lost && lonely [open]

[Nightfall]

<sup>Nighttime. A time of peace. A time to relax, to think about your day.

Not to Adder.

Adder stretched carefully, making sure not to scratch his long claws on the wodden floor beneath him. He'd been here, at the ranch, for such a short time, yet it seemed so... long.

"Keep the memory of the tribe alive, Little Fighter."

His father's words echoed in his ears and Adder shut his eyes tight, wishing for the bad memories to go away. But he knew they wouldn't. Quietly, Adder padded out the ruined doors of the ranch, ignoring the curious looks from other cats. Even his new friends Shooter and Flyte gave him weird looks as he walked past them and out into the night air.

Despite it being early in the season of new-leaf, it was surprisingly warm. Adder closed his eyes again and sighed, just sitting on the cool, still-dead grass in front of the ranch, thinking about the bittersweet moments in the Tribe of The Lost Winds. Aay'han, they called it. The tribe had many a strange word, all in a seemingly different language. But the one that stood at the most right now to Adder was Aay'han. Mourning and Celebration. Feeling the pain and loss but at the same time, remembering the good times.

So here Adder sat, within his mind, unobservant to the world around him.</sup>

[glowlynose]

Breathe in, take a step, hold breath, take another step, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out... oh, how tedious it could become on a journey! Going nowhere took a surprising amount of effort, Rain mused to himself as he walked along. If you're going to do something unpleasant or boring like this, you might as well have a reason behind it, right? Rain's reason was quite simple when it was trimmed of its fat, boiled down, simmered for a while, and then mashed into a pulp: he had no reason for doing anything anymore. What better way to be purposeless than to walk randomly without motivation behind those pawsteps? The way Rain saw it, it was certainly better than just lying down and dying.

"Well, hello there darlin'. How's your day going? Good? Well, not anymore, Runt," he snickered as he pounced on a hapless mouse. Its back had been turned to the large gray tabby, and he'd been hungry, so instinct took over and he now had a nice meal, despite the fact that he didn't want it. His appetite had become almost monastic over his journey. He ate the felled prey and buried the remains without much ceremony, or even motion, for that matter. What was it worth anymore?

A barn loomed up ahead. Rain glanced to the sky. It was beginning to cloud up, and they looked especially dark. They couldn't possibly rain? It was far too early in the season for rain to be even remotely possible... right? A nervous twinge in his heart caused the tom to think the impossible: perhaps it would actually be a good idea to go into the barn. He scoffed as soon as the thought entered his mind. Ridiculous... but the huge building was beginning to look more and more welcoming. It would be warm and dry in there, and if the sky did decide it wanted to rain, the barn would stay dry and warm throughout the night. The same could not be said for that solitary bush over there. As much as he would hate it, he would have to weather the night in that barn. At least he'd still be alone.

"Well, I'll be darned! Somebody else! I haven't seen another cat in ages," he breathed to himself. At the sight of the other tom, smaller though he was, Rain nearly pelted straight in the other direction. What if he was one of the cats who'd taken Analucia and his daughters? Well, he steeled himself and raised an appraising brow as he walked up to the other tom, if he is, he'll find himself on a helluvalot of pain really quick. He'll pay.

His eyes narrowed slightly when he actually looked the tom in the face. "Well, what have we here?" Seemingly disapproving eyes made a sweep of the younger, ginger cat, but Rain was merely trying to gauge the whelp's reaction to his sudden appearance. If he'd taken Analucia, surely he would recognize his scent and become afraid. Unfortunately, Rain's mind had long forgotten the scents he'd found at the scene of the crime. It did not occur to him once that perhaps, if the tom was guilty, that he'd probably forgotten the scent of the absent family member.

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[Nightfall]

<sup>Adder yelped and leapt back when a large furry gray head was thrust into his face. He pranced back, hissing. "Hey! What in StarClan was that for? Personal space please!" He growled at the cat who had, in fact, invaded his personal space.

Calming down, Adder looked curiously at the large gray cat in front of him. "Hey, I've never seen you around before. Where are you -" Adder was cut off when a loud rumble of thunder echoed in the air. The ginger cat looked up. Dark, menacing clouds had rolled in, and a flash of lightning nearly blinded him. Heavy drops of rain began to fall.

"Oh, StarClan forbid. Rain? Really?" Adder moaned tiredly. He began to trot back to the ranch house, but stopped and looked back at the stranger behind him. "Hey, come on in. You can get out of this blasted rain and tell me your name, stranger." He chuckled a bit, before continuing on into the ranch house.</sup>

[glowlynose]

It took the majority of Rain's self control to not burst into peals of laughter at the stranger's comment about "personal space," whatever that was. As it were, the reaction amused the big grey tabby immensely, so he turned his face away and coughed once or twice. It was really the best he could do. He didn't want to laugh. Actually, he wasn't sure that he even remembered how to laugh anymore. He hadn't done it for so long that he wouldn't be surprised if his laughing muscles had forgotten how to do their job. Having regained his composure, he was able to return his full attention to the strange tom in front of him.

"Oh, StarClan forbid. Rain? Really?"

The irony of the situation caused Rain to break into a massive grin. The little bugger was most likely talking about the unfortunate turn of the weather, but the fact that his name was Rain was enough for the loner to drop his facade of toughness for a few precious moments. He wondered how the stranger would react to his name, if he would laugh. Perhaps if he saw the little tom laugh, he'd remember how to do it.

"M' name's Ra -" Rain's statement was cut off abruptly by an invitation to go to the barn. Of course, he would have gone without an invitation, but the gesture was nice. It was downright kind. Analucia would have done that for anybody, he knew, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was taking a liking to the ginger tom. He reminded Rain so much of Analucia it almost hurt. They even shared the same pelt color. Perhaps he was a younger sibling of hers? His eyes brightened as he followed the young tom into the barn.

Memories washed over him, a torrent of them, but this time he did not try to push them away. After a year, it was about time to let the memories to their work. A sad smile spread over his features. His kits would have grown up in a barn much like this one had he not been forced from his home. They would've liked it too. In here, it was warm and dry, and there were even mice making little scratching noises on the packed dirt. It smelled so familiar, but it still didn't smell like home. He shut his eyes, pushing the memories back to where they belonged- at least, where they belonged for now.

"Anyhow, the name's Rain. What's yers, compadre? 'T's only fair that ah get your name now," he said with a smile. The first drops of rain were now pit-pattering across the roof. When he was younger, Analucia would sometimes take him into the barn during rainstorms like this. The horses would only make soft nickering sounds, and combined with the sounds of the rain, thunder, and Ana's voice, Rain could never feel tense. It almost felt the same now, only Analucia and her horses were missing. Nothing would ever feel the same way that did. His eyes swept around the barn once more, and he sighed sadly.

Now that he was inside, he could finally eat that mouse that he'd caught earlier. It was still sort of warm, so that was nice, he supposed. It was far from the most delicious thing he'd ever eaten, but it was meat, and it would suffice for now. "You want some?" The offer was odd, for Rain, but he figured that since the ginger tom had given him shelter it was really the least he could do.

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