Daily Life with Furry Girls

After taking some time to rework the first two volumes, I finally have begun reworking volume three of the series and thought I'd shake up everyone slowly while going through it on the way to volume four.

It'll still be a while as I'm editing about one episode per week, but I'm looking forward to seeing what mischief the cute girls and Guy are up to, as well as one returning character with some new help. :-)

29 - Journey to the Past

'Anah, meet miss Tesha.' said Guy as he introduced the two women at Pierre's home the next day.

Miss Tesha gave Pierre's guest a warm smile. 'Hello, Anah.'

The woman formed the word silently with her mouth before speaking it. 'Hello.' She glanced at Pierre, and he gave her a smile and a nod. She sat close to Pierre at the table in the back in one of his shirts and shorts, and tugged lightly on the fur of her lower arm as she returned a shy smile.

'She picked up a few words yesterday.' Pierre said. 'All things here were new to her, so it seems she's not from a modern age, but also not from a really old one where they haven't fully developed their learning capability yet.'

Miss Tesha nodded. 'Has she indicated in any way where she came from?'

'No. I let her become used to this environment first. I figured she'd tell me when she's ready.'

Miss Tesha looked at Cani and Mami sitting to the side. 'No troubles meeting them?'

Pierre chuckled. 'They did startle her of course, but when Cani and Mami showed they were friendly with me, Anah felt more comfortable.' He looked at her and gave her a pat on her soft hand. 'She's shy, but doing well now.'

Miss Tesha leaned a little forward, laid a notebook on the table, drew a crude sketch of huts and people, one of them away from it with a line between them, and looked at Anah. 'Home.' she said and pointed at the huts, then at the lone person and Anah. 'You.'

Anah understood, and pointed at the lone person and herself. 'Anah.'

Miss Tesha smiled, slid her finger along the line towards the huts, and pointed towards the view outside from left to right. 'Home?' She asked.

Anah looked outside, thought for a moment, and pointed into the direction of a valley in the distance. 'Home.' she said, then pointed at her brown eyes. 'No home.'

Miss Tesha hummed. 'Seems she couldn't find her home.'

'So, she arrived here somehow, and found no way to return.' said Guy. 'Is that even possible?'

'It would explain the origin of the Wildman legend if it happened before.' said Pierre. 'The neighbourhood hasn't existed here for that long.'

'Wildman?' asked Mami.

'People claimed they'd seen ape-like creatures in the wilderness here, although no one had yet produce a clear photo or video footage of one. So far it's all too vague to be considered concrete evidence and not be seen as someone playing a prank.'

'I think it's possible that might be the cause if there have been others before.' said miss Tesha. 'I'll have some equipment delivered so I can hopefully find some traces of anomalies when I head out. If there are any, I can dispatch a research team.'

'Were you planning to go out there on your own?' asked Cani. 'I'm going along then.'

Miss Tesha gave her a grateful smile. 'Thanks, I could use the company.'

'I'm in as well.' said Mami. 'Who knows what we'll find out there, so it's better to have more people around.'

Guy looked at his phone. 'I'll move my couple of appointments, we'll have all day tomorrow.'

'Thank you all.' said miss Tesha. 'I really appreciate your help.'

Pierre gestured at them, then at his eyes, and at the drawing. 'They're going to look for your home.' he said to Anah and gestured at him and her. 'Shall we go?'

Anah looked at the drawing, then at the others, and nodded with a smile. 'Home.'

Guy turned to miss Tesha. 'You're welcome to stay the night if you want.'

Tesha batted her lashes at him and smiled. 'You finally ask me.'

Guy blushed and Pierre chuckled. 'Another conquest?'

Mami shook her head while Cani giggled. 'This man does something to women, I tell you.'

***

'Ready?' asked Miss Tesha of Pierre, Anah, and the entire gang the next morning in front of Pierre's home. The weather forecast predicted mostly sunny skies, which made the job seem more like a long picnic and trek out in the forest to them.

'I packed extra energy bars and water, and a compass and map, and this time, my phone.' said Pierre. 'Along with weatherproofed sleeping bags.'

'We brought just about the same.' said Guy to Pierre. 'Also some spare clothing and towels.'

'Will you be all right, walking again?' asked Feli.

Pierre nodded and lifted his foot to show the high boot he wore. 'These hiking boots are very sturdy and my foot hardly hurts. I couldn't let you all and Anah go while waiting at home myself. And my knowledge of the forest might come in handy.'

