{"sf1_id":625165,"sf2_id":null,"title":"A Flare for Adventure!","author":"Jinx Curi","words":2569,"posted_at":"2013-12-11T09:05:00.000Z","tags":["Action","Adventure","Desert","Fantasy","Female","Fox","Sci-Fi","combat","vulpine"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/625165-a-flare-for-adventure","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/625165","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=625165\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"The dusty expanse of the western edge\nof the Kalimaris Desert stretched out before Flare. As she crested the ridge up which she had scrambled,\nthe orange furred fox halted, booted feet sinking shallowly into the fine sand\nas she steadied her footing. Flare\nshaded her piercingly emerald eyes from the harsh glare of the sun, squinting at\nthe distant horizon as she caught her breath.\nKeen vulpine eyes picked out the hazy outlines of familiar landmarks in\nthe distance, the mind of the seasoned traveller instinctively calculating a\nmental estimate at how many days travel lay ahead of her. Two...no, maybe three...The fox nodded to herself. She did not have to check the canteens\nclipped securely to her belt to know that she had sufficient water remaining to\nmake it across the bowl-like depression.\nWater discipline was one of the harshest lessons learned by all\ntravellers who traversed the inhospitable reaches between the trade\ncities. With what she felt was\npracticed care, Flare began to descend, and cursed as she almost immediately lost\nher footing as the sands shifted beneath her, sending the fox sliding down the\nslope. The loose long coat she wore\nflapped about behind her as she flailed for balance, catching on the tip of the\nswaying sheathe in which her prized TrueSteel Katana was securely nestled. She closed her eyes; sucking in a meditative\nbreath as she held out her arms to her sides and bent her knees, grasping at\nher inner balance, and breathed a sigh of relief as her unsteady descent drew\nto a halt. As she found her footing\nagain, the fox rolled her eyes skywards at the quickened beat of her\nheart. She knew there was a measure of\nlogic to her anxious state. More than\none unlucky traveller had lost their footing traversing the dunes of the Kalimaris,\nand slipped into a hidden sinkhole, perishing within the suffocating\ndepths. Dusting herself off, Flare began\nher descent again, shifting her balance and gritting her teeth each time the\nslope threatened to send her tumbling down.\nTwenty minutes later, she stood at the base of the slope, taking a few\nsips of revitalising fluid from her canteen, eyes closed in a pleasurable\nmoment of relaxation as she savoured the cooler temperature within the\ndepression. The rising natural walls\nthat enclosed it granted some measure of protection from the merciless glare of\nNova Terra's primary, and made it the most popular trade route to Oasis City. Flare carefully stopped the canteen and\nclipped it to her belt, adjusted the backpack which she carried over one\nshoulder and set off once more. Shhhhhssh...Flare's ears twitched as they\npicked up the muffled noise. She paused\nin her steady march, ears tilting as they sought its origin. Shhhh...shhhhsshhh...The fox's eyes widened as the\nsand beneath her feet suddenly began to bulge upwards and she reflexively leapt\nback, handpaw instinctively grasping the pommel of her katana. From within the spot where moments earlier\nshe had stood, a desert predator burst upwards, sand tumbling from its chitinous\nskin, the maniples that surmounted its beetle-like head already snapping\nfuriously in her direction. With\nsurprising speed, it boiled forth from its burrow, chest-height stubby\nworm-like body propelled forth by a battery of pumping legs, catching Flare by\nsurprise. She hastily backed away,\nletting out a panicked curse as she lost her footing and stumbled. Only unconscious instinct and muscle-memory\nsaved her from greater injury as the creature lunged at her and she twisted at\nthe last second. She winced as the\nflanks of its head smashed into her side, driving the wind from her lungs and\nsnagging and tearing into her long-jacket on its leftmost maniple. She landed heavily; gasping in a mixture of\nfright and pain as it dragged her along in its wake. Flare wriggled frantically, fighting to\ndislodge herself and remove the jacket that threatened to render her easy prey\nfor the worm. With a triumphant cry she\nbroke free and scrambled to her feet, fur and tail puffed out in an aggressive\ndisplay as adrenaline surged through her veins.\nWith a metallic ching she drew\nher katana; its keen blade catching the light as the fox assumed a battle\nposture, muscles tensing as she readied herself to dodge another incoming\nattack. As the worm halted its charge\nand wheeled to face her again, she raised the katana and pointed its tip in the\ncreatures' direction, lips drawing back in a snarl as she shouted a challenge,\nignoring the throbbing pain and warmth spreading through her bruised side. \"C'mon, bring it on, worm!\"An inhuman screech rewarded her\nbravado, and again it surged forward, eager to devour its prey. This time, Flare was ready. The vulpine explorer spread her booted feet\nas if to meet its charge head on, drawing it in closer, and closer. She wrinkled her nose as its reeking stench\nassaulted her senses as the predator bore down upon her, its insect-like\nfeatures unlovely and alien to her eyes.