[PROMPT] Blooming Rains

Caelum sits on the wooden deck of his home, eyes turned skyward.  The smell of rain is in the air, and he sits in anticipation for the first drops to fall.  After the cold and dreary winter, he always looks forward to the spring season for its warm rains and renewal of life.  He can’t quite put his finger on why, but something about the gray skies against the fresh green buds of the trees and other plant life is simply entrancing for him, a sight only seen during this particular season, and it’s why Spring is his favorite season.  Beside him is his favorite stereo, a memento of his former life, and at present there’s a mellow tune flowing out of the speakers from the small MP3 player he has hooked up to it.  His foot is tapping gently to the beat, and he’s singing along quietly.  As time passes, the moisture in the air grows heavier, and before long, the rain arrives in a cascading curtain across the landscape.  Music mixes with the pleasant pitter-patter of the rain, and Caelum sighs contentedly.  Taking off his sneakers, he stretches out his legs and lies down on the wood, the Scarfox feels himself growing drowsy, and eventually succumbs to a comfortable nap.

It’s late afternoon when he wakes up, a soft clap of thunder far in the distance rousing him from his slumber.  Sitting up, he opens his mouth in a big yawn and then scratches the base of his left ear lazily.  It’s still raining, and the sight of the wet grass entices him.  Shrugging off his cropped jacket, he stands up on his feet and heads down the steps, padding softly onto the wet stones forming a short path across the lawn.  Turning his face skyward once more, he welcomes the wet droplets against his threads, his fur growing damp and then fully soaked over time.  The cool water, combined with the replenished energy from his nap, awakens something inside of him and suddenly he finds himself with the zoomies, down on all fours and dashing around the wet grass in glee.  As he frolics happily in the rain, he forgets his proportions for a moment and, in his haste, ends up stepping on his own hand, sending himself tumbling face first into the slippery grass under him. He recovers quickly, though, sitting upright and spitting out a mix of grass blades and soil.

“Blegh…!!”  His nose wrinkles and he sticks out his tongue in displeasure at the earthy flavor.

As he lifts a hand to wipe his mouth, he notices the green stains discoloring the gold and blue fabric.  Tilting his head to the side, he contemplates the grass stains for a moment, and then shrugs.  He’s still in the mood to frolic, so he flops down in the grass and rolls around in it, a murring sound escaping him as he wriggles around contentedly, tail wagging rapidly in excitement and happiness.  Thunder rumbles again, sounding closer this time than before, but Caelum is undeterred by the approaching storm.  As his energy depletes from his frolicing, he lies flat on his back in the grass, memories replaying through his mind.  The first, a reflection in muddy puddles of a young boy, laughing and stomping into the water with bright red rubber boots as his parents hold him by the hand.  Then, a camping trip, a frog held in his hands as he runs towards his friends, and a girl shrieking and giggling as it wriggles free and leaps at her.  A game of football in a muddy field, the senior high school boys team.  And then, finally, a wet road through the forest.  Blinding lights through a washed out windshield, the sound of a blaring horn, and the screech of tires on the pavement as-  The sky lights up in a blinding flash, startling Caelum from his trip down memory lane as a loud clap of thunder rolls overhead.  Scrambling up onto his hands and feet, he quickly scampers back to the shelter of the wooden deck.  Taking a moment to gather up his radio, jacket, shoes, and MP3 player, he retreats inside to enjoy the rest of the storm in warmth and safety.  He’s dripping wet by now, and he steps back outside long enough to shake the excess water off of himself.

Once he’s back inside, he seeks out some towels to dry himself off, and then heads to the kitchen.  Sauntering over to a cupboard, he reaches a green stained hand up and opens the door, retrieving a packet of his favorite white hot chocolate and putting a kettle on to heat up.  Within minutes, he’s holding a steaming mug in his hands as he makes his way to his room.  Setting the hot chocolate on the bedside table, he bundles himself up in a thick, puffy duvet quilt and settles down atop his bed, once more taking the mug in his hands and enjoying the warmth of the hot beverage.  He drinks it at a leisurely pace, not wanting to chug it but still making sure to finish it before it gets cold, and then pulls out his tablet.  Inspired by the raindrops sliding down his windows, he opens a game with a similar rainy aesthetic, pushing around a droplet of water through a puzzle-like maze while soothing piano music plays in the background.  As he gets further into the game, the puzzles get more complex and eventually he struggles.  After many unsuccessful tries, he gives up and closes the game, switching instead to video game playthroughs on ScarfTube.

One of his favorite streamers has uploaded a playlist for a game a while back, which Caelum had missed the live streams for.  It was one of his favorite games, and though Caelum was well versed with the game himself, the excitement of seeing the streamer play it for the first time was irresistible to him.  Setting the playlist to autoplay, he settles comfortably under his duvet quilt and spends the rest of the evening watching his favorite streamer while talking to his friends about it through their chatting app, sharing memes and joking about points in the videos before ultimately falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning.