Oh dear, Laeta thought to herself, brow furrowing as she and Mel found themselves in a..stormy predicament. She and her badger companion sought to venture out of the castle grounds, the older woman having found a regrown strength from spring's arrival. At least, in Boreas anyways. She had sworn to never cross into the larger continent from whence she came - in fact, she had scarcely even glanced at the bifrost since arriving to the Hallows so many seasons ago. Too many dark memories, too many painful nights and hungry days and times she thought she'd die in her tracks. But after her trial with paralysis during the Long Night, a new wave of courage overcame her, a new sense of boldness. If Lae had survived that ordeal, surely she could survive a little trip into Boreas. Just for a day. The thin woman had trotted through the sandy banks into the Fjord itself, but the journey there was soon overwhelmed by terrifying dark clouds, roaring thunder, and a torrent of rain. Mel shook off his wet pelt, huffing and puffing as he tried to catch up with his friend. "L-Laeta! The storm looks quite dangerous! P-Perhaps we should take shelter..or turn back.. The badger mused timidly, panic crossing his features as he clutched his monocle, bracing against a heavy gust of wind. Laeta looked back behind her, frowning. The storm was so thick it obscured their only route home, the rain sloshing wildly and lightening cracking the skies. Too dangerous to turn back now - shelter was their only option. Glancing around, her ruby eyes squinted through the downpour to see a small alcove in the rocky cliffs of the fjord. Glancing down at Mel, Laeta said, "I see a place we can hide in. Come on." Ignoring the angry ache of her arthritic wrists, Laeta pushed onwards, Mel pressed to her side as they made their way into the alcove. A perfect spot for two. Though, someone nearby caught her attention as well, and as they quickly trotted into the alcove's safe haven, the woman couldn't help but watch a figure make their way through the storm as well. ”Speech” ’Thought’

Balian had been traveling the lands, observing the packs that had popped up all over the place and the wolves that lived in them. He knew of a pack in the west where another horse lived, but the stallion had decided it was best he probably move elsewhere. He had been to Auster before, but it had been a while. Interested to check out if anything was new further south, he made his way through the Fjord. The sky had been dark for the last few days, rain falling here and there. This spring seemed to be ravaged by frequent storms, but today would be different, it seemed.

Thunder rumbled and cracked overhead, and lightning streaked across the sky and touched the ground. He could feel the electricity in the air, his hair standing on end and even his hawk companion refused to fly during the storm for fear of being struck. He swore he could smell the faint smell of smoke from a tree being struck somewhere, but if there was a fire, it was likely to be put out pretty quick as the storm started to rage.

He moved quickly through the Fjord, but not quick enough. He put on the pace, the stallion galloping through as he looked for shelter as the rain and winds got worse. Rain fell from the heavens heavy and hard, obscuring his vision and making the ground slippery which caused him to slip and stumble a few times. He had to be careful, else he might injure himself and he didn't know a soul that could help him. An injured horse was a dead horse, and he rather liked being alive.

"Balian! We can't stay out in this!" The monkey on his back howled over the raging wind and rain. He snorted. Of course he knew that! But his vision was limited, and he was having a hard time seeing through the falling rain. Heart hammered in his chest as the winds violently picked up, and just as they did, he spotted an alcove. He hurried towards it, hooves stumbling in the muck. Were it not for his now crystallized hooves, however, it was likely he would've had less traction and would've gone down already.

As he drew closer, a strike of lightning hit just feet from him, sending the stallion into a near panic of terror and adrenaline as he raced the last few yards into the shelter with a high-pitched squeal. His ears were ringing and he felt like he had been temporarily blinded. But at least he was safe...he hoped.

WC: 790/1,500

"Speech"

