Chapter II: Crepusculum
A ferret awoke into the perpetual twilight of the world and stretched across the grass. His mouth yawned wide, revealing his pointed teeth that glistened with the muted light of a never-visible sun. He shivered to life and puffed his chocolate-colored fur against the chilling vestiges of the dream that still clung to him.
Just a dream, he said with a sigh, drinking in the soft, reassuring hue of the sky that melted into a deep blue at the height of its celestial vault. Damn, I’ve had some weird ones lately.
Weird what? a gentle voice asked. The ferret turned to see his friend staring with deep, dark eyes. He imagined he saw the scattered stars in the unchanging sky glinting back, reflecting visions of another world.
The dreams again, Uespera, he said. You know, the sables and the human.
I know what you mean, Utnali. I saw them too! his female friend, a cinnamon ferret peppered with brown and white fur, said breathlessly.
But what do they mean? Utnali mused, wondering just what those mysterious sables hid behind their masks and the fog of sleep. The dreams had begun some weeks ago, appearing without warning and placing him behind the eyes of one of the ferrets. He wasn’t sure exactly what they were supposed to mean. Were they figments of imagination or prophetic visions? Whatever the significance, they had brought with them an unnerving sense of reality in a strange world, one with mythical humans and Furosans. And one where the light was always changing.
I think, Uespera said hesitantly as she began to groom her ruffled fur, we might be seeing another world.
Another world? That’s just stupid!
Oh. Uespera stopped grooming and looked up, quite dejected. Perhaps not, then. Maybe we ought to ask those two over there. They look just like the ones from the dream, you know.
Where? Utnali’s gaze darted back and forth across the soft grass that spread in all directions and rose in gentle mounds much like the curved backs of hidden ferrets. It alighted on two dark shapes a short distance away.
Strangers, he said and his tail puffed defensively. Strangers indeed. Only occasionally did other ferrets venture into his and Uespera’s territory, a small field with good hunting and a nice view of the distant mountains whose peaks always remained wreathed in snow.
Utnali and Uespera slunk towards the brown shapes, exploding forth in sharp bursts while testing the air for the telltale scent that would betray their identity. The winds bore nothing.
Something’s not right, Uespera said. The strange ferrets had no scent.
Utnali scampered closer, curiosity overriding fear. A ferret with no scent wasn’t even a ferret at all. How was he supposed to identify them, learn all about where they’d been and who they’d recently met, all with a few sniffs?
He shuffled up to the still forms. Each one was curled tightly upon itself in sleep. The dark ferret probed the still forms with his nose. Still no smell.
Dead, he thought sadly. They must’ve gotten lost and hungry. Poor little buggers.
No sooner had he spoken than one of the ferrets stirred, uncoiled itself, and trained its equally black eyes upon his.
Who… who are you? a shaky voice asked. Its owner, a small female sable, scooted backwards and tripped over her still-sleeping companion.
I’m Utnali, and you’re… Hey, you’re the ferret from my dream!
Dream? the small sable said vacantly. I used to be in a dream. I think.
Just then her companion unraveled himself from coiled sleep and stretched. He caught sight of Utnali and seemed not in the least bit surprised.
There really is an Awake, he said. It’s more beautiful than I’d ever imagined. He looked all about, drinking in the soft, dim light of the twilit world about him.
Utnali started. No scent… He drifted off into thought. The dreams… Suddenly it began to make sense. The two didn’t smell because they weren’t real.
What in Crepusculum are you two? Ghosts? Spirits?
Uespera answered for the strange pair. They’re lost in a world that isn’t theirs. She turned to the two sables. Aren’t you?
The male spoke. We Awoke from the Dream to save our friend, he said.
To save the black-haired human? Uespera asked.
Yeah, Stefi, the male sable answered. Wait, how do you know about her?
I saw you and her in my dreams. And now you’ve Awoken into our world, our reality, but your dream. I think… you’re our dreams.
That sounds crazy, Utnali interjected. But I’ve never seen Uespera wrong before. This just sounds… he searched for a word but came up empty-pawed.
Our lives were so real, the male sable insisted. Gemmie and I could’ve sworn it was reality.
Maybe, his companion Gemmie said, the dream of their world is our world, and the dream of ours is theirs.
That just made my head hurt, Maya said.
Just think about what they’re saying, she continued. They dreamed of us, but look around. Isn’t this slightly familiar?
He sat silent for a moment, struggling with the answer he knew would come no matter what. It’s from our dreams. I can’t remember exactly, but this place… it’s too familiar.
Now that we have an understanding, Utnali said, what do we do next? We can’t very well go back to sleep if our dreams are here, can we? That could be bad.
How about not sleep? Gemmie offered.
