FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 5: Plan of Action

Brian was woken abruptly by a gentle shaking on his shoulder. Trying very hard not to startle, he opened his eyes before placing his hand on his pistol... which was sitting on the center console of the Humvee. Krystal was looking back at him, with what he assumed was a worried expression on her muzzle.

She had definitely cleaned up, wearing a pair of desert BDU pants along with an olive drab standard-issue T-shirt. The myriad of jewelry she wore was still present, giving a strange hint of class to the fatigues. "You're awake?" she spoke with a hint of relief. "Please... come out here and take a look at this." The vixen practically pulled him out while he was shaking off the cobwebs.

"Waitasec..." he murmured. "We aren't gonna have company, right?" Krystal simply shook her head and pointed toward the horizon. A thick column of smoke wafted up among the forest. It was distant, but it meant that something was going on. "Someone wasn't following Smokey the Bear's advice..." Brian mused. "...how long ago did this happen?"

"Not long, maybe a few minutes ago." The Cerinian pointed to the smoke. "I didn't see it land, but a large ship took off after the smoke started. If you're willing, I can show you." At his nod she placed her paw back on his shoulder. She didn't have to maintain contact to use most of her abilities, but it helped with thought transfers such as what she was doing. She conjured the mental image of the strange craft taking off.

The effect of seeing something that happened in the past through someone else's eyes was a bit... trippy to say the least. Brian was watching some strange-ass ship lift off from the forest. The damn thing looked like an old-time sailing ship, only with big wings and a massive dragon's head as its figurehead. In all honesty it looked like something straight out of a Monty Python film, and he wouldn't believe it if he wasn't seeing it secondhand. "What the hell is that, do you figure?" Brian asked his vulpine ally after she removed her paw.

"I'm not sure, but I think that those reptiles we fought off have something to do with it. Shall we find out what happened?" Krystal's tail swayed lightly... her instincts had her guessing that whatever started the smoke would lead them to figuring out what was going on here.

"Curiosity killed the cat, but it has yet to kill a Marine." Brian nodded and continued to peer at the smoke. "Can your voodoo pick up these guys before we run in on top of them?" He wanted as much tactical information as he could. While the lizards didn't seem to have much in the way of firepower... their muskets weren't able to get past modern body armor... being outnumbered wasn't fun.

"If I concentrate, I can pick them up from... two hundred yards away." She had to read some surface thoughts from the human in order to equate to his terms of distance, but she doubted he would mind. "If I'm focusing on other things, about one hundred. I'm not as practiced at it, but I will get better with time." She smiled at him as she moved over to the passenger door. With that she slipped into the vehicle.

Brian took a couple of moments to look at the smoke. Without binoculars or any sort of landmark, it was hard to judge distance. Whatever it was, the smoke was at least a few miles off. With those figures in mind, he climbed into the Humvee, starting the diesel with a press of a button. "Well, let's get on with it and play some Dudley-Do-Right." As he pulled out of the clearing and onto the path, he started feeling like he was in one of those old cop shows. The Humvee was his squad car, and Krystal was his quirky yet capable partner. 'Hell, someone could do a TV show about this.' he thought.

The vixen quickly marveled at the vehicle. It wasn't a hovercar, but it could gain speed quickly. Even though the ride was jouncy, it felt solid... owing to the fact the chassis was heavily armored. She pulled her staff out of the footwell... knowing full well that it would receive more use by the time all of this was over.

Brian shrugged and flipped on the CD player that was bolted to the dash in a display of jury-rigged workmanship. He wasn't sure what her taste in music was, but within seconds the refrain to Nirvana's Lounge Act was thundering through the cabin. To her credit she didn't flinch, cringe, or tell him to knock it off; although he did catch a puzzled look from the Cerinian.

Krystal listened to the music. It wasn't exactly to her taste... very complex, harsh, and somewhat synthetic-sounding. However, the singing wasn't too bad. After a few moments of roaring down the path, she turned to him. "Is this stuff... popular where you come from?"

Brian responded without taking his eyes off the road. "In some circles, yes. I grew up with these bands... Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Mad Season, a few others... I was listening to them since I was a kid. Had a couple of cousins in Seattle that I stayed with over the summers, so I got to go to a few shows." As he continued to drive, he turned down the volume. "Not exactly used to grunge, are you?"

