Perilous Void Sing to the storm

RE:Violent thunderstorms overtake Relic Lore.  For cutie patoot Prince @Aleksei.
lowkey inspired by this video

Lenae should have seen it coming.

There were dark clouds on the horizon, drawing ever closer with each passing hour.She should have turned back and headed home whilst she had the chance. Or at the very least sought out shelter from the incoming storm, but like the foolish girl she was, she hadn't. She merely assumed that it would pass on by without a peep, that the clouds were just that and nothing more.

But as always, the world seemed to go out of its way to prove her wrong. To teach her a lesson and remind her that it was not a kind nor forgiving place. It was her fault really, for how could she have forgotten?Once again her fascination for flowers was to blame.Everything seemed so grey and dull as of late, like the world was shrouded in a dreadful mist,  so could she be blamed for seeking out some colour? Apparently so.

With her ears plastered to her head, Lenae hurried along, wincing at each and every clap thunder. It wasn't that she was scared-no more than usual anyway- she simply didn't want to be vulnerable and out in the open. Hanging about during a thunderstorm seemed like asking for trouble, and Lenae had learnt the hard way not to tempt fate.

There had to be some sort of nook or cranny she could hide in. Somewhere that would serve as a suitable shelter until the storm passed. The sky flashed, then boomed once again, louder than before, and the force of it resonated in her chest, making her steps falter. It was an odd feeling, like she'd been struck and yet it didn't hurt.

Shaking the sensation off, Lenae just so happened to glance to her left and that's when she saw it. A crack in the earth that gave way to some sort of underground cave. This wasn't the sort of shelter she had in mind but...it would certainly do the job. No lightening could strike her if she was in a cave, right?

Stepping into the darkness, Lenae's ears peeled away from her head as she listened to the dripping of water and the-seemingly-distant rumbles of thunder. Oh, this wasn't so bad. She couldn't see a whole lot, but her nose told her-aside from the bats- she was all alone. Which was...good. Better than being outside , of course. But what if the storm raged on for hours on end? What if she was stuck here, all alone with no one to keep her company? She worried her lip as she glanced back at the entry way. Was it worth it? Should she just grit her teeth and bear it?

Puffing a sigh, Lenae's ears twitched as the sound reverberated off the caves walls. Oh an echo. Well of course, she was surrounded by stone walls, it made sense.  And yet...

Plopping herself down into her haunches, a smile tugged at her lips. If she didn't like the silence or the sound of the storm then there was only one thing left for her to do. She would sing and fill in the quiet with a tune of her own, just like she used to back in those sunny days. She cleared her throat, took in a deep breath and began to sing. Soft and serene, and prettier than the loveliest birdsong.

Aleksei scuttled along, cursing his luck. At first, it had been a distant rumble, nothing to worry about—just some grey clouds overhead. But then there had been a sudden crashing crack that had him jumping out of his skin and moving just a little bit quicker. He wasn’t afraid of thunderstorms, not by any means! But the fact the ground was wet from the rain coupled with the steepness of the fjords’ sloping sides …

Yeah, he’d rather not slip and fall and die.

Squinting through the rain, blinking as fat droplets plopped onto his eyelashes, Aleksei desperately sought out some kind of shelter. He didn’t care what, as long as it’d give him somewhere to duck out this hells damned weather—somewhere hopefully dry. He almost missed it, could’ve waltzed right past it, but his attention was captured suddenly by … by … by singing?

Freezing on the spot, his ears swivelled and his eyes widened. For the moment, all he heard was that voice. If he were the sort to believe in them, he might have thought an angel was serenading from the weeping skies. Like a sailor with a siren, he followed the singing, let it guide him subconsciously towards a small fissure in the earth—a cave. It was there that Aleksei caught a familiar scent, one that belonged to a friend—Everly. Was … was this her voice? With soft footsteps, he pressed on into the dark, silently appreciating the song. “Sounds nice,” he breathed out, wanting to make his presence known, but desperate to not disrupt her.

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

She sang till her blues faded away, till she no longer feared, nor even noticed, the roar of the storm.

How long had it been since she'd last done this? Months, surely, but it felt like years, aeons since she'd had the courage to let it all out. She used to sit upon Angels Peak(the highest point in the Selwyn mountains) and tell the stars all of her frustrations and fears. They all seemed so inconsequential to her now. Petty little problems that seemed like a big deal at the time but were anything but.

For example, she couldn't even remember the name of the loner she'd been enthralled with, nor did she even understand why she'd wanted him to join the clan in the first place. She had been so childish, all she'd done was complain and whinge, when in reality she had it so easy. That the-far far far- worst was yet to come.

She felt as though- or at least hoped-that she was a better person now. That she'd taken it all in her stride and moved forward, inched just a little closer to being the woman she had always aspired to be. Someone like Piety who was brave and kind and just good, if she managed that...she'd die happy.

It seemed as though she had company.She didn't notice him at first, but it was pretty hard to miss him when they shared the same small space and he just spoke out like that, as though it wasn't even intentional.

"Ahhh!"She yelped, whipping around and-it was Aleksei and-his face! What had happened?"Oh...Your face, you're all marked up, what happened? Are you okay?"

Worries forgotten, she rushed into his personal space and leaned on in to inspect the claw marks that marred his features. He was still handsome of course, Lenae suspected he would always be so, but still it was terrible! What had he done to deserve such a nasty wound?!

Aleksei winced, wheeled back a little. Everly’s yelp bounced off the walls of the cave and hummed in his ears, enough to cause him to tense his jaw for a split second. God, how much of an idiot could he be? He’d just … he’d just crept up on her and expected her to not be startled by his voice? Idiot. Stupid.

The moment her eyes swept across his face, something about her changed. His heart stumbled in his chest, and he swallowed thickly. She was suddenly closer, leaning in, inspecting the jagged marks etched into his skin. For some reason, her eyes trailing them brought about a sense of phantom swipes, of tearing flesh and flying fur. Aleksei licked his lips. The memory made him almost feel proud.

“A cougar,” was his base explanation. “It was trying to snatch one of the pack’s pups, and some of the others were already jostling with it. I wasn’t really thinking. I just knew I had to help my pack mates and do something.”

Aleksei paused, lips pursing into a thin line.

“I knew we had to kill it. So that’s what I tried to do.”

His expression softened as he rolled his shoulders in an almost sheepish shrug. Yeah, it was probably stupid of him to barrel head first into an angry, scared mountain lion, but he would do it again in a heart beat if he had to. Anything to protect an innocent pup like Griffin.

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

A cougar? Lenae had only ever soon one from a distance, a little brown smudge with claws and fangs. At the time it had been a novelty to her, something new and exciting but even she knew that they were dangerous beasts. That could easily kill a wolf in a one on one fight.Thankfully Aleksei had his pack mates to help out, otherwise...Well, he might not even be around anymore. Another wolf on the roster of the dead.

But he was safe and well, and aside from the marks on his face he seemed to be in fine shape! Whoever had tended to his wounds had done a good job, far better than she could've anyway.

"I'm glad your okay, wouldn't want my flower-buddy getting hurt too bad."She told him, were tail-and butt- wiggling in earnest.

Honestly though, she was relieved beyond words. It was true they hadn't known one another for long, had only spoken with one another a handful of times...But he was her friend and he deserved better. He deserved the world and all it's splendours.

"I'm...glad you're here as well. I didn't like the storm and I had to distract myself. Silly, I know but...I'm not the bravest of the bunch."Understatement of the year."But now that you're here it's all better!"Her laughter echoed about the cavern but she didn't mind it. It was a happy sound, that was leagues better than the storm raging outside.