\nIt lunged for her, razor-sharp maniples snapping eagerly and Flare leapt\naside as the moment she had awaited arrived, pivoting in the air as she brought\nher katana down, muscles taut as she gripped it tightly in a double-handed\nhold. The deadly-sharp killing edge\nsmashed and tore through the lightly armoured chitin of its upper braincase,\nand the mortally wounded insect screeched in sudden panic, oily black blood\nbubbling up through the mangled remains of its skull. Flare snarled defiantly as she fought to\nkeep her grip as the dying predator dragged and desperately tried to snap at\nher, booted feet scrabbling for purchase on the desert floor and she used every\nthrashing motion to drive and saw at the mortal wound with her blade. With a final bubbling, mournful wail as the\nkilling edge ripped through its diminutive brain, the predator fell silent and\ncollapsed to the ground in a plume of erupting sand. Silence, as deafening as the cries of the\ninsect, suddenly fell upon the bloody scene.\nFlare had released her grip and lay prone against the desert floor,\nchest heaving as she fought to control her wildly beating heart and catch her\nbreath. She suddenly grinned; a fierce,\ntriumphant smile and she howled her jubilation at having survived another\nencounter with death. It was over. Night had fallen in the\ndesert. Overhead, the silvery moon,\nLuna, waxed full, bathing Flare in its pale, white light, as she sat before her\ncampfire. The fire burned merrily; the\ndry kindling from her backpack had taken easily as the fox had worked her\nlighter to ignite it. Needle and thread\nwere now the fox's weapons, as she worked to repair the ragged tears in her\njacket, pawfingers deftly sewing and stitching patches where required. Roasting upon skewers above her fire were prepared\nslivers of the flesh of the insect she had slain. The meat of the predator had proven to be\nboth edible and somewhat tasty, and choice cuts would supplement her remaining\ntrail rations. Her katana lay within\neasy reach, and true to its name, its killing edge had remained unblemished and\nkeen as she had tugged it free from its deadly embrace and critically examined\nit. TrueSteel was a rare commodity upon\nNova Terra, and weapons forged from the material were prized beyond measure for\ntheir durability. Her work completed, Flare\ncarefully stowed her sewing kit and lay back across the blanket she had thrown\ndown, stretching out her legs as she reclined and stared up at the\nstar-speckled sky. A contented sigh left\nthe fox's lips as she arched her back, working out the tension that had built\nup in her shoulder muscles, and easing the pain in her side. Her nostrils flared as the clear scent of the\ndesert, mixed with the sweet aroma of the cooking meat, tugged at her senses,\nrevitalising the weary wanderer. There\nwas an exotic beauty to the desert; unlike many who clung to the familiar\nsafety of the Trade Cities and bustling numbers, Flare did not fear or despise\nit. She had learned to appreciate the\nnatural beauty that Nova Terra had to offer.\nA sardonic smile tugged up at the corner of her mouth as rolled over\nonto her front, turning to a hiss of indrawn breath and a wince as her bruised\nribs pinched and twinged uncomfortably from the glancing blow that the insect\nnow providing her dinner had inflicted upon her. Pushing thoughts of the battle from her mind,\nFlare fluffed out her tail to swish lazily back and forth, as she let her mind\nwander, staring out at the desert landscape that stretched out for many miles\nahead of her.Now, if only its inhabitants didn't occasionally try to kill me...Flare set off again the next\nmorning at first light, leaving the corpse of the monstrous insect far behind\nto the sands and desert scavengers. Her\npace was slow and steady, hampered by her discomfort, but she also more wary\nnow, ever watchful for another surprise attack by the predator's brethren. Her remaining journey proved though to be\nuneventful, and late on the third day, upon catching sight of the sprawling\nwalls and the singularly towering bulk of Oasis City' s Central Tower, brought\na smile to the lips of the weary, travel-stained fox. Home. \"Ho, Flare!\"Keeinar's amplified shout greeted\nher as she approached the central Southern gate. High up on the sandstone wall that formed\nOasis City's primary defence against the depreciations of bandits and the\nrampaging swarms of Tungan Worms that seasonally assaulted the city, a\ngrey-furred wolf guard waved down at her, clutching a megaphone in one\nhandpaw. With a weary grin, Flare cupped\nher hands and returned the greeting as loud as she could.\"Ho, Keeinar! Open up!\" \"What's the password?\"Flare snorted at the\ntongue-in-cheek challenge, and yelled back with a good-natured retort. \"Your den-mother was a Tungan Worm, and your\nsire was a Vrax Bug!\"\"Good enough! Welcome home,\nwanderer!\"Chuckling at the exchange with\nher oldest friend, she adjusted her pack and marched on, as the mechanisms that\nopened the settlement southern gate engaged and the solid TrueSteel gate began\nto grind upwards. Flare flashed her\nfriend a quick thumbs up as she marched through the gate and into the bustling\nhub of civilisation that was Oasis City.