The Herd Approaches

The night was unnervingly silent.

Even the wind, a constant companion in this frozen wasteland near what was once Hudson Bay, had stilled. The pink silk tent, adorned with golden embroidery and delicate beadwork, stood as an oasis of warmth and elegance on the frozen shore. Inside, Quaraun sat cross-legged on a pile of quilts, embroidering silver threads into a silk gown. His prehensile silver hair spilled around him, glowing faintly in the lamplight, while his mechanical hands worked with careful precision.

BoomFuzzy, clad in his black hakama and a purple tartan scarf wrapped haphazardly around his neck, stirred a pot of clam chowder over the brazier. The rich, briny aroma mingled with the scent of melted butter and fresh bread, filling the tent with a cozy warmth.

GhoulSpawn was outside, tinkering with a device made of gears, wires, and an unsettling amount of copper tubing, his green velvet coat flapping in the icy breeze. No one knew what GhoulSpawn was building. He had tried to explain it but no one in the caravan had a formal education, due largely to there being no schools here in the 40th century.

GhoulSpawn had gone to Harvard in the 1960s and 1970s, amassing several PhDs in various physical and technical sciences. None of his education mattered now that he was stuck in thr 40th century dystopian remains of what left of the Earth after comet Swift Tuttle has hit the moon in the year 2525.

The only education that mattered here in the 40th century was how to fight zombies, how to scavenge ruins, how to keep ahead of zombie hordes, how to hunt and gather and grow and make everything you needed yourself.

Stores. Schools. Governments. No one here even knew what those things were.

Everyone here was a warrior. Everyone. Elderly. Women. Children. Even small toddlers. They had to be. There were only seven million people left alive on the planet. Quaraun’s caravan, The UnSeelie Court, lead by King Gwallmaiic, the Unicorn King of the Realm of Fae, with is four hundred Faeries, was the largest single group on the planet.

There were twenty one billion zombies now. Most of them controlled by the Thullid Cultists. Who wanted their Elder God Mother Brain back. A she didn’t want to go back. The deranged psionic sea creatures of Neptune’s Moon had found they could move the zombie hordes like puppets, and thus the herd was getting bigger, and was on their tail.

The UnSeelie Court had made it their life purpose to protect The Sacred Pink JellyFish at all costs. And so they travelled with her as she ran from ZooLock and his ever increasingly deranged plots to capture her.

The Faeries knew the danger. ZooLock had captured her before, imprisoned the tiny pink jellyfish in a glass globe and then used her power to control everything. EVERYTHING. Entire planets changed obit under his will. It was how The Fractured Moon came to be fractured. ZooLock had decided to use his glass jellyfish filled crystal ball to shift Comet Swift Tuttle with it arrived for it’s annual August 12th meteor shower.

The result? The comet hit the moon, the nine planet solar system was now a five planet solar system. The remains of the four destroyed planets filled Earth’s air with dust, and no sunlight could get through. Earth was now a frozen snowball wasteland. Dead things, with glowing blue comet crystals embedded in them, marched across the planet eating the living.

The Unicorns and Kelpies had taken advantage of the mass panic as the comet stuck, to invade the Thullid Temple.

And in the chaos, ZooLock dropped his crystal ball, it shattered, and the tiny Sacred Pink JellyFish escaped, rescued by a purple Unicorn, who used her powers to crown himself King of the UnSeelie Court, then set her free. She killed every last priest in the temple, save ZooLock, then took up residence in the hollowed out skull of a dead Moon Elf, taking control of his body, replacing his hair with her tentacles, and then returned to the Unicorn King whom had helped her escape ZooLock, now in the form of a male Elf, and taking the position of his Court Mage.

Amoung the many things to appear after the comet strike, were feral portals. Strange wormholes to the past, which randomly sucked people from the past into this 40th century apocalypse.

GhoulSpawn had been one of them.

A feral portal had brought him here and GhoulSpawn spent most of his free time attempting to build a time machine as he knew of no other way to get back to 1978 where he belonged. The problem was the longer he was here, the less he wanted to go back to where he had come from. He almost did not want to leave. Almost.

ZooLock was hellbent on getting his Sacred Pink JellyFish back. And it meant Quaraun had to live on the run. With an ever growing herd of Thullid controlled zombies on his trail. They stayed no where more then a few days. Because he was a Thullid Jellyfish, only disguised as an Elf, Quaraun could never move inland, never get more then a few miles away from the ocean. And so they continually retraced their steps, from Florida to Ivujivik, then back again. A trip that took 3 years to walk, one way.