Or we could find one of the few ferrets to have Awoken into our world before, Uespera said. I think we need to find Pishti.
The natives of Crepusculum, the chocolate and cinnamon colored ferrets, tried to figure out what exactly the strange scentless sables were, to no avail. If they really had awoken from Feregana, the world of their dreams, only Pishti could know what it meant. For long ago he had also awoken into Crepusculum and journeyed far beyond the sea.
Occasionally the soft winds bore the sound of far off waves to Utnali and Uespera’s home, also carrying a salty tang that mixed surprisingly well with the grass and wildflowers. Therefore, Uespera suggested that they find the sea. All the stories say Pishti went across it when he came here, she said.
But we don’t know how far away it is! Utnali pointed out. And it’s not like we’ve ever been there.
Gemmie cut in. We’ve been to the sea before. We were on a big boat with Stefi!
What’s a boat? Uespera asked.
The only way to cross the sea, Maya said. We’ll have to find one when we get there.
We have to find the sea first, Utnali said.
The four slunk through the grasses that covered the rolling landscape, not tiring as the day sat still and never advanced beyond twilight. There was something in the air, Gemmie and Maya found, something that lightened their limbs of tiredness and fatigue. Maybe it was the constant twilight; after all, that was when they felt most alive in their own world. Or perhaps it was because here they seemed little more than manifested dreams, without scent or reality. Either way, a passage of time that could have been one minute or one year passed them by, drawing the sea’s salty scent ever closer.
At last the four crested a rise, their paws skittering across the sand that coated it. There, sprawled before them, lay the sea. A beach, its gold sands stained a soft purple by the light, rolled down to the lapping waves. It wore a scattering of small spiraled seashells.
Pretty… Uespera said in awe. I never thought it was so close.
So deep, so alive, Utnali said.
Yeah, yeah, Maya muttered, not sharing in their wonder. How do we cross it? I don’t suppose you see a boat, do you?
Four pairs of eyes scanned the shoreline, struggling in the dim light seemingly made even darker by the fickle sea’s surface. Eventually they came to rest upon a dark shape a short distance away, although what it was none could tell.
The ferrets scampered down the rise and across the beach, dodging sharp shells as they went. Although their feet sank slightly into the wet sand, they relished the unfamiliar sensation. Uncomfortable, yes. But also new and curious. And the latter was all that
mattered.
It’s a… Utnali said hesitantly. Hey, what is it? He sniffed at the curved thing that was several times his size. Unlike the new ferrets, this thing did have a scent: the salt of the sea and a soft, dim sort of woody smell. He liked it.
That’s a boat! Gemmie said.
How does one use it? Uespera asked. Her eyes shone with excitement.
Only Furosans and humans can, Gemmie said patiently. The one we went on had a big blanket to push it along.
A big blanket? the cinnamon ferret echoed.
Yeah. And when that stopped working, Stefi had to find Shizai to give us a ride.
Utnali let out an impressed sigh. You two have been busy, haven’t you?
Before he could elaborate, a silver head emerged from a hole in the bank behind them. Who’s there talking so loud? a gruff voice asked. It reminded Gemmie and Maya of Rhaka’s.
A silver ferret slinked from the burrow and eyed them suspiciously. If his unusual color came from nature or age they couldn’t tell.
Come to take my boat, have ya? he said and advanced on the other very stunned ferrets.
Maya, like always, was the first to collect his thoughts and respond. Yes. Unless you plan on giving us a ride.
And why would I do that? the gruff silver shot back.
Because we’re looking for someone called Pishti, and to do that we need your boat.
The other ferret twitched almost imperceptibly, a telling sign that perhaps he knew something. He approached with a rolling gait and sniffed each ferret in turn, deliberating over the task as if it was the most important thing in the world. Once finished he spoke again. You sables have no scent. I’ll take ya, then. Mister Pishti will be curious to see you two.
Why is that? Gemmie asked and trembled slightly. She could’ve understood a refusal to help, but this? A straight out offer based solely on their scents, or lack of? It was just too unexpected compared to everything else that had happened. And easy.
He has no scent either. Ya musta come from the same place as he did.
Feregana? Gemmie offered.
That’s the one. So how about we get going?
Wait, you’re taking us just like that? Maya asked. You don’t even know us!
Ya want the damn ride or not?
He approached his boat and nosed it. To everyone’s surprise, it flipped over with no effort and the ferret eased it into the gentle surf with his front paws. As the tide began to toy with the shallow craft, the five ferrets sprang through the warm waters and hauled themselves in, entrusting themselves to the mercy of the sea.
What’s your name? Gemmie asked as the silver ferret took up position at the bow like a shining figurehead made of starlight.
Aegentus.