【 Butterfly Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Fly Away 】↬ Tuesday's Challenges
May 16, 2017 18:34:51 GMT -5
ᴛᴜᴇsᴅᴀʏ, mintedstar/fur, and 1 more like this
Post by Blossomshadow on May 16, 2017 18:34:51 GMT -5
Deadline: May 22nd
Prompt: Write about a storm. Bonus points if not about a thunderstorm.
Current Music Selection: Butterfly Fly Away ♫ Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus
Characters --
Rai – trust, lightning, thunder
Prompt: Write about a storm. Bonus points if not about a thunderstorm.
Current Music Selection: Butterfly Fly Away ♫ Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus
Characters --
Rai – trust, lightning, thunder
Theodore – Gift of God
Story Word Count -- 1,415 words
Score -- 5.5/10
Butterfly Fly Away
Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. It is a time of beauty and a time of growth. In the forest full of cedar and spruce trees lies a tranquil clearing. Bushes and ferns line the sandy spot that gets hit with the light just right. Sitting on the dusty floor was a dark grey feline. His name was Rai. He, like the forest around him, was quiet and secluded. It was here that he lived alone and untroubled. It was this place that he called home.
Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. It is a time of beauty and a time of growth. In the forest full of cedar and spruce trees lies a tranquil clearing. Bushes and ferns line the sandy spot that gets hit with the light just right. Sitting on the dusty floor was a dark grey feline. His name was Rai. He, like the forest around him, was quiet and secluded. It was here that he lived alone and untroubled. It was this place that he called home.
Home is where the heart is was a motto Rai followed wholeheartedly. At times he did get depressed when he had no one he could talk back to. Sure, the robins chirped and the dragonflies buzzed, but no one seemed to understand him. There were times he thought he would go crazy with the silence that met his words. Every time he spoke, his words would be carried away with the wind, never to be heard again.
On one particularly steamy day, Rai was walking along his well beaten trail down to the stream when a faint cry hit the tom’s ears.
“Hello?” He meowed in a confused tone, searching high and low for any sign of the owner.
“Eeee,”
There it was again! Rai searched again, halting and returning to the place he swore he first heard it. It was then he looked up into the trees. Squinting as hard as he could, his eyes caught sight of a long green and black figure.
“Hello?” He called up to the figure.
“Eeee,” The owner responded.
“What are you?” Rai called up to the figure, beginning to make the climb up the spruce tree.
“Eeee,” It replied again.
“I’m sorry; you’ll have to speak again once I get closer. I cannot understand you.” He apologized as he clawed his way closer.
“I am a caterpillar, an insect, if you will.” The figure waited until the cat was in reach of the branch he rested on.
When Rai clutched the branch, he didn’t have to squint any longer. The caterpillar was still small, but definitely not small enough to accidentally squish.
“You’re a caterpillar? I’ve never met a caterpillar before. What exactly do you do?” Rai asked curiously, sniffing the soft spine creature.
“Well,” The caterpillar smiled. “That is a surprise. But in the meantime, I eat leaves until it is time for me to change.” He added, grabbing a nearby leaf off the side branch and taking a hunk out of it before letting out a burp. He smiled again. “And you are a cat. What is your name?”
“I am called Rai,” The grey tom meowed, looking past the caterpillar out to the stream and the mountains beyond. “Wow, you have quite a view.” He walked past the insect along the branch to observe the landscape, being sure to clutch tightly with his claws to the bark.
“Eeee, yes I do. It is why I chose this spot to live.” The insect replied while taking another bite.
This would be the start of a friendship between the two. Rai was too absorbed with the view to actually talk to the caterpillar for long. He would spend all day in the tree with the insect sitting right beside him, staring out at the world, the wind swirling around them. Their time was spent in silence. The caterpillar didn’t mind much. He was just glad to have someone to spend his time with.
