FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 15. A Fox's Den Is His Castle

Storm led Sarah down a well beaten path toward the forest. There was no sight of any ground transportation, nor any tracks to indicate any was ever used. The morning twilight that provided soft light outside the building they just left was blocked out by the canopy of trees, making the path darker and darker as they proceeded into the woods. Sarah's eyes adjusted to the darkness too slowly, but led by Storm's hand she was confident that his vision wouldn't lead them astray.

"Where are we going?" asked Sarah.

"We are going to my home," replied Storm. "We will have time to eat before going to the research facility. It is not far, about eight taren to walk there."

After several minutes of walking Sarah's eyes became adjusted to the dark, allowing her to see the lighter ground of the path among the dark surroundings. She could see the hills and undulations of the path that had been making her stumble with unsteady feet earlier. Now able to see her way she didn't feel quite as clumsy walking, but still held onto Storm's hand as he guided her. Under her feet she could feel the ground was moist; the feel of humidity making the cool air feel warmer and the smell of wet vegetation led her to believe it had rained recently.

"Did it rain overnight?" she asked.

"It probably did but I did not hear that from anybody," replied Storm.

"It feels nice. I like the smell, too," said Sarah. "I've always loved the smell of a forest after a rain."

Storm enjoyed another deep sniff and responded, "Yes, I have always loved that scent as well."

"What kind of weather do you get here?" asked Sarah. "Does it rain often?"

"Yes," replied Storm, "the rain falls almost every day. It is quite regular past the middle point of daylight when the day is warmest. Other times of day and night the rain falls less regularly."

"Please stop me if my questions are annoying," said Sarah. "There's a lot to learn but I don't want to be a bother." Before Storm could respond she continued, "What is the rest of the planet like?"

Storm smiled and reassured her, "I am happy to answer your questions. You are not a bother at all. I have much more to learn about you and your world as well." After a momentary pause he answered her question. "Much of the planet is like what you see here. There is much water and frequent rain. That is why the plants and trees grow so easily. When the clouds move away the light of the center star warms the surface and gives energy to the plants. When I saw pictures of your world from your memories, it appeared similar to this in some places. Things change as the location is closer to one of rotational axes of Arfurah. It becomes colder with less rain, and the plants do not grow as large."

"Do you get much snow in the winter?" asked Sarah.

"What is 'win terr?'" Storm asked in return.

"Winter...the time of year when the days get shorter, nights get longer, the trees lose their leaves, the weather changes and falling water is frozen ice crystals instead of rain," she replied. "Because of the planet's tilt."

"I believe I understand what you mean. That does not happen here," said Storm. "Wherever you are on our planet, the weather remains fairly constant. The rotational axis of the planet has very little tilt. The amount of light during our days does not change more than a few taren through the year."

"Very interesting," said Sarah. "I guess I didn't think about that being different from my planet. We have quite a bit of tilt so the weather changes a lot during our year. It cycles from cold and snow in the winter to warmer temperatures and lots of plant growth in the summer, and then back to cold. When it turns cold the plants lose their leaves and stop growing."

"That is interesting as well," said Storm. "What do you eat when the plants do not grow?"

Sarah replied, "We can always get food. Plants and fruits we eat can be transported from anywhere in the world to make up for their absence when they don't grow, and meat is always available."

"I understand," said Storm. "Yes, interesting."

Sarah asked, "Since your day is longer than a day in my world, is that why it seems to be taking a long time for it to get lighter? It's still pretty dark."

"Yes, you are correct," replied Storm. Despite his very formal sound, Sarah knew that was due to the automatic translation her body fed her mind, and still enjoyed hearing him talk anyway. After nearly fifteen minutes of walking had passed, the pair came around a bend to an area that was clearly lighter. The tree canopy opened up for a clearing, and Sarah could see that it was due to a river in front of them. It was quite wide, at least fifty feet across by her estimate, but it flowed slowly. The open sky above cast a soft glow on the moving water and surrounding plant life.

Storm stopped to gaze at the river for a few moments. Sarah looked at him to see his slight smile and heard a relieved breath exhale from his nose. Without saying a word Storm padded over to the side of the river, then bent over, set his small box aside, and placed his hands on the riverbank. Crouching down on all fours with his tail hovering just above the ground behind him, he leaned out over the water. He held his nose just above the water and, with eyes closing, inhaled a deep breath through his nostrils, held it for a moment, and then slowly exhaled the scent. With eyes still closed Storm then put his muzzle down into the water and took a long relieving drink as if a hummingbird sipping the sweetest nectar.

After nearly a minute he pushed himself back up onto two feet and turned to Sarah. With water still dripping from his whiskers he said, "I cannot express the longing I have felt to drink the water of home once again. I have missed its scent and taste so very much, as much as I have missed the smells and sounds of the wind and rain, and the warmth of our star."

Sarah quickly walked over to him and hugged him close, nearly feeling a tear form in her eye. "You've expressed it wonderfully. You should be a poet with words so beautiful. I know exactly how you feel only by what you said." Storm returned her hug warmly. When they released their embrace Sarah went over to the side of the river to do the same. She got down on her hands and knees, feeling too awkward to keep her feet under her, and lowered her face to the water. First she sniffed the river's scent to understand what he smelled, and then took a drink. The water wasn't very cold, but was cool and refreshing with a taste Sarah found to be clean and delicious.

After she had her fill Sarah sat upright and got back on her feet, turning toward Storm with a smile. The water on her mouth and chin trickled and dripped off. On Earth she would have wiped it away, but in that place she didn't care. She didn't feel something that insignificant mattered any more. "It's wonderful," she said simply. Picking up Storm's small box from the ground she returned it to him and asked, "How much farther do we have to go?"

"We are almost there, not much farther," said Storm. He took his box and Sarah took his hand, following him down the path which followed the edge of the river.

As they walked Sarah asked, "How deep is that river?"

"This area is this deep," said Storm, holding his hand just above his waist. "It becomes deeper in other areas nearby." After walking only a couple hundred more feet Storm stopped and said, "Here is my home." Sarah looked around and saw only a mound of dirt sprouting up from the ground among the bushes and trees, off the path on the side opposite the river. The mound had an opening on the front leading down what appeared to be a ramp of sorts, with smaller openings she assumed were windows. Grasses and small plants grew around and over the top of the mound. A small sign with characters of the Arfuran alphabet hung over the door; Sarah figured it was Storm's name to show who lived there.

