RESCUED. Chapter 1.
#2 of Snowdrift Tales
RESCUED ©
Chapter 1.
1 December 2345
Snowdrift was asleep, dreaming about her brother, Sandstorm, whom she had killed during the last test. His blood had covered her fur, and she couldn't forget it.
She woke to the sound of shouting, humans shouting, she yawned, wondering what could be upsetting them this time? It was not unusual for them to be upset over little things as well as big things.
Then she sat up alert when she heard what sounded like gunshots, and more shouting, then screaming. Her whiskers twitched nervously. This is new, and unusual.
Then she heard more shooting, but they were different from the Boom Boom of the shotguns, these had a whine to them. Then the walls and ceiling shook, as a large explosion went off.
"Kill Snowdrift!" she heard one of the humans say, "Leave no trace, incinerate the body." Now, she was afraid, she moved back and forth, pacing the cage, trapped, helpless from the inevitable death that was coming. Backing to the rear of the cage, she cowered and growled, her ears flat against her head.
The door opened, and one of the cruel humans that took delight in tormenting her, entered, carrying what looked like a flamethrower. She watched, terrified, as he lit the pilot flame, and walked over to her cage. His face snarled and his teeth were set into a nasty grin as he stopped in front and deactivated the laser barrier that kept her contained.
"Ok, bitch, time for you too die." He said, aiming the weapon towards her, his finger poised on the trigger, she closed her eyes and waited for the hot burning death.
His startled gurgling sound made her look again, only to go wide in surprise and shock. A purple feline taur was behind him, she, judging from the ample breasts, had his arms held, as her teeth had sunk into his right shoulder blade. He dropped the weapon, and turn to his new foe, but he was flung against the far wall, his head twisting to an audible crack, twisted completely around.
Satisfied that the human was dead, the strange taur turned to Snowdrift, and opened her hands wide, which Snowdrift knew was a sign of friendship.
"It's ok, I'm here to rescue you. You are free from your captures." The taur said.
Snowdrift sat where she was, still petrified, and confused. This taur spoke to her, and she was feeling, calm, peace. What is happening to her? She should be afraid, and yet, she wanted to follow this strange creature. She felt, safe, happy, yet she didn't understand why. Slowly, she left the cage, keeping a wary eye on the newcomer.
The strange taur touched a strange pin on her vest, and she spoke.
"This is Chakat Goldpaw, one survivor, one dead human. Returning with a white tigertaur. Copy?"
Snowdrift was startled to hear a female voice coming from the pin.
"Copy Goldpaw, is it male or female?"
"She's female shir, Solarblaze is cleaning up the loose stranglers as we speak. Mission time, 12 minute and 35 seconds, 2.25 seconds ahead of schedule. Over and out."
"Copy, over and out, see you back at headquarters."
Turning back to the female tigertaur, Goldpaw held hir hand out, in a gesture of friendship.
"Come with me, you're free."
Snowdrift growled, unsure of this strange creature. Her tail twitched as she held her position.
"What's the matter?" shi asked, projecting calm to the felinetaur.
"No smell" she replied.
"Ahhh, sorry." Shi replied, turning off hir ability. "Better?"
Now, Snowdrift could smell hir, and she could also sense that shi meant her no harm.
"Yes." She said, settling down.
"What's your name?" Goldpaw asked, slowly moving closer.
"Snowdrift"
"Hello Snowdrift, I'm Chakat Goldpaw, child of Charles and Katherine Turner." Shi replied, slowly giving the female tigertaur a hug, still projecting calm and friendliness.
Snowdrift tensed up, and then slowly returned the hug.
Looking at Snowdrift, Goldpaw softly petted her head.
"Hold on, we're going for a trip, it may seem weird at first, ok?"
"Ok." Snowdrift replied, not sure about what the chakat meant by a trip.
Suddenly, Snowdrift found that she was not in the room with the cages; instead, she was now in another room, with beds, beeping machines, and more people.
