A Current of Idiocy [Sun]

[Willow]

Moon was terribly far from home. He had taken a wrong turn somewhere very far away. This river was definitely nothing near his peaceful little house. Fear was beginning to race through him. If there was anything Moon feared, it was nature's fury. He padded slowly up to the raging current, swollen from the storms of the last few days. At least he didn't have to cross it. But how was he to get home?

On weak legs, Moon looked out across the water. He could swear he saw a cat, but it was gone too fast to be sure. Disappeared into the trees. With a sigh, Moon padded onto the soft mud of the riverbank. Part of him was enthralled, the other part was terrified. He didn't know what to think and what part to side with. He decided just to walk in the soft mud. How menacing could mud be anyway? Well... it was kind of treacherous on his white paws....

A bird call above startled the black and white cat and he jumped back, paws landing in the cold water. He yelped and panicked. Fear took hold as the water raced around his legs and Moon scrabbled his claws in the wet mud, trying to get a foothold. Such an action caused him to fall, submerging his entire body in water and making him prey to the current.

"Help!" the kittypet yowled above the roar of the river, water entering his throat and chocking him. "Help!!" he spluttered again before going under, unable to fight the strong current anymore.

[SCARlett]

Sunlight was streaming down from a flawless blue sky, eliciting a natural purr from the throat of a handsome golden tabby. The tomcat narrowed his eyes faintly under the bright light, trusting his paws to know the way. Sun had been exploring near these parts before. In fact, he knew most of the wilderness surrounding his home, and although he still returned to the two-leg dwelling at night and during mealtimes, he was just as comfortable in the forests and on the moorland. He had spent enough time roaming with loners and street cats to feel like one of them.

Suddenly, Sun's train of thought was broken by a loud splash and a terrified yelp. He froze, eyes wide with shock and confusion as he looked ahead, straining to see what was going on. He knew the river was up ahead, and in fact, he could see the gentle banking curve of its shore. Had some cat fallen in? Without another thought, the golden-ginger cat broke into a sprint.

A black head was bobbing in the waves, constantly being dunked beneath the current even as Sun neared. It was the cat who'd cried out although the calls for help had been replaced by sputtering and coughing as water undoubtedly filled the cat's lungs. The tabby tom snarled faintly, fur bristling with fear for a moment before he shook off the hesitation and plunged into the cold rapids. The chill shocked him at first, but he quickly grew acclimated and strongly struck out for the drowning cat.

"Stop struggling!" he commanded, grasping the scruff of the black cat's neck. He pulled back, struggling to drag the heavy body towards shore. The current was against them, but as just he was out of breath, Sun arrived back at the muddy bank, and with his final surge of strength, dragged the black tomcat out of the water.

"Gods," sputtered the golden tabby, coughing up the parts of river he hadn't managed to leave behind. Then as he finally recovered, he turned and grinned feebly at the black tomcat. "Lose some weight, buddy. It'll make saving your ass easier next time."

[Willow]

Some cat had heard his cries for help! A splash sounded nearby and Moon struggled to keep his head above water. A glimpse of yellow caught his grey eyes before they were filled with water. He cried out, a gurgling, spluttering cry. His rescuer commanded him to stop struggling, which he did immediately and found that he floated slightly without all the frantic thrashing. But, his nose was still dipping under the water and filling with water.

Teeth connected in his scruff and he helped as best he could to reach the shore. But his soft muscles just weren't up for this kind of strain and he collapsed in the mud as soon as they reached the bank. The opposite bank, of course. Moon coughed and spluttered and sprawled in the wet, sticky mud. He couldn't care less about his pristine white fur right now.

As the other tom spoke, Moon finally opened his eyes to see a very yellow tabby. He flattened his ears slightly as the cat insulted his weight. "Blame my twoleg," he muttered in a raspy, dry voice. The river sure hadn't quenched his thirst at all.

Moon sat up slowly, weakly and took in the other cat. He looked familiar. "Do I... know you?"

[SCARlett]

Sun's ears perked up at the sound of the other cat's voice, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips at the response. It was very typical and defensive, but he could tell that his unexpected companion was just as worn out as he was and obviously too tired to make a proper response. Then, as the black and white tom sat up, his grey eyes passed over Sun and seemed to flash vague recognition.

Do I know you?

The tabby blinked, confusion running across his face as he took in the appearance of the other cat. His mind whirled, trying to remember if they had met before. But now that he thought about it, there was something familiar about the set of the other cat's features. It was almost like something that had been engrained in Sun's memories, a subconscious knowing that he couldn't explain. His fur tingled.

"My name is Sun," he mewed finally, his voice suddenly serious and free from its customary note of teasing. "Moon?"

He was uncertain, but deep in the trenches of memory, he remembered a brother who had been separated from Star and him when they were barely old enough to be on their own. That had been seasons ago, and he had not seen him since. It was extremely unlikely that this bulky creature was his kin, but then again...

[Willow]

The two toms stared at each other in confusion, each reaching into the depths of their memories and trying to place a name to the face in front of them. Moon forgot his fatigue, the fact he was lost and his burning lungs when he heard the cat's name. Sun! As fitting as it was comforting. Sun was the name of his brother, moons ago. He'd had a sister too... he wondered vaguely where she was.

The yellow cat guessed his name a second before he began excitedly to say they were brothers. Instead, he bobbed his black and white head in assent. "Yeah! You look so different! So much less fuzzy and bigger. Though I guess I do too. How's life been? Where do you live? Not in the forest, surely! Have you heard from our sister? Star, was it?" the words poured out of his mouth in a flurry that he couldn't stop. His wet fur puffed up in excitement and his grey eyes glowed.