"This is your home?" asked Sarah, looking at the mound. "It's...lovely."

"Thank you," Storm said. "You may find it to be quite different from homes on your planet. I saw pictures from your memories."

"That's an understatement," said Sarah with a slight laugh. "I certainly don't mean to be disrespectful...since we just got off an interplanetary space ship that went half the speed of light, run by a species who is fighting an interstellar war, I was kind of picturing your home to be a huge structure with all kinds of automatic gadgets everywhere. But...this fits into what you've told me about not wasting energy or having conveniences for things you can do yourself."

Storm was silent for a few seconds. "Yes, our homes must be quite different." After a few more seconds of pause he continued, "You are correct. We do not require more than this for shelter. It provides comfort and a place to live and sleep."

Sarah asked, "Along our walk I thought I saw other mounds like this near the trail. Are those homes for others?"

"Yes," replied Storm. "Others live in homes like this, some live under the surface of the ground, some live in the trees, and some live under water in the lakes and seas."

Sarah blinked her eyes for a moment and responded, "You must have quite a variety of people here."

"Yes," said Storm. "You may come inside if you wish but you may find it too dark to see. If you wait a moment I will provide some light." Sarah followed him down the ramp but stopped at the doorway as Storm proceeded inside, able to see adequately in the dark with his vulpine eyes. She could hear some rustling and bumping noises, followed by a hard thump and a growl. After a few more seconds there was a bright electric spark for a moment with a growing flame of a lamp soon after. As the flame of the lamp grew brighter Sarah stepped inside more. One footstep landed on what felt like a strip of pea gravel, with the next step being back on packed ground.

"Is this bright enough for you to see?" asked Storm.

"Yes, it's fine," replied Sarah as she began to look around the primitive home. The oil lamp was sitting on a table at one side of the one-room home and showed the very Spartan living conditions Storm was accustomed to. The table sat below one of the window openings and had two chairs that appeared handmade, and Sarah could see Storm's small box lying on the table where he left it. At the back of the room was what appeared to be a fireplace of sorts with another smaller piece of furniture next to it, and on the other side below the other window opening was what appeared in the dark to be a bed. In the center of the room was a low round table surrounded by a thick bed of what Sarah thought looked like moss. The walls contained a few pictures of Arfurans, but Sarah couldn't tell in the dim light if they were photos or paintings.

"Welcome to my home," said Storm with a smile. After his greeting Storm began looking around the room. "It is...different in here," he said. "The ceiling is higher than it was before, or the floor is lower, and there are more dry tree pieces next to the fire opening than when I left. It is my home because these are my possessions and this is the location where I live...I do not know what happened." He turned toward the piece of furniture next to the fireplace while saying, "Perhaps I will find out later why it is different." He opened the door on the front of the unit and pulled out a large bowl with high sides. "We may use this to bring food with us to the research facility."

After surveying the room Sarah looked back to Storm with a genuine smile and said in all honesty, "You have a beautiful home. It is lovely."

"Thank you again," said Storm as he headed toward the door. He blew out the flame in the lamp as he passed by and said, "I hope you will be comfortable here during your stay."

"Me? I'm staying here with you?" asked Sarah with shock. "I wouldn't want to impose or be an inconvenience for you...isn't there a hotel I can stay at?"

Storm was puzzled. "What is a 'hotel?'"

"Right...different planet..." Sarah muttered to herself. "A hotel is a place where travelers can get a room with a bed to stay in when they are visiting someplace."

"We do not have such a thing," said Storm. "Travelers stay with other Arfurans in their home when they need to stop for sleep. You would not be imposing or causing me any inconvenience. You are welcome to stay here, and I invite you. You are my guest."

Sarah stood there looking at him with a smile growing on her face. "Alright...you are such a gracious host, I can't refuse. I'd be honored to stay with you."

Storm smiled as well, letting his hunger steal his attention. "Would you like to get some things to eat?" he asked.

"That sounds great," replied Sarah. "Where do we go?"

"Step outside and we are there. Things to eat are all around us," said Storm. He followed Sarah up the ramp from the sunken floor of his home and motioned with his hand to the trees and plants nearby. The morning twilight had broken into dawn and was clearly lighting all sorts of plants that Sarah didn't notice when they first arrived. All around his home were countless plants, trees, and bushes, all full of fruits and berries among the flower blossoms.

"So that's why the air smells so sweet," exclaimed Sarah. "They're beautiful!"

Storm went over to a short tree, and Sarah followed close behind. When she got near it she could recognize it as a pelonwa tree like she saw in the ship's garden. Storm said, "I have been waiting so long to have these again, grown with no help from us." He reached out and picked two ripe pelonwa, handing one to Sarah.

Without hesitation Storm opened his jaws and sunk his fangs into the plum-sized fruit. Sarah could see the droplets of juice squirt out in the low light and enjoyed the sight of Storm's smile as he enjoyed the taste of naturally grown fruit. Sarah couldn't wait any longer and bit into the fruit she held. Similarly, she felt the juice squirt out from the tender pulp, sweeter and more flavorful than the ones she had previously eaten.

Storm remained silent as he ate his pelonwa, pausing between bites only to lick his chops so no juice escaped his enjoyment. Sarah finished her first bite and said, "I can see...er, taste why you've missed these so much. The gardeners do a good job growing them, but wow...this tastes incredible..." Her words trailed off as her lips wrapped around the fruit for another bite.

The seed kernel in the center was thoroughly stripped clean by Storm's tongue and teeth before he tossed it on the ground near the tree. "I am glad you are enjoying it as much as I am," he said. When Sarah got to the seed kernel she tried to chew it but found it as hard as a peach pit. While sucking the meat of the fruit off it she detected more of the unfamiliar additional taste of the fruit quite strongly on the kernel.

"Is this toxic to eat?" she asked after spitting it out into her hand.

"No," replied Storm. "It does contain some beneficial nutrients but it is too hard to chew, and it is difficult to digest if swallowed intact."

