The leopardess grumbled quietly under her breathe. This storm had certainly come in fast, and it didn't look to be getting any better. Thankfully, it had yet to start raining, but these winds were certainly a beast to contend with. Pikku wanted shelter, and she wanted shelter fast. Unfortunately, she was in the middle of a vast plain, no trees or caves or much of anything in sight. Just grass, grass and more grass.
Ugh, how had she found herself in this situation again? She'd been having a weird week thus far - traveling pridemates, deserts and all the like - and she was happy to have time to herself now. So of course the weather had to ruin it for her.
Tail flicking unhappily behind her, Pikku squinted up through the gusts of wind, a small bundle hanging from her mouth. Her collection was precious to her, so normally she would tuck it away on her tail or back, barely visible to anyone else. However, she didn't want to risk it blowing away now. 'I should really invest in something better to hold these,' she pondered to herself.
Sometimes he found himself reminiscing at what could be described as the worst of times. Little things would set it off, such as a leaf flying on the breeze or the chill of water beneath his paws, but it would leave his chest hurting in memory.
Anrothan knew that now was one such time. The storm was blowing in, a decent rainstorm if his nose was proving him right (which it usually was), so he should be trying to find shelter. Instead, he found himself staring out at the field.
Unbidden, memories of his puphood flooded in. He could remember tucking himself away inside of his father's fur, hiding himself from a thunderstorm that had gone through, and his father's reassurances that everything would be fine. He smiled as he recalled his brother huddled in next to him, twins in every way, and his mother humming a pleasant tune on their other side.
But that was a long time ago. He had no idea what became of his family. Perhaps they had found a new home. Maybe he would come across them one day. But for now... the wild dog wasn't sure why he kept up his rogue life, but it felt like it was important. He needed to be traveling. 'Under the sun,' he thought coyly, 'like my namesake.' There was something pulling him to this life. He was hoping he would find out what that was soon.
The reddish leopard paused to shake out her fur. God, what a horrible place. Give her a jungle or a forest any day. It was as she was stopping that she realized that there was something ahead of her. It looked like.... well, something brown. It was hard to tell when her eyes were partially closed to block the wind. Maybe it was shelter though! There were only so many brown things in the world. Excitedly, she pushed off and started sprinting towards it.
As she got closer however, her heart sunk as she realized that no, it was definitely not shelter. In fact, it was a wild dog. That wasn't very common. They normally chose to stay in packs, rather than go out as a loner. This one seemed distracted though.
Pikku briefly debated just leaving him here. He clearly hadn't noticed her, and she had far more important things to worry about right now. But... wild dogs were good with their noses, and he might be able to help find somewhere she could hide.
So, with a reluctant huff, she padded closer to him. Setting her bundle down by her feet, she cleared her throat and said, "Excuse me." She frowned as she realized that the wind was carrying her voice away. Louder this time, "Excuse me!" That should hopefully get his attention.
Pointy ears flicked up at the sound of another's voice. Surprised, Anrothan swiveled his head around to stare at the leopard that had appeared. She was red with lots of spots, was partially curled around something at her feet, and was looking incredibly flustered. It wasn't often that a feline would approach him. More often than not, the two species avoided each other like the plague.
But then... this one looked like she needed help. And as a former Knight, he was not one to turn down a damsel in distress.
"Yes?" His voice, normally loud and boisterous, was particularity quiet compared to the wind surrounding him, but he was still more than heard over it. "Are you alright?"
Oh good, he wasn't deaf, nor was he hostile. "Do I look like I'm alright?" Okay, maybe that was a bit too mean on her part. Whatever, she was desperate by this point. Shaking her head a bit dejectedly, Pikku sighed, "Do you know of any nearby shelters? I need to find somewhere before it gets dark!" And before the storm gets worse. She didn't trust it.
His eyebrow rose at her bluntness, but he figured that it was stress talking more than anything. Tilting his head, he glanced around him at the emptiness of the plain. There really wasn't very much shelter in a place like this.
However... he was a wild dog. They had ways of making shelter in times of need. So with a nod, he replied, "I haven't seen any immediate shelters, but I can certainly help you gain one." The brown canine stood up and started padding away in the direction of a hill he had seen earlier. It should be a decent enough size to dig up.
Gain one? What on earth was he talking about? Wild dogs were so weird sometimes.... But she was desperate enough to follow him. Snatching her collection back into her mouth, she scurried after him. Pikku winced as gusts of wind blew past her fur and chilled her to the bone. She hoped she wasn't heading in the direction of cold climate. It would likely force her to turn around and head back the way she came.
As they came up to a hill, she watched, confused, as he motioned her to stay back before diving at the ground. What? Was he digging? Did all canines do this? Strange creatures.
But wait... was he, was he making a cave?!
Anrothan huffed as his paws dug into the soil. He made sure to angle his digging upwards, hoping to prevent any flooding that may occur from the rain. Minutes went by, and he eventually lost track of how long he was digging, but soon he had a nice little hovel dug out. He poked his nose at the walls, checking their integrity, before nodding in satisfaction. It would do.
Stepping back out, he quickly spotted the red leopard huddled off to the side, staring at him like he was crazy. He held back a snort. What? She wanted shelter. "This should suffice. I double checked the walls, so it shouldn't come down on you. Just make sure to keep an eye on the entrance, should the storm shake anything loose."
Honestly, she hadn't expected this to actually work. Tentatively peeking into the make-shift hole, Pikku glanced warily around before her instincts told that yeah, this would work. Shifting joyfully, she purred as she turned around. "Yes, thank you!" She paused to glance back inside the cave, and then glanced back at him. "It's really only big enough for me though." She narrowed her eyes, "What about you?" Not that she really wanted company. She appreciated the help, but well... she knew what wet dog smelled like.
To her luck though, the male shook his head.
To be honest, he felt like he needed to keep going. The smart thing to do would be to find shelter like she was, but... there was something waiting for him. He didn't know what, but he knew better than to ignore those instincts.
"I'll be fine." He smiled, "I still have some walking to do before nightfall." He bowed his head and then turned, "Take care and good travels." And with that, he started walking away.
Strange creature. She was pretty sure this was weird even by canine standards, but whatever. With a shrug, Pikku crouched and scurried into her hole. It was time to wait out the storm.