Racing the Storm (Open)

[Glitch;!`?]

The trees overhead were dark, towering creatures, even as the day wore on. A gust of thick, humid air tore through the branches, penetrating to the forest floor and buffeting the vixen's thick red fur. She didn't shiver, it was far too warm for that, but the chill down her spine was in response to the glimpse of dark, stormy sky that peeked through a gap in the tree canopy with the wind. It was noon, yet it was as dark as the dusk hours, a ominous rumble threatening to split the sky and bring sheets of rain, right through the tree cover. Thunder boomed, and fingers of lightning brought the world to the normal noon lightning, bright and blazing, only for a few seconds, then plunged it back into darkness. Ophelia paused, sniffing the air, pungent with the scent of rain, and hurried on, needing refuge before the storm broke.

Her pace rose as the broken foliage beneath her paws gave way to a dirt riverbed, try and empty now, but not due to it being any easier to run- more for worry now. Riverbeds typically meant rivers when water got into them, and the sky now looked promising for a few inches of rain- and from what she had heard, the easiest way to get into the Delmares' territory was to follow this dry, dusty path. Ever so slowly, she noted, the ground began to slope upwards, heading towards the end of the river, where the clan was located and in that, hopefully some shelter for the petite vixen- but she wasn't fast enough.

Another roll of thunder, a split of bright, burning lightning, and the rain broke, first a few thick, heavy drops, and then a downpour. The droplets slammed into her body, soaked through her warm fur, and chilled her skin, making her want to shake off and hide, but she was so close now, why bother waiting? It became clear she shouldn't stop when she was finally soaked through, water rolling off her her back and causing her white belly fur to hang down like stalactites, and far ahead, she could begin to make out large boulders and a flattened area, nestled safely against a tall hill, that must be the camp. Her speed increased tenfold to her full speed, long legs covering the great distance quickly, and causing her to slide on the slick ground as she tried to suddenly stop, a boulder suddenly looming before her, as if it had suddenly risen out of the ground, blending in the with sheets of pale gray rain.

Here she was, finally, the Delmares Clan den, so empty now, any foxes currently living here hiding from the storm brought down upon Ophelia's pretty, now wet. head. Not wanting to cause a scene, barging into a den as if she owned the place, she pressed herself against the boulder, somewhat sheltered from the rain, crouched in it's shadow, her intelligent amber eyes looking around, searching the shadows of the world around here, searching for any form of life that she may speak to, to see if it was possible to assert herself in this clan.

[Fireh--]

Before the storm had opened up and deposited its contents of water, Marco Polo had been out placing his scent markers on the borders. A lot of stray foxes had crossed it and he had promise himself that he would make sure the Delmares pack base was formidable and dangerous. Already he had heard that the Avantgarde's population was growing, it was in this fear that he needed to make it look like Delmares was flourishing too. Ahead, the clouds rolled in angry and a dark shade of bluish green. Wind tossled his fur and he shied his head away. Eyes squinting, he realized this was about to get very dangerous very quickly, with a few swift hops, he stopped and looked up at the sky once more before breaking into a determined run.

Every muscle screamed as the first bolt of lightning went off. The only place he could think of hiding at was back at the riverbed. Instead of making a beeline to it, which would cause him to have to run through a fair amount of trees and the marsh, he made his way to the winding riverbed. Leaping down into it, he felt the rain heavy and hard on his back, under-paw, the ground had began to grow wet and he wondered briefly if there was a chance of the water to flood the den. This particular river hadn't flowed in years but if this was strong enough. No. Swallowing, he broke into the run again, all around him the forest was alive with the wind and cries of animals looking for other members of their families and friends.

Luckily he had little to no one to worry about, a few more members might have joined in his absence but that was if he was lucky. Some of the strange foxes he met on his territory might want to join, well that was the only way to increase their power. Eventually he came to the fallen rocks that marked the outside of the den, cautiously, he picked away around the rocks as the rain blurred his vision. At last he could see the hole perfectly nestled between two large boulders. Slipping inside, surprise flickered across his face as he bumped into Ophelia.

Immediately the alpha switched into defence mode but she didn't have that scent of Vagrant. It was more like his scent. Blinking a few times in the dim line, he asked, "Who are you?" Still his pelt was bristled in warning but he wondered if she had joined the Delmares after all.

[Glitch;!`?]