First weeks, then a month passed and finally the surprise entered Rai’s world. He climbed up the tree one afternoon when the clouds were low. His friend had been replaced with a white silk ball of string. He tapped it gently with his paw, wondering what in the skies this actually was. He called out to his friend, wondering where he got to. The ball seemed to be right where he’d left his friend the previous day, staring out at the gorgeous hills and valleys. Rai panicked and his heart ached. He hadn’t even taken the time to learn the insect’s name or even speak to him more than once. The feline hung his head. What had he done? How dare he call himself a friend. A friend was supposed to listen and be there for the other and he didn’t do any of that. He shook his head and headed back to the end of the branch to climb down. He paused, turning back to look longingly at the silk ball. Nothing. The cat carefully scuffled down the base of the tree.
Several more days passed and each day, Rai would climb the tree and sit next to the ball, staring at it, wondering of the being inside. He would calmly talk to it, but it never spoke. The very next day, after a long rain shower, Rai having sat through the whole episode up in the tree beside the ball, trying his best to keep it try, the unthinkable happened. A small shake and a crack forced Rai to open his sleepy eyes. The ball shook and shook and moments later, out popped a beautiful winged butterfly. Clothed in fresh spots of green, yellow, black and even some red, the insect beat its wings against the other.
Rai snapped back away from the butterfly and let out a squeak of surprise from nearly falling off the branch. He quickly caught himself when the insect spoke. “Eeee, Rai. It is me, the caterpillar.”
“That’s you?” He frowned, coming closer to inspect the little guy. “You look different than before.”
“That’s because I’m a butterfly, Rai. These wings are my surprise. He had a plan for me all along and now I can bring happiness and color to the world.” The butterfly smiled, testing out beating his wings faster. Straightening himself, the butterfly turned and stared out at the dark clouds beyond the mountains. He was silent, as if waiting for something. Rai remained quiet, wondering what it could be. A heartbeat later, a bright and shining rainbow appeared over the sky, the clouds becoming light and moving away. The butterfly turned to Rai. “Isn’t it amazing? And we are both a part of it. “
Rai looked down at his friend. “Yes, I see. Thank you for showing me. And I’m sorry about how I didn’t talk to you before. I just loved looking at the view.” He meowed, ears flat against his head.
The insect waved his foot with a shake of its head. “Don’t worry about it. All is forgiven. Thank you for being there for me.”
“You’re not mad at me?” Rai looked up, shocked.
“No, not at all. Friends always forgive. Now, I must go, It's calling me.” The butterfly buzzed, lifting itself from the branch.
“But where could you be going?” Rai whined, his eyes sad.
“I’m going to spread my beauty that was given to me beyond the mountains,” He buzzed, starting to fly away, leaving the grey tom biting his lip in sadness. The butterfly seemed to get farther and farther away. Rai sighed, looking down at his paws in silence. Silence. He was not ready to relive that life of solitude. Suddenly a familiar buzzing appeared in his ear.
“Uh, excuse me, Rai,” Startling the cat again. “Theodore requests your companionship on this journey.”
Rai frowned, looking around, trying to find the source of the noise. “Who is Theodore?”
“Rai, my name is Theodore,” The butterfly replied with a goofy smile.
“May I call you Theo?” Rai chuckled with a cute smile in response, beginning to scurry down the tree, Theodore floating down beside him.
“Of course, you can, Rai. Friends are supposed to have nick names for each other,” Theo winked playfully at him. “That’s why your nick name is going to be Fluffy.” He tried to hold back a laugh.
Rai frowned and looked offended at the same time. What? Fluffy? I’m not fluffy, am I? He tried to look at himself and let out a yowl of laughter. The rain had caused his fur to puff up like a frazzled squirrel. Rai fell to the ground laughing. “Oh, so I see how it’s going to be.” He stuck his tongue out before putting it to good use trying to put down his fur again.
Theo rolled his eyes. “Come on, let’s get a closer look at that beautiful rainbow.”
Rai paused from washing to realize that’s why he’d climbed down the tree in the first place. “Yes, let’s go.”