"Hmmmmm...I have an idea then," said Sarah. She picked up a small flat rock from along the river, rinsed it off in the water, and set it on the ground next to Storm's den with the kernel on top. "I'll save that for later, after it dries."

Storm was puzzled but didn't question what she was doing. "I will pick more of these to take with us to the research facility for eating later," he said as he began taking several ripe fruits from the tree and placing them in his container. Sarah picked another pelonwa to eat while Storm added them to the collection. As she ate she started looking around the forest, studying the trees. With the growing light to help her see she saw many of the trees stood 80 to 100 feet tall with enormous trunks at the ground, providing a thick canopy of leaves high above the ground and river. Looking straight up above them she saw that a tree reached up into the sky over 200 feet. She turned around and followed the trunk down to the ground with her eyes and saw the base was over twenty feet wide, standing off to the side behind Storm's den.

"Holy crap, that's a tree!" she exclaimed. "When it was darker my eyes perceived it to be a wall of some sort."

"Yes, that is a tree," Storm replied bluntly. "It is one of our larger species of tree. The largest types grow in other parts of the world." After he was done picking that fruit he moved to another tree with a different fruit and began eating a freshly picked item. Sarah walked over to him and tried a piece of fruit from the new tree, finding it to be quite different from anything she'd ever had but still tasty.

"What's this one called?" Sarah asked between bites.

Storm replied, "This is named selaquin. You must be careful eating it because if you bite through the shell of the seed core, the fluid surrounding the seeds tastes quite awful."

Sarah stopped with staring eyes just as her teeth impacted the sides of the seed ball in the center. "Thanks for letting me know...I almost ate it," she said. Pulling it back from her mouth she continued to gently eat the fruit away from the outer surface of the core before discarding it. Storm picked several ripe selaquin before moving over to a bush with berries Sarah recognized from the ship.

As they picked the large berries to eat Sarah said, "You know, this is quite amazing. We are from different planets in different galax...ooh, this one tastes really good...different galaxies, but these plants look so similar to things we have on my planet. If I didn't know better I'd say it's just a plant from Earth I'd never seen before. The nature of life's biochemistry must be quite universal."

"Yes, I agree," said Storm before popping another large berry in his mouth. "It is safe to eat and swallow the seeds in these."

Sarah nodded while finishing another berry and asked, "What else do you eat? Besides these fruits and berries, that is."

Storm picked several leaves off the berry bush, held them up for her to see, and then popped into his mouth to eat. Sarah did the same, picking a few leaves and eating them. She found them to be a little musky, slightly bitter, in need of salad dressing, but not bad. Storm then bent down and picked some blades of the grass-like plant growing on the ground, and showed Sarah they were also edible.

"Almost every plant in our world contains edible parts," said Storm. "Some have a flavor too unpleasant to eat, and very few are toxic and will make you sick. There are no toxic plants in this part of the planet. None are deadly except for some toxic plants when eaten in large amounts. Nobody makes that mistake because of the terrible flavor and stomach distress." Sarah listened and nodded as he spoke. "Everything else may be eaten depending on what you enjoy," he said.

They continued to fill the container with various fruits, berries, and plants for the day. As they did Sarah was admiring it. It appeared to be made of wood, simple but with very fine quality. "That bowl is beautiful. Where did you get it?" she asked.

"Thank you," said Storm. "I made it from a piece of a tree that blew over in a strong wind."

"Wow...it is really lovely," she continued to praise. "You have some hidden talents, Mister Fox."

Storm smiled at her nickname, understanding what she meant. "The star is almost at the horizon," he said. "It will be a new day soon. We should leave for the research facility. We can finish filling this along the way."

Sarah agreed. "That's a good idea." She thought about what he said as she followed him down the path in the direction of the research facility. "Do you consider your day to begin when the star meets the horizon, and just before that is the end of the previous day?"

"Yes, that is correct," said Storm.

"Alright, it must be a cultural thing," said Sarah. "On my planet the new day is considered to start when the sun...I mean, our star, is in the position completely opposite of directly overhead...in the middle of the night." She thought a moment and continued, "Does your star have a name? We call ours 'the sun,' even though 'sun' is a different name for a star. Our moon is also just called 'the moon.'"

"Our center star is named Kothalos," replied Storm.

"Interesting name," responded Sarah.

When they got to the point where the path from the ship landing site met the river, they continued past it to follow the path along the river bank. The ample light from the dawn sky helped Sarah see the ground very clearly compared to their earlier hike. They both had nothing to say for the time being so remained silent. The lack of conversation allowed Sarah to focus her thoughts on her senses. A very light breeze rustled the leaves in the trees above them, occasionally sweeping down to the ground to caress her skin, making her body feel vibrant. The cool morning still felt warmer than she expected due to the humidity offered to them by the hazy fog that was now visible in the light. Intermittent rocks in the river provided a soft burbling sound from the disrupted water flow, adding a great peacefulness to the land they trekked across.

A whistling sound pierced the quiet forest and transformed into a soft chopping howl before trailing off to silence again. "What was that?" asked Sarah.

"That is the sound of a halpanie," replied storm. "It is one of the species of small creatures that live in the trees. They often fly to the ground for food."

"What an unusual sound," said Sarah, "unusual to me, that is. From what you describe that must be like the creatures on our planet we call 'birds.' There are thousands of different species, almost all of them fly, and many live in the trees as well. Are they large intelligent creatures like you and your friends?"

"No," replied Storm, "they are small creatures. They may have their own type of intelligence but it is simple and not as advanced as ours. They are similar to some varieties of Arfurans."

While they walked and talked, Sarah looked at Storm, occasionally catching his dark golden eyes when he glanced her way as he walked. Impulsively she reached out and took his hand in hers. "Storm, I have to say I feel absolutely wonderful," she said. "To be walking through this beautiful natural landscape, wearing nothing but the air on my skin...I feel so...alive. It's something I've never done on my planet so it's very new to me...like nothing I've ever experienced before. It's exhilarating. I feel like...like I'm a part of nature, just as you all are."

"I am happy for you to feel that way," said Storm. "What do you mean about being a part of nature? Are you not always a part of nature?"

