Gathering Clouds

A roll of thunder woke Chrysanthos from his dreams. He'd established a den in Fern Gulley for the time being as he sought to collect the variety of herbs that grew there. He enjoyed the gulley though one thing for certain, the gulley was far more prone to rain then other areas. In general the summer had been dry but the most recent pattern of weather seemed to bring thunderstorms with it in the late afternoon and evening. Another rumble of thunder stirred Chrysanthos into action. The den he currently resided in was meant to be a temporary one so he hadn't fortified it as much as he probably needed. He'd hoped to get a nap in during the heat of the day but he'd ended up sleeping far longer than he'd expected. Chrys knew he was pushing himself to hard but he had to keep busy. If he wasn't busy then his thoughts would start racing and he couldn't well handle his mind's constant chatter. He had no idea why his brain insisted on churning out thought after thought without giving him a moments peace.

Chrys stuck his head out of his den and dropped to the floor of the gulley. One thing he had done to help weather proof his den was was to dig the entrance a few inches up and into the wall of the gulley rather than downward. This was to help deter rain water from flowing in and soaking the floor of his den. Of course he still needed to be careful. Lots of water could trigger a mudslide and then he'd be in real trouble.

Outside the sky was hazy. It had shifted from bright blue and clear when he'd first laid down for a nap to a pale gray that seemed to stretch across the horizon. Here and there were darker clouds that dotted the sky as moisture came together and there on the southern horizon stretched the building mountains of clouds. It was from these that he'd heard the thunder. He couldn't see any lightning just yet but he knew it was triggering the rumbles of thunder. So far the space between the sound was fairly distinct. The storm was still miles away but he noticed the tendency of the storms to track northeast. In all likely hood, if this storm was to follow the usual patterns it would be on him within the hour.

Sighing he started to get to work. He needed to clean out the debris that had been growing in his den entrance not to mention the usual wear and tear from going in and out of the den. He slipped halfway back inside and began to use his forepaws to clean out the gunk as the thunder continued to rumble across the gulley. He hoped that wherever his family was that they were able to find shelter and were safe from the storm. Chrys paused for a moment as he gazed again at the billowing pillars of clouds. The setting sun was setting them awash in a golden glow that would almost have been pretty if it weren't for the potential hazards the storm could bring. Torrential downpours, flooding, hail and though he'd never experienced one he had heard about tornados. That was something he could go his life without ever seeing. So far he'd been lucy. The biggest hail he'd seen was about the size of a wolf's eye. Though it hadn't done to terrible of damage to his den the damage it had done to the plants was depressing. The hail had ripped through their leaves, crushed flowers and the accumulation had caused frost damage to some unlucky plants.

Maybe that is what hurried him along. He hoped to gather a few herbs before the storm set in but as he worked on his den and the the storm continued to close in he realized he'd miscalculated the speed with which it was moving. A brilliant flash of lightning followed by a loud clap of thunder overhead ushered him into his den. Barely a moment later the rain began to pour down. The sun, if it was still above the horizon, had been blackened out by the dark clouds that strangled evenings light. The rain started out light at first and then swiftly increased into an outright downpour. Chrysanthos curled up in his den, his gaze turned outward toward the den opening as he waited for the storm to pass. He hoped it would be swift and that a cold front from the north wasn't going to impede it or fuel it to greatly. The last thing he needed was for a thunderstorm to build and spin right on top of him.

Another roll of thunder peeled across the sky. Chrysanthos busied himself sorting through is herb pile, jumping occasionally at a particularly loud crash of thunder. He softly prayed, urging Ley to quell the storm. Minutes ticked by like hours until at last the storm moved out of the area. The rain slowed and stopped though he could still hear thunder in the distance as the storm continued its trek northward.