Peace in the Raging Storm

On a warm, humid spring afternoon, Dexter scrambles through a forest bordering a relatively large mountain range, urgently seeking shelter as rain
steadily falls from darkening skies. Skillfully maneuvering around and in between the seemingly endless trees in his path, the adventurous feline
speeds in the direction of a small town he’s been staying in for a few days while he explores the nearby mountains. With booms of thunder getting
louder and more frequent, Dexter's adrenaline kicks into high gear, causing a surge of energy that spurs him to run faster and ignore the fatigue in his
legs, already present from hours of hiking. Despite his back fur getting soaked, he thinks of how fortunate he is that he was already returning to
town, as opposed to getting caught in the rain much deeper in the forest. In either case all he could do now was continue running, one step at a time
edging closer to his destination. Eventually he passes by a few recognizable landmarks, a somewhat encouraging sign estimating that he only had about
five or six more miles until reaching the town, so he presses on. Every once in a while, he'd think back to how quickly the skies transformed before his
hike turned into a steady dash. At one moment there were only a few smaller clouds dotting the blue skies, then in the span of about half an hour,
the sky had all but disappeared behind an overcast layer that blocks the sun.

Dexter soon pulls a sharp turn around a tree and immediately slows himself. His sharp eyes detecting movement further ahead on the ground, despite
his now jogging pace and the steady rain that’s slightly reducing visibility. "What could this be?" Dexter thinks to himself, wiping water away from his
face. He picks up the pace again, still wanting to move with a sense of urgency, but with caution not knowing what this movement was ahead of
him. Just a few feet away from this spot, Dexter screeches to a halt as he stumbles upon a family of five birds scampering along the increasingly
muddy forest floor. The two parents frantic as they attempt to protect their three young from the steadily increasing rain. But this appears to be
extremely difficult as the delicate chicks slip and tumble around in a very shallow puddle, shivering in a futile effort to warm themselves and dry their
fragile feathers. Matters made worse when the chicks notice the large feline's presence, causing them to panic, scattering in different directions. Dexter
stares at the family for a few moments, wondering what they were doing on the forest floor to begin with while a storm was passing through, but this
confusion is quickly brushed off, realizing the potential danger to the helpless birds.

With a few loud roars of thunder in the distance and seeing no noticeable shelter, Dexter abandons his rush to reach the town, shifting focus to the
birds. He kneels before one of the parents, both of which are more concerned with protecting their chicks than the much larger lion so close to
them. Dexter gently reaches out to grab the first bird, but misses a few times as it hops around in pursuit of its children. Eventually he manages to
cup the bird in both paws, pulling it close to his chest before resting the partially soaked avian in one of his arms. Not wasting any time, Dexter
moves on to the next parent, quickly followed by their young. One by one, he gathers the frantic chicks in his arms, approaching very cautiously to
avoid causing any more stress to the already agitated birds. Finally, Dexter manages to unite the family in his arms, at first having a bit of trouble
keeping hold of them all, but they soon settle down against the feline's soft damp fur. He takes a quick moment to ensure that none of them would fall
out of his arms, before breathing a sigh of relief, slowly standing up to begin an arduous search for any shelter from the rain. Unfortunately, this area of
the forest was flat and offered no immediate shelter, all the while rain continues to increase in intensity, thunder getting louder. He thought for a
second that a thick tree might provide some relief from the rain, but this was simply not an option due to the danger posed by lightning.

Dexter continues his search for another minute or so before he slams into a tree, distracted trying to scan for any sort of shelter in this reduced visibility.
His heart skips a beat, not only from being caught off guard by crashing into the trunk, but also the thought of injuring the delicate creatures resting in
his arms. He leans against the tree for a second to check and make sure the birds were ok, and to his relief they seemed to be doing as best they could
despite the soaking rain reaching them. This relief is quickly extinguished as a short, yet strong gust of wind rushes through the area, followed by a
rapid drop in temperature. With both arms occupied holding the birds, he's unable to use them to balance himself against the gust and slips off of the
slick trunk, falling to his knees with a splat in the shallow mud. "Dammit!" Dexter says through gritted teeth, frustrated from the deteriorating situation
coupled with his failing search for shelter. By now, his options seemed to have been whittled down to either huddling next to the nearest thick tree
and hoping lightning wouldn't strike it; or keep searching for some sort of cave, although he knew these were more likely to be found in the mountains
which were too far away. He thought to himself for a quick moment, ignoring his own drenched fur to weigh the potential danger to the birds in both
options. It wouldn't take long to find a thick tree as they were everywhere, but they were so tall and practically begged to be struck. But if he were to
find a cave, it would offer the greatest protection from both the lightning and rain; however it would take more time to find one which meant exposing the
birds to the cold and rain much longer. Even then there is no guarantee he'd find one.