Fancy that, falling into a river and being rescued by his long lost brother. The fates had shined on him today.

[SCARlett]

Words tumbled from Moon's mouth in a torrent, colliding with Sun's ears as both tom cat's eyes lit up with amazement. Suddenly, the black cat had recovered from the exhaustion caused by a struggle with the river, and Sun had to say he felt the same way. At his brother's initial statement, he gave a quiet chuckle, feeling his whiskers twitch.

"Somewhere along the process of growing up, the fuzziness disappeared." He took a breath before tackling the ensuing questions, but he couldn't fault Moon's eagerness. Discovering a long lost brother was, despite being a little cliche, not something that happened everyday.

"I can't say anything exciting about life, but it's been alright. Pretty good even, on some days. I live with Star, actually. We were taken in by the same two-legs, and we're in the two-leg home on the corner of the road near the forest."

He grinned broadly. "No, we don't live in the forest, but I guess I frequent it enough." It was true. Despite their sister's nature, he had always been more of an outdoor cat. Star sometimes complained and told him he was crazy, but he had never listened to her. It was a good thing, too, or he wouldn't have run into--and saved--their drowning brother.

"What about you? It's been so long, Moon." Now it was his turn to ask the questions, but as he looked the other cat over, he could only think of one. "What were you doing out here?"

[Willow]

Moon absorbed all the information his brother was telling him like a young kit learned how to hunt. What an experience this was to meet someone he hardly remembered, someone who should have been close to him had twolegs not been involved. He was happy to hear that Star had gone to live with Sun. At least they had been able to remain together and only Moon had been separated.

"The forest is alright," Moon conceded as Sun proclaimed that he came here often. "But it's too big and has too many treacherous things... like that river."

"My twoleg is an elderly woman and I'm her only cat. So life hasn't been completely interesting but I see the other garden cats enough. My house must be pretty far away from yours and Star's though because no one has ever mentioned either of you to me."

Moon shook his wet fur and smirked at the question of why he was out here. "I was getting lost. I went out for a little stroll and rook a wrong turn somewhere then ended up in that awful river. And now, I have to cross it again to get home." He glowered across the roaring waters.

[SCARlett]

Sun smirked at his brother's tone. He didn't expect the other tomcat to like the forest after what had just happened. Most cats weren't meant to like water, after all, and only his curious nature kept him from hating it completely. He had had his fair share of experience with it, and although he wasn't entirely crazy about the idea of getting wet, he no longer found it all that awful. Perhaps he'd grown used to the sensation.

As Moon described his life and his two-leg, the golden tabby nodded. It was true. His interactions with the neighbouring cats never brought news of family, and it was doubtful that Star's 'chats' with the other cats had ever yielded anything important. Her vain personality was often something only he could stomach. Nevertheless, he was glad that they had been able to live together even when Moon had been separated.

"The forest is something you have to get used to. It's much more exciting than the two-leg home, but I can never convince Star to come out here with me. She's always worried she'll...oh I don't know...dirty her tail or something stupid like that." A grin crossed his face, and his whiskers twitched in amusement. But as Moon mentioned 'home,' Sun felt his eyes widen with sudden inclination.

"You don't have to go immediately, do you?" he asked, a note of pleading entering his voice. "You should come with me so you can see Star. Our home isn't too terribly far away from here, and you could dry off and get a bite to eat before you leave."

He hoped it sounded appealing. There were too many moons between their last meeting for this encounter to pass so quickly.

"How about it, Moon?"

[Willow]

Moon began grooming his moist fur, It was already mostly dry due to the beating sun. He nodded in agreement as Sun said the forest was something you had to get used to. That much was obvious! Moon had never set out near this far from his garden before and he had definitely never seen the river. The moors around his house were the only territory he had ever explored. And even then, he hadn't been there often.

He grinned and let out a little laugh as he heard Sun's words about their sister. From what little he remembered from Star, he wasn't at all surprised. She had always been prissy, even as a little kitty.

"You don't have to go immediately, do you?"

Moon blinked and shook his head. "No, my twoleg is sleeping and besides, I tend to disappear for long periods of times." He stared at the ginger tom as he proposed that he come to his and Star's house.

"I'd love to!" he exclaimed, black and white fur standing on end as well as it could through the moisture. "I mean, your twolegs won't mind... will they? I'd love to see Star again and your house can't be too far from mine. I hope I can find my way back, though... but that shouldn't be a problem," he rambled. He grinned sheepishly as he finally stopped his excited blithering.

[SCARlett]

The golden tabby was glad to see the shake of his brother's head in negation, and at the sound of Moon's agreeable words, he felt his tail curl in excitement. Moon returned smiled, and Sun reciprocated the expression, shaking his head vigorously to dispel the other tom's worries.

"'Course not. They're usually pretty chill. Probably used to me running around like a wildcat. It's totally fine."

Actually, he wasn't sure if it was 'totally fine' or not, but the thought that his two-legs might actually care didn't even begin to occur to Sun. He was far too excite at the prospect of bringing home his long-lost brother to care at all about what his humans would say. Besides, they were mostly guardians anyway, and what he did was his business.

"As for getting back home, I can come with you and try to help you find your way. Star won't come, of course, but she never likes to venture too far out of the garden. Still, it would be cool to know where you lived. We could hang out more often then!"

His confidence in the proposition was obvious in his tone of voice and the smile on his face. Beckoning to the black and white cat, Sun turned and began to head for the treeline.