One Stormy Night

The thunder rumbled, the lightning flashed and the leaves on the trees rustled as the rain fell on the grass. Dark was the sky as the water in the air clouded her vision. The bated breaths of a fast running goat could barely be heard a foot away from her as she ran as fast as she could to the nearest shelter. She didn't know where she was going, or how long it would take her to get there. All she knew for certain was that she had to get out of the rain.

Every crack of lightning, every boom of thunder made her jump with fright. She hated storms. One minute, she was grazing out in 'Sawa Sawa Field' when the storm hit. She failed to notice her fellow goats going the other way. Now, here she was; lost in the middle of a forest.

Thankfully, among the darkness, lightning struck at the right time to reveal the silhouette of a construct made by the rarely seen 'man'. That looks like a safe place to wait out the storm. She thought as she made way towards it. With her destination set and her focus solely on her goal, she reached the door to the construct in little time. She struggled to open it, using all her might. A slight nudge opened it further, but the return swing knocked her back outside. With a small lump on her head that certainly wasn't a horn; she decided that perhaps it wasn't the refuge she had sought.

As she turned to go the other way, the lightning frightened her into reconsidering. Fortunately, the door had swung open the other way. She bolted through the entrance as the door closed shut behind her. Inside it was dark, but dry. That didn't stop her from sliding to a halt through a pile of wooden crates.

"Ow!" she whined as she picked herself up from the ground. Wet and cold, she hobbled sadly over to the driest and safest looking place there was.

Sitting as comfortably as she could get, she looked around to try and gather her bearings. "Where am I? I've never seen this place." she wondered aloud. No sooner had she spoken than another sound emerged. It wasn't like that of thunder, not the crackling of lightning. It was a definitive *thunk*. The young goat turned her head around and noticed the doorway she'd entered through had begun to move once again. "Who could that be?" she asked herself.

Through the darkness, the door opened again to reveal a pair of cobalt blue eyes illuminated through a crack in the roof. Lightning struck again, frightening both the goat and the newcomer. Uh oh! What if it's a wolf?! The goat thought with fear coating her mind. The slightly pained grunting of a male reached her ears along with the sound of clopping against the wooden floor. Those are hooves! She thought triumphantly as the clopping sound could be heard making its way over to the wall across from her.

Oh good, it's a goat! She assured herself, calming down. But… I wonder if he's hurt? She thought again, chancing a peek into the darkness. It was no good, she couldn't see anything, only hear his pained groans and the relaxed sigh as he sat down against the wall.

"Are you alright?" she asked. The other party sounded startled at first.

"W-what? Uh, huh?"

"It sure is a big storm!" the goat said.

"Oh, is there somebody else here?" the voice asked. He didn't sound surprised, or upset. In fact, he sounded rather calm given the circumstances. "Sorry about that. It's just so dark, I couldn't see you." he explained. The goat felt there was something wrong with his voice, like whomever the voice belonged to was acting.

"I came in here myself just a few moments ago. I'm soaked to the bone!" she said, striking up a conversation. She heard the acting in his voice again.

"Me too, and to top it off, I sprained my ankle! This just isn't my day." he said.

"Oh, are you okay?" she asked him. She then heard the sound of a stick hitting the wall and falling to the floor.

"Oh yeah, it's no big deal. It happens more often than I'd like to admit." he replied.

"I'm sorry. I've got bruises all over too. I must have run into everything on my way here." she said, hoping to relate to her new roommate.

"It's good to know I won't be alone through this storm." he said.

"I agree. You don't know how relieved I am that you came in here." she replied.

"Same here. It'd be rather frightening to be in this awful hut by myself." he confirmed.

"For sure!" she concluded. She listened for him to speak again, but all she heard was the beginnings of a sneeze.

"*ACHOO!*" the male let out.

"Oh dear!" the goat said.

"I must be catching something. That's all I need. Now I can't even smell anything." he complained.

