Stormrunner

The yearling brute loped along a well-worn trail, his large paws kicking up small swirls of dust as they went. He paused once, wet nose pointed to the incoming wind, reading the heavy scent of earth that foretold a coming storm. Stormrunner looked out across the landscape below, or what he could see of it through the trees that dotted the mountain's rugged side. Sure enough, banks of dark, rolling clouds were moving in at a rapid pace, dumping torrents of rain on everything below them. Here and there, the monstrous clouds would be momentarily lit with flashing streaks of lightning.

Stormrunner turned his head back, brown eyes contemplating the trail behind him. Should he head back home now? The distant roll of thunder finally reached his ears, low and rumbling, and not yet close enough to be the heart-stopping crash of noise it would be soon enough. The wolf snorted and turned his head ahead, deciding against turning back just yet. Storm or not, he wasn't going to let a bit of rain ruin his first real adventure away from the packlands. Lifting his head with renewed determination and confidence, the leggy brute pressed onward down the trail.

Rayne

Rayne had been raised by a mother who was very different from most big cats. She had learned from a very young age to only hunt when she absolutely had to and that there were certain other animals that shouldn't be hunted at all. Wolves and horses, namely. They were to be seen more as friends than food. Her mother had moved on to be the protector of a herd of ponies very recently, leaving a newly fully grown Rayne on her own in the area that had always been home to her. Her jaws gaped in a yawn, large teeth on display as she did so before they snapped shut and she stood up.

Graceful movements were made as she stretched out her limbs. A new smell was on the breeze, a smell that mingled with the scent of the oncoming scent of the storm yet stood out as well. Canine. And one who had traveled far. Very few came up to this portion of the mountain that Rayne called home. It was well known for being a dangerous place in a storm, a place where lightning could strike at any time and the torrential downpours sometimes loosened the rocks and such, causing mudslides that threatened to take out any in their path.

If this wolf didn't know the area then he was in for trouble. Especially since it seemed that his scent was getting stronger rather than weaker, he was coming closer. She watched from her perch on a flat boulder before moving out to be seen when the wolf got close. "It's not safe to be up this high with a storm like this one brewing." Her mother had taught her to be a guardian, to watch out for those that would befall danger without her help. So, this was her trying to help. She was still a young feline, only barely into adulthood, but she knew how to make herself seem nonthreatening. At least, that was her intention as she sat near the wolf, hoping that she could get him to see reason and get out of danger before it truly struck.

Stormrunner

Living in the Aspen Grove had not prepared Stormrunner for what kind of perils lurked in the high mountains, and how a storm up here could be so much more dangerous than it was in the low foothills of his home. It didn't help that he was young and had that mindset of invulnerability that so many creatures of his age had, with little experience of the real world. To Stormrunner, the rain would make it all that more exciting, and add a little flair to his outing that he could then brag about to his brother and cousins when he returned home.

With the distant thunder growing ever louder as the weather front rolled in closer, Storm carried on with a high-held tail and cheerful spirits. He'd stop now and then to peek at the darkening clouds, but any hesitation he felt was quickly brushed aside in favor for adventure. Onward he plodded, until something moved along the trail ahead and caught his eye. Though initially he thought 'deer' upon seeing the dark, tawny coat, Stormrunner quickly realized this was no cervid. The young wolf froze in his tracks, all sense of bravado and invincibility draining from him.

"I, uh - what?" Storm stammered, his brain urging him to run away from this cougar, while it wrestled with the fact that she didn't so much as hissed or bare a fang at him. He'd been warned up and down about how deadly felines were, with even the common lynx being more than a threat to the lone wolf. But this one was calm, with no anger or malice in her eyes, and was offering him helpful advice. With a dumbfounded look still spread across his face, Stormrunner found his voice again, "...oh, the storm?" He shrugged, "I've been through worse storms."