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(Part 1 of this story is located here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2545084 )
Benton’s mouth dropped in amazement as he looked out the stage coach window.
Dawn was breaking as light streamed down into a canyon below. The whole town was set into the sides of the cliffs like a Native American pueblo community. Rectangular shaped rooms stood one-atop-another as the whole structure stretched about two hundred feet high into the cliff sides. Tiny windows revealed a glow coming from almost every building, possibly a small fire to keep warm.
The stage coach passed by wooden buildings set at ground level. None of them had any signs, but they all resembled a makeshift depression-era town. Benton could see people walking to and fro through the glass windows. He saw someone baking food inside what looked like a shop. They passed another wooden structure that had a tailor sewing a couple of jackets together.
“That’s where I work.” Joe commented, pointing at the tailor’s shop. “In a place like this, it receives a lot of good business.”
“What is this place?” Benton asked in awe.
“This is Cliffside, our home.” Bellows answered with a bit of pride.
Benton gazed at the architecture in amazement. “How come I’ve never heard of this place?”
“We don’t exist to the outside world, as far as they’re concerned.” Bellows illustrated. “Back at the turn of the 20th century, this town used to be a prosperous mining center. It was established far from any other city, with your current residence being the closest.”
Benton saw a man walk out of a building and look up at the morning sky. He nodded his head and removed his jacket, revealing a fine black suit underneath. He placed a bowler’s hat atop his head. He reminded Benton of the old silent film star Charlie Chaplin.
“Ah, the sun is out. Brilliant.” Bellows commented. He took off his wool jacket, revealing that he too had a luxurious black suit underneath.
“Good,” Joe said, “It was getting too hot for this.” He removed his jacket. He wore a stylish rich grey vest with a white dinner shirt underneath. He had a black Windsor necktie and grey trousers that matched his vest. Strangely, he kept his sunglasses and scarf on.
Benton had to ask. “Why the sudden interest in your appearance?”
“These are our day clothes, Benton.” Bellows explained. “Back in the 1930’s, an explosion occurred in the mines, causing a massive avalanche to seal the road that led out of town. The people were horrified and realized that they had no way out of their village. Over the years, they used what they had and got accustomed to the technology of the 1930’s as they had been effectively isolated from the rest of the world.”
Benton shook his head. “There’s no way they could’ve stayed isolated for long. Someone would’ve come to rescue them eventually.”
Bellows appearance became very solemn as his eyes rested on Joe’s covered face. “You’re right.” Bellows said. “Someone did come to rescue them.”
Benton followed his gaze and locked eyes with Joe. “Who rescued them?” Benton asked, feeling a little nervous at the sudden quiet.
“My ancestors.” Joe said through his scarf. “The explosion ripped the mining cave apart but opened up a passageway held deep within. The passage was not empty. My ancestors were living in that cave.”
Benton’s heart began to race. Something was amiss about this situation. He didn’t know what to expect and that scared him more than anything. “So your ancestors were cave-dwellers. Natives who lived off the land.” Benton guessed, hoping he was right.
Joe shook his head, causing Benton’s pulse to race faster. “They were living there long before any human.”
Benton thought he felt his heart stop.
A silence filled the stage coach with only the quiet howling of the wind outside. Bellows eyed Benton, wondering how he was taking the news. Benton gazed at Joe as his breath became heavy. Gent stared at his master and stayed silent.
A voice spoke up.
“Hard to take, isn’t it?”
Benton slowly turned and locked eyes with a lupine gaze. Nightfire’s eyes were open and staring directly at him.
He breathed in deep. “What did you say?” he asked, hoping for no response.
“I said,” the wolf started, “that this must be very hard to take…for a human.”
It was like an A-bomb went off inside Benton’s mind. The pressure pushed down on his thoughts with a hurricane of force. He felt his brain spinning into a world of impossibilities.
Joe cleared his throat softly, bringing Benton’s attention back to him. “When my ancestors appeared, the townspeople were given a choice: tell the world about them, and they’d never help the people out of the avalanche. Or…” His furred paw reached up and removed the scarf. He threw it on the floor, revealing a tan muzzle with whiskers and a large black nose. Tufts of rusty orange-brown fur fell off his cheeks, lined with two stripes each.
