The wind ruffled Flame's pelt, fur plastered to his sides as his whiskers twitched in satisfaction. Paws firmly planted on the stone beneath them, the tom imagined more than the fan blowing air at him; he stared out the window from his perch, blue eyes narrowed in concentration as he made an attempt at picking out every little detail. Shaved grass barely twitched in the summer winds; planted trees rustled, their flowers sometimes shedding petals; a distant bark of a small dog finding something exciting. Flame's paws itched to dig through the grass and hop right over the wooden fence barricading him from the rest of the world. He wanted to feel real wind ruffle his fur, unhindered by a collar; he wanted to smell everything to smell, watch a mouse die under his paws…
There was so much to be seen, so much to be done, and it made his pelt prick in excitement. Any minute now and his housefolk would open the window – he'd be free!
He spotted a pelt outside much like his own, only the points were chocolate, not ginger. A mew escaped his jaws and he shot up, nearly falling off his perch as he stared at his next door's she-cat. Muffin!
Growing impatient, Flame steadied himself and hopped down from the windowsill. His paws absorbed the shock of the fall, and he shook out his pelt. Now to find his housefolk. Blinking at the dim light of the room, the young tom padded over to the door, noticing a crack. It swung open inward, he knew, so he curled his paw to snatch it open, darting through once the opening was large enough for him to fit through.
Now instead of tile, carpet met his paws and he briefly caught one of his hind claws in the material. Murring slightly in surprise, he twisted his head, eyes narrowing in frustration as he shook his paw free of the carpet's grip. Really, it was soft and comfy when he napped on it, but he had to be careful of his claws when playing!
A whine caught his attention, and Flame turned, eyes rounding. The puppy his housefolk had recently brought was staring at him from across the room on one of the soft rocks, brown eyes lighting up with excitement. The Siamese couldn't stifle a purr at the sight of her; while the little scrap could get annoying at times, she was still a part of the family even if they couldn't understand each other.
With a happy yip the young dog hopped clumsily off the cushion – Flame knew that if this wasn't carpet her paws would be flying all over the place – and charged over, stopping just short of her housemate. Her rump went in the air, her front half splayed across the ground in some sort of play-stance; but Flame didn't have time to play right now. A quick tap to her head was all she was rewarded with, and the tom had to ignore the spark of disappointment in the pup's eyes as he trotted off in determination.
The opening to the food room was open, and he could scent all the different spices and things used to make Nofur food taste better to them. He wrinkled his nose, the aromas a bit overwhelming, but he pushed it aside. He had to remind his housefolk that it was time to let him outside. Slinking through, he noticed the male at the bar moving back and forth as he prepared his food. Better not disturb him, Flame mused, padding the other way.
The female, however, was sitting at the table with some paper in hand as she read, long fur on the top of her head tied up. The tom forced a purr, weaving around her legs beneath the table. She let out a soft noise of surprise, and a naked paw came down to stroke him. His purr only increased in volume, tail raised in a greeting.
"Let me outside!" he begged, and he heard the female coo and she put down her paper. "Please?" He knew this routine like his own pelt; he padded a little ways, looking back over his shoulder to make sure she was following, then continued on and repeated. They were briefly interrupted by the pup greeting the Nofur with her usual happy yips and yelps, and she followed them into Flame's room, to which he didn't mind. She couldn't get out through the window, anyway.
As he hopped up onto his perch, his housefolk made a noise of faked realization and stroked him once more. The latch to the window was opened, and she pushed it upwards; immediately foreign air pushed at Flame, and he mewed in gratitude to his Nofur before pushing off, feeling the wind in his fur as he soared. Or, rather, he fell. Jumped. But same thing.
Once again he landed, though this time he staggered a bit. Shaved grass tickled at his paws, and he shook one forepaw to rid the feeling. The tom muttered, but he quickly shook off his discomfort; the feeling of being outside, of being free calmed his nerves.
As he glanced up to the sky with narrowed blue eyes, it was nearly sunhigh. Birds flew overhead, singing their annoying little songs of joy at being alive – and being free. Jealousy burned in Flame's stomach, but he had to shake it off; he was a housecat, not a wild cat. He was born that way and that was how it was supposed to be. He'd be taken to the cutter soon and then there'd be no possible way he could be a wild cat.
