On the Restless Mountain High

*Shay* · (This post was last modified: 09-07-2017, 03:55 AM by Shrapnel.)

Shay hadn't yet moved on from Mount Volkan. A pity, as it turned out, since the hurricane that had made landfall in the south some days ago had made it's way up here, striking with a fury that Shay had never seen in a storm before. He had wisely chosen to hole up, but his chosen den had flooded out completely, sending him out into the storm in search of a safer haven.

His trek had brought him perilously close to the top of the mountain, partly out of curiosity. Why did the land beneath him feel so strange, rumbling and trembling? Did it have something to do with the volcano itself? It seemed only logical to investigate the volcano to see if it was likely to become an added danger.

So Shay, his gray fur plastered down with the torrential rains, battered by winds (at least the hail seemed to have stopped for the moment, though no doubt it would return shortly) crept his way up the side of the mountain until he stood at the very top, peering into molten pool there. It did seem more agitated than usual. Quivering, bubbling, and emitting noxious fumes. He wondered what was causing the mountain's distress. Could it possibly be the storm? The two did seem related, but correlation does not imply causation. He would have to do more investigating.

It had been at that minute that the mountain had given a mighty belch. The acrid smoke burned at Shay's eyes, nose, and lungs - deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, he turned to make a hasty retreat. Before he got more than a few steps away, however, the mountain roared, spewing smoke and debris in every direction. Shay was tumbled further down the mountain, singed but miraculously alive considering how close he'd been. His ears were ringing painfully, and little rivulets of blood trickled down the right side of his face where he'd been struck with shards of exploding rock.

Through the shock he was aware of an intense pain in his right ear. He made note of it, reminding himself that the pain would likely be overwhelming once the shock and adrenaline wore off. Likely the eardrum was perforated, either by the shockwave of the explosion or shards of debris like those lodged elsewhere in his face.

Having stumbled his way all the way down the slope, Shay took shelter beneath a fallen tree the earlier tornadoes had tumbled. Laying there, watching the ash cloud rising, feeling the pain starting to overwhelm the shock, he reflected that perhaps it would be wise next time to observe restless volcanoes from a distance.

talk, think

Login
Username:
Password:	Lost Password?
	Remember me