Running Against the Wind

T

he earth had been muddy all day from a previous snow shower in the hours preceding dawn. The sun had scarcely shone as the clouds gathered ominously, even now, in the late afternoon, though it was hard to tell exactly the time of day because of the looming storms. Rhiannon did not much mind the mud. It was the freezing rain that she found herself presently pelted by, little specks of ice like darts from an angry, dark sky. Within moments, her pelt was drenched, and the flesh beneath her fur felt raw from the tiny pin pricks of the falling sleet.


Rhiannon knew where she was because she had spent her lifetime avoiding it: the College of Eòlas… where elites gathered who thought they knew better than those who were uneducated, by their standard. But Rhiannon possessed an ancient and sacred knowledge not taught in their midst. She was, admittedly, not the most knowledgeable about the various factions of politics, the squabbles of those who deemed themselves more important, more worthy than the commonfolk. She knew only that this could be a breeding ground for aristocracy and greed.


Never would the priestess step inside such a place unless it was necessary -- and today, the gods themselves could not fault Rhiannon for being so near a location that she disliked, as the freezing rain pushed her further on her quest for shelter. ”For the love of Brigid,” the soaked wolfess muttered under her breath when finally she found a grove of maples. Despite their barren branches, the sheer size of the trunks helped to create a shelter beneath the grove. By now, she was panting and weary and she could barely see after nature's assault.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

"Dear gods!" she growled through gritted teeth, tearing forward through the woods like a madwoman, all in attempts to escape the sky's fiery anger. Or, should she say icy anger? Either way, the anger was not pleasant as it repeatedly assaulted her, unforgivingly and relentless. Silently, she cursed whatever higher power was clearly punishing her for having skipped out on her morning class as she made a beeline for the thicker maples that would surely provide her shelter from the onslaught of sleet.

Finally, she tumbled beneath the canopy of trees and dramatically flopped onto the damp ground, heaving and huffing loudly as she recovered her breath and stamina. "Whoo!" she exclaimed, a grin breaking out onto her face as she rolled onto her side. "Now that was something." And finally she turned her head to look at her surroundings and suddenly, with a look of horror, she realized she was not alone and was behaving so poorly. "AH!" she scrambled to her paws, shaking off her soaked coat staring at the woman with wide eyes. Her parents would kill her -- possibly violently -- if they knew she had done that in the presence of someone else.

"H-hello," she choked out, cheeks hot from embarrassment. "I'm--" Was it a good idea to give her name out after such a display? Their first impression of her would be her rolling around on the ground, and then they would put a name to the act! But after a moment she finally let it slip out: "I'm Lacuna."

art & code by enie

@Rhiannon

J

ust as Rhiannon’s fur began to dry beneath the shelter, another wolfess made a sudden, unexpected appearance. The entrance of the stranger was spectacular -- dashing in from the freezing rain, drenched to the bone, falling to the ground with a dramatic flair. Droplets of water sprayed in every direction as the girl attempted to dry her own snow-colored pelt, causing Rhiannon to jerk backwards in a failed attempt to avoid it. Finally, the stranger noticed that she was not alone, and she squealed as she tried to correct herself. Rhiannon withheld any laughter, though she was certainly amused.


"I'm--" The girl seemed uncertain for a moment; Rhiannon watched patiently, the hint of a smile on her thin black lips. The nervous girl, soaked, was still very lovely, Rhiannon noted to herself. She had always had a fondness for white wolves. "I'm Lacuna." A nod was offered in greeting. ”Lacuna. Well met,” she stated with an unusual air of playfulness, ”sort of. The gods are unhappy today.” She stated this as though it were a given fact, as if everyone held faith in the same deities as herself.


"I am Rhiannon." The smile upon her muzzle grew, just a little. Was this one of the College's best and brightest, she wondered? "Are you a student here, Lacuna?" She enjoyed the other's moniker as she spoke it.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck