Turtleback Lake princes of puddles

AW but definitely @Ryder! Backdated to 7/6/22 for the rainstorm

Caspian's life had been a series of changes, too large and sweeping for the small boy to make sense of, but lately things had settled into a steady rhythm. The large one he knew as his mother spoke gently with words he could hardly comprehend, she watched over him, slept, came and went, kept him warm and fed. He had a brother now, too, to tumble with and chase after.

This day, it seemed his brother had already wandered from their sleeping place. Caspian followed after, wondering where Ryder had gotten to. Large puppy eyes blinked as he looked about the area, when all of a sudden something landed next to his feet. It seemed to fall from nowhere, and turn into nothing but a little wet spot and puff of dust upon hitting the ground. Caspian sniffed at the spot, then looked up wonderingly toward the clouds overhead. There was a new scent in the air, so many things were unfamiliar to the boy and this was yet one more new experience.

There were more puffs of dust rising all around him now. As droplets began streaking down from the sky, one struck Cas's nose, and he let out a yap of surprise. What was it? He wasn't afraid, just confused and awe-struck. It didn't seem dangerous, just strange. Another pelted the fur on his back. His small tail began to wag, and the pale boy lifted his nose to the sky and let the raindrops tickle his snout.

Ryder had yet to much mind his new sibling. Had there been more of them, he might've taken issue. As it were, Finley's love was ample enough to be shared and if anything, it gave him more opportunity to be on his own, as he preferred. Such as now; it was just him, the sunshine, and the shorebirds that he loved to hassle and chase.

He raced along the waterline, sending each feathered creature into panicked flight as he neared them. They were slowly growing used to his presence, making this more and more his beach as they gradually chose to crowd elsewhere. Still, enough were determined to feed at their usual place that these games still kept him plenty preoccupied. Enough so that he did not notice when Caspian slipped from out of the earth and toddled into the world.

Clouds moved to cover the sun once again as they had periodically throughout the morning, but this time they brought something new and unexpected. It began pelting him and the sand, and while some birds fled others didn't seem to mind the sudden shower. Were they fighting back? Were these insects? What was happening?

Ryder began to howl, his scratchy little puppy song, calling for his mom and any of the other adults that were often around. He was being assaulted!

(This post was last modified: Sep 28, 2022, 06:34 AM by Ryder.)

Caspian heard Ryder's howl above the growing sound of the rain, ringing out from further down the beach. Tilting his head for a moment, the boy listened, before lifting his own tiny muzzle to the sky to call back. It sounded like something was wrong. Not hearing any other response over the sound of the sudden storm, young Cas set off toward his brother.

The downpour continued to intensify as he made his way down the beach. He'd never experienced anything like this. Mud clung to his paws, there was a rushing sound all around that drowned out any less immediate noises, and his fur was beginning to soak through. The summer rain was warm though, and the air smelled new and nice. Every second that passed, the downpour grew stronger. There was something viscerally exciting about the rapidly changing weather to the boy.

Spotting Ryder at last, Cas bounded up to him and only stopped when he had bowled into the larger pup. "Ry?" he wasn't used to seeing Ryder so uncertain, but his own small frame was thrumming with excitement. Throwing his front legs over Ry's back, Cas lifted his muzzle to the sky and gave another of his best puppy howls.

For a split second he thought he heard the start of an adult answering him, but he swiftly realized it was his new sibling. Ryder turned to face him, and saw the other boy approaching. He could see dark spots forming all over the beach, and before his very eyes he watched every inch of sand turn color. The wind picked up, and by the time Caspian got to him he looked as though he'd taken a swim.

The boy whimpered as his ears and tail hung, the water now pouring off of him. The alarm was starting to pass, but this still felt wrong and he didn't much like that not even his mom had answered him, much less both of them. Little brother appeared utterly pleased with the situation, and Ryder pouted as he put half his weight on him.

"Mom!" he shouted loudly, not ready to give up on being comforted by his mother.

Caspian slipped down from his perch and leaned his warmth against his brother as they stood together in the storm. Ryder whimpered, his tail low, and shouted again for their mother. His bother's voice prompted Cas to join in, tossing his head back and calling out to the skies. "Moooom!" Together, they might be loud enough that @Finley or someone would hear them both.

