Username: basils
Clan: garden colonyPrompt: "you want to know about my.. 'adventures'?" an amused smile met your request, and you nearly felt embarrassed for asking, saved only by the fact that the cat before you continued, their paw raised to their chest with a dramatic flair. "i'm honored. now sit. i'll tell you of the time i survived a typhoon
and saved the day..."
you did as you were instructed, leaning forward to hear the cat's tale as it was woven before you.
...
it was dark outside. rain lashed the ground in whips of water, likewise spilling over the wanderer's face and soaking through their fur, chilling them to the bone. they grit their teeth and narrowed their marigold eyes against the onslaught. what had been a pleasant day of travelling had quickly turned to a vicious night of turmoil, and the wanderer was anything but pleased- but they were not unfamiliar with mother nature's finnicky nature. no, they were well versed in her methods and madness alike, and they knew that the storm would not lighten up for many hours to come. it was long overdue.
the wanderer deviated from their path, miraculously making out a shape in the distance through the pelting rain. a building, human in its build but abandoned in its nature. the cat picked up their speed- only just enough, careful not to slip on the leaves underpaw. the wanderer drew closer, seeking shelter and satiation of their curiosity. it wouldn't kill this cat- it never did.
as they slipped through the night, the wanderer muttered their grievances about their now waterlogged fur, which would take eons to dry and another thousand years to style... but alas, that was trivial.
the cat climbed the wooden steps to the porch of the old building, the wet wood creaking beneath their weight and making them tenderly test the rot before stepping forward so as to avoid an accident. seeing as it held up fine, the wanderer continued forward, slinking past the ajar door and flicking droplets off their ears as they finally sought dryness. as their eyes adjusted, the wanderer settled back on their haunches.
the building was cozy, albeit dusty, but mostly empty save for an old stove and a rug. it would do, for now.
...
"...and the monster was defeated," the cat spoke proudly, eyes glittering. "a little rain never hurt, nor did it impede my abilities to fight!"
despite your trepidations that the story wasn't all that true, you found it hard to deny the wanderer to their face. there was a kind of heaviness that their features carried, one that you could see even behind their lazy smile. perhaps.. these tall tales were just an attempt to bring light to the wanderer's otherwise grim motives behind their travels. you wondered, as the cat turned to chatter away with another, just what they were truly seeking in that storm...
