Aetas Infinitas

Chapter 21

Unbridled Curiosity

Still feeling a bit groggy, Veri followed Oni out into the stone-paved street. He paused, looking around in the crowd for someone; most likely Charlie. The street was already bustling with the people and animals that would flood it until just after the sun sank into the sea. There was no lack of noise either, for both of them were forced to a shout in order to hear each other above the hollers, moans, and screeching of the bustle around them.

"Where are we going again Oni?" Veri backed away suddenly to avoid being trampled by a passing mass of unwary children.
"I have something I want to go see," he yelled back. "It's along the beach though; down a ways from the harbor. Come on." Oni turned and began following the tracks of a passing cart that provided moving shelter and safe passage from the unruly masses around them.
The two casually trotted behind the rickety, squeaking cart until it turned a corner onto a small side street. To the left lay a long stretch of rocky sand that divided the cobblestone with the foamy waters' edge.
Oni paused once more and looked in both directions on either side of the beach. I'm almost positive that it's…this way," he mumbled. He turned to Veri and motioned for her to follow.
They continued along the shore, passing the pier, two small fishing docks, and an old man sitting quietly by himself in the sand who cautiously eyed the passing canines. It was not long before Veri spotted what Oni was so eager to investigate. A ways down the beach sat a large wooden box, along with two men attempting to drag it down to the water. The men noticed the two canines approaching, but did not react.

Veri went around to the other side of the crude-looking crate. She sniffed it cautiously from a distance, and the scent of soil and dirt was overpowering. The scent reminded Veri both of the smell of a damp woodland after a heavy rain and of…feces? It was certainly wasn't the most pleasant smell.
"Oni, this thing…It smells awful. What did you say was inside here again?"

He held a rather puzzled look, and sniffed the crate again. Immediately he recoiled at the stench. "I have no idea myself. I'm assum–" Veri stopped him.

"Listen," she put her left ear as close to the box as she could, Oni also doing so, and for a brief moment neither of them took a breath. Veri's eyes widened the instant she heard a noise from inside. She glanced at Oni, but did not turn her head, and instantly he grew uneasy and overanxious. From just behind the thin wooden wall something was breathing…something that inhaled huge amounts of air and made a growling sound when it breathed out. Mesmerized, both of the canines stood, frozen as they listened to the heavy breathing of the box's contents. A single moment seemed to last forever…but that moment of standing petrified was broken. Shifting and movement could be heard from the inside, and the box began to tremble ever so slightly. Startled, both canines jumped back. Neither of them knew what to do except watch. After another endless moment ears flickered toward the sound of someone approaching on the sand. Veri turned her head to see that two men were running towards them. When she looked at Oni, and then back at the crate, it suddenly began to shake back and forth. The box heaved forward and backward, swinging to the front and to the sides in such a way that they were certain that it would fall over any minute. But neither of them moved; Oni was dying to see whatever was being contained in this crate and Veri's feet were so planted in the ground that she did not move from the fear itself. As the two men reached them, the crate began roaring and emitting rumbling noises. One of them men kicked a leg out at Oni and swayed his hands, yelling, telling them to get away. Oni paused, still watching the chaotic scene with utter fascination. He looked up at the man shooing him and took off towards a grassy area a short ways down the beach. Veri followed close behind him.

From their vantage point, they could still survey the scene that seemed to get worse by the minute. They watched curiously as the two men struggled to steady the box from opposite sides, but the sand prevented them from getting a strong stance and the next instant the box fell onto its side and was shattered from the inside-out. The two men were knocked back on their feet. That was when they saw it– a creature that no one at the scene had ever seen before; it was not very tall, but stood on four legs and hung its head low to the ground. It turned to shake off splinters and pieces of wood that clung to its bulky form. This revealed an intimidating sight to the watching canines. A enormous, three-pointed, white plate sat atop its head, and plates of the same shape ran down a line along its back to form an armored spine. Its short legs also had white rings of armor, and its claws were as long as one of Veri's tails. The monster turned its head in their direction and in the plain light of midday, both of them could see its tiny, bright blue eyes that announced rage and anger at just about everything it saw. The beast growled and lunged at the man who had not run back to the town. The second man made a poor attempt to roll out into the water but the monster sounded its deep, rumbling roar and opened its toothy jaw, clamping down on the man's leg.

He screamed from his bite wound, but the scream did not last long enough to end as the beast tore off the leg and lunged at the man's head. It grunted as it surveyed its kill, and proceeded to smell the blood it had just shed. The beast threw back its head and bellowed into the air, the noise shutting out even the waves that crashed on the shore not thirty steps away. Suddenly its bellow ceased, and it turned its enraged gaze toward the two remaining spectators. Its eyes narrowed and it roared again, and then lunged in their direction.
"Oni, run!"

The beast charged forth on it stumpy legs but sent the two canines running in opposite directions. Oni ran somewhere that Veri could not see. She looked around as the beast readied itself for another charge. The moment it came at her again she took a flying leap into the sand to the side near an outcropping of shore stones to evade the creature, but fell flat on her face. She got her bearings and looked up; this insane beast would not give up.

