Dancing for Rain: Chapter Two

The night could be described with many words; some not as pleasant as others, but the most prominent one was wet.

The clouds hung drearily over the treetops, leaking heavy, portly drops in fast torrents. It was perhaps this "enigmatic" phenomenon that kept the four children ( and the dog; a small Scottie thing that seemed to lack not only in self esteem but also in dialect and combative skills) clustered tightly together, under a fairly bristly pine tree.

The rain did nothing to dispel the argumentative mood circling around the course camp, and was more than likely half of the reason that the argument had started in the first place.

" Iggy, isn't there anything left?" Nudge, considered the chatterbox and the keeper of the flocks feeding schedule, was in a foul mood ( probably due to the considerable growl in the pit of her stomach). Iggy focused his unseeing eyes on her with hardly a shrug.

" Do you want the honor of having the last rotting apple, or shall I have the pleasure?" He held up the apple in question, regarding it with a queasy look despite the fact that it couldn't actually see it, Nudge sniffed loudly.

" You can," she pressed her back harder into the trunk of the tree, feeling the bark jut into her spine. " Max and Fang should be back soon anyway."

Iggy shook his head and cocked it, in a very birdlike fashion, to one side. " It's raining too hard, their going to have to walk back until it lets -" Nudge moaned loudly interrupting him and causing Angel and Gazzy to shift slightly on their uncomfortable bed of pine needles, she slightly lowered her volume, but the angry undertone in her eyes was still there.

She was hungry, presumably wet, and chilled to the bone, not only was this not a good combination, Nudge was known for her incredibly whiney attitude. " They better hurry up," she said under her breath and stared angrily, with no real reason in mind, at a particularly large clump of mud.

Unknown to her, she was going to have to wait for a long time.

W

" Fang, could you just stop for a second?" I gently placed my already soaked bag down on the ground and allowed my eyes to glance around the clearing before swiveling back to Fang's annoyed face.

" Are you tired already?" He wasn't angry, Fang didn't loose his temper easily, but I could tell he didn't like wasting time.

" Not unless you are, but have you got a load of this meadow?" I watched in fascination as a few drops of water lingered on a single leaf, before rolling off with a delicate splash. Fang, however, had a different opinion.

" I didn't know that you had such an attraction to flowers," he replied smoothly and I looked at him skeptically.

" You don't like the rain?"

" It's inconvenient."

" Isn't it alluring at all?"

" It's water Max," he looked flustered now and I hefted my pack onto my shoulders.

" I'm not an idiot Fang, but haven't you ever just looked at the scenery? Has it ever been anything but your enemy?"

Fang didn't answer for a moment and when he did, I was slightly surprised he had bothered. " It's had no reason to be beautiful to me."

I dropped my bag again, but this time pulled him to a stop next to me, " Fang, c'mere."

He let his pack roll off his back and reluctantly took the hand that I offered to him, indifference cast on his face.

" Look Fang," I reached up my hand and made his head point towards the meadow. " What do you see?"

" Leaves, tree's, grass-"

" Your as descriptive as a walnut," I growled.

" Fine, I see green grass and yellow leaves-"

" Don't think I won't slap you," threateningly, I advanced my fist towards his face and he held up his hands in surrender.

" Fine, it's rather 'alluring', am I released." I sighed and let go of his collar and he sidestepped around me, muttering something inaudible under his breath.

Fang may not have been impressed by the nature, but it still conjured amazed feelings in me. I stared at the grass lightly littered with dew, an unbidden smile crossing my tightly sealed lips; I prayed Fang didn't ruin the moment.

Then again, when I turned to go, I would've sworn that Fang was grinning.

AN: I have no comment on this, except for the ever needed: REVEIW!

Flamingflie