclan Apprentice
  ✦—They/He
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A longhaired tortoiseshell with amber eyes and protruding canines.
  #bf4916

 

[aurora -]

★ Sleep had come easily to Aurora that night, and she had shooed it away like a bothersome pest. The trouble with sleeping was so often the dreaming: wants materialised unbidden and unfullfilled, fantasy looming so large in her mind it squeezed out all the room responsibility needed to occupy. She'd dreamed she'd been invited to meet someone in the forest, her stomach a mess of butterflies, her face an unbridled grin, and she'd sat at the edge of the treeline before she remembered to pull herself back to waking. If she indulged the dream she could easily oversleep, and there was so much to be done, she reminded herself, blinking dust from her eyes, as she'd adjusted to the dark.

All was peaceful when she left to patrol around the crops. The trill of bugs filled the air at her side as she walked, eyes searching for unusual shadows, mouth slightly parted for unusual scents. Her main concern was the dogs that had plagued the barn of late. Blue and grey paws crept over the soil, wary, but there were no canines in sight and only the tinge of a twoleg's bonfire in the air.

As she returned home, Aurora's brow drew close at the sight of Lucille streaking past her like a comet, so fast that she kicked up dirt and grass as she went, the latter glinting like stars as some strange light caught on the verdure blades. A question stuck itself in her throat as she watched the receding form. She swallowed it. As much as she wanted to follow her duty laid with the barn at large, a sense that was only compounded by the awful dread that turned her head toward the structure. The wood, steeped in comfort, being devoured by greedy tongues of flame that belonged to no bonfire. The light, devoid of guidance, that billowed awful clouds of smoke and specks of ash. The destruction, sans promise of new life, that built itself out of her home.

"No," she whispered, and the fire roared in retort.

Cats were coughed from the collapsing building like so much blackened soot. Some landed on the grass, like Merry and Goldy and Hollow, and each familiar face safely outside the reach of the flickering light was a blessing. Some were being sucked back in to the fray on the fire's inhale, like Dusty, and Aurora found herself swaying forward with the impulse to find the pelts she cannot readily identify in the dark. Cats she had hunted with just a few days ago were nowhere to be found. She could hear Buck's rallying cries from within the barn, but what of Cold, Brandy, Dusk? What about -

"Sassafras?" She yelled and stars it was awful to contend with the pleading voices of piercing the air, to shove her own wants before those of others, to think her own inquiry was more important than Pebble or Sparrow, but she had to know. Let her hate herself for it later; let him hate her for it and her heart later, if he had to, so long as there was a later. Her eyes stung as she staggered against the tide of cats leaving the barn. "Has anyone seen Sassafras?"

 

[Merry]

—————————— Dreaming along in a pace you'll understand. ✦

Merry's whole form ached; he still spluttered with every breath, trying to regain some normal state of existence, but God did he struggle. His attention was dragged away by a small muzzle bumping to the side of his face, and his face softened to see Sparrow, who was uninjured but clearly distressed. "'m just a lil' banged up is all, nothin' I can't pull through." He breathed with a watery smile; it wasn't a lie; he'd been in more accidents than most, and he'd come out the other side fine. Those were usually his own fault, the kink in his tail being more than enough proof, this was the rare occasion he was caught in the crossfire something out of his hands.

Though his ears pricked hearing Cherrie's name, who sat not too far, clearly in pain but still alive. "Cherrie needed them more anyways. Mighty proud of ya' for handlin' this all how ya' did. Kept ya' and yer friends safe. Take it easy though, yer only small, you've done more than enough now okay?" He reassured the younger tom, who's brow still knit in worry, he would have grabbed him to sit down and take a breather though clearly there was something on their mind as they wandered back off to the crowd of cats. "Don't ya' even think 'bout goin' back in that barn ya' hear m-" Merry called to warn Sparrow, but speaking up only caused more irritation in his lungs, coughing again with a wheeze that hurt more than he'd realised.

