The Hurri

Once upon a time in a place yet to be, when the Earth is very old, there is a very strange land. It is a land strange only to us for we do not dwell there. It is normal for everyone else.

In this land the sun hangs like a great red ball in the sky. Instead of one large moon, several oddly shaped ones sail overhead, some near and some far. Some are so far away they appear like the stars and folks who inhabit this strange land do not even know that they are moons. They circle the Earth much faster and cast strange lights, reflected with mysterious glows from the ancient sun. All of this makes everything strange in color to look upon and ever changing.

This land is a land of many ruins. These ruins are so old that nobody remembers who made them. Legend has it that the creators were beings who were so greedy and chaotic that they tried to destroy the whole world. The only thing that saved the world was that the creators turned their eyes to the stars, escaping their own pollution and overcrowding and left the Earth. Those left behind knew their race’s folly and set about correcting the mistakes of the past, for the most part succeeding, until they, too, vanished into the planet’s history. There is one village remaining. The Hurri ignore them. The Hurri have their own lives to lead and their own destinies to follow in this far away time and place.

It begins like this. . . .

* * * * * * * * * * *
Fawni was different from the rest of her kind. Since her birthing she had been running about poking her nose into every nook and crevice she could find. Her mother, at first, had tried to stop her, especially her excursions to the forest floor.

“The thunderfoot will get you, Fawni, if you don’t stay in the trees.”, her Mother would say.

Like all young she thought her mother too cautious and too afraid, little realizing that her mother spoke from experience. Fawni knew survival was a chancy thing in her world, even if she did stay in the trees. The thunderfoot were always around. They never seemed to stop for anything, roaring by with great noise, coming from somewhere and bound for somewhere else. Only the Hurri’s small size and tree climbing ability kept them relatively safe.

Even in the trees, life was precarious. There you had to avoid the slither who crawled about on their belly clinging to the branches through some means known only to themselves. They would love to come upon Fawni or one of her kind. They would only be a small mouthful, but they would be a tasty mouthful.

Whether on the ground or in the trees, the flyers were always after the Hurri, too. The thunderfoot didn’t even stop for a Hurri, simply flattening them and roaring on by without a backward glance. The flyers liked that for then they would flutter down from on high and snack to their hearts content….until another thunderfoot came roaring by and flattened them, too. It was probably for stealing the thunderfoots’ food.

Now Fawni was really excited for she had found a new friend. He was a handsome Hurri with a thick pelt and long legs for speed. His forepaws had longer digits so that he could grasp his food more firmly. He was just like Fawni. His name was Timber and Fawni wanted him for her mate.

Timber and Fawni tickled noses and groomed each other. Timber bent to the task he had been performing before Fawni’s arrival. Fawni sat down to watch. Timber was building a home for them. He had placed a beautiful piece of driftwood outside the entrance so that they could sun themselves as they awaited the arrival of their young. If Fawni approved his labors they would mate and start a new clan. This new den was one of Timber’s two obsessions and he was totally involved with it. Fawni was so excited she shivered.

Suddenly the day around them grew very bright. Timber and Fawni looked at each other and then grew closer together. Something was happening, but what was it? They heard a large roar. It sounded like the explosion of all the volcanoes in the world. Timber jumped into the hole he had been digging, wishing it was a lot deeper. He dragged Fawni in with him. The earth shook for what seemed like a long time, and the light at the entrance went out.

It took Timber and Fawni working together many days to dig themselves out of their new den. They had to start another tunnel and go around rocks and other hard objects. When they finally emerged, it was to a whole different world. The forests were gone. Only blackened stumps and boulders met their eyes. The ground was covered with twigs, branches and leaves. The great water had gone away. They could not see it any more.

Timber and Fawni saw a thunderfoot in front of them. He appeared to be in the forever sleep and no danger to them, so they went a little closer. Thunderfoot was much bigger close up. You still had to be careful. They could suddenly start roaring, move off and flatten you in the process. Timber and Fawni didn’t think that would happen this time. Fawni shied back into the den, shaking. Timber was not far behind.

They stayed in their den sleeping and nibbling on their catches. Curiosity finally got the better of them and Timber and Fawni went out to explore their world. Flyers littered the ground, and the Thunderfoots were gone. The big dark way they had roared by on was silent. All the creatures who lived above the ground seemed to have disappeared. Timber and Fawni set out to find their clan, keeping a wary eye on the sky above for flyers. The flyers seemed to have vanished along with the clan.

The sweethearts spend several days gathering meat from dead flyers they found laying all over the ground. They gathered leaves and nuts and other vegetable debris and stored it in their burro. They stored it all in the deepest, darkest and coolest chamber Timber could dig out. The leaves were not very fresh and they had a strange flavor to them, probably from the fires. There was little choice.

The two sweethearts returned to their den and set about getting it ready for the long cold they could feel building in the air. It seemed early, but the sky was dark and dangerous looking. They knew lean days were coming. The urge to mate, at least for the time being, had vanished.

Spring was late and Timber and Fawni had used up nearly all of their winter stores before they were able to finally emerge from their burro. The thunderfoot was where they had left it and unmoving. Green, growing things were once again trying to poke their heads above a sparse and withered soil. Some of them looked very strange to the two Hurri.

Timber suddenly stopped and stared. When Fawni realized what Timber was staring at she sighed. Timber’s other obsession was about to surface. He sat up on his haunches and grasped his tail, beginning to clean it. Fawni admired the many rings circling his tail, it being one of his best assets.

She suddenly gasped, realizing what he was about to do. Fawni charged Timber and jumped on him. Startled, he curled instinctively into a ball and rolled over into a heap. She turned on him, hissing in her most infuriated manner.

In her Hurri way, she told him, “No! You cannot cross the great black way! It is not safe! The thunderfoot will get you.”

(“Oh, my!”, she thought. “I sound just like my mother!”)

“But, Fawni, I want to know what is on the other side.” Timber almost whined.

“No!” Fawni said, her ringed tail rising above her head. “It is my belief that we are all that is left of the clans. We must stay safe until the young arrive….many times.”

Timber looked longingly at the great black path and sighed. He knew Fawni was right. They did not know what had happened. But, until the sons and daughters arrived, he was stuck. He had to protect Fawni and they both must find something to hold them all through the next cold.

“Very well, Fawni. I will wait.” Timber sighed. “But, I will not wait for long!”