They were near the turn around point. Just east of Ivujivik, only a few miles south of Satan Claws village at the North Pole, camped on the shore of what was once Hudson Bay.

It was Quaraun who noticed it first. A faint, rhythmic shuffle carried through the still air. He froze, his needle hovering above the fabric. The Elf’s long rabbity ears twitched.

“Unicorn,” Quaraun whispered, his blue eyes wide.

BoomFuzzy grunted, not looking up from his pot.

“What is it now, me Love? Yar soup’s almost ready.”

Quaraun stood, his lame leg causing him to lean heavily on his cane. His tentacles of hair twitched, sensing the vibrations in the ground. He made his way to the tent flap door.

“Something’s coming.”

BoomFuzzy straightened, his silvered cataract-clouded eyes narrowing as he tilted his head to listen.

The sound grew louder—hundreds, no, thousands of shuffling feet. A low, guttural moaning accompanied it, a haunting cry of despair.

“Zombies,” BoomFuzzy said, his voice a gruff growl. He grabbed his obsidian daggers, tucking them into his sash. “Thousands of ’em.”

GhoulSpawn stumbled into the tent, his golden glasses askew.

“It’s a horde,” he gasped. “An entire herd, migrating south. They’re heading right into the camp. They’ll trample us!”

Quaraun’s grip tightened on his cane as he peered out the tent flap door, glancing nervously at the other pink silk tents scattered across the beach. Each was a pale shadow against the snowy expanse, flickering with faint lantern light. His heart raced. His handmaids and children were out there, scattered in the bitter cold, surrounded by the looming threat of the undead horde. They would all be asleep by now. None awake to hear the herd. The herd too close to have time to wake them all.

“Unicorn,” Quaraun whispered, his voice trembling. “My children... my handmaids. They are so close to the shoreline. If the herd reaches them—”

“They’ll no’ reach them,” BoomFuzzy interrupted, his voice firm.

Quaraun’s eyes darted, his mind clouded with frantic images of the children’s fragile bodies crushed under the undead. His jellyfish tentacles writhed in agitation, pulling his silver hair tighter around his shoulders.

“I must go to them. They are not safe!”

“Ya’ll stay here,” BoomFuzzy said gruffly, squeezing Quaraun’s arm. “Let me handle it. The children will be fine. Ya’re the Necromancer. Yis the only one who can fight the herd. I’ll see to ya wee ones.”

But Quaraun wasn’t convinced, his gaze fixed on the tents with growing dread.

Quaraun grabbed his Rainbow Wand, its iridescent surface glittering in the lamplight. His hand trembled, not from fear but from the strain he knew would come.

“I can redirect them,” he said, his voice barely audible. “But I will need help.”

BoomFuzzy was at his side in an instant, wrapping an arm around Quaraun’s frail shoulders.

“Aye, Love, I’ll not let ye do this alone.”

They stepped outside, the freezing air biting at their skin. The shoreline was awash in the eerie glow of moonlight reflecting off the ice, and there, stretching as far as the eye could see, was the horde. Rotting, frostbitten figures shuffled across the frozen beach, their dead eyes glowing with an unnatural blue light.

BoomFuzzy stormed out into the freezing night, his dreadlocks whipping in the icy wind as his voice barked above the howling air.

“Kelpies! Guards! Get yer arses in gear!”

The hulking, shadowy forms of the UnSeelie Court’s Kelpie warriors rose from their positions around the camp, their glowing blue eyes piercing the darkness. Their thick manes shimmered with frost, and their hooves crunched against the frozen ground as they approached.

“Surround the tents!” BoomFuzzy barked, pointing to the cluster where the handmaids and children were housed. “Nothing gets past ye! No’ a single bloody zombie, d’ye hear me? Protect the children first.”

One Kelpie stepped forward, his massive form towering over even BoomFuzzy.

“And the Elf?”

“I’ll take care o’ him meself,” BoomFuzzy growled. “Yar job is the bairns. Nothing else matters. Get moving!”

The Kelpies nodded and spread out, forming a ring of icy determination around the vulnerable tents.

Quaraun raised his wand, the jewels embedded in it catching the moonlight. He began to chant, his voice melodic and hypnotic, weaving a spell that shimmered in the cold night air. The front ranks of the horde slowed, their heads tilting as if listening.

BoomFuzzy held Quaraun steady, his hands firm on the Elf’s frail frame.

“Easy, JellyElf. Ye’ve got this.”

The strain was immediate. Quaraun’s body trembled as he poured his will into the spell, his mind stretching out to touch the countless undead. His vision blurred, and his thoughts became disjointed, fragments of memories and emotions swirling chaotically.

