[SilverSamurai]

prize 1 adopt | prize 2 adopt

Prompt 8

Weather can influence a lot of things... day to day activities or complete lifestyle changes, whatever it is, tell us how weather has impacted your viscet(s) over the summer months!

Rules/Limits:

There is a minimum requirement of 500 words OR 2 pieces of art for your form to qualify.
There is a maximum of 2500 words or 6 art pieces.
Art does not have to be colored to qualify.
If you choose art, you can have 100 words per image to describe the scene a little (if you are afraid it's unclear).
Your images may include words, but they count in the 100 words per image rule.

This prompt will be open from 7/23 to 7/30, 10:00 PM CST. Please note that this time is final. There are no extensions!

Mutations:
Mermaid Tail (New Varitant) - Event Rare
Cloud tufts (roaming rare)

[~Trompy]

Sometimes, it's the little things that count.

Back and forth, back and forth, white feet nearly wearing a track into the wooden floor. Thorian paced before the windows in the castle hallway as he tapped his claws on the back of his hand out of anxiety, glancing nervously at the endless expanse of gray thunderheads in the sky. He would blink as a bolt of lightning flashed, casting a black shadow of his tense form onto the wall beside him. His heart aching as more thunder shook the building, his hopes sinking into his stomach. His plans were surely ruined. A dozen romantic encounters he had set up and ready to go for her birthday tomorrow and the rain showed no signs of stopping.

Alice’s birthday. His beloved. Thor’s single most anticipated event of every summer was surprising Alice for her birthday. Each year making it bigger, and better. He knew it wasn’t necessary and she loved him regardless, but he took pride in ensuring a wonderful birthday for her every year. Their children had even made it a game to bet against each other on just how outlandish the adventure would be. Thor was quite the creative viscet, just like his mother, and never had any trouble beating his “record” from the year prior, but one thing he never took into account was the weather. Alice’s birthday was infamous for being one of the nicest days of the year, and of all the years they had been together Thor had never need worry. This time however, it had been raining for almost a week, and the forecast showed a hundred percent chance of rain for at least another three days.

But Alice’s birthday is tomorrow.

The only part of her birthday adventure that wouldn’t take place outside was their afternoon dinner. One of the restaurants in the city is world-famous, and even being royalty, he had never been able to catch a reservation because it was always booked out almost a year in advance. Until three years ago, that is, when he struck a deal with them to make a reservation two years in advance. So after all this time, finally, he would be able to treat Alice to the most sought-after meal in the world.

He took a deep breath, breaking out of the invisible track on the floor and wandering into the dining room where he took a seat. He tried reasoning with himself. The day won’t be completely ruined, he thought. You can still take her to the restaurant, and that’s something Alice has wanted to go to since she was little! Surely it is the most important plan of the day. Doubts rose in his mind as he thought back to years prior. Last year alone, he had started the day with breakfast in the garden, followed by the release of a million butterflies. Then he took her to the nearest animal sanctuary where some keepers were nursing abandoned lion cubs, of which she got to play with and bottle feed. Then they went uptown where he took her into the family museum to show her she had been added to the family portraits, and received an extremely expensive princess crown, made specially for her. Then they had an exquisite meal complete with her favorite cheesecake he had imported from Germany, and ended the day stargazing down the river on a gondola imported from Italy! Thor sighed. Surely Alice would be disappointed in him.

He tried not to think about it too much as he forced himself up off the chair and shuffled his way to bed, where Alice slept peacefully unaware of the disappointment of tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thor had trouble sleeping, so he woke up early to hand-make something for Alice to eat in bed. If all his outside plans for today were going to be ruined, he might as well try to find ways to make her day special inside!

Thor scoured the fridge and cupboards for ingredients. He grabbed flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, butter and milk. He whipped up pancake batter to the best of his memory, added some chocolate chips, and poured the batter in a pan. While he was waiting for the one side to cook, he pulled out some strawberries, sliced them up thin and mixed them in a bowl with sugar. Letting them sit, he turned to finish the pancakes. Flipping it over, he cringed to see it was a little darker than he had hoped. Okay, a lot darker. Almost black. He looked up to see he had forgotten to turn the heat down, and silently cursed himself for using all the batter at once. Looking at the clock, he knew there wouldn’t be time to make another batch before Alice woke up. So he hoped for the best, putting the dark side of the pancake on the plate and drizzling it with corn syrup, topping it with the sugary strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. It looked good, he admitted. He just hoped it tasted alright…

Taking the plate and a fork, he peeked into the bedroom to see Alice was just starting to wake up. She smiled at him. “Good morning…” She stretched, and Theo grinned, flicking on the lights and walking over to her bedside.

“I made you breakfast!” Alice sat up, her face heating up as Thor shrugged. “Well, tried to, anyway. Happy Birthday!”

Alice giggled. “It looks fabulous, thank you!” He placed a kiss on her forehead before sneaking off to come up with the next thing they could do for her birthday. Alice was just glad he wasn’t there to see her struggle to eat the badly burnt pancake, instead eating off the strawberries and throwing what was left of the pancake out to the birds…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Alice finally emerged from her quarters, she saw that Thor had set up a game of Monopoly in the living room. Her ears perked up in curiosity. “What do we have here?” She asked, walking in on the setup. She gasped, seeing Midas and Nettlebrand, their two oldest, also there. Their adoptive daughter Ruby was sitting on Thor’s lap. “What are you two doing here!!”

Thor watched excitedly as Ruby exchanged hugs with their offspring. “Dad paid for us to come visit for your birthday!” Midas beamed. The two had been abroad studying and weren’t due back for another couple months. But when Thor saw what the weather was going to be like, he asked them if they could come visit for their mother’s birthday, and they did.

Alice’s eyes filled with happy tears. “What a wonderful surprise, a family game night!” She gave everyone another hug, Thor relaxing since his last-minute planning seemed to be going well so far. “So, what are we playing for today?”

