{"sf1_id":739223,"sf2_id":"Oe56V35m","title":"Aurora Borealis, chapter two","author":"DangelUrdiales","words":3918,"posted_at":"2014-08-04T02:08:00.000Z","tags":["Action","Apocalipsis","Borealis","Dystopia","Echoes","Yourself","aurora","camille","finding","rose"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/739223-aurora-borealis-chapter-two","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/Oe56V35m","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/14/dd/14dd6423-ad78-4e8f-941d-e1d514103489","description":"#2 of Aurora Borealis: My new wrold awaiting\n\nThis is the second chapter of Aurora Borealis. Here comes some explanation of the gifts seen in the last chapter and also some deeper understanding of this universe. Enjoy it.","content":"\"Ahh\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;Rose opened her eyes very slowly, blinked several times to focus on her surroundings. I   \nsighed in relief. It had been about three hours since she had passed out. After we had driven   \nout of the mall I didn't know what to do with her, she was the   \nnurse not me, so I just took her upstairs to her room and laid her down on her bed, trying   \nnot to panic. I had stood there for fifteen minutes, sick with worry when I realized that her   \nroom looked a lot like mine: white ceiling, wool floor, one bed and a single window. The only   \ndifference was that beside her bed stood a small drawer. On top there was a green mint pot   \nwith flowers in it. At the moment I didn't know it was just a flower so I was quite intrigued   \nby it. I looked closely at it and got hypnotized by the light around the flower, dancing   \nto some silent tune. The yellow river seemed to come out of the flower, droplets of it   \ntouching the petals. The little river of light floated around it, defying gravity. I looked at   \nit for a lot of time and wondered if all flowers were the same. Then I heard her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;She finally stopped blinking and saw me standing at the side of the bed. She looked at me   \nfrom head to... well, paw. She frowned.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"How come you are standing and I'm in bed?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Don't ask me, you're the one that passed out.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"What do you mean?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Well, you were-\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"LOOK OUT!\" She yelled pointing behind me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I grabbed the flower pot beside the bed and threw it behind without looking. The pot   \nsplattered against the wall, becoming a million pieces.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Glad I wasn't there\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;I looked at the bedroom's entrance and saw Camille.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Oh, you meant her\", I said, \"don't worry, she won't hurt us.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;Rose looked at me astonished.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Right, you haven't met.\" I cleared my throat, \"Rose, the dark-furred girl over there is   \nCamille. She saved us back at the mall\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Camille, the just a moment ago passed out girl on the bed is Rose.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;Camille stared at her with a calculating glare. She studied her for several seconds, looking   \nat her like she was an object. I could notice that Rose was getting a bit pissed off.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Glad you're awake.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;I looked at Camille and raised an eyebrow. I wasn't expecting that. When we had talked she   \nseemed so cold. All I could get out of her was her name and all the other questions I had   \nmade she evaded. Rose hadn't expected it either. She mumbled\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Uh... thanks.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"You feeling better?\" Camille asked, tying to sound empathic.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Yes, but... what exactly happened?\" she asked, looking at me. I was about to tell her when   \nCamille spoke up\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"As far as I saw, you guys were getting some stuff, just like me. I had no intention on   \nhelping you until the others arrived. I knew you wouldn't stand a chance against so many of   \nthem. So, I helped.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"You... killed the bull dog?\" asked Rose, remembering the events.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"No. That one's on your friend there\", said Camille, pointing at me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;Rose gave me a shocked look and asked, \"Really?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Yeah, kind'a. Not sure how, though\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"You used your gift\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;We both looked at Camille.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"What?\" Rose asked, saying exactly what was on my mind.