A storm was brewing on the horizon. It was a fact that anyone could see, though to someone as accustomed to keeping tabs on the weather as Kiela it was more than obvious. The sky, clouded over in a bleak shade of grey, was only growing darker with each hour that passed. What had once seemed like a mere storm brewing across the water shifted slowly into something that she could tell was far more serious. She swore she even felt the pressure in the air shift, a dull headache beginning to form just behind her eyes as she made the descent down from one of the tall ridges that formed the sides of the basin. Before long she'd make her way back north, but she'd spend a good portion of the season exploring western Boreas and its oddities, which were certainly plentiful. Wasn't necessarily a place she'd be eager to return to but it wasn't like she regretted her journeys either. Regret wasn't something she knew anyway.

By the time she reached the bottom of the ridge she'd navigated down, she noted the sky had darkened drastically, seemingly all at once. The winds picked up and whipped around her, the tall grasses lifting and tickling her legs. Casting a glance to the see, she noted how the horizon had grown darker and more ominous - no doubt a portent of potentially destructive weather to come. When things shifted so rapidly she knew trying to outrun the forces of nature was futile. It would be better to brace herself here and hunker down for when the storm finally hit. Deciding not to waste any time, she went to scout the base of one of the tall ridges, looking for anywhere that could potentially serve as makeshift shelter.

The skies were overcast, and it didn’t take an expert to note that the darkening clouds could, and would, mean trouble. Lucette was young, but she had known this sort of weather before. Experienced how the air seemed to feel heavier, harder in a sense… it felt heavier. This was the feeling of the very storm that had separated her from her parents seasons ago, she was sure of it. The angrier the clouds got, the more Lucette was trying to brace herself for a sudden downpour she half-expected before she found any shelter. Bae-Syl would be going out of his mind and worried sick… it was the same storm she’d encountered him in, and they had weathered it together… For now, however, the safest thing to do was find shelter and hide.

The girl had picked her way down along a ridge of a new area, hoping that as she descended she might find a place that could offer her a good spot to wait out the storm. A hole in the ground wasn’t a good idea for this sort of storm, at least if her gut was right in telling her it’d be a bad one. She was small already… the last thing she needed was to be washed into a den with cold, freezing water and drowned in it. But Lucette was surprisingly calm about the situation. Despite her past, and what had occurred seasons prior, she wasn’t afraid. Alert, conscientious of what was to come, but not fearful. If anything she was more worried about how Bae-Syl would be when she got back. If she had been worried about him wanting to carry her up a mountain, well, now she was pretty sure he’d tie a rope around them both and never let her out of his sight.

As he probably should.

Then, just as her paws hit the bottom of the ridge, the sky grew darker. Ominous. A mental flurry of ‘crap’ flared in her head as the winds started to pick up. They whipped against her smaller body with enough force behind a strong gust to cause her to stumble. Divinities above she hated being so small! Fighting for her footing Lucette knew she needed to hurry up and find somewhere to hide out less she be caught in the storm itself. That had been such a joy last time she almost died. And probably would have if Bae hadn’t helped her out.

Lucette stumbled along, the high winds not making her job any easier. The grasses beat against her limbs with each step and the girl was finding it hard to focus on looking for a suitable spot to hide when she had to pour her energy into making sure she didn’t get knocked around.

‘This is how I’ll die,’ Lucette thought to herself. ‘Lost in the bottom of this basin, probably waterlogged, bloated, and rotten by the time Bae finds me… if he finds me.’ She gave a snort at the thought. The rainbow-marked male would look for certain but…

Lifting her head back towards the ridge she saw it. It wasn’t a cave by any means but it was bigger than a mere alcove. It would provide some shelter from the wind, and definitely from the rain with how it was angled. Not the most ideal but it’d be something.

A burst of wind later and she adjusted her head against it. When she opened her eyes a brown form on the landscape. Lucette’s green eyes shot up. The alcove was closer to her, and, with how the ridge jutted out, the stranger might not be able to see it. Trying to be as loud as possible Lucette let out a sharp bark, hoping they looked up and saw her, before changing paths towards the alcove.

