Moonspear Fram, ber med bare føt, den tunge børi.

-“Thanks for attending,”- Towhee said, eyeing the sky as gray clouds scudded in to blot out the blue. -“Class dismissed.”-

She watched as @Njord, Meerkat, @Orca II and Seal traipsed toward their ulaq to take shelter, then waved when @Sialuk departed too. That left Towhee standing alone at the top of the rendezvous site, the weather rapidly taking a turn for the worse.

Towhee trotted down the slight incline, keeping her eyes peeled for @Sable and @Towhee Jr. The two of them and Phox hadn’t attended the Saturday morning class, seeing as they were already rather fluent. She couldn’t find any of them and she reminded herself that her kids were officially old enough to mosey around the mountain by themselves.

She left the rendezvous site, heading westward. Towhee kept moving even after the rain began to fall, though she scooted beneath a tall sycamore when it suddenly turned into a deluge. A gust of wind shook its limbs and she felt the rumble of thunder beneath her paws. She settled her scarred back against the tree’s trunk, prepared to relax and wait out the storm, when every blade of fur on her body suddenly raised.

Timestamp: June 17.

Maybe a cameo, unless you want Towhee to have seen and check back in LOL. I just like taking advantage of these tags

Ptero was interesting. As she and Seal departed their lesson, Orca paused and realized, both saying and thinking, I FORGOT MY BONE! and then, tell ma and da I will be right in, and she meant that. And then she bolted toward where granny Towhee had just been, finding the bone she had claimed—and been carrying around—the past week. It was her favorite bone at the moment, and she was just getting to the good part.

She watched as her grandma moved away, happy as she victoriously chewed her found prize. But an unexpected (for the inexpert meteorologist) thunderclap sent Orca sprinting down that hill, bone in mouth. She lost her footing and began rolling nonstop.

It felt nonstop anyway. She did actually come to a stop eventually, and her pride smarting, Orca turned and sprinted back home on the double, eyes watery. But, to her credit, she did not let go of that bone. She yelped around it, crying for the support of her mother and father.

Her spine went rigid as her fur stood on end. An indescribable odor filled the air and Towhee’s stomach sank, sensing something very wrong in the split second before the air became blindingly bright. Her skin tingled as some force flung her, a rash of blistering heat lighting up her backside as she flew through the air.

She landed hard and slid a few feet, the scar tissue on her back searing with pain as Towhee tried to raise her head and orient herself. The ground shook beneath her as a ball of light drew her eyes. She craned her neck to stare at the fire engulfing the sycamore’s branches.

The phenomenon only lasted a matter of seconds before the heavy rain drowned the flames. Towhee’s eyes traced down the tree’s great trunk, split in two and blackened from top nearly to bottom. As she looked, lightning flashed again and she cringed.

Towhee tried to stand, though it felt as though there was a great weight on her back. She winced, the pelting rain painful on her suddenly tender scars. She rolled onto her side with a grunt, then took a moment to catch her breath before letting out a tremulous call for help.

Thanks for playing! I assume the lightning strike was pretty loud, if you want Orca to hear it and/or the call for help. :)

Alaric by chance and Towhees luck happened to be about dodging the lightning strikes. There was a wild look in his eyes, but he wasn't afraid.no excitement was more his feeling.

However it quickly morphed from awe at the strike he could see from a distance to wariness and fear as he heard a cry for help.

He ran towards the sound rain pelting him hard and painfully, cold and sharp but he made it. The older female that he'd seen but hadn't spoke to since that day. He remembered though she was deaf.

The smell if burnt fur and singed flesh made his stomach tighten.

He got as near as he could without getting bitten to loo kher in the face so she could read his lips. Momwntsrily cursing that he didn't know her paw language. Because it'd be hard to see with the rain.

Healer. I help. he settled for as short of sentences he could until thery were elsewhere.

what exactly hurts and happened.

Meerkat didn’t realize both their daughters weren’t right behind them until she ducked into the ulaq and spun. She ushered in Seal but saw no sign of Orca. Her sister quickly explained and Meerkat would not have worried much if not for the fact that the storm very rapidly gained intensity.

I’m going to go— Meerkat said, voice cutting off sharply at the sound of a cry over the noise of the storm.

Before she could get much further than a few footsteps outside the ulaq, a soaking went Orca came careening toward her. Meerkat threw out an arm, slinging it over her shoulders and tugging her into the den. She gently pulled the bone from her daughter’s mouth and fetched a worn-out skin to toss over her shoulders.

What happened? she asked, fairly certain Orca didn’t fear storms, so there must be another reason she looked so very fraught.

But before the little girl could explain, there was a loud BOOM! in the distance and a particularly bright flash of lightning. Meerkat cringed, then looked over to Njord with a bewildered expression on her face. Her mind immediately went to those old scars on the mountain’s face, the marks of a strange storm of yore…

Towhee’s wavering cry for help scattered her thoughts, prompting Meerkat to bark, Keep an eye on the girls, please! as she darted out into the storm.

It took her longer than she liked to locate Towhee, though she felt some measure of relief when she saw Alaric standing over her. Meerkat rushed to his side, then crouched down beside her mother, a look of horror crawling over her face when she saw steam rising from Towhee’s back and smelled what could only be burnt flesh.

What happened? she cried for the second time in so many minutes.

