In Too Deep

Lucian had never liked storms. He'd been left out in them so much that you'd think he'd be used to it, but each one had only made him worse. With each storm he became better at predicting the next one, but it did little by means of helping. Especially now, out on his own without someone to keep him alive. This is exactly what those traders wanted; their stock being unable to care for themselves so that they need their masters. Lucian had never thought too hard about it or wished that he had the skills to keep himself alive, though when one was starving they did their best to survive and Lucian was no different. He'd been scavenging on carcasses left behind by other predators, though pickings were slim and the boy had lost a substantial amount of weight. All the health he had gained with Fenmyre had disappeared as if it were never there, though at least his injuries were minor compared to before.

The only thing on his mind now however was the storm, and as it grew he became paralyzed with fear and stuck up against a weird tree with even weirder roots. He hadn't cared much about what tree he was hiding against exactly, but that he could hold on to it. For all he knew, it wasn't very strong. It provided him some sense of security though, but not enough to look for something better. He was stuck here to ride out the storm, though as his fears predicted, it wasn't safe enough for him to survive.

The rain came pouring hard down and the roots he huddled against were hardly enough to shield him, though it did good hiding the tears streaming down his face. His body curled around a root, not having known that this was a hurricane and it was standard for the major storms to pull water back into the ocean before crashing back onto land. Lucian had no clue he wasn't safe where he found his shelter, though when he thought he heard someones voice through the water very nearly pouring directly into his shell-less ears, he turned his head and squinted through the pouring rain. He could barely see on normal days and the rain only made it more difficult. Convinced his mind was playing tricks on him, Luce frowned and curled tighter around the root.

922/2500

"Speech!"

art © koiotes at dA & code © skelle 2022