As always, Merry was asleep. Soundly so, curled up in the hayloft. He'd patrolled the barn three times over for any stray mice or vermin to snatch up and divvy out to those who could not hunt, but so it seemed his work was done, and a well-deserved catnap atop the hay was in his books. He'd drifted off, if only for a short while, his ear flicking in his sleep with the gentle drum of rain clattering against the roof of the barn.
Though that drum became a roar, just as quickly as the rain began to fall, it lashed the moorlands, the barnyard and the cats around with unrelenting power. The fury atop the barn stirred Merry awake, in his bleary state he peeked from his perch to the barn door. While latched open, they rattled with the gust of the winds, some awful clattering noises which would be sure to frighten the horses if any were nearby. How sudden had the rain come? Had the twolegs safely put the beasts to their stables? There was an unease, especially after what happened with poor dear Hush, he thought to check for any cats outside. Though then again, who would be foolish enough to be out in such weather?
As the tom prepared to descend from the hayloft, something cracked from the sky, that telltale lash of lightning that lit up the sky as if something were parting it with unsheathed claws to escape from above. Merry's fur stood on end, heart pounding as the thunder rolled in soon after, a deep, guttural growl. His lips parted in a sigh, simply for a moment. Though something small and grey-coloured caught his attention, skittering out of the barn doors from a perch at the window.
"Now who's lil' rascal was that?...". His eyes flickered through the barn, though no cat tailed the tiny thing. Merry groaned a little; it always had to be the little things that blended in perfectly with a stormy day that decided to go skittering out.
Jumping down from the hayloft before another lash of lightning could frighten another couple of moons off his life span, the tom padded to the barn's doors. The rain roared louder with every step. He'd not quite conceived how vicious the rain had become, but he sought to find the kitten that'd vanished from sight. That was until, between the rain and another strike of lighting, the outside was illuminated. This time Merry did not jolt, but was surprised to see the outline of a cat with something smaller perched on their back. The tom couldn't help but chuckle, it took him a moment but recognised Buck anywhere with his wide stance and shout towards the clouds as they were parted with lightning. The kitten, Peafowl he recognised now, stood upon the other tom's back, staring up to the sky like a challenge. The little thing always brought a smile with curious eyes.
However, Merry had to chuckle for another reason, as the pair were soaked to the bone. Their fur flattened against their forms, and water clung desperately to every strand of fur. How or what or even what drove the pair to stand in the rain? He couldn't fathom why. He also wouldn't be able to explain what drove him to join them. From the open door there was already a chill, leafbare had come to a close by then, but the rain wasn't something warm or comfortable like greenleaf. But the moment he stepped paw into the rain, washing over him in a steady but unyielding beat, a cold chill ran down his spine. He'd regret it later, that was for sure, when the cold seeped into his form. But perhaps to bask in the beauty of the first storm of the season was something else entirely.
Merry stood there, about a tail-length to Buck and Peafowl's side. The rain welcomed new comings in the farm, the crops would thrive, the animals would rejoice, life would spring forth again to the earth. All things in this world were necessary, and welcoming them was just as important too. Light flickered overhead as a lash of lightning struck somewhere over the far side of the moorlands, past fields that could have stretched on forever. The tom looked up, letting the water run down his face, ears pinned back to refuse any water to leak in - that's where he drew the line. There was a wash of contentment flood over him. They'd made it through the harshest months; the coming seasons would surely bring something grand for them all. He shot a smile towards the other two cats, though it seemed as if they were too enamoured by the storm to notice much else.
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Merry
✦—Barncat | 25 Moons
✦—He/Him
✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
✦—A skinny, tortoiseshell cat with bright green eyes and pelt speckled with hay.
#9D6E46
Hello and welcome to Purrgatory! We are an 18+ Warrior Cat Roleplay set in an AU where the clans were unable to leave the forest territories and perished!
It has been 100 or more years since then, the clans of the forest are but distant memories to any cats still alive, stories passed down to kits of strangely named wild warriors and leaders with nine lives but the time of the clans is upon us once more and the stars shine yet again.