\nAlmost immediately, an orchestra\nof smells and sounds clamoured at her senses, distractingly so after three\nweeks of solitude in the desert. A\ntree-lined avenue stretched out before her, bustling with activity and bordered\nwith a multitude of colourful stalls, their owners jostling newly arrived\ntravellers with their wares. Flare\nnodded politely to several as she made her way past, exchanging pleasantries\nand smiles with familiar city residents and merchants, taking in the sights,\nsmells and sounds of her home. Largest\nof the Trade Cities, the genesis of what had eventually been christened 'Oasis\nCity' had arisen in the chaotic years following the Twilight Impact. When the dust had settled, and the sky had\nbegun to clear and lighten again, the surviving scientists and engineers of Restoration\nProject Station Prime had squared their shoulders and begun the long process of\nfulfilling their purpose - restoring life to the broken world around them. Linked by buried networks and spottier pulse\nradio communication, the sub-stations of the Restoration Project together\nweathered the worst of the Twilight Aftermath.\nNot all were successful; two had fallen silent, their losses\nmourned. The stations became fortresses of civilisation\nas the deserts spread across the face of Nova Terra; shining beacons that even\nas other survivors struggled to rebuild their own forms of civilisation, would\nassume a central focus in the new societies that arose. As\ntrade and the exchange of knowledge and technology was re-established, a\nsettlement arose around the Prime Complex, that over the following decades grew\ninto the largest in the region, the first city of the new age, and as the\nterraforming efforts of the Project proved fruitful, truly lived up to its\nname. As she walked through the paved\nstreets towards her destination, she stopped at several of the stalls, handing\nover trade chits for choice pieces of fruit with which to sate her growing\nappetite. She relished sinking her\nteeth into the juicy flesh of the swollen Jumja Pears and Mangoons grown in the\nhydroponics gardens that Oasis City was renowned for, wiping juice from her\nmuzzle carelessly with her sleeve as she devoured the purchases eagerly. After several weeks of dried trail rations and\nthen insect flesh, the heady, rich flavours of the fruit made her head\nswim. She made a mental note to purchase\nseveral more to devour before she left on her next assignment.The sky had darkened to an inky\ntwilight when Flare reached the Wayrest Pub.\nThe watering hole, famed for its exotically brewed beers and 'The\nSoftest Beds This Side of the Kalimaris', was already beginning to fill with a\nmix of regular patrons and new arrivals to the city. Flare politely excused herself through the\ncrowds, nodding and exchanging pleasantries with familiar faces as she sought\nher regular place next to the bar. \"What'd be, Flare?\" The question came from Jinza, the\nlandlord of the Wayrest, a stout and grim-faced, but kind-hearted rat who had\nbecome rather quite fond of the fox that regularly patronised his establishment,\nand caused him no trouble. Wincing as\nshe sat down and let her tail droop down off the end, Flare flashed him a wan,\ntired smile as she spoke. \"Just a\nClearwater, thanks.\"\"Comin' right up.\"Thick worm-like tail swishing\nbehind him, Jinza waddled off, leaving Flare alone with her thoughts. She was not alone with them for long, as she\ntwisted in her seat as a handpaw fell on and gripped her shoulder. A flash of irritation at having been\ndisturbed cooled rapidly as she saw Keeinar's grey-furred face and grin, and\nshe returned it, as she nodded to the seat next to her. \"So, how was the journey to Ho-\"\nhe began without preamble, halting as he saw her wince and clutch her side as\ntried to adjust her position upon her stool to something a little more\ncomfortable, \"Ooh, that looks painful!\" he commented sympathetically, also\nnoticing the raggedly patched nature of her signature jacket. \"How'd that happen?\"Flare shrugged in a dismissive\nfashion, as she nodded at Jinza as she returned with her drink and she slid\nover a trade chit. \"One of the worms tried to take a\nbite of me; in the end, I took a bite out of it.\" She flashed him a predatory\ngrin, licking her lips theatrically, and Keeinar chuckled at her performance,\nand waved a hand towards the barkeep, signalling he wanted the same as\nFlare. Jinza returned with moments with\nanother flagon of the filtered and lightly flavoured water, sliding it across\nthe bar. Keeinar's deft pawfingers\ncaught it and with the same smooth dexterity, raised it up in salute to his\nfriend, lips quirked up in a crooked grin.\"To your swift recovery and\nvictory in battle, and the first of many nights that we shall spend celebrating\nyour return home, for I have missed you dearly.\"Flare stifled a laugh at his\ntheatrics, but was inwardly touched by his kind words none-the-less. Shaking her head in an amused fashion, she\ngripped her flagon, raised it, flashing him an eager grin, and touched the rim\nof her cup to his own.\"Cheers!\""}