Slowly, the horde began to veer away from the camp, their shuffling steps echoing across the ice.

The necromantic spell wove itself through the icy night like a silken web, and Quaraun’s trembling hand guided the horde’s movements. As if pulled by invisible threads, the mass of rotting bodies shifted, turning away from the camp.

Their moans became a low, unified groan as they shuffled toward the frozen bay. Thousands of decaying feet cracked the brittle ice with every step, and a sharp, eerie creaking echoed across the shoreline.

“Quaraun,” BoomFuzzy whispered, watching as the first zombies reached the water. The ice beneath them groaned louder before it shattered.

The horde fell, one after another, into the freezing black depths. Dead hands clawed at the surface, but the icy waters swallowed them whole. Soon, the beach was silent again, save for the wind howling over the desolate expanse.

BoomFuzzy exhaled deeply.

“That’ll do, JellyElf. That’ll do.”

As soon as the horde was gone, Quaraun stumbled forward, as fast as his lame leg would let him move, his cane sinking into the snow as he rushed toward the cluster of tents. His venomous tentacle hair tangled in the wind, but he didn’t stop. His breath came in frantic gasps, the cold air burning his lungs.

He flung open the flap of the nearest tent, his blue eyes darting around. Inside, his handmaids huddled together, clutching their blankets and chanting prayers to the Moon Goddess.

“Are the children safe?” Quaraun demanded, his voice rising with panic.

One handmaid stood, her expression calm despite the chaos.

“They’re all here, my Lord. No one is hurt.”

Quaraun’s knees nearly buckled as relief washed over him. He pushed through to the next tent, his heart pounding until he saw the children sleeping soundly, unaware of the danger that had passed.

“Thank the gods,” he whispered, his shoulders trembling as he leaned heavily on his cane.

The relief of seeing the children safe was too much for Quaraun’s frail body. His vision blurred, the edges darkening as the cold air seemed to press down on him. His mechanical hands clattered uselessly against his cane as he swayed.

“JellyElf!” BoomFuzzy’s voice cut through the haze, but Quaraun’s legs gave out before he could respond. He collapsed into the snow, his silver hair spilling around him in shimmering waves.

The handmaids rushed to his side, their worried cries mingling with BoomFuzzy’s furious shouts.

“Get back! Let me through!”

BoomFuzzy knelt, scooping Quaraun into his arms as if he weighed nothing.

“Ye daft wee Elf,” he muttered, his voice gruff but trembling with worry. “Pushin’ yerself like that.”

Quaraun’s lips moved, but no words came out. BoomFuzzy pressed his forehead to Quaraun’s, his voice softening.

“I’ve got ye, Love. Rest now. Ye’ll be fine.”

“Pink... pink silk,” Quaraun muttered, his voice slurring. “So many lives... all gone.”

BoomFuzzy tightened his grip, his voice a soothing rumble.

“Yer safe, Love. I’ve got ye.”

Quaraun swayed, his silver tentacle hair drooping like wilting petals. The strain was too much.

BoomFuzzy scooped him up, carrying him back to the tent.

“Glinta! Keep an eye on the rest!” he barked at GhoulSpawn.

“Aye, aye,” GhoulSpawn muttered, his hooves clattering as he positioned himself near the brazier, adjusting his gadget to emit a faint green glow.

Inside the tent, BoomFuzzy laid Quaraun on the quilts, bundling him in soft furs and silks. Quaraun’s eyes fluttered open, his delirium-laced words tumbling out in a stream of fragmented thoughts.

“Snowflakes... cold... everything cold... no one left,” Quaraun whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks.

BoomFuzzy pressed a rough, calloused hand to Quaraun’s cheek, his thumb brushing away the tears.

“Hush now, me wee pink JellyElf. The world’s cruel, aye, but I’m here. Ye’ve got me.”

Quaraun whimpered, his fingers clutching weakly at BoomFuzzy’s tartan scarf.

“Don’t leave.”

“Never, Love,” BoomFuzzy said, kissing Quaraun’s forehead. His lips lingered, warm and firm against the Elf’s chilled skin.

Quaraun’s breathing slowed, his body relaxing as exhaustion claimed him. BoomFuzzy tucked the furs tighter around him, then settled beside him, his arms wrapped protectively around Quaraun’s delicate frame.

The tent was silent again, save for the crackle of the brazier and the faint hum of GhoulSpawn’s tinkering outside. The horde had passed, leaving the beach undisturbed.

“Ye’re stronger than ye think, me Love.” BoomFuzzy stroked Quaraun’s hair, his voice low and gruff as he whispered. “And I’ll be here to catch ye, always.”

