Chapter 254: Cover from the rain

The cubs stirred a lot, as if trying to fight the sleep and open their eyes and I watched as they all sprang to their tiny paws, stretching and yawning.

Raiden was the first to yip, looking for his momma.

I sat on a flat, sun-warmed boulder and gathered them to me. And then one by one, I fed them, watching the way the sunlight caught the different textures of their fur—Raiden’s sharp black stripes, Phina’s ashen tips, and Lyra’s subtly yellow stripe.

It was peaceful and I felt comfortable.

The water bubbled, and the guys were busy unpacking some of the dried meat we’d saved. But then, the silence changed. It didn’t get louder; but something heavier.

I looked up from Lyra’s emerald eyes to see my three husbands standing perfectly still. They weren’t talking but were just staring at the horizon, their expressions looking a little grim, and worried.

“What is it?” I asked, shifting Lyra to my other side. “Is someone following us?”

Noah didn’t look back. His dark eyes were narrowed, tracking something far above the treeline. “Not someone. Something.”

“The sky is changing,” Fenric muttered, his nostrils flaring as he caught the scent of the wind. “The air just went sour.”

I looked up. The brilliant blue I’d been admiring just minutes ago was being swallowed by moving grey clouds. It was rolling in like a tidal wave, thick and threatening.

In no time, a heavy downpour would fall upon us.

“Rain clouds,” Damar said, his voice low. He stepped closer to me, his shadow falling over the cubs.

“Is it that bad?” I asked.

The fact that we were far from the cave meant we would have to find shelter… one that would cover us completely from the downpour.

“It’s not a spring shower,” Damar said.

“We can’t move forward,” Noah said, sounding a tad bit frustrated. “The Great Plains are mostly clay and silt. If we get caught out there when the sky opens up, the troller will sink right away, and we’ll be sitting ducks in the mud.”

I looked at the massive expanse of the valley ahead of us. It looked so inviting moments ago, but now, under the shadow of the approaching storm, it looked like a trap.

“How long do we have?” I asked, tucking Lyra closer to my chest.

“By the next crow,” Fenric estimated, already reaching for the heavy furs on the troller.

That meant we had no more than 30 minutes and no less than 20 minutes.

“We need to find cover, and we need to find it now.” He added.

The wind picked up, a sudden, cold gust that made the trees flap their branches and new leaves heavily. The birds that had been celebrating the morning suddenly went silent, disappearing into the thickets.

“There’s a rock shelter about half a mile from here,” Damar said, pointing toward a jagged limestone formation. “It won’t be as warm as the cave, but it’ll keep the cubs dry.”

I felt a prickle of anxiety. We had just left the haven, and already the world was trying to beat us back. I looked at my babies and felt that fierce, protective mother flare up in my blood.

“Then stop staring at the sky,” I said, standing up and bracing myself against the wind. “Since we don’t have much time left, let’s get moving. I’m not letting my babies get their first bath from a thunderstorm.”

“Yes, Boss,” Noah answered, his grin spreading across his lips.

As the air grew heavier, I could feel the cubs shivering against me, their instincts picking up on the shift in atmospheric pressure. Raiden let out a small, worried whimper, burying his face in my tunic.

“It’s alright.” I patted his back to calm him down.

They’ve only ever known the cold walls of the cave and the occasional view of the snow outside. The green world right now was a wonder, and now the storm that was coming seemed like a nightmare to them.

I made sure to calm them down, patting them and whispering until they completely settled.

I looked up and saw them lifting the troller’s handle.

“Let’s set off,” Fenric said and Damar swept me and the basket up into his arms.

He gave me a reassuring look before setting his sharp gaze on the path before us.

Once Noah and Fenric had confirmed we were ready, they set off, their feet digging into the thick soil.

Then, we set off.

The first few drops of rain hit just as we reached the rock formation Noah was talking about.

The rain didn’t come in soft droplets but was heavy, cold, and beat the earth.

“Under here! Fast!” Fenric called out, ducking beneath the jagged shelf of rock.

Damar quickly set me down and lifted his head in alert, to make sure the space was safe enough for us to stay in.

The space beneath the rock was shallow—just enough to block the rain from falling directly on us. But the wind still whipped around the stone, spraying us with cold mist.

“Hurry. Let’s use the tenth to block the wind!” I yelled, setting the basket down in the deepest part of the crevice.

Noah and Fenric didn’t need to be told twice. They ripped the heavy hides from the troller and then set the thick sticks out.

“Damar, hold the anchor line!” Noah shouted over the rising roar of the wind.

Damar stepped out into the open, the first few raindrops beating hard against his corded muscles as he gripped the heavy leather straps, pinning them against the rock while Noah and Fenric hammered stone stakes into the stubborn ground.

I rushed to help, pulling the heavy furs inside to create a dry floor.

Just as the final flap was pegged down, the sky truly split open.

A deafening crack of thunder shook the rock above us, and the rain turned into a solid wall of water.

It hit the tent with a sound like a thousand stampeding boar hooves. We all scrambled inside the cramped, dark space, pulling the heavy entrance flap shut and lashing it tight.

And just like that, we had created a mini shelter from the rain.

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