Description
I've been working on a book series and it's currently 200k words going and strong. I am wholly serious about getting it published.
The artwork above was drawn up by SammyHarlan . I gave him a character, and he was familiar with his background so i gave him creative liberty. This is what inspired my teaser. The following teaser is just the beginning of what lies down the road, so with these words, I’m not backing down from this project. I’m going to keep moving forward with it.
Please enjoy my story. More will be on the way!
Distractions: The Very Beginning
Perhaps one day if Stormhowl—our hero—was asked “Why do you do the things you do?”
What would his response be?
“I dunno,” he would say while running a paw over the scruffy fur on his head, “I guess I’m just playin’ my part in this world and I think everyone can be important somehow. I mean, I kinda like to think anyone will do some good someday or another.” He’ll give a toothy grin before continuing, “I tell ya what. Ya wanna know what my main philosophy is? It’s that ya gotta keep playing it forward. If someone does somethin’ fer ya, then ya gotta do something for someone else and tell them to play it forward, too.”
“But why is it important for you?”
Stormhowl would say, ”Why’s it important? If’n everyone’s doin’ their part in this world, then all the good starts spreadin’. The world gets better not because -I’m- doing anything special, but everyone is, ya know?”
“But not everyone is good.” They might say.
Ziggy would shake his head, “I know that, but people can change, ya know? It just takes some time. Sometimes they need the chance. They have their reasons to do the bad stuff—who knows what it could be? Not growin’ up right, meetin’ the wrong kind of people—but if they meet the right kind, it could change. That person could be the average Joe just tryin’ to live day to day, but what if that average Joe saved someone who was headin’ the wrong way? What do you think could happen? It’d change both of’em, I’m perty sure of that.”
“But that may not work for anyone.”
“I know that, too,” Ziggy would say without his optimism wavering, “but after so much time’s gone by, all the good people can stand as one and the stuff the bad folk will do won’t make any difference.”
Alas, It was all just speculation. He never had the chance to share his philosophy with the world. After the mess the world was in. Horrible decisions made, ferals running amok, the bots patrolling the nights, and—the main event—a massive solar event which fried nearly all electronics. Things just got worse for everyone—most, didn’t even make it. The ferals and bots were still a problem, the humans lived in small bands in the country wanted nothing to do with either of them. And Ziggy? Well, instead of playing it forward, he was merely playing it safe.
***
Ziggy was at his desk tinkering with some electronics. There were books on electromagnetism and physics. Yet, no matter how much he wrapped his head around their concepts, he didn’t understand any of it. Maybe it was all the stray electricity upstairs, or maybe it simply wasn’t his thing. Either way, the books just sat on the desk collecting dust. Instead, he tinkered and experimented. Connect this to that, then—with a flick of a claw—add a little voltage to see if it works. It was all trial and error. Too much voltage would fry the fine electronics, too little and nothing would happen. It took time and practice. In his world, there was a surplus of both.
Flick.
Zap.
Flick.
Zap.
Flick.
The little HO scale model engine puttered across the little track and nearly off the desk before Ziggy snatched it. “Yes!” He yelped victoriously.
There’d have to be some adjustments made, but he felt like he was making progress.
Over the intercom a voice announced, “Hey, Sparky, come to my lab. I need to show you something.”
Ziggy’s ears quirked at the sound of the small speaker installed in a corner of what he called home—if you could call it that. It was merely a small room—one of several—carved underground into a mountain of quartzite.
He flicked the switch nearby on the wall, “Alrighty, I’ll be there in a fijjy.”
“You mean ‘jiffy’, Sparky.”
“Err...ayep, that--sorry. I’ll be right down”
He tucked the little engine back into its box and got up from his desk which was uplifted by several books so he could sit comfortably at it.
Because the QHQ—the Quartzite Headquarters—was deep underground, it was a bit of a trek to get down to Ruben’s lab. Through twisting corridors and sharp turns, he made his way to twin security doors to where Ruben’s lab would be. After a verbal input of his access code, he entered the large chamber overlooking a large circular apparatus. Nearby the door was an elevator platform, but instead of taking the elevator down, he stepped off the railing and jumped. He didn’t mind the free fall, it was something he did all the time. The elevator was simply too slow. Before hitting the ground the winds picked up around him and he landed softly on the ground.
Then, he entered a metal paneled door off to the side.
“You’re finally here,” Ruben said, a broad smile brimming his face. “Check this out.” He moved away from a monitor revealing a long string of numbers and letters.
Unlike Ziggy, Ruben was human—or at least appeared that way.
“Err…” Ziggy stepped closer with a tilt of his head, “Sorry, Roob, I don’t get it. Ya gotta explain what all that means.”
Ruben rolled his eyes, “What it all means? Sparky, this is what I’ve been trying to figure out for the past decade—look.”
He brought up a blueprint of a familiar large ring shaped object. It was the same object Ziggy passed by on the way here.
“You still remember what this means, right?”
“Ayep. The time travelin’ stuff.” Ziggy grunted.
“Good—anyway, what it means is I figured out the equations to get this thing to work the way we want it to.”
“So…it’s the right size then?”
“Yea—see? About seventy meters—give or take. It’ll take you back to twenty years ago before things got so bad.”
“Sounds good.”
Ruben sighed, “That is an understatement, Sparky, you have to think—we really need to find some better chains to keep that extra voltage of yours away from your head—it means we can save the world, but also your dad just like I promised.”
