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Small paws were surprisingly fleet as the cheetah sprinted across the sands. His tail flagged behind him like a banner, flicking as the humid air hit his face. The clouds above were black and rolling with thunder, faint, but there. And soon it would rain. It wasn't the rain that bothered him. It was the lightning. His fur stood up on end as he scanned the skies, running as fast as his paws and lungs would take him.

He hated storms. Always had, always would. The memory of his mother flicked across his mind and he shuddered. A cramp in his thigh stabbed him with pain and he slowed down, ears flat against his skull. Damn this weather... He hated spring.

With his head low, he moved as fast as he could...blindly into the path of a waiting lioness.

"Huh?" Velo's voice was thin and sharp as he skidded to a halt. Damn. Right in front of him was a girl with a pattern of rainbows across her pelt. He hesitated, though instincts screamed 'Take cover!'. He knew it was the ghosts of his past haunting him, but still... "It's gonna rain any minute now, girlie. Dontcha wanna take cover?" He quirked his head to the side, though his eyes traced down the rainbows across her paws. "Beautiful colors," he quipped before he could stop himself. "Make them yourself? Betchca your parents were a pallet of pastels." He talked quick, but slow enough that she'd catch his words and maybe the faintest hint of an accent.

He seemed surprised to have surprised her, blue eyes widening at the utter fear lurking in her own gaze. Oh heck, was he that scary? A little high-strung, but he was a friendly guy, honest! Once she seemed to notice he wasn't...stalking her or something, she seemed to settle behind a facade of shyness. He smiled at her. "Nevermind," he said, waving a small paw in the air then pulling his ears back. "I hate storms. Hate, hate... Storms bring bad things." Though when she spoke of the blue flashes--lightning, had to be--he straightened up. "Well...I don't want the lightning to find me," he admitted softly. "But sitting out in the middle of a storm seems...strange, doesn't it, chica?" He shook his head and jumped as thunder rippled across the clouds once more, obviously spooked. But the girl wasn't fearful at all... "You like storms then?"

Velo shifted his weight from side to side, unable to stay still as he watched this lioness... This very brave, very bright lioness. He had to grin, despite the situation as she spoke of the rain. His eyes drifted up, boring into the dark clouds churning and he held his breath, heart speeding up a little.

"Wh-What?" Lightning liked trees? He blinked, ears docking back. "Well...then it doesn't seem safe to take cover in the trees, but what about a cave, yeah? A cave is safe? Safe from the rain and the lightning."

And when she laughed, Velo chuckled nervously. "Yeahyeah, I'm a baby," he said, unaffected by her giggling. "It's...not the thunder that gets me. That's just a precursor to the lightning. The blue flashes," he said. "I don't...like the lightning." He dropped his gaze to her rainbow-splashed paws and frowned. He'd really like to find a cave and hide until the storm passed.

Velo's head ducked at the bright flash, his eyes pressed tightly shut as he prayed to the Goddess above to take the fear away. Panic rose in his throat as he hunkered to the ground, looking at the girl as she spoke. Yes! Yes, anywhere but here! "You know of a place, yeah?" he asked, ears flat against his skull. His blue eyes darted to the skies, searching them. "If so, let's make a run for it. I hate bad weather and it's going to start--" A raindrop on his nose, fat and round, cut him off. He grimaced. "Raining. Lovely. Now we'll get wet."