Finn the bat sighed. Never would he get any attention. Never would he be noticed. He just wanted to be a hero, that's all. But the jungle had enough heroes, all right. Eagles, snakes, tigers... but none of them had been fighting anything with true intelligence! Brawns and not brains had taken over the world. Finn would prove the world wrong then.

Hoola the wise owl's shout of "FIRE!" had Finn on guard immediately. He flew out, eager as always, when Hoola stopped him. "Stop, Finn. You are to take no part in this. You cannot carry water at all, let alone put out the WHOLE FIRE!" "Once when I was young, I dreamed," she added snidely. Finn had no thought but 'She is, once again, correct.'

Back in his cave, Finn had reflections, like he always did, on why he was so foolish as to think he could have saved the day. He fell asleep, his mind churning with thoughts. Maybe Hoola was right. Maybe he should not dream about being a hero. What was it about fame anyway? When Finn finally settled down, he was extremely uneasy.

Clouds gathered along with the animals of wild society as dawn broke. "This storm will be quite a large one. I strongly advise you to take cover." declared Hoola. There was a murmur of exchanged conversation between the creatures, then it was decided. They would all head into the caves, but for the moles, which would stay underground. There was no help Finn could provide. It was just a matter to hours before he heard the unmistakable growl of thunder...

Thunder and Werewolf were original publications. ©Young Writers Club 2024