Something pelted Dakota’s face. Blearily, he tried opening his eyelids only to snap them shut again. The stuff was getting into his eyes.

Ringing. Why did he hear ringing? He tried rolling onto his side but something blocked him. Turning his head, he cracked an eye. A white bundle pressed itself against his side. What was…wha…w…Jesus. It was Jesus!

Dakota’s senses slowly returned as lightning flashed above him. Rain. Rain poured down, soaking him and the lamb and turning the crater they were in, into a muddy bog. He reached over, cupping the lamb’s head in his hand. Trembling eyes gazed at him.

“Sorry buddy.”

Wait, why couldn’t he hear himself? He could feel the vibration in his chest, but no sound accompanied it. All he heard was ringing.

An explosion to his left ripped him from his reverie. He heard it, faintly.

Scooping Jesus under an arm, Dakota crawled out of the water-logged pit. It was a good thing he had woken up, much longer and Jesus would have been submerged.

The storm raged, lightning crackling across the sky. The two lightning serpents - at least, that’s how Dakota thought of them - were gone, leaving the sky darker, and more ominous.

It was a hundred yards to the house, but what a hundred yards. Lightning had blasted craters throughout the field which rain had filled, creating a slick, deadly landscape. But he had to get inside. Dakota was shocked they hadn’t already been fried.

The ringing in his ears wouldn’t stop and every time he took a step it felt like the ground dipped and dived. He supposed it was actually a possibility with him being on a floating island.

Jesus nuzzled into his chest, body shaking.

“It’s okay, it’s alright.”

Dakota stroked the lamb, taking careful strides through the field. He stepped into a puddle and felt a brief sense of panic as his foot did not stop. He wrenched his leg out of the treacherous, not puddle, before moving on.

He was so focused on not tripping, Dakota didn’t notice the lightning stop flashing. He clued in when the darkness enveloped him. The lightning had been his light source. He dropped to his knees, feeling his way forwards. It was another fifty yards to the house. If he could just make it there…

A pinprick of light blossomed overhead. And then another, and another. Soon the whole sky was lit with points of light. They moved around, zigging back and forth and…were getting larger? No, closer. The lights descended to the island and the closer they got, the more confused Dakota became. The lights weren’t singular points, they streaked, tails dancing behind them. They looked…like miniature versions of the two large lightning serpents.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Dakota stood there, mouth agape, watching them. He knew he should get to the house but even Jesus seemed mesmerized by the creatures. Because surely that’s what they were. They flicked about, drawing closer to the island. It was as if a tiny lightning bolt had been frozen in time, and then allowed to slither through the air with a mind of its own.

One drew close to Dakota. It paused, appearing to consider him for a moment, before zipping past him. Another replaced it. More descended, clustering around him and Jesus. They stayed back a few feet, and when he took a step forward, they zipped away before quickly returning. Just like a curious, wild animal would.

A tingle of fear washed across his spine. The creatures were beautiful but Dakota had the distinct impression that if he were to touch one of them, he would get worse than a bite. More kept gathering, blocking his path to the house. Not that he wanted them inside a wood structure. That seemed like a good idea to get his last major building burnt down.

The mini lightning bolts bunched as he took another step forwards. They looked, frenzied. He took another step but this time the creatures didn’t zip away. Instead, they flew together, creating a glowing mass of electricity. Dakota’s hair stood on end.

“Oh cra…”

The lightning bolt that fell from the heavens would have made Zeus look twice. It was as thick as a tree and as bright as the sun. And it struck the mass of mini bolts…right in front of Dakota.

He somehow managed to raise an arm across his face in the time it took the bolt to land which probably saved his eyes but did nothing for the kick - which didn’t come from the side like he was expecting, but from the ground.

For the second time today, Dakota flew through the air, this time straight up. Certain memories of being blasted above a lake were replaying in his mind as he reached the apex of his ascent. Unfortunately, there was no water to greet him on the downward part of his journey this time. Only hard ground and a crater the size of a pond.

He stiff-legged his initial landing, flinging his momentum forward and down. It was no elegant roll, more like plowing his shoulder and face in the ground, but he avoided any major damage. Dakota tumbled the rest of the way into the pit, coming to a stop by cracking his head and back into a stone.

Blinking stars from his eyes, he gazed out of the pit and panicked. The rain had lightened after the lightning had stopped but it was back, and it was back in force. Dakota thought he could actually see the wall of rain falling. Then it was on him, driving into his eyes and face.

He scrambled to the edge, Jesus still clutched in his arm, but the rain drove him down the side. It was falling so thick it felt like a weight on his back. He clung to a large clump of dirt, trying to pull himself around it but the dirt melted beneath his fingers, swept away in the rivers of water pouring down the edges of the pit. His foot slipped out beneath him and he skidded to the center of the rapidly filling hole.

Dakota swept his gaze across the crater, looking for anything to help him escape. His eyes landed on an odd stone poking from the center of the pit. That must have been what he hit his head against…it, looked odd. A little too rectangular to be natural. He sloshed over to it, pulling some dirt away to expose it more. He exhaled. This was no random stone, this was part of an arch. An arch with a door in it.