- - » Δπ Σπd σғ Gσds & Dυsτ ༄
Jan 21, 2019 2:46:40 GMT -5
phantomstar57, Maplestone360, and 3 more like this
Post by » ѕнαdσω ⚔️ on Jan 21, 2019 2:46:40 GMT -5
. . .
About:
"If this comes out sounding horrible I'm blaming it on Mint." - » ѕнαdσω ⚔️, 2019
Hi guys! Shadow here, and I wasn't ever expecting to partake in me and Mint's WFF POTLUCK as I am one of the creators. But I think this will be a good opportunity to see how it feels to be on the other side while also flexing my writing muscles!
This story is going to be structured way different than normal. DAILY uploads for one, and each upload is going to hopefully be one finished scene or idea. Secondly, I won't be putting up a summary or synopsis of this story ANYWHERE. So the fun will be guessing what exactly is going on as I upload more scenes!
I do have a bit of a plot and some plans for this so hopefully it won't come out as a jumbled mess. This is the closest any of you are going to get to my unedited and unpolished early writing whenever I start a new draft. This is very much an organic and original Shadow experience. xD
Critiques are welcomed but probably won't be taken seriously as this story is being written on the go. o.o'
Enjoy!
. . .
Fans:
@ phantomstar57
@ sapphire
@ moonshine06
. . .
Characters:
Kokou - tom with fluffy, dark orange tabby fur and pale green eyes.
Karra - she-cat with a dusty brown pelt, darker tabby stripes, blue eyes and white fur accents on her legs and face.
Hallas - large ruddy red tom with amber eyes and cream colored fur on his chest, paws and lower muzzle.
Tryfon - lean tom with long legs and tail and stone grey fur and large yellow eyes.
Ourania - fluffy dark brown tabby she-cat with slanted yellow eyes and a thick tail.
Selene - white she-cat with a light grey overcoat and pale blue eyes.
Leto - small she-cat with black fur and yellow-green eyes.
. . .
. . .
About:
Fans:
Characters:
"If this comes out sounding horrible I'm blaming it on Mint." - » ѕнαdσω ⚔️, 2019
Hi guys! Shadow here, and I wasn't ever expecting to partake in me and Mint's WFF POTLUCK as I am one of the creators. But I think this will be a good opportunity to see how it feels to be on the other side while also flexing my writing muscles!
This story is going to be structured way different than normal. DAILY uploads for one, and each upload is going to hopefully be one finished scene or idea. Secondly, I won't be putting up a summary or synopsis of this story ANYWHERE. So the fun will be guessing what exactly is going on as I upload more scenes!
I do have a bit of a plot and some plans for this so hopefully it won't come out as a jumbled mess. This is the closest any of you are going to get to my unedited and unpolished early writing whenever I start a new draft. This is very much an organic and original Shadow experience. xD
Critiques are welcomed but probably won't be taken seriously as this story is being written on the go. o.o'
Enjoy!
Hi guys! Shadow here, and I wasn't ever expecting to partake in me and Mint's WFF POTLUCK as I am one of the creators. But I think this will be a good opportunity to see how it feels to be on the other side while also flexing my writing muscles!
This story is going to be structured way different than normal. DAILY uploads for one, and each upload is going to hopefully be one finished scene or idea. Secondly, I won't be putting up a summary or synopsis of this story ANYWHERE. So the fun will be guessing what exactly is going on as I upload more scenes!
I do have a bit of a plot and some plans for this so hopefully it won't come out as a jumbled mess. This is the closest any of you are going to get to my unedited and unpolished early writing whenever I start a new draft. This is very much an organic and original Shadow experience. xD
Critiques are welcomed but probably won't be taken seriously as this story is being written on the go. o.o'
Enjoy!
. . .
Fans:
@ phantomstar57
@ sapphire
@ moonshine06
@ sapphire
@ moonshine06
. . .
Characters:
Kokou - tom with fluffy, dark orange tabby fur and pale green eyes.
Karra - she-cat with a dusty brown pelt, darker tabby stripes, blue eyes and white fur accents on her legs and face.
