It Will Rain for a Million Years
Author's Note: The story is inspired in part by a song by the band Porcupine Tree of the same name, which can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlEIo0WPn58
It is also inspired in part by a picture by CZGoldEdition of a friend, Eldritch.( http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2893203/ ), and the coyote in the story, though not named, is him.
It Will Rain for a Million Years
The young man sighed deeply in relief while he swung his door open, entering his abode in an exhausted, yet desperately energetic manner as if fueled purely by adrenaline. He swung the door closed it quickly behind it as if being chased by a rabid beast. Leaning his back against the door, he barricaded the door from the beast of burden that was his stress while simultaneously catching his breath and soothing his aching bones for a few moments (which seemed more like tens of minutes to him). He groaned with his aches and muttered inside his worn and beaten head.
Fourteen Hours... The beaten, tattered man thought to himself in a tone of deep aggravation, his brain too tired to think much of anything else. Countless eighty-plus hour work weeks, hundreds and hundreds of aggravated, unruly, absent minded, and otherwise very ruthless customers and incompetent co-workers later, and he was finally on vacation. His weary head fled to images of a cool breeze, blazing sun, icy clear waters, fruity alcoholic drinks with little umbrellas, sandy beeches and, most importantly, no stress. The man then looked around his small laundry room and imagined the very blueprints of his life in the very small excuse for a house. At that moment he realized that he spent much more time working and sleeping at work than he ever did in his own home. He grinned at this and laughed a sardonic chuckle.
Vacation...right. He sighed disdainfully as he hefted himself off of the cold door, making his way further into the house. He stopped for a moment to look at the kitchen, contemplating whether or not to make something to eat. His stomach agreed with the sentiment, giving a loud groan like a attention seeking pre-teen girl tugging on her father's shirt and begging for various outrageously priced items. Instead, the worn man ignored the urge and continued into his living room to his beloved, worn leather armchair, which at this point looked much more appealing than food. The rest of his body and mind shoved the pre-teen brat to the back of the line, ignoring her as she sulked away, at least for the moment.
The chair welcomed him with open, inanimate arms, the soft, beaten leather caressing his worn body. He let out a satisfied groan at this and grabbed the remote for the large hulk of a T.V that sat in front of him, turning it on quickly before the soft caress of chair kept him from doing much of anything else. A few moments later, the T.V flickered with the evening news, the anchorman greeting him mid-sentence with something that took him a few moments to grasp. Before this, however, deep within his mind, he heard himself give another chuckle. Evening News, yes, just what I need to elevate my faith in humanity.
The anchorman beamed on about the story that dominated all the major news waves for a great while now. A catastrophic nuclear accident at a plant, causing millions of dollars damage and priceless damage done to wildlife on a colossal scale, not to mention human lifestyle, which was all anyone seemed to care about anyway. He found it interesting that his thoughts deemed the effects of the disaster to wildlife more depressing than those to humans. Sure, it was depressing to see innocence of his own species dead or severely injured, but he found the thought of something of a human-designed, human-made, and very human accident leading to the suffering of wildlife and the entire planet itself, even more depressing. Before he let himself grow too angry through his own thoughts, he grabbed the remote with new-found energy and a hefty sigh, changing the channel to something much less depressing. Comedy.
A small part of him felt a little bit guilty for completely ignoring it like countless other people in the world, but what could he do about it? Clean it up himself? He was one person, and if he could change the ways of humanity, he knew he would... but he couldn't. He shrugged off the thoughts as much as he could for a moment before loud beeps blared into his ears from the T.V. He looked questioningly, even though he knew exactly what the beeps meant, at the scrolling words on the top of the T.V, blaring map images and dramatic descriptions of severe thunderstorm warnings.
Awesome. The now hopeful man thought, and for once meant it literally. Nothing washed away his worries like a good storm. He had noticed that the more technology has advanced over the years, the more people have developed looming fears, not of the thunderstorms themselves, but what they brought. He always found it sad how helpless people became without electricity and technology holding them up. He himself had always seemed to find himself hoping for the power to go out, partially because of the relaxation that was brought by the lack of technology around him, and partially because he loved imagining countless business oriented people panic and struggle when faced with the often brief amount of time without it.
The rejuvenated man looked toward the window at the angry, dark clouds in the sky and grinned. Sooner than expected, too. Revitalized by his short rest and the incoming storm, he hefted himself from the warm grip of the chair and walked toward the kitchen to pay some much needed attention to the crying pre-teen girl in the corner of his mind, which until now had been like a mother who had developed the ability to tune out even the most desperate of attention-seeking behavior.
His sore feet seemed considerably less so, he noticed, but were still just sore enough to be an annoyance. He unwillingly let out a groan as he stretched his arms up and backwards upon rounding the bar-style counter-top. The man felt his bones pop and crack from the stretching, met with his content, relieved sigh at the relief that followed. He walked over to a cabinet to his far right, opening it up and sifting through the various cans and boxed packages in a hope that something would jog his taste buds. When this failed, the young man frustratedly closed the cabinet and walked apathetically to his refrigerator, grasping the doors with a less hopeful feeling than before. As if expecting disappointment, he swung the door swung upon, which greeted him with a reassuring feeling that nothing would be found in the barren, cold box. It was nothing surprising.
