Rain

     With her paws on the window, the young Eyrie stared at the phenomenon that was taking place. She shivered a little bit when a strong light hit something far away.

     "What's that?" Raine the green Eyrie asked her owner. "I'm scared..."

     "That's rain... The thing that you are named after," Kayla, the owner, smiled. "Don't be afraid, Raine. Rain isn't something bad. People say that it is refreshing and sweet..."

     "It looks scary," the Eyrie whined, pointing at the lighting that was taking place further away.

     "Let's go outside and see..."

     "Marylin said that if you go outside when it rains, you'll get cold... get a cold and then you can't go to school..." Raine trailed off.

     "It's all right if we are properly prepared," the owner said matter-of-factly, taking out two raincoats and large boots for her and her pet to wear. "Do you believe me or Marylin?"

     "I believe in Kayla the most," said the Eyrie childishly, hugging her owner. "If you say that rain is not bad, then I'll go outside..."

     "You'll love it, I promise. Rain possesses a magic that no other weather has." Kayla took her pet's paw and tugged gently. "Come."

     Following her owner, the little Eyrie exited their safe and cozy neohome and went into the rain. She yelped a bit upon feeling the cold drops dripping into her fur, but soon she got used to it. Raine stretched her arms out and let the chilling water shower upon her, letting it soak into her fur and enjoying the coolness of it all.

     After the first wave, when the amazing sensation had faded a little bit and Raine could think clearly again, she looked around. All around her she saw bright and green plants, more alive than they had ever been under the scorching sun that was so common around this area. The leaves on the trees were whispering, thirstily drinking the gift that nature gave them through this unique wonder and letting go of the unused water to give to others of their kind. The small flowers on the ground seemed to grow higher, stretching for the drops to land on them, almost opening their small, pink buds.

     The Eyrie sighed contently, feeling the happiness that the rain gave these plants in their garden. Kayla was right... Rain wasn't bad. She saw how pools of water formed on the little road to their neohome and jumped right into the puddles, happily skipping like a normal child. The clear and unstained water splashed around, and she heard her owner giggle.

     Soon the puddles grew larger, and once again Raine discovered something that only the rain could do. The water had also fallen on the small cobblestone bridge they had as a decoration in the garden, and now it was so blank, shining, with a rich, deep color. Not like the dead stone-colored bridge that she always avoided...

     The Eyrie ran to the bridge, putting her paws on the stone and feeling the wonderful smoothness. She smiled, turned around to tell her owner that she had indeed been right, but the way Kayla smiled told Raine that she already understood.

     Raine realized that this magical thing, this phenomenon, this rain, was something that made everything alive. She had never seen the garden flourish like this before, in all its beauty.

     "I love rain," she said, just as the last drops dripped and the clouds quickly faded away, turned white and sunlight started to peek through the fluffy clouds. She looked at the sun, wondering why it had to stop this magnificent show, and then looked around again.

     Everything looked much brighter now, with the sun lightening it up. Drops of water were still left on the plants as a reminder of the magical thing that had taken place. Far away she could see something multi-colored, like a bow...

     "That's a rainbow," the Eyrie heard her owner say.

     "It's pretty..." Raine whispered, but secretly decided for herself that the beauty rain itself brought was much more prettier than that bow.

     "A rainbow only appears after the rain, when the sun shines again. You see, there are still some drops left in the air and the sun reflects on them, creating the rainbow."

     "There is rain left?" the little pet asked, feeling a bit confused.

     "Not enough to call it rain, but tiny, tiny drops..." Kayla explained. "Now that the rain has let up, let's go inside, shall we?"

     As the Eyrie followed her owner inside, she couldn't help but to take a last look at the garden that had turned so alive because of the rain. It was an indescribable feeling she had in her chest and with some sadness she entered her neohome again. Rain was definitely her favorite weather now.

     "I wish it would rain forever," Raine whispered, and the leaves of the tree, gently touched by the wind, seemed to agree with her.

     -

     That was Raine's first meeting with the thing she had been named after. Ever since that rainy day, the Eyrie would go outside and feel the rain every time the phenomenon arrived. It was refreshing and sweet, just like Kayla said. She never got bored of it, for sometimes it only rained a little bit and at other times there would be very heavy rain.

     Soon Raine's friends started nicknaming her Miss Rain, for her love of this unique event. The Eyrie didn't mind. She enjoyed showing the wonders of the rain to all those she knew, though some of them could not appreciate it to the extent she did.

     "Let's go to the Rainbow Pool," Kayla said one day.

     "There is a Rainbow Pool?" Raine asked. "Does it rain forever there?" Even though the Eyrie had grown up, her heart still held that wish she had uttered as a child.

     "Unfortunately, no," the owner said. "But you can get a new coat there... For years I've been saving up and I think we can afford a good coat for you now. The Rainbow Pool is where you paint pets."

     "That sounds cool," the Eyrie said, though she didn't feel all that interested. Still, she followed her obediently to the center of Neopia Central.

