FSE

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"We received our last communication three days ago," Mayor Forten said. "Our defenses have been breached." His voice came through nearly every radio, television, and phone around. It was almost as though the city itself drew in a breath, holding. Waiting. "We can only assume that the giants have overtaken Alrain at the border, as none of our messages have been answered." The sound fuzzed a bit as the signal briefly went down. "In this time of emergency, we must unite and prepare for the oncoming giants."

Tania folded her ears down in worry. "I never should have moved so close to the border, she muttered," eyes glued to the phone on the table before her. The report wasn't getting any better, so she reached out and shut it off. No sooner had she touched the screen than the lights flickered and went out. "Great. First the water and now this." The rabbit, short even for a micro, took a deep breath and put her paw over her mother's locket. She'd be safe, back in Navam. Surely the giants' army couldn't press that far.

Here, however... Tania looked out the window, sun perfectly framed in its glass. In an hour, she'd have to break out candles if the lights didn't come back on. How long could they hold out? No outside communications, no running water, and now no power. Tania glanced back out the window, staring past the horizon to the freedom that lay beyond. The giants were there somewhere, between her and true safety. If the whole city fled, not everyone would make it. But if they stayed...

A single tear slid out of her eye before she grabbed a backpack and began filling it with clothing and food. Thoughts of the children she taught at school flashed through her mind as she whispered a choking, soft "Sorry, so sorry," to the memory of each one.

In an hour her bag was full, the lights still off. Twilight rested on the land as she slipped out the door, not bothering to lock it. She shouldered her bag, took a few hesitant steps, and bolted. Gone. Gone forever.

<><><>

Days passed, trapped under the oppressive boot of terror. The police prepared for riot, but were met only by barren streets, citizens fearful to remain outside for long. Power returned for a time, but was lost again before long. More and more fled by the day, draining the city of workers to keep things running through troubled times.

Even the mayor's broadcasts failed as the city's remaining power reserves and generators ran out, and the communication network itself faltered. Some faithful few did their best to hold the city together, planting more food nearby, hauling fresh water from the pond, hosting gatherings of food and companionship. Yet an air of worry overshadowed it all. Still, it was they, working in their gardens, who first heard the commotion.

Boom.

"What was that?" "Wasn't that over by the defense tower?" "Dear god, it's happening."

Crash!

"Giants! I knew it! They're here!" A larger crowd gathered, dumbfounded. Down the street, a panther sprinted toward them, coming from the direction of the noise and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Everyone take cover! Our defenses are gone!" The huffing panther slowed to a halt before the assemblage. "Find shelter... Prepare."

A badger came forward, taking the panther's arm over his shoulders to support him. "What happened?" he asked. With a quick look about, he gestured to one of the bystanders. "You, get some water. Hurry now!"

Shaking his head, the panther leaned heavily on the badger. "No time. Giants. Engineers, I think. Definitely military." His gasping breath divided his sentences, keeping them brief. "I don't know how they got past our weapons." More thunderous noise split the air, the booming of a giant bomb. The flash of light was visible within the city, and immediately the crowd split to scurry back inside, finding shelter where they may and leaving the badger and panther alone together on the street.

"What can we do?" the badger asked, helping the other toward the nearest building.

"Hide. Lie low. And when they find us, surrender."

The ground jittered through the entire city, a sign that the giants were using one of their colossal digging machines. But for what? Planting charges? Laying foundation? Nothing good, that much was certain. The earth trembled and shook, toppling a few of the less-sturdy structures in the city. Within an hour, a second machine joined, scooping vast quantities of soil and shifting it as the breeze carries a leaf. More buildings fell, knocking into others as they collapsed.

When the sun lowered, the giants still had not entered the city, taking their machines elsewhere before night set in. Many remained trapped within fallen structures, desperately seeking a way out. Others crept out from the relative safety of their shelters to examine the giants' work. Upon arrival, they found only a wide pit with a tall sign in front of it. Eventually enough got together to grab ropes and harnesses to lift themselves to the sign's level and read it.

Keep Out

Area closed for demolition

That night, nearly half the city fled with what little they could carry, scattering every which way. The rest picked through the debris, rescuing their trapped comrades where they could, but without power, much of the rubble could not be cleared by micro hands.

Vane worked tirelessly through the night, digging through heaps and mounds of collapsed building. The fox's clothes tore several times as he worked, reducing them to mere rags. He cared little, for every face he pulled from the wreckage was another friend rescued. When the sun returned, he struggled with the largest pile of debris in the area, a shelter with a collapsed apartment building covering it. Many came to take him away from the futile effort, but he wasn't about to give up, even if it wasn't possible for him to get through.

He was so distracted by his work that it took a minute or two to realize that a giant was just outside the city, bumbling forward without caring what - or who - was under his bare paws. Typical entitled macro. The massive otter's tail knocked down an abandoned building near the edge of town, and he stepped on another when he turned to see.

Vane growled and ran forward. "Hey! You, giant!" The otter turned and looked about, searching for the speaker. While many fled from the huge creature, Vane pressed forward through the crowds. "Damn you! I'm right here!"