Dexter's frustration grows trying to balance the two options, wanting to make the best decision to ensure the bird’s safety, but this is difficult with
the enormous risks involved and the clock working against him. The desperate feline remains with his knees planted in the mud for a short while,
still thinking of the best course of action to take, when a sudden loud roar of thunder vibrates the very ground beneath him. The loud boom shatters his
frustration as the terrifying thought of losing the family he is trying to protect, crosses his mind. A thought that sends a cold shock throughout his
body causing him to shiver, making him feel as if the cold rains had breached his tough shell. But he couldn't let this thought deter him, for Dexter knew
deep within his heart that he’d devote everything in his being to protecting the birds, keeping them safe at all costs. He takes a deep breath before
gritting his teeth tightly, narrowing his eyes as he flashes the look of a determined lion, gathering his strength to focus on the task at hand.
"Just hang in there! I promise, I will protect you!" Dexter says to the birds, fully aware they couldn't understand him, but he doesn't care. He is
committed to protecting them, and it's this that sparks him to keep moving. With that, Dexter carefully manages himself to his feet and continues his search.

About five minutes of tedious searching passes before Dexter stumbles upon an area where trees were much shorter than most in the surrounding forest,
even spread out a fair amount in comparison. This small section offered virtually no protection from the rain, but he figured it'd be better than sitting
under any of those behemoths reaching high into the sky. Not wanting to waste any more time, he moves towards the middle of this area, and with
the family gently gripped to his chest, sits with his legs crisscrossed. With his back to the wind, he places the birds in his lap and hunches over them,
shielding the gentle winged-family from the downpour as best he can.

Now that the family sits safe from the rain in his lap, Dexter curls his tail around to rest his tail-fur in front of them. He then uses his lion spirit to
send a quick jolt of energy through his tail to warm and dry his blue fur, careful not to use it any further and risk harming the birds in any way. It
takes a few moments for the birds to adjust, but eventually their nerves settle, beginning to chirp in delight as they rub against and swim through
Dexter’s cozy, warm tail fur. The loving lion softly purrs, amused at the happy feathered-family exploring their makeshift playground. The three
chicks even jumping up to peck at the sapphire arrowhead of Dexter's necklace that dangles just above them.

A slow fifteen minutes passes by, but the storm doesn't seem to let up any. Despite the chilling rain rolling down his back and the booming thunder
cracking at his ears, Dexter can’t help but feel a calming warmth flow throughout his body while he sits relatively still, sheltering the delicate birds.
A unique warmth that Dexter finds in protecting what’s important to him, no matter the costs to his own safety or comfort. Whether it’s these birds, or
something special he holds close to his heart. Just knowing that what he holds dear is safe, even if he has to withstand the fire to protect and ensure
its safety, brings about a unity between the maximum extent of his strength and a deep inner peace. It's this unity that gives his strong lion's heart true
definition and purpose.

Dexter remains in this spot while the minutes tick by, patiently waiting for the storm to pass. His focus solely on shielding the vulnerable family from
the intense rain and chilly wind, with an occasional small burst of energy to keep his tail-fur warm. Once the storm moves on, he'll hold the birds to his
chest while he makes his way through the forest once again, searching for a safe spot to place them before heading off towards his own home, albeit a
temporary one. From there he’ll snuggle with a warm towel or two...maybe five or six, then rest up to draw yet another adventure to a close. One with
an unexpected twist, but Dex knows to expect the unexpected on any adventure...

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Heartwarming commission done by artist  flashlioness Original artist post here: [The guard]
So I was originally getting a piece that focused mainly on Dexter protecting a family of birds, but flashlioness did such a great job on this lovely illustration with its beautiful scenery overpowering the dark stormy skies. I wound up putting a lot more thought into what started off as a small description and pretty much kept on growing and growing, all the way to a short story. Heh wasn’t supposed to have any writing for this one, butttttt...well there ya go x3 In any case, I love backgrounds in illustrations and this is yet another awesome one. Sun shining over large mountains in the distance with a rainbow streaking through the skies, oh so beautiful.


Dexter belongs to me  DexterLion Accompanying short story too