Tanniuvis Comment by Zoinks: Generated with the fantasy name generatorComment by Zoinks: Pronounced "Tan you vee"
Peppy Hare walked down the forest trail and Fay Spaniel followed. The duo had gone to the rainforest planet Tanniuvis to hike to a vacation home left by Fox's grandfather, James. The only catch was that the planet had become overgrown over the years, and they couldn't fly straight there anymore-the home simply couldn't be found from the air. As such, they'd set out to cover 62 kilometers over the course of 3 days. It wasn't a bad pace—about 20 kilometers a day depending on weather. The major issue would be the terrain, which consisted of constant ups and downs ranging from 76 to 137 meters of constant elevation change. Peppy knew he could take it, but he was concerned about Fay. Comment by Zoinks: an homage to The Gunslinger
Fay was in good condition, fit from her life of mercenary work. She wasn't an experienced hiker like Peppy, though, and all of her gear was just a little bit off. She wore a pair of camouflage fatigues and CDF issue boots. They were fine for ground pounding, but poor for the kind of trip they found themselves on. The pants caused muscle fatigue, and were too hot for the extremely humid environment of Tanniuvis. They were treated with insect repellent, but that ultimately wasn't worth much. The CDF's boots were rugged and offered ankle support, but this made the ankles weaker because of the support rather than stronger. If he had to guess, she'd be rolling her ankles quite often during the rockier sections. Apart from that, her gear was just heavy. Not bad, just ended up being too much extra weight. Her pack probably weighed around 27 kilos, where she only weighed 68. She'd be feeling her knees, that was for sure.
"Doing alright back there, Fay?"
"Doing, " her huffs and puffs contradicted her following, "just fine back here."
"Let's take 5"
"No, I can… I can keep going"
"But we don't have to."
He stepped off of the trail, hiking poles propping him up. He'd been sweating pretty bad, so Fay couldn't have been faring much better. She looked exhausted, even her signature red bow looked like it was about to wilt.
"We're not exactly on a record pace here, you don't have to kill yourself getting to the house. Tell me if you need to rest next time!"
If she heard, she didn't say anything. Preoccupied with re hydrating, she was completely oblivious to the rabbit's stare. If he was soaked, she was saturated. Sweat fell away from her in a salt-laden rain, and she was swaying back and forth as though she was moved by the gentle breeze. It was worrying, they hadn't covered that much ground. Hopefully, she'd be able to make the full trip, but if not he was more than capable of covering the distance himself. Having recuperated a little, Fay turned her gaze to Peppy, waiting to keep going.
"Y'know, I think there's a parking lot up ahead. Wanna break for lunch up there?"
"Is there any water?"
"Yeah, I think there's a stream right before it."
"Good, I think I just drank the last of mine."
"Already? Good thing we're not too far off, then."
Without another word, the pair forged on. Fay seemed a little more at ease now that she knew there'd be a longer break soon. Placebo effect, maybe? It would be just shy of two and a half klicks before they hit the parking lot either way, so it wouldn't take too long.
There weren't a whole lot of people at the parking lot. They'd come at a relative off season, still plenty there, but nowhere near as many as during the planet's spring season. Still, there were still a few people in the lot, including a couple that seemed to be arguing about gear. The woman was a husky, wore a long sleeved fleece and pink hiking pants, along with a pair of trailrunners. The man was a terrier mix, and was constantly on the defensive as he tried to stop his companion from going through his pack. Most of the terrier's gear was splayed out across a park table, and they were arguing like an old married couple.
"Did you pack the first aid kit I made for you?"
"Yes—"
"How about the food, did you bring enough?"
"Yeah, I—"
"What's this pouch here?"
"What's with all the questions? We're on vacation, not drilling grunts!"
Peppy's keen eye picked out the terrier's secret, what looked to be a water bag full of a red liquid, probably wine. Luckily she hadn't spotted it. The terrier seemed worried, panicked even. Time to employ some of the famed Star Fox charm, do some real hero work.
"Hi, do you mind if we use this table? We've had a rough time on the trail and we'd like to stop for lunch."
The twang in his voice added sincerity and Fay swayed unsteadily behind him, sealing the deal. They'd practically have to say yes, and the terrier would have to clear off some space. The hare sent a sly wink towards the terrier as he scooped his gear away from one end of the table.