Joe peered at Benton through black circular sunglasses. “…if they kept us hidden, kept us safe, we’d give them secrets beyond their wildest imagination.” The movement of his muzzle kept Benton in a trance as he struggled to understand how he could speak.
The painter’s breathing was erratic and irregular. Gent whimpered as Benton started to heave. His chest felt like it was going to explode.
“Air…I need air…” he gasped as he reached for the handle on the stage coach door.
Bellows called out to him. “Benton. Wait…”
Benton turned the handle and felt the door swing open, pulling his arm out with it. He slid outwards and tumbled to the ground. Luckily, the stage coach was only moving a few miles an hour. Benton hit the ground rolling and tumbled into a patch of snow. He heard barking and felt a heavy form disturb the pile of snow around him. With great difficulty, he turned around and saw Gent’s worried face as his dog licked him.
The stage coach stopped as Bellows and Joe jumped out of the side. “Benton! Are you all right?” Bellows asked. Joe came up right behind him and removed his sunglasses, revealing his slitted feline pupils underneath.
“I’m sorry about that Benton,” Joe said with true concern. “I was rather scared myself, wondering what your reaction would be.”
Nightfire lightly hopped out of the stage coach and slowly trotted over to Benton on two legs. She looked rather human-like in her current posture. “Come on!” she said. “You beat me in a fight but you can’t stand to see me speak. What kind of a warrior are you?”
“I’M NOT A WARRIOR! I’M A PAINTER!”
The group was taken aback by Benton’s outburst. They all stared at him with a stunned silence.
A smirk broke out on Benton’s face. He began to chuckle as he looked at the dumbfounded human and animals. Finally, he broke into a laugh that caused Gent to smile and bark with joy.
Bellows smiled as well. “I’m glad to see you taking this news so well.” Joe caught himself grinning as Nightfire just shook her head.
“I feel like Alice in Wonderland.” Benton said as he gazed at the morning sky.
“Well, you sure ain’t no Cinderella.” Nightfire commented with a sly smirk.
Benton looked up at Joe whose bobcat eyes were now filled with compassion.
“So what does that make you, Joe? The Lion King?”
(Continue to Part 6: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2545229/ )
Benton’s mouth dropped in amazement as he looked out the stage coach window.
Dawn was breaking as light streamed down into a canyon below. The whole town was set into the sides of the cliffs like a Native American pueblo community. Rectangular shaped rooms stood one-atop-another as the whole structure stretched about two hundred feet high into the cliff sides. Tiny windows revealed a glow coming from almost every building, possibly a small fire to keep warm.
The stage coach passed by wooden buildings set at ground level. None of them had any signs, but they all resembled a makeshift depression-era town. Benton could see people walking to and fro through the glass windows. He saw someone baking food inside what looked like a shop. They passed another wooden structure that had a tailor sewing a couple of jackets together.
“That’s where I work.” Joe commented, pointing at the tailor’s shop. “In a place like this, it receives a lot of good business.”
“What is this place?” Benton asked in awe.
“This is Cliffside, our home.” Bellows answered with a bit of pride.
Benton gazed at the architecture in amazement. “How come I’ve never heard of this place?”
“We don’t exist to the outside world, as far as they’re concerned.” Bellows illustrated. “Back at the turn of the 20th century, this town used to be a prosperous mining center. It was established far from any other city, with your current residence being the closest.”
Benton saw a man walk out of a building and look up at the morning sky. He nodded his head and removed his jacket, revealing a fine black suit underneath. He placed a bowler’s hat atop his head. He reminded Benton of the old silent film star Charlie Chaplin.
“Ah, the sun is out. Brilliant.” Bellows commented. He took off his wool jacket, revealing that he too had a luxurious black suit underneath.
“Good,” Joe said, “It was getting too hot for this.” He removed his jacket. He wore a stylish rich grey vest with a white dinner shirt underneath. He had a black Windsor necktie and grey trousers that matched his vest. Strangely, he kept his sunglasses and scarf on.
Benton had to ask. “Why the sudden interest in your appearance?”
“These are our day clothes, Benton.” Bellows explained. “Back in the 1930’s, an explosion occurred in the mines, causing a massive avalanche to seal the road that led out of town. The people were horrified and realized that they had no way out of their village. Over the years, they used what they had and got accustomed to the technology of the 1930’s as they had been effectively isolated from the rest of the world.”