She shook her head. "Honestly, no. Most music on Cerinia is instrumental, usually using what people from Lylat call flutes or wind-powered instruments. I don't have a trained ear, but I take it this is mostly... string instruments?"

"Yeah. Most rock music is played with guitars and a set of drums. A lead to do all the complex stuff, a rhythm guitar to do most of the midrange filler, and a bass to complete the set. I used to play... actually I can do most of these songs, if I had a guitar." With a laugh he slowed down... they were about to go up a steep hill.

She kept silent as they climbed, but didn't have enough time to reply as they crested it... they were right at the source of the smoke. Her jaw dropped as she saw the destruction. Spots of the valley they were overlooking were on fire, and she squinted as she saw several strange, large creatures trying to put them out. Krystal glanced over to Brian, noticing he was gawking as well... for different reasons.

"Dinosaurs? Dinosaurs? You have got to be kidding me. Lizard-men I can handle. Walking, talking foxes I can handle. But... dinosaurs? This takes the damn cake. I thought you could sense them?" This was turning into a regular Jurassic Park rehash, here.

"They're too far away, Brian." Krystal stated. They were a little over three hundred yards away, but he kept on driving. Within a few moments she could sense them. They were frantic, trying to extinguish the blazes by dousing them with water from a creek which bisected the small valley. "They need help... we need to get down there!"

"Slowly, Krystal. We don't want them thinking we're hostile. We are in a heavily armed military vehicle, but I'd rather not be rammed. That Triceratops over there doesn't exactly look happy at us being here." Brian pointed out that one of the group seemed to be watching them.

As they drew closer it stopped carrying buckets with its mouth and hunched over... preparing to charge the Humvee if need be. He had done some research on them for an old middle school project. Small specimens were estimated to have been nearly 14,000 pounds... almost twice the weight of the armored vehicle they were in. Even with the armor it would be like getting hit with a semi truck.

Krystal closed her eyes, now concentrating on her senses rather than what Brian was doing. "He's very cautious... stop here. Now!" Brian laid on the brakes, and the massive creature kept hunched over. "I'm going out first. Don't alarm him... he won't strike unless we do anything first."

Brian huffed at her as he clambered over the driver's seat, grabbing onto the gunner's sling. "If he gets any bright ideas, I'm going to defend us. I'm not going to risk our lives just yet." He wasn't about to pop up and man the M2, but he was going to damn well make sure he was ready to fire if need be. This one appeared intelligent, and it didn't take too much of an intellect to interpret a long stick being pointed at you as a threat.

The vixen shook her head. "Just let me handle it, and come out when I tell you. Do you still trust me?" She looked at him, her emerald gaze piercing his eyes in return... before reciting an ancient Cerinian adage. "Doloh ro kee giasb ke hojehk ke u rcuto."

The Marine scratched his head and responded in another foreign language. "Ihre Sprache ist sehr interessant, Frau Fuchsin. Jedoch, kann ich sie nicht verstehen." At least a year of high school German gave him a bit of a witty retort. At her confused glance, he smiled. "My sentiments exactly." With a shake of her head she stepped out of the vehicle.

Krystal kept her staff tucked into the belt she had scavenged from the back of the Humvee. She needed to make sure he knew she was a friend and not a foe. She kept her paws in the air, speaking in her native Cerinian as clearly as she could. "We are only here to help. We saw the smoke from afar, and were just coming to investigate."

The dinosaur hunched further, making sure she didn't have a direct shot at the others that were trying to put out the fires... with varying degrees of success. "What are you, little one?" he demanded, his posture declaring that he didn't buy her story... no matter how true it really was. "What business have you in Thorntail Hollow?"

"I speak the truth, noble one." the vixen continued, keeping her ears flat and her tail motionless... the typical body language to show submission and respect amongst her race. "Please... let us help. We seek only information in return. My friend and I won't ask anything more of you."

The dinosaur didn't seem entirely convinced. "I will let you and your friend help. But, don't even think of trying to cross us, and don't bring that metal beast any closer. The Queen will speak with you when we are through... that much I will assure you."

Krystal waved to the Humvee, watching Brian climb out of it shortly afterward, two large containers in his hands. The vixen noted with relief that he had refrained from bring any of the larger blasters he had... although the small one was still strapped to his leg. As he reached her, he glanced up to the dinosaur that stood there, blocking his way.

