misty days, misty thoughts [SOLO]

[Akira]

For a Future Alternative Clan RP

The bright golden sun was hanging low over the sky, white puffs of clouds and mist covering the warm orb in the sky. The mist never parted from its path, preventing it from illuminating the land before it. Still, in the sparse light of the sun, the day creatures ran around and scavenged for food, while the night creatures remained still and asleep in the-albeit absent-glare of the day.

A long winding river reflected the thick mist and muted golden orb in the sky hiding beneath them. It was strangely clear, perfectly reflecting the sky in the still water, only to ripple and shatter when a leaf from the nearby oak trees fell upon it, sending many ripples through the water and shattering the image. Many water animals swam peacefully and quietly under the clear surface, while avians kept watch from the misty skies above.

Rays of sunlight managed to break through the defenses of the many tree branches and fog, landing specks of light on the lush green grass, which was covered in dew from the rain last night and smelled pleasant. Many animals chatted and sang, filling the air with oh so many sounds. The peaceful, albeit foggy, scenery seemed like that of a story. As it was, this once often-visited park had always been popular before its impromptu abandonment.

A soft grunt sounded in the area, pale blue eyes scanning the enchanting scenery, yet the empty and uninterested look in them revealed no interest in admiring it. A new, gentle and soft breeze picked up and ruffled through the silver-blue and white tortoiseshell tom's fur, as if trying to play with him, though the young cat only responded with a twitch of his whiskers.

Mist had been living in this abandoned park not too long now, having claimed it his temporary home after traveling for a while, and this was the first time in the week he lived there that mist had descended so heavily over the area. He didn't dislike it, though: personally, he quite liked the fog from which he got his namesake from. Yes, it made it a bit harder to see predators and aggressive cats approaching but… Rainy days and misty, quiet days were days that the silver tortie always enjoyed.

Looking out from the branch of an old oak tree seemed like an obvious choice the moment he saw the mist descend. Overlooking the area, now largely hidden but the low hanging clouds, made Mist feel something akin to content… or, perhaps, satisfaction? He enjoyed feeling the brisk air, seeing the mist swirl around without a care in the world, and overall just… loved misty days, in total. Admittedly, an outsider looking up at him in the tree would see an emotionless expression on the young loner, as if he didn't care, but… well, it wasn't important what they thought about him, after all.

Taking in a deep breath, Mist gave a content hum when the cool air entered and danced in his chest, and he closed his eyes, his mainly white tail swinging slowly over the branch. It was nice, basking in the cool mist of the day, just laying there and allowing himself to be blanketed by the silver clouds. Rarely would mist descend in this area, so having a foggy day for once made Mist rather happy, and so he allowed himself to drift into his thoughts, as he so often did.

It had been a long journey, reaching this once busy park. Mist had traveled almost all his life and, prior to this park, he had lived in the mountains, up and away from other normal cats and people. The silence and mist of the mountains had been pleasant, sure, but the rough rocks and even just walking had been a pain. There had also been many larger animals there, eager to turn Mist into a one bite snack, so he had left as soon as he could to find a new home.

The journey wasn't easy: the climb down the mountains itself was treacherous enough, even without the large birds and mountains cats and whatever lunging for the silver tortie. However, Mist also had to contend with humans near the base of the mountains, having made their homes there. Many had attempted to lure and trap the tom, even going so far as to set dead prey out for him. While tempting, especially after days without food, Mist had simply fled, running for who knows how long, occasionally taking breaks but never settling for too long, as there were other cats, humans, and other animals eager to keep him out of their territory.

Luckily, after days of continuous sleeping and fleeing, Mist found the park, empty of people and cats alike, full of prey, and overall gorgeous. The nearby river provided food and water, as did the trees around the park, and the abandoned badger den under the tree stump served as a nice den for himself. Perhaps this was fate that he found such a nice place after so many days of running and worrying about his own safety? He was finally being given a safe haven, even if just temporary?

Well, Mist certainly wouldn't complain now, and thinking about his time before the park made his head hurt and his mood drop. It was probably better to just bounce to another thought, as he so often did.

… Would it rain again? he wondered, ears twitching and listening to the distant sounds of other animals around him. The rain last night was light, and the light drumming of the rain against the old tree stump atop the den had lulled him to sleep quite easily. Perhaps it would rain again, and he could have another restful sleep to make up for his previous sleepless nights before the park.

His eyes opening, Mist gave the nearby river an uneasy look. It was one that took up most of the space in the abandoned park and looked calm, the mist giving it a sort of mystical appearance, but the silver tortie knew better than to believe it. The rain had been light, but he didn't know whether the next rain would be so kind. He had less than fond memories of wild rain and rivers; he knew of the wild power that hid in the deceptively calm waters of the river, and he was in no way eager to test their strength during a storm.

Pale blue eyes flicking up to the sky, Mist noticed a few dark clouds and frowned. That was a bad sign… a very bad one indeed. With how large the river was, and the size of the clouds overhead, Mist felt his fur prickling uncomfortably. If he stayed, he doubted he would be able to survive in the underground den should the river flood from harsh rains. And even if he did, it would make a mess of the park, and no doubt that all the prey would flee the moment the scent of rain interweaved with the scent of the mist. He needed to leave, now-before the rain began and the river with it.