"Well, yes, technically we're always a part of nature," said Sarah. "But in my way of life, the way most people live in my world, I'm surrounded by buildings and manmade things all the time. When I go out into the woods away from the city, I really feel like nothing more than a visitor to nature. I'm there for a short time and then go back to my rather unnatural world. Even when I've been on camping trips with friends for several days out in the woods, I still feel like just a visitor. But you and your people, you have a very different way of life. You live in your natural world, work with it, eat it, drink it, breathe and smell it...you are not just a visitor in nature but you are fully a part of the nature that surrounds you."

Storm thought for several moments as they walked. "I can not feel the same way you do because I have nothing less than this to compare those feelings with. It is our way of life and we are accustomed to it from birth. I can understand your feelings from the similar way we feel living in our defensive vehicles off Arfurah. They are made from materials we construct, the air and water is purified and reused, and there is no daily warmth from the center star. In a way we feel like we have been cast out from our natural world to an unnatural world that is most unwelcoming."

Sarah smiled, released his hand, and put her arm around his shoulder. "As a saying from my world goes, home is where the heart is." Storm smiled and nodded his agreement.

While they walked they had been passing occasional mounds on the ground that appeared to Sarah to be the homes of other Arfurans. Some large trees had openings in the base of the trunk into a hollowed out portion in side, and other trees had structures of natural materials in the limbs. As they approached a den on the trail ahead, a creature with dark brown fur emerged, stretched, and scratched at her sides.

"Hello Gur!" Storm called out. Immediately a pair of rounded ears, two sky-blue eyes, and her head turned around to see who was speaking.

"Storm!" Gur exclaimed. She began running toward Storm, so he set his basket down before she could pounce him. He caught her from her leap and managed to stay on his feet, pulling her into a friendly hug. "You have been gone for such a long time," she said before she started licking at his muzzle. He let out a soft laugh and licked his friend back in return.

"I am happy to see you again, too," he said. The two nuzzled each other for several more seconds before releasing each other. During their friendly mutual greeting Sarah looked over Gur and concluded from her appearance that she was a mix of the Arfuran equivalents of bear and some sort of cat. Her feet, fur, and ears appeared ursine while the shape of her face and muzzle, blue eyes, and long tail looked feline. She stood about as tall as Sarah.

"Salka, come out," called Gur. "Storm is home!"

A few seconds later Sarah's eyes were surprised with the sight of a creature most unfamiliar to her. Appearing out of the den home doorway was what appeared to be a doe, but her striped back and hoofed feet showed there was some zebra in her. Storm and Gur were already walking toward the den, so Sarah picked up the basket container of fruit to follow behind.

"Hello Storm," Salka said with an excited smile. She walked over to meet Storm and shared a welcoming mix of hugs, nuzzles, and licks to greet him. "I am happy to see you have arrived safely home," she said from his neck fur with a muffled voice.

"Thank you," replied Storm. "I am happy to be home and to see you all again." As their hug parted he added, "I will not be here for long. We have only returned for a few days to work on a new project. When it is ready we will have to return to our defense vehicle."

When Sarah heard him say "we", she knew the attention would be drawn toward her so she set the fruit container down. Storm and his friends turned toward Sarah for him to introduce her. "This is my friend Sarah. She has transferred here to help us. Sarah, this is Gur and Salka"

"Hello," Sarah said with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." As soon as her two new acquaintances moved toward her she opened her arms for the hug she knew to expect.

"I am very happy to meet you," said Gur as she began to hug Sarah from one side.

"I am also very happy to meet you," said Salka, hugging from Sarah's other side. Sarah embraced the two in a friendly hug, smiling as she received the traditional sniffs, nuzzles, and licks with tails wagging. Without being concerned with the lack of familiarity, Sarah gave each of them a kiss on the cheek to match their licks before releasing the hug.

"I am happy to see you are comfortable with our greeting," said Salka. "I have heard that some other beings who transferred to help us were not comfortable at all. A few even became hostile."

Sarah replied with a smile, "How could I not like how friendly everybody is? Most of the people I know back home are so uptight, they seem reluctant to greet somebody else with even a handshake. Your friendliness is a refreshing change."

Gur said, "I hope you are enjoying our world here. If you have time there is very much for you to see."

"Yes, very much so," said Sarah. "Everybody has been very welcoming. I'd like to see more but I don't know how much time we'll have outside of working on the project."

"I greatly apologize," said Storm, "that we are not able to stay and visit with you. We are on our way to the research facility."

"No apology is necessary," said Salka. "We hope to visit with you again before you leave." Gur nodded her agreement.

The four all alternated pairs to hug each other one more time before parting ways. When Storm's arms were free he picked up the fruit container, and he and Sarah continued their hike down the trail. Gur and Salka led them for a few steps before veering off the trail to find something to eat. When they were a short distance away Sarah asked, "Are they mates?"

"I do not know," replied Storm. "They have always been very close friends, but during the time I have been away they may have become mates."

Sarah nodded her understanding, then felt the need to put her arm around Storm's back again for another sideways hug. He smiled and returned his arm around her back as well to return the hug.

Ahead on the trail Sarah could see that the forest ended and a clearing began. The tree tops above were becoming lit by the rising star and the prairie in the distance was quite bright. In the region where the trees were beginning to thin out they came across a short Arfuran who appeared to Sarah to be an otter. He stood shorter than Sarah, about five feet tall, had short legs in proportion to his body, and was near some of the fruit trees gathering and eating his breakfast as he laid among a ground cover plants that contained small berries. He and Storm greeted each other, and then he greeted Sarah as the previous forest residents did. After a brief introduction and conversation, they all parted ways so they could attend to their respective activities.

A hundred feet of trail passed beneath their feet before Sarah heard a splash behind them. She turned around and saw the otter swimming in the river. With a smile she turned forward to continue the walk. Once they passed the end of the forest the trail turned to diverge from the river in the prairie. The prairie was covered in a long, narrow grass-like plant with random small bushes and the river snaking through its open expanse. The open air above presented them with deep tropical blue skies mixed with bright cotton clouds and wisps of haze lit by the morning sun, all gently floating past the partially lit moon Bletisl. Sarah could see a structure about a half mile in the distance with the path leading mostly straight from them to it. "Is that where we're going?" she asked.

"Yes, that is the research facility," replied Storm.