"You are this furred one's friend?" the Earthwalker asked. However, his reply was in a strange language. The furred one was serving as its interpreter, possibly. The Queen would be interested in speaking with these two aliens... if they survived the attack Scales had made on the Hollow, that was. The Sharpclaw hadn't found the Queen's hiding place, thank the Krazoa for that small comfort.

"He is, yes. Do not worry... we are both stranded here, and seek only to help." Krystal waved him on, and they approached the stream. The water was cold, and wading through caused her to gasp in mild shock. "We need to get these fires out, and quick!"

Brian nodded, stopping to fill the large containers... actually a couple of five-gallon buckets that had held some assorted camping gear. "These dinos are short on manpower; they might be able to contain a couple of these blazes, but we're going to need to concentrate on the others. If we join in with them we'll get the ones they're working on put out more quickly..." his Nomex-gloved hand pointed to one of the smaller fires near them... "but, if these get out of control this whole entire place is going up like a thermite grenade in a prairie."

The vixen took one of the full buckets. It was large and it was pretty heavy... but she wasn't going to let that bother her. She crossed the grass field with the Marine, locked into a battle... a battle with all-consuming flames. Her paws gripped the bucket and tossed its contents onto the blaze; watching the fire fade a little at her assault. Brian did the same, and they ran back to the stream again.

*----------------------------*

The smell of smoke permeated the air as dusk fell, but they had stopped the fires from damaging anything important in the small valley. Soaked and tired yet victorious, the Cerinian and human leaned against the stopped Humvee, enjoying a hasty meal of more MREs. Krystal cast a tired smile at her ally, who was simply sitting there munching on his tetrazzini. "We were a big help, Brian... those Thorntail really appreciated us jumping in and lending our paws."

"That's definitely true, but whoever decided to do this wasn't trying to play Beavis and Butthead here." At the vixen's confused look, he continued. "This looks like a snatch-and-grab job to me. I figure they landed, shot up the place a bit and raided them while they were taking cover."

"But, what would they take? There obviously is something very important here, if they were willing to stop the fires and not flee." Krystal scratched her ear, looking out across the hazy valley. They wouldn't have to wait long for an answer, as the Earthwalker that barred their way earlier lumbered up to their vehicle.

"Forgive me for being abrupt earlier... this war with Scales' forces has made us all very cautious about who we deal with." The Earthwalker pointed his tail towards one end of the valley, where a massive stone structure was built into a cliffside. Brian was a little floored at how dinosaurs managed to construct buildings... but if they could speak, they could probably build, too. "The Queen of the Earthwalker tribe will see you now. Please follow me." With that he trudged off towards the stone structure, leaving Brian and Krystal little choice but to follow.

The two remained silent as they were led through the meadows and into a small courtyard lined with a waist-high stone wall. Another Earthwalker sat there, adorned in body paint and precious jewels... she had to be the Queen. Krystal went into a bow, although Brian stood off to the side and watched the proceedings. "Greetings, Queen Earthwalker. I am Krystal, Guardian of the Grand Family of Haleth, on the world of Cerinia. My companion is Sergeant Brian Lancing from the United States Marine Corps, of the planet Earth. We wish only information and perhaps the chance to help you; we have both been stranded here with no knowledge of what is happening here."

Brian stood back, watching them with a little interest. The language was different and he didn't have a clue in hell what they were saying, but the conversation became very animated. The Queen sounded pretty distraught over something, and continued to talk to Krystal for a few minutes. The occasional point towards him let the Marine know he was also a topic of discussion. Krystal then broke off and turned to him, worry apparent in her expression.

"I found out what was going on... and it is not good. The Sharpclaw, who are the 'lizards' we dealt with earlier... they're trying to take over the entire planet. They have removed four magical Spellstones from a special temple designed to keep the planet in one piece... and it's breaking apart because of it." Noting Brian's puzzled look, she continued. "There are also several sacred spirits called Krazoa... the temple they reside in has been attacked. Most of them have been hidden over the years, but there is still one left in the temple... we have to retrieve it. But..."

Brian shrugged. "There's always a catch, right?" While he wasn't as peeved off about being stuck on an alien planet as he believed he should be... fighting someone else's war was something he was growing tired of doing. Especially if it required finding magic stones and herding ghosts around.