Thor shrugged. Nettlebrand chuckled. “Let’s say the winner gets to have all the ice cream they want after supper!”

Alice nodded. “And the loser has to eat your father’s pancakes!”

Thor’s expression dropped as he looked at Alice in shock. “Was it really that bad?!”

Everyone laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“YOU CHEATED!!”

“DID NOT!”

Thor should have known better than to pick Monopoly. Nettlebrand and Midas were screaming at each other again, just like last time. Ruby was hiding under the table with her paws in her ears and Alice was rubbing her temples. Thor looked at the clock and was astonished to see they had been playing for almost four hours, and it was about time to leave for the restaurant. He stood from his seat and walked over to the castle coordinator, Saturn.

Excitement began to build in Thor again when he drempt of the look on Alice’s face when she sees where they will be eating. Almost bounding up to Saturn, he whispered excitedly. “Is everything ready to go?”

The pained look on Saturn’s face made Thor’s stomach seize, the excitement he had a moment earlier turning into his worst fear. “Actually, sir, the road is flooded. We aren’t going anywhere. I’m very sorry.”

Thor’s heart felt like it was being tightened in a vice grip. He sat down on the floor right where he stood, and tears pricked at his eyes when he heard the yelling stop and Alice’s voice call over to him. “Honey? Are you alright?”

Thor stood, turning around to stand face to face with his beloved. Her beautiful red eyes stared at him in worry. “This isn’t how I wanted today to go at all… your birthday is ruined…” He whispered, defeat written all over his face.

Alice took one of his paws in hers. “What do you mean?”

“When I knew it was going to rain today, I tried my best to make it special, I really did…” He paused, looking around the room. “I tried to make you breakfast in bed, but I burnt the pancake. Midas and Nettlebrand couldn’t go half a day without a fight, and after three years of waiting I finally, finally got reservations to the Black Cherry restaurant you’ve always wanted to eat at and the road is so flooded we can’t even go!”

Thor was cut off as Alice wrapped her arms around him in a hug, squeezing him tight. “Oh, Thor… you idiot…” He could feel the blood rushing in his ears calming as she whispered to him. “My birthday wasn’t ruined… to tell you the truth, this was the best birthday yet.”

Thor pulled away, eyes wide, completely astonished at her words. “What?”

Alice smiled sweetly. “I never knew how to tell you before, but honestly, I don’t like having huge plans for my birthday. It was sweet at first, but after a while it seemed like it wasn’t about me anymore… it was about being bigger and better than the year before it. It was a statement, for you, but it didn’t mean anything for me.” Thor’s breath caught in his throat. He was speechless. “Today was amazing! Sure, a gourmet chef didn’t make my breakfast, but you put effort into making it yourself and sure, it was burnt, but you tried and that means everything to me! And our kids!” She stopped, looking over to their children. “There is nothing that I love more than our family. I would never have imagined they could be here for my birthday! That was the biggest, best surprise in the whole world!”

Thor smiled, blushing as Alice rubbed her nose with his. “The flooded road was unfortunate, but if you were willing to wait three years to get us into that restaurant, we can wait another three.”

Thor embraced Alice tight, ashamed that he had lost sight of what was important. His kids came over and joined, making it a group hug before leaving their parents to make-up. “I’m sorry I was such a fool. Any way I can make it up to you?”

Alice giggled. “I would really love to watch some of my favorite movies you keep avoiding when I ask if you want to watch them with me?”

“You don’t want to watch ‘Ghost’ again do you?”

“So what if I do?”

“It isn’t manly to cry!!” Thor paused for a moment before sighing and rolling his eyes. “I’ll get the tissue box and some popcorn.”

Alice smiled from ear to ear. “Don’t burn it, Mr. I-bawled-for-thirty-minutes-the-first-time-I-watched-it!”

The two of them belly laughed, happy tears in their eyes. This isn’t at all how Thor had planned for the evening to go, but it was more than he could ever have hoped. All because of a rainy summer.

And Alice still believes it was the Best. Birthday. Ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thorian|Alice|Midas|Nettlebrand|Ruby
Received Permission from cyberdragon725 for Alice, Midas and Ruby

[Gadgetrocks]

Father and Son were awoken by leaves rustling, branches snapping. They stepped outside into the once humid air, now bone chilling cold. Hurricane winds dashed through feathers, and manes, lightning forking the sky. The summer storms had arrived.

Tea ran to the beach, and sinking feeling that something was quite wrong. She had underestimated the damage. A tsunami wave, held at bay only by her childhood friend Muriel, towered over the land, ready to strike.

July 27th, the red sky lit up the cursed viscet, his body covered in hard bones. Something had gone wrong. His father, his kind, loving necromancer of a father, had did this to him. All Neko wondered was, "How do I fix this?"

Raspberry sat on the clouds at sunset, the sky staining the clouds a reddish brown. The sunset was beautiful, but something was going on. The weather was odd, it having rained just before this, uncommon for the heated summers.

Aasira had to guard the citys walls. She hadn't done it in quite a while, preferring inner city protection, and now she remembered why. Sandstone walls get hot.

[lex]

Thunderstorm

On their journey to save Logan's brother,
Dove, fate does not always agree with
them. They were hot on the trail of the
sorceress Malloria when a severe storm
rolled in. With rain and wind obscuring
their ability to track her, she escaped,
and they were forced to take shelter in
a cave near the forest to hide from the
torrential downpours and booming
lightning. They can only hope the storm
does not last very long, or else this may
be even more of a setback than it
already has proved itself to be.

Sea of Regrets

An angel, especially one as high in the
ranks as Muriel is, has incredible powers.
At will, she could flatten every wave in
the sea if she liked, but that is not what
angels were made to do. She was not made
to break the natural laws, but to make sure
they were in balance and that no one was
muddling with the forces of nature. She has
done this for many millennia, but she will
never not feel the pang of regret upon
watching a tsunami raise, ready to wreck
into the coast and bring despair.

