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Tails of Fantasies and Nightmares: Crystal Angel

Day 1: Stranded

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. His paws squeaked on the steering wheel as he loosen his death grip on it. He let go completely and rubbed his face, he could just about envision the skin under his fur being void of color just like his face, if his body wasn't already covered in a mostly blueish-grey white fur.

A flicker of light drew his attention to a small pendent swinging under the rear view mirror. He reached up and gently grasp the object. "Thanks buddy." He said to it before letting it go to dangle again. If it wasn't for that crystal angel pendent, he would have gone and wrapped his small SUV around a tree.

Well... Calling it a crystal angel was a bit of a stretch, it was a simple pendent made up of a couple of small, cheap plastic beads in the shape of an angel that was barely bigger than his thumb nail. He had bought it some time ago when he was at a craft store with his mother. Since then it has been hanging on his rear view mirror and now he has come to think of it as his co-pilot and guardian angel.

He took a long deep slow breath as he re-focused himself. Pulling the shifter into drive, then into first gear, he gave the accelerator a few tentative pushes. The vehicle gave a slight rocking motion before the tires broke traction and gave off the signature squeal. Putting it into reverse and attempting to rock the vehicle out of its predicament yielded the same results. Giving off a curse, he slammed the shifter into park and sighed as he slumped in the driver's seat.

"Well buddy..." he said as he grasped the pendent again. "Looks like we're stuck here. Damn it... I knew I should have listen to my gut." He sighed as he watched the large snowflakes fall from the sky. Between the darkness of the night and the thick snow fall, visibility was maybe 100 some feet, if that.

His thoughts drifted to earlier that day and the events that has led him up to his current dilemma. A coworker had invited him out to "hang with the guys." Well, he had no plans for his Friday since work was canceled that day due to construction at his job and contractors coming in to do the work.

So, why not?

What his "buddy" neglected to tell him was that he was going to be their taxi that night so the coworker and his friends that he didn't know could get stone drunk. Add to the fact that they wanted to go to a new place that was in a town over an hour north of here they lived, and that is after he had went and picked them up. At least he had the foresight to give the 3 a sob story about the gas he was going to use and exaggerating how bad the fuel economy was with winter started. Before they headed north, they each gave him 50 dollars. He chuckled to himself at the time, where he'll be getting gas, he'll be pocketing over a hundred of it.

Needless to say, after about two hours, the three were getting drunk while he was nursing a soda pop in a corner of the bar. He thought at the time that he was lucky that he caught the weather when he did, a nasty storm was on its way from out west and the forecast precipitation was going to be counted in feet, not inches. So, after informing the three that he was leaving immediately, they told him to "get his sorry tail out of there."

He did.

That was over an hour ago.

With knowledge of the approaching storm, he decided to take the direct course home instead of taking the main roads south then home. On a warm day, it was a pleasant 45 minute drive through the country, over some county and back roads through farm land and wooded hills.

On a good, warm day...

The blizzard hit within 15 minutes of leaving his "friends" and while taking it slow, manage to lose his way due to the whiteout conditions. He at least had a rough idea where he was, but in all sense of the word, he was lost in the blizzard.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check it. The icon for no signal was on. He sighed. "Well, so much for calling for help." He said to the angel. "I don't know what we're going to do." He

turned to look out the driver's side window and watched the large flakes come down hard and fast. He at least had over 3 quarters of a tank of gas left and his heater could easily sweat him out, but the problem was that the accumulation was growing and the exhaust pipe would get covered by the snow. He maybe had a guestimate of 6 hours before the fumes suffocated him if he stayed? No, he couldn't think like that.

A flicker drew his attention back to the crystal angel. "What's up buddy?"

He felt a gust of wind rock the SUV and swung lightly and rotated a bit, almost like it was saying 'Over here, look!' He looked passed the angel and noticed something in the woods. A faint, yellow-orange glow in the distance that looked artificial yet inviting.

"Think I should check out that light?" He asked looking back at the pendant. It had a more normal swing to it now, almost like it was trying to push him.

'Go.'

He turn the key off and made sure nothing was left on to drain the battery before pushing the door open. The cold air rushed past him as he got out sending shivers through him despite his thick fur and winter cloths. It helped that he was a malamute/wolf mix, giving him more fur as the winter started to set in, but all that fur could only do so much against that wind chill. His foot was swallowed up to his heels by the snow as he got out. 'Already 8 inches' he thought as he came around the vehicle.

