The air felt heavy, clinging to the fur like a second coat had been pulled over it. Above, the sky was charcoal grey, appearing almost purplish, with low hanging clouds so burdened with rain that they seemed to droop towards the ground. Yet no water came, and as the day drew on, the muggy atmosphere only served to further frustrate the wolves of Wild Rye Fields.

Griffin was no different, having skulked around just outside pack territory, looking for small prey and growing increasingly irritated as he continued to be unsuccessful. He had just about had it, and was ready to call it quits, when a distant rumble drew his attention back to the heavens. On the horizon, the dark clouds shone with flashes of greenish light, the air seeming to vibrate around him as the thunder rolled closer. Now, he had seen plenty of lightning storms before, but never anything like this, and there was a shadow of a long-lost smile on his lips as he turned and made his way back towards the Fields at a steady trot.

Rather than head for the Gateway though, he went straight for the hillside, climbing quickly towards the Lookout. Tail lashing behind him with something that almost felt like excitement, he hurried up the last steep stretch, ears swivelling to catch the rising rumble of thunder. He felt a rush of cold air, just as he was reaching the top, finally bringing the respite that the earth had so craved all day. Spinning on the spot, the sparrow-pup took a seat among the bristling grass, chartreuse eyes turning to the display in the sky. “Wow..!” He breathed, a small, but true smile finally settling on his features.

Word count: 285

Thunder clapped as a clear streak of lightning cut across the sky, a blinding line of light against the charcoal backdrop. Every hair on the young wolf’s body seemed to stand on end, reacting to the electricity in the air. So intrawled was he with the colorful display, that he didn’t even hear the adult’s approach, causing him to jolt visibly at the sudden sound of his voice. Spring-green gaze tore from the sky to look over at the pale wolf, who seemed to have materialized out of thin air right next to him. His smile had stiffened with the shock, but now returned, a hint of embarrassment to it, though it couldn’t be heard in his voice; “It’s awesome!” His eyes shone with excitement, tail wagging energetically, his whole body buzzing with a sense of living that he hadn’t felt in a while.

Turning his attention back up as another flash glimmered, the boy felt his smile growing wider, even as he winced slightly when the following boom echoed in his ears. “You ever seen anything like this?” He asked, slightly breathless, his heart seemed to have sped up to try and match the thunder. Slowly the storm moved closer to them, bringing wilder and wilder gusts of cold wind with it, but Gale was not deterred from his watch, nostrils flaring at the scent of oncoming rain; “Smells like we’ll be getting a shower too!”

Word count: 237

The usually so stoic man seemed more at ease out here, watching the storm close in with shimmering eyes alongside his young companion. Gale’s tail continued to flick, his own gaze just as bright, watched the lightning dance across the sky with an intense excitement; Almost like he could feel the electricity in his own body. As such, the dismissive answer was not at all disappointing, only making the experience so much more thrilling. Beating his tail vigorously, the sparrow pup glanced sideways, eyes glittering in the shifting lights, casting stark contrasts of light and dark over both wolves. “Yeah that’d be rich!” He laughed, casting a look over his shoulder at the golden grass, long dried out in the sun; “Especially now that we don’t have a… Medic… Anymore…” His smile faded, his whole body seeming to deflate as all the excitement suddenly left him; What am I doing..? How could he be laughing and joking at a time like this; After everything..!

But before the boy had much time to sink back into his gloom lightning struck nearby. A blinding flash of light was quickly followed by an ear shattering rumble, and then another strange noise, quickly drawing closer. Griffin’s ears swivelled, trying to zero in on the weird yowling while his eyes blinked against the afterburn. The screeching continued to grow louder and he cringed at the pain in his ears, ducking his head and gritting his teeth. Finally he managed to see enough to locate the silhouette, racing up the hill towards them with two others in tow - coming straight from the storm, like demons summoned by the lightning itself, wailing angrily, bared teeth flashing ominously. “L-Laike, what is that?!”

Word count: 285

She hated thunderstorms. At one point in her life, she had thought they would have brought her peace but now the presence just reminded her of the death of her first love, along with her second. It seemed the world loved to take away those she held dear by natural disaster of some sort. None the less, Jessie had well gotten past the stage of remaining in her den during a storm and had taken to the borders, keen on marking them. With the coyotes roaming about and their small numbers, the Tainn did not want to take any chances when it came to how courageous coyotes were feeling on a particular day. The yowl of the yote would have gone ignored by the Rye Queen had two of the Fields own not been outside the borders. Both were integral parts of the pack: her son and her co-lead. Not hesitating to cross the borders, the aging woman broke off into a spring, a steely look of determination in her gaze as she broke off to track the scents of her pack mates.

It did not take her long to come upon them and the charging vermin that were before them. Canines bared at the oncoming tyrants, her nostrils flaring in anger. While three-on-three were hardly favorable odds, Jessie was not one to back down from a fight and she did not want to chance leading the vermin into pack lands where there was the possibility of them following behind, where they had a very pregnant Adelayde that did not need that stress. Lifting her head, she let out a call for @Chimera and @Alvar - they could use all the muscle they had. Narrowing her eyes, she nodded towards the two men, "Let's get these assholes off our lands."