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“Come the Storm” by Tony Greyfox (part 1 of 2)
Two young creatures find themselves unexpectedly working together to try and end a drought that threatens both their villages.
Today’s story is the first of two parts of “Come the Storm” by Tony Greyfox, a long-time author in the furry fandom whose work has appeared in anthologies such as The Furry Future and Inhuman Acts, as well as in the newly released A Swordmaster’s Tale from Armoured Fox Press, available on Amazon. This story was a runner-up in the 2014 Rainfurrest writing competition and appeared in the next year’s charity anthology.
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Transcript
You're listening to The Voice of Dog.
Speaker:I'm Kaki, your faithful fireside companion.
Speaker:And today's story is the first of two parts of Come the Storm
Speaker:by Tony Greyfox,
Speaker:who has been writing furry fiction for longer than he likes to admit.
Speaker:This story was a runner-up in the Rain First yearly writing contest 2014
Speaker:and appeared in the next year's charity anthology.
Speaker:Tony's work has also been featured in anthologies
Speaker:like Inhuman Acts
Speaker:and the Furry Future,
Speaker:Heat Magazine and others.
Speaker:You can find more of his stories on SoFurry.
Speaker:Please enjoy. Come the Storm
Speaker:by Tony Greyfox.
Speaker:Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Speaker:The sound was incessant,
Speaker:inescapable. With each footfall it came.
Speaker:Sometimes it was accompanied by a puff of dust
Speaker:that rose and spread and drifted to the earth like a dirty brown flower
Speaker:blooming and falling back to seed.
Speaker:Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Speaker:It sounded to Talia's mind
Speaker:like bones. Bones broken,
Speaker:shattered, chewed.
Speaker:Intellectually she knew it was nothing more than dry grass crunching under her hooves,
Speaker:and it clawed and bit at her imagination like,
Speaker:well, like a predator.
Speaker:She sighed, shifting her burden in its sling across her slim back,
Speaker:and continued on.
Speaker:Ahead, the sea of dry grass
Speaker:spread into the distance across undulating hills,
Speaker:eventually lapping up against a shoreline of
Speaker:dull green, the oak-bent forest
Speaker:that sprawled across foothills
Speaker:and up the slopes of the mountain range marking the southern border
Speaker:of Oak Valley. Talia had been walking for a day,
Speaker:and that forest still seemed as far away
Speaker:as when she had left the village.
Speaker:And with each step,
Speaker:each crunch of bone-dry grass, each puff of dust
Speaker:settling into her fur,
Speaker:the weight of her pack grew.
Speaker:The deer paused as a wisp of cloud provided momentary respite
Speaker:from the high summer sun above.
Speaker:She considered a sip of water,
Speaker:but decided against it.
Speaker:The streams between the village
Speaker:and oak-bent were likely dry.
Speaker:Like everything else,
Speaker:she scuffed a hoof through the dust
Speaker:and carried on. It had been many years since the grass had gone this dry, but the elders remembered what had happened before.
Speaker:Stories passed down from generation to generation
Speaker:about the long summers
Speaker:and the suffering that had followed,
Speaker:famine and death
Speaker:through the cold winters that invariably came on the heels of the heat.
Speaker:According to the ancient doe who led the village,
Speaker:this was the first long summer in many years
Speaker:and the worst in memory.
Speaker:Without the rains,
Speaker:there would be no harvest,
Speaker:no food for the winter.
Speaker:And there was only one way
Speaker:to bring the rains.
Speaker:Talia's parents had been thrilled at her selection
Speaker:from the youth of the village.
Speaker:Tall, lye-the, strong, a powerful runner.
Speaker:She was an ideal choice, the elder had said.
Speaker:What had been packed?
Speaker:Oats, bread, herbs, spices, and wrapped carefully into the bundle Talia carried on her back.
Speaker:The entire village had seen her off.
Speaker:The elder had walked her out the gate
Speaker:in the old stone wall.
Speaker:Go south, south to the oak
Speaker:-bent forest, she had been told.
Speaker:And when I get there, she had asked,
Speaker:I do not know, the histories do not say,
Speaker:but you will find out,
Speaker:and we will be saved.
Speaker:How the ancestors have said.
