Welcome to Gaia! ::

Solar Wind practically danced through the barrens. It was a little spooky out here, for sure, and there were probably dangers he should be cautious of. But mostly he was just excited to be making his trek. He'd waited a while, since his father didn't seem to find a need to have a gift, but he was jealous! He wanted to be able to do all the things his peers could do! Even now his father was contemplating making his own journey, though, so Solar Wind didn't want to wait any longer.

He wasn't sure what kind of quest the Grandfather Tree would give him, but he was positive that he would be able to succeed. He'd yet to fail anything, and he didn't see what the great Tree would suddenly deny him his gift. He was friendly, he was sociable, and he (hoped) he never hurt anyone. Someone like that had to be accepted by the Tree.

He could see it on the distance now, mighty branches piercing through the horizon. It looked absolutely gigantic against the desolate landscape. As he neared he felt a calmness come over him, something like a peace of mind wrapping around him like a blanket. He couldn't possibly understand where this tree got its powers, but it certainly wielded them.

"Grandfather Tree!" He shouted excitedly. "I hope you'll grant me my quest so I can aid you and all noulicorns in Homewood!"

His request echoed out across the barrens, bright and loud in a quiet and dark atmosphere.

He can barely breathe the wind is ripping through Homewood so aggressively. His pelt is soaked through, he has to blink raindrops from his eyelashes every second, and it's hard to hear over the roar of the storm and the hail. But a small group of foals was in front of him, huddled together with their young familiars and shaking in terror at the force of this storm. He'd guided them under an outcropping of stone, so they at least had some shelter from nature's wrath.

He smiled despite his discomfort.

"You guys are going to be just fine," he shouted over the storm's cacophony. "But I need you to stay right here you hear me? You move one cute little toe out from under these rocks and I'll come get you!" He toed at one of the little does hooves and she giggled a little, though she was clearly still terrified. They all were. "I promise this is going to be okay. I'm going to go gather as many Atmos nouls as I can and we're going to get through this."

He left them, smiling reassuringly the whole time. He knew that there wasn't much the Atmos nouls could do to stop a storm of this magnitude - sometimes nature would just have its way - but if he could gather them in groups to protect those who needed it that would be enough to weather through this.

It didn't take him long to pass by a panicked looking adept and what he assumed was an apprentice trying to help. He stopped them. "I've got four little foals in just the next hollow. They're under the big rock outcropping. Go keep them as safe and as dry as you can."

The adept nodded and carted the apprentice off with him. Good. They were going to be okay.

As he continued through homewood he found a faery, clearly separated and miserable, sulking in a tree. It was so soaked its wings were unusable, but the tree it had found was dead or dying and wasn't going to stand up to the force of the winds and hail. He stepped under the branch that it was clinging too. "Come on! On my back! We're going to find you somewhere drier!"

The faery hesitated, but it clearly knew what a rough spot it was in. It leapt down and clung to Solar Wind's back, shaking slightly. "Thank you."

Solar Wind smiled reassuringly, his superpower, and set off again. He eventually found the faery a group of nouls with an Atmos adept, rain seemingly held back in a tight circle around them. It was by no means dry within the adept's safety net, but it was tolerable. He left the faery and kept on.

He carried on like that for what felt like hours. He'd find a cockatrice or a faery or a foal huddled somewhere, soaked and lost, and he would guide them to the nearest Atmos noul. He was drenched to the bone and shivering hard, but he couldn't stop until everyone was safe and the storm had passed. He greeted every new survivor with a teeth-chattering smile and the same bright, reassuring words. It was going to be okay. He was going to help them. He knew where to take them.

Finally the clouds started to break and warm sun cut in rays through the sky. Solar Wind breathed a deep sigh of relief and stopped for the first time in what felt like forever. He'd done it. He'd helped.