Home is where the farm is {Zandaya/Gauze]

[RiiRii]

"Get the prey for me, will you? Rolo and Ember are hungry." cried a golden brown queen from the rafters of the barn. The sound of two kit cries echoed through the barn and caused the black and white she-cat to stir. As she opened her green eyes and rolled onto her belly, she heaved herself up and nodded. "There goes my nap" she said quietly, yawning and brushing her tongue over her white paw.

After the brief grooming, she looked towards the ladder that lead down the steps towards the floor which then landed into a big mound of hay. As she clambered silently down the ladder, each paw being placed carefully down.
As she landed on the ground, she pushed through the open barn door and out into the cold frosty afternoon. As the sun blared through the trees that had barely any leaves left, the she-cat winced at the sudden chill that ran through her body.
"Okay, time to hunt." She leaped onto some logs, making sure not to walk on the frozen mud near the entrance of the barn; she didn't want painful paws.

Leaping down each log with grace, she landed with a thud on the ground and then walked towards the gate of the farm entrance. As the farm car drove by, she lowered her head and began to sniff. "Lets see..." Lifting her head up, she tasted the air and the smell of musk and heat entered her nose. "This way." turning she leaped down off the fence and walked towards a big pile of leaves that the farm managers must of raked up.

Squeaking was heard from inside it and she guessed it was a mouse hiding. The last time she had leaped into the leaves, the farm owner ran towards her, shaking his fist in anger and sending her in fear towards the barn. Luckily they came in later and gave her some ham. As she walked past the leaves, thinking better of it; she felt the cold wind ruffle her fur and sent the leaves to hiss. This, having frightened the mouse, sent it flying out and instantly she was on its tail.

Leaping and landing with a swift bite to the neck of the mouse, she picked it up and carried it to a corner of the yard and dug a hole. Afterward, she dropped the mouse in and sat down to remove the blood from her muzzle. Looking around, she gazed towards the woods nearby and nodded. Mice and all kinds were bound to hide there. Turning, she plodded off towards the woods and entered it. "Time to hunt."

[mistytail]

Gauze felt a cold chill rush through his thin body as he slept. His violent shivers were enough to wake him, and he yawned loudly as he woke. Strange, he thought, it was daylight a second ago. Oh well. The skinny loner heaved himself up on all four paws and took a big sniff. The air was warm and musty, and had a very distinct smell to it. Looks like I've found myself back at the old farm again.

A very loud growl from his tiny belly roused him from his thoughts. Somewhat startled, Gauze pricked his ears forward. "Oh, so you demand food again, do you?" he muttered to his stomach. "Very well then.

Closing his warm, brown eyes, Gauze took in the earth's smell once again. For a moment, he let himself get lost in the richness of life around him. Trees in their prime, shedding their pollen for the next generation. Birds tucked safely in their nests, chirruping softly to their fledgelings. He even felt the slight sliminess of a little earthworm crawling across his white toes. And there, just behind that large tree, a lonely mouse, foraging for seeds and berries.

"Hello, my small friend," Gauze whispered just under his breath as he tucked his gray frame into a crouch. "Aren't you a good one, eh?" Closer and closer he crept, until the brown, furry creature was in his sight. "I hate this part," muttered Gauze. "Forgive me. I am so sorry."

Just as the mouse turned its head to look at the whispery cat, Gauze took his chance and pounced. One swift spring forward was all it took to snatch the tiny creature in his paws. The mouse squealed for a split second before Gauze muffled its cries with a killing blow. It stilled in an instant, dark red blood oozing from its tiny skull.

Gauze frowned and put the mouse flat on the ground, touching his nose to its side. "Thank you for giving me your life and your strength. It will not be wasted." With that, Gauze laid down in front of his catch and began to eat. Truth be told, he'd prefer to be in the company of another. It took the guilt from killing off his mind.

[RiiRii]

When she had gotten a certain distance into the woods, she looked behind her to see if she could still see her land from here. Yes, there it was. The big wooden barn standing tall and proud in the sunlight with the home and cars in the driveway. The sight of a horse chomping on the grass near the entrance of the woods, barred by a fence reassured her even more. The strong scent of home was there too.

As she turned around to keep fighting, a strange new scent mixed with the pine, oak and foliage. She tasted the air and followed it, her ears perked and her black and white pelt low, being sure not to brush her body over the leaves that had fallen onto the ground.
Standing a tree, she watched a grey tom crouch and leap towards a mouse.

