CRACK!
The thunderous boom reverberated over the mountainous landscape while a dark gathering of roving clouds quickly crawled over the sky, swallowing it whole. The roaming storm forced a small village to prepare for the worst. Various inhabitants were bustling about, increasing in speed with every strike of thunder in the distance; almost as if a taskmaster had whipped them into motion.
CRACK!
They were right to fear, as storms rarely crossed these mountains. Whenever these tempests approached they charged with the speed of calvary. Usually, however, the storms would cower and disperse when they faced the impassable stone fortress that are the mountains of Ixtala. This time it was different. This time, the storm had grown. It was more powerful than those walls. It would sweep past them, unleashing forces that could no longer be blocked by idle mountains.
The villagers knew the immense power of these forces, and were it not for the Shamans(the stalwart casters of their kind) precious time would have been lost. They had been preparing for days to lessen the inevitable blows that would undoubtedly wound them. Nothing but stone-hewed buildings were left out. Even the wooden sheds and fences had been torn down by the villagers, lest they become deadlier than a volley of arrows within the storm's winds.
The Shamans prepared rites of protection around the remaining structures, further increasing their chances that they would remain steadfast in the coming calamity. The final preparations were complete. Every soul was now hidden from the storm, albeit just one.
Kaya drew close to the village. Her shadowy figure was obscured by the darkness and her black cloak. She viewed the village. The scars of preparation caused a flash of guilt within her heart. The storm would kill some of them. Even if all the buildings survived, the storm would wipe out their crops and scare away the local game. Starvation would be their executioner.
She reflected on these thoughts as she passed one of the many Mumbasa trees.
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These ancient trees always survived the storms. Even if some branches were ripped off and shattered in the wind, the tree would survive. The village was the same; they would survive. This abated the guilt in her heart somewhat, and she continued pushing past the village. She made it past the border of the small and inconsequential village. She looked towards the mountain's peak and then back to the village. The rain began to pour down in a gentle wave, and the regretful ache returned to her heart. She began to climb to the peak of the mountain.
With every hour, the waves of rain increased in aggression. With every drop that collided with her face, Kaya's demeanor shifted more and more towards matching the feeling in her heart.
"If only you didn't rain then," she whispered, speaking to the storm. "Then I wouldn't have to rely on you now," she growled. Her tears added to the chorus of the rain. The climb was challenging every time, but the craggy cliffs and steep passages made regular hiking impossible, and the weather made it especially precarious.
Luckily her brother, an expert at molding earth, made a path that was just barely possible for someone of her skills. Still, couldn't he have made it just a bit easier? She scaled up the winding, hidden path. As she was about to leap across a sizable chasm with a large tree marking her landing spot, the hair on her arms began to rise, which sent a shiver down her spine. She ignored the feeling and threw herself into the air.
Once airborne, time seemed to slow. A flash of light appeared ahead of her, striking the tree at her destination.
CRACK!
Shards of wood and rock flew into her face. She lost momentum from the jump and landed short of her target. She grasped for the cliff's edge with her only good hand, and managed to stop herself from falling. Dangling for her life, she tried to lift herself. However, the rain made the stone slick, and every time she put in the strength to lift herself, her purchase on the rocks began to waver.
"Damn you!" She cursed the storm. Another crack of lighting sounded in the distance. A laughing retort to her feeble attempts to insult it.
She summoned the power within herself, and as the euphoric energy surged within her limbs, she launched herself upward, perhaps a little higher than was necessary. Landing with a somersault, she inhaled and took in the surroundings. There was a large hole in the ground with black scorch marks spreading from it. A strong scent of burnt wood lingered in the air. Again, she had nearly died to the storm, but it will not claim her so easily. No storm will ever bar her path again. She will stop the storm from invading her home, and heaven's wrath will be forced back by her.