Dragoncrest Cliffs in hell i'll be in good company

high above the cliffs, the dark sky churned and shook as thunder boomed on the heels of staccato flickers of lightning. wind shrieked through trees and threw debris into the lashing sea. the storm swept over dragoncrest cliffs with unforgiving claws of ice, tearing through foliage and softer terrain and crushing the fragments to dust against sea and stone.

far below the cliffs, the sea raged against the shore. each violent wave stretched further up the sands, grasping with frigid fingers and snatching bits from the land, wreckage and refugee alike. no creature was safe while this storm shook the cliffs from above and below.

@Erzulie @Rosalyn pms have full control over the severity, length, and lasting damage caused by this storm. i tried to refrain from referencing the extent of the damage described; it could easily be restricted to a certain area!

written by the listener

"loko! @Sobo!" erzulie shouted over the crash of the clasping storm clawing across the cliffs. "@Coraline! mireille!" rain sliced into her eyes; she narrowed her gaze, soaked to the marrow by the driving rain "get to de tunnel! now!"
she cried now for @Njord, for @Chacal, for @Hermes, for @Hollis.
erzulie did not want to hide among the pines; she could hear the tearing creak of the limbs.
nor the saltmarsh, it would be too fragile.
the tangle, too treacherous; it must be the long stone hallway with light at two ends.
they would have to crowd together within, but she believed it would fit them until the storm had passed.
she stood at its entrance, calling into the teeth of the storm and hoping fervently she would be heard.

mireille will be missing from sapphique as of this post ;;

mireille had returned home before the second wave of sickness had crippled the caribou once more. it was good to be back among her siblings and mothers and da, but most of all it was good to be back with her brother. she had brought him a piece of caribou antler wrapped in all manner of plants dug from the snow, thinking he would enjoy this even if he had not gone. she knew none of their names, but —
sapphique had been devoid of both sobo and chacal. she had waited in worried impatience, grinning as she presented him with her offering. the leaves were only slightly wilted.
these were the memories clutched in mireille's head as she staggered out of sapphique. the wind caught her mother's voice, twisting the sound until it seemed to echo from a thousand places. mireille, nearly pushed flat by the wind, had followed hte wrong trail.
the current of the river sweeping violently from the tangle, its volume swollen by the torrential rain, was unforgiving. the girl who had grown up beside the sea felt the bank crumble into mud beneath her paws, dragged into freshwater and swept as swiftly downstream as she could scream.
mireille would be spat out somewhere before the sunspire, lying insensate beneath a darkening sky she was not conscious to see.

the storm was treacherous and frightening, nessarose saw as soon as it struck; the perfect opportunity to move unhindered through the territory of a thriving pack. at least for now. she bid her time, until the shrieking wind rose to unbearable heights, and descended on the cliffside pack with a ravenous craving for blood.

she drove into the territory with purpose, as far as she could manage before running into one of the denizens. and the first one she found would have no more than moments to prepare for her assault.

nessarose is trespassing, pp permission given for any and all injuries excluding death.

pp permission given for hyacinth and hermes, but please note that they will not be arriving at the tunnel

he'd been out with the kids when the storm struck. he and @Hyacinth had taken them for a trip along the beach, a mundane little outing meant to end soon after it had begun. it seemed far away now, like a hazy dream from another time, though only minutes separated the change.

dionysus was missing, frightened to a hasty flight by the first crack of thunder. the remaining trio searched frantically for him, until @Erzulie's call cut through the howling storm and zephyr realized that hermes could not be kept out in this weather. he sent hyacinth away, to erzulie and safety. then he pressed on, tracking dionysus's scent toward the beach.

until he became aware that he was being followed. or perhaps not; perhaps it was only coincidence that had the trespasser hot on zephyr's heels. as soon as he became aware of her presence, he whipped around with a snarl, calling briefly to the pack with a singular message: intruder.

and then he lunged for her, his children at the front of his thoughts.

Skippable!

Sobo stared out at the lashing sea with a creeping sense of foreboding and a dry mouth. Never in his memory had it slammed its fists so violently into the cliffs that they veritably shook with each crash. Wind drove spray across the sand. The ocean frothed in the distance, each wave capped with seething white, just like the whites of his eyes, which showed around his blue pupils.

Water drove up the shore and engulfed his paws, shaking Sobo from his reverie in the same instant Erzulie called out for he and his siblings. It sucked the sand beneath his feet with such fervency than he almost lost his balance and tumbled into it. With his heart hammering in his chest, Sobo turned from the sea, always a friend to him and his family, and jogged up to the tunnel with his ears pressed back against the gale.

He gave himself a mighty shake before stepping inside, pausing to give his mother a bracing nudge and low wag of his tail. Then he went deeper, seeking his siblings, and so loud and strong was the wind sucking through the tunnel right then that he did not hear another packmate's warning howl and was oblivious entirely to their plight.

They'd seen storms before, so Rosalyn was not worried at first. She'd weathered a good many in their time upon the coast, but as the winds shifted, the sky blackened with an alarming intensity. Generally the ocean did not have this level of ire.