"I hope we weren't being too loud as we went past those homes back there," she said. "I wouldn't want to be rude by waking anybody up."

Storm replied, "Most of those homes are empty. The ones who live in them are away from Arfurah, performing duties on the defense vehicles around our planetary system. Half of the population is away on their vehicles, ready to defend our home from the Kra."

"It's a shame so many have to be so far away from home for something as awful as a war," said Sarah. Storm silently nodded his agreement.

"They must miss their home very much," said Sarah. "I'm very fortunate. Your planet feels so much like mine...the natural parts of mine, anyway...that I feel so at home I don't really even miss it. I do know I'll appreciate it much more from now on."

"I am happy you feel so comfortable here," said Storm. "If we lost our home world, I do not know if we would find another as comfortable to us." The two continued as the approaching research facility grew larger in their view.

Chapter 16. All In A Day's Work

The soft sand of the path padded the ground under Sarah's feet as they neared the research facility. Their twenty minute walk had turned into twenty-five after meeting and talking with Storm's friends along the way, and eating some new and different fruits they came across in a small orchard along the prairie. The facility was a large round building covering an acre, standing five stories tall, and surrounded with glass and open windows around the entire perimeter. The sign on the side was spelled out in the Arfuran characters, making the meaning of the words elusive to Sarah.

She looked around as they approached the building and noticed other Arfurans of various varieties coming to the building from different paths like commuters on their way to work. Through the glass and openings on the building sides she could see more Arfurans already walking the floors inside, busy at work with their various tasks. With every ground level opening being as good as the rest, Sarah and Storm walked up and entered.

Inside the building they were approached almost immediately by a person with fur that was very wild in Sarah's eyes. His body and narrow tail were a bright yellow fur; his chest and belly was mostly a dark green with black stripes that extended into the yellow before fading out; and his eyes were dark blue that blended into a very deep purple around the perimeter. Sarah was unable to match his appearance with that of any species or mix of species she could think of.

"Hello Storm," he said. "Ajagi informed me of your arrival. I am glad to see you here so early. I have not seen you in a long time."

"It is good to see you again, Golas," Storm said, followed by a hug, nuzzles, and licks. "The last time was when we met at the celebration for Ajagi and his mates."

"Yes, I believe you are correct," said Golas. He then turned and said, "You must be Sarah. Ajagi informed me of your arrival as well. I am happy to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Golas," said Sarah. Following Arfuran tradition she then happily hugged him and received his sniff, nuzzle, and lick.

Golas stepped back and said, "I am here to direct you to your research area. It was decided the best place is on the roof due to the nature of your testing. You will need the open space."

"Thank you," said Storm. "Please lead us to it." Golas turned and began walking toward some stairs, and Sarah and Storm followed close behind.

"The equipment you need has been built during your travel home," said Golas, "and we have a crew moving it to the roof now. You will have to decide how to assemble it to match your requirements."

"That will be excellent," said Storm as he followed Golas up the stairs.

"How well is Ajagi?" inquired Golas. "He sounded slightly unhappy during our communication."

"He misses his home and his mates," said Sarah. She felt very compassionate toward Ajagi's feelings of homesickness.

"That is true," added Storm, "but he is otherwise doing well. He has been filling much of his relaxation time with games of 'Magetap.' The practice is giving him skill that is becoming very tough to match."

Golas laughed softly and responded, "I will have to offer a game to him when he returns. That will be most enjoyable."

After they passed the fifth floor of the building they continued to another adjacent stairway and worked their way up to the roof. Sarah asked, "What is this building used for? I mean, what do you all do here?"

Golas responded, "We are currently studying different forms of defense and weapons here, as we are with your project. Without this war occurring it is used for further research into the science of the natural world. A great deal of knowledge has been discovered here."

The top of the stairs opened to the surface of the roof, covered with a mat of short plants and grass and containing a small crew of Arfurans working at the assembly of some of the parts they would need. Sarah recognized some of the units for their purposes--an energy source, a control console--but other things were quite foreign to her.

"The control unit already contains the plans and information sent by Ajagi," said Golas. "Our friends here have been calibrating and testing the energy generator and have connected the control unit. You will need to configure the rest as you require."

"We thank you, Golas," said Storm. "We have not seen anything he designed after we left him. We will request to you or the others here if we require any additional equipment."

"It is my pleasure to help," replied Golas. "Please excuse my departure now; I have some other duties to accomplish." Golas shared a quick departing hug with Storm and Sarah, and disappeared down the stairwell.

Sarah turned to Storm and said, "He's interesting. After seeing the rest of you from the ship and living around here, I wouldn't have expected somebody with such unique fur colors."

"He appears different because he is from a region on the opposite side of the planet," said Storm. "Many people there are of very different varieties than here."

The pair walked across the roof to where the crew was setting up the equipment. "Hello everybody," said Storm. "I am Storm and this is Sarah. I do not believe I have met you."

"Hi everybody," added Sarah with a smile. The four paused what they were doing and approached them for a greeting. It appeared to Sarah that two were female, a goat and a raccoon; one was male, appearing to be a rat or large mouse; and one, appearing to be a red panda, had features of both genders as Storm had mentioned the night before.

"Hello Storm and Sarah," said the raccoon. "I am Bolgaras. This is Safan, Camash, and Russaf," she said, motioning to the goat, rat, and panda in order.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said Sarah as they all moved closer for their greetings. Storm agreed the sentiment, as did the other four. Hugs and licks were heartily shared before they returned to the task at hand.

"What equipment has been brought here?" asked Storm.

"We have brought everything from the list in the plan," said Camash. "We have an energy generator and a control unit, and we produced a cylinder lined with gravity generators encased in a gravity suppression shield. Next to it is the light concentration weapon. There are also several probe units for detecting a dimension vein if one is created, and gravity measurement units to test the level of escaping gravitational force. I do not know exactly what you are building, but it makes me most curious by only observing what parts are in use."

Storm was puzzled. "Why is the gravity cylinder not combined with the light weapon in one unit?" he asked.

"We do not know", said Russaf. "We followed the design instructions from the plans sent by Ajagi. Perhaps it is explained there."

Storm went over to the control console and passed his hand over a sensor. The small unit, with no room for a monitor to be built in because of its size, projected a holographic display in front of them. Sarah looked over his shoulder as he tapped symbols on the screen and began scrolling down through the plan. At one point he stopped, intently read the page of Arfuran text.