Wildflower
It was on the warmest, sunniest days of
summer that the wildflowers in Malloria's
garden were at their peak in beauty, and
it was at these times that Maria, as a
viscling, loved to run out and pick the
prettiest flowers into a bouquet and
present them to Malloria. Even as an adult
she remembered the faux smile that
Malloria gave her, reaching to take the
bouquet and smelling the sweet fragrances
the flowers gave off. Then she would smile
wider, and hand the flowers back to little
Maria. "They're beautiful," she would say,
praising her. "Just like you."

Blackout

It'd been a few hours since the lightning in
the summer thunderstorm had knocked out
Blackout's power, and he had not gotten any
happier for it. With his phone dead now, too,
all he had to do was to turn on the flashlight,
lay down and listen to the rain. There was
nothing he could do (nothing fun, anyway) to
stave off the frustrating boredom. No phone,
no television, no computer, no internet... no
anything at all. Although, well... he supposed
he could maybe give picking up a book a try.
Not that reading could be any less boring.

Sandstorm

What started off as a normal journey through
one of eastern Leorin's grand deserts took an
unfortunate turn for the Viper. She already
had limited supplies, and when a raging
sandstorm blows in, she has no other choice
but to continue her trek through the whipping
winds and the cutting sand. Half-blinded by
the sand and with no form of navigation
available to her, she becomes even more lost
than she was in the first place. A fear begins
to rise; she can make it out of this desert,
can't she? She's the Viper, after all. Why
couldn't she?

No Trespassing

It doesn't matter what the weather is; any
time is a good time for Alvin and Isidora's
mischief. On this particular hot, humid day,
they decided to have a bit of fun. A 'no
trespassing' sign has never deterred them
before, and it certainly doesn't this time, as
they take advantage of a clean pool in...
someone's backyard. It's fine; they're not
home, at least not yet. Besides, if you won't
get caught... well, you don't get caught.

[ultimate writer.]

Mark

[Unleashed Squiid]

Persephone went just about mad watering all of her plants in the midst of a drought.
Fernweh was sad because a sudden rainstorm kept her two days late from one of her planned adventures.

[Prince Audric]

Harley stared up intently at the darkening sky, the cool wind whipping up and causing the wind to howl like a lone wolf. The massive cumulonimbus cloud also known as a mother ship towered up over the land. The weather was perfect, and the right conditions had all come together in this place for what was to be a chaotic day. Turning her attention to her laptop and looked at the Radar, the pronounced hook echo was beginning to form indicating the super cell she was watching had begun to rotate.

A strike of lightning caused her fur to stand on end and a shiver ran down her spine as the crash of thunder rattled the windows of her truck. a soft smile inched its way to her lips as she watched the clouds, and slowly before her eyes, it began to lower. The start of what was to be a Tornado.

Rain began to pelt her head with at first pea-sized hail causing her to retreat into her truck as the hail began to turn into golf ball sized. Knowing it was time to move she shut her door and drove off, quickly to get ahead of the storm in hopes to get the perfect shot of the tornado that was forming behind her. Glancing in her rearview mirror she saw as the funnel now connected to the ground, officially creating a Tornado.

Picking up her cell phone she quickly called in to report the touch down so that people in its path could get to safety if they won't already. Driving on she kept her eyes on the Tornado so that she wouldn't drive right into it, having done so in the past, she didn't want to again. ~That's it, your powerful aren't you... let's see what you can do, shall we? ~She thought chuckling to herself " While she didn't want to see homes or other Viscets harmed, with it in fields and woods she didn't mind watching the destruction that came from the powerful rotating winds of the Twister.

Getting a safe distance away she pulled over and jumped out of her truck, taking out her camera and began to film. " You are a beauty!" She said out loud as she watched the funnel ripping up everything in its path. Even from where she stood, she could hear the rumbling winds that came from the monster that had grown to almost half a mile wide in the time it had touched down to where it was now.

It was not long before she realized, the tornado was heading right for the small town that she lived in. Lowering her ears she jumped into her truck and pulled out her cell phone again and called home " Come on answer...." She said groaning as she waited for her brother to answer... but when he didn't she growled and began to drive home, she needed to make sure her little brother was alright.. though no matter how fast she drove, the tornado was faster. It got to town before she did, and she could only watch from a distance as debris from buildings where thrown into the air, she could only sit back in safety as her entire world was turned to kindling and rubble.

It felt like hours before the tornado had broken up and deformed, slowly she made her way into the disaster field of her tiny town. Everything was gone, the only building that half stood was the firehouse, but even that was unsavable. Even the road had been ripped up off the ground and thrown like it was nothing. What she saw, was classic for an EF5. Lowing her ears she jumped out of her truck. She had to find survivors, she had to find her brother.

~~~~~~

As night fell only a paw full of survivors where found, and even they were in bad shape, some in critical condition, but there was no sign of her brother. Viscets from a boring town had come to help, even taking the worst to the hospital, not even waiting for the ambulances to arrive.

" You should rest Harley, you are going to work yourself to death if you don't" Her friend, one of the surviving firefighters said resting a hand on her shoulder.

" I'll rest when I find my brother!" She snapped pulling away as she continued to search, she called for him and not getting any responses began to cry, the only person she had was lost and she didn't know if he was alive or not.

" come to Harley, you need to rest you won't find your brother in the dark, come rest, " her friend said leading her to a tent that had been set up for the rescue teams.

" Fine." She sighed and curled up on a mat ~ I promise I'll find you ~She thought as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

~~~~~~~

Howling winds woke her up before anyone else could, the low rumbling sound caused her ears to twitch, a sound all too familiar. Before she could say anything someone rushed into the tent

" We have to go, there's another one coming," They said in a panic.

" I can fit 4 more in my truck including myself, come on" She said running out of the tent and into the windy night, the rain was just picking up and she was soaked by the time she reached her truck... some had piled into the other emergency vehicles but the remaining came to her... there wasn't much room for them to comfortably sit but they all managed to squeeze into her truck. She followed the others as they drive off.