Quaraun stirred, his voice barely a murmur.

“I see them... the ones we couldn’t save. Everyone they’ve killed.”

BoomFuzzy pressed a kiss to Quaraun’s temple, his own heart heavy with memories of the apocalypse.

“Aye, Love, but we’ve saved each other. That’s what matters.”

Outside, the first snowflakes of a new storm began to fall, their delicate patterns glittering in the moonlight. Inside, the little family held close, their warmth a defiant spark against the cold world beyond.

|©2025 Wendy Christine Allen | All Rights Reserved|

This story is published in:

• Savage Wilderness

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Includes the following stories: The Savage Wilderness of the Post-Comet Earth The Terror Bird Lost, But Never Wrong Acrophobia The Herd Approaches IkuTursu’s Cursed Depths of the Swamp Where Pine Boughs Whisper Wind and Hematite on the Cliff You trust that nonsense over a map? Not Little Red Riding Hood A Twisted Tree A Tumble In The River Turquoise The Book Burning Maggots, You Can't Spell Hatred Without Red Hats Drowned Dead Beneath The Ice Inner Fortitude Amidst the Dread and Drear and Death Midnight silk whispers In the Depth of Winter’s Grip Cane and Gold He Was Not Built To Be Small No Place for Birth

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The 2nd 500 Story Challenge: Story #058 OF 500 | This work of fiction is a part of a long-running series of novels, novellas, short stories, and poetry. (Known as The Adventures of Quaraun the Insane, formerly known as The Twighlight Manor Series). I have been writing & publishing it since 1978 (50th anniversary coming in 2028!) spanning over 3k published works.

The Pink Necromancer, Moon Elf silk weaver & merchant: Quaraun on Noodle Beach. His master chef Phooka turned Lich husband: BoomFuzzy with his 1968 VW Bus Beach Noodle Food Truck. And their on again/off again mad scientist Sheep Demon lover: GhoulSpawn with his 1974 AMC Gremlin time machine. Time Travel setting swings back and forth between 40th century Maine after a comet hit the moon decimating the planet, and the 1970s, Maine. Quaraun in the main character, he and BoomFuzzy are a married gay couple. GhoulSpawn is their shared live-in lover. Art by Wendy Christine Allen.

BoomFuzzy King Gwallmaiic aka BoomFuzzy the Unicorn: Quaraun's husband, BoomFuzzy aka King Gwallmaiic, a Scottish Phooka, who is King of The UnSeelie Court. Quaraun is his court mage and advisor, as well as the only Elf in The UnSeelie Court. BoomFuzzy is a "classic fantasy type" Necromancer who uses sorcery to raise the dead. Being a Faerie he is also an illusionist and master of trickster magic. By profession, he is a Master Chef, owning the global monopoly on restaurants, taverns, pubs, and food trucks. Until his death, BoomFuzzy was regarded as the world's most powerful wizard. He is now a Lich. BoomFuzzy is also half-Human. His mother was a Mongolian/Chinese Human, which is why he wears distinctively Asian outfits, along with a great kilt worn as a cape. Known as BoomFuzzy the Unicorn, he often takes the form of a purple Unicorn. BoomFuzzy's exact age is unknown, though he was well over two thousand years old at the time of his death, and Quaraun resurrected him as a Lich around 500+ years ago, making him close to 3,000 years old. In his BlackBird form he is fifteen thousand years old. Art by Wendy Christine Allen

Quaraun Quaraun aka The Pink Necromancer: The F2M transgender Persian Moon Elf main character: The Pink Necromancer, Quaraun The Insane, with BoomFuzzy the Unicorn. F2M for those unaware = Quaraun was biologically born female, but transitioned to live as a male; this is why there are stories where Quaraun is sometimes pregnant, in spite of being male and using he/him male pronouns. Quaraun is a Necromancer by the actual dictionary definition of the word, meaning he is a psychic medium who sees and hears ghosts, and uses tarot, spirit boards, and seances to communicate with the dead. By profession he is a silk weaver/tailor/silk merchant. Quaraun is an Elder God JellyFish who takes the form of an Elf to blend in with society. His 12 foot long hair is made out of venomous, stinging jellyfish tentacles. Quaraun is BoomFuzzy's apprentice and regarded as the world's most powerful still living wizard. Quaraun's exact age is unknown, but he is somewhere around 750 years old. In his SunTa form he is twelve thousand years old. The Scared Pink JellyFish that lives in him, is stated to being over two million years old. Art by Wendy Christine Allen

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