Anthro 2255

Chapter 1

And just like that, the lights went out. I was immersed in watching out the window when it happened. Near the horizon was the closest human city, called Mevlier. From my position I could see towering skyscrapers that reached higher than the permanent smog which filled the sky, only letting just enough light through to power the solar panels. If it weren't for the depressingly grey sky it would almost be a perfect view. To me it was mesmerizing, and I hoped that one day I'd get to see them up close, though it felt foolish to wish for such a thing. It was the third time this week that the power had gone out, likely to be from wind which often disconnected the solar panels. Or maybe the ancient things had finally burnt out. I could hear my mother's yelling in my ear already.

"Dardanos, go reconnect the solar panels, you expect me to be able to cook in the dark? You know my night vision isn't as good as it used to be." I heard her yell from the kitchen. My mother was a short tempered woman, probably from the nature of how everything always seemed to be going wrong. That was just how it was in Apartment Complex Ten, District Eight. Nothing ever went how we wanted it to, especially the power.

"Mom, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Dan? Anyways, I just got back from work and was about to go to bed, so get Erin to do it." Dan replied in his gravelly voice, a result of breathing in the factory smoke every day. He'd only been working for 4 years and the effects were already starting to show. It was no wonder the average lifespan in the area continued to decline year after year. She turned to me.

"Erin, would you please be a dear and go get this damned power back on so I can finish making breakfast? I'm sure you can see just fine in the dark but pity an old woman." She said, a note of sternness in her voice that left no room for argument, though I could tell that the last part was a joke.

"Yeah I got it." I responded without hesitation, before standing up from my place on the couch by the dirt stained window and going to the front door. On my way to the front door I grabbed some tape that we kept for the purpose of taping the cables together. There were six locks on the door I had to open before I left and after unlatching all of them with a practiced ease, I hastily made my way up to the roof. Even before opening the door to the roof I could hear the scream of the wind outside and I took a deep breath before going out.

I immediately felt the cold of the wind as I made my way across the roof to the solar panels. In my current outfit of worn down jeans and a hoodie the wind felt like it went straight to my bones, even with a protective layer of white fur. I kneeled down next to the panels and fumbled around for one of the cords and grabbed it. Once I had the other one as well I connected them and put a good layer of tape around them. It would probably only hold for another few days, with how violent the winds got at night especially. As soon as I finished my handiwork I made my way back to the door to the roof. On my way I noticed that my grandpa was out here as well, sitting on a chair by the edge of the roof. Somehow I had failed to notice him there before, even though I know it was one of his favorite spots to be.

Almost as if he felt my eyes on his back he turned around and smiled at me, his long and uncombed fur whipping around with the wind. I often wondered how he was able to spend so much time on the roof with the chill of the wind, maybe he enjoyed the view of Mevlier as much as I did. I walked over to him and sat on the concrete next to his chair. When he started speaking it's as if the wind got quieter, though it might have been my imagination.

"I've seen you gazing at Mevlier lately Erin." He commented, looking down at me and then back towards where the cities were. From the rooftop the view was even better, like a ray of hope off in the distance.

"You know the nature of the humans that live in that city, so I wonder why you seem to admire those cities so much." He said, looking down at me once more with a disapproving look in his eyes. I sighed and stood up, still studying the city.