Guy chuckled and smiled at his girls. 'They all had the same idea about us going alone.'

Ara leaned her arm on his shoulder. 'We couldn't let him escort the lovely miss Tesha on his own, even with others present. It just wouldn't be safe.'

Guy laughed once. 'She would be safe with me.'

'Who said we were talking about her safety?'

Guy blushed when miss Tesha smiled mischievously at him, and Pierre laughed. 'I'm not envying you, my dear boy.'

***

Anah led the group through the forest and hills, walking back a short distance occasionally to find her bearings, while Guy and the girls spread out carrying sensors to let miss Tesha take readings.

'Anah thinks we're closing in on where she appeared.' Pierre said later in the afternoon.

'I'm not seeing any anomaly yet.' said miss Tesha. 'It's probably something faint, if there is anything at all for the equipment to detect.'

Anah pointed at a clearing ahead near the foot of the next low hill. 'Here.'

The clearing turned out to be a shallow basin when everyone arrived at the edge. 'How large do you think it is?' asked Pierre. 'Five hundred metres or so?'

Miss Tesha nodded. 'I'd say the same.' she said and checked the display of the case she wore. 'I see nothing unusual so far though.'

'Maybe it's something at the centre.' said Guy. 'It looks like an old meteor impact crater.'

They walked towards the deepest point when Feli shuddered. 'Eugh! My fur is tingling all over!

Cani and Mami shivered at the same time. 'Something's tickling all over.' said Cani as she looked at her fur standing straight on her arm.

Ara rubbed her lower legs. 'Same here. What is it?'

Guy watched Avia's plumage rise and sensed a slight tingle in his neck. 'It's not so bad for me, but I do feel a slight itch down my back.' he said.

The case miss Tesha carried beeped and she checked it again. She raised one eyebrow. 'That's odd.'

Guy was about to point out the significance of those words when an electric charge shot low across the grass from the centre of the clearing to the outside. 'Watch out!'

***

Guy groaned at his headache when he opened his eyes. 'What was that?' He sat up at once and looked around quickly at the others, relieved they were all moving or sitting up in the grass. 'Anyone hurt?'

'Only a headache.' groaned Ara while she stood up on her shaking legs. 'As far as I can tell.'

'Same here.' said Cani.

Pierre let out a dry chuckle. 'I think we all suffer the same.' he said and took Anah's shoulder to check up on her.

She gave him a slight smile, and her eyes went wide. 'Home!'

The others looked up and around them. Dark clouds hung in the sky and rumbling surrounded them, and the trees were not the same ones they saw only moments ago. 'I don't think we're in our dimension any longer.' said Pierre.

'Things do look different, even without the sudden change in weather.' said Mami, rubbing behind her ears to still her headache. '

'Look.' said Avia, and pointed at a thin column of smoke in the distance. 'That doesn't look natural. Someone must be there.'

Anah nodded and smiled as she pointed at it. 'Home.'

'Well, whatever happened, we didn't exactly miss it.' said miss Tesha. 'We'll have to figure it out after we bring Anah back to her people.'

***

Anah ran towards the collection of dome huts made from thin branches and twigs woven together and her people as soon as the settlement came within sight. She called out to them and they nearly dropped what they had in their hands when they saw her.

'A happy homecoming.' Cani said as they watched the tribe welcome Anah with hugs and cheerful voices.

Pierre smiled. 'Whatever happens from now on, we did a good thing.'

Guy laid his hand on the man's shoulder. 'I bet you never imagined this happening to you when you looked out over your view at home.'

Pierre chuckled. 'Not even while reading the wildest fantasy and science fiction stories.'

When the group neared the tribe, one of the members cried out at their sight. Some stared in disbelief while others picked up nearby branches or their crude wooden spears.

The group halted while Anah talked rapidly in her own tongue and pushed down the weapons of the ones closest to her. The others lowered theirs but gazed wearily at the visitors with strange fur.

Anah walked up to Pierre and held out her hand. 'Come?'

He glanced at the others, then smiled at her and took her hand. 'Guess it's up to me to make first contact again.'

'Just don't try too hard to impress them.' said Guy.

'I'll keep the jokes simple in the introduction speech.' he said and walked with Anah to her tribe.

His heart pounded and he couldn't quite suppress his nerves when Anah's people examined him, then carefully touched him, but he also sensed a new excitement. The people began to smile as Anah convinced them he was no danger to them, and beckoned the rest of the group to come closer.

