Open It's Raining, It's Pouring

[Crook]

24th of Spring, 515 AV

Crook closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Try counting it out, He told himself. You have to fall asleep sometime.

And so he counted.

One...Two...Three... The boy had gotten no farther than this when the low growl of thunder caused the young half-Zith to leap from his bed. Blankets flew across the room, scattering on the floor and sliding every which way. His pillow lay on the ground, forgotten in his momentary terror, and the rain outside spat on his window merrily, as if it were mocking him.

"Scared ya, didn't I?" It seemed to say.

Crook pulled a face and showed his vaguely-sharper-than-normal teeth to the storm outside. It wasn't that he was afraid of the storm. No, he knew it wouldn't hurt him, but the sounds of thunder growling reminded him of something big and monstrous. Something that might actually hurt him. Something vicious and mean and-

A second roll of thunder caught the young man off guard. He jumped again, but this time nothing went flying but himself. Crook started, landing back on his feet with a heavy thud. His arms shook and his legs barely supported him.

"This is ridiculous." He told himself aloud. "You have to get over this, one way or another."

And so, mustering up all the courage he had, Crook walked himself to the door of his home and opened it, staring out into the stormy, foggy night.

It was time to face his fears.

[Maro]

Something woke Maro, and he sat up groggily in his bed, rubbing his eyes for a moment and trying to figure out what it was that had pulled him from his slumber. He didn’t have to wait long at all for another clap of thunder to split the night. That’s when he heard the patter of rain drops beyond the closed wood of the window shutters. His heart was beating wildly, as if trying to mimic the chaotic dance of the rain against the wood, but it wasn’t racing in fear. No. The emotion flooding him was one he knew well and loved far more dearly: excitement. The memory of his meditation came to him. A black sand beach where he and Autumn defied the power of a coming storm, laughed at its feeble attempts to drive them to fear, and danced in air that tasted of rain. This was an opportunity for him to live his imagined bliss in reality and an opportunity for Autumn to join in, to share in his happiness. He looked to the other side of the bed. He always stayed on his side, leaving room for her, even though she didn’t need it. “Autumn, are you awake?” A voice came from the empty air next to the wall. “You know I don’t sleep.” In a fashion similar to the dawning of the sun, Autumn materialized out of the seeming nothingness. Much like dawn, she began with a slight shimmer in the air, a hint that the world was brightening, but so subtle that Maro could have talked himself into saying he had only imagined it. But just like dawn, the light Autumn gave off with her materialization continued to grow. Building in intensity, the light finally took shape, beginning with vague lines and curves that suggested some form and continuing by filling in the details until the face he knew and loved was complete before him. Her body filled in below as she began to talk to him, still in the dress she always wore. “What is it?” “Did you hear the thunder?” She looked at him with her head cocked curiously to one side. It was a habit she picked up from his canine ways. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid?” “Of course not. I want to go out into it.” The flash of lightning through a crack in the window shutters accentuated her ghostly illumination. “Maro, you’re ridiculous.” She feigned a yawn. “Aren’t you tired?” “Not anymore. Come on, Autumn. It’ll be fun.” “Not if you get sick.” He shrugged. “I don’t get sick.” It was true. Something about his animal side kept him healthier than most people. “Besides, I wouldn’t miss this for anything. Come on.” She laughed at him. “Fine. Get dressed, and we’ll go out.” “I was actually thinking of going out without anything on.” “You mean as a jackal?” He nodded. She shrugged and walked over to the door. Stripping off the pants he slept in, he opened the door for her and allowed her to exit first. Though doors were just an inconvenience that the living required, Autumn still used them out of habit. Stepping through after her, Maro closed the door quickly, ready to get his human body out of the cold rain drops that pelted his skin. A single flash illuminated the world around him in concert with a flash of lightning, and as the pads of his paws felt the cool of the stone beneath them, a deep rumbling crash of thunder echoed off every building on the street. Maro lifted his pointed muzzle to the black sky and barked his defiance at it. Following suit, Autumn laughed, half at him and half at the inconsequential efforts of the rain to soak her. Being what she was, the drops just flew through her body splattered themselves on the earth that gave no sign of caring. Together, Maro and Autumn wandered through the empty night streets with no particular destination in mind. As was her way when she was alone with him, Autumn danced, spinning in lazy circles and moving her feet with a weightless grace. Without a single care in the world, Maro darted around her, sometimes diving underneath her and other times matching her dancing pattern with a wider circle around her. Leaping into the air on occasion, he snapped at the falling drops, and his jaws snapped together fruitlessly. He didn’t mind. Tonight, he was invincible.

[Faradae]

Crook
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N O T E S

Grades withheld: You have not logged in in over two years. Oh well.

Maro
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E X P E R I E N C E

• Socialization +1
• Observation +1
• Dancing +1

L O R E S

• Autumn: Worries about Maro's health
• Autumn: Dancing through the storm
• Dancing: Dancing as a jackal

N O T E S

It's a shame this thread got cut short. It was off to a pomising start!

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