~If your still alive brother, please... please just hold on..~ she thought as she held back tears. For now, she had to focus on keeping those in her truck alive. "Hold on guys... " She said as she continued to drive.

she continued to follow the others and when they pulled into a parking lot of a mechanic shop she parked next to them " What are you doing?" She asked them

" There's a basement we can shelter in, the owner is my uncle and I have a key as I work here part-time," One of the viscets said as he opens the door and everyone rushed inside.

Harley sat with her knees to her chest, along with the others huddled in the small basement. outside they could hear the winds outside and the sound of the 2nt tornado ripping through the land.

~~~~

After what seemed like hours everything was quiet and the one who had let them inside slowly made his way up the steps and pushed open the door... the light from the sun shown brightly into the basement " Its clear.."

With that said they all left the basement and headed off to continue there work.

It took days to clean up the destruction, finding survivors.. and those who didn't... but there was still no sign of Harley's brother Everytime they uncovered body she dreaded that one of them would be her little brother.

But as luck had it one home, the home of one of her brother's best friends had a basement, they had been able to hear the calls for help but as the cleaned up they did. so they began to dig out the basement doors so that they could get out.

As they pulled free the doors and light flooded into the tiny space Harley gasped in delight for there huddled among the family was her brother " HUNTER!" she cried out and ran to him, scooping him into her arms " oh my sweet little brother I was so worried I had lost you" She said nuzzling him happily as tears of joy flooded down her cheeks.

While many had lost their lives, and everyone that survived had lost everything they owned. those that did survive the tragic night were all thankful to survive.

As for Harley, she may have lost her home, but she had her brother that was all that mattered to her, and she promised to never leave him again,


Other:
(idk if this counts but I wanted to share this)
Note from Me:

Tornadoes are beautiful to watch from afar, but one must remember that they are not all fun and games. These massive columns of rotating winds can change someone's life forever. whole towns can be wiped away in minutes. For those who love weather never truly understand the power of these beautiful freaks of nature until they come face to face with one. While I have been lucky to never see one myself, I have seen what is left behind. But even now, even after watching so much, reading everything I can find about these monsters There power fascinates me. 1996, the year Twister came out, was the year my love for these freaks of nature sparked, but as the years pass the disasters like Joplin Missouri, Tuscaloosa Alabama, and even Moore Oklahoma, only add to the flames. These disasters are just a few that I can think of, Even seeing the stories and documentaries about these and others I have come to respect the thing I love, While all weather fascinates me in some way, there is just something about Tornados that draw me into wanting to know more.

[magpiemochi.]

Alextrasza was a warrior. A being who prided herself on her mental and physical strength, but even she had to admit the torrential downpour that was beating down on her pelt was more than a little ridiculous. Her feathered paws slipped every so often with every other step she took up the uneven stairs carved into the mountain itself. It was a brutal journey even in the nicest weather imaginable; taking the climb in the middle of a monsoon was signing her death certificate.

She was determined though. For the past few months, she continued to feel a pull to the Matron Mother's enclave —- her own mother —- and she couldn't ignore it any longer. The day before she decided to start her journey, the pull grew much stronger; she knew there was no other time she could make the climb whether it was raining or snowing. There was a reason for the feeling. There always was when it came to her mother. The two had a very special connection; no matter what the other was going through or what they were doing, they were able to feel one another in their own special way. Alessandre, the Matron Mother, was able to push through their connection and call to her a special but subtle song that played in the back of her mind. This song signified an urgency that just couldn't be ignored.

Every time she felt as though the rain was letting up, another behemoth cloud appeared to drop more pelting rain down on her. In the midst of the rain there was hail as well, hitting her without mercy. Without any way of covering herself, Aelextrasza grit her teeth and pushed through the pain of the hail crashing down against her pelt. Thankfully, the skin under her tiny feathers consisted of a think leather, nearly impenetrable, but it didn't stop it from causing at least a little bit of pain.

The journey continued on like that for miles and miles, hours swallowing on into more hours, but she never stopped. Not even to sit down and take a break. Not even when she found a patch of level ground where a small cave was nestled away into the side of the mountain. Rest probably would have benefited her, but Alextrasza was determined to get to her mother at the top of her mountain. As she journeyed on, the song she had heard in the back of her mind for the weeks prior started to reach her ears instead. It traveled against the wind, falling to only those who would listen. In this case, it was her own daughter. Perhaps she knew; perhaps she felt the connected between mother and daughter grow stronger with each step Alextrasza took.

Only then, as she heard her mother's song, did she allow herself to stop. Over the loud rain, hail, and thunder, she heard her mother's song soothing tired paws, healing her fried mental state, and keeping her body warm from the ice cold rain. It was as if Alessandre had met her there and carried her the rest of the way. She didn't feel a thing once she was in earshot of her mother's song.

"My precious daughter," the song stopped so that she could speak upon seeing Alextrasza, "why didn't you come another time."

"I felt the pull, mother." She said, exhaustion lining the words, before making her way inside of the stone enclave.

"It wasn't urgent, my dear. Look at you! You appear to be a drowned rat." Alessandra giggled at her own statement, and it only grew once her daughter shot her a playful glare.

"Alright, enough jokes, you silly woman. Tell me what this is about."

Despite her words, Alessandra continued to hold her humored expression against her maw. Poking fun at her daughter was one of her favourite pass-times, if she was being honest with herself. Of course, when she opened her mouth to speak, the expression faded into something a little more serious in order to set the mood, "it's about your daughter."

At that, Alextrasza felt her heart drop fall into her stomach as she lifted herself from the gold encrusted chair she had quite literally poured herself into the moment she saw it.