They were still a little hesitant when it came to the girls, but when Anah explained they belonged with Guy, he felt a little awkward at the admiration aimed at him.

Pierre laughed. 'Your reputation spreads. Be it as a tamer of women, or of dangerous creatures.'

Cani leaned closer to Guy and growled softly in his ear. 'How about just a tamer of dangerous women.'

He chuckled and blushed. 'I'm not too sure about the tamer part.'

Anah invited everyone to come and sit on several thick logs in the middle of the settlement, surrounding the remains of firewood. She gestured at her people sitting opposite of the visitors. 'Sasatch.' she said, then proceeded to tell her story with a lot of gestures of how she found herself in a strange world, and how she met Pierre and the others later, and how they came with her and ended up here.

'Now we have to figure out how we can return home.' Guy said and gestured behind him. 'Something in that shallow basin must be the cause.'

Miss Tesha nodded. 'We'll have to be careful though, who knows what can happen?'

Feli looked up at the darkening sky. 'It'll have to wait until tomorrow, night is falling.'

Pierre gestured at the sky and made a sleeping gesture for Anah, and she spoke to one of the older tribe members. The woman with greying fur pointed at one of the huts, and Anah beckoned everyone to come with her. Feli peeked through the opening covered with a large hide. The way it was constructed allowed for dim light to shine through the lower portion of the woven wall. 'There are hides on the ground to sit and lay on and plenty of room for all of us.'

'What do we do about dinner?' asked Cani as she grabbed her sides. 'I'm beginning to feel hungry.'

Pierre asked Anah with the few words they both understood and gestures, and she went to the others. After a few words she went into another hut with two other tribe members, and returned to the centre with large cuts of meat where a new fire was set up. She went up to the gang and Pierre explained they were invited to eat with the tribe.

'Nice.' said Cani and looked at Guy. 'How about we share some of our food with them?'

'I can't let you if you're talking about snacks and candy.' said miss Tesha. 'We don't know how bad that could be for them.'

Guy opened his backpack and pulled out the packs of energy bars and dried fruit. 'All natural. I'm not too fond of artificial sugar bombs myself for survival.'

She nodded. 'All right.'

Everyone laid out their sleeping gear in the hut and returned to the fire, where the roasting of the meat began and several crude stone bowls were placed for everyone to drink from with the use of bright red flowers shaped like cups with a yellow edge.

'Sweet.' said Avia when she drank first. 'There's nectar in it.'

The Sasatch were chuckling when they all enjoyed their refreshing drinks, and the gang was pleased to see the Sasatch enjoying the food they had brought. With plenty of assistance from hands and feet and drawing in the sand, the Sasatch told about hunting and foraging, and tales of old hunters who took down occasional large predators, and of an occasional member disappearing. Miss Tesha looked meaningful at Guy, and he nodded.

Pierre and Guy in turn explained how each one lived, alone on a hill, and in a large settlement with many tribe members, while the Sasatch listened in wonder.

'It's beautiful.' said Ara as she looked up into the clear night sky, brimming with stars like glittering diamonds and the clear crescent of the moon.

'It really is.' said Mami. 'It makes me feel so small and almost alone in this universe though.'

Guy laid his hand on hers and smiled softly up at the sky. 'Never feel alone, my little love.'

She giggled and smiled. 'I guess I won't.'

Ara leaned against Guy. 'There's no chance to be alone with all of us being together all the time.' she said and chuckled.

Cani grinned. 'We're a real pack.'

A few of the Sasatch chuckled and whispered, and Pierre laughed. 'I think they're saying it's time to retire to the huts for the night for you guys.'

Miss Tesha sniggered softly while Guy blushed and grinned. 'It's not as if we're not going to behave ourselves while we're here.' he said. 'But I agree it's time to sleep. It's been a long day.'

The Sasatch were enchanted by the light coming from the lanterns, and Anah had to explain how the visitors from far away could make light in the dark without fire. Eventually, miss Tesha and Pierre could settle in their sleeping bags, Guy and the girls underneath their especially large blankets, and fall asleep.

***

'So, head back to the place we appeared at and try to figure out what happened and how we can return?' said Guy when they woke up and took in the fresh morning air.

Miss Tesha stretched. 'Nothing else we can do. We have to thoroughly examine that basin and find a clue, or we might have to stay there and wait for who knows how long until something happens.'

