What Things May Come
Chapter 1:
The Eye of the Storm
A howling wind whistled harshly through the trees, rustling the delicate golden-brown leaves high in the trees. A few leaves detached themselves from the branches and were whisked about helplessly in the air in the vacuum that was the wind. The leaves crinkled in the wind, and suddenly all went still as the wind died. The leaves plummeted to the ground and a downpour of rain soaked the parched grass. Young flowers that had just broken through the earth were pounded relentlessly into the ground as the rain steadily grew heavier. The clouds appeared to open up as a horrendous lighting bolt erupted and hit a nearby tree, sending it bursting into flames.
"Balm! What are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?" a young doe yelled from the burrows, as the tree began to crack and branches fell to the ground. The buck had been taking on sentry duty, and was intent on doing his job well, except for the fact that he didn't have any common sense.
Balm looked at the doe and then to the burning tree and scuttled down into the run beside the brown doe. "So Zenthlay, what's new?" he asked her, with a stupid grin on his face.
"Oh you know, same old, same old," the doe replied and motioned to the rain outside. "So what was with that, you trying to tempt the Black rabbit?"
"No, no, no, lets not be hasty now," Balm replied, "I was just doing my job…:
"Do you see any other sentries out there, huh?" Zenthlay asked, obviously upset that her friend had no common sense himself. "You know, I won't always be here to look out for you, brother, and when I'm gone, what will you do?"
"Errr…." Balm looked around nervously. "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere now, I'm just saying if something was to happen to me…" Zenthlay grumbled.
"What? I mean…it isn't is it?" Balm asked, staring intently at his sister. She wouldn't just leave him, would she?
"No, oh for Frith's sake!" she groaned. "Just-just never mind," Zenthlay chuckled and ruffled her brother's fur. She didn't want him to injure his brain too much by straining it. "Just try to think for yourself next time. If it's raining hombil and lendri, you don't stay out there, especially after thunder almost hits the warren. It only makes sense, you understand?"
"Yeah I guess, sorry sis," Balm replied bashfully, and shuddered as a gale of wind found its way down the run. The wind speed was really picking up out silf, and the clouds were turning a faint greenish color as they gathered in heaping dark entities. But the siblings were safe in the warren, as they were more or less sheltered from the wind and the rain.
"Listen to that," Zenthlay whispered to Balm as the wind died down. "Come on, lets go check it out," she proclaimed to her brother and headed out silf. It was a strange sight indeed. Just where minutes ago, it had been extremely stormy and cloudy out, the sky had now parted and was pure blue. There was almost an eerie sort of silence, as there was no wind to even rustle their fur. "Balm, I don't like this, it gives me the creeps," Zenthlay proclaimed.
Balm batted his sister's ears playfully. "What'cha talkin' about? It's beautiful out here!" he cried and leapt into the air, kicking his hind legs behind him. "You're too paranoid Zenthlay, the storms passed, come on, chase me!" he yelled and bolted off into the trees that were on the border of the warren.
"No Balm don't! Get back here now!" Zenthlay screamed, a sense of dread filling her body. It was going to come back, she could feel it. The feeling was present in every bone and every blood vessel in her body. She launched after Balm, as the wind quickly began to come back. It whipped through her ears, as she caught up to Balm.
"Aww…you got me, no fair. You're too fast," Balm frowned at Zenthlay.
The doe looked around frantically. They were too far away from the warren now, and the storm was gaining its strength now. What to do? What to do? Zenthlay closed her eyes thoughtfully, only to be slung in the side by Balm.
"Now's not the time to rest sis, I have to catch you now," he beamed, feeling like he might be able to actually catch her this time. She seemed unusually tired.
"Just shut up for a moment won't you??!!" Zenthlay snapped at her brother, which sent him reeling backwards in shock. What had gotten into her, she was never like that? "We need to find shelter. Somewhere to hide. Anywhere," she said, in short gasps of breath, as she looked around in horror. Some sort of man-thing flew through the air, carried by the wind, and Zenthlay dove for the nearest possible cover, which was a hollow tree stump.
Balm looked around, totally insolent about what was happening. "So it's just wind, can't harm us…"
"You fool!" Zenthlay yelled and stuck her arm out to pull Balm into the shelter of the hollowed tree. Zenthlay pulled Balm into the hollow just in time as golf-ball sized hail began pelleting the ground. One bounced off the ground and rolled into the hollow. Balm looked at it, sniffed it, then licked it. Unfortunately, the air was warm and the hail was extremely cold, so Balm's tongue stuck to it.
"Uhhhh…" he pulled his head back in an attempt to free his tongue, but it was fixed on good. The hail just ended up hitting him in the face as he tried to free his appendage.
"Seriously Balm, sometimes I wish I could disown you," Zenthlay sighed and with terrific force ripped the ice-ball off her brother's tongue.
"OWWWW!" Balm squealed in pain and grabbed his tongue with a forepaw. He was about to cuff his sister for that, when the winds suddenly picked up to deathly speeds outside. "Zenthlay," he whimpered and backed up against the other side of the hollow. Zenthlay huddled against her brother as wind whipped inside the hollow. The attack of the hail outside really sent shivers down her spine.
"What's going on out there sis?" Balm asked Zenthlay, as he tried to stop his paw from trembling, but not very successfully. He had never experienced any kind of weather like this, and even though he didn't want to admit it, he was scared.
Zenthlay gave her brother a reassuring look and then they rode out the rest of the storm, oblivious to what was going on out silf. As quickly as the wind had picked up, it died down again as the storm ceased its onslaught.