Speaker:And so Talia walked
Speaker:amid the crunch of dry grass and the scent of dry dirt
Speaker:and the heat of the blazing sun above.
Speaker:A breeze riffled through the grass,
Speaker:a whisper amid the crackling.
Speaker:Talia lifted her muzzle and sniffed.
Speaker:Her ears perked, and she turned aside,
Speaker:breaking into a ground-eating trot,
Speaker:nose-raised. In a fold of ground partly hidden from the sun's heat,
Speaker:she found a small patch of light green.
Speaker:It smelled of spring
Speaker:and moisture and slicked her thirst as she bit off mouthfuls,
Speaker:chewing slowly to savor the taste.
Speaker:Something thumps nearby. Talia's
Speaker:ears shot upright,
Speaker:and she leaped out of the hollow in one powerful bound.
Speaker:Her head swivelled,
Speaker:eyes scanning the grass,
Speaker:coming to rest on a dark mass,
Speaker:huddled some twenty strides away.
Speaker:It stood slowly, dusting off,
Speaker:scowling at a rock previously hidden in the grass but now visible amid the broken stalks.
Speaker:"'Stupid rocks!' the bulbcat muttered,
Speaker:adjusting his light tunic.
Speaker:A short sword dangling from his belt caught in his feet for a moment,
Speaker:and he nearly tripped again
Speaker:before recovering his composure.
Speaker:His head swiveled,
Speaker:feline eyes locked with servine eyes,
Speaker:and both creatures froze.
Speaker:Talia broke the silence first,
Speaker:every muscle tented to bolt.
Speaker:"'Who are you?' she called warily.
Speaker:"'Um, my name is Christon.
Speaker:I'm from Shortcliff over there,'
Speaker:the young cat pointed back toward the barely visible bluffs far in the distance.
Speaker:Talia had heard the name before,
Speaker:but the villagers were far enough apart to prevent much direct contact.
Speaker:"'Who are you?' Talia
Speaker:of Green Downs. She edged closer to the feline,
Speaker:still ready to bolt,
Speaker:and with one hoof ready near the short, sharp knife
Speaker:belted under waist.
Speaker:"'Do you follow the Pact?'
Speaker:"'Of course,' his reply was indignant.
Speaker:"'We were a civilized village,
Speaker:Shortcliff razes and trades pigs and sheep.
Speaker:Our elders agreed to the Pact-4 generation to go.'
Speaker:The dear relaxed,
Speaker:straightening. "'I apologize for causing a fence,
Speaker:but being here so far from others,
Speaker:caution is paramount.
Speaker:"'Dear are always curious in my experience,'
Speaker:Christon stepped forward, sniffing at the air.
Speaker:"'I cented water. Why, I come closer.'
Speaker:"'It's not much water,
Speaker:and you'll have to chew grass to get it,
Speaker:but you're welcome to share.'
Speaker:"'Uros,' his face crinkled at her description,
Speaker:but he still made his way into the hollow.
Speaker:"'Well, I do what I must.
Speaker:The only running water I'm aware of is still days away.'
Speaker:They all watched in interest
Speaker:as the feline neatly clipped off stalks of grass near the ground
Speaker:with sharp claws.
Speaker:"'Where are you bound, if I may ask?' she inquired,
Speaker:squatting on her eyes and smoothing her short skirt.
Speaker:"'Outbend forest.'
Speaker:"'Her surprise was obvious.
Speaker:Christon looked up,
Speaker:head tilted. "'Is something wrong?'
Speaker:"'Oh, no, just... "'I'm going to outbend as well.' Christon
Speaker:stepped carefully back into the hollow
Speaker:and took another mouthful of grass.
Speaker:"'It just seems odd that we would cross paths and be going to the same place.'
Speaker:Christon shrugged.
Speaker:"'Our elders believe that we can be saved from the hot summer by
Speaker:sending a tribute to Urosbend.
Speaker:I was chosen as our representative.'
Speaker:He turned slightly
Speaker:to display the pack slung over his back.
Speaker:Now that was too much of a coincidence, Talia thought.
Speaker:"'Our elders have the same legend.
Speaker:I am making the same journey.'
Speaker:"'Really?' he blinked.