He let the cool air from the big, old box wash over his face before he closed the door of the refrigerator, determined not to let the frustration overtake him. He had at least hoped that these inanimate objects would somehow cater to his exhausted state and greet him with something, but instead he found himself walking back over to the cabinet he arrived at first, taking out a package of ramen noodles. He tossed it on the counter-top, as if punishing it for the trouble it gave him, bent over, and dug about in the lower cabinets to acquire a small pot.
The human's ears gave an inanimate twitch of attention as a loud rumbling filled the room and everything around, followed by a hiss which quickly increasing in volume with it's arrival. He smiled at the rain's greeting and took the pot over to his metallic sink, filled it mostly with water, and set it on the stove, cranking the dial on 'high'. He turned and gave a warm smile to the package of ramen, as if apologizing for his earlier action.
Bang
The helplessly smiling man found himself absentmindedly listening to the hiss of the gas stove as it struggled to heat up, preoccupying himself for a few moments before the next, loud rumbling of thunder rolled through and the rain finally pattered loudly against the roof of his house. He closed his eyes loosely, letting the harsh, yet soothing sound roll through his ears, making laps around his brain before escaping, and repeating the chain. As he fell deeper into his trance, he felt the sound find different paths throughout his body, siphoning down through his neck and splitting into his shoulders, adventuring through his arms and hands before discovering its' natural dead-end and flowing back to continue downward to his chest, where it spend considerably longer, lapping around and caressing his heart with each beat of thunder, like a loud, tribal drum echoing through the grasslands.
He had no idea why he loved thunderstorms so much. He knew that a lot of people liked them, but he found a deeper, carnal, metaphorical meaning in them that most people washed away like a passing breeze. It brought back feelings of his childhood back on the eastern side of the continent, both the good and the bad, each memory banging into and through his head and heart like each droplet of water that assaulted the land: each one small, yet collectively resonating through, and giving life to his being.
A flash of light lit up the room around him, washing over his skin like a soothing bath and dissipating just as quickly. He let out a long, deep sigh at the feeling before the familiar drumbeat rang out much louder than before, vibrating deep inside his heart.
Bang
The rain pattered on increasingly frequent, the sound spreading from his chest and heart down into his stomach and splitting again at his hips, down into his legs and tingling lightly at his toes. He snapped out of his trance for a moment as another loud flash of light lit up his room, followed be an unusual darkness as all the lights in his house shut off at once. A silence swept over his house that most people would find eerie and unwelcoming. He, however, gave a deep sigh and smiled at the silence, His newly found calm followed by the rumbling bang of the tribal drums of nature, which was much louder with all the noisy distractions of his house covering it up.
Bang
He stood there for what seemed like a great number of minutes, listening to the steady patter of the rain on his roof. Without the hum of his refrigerator, the voices that emanated through his television, and all his other electronic devices, the rain flowed through his being without friction. Each boom of thunder and flash of lightning beckoning and calling to him. He turned to the stove and turned the dial to 'off' before looking at the boiling water and each bubble as it rose and stirred in the pot, steam gently caressing the air directly above the pot.
Why Not? He thought deep within his mind, smiling to no one in particular. He reached down to remove his shoes, wondering absentmindedly to himself why he didn't take them off before, following with his socks until he was barefoot. He found himself not worrying about the rest of his clothes as yet another boom tugged at his spirit to hurry up. He steadily walked to the front door, opened it, and finally stepped out onto the soft, soaked grass, feeling the rain great his body by quickly covering it and coating it over and over in a matter of seconds. Before long, he found himself soaked head to toe, steadily walking toward and into the large field in the distance.
I locked myself inside the capsule
And watched the planet slowly turning blue
Bang Bang
Another flash of lightning and another bang of thunder rang out, lighting up the vast, green fields for a moment, giving him the ability to see the thousands upon thousands of raindrops pattering off each leaf and blade of grass around him. The sight was enough to make him gasp and as the light faded and his vision turned mostly dark, he was overwhelmed by a sinking sense of disappointment as the next moment stole the gift from his eyes. A familiar deep rumbling rang out across the land in assurance that the gifts' passing would only be brief. He smiled at this and let his mind gradually become focused on the cold drops beating at his body.
He looked back to his house in the distance, around him at the field and finally to the enormous space between him and his house. His trance had been so deep that he hardly remembered how far he had walked. His own vulnerability to something as simple as a storm stirred in his thoughts. It suddenly didn't feel as safe for him to be wandering about with no direction, but he trusted his instincts, even though the depths of his mind kept skimming over the possibility of something else at play. He shrugged his thoughts off and turned back from the view of his house to the field in front of him, another flash lighting up the area as if welcoming him back to this side of his vision. Something about the thunderstorm washed over him, it's grasp firm yet warm, assuring him of his decision to trust it.