Karra - she-cat with a dusty brown pelt, darker tabby stripes, blue eyes and white fur accents on her legs and face.
Hallas - large ruddy red tom with amber eyes and cream colored fur on his chest, paws and lower muzzle.
Tryfon - lean tom with long legs and tail and stone grey fur and large yellow eyes.
Ourania - fluffy dark brown tabby she-cat with slanted yellow eyes and a thick tail.
Selene - white she-cat with a light grey overcoat and pale blue eyes.
Leto - small she-cat with black fur and yellow-green eyes.
Tryfon - lean tom with long legs and tail and stone grey fur and large yellow eyes.
Ourania - fluffy dark brown tabby she-cat with slanted yellow eyes and a thick tail.
Selene - white she-cat with a light grey overcoat and pale blue eyes.
Leto - small she-cat with black fur and yellow-green eyes.
. . .
An End of Gods & Dust
. . .
"Like mirrors we reflect
What roots push through the sky
And what leaves bear the fruit of the dirt..."
. . .
ACT I: GOD
She was the dust and the storm and the wind and the waves. She was the space between the pillars of existence, holding up the world on her shoulders while standing on the burning fires of the immortal realms. She was the invisible expanse of the sky and the solid reality of the earth. She was everything and nothing.
She encompassed you without suffocating you, and yet your breaths were still limited, for behind her stoic grace and cosmic bearing lied the fury of all creation. Within her claws she held the infinite void of darkness that could consume all life and send death crawling to its own grave. Within her eyes she cradled the evils of the universe that could sweep over the endless oceans and towering peaks, spawning unspeakable horrors to ravish the land.
To grow beyond the natural boundaries, to test her will and her mercy…was to call down the end of worlds.
But maybe it was for the best to wipe the slate clean.
. . .
Act II: Waiting
Act II: Waiting
Kokuo watched the wind scream.
It wasn’t the kind of screaming he had heard as a kit when the world was still beautiful and serene. Back then the wind only screamed during a storm, when the currents of the air were squeezed and whipped and sent on looping spirals through the clouds. And even then the noise was…inspiring. It struck fear into the hearts of those caught outside, but never did it feel as if it was a call to death.
Now it was the kind of screaming that left a hollow in your gut, a void of feeling and reality that couldn’t be replaced until you took shelter from the noise. The wind screamed like it was being ripped apart by a predator, despite the fact that it was the wind that ripped apart the local hunters. No longer did the currents dance or play or get caught in spirals of thunderclouds. Instead the wind thrashed and clawed and desperately threw itself at cliff sides and cave dwellings.
And the wind was always accompanied by dust.
“Kokuo, come down from there. It’s not safe.”
Kokuo lowered himself from the tiny crack in the smooth red, orange and yellow layered wall. He sat back on the ledge, looking down at the cat who had spoken to him.
“I was hoping to spot them coming back,” he said, his voice hoarse.
Karra gave him a tight lipped smile from below, her long tail sweeping back and forth on the cave floor, stirring up small clouds of fine black dust. “They may not return until dawn. Besides, the dust has made it pitch black out there,” she said, nodding her chin up at the crack.
Kokuo nodded, peering back up at the crack, watching as the obsidian dust whipped back and forth, obscuring any landmarks for miles.
“You’re right,” he said, sighing heavily. He jumped down from the ledge and landed in front of her, flicking her shoulder with his tail tip. “I don’t know why I bothered.”
“It is pretty boring in here,” Karra remarked, looking around at their sand blasted cave. Against the walls lied dozens of makeshift nests made out of any soft material that could be found. Moss was no longer used for bedding, and was instead used to collect what little water they could find from the deeper parts of the cave system. Other than the nests, the only thing of interest was the layers of colors on the walls: red, orange, yellow, beige, brown and even deep purple. It at least made the interior nice to look at.
“Nothing we can do about it,” Kokuo said, pausing to cough. “The storm is too violent for us to spend any real time outside…I just hope the others are ok.”