'And hope it's the correct thing that'll take us home, and not somewhere else.' said Mami.

'I'll ask Anah to show us exactly what she did the day she came to us.' said Pierre.

After a quick bite, they all gathered at the edge of the basin, and Anah explained she went around searching for edible plants and roots, but couldn't tell exactly where she was when she was knocked out and arrived in the other world.

Miss Tesha handed sensors to Cani and Feli. 'Can you go around the edge and place these at roughly equal distances?'

'Sure.' they said and went on their way in opposite directions.

Guy took one. 'Pierre and I will have a look at the centre. I have a feeling we'll find something buried there.'

'Then we will look for clues here and there.' said Mami. 'Who knows what we might find.'

'All right.' said miss Tesha. 'But be careful, if you find something, don't touch it but call out. We don't know if something is triggered by stepping on it.'

'Anah, did you or your people built a fire here?' asked Pierre when she, Guy, and he neared the centre of the basin and noticed the scarred ground.

She gestured that she didn't think anyone from her tribe did and that this place has always been like that.

Guy dragged one foot through the black ground. 'I see no remains of firewood or other fuel.' he said. 'I don't think they made a fire here as well.'

'Someone else?' said Pierre as he examined the ground and picked up one of a number of black beads with smokey spots. 'But there are no other people around here.'

'It's likely a natural fire.' said Guy and looked up at the few clouds in the sky. 'Perhaps lightning strike. That would explain all these glassy beads.'

'That would be one strong impact, for the ground to be littered with these.' Pierre said, and dug a hole with his hand. He let the soil slip through his fingers, together with more glass beads. 'Seems like it goes a way down.'

Guy switched on the sensor, and only a moment later, miss Tesha called out to him. He turned around and she waved as she hurried up to them. 'And we just might have found our something.'

Miss Tesha pointed at the numbers on the display. 'There's a huge potential difference between the sensors Feli and Cani placed, and the one you hold.'

Guy looked down on the ground. 'Since there's nothing above ground here, it must be underneath. Let's dig.'

Guy and Pierre began digging carefully with their hands while Anah went to fetch some tools, and the girls moved around in larger circles to search for more beads while Avia flew up to search for anomalies in the landscape.

With the help of a few Sasatch and their spades made from flat pieces of wood, a hole of about two metres deep was dug when Pierre heard his phone crackle. He pulled it out to see why. 'Something is interfering with my phone. It's not on.'

Guy pulled out his phone and held it close to the ground, and it crackled softly as well. 'Radio signals?'

Miss Tesha dropped a sensor on the ground and read the display on her case. 'I read electromagnetic interference.'

'So there is something.' said Guy, and they continued digging.

***

'I'll be damned.' said Pierre when they hit a surface of rippled black glass a few more metres down.

'All of us.' said Guy as he slid his fingers along the smooth material.

'I think we might be looking at a meteor with a high metallic content.' miss Tesha said. 'It's probably acting like a lens for the planet's magnetic field and transforming it into radio signals.'

Guy nodded. 'And when it's hit with lightning, it causes the same effect as the dimensional shift that transports us between our parallel worlds on the airships.

She nodded. 'But why it happens instantly is something for the scientists to figure out. They'll love this souvenir from our trip.'

'Then all we need to do is wait for a thunderstorm to see if the hypothesis holds up.' said Pierre.

'That might be a while.' said Guy.

Pierre wiped the dirt from his hands. 'I guess we'll find out what it's like to live in primitive times in the meantime.'

***

Miss Tesha explained the situation as best as she could to the tribe elders, and Guy noticed Ara looking around. 'Something wrong?'

'We've seen them use a few tools, but I haven't seen them use any sort of rope.'

'Maybe they lack the materials?'

'I don't think so. I saw plants that seem similar to the ones ropes are made of. I think it's just that no one has ever thought about it before.'

Guy nodded. 'It would be of much use to them.'

'There's no problem with us staying here.' said miss Tesha. 'But I think it would only be polite if we make ourselves useful here.'

'Agreed.' said Guy. 'Our food probably won't last and we can't burden them with our share of eating.' He turned to Ara. 'Can you see if you can make rope and teach them how to make it?'

'Sure.'

'We can't give them too many new tools.' said miss Tesha. 'We'll interfere in their evolution.'

'True, but we're already interfering when we arrived here.' said Guy. 'And it'll become worse if there's a relative stable method to travel between our worlds.'