The lights before me flashed and sparkled
Holding keys to lives I've wandered through
Bang
He sighed and closed his eyes again, the drum of thunder bringing back the focus of his deep trance. His bare feet clutched the firm, yet wet ground and grass before lifting up to take a step. A sense of determination washed over him as he began to walk steadily with no solid destination, but an unwavering knowledge of it's existence. A part of his brain clicked off and sighed, relaxing back in the soft, warm embrace of an old armchair, soothing it's own worn bones as he had done moments earlier. The other parts of his brain took over and trudged on.
He felt each blade of grass beneath his feet as if it were a completely new feeling to him, Like an alien from a desolate, dry planet seeing the ocean and feeling its' sand for the first time while gazing out at the giant reflective pool of blue. Each molecule of the skin the grass touched felt amazing and overwhelming to him, taking ever bit of restraint from him in an effort to keep him from gasping out and lingering too long into the moment. The rain around him beat down on his skin in a fierce manor, like soldier's descending from the sky in an endless assault, yet proportionally to his body, the strong and adamant soldiers only seemed like a deep massage to his skin. He saw, from under his eyelids, the blinding flashes of light around him, the drumbeats in steady tempo with his footsteps as the world around him began to harmonize to a single beat.
This pace continued for a good while with each step synced to the sounds of the wind howling and thunder crashing. Even each drop of rain upon the ground seemed like it's own instrument in the orchestra that rang out around him. He found himself compelled to stop finally, eyes opening again to the old, but very new world around him. He looked around him slowly, taking in the beauty of each object that graced his eyes. His slow, brief glances around the field around him affirmed to him that he was almost directly in the middle of the wide open field. He felt relieved at this, yet still determined as ever for a reason he knew naught of, but he had an unwavering trusted the carnal instinct that guided him.
Bang Bang
He closed his eyes again and felt the drumbeats wash over him, washing away the excess thoughts in his mind and aches in his heart. He felt each flash radiate in his soul and being, giving him energy that felt distant and contained, yet solid and defined. He felt each rain upon his skin drawing the weight of his limbs, muscle, organs, and skin and making him feel as light as the very air around him. Another beat rang out, forcing a sigh from deep within him. His feet parted from the wet grass and ground below him, making him slightly disappointed at the sudden loss of this particular feeling.
Circuits buzzing, visions passing
Mysterious and cold upon the screen
The air rushed around him, lifting him gradually, yet slowly higher. His feelings of determination changed to eager ones as the rain around him caressed his body. Higher he rose, tilting his head back before his eyes opened to the gray skies around him, watching in amazement as the rain fell from the heavy clouds above him, down to the aching earth below. He turned his attention back down to the ground at everything much smaller below him, realizing how tired and worn everything looked as the rain struggled to ease the tension of aching earth. Feeling attuned to the earth itself, he could unmistakably make out its' sighs and groans as the rain caressed and massaged it. He smiled warmly at this before turning his head back up to the sky, it's peacefulness unaffected by the dramatic sounds of the ground below him.
From above him, he saw a streak of brilliant light that was brighter than anything he saw before. He felt it surge through his being with a strong assault that increased sharply until he felt his vision blur, dim, and finally dissipate, followed by the rest of his senses. The rest of his mind slumped into a soft, deep rest, followed by his very spirit and consciousness. The last thing he heard was the sound of his own, heavy breath among the sound of the rainstorm which raged on around his entire being.
Glowing, flowing with the currents
Yet never knowing where I've really been.
Bang
A thunderous bang rang out in the distance and awoke him with a start. A few milliseconds later, a surge of adrenaline caused him to shoot up from his resting place on the dusty dirt below him, his dusty red paw shooting out to grasp the rough, wooden spear before thrusting it's carved point forward. He breathed heavily as his eyes focused to reality and the light outside the small, dark cave he was curled in. He sat there unwaveringly, his paw firmly clutching the makeshift spear as his all his senses attuned, not moving a single inch until he had grasped a general portrait of everything around him.
Wait, something is wrong.
The canid creature stood up tall and groggy, but still in an adrenaline fueled, ready state. Once he surveyed the immediate area and deemed it safe, he relaxed ever so slightly and let out a mix of a groan in a sigh from his muzzle, looking down to brush off dust and dirt from his leg before fixing his loincloth, the only bit of clothing he wore. He stood tall again and stretched long, his weary bones cracking in relief, causing the creature to groan out again.
This isn't me.. this isn't even human...
Bang Bang
"What the hell?"
What the hell?
The coyote's eyes squinted again, focusing to detect any threatening oddity that might be around. He readied his spear at his side and slowly started to make his way outside his cave in a battle-ready stance. As he did, the threatening nature of the world around him unveiled itself. As far as his eyes could see forward lay nothing besides dark dirt and dust, rocks, and the rare geological change. Little place for anyone, or anything to hide, or so the coyote's thoughts dictated. His eyes focused upward to the sky, which offered little change in scenery.