Karra nodded, her blue eyes narrowing at the bend in the cave where it lead to the exit. “They’ll be fine as always. Somehow they manage to avoid the worst of it.” Karra then turned to look at Kokuo, giving him a genuine smile. “You need to drink more, Kokuo.”
Kokuo shook his head, his thick orange tabby fur shaking with the movement. “No. They will need it more than me when they come back.”
Karra sniffs, her smile vanishing like their prey has been. “They are bringing more water back. They can wait with the rest of us while the aqua rock dissolves. You however sound like a toad and it’s hurting my ears.”
Kokuo’s eyes widened, his whiskers twitching. “Like a toad? That hurts my feelings.”
“I don’t care,” Karra snaps. “You are dehydrated.”
Kokuo winced. “Take it easy, Karra. I’ll drink-”
“Good.” Without looking at him again, Karra turned and padded down the slope of the cave and vanished into a smaller tunnel, taking her unique mushroom scent with her.
“You didn’t let me finish my sentence!” Kokuo called after her, coughing again as his throat scratched at him.
She didn’t deign to respond which left Kokuo feeling…amused.
It wasn’t the kind of screaming he had heard as a kit when the world was still beautiful and serene. Back then the wind only screamed during a storm, when the currents of the air were squeezed and whipped and sent on looping spirals through the clouds. And even then the noise was…inspiring. It struck fear into the hearts of those caught outside, but never did it feel as if it was a call to death.
Now it was the kind of screaming that left a hollow in your gut, a void of feeling and reality that couldn’t be replaced until you took shelter from the noise. The wind screamed like it was being ripped apart by a predator, despite the fact that it was the wind that ripped apart the local hunters. No longer did the currents dance or play or get caught in spirals of thunderclouds. Instead the wind thrashed and clawed and desperately threw itself at cliff sides and cave dwellings.
And the wind was always accompanied by dust.
“Kokuo, come down from there. It’s not safe.”
Kokuo lowered himself from the tiny crack in the smooth red, orange and yellow layered wall. He sat back on the ledge, looking down at the cat who had spoken to him.
“I was hoping to spot them coming back,” he said, his voice hoarse.
Karra gave him a tight lipped smile from below, her long tail sweeping back and forth on the cave floor, stirring up small clouds of fine black dust. “They may not return until dawn. Besides, the dust has made it pitch black out there,” she said, nodding her chin up at the crack.
Kokuo nodded, peering back up at the crack, watching as the obsidian dust whipped back and forth, obscuring any landmarks for miles.
“You’re right,” he said, sighing heavily. He jumped down from the ledge and landed in front of her, flicking her shoulder with his tail tip. “I don’t know why I bothered.”
“It is pretty boring in here,” Karra remarked, looking around at their sand blasted cave. Against the walls lied dozens of makeshift nests made out of any soft material that could be found. Moss was no longer used for bedding, and was instead used to collect what little water they could find from the deeper parts of the cave system. Other than the nests, the only thing of interest was the layers of colors on the walls: red, orange, yellow, beige, brown and even deep purple. It at least made the interior nice to look at.
“Nothing we can do about it,” Kokuo said, pausing to cough. “The storm is too violent for us to spend any real time outside…I just hope the others are ok.”
Karra nodded, her blue eyes narrowing at the bend in the cave where it lead to the exit. “They’ll be fine as always. Somehow they manage to avoid the worst of it.” Karra then turned to look at Kokuo, giving him a genuine smile. “You need to drink more, Kokuo.”
Kokuo shook his head, his thick orange tabby fur shaking with the movement. “No. They will need it more than me when they come back.”
Karra sniffs, her smile vanishing like their prey has been. “They are bringing more water back. They can wait with the rest of us while the aqua rock dissolves. You however sound like a toad and it’s hurting my ears.”
Kokuo’s eyes widened, his whiskers twitching. “Like a toad? That hurts my feelings.”
“I don’t care,” Karra snaps. “You are dehydrated.”
Kokuo winced. “Take it easy, Karra. I’ll drink-”
“Good.” Without looking at him again, Karra turned and padded down the slope of the cave and vanished into a smaller tunnel, taking her unique mushroom scent with her.