He nearly fell when he found the ditch the hard way, sinking up to his knees. Regaining his balance, he trudged through the deeper snow and found the other side with shallower snow. He kept his muzzle pointed towards the light as he went through the trees, traversing through the thick snow fall and trees. It took some doing, but he made his way towards the light. Feeling like he was in the weather for over 10 minutes when it wasn't even half that, he reached his destination.

He found himself looking into a window of a cabin with a lamp in it. Even from outside, the light cast a warm glow where ever it touched. Trying to pear past the lamp, all he could see was the glare and shadows behind it. He followed the wall around to the front and up the steps of a small deck to the door. He rapped at the door with his knuckles

"Hello!" He shouted, trying to draw attention of the occupant, if any. "Anyone there?" He hammered harder with his fist. "Hey! I need help. My truck is stuck and I need shelter till I can get it out."

The howl of the wind was the only thing that responded to his attempts. He cursed as he punched the door in a furry. "Damn it all to hell." He spat as he pounded the wooden door a final time. He turned to leave when he heard the door creak open. "Hello?..." He pushed the door open wider and stuck his head in. Looking around the cabin's interior showed no resident, or anything that could have opened the door. "Hello?" He called out as he step inside shutting the door to the cold.

"I hope you don't mind that I came in." he called out to the blackness. He went to take a step but quickly thought better. He shed his winter boots, jacket and brushed as much snow as he could before he continued into the cabin to look around.

He shivered as he walked on the cold hardwood and tile floors with his bare foot pads. It was small but comfortable inside, like a 3-4 room apartment that was furnish with couches, chairs and small tables. Making it look like a home away from home. The place had a simple layout, a large open aria where you could walk from the kitchen/dining room to commons aria relatively easy with the furniture arrangement. The only thing that was on were a few digital clocks in the kitchen and the lamp in the corner of the living aria. Otherwise, the place looked devoid of life inside.

Just off center of the back wall across from the entryway was 2 doors, one wide open and the other was only slightly ajar. From his viewpoint he could see white walls and sink that was just visible in the current lighting. Walking over and peering in, he confirmed his suspicions that it was the cabin's bathroom. A larger one than he expected too, with a good size shower stall that might squeeze 3 large people in and something that looked like a Jacuzzi tub.

'Wow' he thought as his brow raised in amazement. 'Someone has a nice set up.'

He went to the other door and knocked as he gave it a light push. "Hello... I don't mean to be intruding..." He could make out shapes in the darkness, but none humanoid. He found a switch and flicked the light on. He found a queen size bed that was still made up and the usual assortment of bedroom furniture that you would expect, a dresser and a night stand that sat in front of a window with the curtains drawn closed.

"Joy..." he said out loud. "All alone in a strange cabin in the woods." He sighed and after a second, laughed. "What kind of cliché parody is going to happen? A horror movie perhaps?"

He looked at his watch, just after 9 o'clock. He walked over to what looked like a linen closet and after glancing around he found a blanket that he pulled out. Walking back out into the living aria he unfolded the blanket and draped it over a chair that was against the wall where he came from that also next to the lamp that guided him and also was facing the kitchen and the door. He looked around the contents of the cabin a little more closely. Two reclining chairs faced each other with a matching couch almost between them, set against the wall with the bedroom. A coffee table sat in the center of the corresponding furniture easily assessable from the couch and two identical end stands with matching lamps. Two windows in the front wall allowed the people to look out into the woods from where they sat, but tonight it only let him see the deep darkness of the night.

A heater unit sat close to the back wall opposite of the main entrance. He kneeled down and casually familiarized himself with the unit. A simple pellet stove, it was set at its lowest setting with over half of the small pellets gone. Within reach was a bag of pellets that he shuffled closer and scooped out 3 soup cans worth of pellets to bring the stove closer to full. He also change the setting of the stove so it was more balance in the middle of its settings. The flickering flame in the stove grew brighter and he could feel the increase heat off of the stove as a fan kicked on and blew on his fur. He let out a content sigh feeling the added warmth before getting up and finishing surveying his surroundings.

There was a few shelving along the walls with some nick-knacks adorning them and a bookshelf in the corner with a small collection of books. One of the shelves contained a little portable radio along with a stereo system which he flipped on.