"Sure, let me just repack a little, give you some more room. Do you need any food, water? I'm Alastar."
Alastar returned Peppy's wink while the husky's back was turned.
"Peppy. We're alright on water, and this'll be our first meal, so really I should offer you food! Throw your pack off Fay, grab some rest."
Her pack was slung to the ground in short order. She'd been uncharacteristically silent. She sank down to the bench, hiking poles laid off to the side.
"I'm Sasha. Is your friend alright?"
"She just needs some food, it's been a long time since she's been hiking."
"Yeah, I didn't eat a big breakfast, so I'm just kind of out of it. I'm Fay."
The white dog somehow managed not to look too depressed. Her tail managed a weak wag, though it was low. She started to go through her pack to find her food bag.
"What'd you pack? We just finished lunch up ourselves" Alastar's voice was warm, friendly, was definitely here for fun. Peppy could tell Sasha was really only there for Alastar.
"I brought some rolled granola bars, and some other snacks to supplement them. Lots of carbs!" Fay's love of food started to shine through her funk.
"That's a pretty good plan, just make sure you ration all of your food out." Sasha's compliment made the white spaniel perk up even more, tail wagging just a little faster.
"Thanks!"
"My own food's pretty similar, but I just can't shake the rabbit stereotype, it's all carrot flavored!"
"Sounds great!" Alastar had just finished packing his stuff back up. He seemed in a hurry to leave, probably before Sasha could start inspecting his gear again.
"Are those wine cups in the side pouch, Alastar?"
Too late. Peppy did his best to contain his laughter.
"I think that's our cue to leave, good to meet you!"
"Get back here, this isn't over!"
The pair left in a hurry. Shame, they would've been fun to talk to. Peppy dug into his carrot bar, faint smirk on his face.
The trail had been pretty uneventful over the last couple of hours. Fay had learned that having things in her pockets made her legs tire out far faster than normal, due to the reciprocating mass. Her communicator now sat in her pack's waistband. Fay was just about to come across a stream to refill her water when her eyes caught sight of a purple silhouette already crouched over the river. He looked like a fox, standing maybe 170 centimeters tall. His face was mostly white, and he hadn't noticed her yet. Better make introductions.
"Hey! I'm—"
The fox spooked and jumped straight into the stream. Oops.
"—Oh my god I'm so sorry! Let me help you out!"
" Don't. I'm alright. I was overheating, it's probably for the best."
The stranger was definitely pissed off. Her eyes did a quick once over—he was toned, rugged, but he was also wearing long sleeves. He shouldn't have been overheating, but maybe she could help? She cut off her tangential thought as the fox got out of the water, sopping wet now.
"You might stay a little cooler if you cuff your sleeves: The cuffs'll keep your sleeves open, should give you a little more airflow."
"Huh? Oh, thanks. I'd never thought of that before. I'm Leon." "Fay."
Peppy had yet to make it to the same stream. Her only advantage on this trip was that she could go faster up hills. He still hadn't managed to crest the hill. Too late, she noticed a red glint in his eye, a mischievous look on his face—She was splashed with cold river water! She was still the dryer of the two, but it felt like she lost.
"I deserved that."
"Definitely."
The two enjoyed a companionable silence while Leon climbed out of the water. His mood seemed to get better after he got his revenge, and really who could blame him? She pulled off her pack to refill her water, and he continued to do the same. She noticed something weird though, Leon had 4 bottles, each holding a liter each.
"That's a lot of water. There's plenty on the trail and all that must be heavy…" Her voice trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
"I'm terrible with hot weather, but I really wanted the views. I just wasn't expecting it to be so awful. I know I seemed angry, but I really did need that dip in the river," he switched to muttering under his breath, "I just wish I could have kept my clothes dry."
Fay knew better than to comment. Her ears were bigger than most.
"Hm. There certainly are some good views."
The two sit in amicable silence along the river. Fay could already hear Peppy approaching, huffing and puffing his way up the last switchback. She'd have a good half an hour's worth of break more, but Leon was already starting to stand up.
"Well, I figure I should get going. Maybe if I move I'll dry out faster. Evaporation should feel good."