Krystal continued, understanding that he was pretty skeptical about doing this. She didn't blame him; this was a fight neither one of them had to be involved in. Yet, they would be saving a planet that needed help, and she felt obligated to do it. "The Queen's son Tricky was taken by General Scales, the leader of the Sharpclaw... they are using him as ransom for them to leave the Krazoa Palace defenseless. If they go there... the Sharpclaw will kill him."

"I see." Brian mused, scratching his goatee. "So, they can't stop them at this Krazoa thingamajig because they'll off her kid if they do. If they focus their efforts at getting her kid back... that leaves this Krazoa place undefended. One hell of a catch twenty-two. I guess I'm in, seeing as we have the firepower to make 'em feel the pain."

The vixen smiled, giving him a brief hug... blinking at the fact that he stepped back a bit after she let go. He wasn't really willing to express even friendly affection, which seemed very odd to her. "Ehm... how will we do this... both at one time?" Brian's jaw dropped as she said that.

"Wait a second. I thought we were going to go on one mission, and they would follow up with another? What gives?" The human was puzzled, and more than a little irked. If they weren't going to hold up their end of the bargain, why should they?

"It's not that simple. With the planet broken up as it is, well... it's very hard to get around. They have a way of getting us to where we need to go, but for some reason it cannot transport any of the native Saurians." As Brian scowled, she placed a paw on his shoulder. "Please. They really need our help."

"Alright." The Marine grumbled. "One question. If we are going to have to split up, what are we going to do? Who goes to this Krazoa place, and who gets to pick up the Queen's kid?" He would have to prepare for either. On one hand, rescuing the kid meant that whoever did it would have to speak the language. That was Krystal's territory. On the other hand, going to that Palace meant that they would have to deal with those... spirits, for lack of a better term. With Krystal's abilities, it would be easier for her to do it, also.

She sensed this, moving her other paw up to scratch her ear. "Well, she said obtaining a Krazoa spirit meant going through trials to ensure only one of pure heart has a chance at taking it. I would be better at this, with the preparation I had to go through for my own Trials." She grinned at him, forcing bitter memories away for the moment being. "It's okay if you don't speak Cerinian, Brian. Let me ask if there is something that they can give you... something that her son will recognize."

Krystal turned to the Queen once more, offering the Earthwalker a sincere smile. "My friend will help us, as well. However, he does not speak our language; is there anything you can provide him that your son might recognize?"

"Your strange friend speaks Lylat, yes?" When Krystal nodded, the Queen continued, chuckling somewhat. The laughter was deep and mirthful, especially when regarding the situation. "My son has spent much time around the shopkeeper, Shabunga. He speaks the Lylat tongue... I'm quite proud of him." She turned to Brian then... even though they couldn't understand each other. "If you can return my son to me, the Earthwalker tribe will be in your debt."

The vixen glanced to the Marine, now playing translator to the two. "She says her son speaks Lylat, so communicating with him won't be a problem. Also, the Earthwalker tribe will be indebted to us if we help them... their planet is in severe danger because of this, Brian."

The human glanced down to his boots before looking up. "Well, looks like the more things change, the more stays the same. The Marines have a... knack for making dictators have a bad day." His eyes fell on Krystal, a plan forming in his mind. "What I need to know is where they are and how we're getting there."

The Cerinian conveyed this to the Earthwalker, perking her ears when she received the Queen's response. "The Warpstone will be able to take you to Ice Mountain as well as Krazoa Palace... it will be able to bring you back from the Palace, although your friend will have to come back from Ice Mountain himself." She nodded upwards, Krystal following her gaze to a tall snow-capped peak in the distance. This would definitely be a trial for them both...

*------------------------------------------*

"Well... looks like we're going solo for a bit." Brian rehashed their situation as they made their way back to the Humvee. "I know you've got the easy ride in and out, but... with all this gear I think I need to get you outfitted correctly."

"What do you mean by that?" Krystal inquired. "I have a new set of clothes, my staff... I doubt I'll be gone long enough to need any food. What else would I need?" She was a bit puzzled at that... other than Brian grabbing his weapons, they were pretty much ready for their respective tasks.