"Same here. My nose always gets blocked up when I catch a cold. Must have caught one now. *ACHOO!*" she replied.

"So I guess the only thing we know about each other is the sound of our voices?" he offered.

"I guess so." she replied. "But at least it's safe in here."

"That's true."

"So whereabouts are you from?" she asked.

"I live in Baku Baku Valley." he replied. The goat heard him slump to the floor afterward.

"Really?! But isn't Baku Baku Valley dangerous?" she enquired, recalling the fact that wolves lived up in that valley.

"I suppose so, but it's a nice place to live all the same. The view is rather stunning." he replied.

"My, you're brave. I'm from Mount Sawa Sawa." she said.

"Is that so? Now I'm jealous. The food there is the best! I wish there was some around right now." he said.

"Me too. I was thinking the same thing." the goat replied.

"Sometimes I go beyond Sawa Sawa, over to Fuka Fuka Valley to get a bite to eat." he said.

"What a coincidence, so do I!" she said.

"Just thinking about it's making my mouth water." he said.

"Me too." she replied.

"Oh the delicious… Meat!"
"Oh the delicious… Grass!"

Thunder and Lightning struck as they both spoke in unison. The final word from both mouths went unheard.

"Oh, I hate thunder storms!" the goat cried.

"Same here. I can't think straight when one is going on." the male replied. "All this talking of food reminds me of what my mother used to say. She'd say I'd have to eat as much as possible so I wouldn't go hungry, then I'd have to work it off so I could run really fast." he said.

"My grandmother said the same thing! I had to eat as much as possible, else I wouldn't survive in the world." she replied.

"Oh? Why not your mother?" he asked.

"Well you see, when I was little, she…"

"Say no more. My mother died too." he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." she offered. There was a pause between them as they thought of what to say next. "Say, we have a lot in common, don't we?" she asked.

"Yes, I suppose we do. Although it's too dark in here for us to see what the other looks like, but I think it'd be rather funny if we looked alike." he replied.

"Yes it would." she said. The two of them exchanged laughs for a moment before the lightning struck.

"Oh… did you happen to see my face just now? I was looking down." the goat asked.

"Well, to tell you the truth; I wound up shutting my eyes. The flash blinded me." he replied. Another chuckled was exchanged between them before another flash frightened them.

"I really don't like loud noises." she whined.

"Me neither. Not only do they break my concentration, they hurt my ears." the male replied.

"We sure do think alike, don't we?" the goat asked.

"I was just thinking the same thing." he chuckled.

"Why don't we get together tomorrow when the weather clears up?" she offered.

"Sounds good to me. And here I thought that tonight would be the worst night of my life to date. But who knows? It may turn out to be the best. Especially if I get a new friend out of it." he replied.

No sooner had he spoken those last words then the rain began to stop, as did the thunder and Lightning. "Oh, it seems to have stopped." the goat commented.

"So it does!" he replied.

"I was thinking; how about tomorrow, we get together for lunch?" she suggested.

"That sounds great. The weather's usually good after a big storm like that one too." he replied.

"Where should we meet?" she asked.

"How about just outside of this hut?"

"Works for me. But we don't know what we look like." she replied.

"Well, why don't we have a password, something like 'One Stormy Night'?"

"That sounds good to me. Our password is: 'One Stormy Night'." she replied.

As time went by, the two discussed their excitement about the following day and how they would carry their meals. The sun began to rise, brightening the day.

"We'd best be going. Don't want to spoil the surprise for Lunch tomorrow." the male offered.

"Yeah. Ooh, AH!" she replied.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine! My leg just went to sleep. Go on ahead." she said.

"If you insist. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Definitely!" she replied. With permission to depart, the male opened the door and stepped out. The morning rays revealed him to be a chocolate brown wolf with a thin build and medium sized stature. He made track for the East, where Baku Baku Valley was. As he hit the tree line, where the sun couldn't yet reach him, the goat exited the door. She looked right, then left. She spotted the silhouette of her new friend.

