"Hello??" My voice echoes throughout the seemingly endless forest, I ruffle up my fur as a strong gust of wind blows through. "Is anyone out there??" I cry out, hoping for an answer. I don't know how I got here... I went to sleep in my bed at home.. and now I am alone in some forest. I inhale sharply and pace around, what do I do? Where do I go?? This isn't home... Where is home?? "H-hello..?" A frail voice reaches my ears, the fur along my spine spikes up at it, something doesn't sound right about the voice... it sounds.. weirdly echo-y, I guess I don't know how to describe it but... it puts my fur on end. I turn, my eyes widening, before me floats- and yes... I do really mean floats- a light gray cat, xe had ears of a darker shade and these brilliant blue eyes, dark shapes seemed to drip out of them, they reminded me of tears.. xyr so thin... I can see xyr ribcage through xyr pelt... "Hello." I tip my head at xem, as a way of greeting. "D-do you know where my d-dad is?" Xe spoke, shivering slightly and not meeting my green gaze. "Uhh-" I glance around a little. "Nnnnoooo..? I'm afraid I haven't seen your er- your father.." I speak carefully, as I am turning my gaze back to xem I see something.... strange.. it was like a flicker, there for a second and gone the next, but I could've sworn I- I thought- it looked like xe was see-through for a second... Xyr ears dropped and xyr face crumbled. "Oh." Was xyr only response. "S-sorry for bothering you I guess..." Xe stared at me for a moment longer before drifting away, I could be wrong but it sounded like xe was sniffling as xe floated off, like the beginning of crying... I watched xem go with sad eyes, wishing there was more I could do to help xem. I turned away then, looking up at the sky and taking a deep breath in... rain, I can smell it clear as day, and those clouds look... menacing.. I should find some kind of shelter- I pause, maybe I should warn that cat? "Hey its gonna rain soo-" I turn to where I last saw xem... and found empty forest. "Oookay... cool... maybe you already knew that the storm is coming.." *Plink!* I gasp as a ice cold drop lands right on my nose, squashed bananas! That is frigid! I begin to trot, then run, then all out sprint, my thoughts focused on finding shelter and nothing else, my eyes search frantically for anything, even just a boulder to shelter me from the worst of it- I skid to a stop, my paws slipping on the now-wet grass and causing me to land awkwardly on my side, I groan and pull myself back up, taking a sharp inhale through my nose... I knew I smelled something... off.. Its hard to describe but it smells... burnt... like that one time my mom left the roast in the oven too long... I peer through the trees... There! I make my way towards the structure, limping on my sprained leg, as I get closer I can see clearly, it's a house... or what's left of it, the front door looks unscathed but much of the upper level seems to be burnt and crumbling... I wonder if it's safe to enter..? *Crack-a-BOOM!!* The fur along my spine shoots up at the loud crack of thunder, welp- no more wondering! Inside now!! I pull the door open, the frame must be crooked since it takes a little heaving to get it loose enough to get ajar, I slip in the narrow opening and force the door shut behind me, it's like I got in just in time, I hear the "thwack-clack!" of hail hitting the outer walls as I slump down against the wall. At least it's safe and comfortable here...
Characters mentioned]]] Jello - The point of view (any pronouns) Whisper - The mysterious cat (Xe/xem) (For more about the characters, visit their UV profiles :) https://unvale.io/InkdropNightcloud Art & music by Inky / Bean @Inkdrop-Nightcloud (They/any)
