A/N: Another Green Rider piece is up! For those of you waiting for Not Broken sorry this isn't what you were looking for. This came to me after seeing and hearing all the news coverage over the Oklahoma tornadoes a few months back. I just could not even begin to imagine what that would be like, losing so much in the blink of an eye. DISCLAIMER: As always, I own nothing you may recognize, it all belongs to Kristen Britain. Enjoy!
The Wanda Plains was not a place you wanted to live when one of the summer storms came up. It was certainly not a place you wanted to be caught out in the open without any shelter when one of those storms came up. Unfortunately, that's exactly where Rider Fergal Duff and Jericho Frost found themselves at present. They had ridden out to inspect the herds bound for Sacor City that spring.
Fergal watched the growing band of storm clouds with a deep-seated feeling of unease. "Where'd you say the nearest shelter was again?"
"We're still at least another two miles out," Jericho told him. Fergal could feel Sunny growing more nervous with every passing moment as the blue-black clouds continued to gather in the sky. Fergal felt like the very air itself was charged with some kind of strange, live energy. The herd of horses fanning out on the plains below them was growing restless as well. The mares all kept a wary ear flicked towards the sky while the stallion paced back and forth as if he was challenging the gods in the sky above to try and harm his harem. Fergal could easily pick out the golden coat of the palomino colt he had met on his first trip here with Karigan some months ago. The colt had grown three times the size he had been then, but he was still all legs and awkward angles. Fergal turned his attention back to the sky.
"I don't think we'll make it to that shelter before this storm gets here," Fergal said. At that moment a clap of thunder rolled across the plains, startling some of the horses down below. They went prancing and snorting through the tall, silver-tipped grass.
Jericho shrugged, "We can still try for it. I don't know about you, but I don't fancy being caught out in the open when that storm gets here." While they had been talking the clouds had doubled in size and were fast approaching them.
"I don't either," Fergal agreed. The two young men wheeled their horses around and spurred them into a gallop. Fergal heard the sounds of hundreds of hooves pounding the earth and turned in his saddle to see the herd racing after them, the storm on their heels. Lightning flickered in the sky as another clap of thunder shook the sky. Fergal flattened himself on Sunny's back, leaning low over the mare's neck with her mane whipping his face as they raced after Jericho and Jack.
The first curtain of rain hit them a few moments after they had begun their breakneck dash for safety. Between the rain and the sudden gloom cast by the storm clouds, the riders could barely see past their horses' ears. Lightning slashed through the gloom, a white-hot bolt light arcing from ground to sky. It was a little too close for Fergal's liking, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Fergal had seen storms like this a few times before, and none of them had ended well. He and his family and some of their neighbors would all hole up in the cellar of his father's butcher shop to wait out the storm. They would sit there in the dark and silence with the creaking carcasses and listen to the storm rage over their heads and hope that they would still have a home to go to when it was all done.
Fergal and Jericho plunged through the rain and hail that was now falling from the bruised and swollen clouds overhead. Fergal honestly had no idea how far they'd gone or even if they were headed in the right direction. In this weather time and direction had no meaning. Rain water ran down his face and into his eyes, obscuring his vision even more. He let Sunny have her head. Horse's always seemed to know the way home even if their riders were hopelessly lost.
He squinted through the gloom in front of them looking for a sign of any kind of shelter. He could make out some kind of structure off to their right. With a surge of hope he realized that it was an old stone watch tower that must have been built by the people who had inhabited the plains centuries ago.
"Jericho! Over there!" he shouted just as the winds dropped off and everything went deathly silent. Fergal felt his heart drop through his feet. He didn't have to look at the sky to know what that meant. Apparently Jericho knew as well since he didn't even look to where Fergal was pointing before swerving Jack in that direction. Any kind of shelter was needed right now.
It was a fairly large tower with a tall, wide door, which was good seeing as how both riders galloped through it, pulling their horses up to a screeching halt to avoid crashing into the opposite wall.
Fergal was grateful that this tower still had its roof meaning that they no longer had a constant barrage of water and ice pellets falling on their heads. They both dismounted as another clap of thunder shook the tower around them. He crossed to one of the arrow slits in the side of the tower and looked out. The sky was a sickly, brackish green color. Fergal was certain his face was probably the same color. A large funnel was starting to descend from the cloud. Being from the plains of western Sacoridia Fergal had seen a few tornadoes in his time and they never ceased to both fascinate and terrify him all at the same time. He couldn't see any of the bands of wild horses anywhere. He hoped they were holed up somewhere safe where they were out of harm's way. Although, this was one of the biggest tornadoes he had ever seen.
Fergal turned from the window and hunkered down against the wall next to Jericho who was almost completely white underneath the broad-brimmed straw hat he was wearing. Sunny and Jack pawed the ground and tossed their heads. The whites of their eyes seemed to glowing in the dim light.
The ground shook as the tornado touched the ground. The wind was howling around their shelter in a nerve-fraying wail that made Fergal want to scream and clap his hands over his ears. His heart was racing as the rumblings grew louder, heralding the approach of the destructive funnel. Fergal could hear trees snapping like twigs outside. They were coated with a fine layer of mortar dust and small pebbles when a large item-Fergal assumed it was a tree-clipped the outside walls. Jack reared and neighed shrilly in fright. Sunny stood completely still, her whole body quivering in terror. Fergal screwed his eyes shut and tucked his head between his knees, praying to any god that would listen to spare them from the weather's wrath.
It seemed to work as moments later everything grew still and quiet again. Only this time it was a more peaceful kind of stillness. Fergal felt like his whole body was vibrating with so much adrenaline and naked terror still running through his system. His ears were ringing in the sudden quiet and he wondered briefly if this is what it's like for people who can't hear. Carefully, Fergal and Jericho both inched up the wall to look out the window. The tornado was gone, leaving a path of broken trees and churned up earth beneath the dark gray sky overhead. Curtains of rain were still coming down, turning everything into a blurry scene of watery colors. As they watched the rain began to slack off. Fergal and Jericho looked at each other in question. Should they go? With a silent agreement they decided that they should continue on.
They led their horses back out of the tower. Fergal wondered what had happened to the herds on the plains and his mind wandered back to the gangly, palomino colt. He hoped nothing had happened to him. The thought struck of chord of fear through him.
As they prepared to mount back up and head back to the Frost family homestead, Jericho tapped him on the shoulder. Fergal turned to the youngest Frost boy. Jericho pointed off to the left as the sun broke through the clouds, illuminating the golden, palomino colt trotting towards them, the rest of the herd milling around behind him. Fergal could feel himself beaming as he reached out to touch the velvety muzzle of the curious colt. He knew everything would be okay.
A/N: As always I would love to know what you think. Leave me a message after this note~Naomi