The Marine glanced over to her as they reached the vehicle. He had been mulling this decision over for the past few minutes, but... she was right. He had to trust her. The fact was they had to work together to get out of this mess. "I've been thinking it over a bit. You need a piece. Your staff might be potent and all of that, but if the chips go down there's no substitute for a gun in your hand. Just have a dilemma as far as that goes."

She regarded him, placing a paw on the fender of the vehicle. He was going to give her a blaster? "What... dilemma do you have?" She asked curiously, fighting the urge to put her paw on his shoulder. The human was just too... distracted, too caught up on what he needed to do to get the job done rather than just... doing it.

"Well... the M16 might be a bit big and bulky if you need to get up close, but I want to give you something with more punch than a nine-millimeter. These Sharpclaw are a bit tough, and I think you'd be better off with something that'll put one of those down with authority." He glanced into the Humvee, looking around the cargo area. He had only really poked around it in the dark, and that meant there might be other stuff hiding around... "Wait a second. They stretched a tarp up here. There's gotta be something..." A loud clatter and a yelp caused Krystal to look at her alien companion, who was grumbling a bit, pulling out of the Humvee with a hand held to the back of his head. "Dammit... who keeps shit stored up there like that?"

The vixen giggled, now placing her hand on his shoulder. "Let me have a look." Removing his hand, she saw that he had endured a decent-sized bump, but nothing was bleeding. "there's no blood... you'll be okay. Sounds like you found more stuff." She glanced into the vehicle, but all she really saw was a bunch of displaced cloth and a few objects in the pile.

"More like the stuff found me." Brian mused, eliciting another giggle from Krystal. He climbed back into the Humvee, recognizing one of the objects that fell. "Well, this is something you can use." As he emerged from the Humvee, he held a weapon that looked very much like one of the blaster rifles he had, but much more compact. "M4 Carbine. These guys were probably keeping it as a room-sweeper. The colonel ordered us all to keep M16s instead of these for the knockdown power.

"It looks a lot lighter than the one you have, Brian." Krystal took a good look at it. He held the M4 out to her, which she took great care in handling. "It is pretty light; I could go through my combat stances with my staff while also carrying this." She grinned like a kit with a new toy. "How... do I use it?"

Brian brought out the larger version, showing it to the vixen and pointing out several key features. "Well, you have this switch here that selects the fire mode. Safe means the rifle won't fire if you pull the trigger or drop it.. keep it on this setting unless you're getting into a fight. Semi means the rifle will fire one shot per trigger pull, and burst means it will fire three. You have thirty rounds per magazine, so keep it on Semi unless you're in a whole heap of trouble. When you do a mag change, you press this catch here... make sure you keep the magazine." Brian demonstrated the controls for her. "Then you press this catch here to work the bolt home... and you're ready to go. You can also pull this handle at the top of the rifle to do it, too."

The Cerinian practiced moving the switches and ejecting the magazine, trying to get familiar with the alien weapon. Her paws fumbled with it at first, but with a few practice reloads she quickly got the hang of it. "So... keep it on safe until I'm ready to use it. If I use it, keep it on semi. Bursts go through shots quickly, so only use them in emergencies?" Brian nodded, offering her a grin. "And... I think you look through this hole in the back and line up the notch in the front as a sight? It acts like my brother's blaster."

"You got it." Brian reached back inside the Humvee and tossed a pouch to her. "That has three extra magazines. With the one you have in the gun you've got a hundred twenty rounds. Should be enough without weighing you down too much. Just don't spray everything down with burst fire and you'll be fine." In a move she wasn't expecting he patted her on the shoulder. "Should give you some extra insurance."

Krystal gave him a smile as she placed the pouch on her belt, which she had also tucked her staff into. "Thank you, Brian... for everything. I'm not sure what would have happened to me if you hadn't showed up."

"Don't thank me yet, Krystal." The Marine shrugged. "I was just in the right place at the right time. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get to it." He motioned up to one end of the valley. It was blocked off by a large brick wall, although one of the Earthwalkers had punched a hasty opening through it. Beyond that lay a very large stone statue... which was the Warpstone, form what they were told.

"That is true, Brian." Krystal blinked and looked at him. He had pulled off his pack and was tucking rifle magazines into his vest. While they were still going to be on a mission of sorts, it didn't mean that they couldn't have fun. "Are you ready?" At his nod, she developed a mischievous grin. "Beat you there." Without even waiting for a reply she took off, rushing towards the wall that blocked the Warpstone off from the rest of the valley.

