Rainbow City Novels & Stories

I turned over gently, I woke up. He pulled me into his arms, his voice low as he asked. “Are you awake?” I asked in a daze, “Why is it raining again?” The rain tonight was especially heavy, it had stopped for a while when Karen was in the operating room. Cleaning your wound. She didn't expect it to rain so much again. Carlos rubbed my head and explained. “The city of Seattle has always been a city that receives a lot of rain. After some time it will improve. Wait until summer comes and it’s the city of Seattle’s real rainy season.”

Emeridia woke to the sound of a gentle rain falling, its rhythmic patter echoing through the streets. Aric and Kaida stepped out of their home, the droplets lightly dancing upon their faces. They exchanged knowing smiles, for they understood that even the rain carried the melodies of the symphony of renewal. The city was alive with activity, its people moving with purpose and determination. Aric and Kaida ventured into the heart of the community, eager to engage in conversations and witness firsthand the transformative power of collaboration.

The rain fell on what was known as a significant and very prosperous city, where people built their dreams, turning them into fast-moving money-making businesses. A fast-paced city with an apparent bustle. Everyone in this city is risking their lives for something, whether it's a dream, a passion, or something else. Riley walked in the rain, her whole body wet and her fingers shriveled up. She had a bad day, she wanted to give a sweet surprise when today was her second wedding anniversary. Still very new, and also of course, she was very sure that she and her husband were very much in love.

The rain on the western ridge did not merely fall; it drove sideways, a relentless sheet of freezing highland water that turned the peat and heather into a thick, clinging mire. Tala stood perfectly motionless at the absolute precipice of the ridge, her feet dug firmly into the ancient earth. The storm howled around her, ripping at her clothes, but her spun-copper hair seemed to dance with a life of its own, vibrant against the dark, bruising gray of the sky. Her icy blue eyes were fixed on the valley below, tracking the glowing halogen headlights of Malakai’s heavy excavation armor as the machinery slowly ground its way toward the first sacred threshold.

Three Years Later. Neo-Verde, Sector 7. The rain on Neo-Verde was artificial, a programmed cleansing of the city’s carbon-filtered air. It fell in precise, shimmering sheets between the neon-lit canyon walls of the megastructures, turning the endless streams of hover-vehicle lights into smears of color on the wet permacrete.

And while I saw versions of the fabled Werewolf capital in movies as a kid, it isn’t the same as experiencing it in real life. Crescent City is a city, yes, but Moon River is a metropolis. Almost everyone here is a werewolf and the city is so big that it has not just one but five major packs: Bloodbane, Steel Fang, Crystal Claw, Goddess Valley, and, of course, Moon River. Sly does his best to explain this big city to my small country self while we stand in the train station with our luggage.

The following day early morning, Rain was set to leave for Chicago. The Steel Howlers pack was in Chicago and this was his second last pack to visit. He only had two chances left to find his mate and if she wasn't in the Steel Howlers pack, he had to go to Silver Moon Pack immediately. Beta Samuel decided to not tell anyone about their Alpha's absence till confirmed that he was already in Chicago. He could fake an emergency later and tell everyone how Alpha Rain couldn't find a chance to talk to them before he left.

Owen's eyes reddened at the last sentence. Warren met his gaze and said sternly, punctuating every word, "Only when we find Rainbow, alive or otherwise, can our family truly heal. Fortunately, she's alive and well. She's even more extraordinary than you can imagine." Owen was speechless. He spoke carefully, disbelief lacing his voice. "Dad, are you saying Rainbow is—" "She's been found," Warren confirmed, his gaze darkening. "And she'll be here soon. Do you think adopting someone else is the right decision now?"

From above, she could see a part of the city. Grey roofs. Wet roads. People with dark umbrellas. Everything seemed colorless. Like someone in the world took all the colors slowly. At the bottom of the cross, a man in the rain was waiting for the green lights. Next to him stood a little girl in a yellow rain jacket. The color was bright between all the gray. The girl deliberately jumped into a puddle. Water splashed up. And although Mara could not recognize the child's face, she knew immediately, that it laughed.

He still walked as though the world arranged itself beneath his boots. He still asked whether I was all right even after decades of marriage. And he still knew when a report was more serious than his daughter wanted to admit. “Which city?” he asked. “Saint River.” My chest tightened. Saint River had been one of the first human cities to join the Bridge Agreement. Its Bridge Home served nearly three hundred children every year and also functioned as a medical center, night school, and shelter for people transitioning between territories. “What happened?” I asked. Liora opened the folder.