"Goodbye, 'One Stormy Night'!" she called out. The wolf turned around and his eyes shone golden, reflecting the rays of the sun.

"'One Stormy Night'!" he called back.

The goat skipped through the forest to the hut with a chipper feeling radiating throughout her mind, body and soul. She was going to have Lunch with a new friend.

"I'm going to Lunch! I'm going to Lunch!" She sang merrily. On her back, bouncing up and down, always coming close to but never really falling off, was a package made out of leaves. Inside was a large sum of clovers, just like the one in her mane right next to her ear. Only that one was special. The one sported on her head was a four-leafed clover. She'd planned to give it to him as a friendship present.

Close by, the brown wolf wore a sash around his neck. The contents of his luggage rested on the back of his neck. It was a few scraps of meat from another animal, most likely a rabbit. He too was somewhat cheery about the whole thing. He even wore a smile on his face, something he rarely managed to do these days.

The goat was the first to arrive. Noticing her friend hadn't made it yet, she decided to have a brief look around. She came across a small bush with a tree sticking out through the middle; a good place to hide and surprise him. She hurried around, knowing he would come in from the east. She was just in time as the wolf emerged from the tree line.

Having caught the last rustles of the bush, he knew his new friend was hiding. He smiled once again, creeping closer. Now only a few feet from the bush where the goat was hiding, the wolf cleared his throat. "One Stormy Night!" he called out.

"One Stormy Night!" the goat cried out, shooting out of the bushes. The wolf raised his paw to wave hello to his new friend, as did the goat. Upon seeing each other, the two were caught in a moment of stunned silence.

There the wolf stood, looking down at his new friend, a goat which happened to be his favourite prey. And there stood the goat, which had been taught to always run away from a wolf to avoid becoming that prey. Despite their instincts, they were caught in a drop-dead silence.

"You have got to be kidding me!" the wolf said finally.

"But… I heard hooves when you came in!" the goat replied.

"That was a stick. I was using it for support so I didn't have to put too much weight on my wounded leg." he explained.

"Oh!" she replied.

Awkward silence took over once again. The two were definitely unhinged by this unnatural discovery. Here they stood; two completely different species that had so much in common. The only thing they didn't have in common aside from their physiological differences was their dietary habits.

"I know it's not much, considering you're a wolf, but I got you this." the goat said. She then presented to him the four-leafed clover she'd gotten for him. He stared at it, bewildered by something in the gesture she'd committed. "Sorry, I know it probably doesn't mean anything to you…" The goat paused as she heard him begin to chuckle. He then burst out into full laughter. "Is something funny?" she asked him.

The wolf died down to a chuckle once again and presented to her an identical clover. "We really do think alike, don't we?" he asked. The goat stared at the matching clover in his paw and a smile broke out onto her features. She then giggled and took the clover in his paw, replacing it with her own.

"Thank you. I love it." she said. The wolf took the clover she'd placed in his paw and returned it to where he'd hidden his present to her.

"Me too. Thanks." he said.

The two odd friends decided to proceed with Lunch, making track for Soyo Soyo Ridge. On the way there, they they happened upon a pass which had been cut off. A large crack in the side of the cliff had split the path in two.

"Oh no. That's a pretty big gap." the goat commented. The wolf stepped forward to the edge of the gap and looked it over.

"Three meters wide, a hundred foot drop… piece of cake!" he said. The goat looked at him as he took a few steps back then charged forward. She stared in awe as he leaped across the gap. He fell just short of a perfect jump. He collided with the edge; the impact caused the sash around his neck to unravel. It, along with his lunch fell down toward the ground. "You have got to be kidding me!" he groaned, forcing himself up to the other side where the goat waited patiently for him.

"Sorry about your lunch. Will you be alright?" she asked. The wolf, having lost his lunch as well as been outclassed in the jumping category, began to feel slightly unnerved.