“You didn’t let me finish my sentence!” Kokuo called after her, coughing again as his throat scratched at him.
She didn’t deign to respond which left Kokuo feeling…amused.
. . .
Act III: Terror
Act III: Terror
The screaming wind was soon drowned out by the screaming of a cat in pain.
Kokuo rushed to the cave entrance, his orange tabby fur standing on end as he peered through the black dust storm. Shivers wracked his body each and every time the scream echoed out, and each time it did it sounded closer, but the storm prevented Kokuo from seeing how close.
Karra appeared at his side, her blue eyes wide and apprehensive. “Prepare yourself,” she said to him. “It will be gruesome.”
Then, the black storm slowly peeled back as five jumbled figures shuffled through the dust.
The first figure ran toward them, her yellow-green eyes the only feature sticking out of the black wind. Once her black pelt detached itself from its surroundings, Kokuo quickly identified her as Leto, the youngest member of their group.
“It’s Selene!” Leto yelled, her eyes wide and frightened. “She's been injured!”
Kokuo’s heart fluttered in a sickening way. “Injured? How?”
"We were attacked!"
Beside him, Karra froze, her muscles tightening noticeably in her legs and shoulders."What-?"
Leto ran past them into the cave, not bothering to answer the incomplete question and clearly too frightened to do much explaining.
Outside, the mass of figures slowly shuffled their way to safety. It took Kokuo a moment to realize that the mass was two cats holding up a third between them, and a fourth pacing around them, checking on the cat being held up. The cat being held up was the one who was screaming, and it was the most horrid sound Kokuo had ever heard.
Kokuo inched further out of the cave, but kept behind the cliff faces that helped block the wind. The cat who had been running alongside the three others reached him first. It was Tryfon, a skinny, long-legged tom who was usually too skittish to go on the water retrieval missions, but had decided to go this time because Selene was going.
“Are you ok?” Kokuo asked the tom, noticing a bunch of shallow cuts and scratches along the grey tom’s flank.
Tryfon shook like a leaf in a turbulent wind, his legs practically knocking together. “It-it came out of nowhere. We had no idea…there was no warning!”
Kokuo laid his tail on Tryfon’s back and urged him toward the cave. “It’s ok, I’ll help the others inside. Go take care of those wounds.”
Tryfon woodenly obeyed, but paused and looked over his shoulder for just a moment, his eyes still wide and frightened, but also concerned. “Selene…”
“Me and Karra had great success with the herb garden,” Kokuo said to Tryfon, his heart breaking for his friend. “She will have the best chance, I promise.”
Tryfon nodded, the blank, haunted look returning to his face as he shuffled into the cave.
Then the smell of blood overwhelmed Kokuo, and all pretense of chances vanished as he looked upon Selene’s thrashing body hanging between Hallas, a large red tom with a scar across his face, and Ourania, the most experienced and knowledgeable cat they had.
“Gods above,” Kokuo exclaimed as the two stumbled past him and into the cave with their burden. Blood dripped from several long, twisted and gruesome tears in Selene’s white fur, slicing through a few of her faint tabby stripes along her legs and tail. Clumps of her fur hanged in tatters, and bits of her flesh were so mangled that Kokuo couldn't distinguish if he was looking at muscle or the softer organs beneath.
Selene continued to scream as they quickly walked deeper into the cave, going down into the darker area where a small, bare bones trickling stream came out of the rocks, providing some fresh fertile dirt and a place for herbs to grow. It had to be looked after carefully due to the fact that the stream dried up regularly and sometimes became clogged with black dust from the outside.
At the change in brightness within the cave, Selene began to calm, and her screaming turned to drawn out wailing and quiet sobbing.
Gently, Hallas and Ourania lowered Selene onto soft, cool sand next to the thin stream.
“Where are the aqua rocks?” Karra demanded.
Kokuo looked over his shoulder to see that Karra had followed them. She glared down at Ourania as she asked the question, her tabby tail lashing back and forth.
Hallas responded. “That’s the first thing you ask?” He shouted, his amber eyes raging with fury and fear. “We were attacked, Karra. We had to drop everything we had to make it back alive.”