Ziggy’s ears perked up as what Ruben said finally sunk in,, “We…we can?” he stammered out.
“That’s right, we’ll—”
“What about mom, can we save her, too?”
Ruben quickly shook his head, “No, the timing is all wrong and we can only do one jump. We can’t save our future and your mom at the same time.”
“But you said—"
“I know what I said,” Ruben snapped, “But I was wrong, okay?”
Whatever Ziggy was going to say next was clamped shut with a clenched jaw.
“This is all we got. Nothing else.”
“Alright---Alright, I get it.” Ziggy turned and headed to the door.
“Sparky…” Ruben said softly.
“I need time to think.” Was all Ziggy said to him as he padded softly out the door.
***
Hours away from QHQ and sequestered away in what used to be downtown Huntsville was Big Spring park. It's clear water glistened in the moonlight. The large pond was fed by a naturally sculpted stream that nestled between the city utilities building and city hall. They were still standing, silent sentries slumbering indefinitely. It was nearly a perfect balance between nature and civilization. Nearly, had it not been that the buildings were cracked, their foundations nearly crumbling, and all sorts of vegetation draped their once pristine brick exteriors. No, that was from another time, when things were normal. Still, the ferals weren’t common here, and the stray bots even less so. It was a good place to have a break before continuing his salvage and supply mission.
When he was a pup shortly after his first shift, his mother brought him here to play. Here where they fed the ducks and geese, had family picnics, played frisbee, and anything else that his mother could think up.
His gaze lingered over the pond. Ducks and geese still migrate here; even now they were all huddled asleep on the small inner island. This place had so many memories, but none as big as the one he held in his paw. It was the first collar his mother gave to him. A collar smaller than the one he now wore. It was a small comfort, but such a big heartache.
He brushed at his eyes before a whimper could begin, “Oh, come on, Zig,” his voice wavering only slightly, “what would yer mom think about ya now?”
“Furface,” she would say, “you’re a good boy, you’ve always put others above you and you’ve got nothing but love in your heart. Now, you have to put your personal feelings aside into saving your world—your whole world. I’m certain, you’ll even have a big adventure of it. I would be so jealous, but oh so proud of you.
“You’ll meet people who won’t treat you like a monster, in fact, I think in time they’ll learn to adore you as I have. So, sweetie, you need to keep moving forward to see the sun shine.”
It would not be far from the truth. They always went on adventures, but regardless of where they went or what they did. She would always have some kind of positive spin on it. He had to look forward because what lay ahead would be better. It just had to be. And he wouldn’t just be saving the world, but his father as well.”
“Ayep, I know mom, but….I donno if I’m up to the task.” he said aloud, his ears flattening against his skull.
The passing of his mother was an accident during the time when Ziggy was barely familiar with his powers. However, the passing of his father was the result of a hate crime, nothing more, nothing less. The loss of either one didn’t make any difference to the future outside of Ziggy’s personal life. But it was a huge loss to Ziggy nonetheless; an unjust double whammy of grief.
His father—he had always called him “Pops”. His father was a family doctor and an electric train enthusiast. A loving compassionate man, yet firm and stoic when discipline needed to be maintained. If his mother was in the clouds, his father would be standing firm on the ground; a pillar of strength to her wispy sense of adventure. He made sure that Ziggy’s secret was kept safely hidden. She saw to it that he didn’t consider himself a monster—especially after the time he watched a werewolf movie with his uncle.
“Son,” his father would say, “You know I’ve tried being a hero once, but my abilities were limited. I felt like I was saving more lives in the hospital than on the streets. You on the other hand, son, you are strong and you have abilities others only dreamed of. I’m not going to tell you what you should do with them. I’m not going to ramble on about responsibilities and duty.” He would give Ziggy a kind yet wry smile, “You’ve done your ‘research’ through your comic books. You drew inspiration from them to make sure you do the right thing, so—as with your mother—I trust you implicitly.”
Both of his parents, Ziggy new, would have so much faith and trust in him. It was up to him to make sure they weren’t wrong.
Ziggy put the collar in a bag clamped to the chains at his waist. Then he laid back on the lush grass along the bank of the river. With a playful grin, Ziggy extended a paw to the sky, traced some forms in the air and a cloud formed above.
It was rare that he would venture out from QHQ, but this was a supply run. Due to recent events, he needed to find some vegetable seeds. The more varied the better. He accomplished that earlier. However, since he was out he decided to have a little side trip. There was a hobby store that his mom took him too as a pup. Since he was already in his hometown, maybe he should check in to see what state it was in. Maybe there’d be something left of the old world, like maybe something for his train or a comic book.
With a flick of his wrist, and an urge of his will, the cloud became a vague shape of a steam engine. Chugging along across the sky. Not quite like the one he tinkered with earlier. It was things like that could bring back memories of long ago. His control of the weather used for personal matters yet containing the potential for so much more.
To think, maybe, just maybe all this would work. Just maybe he could do what he could do best. And just maybe…he’d be able to share his philosophy with the world.
His tail began to wag at the thought. Maybe, just maybe things will turn out well in the end.
He just wished he had someone to share the adventure with. Ruben was to busy with his plans, Ray was on a diplomatic mission—but hadn’t really been the sociable type to begin with, and everyone else…well, they were all just trying to survive like he was.
The train above dissipated, his thoughts grew inward. Ziggy muttered aloud to no one “Hmm, maybe a sidekick?” Then he chuckled lightly shaking his head, “Now, where’s yer average Joe when ya need’em?”