"Sit down, silly. It isn't anything bad. Nothing terrible at all, I just..." The pause allowed Alextrasza to roll her eyes at the split second anxiety her mother had unintentionally caused her before seating herself again. "I think you need to look a little deeper. You need to talk to her more. I can feel her yearning and conflict from here."

The three tailed viscet crinkled her brows in confusion, completely clueless as to what her mother could be talking about.

"You train her very well. You're a wonderful mother, and Ma'at is an astounding father. He's a brilliant teacher, but you both need to take a closer look. What you want for her future might not be what she wants."

Alextrasza wasn't angry with her mother for the small parenting lesson; if anything, she embraced it. In her eyes, Alessandre was the greatest mother who ever graced their continent. She had no right to be angry at the lessons. What she was angry about, was her own inability to see her daughter's struggles. It hurt her that someone who barely even saw her daughter was able to see the pain she was going through while she, her own mother, was blind to it.

Alessandre sensed this conflict within Alextrasza.

"Listen to me. The only reason I was able to point it out is because I'm on the outside looking in. This is my job, you understand. It has nothing to do with her observation skills or anything to do with your parenting techniques."

She was right, of course, but it didn't stop Alextrasza from feeling as though she had messed up somewhere along the way. Despite the inner conflict still brewing, her features softened as she looked at her mother. A smile turned her lips up and Alessandre returned the expression.

"Thank you for telling me. You know I do appreciate it. I'll ask her about it as soon as I return home."

As she lifted herself once more from the chair, this time feeling a little more rejuvenated than last, a loud noise and a violent gust of wind took her by complete surprise. Soon after, there was a blinding blur of light and rain as the wind forced itself into the small enclave to cause complete destruction. Ancient texts were strewn about and thrown out of the hole in the enclave caused by the crack of lightning they had heard only moments earlier. Everything was a blur and neither of them could see from within the chaos. Miraculously, Alextrasza found her way out, thinking her mother had been right next to her the entire time, but as she looked to her side once she found herself far enough from the unexpected twister, she realized her mother was still trapped inside of the cliffside home. There wasn't a moment of hesitation as she sprinted back toward the enclave, but it was too late.

Not even a slight warning, and the whirlwind of rain and wind took apart what the lightning had attempted to earlier. Wide eyes full of regret, rage, and utter defeat watched as the stone tower fell off the side of the mountain and down, down, down ...

Alextrasza found herself dangling off of the side, staring down at the enclave that she was convinced her mother was still inside as it toppled further and further down. She screamed, tails whipping, arms outstretched as she begged for her mother to come back. Begged aloud that she had found her way out and she was still recovering somewhere close. She couldn't imagine her life without her mother, and as soon as she realized the morose truth that she didn't want to accept, Alextrasza stared up into the sky, uncaring of the hail that pelted her face, and cursed the monsoon. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she promised to the heavens above that this storm didn't win.

Although deep in her heart, she believed her mother would never be seen again as she found her way back to the bottom of the mountain to dig through the rubble and debris, Alessandre was immune to death. Upon her and her mate's creation by Ugin herself, death wouldn't be able to touch her as long as she swore to use such a power for good instead of darkness. She swore her life to Ugin and took her place as the Matron Mother for all of Auwei. Though such a role was outdated and archaic, she continued to stand at her post to help those who still believed in such ancient ways.

She was alive, but things would change. The destruction of her ancient texts would make way for a new way of life, and she couldn't predict whether it would be a positive change or something that no one was and never would be prepared for.

1518/2500 (I've won my 2 event adopts, so I'm just entering for stubs and items! <3)

Alextrasza belongs to me
Alessandre belongs to me
Keristrasza (mentioned, not named) belongs to me
Allaster (mentioned, not named) belongs to howlingtothestars

[Yugi]

Fleur | Keaton | Paz

Scylla | Camira | Mercy | Barrett

Fleur brushed her long hair out of her face as she looked out at sea from the balcony of the motherbase. The warm, gentle winds were still strong enough to mess up her hair, but she didn't care. Today was the beginning of her very first summer that would be completely different. It excited her; she was determined in making this her best summer as of yet.

To begin, she had now fully moved onto the Wings of Peace motherbase. When she was first hired on the Wings of Peace's staff, Fleur had requested for permission from Camira to travel back home during the summer; this was so she could keep in contact with her parents, as they were not fully prepared for her complete departure, despite Fleur actively letting them know that she needed to move on. They were used to her traveling for her previous job, but they knew that she would come back one day soon. With her living on the motherbase, working alongside the Wings of Peace, they never knew if they would be able to see her again. It took a few years to fully convince them that she would be safe, that she would send them messages regularly; it wasn't until now that they were completely supportive of her decision.

And now, she finally had true friends that she could talk to; both Paz and Keaton were the two closest people that she's been lucky enough to acquaint herself with. Paz, a clumsy gal, always provided Fleur a much needed listening ear. Keaton, her boyfriend, provided Fleur a comforting shoulder to lean upon. It was weird to be able to have people she could depend on that weren't related to her, but it was a pleasant kind of weirdness. It was certainly one that she had longed for, and knew she could grew accustom to.

But upon that realization, her excitement dulled slightly. She quickly began to recall her life in the past, and terrible memories began to flood her mind. Even though she was happy to move forward, she was still nervous about the sudden change deep down. In an attempt to reignite her joy, Fleur did her best to recall what summer was exactly like for her back when she was younger. She knew that she needed to convince herself that her life would be better now.

As far as she remembers, summer used to fill up with immense dread back when she worked as a fashion model. Summer photo shoots were always popular with the company that she worked under, and being one of their most popular models meant that she would get hired for countless jobs during that season. It's not that she wanted to be ungrateful for the work that she was able to get, in fact she felt quite the opposite, but she always wanted to have at least one week to herself. She was thankfully well off due to her parents' success so she didn't necessarily need the money that she acquired from these jobs, but she felt obliged to take them on. It was likely the guilt of knowing that she didn't have anything better to do that prevented her from saying no to the photo shoots that requested for her presence.