“Where did you drop it?” Karra asked over Selene’s whimpering.
Hallas growled. “For God’s sake help us-”
“The water, Hallas!”
Ourania looked up from where she had been leaning over Selene, patching up the wounds with cobweb to stop the worst of the bleeding. “Near the rock outcrop beneath the dead tree,” she told Karra, her voice calm and sure. “We were all grouped so they shouldn’t have scattered too far when they were dropped.”
Karra nodded, turning and vanishing up through the tunnel.
Kokuo was torn. He wanted to follow Karra to make sure that whatever had attacked Selene and the others didn’t also harm her, but he had no idea what this thing was or what it was capable of.
“Ourania…can you tell me what happened?”
Ourania did not look up from her work as she sniffed and poked at the growing garden of herbs beside them. She pulled a few right up from the roots, and others she simply plucked seeds or leaves from the plant, leaving more room for growth. “As has been iterated, we were attacked,” she said between the plants in her jaws.
“By what? There are no predators out here. Not anymore.”
Ourania didn’t pause as she began peeling back her patchwork of cobwebs on Selene’s body and started packing in the different herbs, eliciting high pitched cries and loud hissing from Selene. Hallas had to hold her down to make sure Ourania got the herbs into the wounds.
“I’m not sure how to describe it,” Ourania said quietly as she sat back, breathing a bit heavily.
“Did you not see it clearly?”
“No. I saw it perfectly, but none of the others saw it.”
“What? But Tryfon and Leto-”
“They saw something different,” Ourania said, letting out a long weary sigh as she raised her yellow eyes to Kokuo’s. “We all saw something different.”
Kokuo rushed to the cave entrance, his orange tabby fur standing on end as he peered through the black dust storm. Shivers wracked his body each and every time the scream echoed out, and each time it did it sounded closer, but the storm prevented Kokuo from seeing how close.
Karra appeared at his side, her blue eyes wide and apprehensive. “Prepare yourself,” she said to him. “It will be gruesome.”
Then, the black storm slowly peeled back as five jumbled figures shuffled through the dust.
The first figure ran toward them, her yellow-green eyes the only feature sticking out of the black wind. Once her black pelt detached itself from its surroundings, Kokuo quickly identified her as Leto, the youngest member of their group.
“It’s Selene!” Leto yelled, her eyes wide and frightened. “She's been injured!”
Kokuo’s heart fluttered in a sickening way. “Injured? How?”
"We were attacked!"
Beside him, Karra froze, her muscles tightening noticeably in her legs and shoulders."What-?"
Leto ran past them into the cave, not bothering to answer the incomplete question and clearly too frightened to do much explaining.
Outside, the mass of figures slowly shuffled their way to safety. It took Kokuo a moment to realize that the mass was two cats holding up a third between them, and a fourth pacing around them, checking on the cat being held up. The cat being held up was the one who was screaming, and it was the most horrid sound Kokuo had ever heard.
Kokuo inched further out of the cave, but kept behind the cliff faces that helped block the wind. The cat who had been running alongside the three others reached him first. It was Tryfon, a skinny, long-legged tom who was usually too skittish to go on the water retrieval missions, but had decided to go this time because Selene was going.
“Are you ok?” Kokuo asked the tom, noticing a bunch of shallow cuts and scratches along the grey tom’s flank.
Tryfon shook like a leaf in a turbulent wind, his legs practically knocking together. “It-it came out of nowhere. We had no idea…there was no warning!”
Kokuo laid his tail on Tryfon’s back and urged him toward the cave. “It’s ok, I’ll help the others inside. Go take care of those wounds.”
Tryfon woodenly obeyed, but paused and looked over his shoulder for just a moment, his eyes still wide and frightened, but also concerned. “Selene…”
“Me and Karra had great success with the herb garden,” Kokuo said to Tryfon, his heart breaking for his friend. “She will have the best chance, I promise.”
Tryfon nodded, the blank, haunted look returning to his face as he shuffled into the cave.