     The Rainbow Pool was not half as impressive as Raine had imagined it. Compared to the rainbows that rain sometimes left behind, the colors of the pool felt too bright, too fake... Then she saw the painted pets around the pool, and the Eyrie had an urge to be painted too.

     "Let's see if there are any colors you like," Kayla said, leading her pet to a booth a bit away. They browsed through the colors, and nothing really caught the Eyrie's fancy.

     "I want to be painted rain..." Raine said with a faint smile touching her lips.

     "I don't think that is available... Maybe Maraquan, but that isn't really rain either."

     "I see," the Eyrie said as she looked through the rest of the colors. Shadow seemed all right, though it was a bit dark... Something bright, but not too bright... There!

     "Fire?" Kayla asked, seeing her pet's paw wander to the picture. "You want to be painted fire?"

     "Yeah!" Raine said. "It looks so cool... Not too cute, not too dark, not too bright... Simply cool."

     "Okay. Let me go and withdraw from the bank." Without words the owner could see that her pet really wanted this color, as much as she loved the rain. Happily Kayla went off to the National Neopian, with the knowledge that Raine would have a new, lovely coat and that she would finally achieve her dream of having a painted pet.

     In a few moments Raine became a Fire Eyrie. The tickling feel of the paintbrush... the fur twisting and changing in color... It was a sensation she had never experienced before. They bought a cake to celebrate, and went home.

     While walking, the Eyrie took a look at the Rainbow Pool and shuddered. Even though she had been painted and gotten a new, wonderful coat, she didn't like that place. It just seemed so... fake. Not like the real rain...

     Rain... Raine looked up, and discovered with pleasant surprise that the sky was growing grey. It hadn't rained for long, and now she was getting two good things in one day.

     "Looks like it'll be your favorite weather soon," Kayla commented. "I'd love to get wet, but we have a cake here."

     "You go inside with the cake. I'll stay outside and enjoy the weather. Don't worry about me." Raine smiled as she watched her owner run off, afraid of getting the cake soaked.

     The soft drips and drops on the ground told the Eyrie that it was starting to rain. She ran towards the garden, for it was her favorite place to be when it rained. Once again she could see the wonders of nature, watch the leaves shiver and shake, reach out for the raindrops.

     The rain had always been refreshing, but this time it was different. As the raindrops touched her newly-colored fur, the Eyrie could feel the flames on her body scream and writhe in agony, afraid of being put out by the water. The orange-colored flickering flames rose higher, became more powerful, and Raine felt as if she was burned.

     There was no soothing coolness, only pain, which her beloved rain caused. As more drops fell on her, the feeling of being burned increased. Unable to stand it any longer, the Eyrie rushed inside for the first time in her life before the rain had stopped.

     She fell down on her knees after getting through the door, and looked at that wonderful rain with sadness. There was no way for her to experience this unique phenomenon any longer, and it was because of the coat...

     "Are you all right?" Raine heard her owner ask.

     "No," she sobbed, her heart filled with sadness. The thing that she loved most... hurting her... Her vision blurred with tears, the Eyrie told Kayla what had happened. When she looked up again, she could see compassion in her owner's eyes.

     "I'm sorry," Kayla said. "It's my fault... I never thought the coat would counteract the rain like this..."

     "It's not your fault," the Eyrie said sadly as she watched the rain from inside. Once again she felt like the helpless child she had been, feeling afraid of what was taking place outside. This time it was different. She knew there was no magic for her, no soothing experience, no refreshing and breathtaking scenes...

     As the raindrops relentlessly drummed on the windows, Raine got up to watch the rain. She could not help it, for she had always loved the rain. It was nice to see it from the inside too, but what she had lost...

     "I'm not going to say that it is okay," the owner said. "But maybe we can paint you in another color later... Hopefully you'll be able to stand in the rain again."

     "I guess..." Raine said sadly, seeing happiness fall over the garden, knowing that she could no longer be one of those small plants eagerly drinking up the drops, getting soaked in coolness... "I guess I should be grateful that it doesn't rain forever."

     "Maybe..." the owner said. "I have an idea!" Kayla jumped up and returned a few seconds later with a large umbrella. "Maybe this will protect you, and you can still go outside and breathe that fresh, rainy air..."

     "You can always try," the Eyrie said, feeling hopeful. She grasped the umbrella and went outside with Kayla in her tracks. Now she was able to be out here, stand in middle of this amazing show and watch all those things come alive. But being unable to touch any of them... More tears rolled down the Eyrie's cheeks.

     "We'll find a way," Kayla reassured her pet. "I'll save up NP and we'll paint you to another color or get something to fix this... But until then..."

     "I'll enjoy the rain as it is," Raine replied. "It's my favorite weather, I can't help it. I love the rain." With a small, sad smile tugging at the corner of her beak, she looked up, carefully making sure that no drops would hurt her. "I wish... I still wish that rain could fall forever."

The End