Speaker:"'That is odd.' "'Indeed.'
Speaker:The two young creatures stared at each other for a long moment.
Speaker:"'Perhaps we could
Speaker:travel together?' Christon suggested,
Speaker:cautiously. After all,
Speaker:two can travel more safely.
Speaker:safely." Talia deliberated a moment.
Speaker:Christon was not exactly the protective type.
Speaker:He was some inches shorter than she,
Speaker:but he was a feline.
Speaker:His claws would be beneficial should anything threaten them, that she could not outrun at least.
Speaker:And if he lived by the pack,
Speaker:well, she would likely be safe with him.
Speaker:She nodded. "'Two together can pick out water and safe routes better than one.
Speaker:I agree.' "'Good,' he smiled,
Speaker:a lopsided grin that Talia realized was shaped to keep sharp teeth hidden.
Speaker:To be honest, I was feeling rather alone out here.'
Speaker:"'I know your meaning.'
Speaker:Talia took one last bite of grass and stood.
Speaker:"'I'm used to being around the rest of our youth around much of the time,'
Speaker:she grimaced. Some noisy.
Speaker:The quiet has been almost
Speaker:peaceful, except this constant crunching.
Speaker:crunching." Christon followed the doe out of the hollow.
Speaker:The two pointed their noses south,
Speaker:towards the green of the forest once again.
Speaker:"'You are lucky, Talia.
Speaker:My cousins and our other youth are all much younger than I.'
Speaker:"'You look strong and fast, though,'
Speaker:she grinned. "'Shall we see whether you can keep up with a deer?'
Speaker:"'Is that a challenge?
Speaker:I think I would be capable enough.'
Speaker:"'Then come, Christon of Shortcliff.
Speaker:See if you are up to my pace.'
Speaker:With that, Talia leaped into the grass
Speaker:in a quick trot that drove her forward amid the swish and crunch.
Speaker:She threw herself into the run,
Speaker:enjoying the sensation of the wind
Speaker:blowing across her perked ears,
Speaker:the feel of the ground passing by.
Speaker:Another crunching caught her attention,
Speaker:and she looked to one side.
Speaker:Christon grinned, the bobcat loping easily on all fours,
Speaker:tufted ears raising
Speaker:and ruffling in the wind.
Speaker:"'Perhaps deer should ask if they are up to a cat's pace.'
Speaker:"'Hey,' she shouted as the feline moved ahead.
Speaker:With a wide grin
Speaker:she set off in pursuit.
Speaker:Trading the lead back and forth,
Speaker:the two young creatures
Speaker:covered plenty of ground before twilight settled
Speaker:across the rolling grasslands.
Speaker:A surprising amount, in fact.
Speaker:Talia looked ahead at the forests,
Speaker:which had grown significantly closer in the few hours
Speaker:they had trotted along with one another. "'I think
Speaker:if we can travel at that kind of speed
Speaker:we may reach the forests in two more days,'
Speaker:the doe said, settling the pack containing her tribute carefully down.
Speaker:"'What do you think?'
Speaker:Christon grunted in response.
Speaker:Talia looked at the bobcat,
Speaker:who had collapsed on his back to pant.
Speaker:"'I think deer have far more endurance than we cats.'
Speaker:"'Perhaps three days, then,'
Speaker:she giggled, as Christon rolled over to sprawl on his stomach in the grass.
Speaker:She opened her food
Speaker:-pack and drew some items out.
Speaker:"'Can I offer you some trail-bread?
Speaker:It has little flavour, but it's very nourishing.
Speaker:nourishing.' "'Ah, thank you,
Speaker:but no,' he eyed the bread warily.
Speaker:"'I have my own trail-food.
Speaker:It's dried--well,' she caught the scent and shuddered.
Speaker:"'Meat.' "'Only had raised sheep,'
Speaker:the cat clarified quickly,
Speaker:"'and some fish the last of our stock from last spring's fishing.'
Speaker:"'I understand,' she said suitably.
Speaker:"'But, well, I will sit over here.'
Speaker:"'Christon watched as she moved around to settle upwind of him
Speaker:and nodded. "'Of course.'
Speaker:Talia took a bite of the hard bread
Speaker:and kept her eyes averted while Christon ate his own meat.
