Title: Summer Storm

Summary: An elf enjoys a summer storm. This was written for the ME express prompt #47: Storm.

Disclaimers: I don’t own the elf. Pity.

A/N: I decided to take this prompt quite literally and use it as an exercise in descriptive writing. Please review and let me know how I did.

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Heavy, threatening clouds hung low over the woods. A sense of expectation filled the woods and all who dwelt within. There was a stillness in the air, an almost unnatural calm. The elf stood in a sheltered niche in the gardens, watching and waiting. A strong wind swept in, blowing loose leaves and debris into the air and bowing the branches of the trees under its force. The trees and grasses danced to the tune of the wind, twisting and swaying as they were blown about. Suddenly, a roll of thunder broke the silence, and then the clouds opened up and let loose their burden. Rain fell from the sky in a stinging torrent, pounding into the ground and everything unfortunate enough to be caught out in the deluge. Bright flashes of light illuminated the surrounding woods as lightning darted through the clouds above, some bolts leaping downward to touch the ground.

A smile nearly as bright as the lightning crossed the face of the watching elf as he beheld the flashes of lightning, each bolt a thing of beauty, reaching outward in intricate jagged patterns. Its transitory nature meant that one had to watch intently to catch each bolt as it raced through the sky, splitting the gloom of the day. Peals of thunder accompanied the glorious light show, loud enough that any conversation would have been made quite difficult. The hair on the back of the elf's neck stood at attention, reacting to the charged atmosphere around him. Truly, he never felt as alive as when in the middle of a lightning storm. The very air felt different, alive in a way it was not at any other time. Standing still under his shelter, he gazed into the sky, drinking in the sights, sounds and smells that came with such a storm.

Eventually, the lightning grew fainter and slowed in its wild dance across the skies. The thunder rumbled less often and sounded further away, and the sharp biting rain gave way to a more gentle rain, the kind that would soak the earth and provide nourishment for the trees and replenish the lakes and streams. This was a life-giving rain, not as wild and exciting as the storm, but even more important to the life of the forest. Stepping out into the rain, the elf began dancing along with the trees as they swayed now to a gentle wind, taking joy in the rain, reaching out to catch it in their branches, drinking deep of the rain as it fell about their roots. The trees took such joy in the rain that the elf could not help but join in.

When the rain finally ceased and the sun began to break through the clouds once more, Legolas took in a deep breath of the clean, fresh scent left behind in the wake of the rain. With a smile on his face, he turned to resume his journey, wondering anew at the grandeur of the world around him.