[EVENT] Coming Storms

[Kimaria]

After months of searching and months of disappointment and heartache it would eventually be that the rain would find them. Vesta lifted her head to the sky and rejoiced, closing her eyes to feel the cold drops beat down against her face. How long had it been since she'd felt moisture like this on her fur? Too long.

And, from the nearby commotion, it appeared others were feeling the same. Their were the voices of cubs, too. Cubs who would never have had the chance to experience this before. What a day! What a day!

"Rain." A low voice breathed close to her side, reminding the water-seeker that she was not alone. She'd done a bit of travelling with Fia that day, glad for the company of a friend and glad, too, that she seemed to be speaking again. Fia was still not completely herself but this version of her was better than the one that had struck out at her in a fury. Grief had a strange way of changing people and it had certainly changed the historian. Vesta had been worried at first but perhaps, after this, things would improve even further.

"Sounds like Hraga is trying to recruit some helpers."

"Hraga?" Fia's brows furrowed.

"Shall we go over?"

But for now, the historian hung back and her small, timid friend stayed with her.  

[Hopefolly]

Maipe was still a cub. Old enough to know the weather would be hot for her whole, entire life, but young enough that experiencing the rain first hand was not some wondrous feat for her. The commotion, however, had her excited.

She woke to the sound of a booming voice and sought out her mother. Since Seide was already there, it didn't take long. "What are they doing out there? I wanna see! -- I wanna help!"



Niu had come to accept the heat as she accepted the lion that suddenly insisted on following her around. "I'll help get you acquainted," Shunqa had said, but Niu didn't need a tour guide. She already had Heti training her and guard duties with Azar, which took up a lot of her day.

-- The guarding part, not the Azar part, just to be clear.

Yet Niu was starting to like this socially awkward shadow of hers. She was telling him of the rogue lands -- the jungles, in particular -- when the first drops hit them.

Niu looked up. "Rain?"

Shunqa stared at the sky, amazed. Then they both heard Hraga's bellowing.

Predictably, Niu was on her paws and heading for the source of the sound.  

[Andranis]

He hadn't gone to sleep, had been unable to. The excitement of digging in preparation... And now the sound. It was everywhere. Kosuke stepped from his and Shula's den, now empty as their second litter had grown. The red lion looked to the sky, closing his eyes as the drops hit him in the face. It was so... Wonderful... He took a breath and let out a loud roar, calling to... Everyone. If anybody was left asleep, he'd be sure they didn't remain so. He turned to Shula, gold eyes dancing as they hadn't in a long time. "Rain! Come on, we have to go help with the waterwell!" He didn't wait, Kosuke taking off to go secure a hole.

The red lioness was grinning as she followed her mate out. She just wanted to dance, she was so happy! "Oh, this is WONDERFUL!" She took off after Kosuke, twisting and jumping and spinning with joy. Rain! It was finally raining! Her joy was short-lived as she fell in one of the waterwells, the worst injury being to what pride she may have had in regards to her actions. She grinned sheepishly, then reached up and accepted Kosuke's paw out. "This is so wonderful! Finally, the rains have come back! The drought is over!" A year had felt like several!

------

She was already at the holes, securing them. Like her uncle, Arevik had been unable to sleep, and very unlike him, her visions of rain had been far clearer and more powerful to the point she had remained up and awake. If she thought she could make sense of whatever she said, she'd have to see about asking her great-aunt how she handled it. The shy white cat soon noticed others coming in and felt so... Tiny. It wasn't that she was small, though - She was rather average for a Firekin, much like her mother's father had been in life. But so many lions with not only markings, but colorations besides stark, striking white... She tried not to show her fears of teasing, as her medic brother's now-mate had done when they were cubs. No fire... She shook her head, getting back to work. Nobody look at her, nobody ask her anything... And she'd be fine.  

[Yin-Bug]

Azar had the smell of rain on the tip of her nose for the last few days. She felt that it was coming however it was just a question of when it was coming. Today was the day though. The scent of the rain as growing heavy and even though she wanted to sleep she was growing restless. She was excited for the rain to come, she knew it was a good step into a better pride and she had been wanting it for a long, long time now. She moved to the edge of her den as she waited for the water drops to start falling from the sky, she had been doing this often the last few days when she was home. Finally as she approached the edge of the den she felt as water drops hit her nose. A small smile grew across her lips, she took a moment to take it all in. She knew that she now she had to get moving and help out anyway that she could with her job.