"Ry, les go," he said after his cry had faded. The cloudburst had been fun at first, but as it wore on, he could feel the rain soaking him. The wind pulled at his fur, buffeting against his form. The rain was like curtains of grey, obscuring the usually-familiar lakeshore into a hazy and confusing place. Caspian took a few steps and looked back in hesitation, not confident at all of the direction he had just come from.

Caspian called out too, but all that answered them was the rainstorm. Ryder's paling eyes scanned the horizon line repeatedly for their mother but she never came, and each new moment without caused his stomach to drop further and further. He couldn't think of a single time he'd really needed his mom and she'd not been there. It was an inevitable first, but Ryder hadn't known that.

He was starting to get truly upset, the kind that sat deep.

His brother encouraged him to move, but he lingered, certain Finley had to appear at any moment. She didn't, and he let out a low, long whine before finally unlocking his legs. He knew the way well enough, but each step was slow and dragging as gloom filled his chest and head. Still, dutifully, he led the way for Cas.

(This post was last modified: Nov 01, 2022, 03:21 AM by Ryder.)

The Lennox woman had at first been thrilled that the rain had begun to fall. They had needed it more than any dry season she had ever experienced. Unfortunately, the sigh of relief was extremely short lived as the dribble of rain turned into an outright downpour. The ground was so dry that nothing was soaking in and everything was suddenly at threat of flooding.

Finley abandoned the not so busy task of trying to come up with a new bedtime story her sons hadn’t heard a million times. It had become mostly daydreaming anyways, but what a rude awakening this was. Rushing out into the rain from the safety of the den, the mother looked around wildly, trying to find sight of where the boys had gone off to.

It was the second or third call that alerted her of the whereabouts of her children. One day she wouldn’t be able to be there for them, just like her sons feared, but today would not be that day. Calling out to them as soon as Finley saw their small pale forms, she moved as quickly as she could without slipping in the suddenly muddy filth. She almost took a tumble, ”We’ve got to take cover! Find the closest crop of trees of rocks.” They couldn’t go into an underground den, they would drown, but they needed to be out of the rain.

The unfamiliar but unrelenting rain just kept on, pelting down at the two forlorn boys. Cas didn't know which way to go, and he didn't like how Ryder seemed... more than unhappy. Something was threatening to rattle loose in the younger boy's memory, the thought of being alone and no help coming, no ma to comfort him, no matter how much he called. Why'd he even think of something like that?

Thankfully, he wasn't alone. Ry was here, taking the lead at least, and Caspian exhaled a sigh. Together, they set off through the downpour. The mud clung to his paws with each step, their pawprints quickly filling with water as they left them behind. He only hoped Ry knew better than him which way to go. Perhaps he wasn't the intrepid explorer he dreamed of being, yet.

It couldn't have been that long before they were reunited with Finley, though it seemed quite a bit longer to him. But as soon as she arrived, the rain no longer seemed so cold, the sky so dark. "Ry, MA!" With a grateful bark Cas ran to his mother's flank, tail whipping as he whined. They were saved, to his mind at least.

There she was! Caspian called out and Ryder looked up to spot their mother rushing to them. While both thrilled and relieved to finally see her, the urgency with which she moved and spoke told him his fears were justified. He hugged at her legs alongside his brother, but then encouraged the smaller pup to start moving again.

Like ma said, they needed cover! It was difficult for him to see through the thick, fluttering curtains of rain and he wasn't quite sure where cover would be around here. He trusted Finley to guide them however, and he would make sure that Caspian kept up.

One last round and I will fade out with Fin?

The Lennox woman ushered each of her sons against her sides, taking just a second to nuzzle each of them behind the ear. They appeared to be rattled, but not physically sick or injured, which meant that it was time to get them moving to safety. Green eyes squinted against the wind and the rain, searching for something, anything really, that would cover them. Even if it was just for a few minutes while they came up with a better plan.

A particularly bushy evergreen tree was close enough she knew it wouldn’t be too hard to make it. Gesturing with her muzzle she began the trek, doing what she could to keep her children close without actually stepping on them. Grabbing onto one of the lowest branches with her jaws she winced against the bitter taste, but held it up and out of the way until both Caspian and Ryder were underneath.

Diving in after them, Finley was relieved to feel how dry and almost cozy it was under the green canopy, on top a thick layer of dried needles. Sighing with relief, the mother gave a brief shake and settled down, ”Are you boys okay?” After the drought they’ve been having this was likely to have been their first monsoon like storm.