Well...she was not expecting this sort of weather when she had gotten into Boreas. The skies had been dark and grey as she traveled, chilly of course, but she did not expect a sudden storm to come barreling down on the lands. She was practically soaked to the bone by the time she found shelter. She was shivering, her thick pelt slicked down to the point where she looked thin enough to where you wouldn't even be able to tell how fluffy she actually was. Greed had offered to come with her, but she was a big girl now, and they weren't loners anymore. He had things he needed to do back at the pack, and she had said she would be returning in a few days. But it would likely be a little longer depending on when the storm decided to let up. As soon as she had gotten into the cave, she shook her pelt, spraying water every which way while her waterlogged companion sat miserably on a rock shelf. Her mother's companion had been through a lot, but...a storm like this? She hadn't seen one in years, apparently. The only choice they had right now was to wait it out. So while they were waiting for that, she moved a little further into the cave until she stumbled across some odd glowing mushrooms. Huh...weird...were these leftover mushrooms from the Long nights? As far as she was aware, all those strange things had seemed to disappear almost as soon as the long nights had ended...but still, she was curious and fascinated by these. "Speak

Knowing that it wasn't safe to be away from home with weather the way it was, Corbie had tried to make her trip quick enough, and she had in fact nearly gotten back to her home territory before it hit. She wasn't quite fast enough though, and she'd had to duck into a cavern to shelter from the storm again. She had to catch her breath from the way the cold wind gust had stolen it from her, and she dripped and shivered a moment before she recovered herself enough to shake off. Another gust of wind drove in then, making her yip quietly and flee further into the cave from it. As she moved further in, the darkness became more absolute... until she realized that it was actually growing lighter, but with an odd blue-purple color.

She stepped into a chamber filled with glowing mushrooms, so eye catching and strange that for a moment she didn't realize there was anyone else there. "Oh... hello," she said. "Did you get caught in the storm as well?"

She was enthralled by these glowing mushrooms. Sure there had been plenty that popped up all over the place a little over a year ago, but based on the things she had seen and heard about when nearly the entire population got some weird sickness upon contact, she had avoided them at all costs. These seemed different though...she reached out to touch one with her paw, but just when she was about to touch it, an unfamiliar voice startled her, causing her to gasp in surprise and she drew her paw back. She turned to find a smaller female, from the looks of it under the glowing, blue-purple light, she was monochrome in color. Her heart beat fast from being startled, but she tried to calm her racing heart. "Oh, you startled me!" Had Tan been too distracted in trying to dry off to warn her of the approach? She supposed it didn't matter now...this woman didn't seem like she would be any trouble. "Yes, I did. I was not expecting this when I came from Auster...had I known the weather would be this bad, I would have chosen another time to travel," She offered a shy smile as she continued, "My name is Claire Ancora. It appears that you've had the same luck as I today!" "Speak

"I'm sorry," she said, genuinely. "I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Corbie." She made a face. "This is definitely not normal weather. I've hardly been able to leave home without getting caught in storms." Now that the woman was aware of her presence Corbie stepped further into the glowing cavern and looked closer at the fungal source of the glow. "Fascinating," she murmured. "I wonder if the glow lasts after they're picked?" They'd make a decent, if faint, light if they continued to glow when put into a container. But mushrooms were risky - some were quite deadly. Others were hallucinogenic, and that wasn't ideal either in this case. So she looked around to find a bone - which by itself was a rather ominous sign, wasn't it? - and used it to knock one bunch of mushrooms over. When the blue glow remain, she pricked up her ears in interest.

The woman introduced herself as Corbie and Claire dipped her head in greeting to her. She didn't smell like a pack, though she supposed whether she was or not, the scent would be a bit harder to detect because of the storm and Corbie was just as wet as she was. "This is definitely not normal weather. I've hardly been able to leave home without getting caught in storms." "I'm sorry to hear that. I don't recall having a storm this bad the whole time I've lived in Boreas now that I think about it," Were the Northlands just as bad? Or worse maybe? She supposed she was glad she lived in Auster now, the heat had died down and the weather was more enjoyable this season. She watched as Corbie approached the mushrooms and murmured about how fascinating they were. Claire nodded in agreement as she turned her attention to the glowing mushrooms for a moment, "I wonder if the glow lasts after they're picked?" Oh! She hadn't thought about that! Hell, she hadn't even thought about what might happen if she had just...touched one. Luckily she hadn't yet. Corbie had the smarter idea and found a...was that a bone? And used it to knock over a bunch of mushrooms. "Oh! They're still glowing! I wonder how long they continue to glow for..." Would they glow long enough to escape the storm? It would be cool if they continued to glow until she got back home, but...at this rate, she didn't know when that would be exactly. "Speak

Corbie nodded sympathetically. She hadn't known a storm this bad in the few years she'd lived here either, but at least she had the benefit of having been aware that the weather was bad. Claire had only had her own memories of a normal season to go by, and she'd been caught by surprise. "You live in Auster? Are there packs down there?" She imagined there must be - having that much open space invited a pack to settle there.

While she was talking, she was considering the mushrooms. "I wish I had some glass to fill with these," she mused. "They'd make an adequate lantern, and if this storm is anything like the others its going to be dark well before the storm blows over. Maybe if I crush some and smear it over the top of this bone it might..." Even as she was talking she moved the bone to the fallen mushrooms and began jabbing them and rubbing the resulting mushroom goo all over the tip of the bone. Success! Whatever made them glow stayed on the makeshift torch. But she got a bit crestfallen when she realized that any remaining rain would wash it off as soon as she exited the cave.

"You live in Auster? Are there packs down there?" Claire nodded as she sat down. Her fur was still pretty wet, but at least she wasn't dripping wet anymore. She briefly wondered how Tan was doing...but the bird was older than her, and had likely been through her fair share of unruly weather that she was sure the Goshawk was fine. "Yes, there are three packs in Auster that I am aware of. I live in the Hallows pack which is the first pack you're likely to find after crossing the land bridge. Then there's Fenmyre. They live just to the East of us, and then there's another pack on the southernmost edge of Auster, but I don't know who they are or what the pack is called. They seem to be more...secluded." She hadn't met anyone from the other packs, but that was fine. She was content in her little bubble for now. As she had talked, she had been watching Corbie and the mushrooms. She briefly wondered if she had anything that Corbie might be able to use in the pack of supplies she had brought with her for the trip, but...glass jars were something she didn't have on her. Corbie had managed to make a sort of a glowing torch, to which Claire smiled and wagged her tail, but when she noticed the other woman's face, she realized the potential dilemma Corbie now faced. "Oh...the rain would wash that away, wouldn't it?" She frowned at the thought. It would be a shame to not be able to use the new discovery Corbie had found..."Maybe there is something in here that can be used to protect that so the rain doesn't mess it up? Or perhaps if we tie some whole mushrooms onto twine or something? I have some of that in my pack, do you think that might work?" Of course, she wasn't opposed to looking for some jars or anything that could help. "Speak