"What does it say?" asked Sarah.

"This makes very much sense," said Storm. "Ajagi says the two units are separate because creating the dimension vein inside the light concentration tube would consume the gases inside, or allow them to escape. One end of the light weapon is a controllable reflection plane. When it is activated it will turn clear and allow the light to escape. We only need to attach the gravity cylinder to that end."

"Ok, that does make sense," said Sarah. "I should have thought of that." Sarah watched as Storm continued to view the updated plans from Ajagi.

"Assembly will be quite simple but it will take some time," said Storm. "After attaching the gravity cylinder to the light weapon, we must connect both to the control unit. It has been programmed with simple controls for testing and synchronization of the units. Additional operations may be added at a later time as we need them."

"Sounds good," Sarah said with a smile as she looked up at him. "Let's get to it, Foxy." Storm nodded with a smile and followed her with the rest of the team over to the parts.

The light of the star rising above the horizon was cast brightly on the group as they worked. Sarah squinted in the bright light, feeling envious of the ability of everyone else's eyes to shut out the light so well. She helped where she could, carrying parts around as requested, but she felt partially useless due to her unfamiliarity with the Arfuran devices. Storm and Bolgaras lifted the gravity cylinder into place as Safan quickly attached it with a clamping tool. Camash and Russaf shuffled thick cables around, attaching them between the power generator, laser, and the gravity cylinder. While they all worked, Sarah moved the wormhole detectors around to different locations on the roof, then helped Safan set up the gravity force detectors.

Sarah felt like the work went surprisingly quickly for how complex the equipment was, and attributed it to the advancements of the Arfurans. "User-friendly equipment," she thought to herself. Once everything was assembled and in place, Storm returned to the control console. The team stood by to be ready to help if necessary, occasionally grabbing a snack out of the bin of fruit. Storm tapped the screen symbols, initiating a diagnostic test of all the equipment to make sure all the parts were receiving power and communicating properly.

"I will test the light weapon first," said Storm. "Safan, please open the panel on the end of the gravity cylinder." Safan stepped over to the unit, unhooked a latch, and swiveled the end panel back to lock it out of the way. She then returned to the group by the control panel while Storm manipulated the controls to rotate the laser with the mechanical support base. He pointed it out into the prairie where the flat ground met a rocky hillside and used the display screen to zoom in and align it with a small rock several hundred yards away. He activated the reflector to turn clear and set the laser to a low power, causing a bright yellow spot to appear on the rock. "It is receiving power," he said to the group.

Storm then moved a screen slider, causing the spot to grow brighter from the increased power going to the laser. With a slight additional increase to the power level they could see smoke rising up from around the rock due to its intense heat. "I will change it to a higher energy light frequency," said Storm. As he moved another slider the light on the rock slid through the spectrum toward a deep blue. The higher energy of the blue light caused the area around the rock to smoke more heavily. Adding another slight increase to the power adjustment, Sarah was amazed to see the rock melt into a small lumpy puddle on the ground.

"That is amazing," she said. "What power level was that?"

"It is currently at two percent power," replied Storm.

"Holy crap...what does that thing do at one hundred percent?" she asked.

Storm responded, "I do not know. It is a new weapon and our most powerful one to be built yet, so I have not yet observed its effects. A unit with a quarter the capacity was observed to leave very visible marks on Bletisl when tested at full power. That is the type of light weapon that takes several bursts to a Kra ship to create damage. This one should require only one burst to cause more damage than that. I do know that it is not safe to test this unit above fifty percent with the target being so close. I will increase power and test with a short pulse."

Storm tapped a few symbols on the screen, increased the power slider, and then tapped a spot to trigger a discharge. The laser let out a quiet pulsing nose as the energy surged through it, but the target on the rocky hillside exploded with the force of several sticks of dynamite. "That was seven percent," said Storm. Sarah raised her eyebrows with eyes wide open in silent amazement and continued to watch as the debris rained down in a dusty cloud. "I will test thirty percent," said Storm. He moved the slider to increase the power, then paused to think for a moment. He leaned over to the side of the console and pressed a small square to activate an intercom. "Golas, I will be testing the light weapon at thirty percent power in less than one taren. Please alert the others so they may prepare."

A few adjustments to the controls moved the target of the laser to a point a thousand yards away. Storm zoomed the view in further to target another small rock by another large pile of dirt in the distance. He then activated the laser to build its charge, and pressed the trigger button. The pulse of light tore through the air with the heated force of a lightning bolt and struck the point where he was aiming. The ground shook like an earthquake and the delayed shockwave presented a deafening roar of explosive noise. The contents of the ground and dirt pile were propelled a half mile into the air, raining down for well over a minute. The rest of the team shielded their ears from the sound as they watched.

Sarah giggled. "Heh heh heh...sweet," she said with a sly grin. She maintained her grin as she turned to Storm and said, "Did ya' hit it?" Storm looked blankly at her for a few moments before cracking a smile as he understood the sarcastic humor of the question. Sarah then said, "Perhaps it's best we don't test with any higher power than that."

"I agree," said Storm. "The power increases exponentially so a slight increase to this control will double the energy output. It appears to be working very well. Now we may test the gravity cylinder. This will have more potential danger so we will have to retreat inside the building for the initial high power tests." He tapped a few controls on the display screen, causing it to double its width and display controls for the gravity cylinder. He tested the connection of the controls, then applied low power to it. Storm then increased the power control slider for that unit to a level ten times that required for planetary gravity levels. Glancing over at a screen indicator he said, "The gravity detection units are not picking up anything at this power. I will test one hundred times the base power level." He increased the power and looked back at the indicator. "They are now detecting only a trace level of gravity forces escaping the unit. The gravity suppression devices must be working properly."

Storm tapped several symbols on the screen rapidly. Sarah tried to follow what he was doing but the language barrier prevented her from understanding what she saw. He turned to the group and said, "I have programmed the controls to test the gravity cylinder with a pulse that is one million times the base power. If the detected external gravity levels are still within safe limits, it will allow a second test at one billion times the base power level. The first test will begin after one taren has passed so we will have time to get to a safe distance."