The human thoughts, somewhere deep inside the coyote's own, started to question what was happening more and more. A familiar command shot through what the human thought was his body to move his arm. It didn't move, but neither did the furred creature in both movement and thought. He tried again and still nothing. This creature's eyes were his eyes, and the creature's body was his body. However, though he was aware of the unique canid creature and his thoughts, the creature seemed to have no clue of his presence.
Is this happening? Is this a dream?
As the human's mind inside the coyote's thought this, he felt an overwhelmingly soothing feeling wash over him and devoid him of all thought. At first he found this highly intrusive, but soon submitted to the feelings and justified it with the idea that he was better off going for the ride. He felt as though he was watching a perfect form of first person, three dimensional, virtual film, and thus arrived at the conclusion that there was little the human could do about his situation anyway.
The sky above them send a chilled feeling through the human mind inside the creature. Crimson in hue, the sky was littered with the swirling dust of a never-ending storm. The sky was light enough to dim the landscape to a point that could be considered the planet's day cycle. The way the coyote gripped the spear firmly at his side spoke loudly that none of this was new. The days were more harsh than the human inside could imagine, and he assumed the nights weren't much better. As perplexed and mesmerized as the human's thoughts were, he found himself depressed as the battered, scarred, yet young (For Earth's life span, anyway) coyote looked readily along the harsh landscape.
How could anyone live in such a desolate, depressing place?
Bang
The coyote turned his attention upward behind him at the general direction the loud, drumming sound was coming from. In front of his vision lay a large mountain, colored in the same dusty crimson color as everything else on the planet. It seemed off though, at least to the human, as this mountain the coyote called home was the only thing in sight with any change of elevation. The coyote didn't question anything higher than the needs of his survival, however, and the human could not blame him after the quick look around the area. If the landscape was any indication, He imagined the creatures that shared the world with the canine weren't much friendlier, so the mountain cave was likely a godsend to him and his entire life.
Bang
The coyote curiously set a paw on a foothold of the mountain and upon testing it's sturdiness hefted himself up. Curiousness of the noise turned to something much more as the tribal drum of the noise rang out rhythmically. For the first time, both the human and the coyote's thoughts seemed to match as their shared ears fixed on the noise ringing out clear, yet distant across the desert. The coyote continued his climb upwards to the summit in a steady and surprisingly quick manor to both the human and himself. Each rock and indent he grasped held his weight perfectly, and he felt no need for second guesses as instinct took over, feeling as if he could make no mistake.
Bang Bang
He knew he was close as the two deep, mysterious notes rang out in the sky. They were unmistakably louder, which meant they were closer, yet curiously seemed to originate from well above the summit he was climbing to. Well past the point of no return, the coyote looked back down at the dust covered desert well below him. Not an ounce of fear washed over either him or the human as they gazed down to the small ground and rocks below. Nevertheless the gaze was quick as another single bang rang out, snapping the coyote to attention and on his climb went.
Before long, he found himself grasping at the ledge of the summit. With a grunt, he hefted his spear over the edge along with half his body. Tired and weary from the climb, he slid himself the rest of the way onto solid ground before rolling onto his back, gazing up at the rusted sky. He focused on each breath of his body going in and out of his lungs. His chest rose up and down as his body struggled to attain a state of normality. He stayed in the position a few moments after he achieved this, however, taking in the moment.
Bang Bang
The drum echoed out loudly above him, demanding his attention in a sudden, stern, yet forgiving manor. The coyote sighed, groaned, and hefted himself up to his footpaws, brushing himself off before gazing up at the summit around him. His jaw practically dropped as his eyes gazed around the surreal sight around him.
Among the dust covered summit lay a single pond in the center, it's water still and crystal clear despite it's unforgiving surroundings. Though not as profound as the coyote's reaction, the human could tell that this was a rare, if not impossible sight. The creature stood with a blank stare for what seemed like ages to the human, who, although he could empathize with him, had lost patience with the bipedal animal's profound staring. Although to the coyote, his staring seemed quick, the minutes went past without so much as a twitch from the dumbfounded animal.
Bang
The beat rung out and the coyote walked steadily towards the pond, his footpaws kicking up dust as he walked. The creature couldn't take his eyes off the sight of the glistening blue pond even if he had tried. The sight to him was nothing short of that of amazement, as the sort of thing was only stories of his kind told to their kin to soothe the pain of the unforgiving climate of their world. He fell to his knees with a complete disregard to the pain the rocky ground caused to his knees and gazed down at his reflection in the water.
The human realized at this moment that it was probably the first time the coyote had ever had the chance to look at himself in something other than the pool of blood from his daily kills. The way the coyote looked in awe at the sight that stared back at him in the water made the human sad. He let his mind and thoughts take a backseat in respect to the coyote, as if not wanting his own thoughts to intrude, even though he had established to himself that they couldn't.