The tom scanned the cats, trying to make heads or tails of who had made it out of the barn, only to spot a lone little chimera sitting nervously after having scrambled successfully from the fire. There was a terror knit across her face too, unlike most cats here who had friends and kin alike to seek out for comfort, Merry knew Dawn was a lonesome type. He'd kept the little thing company before, roaring storms keeping her awake or grabbing some extra prey for a hungry growing kitten. That's exactly what she was, a kitten alone in a terrifying event even he was shaken by, let alone her. He had so many cats to turn to and look up to, but he was never one to ignore a little fellow who needed a kind paw.

With a sharp intake of breath, Merry stood from where he collapsed and limped towards Dawn, she was a safe lengths away from the fire thankfully enough. It was a slow, rather painful walk but he had priorities above himself. "Dawn? Are you okay lil spark, ain't hurt or nothin' are ya?" He sat down at her side, she didn't seem injured, no scrapes or burns, but there was a shake to her being that made his heart ache. She was petrified; he couldn't blame the poor thing, but he was glad she was in one piece. "C'mere, 'nd don't you get lookin' at that fire or goin' near it. You've been brave enough today." He noticed the poor things coat was discoloured, not singed like his own but instead smeared with soot and ash from escaping. "Rest now lil' one, let us grown folk handle it all now." A purr rumbled from his throat as he cleaned the ash from Dawn's fur, it tasted foul and acrid, though his mouth was already laced with the taste of the bitter powder, he'd rather the younger of the barn cats not be stuck with the awful scent that would sure to cling to their very beings for moons to come.

Though for a moment, another familiar voice called out, Aurora. Loud and piercing over the rest of the cats. Sassafrass, he didn't get on with that cat on the best of days, but truly, he'd not seen him at all that night either. "Now don't ya' be goin' near that barn either ya' hear me Aurora." He yelled out, cringing with the sound of his voice sounding unlike his own, strained and sore from the smoke, but he continued. "Get back here with the rest of us; Sassafrass ain't no damned fool; he'll get outta there fine, but don't you be makin' any stupid mistakes now." He sounded crueller than he intended, but it was true; too many cats were injured for it to be feasible for folks to go back in to drag her tail out of the barn.

— And it's harder than you think,

Telling dreams from one another. —

• comforting @Sparrowpaw & @dawn and addressing @aurora -
• 
  Merry
  ✦—Barncat | 25 Moons
  ✦—He/Him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A skinny, tortoiseshell cat with bright green eyes and pelt speckled with hay.
  #9D6E46

 

[chicken]

Chaos roared through the barn. It started with crackling and the smell of smoke, but quickly turned to shouting and chaotic scrambling. She couldn't think of this turning out any different, but the noise of it all was jarring. Next to her, slumbering, was her mate and companion. Chicken jabbed her paw into his ribs at the first sight of flames licking the barn walls. "Cowboy. Cowboy, get up. Find the kiddos. We have to go," she hissed. Cats were scramblin' around the barn shouting for family and friends. The calico, joints always aching when she first awoke, stiffly joined the swarm of panicked faces. Some she recognized and gave quiet assurances and encouragement to leave the barn. Some she prayed they knew what they were doing.

Chicken's ears perked at the sound of Dusty's call. "Dusty! Dusty, sweetheart! I'm here!" She moved her best through rushing bodies, taking licks here and there from a couple of single-minded folks rushing out. She quickly moved to press her flank against her granddaughter's side. "Where are the others? Are they out?" Chicken scanned the crowd for any other familiar faces: Alder, Nip, Ice, Pebble, anyone. She wouldn't leave this barn until they were are free. Mismatched eyes flick to her nest in the hayloft to make sure Cowboy was following her down. Wood crackled and groaned under the stress of the flames. They were running out of time.

ੈ✩‧₊˚🥚 ੈ✩‧₊˚🐣 ੈ✩‧₊˚🐔

• ooc: waking up @cowboy
  attempting to help @Dusty out
• CHICKEN
  100 MOONS
  BARNYARD CAT
• cluck cluck

 

[sassafras]

SASSAFRAS, 29 moons / barncat mouser
a pale blue tabby with scraggly fur and a large shoulder scar
sister to honey, mate and parent to none
a scrappy cowboy who feels he has something to prove. stupidly stubborn but gentle and kind
Tagging person here

---

The night brought about a new opportunity that Sassafras hadn't been keen to take in some moons. When the sun set early and an even deeper chill took hold of the farm, not even a brain-sick rat would crawl it's way out onto the frost-bitten ground. Now that the seasons tide had shifted, and the breeze was but a gentle prickle beneath pale fur, Sassafras took to it like a moth to an open flame. He had left the barn well before the brother's squabble, Peony hadn't even been pacing about yet. He assumed most of the barncats were well asleep or preparing to when he left.

