A Distance Too Great

(1000 years ago)

The world was ending, and all Coral could do was watch.

Two days ago the object had appeared, noted by those who tracked the sky's patterns as something new. 12 hours ago those same observers said, with some confusion, that was getting brighter. Two hours ago it was visible against even the rising sun, a white and purple burn against the pale orange sky. Confusion transitioned to alarm, then panic, and then horror. The object fell minutes ago, and as Coral saw the light silently explode across the south-eastern sky, she knew it was taking them all with it. All she could do was stare while the nature around her went about its business as if nothing had occurred. It should be quiet, she thought numbly. There shouldn't be the calls of a pair of Alectrosaurus in the distance, the gentle rustling of the wagon's Edmontosaurus nearby. Beside her, gripping her claws tightly, her sister watched too.

The pair of Errants were far to the north, hauling supplies to the newly founded town at Soirenta's tip. They were far from their family, their friends, everyone they cared about was two weeks in the past. It was only them, and the wilderness, and the knowledge that something disastrous had occurred. Coral couldn't remember if she'd told them she loved them.

An hour ago the air held a chilly bite that Coral had been complaining of, while Trident (her sister) tolerated her muttering. Now Coral wondered if it was her imagination that the air was warming, or if it was a sign of terrible things to come. Every bone in her body vibrated with certainty that it was the latter. It was the end of the world, she repeated to herself, and she was helpless to do anything but hope she died first so that she didn't have to watch her sister suffer.

Trident's soft voice broke the quiet. "Sentry is only a day away, if we hurry we might make it. They'll know what's going on-"

"And do what!" Coral turned, trying her hardest not to hyperventilate now that Trident had forced her out of paralyzed shock. "You saw that thing fall!" But the suggestion kicked her brain into action. This trip was her responsibility after all, Trident was relying on her. Falling from the sky, massive impact... "It probably hit the sea, it looked like it went over Soirenta, so maybe...maybe we should go up. Something like that could cause tsunamis."

Trident perked up at the concept of doing something that might help their chances, and ran to the wagon to secure Morty (their Edmontosaurus) to the harness. Coral watched from her periphery, but her gaze remained directed to the fading flash. How had it lingered so long? There had been the initial flash, and then a fade, but now the light was back, and it was.... she squinted, standing and leaning forward, tail barely enough counterbalance to keep from her falling. It was clearer, there were washes of purple across the white, how could she see that now...?

Then she realized, and she was scrambling for the cart, grabbing her sisters arm (pulling out a few feathers in the process) and yanking her away from her task.

"What-"

"Behind the wagon!" Coral shouted, not stopping even as Trident stumbled, practically pulling her through the air. "It's coming!"

Trident went pale, her muzzle a shadow of its normal muddy green, and she found enough footing to dive behind the wagon just as the earth began to quiver. Coral held her tightly, and the Errants braced themselves as that shiver became a quake, and then Coral thought maybe the end would come in the form of the continent tearing itself apart as trees cracked around them. Monty bellowed, trying to run, to do anything, but he could only fall as the attempt unbalanced him. They flinched as a tree nearby fell within meters of them, but it seemed neither could push through the terror enough to scream. The earth rolled beneath them, a motion some hysterical part of Coral's mind thought was like a children's game, except for the bit where the ground was surely about to crack open and swallow them. The sound was all encompassing, and now Coral was sure the air was heating as a rain of tiny pellets added to their misery, bouncing off their skin and leaving tiny heat blisters everywhere they struck. Trident tried to drag her under the wagon to escape them, but it was so hard to move all Coral could do was cry and wait for it to stop.

Neither noticed the light cross the shoreline. Neither could focus on anything but the earthquake, and so they did not see the plains to the west become luminous. It swept over them as a tide without warning, one moment clinging to each other with tears and trembling, the next there was only light that flashed purple as it flowed. Coral gasped as the grass disappeared and she was left floating, dazzled by the sparkling glimmer around her, unable to fully comprehend the moment. It was a dream, and it was a nightmare, because she couldn't breathe and she couldn't see Trident and where was her sister, she couldn't protect her if she couldn't reach her, where was her sister -

The glimmer around Coral burst, a firework of purple that only she could see, a spark that set off a chain reaction and something in her chest shattered. Now she screamed, but there was no noise, only the sensation of her ribcage twisting as some part of her reformed into something new. When the light passed Trident was on the ground, staring up with fear writ in her eyes as a treetop hurdled toward them, but Coral was past thought and fear and reached out with a shriek and instead it crashed ten feet above their heads as Coral stood, desperately sucking in air, claws up, a shimmering orb surrounding the pair, their wagon, and their mount. The pellets clattered across the surface, unable to penetrate, and the only thought in Coral's mind was a repetitive 'she's safe, she's safe, she's safe-'.

It may have been minutes, it may have been hours before the earth settled, Coral couldn't have confidently said which. What was happening? How was it happening? She had no answers, but none of that mattered. Whatever this force was, it meant they weren't going to die.

When finally it felt safe, she put her claws down, the orb faded into nothingness, and Coral collapsed against Trident, coughing and wheezing. Dust and mucus spattered against the ground, and she groaned as the pain hit. "Ough." was all she could manage as she cradled her aching midsection.

Then she looked up, and Trident was staring down at her like she was a wonder, her eyes wide and teary, not with fear, but hope. "Coral, how....?" The younger Errant trailed off, lost for words.

"The light." Another coughing fit, another hard lean against her sister, allowing Trident's tail to support her body even further. "I think the light gave it to me."

"The light?" Trident looked around, only now fully realizing that their circle of calm was surrounded by the splintering of half the forest. "Oh. Oh, wow. Coral, you saved us."

There was only silence from Coral, who knew that to be true but also didn't want to try speaking again before her lungs stopped trying to catch on fire anytime she inhaled. They sat like that another half hour before Trident stood, hauling Coral up with her, helping her into the front of the wagon before checking on Monty, and whether anything critical had been broken. Coral absently listened, mostly allowing herself to drift while Trident ran through the checklist. Keeping busy in the face of disaster was good, Coral told herself.

"I think if we can just get back to the plains we can keep heading north. You're right that we'll have to watch for tsunami, but I'll try to maintain an inland orientation." Trident explained. Coral looked up, thoughts fuzzy but confusion clear in her body language. Why were they still going? Or maybe she said that bit out loud, because Trident answered. "Coral if you can do things like....like that, you can't be the only one. That light was everywhere. If we can get to town, maybe it'll still be there. And maybe we can help."

"Families-"

"We can't get there, Coral." Trident's voice wobbled. "You know we can't. We have to hope that the light helped others like it helped us. So we go north."

Coral nodded, it made sense. Quietly, in a voice fading into unconscious, she said, "Guess the world isn't ended after all."

"No." her sister whispered back, looking at her again with a hope that bordered on feverish, "I think something might be beginning instead."