[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft] There was a storm coming.

Dark grey clouds were gathering, clambering together on the far horizon, and every few heartbeats a distant rumble could be heard from far away. The storm was rolling in from the ocean and as Castaway crested the tall sand dune, he could see the sea, as grey as the clouds, with frothing waves lapping furiously at the shore and he knew this would be a big one.

The seabirds wheeled and screamed, riding the powerful gusts, wary of the eagle that circled above them all.

A part of him wanted to remain here until the rain plummeted down ice cold, to watch the sea whip itself into a wild frenzy and the world become connected in chaos. But he turned away after one last sharp look of longing, back the way he came, seeking shelter among the thorny thickets and high dune grasses.

A light slither across his ankle would inform him that he was not alone. A little green snake, the colour of seafoam, curled upwards onto his hindlimb, its neckfrill flaring just a little as it hissed and flickered out its tongue.

Hm. Bit of an odd snake, with a neckfrill.

But it was cute.

Right?

Anyway, the snake clearly didn't want to be caught in the storm, either.

He felt the brush against his ankle and paused mid-stride, his head dipping and turning to look back, completely unconcerned to find a snake coiling around his leg.

It was an odd looking snake but the swamp was full of odd looking things.

Castaway took a second to consider his options and then shrugged, turned forward again and kept walking, allowing the snake to hitch a ride if it so desired.

He slid down the dune and pushed through the tall grass, seeking a clump of weathered trees, the trunks bent low by the constant assault of the ocean storms. It wouldn’t protect him from all of the rain but it would provide shelter from wind.

The snake, he thought as he pushed through the branches, could make for a good snack. For himself (although snake meat was not his preference) or either of his wild companions, one of which was still enjoying riding the tumultuous winds above.

If the snake could have read Castaway's mind, one might imagine it would have been very indignant at that last thought indeed.

Very indignant.

But it was not that kind of telepathic, so it just snaked farther upwards, shrinking as far under his belly as it could, once the first drops of rain began to fall.

With the snake in tow, Castaway muscled his way through the twisting trees until he found a spot nestled between the trunks where the branches met above in a tight canopy. There were a few twigs uncomfortably stabbing into his side as turned around on the spot, clearing away some of the debris for space to sit but he simply pushed against them until they snapped against his body.

"Off," he instructed, giving his leg a little shake to try dislodge the snake as he settled down, head curling around to meet his tail.

Thunder boomed overhead and the wind howled.

"Don't you have a rock to climb under?" He asked his serpent companion.

The snake hissed and spread its jaws, showing just a glint of fangs, but otherwise seemed content to be a bloody nuisance making absolutely no effort to move away.

After all, this seemed a good, little place to shelter from the storm.

(@Ruriska im sorry he's so contrary QAQ)

It wasn’t a good idea to pick a fight with a snake in an enclosed space but Castaway narrowed his eyes and tipped his head forward.

“Don’t do that again,” he warned.

Not that the stupid thing would undestand the words but surely it could understand intent.

(@Jun that's fine xD)

The snake stuck out its tongue, as snakes do, although somewhat more emphatically than most, and perhaps held for longer.

But it did not do that again.

Instead, it leisurely slid off his hindleg, and slithered towards his foreleg.

It took a long moment but Castaway begrudgingly accepted that the snake was going to stay for the remainder of the storm.

"Fine," he said crankily, as he closed his eyes and listened to the storm crash overhead, cold gusts of wind sneaking through the branches. The rain would soon follow. But at least he wasn't out in the open.

Castaway drifted in and out of a fitful sleep, as raindrops dripped on him from above, waking him whenever they landed on his face. But he would simply shift his head or coil tighter.  Not the eagle nor the owlcat had arrived but he wasn't worried. They would live or die on their own. If the bird was stupid enough to try fly through a thunderstorm, that was its own problem.

For long hours he waited, with only the snake for company until the storm finally eased.

@Jun

Now that the storm was finally over, the snake, hitherto lazily curled around Castaway's front leg, slithered up his shoulder, pointing its head towards the tight path from whence they came, flickering its tongue in and out, as if expecting to be borne out again by this mount.

Very entitled snake, really.

@Ruriska

His limbs felt stiff and were enough of a distraction that the snake using him as its own personal transport wasn't worth making a fuss over. Feeling wet and sore, Castaway rose and pushed out to freedom, stepping from their shelter into a grey world, were the storm could be seen moving off in the distance and the world was now quietly recovering from the onslaught.

There was a shriek from above, an eagle slowly gliding in, turning in lazy circles above the Acha.

Oh good, the idiot bird had survived.

The bird was also swooping with claws extended.

Swooping?

Oh right, the snake.

"Argh," Castaway cried angrily as he tossed himself into the wet sand and dunegrass to escape the raking claws.

@Jun

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... ncert3.png[/imgright]


Just as Castaway tossed himself into the sand, the snake, too, tossed itself away from Castaway.

In mid-air, it suddenly spun into an Acha stag, that, quite unfairly, yelped as he landed and turned to shield himself from the flying sand that Castaway sent up.

"Heck of a storm!" he exclaimed, folding around and lifting a hindleg to scratch out the slightest bit of sand that had scattered itself in the vicinity of his ear, "What's up with that eagle - it yours?"

@Ruriska

The eagle pulled up from the dive with a confused shriek and began turning quick circles, head turned to watch the now two Acha's.

And Castaway - oh, he was furious. He'd been taken advantage of and tricked.

He picked himself up out the sand, with what seemed half the beach still stuck to him, and hissed, "I should have snapped your little snake neck."

@Jun

"Whoah there, big guy," he started to say, turning - and then he stopped to stare at the sand monster before him.

There was once a time when Tidings would have immediately burst out laughing at Castaway's misfortune, but he had learnt more restraint since, so he didn't. That was called character development and you're welcome.

Also, he might have thought Castaway would snap his little Acha neck if he did.

"Thought you didn't sound very nice to snake me," he said, instead, lifting the other hindleg to scartch behind the other ear, "but that's still a bit much - how ever did you land a girl with a mouth like that?"

@Ruriska

Castaway’s rage was a hot pit in his gut spurred on by the realization of his own foolishness. Of course he knew what Legendaries were but he’d never stopped to think that the odd looking glow-eyed bastard of a snake that was using him as a form of shelter was one.

He should have noticed.

So much for being clever and well-travelled when you could be duped by a flippant slithering idiot. Who also knew Castaway had recently found company of a less annoying kind.

With a scowl, he started shaking off some of the sand, fighting the urge to wrestle the other Acha into the ground.

“My mouth," he said, eyes narrowed and stance radiating ire, "is much more pleasant in desirable company."

@Jun