Ears perked, she laid low even more before letting out a purr of amusement when he killed the mouse and prayed for it. She stood up and entered the small opening, carefully walking over twigs to not alert anymore pray before sitting nearby and holding her head high in pride. "Nice catch, but I'm sure your mouse didn't need those prayers spoken to it." she stated, brushing her tongue over her paw and then over her ear.
"We want prey here, not for you to kill it and scare off the rest by talking to yourself." she joked.

Zandaya's eyes shifted towards the leaves that circled them, each one a different color from red, brown, yellow and green. She could smell the crisp air and the scent of the woodland made her body feel rather at peace. Eventually, she shifted her gaze towards the tom and she wrapped her tail around her fore paws, being sure to tuck the tip of her tail between her front and hind ones.
Her green eyes watching the tom with great intention and a small smile on her face.

[mistytail]

Gauze froze in place, the hairs on the back of his spine standing up straight. Someone saw him. Someone heard him. Oh no. That was not good, that was very, very not good. He gulped and turned his face, trying to lick any of the blood off his muzzle.

Oh? Wait. It was a black-and-white she-cat, and she was looking at him without any apparent hostility. That was a good thing, he supposed.

"They're usually not frightened," he said, still keeping himself tucked into a gray ball. "Besides, they're alive. They have spirits. It's not right to treat them as a commodity." He turned his face back towards his catch, hoping she wouldn't press the issue further. He really felt embarrassed talking about how he hunted. It was a purposeful separation from "normal" behavior, just as his constant wandering was a purposeful separation from "normal" social interaction. He just wanted to be kind, not to be tied down to anyone or anything.

[RiiRii]

Zandaya's green eyes watched him, walking slowly towards him with an elegant gait before she stopped near him and shifted her gaze around the forest.

"Why is a loner like you around here near the ranch?" she gestured with her tail towards the farm, her green eyes shifting in that direction and the wind brushing softly through her fur.
Lifting a paw to her face, she nibbled it and cuffed her ear repeatedly.

As she watched Gauze, her green eyes flashed a little as if she saw something move. "Of course!" she turned to face a bush, crawling down onto the ground and watching intently before wiggling her shoulders and leaping into the bush. The sound of a squeak was heard and she walked out carrying a mouse by the scruff.
Placing it down, she licked her maw quickly. "Okay, one more for Kayle and then I'll head back..." she said softly to herself.

[mistytail]

Gauze internally winced at the sight of the prey's life being smothered, but tried not to let it show. He was the odd one here, not her. Besides, it would take too long to explain - he was a thinker and a listener, not a talker.

"I'm a traveler," he explained, rising to his feet and digging a tiny hole to bury what little remained of his kill. "I go about here, there, everywhere really. I never really know what direction I'm going in, I just follow wherever my paws take me."

That much was true. He was as fickle as a summer breeze, going to and fro, this way and that, making his decisions on a whim. He couldn't imagine settling down in one place - at least, not until he was an old cat, and he was nowhere near that age just yet. Many would say that he had an "old soul," or at least, a few kittypet friends of his late mother did, but he was just barely over two years old now.

"My name is Gauze, by the way." He flicked his left ear, a slight chill causing it to twitch uncomfortably, and he pawed at where the tip of his ear had once been. "And you are?"

[RiiRii]

Zandaya lowered her head in a polite greeting, her ears twitched slightly and she closed her eyes before opening them and looking up at him.
"My name is Zandaya." She said softly, calmly. She lifted her head and tilted her head to the side. "It's a pleasure to meet you." she couldn't help but smile a little more before flicking her tail softly, the tip twitching.

Her gaze swooped around to where he had dug and placed the remnants of his prey and just stared at it through thoughtful eyes. "What a strange way to treat what you have already devoured most of." she mused, turning to pick up her mouse once again. Holding it by the tail neatly between her teeth.
"Why don't you come with me?" she finally asked, blinking her green eyes. "I need to take these three mice to Rolo, Ember and Kayle and then we can talk some more."

She dropped the mouse just to crouch again in hunter position, watching eagerly into the bushes. Mice were always bustling here due to the corn field nearby and they would always hide in the bushes from the tractors and other machinery. As she stalked it, she swiped it with her paw and pushed it down to the ground until it went limp.
"Do pardon that I show no respect for the critters that run these parts." she apologized, realizing she probably seemed a bit strange treating a mouse like it was nothing. "But, I've never shown pure adequate towards mice when we've been brought up to just feed them to our family."

[mistytail]

Gauze twitched his ears. Normally he would be more than a little hesitant following any cat to their den, but he was very tired. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt. Besides, he had been putting the "lone" in "loner" lately. A little company might do him some good. "I'll come if that won't be any trouble to you," he said, following Zandaya with soft, light pawsteps.

