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Spring - Icy Rain - 4 (Definitely a Boy)
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The sun had come out sometime during the last period.
Josie had been glad to see blue skies and rays of golden light, because her planned visit to the park after school would be much more enjoyable in this weather. She reached the doors and was about to leave the building just as dark clouds settled overhead. With a sigh, she watched sleet beginning to pelt down on the now almost abandoned school yard. April was making an obvious appearance already by bringing capricious weather. Josie knew that pretty soon, temperatures would become erratic, too. These were the kind of days when you'd need a thick winter outfit one moment and lighter spring attire the next.
Josie pulled up the hood of her parka, clenched her teeth, and went outside. Jogging over to the park, she soon reached the bench, where the trees' canopies kept most of the freezing rain at bay. She sat down and opened her backpack to retrieve the chicken kibble and the remnants of her own lunch. Today she had time to spare and took a bite of her apple before taking care of the cat food. Content with the day after all and glad that the park was free of other visitors, Josie took a deep breath and looked around.
With a start, she noticed the cat sitting at the other end of the bench. She hadn't seen it climbing up, and was certain that it hadn't been there when she sat down. Careful not to startle the animal, she studied it out of the corner of her eye.
Although it was indeed small, Josie couldn't tell if it was due to age or some other reason. The body overall seemed short and stocky - not as delicate and slim as most of the other cats Josie had seen around before. She could make out that most of its short fur was white, the soft fluffiness of the cat's underbelly poking out between the front legs. Red fur patches seemed to adorn its back, their borders visible at the flanks of the body and continuing down the length of the tail. The cat had curled it around its body, and the tip twitched.
The facial markings were striking and very noticeable, even though Josie still hadn't dared to look at it head on. The lower part of the animal's face was white, but directly above the cat's eyes started a red mask. It coloured the entire top half of the head, including both ears. A spike of white fur split the mask in the exact middle and continued up the centre of the forehead. The white split's edges started at the exact inner corner points of the cat's eyes. The red, although of course very distinct from the white of the fur, wasn't a real red; the colour was a bit faded and more of a beige tinted orange. It had soft tiger stripes that continued all the way down the tail, as rings circling the circumference. The fur pattern was most prominent there.
The most individual feature of the face were the eyes themselves, though.
They sat above very pronounced dimples in the animal's cheeks, which gave the mouth a pouting look - almost like a kissy face. Even though the cat's coat had light colours overall, the eyes seemed to be lined with black. It was a stark contrast to the light fur and the pale green of the irises, putting even more emphasis on them. The most important fact, though, was that they were huge. Enormous. And bulging out of the head by a good amount. Almost like frog eyes.
Josie fell in love in a heartbeat.
The girl hadn't even been aware that she had, in fact, turned her head towards the cat in her curiosity. It didn't seem to mind, though, and just sat there, staring back. Josie, still mindful not to startle her bench neighbour with any abrupt movements, continued to eat her apple, and the cat watched her every move. The facial markings and distinctive eyes gave the impression of an accusatory expression - almost as if the cat were reproachful that Josie was eating while it was not. She had to chuckle, the girl just couldn't help it.
The cat grunted. Loud.
The sound was so unfamiliar, yet hilarious, that Josie had to laugh, but the cat just tilted its head and grunted again. Still chuckling, the girl opened the Chicken Kibble and poured some into her hand. She hesitated for a moment, worried to startle the cat away by her actions.
Whatever, she thought and shrugged. The cat would either run or stay. Only one way to find out.
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Josie extended her hand, careful and slow, and let the food pellets roll onto the bench's wooden planks. The cat watched her hand with a burning stare and chowed down in an instant after she had removed it. The small, crunching noises were adorable and squeezed her heart. Sitting there in silence, Josie waited for the cat to finish, which didn't take long.
She thought about the best way to leave more food for the cat, as it was Friday and she wasn't going to be here over the weekend to feed it. The obvious solution was, of course, to leave as much as possible in the root hideout and to just hope that it would be enough to last until Monday morning. Seeing as the cat was even licking the smallest of crumbles off the bench, the choice was easy, but Josie decided to wait with getting up until she had to leave for the bus anyway. She had no high hopes about being allowed to touch the cat, but maybe it would get used to her over time.
image [https://i.imgur.com/efnnGjB.png] she thought she heard, but dismissed it as her own thoughts telling her to put down another handful of kibble.
This time, the cat munched with just as much enthusiasm, yet with a more relaxed pace, and she assumed the worst of the hunger had been sated with the first round. Josie was unsure as to why, but the cat didn't seem to mind her presence at all - at least while she was just sitting there and handed out food. When the animal had finished the second helping, it sniffed the bench and checked for residual crumbs.
It then stood up and circled on the spot, as cats do sometimes. So, definitely a boy, Josie thought, and chuckled as the cat showed her its backside. With delighted surprise, Josie watched the cat lying down on the bench beside her, settling into a more comfortable position. The cat emitted a few smacks, grunted and tucked his front paws underneath the body.
Then, he started to purr. And what a purr it was!
It sounded like a small diesel engine had been started next to Josie, and the entire bench seemed to rumble with it. She had to laugh again, and the cat looked at her, blinked twice, and resumed watching out into the park. Josie marvelled once more at the beauty of his eyes. They resembled frog eyes in shape and relative size, yet the colour was different from the rich gold the amphibians sported. Nonetheless, their green hue mirrored that of frog skin, and the overspanning connections inspired her to think of a name for the cat. Unsure if it was her place to name him, she already had something in mind that she wished to call him by.
It was still raining, but so far, the canopy of trees had held the worst at bay and kept them dry. Josie feared it wouldn't stop anytime soon, as the blanket of dark clouds grew even denser. The weather would get even worse, she mused, watching the overcast sky. Because a crisp wind had also picked up, Josie shivered a little bit.
And yet, for a while, they just sat there together in amicable silence - the girl and the cat. One smiling, the other purring, and both were content to just be in each other's company.
With a sigh, Josie checked the time on her phone and stood up. She didn't want to go. After pouring two entire packs of kibble down into the cat cave, she dusted herself off. The cat had watched her all the while, he hadn't even stopped purring. As Josie picked up her backpack, he blinked at her a few times with his head tilted, as if he was wondering what the girl would do now. With a sigh, Josie turned around and headed back to the bus station.
It was time to go.
Calmed by the knowledge the cat would be fed for a while, at least, she vowed to return first thing Monday morning.
image [https://i.imgur.com/0RvRrFX.png] an indistinguishable voice said.
Seeing as there was no one else around except herself, Josie shook her head. She really must be imagining things. Looking back to the cat, she saw that he was still sitting on the bench, fixing her with an intense, unblinking stare. Wishing she could stay longer, Josie ground her teeth and marched on. Nan was strict about being home before dark. If she took the bus now, she'd arrive at Veilwood just as dusk began. A later bus was out of the question, as it would mean breaking curfew. Although Nan hadn’t scolded her for being late yesterday, Josie wasn’t willing to test her patience and didn’t want to risk pushing the rules again. With worries on her mind and a somewhat burdened heart, the girl left, taking a last look at the cat over her shoulder.
On her way, she passed a bright pink, shimmering bubblegum wrapper that the capricious spring wind playfully tossed about on the ground.
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