Hoshor Plains Confined in mountain halls,

@Ira,
possibly @Finley Grebe !

There was a lot of options playing through at the moment. Orlaith never really had the thought of leading a Pack, she more accepted being the guard of one. It was how she rose within the previous Court, and how she felt with Seelie Court. However that was all she was, a mer' guard, and the flaming wolf had ambitions not to just be some guard, she wanted to lead it!

However, it was all around, she was not given a thought. Taunts and disrespect, she thought with a crown over her head, it would help the situation. Orlaith's words would have to be listened, regardless. That play, the curtains fell quite harshly as it ended with a denial, and her leaving from so. She was no longer a fae, just one of embers and ash, and raging storm within.

She taunted the idea of her own Pack! One she could lead without a worry then, not having to face the disgusted look of Lumiya, and the bitterness of questioning from other wolves. Yet, she doesn't know how to lead a pack.. War was another, battle was of simple orders with blood and fangs, and easy task. There was also the issue with the rainfall, it felt like it drained any energy from entertaining the thought. Who would try to gather wolves in this pour? When such a disaster was near, she felt more appropriate to find shelter in numbers.

Creating numbers was something she didn't have, or know how to.

It caused a mind swirl despite some ambitions being placed.

Then there was other Packs, that Orlaith knew about, but only vaguely know their whereabouts. Could she join them? Start at the bottom? That was a thought as well. However irritation surged through thinking despite how much she showed, would she ever rise? The court didn't seem to give that goal that the wolf desired. If there was, she didn't know.

So she just.. Kept moving.

Thoughts stirring, possibilities to do; but once more. She was just a lone wolf.

To say the past week had been uneventful would be ignorant. It was the dead of summer and yet the heavens poured and have yet to cease. Very few moments allowed a break, but never long enough to dry off or let the earth recuperate. The river was already beginning to swell, and while it ate at Kaistleoki's land it did not pose a threat...yet. The water levels would have to be monitored and if things continued, the children would need to drink elsewhere to avoid being swept away.

Speaking of children...Blackberry had wandered off at probably the worst time. They were getting older, Ira knew she couldn't keep them in the den forever, but things were more dangerous now. The boy's scent led out past the borders. It was against her rules and she was sure the boy knew that. She was frustrated, but the scent wasn't that old, the one issue was once again the rain. If he wound up lost and his scent had been covered there would be no easy retrieval. So she followed.

What once was blessed thick fur now worked against the Count as water soaked and slowed her down. Her patches of longer fur clung like a mop especially now that she was out of the cover of the trees. A scowl had settled on her face as she hunted down the missing cub, golden eyes scanning her surroundings until they landed on a figure. It wasn't her son, but it was another wolf. Ira chuffed, hoping to gain their attention as she stalked forwards, Excuse me, have you seen a boy? Still young, dark fur.

A gray woman approached, but with such a downpour, Orlaith could not tell if she reigned from a Pack or not. It was definitely an irritation, as it now proven difficulty with who aligned with who, as the rain blocked any scents to be detected. Even tracking looked to prove difficult, and catching for a meal, was proven difficult as well.

She spoke of a boy, but a young one, "No, sorry." The best that the flaming wolf had seen was adults, definitely not anyone young. She probably would've stopped them if it was someone that was just a child, the rain was too much for her, she didn't expect any younger to survive through. With such gruesome thoughts, it was best to keep it to herself instead of saying that to the mother.

She had some sort of heart.

A sigh escaped the mother as she glanced across the plains. It would have been too easy had she located the pup first, but that didn't keep her from hoping. I see... thank you anyways. Perhaps under different circumstances, she would try to hold a conversation, but between the rain and who knows how much distance, Ira really needed to keep moving.

If you do come across a pup, his name is Blackberry. We live in Kaistleoki, just north along the river. I will personally find a way to repay you if you bring him home. A past self might tell the Count she was being too trusting, but she was more than open for help at this point. With all said and done, she'd trudge on through the sheets of rain in search of her son.