Not for the first time, a wounded Towhee looked up and found herself thinking, Maxim?! Half a second later, she realized it was just Alaric. At least this time, she didn’t feel the old anger. Her stomach did a weird little dance, then the moment passed.

I don’t think I’m hit, I was just in the splash zone, Towhee quipped dryly, rolling more onto her belly and trying to twist a little to look at her back. The scars are old, she said just in case, but they’re hurting like they’re fresh. Did it burn me?

Meerkat appeared then, looking pretty upset. Towhee shook her head and found one of her daughter’s paws, putting her own on top of it.

It’s not as bad as it looks—and smells—I swear, she reassured, curling her nose at the odor she’d only now caught. You should feel bad for that tree, it definitely took the brunt of it, Towhee added, pointing at the charred sycamore.

The rain took mercy on them and tapered off to a light drizzle. Towhee cocked her head as she suddenly noticed the steam rising from the blackened branches.

I wanted to keep this moving and assumed Orca might stay back in the den, though feel free to prove me wrong… :)

Alaric moved closer and looked her back over, luckily it wasn't bad. The heat has just singed a little and because of the scar tissue it felt worse than it was. 

He titled an ear and then moved back into front of her. 

Heat singed ya a little. A little crispy but nothing major. I can put some aloe on it, but lets get you to a dry place. Shall we. You need help leaning on aomeone? I promise i won't drop ya to hard.

He gave a soft charming smile.

Once Alaric assessed Towhee, the envoy felt a little better. Meerkat didn’t entirely trust her mother’s own take on the situation, since she figured the elder Redhawk might be downplaying the situation.

Let’s take her to the healing ulaq, Meerkat suggested, bringing her free paw to clasp Towhee’s between her own, giving it a squeeze. You’re in good hands, mom.

She let go and slipped her paws free to stand up and give her mother room to do the same. When it was clear Towhee didn’t need any help moving, Meerkat chewed at her lip.

If you don’t think you’ll need my help getting there, I should get back to our ulaq. Orca looked upset about something and I want to make sure everything’s alright, she said apologetically.

Towhee dropped her gaze in time to catch the latter half of Alaric’s diagnosis and proposed treatment. She nodded her head at the suggestion to find someplace dry—that sounded good, regardless of getting struck by lightning—and stood slowly but surely. Her back hurt but she didn’t need anyone’s help.

Meerkat suggested they use the healing den overlooking the glen. Towhee nodded again, then made a shooing motion when her daughter mentioned heading back to her family’s ulaq.

Go. Orca needs you more than I do. I’ll be okay, Towhee reassured, making one last dismissive gesture before turning to Alaric. I’m fine to walk on my own, let’s just take it slow if you don’t mind.

Alaric nodded and stayed by the darker lady. Blocking the wind if he could. They could go as slow as she needed he wasn't too concerned that it would cause irreversible harm to herself by moving.

He had some aloe and honestly that would both ease the singe and make the scar tissue less tight. She should prob be putting aloe on her scars often to keep them from being tight.

The rain picked up a bit as they headed down the mount, though they made it to the healing ulaq without incident. Towhee slipped inside and went to shake out her coat a bit, only to hiss when the movement shot pain up and down her singed back.

What did you say you wanted to put on it? A salve of some sort? she asked as she circled a couple times and dropped carefully to the ground.

Alaric studied her alarmed, but it seemed it had just been her movements. 

He met her gaze and spoke slowly so she could follow. 

Let me try and dry you off a bit.


He grasped a nearby fur and draped it over her as best hecould with teeth and claws gently rubbing at the excess water.

Then he moved to face her again and nodded. Aloe. pressing the fur he always carried he unrolled it and slowly pulled the green pod from inside. With a claw he slit it and pressed. The green goop sliding out. Grasping the edge he hadn't torn, he slowly moved it along her back. He followed with muzzle making the underside of his maw spiky and funky.

She didn’t move as he bustled around the den, fetching a fur to dry her—which was simultaneously painful and pleasant—and then procured some sort of pale green root, by the looks of it. Towhee watched in silence as he removed it from a pouch and cut it open with a claw. He then moved behind her, so she faced the den wall.

Towhee jumped a little at the first contact, mostly because it was colder than she expected. She could feel the moisture oozing over her angry skin, cooling and soothing it. The den filled with a refreshing scent. With the heavy rainfall, she fancied it smelled even stronger than it usually would.

She kind of wanted to fall asleep, though before Towhee let herself do that, she turned her head to say, Thanks, Alaric. Is there any particular aftercare I should be doing? Or will getting some rest suffice?

If only all his patients were this great his life wouldbe so much easier, but well that wasn't how it worked.

He met her haze when she turned and shook hia head. Just reat, but I'm gonna leave somw aloe with you. It actually will help ease the tightness of your scars too.

He lay a few fronds down and then smiled. Get some rest lightning bug. then he winked and turned towards the den mouth. Hed sleep near the front. Give her space.

He intended to leave the aloe plant with her, though Towhee wasn’t sure how she was meant to apply it herself. She supposed she had plenty of people to ask to lend a hand, though, so she said nothing, merely nodded.

Alaric probably meant nothing by it, though his pet name and accompanying wink made her wonder: was he flirting with her? No, that was absurd. But his resemblance to Maxim made her breath catch in her throat for a second before she blew out a breath and shoved all thoughts of romance—past, present and future—from her mind.

She closed her eyes, focusing on the tingling along her back and the soft rush of petrichor-scented air making its way into the den.