Huffing, the tom glanced up at the fence post where Muffin had previously been sitting, but the she-cat was nowhere to be seen. His tail flicked behind him, muscles in his hind legs bunching before pushing him up into the air. He let his forepaws steady himself on the side of the fence before bringing his hinds back up and pushing him off once again until he reached the top. Though he swayed, he'd done this whole balancing thing enough times to be a natural. Carefully placing one paw after the other, Flame crossed the line of the fence until he reached the one that connected with his next door's yard. Muffin wasn't in there.
Screwing up his nose, Flame sat his rump down on a fence post. Where could she have been? She was always out at the same time, and they always played together. He supposed he could go exploring on his own, but it was always more fun with someone else. Besides, what if Muffin didn't believe all the things he'd seen when he would come back? She needed to see them for herself, too!
Suddenly a weight slammed into his back and he screeched as he was knocked over into Muffin's yard. The fall was clumsy and a pain shot up from his left forepaw, but he quickly shook it off as he tumbled with whatever had knocked him over. He almost swiped an unsheathed paw at his attacker, but a familiar scent stopped him.
"Muffin!" he purred, squirming out from underneath her. The she-cat shook her pelt, her eyes glowing with mirth.
"I can't believe you fell for that!" she meowed, voice laced with laughter. She sat neatly down, tail curling over her paws as she tilted her head. "You were looking for me, right?"
"Of course," Flame grunted, his pelt twitching as he felt a piece of grass stuck to his back. He quickly twisted to groom the spot, spitting out the blade quickly. Huffing, he continued. "I look for you every day."
Muffin narrowed her matching blue eyes, a mischievous glint in them. "You're planning something. I can tell. What is it?"
Surprise ruined, Flame slumped his shoulders. "I wanted to go exploring with you," he responded, quickly perking back up and bouncing on his paws. "I want to take a left at the broken fence instead of a right this time. I think there's more to be seen there!"
Uncertainty flashed in the she-cat's eyes. "I don't know," she meowed carefully. "Patchy says it's dangerous. There are wild animals there and lots of things that can harm you." Flame wrinkled his nose. Patchy, he thought crossly.
"That old tom doesn't do anything these days. How should he know?" The tom scoffed, shaking his head as he waved his tail in the air to and fro. "Why? Is that the wild?" Excitement pricked at his pelt, and his paws seemed to be carrying him in that direction already even as he stood there. His belly clenched uncomfortably. He needed to see it for himself!
"I think so," Muffin admitted, a forepaw scuffing the grass slightly. She flinched when Flame let out a yowl of excitement and the tom took off, hauling himself onto the fence once more.
"Come on!" he called, looking down at his friend still sitting in the yard. She stared right back up at him, round eyes filled to the brim with worry. "I'll protect you. Let's go!"
With a sigh of resolution, the she-cat followed, and together they balanced along the fence. They twisted this way and that along the Nofur dens, keeping their senses peeled for any signs of a hostile housecat or vicious dog. Luckily, all of those were inside or absent for the day, and they managed to clear the fence rather easily.
At the edge of one of the fence posts, the left side broke away as though a monster had crashed into the wood and it had yet to be repaired. Flame's pelt prickled with apprehension as he leaped down from the fence, followed closely by Muffin. He pressed his tail to her shoulder as comfort, sensing her unease.
Ahead ran a long Thunderpath, though thankfully to the side there was a smaller one that Flame had seen Nofurs ride those two-pawed, skinny things on. Monsters didn't stray onto there if they could help it, he knew, so he led his friend along the small path, their fur occasionally ruffled by a passing monster. Sometimes they even had to cough when the fumes made them feel sick.
"My paws hurt," Muffin meowed after a while. "There's nothing to see here. Why don't we head back?"
Flame glanced at her over his shoulder to see the she-cat's tail and head drooping as she trotted on with a slight limp. "Head back? But we haven't even gotten there yet!" Though, he did feel a bit worried for her. He knew she could find her way back to her den; that wasn't what was bothering him. But she looked so worn out already…
"Gotten there?" she echoed, glancing up at him with confusion. "Gotten where?"
"Can't you smell it?" Flame stopped, turning to face the she-cat with round, excited blue eyes. "The wind? The freedom? The trees, the open spaces?"
Muffin stared back at him blankly. "I can't smell anything." She twitched her whiskers, frowning at him. "I'm heading back. Aren't you coming?"
Flame shook his head, determined. "No. I'm going to keep going. But don't worry;" he added, practically feeling her concern flowing off her in waves, "I'll be back later. I can find my way home." Though Muffin hesitated, she leaned to touch her nose to Flame's and turned back, waving her tail in a good-bye.
But he couldn't let this stop him. Sucking in a breath, the tom turned and continued following the small path. There seemed to be fewer monsters than near his den, and he was grateful for that. Less noise, less stench.
