[event] Call me calloused, call me cold,

The sunrise was of clouds gathering, a looming presence over the sky that did not let the sun come above the darkened land. Continued to be a shadow as it was, a looming thunder streaked across the sky, booming a crack for all that to hear. Those who woke up were to be greeted by the small pattering of but rain droplets, and soon did it continue pouring through the morning.

Alas it never ceased, for instead it came harder, and harder. The land was but covered in the thick clouds and the raining storm, any who tried to walk would be greeted with darkness and hard droplets. A mess of a maze to go through, for those near The Elk's Crown on the day. It did not seem to let up any time soon, rather, the grounds seemed to start pooling in but minor ponds..

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Celnes gathered her children, for no more was the den to be safe. She could see the water pooling in front as the rain continued on through the runrise, to the afternoon ; and showed no chance to be spotted. They were old enough where she need not to haste in carrying, but rather was quick to pick up @Melrose and ushered the rest out. She could feel the pattering of the harsh droplets upon her fur, and winced slightly.

"Come, we must hurry," she said with a haste, if one were to lag behind she was quick to push them forward, "we must enter the grotto, where it'll be safe." Though it was underground, the water did not penetrate the mossy hill before it so. She would hope, it was safe.

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@Calhoun @Rohesia @Aldritch @Edith @Maral @Vermillion @Warwick

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The ran hit harshly upon her head, she wasn't expecting it when moved out of the den and fell face first into mud. In her nose and into her mouth, "bleh!" and coughed it up while sneezing what was into her nostrils. Though mother wasn't allowing them to stray behind, for when she fell Celnes was quick to prod her back up ; but provided no comfort of bathing that brought the Princess into a whine of protest, for the stickily mud was onto her pelt underneath and face and simply felt gross.

But they were ushered on, to the grotto that was once visited.

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Another day of rain though this day would come with wonderous booms that threatened to shatter his eardrums. He was fascinated by the way his fur felt electric despite the water that mugged the air, but they were to stay inside until Celnes decided they'd be better off elsewhere. He hadn't seen the need to move at first despite the pools of water. It had rained other days why was today any different aside from the lights that danced the sky?

He has his questions, though his mother seemed far too occupied ushering them and carrying his sister for him to bother now. He followed with ease as they went to the grotto, snickering as Vermillion face planted into the mud in their haste and ignored her wines as he passed her to the shelter of green and rock.

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B U C K

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It was raining men, hallelujah cats and dogs out here!

He was busy running around in the mud, as one does when there was a giant downpour and you weren't quite sure where to go except into a hole in the ground that you didn't even know the location of. He'd heard of the grotto but he'd never actually gotten to be there, instead he just plopped down wherever he was when he was tired and zonked out. Thankfully, he was on his way running around when he spotted the brown shape of the queen and heard her mention the place.

Oh shit, the kids!

He turned from his dashing about to run up to her. “Ma'am, can I help?!” He wouldn't grab any of the kids unless she gave the A-Ok, especially since he'd never actually gone up to meet them before, but heck, the sky was really trying to drown them all! He tried to circle around the gaggle of pups to check in the den to make sure nobody was still sitting in there, pouting about having to go in the rain - he knew how pups could be sometimes. “Come on, lil'uns, it'll be nice and dry when we get-” Uh “- where we're going!”

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"Ugh," Edith sneered, stepping into the pouring rain. She didn't like their current situation; how the rainwater puddled around her ankles and Célnes regarded them with haste. It was all too much, and she would have rather stayed behind if it had been an option. However, Melrose's plight was the other thing that brightened her day, and she hoped that wasn't the last faceplant that she would see today. 

Buck seemed to have materialized out of thin air, and Edith regarded him with suspicion. She'd never seen him before, but after her ocular patdown, she felt like she could trust him. Yet, despite this, she would not lower her guard. 

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as he hurried around him, and her opinion of his lessened. "We're going to the grotto," she said flatly, as silent DUH hanging on her tongue.

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"Can you grab Vermillion?" There was a thank of relief as someone around came to help. Though her children were old enough to walk, some were relatively weaker, and slower.. She couldn't pick up both her daughters. It was definitely a thankful for him to be herding them, as she gave a rather stern look at particulary, Calhoun and Edith who she felt would end up wandering off in but a curiosity. At the moment it was but not to let such a moment happen, as a thunder creaked across the sky in a booming crackle.

"We must get them within the Exalted Grotto - and hopefully tell the others of it's safety." She could could only help the rest, such as @Nikitas, @Niklaus, @Cynefrid, @Corliss, @Alcott, @Teodora, @Calliope, and @Remus were finding themselves in so. She could not force them, but once her own were secured she would try to howl for them that she was close, and safety was within sight. At least for now, as it seemed as a typhoon was raining through the land, and with such creaks nearby.. Floods did seem plausible.