"Yeah sure." A missing pup in this weather was never good, and while not generally one to go searching, she'd keep an eye out. However the name that the woman gave perked Orlaith's interest, as it was just the pack she was looking for. She still wasn't too sure if she should join, or continue her monologue on making her own group.. But once more, the weather seemed to not take kindly to Orlaith's fate. She opened her maw to speak,

then it hit.

Across the sky did a flash of light come to, blinding the warrior. She was stunned by how close it was, and didn't really, how near it really was. It seemed like the earth itself shook from the wave of lightning it took. The plains were an open field, and open enough to be attacked by it's waves. 

However while it didn't strike Orlaith directly, the aftermath came clear. She felt her skin burn and crackle, it pulsating from her paws to her body. She let out a hollar, a scream of pure anguish and pain. She didn't understand what had happened, as nothing striked her, only nearby. A current through the murky mud, and directly to. She didn't have time to think, only saw black.

Visibly burned on her right arm arm, she was now damaged, and fell to the ground.

@Collision and maybe @Speedy if she's close enough if not they'll end up in KO one way or another haha

She had barely taken two steps when the strike hit. The bolt of lightning came with a fury that shook the earth beneath the Count and held enough energy that the static could be felt in the air. A deafening boom left Ira stunned as she was blinded by the light and deafened by ringing ears.

Within a second the energy traveled through the earth, and though she hadn't been right where lightning struck she, unfortunately, had been close enough to feel the dispersing current. Like Orlaith, Ira felt the pain burn and course through her body drawing forth a deafening yell as wet fur quicky became seared.

For just a moment panic consumed her as faces began to flash before her. Her father, her kids, her friends...Ira's vision went black as the images burned away. She never felt her body hit the ground.

assuming this is a day after this thread? throws fin here late like; hope that's cool!

There’d been no sun to rise with, not with this rain, but it hadn’t stopped Finley. Orlaith forged ahead with a soldier’s blank determination; despite every damned resistance, instinct howling at her not to be so hasty again, Finley followed. But hunger had gotten the better of her and she’d veered off for a time, a quick hunt to prove… something. To someone. Definitely not a test of independence for herself.

No sooner had she tracked down a rodent—hell if she could discern scent between the torrential rainfall—the sky exploded. In a white flash her target was gone; screams ripped across from the plain. Orlaith? They’d hardly talked long enough for Finley to recognize her voice alone, never mind the second.

By the time Finley turned to the source, both Orlaith and another, they’d hit the ground.

Her hunt utterly forgotten, Finley charged for the fallen, as if she had any trace of help to offer—the mindless trance of a devotee who’d watched agape as her guide crashed and burned. Had she been there a moment sooner—her hair stood on end, the air electric with tension and residual spark.

She stayed by the stricken wolves, circling like a rabid vulture who targeted anyone but the fallen—had anyone else noticed? If they had, could they help? Burned fur and flesh made a horrid stench. If these two had been struck dead by a wrathful god.... Maybe now Finley would believe in omens.

She returned to the plains today to try again to find plants to sooth her daughter's sickness. With everything presumably tended at home and her mate watching the children, she set out again. There was a slight break in the rain, but the sky promised a quick return, so she hoped to make this fast and get home with what she needed for Malila before she got too soaked.

A terrifying bolt of lightening dropped down from the sky and touched the ground a ways ahead of where she was. She paused to watch it with wide eyes; she could tell it reached the ground, but she was too far away to see exactly where it hit. Followed soon after the flash were the sounds of someone crying out in pain. Without thinking, Speedy rushed forward, unable to ignore possibility that someone might need her help. 