The rain was so thick, Laeta could scarcely see a few feet ahead. The older woman huddled next to Mel in the alcove, her pelt soaked to the bone. Mel dried more wuickly, having a much sleeker coat, and upon noticing her shivering, worriedly pressed against her side. He, too, was desperately worried about the storm. It was unlike any of the tempests they’d witnessed in the Hallows, the gales and gusts and claps of thunder were mere drizzles compared to this. Laeta stared out into what she could barely make out in the strikes of lightening, the pale flashes revealing shapes of the tall, jagged rock around them that formed the fjord’s cliffs. She hoped the Hallows was safe from his raging storm. The castle was sturdy enough, but would it weather out such fierce winds without damage? It was an old structure, only the gods knew what it could handle weatherwise. Her silent musing was interrupted as within their line of sight and flashes of light, a large, not-wolf figure barreled towards them. Laeta perked her ears and instinctively scootched back to the corner of the alcove, her small figure curling inward as the soaked figure - a horse! - frantically whinnied and managed to skid right into the cave. Not only that, but they had companions as well, a monkey and a hawk to be exact. For a few seconds, she and Mel couldn’t process what they;d witnessed. They’d been so used to wolves they hadn’t considered that sentient creatures like horses existed in their realm too. "Oh heavens! Erm..a-are you alright, sir?" Mel mamaged to stutter out after a few seconds of silence, though he was staring up at the stallion with wide, beady eyes. Curiosity and fear, really. Laeta was calmer, overcoming the initial surprise ajd smiling softly at the equine. Wow, he was massive. Taller than any wolf she’d ever seen, and many of them tended to be larger than her scrawny frame. "You got caught up in tje storm, too?" She asked the stallion. With a pause, she added, "It seems quite dangerous out there, so we might be sheltered here for a while. What’s your name? I’m Laeta, and this is my companion, Melis. Mel for short." Her tone was calm and warm, a stark contrast to the threatening storm outside. She aimed to be as calm as possible, so that everyone else could be relaxed. She had a gift for that, apparently. Curious about the creature, she added, ruby eyes staring up at the creature’s mane and tail, "You’re unlike any creature I’ve seen before. You’re a horse, right? Are there many of you out there?" Did horses have their own pack somewhere on Boreas? She didn’t know, it’d been ages since she stepped foot on this continent and was quite sheltered on Auster. Therefore she knew little about what was on the continent, like horses. Even if the creature hadn’t spoken, she had a feeling he could speak. Just a feeling. She had a knack for that, too. ”Speech” ’Thought’

His ears continued to ring and his senses were dulled after that lightning strike. It was too close to comfort for him, and his heart hammered in his chest. What would've happened if he had gotten struck? Would he have ended up paralyzed? Dead maybe? He shuddered at the thought of it. He didn't notice he had intruded on someone else's shelter until slowly, as the ringing went away, he started to make out the sounds of a distorted voice until it was clear. He caught the tail end of her first question, asking him if he was alright. His heart still drummed in his chest, breathing hard from trying to escape the storm and his near-death experience. "I, er, yes. I think I'm fine...it just...came out of nowhere," He tried to calm his breathing. Tried to slow his heart. But sometimes he was a creature of instinct, and he didn't feel safe in these parts. He was practically pressed up against the mountainside, though he carefully turned so as not to take up all the space. His head was lowered a bit to avoid hitting it on any overhangs. He was much taller than the wolf, after all.

He shook his head, sending water spraying off his mane and water flicking from his tail. He turned his head around to take a look at the monkey and hawk, both equally drenched from the storm. And they didn't look happy about it, either. She asked if they had gotten caught up in the storm, to which he nodded. Ears flicking nervously, but it was more for the storm than it was for the wolf. He didn't feel too threatened. She seemed polite, and she was small. Surely if she tried to attack him in such close quarters, he could just stomp her. But he didn't think that was necessary for this situation. They were both travelers, stuck together in a storm that had caught them.

His ears perked as she introduced herself as Laeta, and her companion, Mel. "I am Balian. This is Idu and Akila," He motioned to each one in turn, and they both glanced curiously at the wolf before resuming their attempts at trying to dry off. "I am a horse, yes," Honestly, he was surprised at her question! He supposed his species was rarer in these parts maybe? But then again, there were very few that he encountered that had the intelligence he and the horned stallion had. "I know there is a stallion in the west, pure white with a shimmery coat. Glows I think, and he has a horn. I've met him once a long time ago. Other than he and I, I've not run into any other horses that share the same intelligence as most of your kind."

Okay, he was calmer now. While the storm still raged outside and pelted sticks and stones near his feet, it was easier to avoid the debris while they were sheltered. Outside, he could hear the sound of shifting earth and crashing as some trees were likely being blown over, uprooted, or struck with lightning. He had never experienced a storm this strong before and wondered when it might end.

WC: 1,832/1,500

"Speech"