Benton shook his head. “There’s no way they could’ve stayed isolated for long. Someone would’ve come to rescue them eventually.”
Bellows appearance became very solemn as his eyes rested on Joe’s covered face. “You’re right.” Bellows said. “Someone did come to rescue them.”
Benton followed his gaze and locked eyes with Joe. “Who rescued them?” Benton asked, feeling a little nervous at the sudden quiet.
“My ancestors.” Joe said through his scarf. “The explosion ripped the mining cave apart but opened up a passageway held deep within. The passage was not empty. My ancestors were living in that cave.”
Benton’s heart began to race. Something was amiss about this situation. He didn’t know what to expect and that scared him more than anything. “So your ancestors were cave-dwellers. Natives who lived off the land.” Benton guessed, hoping he was right.
Joe shook his head, causing Benton’s pulse to race faster. “They were living there long before any human.”
Benton thought he felt his heart stop.
A silence filled the stage coach with only the quiet howling of the wind outside. Bellows eyed Benton, wondering how he was taking the news. Benton gazed at Joe as his breath became heavy. Gent stared at his master and stayed silent.
A voice spoke up.
“Hard to take, isn’t it?”
Benton slowly turned and locked eyes with a lupine gaze. Nightfire’s eyes were open and staring directly at him.
He breathed in deep. “What did you say?” he asked, hoping for no response.
“I said,” the wolf started, “that this must be very hard to take…for a human.”
It was like an A-bomb went off inside Benton’s mind. The pressure pushed down on his thoughts with a hurricane of force. He felt his brain spinning into a world of impossibilities.
Joe cleared his throat softly, bringing Benton’s attention back to him. “When my ancestors appeared, the townspeople were given a choice: tell the world about them, and they’d never help the people out of the avalanche. Or…” His furred paw reached up and removed the scarf. He threw it on the floor, revealing a tan muzzle with whiskers and a large black nose. Tufts of rusty orange-brown fur fell off his cheeks, lined with two stripes each.
Joe peered at Benton through black circular sunglasses. “…if they kept us hidden, kept us safe, we’d give them secrets beyond their wildest imagination.” The movement of his muzzle kept Benton in a trance as he struggled to understand how he could speak.
The painter’s breathing was erratic and irregular. Gent whimpered as Benton started to heave. His chest felt like it was going to explode.
“Air…I need air…” he gasped as he reached for the handle on the stage coach door.
Bellows called out to him. “Benton. Wait…”
Benton turned the handle and felt the door swing open, pulling his arm out with it. He slid outwards and tumbled to the ground. Luckily, the stage coach was only moving a few miles an hour. Benton hit the ground rolling and tumbled into a patch of snow. He heard barking and felt a heavy form disturb the pile of snow around him. With great difficulty, he turned around and saw Gent’s worried face as his dog licked him.
The stage coach stopped as Bellows and Joe jumped out of the side. “Benton! Are you all right?” Bellows asked. Joe came up right behind him and removed his sunglasses, revealing his slitted feline pupils underneath.
“I’m sorry about that Benton,” Joe said with true concern. “I was rather scared myself, wondering what your reaction would be.”
Nightfire lightly hopped out of the stage coach and slowly trotted over to Benton on two legs. She looked rather human-like in her current posture. “Come on!” she said. “You beat me in a fight but you can’t stand to see me speak. What kind of a warrior are you?”
“I’M NOT A WARRIOR! I’M A PAINTER!”
The group was taken aback by Benton’s outburst. They all stared at him with a stunned silence.
A smirk broke out on Benton’s face. He began to chuckle as he looked at the dumbfounded human and animals. Finally, he broke into a laugh that caused Gent to smile and bark with joy.
Bellows smiled as well. “I’m glad to see you taking this news so well.” Joe caught himself grinning as Nightfire just shook her head.
“I feel like Alice in Wonderland.” Benton said as he gazed at the morning sky.
“Well, you sure ain’t no Cinderella.” Nightfire commented with a sly smirk.
Benton looked up at Joe whose bobcat eyes were now filled with compassion.
“So what does that make you, Joe? The Lion King?”
(Continue to Part 6: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2545229/ )
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 16.6 kB
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