The group crossed the roof to return to the stairwell and went down to the top level of the building to wait. A couple of them grabbed something from the fruit bin. Sarah thought it seemed like a good idea and took something for herself as well. Storm carried a small remote unit he detached from the control console to monitor the test. Once down to the lower level they waited, munching on the sweet snacks and watching the handheld monitor. After the time of a taren had passed the monitor indicated a test run, followed by a stream of data flowing across the screen. It was followed by another short countdown, indicating the first test was determined to be safe, then the system triggered the gravity cylinder again. For a split second Sarah thought she felt the sensation of something tugging at her similar to the feeling of static pulling at her hair.

Sarah asked, "How is that power generator up there able to create so much energy for the gravity cylinder?"

"It does not directly create it," replied Storm. "It contains a module that collects energy from the generator and builds up the charge we need. When it has the level the system needs and is triggered by the control console, it discharges the energy to the gravity cylinder all at once. The lower power tests we performed earlier required energy levels it could easily sustain directly."

The second stream of test data flowed across the screen with Storm watching it closely. "It appears to be safe," he said. "We may return to the top of the building for further testing." The group went back up the stairs to the roof. Those who had the seed cores of pieces of fruit they ate threw them off the side of the roof as they walked to the equipment. Back at the console Storm examined the data more closely. "The gravity field detectors indicate a gravitational force escaping that is no greater than what we feel from the planet. Additional gravity suppression units may help reduce that further but it is not unsafe as it is."

"This stuff is absolutely amazing," said Sarah. "We don't have anything like this at home, and our strongest lasers can only cut slowly through steel. Pretty powerful, but nothing like this."

"We have had many more years to develop our knowledge and technology," said Storm. "Your people are very intelligent. It is very likely you will have similar abilities in the future." He then looked back at the control panel and said, "We may now test again and see if we create a dimension vein." Bolgaras, Safan, Camash, and Russaf all stood by to observe with interest, and provide help if needed.

Storm powered up the energy generator to build up the charge for a new test. After several seconds the power level indicator on the holographic screen showed the charge module was at the required level. He tapped a few screen symbols to widen the screen again and configure the wormhole detectors for omnidirectional detection, then triggered the gravity cylinder to discharge.

An instant pulse of gravity escaping the unit tugged at everybody and caused them to lurch toward the cylinder, though nobody lost enough balance to fall over. "What an interesting feeling," said Sarah.

"It is interesting for us as well," said Bolgaras. "We have never done anything like this before." All the others nodded their agreement. Storm read over the data from the wormhole detectors as it filled the new area of the screen.

"The units detected traces of energy that indicate evidence of dimension veins in two locations," said Storm. "One was in the vicinity of the gravity cylinder. The other was up there," he said, pointing at an angle high into the sky. "I will configure them for a more concentrated search area and test again to ensure accuracy." He tapped the wormhole detection controls a few more times, charged the energy generator, and triggered it to discharge once again into the cylinder.

New data filled the screen. With eyes as intent as a predator he read over the information which remained elusive to Sarah's understanding. "What does it say?" asked Sarah.

After another brief silent moment of staring at the data, Storm turned to Sarah with his mouth agape in a huge smile. "It works," he said. "Sarah, your theory was correct...it works!" In an instant he slid over to her, practically pouncing her with a warm squeezing hug. Sarah let out a small cheer and hugged him back, giving him a kiss to the cheek. The rest of the group moved in to hug them both in congratulations of the achievement.

Several fur-covered seconds passed before they released their hug and returned to the console to review the data on the screen. Storm pointed to a spot on the screen and said, "This information shows one end of a dimension vein appeared in the center of the gravity cylinder where the forces were most concentrated. At the same moment another was detected up there, high in the atmosphere. Both appeared at the exact same instant and lasted for approximately three thousandths of a tarenden. That is more time than necessary for the concentrated light in the weapon to fully escape into the opening."

Sarah's excitement was almost more than she could bear. She had thought about her theory for so many years, working on it when she could, but she thought she would never get it finished. She knew that even if she did finish the theory there would be no way she could ever test it. Her fortunate association with the Arfurans gave her the equipment and opportunity to do exactly that, filling her with a mix of emotions that ranged from amazement to elation.

Storm turned to Bolgaras, Safan, Camash, and Russaf, and asked, "Would you all please help me retrieve some radiation detectors? We will need to test the complete system to find exactly where the other end of the dimension vein is located and what direction it faces." When the others responded with their typical enthusiastic willingness to help, he turned back to Sarah and said, "Please excuse us for a few taren while we find the detectors we need."

"Do you need my help for that?" Sarah asked.

"No, it will not be necessary," said Storm. "We only need the three we will carry, plus the two additional gravity suppression shields. You are welcome to come with us or stay here, however you wish."

"Alright," replied Sarah. "I'll stay here...it's such a lovely day out."

"We will return soon," said Storm as he turned with the others toward the stairwell. Once they passed through the door and went down, Sarah realized she was alone for the first time on the strange planet. She took another piece of fruit from the bin and went over near the edge of the building. Sitting down on the soft vegetation covering the roof, she gazed out over the land, taking in the untouched natural beauty of the planet's surface while she bit into the juice-filled fruit. Small clouds passed overhead as the mild morning breeze blew through her hair and warm sunlight caressed her skin, the star being at a point high in the sky by that time. Sarah had lost track of time and didn't realize how many hours had already passed.

"I hope...hope so much that this is not all just some elaborate dream," she thought to herself. "This place, these people...all so beautiful, so wonderful...my mind couldn't have merely created them." She continued to enjoy the quiet serenity of the scene before her, enjoying the taste of the fruit she had taken quite a liking to.

After a few minutes of feeling so wonderfully at peace, she heard the sound of the others approaching from behind her. Sarah turned to see her friends returning and got up from her sitting spot. She approached Storm as he and the others were setting the new detection units down, and once his hands were free she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly in a most heartfelt embrace. He was slightly surprised but nonetheless returned a gentle hug to her.

"What was that for?" he asked.

Sarah looked up at him with a smile and said, "Everything."

He smiled again and hugged her a little more tightly, wagging his tail in enjoyment of the friendly embrace. After they parted each other's hold they returned to the control console. Storm tapped some more screen symbols, widening the holographic display once more and establishing contact with the light radiation detectors.

