FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The box was somewhat clean at least. There were no dishes to be left in the sink that wasn't there, no clothes strewn about waiting to be heaped into the washer they didn't have. Of course, the walls of dirt were another matter, and that communal sand pit they called a restroom couldn't be sanitary, could it? Straw covered the floor, but the thin layer did a poor job of hiding the dirt beneath.

Vane sighed, stretching. It was hard to say exactly what time it was, but the electric lights far overhead were off, and light still filtered down through the mesh atop the box. The fox sat against a wall, knees kept up to hide his bare groin. His stomach growled, but the food pellets did little to entice him. In the end, it was thirst that forced him to stand, walking past the other bored-looking micros completely exposed. Most of them avoided looking at him, and he returned the favor.

Thankfully the water was cool and fresh, and it seemed the giants actually kept the fountain clean. The giants... Vane still wasn't sure what it was the loathsome creatures were doing here. Bren said he wasn't going to eat him, but what else did a giant do with micros? Glancing over at the food dish, the fox's stomach rumbled more insistently. He grabbed a few pellets and walked back to his spot by the wall, tossing one into his mouth and chewing.

"Hey, that's mine!" Vane turned his head. A short weasel held his paws out, reaching for what seemed to be a tangled mass of straw held by a larger badger. The fox looked a little closer, munching on another dry pellet. It wasn't tangled, it was woven. Clothing. "Give it back!"

"It's mine now, go away." The badger turned away, holding the crude covering close to himself. A glance told Vane that everyone else had quickly found something terribly interesting going on anywhere but there. He could see how the will within them was crushed. It had to be in there somewhere, but it was mangled beyond recognition. He could fix it. He had to.

Taking a breath, Vane stood up straight, working the last timid quiver out of his tail. His stride was long, purposeful. A few worried looks came his way, and he met every one, determination in his eyes. Even nude, he could be proud. He stopped no more than a foot from the badger, ignoring that he was several inches shorter. "Excuse me," Vane said, voice level. "Does someone have sticky paws?"

The badger sneered at him. "What's it to you, fox? Go back to your corner." He held the garment to his waist, covering his genitals. Even the bully couldn't get over his shame. Vane shook his head.

"To me? It is a problem, friend." A little stress on the last word gave it some bite. "I'd say we have enough of those already, don't we?" The badger started talking again, but Vane cut him off. "Stop. We're stuck here together, and that means we need to get along. You want some shorts to cover that little dong you've got? Fine. Figure out how to make them." He glanced at the weasel. "Maybe she'll help you, if you ask her."

Vane could see anger rise in the badger's eyes. "Scurry off, cur. This ain't your fight." His paw shot out, grabbing the shaggy fur on Vane's chest and pulling the fox close. "Am I clear?"

"Oh, it's my fight." The badger's breath was foul, but Vane managed to keep his face from scrunching up. "Mine, and everyone else's here. We're not getting out of here if we rob each other!" The anger, he had to direct it. Perhaps aimed at the giants, it would prove useful. "I didn't steal your clothes, and neither did she. They did." He pointed up, toward the mesh above. "If you want them back, you'll have to fight the giants."

The badger laughed, throwing Vane back a few steps. "Fight them? You were crazy to piss me off, but you're completely insane if you think any of us stand a chance against those monsters!"

"I don't," Vane said. "You can't beat them. I can't. None of us can." His eyes flicked left and right, finding several looking back at him. He grinned and spoke up. "But all of us? Maybe." Holding out his paw, he stared the badger in the eyes. "My name is Vane. Pleased to meet you."

"Fuck. Off." A swift blow to the gut collapsed the fox. Vane fell to the ground, clutching his stomach as a kick hit him in the side. The crunch of straw underfoot receded, and Vane looked up to see the badger walking away, forcing his body into the woven garment. It stretched around his waist, but only barely. Clearly the tube-shaped clothing was meant for someone shorter.

Vane pulled himself to his knees. The pain would pass. "Vane?" He looked back. "Thanks? Um, I... I suppose?" The weasel helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Sorry I didn't get it back." He sighed and looked around the room again. The hope was gone from them all. Or was it? With a little smile, he looked back at the weasel. She was kinda cute, up close. He kept his eyes above her shoulders, despite the temptation to do otherwise. "And what is your name?"

"My name? It's Chloe." Her gaze fell to the floor. "And, uh, don't fret about the clothes. I can make more, can't I?" Her face was uncertain. How long had she been here to be so broken?

"Of course you can, Chloe. I'll help you. Here, let me grab some-" The thump of giant paws sounded above, more than one pair. Their booming voices carried down into the pit, but it was the faint, panicked screams Vane focused on. More micros. Not many, by the sound of it. He looked up to see the thick mesh above rise, lifted by a massive, furry paw. The squeak of its hinges rang through the entire box, sending a shiver through Vane's spine.