The first thing he noticed about himself was the many scars that tattered his face and chest. His cinnamon and silver colored fur was matted in places, and otherwise unkempt. He imagined the rest of his body didn't look much different, and gazed at the spear the he knelt by, carved to near perfection. His eyes soon fixed on his own eyes and expression, and looked confused at the sad looking, worn face that stared back at him. He felt young enough inside, but his body...
Bang Bang
He began to ignore the disappointing figure staring back at him in the crystalline waters, and reached a paw down toward it, setting his paw pads gently down on the surface before submerging it. He followed suite with his other paw, marveling at the very movement of them while submerged while at the same time soaking in the soothing feeling it brought to them. He lifted his paws out of the water, staring unwaveringly as drops of water fell from his soaked fur to the water below, each drop sending ripples throughout the small pool.
He reached down to the water once again, cupping his paws with water. He lifted them up to his face and gasped as he splashed the surprisingly cool liquid over his face. He closed his eyes and raised his head skyward, letting the liquid wash over his face. The liquid brought a relief that the coyote had never felt before, but the coyote was so overwhelmed with the feelings he was discovering that he simply soaked it all in. He had no room left for any profound thought of what was happening to him.
Bang
He finally stood up, letting the water drip from his muzzle onto the ground below. He turned his attention skyward, to the invisible source of the drum beat in the sky. Expecting to see something, he was troubled when all he saw above him was more crimson skies and dust swirling and storming about. He gave a questioning gaze toward the heavens as two more beats rang out in the pattern it had since the sound first woke him up.
Why? The creature asked in his head, letting the human in his mind's eye hear his voice for the first time. The voice was stern, yet mysterious sounding, and the human could tell just by hearing this one word that had he time to actually sit down with the creature, he could learn a lot from him. He was wise, and certainly not what he looked like on the outside. The coyote has understanding, open-mindedness, and wisdom that surprised him. The human had expected a more basic, simple and primal mind to the creature considering the lack of technology, but found his assumptions blown away by the reality of things.
Bang
The drum beat echoed out above him yet again in reply to his silent question. The coyote stood in silence both in person and mind, staring up at the empty sky above him. A few drops of water still made it's way down his muzzle, dripping down to land on the dirt below to be soon evaporated by the unforgiving landscape.
The coyote let out a grunt as he hefted himself to his footpaws finally, stretching his back as he did. He gazed down at the pool of water in revelation to what he had just experienced. He walked slowly to the edge of the cliff he had climbed up moments before, gazing out to the horizon. He slowly walked the perimeter of the summit, searching the area around him for something or someone to no avail.
For the first time he found himself wishing for something more than what was around him. He had experienced a feeling better than he could ever dream of. The planet was mostly unforgiving, but he wondered, for once, if there were anywhere on the world he walked on that was less harsh. Was it possible that his kind could make something better than this in a world so harsh?
Bang
His thoughts were interrupted by the tribal beat high above him. His thoughts returning to reality, the coyote noticed finally that he felt lighter than before, both physically and in spirit. He let out a long sigh and closed his weary eyes and let the warmth of the sound wash over him in unison with the water dripping from his still dampened face. He let his body and mind become still, and for the first time in his life dropped his guard completely. The feeling was unparalleled.
Bang Bang
He hardly realized that his body itself was lifting up into the air until his mind decided to take in the feeling of the dirt and sand on his feet, only to discover there was none. He opened his eyes with a surprising calm and looked around him and to his feet, which dangled below him about a foot off the ground. He noticed the strong wind around him start to swirl itself around his form and between each strand of fur on his body, lifting his body high into the sky at an increasing rate.
Bang
The coyote gazed down at the planet below him as the mountain shrunk quickly, along with the entire area itself. Miles became inches, and inches became something immeasurable. The sight of his own planet becoming so small gave the coyote a perspective he could not possibly have discovered before: The fragility of his own planet, and the very life he had grown to take for granted. His planet was unforgiving, dangerous, and killed most of the children born into the life, but it was his home. It gave him a life he would not have otherwise. At the very least, his kind survived.
Bang
This time the origin of the tribal beat was not above the coyote, and instead he felt it resonating inside his very being, as did the human. The sound seemed to only deepen the trance, but was something both the human and coyote regarded as mysterious and higher than they could ever contemplate (and they both were completely content with not contemplating it.). By the time the coyote looked back up, he saw a blackness that took his breath away. Nothingness.
Bang Bang
The feeling of staring into the pitch blackness of space, only riddled with specks of white that were ages and ages away from him was that of mixed feelings. The first and immediate feeling was that of almost pure terror. The uncertainty that came with the emptiness filled his mind, and that of the human. Suddenly the canine wanted nothing more than to have his footpaws grace the rough, rusted desert. In reaction to this, the coyote diverted his attention in front of him to the horizon of the planet and the white outline of the planet that was the atmosphere.