She was about to start moving that was until the small feet caught her attention. One of her cubs were awoken by the sounds of the rain and of course she just didn't want to leave the smal cub to sit as she wandered out. She nudged the small cub and smiled, she wasn't sure if any of the others were awake but she was going to assume that they were going to follow if she were to leave. She looked at the little cub, tempted to send her back to sleep but yet she didnt' want to deny this young cub her first rain. She flicked her tail and then nodded. "Come little one." She started to Mate' before pausing and then she started to walk, "don't get in anyone's way. Maybe some one will let you dig some holes." She encouraged the small cub as she walked. She was heading toward her brother, Hraga. She knew that there was going to need some kind of other help, however as she walked she caught her sister and Vista.

A small smile stayed on her lips as she approached and spoke. "Nice weather, huh?" She asked curiously, weither or not her sister enjoyed it, she had been being gentle toward Fia. She too knew the feeling of loss, she wore it at the end of a charm she wore in her hair, a lock of her son's hair, a loss that her and Fia shared. Fia carried the burden of more loss than Azar did but yet she always wanted to make sure that her sister was doing well... or at least okay.  

[Kimaria]

Vesta was a shy female and, when approached by the Brigadier, seemed to grow shier still. Dipping her head politely, she dropped back until she was standing in Fia's shadow. Her meek mannerisms were far more like her mother's than her father's, that was for sure.

Fia, however, seemed equally uncomfortable. Since her outburst at the borders a couple of weeks ago, she'd been keeping herself out of sight as much as possible - afraid of too much confrontation. If she had known it was going to rain today and that it would cause such a stir, she'd likely have stayed home. Still, with Azar there was understanding atleast.

They had both loved and lost.

"Nothing lasts forever." She replied, her voice hoarse from its lack of use. Then seh averted her eyes, unsure what else to say or do.

Vesta, at least, seemed to find her voice enough to help ease the discomfort. "Is she your cub?" She indicated Mate'moto. "She's very beautiful."  

[Shia bean]

At times, the black feline favored logic over optimism. The drought had lasted for too long. He would not--could not, accept the sound of rain as anything but a dream. It was more likely the relief of another's bladder, in his mind, then the downpour of something great.

The stillness of his den was what finally stirred the lean male from slumber. Whether it was grogginess or his stubborn mind still ignoring truths, Mwanyambi did not scent the air and question it. Instead he would stretch, reach for something and find it not there. Rambo, the orange jackal he had come to call a friend, was gone. It took Mwanyambi several minutes to find the trail of footprints leading to the mouth of his den... and then to note the speckled sands just outside of it. Dark spots. And not a trace of the canine's direction to be found in the midst of the freshly fallen...piss?

No...that was Rain!

The call from the center of the pride prompted Mwanyambi to act quickly. He was on his feet and shuffling down to meet with the others, eyes kept mainly to the skies in disbelief!

Rambo's ventures could be recounted on later, for now...there was rain to tend to.

Oh yes, it was rain. Glorious rain. The sort of natural phenomenon that made ones fur stick and baths necessary. The fire red lioness knew rain well...And damned it.

Kijinga was no fool. She fully understood the benefits of days like these, and the gratitude she had for it, even then, seemed evident. She knew this was what the others needed to prevail over the pests that had infested their homeland. It would ensure a victory for the strong pride...the strongest of prides. It would bring hope.

However, she had come to enjoy the fine, dry days leading up to this. If not out of routine, out of comfort, as strange as that might sound. Born to the deserts, Kijinga was fond of the hot sun beating down on her back since dwindling frame was more often cold than warm these days. And even more so than that, she had become incredibly fond of cooling herself off in the shade of trees, when she did feel hot.

...In summary, age did not do Kijinga justice. It had changed her.

The female felt compelled to wander out of cover and toward the commotion, aware of the cleanup she'd need to perform later and visibly put-off by the thought of it. She was interested in the growing crowd, more out of nosiness than anything else, and would do what she could to be kept "in the know".

"I've come to help." Her words were not without the weight of her distaste as both eyes leveled with those around her. She avoided direct contact when it could be managed, and scowled at those who met with her hard stare.

((Heading to class, I'll try to keep up with this if I can! ;; I just want RPz and interaction for my Firekin kgais))  

[Mimsey]

Rain level: Moderate

Veru nodded, for a moment considering which of them she meant to go. Seide as a mother was an altogether new experience. While Veru liked to think he could predict his more stoic companion's every move, she had a habit of surprising him at every turn.

But with the rain coming down, and the cubs getting addled, he figured that this was likely an exerpeince not to deprive a firekin mother. He grinned, looking utterly pathetic with his mane now drenched. "I'll go see that no one drowns themselves."