Chloe hunkered down against the dirt wall, gazing up. "Is it feeding time? Isn't the bowl full already?" She was still shivering slightly, though the mesh had stopped moving, resting upright. "Yeah, she filled it yesterday."

"She?" Vane asked, watching the huge wolf. He could just make out the top of a bucket. "Do you mean the wolf? What's her name?" The wheels in his head spun, trying to remember the giants' names. The reptile was Liss, that was easy to remember. Liss the lizard. He thought there was another name like it, but couldn't quite remember.

The weasel nodded. "The other giants... They call her Lyn. At least, I think they do. Oh! Is that more? Where are they all coming from?" A bucket lowered into the box, tilted sideways. As it tipped down, a few micros spilled out, ten at most. Their expressions were confused but save a couple, they looked unafraid. Finally, someone with spine.

"Wait here," Vane said, standing up to greet them. Chloe looked all too happy to remain where she was, in fact not a single micro was looking at the newcomers. Vane sighed, once again preparing himself to stride across the room naked. Hopefully he'd get used to it. As he walked across, only the newcomers seemed to even know he was there. The two sobbing micros looked pretty young, perhaps eight years old. Their wails had quieted, but they still sniffled, holding close to a woman who could have birthed neither of them, by species. Like everyone else, the group was entirely nude.

"Excuse me, are you in charge here?" A short, fluffy mammal addressed him, Vane couldn't identify the species. She crossed her arms over her breasts, standing with her legs close together.

Vane shrugged. "More than anyone else around here, but I only got here last night." He could feel the eyes on his back, but when he turned to look, every snout pointed at the floor. "Let me-" The wire mesh swung back down, prompting everyone inside to cover their ears. It slammed shut with a bang before Lyn's heavy footsteps moved away a little. "Sorry, let me show you around." He turned. "Uh, over there is the food and water, and down there is... the restroom. I guess there's not much here."

"More than back home. The whole place is gone." Vane cocked his head, confused. "Weren't you there?" the woman asked. "Those giants blew up the whole place! We woulda been in there, if it weren't for that otter."

The fox stiffened in surprise. "The otter? He... rescued you?"

"Yeah, I didn't believe it at first either." She recounted the story of Bren searching out micros and bringing them to the safety of his wheelbarrow. Thankfully they didn't seem to trust the giants - they were still in a prison after all - but from what he heard, they'd all be dead if it weren't for... for Bren. He glanced at the two children, who had mostly quieted down.

"So it's really all gone..." Vane sat down on the bare dirt, rubbing his temples. "You're sure there's nothing left?"

"Fox, I haven't even seen explosions that big on TV before," the woman replied. "All that's there now is rubble, and that's if the engineers haven't cleared that away, too. The size of those trucks, they could have plowed a dozen cities by now."

He knew it was true. The Bramble was all that had kept the giants at bay before, preventing any large force from breaking into micro territory. Apparently that could be relied upon no longer. "Did everyone get out?" Vane asked, unable to keep a small tremor from his voice. He wasn't sure why, it wasn't like dying back home was any worse than being locked up in a little box underground and subjected to the will of the giants.

"Not everyone." She gave a meaningful look at the children. "But I think that otter found most of us. No clue how he knew where to look, but he kept finding more." Shaking her head, she took what may have been her first real look around her surroundings. "I'm not sure if I should be grateful, but I suppose I am."

Unsure how to respond, Vane sighed. "Are you hungry? The food isn't all that-" Heavy steps pounded overhead, getting closer. Two of the giants passed by, stopping near the pit. "Oh, now what," Vane muttered.

Their voices picked up a bit, able to be understood after the thunderous footsteps ceased. "... and anyway, they seem to be adjusting well to it." Vane recognized the voice, it was that wolf again. Lyn. "I think within a week we'll see a jump in morale in all the boxes, not just group C."

"It seems like it. Only time will tell for sure, but it's promising." Vane tapped his chin. Did they not realize he could hear them, or did they just not care? "Either way, they're better off here than where they came from. How much land do the Snuffers control now?" Snuffers? Had Vane heard that term before?

"It's a lot, the army has really pushed inward. These guys would've all been captured for sure. Unless they could form that uprising against the tyrannical giant monsters!" They both laughed at that. "Now they're safe where they belong." A pause, Vane looked up to see what they were doing, but he didn't have a good angle and the metal grate blocked off a lot of his vision. "Isn't it about lunchtime? We should go meet with the others."

"Good idea, I'm starving! I'm sure we can leave these guys for an hour or so." They walked off again, their thumping footsteps pounding and crunching into the dirt floor. He heard them say something else, but couldn't quite make it out. Something about buying a fuse? No matter. If they were gone, he was unsupervised.

Vane stood up straight, ready to find a way out of the box. Every prison had a hole, and foxes were known for being slippery. A growl came from his right, surprising him. Turning put him face to face with some feline with a pale tan coat. He did his best not to look at her breasts, made easier by the way her eyes bored into him. "Do you really think we can get out?" she said, her voice cool and low.

Vane paused. "We need to. We can't stay here."

