Hawk was already dressed and munching a plain donut by the time the furry ram-headed creature deigned to drag himself into an upright position. He stretched and yawned, displaying a set of sharp teeth, and then went up in green flames that cleared to reveal an exhausted looking Teige. Hawk ignored all this, studying a laminated map intently.

"It's been a quiet storm season so far, which is nothing but good news," the radio announced.

They left the hotel room to find the red light of day still on its way up over the eastern horizon.

"We�are�keeping an eye on tropical depressions forming off the Alian coastline," the radio admitted. Hawk and Teige descended down into the parking lot, headed for the road, and got on their way. It was dark, but the street lamps had already turned themselves off for the night.

"But storm season isn't over yet," the radio went on, "and even though it's been a quiet season so far, that might change as we head into late August."