She should have returned immediately to the caves. Likewise, she should have done as her wife had and ensured their children were accounted for. Perhaps she would have thought to do so if a call hadn't sounded off to her left, near enough that she immediately honed in on its location.

In the chaos of the storm, the decision wasn't even a choice. She took the easy route, allowing the call to drive her towards the threat that she could fight and ignoring the one she could not in the process.

The driving rain would slow her down, but she would not be far behind.

Chacal had sought shelter in the woodlands when the winds began to pick up. When the ice pellets began to fall, she wasn't terribly concerned at first, until the lunging winds made each ice pellet sting like a tiny hornet's needle. The trees bowed beneath the weight of the ice and limbs began to crackle and fall off from the evergreens. The earth beneath her feet lifted and tilted sideways suddenly as one of the taller pines was uprooted. She stumbled sideways' but managed to avoid much damage as the tree only fell to about a 45 degree angle, held up by its family- but not for long. 

She heard the silvery, urgent voice of her Maman calling them to the tunnel, so she roved toward the coast, arriving not long after Sobo, but only her Maman and Sobo were currently present. "Coraline? Mireille? Loko?" She called out, in a lyric melody but deduced that they were not present. [b]"I will go look. There is intruder as well. I will find the others." She said, before she roamed back out into the ice pellets again. 

Carefully she trod, for the rocks were beginnig to take on a solid inch of ice that was slick with humidity. "Coraline!! Mireille! Loko?" Her voice but a flickering lighthouse light in the fog, and she continued to search for her siblings.[/b]

The sky turned black as a snap of cold hit Dragoncrest. It was not long before the howling wind flung blankets of snow and ice across Sapphique. The trees moaned as they bent beneath the storm’s power, and snaps of breaking boughs pierced the wailing gale.

Njord’s fur was torn this way and that as he fought against the frozen deluge, sleet stinging his face as he made his way towards the heart of the territory to reunite with the rest of the pack. He could barely hear Erzulie’s howl, but it was enough to lead him towards the tunnel just as a flash of lightening cracked overhead.

Before he could reach their bunker, Njord spied Chacal’s dark figure. Her voice was carried away by the wind, but the man could make out a few syllables and realized she was calling for the rest of the children. Panic thrummed in his chest. Were they not with Erzulie? “Chacal!” Njord boomed, bumping against the young woman. His look, painted with knowing concern, said it all. He began to call in unison, voices toned to hers like an acapella. “Coraline!! Mireille! Loko!!“

erzulie counted her wolves as they entered. many were here. many were not. she turned back, blinking into the driving rain. rosalyn was out here. and she had heard chacal's voice.
the ice fell.
erzulie wanted fiercely to return into the darkness, to pluck each member of sapphique from where they were, to place them in the safety of the tunnel. but she knew one leader must remain present at this place.
and so the obsidian called out again, voice seeking to cut through the storm, to give strength and guidance.

Pushing through this unexpected storm was a mighty task. The violent wind fought against him. Sand and saltwater came flying into his eyes, stinging them. 
The anxiety that weighed so suddenly on him only made moving harder. His legs shook, his breath was short. Worse case scenarios involving Zephyr and Dionysus made his head grow numb. He desperately wanted to turn around and help round up the whole family, but that was — unfortunately — out of the question. Hermes — even more frightened by the storm than he was — needed to get to safety. As soon as he was with Erzulie he’d find his way back to his partner.
Hyacinth’s encouraging shouts were cut short by Zephyr’s rallying cry. 
”Was that dad?” Hermes cried over the storm. Hyacinth didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His mind raced as he stared out to where the howl had come from. Now he was even more conflicted as to what to do.
Hermes.. he lowered his head so his son could hear. I need you to go inland ok? A-and find somewhere to hide.
He didn’t think it possible for the boy to get even more scared than he was, but his face drained of what little color was left. Hyacinth’s heart twisted with guilt.
I-It’ll be ok. He pressed his nose against Hermes’s forehead. Me and dad and your brother will find you ok?
”You have to promise.” A sob cut through Hermes’s demand.
Yes… I promise. 
And as he ushered his son towards the tree line, gave him a gentle kiss and ran back to where he came, Hyacinth truly believed his word.

Hermes watched his Papa leave with eyes wide and jaw agape. He shook more violently than he was before as his dark form grew more murky. Tears welled in his eyes when he disappeared behind the veil of heavy rain.
Inland, he whispered to himself. Go inland. Go inland… Go!  
But he couldn’t. His parents were in trouble. His brother was missing. He couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
Hermes sprinted forward without a second thought, following his father’s trail as best as he could manage.

I'm going to wrap this!! Vague as I can <3

Rosalyn sprinted towards the call, towards where the sounds of violence could barely be heard over the sound of the storm. But the rainwater made the path treacherous, and in her wild rush, she misstepped. The fall overbalanced her and sent her tumbling left, off of the trail she'd been following and down the darkened and steep slope of the cliffs.

By the time she woke, littered with debris, Zephyr and whatever he fought would be nowhere to be found. Nor would Mireille. The storm would be past, sparing her, but still taking enough in it's wake.