"I will set the detectors to search for light of the same frequency used by the light weapon," he said. "We will be able to determine where it comes out, what direction it is going, and if any intensity was gained or lost. I will also have the control system synchronize the two units so they are both discharged at the same time."

Sarah could only stand by and watch as Storm set things up. He was tapping at the screen controls so fast she knew she couldn't keep up even if it was a language she could read. After his programming was done he moved the laser power level down to a very low setting. He activated the power module to build a charge, then tapped the single symbol to discharge the gravity cylinder and the laser together.

The escaping gravity forces were greatly reduced from the additional shield units, though they could still feel the slight force similar to the feeling of static tugging at their hair. Sarah was looking up into the sky in an attempt to see the laser light appear from nowhere, but was unsuccessful in the glare of the bright morning light. Storm read over the data that flowed in from the light detectors. "The light was detected coming from a source point 3,554 ber in that direction," he said as he pointed to the sky again.

"Please tell me again, what is a ber?" asked Sarah. She could not remember from the evening they spent going over conversion factors.

"It is about this long," said Storm, holding his hand up just under his chin to indicate a height of one ber. "It is a constant measurement we defined as the wavelength of light that has a vibration frequency of 108,000,000 per tarenden.

Sarah thought back to her physics knowledge of light. "That puts it...somewhere between microwave and radio, if I'm thinking correctly," she said. She continued to do the math in her head and produced the response, "That puts the other end of the wormhole at about four miles I think."

Storm stopped to figure the conversion in his head as well. "Yes, I believe you are correct," he replied. "The indications show the light continued to travel on a path in an identical direction to the source here with no loss of intensity. That presents us with the question of why the location and direction were what they were, and how we will be able to control them."

Sarah thought for a moment. "Try pointing the thing straight up and see what happens," she suggested. Storm adjusted the controls and made the mechanical support rotate the entire unit to point upwards into the sky. He energized the power source, triggered the discharge, and read the results of the wormhole and light detection data that streamed in.

"This is very curious," he said. "The other end of the dimension vein did not move from where it appeared earlier, but the light was perfectly parallel with the source here just as it was before."

Everybody thought about the situation for a moment before Safan broke the silence. "Test it again in several directions and observe where the direction of the light takes it. I have an idea about this."

Storm adjusted the controls, bringing the laser unit back down level with the ground, and test fired it in several directions as he spun it around on its axis. After it had made a complete rotation he stopped and read all the resulting data. "I believe I see your idea, Safan," he said. "Every direction we point the unit produces the same direction at the other end of the dimension vein. The end opening that appears must be parallel to the beginning point here."

"Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking," said Safan with a happy smile of accomplishment. "That eliminates the matter of how to point the unit in the right direction for targeting. We only must determine how to control where the other end is located."

"We should share this information with Ajagi and the other researchers," said Russaf. "If they think they will be able to control it, it will be helpful for them to know it works. Once they determine a control method, we will be able to adjust the equipment for you."

"Yes, I agree," replied Storm. "To the communication room!" he exclaimed in a mock commanding voice before bounding for the stairwell. All the rest laughed and followed quickly behind him. The thundering herd stampeded down the stairs to the fifth floor of the building and walked down the hallway to a large room with several communication consoles and viewing screens. Camash sat down in front of one and tapped a button to activate the screen, then operated several more controls to establish communication with Ajagi's ship. Sarah watched as the main display screen was filled with what she thought was some sort of logo display in the Arfuran language. Shortly thereafter the image was replaced with the live image of an avian Arfuran, the first Sarah had seen.

Camash spoke first with the feathered communications operator, asking to meet with Ajagi. They were quickly transferred to another communications room with the earlier logo reappearing. Less than a minute passed before the logo was replaced with Ajagi's furry face.

"Hello Sarah and Storm," he said. "It is good to see you arrived home safely."

"Hello Ajagi," replied Storm. "I am happy to see you."

"Hi Ajagi," said Sarah. "I'm happy to see you too. We had a very pleasant trip."

Ajagi responded, "That is good to hear. Hello to you Safan, Russaf, Camash, and Bolgaras. I am happy to see you all as well. It has been too long since we last parted."

The group of four all responded at the same time in a jumble of happy greetings. As they all shared their greetings, Sarah looked with astonishment at the display of Ajagi. Despite the screen being two-dimensional, he was displayed in three dimensions as clearly as he would be sitting on the other side of a window pane. As he looked at each individual attending the long distance call, the image was actually looking at each individual.

"We have wonderful information for you," said Storm. "The theory Sarah created is correct and the device works very well. We are able to create a dimension vein every time it activates and the results are very consistent. The radiation emitted from the concentrated light weapon passes through it every time with the energy levels remaining constant."

"That is wonderful to hear," replied Ajagi. He then turned to Sarah and said, "We can not thank you enough for devising such an incredible solution to our problem."

Sarah blushed with a smile and responded with a bashful laugh. "I'm just glad I could help."

Storm continued with what he was describing. "We have found that the two ends of the dimension vein are parallel. No matter what way we pointed it, the light we sent through it follows the same path after it exits. The remaining challenge is controlling where it places the exiting end of the vein."

Ajagi thought for a moment before speaking. "Please send me all the information you have gathered from your testing. I will connect with our colleagues and have them help us determine a method of control."

"That sounds very good," replied Storm. "Camash has access to all that data here. As this is far from my area of knowledge, I will leave you all to work on the control problem, if you will excuse me."

"That will be quite acceptable," said Ajagi. "When you return we should have more ideas to share with you. I do not know how long it will require...perhaps a tar." He paused, then continued, "Storm, have you visited my mates?"

"That is where I am going right now," said Storm. "We have not had a chance to visit them yet, and now seems like a good time to do that."

"I am happy to hear that," said Ajagi. "Please invite them to contact me again soon."

"I will do that," said Storm. He then turned to Sarah and asked, "Would you like to go with me? Or would you prefer to remain here?"

"I'd like to go with you," said Sarah with a smile. "It'll be nice to meet Ajagi's mates." As they exited the room they could hear Ajagi getting other scientists on the line to begin their very technical conversation.