"...the weather. Tonight temperatures dropping into the mid-twenties with heavy snow fall in the higher elevations, ranging from 10 to 18 inches with high winds that will be causing white out conditions. Tomorrow, temperatures will be continuing to drop from the mid-twenties to the teens with snow fall predicted at another 12 to 20 inches and increasing as the day progress. Sunday, temperatures are going to continue down into the single digits as the storm continues to roll in on us, dropping steadily as the week progress.

"There will be a travel band starting tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm. All residents are advised to remain at home and there is to be no unnecessary travel in the for the entire tri county aria..."

He sighed as the reporter continued to issue the warning, saying that everyone should head out early and grab supplies to last them the week till the storm is over. Making it sound that everyone in the aria will get buried. He sat down and pulled the blanket over himself as the station started to play music again. At least it was a good station that he recognized, a local station that plays a mix of 60's, 70's and 80's music with an occasional 'current' song.

He let out another sigh as he settled in to rest. He was hoping that if the owner came back and found him, he would at least be able to explain his predicament and offer money to let him stay till the weather blew over. He drifted off eventually, wondering if the owner will come and rescue him or if he'll be stuck out there for the rest of the winter...

* * *

He awoke to the glare of the sun in his eyes. He wasn't much of an early riser, but after going to sleep earlier than normal for him, he was rested and ready for the day. He made a circuit around the cabin checking to see if anyone had entered while he was sleeping. Everything was the same as when he came in. It was kind of disappointing. He decided to explore to find out what he may have to survive with after freshening up. Thankfully, the place had running water and what seem to be a decent hot water tank, so if needed, he could take a shower later among other things.

His first stop after the bathroom was the pellet stove, he used the last of the pellets that was in the bag to fill the almost empty feeder. So finding more pellets was going to be a priority. Next he went to the kitchen, finding the assortment of dishes, utensils, cleaning supplies, and a somewhat decent supply of can goods in the cupboards, along with some box dinners and baking supplies. He could survive the week easily on the soups, pasta, fruit and vegetables he found. Longer if he ration them. Checking the fridge, he found some bottle water, a few cans of soda and beer. "Well," he thought to himself, "The beer is safe from me." Never acquired the taste for it.

Basically, surviving wasn't going to be much of an issue, despite the lack of pellets for the stove, but keeping preoccupied and keeping his mind off of things is what's going to be a drag.

Figuring the inside was pretty much once over, he put his winter boots and coat on, preparing himself against the cold as he opened the door. The wind blew in with a vengeance as the cabin was exposed to the outside, sending a shiver though his body at the sudden drop of temperature as he pushed his way into the snow. The flakes was still coming down hard, the fine sleet replacing the large fluffy flakes of last night. The forest itself was wrapped in a ghostly eerie grey fog instead of the menacing black void of the night.

Trudging through the snow was going to prove fun, it was already up past his ankles and partway up his legs. If he was human, it be up close to his knees. A quick survey from the porch already yielded results as he spotted two more structures near the cabin. A small smile came across his face after he was able to force the smaller shed's doors open, the tools on open display for any too see. He grabbed the heavy duty snow shovel by the door and took it with him as he closed the tool shed back up.

The second building was a little easier to get into thanks to the Shovel, and he was almost dumbfounded by what he found in there. Almost immediately he spotted a generator connected to a 100 gallon tank, a clear plastic 50 gallon tank with what looks like water in it, a large deep freezer humming in the corner, an old beat up washer and dryer tucked away in another corner, at least 4 full cases of water along with other drinkable liquids, and a pallet of bagged pellets for the stove in the cabin.

"Ok... first thing first." He said as he hefted a bag of pellets on his shoulders and traced his steps to back the cabin. He placed it just inside the door and got to work on clearing the front of the building. He slowly revealed the wooden floor of the front porch under all the drifted snow. He was amazed that he didn't trip as the building and connecting covered patio was raised a foot off the ground. When the patio was cleared again, he shoveled his way back to the large storage building.

Whomever built the place, put a lot of thought into it. A main electric wire was ran to the out building with the generator connected to the main box too, so if power went out, the generator could be turned on and everything could continue on as normal. Like with the pellet stove, he familiarized himself with the generator, turning it on and back off again, and a quick look inside the generator's connecting metal tank revealed that it was full of what smelled like diesel.

