"There's something foul in the air about this place..."

Velli couldn't begin to explain how he'd gotten where he was, and he couldn't say for sure where he was going. He could tell that the dust that was kicking up between his footpaws as he walked down a dirt path was definitely [b]real,[/b] and he knew that the air that filled his lungs had to be authtentic, or he would have been dead long before he saw houses coming up on the horizon.

He just wished he could remember how he came upon the town, and where he'd come from to find it.

"Welcome to Salmas, stranger. Enjoy your visit."

There wasn't much of a wall around the town, or any kind of a proper guard; just an older gentleman standing by the road the lead into the peaceful looking village. Whether or not it was a paid job, Velli didn't know, but even as he walked past the man and gestured to him with a silent smile, he didn't move. The older male just leaned against the side of the small archway that read "Salmas" in old, aged letters.

Salmas didn't seem to be the busiest town in the world, but there was an old world charm to it, one that Velli found rather comforting as he walked across the dirt paths that connected houses with businesses. The way everything was set up, houses tended to be on the outskirts of town, and there was a proper center to the city, with a small courtyard that had grounds of mortar and cobblestone to walk upon. The nicest shops in the city were here, and everyone that walked in and out of an establishment had a smile on their face...

...It was eerie, at the heart of it all, as the smiles all seemed so plastic, and the people didn't seem to have a care in the world. Even if they were affluent, there had to be [b]something[/b] to bother them at some point, but they were difficult to talk to, rushing from one shop to the next, and Velli found it difficult to strike up a conversation with any of them.

Sitting at a table was a quiet, distant cat, one that had a peridot gaze that was as deep and empty as the deepest craters in the ocean. Velli didn't want to disturb his deep meditation, but he could see past the front rather easily.

"Excuse me...you there, the calico. Are you from around here?"

Velli stopped at the table, and the cat looked up at him with forlorn eyes. He saw a wolf of the darkest black fur with a tuft of yellow headfur poking out from between his ears, one that complimented and matched up rather well to the irises of his eyes. He was a rare sight, given the two golden wings that sprouted from his back, and despite how much of an oddity that might seem to be...the cat was the first one to really notice them.

"I...I am from around here, yes," the cat replied, sounding every bit as distant as he looked. "This is Salmas. Kind of a boring place, but a great place to start looking if you've got some items for trade. Sometimes I think we have more shops than people...how can I help you?"

"I was just wondering if you could tell me a little bit more about this place."

The calico cat suddenly looked away from Velli, as if the question was too personal to answer, even though it was so vague. "[b]Can't[/b] help you," he muttered. "There's a coffeshop on the Northeast side of town, though. Perhaps you can find some of the answers you're looking for there, outsider."

Velli had given away his status as a tourist rather easily in his questions, but there was something about the way the cat said 'outsider' that didn't sit well with him at all. The cat was the only one who seemed to have honest emotions in the whole courtyard, and as Velli made his way through the bazaar, he was reluctant to approach anyone, or even start to strike up a conversation. His paws carried delicately on the pathways as they turned back to dirt, and noticed the way that the houses all seemed to be a little [i]too[/i] perfect to be real. Almost everything matched. Everything was the same color and build, as if there was only one master mold for a house to be built around.

"Even the coffee shop looks like it was pulled from a coloring book," Velli said to himself, as he stood outside of it and gulped down a nervous lump. He didn't know what it was about the town that would make him feel uneasy; he knew he [b]should[/b] have felt rather comfortable, but as he turned the doorknob and entered the small coffee shop, he didn't feel any warmth or comfort coming from the inside.

It was more empty faces, more plastic smiles, and more people dotted around them who looked like they were dead to the world, yet, [b]no one[/b] seemed to notice.

[i]I could really use a cup, I guess,[/i] Velli thought to himself, suddenly unsure of his motives for even being in the town in the first place. No one impeded him as he walked up to the front counter of the coffe shop, and no one bothered to try and talk to him as he made his way through the surprisingly large amount of people. 

"E-excuse me, sir?"

"Sorry pal, can't help ya."

Velli tilted his head in confusion, as if the person he addressed knew what he was going to ask before the words ever left his muzzle. He turned around to his left, as a vixen was walking past on that side. "I'm sorry, ma'am? Hey!"

"I don't have the answers you're looking for, outsider."

The vixen kept walking, making her way out of the coffee shop without another word, or so much as looking back to Velli to confirm who she was talking to. Something was [b]truly[/b] wrong with Salmas, or at least, with the people inside of it. Velli could feel the blood rushing that much faster through his veins as he tried not to panic, but he knew the onset of what was happening just by that rapid, harsh sensation. 

He didn't mind being alone, and he didn't mind dealing with rude people to find an answer, but here, in the town of Salmas, he found a new meaning to solitude, and his mind began to make up the worst possible scenarios for where he really was. The idea that he might have wandered into some sort of a limbo or purgatory was sending him into a dizzy spell as he leaned on one of the coffee tables in the shop.