Speaker:"'I admit to having little dealings with meat-eaters.
Speaker:Our village is quite isolated that way.'
Speaker:"'We see more of the grasslanders, I suppose,'
Speaker:the bobcat mused.
Speaker:"'Our village trades regularly with the larger towns and cities across the mountains.
Speaker:"'Our farmers raise both food animals and grains for trade to all.'
Speaker:"'I would like to go to the cities one day.'
Speaker:Talia leaned back
Speaker:and sighed, staring at the sprinkling of stars becoming visible
Speaker:as night spread across the plains.
Speaker:"'They must be very pleasant,
Speaker:and everyone respects the pack.'
Speaker:"'Christon wrapped his supplies carefully
Speaker:and set them back in his pack.
Speaker:"'Everyone respects the pack here, too, Talia.
Speaker:"'Perhaps from your village
Speaker:we hear stories sometimes from villages to the east.
Speaker:Packs of hunters still on the prowl.'
Speaker:"'And those villages are breaking the laws set out by our leaders
Speaker:and by the priests of the hunt.'
Speaker:"'Christon spat harshly.
Speaker:"'Priests? "'You have no priests?
Speaker:Who conducts the ceremonies and celebrations for your people?'
Speaker:The cat sat back up,
Speaker:looking over curiously.
Speaker:"'Well, the elders, I suppose.
Speaker:Are the priests elders?'
Speaker:"'Sometimes. Sometimes they're young people who have
Speaker:given their time to the lord of the hunt.'
Speaker:"'Christon shrugged. "'I have
Speaker:always had a priest of the hunt in my village.
Speaker:"'Today they tell us that the lords, those that have gone before us
Speaker:and watch over our hunting from above,
Speaker:give us prosperity
Speaker:through large, healthy herds
Speaker:rather than successful hunts.'
Speaker:"'Talia shuddered again.
Speaker:"'And before these priests celebrated the hunt for my people
Speaker:and the other grass-eaters?'
Speaker:"'Not any more,' Christon said emphatically,
Speaker:and with a tone that suggested the conversation was over.
Speaker:"'Talia stared at the stars,
Speaker:silently, for long moments.
Speaker:"'We should sleep. The forest has still many hours of travel away.'
Speaker:"'Yes. Good night, Talia.
Speaker:"'Good night, Christon.'
Speaker:The two creatures
Speaker:settled into the grass,
Speaker:alone with their thoughts,
Speaker:watching the heavens spread above them,
Speaker:finally bringing sleep.
Speaker:It was odd travelling with someone who was not a deer,
Speaker:but Talia found it more relaxing
Speaker:than crossing the plains on her own.
Speaker:Christon proved to be pleasant company.
Speaker:Quiet and retiring much of the time,
Speaker:he had his share of stories to tell as the two warped,
Speaker:and often loped, towards the growing forest ahead.
Speaker:"'You say traders have made their way to your village from the cities,'
Speaker:she asked curiously. "'We see
Speaker:city folk very infrequently.
Speaker:One came through two years ago,
Speaker:a squirrel. He dressed in fine clothes
Speaker:and rode an ox with chest-strapped to it.
Speaker:The elders gave him a portion of our harvest for the year
Speaker:and said it was to pay a tax to the Prince of Avondale.
Speaker:We barely knew we were part of that country.'
Speaker:"'We had a similar thing happen,'
Speaker:Christon said. "'Now, our visitor was a cougar,
Speaker:and he had three coyotes pulling a cart.
Speaker:If I recall, the mayor gave him a barrel of fish that had been
Speaker:poorly smoked to get rid of it.'
Speaker:Talia giggled. "'I'm sure the Prince appreciated that gift.'
Speaker:"'I'm sure,' Christon flashed the grin at the dole.
Speaker:"'But yes, traders do come.
Speaker:We get fine fabrics like these,'
Speaker:he gestured to his tunic.
Speaker:"'For our goods. My mother is a seamstress and makes
Speaker:excellent clothing.'
Speaker:Talia looked down at her own clothing,
Speaker:a simple shirt and skirt belted at the waist.