Suddenly the small path veered to one side, but Flame didn't follow it. With a quick glance left and right he ran across the Thunderpath, the stones making his paws ache, but he was used to it. He could smell it; the wind, the freedom… Just beyond that hill, just beyond that Nofur den.
The tom ran alongside the fence, outside, hearing scuffling of a dog sniffing at him. Though is pelt pricked, the dog didn't bark, and it was small, he could tell; he was used to small dogs being curious. As long as it wasn't being hostile, he would let it do whatever; besides, it couldn't reach him through the wooden barrier.
Up the slope he went, paws scrabbling for a hold on the shaved grass. The hill was steep but not steep enough to stop Flame from pushing onward until he was at the top, panting and limbs aching. The scenery took his breath away and nearly made the ground swirl beneath his paws; a meadow, stretching as far as he could see; trees stuck together like blades of grass next to it; a river flowed in between, sheltering the marsh.
This was freedom.
With an excited squeal, Flame pushed off the ground, letting himself tumble down the hill until he was at the bottom. Pollen flew into the air and he sneezed, shaking his head. This was it; this was where he needed to go from now on. He couldn't wait to show Muffin tomorrow! They could play all sorts of games here way better than they could in their small yards. Suddenly the Nofurplace seemed so far away, and much too crowded. He'd spend most of his time here, if he could.
A raindrop dampened his mood. Thunder sounded overhead, a blink of lightning making his pelt prickle. That was what Muffin was so nervous about. Flame himself wasn't great at detecting when it was going to storm, though his friend always seemed like she had ants in her pelt just before the sky grew dark.
Maybe it'll hold off, he hoped, wrinkling his nose. I'll just explore a little and then head back. No big deal. As he padded ahead, the tom had to hop over tussocks of grass to see; he wasn't used to the long grass pricking at his pelt and blocking his view almost entirely. Once when he leaped, he landed on dirt and was surprised to find himself in a rabbit trail, the grass closing in overhead. He couldn't see the sky, but it was still thundering and raindrops still made the grass twitch above him. It would probably be better if he found some shelter, he figured, tail quivering in anxiety.
He'd just shelter here and then return home once the storm quit.
Taking in a deep breath, he followed the rabbit trail, nose wrinkling in aggravation at all the twists and turns it held. It ended in a tunnel, small but big enough for him to fit through. Should he go down there? It could very well crumble around him and trap him inside. Shuddering, he imagined soil and water swirling around him, filling his ears and nostrils until he couldn't even yowl for help.
A loud boom overhead decided for him. Flinching, Flame quickly ducked his head and shimmied inside, having to squeeze just a little. Thankfully the tunnel was wider after the entrance, but not enough that he could turn around. With his back toward the hole, how would he know when it stopped raining? He supposed he'd wait until it stopped thundering; traveling wet wasn't so bad, was it?
Another thunder, and he could feel the earth trembling as water suddenly began pouring from the sky. He shivered, feeling cold despite the fact the soil pushing against his fur was warm and smelling of rabbit. Something cold hit his hindquarters, and Flame flinched once more, eyes narrowing in confusion.
When realization hit him, he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. Water was pooling in the rabbit trail and flowing into the burrow! He'd drown! Quickly he tried to back out of the tunnel, but more water just poured through, making the ground beneath his hind paws unsafe. He couldn't get a grip with his claws. Breathing heavily, the tom continued to try, bumping against the ceiling as it groaned precariously. He didn't want to die down here, but he could feel the dirt beneath his forepaws turn to mud and stick to his chin.
He had to outrun the torrent of water before he drowned. Breathing deeply, he pushed forward, getting a grip on the dry soil to pull his hind paws out of the mud. He could feel it plastering his previously-white coat, but there wasn't time to care. He had to go on. Darkness closed all around him, the sounds of the thundering and falling rain muffled to his ears. He could feel the sides of the tunnel with his whiskers sometimes open up into a side tunnel, but he was too afraid of it being a dead end to follow it.
Every so often he could feel a splash of water hit the tip of his tail that caused him to pick up his pace. He swerved along with the tunnel as it made a turn, feeling his anxiety shoot up. Where was he? Would the tunnel collapse on him? Could he ever find his way out?
His questions were answered with a jolt as the tunnel suddenly sloped downwards. He whimpered, twitching his whiskers to feel for a side tunnel. He couldn't turn around without one with the tunnel being so small, but he had to.
Because the tunnel was a dead end.
