The storm was raging overhead as Bani, Bang, and Woodland treaded trough the plains. The thunderstorm had arrived over their corner of Mireh seemingly out of nothing, and looking out the window Bang could see a small group of colonists panic and hurry over to cover anything that would break from the water damage. Bang had grimaced, looking over at Bani and Siris. The two had been come over to the outpost for a visit, but were now stuck inside until the Storm cleared. The Tark'ee sighed. "Looks like I might be here a while- hope you guys don't mind, but with that weather it's hardly safe to make my way back home." Woodland nodded in understanding/ "Of course! You and Siris are welcome to stay until the storm passes. Don't even worry about it, we're more than happy to have you around." The two outsiders nodded gratefully, grabbing a cup of warm chocolate that one of the whelps, an orange and white Tsabhua called Capture, had brought over. Capture frowned. "Won't the Xunari back at home worry about you?" Bani frowned, "I suppose so. But they will be glad to know that I'm safe, too." she shook her head.

"It's not quite worth braving the storm with the risk of not making it home at all. I'm sure they'll all understand." Capture nodded, seeming to understand. "It's always important to stay safe!" he smiled up at Bani. "If you want more hot chocolate let me know! Woodland says I'm really good at making it." with that, the whelp ran off. The next morning the three colonists and Siris once again gathered in the small cafeteria. The storm outside had calmed down, sure, but the weather was still rough. Bani and Siris both seemed a tad anxious about it. Bang didn't blame them- while the Mireh Outpost was overall a nice place to be, nothing would ever beat the safety of one's own home, after all. Woodland, who had been down to the weather station earlier that day, looked at the two awkwardly. "It looks like the storm isn't gonna clear up anytime soon." Siris especially looked nervous at this. "How long will it take then?" Woodland frowned, deep in thought as she paused. "Well- it's rather hard to predict, really. It could be tomorrow, it could be a week. Longer until you can return, even, depending on how much

damage is done to paths and such." "I can't be away from home for that long!" Sirirs said. Bang flinched at the sudden increase in volume, but couldn't quite blame the Tsabhua. "I suppose we could always drop you back off at home if we take proper precautions." Bang offered. Bani gave him an odd look. "It's bound to calm down at least for a little while, right? We'll have to make sure to be careful, but if we keep the dangers in mind-" he was cut off by Woodland. "Don't be ridiculous, Bang. To travel now would be incredibly unsafe." "Unsafe or not- I have to head home. You guys can either help me, or hope I get home safely on my own." Siris said, body tense as she moved to grab her belongings. "Let's not be rash-" Woodland started, but was quickly shut up by the glare that Siris sent her. "We should be able to help Siris at least part of the way. I believe we live close to eachother I have to say- I'm not sure if my colony can be without me for that long either." Bang frowned, looking at Woodland wordlessly. The odds of

making it to their destination would be a lot bigger if they travelled in a group, so neither Xunari really wanted to decline helping the two make their way home. Woodland sighed, wordlessly grabbing a coat off of a hanger. "Let's get going then." The wind outside was strong enough to knock an unsuspecting Xunari off their feet. Luckily, the four were prepared as they set foot outside, carrying only what they would need for the trip. They arrived to Siris' housing soon enough, and the Tsabhua gratefully hugged the group, and, after a rejected offer of a break for the other three Xunari, quickly disappeared inside. Bani had been right, and her colony didn't live far away. It wasn't long until they heard the distant waves crashing against the shore, and, walking along the coastline, it didn't take long to reach Tsidal. The remaining three Xunari of the group wandered onto the colony grounds, where Woodland and Bang took a quick rest before heading home again.