Strange things had been happening as of late. He had been a little further south, but had ended up returning to the waterfall peak. Even here in the North, the strange phenomenons were stronger than ever. The water coming down from the falls appeared to have a tint of blue, and the pool below had what he swore were fish with glowing scales. Something he'd never seen before. He peered into the pool, bi-colored gaze watching the fish flashing about, their glow flashing the faster they moved. He raised his head then to find mushrooms growing on the rocks surrounding the bank. Fireflies were even here, or at least what he thought were fireflies...they didn't glow like the fireflies he'd seen elsewhere...so something definitely strange was going on. He decided then, that he was going to further check this stuff out. He walked to the other edge of the bank, paws carefully placed on the frozen and slippery rocks so that he wouldn't fall into the fridig waters. His eye was on a softly glowing purple mushroom, and when he got up close to it, he inspected it to make sure there wasn't some weird poisonous spider that might be hiding on it.

He gently poked at it, but just a quick poke in case it did something weird. Swiftly retreating his paw and stepping back, the mushroom's cap just did a little bounce but nothing happened other than it pulsed with a bit of a stronger glow when he touched it. Huh...interesting. He pawed it a couple more times, fascinated by what it was doing before his Osprey shouted a warning cry. His fur stood on end, and before he knew it, he felt a weight on his back and he was being slammed to the ground. A pained cry left his mouth when he felt claws digging into his shoulders and back, his head dangerously close to the water.

In the position he was in, he was unable to really get a foothold to turn himself around. He struggled to keep himself from slipping into the water, though the weight on his back kept pressing until his muzzle was in the pool and he couldn't breathe. He thrashed, eyes watching the fish swim in a frenzy, their scales pulsing brightly in panic. His own heart hammered in his chest as he continued to struggle. Damn it all!

He heard a muffled yowl then, feeling the weight pull back as claws released him. He stood up as quick as he could, taking a huge breath of air as water sprayed everywhere. He moved away from the water as quickly as he could and turned to find his attacker. a Cougar with glowing, green eyes and the same color emanating from its mouth. His osprey companion was darting in and out at the cougars face, using his talons and beak to score and damage he possibly could against the beast.

Luckily, it gave Cloud time to recover enough for him to retaliate. He snarled at the beast, pupils dilating as his mouth gaped open. He launched himself at the cougar, knocking it sideways onto the ground while his companion had it distracted. The cougar yowled in surprise as it sought to claw at him, but Cloud felt little pain while in this state. It had been some time since he felt the Beast emerge...but without stability...and his brother...it was only a matter of time before it came out again.

He snapped wildly at the strange cougar, bi-colored eyes locking with the venomous green gaze of his attacker. Both wild animals tangled in a fight neither wanted to lose, and for each bite and scratch the Cougar had given him, Cloud returned the favor. He felt claws score across his chest, earning a snarl of pain before Cloud pummeled the cougar's belly with his hind legs as he pinned it with hire forelegs. Though it didn't last for long before the cougar managed to twist out of his grasp in an effort to get up.

That was all Cloud needed, however. The moment the cougar twisted around, Cloud's jaws struck forward like a snake and grabbed the back of its neck. Now it was his turn. He yanked the creature off its feet and threw it into the pool of water, causing the fish to further panic. The cougar sputtered as it surfaced moments later, but instead of coming back for the attack, it paddled its way to the opposite side and bounded out. It ran from the scene, leaving Cloud behind. His osprey followed, heckling it and making sure it didn't come back for round two.

Cloud stood there for what felt like an eternity, face dripping water as he breathed heavily. Before he knew it, he saw blue fireflies coming to dance around him, almost as if congratulating him on his victory and survival. Slowly, he returned to normal and he suddenly felt tired. He hadn't been in that state for so long, he forgot how draining it could be....but at least this time, he'd been aware of it. Usually he wasn't, but he wondered if it had something to do with the phenomena going on and wondered if the gentleness of the fireflies had something to do with it. He slunk to the ground, body sore as the adrenaline wore off as quickly as it had come.

He knew he needed to get up though. There was no way he was going to sleep out in the open tonight, especially not after that. Looking wearily at the fireflies, he noticed they seemed to be making a trail up the slope towards the cave behind the waterfall. They seemed to be leading to a safe spot, though of course, Cloud was familiar with the area. Slowly and carefully, he picked his way up the slope and walked alongside the bobbing trail, grateful that they also offered some light and guided his way while his mind was clouded with pain.

Once in the cave, he promptly lied down to rest while fireflies danced at the edge of his vision.

WC: 1,020

Cloudburst

In a nearby tree two squirrels begin chittering angrily at each other. At closer inspection, it appears the acorn they are fighting over shimmers a vibrant purple where it catches the light. You also find 4 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…