Heavy was a pretty accurate word for how the weather suddenly felt, the clouds growing darker as the winds picked up and the need for shelter only grew stronger by the minute. Kiela knew well enough to be adequately worried but not to the point of panic - she wasn't sure she'd know how to panic even if she tried. She was confident in her abilities to weather most storms and this one was no exception, no matter how intense the storm might prove to be. Even as the wind picked up, strong enough now that she felt herself swaying on her paws when a particularly strong gust collided with her, she didn't worry more than she had to.

The sound of the wind whipping around her was so loud that she barely heard the stranger bark, though the sound seemed to bounce off the ridges that surrounded them on each side and helped orient her. The tall woman's ears swiveled, trying to zero in on the source of the sound as she squinted her eyes against the relentless wind. After a long moment of searching she saw her, a woman so tiny she nearly mistook her for a pup until she got closer.

Making a judgment call, she moved to cross the flat area of land that lay between them, fighting against the intensifying winds with each step of the way. Fortunately, she had her size to keep her anchored down but she wasn't so sure about this stranger. Not that she was her problem, but Kiela noticed the ridge that formed a sort of alcove behind her, deciding it might be worth seeking shelter there.

By the time she crossed the stretch of land Kiela was panting slightly, brow furrowed in slight worry as she scanned their surroundings, searching for the best place to hunker down. "Caught in this storm too, hm?" Kiela commented, her voice gruff from lack of use. She'd give the stranger her space, but she fully intended to find somewhere over here to ride out the storm whether Lucette liked it or not.

Our lives are made in these small hours At least it was something, Lucette thought to herself. The growing need for shelter as the weather turned nastier was growing stronger by the minute. She didn’t like it, and though her thoughts might have shifted in her head, she didn’t exactly panic either. She wasn’t afraid of death, or most common fears, though there were some lurking deep within her ready to surface. For the moment, however, Lucette focused on the struggle in front of her. The winds were only going to get worse and the longer she remained in their direct path the more danger she was in. So long as she managed to get to the alcove before the rains hit she’d been alright… she had to be. She struggled to the alcove, out of breath, but she finally made it. Instinctively she moved towards the back, where she could squeeze herself against the rocky ledge. There would be no anchoring herself down fully here, not with the winds as they were, but it would have to do. At least within the alcove, she was better off than being battered by rain and wind in direct exposure to the storm. She lowered her ears a little, catching the gruff voice of the stranger who was in the same boat as she was. “Yeah, not my first round with a storm this bad either. A cave would have been far more ideal to bunker down in than this, but, at least it’s something.” Her gaze turned to the dark world beyond them. She could smell the rain on the wind and, in the distance, she could make out the gradual sound of the downpour as it moved closer to their location. “Best to try and stay near the walls as you can. The winds are really strong. If you get knocked from here when the rains hit I’m not sure if you’ll be able to fight your way back up here.” She might not have known the other wolf but she certainly didn’t wish harm upon them. They both just wanted to survive this, she assumed. "Talk", 'Think.' These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}

It was alarming how quickly the weather shifted; the winds were still intensifying, now whipping around them mercilessly. Kiela knew that she'd found somewhere to avoid the worst of the winds just in time. She watched as a patch of nearby vegetation was uprooted entirely, tumbling across the basin. The dire-sized wolf fought a shiver that threatened to wrack her body as Lucette began to speak, giving a slow nod of acknowledgment. Personally, she wasn't used to storms of this variety though she was no stranger to extreme weather in general. Carefully she navigated toward the inside of the alcove, still giving Lucette enough space so that she wouldn't feel threatened by her presence.

"I don't imagine us finding a cave in these parts," she admitted after a moment of thought. "Though I'm not familiar with these lands. Usually, I stay far north." Conversation never came easily to her but she'd learned that most wolves at least appreciated small-talk and she'd learned to play along. Things were always easier when she did.

The whistling of the wind grew even louder - and as they spoke she finally heard the rains begin, a gentle pattering on the grasses outside the alcove quickly began to pick up steadily. It was hard to say if their little makeshift shelter was enough for them to safely ride out the storm but it wasn't as though they had any other choice. This would have to do. Another gust of wind seemed to sneak around their little alcove and she braced herself against it, swaying on her paws as she leaned hard against the ledge she'd wedged herself against. "My name's Kiela," she said, raising her voice against the patter of rainfall just beyond their heads.