Brian was unprepared, but he decided to play along. He rushed after her, although Krystal's head start and the fact the vixen was only loaded down with about a quarter of the ammo he was dragging along made playing catch-up a very difficult proposition. She was fast.

_ _ Even used to booking it in combat zones, Brian had trouble even gaining ground on her. She was looking back and laughing jovially, and that made him grin. At least she was focusing on something else than what had happened to her. The Cerinian rushed up a small slope, leaping through the opening to the small cove above the valley.

Krystal stopped, for all the world barely out of breath from the run. It was a full ten seconds before Brian jumped through... even without his combat pack he was a little winded. "Damn... you have been eating your Wheaties! I would have paid fifty bucks to see you race against DI Barnes!" He laughed a bit, patting her on the shoulder. "I'll make a Marine out of you yet."

The vixen giggled at the compliments, flicking her ears at him as he spoke. "I wasn't the swiftest one in Guardian training, but I wasn't far behind. But, if you want me to be a Marine, you'll have to tell me what you Marines actually do, first." She gave him a friendly wink before turning to the Warpstone the Queen was telling her about. Her expression got a little more serious as she explained what was going to happen. "She told me that the Warpstone will have the power to send me to Krazoa Palace, and you to Ice Mountain. We will be seeing quite a bit of him, so be polite." Even now she could sense that the Warpstone was in slumber, but slowly stirring. "Let me talk to him, first."

Krystal slowly skirted around the massive stone figure, getting a good look at its proportions. Chiseled from granite, it showed a very rotund, square-jawed figure with a mirthful grin permanently placed on its features. With a small feeling of nervousness she stepped on the stone dais in front of it. "H.. hello?" she asked hesitantly.

The reply was unexpected. The figure moved, its arms stretching and a loud, rumbling yawn coming from its large mouth. She had woke it up, but she didn't sense too much anger from it. The Warpstone spoke in an accent that Krystal knew as an obscure Cerinian dialect. Krystal was distracted as she caught a burst of mental laughter from Brian... something was pretty funny. "Who be disturbing my slumber? A Warpstone like me be needing his beauty sleep, yanno?" The Warpstone bent down a little bit, eying the vixen with a puzzled gaze. "At least ye not be tryin' te read my mind. Yer a polite one! Now, who ye be, lass?"

"I am Krystal, Guardian of Family Haleth from Cerinia. I seek passage to Krazoa Palace, and my friend seeks passage to Ice Mountain. We are trying to help the Earthwalker Tribe defeat General Scales." Krystal was direct when she needed to, and time was running out.

"Aye, so the Thorntail have told me. They dinnae have much of a chance before ye showed up... they be busy at savin' their own tails." The Warpstone turned to the side, casting a critical eye towards Brian. "Now, who ye be, lad?"

The Marine introduced himself... Krystal said to be polite, so he snapped a salute. Not exactly protocol, but it would work. "Brian Lancing. Sergeant, First Division, United States Marines." He remained silent after that.. more because he didn't know what to say. It wasn't every day that he ran into a talking statue that sounded just like Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers movies. It took a good dose of willpower not to crack up.

"Alright then, I'll help ye both. Ye best be getting on that dais where yer friend is on, Lancing. As Brian moved next to Krystal it rose from the ground, meeting the Warpstone who regarded the two with a curious gaze. "Now... my magic dinnae let me warp dinosaurs, but it let me warp ye both." He held out both massive hands. "Step on my left hand to go to Krazoa Palace, and step on my right hand to go to Ice Mountain."

Krystal looked at Brian, placing a paw on his shoulder to get his attention. "Please be safe out there. There are Sharpclaw, and we already know they're dangerous." She offered him a soft smile. "I don't want to lose another friend."

"Don't worry about me." the Marine countered. "I've been in worse scrapes. Just take care of yourself, alright? If all else fails, fill 'em with lead." he patted the stock of the M4 slung around her back. "Something tells me this is just the beginning."

the vixen nodded, tearing her emerald eyes away from his before stepping on the Warpstone's left hand. As she did so Brian stepped on its twin, giving her a nod. Without any preamble, the world disappeared in a flash of swirling color.