A closer inspection of the building's contents revealed a gas grill, and he even found a trap door that reviled the water pump. The large freezer had a bunch of frozen foods. Meats wrapped individually to be cooked or grilled, some frozen pizzas, and other little goodies that he'll probably ignore for the most part. There was a small attic above, but it looked like it was mostly different paraphernalia like decorations and targets, so he didn't bother checking it.

During his exploration, he came across a long length of rope. An idea formed in his mind. He took it outside and found a flag pole holder that was mounted within easy reach. He (hopefully) tied it off and walked back to the cabin lazily stretching it out. He tied it to the closest porch post and snugged the rope into a hand rail guide back to the buildings. The two sheds might have been like some 75 feet away or so, but if the storm hits like they're predicting, then he'd rather have something to go on to find his way.

Still feeling a little energetic, he grabbed the shovel and trekked his way through the snow to his buried SUV. Upon arriving and a quick survey in the slightly better lighting he could just make out a small turn off or service road just ahead of where the vehicle was parked. He smiled to himself, a decent place to park in case he does manage to get un-stuck. As it was, he still wasn't sure of his exact location and the roads were in no condition to be traveled on. He primed himself and got to work unburying his car.

Two hours later.

He gotten lucky. With a lot of digging and perseverance he had manage to get the small SUV moving. It didn't help though that he was plowing snow with his bumper as he pulled up to the spot that he had cleared. He sighed after he parked it facing out towards the road.

"Well buddy we did it." He gave his pendant a lite tap to get it swinging "Thanks for watching things here." He let out a long breath as he lean back into the seat. The SUV creaked as the strong winds started to hit the vehicle, blowing the flakes that were starting to increase in size again. "I think I better get back before it gets to be too late. You're in charge again while I'm gone." He laughed as he got out.

He pulled the shovel out of the snow pile he had created and started to walk back to the cabin. His vehicle was a little farther and more out of sight of the cabin, but at least it was safe from any plows that came through when he was away. He looked back at his handy work, where he was stuck was already half filled with drifting and fresh snow. He shook his head as he continued to the cabin. When he came back, he had to clear the porch off again from the new coating of snow. He groaned to himself as he cleared the porch off before he went in.

He pulled his boots and coat off, just caring enough to keep from tracking the frozen white stuff in too far from the door. He walked half in a daze, everything he did during the day had hit him as he walked back to the cabin. He didn't realize it but it was after 2 in the afternoon, and all that snow was heavy and while he had a small break, it was still tiring and his exposed fur and hair was soaked. He could feel the wetness creeping against his skin from the snow that had congregated on his fur. A warm shower was sounding nice right now.

He stopped long enough to fill the half full pellet stove and turn the diel back to setting 3. 'Huh... must have knocked it up a setting when I filled it this morning.' He thought to himself. He pulled his shirt off as he opened the bathroom door.

He barely register the new sent his nose was picking up, a rose perfume mixed with citrus body wash and something else that was very faint that he couldn't place. He never noticed the extra pair of boots on the floor or the other winter coat hanging by the door. He un-did his wet jeans and let them fall off his legs, his boxers joined them in a pile in the corner with some other cloths.

He stepped in the shower stall and turned the water on when he closed the door. He let the water run over his body a good while before he got the bar of soap and started on lathering his fur up. He took his good old time as he cleaned his fur. It was going to be fun trying to brush his fur out without one of his brushes, but at the moment, all he really cared about was the warm water flowing over him.

His stomach gave a rumble as he shut the water off. He considered his options, remembering some of the stuff he came across earlier. "Hmm Beef stew sounds like it be good." He said to himself as he opened the door and grabbed the nearby towel and started to dry off as he stepped out.

"Uhm..." He froze when he heard the distinctly feminine voice. "Hi?..." Water splashing drew his attention to the bathtub where he seen a rose colored canine submerged in the water. Hit was hard for him to tell her breed, dark red hair, rose color fur with a shade of pink that covered her chest and down past her belly. Two large heart shape ears toped her head and a long fluffy tail was curled up around her obstructing his view of any of her bits along with her legs and arms. She starred back at him with crystal blue puppy dog eyes. If she was human, she'd probably be as red as her fur being caught in her situation.

"Uhm..." She licked her lips as she licked her lips, looking for the right words to say. "I'm Valentine. What's your name?"

It took a moment for his brain to kick itself into gear, for a good long moment he was like a feral deer caught in headlights of a car. "Uh... Yeah... It's Yahto. Yahto-Ashwin."