Then the smell of blood overwhelmed Kokuo, and all pretense of chances vanished as he looked upon Selene’s thrashing body hanging between Hallas, a large red tom with a scar across his face, and Ourania, the most experienced and knowledgeable cat they had.
“Gods above,” Kokuo exclaimed as the two stumbled past him and into the cave with their burden. Blood dripped from several long, twisted and gruesome tears in Selene’s white fur, slicing through a few of her faint tabby stripes along her legs and tail. Clumps of her fur hanged in tatters, and bits of her flesh were so mangled that Kokuo couldn't distinguish if he was looking at muscle or the softer organs beneath.
Selene continued to scream as they quickly walked deeper into the cave, going down into the darker area where a small, bare bones trickling stream came out of the rocks, providing some fresh fertile dirt and a place for herbs to grow. It had to be looked after carefully due to the fact that the stream dried up regularly and sometimes became clogged with black dust from the outside.
At the change in brightness within the cave, Selene began to calm, and her screaming turned to drawn out wailing and quiet sobbing.
Gently, Hallas and Ourania lowered Selene onto soft, cool sand next to the thin stream.
“Where are the aqua rocks?” Karra demanded.
Kokuo looked over his shoulder to see that Karra had followed them. She glared down at Ourania as she asked the question, her tabby tail lashing back and forth.
Hallas responded. “That’s the first thing you ask?” He shouted, his amber eyes raging with fury and fear. “We were attacked, Karra. We had to drop everything we had to make it back alive.”
“Where did you drop it?” Karra asked over Selene’s whimpering.
Hallas growled. “For God’s sake help us-”
“The water, Hallas!”
Ourania looked up from where she had been leaning over Selene, patching up the wounds with cobweb to stop the worst of the bleeding. “Near the rock outcrop beneath the dead tree,” she told Karra, her voice calm and sure. “We were all grouped so they shouldn’t have scattered too far when they were dropped.”
Karra nodded, turning and vanishing up through the tunnel.
Kokuo was torn. He wanted to follow Karra to make sure that whatever had attacked Selene and the others didn’t also harm her, but he had no idea what this thing was or what it was capable of.
“Ourania…can you tell me what happened?”
Ourania did not look up from her work as she sniffed and poked at the growing garden of herbs beside them. She pulled a few right up from the roots, and others she simply plucked seeds or leaves from the plant, leaving more room for growth. “As has been iterated, we were attacked,” she said between the plants in her jaws.
“By what? There are no predators out here. Not anymore.”
Ourania didn’t pause as she began peeling back her patchwork of cobwebs on Selene’s body and started packing in the different herbs, eliciting high pitched cries and loud hissing from Selene. Hallas had to hold her down to make sure Ourania got the herbs into the wounds.
“I’m not sure how to describe it,” Ourania said quietly as she sat back, breathing a bit heavily.
“Did you not see it clearly?”
“No. I saw it perfectly, but none of the others saw it.”
“What? But Tryfon and Leto-”
“They saw something different,” Ourania said, letting out a long weary sigh as she raised her yellow eyes to Kokuo’s. “We all saw something different.”
. . .
Act IV: Dust
Act IV: Dust
“Karra!”
After Kokuo talked with Ourania about the mysterious…thing that attacked Selene, he had left to go hunt down Karra.
“Karra!”
Kokuo hadn’t been outside the cave much when a storm was in full swing. He knew to stay by the cliff sides so that he wouldn’t get lost in the dust, but he had no idea if Karra had done the same. He hoped that his shouts would reach her through the howling wind and that it would be enough to locate her.
He had been walking for half an hour when he finally spotted her.
Karra slowly walked toward him through the black dust storm, her jaws clamped down on a giant tropical leaf that held the aqua rocks. She had to drag them on the ground alongside her, constantly tugging and grunting her way through the piles of obsidian particles on the ground.
“Karra!”
She looked up, her blue eyes narrowing angrily at him. “What are you doing out here?” She shouted around her bundle, not stopping her march back to the cave.
He rushed to her side and helped pick up the slack, taking half of the weight of the aqua rocks. “I came out here to make sure you were safe!”
