A Storm Is Comin'

Aerndis turned her gaze to the south where clouds were beginning to build. The late afternoon sun was stretching further toward the horizon, causing the light to illuminate the clouds in a gentle, peach-colored light. Yet, below them the sky was dark and darkening by the minute. She stretched herself out in the grass beneath the shade of a burr oak tree. It didn't offer much shade but it was still better than nothing. The day had been so hot and humid she wasn't surprised that the storms were brewing again. They seemed to be building most evenings and a number of them were terribly severe. The spring had been rough and she didn't expect the summer to be much better. Lately the storms had been brewing around this time of evening which was pretty typical.

A call drifted down to her and she looked up to see her companion Rudolph land on one of the lower branches of the tree, right above her. "Hey, Aerndis. Watching the storm?" She nodded. "Seems like we are in for another storm tonight." The bird gazed out at the horizon where she'd been looking then back to her with his head cocking lightly to the side. "How do you know it is headed this way?" Aerndis shrugged lightly, the sunlight playing of her stunning patterns. "Just a guess. They've been starting in the south and moving northeast typically. Course it is difficult to say with absolute certainty. How did your scouting go?" Now it was the birds turn to shrug.

"Fine. There's not anything in particular to note. The river is still outside its banks but its gone back a considerable amount." She nodded, glad for the news. The river was prime hunting territory and one of the main sources of water in the territory. Prey would flock to it. Knowing that the land around the river was probably still muddy was a useful piece of knowledge. It meant it would be difficult to move through for not only her but for prey. However, prey was more likely to strain and injure their limbs in the mud than she was. She'd want to keep an eye out on the river banks for good hunting opportunities. Perhaps she could try her paws at driving a deer or two further into the muck to see if a few might get trapped. Of course if she did that she'd likely need assistance pulling them out. She was a large and strong femme but deer were good-sized prey.

Aerndis continued to watch the clouds, the faintest breeze wafting in gently from the south. The storm was still building, the clouds piling on top of each other like little mountains in the distance. The light continued to play off the clouds as the sun sunk further in the sky. It cast rich colors of orange and violet across the clouds. It was beautiful at least for now, though she knew once it crashed over the pack lands she would feel much less about it. Then they'd see the ugly side of the storm. The swift change in temperature around this time of late afternoon and evening had a tendency to fuel the storms, in particular the nasty ones. She just hoped this one wouldn't bring in hail or a tornado. She didn't mind the rain so much or the occasional boom of thunder or crash of lightning. It was the vicious wind, hail and flooding that she hated. She'd had to re-dig her den after a particularly nasty spring storm caused it to flood. She'd been lucky to find a spot on higher ground and she was careful to angle her den entrance in such a way to promote drainage and the flow of water out of her den rather than into it. It was a rough lesson to learn but learn it she did.

The air fell still, eerily still. Her eyes narrowed and she could feel the tension building in the humid air. Everything seemed to fall silent. Even the birds that were making a terrible ruckus just minutes before had fallen silent. She wanted to speak but couldn't bring herself to and it seemed her companion, Rudolph, felt the same. The silence stretched out for a moment longer before a sudden rush of wind crashed around them, carrying with it a roll of thunder. Lightning shivered across the clouds as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The storm clouds continued to build and billow as it moved across the southern lands, through Legion territory. Aerndis continued to watch for a moment more before she glanced up at her companion. He gazed back at her and she nodded. Time to go.

She got to her feet and shook out her coat before she started heading back toward her den to take shelter from the storm. With any luck it would blow through quickly and not cause too much of a problem for her. Rudolph took off and soared above her as the pair slipped into her den, safe and sound. Another crash of thunder roared overhead.