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"I'll try to explain it as best as I can. See, when the Aurora wave hit us everything   \ngot messed up. People disappeared and we got fusion with animals. It  \ngave each of us a certain color and a certain gift\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"How you know that?\" I asked, almost defiantly\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Because\", she answered, \"my gift is to know others gifts and make them better. It's like   \nself-awareness or something.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;That was the most sense-full thing I had heard. At last, something that had a how and a why   \nthat I could understand. Rose spoke up\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"So, what you're saying is that a Neon wave hit the earth and we got mixed with animals and   \ngot super powers because of it\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;Camille thought about it and said \"Yeah, pretty much\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"That explains how you managed to heal me\" I said to Rose.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Yeah, but still. If we all have one, what is Echoes' gift?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"His gift is to retaliate\", Said Camille, \"That's the best way I can put it. Everything that   \nanyone does to him happens to them. Like that bulldog guy, he tried to chop your arm off, his   \nended up chopped. But he's hurt too, so he's not invincible.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;I stood there, letting the new information sink in. I tried to make sense of what she just   \nsaid, trying to use logic to deny it. I said\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Well, it does make sense.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Wait\", said Rose, \"Camille, if your gift is to know others gifts how come we didn't see   \nyou?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;She hesitated.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"I know my way around shadows\" she said finally. I could see that those few words hadn't come   \nout easy.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"And also, how did you end up at the mall alone?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;Camille shot her a scary look. \"That's none of your business\". Then she turned around and   \nstormed out of the room. I looked at Rose.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Way to go girl.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"How was I supposed to know she would act that way?\" She leaned on the wall behind her, her   \nfeet and arms crossed. \"I don't like her\". I sat down on the bed beside her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"You want to kick her out after she saved our lives and showed you your gift?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"I can't kick her out. Besides, we could use an extra hand the next time we go to a mall.  \nMaybe I'm just a little edgy\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Maybe\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;I looked at the entrance and made sure that Camille wasn't hearing.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"But I gotta agree with you. She does give me a bad feeling.\"\n\n...\n\n\u0026nbsp;I went down the wool covered stairs, smelling the delicious dinner that Rose had made. God,   \nif she knew something it was how to cook. When I got off the stairs I noticed Camille on a   \ncorner. She was leaning against the wall, a foot behind the other. Paw behind the other. Okay,   \nwe never quite figured which, but you get it. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were closed,   \nthe yellow katana tied to her back with what used to be my bandages.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"I was wondering where I'd left them\", I said. Camille heard me and opened her eyes.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Since you didn't need them anymore I thought about putting them to good use. That okay with   \nyou?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Fine by me\". I answered.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Dinner's ready\", said Rose while coming out of the kitchen, \"Camille, you're welcome to come   \nand eat with us. And I want to offer an apology for upsetting you earlier\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;Camille nodded. \"You didn't mean to. And I would love to take a bite on whatever you made. It   \nsmells amazing\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;I could see that Rose was flattered, even though she tried to hide it. \"Then come, the   \ntable's already set\". She turned around and entered the kitchen again. Camille followed her   \nwith a balanced stride and I went after. The kitchen's table was made of glass and had a   \ncircular shape. On the table were three plates and in the center there was the dish.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"What's that?\" I asked while sitting down.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"It's called 'Poutine'\", said Rose.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"You mean like the Canadian food?\" Asked Camille.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Yeah, that's the one\", Rose answered.