"Angels and ministers of grace defend us.
Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned,
Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked, or charitable,
Thou com'st in such a questionable shape,
That I will speak to thee."
-William Shakespeare, Hamlet
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At last! The day had finally come!
Erin trotted along behind Bratis, barely able to contain her excitement.
They were going to the town!
The sky was clear and robin's egg blue. The new spring grass was cool and green. The winter had been colder than usual, cold enough to snow a little bit, soemthing that had not happened within Erin's memory. But now it was spring again, and warm breezes played among the grass and trees and ruffled the fur of an exuberant young vixen who didn't have a thing to worry about in the world!
Well, except for the fact that the shirt on her back was itching her terribly. She longed to tear it off and roll in the grass, but Bratis had insisted that she wear clothes when they wne tto town. It wasn't her custom, but it was polite to other creatures. Apparently some of them thought it was obscene to go in one's natural fur. Erin didn't understand this at all, and even Bratis hadn't really been able to explain it.
So, Erin was wearing a fresh linen shirt, a mulberry-colored vest, and a leaf-green skirt. Bratis wore his usual green tunic with his sword strapped across his back. Today he also wore his long, black traveling cloak. Erin liked it, for some reason. Perhaps it was the way it stood out against the glossy red fur of a fox. She didn't know.
As Erin paused to snap at a blade of grass behind him, Bratis smiled. Erin had waited a long time for this day, he knew. Her curiosity was boundless. Any new thing was totally remarkable and wondrous to her. Bratis wished he still had that childlike quality himself sometimes. Seasons always follow one another, but to Erin, every season was like the first of its kind.
Something tickled the edge of his consciousness. Bratis raised his nose and sniffed the wind, but nothing unusual came through. Still, he felt strangely disturbed. It had only been for a split second, and it had been as faint as a butterfly whisper, but it had been there.
Was it an intuition signal from some other creature? But if so, then who? There was no one else around for miles, not even Wild ones, if his nose served him right. What was it?
Being a fox, it was no strange thing for the odd little incident to be disturbing. Foxes are, by nature, wary and alert creatures, attuned to the ebb and flow of all sensations, smell, sight, sound, even intuition. The slightest change could mean something important, or it might not. But either way, it was never taken without notice.
Bratis glanced back at Erin. She didn't seem to have felt anything. Her world was perfect.
He shrugged it off. Just a trick of the mind, he told himself.
They continued on.
* * * *
When they entered the village, Erin was awe-stricken.
All these creatures! All these new things! It was very nearly like a senspry overload. She drew back to Bratis's side, trembling.
"What is it?" She asked in shock.
"It's the village." Answered Bratis kindly. He gave her a nudge. "Come on, let's go."
They walked down the main street. It was a market day, and there were more creatures than was usual, but it was all the same to Erin. So strange!
They took their time and stopped at each market stall. Bratis would quiz her as they went.
"What is that fruit?"
"It's a kumquat!"
"What's this spice?"
"I don't know."
"Have a sniff!"
Erin sneezed a little. "It's nutmeg."
"Very good! What sort of creature is that over there?"
"The one with stripes on her face?"
"Yes."
"She's a Numbat."
"That's right!"
After a while, they came to the edge of the marketplace. As they passed a building which Bratis explained to be a "post office", another creature suddenly ran up to them.
He was a coyote, wild wide yellow eyes. His tongue lolled in an anxious grin. "Bratis!" He barked.
Bratis sniffed the coyote's nose in greeting. "Waghowl, greetings!" He said.
"Bratis," Said Waghowl, glancing around as though afraid someone was watching him. "What are you doing out on a day like this?"
"What do you mean?" Asked Bratis, trying to look confused, but Erin could see that he was humoring the coyote. She wondered if the beast was insane.
"Ah," Waghowl paced back and forth a little bit. "I forget, you can't sense things like I do." He stopped and sat down to scratch his ear with a hind paw.
Bratis nudged Erin. "Waghowl, this is Erin." He said.
Waghowl stopped scratching and looked at Erin for a moment with one ear turned inside out. Erin tried to keep from laughing at his comical appearance.
Waghowl sniffed her nose politely. "How d'you do, little Erin? Bratis talks about you all the time." He said with a wink.
"Nice to meet you, Waghowl." Giggled Erin.
Waghowl turned back to Bratis. "Now, what was I saying?-"
Erin started. A sudden chill had shot down her spine. It made her fur stand on end. Something was hanging over the village, like a storm cloud. Her intuition sense crackled with a static energy.
"What on earth-" Bratis growled. HE had felt that strange tickle in his brain again, and now something hit him like a lightning bolt. Some malignant force was bearing down on them, and fast.
"You can feel it now, can't you?" Wailed Waghowl softly. "They're coming!"
Erin's blue eyes were wide with terror. "Dad, what's going on?" She asked.
"I'm not sure, little fox." Replied Bratis, trying to conceal his worry. "But we'd better get out of the open." He glanced at Waghowl.
The coyote nodded. "Follow me!"
The three creatures ran down the street. All around creatures were feeling the weird effect. They scrambled to close up market stalls, mothers grabbed their children and raced for their homes. Something bad was coming!
Waghowl led them down an alley and into a doorway. He dug into the pocket of his tunic frantically. "The Moon smite me! I haven't got my key!" He wailed at last.
"We're locked out, then." Said Bratis grimly. "Trapped out here with...whatever it is."
"Yes," murmured Waghowl. He turned to the south. His eyes showed fear like Erin had never imagined possible. What was this horrible thing that was coming?
A few minutes later, she would know.