Is It Stormy Outside?

Eris watched as Varzea flew off into the woods. She had been staying with him for a few days, but she was just offered to hang out with someone she was friends with. Eris wasn’t that interested in the details, but Varzea told him it was a dark gray cat with fiery orange spacedust, and dragon-like wings. 

Damn wings. Those appendages seemed to taunt him in every waking moment. Every day he cursed to the skies for his lack of flight. Or lack of anything special really. Such an unlucky boy, no mythical features, few friends, and no family that he cared about.

That last part was a lie, actually. There was one family member he cared about. 

His sister was a light in his usually dark lifestyle. No matter what Eris complained about, Althea listened. If she wanted to play, it felt fulfilling instead of annoying. The two seemed to find a strange comfort in each other. She may not have been related to him by blood, but she meant more to him than his supposed “mother” ever would. 

Eris’s thoughts were interrupted by a mental twinge. Looking up at the sky beyond the tree branches, he could see dark clouds gathering. Ever since the Cirrocanius had arrived at the Space Station, Spacecats had seemed to become more sensitive to the sky weather, while Sodacats were sensitive to bodies of water changing. Some scientists theorized that it could be an evolutionary connection, whatever that meant. It was just annoying. Eris may be broody, but he was not a fan of storms, for reasons that should be obvious. 

He supposed he should head back inside before he got soaked. He went into the main room of the house and sat in front of the TV. Althea had managed to get it working, so Eris decided to see what was showing right now.

The first channel he saw was a new movie called “Barbara (And Kendrick)” It was about a Sodacat duo figuring out a world of differences in their lifestyles. Or so Eris assumed. He’d never seen it before. Maybe Varzea could tell him more. Next channel.

A news report about some place called “The Hidden Village”. It detailed descriptions of the people supposedly living there, including a cat who could shapeshift into a kitsune, a cat with a weird looking red eye, and an emo-looking cat that could grow…hands on his back?! What have mythical features come to these days? Maybe it was for the best that Eris didn’t try to obtain one…

One more channel. Another news broadcast. It involved a Guppymander claiming to have seen a murderous robotic Spacecat on the loose. That poor guppy needed to not watch so much TV. There was no way that could be true. And if it was, someone would probably take care of it. Or not. He didn’t trust those “warriors”. Auuugh, he shouldn’t think about that. Not his problem right now.

A loud BOOM outside made Eris jump and switch off the TV. The storm was here. He’d already made sure to patch any holes, so there shouldn’t be any flood problems. Eris and Althea just had to wait it out.

Speaking of Althea, where was she?

Heading down the hall, Eris couldn’t spot his sister. The house was awfully quiet, too. Was she ok?

He made his way to Althea’s room. Upon opening the door, he found his answer.

Althea was curled up under her bed, shaking with every breath. Her head was under her paws, and her eyes were shut tightly. Another BOOM sounded, which made her yelp in fear, curling closer around herself. 

Eris’s heart ached at the sight. He had no idea she was scared of storms. They’d never discussed them. He’d worry about that later. Right now he had to help his sister.

“Hey, you alright?” He asked, padding over to her side. Althea didn’t respond for a moment, until Eris rested his paw on hers. She took a shaky break and lifted her head.

“Storm. Storm loud. Shaking the room. Want it to stop.” 

Eris sighed. “I know. I don’t like it either. But it’ll be over soon, I promise. It can’t hurt you in here.”

“Don’t like storm?” Althea stared at him. “Loud for you too?” 

“Well, yeah, but it goes a little deeper than that.” Eris looked away. “I’m ok though. I want to make sure you’re ok.”

Althea frowned. “Tell. Want to know. Want you to be ok.”

“But I-”

“Want to help you too. Please?”

There was no getting out of this. Althea was as stubborn as her brother. Eris sighed again and leaned onto her a little.

“I’ve told you about my origins, right?”

“Yes. Zephyr’s mistake.”

“I haven't mentioned more about her. I don’t like thinking about her. But what made her such a great warrior was her ability to control the weather. Zephyr could send forth thunder with a swoop of her wings, or a rainbow with a blast from her horn. I’ve heard from Varzea that she works with the Cirrocanius now to manage the weather patterns. So this storm right now…is probably partially Zephyr’s doing.” 

“Oh…” Althea eyes looked sad. “So storm reminds you of Zephyr?”

Eris nodded. “It’s gotten better over time, but it’s not always easy. Being reminded of your creator who threw you away. I know I need to confront her one day. But I need to be ready. And right now, I have better things to focus on.”

“Like what?”
A rare smile appeared on his face. “Like you.”

Althea giggled. “You so funny when not emo. You need soft more.”

“Hey, I’m not soft! I’m just…glad to have you.”

“Sure.”

Eris grumbled and got up. He grabbed Althea’s blanket from off her bed and draped it over the two of them under the bed. Althea then snuggled up to him.

“Thank, softy.” She smiled tiredly before falling asleep. 

Eris stared at her, allowing his gaze to soften for a moment. Then he too laid his head down, and the siblings slept through the rest of the storm.