The Storm

In the quiet of the night, the storm appeared without warning, its fury breaking the silence. Initially, Yuri didn't wake, until a rock hurled against their iron-roofed shelter, jolting all three from their sleep with a thunderous crash.

Yuri wanted to know what was happening.

Tuss braced himself, his ears alert and after a few moments, he let them know that the wind had intensified.

Yuri could hear the wind as well. It was an alarming symphony of howls and screeches, carrying dust and debris, occasionally interrupted by a booming crash. She wondered if it was someone's home being damaged or falling apart.

Zeek got up, checking the rusty iron door to make sure it was secured. He then looked at the tin roof above and expressed his concern that the wind was stronger than usual.

He was worried that their roof might get swept away.

Tuss also cast his eyes towards the roof. He had made sure to strengthen the walls when they were constructing it, but he hadn't come up with a good plan for the roof.

Truthfully, having a roof was already a privilege here, as many nearby shelters didn't even have roofs, just the bare four walls.

Yuri confidently assured them that it would hold up since she had fortified it, subtly manipulating the iron sheets with her Enova powers.

She dismissed the commotion outside as just a bit of wind and suggested they should go back to sleep.

Tuss looked at her in disbelief. To him, the chaos outside was more than just "a bit of wind". He could clearly hear shelters collapsing amongst the noise.

Yuri yawned again. She had been busy reshaping the "world" in her dreams. She was in the latter half of her sleep cycle when the noise interrupted her. She was exhausted, extremely exhausted.

She lay back down, balancing her attention between controlling the iron sheets and returning to sleep.

Suddenly, someone was banging on their iron door, crying out in a desperate voice for them to open up and provide refuge.

Zeek turned to Tuss and voiced his thought that it could be people seeking shelter from the storm.

Tuss turned to Yuri for advice. She responded by leaving the decision to them.

After pondering for a short while, Tuss decided to let them in.

As Zeek opened the door, a gust of wind and dust surged in. Yuri had barely enough time to shut her eyes, missing the sight of the people seeking refuge.

It was only after Zeek had shut the door again that she opened her eyes. Standing before her were two men and a woman. Unluckily, they were the same people who had forced her to give up the chunk of iron the previous day.

Yuri calmly demanded an apology.

The woman, looking disheveled, had a glint of embarrassment in her eyes. Reluctantly, she stuttered an apology as quiet as a whisper.

Before Yuri could react, the two men bowed and apologized loudly for their actions the previous day and thanked them for offering shelter.

Yuri was taken aback. These two hefty men were so much more contrite and humbler. Now she wondered what she could say in return.

Tuss, with a touch of threat in his eyes, asked them if they had indeed stolen from her.

"Looks like we've got our wires crossed," one of the guys said, a nervous smile on his face. He looked at Tuss with a cautious eye, then finally asked, "You're Tuss, right? The first chair student of Military Academy No. 1?"

Tuss's eyes went icy as he replied, "Yes?"

"I've seen your photos, and I saw you once from a distance at the Intercollegiate Games. We're all from Military Academy No. 2," the guy hurried to say, introducing himself without waiting for a question, "I'm Edgar, a sophomore at Military Academy No. 2. This is Cass, and that's Priscilla, we're all in the same grade."

When Cass and Priscilla heard Tuss's name, their eyes went wide with surprise, then filled with a mix of awe and regret.

"I didn't think he'd actually marry a woman with a missing arm," Priscilla whispered under her breath.

Yuri: "?"

The wind outside started to pick up, howling like a wolf. Someone banged on the door, shattering the silence inside.

Zeek didn't even bother to ask who it was this time. He just swung the door open.

People piled in, filling up the tiny space in no time. Yuri had to stand up, backing herself and Tuss into a corner, her hand hovering protectively over him.

"Make room, we need to get in too!"

"There's no more space, the house will fall down if we cram any more people in."

"Hey, catch my hand, I'm about to get blown away."

"We can't fit anymore people, why don't you head to the mines?"

"No way, we'd get blown away or crushed by falling stuff before we even got to the mines."

"There's nothing we can do, it's already packed."

"I don't care, I'm getting in."

Crack.

Something had just broken.

The people trying to force their way in froze, suddenly going still.

"Link arms and head out together, you should be able to make it to the mines," someone suggested.

The crowd gritted their teeth and agreed, "Alright, to the mines then."

The door shut again, keeping the wind outside. With so many people crammed into such a small space, and given that everyone had been trapped without a shower for over ten days, the smell was...really bad.

Yuri felt light-headed from the stench, but when she looked at Tuss, she felt steadier. She knew Tuss had a super-sensitive nose, and maybe he was suffering even more.

Tuss was indeed struggling, feeling like he might throw up any second. Right now, he would have preferred to face the storm outside than be squished in this room like canned fish.

Without thinking, he turned his face towards Yuri, his nose brushing against her waist.

"Thump, thump, thump." His heart started racing. For some reason, Tuss stayed right where he was.

Suddenly, he smelled something nice. It was like the smell of fresh grass after a rain shower, and the smell was coming from—

Tuss took a few deep breaths. His eyes had a strange look in them as he wondered, We're all unwashed, so why does Yuri smell so different?"

Tuss didn't immediately think of the smell as pheromones. Besides, Yuri was already eighteen, and the chances of her differentiation were slim. Even if she differentiated, she'd probably be an alpha, not the rare beta. If it was an alpha's pheromone, Tuss's first reaction would be to pull away, not like now, when he wished he could breathe in more of it.

The wind kept up its wild song through most of the night. Yuri was so worn out that she felt like she could nod off on her feet. Her legs were numb, but her one arm was still stubbornly shielding Tuss.

At this point, Tuss was leaning on her, his face tucked into her waist, sleeping like a baby.

"The wind's stopped!"

Someone shouted suddenly, jolting the drowsy crowd awake.

"There's no noise, it really must have stopped."

"Open the door, I need to get out of here, for crying out loud. It stinks with all these people squished together."

"You're moaning about the smell, but you're the one who shoved your way in here. You're lucky to be alive, quit complaining."

.....

As the rickety metal door creaked open, people tumbled out.

Tuss woke up too. Realizing his position, his heart started racing again. He casually pulled away, thankful that he was covered in dust and no one could see his red face and ears.

He snuck a look at Yuri. She was shaking out her arm and stamping her feet, acting like her normal self. He felt a sense of relief, but also a strange sense of letdown.

Edgar, Cass, and Priscilla were the last ones out. They looked like they wanted to say something but were hesitating. In the end, Edgar got pushed to the front. He glanced at Yuri, then at Tuss, and cautiously asked, "Could we maybe work together regularly?"

Tuss didn't say a word. Yuri raised an eyebrow, hummed, and said, "Sure."

"If, I mean, if you guys ever come up with any plans, remember to include us," Edgar said, looking serious.

Cass and Priscilla were also nervously watching Tuss and Yuri.

Yuri twitched her mouth and rolled her eyes, "Guys, we're disabled."

"But you're amazing disabled people," Edgar blurted out.

Cass and Priscilla nodded furiously, "Together, we can definitely figure something out."

Yuri didn't say anything, for she thought these young guys were being a bit overly confident.