Fenris (fenrisbroods) wrote in saveatlantisic, @ 2018-08-28 14:29:00 |
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Lucas would have found a way to land where Gary did no matter what, but a long hike in the peace and quiet of an out-of-the-way trail in the Rocky Mountain National Park had him glad that his old friend turned fiance had gone for the purple mountain majesty rather than the amber waves of grain. Not only was the scenery as far from the South Carolina swamps where he’d grown up as humanly possible, but it was incredibly beautiful on its own merits. The rocky peaks, crystal lakes, and dark green conifers looked like something out of a fantasy novel, as if any moment now a gray-bearded wizard would lead a troop of hobbits down the path. Lucas couldn’t have asked for anyplace nicer to make a life for himself; the mountains around Breckentale were an outdoorsy introvert’s dream come true. It was starting to look like time to head for home, though. A glance up at the sky showed clouds rolling in--strangely orange clouds, which Lucas was hoping was just a trick of the light and not a sign of the coming apocalypse. Either way, he at the very least needed to find some shelter from whatever storm was coming in if he didn’t want to get soaked. Lekan didn’t love the idea of being caught out in the coming storm, himself, but someone had to stay out here to warn the tourists to seek shelter. One would think the strange appearance of the clouds would be enough to clue people in, but he’d found that common sense wasn’t all that common, particularly in tourists. Spotting a man nearby, he called out to him. “This isn’t a very good day for a hike.” Whether the color of the clouds was a trick of the light - some reflection from the sun - or something else, he didn’t know, but it was obvious a storm was coming, either way. “So I noticed!” came the response, accompanied by a snort. Lucas was picking up his backpack from where he’d slung it over the fence that separated the trail from a sharp drop down the side of the mountain. He glanced up at the sky--it looked like the bottom could drop out any second. “A little late, obviously. I swear there was nothing about rain in the weather report when I left the house.” Lekan nodded. The storm had come up suddenly and it hadn’t been in the forecast for today. Those clouds were uncharacteristic for this region, too, and he wondered what they meant. It wasn’t a question to be pondered right now, though, when shelter was more important. “I’m Lekan,” he said, introducing himself despite the fact that he wore a nametag. “I’m one of the rangers here. If you follow the trail that way,” he explained, pointing, “there’s a place you can take shelter in until this passes.” From the look of the clouds, he didn’t think the man would make it much further before the skies opened up. “Lucas,” his new acquaintance replied. “Thanks for the tip.” He was already moving in the direction Lekan suggested; there were some outdoorsy types who’d refuse to budge and insist that they knew better, but Lucas had a pretty strong respect for park rangers. Lucas didn’t think his pride was nearly as important as not getting his shirt soaked through to transparency. Lekan was relieved that the man wasn’t arguing the need to seek shelter. He’d seen plenty of weather and other things in his tenure as a ranger, but never clouds who looked quite like these. In that sense, this was virgin territory for him. “Stay safe,” he said, nodding as Lucas headed toward the shelter he’d pointed out. He was satisfied that he’d done his duty here and was off to look for anyone who might need a nudging towards shelter from the storm when suddenly there was a loud crack followed by a jolt of lightning that was so close he could practically feel it. Lekan jumped back, as if his reaction time was anything compared to the speed of a lightning bolt. The air seemed to hum with power, a power he could feel coursing through him, too. It was the strangest feeling. Lucas could feel it some ten feet away, enough that he quickly turned to see what had happened. His eyes widened when he saw the scorched bit of ground and the smoke rising from the grass. He also saw that Lekan was still standing and not on fire, but the lightning strike alone seemed basis enough for checking in. “Are you okay?” Lucas asked, visibly but not literally shocked. Lekan was so consumed by the power he could feel coursing through him, that it took him a moment to reply. It was an intense feeling, like his entire being was supercharged, but then it was gone within moments and he wondered if he’d just imagined it. “Yeah,” he said, shaking his head to try and clear it. He let out a nervous laugh. “That was a close call.” “No shit,” Lucas said. He looked on in some amazement as his rational brain began to catch up with the animal instinct of ‘oh no, lightning!’ A mountain full of trees, and lightning struck the ground in between them? That was odd, to say the least. Paired with Lekan nearly being struck (and the strange look he had afterward) and the peculiar orange clouds, this was a statistical improbability of astronomical proportions. “C’mon, let’s head for the shelter,” Lucas said, tilting his head in the direction Lekan had suggested before. “You look like you could do with sitting down for a minute, and--” He would have said something about the bottom dropping out of those orange clouds, but the rain chose that moment to begin and save him the trouble. It wasn’t pouring yet, but it was picking up fast. Lekan hesitated only a moment before nodding. While he might feel a duty to anyone else stuck out in this, Lucas was right. Sitting down after that near miss sounded like a very good idea. |