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I didn't even bother to ask what 'Canadian' meant. I knew by then that that the answer would   \nonly get me more words I didn't understand and then more and more, so I just let the question   \npass.\n\n\u0026nbsp;Rose served each of us a third of the 'Poutine' thing and we dug in. I used the fork as well   \nas I could manage, but I didn't remember any manners either, so I think I made a fool of   \nmyself. I saw Camille eating it bit by bit, testing the flavor. I tried to copy her movements,   \nbut to no avail. Then she said\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"This is pretty good. Where'd you learn to cook?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"My dad taught me. He wasn't very good at it, but we always had fun. You know, when I moved   \nout of Toronto, into this town all I would do was cook, just to remember him. To remember   \nhome.\" She looked at the wall in front of her, but seemed to look for something beyond it.   \nThen she came back to focus.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Sorry, I tend to do that.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Don't worry\" said Camille \"We've all lost someone.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;Silence was made on the table and we kept eating the 'Poutine' until there was nothing left.   \nI started to get up and leave the table when Camille said\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"I checked your supplies. It seems that there's only food for two days and water for four.   \nAlso, the van that we stole only has half the tank, so, if we were to go to the mall again,   \nit'd be a one way trip. Do you know any gas stations nearby?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;Rose thought of it, taking her finger to her snout, trying to remember. She said \"Only to the   \nNorth, the other way from the mall. But it's just a couple of miles away, much closer than   \nthe mall.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Perfect.\" Said Camille, her face unchanging.\n\n\u0026nbsp;We all stood up and left our cardboard plate's in the trash can. I followed the girls outside   \nthe kitchen and saw Rose extending her arm towards the couch.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"You can sleep here.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;Camille nodded and said \"Thanks for letting me stay.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Don't mention it.\" Said Rose dismissively \"you need anything, just say it.\" She turned   \naround and went up the flight of stairs towards her room.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I went upstairs and into the guest's room, closing the door behind me. I stared at it and   \nnoticed that it looked different since I was standing. The bed looked much smaller and the   \nceiling looked lower. Even the window seemed smaller. I took off my jeans and walked to the   \nbed. I let myself fall on the blankets and I stretched my arms, ready to finally get some   \nsleep. I closed my eyelids and started drifting off, thinking about nothing, just enjoying the   \nfeeling of falling into darkness. Then I saw a clearing. I was standing in it and taking in   \nthe rising sun. 'What a beautiful morning'. I heard a sonic boom. I looked behind me and saw   \nan animal run away. 'Fucking coward'. I saw a Neon wave. I ran.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I woke up panting and with my body burning. I tried to make sense of what I'd just seen,   \ntrying to remember why I had this feeling that I'd seen it before. Then I remembered the   \nflashback I had in my way to the mall. It was the same thing, just a little bit more detailed.   \nSo that was what hit us, that's the Aurora wave. I felt joy for finally remembering something,   \nbut I couldn't shake the terror of the moment. I stood up and went to the bathroom, barely   \nseeing where I was stepping. I didn't trip only for the faint moonlight. I opened the   \nbathroom door silently and closed it behind me. I put my hands at the sides of the bucket   \nfull of water that we used to clean ourselves.\u0026nbsp; I dip my hands into the cold water and put   \nsome on my forehead and cheeks. The fur on my face got soaked and flat against my skin in a   \ndamp way, the almost freezing water refreshing my skin.\u0026nbsp; I sighed pleasantly. That's just what   \nI needed. I took the water off my face with my hands and I saw a pair of eyes staring at me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I stared back at my reflection, into those cyan eyes that seemed to hold too many secrets.   \nWho I was. What I did. Why I did it. Whom I wanted to be and whom I knew. But no answer about   \nthe mysteries of my self came to me. I sighed and looked at my furred chest, wondering why I   \nhad woken up with no memory and with broken ribs. Who am I? I shrugged the issue away and went   \nto my room, leaving the bathroom door opened. I threw myself to the bed again, jeans on and   \nclosed my eyelids, but no matter how hard I tried to sleep dreams eluded me. After the   \nhundredth try a single thought came to my head. I need to do something.