And so, against what she truly wanted, she would be forced to spend hours at studios and photo shoot locations, surrounded only by people who she did not care for. Those who would address her as a friend only sought out social status. She knew that she didn't know these people, and they certainly did not know her back.

Even during some of the hottest days when any dip in cool water would be a complete blessing, Fleur found it difficult to enjoy her time modeling swim suits and other summer clothes in the water. She forced herself to act with immense joy as she splashed through bright, fake blue pools, handling props like beach balls and sun umbrellas. She couldn't see any faces before her that would make her truly smile, but no one cared about that as long as they were capable of taking stunning photographs. She felt alone, out of place even.

For most of her teenage and young adult existance, Fleur believed her worries was, to put it bluntly, stupid. She thought that her feelings were completely unreasonable, as her life was easy and served to her on a golden platter. Others would kill to have a life like hers, but there she was, moping over what was happening to her as the summer slowly passed her by. The constant pangs of loneliness never hit her as hard as they did during the summer too, making her even more confused as to why she felt that way. Fall was always kind to her, promising time to spend with her family; winter was the same, but it was here that she felt the most at peace with life and herself; spring was dreadful, as it meant that summer was coming, however she found it difficult to be upset when her favorite flowers were beginning to bloom.

But now, after building herself up on her own on the Wings of Peace's base, she understood why summer caused her so much distress. Even the faintest glimmer of confusion of why she was so hurt was no longer plaguing her. She knew deep down that her concerns regarding how she felt about her situation were ringing true, and that they weren't stupid for her to believe. That her problems mattered to her too, at the very least. She understood that, all this time, she wanted to do something better with her life with people that she could actually relate to. She didn't want to bar others out from her life any longer out of fear that people would only befriend her for the sake of using her. Fleur wanted to live freely and openly, searching out for similar souls she could connect with.

And now, she was capable of achieving just that. She didn't have to fake her way through her current and future summers from now on, let alone any other season. Instead, she could rely on her friends, knowing that they truthfully cared about her being just as much as she cared for theirs. She didn't have to dress up, force herself to hold her head up high, and fake a friendly smile any longer. Instead, Fleur could just be herself, telling her own truth as it is; knowing this, Fleur could smile honestly at last.

(1,094 words)

Being a super soldier from early experiments, Scylla had her molecular structure changed drastically. While she developed strengths in various abilities, it also led to her developing severe weaknesses to the elements around her. Yes, she is amazingly strong; her super human strength allows her to run at alarming speeds, lift objects regular beings her size could not carry, and jump amazing distances without fear of being injured herself. To top it all off, she has supernatural abilities too. She is capable of transforming her body into black and gold smoke, allowing herself to disappear entirely from view. Her capability of regeneration is astounding too; while her body could heal quickly naturally, water sped up her healing tenfold.

But alas, her ability to heal at such fast rates with water also ultimately leads to her downfall. Salt water will cause her so much searing pain, halting her regeneration completely and damaging her body instead. Rain water was much sweeter to her, often soothing her body and mind, but experiencing too much of it for a long period of time made her feel as if she was drowning.

Summer always posed a potential threat to poor Scylla, even more so than most seasons. While she wasn't technically safe staying on the Wings of Peace's motherbase, with it being surrounded by ocean water, Scylla never minded the dangers her home faced her with. Traveling, though, was a completely different topic, whether she was sent out on a mission or she left to have some time to herself. When that happened, there wasn't really anyone to save her, especially if she went out alone.

At least when it came down to missions in areas that experienced heavy amounts of rain, she was always allotted time of rest if she ever felt as if she was suffocating. And even then, Scylla did not fear the rain, as she learned to love and respect it. She could always focus her attention on finding alternate paths that would safely lead to her destination, as many other good soldiers would do to ensure that they would not jeopardize their assigned mission. She's highly adaptable regardless of the season and location, and thus it never made her worry.

But when she traveled for the sake of her getting a well deserved breather from day to day life, her situation would often be a completely different story. She longed to be a normal being at least for one day each year, one that could enjoy the summer peacefully by the ocean's side. Back before she was turned into a super soldier, Scylla would spend a handful of her summer days endlessly relaxing on the beach with her friends and family. And after what the VIALs had done to her for their own benefits, she could never see them again, let alone relive her own bittersweet memories. Seeing her allies sit on the shoreline or take a short swim made her crave normality; it didn't help that so many believed her to be an evil freak of nature.

So Scylla would constantly push her limits in hopes of one day achieving such normality during the summer in the past. She would inch herself closer to the ocean's waters as the tides rolled in, steadying herself on sharp, jagged rocks. The ocean's mist would sting her flesh, but it was tolerable to her now; it made her feel even the tiniest bit of normal being able to stand this close to the blue, salty waters like anybody else. But, of course, she knew she would never be capable of growing accustomed to the damage the waters presented her.

Some summer days, she would grow even braver than usual. She reached her non-dominant hand out to the ocean waters below her to scoop up some into her palm, but quickly retracted it due to how painful it would be to keep it there. She always felt so close to be achieving her goals, despite it being far, far away. And even though her attempts at trying to fight the pain the ocean would bring to her body, it was easier to tolerate than the never ending envy of wanting to be normal just like everyone else. These cruel thoughts would consume her, and would only be temporary alleviated from the kindness her truest of allies would show to her.

