Swiftcurrent Creek praise your king and queen

For @Elijah - if you have time!

It was unseasonably wet and windy when Bazi woke up, and she considered herself lucky to have fallen asleep beneath the trees at the top of the territory's only real hill. She spotted others on the peak that mirrored hers, and raised her white tail to wave a greeting at them. There was no point moving - the rain was coming down hard, and the wind made it all the more unpleasant.

Had anyone else sought shelter on her side? Bazi shuffled around the tree trunk she was resting against, peering into the dense foliage that dressed the side of the hill. No-one. Tuwawi and Njal would be in their den, and Shadow might not even be within the borders.. but what about Rainier, or Danica - or that new guy she had accepted into her family without so much as asking about his origins?

Wet. Rain. It interrupted his rest. An eye twitched closed while the other scrunched in displeasure – Elijah was used to the weather throwing curveballs... but he had hoped to explore more today versus being cooped up at “home”. Ears fell back, he'd taken refuge on the hill like most of the pack had, but he hadn't traveled to the top, stayed more-so on the side. A yawn split his lips before the Pi finally gave a shake of his agouti coat. He glanced, spotting a small cluster of trees further up that would, at least, give him more shelter than the rock he'd nestled by.
Thick legs carried him upwards, unaware at first that the trees were already housing one of his pack mates. His black nose twitched the moment he neared them, recognizing the scent as the white wolf – Bazi. He couldn't say he liked or disliked her at this rate... Admittedly, he was annoyed at both her and Shadow for having just abandoned him and left him standing there utterly confused once they accepted him into the pack. Elijah let out a low bark, announcing his presence with his posture submissive.

As luck would have it, the very wolf that lingered in her mind was the one that showed up next. He barked to catch her attention, and Bazi ushered him towards her tree with a gesture of her muzzle. "Come on, shelter her with me!" she called to him over the howling wind.

No sooner had she issued the invitation than a clap of thunder rocked the entire world. Bazi shrank back against the rough trunk of her natural umbrella, ears flat and teeth bared at the sky.

Thankfully Bazi wasn't about to let Elijah stand out in the rain for long. She quickly beckoned him in, and the Pi didn't wait either. He bolted forward, tail tucking underneath his hindquarters with ears flattening at the abrupt thunderclap that followed his run. Eli let out a low whine, having not expected the rainstorm to turn into something worse – thunder and lightning brought about the possibility of fire and so forth. He tucked near Bazi, curling submissively towards her side with his back to the tree.
“Are storms like this frequent?” The agouti questioned, blue eyes innocently glancing towards the white Alpha in hopes that her answer would be 'no'.

Elijah response to the weather's sudden escalation was not dissimilar from Bazi's. He rushed to join her, a high whine escaping him at what sounded like a thousand sky-bound giants smashing their fists together. The Alpha scooted nearer her pack-mate, glad for another's warmth and additional protection from the wind.

"I don't really know," she admitted. "Not so far.. I've only been here since the end of winter." A particularly violent gust of wind speared through the valley between the two hills, and the northern girl grimaced. "I'm used to snow, not this... piss. What about you?" She turned to look at him, squinting against the fine drizzle that still made it into their sheltered nook. "Is this normal where you're from?"