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I stood up, trying to make no sounds, but unable to keep my energy down. I left my bedroom's   \ndoor open and I headed downstairs slowly, trying to be silent. I went down step by step, the   \nwool absorbing my weight and the noise. I finally reached the ground floor and started to turn   \nthe door knob when I saw movement at my left. I turned my head and saw Camille sleeping   \nsideways, her ears occasionally fluttering. I let out the breath I was holding and I opened   \nthe door. As soon as I stepped out of the house the night air struck my body with a welcoming   \nsigh. I took a deep breath and I smiled, feeling some sort of peace in my heart. I closed the   \ndoor behind me and I walked towards the asphalt, glancing at the van on my way. I stood on the   \nroad and looked into the starry sky, thousands of white flickers above me. Then I looked ahead   \nof me and saw yellow stars dancing at the other side of the road, lured seemingly by the   \nforest. I followed the floating lights, hypnotized by their constant flicker.\n\n\u0026nbsp;As I finished crossing the road and stepped into the woods a neon green light glowed at my   \nfeet. As I stood there the forest came to life with a green glow, some trees giving off a   \nfainter glow than others. As I gasped and stared with wonder all the forest started to flicker   \naround me, lighting up my path. I walked forth, touching as many plants as I could and saw   \ntheir reaction to my touch. Some of them got a stronger glow, while others got fainter. Some   \ndidn't change at all. I kept waking, glancing at an occasional flower here and there, which   \ncolors differed from the plants surrounding them, giving them an unique touch. I walked on,   \nthe yellow stars still floating around me. Then I saw a tree.\n\n\u0026nbsp;The pine stood taller than any other, demonstrating its mightiness by sitting on top of a   \nhill. Amazed by it, I walked towards it. As I closed in I saw a river of light flowing around   \nit, just like the flower from Rose's bed had. The only difference was that the droplets were   \ngreen and spiraled around the tree in a much slower way. I stood at its base and saw each   \nbranch let go its own light. I took a step forward and reached slowly with my arm. With a   \nsingle finger I touched the trunk and saw how the tree lit up the night with a fiercer glow   \nthan before.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I heard a growl.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I turned my head as fast as I could and saw a creature at the base of the hill, the opposite   \ndirection where I had come from. It stood on all fours and was bulkier than me, its head   \nprobably at the height of my chest. It had Black fur and was covered with white hexagonal   \nmarkings. I watched its spiraling horns at its head pointing up and its eyes staring at me. I   \nchanged my stance to defend myself. If it attacked the gift would protect me, but I at least   \nhad to look strong. Then I heard footsteps coming from behind the creature. They sounded much   \nbigger than it. As the steps grew louder I finally saw it. The other creature looked just as   \nthe first, only different by its larger horns and size. It easily out heighted me and the   \nthing was even bulkier than the van. It walked in front of the little one and growled at me. I   \ncould feel my knees trembling. Then I saw more and more of those creatures closing in and I   \ndidn't think about it. I turned tail and ran towards the house.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I sprinted as fast as I could, hearing the creatures following but in a slower pace. I   \nremembered the path I had taken and in no time was seeing the house. I stormed in, but as soon   \nas I entered I felt a hand hold my throat. I was put to the wall and heard the door closing.   \n\"What the hell were you thinking when you went out?\" When I recognized Camille's voice I   \ncalmed down. Not waiting for answer she let go and told me\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Go get Rose. We gotta get out of here\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;I wanted to say something about holding my throat, but now wasn't the time. I climbed the   \nstairs three at a time and glanced how Camille unsheathed her katana. I stormed into Rose's   \ndorm and went towards her bed. She was still asleep. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her   \nawake until her eyes fluttered open. She came to focus really quick.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Echoes, what are you doing? It's like three in the morning\".\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"There are some things that followed me here, they are coming.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"What you mean?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"No time to explain, just... get up and go downstairs for the food, I'll get the van.