He's caught with a mouse tail between his teeth when the flames ignite bright enough to make him believe dawn had already started to rise. It's wrong, though, the smell of smoke of strong and choking even at such a distance. A creaking groan whipped from behind him as the shapes of farmer rushed out of their nest and Sassafras, as much as he hated to, abandoned the prey to race ahead of them. Had Honey made it out before the walls were swallowed up? Was Sweet able to leave with her? He can't even think of how it had happened, as he arrived to see nothing but a crowd of cats, huddled and watching in fear.

Eyes scour the clowder before him until he spotted that signature dropped ear- Honey had made it out, and he assumed is was Sweet beside her.

Ears perk up to the sound of someone shouting his name, Aurora, he guessed as he struggled to see her in the thick of all these pelts huddled together. Merry answered in an unexpected tone, making his ears fall flat. "M'over here!" He reassured them with an awkward twitch of his tail. Sassafras squinted his eyes as another wave of smoke came by in a warm gust, followed by the harsh creaking of the barn being engulfed by the fire. "We need to move further back! When it collapses, it might still spread."

 

[Alder]

machiavelli

love me, love me, love me

// @Icepaw tw for death at the end of the post, nothing is detailed graphically/left to be implied

Alder had rose with the shouts and screams of a fire, chest heaving with difficulty already as the smoke flooded the air like poison. Faer thoughts struggled to hold anything but the fear of where faer kits may be, absent from their nest or already in the midst of fleeing with the others. The panic did poorly for faerself as they looked to find Cowboy and Chicken, stiff and slow as fae felt in their aging moons.

"Pebble, Ice, NIP?!" The queen shouted, voice strained and shaky as fae stumbled out of the brittle hay. Wherever fae could scent was quickly overwhelmed by heat and ash, unable to follow any direction faer nose led to. "Please answer me, Nip!!" Alder leaned down to cough as another inhale dried faer throat, muzzle touching the ground as they choked and heaved for a clear breath.

When Alder lifted faer head up their eyes were watery with tears, sending faer paws to weakly stumble over the tossed hay and debris from those still fleeing while they had the chance. But there is one figure that arrived in sight, one fae would always recognize. Ice was trembling as fae rushed to her, looking above faer kit as they heard the slow growl of wood breaking. "No. no- Ice! Run!" Alder shouted as fae shoved faer head into her side, unable to outrun the collapse after pushing Ice out of the way.

The loft gave way and with it the bales of hay it held, no match for the fire's grasp and it quickly took hold. There is no sign of movement or fight at the surface of hay, only the hum and crackle of the fire's spread.

═════════════⊹⊱ ⟡ ⊰⊹═════════════

 

[charity]

Oh.

Oh...

The shipyard had been empty. A few wayward souls who hadn't escaped, now enjoying warmer weather and still frigid waters. They had nudged her away, insisting that the soul she sought after had long since left the decrepit harbor. Charity followed nothing then, only grasping at tendrils of hope. He fed on carrion he found, slept beneath the stars happily. He finds the farmlands just as the sun dips beneath the horizon and decides that there... there is enough for the day. She rests, waits for the stars to watch over her, and sleeps. But it doesn't take long.

The furl of warmth collides against her frame first, the bright light of the fire lashing towards her eyes. And then the screams... oh, the screams. The youth pushes herself to her paws, looking on with half lidded eyes. He watches as shadows escape the light, but knows not every body can be saved. Blessed be. Their cries bring out his own weeping, tears cresting her cheeks whilst she silently prays. Prays that it is swift, that it is painless. That the barn may be haunted only by benevolent souls and that no spirit feels slighted by their end. Blessed be.