Without the help of Camira, Barrett, or Mercy, Scylla never could predict where she would be now emotionally. These three main members of the Wings of Peace would constantly escort Scylla to her very own private "beach" after they discovered how she felt. The private beach was located inside a large building present on the motherbase. This building contained multiple different zones that mimicked various real life locations in hopes of being able to physically train their soldiers, ultimately preparing them for any situation. But, with every summer that rolled around, Camira would instruct her engineers to change one of the zones to a temporary man made beach; this zone would not be used for such instruction, but instead would provide a familiar an relaxing atmosphere for Scylla.

Being lead engineer, Barrett would always take the assigned task in his own hands. With his skill, it was never long for the zone to be fully prepared, despite ensuring that the beach zone would never look exactly the same every year. And with each area being sound proof, they didn't have to worry about overhearing the training sessions going on in the nearby zone, allowing Barrett to choose different nature sounds to play.

While Scylla knew it wasn't exactly the same as traveling across the world to visit real life beaches, just being able to be close to those who care about her made forget about the beaches being fake.

(966 words)

Total: 2,060 words

[Vixen Luo]

"Do you know how much I love you?"

Nisemono shuddered as he took his first pawstep out of the forest, squinting under the rainfall as drops crashed down onto his face, his fur, washing his soft fur as he shut his eyes, tipping his head back. Release. He was finally free from this prison he'd caught himself in. It was for the best -- for both of them, surely.

Humid air battered away at his pelt as he flicked his ears back to shoo away the water threatening to trickle inside, his mane clinging to his frame as he shook his head and trotted onward carelessly. Now that it's over, I can pursue my own interests, he thought smugly, contentedly; really, he felt so at peace to be on his own again.

"Nise...don't you tell me that enough?" Her soft, pretty voice released a giggle. "Come on, don't be lazy. Help me finish packing up for our picnic~"

"What if it rains, doll~? Why not just stay in?" Hm. If it rained, huh...

"It's summer! There's not a cloud in the sky, either. I'm sure it won't rain. But...if it does, fine. I'll even let you lounge around after we eat if I'm wrong."

Thunder crashed down, the brutal crackling roar thrumming in his ears as he glanced back over his shoulder, watching the bright streaks claw their way across the sky as if the very heavens were showing their wrath.

It had been nice enough, but it was still a distraction from his real goals.

If it rains, we weren't meant to be. Simple as that, he'd finally told himself that morning while nestled into the soft, familiar fur of his girlfriend.
Love was a powerful force -- something that made him so weak, and one of the many things that he'd gotten from that wretched angel that he couldn't stand. All of his weakness - every fibre of hesitation he felt, every useless piece of longing when he tried to leave her, every time his breath caught when he looked into her eyes was because of Yuri and his pathetic need to love and connect and be with someone. It was...pathetic. Revolting. Disgusting.

Nisemono's jaw snapped shut and his teeth gritted, his heart pounding in his chest. Take it back, part of him begged. Go back to what you had.
Only anger brewed within his body at the thought, the longing, and he snarled low in his throat. No -- I'm not weak like him!! I'm supposed to be perfect, independent, unstoppable in my goals!! She was only dragging me down!

"Oh...this is...awful. I really thought it wasn't...going to be rainy..."

"C'mon. You couldn't have known." Just ignore it. Move on. Forget the thought. "Hey...how about we try the forest, babe? I'm sure there's plenty of shade in there."

"But...won't we catch cold?"

"Nah, you've got me to keep you warm, don'tcha? I won't let you get sick~"

She giggled softly. "...okay. Thank you for being so sweet."

"I don't know what you're talking about~ I just wanted a day out of that den is all." Don't...

Shaking his head, he picked himself back up and started onward again. No, he'd made the right decision; now he lacked the blockades that had held him back from wreaking the havoc he was born to spread. It would be easy to go hunt down the pathetic little nephilim Yuri had made with the earth goddess in some weak attempt to stop him and to snuff out the little mewling ball of pup-fluff to ensure he had no lasting threats to his power, to his freedom to do what he wanted. Then, he could...

Then...

"..." What was there to do once he was unstoppable? He'd had thoughts of taking care of business, bringing his girlfriend to a higher standard in life, and living with her in luxury and merciless bliss. She had no idea who he really was, of course, but she would have grown to accept him anyway. Right?

No, that's useless!! I don't need her -- I never did. All I need is my power. I'll kill and rampage and do whatever I want, with or without her, he thought angrily.

But another part of him was crushing itself, stricken, longing, causing a brutal storm of emotions inside of him that brewed even more furiously than the thunderstorm overhead. But she was right. It was so clear this morning. Where did all of this rain come from? he thought almost hysterically as he stared up at the thundering clouds, his jaw parting slightly in helpless disbelief.
"It was supposed to be beautiful today," he seethed quietly, his voice a brutish bellow up at the clouds.

It was that little rat, wasn't it? Was he watching him that closely? Had he been waiting for a moment of weakness like this to try and break him? How dare he make such a decision for him!?

"You did this to me, didn't you!? This is all your fault!!" he roared, tail lashing. "Why don't you come down here and face me like a man, you coward!"

But there was no answer from above aside from the constant downpour, the echoing blasts of thunder around him. His shoulders sank, and he stared, his breathing slow.

What's wrong with me? he demanded. I should be stronger without her! I should be happy!! I just cast out a weakness! he thought furiously, tossing his head and gripping the sides of his face with his tensed claws, ignoring the pain that blazed into his fur as a helpless cry left him.

He panted and dropped into the mud on his paws, staring down into nothing but the splashing rain. Just hours ago, he'd had resolve, even if held back by her beautiful eyes and her soft voice and her sweet scent, everything that made him love her so much he could barely breathe if not by her side. He loved her more than he could ever love himself -- which was a powerful, almost impossible feat, but it made her that much more perfect.

"It's kind of creepy in here. Can't we just go back home?" She didn't sound very cheerful anymore.

"C'mon, babe, I promise it'll be worth it."

"Nise, I'm serious. I'm scared..."

"I take it back," he whispered, his voice broken and helpless and so uncertain that he couldn't even recognize it as the flashes of memory sparked in his head, driving him deeper and deeper into his crumbling sanity. "I promise -- I swear I'll take it back -"