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vermillion is skippable!

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Another book echoed in the sky causing his ears to draw back painfully, a wince to his steps as he did a hop and a skip closer to his mother's side. He didn't like this noise, it was too loud and the lights that flashed afterward were jarring with their blinding lights. For once it seemed he wouldn't need to be corralled as he followed the group with ease.

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B U C K

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One of the pups (ok, probably all of them) was staring at him, squinting and looking quite perturbed. He smiled brightly at her regardless. “Yep, that's where we're going!” See, he knew all along. He totally knew where the Grotto was, too. The Queen asked him to carry one of the pups and he glanced around them, spotting the one he thought he'd heard being referred to as Vermillion.

He moved over to her. “Hi there, I'm Buck,” he said gently before carefully seizing her by the scruff and lifting her up so she wouldn't trail on the ground at all.

He tried to tuck his chin a bit so that she was up against his chest and wasn't rained on as much, but he wasn't certain how well it was working. His bright eyes looked back at the queen, not daring to nod and jostle the little one around though he waited for her to take the lead. This storm was pretty crazy and he hoped they could get to the Exalted Grotto pretty quickly.

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Maral trailed the others, quiet and watchful as usual, though she wasn't too thrilled about being uprooted during such treacherous weather. She was too little to understand how the rain, unpleasant as it was, could be such a threat to them. She moped as her little paws squelched in slick mud, toes flicking it up onto her undersides as she quickened her stride to keep up with the others.

Mother announced that they were to head toward the Grotto, and this brought back memories of the time she'd been so afraid of a nightmare that she'd wet herself. The shadow frowned deeply to herself and tucked her scruffy tail close to her rear; the contents of her dream had been forgotten, but she remembered vividly how afraid she'd been.

Terror struck her in a whole new way, however, as thunder boomed over the forest. She looked frantically around at her siblings, at the green-eyed stranger who'd come to aid them in their move, but the sudden flash of lightning heightened her fear. Driven by instinct, then, Maral sprung forward and ahead of the group, disappearing between the foliage in a desperate in a frantic search for somewhere safe to shelter.


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"Hello.." Meekly did she respond, as the thunder boomed from behind. Normally so she would protest on such a treatment, especially to someone she wasn't too familiar with - but knew around, especially the smell. Though their mother was rather more stern then before, maybe a bit panicked that it frightened Vermillion if she were to protest. She was rather limp into his grasp, only whined slightly with her face still not being cleaned.

Though she watched wide-eyed, to her then sister running off. A glimpse toward Celnes, for everyone would know, she would not be pleased.

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It was rare moments did Celnes would utter such words, "Thank you," she said to Buck. For she truly meant so at the moment, for it was troublesome for all that was.. With Vermillion being secured, she would think there was of less worry now. The two weakest were secured within jaws, and the rest were cluttered closely to herself or Buck, even if there was a wariness.. They seemed more frightened by the thunder and rain then that of him. 

Except Maral running off.

"Maral!" The mother called out in a fustration, an obvious anger to her voice that died with a worry. She watched her small nightwalker cross away and into the darkness, rain that it was.. She gritted her teeth, "we must take them to the Grotto," for her children would most likely not stay behind with Buck, "and then give haste to her." She started pushing them all forcibly, quickening their haste as they were getting closer to the safe area. It only be a few moments, the Queen prayed, that her daughter would be alone - and then she would chase.

Though the rest needed to be ensured in a safe place, for the worry another one would follow her path.

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going to make a seperate thread for @Maral and chasing her!

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The boy's frown only etched deeper as mud grew between his toes, the squelching more than unpleasant as they trekked towards their goal. Before long though, they would lose one, his sister as Maral sprinted off into the underbrush. He thought she would only slow them more as surely their mother would take them to follow, but to his surprise, they kept moving until they reached the grotto.

Of all the times to take off an explore he could hardly understand why any of them would choose to now. The fact that they were being moved meant danger and the weather wasn't exactly inviting. By the time they reached their destination, Calhoun found a corner to shake off the water and work at the mud that stuck to his legs, mostly ignoring as Celnes fled back to the rain.

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Thunder rumbled overhead, succeeded by a harsh flash of lightning. Edith flinched, caught off-guard, as she had not expected the intense noise and light. She did not entertain her fear for long, though, as Maral's sudden departure distracted her. She sighed and rolled her eyes; the shadow was so dramatic.

The group continued their trek through the rain and mud, and Edith didn't mind the soil collected on her legs. When they arrived at their destination, she retreated into the shelter just as Calhoun was shaking off.  "Hey!" she exclaimed, not expecting to get wet inside the den. 

Like the brat she was, Edith then shook herself off, hoping that some of the rain on her coat hit Calhoun.

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