This comforted both of them again, and as the planet became smaller and smaller they felt their fear of the unknown shift to optimism and curiosity. The wind that surrounded the coyote died down completely, sending him spiraling weightlessly into the blackness. The coyote marveled at the feeling as he tumbled about and his speed picked up even still. Each strand of fur on his body hovered in the space around him, only influenced by the movements he made.
The floating seeds of timeless travel
Come to rest in planes that don't exist
Bang
The drum beat resonated again from inside him, sending spirals of tingling pleasure outward from his heart across his entire form. The coyote shivered, sighed, and closed his eyes, taking in the relaxing feeling of simply floating across the vast nothingness of space. He couldn't help but to relax for once in his life, having spend almost every waking moment fighting for his own life. He felt his body begin to slow down slightly, making he opened his eyes in curiosity. He gasped at the sight of another planet right in front of him.
The planet was very different from his own, but very much alike at the same time. Colored with swirls of blue, purple, and white, he could almost feel the chilling, freezing aura of cold the planet gave out. The sky was a constant sea of movement with what he could only assume were storms that reminded him of his own planet. The surface also seemed as desolate as his own planet, if not more so. Instead of deserts of sand and dirt, however, the planet was covered in deserts of ice. He doubted that anything could live on a planet like that, but quickly remembered that had he come from anywhere else, he would probably think the same of his own planet.
From just behind the planet to it's left (or what the coyote's perspective told him was left), peaked a moon. It was a much darker color than the planet itself, but still had the same bluish hue. There was no atmosphere as the coyote quickly noticed, and looked even lonelier in comparison to the planet. Craters riddled the surface of the moon, creating a truly desolate image. Still, as depressing as the planet looked to him, he couldn't help but be amazed at the very existence of it. Before now, he had not the slightest idea that anything like this could exist, but here he was gazing upon them with his very eyes...
Bang Bang
As quickly as the planet came, it disappeared. The coyote no longer had any frame of reference to how fast he was actually moving, but could tell he was picking up even more speed, as the next planet zoomed into view. His speed seemed to slow considerably to allow him to gaze on this planet. He thought a brief 'Thank you' to the powers at hand and turned his view to the planet.
The first thing he noticed was the movement of the planet. Unlike the last planet, everything seemed to be moving in different directions, as well as in layers. The coyote could not see any solid surface to the planet, and wondered if there were any at all. The planet was colored brown, tan, and variations of such, but he only regarded the color of the planet in passing before the real question came to mind...
Why would something like this exist? He asked himself. In his opinion, everything had to have a purpose, so the sight of the planet puzzled him greatly. A floating ball of gas with no feasible was of sustaining life of any kind, It seemed empty to him in both form and purpose. The only reason he could grasp as to it's existence was that it simply existed, which went against everything the wise coyote had come to know.
The human however was less impressed, as he had already known such useless things existed, but found himself moved nonetheless by the coyote's overpowering sense of confusion. He took in the questions that the creature asked himself and soon adopted them as his own. As the planet floated by into the same small specs as the stars in the space around them, they came to the same conclusion. Why bother with a question they could not possibly answer?
Bang
They both seemed to shrug off the vibrations the beat sent through their body this time. The coyote relaxed as much as he could as his prior confusion faded, but ceased to dissipate completely. He doubted it would ever go away completely. He soon noticed, however, that he was not slowing for any of the planets now. He tried to catch glimpses of the many planets that swarmed by to no avail. There was no use, as whatever was controlling him now seemed to have a purpose.
As he spun aimlessly in space, he tried to gather some sense of perspective to where he was, not particularly caring what exactly it was. He finally caught a glimpse of his own galaxy fading in the distance, and marveled at this for the short time that it was visible. He sighed longingly as his body spun slowly. He soon lost sense of what was up and what was down, left or right. The questions took hold in the most basic of forms in his mind.
What is all this?
Visiting worlds of crystal beauty
Offering dreams so very hard to resist
Bang Bang
The drum beat seemed different in some way to the both of them, making the coyote search the vast nothingness around him. The very vibration and sound it gave seemed to speak to them as if telling them to wake up. The coyote's form finally stopped spinning and spiraling in space, and his eyes caught the glimpse of a bright star in the distance, directly in front of his view.
The star grow bigger slower at first, increasing the anxious tension inside him and the human alike. If this was the purpose of this journey, they wanted it badly. They no longer had any interest in the planets as they sped past them, eyes fixed on the glowing orb in the far distance. Finally, it's growth sped up, indicating their increasingly eminent arrival.
Bang
The coyote closed his eyes and focused on the movement of his body as his form slowed down more and more to a complete stop, floating completely still. He opened his eyes to gaze at the planet in from of him, his jaw dropping at the sight. The human gasped deep in his mind for a different reason, yet was equally surprised at what loomed in front of him.
Earth... the human thought with a fascinated tone. He had never quite seen his planet like this before, and felt himself filled with the same unwavering appreciation that the coyote did for his own planet, if not more having seem his planet first hand. He gazed over the seas of blue and lush green colors that filled the view, along with the dots of yellow lights from the life that called the planet home.