Watching her hunt, Gauze commented, "You must have many mouths to feed. Do you always do all the hunting?" When she apologized for how she handled her catch, the gray tom shook his head. "No, no, please, don't apologize, it's fine. My understanding of things is a little off." Meaning, Please don't feel bad for not being a weirdo freak like me. Trust me, you don't want to be. But self-deprecating wasn't exactly the most polite hunting conversation, so he let it lie implicit in his words rather than outright stating it.

[RiiRii]

Zandaya shook her head. "Nope, I'm just a cat who was awoken from her nap by two hungry kits and their mother, I decided to hunt for them." She mused, leading the way with the two mice dangling from her jaws.
Stopping mid stride, she dug a mound of dirt and picked up the third mouse before proceeding onward.

She had cleared the forest area by this, the barn nearby. Cows mooed in their field and sheep bleated. She shifted her green eyes around towards the grey tom to check he was still following before leaping neatly over the fence and landing on the grass on the other side.

As she walked towards the barn, she pressed under a hole in the barn and walked up towards the top story of the barn through the ramps and ladders before dropping down the mice for Kayle, Rolo and Ember.

"What do you say?" Kayle mewed softly to her kits, her caramel brown and white tail wrapping around Ember and Rolo, both kits squirming and looking up at the big she-cat.
"Thank you." they mewed softly towards her before nibbling at the mice.

Zandaya turned around to leap down and then landed softly on her rafter. She glanced down towards Gauze. "Come up here, let me guide you around the barn. It's nothing like the forest, but it's warm and there is no draft. Our humans are out and they always see stray cats around but don't care. We get rid of their mice and they feed us when we're sick. It's a two for one deal, but just don't chase their rabbits, guinea-pigs, Ducks and chickens. It really ticks them off, I've learnt. Juniper, Ren, Sam, Lily and Tarot are all around somewhere. Up there is Kayle, Rolo and Ember if you want to see them." she took a deep breath before shifting her green eyes towards the top platform, wrapping her tail around her fore paws.

[mistytail]

OOC: (yo man i'm so sorry for the delay, i haven't been feeling well D:)

BIC:

Gauze padded after Zandaya, taking in the sights and smells of the farm. He'd passed by before, but had never really got the chance to look around. He looked at the mother cat and her kits and nodded a friendly 'hello' before following Zandaya to take a tour of the territory.

"That's a good bargain," Gauze said. "I've always thought the humans weren't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Flawed creatures like everything else, really." He flicked his ears, suddenly conscious of his missing ear tip. "Though they do abuse their power..."

Which was true. He'd never really been the same since he was captured and cut. There was something different about him now that separated him from others. It wasn't just a snipped ear or the loss of his tomhood, but it was the fact that he'd been taken and then put back. Though his mother and brother Box - Ashface - had never said it, the looks on their faces when he was put back told him everything: It's like you came back from the dead. Only part of you is still dead.

Gauze shook his head. This was no time for brooding. He was a guest, and must be attentive. "At any rate, they're not a conglomerate entity. I'm happy you have kind ones. So, what exactly were all those animals you listed? Forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard of them."

Good, a distraction from humans. No point in making the visit miserable for no reason.

[RiiRii]

"Hey, mama... Who is that?" Ember asked her mother curiously while Rolo peeked his head over the platform towards Gauze. "Why is he with Zan?" Rolo added.
"She just brought a new cat to rest the night, he'll be gone for tomorrow perhaps." Was the calm and milky reply from their mother as she shifted her brown gaze towards Rolo, catching him with her paw and pulling him away from the edge of the rafter.

As Zandaya flicked her tail, she twitched her ears as Gauze asked his question. She blinked and shifted her gaze towards him. "You've never heard of all those animals? Well, you'll be toured so I guess it's understandable." She pushed out of the hole in the barn and turned left towards the paddocks. As she leaped up onto the fence, she gestured with her head towards the big brown animal that was taller than the fence itself with long black fur going down the side of its head. "This is a horse, I see the people riding the horse around the training area." She glanced around towards the barn and dashed off in that direction. There was another paddock where black and white thick animals with shown haunches were grazing, some brown ones mixed with one, "Cows, and over in that field..." she moved her head in the direction of fluffy white animals that looked like walking clouds. "Sheep."

[mistytail]

Gauze blinked in wonder. "They're all so... so big. How can the humans control them?" He envied their power and size. Perhaps if he'd had their strength and size, he'd never have been cut. "Fascinating. Simply stunning, really." He gave the she-cat a hearty grin. "Your home is lovely, Zandaya," he meowed. "It's a pity I haven't come by before. But I suppose I may not have met you if I did. Everything happens for a reason."