She slowly began to catch her breath, the rock cool against her side as she closed her eyes and settled it- it seemed no one would come for her soon. Another crack of thunder brought the sheet like rain down in even thicker lines. Ophelia heaved a sigh, glaring daggers with her bright amber eyes at the sky, as if with sheer will alone, she could make the rain stop. In retaliation, a gust of wind sent a shower of cold rain right into her face.

She turned, sheltering her now dripping face into her soft chest fur and heaving a sigh- until the sound of paws skidding on mud and rocks caused her to lift her head, her ears pricking forward- only to be rammed into by a larger form. Instead of immediate curiosity, the tod stiffened and turned defensive. Ophelia jumped to her feet, and took an equally defensive step backwards, although she didn't show any signs of outward aggression. The tod didn't smell like the vagrants she had met, nor did he carry the scent of blood and death that a murderer might have. In fact, he smelt only of the forest, and the rain, along with the unique scent that the territory seemed to have, that the foxes here must have.

She blinked her wide amber eyes quickly, adjusting to the dim light and looking him over. He was a red fox, with the standard issue bright red coat, and black legs. He had more black, and was darker than Ophelia, with bright yellow eyes and most noticeable, three scars dark, mottled pink, and old. She couldn't quite place what had left the wounds on his face, also realizing it may be none of her business to even wonder. She tried to hold herself high in his presence, as he had the scent of an alpha, but a pretty vixen or not, she was smaller than him, and appeared similar to a drowned rat after her bout in the storm and from her days of traveling- not that he was much better off, since they had been in a similar position not long ago. He asked who she was, and in a gentle voice, she answered, strength behind her words, even with her diminished appearance, her amber eyes bright and alert.

"I'm Ophelia. I've lived around here for some time now... Who might you be, if I may inquire?"

[Fireh--]

In complete astonishment of the whole situation, he noticed her eyes roam around his face and come to land on his scars. Self-consciously he looked away unsure why he did this but remained staring at the floor for awhile. While he did this he felt his chest heave and it felt himself let out a hot drawn breath. The small den had become humidified with both of their bodies soaking wet and letting off steam after the exertion to get there. In a way it was nice to be warm but he still couldn't get over the fact there was a vixen in the den.

Now it was his turn to look her over and he raised his head, his acid yellow eyes flicking over her briefly. She was lithe and pretty, her coat around the same shade of red as his own. Although his black was more predominant on him than her, she also contained more white on her. Then in an awkward move, he looked into her eyes briefly, they were a dark amber colour much like the colour of the maple syrup which occasionally was seen leaking out of the many maple trees. In them he could see his own reflection and he wondered what she was thinking about this whole awkward situation.

The trance seemed to break as she stated who she was and then asked the question of her own, mentioning she had been here for awhile, he chirped, "So you are a Delmare?" Of course she had to be, no other foxes knew of their den, it was hidden and could only be found by those who had entered it a few times. Marco knew there were other Delmares around but had yet to meet to them on his constant patrols to keep the territory up and about. "I'm Marco Polo by the way, the alpha reynard." well he was the only reynard but that technically made him in charge. Leader until proven otherwise. A flash of lightning illuminated the cave before plunging it back into darkness and again his eyes had to adjust.

[Glitch;!`?]

She noticed him look away, as if trying to break her hold on his scarred face, and so she politely glanced away, not wanting to make him uncomfortable, as if the situation wasn't uncomfortable enough. When he finally did look back however, she locked onto his eyes, noticing and growing hot in her fur as he took his turn to look her over. His eyes flicked to her, and they locked gazes, both glancing away quickly. Seeing no danger now, she shifted and sat down, easing some of her internal tension.

He spoke, and she nodded to his comment, taking a deep breath and a moment to peer out of the den into the dim light outside. The air in the den, once cool, was now thick with their combined warmth and damp fur, yet the floor of the den was still cool, seeping through her paw pads, therefor the warmth in the air was a blessing.

"Yes, I was born here, and raised my brothers here. I left for a little while, but I was soon to return." She looked back at him, giving him a amused smile. "I guess these old trees really do scream of home to me, I was bound to return."

He introduced himself as Marco Polo, the alpha of the Delmare clan, and part of her momentarily dwelt on the unusual name, although she made no comment, taking in the information quietly.

"I assumed you were Alpha. You have the air of a leader to you." She gave her head a dip towards the floor, both a greeting and a symbol that she recognized him as alpha. "It's a pleasure."