"B-breathe...just [i]breathe![/i]" Velli called out to himself, expecting, or at least hoping that somebody in the shop might notice his troubles and do something about it.

[b]No one[/b] was coming to his aid as he slumped down towards the floor. His chest heaved, and his lungs burned, as if they couldn't pull in enough air to keep him alive. The rich, brown floors of the coffee shop and the vibrant fur patterns of the patrons all started to blend together, and Velli groaned in misery as he tried to help himself up from the floor...but his muscles refused to listen.

[i]Is this it...? Am I dying...?[/i] he wondered, as the last of his rational thoughts flew from his mind. Everything turned blank in an instant, and though his eyes remained open, he could see only nothingness, an empty void of darkness that extended forever.

[i]Was I already dead...?[/i]

**

Velli wasn't aware that he'd suffered a panic attack, when his muscles started to twitch, and his mind came back into reality. He didn't even properly remember going into the coffee shop in the first place, and the black fur of his cheek was riddled with dry, brown dirt.

He woke up in the middle of the street, and as he started to come to, he saw sights far more frightening than empty faces and eerily perfect homes.

"What is [b]this?![/b]" he yelled, feeling a renewed sense of panic as his head whirled around. The perfect houses were gone, replaced with shacks and shanties that were run down. Some of them had been literally [i]destroyed,[/i] and nothing more remained than piles of sticks, broken glass and dirty rubble. The very air around Velli was thick with a miasma of evil, and even the ground that he'd fallen unconscious upon appeared darker than it was when he first laid eyes upon it.

[i]This isn't Salmas...this [b]can't[/b] be Salmas![/i]

Velli was slow to stand, and his pace was groggy as he tried to wander his way down what he thought was the same path that lead to the coffee shop. Ironically, now that the somewhat utopian image of the town was ruined, it was actually [b]more[/b] difficult for him to find his way around. He didn't remember ever straying from the coffee shop in the first place, and he was fortunate to find that he wasn't terrible far from it. There was a faint taste of blood in the air, and Velli was nervous to be outside for too long.

Of course, all boarded up and as run down as it could be, the coffee shop didn't exactly look like a welcoming place. 

A dreadful wind gave the air in the downtrodden Salmas a cold, bitter sting, and at the risk of catching a chill, Velli was quick to approach the coffee shop, recognizable only by the small cup, and the wavy lines that represented steam on the door. It looked as though no one had been inside in years, but as Velli grew closer, he pressed a sharp, sensitive ear to the door and listened for signs of life.

It [i]could[/i] have been the wind. It [i]could[/i] have been his mind.

Whatever it was, it was worth a shot.

"Is anyone there?" Velli asked, as he gave the door a firm nudge. It didn't take much to get the old, wooden door swinging, and the hinges [b][i]creeeeeeeeaked[/b][/i] as the door slowly rotated on old, rusted bolts.

"Not much of anyone [b]left,[/b] but there are some people here..." confirmed a voice from the counter. Sitting at the front of the coffee shop was what looked to be another wolf, wearing a dirty, dusty pair of slacks, and a vest that was torn to shreds, allowing Velli to see an unusual mark on his back. The same mark appeared on the backs of his paws, and it was clear that it wasn't the dirt that gave this new wolf such a rich, warm brown color in his fur. 

Velli rushed inside, ignoring the partially open door. He immediately sat next to the only person to willingly address him thus far, and did nothing to hide his excitement. "What do you mean, 'anyone left?' What happened? What's going on?!"

"Relax, friend," the wolf replied as calmly as he could. Despite his easy nature, there was a large tankard of coffee sitting in front of him, easily enough to last an average person four or five days. "I can't begin to tell you what happened to this place...all I can tell you is that I was just outside of town myself, and everything on the horizon looked so [b]damned[/b] peaceful..."

Perking an ear to the story, Velli posted himself up at the counter. There didn't appear to be anyone serving any coffee, making him wonder where the wolf procured his serving from. "I remember the exact same thing!"

"Everyone can remember the way the horizon and the sunset looks over Salmas. Was gorgeous, wasn't it...?" he asked, as he took another large, healthy swig from his tankard. "Difference is I used to [i]live[/i] here. I was just an ordinary member of this town, smiling like nothing mattered at all, ignoring everybody unless I needed to talk to them...I was just like everybody else. Didn't really have want for much beyond my perfect little house, my bed and my business...everything was just about perfect. Things didn't really start to change around here until I got tired of the routine...everyone had the same damn house, the same damn smile, the same shit...and here I was, just another asshole, suddenly realizing that life didn't work for me...not a damn bit."

Velli raised a brow as the man spoke, wishing that he could get himself a cup of coffee. That seemed impossible, though, and he decided to just sit and listen, as the brown wolf continued. There was a subtle pain in his clear, ocean blue eyes as he continued. "I don't know what happened, but when I stepped out of my comfort zone, when I [i]escaped[/i] that shell of a man that I was...everything changed. I ran for the outside of town, and took one last glimpse back at Salmas...next thing I know, I'm surrounded by darkness, and the only comforting place I can think of is this coffee shop here."

