Bitterroot Valley You got some shit to say and I'm hear to listen

@Kavik  (set at the very edge of the southern Snowforest Taiga, where the Qeya meets the Rising Sun Valley)

They'd been wrong; they should have returned to the Sanctuary far earlier. 

The storm had blown up with surprising speed and ferocious strength; it beat against them angrily as the wind screeched at their ears. The rain fell in droves so thick it knocked branches from trees and sent even some of the larger boulders that dotted the south of the Taiga tumbling. It was terrifying, or would be; if the healer had not once seen locusts rain from the heavens. 

The sylph was not so frightened as she was cold. It was a bitter gnawing animal inside of her; chewing at her intestines and leaving a hollow, numbing pain. She shivers continuously, not unlike one of the leaves caught in the storm's path, huddled as she is against the equally chilled Kavik. The fae had been frightened of losing him in the storm - if she lost him, no, she would not go there, it was unthinkable - and refused to leave his side. She kept her pale shoulder firmly pressed against his onyx one as they straggled against the rain, squinting so as to see through the diluge. As night sets on, this task becomes harder and harder. 

They've been turned around somewhere, Liri thinks despondenty as she catches sight of the Qeya - this is not the way she has crossed the river before and with the rain in her eyes, Liri doesn't recognize it. The rain has swelled it some, this section must have been one of the few to possess rapids, and now it churns dangerously - a watery grave for anyone foolish enough to get too close. 

Liri stops, thwarted by the river and knowing the only shelter at their backs are the meadows and their damned rocks. For a moment she is lost, unsure what to do. Then with a determined set of her jaw and a nip to get Kavik's attention, she heads downstream. 

The spirit is unsure where exactly she's going, she just wants somewhere to dry her soggy coat and warm up at her giant's side. Just as the first waves of doubt begin to break over her, she spots something ahead. It's a mere dark smudge through the rain but Liri bumps Kavik's shoulder.

"There!" she calls, shouting to be heard over the sudden boom of thunder - so loud it leaves her ears ringing. With an exchanged look of mutual agreement, the couple hastens towards the shape. 

The sylph is wary at first, ears pricked and dark eyes honed on their destination, searching for any sign of danger. As they get closer, the blur reveals itself to be a strand of straggling saplings, several young willows intertwined on the bank overlooking a much calmer stretch of the Qeya. One of the larger boulders, a commodity to be sure, appears to have long ago crashed against the trees - creating a sheltered cove with an overhang for them to sleep beneath. 

Liri shoots Kavik a wet smile and climbs beneath the, thank heavens, dry overhang with a useless shake of her achromatic coat and settles in against him. The petite healer practically burrows into him, trying to curl as closely against him as possible. 

The thunder is booming and lightning flashes though Liri can't pinpoint where in the sky it's so dark. Liri's freezing, trembling and chattering beside her male. Soon enough they warm to each other's body heat and most of her trembles still. The Blackfoot gives a tiny sigh, weary to the bone, and rests her damp head on the ground - against Kavik's chest so as to hear his heartbeat.