[RiiRii]

"Sat on the back of one of those horses" a soft voice came as Zandaya opened her mouth. Whipping her head around, there sat Juniper. The bell collar around her neck shining brightly in the sunset and her tail wrapped neatly around her fore paws.
"Cows and horses are quite dangerous if you go near their hooves. They can trample you and you could get killed. Many cats ventured near and almost got hurt and killed. Rolo and Ember know not to go near, but still you can't be too careful." she shifted her blue eyes towards Gauze. "Name is Juniper. I was born here so I know everything that there is to know." Juniper lowered her caramel brown head, her blue eyes not leaving Gauze. "Pleasure to meet you"

Zandaya shuffled awkwardly, then Gauze proceeded on about how her home was beautiful and she couldn't help but nod, turning around to where the pond was she headed over there, standing on rocks and sitting there quite happily. She awaited for Gauze to come over before proceeding her tour. "Ducks, Geese and..." she trailed off, trying to remember the last bird that she had commonly seen here.
"Swans." Juniper added, walking over elegantly. "Swan's are the other birds that we find swimming on these waters." Zandaya couldn't help but shuffle awkwardly again, nodding. "Of course, thank you mama. Swans." She looked around towards where the iron mesh was. Gesturing towards it with her tail she smiled. "Meet the chickens and the rooster. It crows every morning and wakes us and the farmers up. Really irritating after a long hunting night, but it's not that bad. We've seen many foxes come and try to get our chickens but they get shocked by the wire and run in panic so we don't have to worry, the chickens make eggs for our farmers, why we don't know." Zandaya stated, watching the brown fowl walk and cluck about. "Over there is Ronald the Turkey. He's scary, mean and if he sees you, he'll chase you making this nasty sound." she pointed towards the big grey bird before walking onwards.

[mistytail]

((OOC: Bah! I'm so sorry! Real life has been really demanding lately. :C I hope you didn't think I ditched you! <33))

BIC:

Gauze nodded politely at the brown queen. "The pleasure is all mine, Juniper," he mewed politely. He had to admit, she was quite beautiful, and had a highly extensive knowledge of the farm. As the topic of swans came up, he turned his head and gasped, his brown eyes wide with delight. "What lovely creatures!" he purred. "And you live with them? Amazing!" The farm was slowly becoming more and more appealing, even with the silly animals like chickens and turkeys - funny looking birds that clucked and warbled in a cacophony.

It really was an amazing place, and he seemed to be in good company here. He would hate to leave, truly.

"Harvesting eggs?" he mewed, looking at Zandaya. "Now that's a new one. Humans are so strange, aren't they?" He smiled pleasantly, holding her in a warm, friendly gaze. "The next thing you know, they'll tape feathers to their backs and try to fly!"

[RiiRii]

Zandaya watched him, amazed as he stared at her from the swans she just laughed awkwardly and heading towards the pond and sitting down.
"These are Ducks, Swans and Geese. In the water is carp, pike and some other fish... I don't know what they're called, but stay away from the pike - they bite a lot!"

She blinked, laughing as he stated about humans trying to fly with feathers.
"I've seen my owners do it a lot." she purred softly, wrapping her tail around her hind leg. "And loads of little humans come to their door wearing loads of different things and I recall them going... Trick or Treat or something like that every year."

Juniper meowed softly, the bell collar ringing as she headed towards them "That's called Halloween, the children dress up in costumes and then come to the door and then hold up bags asking for candy. The outfits always so scary, that I don't know why."
Juniper yawned before turning her gaze towards a grey tom who walked over, his muscles rippling beneath his pelt with a milky white she-cat with grey spots over the she-cat behind him and a light brown tom on the other side.

"Juniper, let's not pester..." He mewed softly, the collar around his neck ringing softly too.
Juniper nodded, lowering her head before bounding off towards the Tom who addressed her and pressing her nose to his.
"Good bye, Zandaya and friend." she mewed, twining her tail with the toms and walking off by his side.

The two cats behind them exchanged glances and walked off with them.
"That was Ash, Juniper's mate and behind was Lily and Sam." Zandaya meowed before walking onward.
"The farm owns Rabbits, come I'll show you them. You'll see the Guinea-pigs too." she dashed onward, tail in air before leaping into a hut.
There were cages with animals squeaking in and chewing on hay, others were just staying silent and moving about.

Zandaya walked to some iron mesh, watching the animals in there scamper off calling to each other. "They're always so panicky, it's so strange..."