Welcome, you’ve stumbled into The Tori Story Series. If this is your first visit to this realm you might want to catch up.

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Keeper Andor unleashed the Wind.

Wind picked up speed and violently hurled himself over the face of the earth, gathering loose objects and tossing them about.

Abruptly changing direction, Wind wrapped itself around the trunk of an ancient Oak. Though the tree was exceptionally strong it was no match for the full power of the Wind, who easily plucked it out of the ground like a young child picking a ripe dandelion. Wind carried the tree a couple hundred yards, lifting it higher and higher as it ripped across the plains. Without warning Wind paused and in that moment, the tree fell to the earth with a violent, deafening crack. The thunderous sound echoed across the flat expanse and could be heard for miles around.

This sort of thing pleased Wind, who paused to watch the tree bounce and splinter, but it did nothing to quell the decades of pent up energy that had long been building.

Truly, the temporary satisfaction was short lived, and Wind picked up again continuing it’s race, darting to and fro, intently searching for another place in which to wreak havoc.

He picked up dirt and debri as he raced, easily gathering up all the useless, dead items along the way. The wall of sand, dust, dead leaves, sticks and pebbles was building. It had been awhile since he cleaned up, and this dust storm promised to be larger than any other he had ever constructed.

Once a year Andor would release the Wind in order to force the determined dead leaves that stubbornly cling to the trees to let go of their branches at Autumn’s end.

Honestly, this clinging to life puzzled the Wind. Did the leaves not know they were standing in the way of new life? Still their stubborn nature gave Wind a chance to do an important job and he was extremely thankful for the obstinate leaves.

Wind likened these leaves to valiant soldiers in a battle. Some soldiers were so brave they simply refused to leave their post. To those he was most thankful because that stubborn clinging meant he could gather more of his power to unleash great gusts. The unleashing of power was exhilarating. Even still some soldiers held fast, but eventually the Wind won the war. He made sure of it.

But this? This was no autumn’s end. This was the dead of summer. And today? Well, today was special. Never before had Andor unleashed the Wind like today. The full force of its power with no stays or limits? Oh no, this had never happened.

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One hundred miles up ahead a village came into view. The Wind propelled a portion of itself into the town. The first traces of its impending power released to warn all living things of its imminent arrival. He did this because it was the law.

“Ready or not, here I come.” Wind howls through the streets, “Best to hide well if you can, I’ve come to clean up.”

Everyone gets a warning, the Keeper is kind. Wind knows, however, the warned are not always aware enough to recognize it.

Wind begins to surge forward, but stops. Part of itself has returned, having hit a wall in front of the village. Is this the work of the Keeper? Has the Keeper sent him on an errand and changed his mind? This wouldn’t be the first time it happened, but it certainly was rare. Or maybe perhaps the Keeper did not realize just how fast the wind could go and sent him out too early?

What exactly was the plan?

In order to avoid hitting the wall that currently protected the Village, Wind began to swirl. What else could he do? Wind knows this is dangerous. Starting the tunnel is easy enough, he just stretches and turns, stretches and turns until the top reaches the heavens and the bottom connects with the earth.

Stopping the circular motion is another thing entirely and usually Wind can’t stop until it gathers enough large items to weaken and dispell the force of its power.

Suddenly Wind has a clear realization of its purpose. If the wall had been a wall of protection he would have been able to skirt around it and avoid the town. But this was no wall of protection, this was a wall of impasse meant to remain until just the right moment. He was sent not to warn the town, but to destroy it.

No longer concerned with moving forward, Wind concentrates all his energy into funneling. He would wait. Circle and wait– until Keeper Andor removed the wall.

The smart ones in the village would see the Tornado and try to flee. Maybe intuitively they might even head in the right direction.

The rest? Well, there was nothing the Wind could do about that.

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