Updated 5/8/08
Gardenia: The Furry Roleplaying Game - Story 5(Quai)
A bright rainbow colored hot air balloon drifted in the skies above Cheesetown, a small place in the land of Gardenia. Inside the giant wicker basket, a blue wolf, in a tight yellow t-shirt stood, looking over the edge at the green rounded trees and quaint little houses below. His baggy tan pants flapped in the wind. His fur rustled with the breeze. His blue-white tail twitched with interest.
From this height, he could see the entire town, like it were a dollhouse.
To the far end was a parking lot. To the other, a river that led to a swamp. A lake lay to the south, and he could see a wooded area and a town further north.
(To see what he saw, go to https://www.angelfire.com/mo2/Pudgy/Cheesetown.html)
Behind him, a kangaroo in khakis manned the burner. "What did you say your name was again, mate?"
"Quai," said the wolf.
"Ah! Quai. I knew an aborigine with that name." He chuckled a bit, then glanced over the side. "Ah! Here it is!" he said. "Cheesetown!"
He put down the weights and turned down the burner.
The balloon drifted downward, descending into the town. The trees and rooftops became larger.
The wolf heard scratching. The basket had brushed against a treetop.
It drifted, then made a sudden drop through the air, landing right on top of a pup tent.
"Hey!" A yellow dog in a Scout uniform cried. "I was camping!"
"Sorry mate!" cried the kangaroo. "Balloning is tough business!"
The wolf looked around and saw a blazing campfire had been set up nearby, and the dog was clutching a stick with a marshmallow on it. A large doghouse lay a few feet away.
It was a warm day in Cheesetown, Gardenia. The afternoon sun shined pleasantly down on the concrete parking lot outside this small region of Norfork City, a gentle breeze causing the crab grass in the cracked pavement to sway. A beetle scurried across the bumpy surface, dashing beneath a brand new Mercedes pickup truck. The lot was filled with vehicles. A Hyundai pickup, a neat looking Lincoln Towncar, a Crown Chiktoria, a Honda motorcycle, one of those Scion things from Toyota, a Lexus, and all sorts of other things.
There was a loud roaring sound, and a big silver bus rolled into view. The logo on its side proudly read, `Stop pollution. Ride Bluehound!' It hissed to a stop, and out stepped a blue wolf with a white neck and muzzle, dressed in a tight yellow t-shirt and baggy tan pants. His bright blue eyes scanned the parking lot, his blue-white tail twitching behind him.
There was a sign at the edge of the parking lot. He walked up to it and saw that it contained a map.
As the wolf stood on the concrete, a cockroach scuttled across the parking lot. A lion and a stork walked up a path, crossing through the lot. The two ignored him, heading towards the Crown Chick.
The pelican took out its keys. It opened the door and got in, letting the lion in the passenger side. The engine started up and heavy metal music began playing. The music stopped and Indian music started to play.
The wolf watched the two creatures, slightly curious. He crept to the car, listening intently to the music, not taking his eyes off the pair. He tilted his head to the side in thought. Coming to a decision, he hurried to the car, digging his hands into his pockets. Finding nothing of use, he took his hands out, waving to the animals in the car. His breath hitched in anticipation as he waited for a reaction.
The stork in the driver's seat paid him no mind. The lion glanced his way, but after chatting a bit, he looked elsewhere.
The wolf heard thunder. He glanced up, thinking it to be rain, but he saw only fluffy white cumulus clouds. There was a crack, and black lightning streaked across the sky, striking a large mansion in the distance. The phenomena quickly stopped.
There was another crack of black lightning, then another, and another. The wolf saw a flash. A black wolf and a penguin fell out of the sky, landing on the ground with a dull thud.
The black creature brushed himself off, then looked around. It blinked, then waved at him.
"Hi. How is it going?"
The blue wolf blinked rapidly, his eyes wide open. Black lines waved in his vision, causing him to blink all the more. It took several minutes to snap out of this state and notice the two new beings. He took a step back, feeling a slight cold shiver run down his spine. He stared at them. "Are you okay?"
The other wolf nodded. "I'm fine. I do this all the time."
"We just saw Phantasmo!" said the penguin. "It was so cool! You should tune into GEDU 80 at midnight tonight. It's going to be a great show! I can't wait to hear what callers on the Wild Card Line think about Ki's performance!" He paused, offering a flipper. "Hi. My name is Pengo. This is my friend, Ki. What's your name?"