He was joking, but this was a concern. In fact, there had been a brief push to form a comity about swimming safety, should the rains actually come. It was canceled when no one came forward with any sort of reliable experience in the subject.

Shooting an affectionate look towards his cubs, Veru hopped down the stone runaway and off into the sand. Sand which was...not exactly hospitable during a rainstorm. By the time he had arrived to where Hraga had been calling, his feet were muddied by the disheveled dust.

The black lion was towering over one of the makeshift holes, instructing Vlam to move some of the blackrock stones. He turned to face the group. Although Hraga was typically an amiable sort, there was obvious tension in his face as the rain continued to fall. "People! We can't let this chance go to waste. I know everyone is excited, but this rain won't last and we need to make sure we secure as much of it as possible."

He turned his head, his eyes scanning the group. There were faces absent. Faces that were not currently with cubs, elderly, or otherwise indisposed.

This would not stand.

"We need to get more people down here. Try and rouse the others and get them to the waterwells."

Quote:

Some firekin would rather play in the rain [or stay dry in their dens]. This cannot stand! Its time to find some of the holdouts!

Each 'found' firekin will give a bonus to future rolls. For instance, finding a medic will lower the rate of injuries in future rolls. Although there are a total of 5 firekin that can be found, only the first two count.

Searchers roll a dice 1-15:

1. An empty den
2. An empty den
3. Asami: +Medic, lower fail rates in combat
4. A large pool of water forming
5. A large pool of water forming.
6. Elcca: +Seer, additional information about situations
7. Thunder booms overhead.
8. Thunder booms overhead.
9. Roho: +Soldier, higher success in athletic tasks
10. An empty den
11. An empty den
12. Naseera: +thief, more prizes
13. An empty den
14. An empty den
15. Miah: -Drudge, bad luck

 

[wooga Paes]

For Keegan, visions of rain didn't make much sense. She had never seen it, and so it was all rather confusing and weird. Just all that water falling from the sky, and everything. And it sort provoked a headache, which made her grumpy. As usual.

She had been just outside her own den, because night time was cooler and she rather liked sitting around when it got darker. Not that it had been a very bright day, and that in and of itself was unusual. Keegan didn't actually feel the first drop, or the second, and the third felt like a strange little flick. The fourth one caught her right in the eye. "HEY!" She gasped. It didn't hurt, but the cub was rather confused. Especially when the rain started to pick up.

She then made two choices. First, was ignore the instinct to hurry back inside her den even though the world had suddenly become very queer. Second, was to disregard whatever possible advice her [adopted] mom might have that told her to listen to that instinct, or at least not stray too far. Keegan bolted off just as the first thunderclap roared over the desert. Without direction at first, but then towards wherever it was that Hraga was yelling.

By the time she found the big lion, he had barked some other order. Try and rouse the others? Hm! Keegan could handle that. She imagined a competition with the other cubs about and vowed to rouse more lions as she hurried towards the neared den.

"Wake up!" She cried and she scurried in, only to find it empty. Well, darn. Screwing up her face unhappily, she hurried along.  

[Andranis]

Kosuke, setting some stones, looked over to Shula. "How about you go rouse some sleepy heads?" He smiled at his mate, wanting to make sure she didn't fall in any more holes. He didn't want her to get hurt, for one, and didn't want her to dislodge stones, for another. The red male jumped down into one, making sure the bottom stones were secured before he worked his way up. There'd be no sand leeking on HIS watch into this hole!

The lioness smiled at her mate, then stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, pish, posh!" She gave a flick of her tail, setting off back to the dens. The rain soaking into her coat felt so wonderful, how could anybody hide from it? As she reached them, she poked her head into a den and found Elcca. "Oh! Elcca! Good evening! Didn't you want to come out and help us with the waterwells? We could use all the help we can get, you know, and we don't really want anybody who DOESN'T have cubs to skirt their duties!"  

[Yin-Bug]

Azar nodded at her sister, she wasn't going to argue with her comment about nothing lasting forever. She knew that not everything lasted forever but yet she was going to try to make the most of it and she was sure hoping that her sister would do the same. Or at least agree for now. She offered Fia another small smile. "Well, Even if it doesn't last for long it will be helpful for now." She looked up at the sky for a moment. It felt good on her fur, she went from hating the rain to basically loving it at the moment. It felt so nice and cool, it was refreshing and just all kinds of beautiful. She loved it so much and it made her extremely happy. "For now it'll be helpful for these lands. It needs it."