Now that Kokuo was closer to Karra, he could see that she had been cut up very similarly to how Tryfon had been. They were like tiny scratches in sharp angles on the top layer of fur and skin.
Karra’s blue eyes softened at his words, but the hard edge to her voice did not. “It’s too dangerous out here. That thing could be anywhere.”
They rounded a smooth sand blasted corner, a layer of purple rock rising up next to them and folding back on itself. “Exactly, which is why I am here,” Kokuo said.
“Idiot,” Karra hissed. “I’m fine out here on my own.”
Kokuo was silent, his eyes moving from the path ahead to Karra beside him who walked with such confidence and ease that a part of him believed that she could indeed survive out in the open on her own. Her blue eyes never seemed to waver from whatever purpose or goal she set herself upon, and anytime she had been on a mission in the past, it had always succeeded.
In fact, the only time she had ever seemed weak or vulnerable to Kokuo had been when it came to protecting him.
“Let’s stop,” Kokuo said, dropping his half of their package. “You’re bleeding.”
Karra sniffs. “So are you.”
Kokuo started, his ears standing tall on his head in surprise. “No I’m not?”
Karra flicked her tail over his eyes, and then lightly tapped his left flank.
He looked down on where she had touched him and he was shocked to see similar scratches on his pelt that had collected on hers.
“What is that? I’ve never seen it before.”
Karra sighed, dragging the aqua rocks to the side of the cliff and then sitting down in the sand. “It’s the dust. It’s become more solid over time. There are tiny bits of sharp rock among it all now, that’s how we get cut.”
Kokuo joined her, wrapping his tail around his paws. “I didn’t even feel it.”
“You were probably too focused on finding me to notice.”
Kokuo nodded, flattening his ears against the wind. “Makes sense.”
For a while they sat, watching the world be eaten alive by the dark wind. They didn’t speak, but in the silence a tension grew that Kokuo could barely stand.
“How much longer do you think this will last?”
Karra’s whiskers twitched. “I was expecting you to ask why I cared more for the water than Selena.”
Kokuo turned to look at Karra, but she was still staring out into the rolling black wind.
“I understand why you asked,” he started, shuffling his paws into the sand. “And having Ourania and Hallas there was all Selene needed. But…”
“But?”
“It was insensitive.”
Karra looked at him and laughed, her blue eyes twinkling in the low light. “I think you are being too easy on me.”
“Maybe. Tensions were high on both sides, and everyone was rightfully freaked out,” Kokuo said, trying to explain to Karra how he felt about the heated exchange. “Hallas's yelling didn’t help either.”
Karra nodded, her smile remaining. “True. Maybe, one day, if this hell ever ends, we will be able to properly apologize for all of our argumentative tendencies.”
“If this hell ends?”
Karra sighed, her smile vanishing. “This storm has lasted for two years with only a few days of clear skies,” she said, her voice hollow. “If there was a way to fix it, I think it would have been done already.”
“What if there is a way, but no one has found it yet?” Kokuo asked.
“Most of everyone has become dust. I’d say our chances are slim.”
Kokuo closed his eyes, memories flashing in his mind. “It bothered me for a long time…knowing what the dust was, and why there was more of it every day.”
Karra looked at him, her eyes gentle and sympathetic.
Kokuo sighed and lifted up his chin, opening his eyes to look at the overhang of the cliff. “Do you think about it as dust…or bodies?”
Karra’s throat tightened, and she turned away from him, standing up and walking toward their bundle of aqua rocks.
“If I didn’t think of it as dust, I wouldn’t want to live with myself anymore.”
After Kokuo talked with Ourania about the mysterious…thing that attacked Selene, he had left to go hunt down Karra.
“Karra!”
Kokuo hadn’t been outside the cave much when a storm was in full swing. He knew to stay by the cliff sides so that he wouldn’t get lost in the dust, but he had no idea if Karra had done the same. He hoped that his shouts would reach her through the howling wind and that it would be enough to locate her.
He had been walking for half an hour when he finally spotted her.