Our lives are made in these small hours Despite having weathered another storm of this power Lucette was still in awe of the power it held. The winds did not relent, whipping up into the alcove and causing the girl to shift as she kept pressed against the walls. She wasn’t going to move much more than that throughout this storm, heeding her own advice. Falling from the alcove would make it far harder to reach it a second time, especially now that the rains were falling as well, wildly smashing into the earth, flora, and rock with no regard for force. The rains would batter the land, crushing more feeble plant life beneath their fall. It definitely seemed unlikely that they would find a cave in these parts… it didn’t seem to be the right terrain. “I’m not either… it’s only recently that I’ve come to Boreas at all, and I’m still learning the lay of any lands.” So the woman was from the North, where she and Bae had started their journey. “The terrain here is definitely different from what we saw in Northern Boreas… though I wasn’t expecting to get caught in another storm like this so soon in my lifetime.” Lucette could hear the wind picking up, the rains really starting to hammer towards the ground. The grasses moved and bent beneath the rains outside of the alcove and Lucy let her gaze wander to the area beyond it. Everything was so much darker now… it looked like a different place. Hearing the woman introduce herself, however, Lucy flicked her gaze back to her. “Lucette.” She smiled slightly. “If you live in the North I have to wonder what made you come down this way?” She was calling over the rain, trying to hold a conversation with the other despite the storm. At least it’d make the time go by faster. "Talk", 'Think.' These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}

Kiela held back a shiver as the wind danced and swirled outside, threatening to topple both of them over where they stood. She wasn't so sure her new acquaintance would've had a chance to stay grounded if she hadn't found somewhere to hide out and truthfully Kiela wasn't sure she would've at this point, either. This was more than just strong wind at this point. From their vantage point it was hard to see much destruction unfolding but Kiela knew it was happening. Occasionally she swore she heard the ground below them creaking and groaning; though the only thing being upended was vegetation and the occasional rock. She flinched when a rather large one came crashing down somewhere abpve, not far from her paws, and tucked herself tighter against the alcove - and thus Lucette.

"I'm tempted to say I'm new to this continent as well but a few years has passed since I came here. It feels much shorter though," she explained gently. Time was a strange thing - it really did feel like she'd just been a yearling, embarking out on her own for the first time, wide-eyed and curious. She was no less inquisitive now but she'd grown accustomed to life completely on her own, though it surprised her how she'd fallen so easily into a familiar pattern and how quickly time had started to accelerate.

What was her reason for coming down this way? Kiela fought the urge to shrug. She didn't do anything on a whim so making it seem like she had wasn't exactly true. "I haven't left the north much since I arrived here, years ago. I figured it was time to learn the lands beyond. Even if just for a short while." What she'd found had only solidified her belief that she belonged in the north, though she didn't regret the time she'd spent here... hurricane and all.

Our lives are made in these small hours As the storm raged outside of the alcove not much could be seen from her vantage point, not that being tiny did her any favors either. Lucette was lucky she could see the bits of grass in front of them, really, and even that looked like it was getting quite the pounding as the winds whipped and pulled at them. Kiela tucked herself tighter against the alcove, trying to avoid getting knocked off her paws, and against Lucette as well. The yearling didn’t fight the closeness though. She knew the woman didn’t exactly have a lot of options for somewhere to go right now. Instead of focusing on the fact that Kiela had pressed up against her, she decided to focus on the conversation. “Time tends to be like that, especially when you’re enjoying yourself. I met my bestie a couple of seasons ago and it feels like I’ve blinked and all this time has passed…”  She couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Seemed like yesterday she was still with her parents and then a storm just like this one separated her from them. But in being separated from her mom and dad she’d met Bae-Syl… and while she missed them she didn’t mind the fact that she was with Bae now. As the winds continued to whip and the rain battered the land Lucette listened to the other give her reason for leaving. “It makes sense,” Lucette told her. “I’ve personally always had a sense of wanderlust myself… happy to just get out and see things, didn’t matter where. Even if it’s only a little while I definitely recommend doing so once in a while.” Lucy shifted a little, trying not to displace Kiela as she found a more comfortable position. She personally loved traveling and seeing the world. Straying from home wasn’t for everyone but she hoped that everyone got to try it at least once in their life though! "Talk", 'Think.' These little wonders these twists and turns of fate

_{Art by Asena}