Cera Treascair It was a quiet evening as the rain came down in sheets, droplets pattering through the leaves around the property. A natural white noise to the ear as the jack sipped his chamomile tea, closing his eyes. There was a soothing eddy to the soaking their gravel was getting, the gutters audibly flowing
right into their rain barrels if he tilted his ears just right.
Crunch... crunch... crunch...
A frown marred the thirty-something jack’s features as his eyes opened again, to see a hulking form out in the wet, dark night, only barely illuminated by their shop lights. A whale shark from the looks
of them, head tilted up into the soaking storm, rivulets running over a scarred head, wearing nothing but a hoodie that had definitely seen better days and was too small besides, and a pair of soaked jeans. The shoes, such as they were, were all but destroyed, water draining out through massive gaps
in the soles.
One of the three proprietors of ‘Sprouts And Seeds’ put his tea down, and rang a buzzer nearby for just such emergency occasions. The intercom lit up after, his sister coming through loud and clear.
“Sage? What’s going on?” the field mouse’s tone carried concern.
“Get over to
the front of the shop, Rosemary. Gonna need help with this arrival. Big critter. Whale shark, I think,” he answered.
“I’ll get towels and meet you there, bro,” Thyme’s easygoing gay tabby of a lilt warred with worry of his own.
“Love you both. See you outside,” Sage said, and bustled out the
front door after turning on the indoor lights in full. The rain wasn’t cold, but it soaked to the skin and the evening chill of mid-April was noticeable once you got wet enough. A distant concern to the figure in front of him now.
“Hey there, friend. Are you all right?” he called out. The closer
he got, the more it confirmed the species guess... and just how MASSIVE the mystery guest was. Half as broad as they were tall, they were, to be crass, ‘built like a brick shithouse’. Sage didn’t doubt this one never skipped leg day. Or any workout day.
“The rain...” they rasped, the tone
surprisingly light and almost gentle for the monstrous figure.
Sage blinked. That wasn’t good. His mind immediately went into rescue mode. “Yeah, it’s raining, ser. Is there something we can do for you tonight? We closed a couple hours back, but I’m certain-“ he started, then took an instinctive
step back as that head tilted down, and the dark jade eyes cemented everything. He knew that look. All three of them did. They were lost, in a bone-deep, fundamental way.
“Come on, come on, get inside, big beastie, let’s all get out of this wet, shall we?” Rosemary, all five foot nothing of her,
popped up like she’d teleported, nudging both the new arrival and Sage both back towards the shop. The shark moved with distinct surprise, as if they weren’t expecting such kindness. Ahead, Thyme opened both of the doors in full, gesturing.
“She’s right, friend, come on, dry off, get warm. This is
no night to be walking around in the dark all alone~” the tabby teased, tail swishing.
The trio made their way in, and the doors were closed back up against the clouds and soaking without, the three owners patting their guest down as they dripped, looking around almost listlessly. “Alone...
Yeah, m' alone... that’s right...” the shark mumbled, shivering.
“Hey. You’re all right now. This is a safe place. I’m Sage, the mouse is Rosemary, and the fabulous kitty there is Thyme. You got a name?” the jack asked, muttering at the state of them as they got the worst of the water. The shark
shifted, and the ruined shoes squished audibly.
“Name... I’m...” big, scarred, strong fingers that had seen their share of fights shook then, and the shark started tapping a rhythm against a built leg, familiar to all three of them.
Dot dot dot. Dash dash dash. Dot dot dot.
“Everyone I’ve met calls me... Morse. And... I think I need help. Please?”
Writer's notes: this is just part of a new series I'm beginning. If you enjoyed, please let me know, and I'll see what else comes of this~
#sproutsandseeds #furryfiction #cozy
Today's flower: Hydrangea. They like acidic and neutral soil, and prefer well-drained. Avoid chalky soil.
Today's tea: Chamomile, as on display here. Helpful for winding down after a day.