"Take me home!! This isn't funny anymore!"

He stared at her, heart swelling with emotions. Love, affection, a need to protect her -- but what outranked all...

"...N-Nise...?" Her eyes were scared, and she cowered as his intense gaze and moving paws cornered her back against the thick trunk of a tree.

"I really do love you, babe," he said softly, but his voice was sharp, hollow, smug, "but I just can't let you hold me back anymore."

...was a need to rip out any and all weakness.

Her scream had been drowned in the echoing roars of thunder as he'd ripped apart his links to useless, pathetic softness, hatred for how much he loved her fueling every slash of claws and every snap of teeth. He'd stumbled out of the forest, his pelt streaked with water and blood as he'd felt the first sparks of freedom.

And now...within minutes, he'd...

"I'm sorry," he cried, his voice twisting with despair and wrath. "I'm sorry!! I-" Thunder crashed and silenced him as he felt his tears mix with the rain, a roar of anguish splitting his jaws as he felt his heart throb and twist in agony.

Not once in his life had he felt so broken and helpless -- not once had he ever regretted a decision so much that it hurt. I'm sorry, he thought, his eyes squeezing shut as he tossed his head. I'm so sorry-

In his pain, there was fury again -- hatred for Yuri. He'd done this, hadn't he? Yuri knew his own weaknesses, surely - he even disguised himself as something weak and pathetic, but he must have been some sort of mastermind to so closely analyze him. Had he done this before, perhaps? Did he know the uncertainty this caused? I want to kill him, he seethed. I want to rip apart every last little rat he's had before ripping his mate in two and diving right up to the heavens to do it all over again. He'll pay.

Panting in furious bloodlust, he pushed himself to his paws with a snarl, his tail lashing and back arched in a feral display of utter rage, his gray eyes blazing with hysterical fury. He'd find Yuri's pathetic family right now --

A body rammed into him, toppling him over as he snapped in a startled manner, teeth just barely missing his attacker's throat. He was pinned for a split second before he tossed the viscet off of him and smashed a paw down over her throat, pinning her with sheer strength. Crazed with outrage, he glared down into her eyes with his normally long and silky mane tangled and scattered across his face and through his horns, his breaths shallow and furious. He craved to see fear in her eyes -- but instead met a cold, indifferent stare.

Had he truly become so weak that he no longer incited fear? But she was scared of me before I killed her. His heart twisted and his expression crumpled into a weak display of helplessness, giving the angel an opening to throw him off.

"You're pathetic," she stated in a tone even colder than her eyes.

I know. "Says who? You don't know a damn thing about me, you heaven scum," he spat with every ounce of malice he could scrap together. "Did Yuri send you? Because I'll gladly go up and visit him with the shreds of whatever's left of you once I'm done." His voice was rough, husked with raw anger, but she hardly seemed to care at all, and it pissed him off even more.

"I haven't spoken to Yuri in a long time. Even if I had, I wouldn't let you near him. I've just been watching you, Nisemono." The way she said his name, with every ounce of disgust she could muster, sparked interest in him. She hated him more than he did right now -- and that was close enough to replace the pain of losing the rush of love in his life. He stared at her as she continued, breaths thin and ragged while she tore into him with her hateful speech.

"You make me sick. You just throw away anything that isn't useful to you anymore," she snarled. "I thought that maybe - maybe - there was something in you that could be salvaged for good because of the material you came from, but there's so much of Uriel in you that I can't even look at you without my stomach turning. I tested you; oh, you think the rain was Yuri's fault?" she laughed, cold and humorless, and Nisemono felt so pathetic after he flinched from the biting reaction that he felt his throat tighten. "I gave you a chance to make a decision. I can't believe I had any hope for you."

Her eyes bored into him with disgust, and with so much anger that it far surpassed the frantic rage he'd felt moments ago. "I can't believe you killed the one good thing you had in life. You may as well just be a demon," she spat, her voice shaking as if he weren't only speaking to him anymore. "I'd kill you right now if I had the power to."

He stared for a moment longer before he gave her a shaky grin, sidling forward. "...oh, so you made a mistake like me, didn't you? I can help you forget all about him. And you can help me forget her. You're feisty like she was," he purred, pressing so close to her that their noses were almost touching -- before her expression twisted into more emotions than she could properly display and she slashed across his face so ruthlessly that he landed in a puddle of mud on the ground, grunting with pain.

"...look how pathetic you've become," she snarled. "You're disgusting and you always have been. I would never try to forget her or the mistakes I made -- but you trying to right after you killed her just - " Her teeth clicked shut in a tight, furious grit, tears welling in her eyes. "I hate you. I can't wait for the day I see you fall," she seethed furiously. "I'm so sorry that I let her die because I believed you could be anything other than evil and selfish." Her body thinned, letting him see the forest behind her as he felt himself crumbling further at her words, brought down to a point so low he couldn't help but beg her for help.

"Can -- can't you help her?" he asked hoarsely, his emotions erratic - desperate to forget, to move on, to have her back, to be angry at something, to kill something - he didn't even have a grip on himself anymore.

"No. She's not in the heavens," she said coldly. "And she's not in the underworld, either. I don't know where you've sent her, but I would never put her back in your arms. Goodbye, Nisemono. I hope you rot." She vanished before he could speak, but he felt so numb that he doubted he could anyway.

What have I done? He knew he wasn't good. He knew he would never be good, and he embraced it, but he'd thrown away the one thing that gave him a sense of comfort -- he'd tossed her aside like a rotting animal.

He was Nisemono, the cruel, charming, wicked Nephilim that didn't care about things like purpose or meaning or anything but power and crushing whoever he wanted -- but now, he...

What had become of him?

The anger to press on and force down this pathetic streak brewed within him, even as he sank into the mud with strangled gasps and sobs of grief. He would rise from the ashes of this mistake, hardened and even more cruel than he'd been before without softness keeping him at bay. He would find Yuri's family and make them suffer. And then, he would find that little Nephilim and rip her to shreds -- her and the snarky little angel who had humiliated him.

But for now... he would grieve.

"I..."

"I love you, Nise."

"...I love you too, babe. More than anything in the world."

"I'm so sorry..."

viscets involved:
nisemono, evangeline