Eyes finally meeting the fox's, the giant smiled. His booming voice echoed wide. "Ah, greetings. My name is Bren. Good to meet you."

"Oh, now you want to be friends?" Vayne shouted. "You might have tried that before destroying our homes! What do you want? Are you here to finish us off? Take us home for dinner, maybe? Might as well get on with it!"

Bren's eyes softened somewhat. "Oh no, not at all! I apologize for the actions of the others. I assure you, I'm not with them." Looking around at the destruction, he rubbed the back of his neck and crouched down closer to Vane. "Do you need anything?"

"Need anything? From you?" The fox scowled, teeth clenched in a growl. "I need you to fix what you giants did!" He pointed sharply back toward the shelter. "There are at least twenty trapped under that, thanks to your engineers!"

Nodding, the otter sighed. "Careless oafs. Should've taken more precautions so close. Let me do what I can." He lifted his gaze, scanning the crumbling city. "Can you show me where? I'm not sure where you were pointing."

Vane considered the offer. He really couldn't dig through the rubble on his own, not even if he weren't exhausted from a night of it. "Fine," he said through clenched teeth. "Let the giant give us all a show of his strength. Over here." He turned and padded back, stalking with a sneer on his face. Bren muttered something, but the fox could only make out the word "ungrateful". When they arrived, Vane pointed and stepped back. "There. Be careful, they might be trying to dig out from the inside."

The giant's immense size was readily apparent by the ease with which he scooped the rubble away, dropping it elsewhere with a tumultuous crash. Vane thought he caught a quick flash of the otter's eye when one colossal footpaw knocked him to the ground and pressed down while the otter shifted some debris. The incredible weight held him flat, wheezing in the sweaty air that hung around the giant's paw. Struggle as he might, he was powerless beneath the giant's foot, forced to remain motionless, breathing the musky air that seemed to soak into his clothes, his fur, his very being, until all the rubble was cleared.

"A giant! Don't leave the shelter! Close the door!" All at once, the pressure let off. Vane pulled himself to his knees, taking deep breaths.

"I don't..." he wheezed, "think that... was called for." Clearing his throat of the sweaty musk that still floated about and summoning the strength to stand, he looked up at the otter with defiance. "Leave this place. Leave and let us be!"

"Well, when you put it that way," Bren chuckled. One swift paw swooped down and grabbed the fox between two fingers, lifting him up toward the giant's muzzle. Too weak even to struggle, Vane simply stared forward, clenching his eyes shut and preparing himself for what was to come. The paw stopped moving.

The gargantuan otter inhaled deeply and smiled. "You're kinda cute, you know?" The free paw caressed a digit over his face, surprisingly gentle. "Standing up to me like that, trying to tell me what to do." He chuckled lifting a strange device almost like the giants' phones and pointing it at Vane. "Defending those adorable little rights of yours. I think I'll call you Gaven."

"M-my name is-"

"Your name is Gaven. I think I'm going to keep you." The otter smiled and dropped Vane into a clear plastic cylinder, screwing the cap on tight before placing the specimen container at his belt. The fox collapsed to the bottom, looking down at the ruined city below him.

His journey took him past the edge of town, where a large, covered wheelbarrow Vane hadn't seen earlier waited. The otter whistled a happy tune, taking off the cover and revealing dozens of captured micros inside cages. The thick plastic walls of Vane's prison left him barely enough room to curl up in defeat, but let him see the other prisoners. Vane thought he recognized one or two, but wasn't sure. Apparently satisfied that all were present, Bren took the wheelbarrow back into town, stopping at the shelter to tear the doors open and drop the micros hiding inside into the cages.

Vane watched in horror as the otter pulled his device back out, holding it about and seemingly following it straight to another shelter. Repeating the same process as before, he filled more cages and put them in the wheelbarrow. Again and again Vane was forced to watch as tens, than hundreds of Micros were found, scooped up, and caged. And there was not a single thing he could do from within his small, clear confines, still reeking of the huge otter's scent.

It was hard not to be impressed, close as he was to those massive thighs. He could see the muscles working, straining under the otter's full weight. Perhaps not straining. Bren moved with ease, despite his lumbering stature. Yet as much awe as could be found in a giant's body, Vane still had difficulty stomaching how he treated the micros.

"Come now," the otter would say to his captives while he grabbed four or five in one great paw. "It isn't safe here. Your town is going to be destroyed in a day or two at most. I'm taking you to safety. You can trust me." And all the while, the screams floated all the way to Vane's ears, if muffled a bit by the plastic. Curling up at the bottom of his prison, the fox succumbed to exhaustion and passed out, the giant's voice still ringing through his head. "Lots of macro predators have been crossing the border lately, you know, roaming the countryside. Now that the barrier is broken and the micro army is gone. Just something to think about!"

<><><>

Bren nodded approvingly at his collection of micros, they'd make excellent pets when he got back. None of the Snuffers would be able to touch a single one of them. He covered the wheelbarrow and headed back to the barn.

