Thunder Dome The flower that blooms in adversity

A hunt, a wrong turn, a stumble. A desperate bid for shelter, one paw lifted above the others as he limped along ridge, body low and ears slicked back. He'd never seen or heard of a wolf getting struck, but the leader had an instinctive fear of lightning, and so, was quick to seek shelter from the storm. Ahead of him loomed the dark maw of a cave, and without any further thought on the matter, the male darted inside, shaking water from his pelt as soon as he was out of the rain.

His nose twitched at the scent of another wolf, but the pain in his ankle quickly overtook his senses; the leader gave a soft whimper and licked at the bloody wound, hoping it wasn't quite as bad as it looked. He'd slipped, and his paw got caught between two rocks for several agonizing seconds before he'd managed to get himself free. The day had only gotten worse from there.

For now, though, he was grateful enough to be alive, and lowered himself to the stone floor of the cave before glancing around. There were several things suddenly screaming for his attention - the nearest being the dark figure of another wolf.

Bristling unconsciously, the male regarded the stranger, too startled to react much beyond going still.