It's nostrils flared, its eyes widened, and the cornered Veri shook with fear. The beast charged, sending sand in every direction. Oni was nowhere to be seen, but her attention was fixed on the raging beast just moments away from sending the vulpix flying. The little fox's heart pounded while sweat poured down her trembling body and the ground shook. Then, in one tiny instant, instinct overtook her and she released a plume of flames that enveloped the single-member stampede in a thrall of grunts and painful moaning. Once hit, the beast lunged to the side and began bucking and writhing about as if blinded. More sand was kicked up and more ruckus was made as Veri, no longer sweating, simply sat and watched this now apparently helpless beast lunge and twist about. After a long moment of frustration the black and silver monster collapsed on its side near the tree line. Veri approached the fallen creature.

It was not dead– made quite clear by the fact that its chest heaved up and down like the sails on a day when the wind would start and then stop suddenly. Veri went around near its head. She kept a distance, but could see that its eyes were shut and had it not been for the motion of the chest she would have deemed it dead. Veri could not recall a time in which she herself had ever taken any creature's life, even to eat it, and so she was secretly relieved that the rampant beast that had just tried to kill her was not dead.

At this point she did not know what to do or say. Oni was still nowhere to be found, and now she was sitting alone next to this unconscious beast on the beach in the middle of the day. She looked around again, but nothing more was to be seen than the remnants of the event that had just transpired. Veri sat quietly for another moment.

"Oni?" she softly called out. When no reply arose she called for him again, but only the restless wind sweeping across the shore answered. So Veri sat, mindlessly wondering what to do or where to go next, but nothing particular came to mind. After awhile of sitting and doing nothing but listening to the wind, Veri decided to bring Charlie to this site and show him what she had done. Not that she anticipated his reaction, or even expected any at all, she felt it right to bring him here. She looked around again. Which way was the town? Veri turned and craned her neck out over the water to see if perhaps a dock jutted out over the sea, but there were none. At this point she was growing desperate, and so once more she searched about her for some sign of life.

She had to wander a little ways, but climbing over another mound of shore rocks revealed a lone sea bird, whose form resembled that of Ferra, sitting blankly on a jagged boulder. As she slowly approached, its eyes lazily followed her closer, but it did not move otherwise. The vulpix cautiously peeped up, hoping that it would understand her.
"Excuse me," she softly called. "but I need some help, if you don't mind." she anxiously waited for a reply but the bird did nothing but stare at her. In her frantics Veri grew impatient quickly.

"Please sir, er...ma'am. I need to get to the docks by the town as quickly as possible but I don't know where to go. Might you help point me in the right direction?"
Much to her surprise,the bird both understood and answered her.

"You mean the place where those thieves steal our fish by the thousands? I don't know why you'd ever want to go there, but it's down the shore that way." he mumbled as he gestured his head away from them.

The vulpix galloped down the beach for quite a surprising amount of time, not noticing much of what was around her, especially the thunderclouds rolling in above her head. The first flash of lightening lit up the sky as the first long dock came into view around a point in the bushes that grew along the sand. She grew even more comforted when the ships floating in the bay slipped into view. At last the town came into sight.

As she entered the town she slowed to catch her breath and in the growing raindrops she lifted her head to look about her. The town was completely empty. The darkened sky, the shaking palms, and howling wind were enough to drive everyone in the small port town indoors. Veri did not finish catching her breath. She had to find Charlie. Frantically she raced through the streets trying to find the inn with the wailmer above the door. It was right where it had always been. The vulpix's face lit up and her tails wagged as she ran for the door and propped herself up on her hind legs to scratch on the wood. It did not open nor did it budge. Anxiously she scratched again. Again, no response came. Veri scratched and whimpered and yelped at the locked door as the wind picked up but it did not budge. Dejected, Veri sank to her haunches in the pouring rain. She began to grow worried and saddened and depressed all at once. Where was Oni? Where was Charlie? Where was anyone? She sat alone in the stormy weather wondering what to do. Finally, without much thought, she took back off towards the docks.

By the time she reached the port the winds had picked up even more. Veri gazed around the bay and almost right away realized that something was off. One of the ships that had been anchored in the bay when she passed last was not there. Where was Charlie's ship, her home? Veri ran to the end of the longest dock and looked out over the raging waters for signs of her beloved master's ship. The two ships that remained in the bay rocked back and forth as the waves grew and the wind howled, threatening to knock the vulpix into the raging sea. Raindrops bit at her face as she looked over the two ships as best she could.

The ship on the left appeared deserted, but the one on the right was the sight of a frantic display of men running about the top deck, pulling ropes and closing sails in a ruckus as the ship rocked back and forth, in and out of view. It was then that a strong gust of wind sent the tiny vulpix toppling off of the dock and into the water. She went under and upon coming up paddled frantically to stay above. The saltwater stung her eyes and her tails grew heavy and dragged her down as the waves scooped and spun and tossed the tiny vulpix around. In the last short moment before a wave sent her colliding with the dock and knocking her uncopncious, her eye caught the distinguished sight of a black dog with a red nose gazing straight at her from the top of the ship's railing.

A/N: Not as long as I'd like it to be, but this is mainly due to the fact that I wrote three-quarters of this chapter while on vacation earlier this month, and I was quite happy with the results. Vacations do pay off every once in awhile. )

I'm still hoping I haven't lost anyone...