She paused and then looked at the other lioness Vesta, a grin grew wide on her face. She was proud and loved her cubs. "Yes Vesta!" She let out a small laugh before looking at the cub then back to the lioness. "This is Mate'moto, she is one of my latest litter." she was proud of her newest set of cubs they were adorable and beautiful to her. She then paused once again and then nodded at her sister once again. "Shall we head down there?" She asked curiously.



Athine was enjoying the rain while it was here. She enjoyed the water being available and she was enjoying the air being cooler then it normally had been. However she still grumpy about it. She normally was. However she was still out helping the best she could. Including now she glanced toward her brother Hraga as he said to start going to find the others that weren't quiet helping out yet. She decided that it would be worth a try. She kept her head up the best she could but yet was trying her hardnest not any water in her eyes but yet was trying to keep an eye on anyone coming her way or anyone that she should have been looking for.

She was grumpy like she normally was but there were very few things that could make her this grumpy. As she wandered her front paws slipped and she found herself stumbling head first into the sand and the water. She was about chest deep and now had muddy sand in her fur and she was not happy. She of course tried to get her way out of the water pit that she had found as quickly as she can. she was trying to move her feet around and tried to pulled herself out of the water. She fumbled not really that sure of where to put her feet. She looked completely ridiculous. She knew she did and as she pulled herself out of the water she stood for a few seconds trying to act like she didn't do it. She tried to pretend that nothing just happened.  

[oo Ded]

The commotion easily woke the resting Urit'Alya. The soldier had made her way into the opening with the others, quickly blinking the sleep from her eyes. Rain? It was a pleasant surprise that had visibly lifted weight from the Firekin shoulders. The lioness remained silent during the early moments, still not quite sure what to make of the situation. An end to the drought would be marvelous, but one could never be too certain. It would be a shame to get one's hopes up.

The call for others drew Alya's gaze, and with a silent not to no one on particular, she rounded around towards where some dens lay, sweeping past to look in for anyone who might still be lingering.  

[Zosie]

Mwale could hear those in the pride beginning to stir, indeed the voices of young cubs that already had the pleasure of feeling their first rain. It was so unusual, but so welcomed.

As always, he approached the situation with a vaguely military set mind. It was time to find the others, and to take advantage of this situation. Time to be assertive, and to make the most of what was happening, he supposed. Many others were around now, and though he didn't know many by name, he knew many by sight, despite the overwhelming amount of red.

He began to move faster around the others, a more serious look creeping upon his face. "'Scuse me, just business." He grumbled gently. He made his way to an opening and peered in, but was faced with nothing but an empty den. He huffed and retreated, searching for perhaps something else. Perhaps they would find a place where the water was pooling, and that would be of use. He hoped to find some others to gather, to help out. Those that didn't have young cubs were important in lending a paw. The waterwells were an important part of making sure this pride could continue to thrive, and it wasn't going to be achieved by playing in the rain.  

[Eos Galvus]

Mpeko practically flew to find others, the older Firekin's paws practically flying as she moved, dancing still.

"Come on out everyone! No idle bodies please!"

...Well, she tried.  

[Eos Galvus]

Huo moved at a sedate pace, checking each den to see if someone was present, the male frowning. He hoped SOMEONE came out-- though the rain made him soggy, and utterly unhappy, the male making a face.

"Hurry up. We need to get everyone out." The guard growled.  

[Mimsey]

[ No further rolls! ]

Oh, Elcca was not feeling this.

After her efforts to help were so cruelly rejected the day before, the vain lioness had absolutely no thought to helping the others as they rushed about in the rain. She'd certainly seen rain before. What was the excitement in that? What she hadn't seen before were blisters the size of eggs, caused by being forced to dig holes all day. An unforgivable crime, in her book.

By the time the first thunderbooms crackled overhead, Elcca was securely hidden away in one of the pride's alcoves. Only Yoan could be seen perched on a stone, watching the rain wistfully fall.

That seemed to be all it took. When the first sound of her name reached her ears, Elcca all but seethed as she slithered from her domain. The rain was falling evenly now, and she could only imagine how it would ravage her fur. She had words for the cheery lioness down below.

Words.

+ Additional knowledge: Elcca will elaborate on future scenarios!

Naseera was not in her den. But to say she was helping the effort...wasn't exactly true. Actually, she had just been valiantly checking in on some of the abandoned dens, making sure that no cubs had been left unattended. Yes.

She'd go with that.

When spotted, her eyes lit up in a sort of flittering manner they often did when she was caught doing something. Not wanting to be found out, she simply smiled and sidled up with the others. "Ah! I am so glad you guys found me! This rain is really coming down, eh? I bet we'll find a lot of things tonight!"

+ More prizes have been added to the event!