He felt completely floored by the sight as he realized that among all the light-years of space they had traveled, this was the only planet quite like this. It was a one gem among all the sands of the world, and he knew that even that expression came nowhere close to describing it. The fragility of his home planet soon became apparent in a way that few people on the surface could ever realize, and among those that did, no one could possibly know what he had seen through the eyes of the creature that lived so very far away.
Bang Bang
The coyote was amazed as equally as the human was, but with different feelings entirely. The feelings inside him were so intense that it forced the human's attention from his own thoughts to that of the creature's. All the while the human reveled in his own thoughts, the coyote's mind stood still, trying to grasp that which he saw before him. Moments passed in silence as the human's thoughts stood quiet and empathetic those of the foreign being whose eyes he gazed from, and whose mind was shared with him. A single tear rolled down his scarred cheek.
This is... The coyote finally choked out amongst his thoughts as another tear rolled down his cheek. The human's thoughts stood silent in respect to the creature as he struggled to gather his thoughts. He wished he could reach out to the creature with a hand on his shoulder, but instead took in the very feeling of the disbelief that the coyote was feeling, trying to grasp the gravity of the situation through the creature's thoughts.. Deep in the human's thoughts, the only thing he knew for sure was that no other creature in the universe had every felt the feelings the coyote was feeling right now.
"Is this.. heaven...?" His voice cracked, finally finishing the thought out loud. The human's thoughts diverted from trying to understand those of the furred one to the rotating orb of life in front of him. Earth being heaven wasn't exactly anything he had ever thought about before. His attention flickered back and forth between the coyote's bewildered view of the planet, and the very planet he had come to know as anything except heaven.
Heaven...? Hardly... The human thought, though knowing the coyote could not hear him. He grew almost frustrated as his jaded mind continued to see what really lay on the surface of the planet. War riddled areas of the planet like spot of flickering flame in a dry field, and the hate that spread from it engulfed the entire world. It may have been beautiful from this view, but he knew what really lurked beneath the gentle facade of it's surface.
Look closer. A voice boomed out sternly to him. Though he couldn't tell if the voice was that of the coyote's or something different entirely, he obeyed. His eyes gazed over the many lush and vastly different ecosystems of his own planet. From the sandy deserts to woodland forests and lush oceans, he began to realized how completely rare it was to have such a variety on one planet, as opposed to the one, harsh environment of the coyote's planet.
Beyond that, however, was the life that it bred. Goats, Fish, Birds, Dogs, Cats, and the human race itself rushed through his mind in passing as he thought back to the span of space they had crossed to get here. One could spend tens of lifetimes crossing the black abyss looking for life and only come across a harsh desert planet with a handful of struggling species. The chances, he thought, of their being something like earth were good given the incomprehensible size of the universe, however he kept in mind the time it would take to reach it, along with the sheer number of scenarios it took together to make earth exactly what it was. He was sure that there was nothing quite like this planet out there.
Earth was Heaven, though? He knew earth was unique and beautiful in a way he'd never be able to comprehend, and it certainly could be something resembling an idealized heaven if given the chance, but something about the idea bugged him that he couldn't place. Heaven was an idealistic nothing that he knew, though possible on paper, could never be possible. The human's mind wrapped around this, flipping it over and over in his mind, searching it's every nook and cranny. His mind kept returning to a single question.
Could it...?
His question was interrupted by a single flash of light that shook them from their thoughts, and before they could react further...
Bang
The deafening sound alone was enough to warn them that something was wrong. Gone was the mysterious, melodic beat of the tribal drum they had been hearing and following this whole time, and was instead replaced with a deafening roar and rumble. The sound was sharp, and scared both of them to their very core. The frightened unease of the coyote made the human even more frightened as the creature looked up sharply at a blaze of color that made his jaw drop.
Small and centered at first was a dark, red and orange haze, mixed with various shades of gray. It grew like wildfire on the surface of the planet, and they both looked on confused as the planet turned, giving the sight more definition from the different angle. The coyote looked closer through his shocked gaze and saw the chaotic movement of the fire and smoke billowing up from the planet's surface in a mushroom-head pattern only familiar to the human. The shockwave from the blast spread like wildfire from the planet's surface and stopped after a while.
No... The human thought in a hopeless cry. The knowledge the human had of what the explosion was send waves of terror through him. For a split second he felt grateful the coyote could not feel his own thoughts, as he knew the knowledge of the nuclear blast greatly trumped the fear of unknowing that was washing over the other at the moment. He could do nothing but watch in terror as the flame and smoke dissipated into the atmosphere, leaving behind a huge charred are where lush, green life once thrived.
The coyote however only began to grasp what was happening when he saw the charred earth that was left behind. He starred at the spot in horror as his mind wrapped around the concept that the planet's own inhabitants were doing this to themselves. They were killing themselves, and killing the very planet and everything else on it. It was something the coyote had no hope of grasping even though he tried hard. What the coyote could not grasp was, in contrast, as reality to the human as the desert planet was to the coyote. The human once again felt grateful the furred one could not feel his jaded outlook.
