.:. A Nice Day for a Nap .:.
Word Count: 1011
A crash of thunder woke Yota from his morning nap, loud and jarring against him. He was high up in a tree, bringing him closer to the sound than he would have liked. A second crash, soon after the first, had him scrambling down the large oak, huddling beneath it and between the roots. Wind howled violently through the trees, though the rain had not started yet. He could smell it - almost taste it in the air. He pressed his body and close to the tree as he could, hoping it would be enough to keep him dry. He could see some of the other woodland creatures scampering in search of better shelter, and the birds hurrying back to their nests to weather the storm. Worry gnawed at his belly as bright flash streaked past his vision. His little meager shelter would not be enough.
Yota tried to think, frantic and panicked, to somewhere he could hunker down.
Normally he stayed much higher up, the trees gave him safety. But the lightning and thunder threatened that. Going to low could cause rain to pour into his shelter. Digging down here would not help either. Thats when he remembered it. A cave, not far from there. It was old, but it was generally occupied. Not by the same creature, usually. It was large enough for him plus several others, so small creatures did not tend to stay long. He didn’t think it was ever home to any creature that he knew of, just small things seeking a temporary shelter.
Like him, from this storm.
He took a run for it, weaving between the trees. Another crash of thunder, another flash of lightning, and the rain started pouring down. It was like the sky had just opened and dumped out the whole ocean! He was instantly soaked to the bone.
He sped up, making it to the cave in record time!
But as he tried to enter, a growl - low and menacing. He froze, shivering. He couldn’t tell if it was from the cold rain, or the fear.
“Please,” He begged. “I just need shelter from the rain. I’ll be gone before you know it!”
The growling softened, but did not quiet. He could see just the flash of eyes at the back of the cave. Then another set, further back - further down. A mother and cub? This could be bad. He shivered more violently. Perhaps he should back away now!
He could hear murmuring, and the growling die down to nothing. Was that a good sign, he wondered.
“Come in - slowly,” came a voice from the back of the cave. He did, entering slowly, as to not startle the pair. No sudden movements! He was dripping wet by the time he entered the cave, and he fought the urge to shake it out. That would be rude! As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave, he could see a Ma’duwi - mostly white with eyes that were almost just a pale. And a pup, darker in color. The pup seemed to want to come towards him, only held back by one of its mother’s large paws.
Once he was safely out of the rain, and safely out of range of a mother’s maw, he settled into the cave. The rain was cold against his skin. He was still shaking, the wind was still howling, and he was still a little bit scared. He wondered if he should just go and take his chances in the rain. But the cave was warm, and the thunder crashed again before he could change his mind.
“My name is Yota,” He offered, beginning to groom his wet paws first. Perhaps if he could just stop dripping…
“My name is Faudi!” The little pup exclaimed, finally getting out of his mother’s grip. The pup was almost to him when the other scooped him up again.
“Jana,” she introduced herself. It wasn’t warm, though he could kind of tell that she was used to being warm. He wondered if this situation was making her tense. He would have liked to meet her under different circumstances, he thought. He gave a polite smile and a nod. He was in their home, after all.
“Crazy storm, right? It woke me right up out of a nap,” he chuckled. In that time, Faudi had wiggled back out of Jana’s grip, and the female Ma’Duwi gave a small sigh of defeat. At least Yota didn’t seem dangerous at all, otherwise she’d have to get more serious.
“Its going to be a long one,” She agreed. “Its why we sought shelter here, last night. I could tell the storm was coming miles back.”
Yota tilted his head, causing his wet fringe to fall right into his eyes. He shook his head, flinging water at mostly Faudi who giggled in response. Jana smiled fondly at him. “Really? I couldn’t even tell there was going to be a storm when I woke up this morning! It seemed like a nice day to lounge around and nap.”
Jana just tapped her nose, and used her paw to push Faudi over and tickle his belly, causing him to giggle even more. The pup rolled around, trying to squirm away from the attention, but to no avail. He was nearly out of breath when Jana stopped and gave him a little nuzzle.
“No fair,” He pouted, panting a bit still. He gave a big yawn right after.
“It is a good day for a nap,” Jana agreed. “But perhaps not in a tree,” She teased. She corralled Faudi back into the back of the cave. “Especially for this little one.”
“Aww, no fair. I’m not sleepy!” He complained, yawning once again. Yota gave a small nap, and nodded. He would keep guard then, in exchange for this little family allowing them to stay in their shelter. He listened as Jana convinced Faudi to take a nap, and continued to groom himself. Oh, he’d have a nasty hairball later, but at least he would be dry and warm, even with the storm raging outside.