The sky opened up as she sprinted across the plains, letting loose large drops of rain that had her fur soaked within seconds. The smell of scorched earth and burned flesh made her stomach turn, while also ensuring that she was getting closer. When she finally reached the injured wolves, her eyes found the stranger first, but were instantly ripped away by the recognition of the other unconscious form. Ira, she called out as she tried to push away the initial panic of seeing her friend laying motionless on the ground with red, angry burns across the skin of her leg and side. Snapping herself into action, she took a few steps towards the other woman who appeared to be guarding the bodies. What happened? she asked. Although she had a feeling she already knew; she just hoped it wasn't true. 

Unless the other woman stopped her, she would move to Ira first and look her over and then to the other fallen form. Both had similar injuries. The healer looked up worriedly. The rain will help the healing process start, she stated. But I need to get them back to my pack's territory to continue their care. She pointed her nose to Ira, This is my pack's leader, Ira, and I am their medic, she added, hoping that would ease any distrust the stranger might still have lingering in her mind about Speedy's intentions. But even if the woman agreed to help, there was no way they could move both bodies back to the river on their own, which meant she might have to leave to go get help. She hated the thought of the leaving the injured women here, but she wasn't sure she had a choice.

permission given to skip; Collion still free to jump in whenever :>

At the sight of the stranger Finley tensed even more, but her cry of the other’s name—“Ira”—quelled her tension. Ah, good, someone familiar. Finley stood back and let the other approach, only vaguely registering the question in the rush of the moment. Had Finley been struck? No. Did her blood roar in her ears as she watched, not half as knowledgeable, and the newcomer hastily established herself as a newcomer? She was a warm body, forcing her bristling hair down, internally electrified. Who knew a non-combat situation could offer such a rush.

It took her a moment, grasping at words and anything coherent, after the medic finished speaking. But right, right, couldn’t leave them there—could the two of them drag the fallen duo all the way back? Swallowing, Finley bowed her head in a respectful nod. “Turned my back. They—” What had happened? Why was her voice unsteady? Somewhere in the distance, another flash, thunder on its heels; Finley tilted her snout towards it, as if that explained anything.

Then she gestured towards Orlaith, mouth slightly open as if to take her by the scruff; focus zigzagged, medic, Orlaith, back again. Should I? asked silently, words caught in Finley’s throat. It’d be a long drag—did they have a choice? The medic had no good reason to trust her, least of all with the pack’s leader—or vice versa. Yet the singed bodies left no time for deliberation.

I thought i had missed my window! I'm sorry if you guys were waiting ;-;

He wasn't on his way in any particular direction. The scent of rain tempted the air and he could feel the pressure changing. Something was coming. Something big. His ears pressed against his head as anxiety crawled in his chest. In the distance large storm clouds curled and rolled. They moved at an alarming rate. Collision needed to get back to the Empire. Ah, but that would
have been all to easy. 

 He moved with quickened feet and his eyes widened as lightning struck and the thunder became a crescendo. Deafening. It was time to simply seek cover. A wise decision as rain burst from the heavens. He couldn't though. He no longer worried about the rain, the lightning, or the thunder. There was a scream that rolled across the land and Collision became a new force to be reckoned with. Something determined. 

 His trot became a full sprint (as fast as the large male could manage) and he pursued the scene. What he came to was all too apalling. 
 
 The scent of Kaistleoki broke through his nose and his ears pinned to his head as he made note of the other wolves that stood near in panic. On the ground lay a perfect stranger...and Ira. The leader of Kaistleoki still. His eyes found Speedy. She was a medic, right? This was no place to treat the wounded. 

 Collision moved towards the one that appeared larger. That so happened to not be Ira. 

 He caught the tail end of Speedy's request and nodded at her. "Then we move them," He shouted over the rain and looked at the other woman. Collision was the larger of the group. so it would be logical for him to carry the stranger. "I'll carry this lady. Can you take Ira?" She didn't look like a weak woman and the warrior was counting on her strength. They would have to carry them draped over their back like kills. So be it. 

 His ears flattened as his head craned down and he attempted to press his head beneath the woman (Orlaith) and he intended to move until she was settled over his back. Strong or not the task was not going to present as an easy one. They needed to go.