Chapter 1:
The Eye of the Storm
A howling wind whistled harshly through the trees, rustling the delicate golden-brown leaves high in the trees. A few leaves detached themselves from the branches and were whisked about helplessly in the air in the vacuum that was the wind. The leaves crinkled in the wind, and suddenly all went still as the wind died. The leaves plummeted to the ground and a downpour of rain soaked the parched grass. Young flowers that had just broken through the earth were pounded relentlessly into the ground as the rain steadily grew heavier. The clouds appeared to open up as a horrendous lighting bolt erupted and hit a nearby tree, sending it bursting into flames.
"Balm! What are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?" a young doe yelled from the burrows, as the tree began to crack and branches fell to the ground. The buck had been taking on sentry duty, and was intent on doing his job well, except for the fact that he didn't have any common sense.
Balm looked at the doe and then to the burning tree and scuttled down into the run beside the brown doe. "So Zenthlay, what's new?" he asked her, with a stupid grin on his face.
"Oh you know, same old, same old," the doe replied and motioned to the rain outside. "So what was with that, you trying to tempt the Black rabbit?"
"No, no, no, lets not be hasty now," Balm replied, "I was just doing my job…:
"Do you see any other sentries out there, huh?" Zenthlay asked, obviously upset that her friend had no common sense himself. "You know, I won't always be here to look out for you, brother, and when I'm gone, what will you do?"
"Errr…." Balm looked around nervously. "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere now, I'm just saying if something was to happen to me…" Zenthlay grumbled.
"What? I mean…it isn't is it?" Balm asked, staring intently at his sister. She wouldn't just leave him, would she?
"No, oh for Frith's sake!" she groaned. "Just-just never mind," Zenthlay chuckled and ruffled her brother's fur. She didn't want him to injure his brain too much by straining it. "Just try to think for yourself next time. If it's raining hombil and lendri, you don't stay out there, especially after thunder almost hits the warren. It only makes sense, you understand?"
"Yeah I guess, sorry sis," Balm replied bashfully, and shuddered as a gale of wind found its way down the run. The wind speed was really picking up out silf, and the clouds were turning a faint greenish color as they gathered in heaping dark entities. But the siblings were safe in the warren, as they were more or less sheltered from the wind and the rain.
"Listen to that," Zenthlay whispered to Balm as the wind died down. "Come on, lets go check it out," she proclaimed to her brother and headed out silf. It was a strange sight indeed. Just where minutes ago, it had been extremely stormy and cloudy out, the sky had now parted and was pure blue. There was almost an eerie sort of silence, as there was no wind to even rustle their fur. "Balm, I don't like this, it gives me the creeps," Zenthlay proclaimed.
Balm batted his sister's ears playfully. "What'cha talkin' about? It's beautiful out here!" he cried and leapt into the air, kicking his hind legs behind him. "You're too paranoid Zenthlay, the storms passed, come on, chase me!" he yelled and bolted off into the trees that were on the border of the warren.
"No Balm don't! Get back here now!" Zenthlay screamed, a sense of dread filling her body. It was going to come back, she could feel it. The feeling was present in every bone and every blood vessel in her body. She launched after Balm, as the wind quickly began to come back. It whipped through her ears, as she caught up to Balm.
"Aww…you got me, no fair. You're too fast," Balm frowned at Zenthlay.
The doe looked around frantically. They were too far away from the warren now, and the storm was gaining its strength now. What to do? What to do? Zenthlay closed her eyes thoughtfully, only to be slung in the side by Balm.
"Now's not the time to rest sis, I have to catch you now," he beamed, feeling like he might be able to actually catch her this time. She seemed unusually tired.
"Just shut up for a moment won't you??!!" Zenthlay snapped at her brother, which sent him reeling backwards in shock. What had gotten into her, she was never like that? "We need to find shelter. Somewhere to hide. Anywhere," she said, in short gasps of breath, as she looked around in horror. Some sort of man-thing flew through the air, carried by the wind, and Zenthlay dove for the nearest possible cover, which was a hollow tree stump.
Balm looked around, totally insolent about what was happening. "So it's just wind, can't harm us…"
"You fool!" Zenthlay yelled and stuck her arm out to pull Balm into the shelter of the hollowed tree. Zenthlay pulled Balm into the hollow just in time as golf-ball sized hail began pelleting the ground. One bounced off the ground and rolled into the hollow. Balm looked at it, sniffed it, then licked it. Unfortunately, the air was warm and the hail was extremely cold, so Balm's tongue stuck to it.
"Uhhhh…" he pulled his head back in an attempt to free his tongue, but it was fixed on good. The hail just ended up hitting him in the face as he tried to free his appendage.
"Seriously Balm, sometimes I wish I could disown you," Zenthlay sighed and with terrific force ripped the ice-ball off her brother's tongue.
"OWWWW!" Balm squealed in pain and grabbed his tongue with a forepaw. He was about to cuff his sister for that, when the winds suddenly picked up to deathly speeds outside. "Zenthlay," he whimpered and backed up against the other side of the hollow. Zenthlay huddled against her brother as wind whipped inside the hollow. The attack of the hail outside really sent shivers down her spine.
"What's going on out there sis?" Balm asked Zenthlay, as he tried to stop his paw from trembling, but not very successfully. He had never experienced any kind of weather like this, and even though he didn't want to admit it, he was scared.
Zenthlay gave her brother a reassuring look and then they rode out the rest of the storm, oblivious to what was going on out silf. As quickly as the wind had picked up, it died down again as the storm ceased its onslaught.