"Quai."
"Like the bridge?"
Quai gave him a blank look.
The penguin whistled the theme from The Bridge over River Quai.
The blue wolf shrugged.
The black wolf offered his hand. "The name's Ki. Say, where you from? You don't look like you're from this world." He shook Quai's hand, then took a look around at his surroundings.
A billy goat in faded blue overalls strolled over the curb. Seeing a discarded soda can, he picked it up and took a bite out of it.
"Hey, Billy," said Pengo.
"Hey, Pengo. Whatcha doin'?"
"Oh, nothing much right now, but I was on the Zone of the Unknown a few minutes ago."
"That's cool. I'll have to tune in later tonight and hear what happened."
Quai looked about in confusion at the new faces, trying to remember the black wolf and the penguin's names. A small wave of dizziness passed over him as he thought. Taking a deep breath he sucked in all his confusion and exhaled. He exhaled he smiled widely, nodding to the new goat amiably. "Yeah, I'm not from around here... and not used to the...terrain, I'm guessing."
The goat shrugged and walked off.
"Me either," said Ki. "I'm having to use me powers to get from place to place."
Quai stared at the creatures in front of him. They look like males, but I'm not so sure about the penguin. I guess I'll pass no judgement, either way.
A bolt of lighting flashed against the sky. He narrowed his eyes, turning his attention back to the others. "I thought I heard a boom from up there earlier." He pointed almost lazily
up the hill.
"Yeah, I think that may have been me." Ki held out his paw, and a gleaming blade appeared in his palm.
"So," said Pengo. "What's next on the agenda? I mean, I could take you to my friend's house, so we could maybe go to the mall or something, if you want. Or we could play some basketball or go fishing or whatever. I'd suggest bowling, but Ki might be sick of that. Or you could train at the gym some more. Either that, or we could hang out at my place. Don't forget you have that class tomorrow, Ki."
No response.
Pengo went to a curb and sat down. "So, Ki...how did you get all those weird powers you've got? I mean, I know you said something about a cave, but I don't quite get it. Were you just sort of...born with the power to teleport? If so, what kind of parents do you have? They'd have to be pretty weird parents, huh? And what cave did you go to? How did you gain the ability to make those swords appear out of nowhere? Are they part of your body or something? Do you just think and they appear, or what?"
He picked at a rock absently with his flipper. "How do they know where and when to appear? How are they linked to you? I know it's a lot of questions, but this stuff is making my head hurt. It's probably making Quai's head hurt, too. I mean, you made black lightning and blew up a studio. That's crazy! You need to start explaining stuff to me, because I don't get it. Quai, you know what I'm saying, right?"
"Thats way too long of a story" said Ki, looking into the sky. "Lets just say, after you die there is still more."
"Aw, Ki!" the penguin grumped. "Don't be like Rick Mauser! Can't you at least throw me one teeny tiny little answer to my questions?"
With an evil grin, Ki said, "Well, if you really want to know, Pengo. I could train you so that you could take the test like me, and gain powers like me."
Pengo sighed. "So the first rule is that you don't talk about it with anyone? What is this, Pillowfight Club? Are you saying that I have to join some crummy organization just to figure out why you can magically pull weapons out of nowhere? That stinks! You and Rick Mauser have a lot in common. Rick likes to leave town for weeks at a time, and then when I ask him about what happened, he just says `it's a long story.'" He shook his beak. "I suppose I'll just have to guess what happened."
They didn't say anything for some time.
"Hmmm, say, Pengo, do you know about any places I can stay at?"
"Well, I suppose I shouldn't be inhospitable, regardless of your being irritatingly confusing." The penguin sighed. "You can either stay at my place, or we can talk to Sharon Nook about getting your own. How's that sound?"
"Hmmm, say, Pengo, do you know about any places I can stay at?"
"Well, you can either stay at my place, or we can talk to Sharon Nook about getting your own. How's that sound?"
The blue wolf stared at Ki in confusion. The problems with plot, continuity and logic had overwhelmed his mental circuitry. Without any warning, he exploded into bits.
"I hate when that happens," Pengo shrugged.
Back to Ki's Story
If you want to add to the story, or start your own, Please e-mail the Game Master at akktri@iname.com with your questions.
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