"Yeah…I'll get over it." he said. As they continued their trek to Soyo Soyo Ridge, the wolf found himself watching his new friend very closely. With wide eyes, he observed the way her tail swished and how her flank moved with each step she took, the white softness of the thighs. He could tell exactly how tasty she would be just by watching her. Such a teasing little goat, it would be so easy to just jump her, bite down on the soft part of her neck and feast.

He shook his head. No! I want to see where this friendship leads me. He thought, clearing his mind of the hunger. But she just looks so tasty! Needless to say it wasn't working. NO! I've decided I'm not going to eat her! I will not let instinct overcome my will.

Before he could go into another bout of hunger, he accidentally ran into her behind. The sudden collision caused him to break his train of thought and focus on her.

"We're here!" she said happily.

"Here?" he asked, looking beyond her to the area ahead. Soyo Soyo Ridge was beautiful to say the least. Though greatly exposed, it allowed one to see a magnificent view that rivalled anything the wolf had seen before. Lush green fields flowed below the ridge all the way to the tree line beyond. Further still were the mountains, tinted blue in the distance, some of which had snow scattered across their peaks. Even beyond, there was gap into forever where the sun would set. It could be described as an Animal's paradise.

"What do you think?" she asked. Though the wolf had been around a lot of areas, he'd never really taken the time to stop on Soyo Soyo Ridge and enjoy the view.

"It's…I feel like I've fallen from that gap in the mountain pass and arrived in Paradise." he said, letting out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. On the ridge itself, was a small tree that gave enough shade to make it comfortable in the spring weather.

"Time to eat!" the goat said. The wolf watched her unpack her lunch before noticing her stare up at him sadly. "Oh, that's right, you lost your lunch, didn't you?" she said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Anyway, if you think about it, I'm really having Lunch with my Lunch… Oh, sorry, that was rude of me." he replied.

"Don't worry about it. I know you only meant to joke. Let's put it behind us. You can have half of my lunch, if you want." she offered him the clovers she'd packed.

"Thanks, but I can't digest anything short of berries, and even then it's iffy. Don't worry about it. I'll just take a nap for a bit." he said, lying down and tucking his head in over his paws. He closed his eyes and the goat was as good as alone.

An hour passed in silence as the goat enjoyed her clovers. When she was done, she gave a grateful sigh of relief, a distended belly proving she didn't let it go to waste.

"That was great!" she said, then turned to the wolf to see him still sleeping. "Think I'll take a nap too." she said, collapsing onto her back. She was asleep in seconds.

And seconds later, the wolf's eyes opened, wide as they were when he was fully awake. They focused on the sleeping goat next to him and he rose to a sitting position, looming over her like a cat over a lake. I can't help it. I'm just so hungry. Maybe she wouldn't mind if I just… no, that wouldn't work. An ear's an ear, there's no excusing that, not that she'd be able to hear me afterward. He went through the possibilities in his head. For every pro, there were two cons. If only he hadn't tried to make that jump without thinking everything through.

Eventually, he managed to come to a conclusion. One lick to identify her taste should satisfy his curiosity at least. With that in mind, he leaned over. With her on her side an ear would have been the best place to get a taste. And so he did. It was a gentle stroke; her fur alone had flavour that would normally send him wild, but the flesh beneath overloaded his tastebuds. He was frozen in place, his pupils dilated.

She's delicious! He thought. The words screamed through his entire being. He wanted more, he wanted to taste the meat beneath the flesh, the muscles, the organs, and even the bones had to be beyond delectable. But she's my friend. Those four small words snapped him out of his daze and he looked down to see her looking up at him with confusion plastered on her face.

"Sorry, did you say something? I zoned out." he admitted.

"I asked you not to play with my ears, they're sensitive." she said.

"Ah… yet another thing we have in common!" he said, raising his head to escape her personal space.

"Really?" she asked, curiously.