Bang
The second blast surprised the human as the coyote looked on in a stronger horror attributed to his new knowledge of the vast death that accompanied the sound. The coyote, given his experience expecting the unexpected, has assumed the first boom would not be the end. He nevertheless stared on hopelessly while overwhelmed with a feeling of disappointment to the creatures who were causing this. The human however was not expecting a second blast, and certainly not the third that broke his thoughts and replaced them with utter confusion.
Bang
They could not see the source of the third rumbling explosion, and could only assume it was where neither of them could see. The coyote was overwhelmed with a sadness so strong that he could not even feel it, as it was more like an overwhelming numbness than anything. He felt another tear roll down his eyes and muzzle once more and extended his paw out, as if trying to help the dieing planet. This gesture came simultaneously to a force that seemed to pull him back from the planet.
No. No. This is all wrong... The human thought as explosion after explosion rang out across each inch of the planet, each one shattering his entire being. Green and blue turned into gray as the very life was sucked out of the planet. Enormous cracks grew on the once green, lush surface of the planet as the blue, crystalline oceans evaporated completely into space. Earth grew smaller and smaller as they were pulled away. With the explosions growing quieter in the distance, they were given little time to reflect before they were blinded by an enormous white light, deafened by a godly roar, and shattered by the shock-wave of a planetary explosion.
I've seen the past, I've seen the future
Beyond dimension and into empty space
The young man felt himself come to slowly with his sight black and his ears ringing. One by one his senses returned, starting with his sense of touch. He felt himself on all fours with his hands dug firmly into the wet, muddy ground. He felt a much slower rain on his back, with each rain drop seeming to carry an immeasurable weight that made them all feel like balls of lead falling from the sky. No longer were they comforting and soothing, but carried burdens that washed over his body as each drop splashed across his form..
Bang...
The human's hearing returned next, with the ringing slowly rolling quieter as it fading to a normal state. His ears filled first with the sound of the soft, rolling thunder in the distance, followed by the normally soothing sound of the passing storm. His mind filled with a confused panic and terror at the sound of the thunder as it rolled in the distance. The once soothing rumble had turned into a beyond painful reminder of the scene he witnessed. He heard himself breathing heavily when finally his sight came to. He looked questioningly at nothing in particular, while studying the texture of a single, wet blade of grass beneath him.
His smell returned, although he hardly payed attention to it. He would have savored the refreshing scent of the cool air and crisp rain had his mind not been swimming with so much at one time. Although his subconscious mind took relief in all these senses returning, along with the fact that he was once again gripped firmly on the planet he called home. His conscious mind, however, was shattered.
Bang...
The rumbling rang out once again in the distance and he raised his heavy head to the sky, while slumping back on his knees. He saw each rain drop spiraling downward onto his face, and winced as one hit his eyes every once in a while. The once soothing rain drops only seemed do bring him more questions as he stirred in his own mind. In his massive confusion, he screamed at the top of his lungs toward the sky above, his eyes welling up with tears of confusion and anger.. After what seemed like an eternity, he calmed himself and turned his gaze down to his house looming in the distance.
His mind grew blank as his eyes looked over the parasitic testament to mankind towering on the brilliantly beautiful earth. Although his mind was filled with so much confusion that he decided not to think at all, he knew deep down he would never view his own kind the same way. However extreme a change his perception of his own kind was, he knew it hardly came close to what the coyote was feeling so many millions of light years away.
He finally stood up as the rain slowed even further down, still staring at his house as if it were this creation he had never seen before. He sighed and put his right foot in front of the other, walking steadily towards it. He felt his heart sag with each step he took towards his own house, his mind wandering to so many foreign places. With each inch closer he came to the shelter, he felt guiltier and guiltier, as his life was contributing to the demise he had witnessed moments earlier. Whether a premonition, or complete fiction, he felt empty inside by the visions of his entire, beautiful planet destroyed in only a few moments. Still, he felt oddly comforted by the knowledge that, millions of light-years away, there was life that, even though they struggled to survive, carried such better morals than his own race.
Finding questions, never answers
living time behind another face
Who knows... He thought with a heavy sigh. He gazed far in the distance past the open field, watching the sun peak it's way above the horizon. The rays blasted suddenly across the land with a brilliant light, making him gasp out as the soothing heat hit him. He gazed at each blade of grass now glistening in the light of the sun. His eyes wandered to the sky, which lit up with vivid hues of blue and white. He turned around and gazed at the other side of sky far above and past the looming darkness of his house. The clouds still dark gray and gloomy, he couldn't help but to feel the irony as he compared it with his own house.
He closed his heavy eyes and continued walking with a nearly blank mind, it's only inhabitants being that of the coyote so many trillions of miles away. Maybe they'll have a better chance. He thought with a blank stare into the depths of his mind, hearing one last distant rumble before he swung open the door to his home.
Bang...