With a quiet sigh, Mist rose to his paws and swiftly descended the tree he had been perched on. The trip down was easy, thanks to the tree being sunken and tilted from being close to the evermoving river, and soon, the young tom found himself in the mist again. He disliked the thought of having to leave: it was beautiful, he had traveled far to reach it, had plenty of prey, and he had thought he could enjoy the area longer than a week, but alas, the ever fluctuating will of nature never seemed to favor him.

Looking over the area again, Mist's brow twitched, and his frown deepened slightly. The mist was growing heavier now, and it was starting to get harder to see. The other animals had even fallen silent, as if recognizing that the world needed quiet to show off its misty wonderland. It was a beautiful scene, straight from a dream, and Mist began to have second thoughts about leaving, but… The dew-covered grass licked at his paws, and it served as a reminder as to why he had to leave.

… Why was he never allowed to be in such a place for long? Was something stopping him from settling? Did life have something else planned for him? If so, why not tell him? Was it him overthinking, and it was simply coincidence that he was never able to stay in one place for long due to some reason or another? Was something else expected of him? Did he have to keep traveling to find someplace to settle, somewhere to belong? Was he just… being stupid about it?

… Perhaps, but when had Mist ever cared about that?

Ah, curse his thoughts. His mind was very much like mist: ever moving, ever shifting, changing from one place to another, easily changing from shape to shape, drifting and never clear. However, unlike with mist, his thoughts were more of an annoyance than anything: Mist was forgetful and absentminded, easily distracted by whatever idle thought enters his mind, and he was never able to focus or have proper conversations without being distracted by something else or his own thoughts.

… Was Mist named for his mist-like fur, or for his ever shifting thoughts? Or was he named for his pale eyes, empty and lacking the light he saw in the eyes of others? He'd caught his reflection in the river before, and he always felt like he was staring at some… empty thing resembling a cat. Likewise, other cats had pointed out his uncanny appearance, unnerved and hostile towards the tom's seemingly uninterested and cold gaze.

And so, it was only Mist who really understood himself. He was the only one who knew that the cat with lifeless eyes was one who was always thinking, always wondering. He was the only one who knew the thoughts of the strange cats, the only one who knew that the cat was capable of more than empty expressions…

Much like a calm, ever flowing river. Calm on the surface, yet wild and ever changing underneath.

… Wait, he'd gotten lost in his thoughts again. What was he doing…? Ah, right. He was going to leave the park. Right. That was what he had been thinking in the first place. How did he get from thinking about leaving the park to talking about himself…?

Eh, whatever, Mist was used to this by now. He was so used to his thoughts running around, confusing him, that they might as well be separate from him altogether. His thoughts, much like himself, never stayed in one place, and rarely made sense to even himself. A lot like watching a dog run around, barking at a tree, having no idea why it was running and making so much noise, and easily dragging his attention away from whatever he was doing.

… That reminded him, just before finding the park, Mist had a close encounter with a dog himself. It wasn't as big as most others, but still. He had strayed a little too close to some houses, walking along the white fences around the houses, and nearly suffered a heart attack when he heard barking from below him as he walked.

Looking down, Mist had found himself staring at a small and weird creature, which he was very sure was a dog due to the incessant barking. Admittedly, the barking was high pitched, which made sense for such a small beast, but still barking. It was tiny, just around the size of Mist himself, had tall ears that were somewhat unproportionate to its head, had a tail wagging like wild, and was trembling like a leaf, even as it barked repeatedly at Mist.

… It was a dog, right? It had to be, but… it was uglier than most others Mist had seen. Seeing it had traumatized him deeply, even if he had kept his empty expression while staring down at the creature from the fence. He was never going to recover, he was sure…

And then the humans who seemed to own the dog threw something at Mist, and he ended up running. Yet the image of the weird tiny dog was forever engraved in his mi-

Drip.

Mist blinked in surprise, suddenly being yanked from his once again spiraling thoughts. What was that? He could've sworn he felt-

Drip.

Ah, he was right. That was a raindrop, landing right on his muzzle. Actually, it had landed almost perfectly on his nose. How had it done that? Was it just happenstance, or was it-?

Wait, what did that matter? In all his endless thinking Mist had, once again, lost track of time, and now, it seemed to be catching up to him. The dark clouds overhead have a muted growl and the silver tortie shuddered as another drop fell.

Rain was coming. He needed to go, now.

Springing to his paws, Mist gave the area another mournful look, pale eyes clouded like the mist around him. Even as the rain began to descend faster, the park looked ethereal… How sad. This was the last time he could see the park, and it was only a short glance due to his lack of awareness, as usual. Tragic, but too late to change what had already happened now.

The rain's growing aggression urged the tom to move, and the water smacked him hard, as if trying to chase him away. It seemed like the very world was trying to chase him away and get him to continue his seemingly endless journey. Why…

With another muted sigh, and one last look at the park, Mist turned and ran off into the nearby forest, the rain falling even faster and covering his escape. Soon, there was nothing left in the park but harsh rain and quiet mist.