Speaker:"'We trade for wool and other products and
Speaker:make our own cloth back home,'
Speaker:she sighed quietly.
Speaker:"'I'd like to see more of the world.'
Speaker:"'Why don't you?' the bobcat inquired.
Speaker:"'What keeps you in green-downs?'
Speaker:"'Well, my parents, of course,
Speaker:my family. I can't leave them behind.
Speaker:They need me to help with planting and harvesting,
Speaker:gathering food and herbs.'
Speaker:She shrugged. "'Maybe one day,
Speaker:but first I need to finish this task
Speaker:and help the village.'
Speaker:"'That I understand.
Speaker:I have my task as well.'
Speaker:Christon paused a moment,
Speaker:sniffing at the air,
Speaker:then continued. "'But I know that I likely go to a shrine to the Lord of the Hunt, or so the priest told me.
Speaker:"'What do you go to?'
Speaker:Talia frowned at the question.
Speaker:The elder could not tell me that.
Speaker:I assume it would be,
Speaker:well, something similar, I suppose.
Speaker:Something or somebody who could
Speaker:tell me the secret, teach me some way to help the village.
Speaker:"'But who would that be?
Speaker:Do your kind look to any creatures like the lords?'
Speaker:"'Oh, not in the way you describe.'
Speaker:"'We look to the sun for life,
Speaker:at least the eldest tells that,'
Speaker:Talia gestured to the cloudless sky,
Speaker:waves of heat rising in ripples from the grasslands all around.
Speaker:"'And sometimes the sun expresses displeasure with us for her own reasons.
Speaker:None have explained why she would cast such a harsh gaze on her chosen.'
Speaker:"'The lords of the Hunt never give an explanation for good or bad years either.
Speaker:It is, perhaps, not for us to know.'
Speaker:The bobcat raised his face
Speaker:as a breeze curled across the plain.
Speaker:"'Do you smell that?'
Speaker:Talia lifted her nose
Speaker:and forced her senses
Speaker:to ignore the predators sent from close by.
Speaker:Dry grass, a hint of water in the distance, perhaps
Speaker:a slight spicy tinge that might be the forests.
Speaker:She shook her head.
Speaker:Nothing unexpected.
Speaker:High your Hunt spirits following us, perhaps."
Speaker:"'Perhaps they are.
Speaker:Perhaps I'm being tested.'
Speaker:He chuckled lightly.
Speaker:"'Of course they would be very upset with me, running alongside a grass-eater as friends, not foes.'
Speaker:They ran again, jogging easily across the rolling grasslands.
Speaker:Talia watched the feline as they went,
Speaker:his ears perked, their tufts streaming almost comically
Speaker:and considered his words.
Speaker:She had heard the stories that creatures could live together in peace,
Speaker:that predator and prey lived together in the cities,
Speaker:albeit mostly those along the borders,
Speaker:where it made more sense that the residents of Avondale and Southmore blended more closely.
Speaker:In the back hills of Avondale,
Speaker:where villages of deer, squirrels, and others had been established for safety amid the greater population of meat-eaters,
Speaker:such blending was still far from the norm.
Speaker:But why should it be, she asked herself.
Speaker:Here she was, running with a feline,
Speaker:both of them seeking help for their people.
Speaker:How different were they, truly?"
Speaker:Talia smiled to herself
Speaker:and put on a burst of speed,
Speaker:passing her new friend,
Speaker:for that was what he was.
Speaker:Kristen squawked
Speaker:when the dole pulled ahead of him with a laugh
Speaker:and a mocking tail-flesh,
Speaker:and the chase was on.
Speaker:Their laughter drowned out the crunch of dry grass
Speaker:as the two young creatures
Speaker:raced across the plains.
Speaker:This was the first of two parts of
Speaker:Come the Storm by Tony Greyfox,
Speaker:read for you by Kaki,
Speaker:your faithful fireside companion. Tune in next time to find out how Talia and Kristen's journey together continues,
Speaker:and how they face the dangers and mysteries that arise
Speaker:under the heat of the summer sun,
Speaker:as they seek a solution to their shared troubles.
Speaker:You can find more stories on the web at TheVoice.
Speaker:TheVoice.dog or find a show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening
Speaker:to The Voice of Dog