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;She nodded, trusting what I was saying. She lifted the covers and climbed out of bed, wearing   \nonly a shirt and women boxers. I would've stared if we weren't in that situation. We ran to   \nthe stairs, jumping three steps at a time while going down. We reached the ground floor and   \nCamille went running to the kitchen. I grabbed the doorknob. Then I heard wood break. I looked   \nbehind me and saw the wall beside the stairs being crushed by one of the creature's tackle. I   \njumped backwards, avoiding the wood falling in my direction. I went to Camille's side in a   \njump without taking my eyes off the creature. Camille pulled the fur at the nape of my neck,   \nmaking me stagger backwards. \"I'll hold the bears off\". I rubbed my neck, feeling insulted,   \nbut in a blink swallowed my pride. I ran to the kitchen to see Rose getting everything into a   \nbag. I got the energy bars at the left cabinet and threw them in. Rose said, \"That's all we   \ncan take\", while she closed the bag, \"C'mon, let's get to the van\". She ran past me into the   \nliving room. I saw Camille holding the two creatures with ease, swinging her sword from side   \nto side. With a single strike she cut one leg and in the next she cut a jaw.\u0026nbsp; \"Go!\" shouted   \nCamille. Rose sprinted outside into the night and I started after her, Camille close behind   \nme. Rose got inside the van and started it in a second. Then she put reverse and went down the   \nroad. My mind went dead. I stood there, exactly where the van had been five seconds ago, not   \nbelieving what I'd just seen. Rose left us.\n\n\u0026nbsp;Camille whispered a curse and got back to back with me. \"Guess it's just you and me now,   \nEchoes.\" I stayed silent. I saw three of the creatures coming from the woods, the bigger one   \nnowhere to be seen. I glanced at my right another two coming from the house. \"Hadn't you   \nkilled those?\" I asked. \"Yeah, but their gift is to regenerate.\" \"Oh.\" I put my fists up, not   \nsure what to do, and waited for the first one to attack. Camille ran towards the creatures at   \nmy back, dodging and parrying their swings. I saw one coming towards me, while the other two   \ncoming from the woods went in Camille's direction. I ran to it. It raised its paw in the air   \nand slashed at my stomach. I let it do it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I felt four claws barely grace me, but the bear screamed in agony. I saw it drop to the   \nground, blood spilling and staining the grass. I checked my wounds, but only some droplets of   \nblood managed to get out. Then Camille screamed. I turned around and saw her finish off the   \nlast one standing, but then dropped to her knees. I ran and as I got closer I saw her shoulder   \ncovered in blood, a deep gash showing at the end of the shoulder. I got in front of her just   \nin time to see her eyes go white and fall sideways. I caught her midfall and threw her over my   \nshoulder. I looked at the creature's, nine at least, severed heads on the floor, creating   \npuddles of blood all around me. I picked up the glowing katana, not sure what to do. But I   \nwasn't going to wait for them to regenerate. A single thought appearing in my head. She left   \nus. I strode towards the road, gowing to the North where the van went, anger raising inside   \nme. She left us.\n\n\u0026nbsp;And I heard a growl.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I turned around to see the gigantic bear standing in the middle of the road. But my knees   \ndidn't shake this time. I stood my ground, looking at its wild eyes. I put Camille on the   \nground and held strongly the katana's hilt, its glow getting stronger by the second. Then It   \ncharged. I charged too. My heartbeat got faster as the distance grew shorter. It raised its   \nleft paw and I raised the katana, blocking the blow. The weight almost crushed me, but managed   \nto hold it. It lunged its head towards my right arm. I jumped left, barely escaping its jaws   \nas its teeth snapped. I swung the katana at its shoulder, managing to make a small gash, big   \nenough to get blood dripping out. It let out a pained roar and swung Its other claws at my   \nhead. I blocked it and parried, making another cut in It. But as I jumped out I saw the gash   \nalready closing. The same with the other one. The bear recklessly attacked me. I managed to   \nparry a few times, but the strength and speed of the blows tired me. As I got slower, my mind   \ngrew sharper, trying to find a way out. Then I remembered my gift.\n\n\u0026nbsp;In that moment the bear stood in Its two back paws, ready to crush me. I let the katana fall   \nto the floor and take a deep breath. I exhaled as the bear fell on me. When a single paw   \nreached my shoulder my gift kicked in. The bear got stomped to the ground by some invisible   \nforce. I heard its bones cracking, just as mine had when Rose healed me. I saw the giant bear   \nlying flat on the road and I assumed it would never move. But to my surprise it stood up   \nagain. Its knees were trembling, Its breaths uneven and harsh. It managed to raise a paw and  \nswung at my chest. I waited for the gift to do its work when I felt my chest be gashed. As the   \nbear's paw dropped to the ground, the creature finally unmoving, I dropped to my knees, blood   \nwarming my freezing skin. And as my eyes fluttered shut I glanced a white van coming my way.   \nThen darkness.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Aurora Borealis: My new wrold awaiting","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/729672-aurora-borealis-my-new-world-awaiting-chapter-1.json"}}