"So you fell into the same trap that I did?"

"It's not a trap, it's a [b]dimension.[/b] Dunno how you get into it, exactly, and I accepted a long time ago that I can't get out...but you, stranger...you might just have a chance, if you can escape Salmas alive."

"But there's nothing dangerous out there, that I noticed...just a cool wind."

"And did it feel like you'd rather die that feel that wind again?"

Velli blinked, bewildered as he nodded. "It felt [b]exactly[/b] that way..."

The wolf chuckled. "That's how they get you...some time ago, who knows exactly when...dark creatures came and decimated the city. Left no survivors, if they could avoid it...they were swift, too. They were almost like death embodied...following you around, sneaking up on you, letting you feel like they weren't watching...and then, they'd strike. One hit, one kill, clean as a whistle, every...single...time."

There was a pause in the story as the brown wolf trembled, and started to chug from his wooden tankard. Whatever was still haunting him, he couldn't reconcile with it.

"Can they be defeated?"

"Haven't found a way yet."

Velli knew that the conversation was going nowhere, but as the only other kindred spirit in the town, he felt a deep connection to the brown wolf, and smiled at him as he stood up. "Well, I'm not gonna sit here and let them find me. My name's Velli, and if you want, you can follow me out of this town. I think I remember the way to the front gate."

"Name's Wolfaccino...and I [b]know[/b] the way out of here, but there's no way in hell I'm taking that risk. I've got enough supplies to last a while here...we'll see what happens when I run out."

[i]Well...I don't really remember exactly where I'm going,[/i] Velli realized, but he didn't want to admit it, and didn't feel like pleading with Wolfaccino to join him. Whatever he'd been through, it was enough to keep him pinned to his seat, refusing to ever leave the shop again...and Velli was nervous to pry.

"Listen, Velli. I wish you the best of luck, I really do...but the only thing that waits out there is certain death. It's a miracle you even made it [b]this[/b] far. If I were you, I'd sit here and wait it out, like I am."

"You said that we fell into some weird dimension. If that's the case, there has to be a way back out of it, right?"

"'Spose so."

"I'm not just gonna sit around here drinking coffee until I die, then," Velli declared. "I'm at least gonna go give this a try...if you ever decide to do the same, I'll keep an eye out for you, Wolfaccino. Thanks for the info."

Wolfaccino took another sip from his coffee mug, and then raised it in bidding Velli farewell. "If you make it that far, I'll already be gone, Velli...but...thanks, all the same."

The desolation that hung over Wolfaccino like a cloud was enough to urge Velli out of the bar, and he made sure the door was shut tightly behind him as he exited. He looked up to the sky, trying to find the sun, but clouds of dark, black smoke blotted out most of the sky, leaving it impossible for Velli to know if it was day or night. There was just enough residual light getting through for him to see out in front of him, and he knew the coffee shop was to the Northeast of the town gate...so he had to head Southwest.

He'd barely taken five steps when he felt that same cold, cool wind blowing by his body...the sting was deep, as if he were being stabbed with an icicle, and he started to wonder if he'd already been struck by one of the dark monsters Wolfaccino was talking about.

Velli started to sprint towards the west side of town, and a pair of bright, menacing red eyes, like twin embers flung fromn the depths of hell, stared down upon him. Whatever the monster was, it seemed formless in the darkness of the desolate world, and even if Velli were properly equipped, he wasn't sure where he'd be able to strike the creature. His heart raced as he sprinted back the other way, and turned at the first road that headed south. He knew that his body [b]should[/b] be gathering warmth from running, that the activity should be heating him up...but he could only feel those same, painfully cold breezes tearing at his skin.

"These things...t-they're everywhere!" Velli cried out, trying not to panic. He made his way south to the courtyard, now nothing more than a mountain of rubble and scorched earth, but it was a sign to Velli that he was heading the right direction. He turned to the west again, and his legs moved as fast as they could carry him. As he ran, he was shocked to see that Wolfaccino really might be the last survivor of the dystopian Salmas...he didn't see even [b]one[/b] other soul in the entire wreckage of the city. Whether people were hiding in the rubble, or they were simply all dead already, Velli didn't know, and he wasn't going to hang around to find out.

The only thing that could possibly be a relief, the only sight that would soothe his sore eyes, was that of half of an archway, the one that used to stand over the entrance to Salmas, still just in shape enough to signify the front gates...and there, a man stood, leaning against what was left of the archway, draped in a black cloak.

As old as the man was when Velli first saw him, he was sure that this had to be a different person, but he still tried the same greeting as he skidded to a halt, no longer feeling the stinging wind on his flesh. "...O-old man...?"

"I'm sorry...I don't know who that is...but I'm perfectly aware of who [b]you[/b] are."