Natural Disasters

Natural disasters are events resulting from the Earth's natural processes.

Sometimes, natural disasters are prophetic, and can be a way for the Ancestors to communicate with the living. The Ancestors may share warnings about future natural disasters with medicine dogs, and warriors in rare cases, through dreams and visions. However, sometimes natural disasters just happen.

The occurrence of natural disasters can often result in the dogs having to move from their camp, and many dogs have died trying to avoid them.

## Types of Natural Disasters

### Storms

A storm is probably the most common natural disaster. Most storms are not very deadly, and they are often accompanied by rain, lightning, and thunder. However, in a unique circumstance, a seemingly normal storm ended up destroying the Pack's camp, as prophesied by Diamondheart.

In extreme circumstances, storms with heavy rain can cause flooding. In the days after Oatclaw and Shimmerheart's suicide, the waters from the river nearly reached the entrance to the Pack's camp. During Larkstar's leadership, lightning struck a tree near the entrance to the camp, causing the dogs to be trapped within the camp for multiple days on end. Larkstar's mate was also reported to have been directly struck by lightning.

### Fire

Fires don't tend to randomly occur. Fire is usually caused when lightning strikes a tree, or after several days of dry land without rain or water. This natural disaster is especially dangerous to the dogs, due to all the wood, grass, and other flammable materials around the dogs' camp. Many dogs end up severely injured or dying from being burned by the fire, but the risk of smoke inhalation being extremely high in these circumstances also has caused many fatalities.

A fire also occurred several miles away from the Pack's camp following the volcanic eruption during Larkstar's leadership. Nothing reached the Pack's camp, but there was a significant amount of smoke and fire that the dogs could see from miles away originating at the eruption site.

### Flooding

Floods usually occur after days of heavy rain and in spring, when the melted snow and ice begins to flow to the river. The danger that a flood poses to the Pack is that it could easily drown out the dogs' living spaces, since their camp is located in a ravine. The most severe case of flooding occurred in the days after Oatclaw and Shimmerheart's suicide, when the river became so overflowed that the floodwaters managed to reach the edges of the ravine. While the outcome of this event did not result in the dogs having to evacuate, they did make multiple preparations to do so since there was a consistent water flow over the edges of the ravine.

### Volcanic eruptions

The only volcanic eruption that was recorded in the Pack's history did not pose any real threat to the Pack. It happened thousands of miles away on a rocky outcrop visible from the Pack's camp, but the pyroclastic flow and fires produced from the eruption did not reach the closely-surrounding areas of the Pack's territory. However, deep in the pine forest that leads to this specific mountain range, there is a light layer of ash left over from the eruption.

Even though volcanic eruptions are only possible without it directly harming the Pack, there is a risk of increased smoke inhalation during these eruptions. A couple dogs fell ill from the smoke and ash that was able to reach for miles from the eruption. Other than this, there is no severe danger posed to the Pack from volcanic eruptions.

### Snow

Snow and winter weather poses many threats to the dogs. The cold weather can bring along colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, and it raises the risk of the passage of sick-pup epidemic. The weather also keeps prey in hiding, so hunting is a lot more difficult and increases the risk of starvation. Snow and cold weather can also kill the herbs used by medicine dogs to heal and treat members of the Pack. If the weather is cold enough, very young (and also very old) dogs are at risk for freezing to death if they stay outside for too long.

### Drought

A drought occurs when there is a prolonged shortage of natural water supplies. Because of the hot weather, summers are usually when droughts occur. Water is essential for survival, so this event is normally very dangerous. Dehydration is fatal for very young and very old dogs, so every warrior has to do their part in fetching any water that they can. Even though the river is very wide, it is rather shallow, so it has dried out fully many times in the Pack's history.

### Rockfalls

Rockfalls have mainly occurred in the mines many times throughout the Pack's history. The mines were discovered long before Larkstar's leadership, and Princess Hope has noted that they date back to the Kingdom times. This disaster has only happened in the mines, and the weight of the rocks can easily crush and kill a dog. The mine was blocked off after a rockfall that killed several warriors during Larkstar's leadership.

### Tornadoes and whirlwinds

Tornadoes tend to occur on the part of the Pack's territory that lies on the moor. Since the flatland is so wide and so massive, whirlwinds and tornadoes happen a lot, mainly in the summer, especially when the hot and humid air collides with cold, dry air. They tend to touch down on the opposite side of the moor to where the Pack's camp is located, and they've lasted until they reach the pine forest behind the Pack's camp. Since the entrance to the Pack's camp essentially opens into the moor, the camp has a risk of being destroyed by the raging winds. If dogs are hunting on the moor, there is a chance that they could be caught up in the winds of a tornado and be tossed somewhere close or somewhere far away, but dogs usually notice when there is a whirlwind, so they are able to retreat pretty early.

## Trivia

* Larkstar's leadership was reported to be the most natural disaster-heavy leadership in recorded Pack history.