"Good to meet you!"
"Good to meet you too, thanks for the advice!"
Peppy stumbled up to the river just as Leon was leaving. He collapsed on a rock near Fay and kicked back. Looked about ready to take a nap, and really this was the best place for it. Nice, easy access to water and lots of shade.
"Break time?" She asked the question, but she already knew the answer.
"Break time. Maybe two or three." Peppy could only muster the energy to reply before his head fell back, body cushioned by his pack.
Roughly 24 kilometers in, Gertrude's Gully was a primitive shelter with a privy, small 3 walled shelter, and a cooking pavilion. Fay and Peppy had set their tents up, and were lounging around with their dinner for the night. They'd brought simple things, preserved meats in plastic packages, like fish and poultry salad for protein, along with tortillas and crackers to fortify with carbs. It was a filling meal plan that didn't require heating or refrigeration, making it an ideal backpacking food.
"Clouds are rolling in." Concern tinged Fay's voice, while Peppy's oozed nonchalance.
"Yep."
"Worried?"
"Our tents'll keep us dry, and if they don't there's always the shelter just over there."
Lightning flashed overhead, thunder broke soon after. The shockwave from the superheated air created a sonic boom, stunned the two seasoned mercenaries. It started raining soon after.
"Time to hunker down?"
"Yep."
Quickly, wordlessly, they stowed their trash away in thick bags. They wouldn't have time to hang them up, not in this weather. All they could do was stow their packs in the vestibules of their tents and sleep through the storm.
Fay Spaniel was a heavy sleeper. It typically took a lot more than a little rain to wake her up, but she also wasn't dead to the world around her. That being said, her rude awakening was in the form of a native creature. The Toras was Tanniuvis' apex predator, and she could hear one shuffling around outside her tent.
The dog shot up, reaching for the knife she knew she left just by her pants— Her thought process was interrupted by two shots, conventional weapon not laser, the explosion of powder made her overly sensitive ears ring. The creature collapsed against her tent, snapping the poles under its weight. Her hand found her knife though, and she swiftly cut a hole in the tent large enough to climb out.
Fay bore her knife in the direction of the beast, fight or flight tending towards fight the beast that threatened to take her life—
"Couldn't let it eat you, now could I? Not when I have a message to deliver."
Eyes snapped towards the new threat—
"Calm down! I said I'm here to deliver a message!"
The new person had a feminine voice, was clad from head to toe in camouflage making her silhouette hard to make out in the rain. There were only two distinctive things that Fay could identify well as she withstood the downpour in her skivvies; her tail was too thin for a fox's and her gun was glorious.
A twin barreled over-under pattern shotgun, with engravings resembling a woman that seemed to continue onto the side she couldn't see. Even Falco's guns weren't this opulently decorated while remaining this undeniably effective—
"Look, I can show you the engravings in a minute, but we've got to get you out of the rain. Peppy, could you?"
"Way ahead of you, miss. C'mon Fay, you've been staring at that gun for too long, you'll catch a cold!"
Her words were stolen from her as Peppy pulled her back towards the shelter. Once under the roof, the conversation continued.
"So miss, how'd you know our names?" "I'm Zeouna, your boss sent me to deliver a message."
"What did he say?" Fay finally found her voice, was hardly able to keep it steady. The rain was chilling her to the bone.
"He said you've been on a wild goose chase since yesterday. They found the house. Just needed a little help."
Silence befell the odd group. Fay shivered, felt the breeze coming from the sheets of rain that simply rolled off and away from Zeouna's camouflaged rain coat. Her clothes and sleeping bag were definitely soaked at this point.
"So this whole trip, all for nothing?"
"I'm afraid so. All that's left to do now is to wait out the storm."
"Alright. Peppy, do you mind lending me a pair of pants, or something?"
"Oh, right! Sure thing Fay!"
The old man tottered back off into the rain, soon to return with something to wear.
"Hm. Let me help you warm up." Zeouna opened up her coat and closed on the confused spaniel before she could react. Fay found herself slung to the messenger's side just like that exquisite weapon.
"Shame you have to cover everything up. You're quite something."
She was lucky her fur hid her blush. It was going to be a long night.