Some were like the chakat Goldpaw, while others were like foxes. Some were even bipedal. But when she saw humans as well, she immediately went on the defensive, lowering down, ears flat against her head, tail twitching again, growling softly, backing away and hiding under one of the beds.
Startled, Goldpaw asked "What's wrong?"
"Humans, Bad Humans." She growled, shivering.
Shi tried to install calmness again, but it didn't help. Snowdrift would not calm down.
"Mmmm I see." Goldpaw replied.
Going over to the 3 humans, shi politely asked them too leave the room.
Seeing them gone, Snowdrift cautiously crept out from under the bed, but she looked around, keeping an eye on the other furs.
"Snowdrift, these doctors are going to check you over, make sure that you're ok and not carrying any diseases. So, please, do as they ask. Have you have needles before?"
"Yes, painful, not bad." She replied, "Food? Water?" she asked, realising how hungry and thirsty she was.
"Of course, sorry for not realizing earlier, PAL, water and turkey sandwich please."
[Yes commander Goldpaw.] Replied a female electronic voice from nowhere, making Snowdrift jump and looking around confused. Goldpaw noticed the effect of the disembodied voice had on Snowdrift, coz shi started laughing. Snowdrifts fur was all bushed out like she came from a spin dryer.
"Where she?" she asked, searching the room.
"She is a AI computer." Goldpaw explained, picking up a bottle of water and the sandwich, which materialized from nowhere.
"Computer? What that?"
"Don't you know what a computer is?" Goldpaw asked, amazed that someone had no idea of the marvel of technology.
"No."
"Umm how old are you?"
"I am 4 years old." She replied.
"What? Impossible!!" shi replied, looking at the fully grown tigertaur. By hir recollection, Snowdrift would seem to be in her 20's, 25 at the latest.
"It true. I created 4 years ago." She said, starting to drink and eat.
"Hmmm maybe a genetic accelerator." Shi theorised, watching the tigertaur.
After she finished eating and drinking half of the bottle, Snowdrift looked around, then she sneezed and started too shiver.
"Shot?" she asked.
"Shot? No, no one's shot."
Snowdrift shook her head and pointed to her neck.
"Shot, needle?" she said again, and then she sneezed more violently, spraying blood on the floor. Startled and concerned, Goldpaw called the medical team.
"Run a diagnosis, state, possible contagion. NOW!" shi ordered.
2 foxtaurs came in wearing biohazard suits, each had medical scanners. After running a complete scan of Snowdrift and checking the scanners, they informed Goldpaw that there was no contagion and it was safe, but the cause of Snowdrift condition was unclear.
"Shot, medicine, Dyroxium." She said, now shivering, curling up in a ball.
"Dyroxium? Sorry, can't do that. It's illegal, and we don't have any here." Goldpaw replied, trying to comfort her.
"Shot, Dyroxium, or I die." She whispered, shivering and sneezing, spraying more blood and her breathing was ragged.
Goldpaw knew that hir next course of action would be illegal, and shi would most probably go to prison, which was impossible to accomplish, but the welfare of the tigertaur was hir responsibility. So she teleported hirself from the quarantine room to another planet, light years from earth. The seedy looking human was startled by the sudden appearance of a chakat, and before he could react, shi grabbed a kilo of his pure grade Dyroxium, and vanished.
When shi got back, Goldpaw asked the tigertaur how much drug does shi need in the dosage.
"50 ml" Snowdrift whispered.
Goldpaw nodded, and then shi got the drug ready, heated it up, and put 52ml in a pen syringe, then injected the amount in Snowdrifts neck.
Snowdrift's breathing eased, so did the shivering and sneezing. Goldpaw wiped the blood from her nose, petting her head. That was how Solarblaze found hir, cradling the tigertaur. Seeing the opened package of Dyroxium nearby, shi raised hir eyebrows.
"Would you mind explaining why there's illegal contraband here?" shi asked, crossing hir arms.
Goldpaw looked up and smiled, rather sheepishly.
"Sorry, emergency action. It appears that Snowdrift here requires a shot of the drug, or she'll die. I had to make a life or death decision. After we complete her medical examination, we'll know more about her condition."