"These things aren't for show, you know. Not only is the hearing sensitive, but touch these bad boys and you've downed yourself a wolf." he chuckled. The goat smiled at him.

"I'll try to remember that if you ever try to eat me. I want to push this friendship to its limits." she said.

"As do I." he replied. They both looked on to the horizon and saw that the sun was beginning to set.

"My, has it already been that long? I'd best be going." she said.

"Yeah, the others might be wondering where I've gotten to." he agreed.

"Well… see you around." she said, turning to leave. The wolf was caught. The memory of her taste hadn't left his mind completely, and what remained, combined with the view before him, of her walking away, back turned to him, the tail and those juicy looking flanks ripe for the picking… he lost control.

He went into an attack pose and charged after her. Drool flew from the sides of his mouth. The goat heard something behind her and turned to look. It was a frightening scene to be sure, but the idea that he would hurt her didn't really register in her head.

"What's wrong?" she asked, turning all the way around to face him. The wolf skidded to a halt, his nose just touching hers. He looked as confused as she did.

"Um… I forgot to tell you…" he began.

"Yes?" she urged, beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Uh… that is… I wanted to ask you… could we do this again?!" he blurted out. Thank goodness for the subconscious mind. The goat blinked a few times before registering his request.

"Oh, yes of course. I'd planned on doing this again too, but we never really set a time or date for it, did we?" she asked.

The wolf chuckled, backing up a few steps. "You're right. How's tomorrow sound? Midday?" he offered.

"Works for me. By the way, my name's Mei." she replied.

The wolf looked at Mei and blinked a few times. "I… can't believe we didn't introduce ourselves! Here we were spending the better half of a day together and we didn't even know each other's names. It's nice to meet you Mei. My name's Gabu."

As the sun set, Mei found three worried goats waiting for her. Well, one worried goat, one ditzy younger goat and another that just seemed to be there for the extra grass to eat.

"Mei! Would you like to tell me what time it is?!" Tapp said. Tapp was an old friend of Mei's; one would say a childhood friend, only he often got on her nerves.

"Well it isn't time for one of your hour long lectures, Tapp. I've had the best day of my life, I'm not going to have you ruin it!" she replied, walking past him. "Hey Mii, how was your day?" she asked the younger ditzy goat. Mii blinked her big blue eyes and grinned at Mei.

"It was great! How was yours?" she asked.

"The best day in a long time. I can't say too much about it though, because it's top secret." she replied, appealing to Mii's childish nature.

Tapp stood where he was, watching the two girls, plus his ever hungry friend walk away casually. "What the bark just happened?"

As Gabu approached Baku Baku Valley, his entire demeanour dropped like a rock. His smile faded away like a shadow from the light. His eyes seemed to almost glaze over with boredom and if one watched very closely, they would see the colour of his fur turn slightly grey.

"Gabu! Welcome back!" a young wolf pup called out cheerily. Gabu looked up to find his 'secret admirer' Boro waiting for him on the edge of a pointy rock.

"Boro, be careful up there. We don't want you getting hurt. Your fellow pups will be getting a teacher in a few weeks. You don't want to miss out do you?" he asked. Even the tone of his voice dropped. Gabu was a completely different wolf.

"Sorry, Gabu." Boro said sadly, realising his welcome went unheard.

"Why are you sorry? You haven't hurt yourself yet. Don't be sorry for anything unless you've done something wrong. I'm just trying to look out for you, that's all." Gabu replied.

"Ah, Gabu. You've returned!" a large blue wolf, bigger than Gabu called out. One could mistake him for Boro's father, but that wasn't the case.

"Bari." Gabu said.

"Where have you been all day?" Bari asked.

"I was checking the area surrounding Soro Soro Ridge. Nothing there but prey food." he lied.

"Very good. Check there again after the next lunar cycle. Perhaps you'll get lucky this time around." he suggested.

"Yes, perhaps. Until then, I'll do the usual, shall I?"