The tiny woods were such a strange place. Micro flora grew abundantly, with trees that looked sort of like large broccoli, but some of the macro plants had grown back in the area as well, creating an odd dissonance. But not a bad one at all. Bren liked it. It was a peaceful meeting between tinies and macros, cute little shrubs beneath grander, stouter growths. Like the very trees had taken to keeping stuffed toys..

Partway to the barn, he caught a glimpse of a poorly-hidden army atv. The military was getting sloppy, now that the scanners allowed them to bypass nearly every trap, weapon, and ambush the tinies could manage.

"Bren!" The cheerful voice sounded from his left, and he turned to see a small squadron led by an exuberant otter. "What are you doing here, cousin?"

"Just a bit of gathering, I'm headed back to the barn now. How are you, Sadri?" He smiled and gave his cousin a quick hug, her squadron approaching without caution to greet him. "And all you lovely ladies. Doing well?"

Several chuckled, with Sadri nearly giving a full belly laugh. "Things are better than ever! Incredible things, these scanners. It's hard to believe these woods used to be dangerous. Now we can just dance around anything set in our path!" She did a little twirl around one of the small trees to demonstrate.

Pulling out his own scanner, Bren smiled and gave it a look. The thing truly was a wonder. "It's making it too easy for you, cousin," he teased. "You're getting rusty. Didn't even have to look to find your vehicle."

"Why bother hiding it at all? Trust me, we're fine." She gestured to the wheelbarrow. "What about them? Will they be fine?"

"No Snuffer will get their hands on them, if that's what you mean." He nodded solemnly. "They deserve better than that. Death, just for being small? Despicable."

Sadri gave an approving smile. "Good. Damn the Snuffers, am I right?"

"They are kind of responsible for the invasion," one of the squadron members piped up. "Just saying. If there hadn't been so many in power, we'd still be doing recon over the border, scanners or no." With several sharp looks pointed at her, she held her hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm not saying I agree with 'em."

Bren smiled, noticing a few blinking dots on the screen of his scanner. "So you're here doing what, capturing townships?"

"Oh, mostly we just ensure the civvies and gearheads have a clear path. Not all of them have scanners, after all."

"So you haven't been gathering a few tinies of your own?" The otter flashed a grin, tapping his scanner knowingly. "Let me see what you've got, cousin!"

With another bout of laughter, the squadron members all grabbed a couple micros stashed away in their gear, pulling them from boots and hats, pockets and pouches. Sadri grabbed a pretty large wolf, for a tiny anyway, from her cleavage, looking a bit sheepish about it. Bren looked them all over approvingly. Many were bound somehow, but several seemed to have accepted their place already, if fearfully. All in good health, too. Most were male, but a couple had some females, including an adorable bunny that seemed fairly tame.

Some, certainly, were civilians gathered while fleeing, but most appeared to be prisoners of war, some even still in uniform. Snacks, as the Snuffers would call them. Bren held back a snarl at the thought. These would be cared for. Victory where it can be had.

"Looks like you're doing alright by them," Bren said. "If you promise to take good care of them, I'll register them for you."

Sadri grinned in delight. "So you finally got it working. Great. I wasn't looking forward to spending one of my leave days trekking all the way home just to deposit this little guy. It's a real shame our scanners don't have that capacity. Certainly that would make things easier for us, we'd actually have a claim when some Snuffer or another takes our POW's when he's hungry. Or bored."

Picking up the wolf and starting up the registration system, Bren scowled. "That happens?"

"More than you'd care to know. Once had the cutest little tiger, but some puffed-up officer decided to see how well it could handle falls from his table. Poor thing got banged up pretty good, died about a week later." Sadri shook her head sadly. "I was going to name him Don. But with no kind of proof of ownership, he might as well not have existed at all."

With a sigh, Bren nodded. "Perhaps better for him if he hadn't."

"I'm glad we bumped into you," a slim panthress said. "Else we might've been forced to use the...traditional method of 'registration'." Tension eased with a few chuckles. "Never understood that, myself. Seems like quite a hassle..."

"To each their own," Sadri said firmly. "As for me, I'll take the scanner. Thank you, Bren. I really do appreciate this."

The otter finished checking the DNA profile on his screen. "I had to work pretty hard to set up this system, you know. You'd think they'd have made a centralized system a long time ago, but apparently the Snuffers didn't think particularly highly of that idea." He shrugged. "Things will change. What did you want to name him?"

One by one, each of the tinies was registered for their owner, given a name (sometimes even the one the Micro insisted was theirs), and put back in its hiding place. With a final wave goodbye, Bren took his wheelbarrow and continued on his way to the barn. "They'll do alright," he said to himself.

<><><>

Sadri lay back on her bedroll in the middle of the tiny forest, smiling. She grabbed her wolf and held him up to her face. "Don't you worry, Rinn. I'll take very good care of you indeed." Stuffing the squirmy creature back into her bosom, she closed her eyes, letting sleep come over her.