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Neela had lost track of how long she had been in the depths of the Courthouse, listening to the winds above batter at the building with all their might. As predicted the winds had brought floods with them, great walls of water that were slowly filling the entire territory to hear the tales of those who had been up to see, though Neela herself had yet to see this. Unfortunately, much as she wanted with all her heart to keep that statement true and stay below with the pups, she had to act.
The courthouse was flooding. At the moment the water wasn’t a problem at all beyond discomfort, having risen to just below her knees while she slept at some point but while it wasn’t a present problem, it was a symptom of a larger one.
If the courthouse was flooding that meant that the waters outside were high and the barricades were leaking. If the barricades were leaking then even though the flow now might be minor, the water leaking through could further damage the structures, increasing the flow. What wasn’t a problem could fast become a torrent of water that would drown them all if an entire window collapsed.
Nobody seemed particularly enthusiastic to go up and face the damage, that or they hadn’t realised the potential danger, so Neela had taken it upon herself to go up and do some good. She had built a boat that had travelled almost the entire length of the continent, surely she could fix some windows! Thankfully she had found a spare set of tools stashed here when she had first moved to Casa and so a quick trip to fetch some wood had Neela equipped and ready to go. The pups were regretfully handed over to Aly, who promised to keep them safe and dry, and Neela set off. As she left the collie sent a howl back over her shoulder, calling for some help.
Upstairs the floor was slick with water but there was no depth to it, most of it flowing down the stairs to pool with the Cavalierites. Neela scanned around, trying to figure out where the leaks were coming from. She emerged from the stairs just in time to have her fears confirmed.
From her left came a harsh crack, followed by a surge of water as high as her ankles, not a problem here but likely to add a significant amount to the water level below. Neela yelped in shock and ran forwards towards the room where the sound had come from. She could hear other leaks elsewhere but this large one posed the biggest threat.
Through the crack where one of the boards holding up the window had snapped – luckily one near the top – Neela could see that the fort outside was well and truly flooded. The sight of her house, door forced open by the water and almost completely submerged, sent a chill through Neela’s spine. The flooding was deep here with the proximity to the river and in places was up to Neela’s shoulders. Deep enough to trap her and the pups in the house with no food if she had been stubborn and stayed.
Resolving to thank Enzo at a later date Neela set to work, grabbing a plank and trying to force it over the gap. The incoming corrent made hard work of it, forcing the plank back and making it slide on the wet wood of the barricade; when Neela did get it in position she found it impossible to hold with one hand while she nailed with the other. Snarling Neela called back over her shoulder; a sharp, short sound for someone to get a move on and help her.
