T a f f y
Southeastern Mir - Edge of The Fall
Taffy Tanner stood on the grassy ledge of a cliff at the edge of the forest, a small frown punctuating her muzzle as she contemplated the familiar landscape ahead of her. A breeze brushed past her, played through her raven-black hair and tugged at her black-and-gray striped tail and the long braid she always wore. Even at this distance, through the smell of decaying leaves littering the forest floor, she thought she could also detect the unique tinny scents of the metallic artifacts deposited throughout the forest. From this perch, she could see across the wide canopy of explosive color that enveloped the forest here in the early autumn-time of this hemisphere, but it was not an even-leveled skyline. Here and there, giant structures punctured the multi-colored leaves and stood tall, though often lopsided, and glinted even through the thick covering of vines and moss that had grown over most of these technological leviathans, these ruins of a distant past.
Well, I'm here, thought Taffy as she adjusted the straps on her backpack for what she guessed must have been the twelfth time since she reached the top of the cliff, then let her hands fall to her sides with the fingers closed into loose fists. She stared out at the forest with her bright blue eyes, as if she expected some kind of message or revelation. Memories played out in her mind as her eyes wandered, and a shiver ran down her spine despite being dressed for the mildly cool weather in a long-sleeved buttoned-up red shirt - her favorite color - and blue jeans.
This place...it's just like I've always remembered it, yet it still feels so much different now. Maybe I'm just wasting my time, maybe-Then the young Lotori woman stomped her foot, the sturdy hiking shoe sole making a dull thud on the cliff sod.
I didn't come out here to drown in the past! she thought with irritation at herself. She shook her head, as if to break loose from the reminiscence she nearly let herself get sucked into like so much quicksand.
I'm here to prove to myself that I'm not afraid! That, and I'd rather be out here instead of back at the dorms at the Institute, listening to first-years waste their break time by whining about how difficult the exams are and how much they miss home. There's no way for me to get any studying done with that nonsense!Taffy's burst of temper left her warm with anger, but she was interrupted by another gust, this one strong enough to blow leaves past her and rustle through the grass at her feet. She closed her eyes and spread out her arms as she leaned into the wind, suddenly overtaken by a strange sense of calm that cooled her fury. Her tail and braid were pulled behind her like windsocks, as if free from gravity's pull. The unconscious constant tension in her shoulders fell away for the first time in many months.
Just me, and the sound of the wind out here. How can it be so peaceful out here?As swiftly as it had risen, the wind gave way as if someone had flipped a switch, and Taffy stood there with her heart feeling peaceful...
Then her ears twitched at a distant buzzing noise that sounded like it was approaching. When she realized it was getting far too loud to be any kind of instinct, the raccoon-like woman's eyes flashed open and she looked up into the sky toward the sound. There, in the distance coming inland from the direction of the Thorek Sea...was a small airplane. Taffy wasn't very familiar with these vehicles, as she had only ever traveled by air in one of the passenger zeppelins when she had left home to study at Colosse, but as the plane grew closer, she guessed it was a single-pilot vehicle large enough to handle either passengers or small cargo. And, scattered in the air behind it, were several smaller planes she could barely make out were single-seater biplanes, with small bursts of flashes emitting from them every few seconds.
A lack of familiarity with aircraft didn't mean she was ignorant of the unique myths and qualities of the forest, and she could also guess at what was happening. Taffy's heart began to pound in anxious anticipation.
Sky pirates, attacking a traveler...and they're headed toward the forest! Don't they realize that they'll all crash if they get too close?!As if on cue, the smaller craft veered away to one side or the other. Only one pursuer remained on the tail of the traveler's vehicle, and as if they struck an invisible bar suspended in the sky, first one and then the other plane stuttered in midair and began to fall toward the forest. Unable to do anything to stop the crash, Taffy watched in paralyzed tension as the airplanes tumbled away from each other toward the ground. She was so focused on watching the vehicles plummet that she didn't register that someone jumped out of each plane and parachuted down into the forest. The biplane landed far enough away that Taffy couldn't even hear it crash, but the first plane came almost directly toward her before it broke through the canopy of trees maybe a mile or two away by her reckoning. Branches and leaves snapped loudly and rapidly enough to sound almost like a single extended noise rather than countless smaller ones, and it ended with a crunch and the scream of twisted metal as the plane tore a hole open. A storm of birds rose in squawking terror from the forest in all directions around the crash site, which now looked like a gaping wound in the red, yellow and brown "flesh" of the treetops. A plume of black smoke rose into the sky to mark the location even further.
The rumble that shook the ground also brought Taffy out of her horrified paralysis.
That pilot may be hurt! she thought as she pumped her legs in a run down the side of the cliff. She followed a series of switchbacks along a dusty trail that deposited her right at the edge of the forest.
I need to help whoever was on it! Quickly!Taffy dashed through the forest, her gym-trained body rewarding her with the strength to keep going. She was not especially strong or fast, but she made up for that with pure dogged endurance as she loped along, her striped tail and braid flying behind her. She entered the trees and passed under their shade, and was assaulted by the sickly-sweet smell of rotting fruit along with the crackle of dead leaves underfoot that sprayed behind her like a colorful wake.
For this to happen today...She reached a familiar creek, and she sped up as she aligned herself toward a place as narrow as she could find. Then she launched herself with a leap and a "Hup!" and...
Taffy grunted as she landed off-balance onto the other side, leaves wet from the creek sliding under her foot. She recovered quickly by rolling with the fall back upright, a feat accomplished more by momentum and adrenaline than by any actual acrobatic skill. She paused briefly as she felt sweat break out over her whole body, and she sighed to herself through her panting breaths.
Why am I putting myself through this? she thought as she caught her breath and steadied herself, then moved forward, slower but with sure steps.
Why do I put myself through all this pain?Nevertheless, Taffy pressed on through the forest, and she reached the artificial break in the trees where she could see the metal frame of the plane where it dug up a deep furrow in the ground. One of the wings was bent at a low, awkward angle, and the front of the plane was buried in the dirt. A small fire had broken out toward the rear of the plane, and she was suddenly struck by the fear that the vehicle might explode at any moment.
"Hey!" she called out as she ducked under the crooked wing and clambered up to the side door of the plane, then tried to pull the handle. It was jammed! Taffy glanced into the windows to try to see how many occupants there were, but they were dirty from the smoke and dirt of the crash and it was difficult for her to make anything out. "If anyone's in there, I'm here to help!"
The raccoon lady braced her feet against the sides of the door and pulled with all of her strength, muscles on her white-furred neck bulging with the effort. "Darn you,
c'mon!" she bit out between gritted teeth. Why didn't the pilot say anything? Or could she not hear them over the roaring of the flames that belched foul smoke, that smelled of burnt oil and cinderized leaves?
Am I too late, again?
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