Karra slowly walked toward him through the black dust storm, her jaws clamped down on a giant tropical leaf that held the aqua rocks. She had to drag them on the ground alongside her, constantly tugging and grunting her way through the piles of obsidian particles on the ground.
“Karra!”
She looked up, her blue eyes narrowing angrily at him. “What are you doing out here?” She shouted around her bundle, not stopping her march back to the cave.
He rushed to her side and helped pick up the slack, taking half of the weight of the aqua rocks. “I came out here to make sure you were safe!”
Now that Kokuo was closer to Karra, he could see that she had been cut up very similarly to how Tryfon had been. They were like tiny scratches in sharp angles on the top layer of fur and skin.
Karra’s blue eyes softened at his words, but the hard edge to her voice did not. “It’s too dangerous out here. That thing could be anywhere.”
They rounded a smooth sand blasted corner, a layer of purple rock rising up next to them and folding back on itself. “Exactly, which is why I am here,” Kokuo said.
“Idiot,” Karra hissed. “I’m fine out here on my own.”
Kokuo was silent, his eyes moving from the path ahead to Karra beside him who walked with such confidence and ease that a part of him believed that she could indeed survive out in the open on her own. Her blue eyes never seemed to waver from whatever purpose or goal she set herself upon, and anytime she had been on a mission in the past, it had always succeeded.
In fact, the only time she had ever seemed weak or vulnerable to Kokuo had been when it came to protecting him.
“Let’s stop,” Kokuo said, dropping his half of their package. “You’re bleeding.”
Karra sniffs. “So are you.”
Kokuo started, his ears standing tall on his head in surprise. “No I’m not?”
Karra flicked her tail over his eyes, and then lightly tapped his left flank.
He looked down on where she had touched him and he was shocked to see similar scratches on his pelt that had collected on hers.
“What is that? I’ve never seen it before.”
Karra sighed, dragging the aqua rocks to the side of the cliff and then sitting down in the sand. “It’s the dust. It’s become more solid over time. There are tiny bits of sharp rock among it all now, that’s how we get cut.”
Kokuo joined her, wrapping his tail around his paws. “I didn’t even feel it.”
“You were probably too focused on finding me to notice.”
Kokuo nodded, flattening his ears against the wind. “Makes sense.”
For a while they sat, watching the world be eaten alive by the dark wind. They didn’t speak, but in the silence a tension grew that Kokuo could barely stand.
“How much longer do you think this will last?”
Karra’s whiskers twitched. “I was expecting you to ask why I cared more for the water than Selena.”
Kokuo turned to look at Karra, but she was still staring out into the rolling black wind.
“I understand why you asked,” he started, shuffling his paws into the sand. “And having Ourania and Hallas there was all Selene needed. But…”
“But?”
“It was insensitive.”
Karra looked at him and laughed, her blue eyes twinkling in the low light. “I think you are being too easy on me.”
“Maybe. Tensions were high on both sides, and everyone was rightfully freaked out,” Kokuo said, trying to explain to Karra how he felt about the heated exchange. “Hallas's yelling didn’t help either.”
Karra nodded, her smile remaining. “True. Maybe, one day, if this hell ever ends, we will be able to properly apologize for all of our argumentative tendencies.”
“If this hell ends?”
Karra sighed, her smile vanishing. “This storm has lasted for two years with only a few days of clear skies,” she said, her voice hollow. “If there was a way to fix it, I think it would have been done already.”
“What if there is a way, but no one has found it yet?” Kokuo asked.
“Most of everyone has become dust. I’d say our chances are slim.”
Kokuo closed his eyes, memories flashing in his mind. “It bothered me for a long time…knowing what the dust was, and why there was more of it every day.”
Karra looked at him, her eyes gentle and sympathetic.
Kokuo sighed and lifted up his chin, opening his eyes to look at the overhang of the cliff. “Do you think about it as dust…or bodies?”
Karra’s throat tightened, and she turned away from him, standing up and walking toward their bundle of aqua rocks.
“If I didn’t think of it as dust, I wouldn’t want to live with myself anymore.”