"Can. We. Get. Out." She put her heavy paws on his shoulders, keeping him in a firm grip. "I need to know, fox!" Her voice rose, and several others looked their way.

"I can't-" Vane took a breath and spoke louder. "Yes. We can escape. We can get out of here, all of us!"

"What makes you think that?" The snide shout came from a small canine, sitting with a few pieces of straw held up against his genitals. "Look around. We're stuck!"

Vane crossed his arms and prepared a reply, immediately cut off by the feline. "No, there's always a way out, and that means we have to try!"

"And go where? It's not like life out there is any better than in here. Didn't you hear them?" Tension crackled, Vane could have charged his phone with it if he still had the thing.

"Free life is always better! Do you realize that we are literally beneath the giants' feet in here? Everything they do has been to push us further and further down! They take our freedom, our homes, our dignity!"

The canine threw his straw away and stood up to face her, despite being a good six inches shorter. "And you really think that magically lets you out? Go ahead then, fly up there and unlock this cage!"

This time it was a different canine who barked back, probably had some wolf in him. "The cougar's right! I won't dishonor myself and all those who came before me by passively allowing myself to live like this! We're going free, dammit!" He spun around and ran at the wall, throwing his claws into it and tearing out a chunk of dirt.

Surprisingly, others looked to have the same thought. A couple bears in the corner started digging into the wall, a ferret started climbing it, a whole group joined the wolf in attacking that patch of dirt. Vane looked about in surprise, they weren't nearly so docile as they seemed. It wasn't organised resistance, really nothing more than desperation. But it was enough. He could use desperation.

Most of the box was in motion now, climbing or digging or in the case of his new friend, stripping apart some of the straw for a new weaving project. Even that badger had made a sizeable dent in the earthen wall. Several isolated micros still sat huddled in their places, but everywhere else, there was activity. Almost everywhere else.

The new group still stood where they were, taking in their surroundings. Eventually that female brought the children over to the food dish, and the three started eating. Vane could see her fake smile as she tried to assure them the food pellets were good. Good luck, he thought. Another time he'd help her. For now, there was still someone else not doing anything.

There's no way he could ever break through the grate, and he wasn't good at burrowing, but he could do something. He had to, if he was going to keep these people motivated. Rubbing his paws together, he took purposeful strides toward the wall and dug his claws into it. The packed earth was hard, but his nimble, micro fingers were easily able to find purchase on it. Heaving himself upward was another matter.

He scrambled to the top, toward the steel grate. Breaking through it was a hopeless goal, but it had a hinge, and that meant he could go around it where it opened. If he could start digging at the top, he wouldn't have to make a very long tunnel. Eventually he reached the top, huffing from the strain of the climb. "Gonna have to find a ladder next time," he grumbled to himself.

A few of the others had managed to reach the top and were testing the grate, looking for any weakness. Vane shook his head and put an arm through the covering, grabbing it and pushing his other arm through a different hole, letting him hang there. Couldn't stay there forever, but now he had leverage. Lifting his hind paws, he scratched at the soil he'd been clinging to a moment ago, digging it out slowly but surely. If he made a big enough alcove, he could climb into it and rest there before his arms gave out.

He exhausted himself more quickly than he imagined, but kept going. Just enough to make that alcove. That would be enough for now. He heard the struggles of those around and below him, renewing his resolve to set them free. He could do it. He had to. He-

"Oh dear, what a mess you've gotten into." It was Lyn's voice. How had she snuck up on them? He craned his neck back, arms burning and chest heaving. Sure enough, the huge wolf stood over him, arms folded and shaking her head. "Back down, if you will," she said, lifting one of those incredible paws and slowly bringing it down. Over Vane's arms.

Without the time to think, he let go, dropping down and collapsing on the dirt with the wind knocked out of him. "That's better. I trust you're not getting into any actual trouble." She chuckled and walked back out, paws thumping loud again. How had he missed that?

Still, maybe one of the others had made progress while he distracted her. He looked over to where the crowd of micros had been fervently tearing through the dirt. All of them had stopped, most kneeling on the ground and staring abjectly at the floor. It didn't take long to realize why. Just a few feet through, the dirt became wood. The box was lined with wood. Vane groaned.

"I told you." He didn't have to look to know it was that canine.

"Ignore him." He felt a paw on his shoulder and looked up to see a surprising face looking back. He recognized her... another fox, one of the group he'd bumped into when he first woke up here. "It didn't work this time, we'll get out eventually. Come on, let's get you some water, you look exhausted!" He let her pick him up, as if he could have resisted much anyway. "I'm Allrianne, but you can call me Allie if you want."

Vane smiled.

<><><>

Bren's phone beeped. He glanced at the flashing icon, a notice that one of the mites was trying to dig through the wall again. Could be a sign of a mental disorder, I'll have to remember to get that one checked, he thought, tapping out a quick note before looking around. The other students were all checking over their boxes, eyes frequently locked on their phones as they checked in on the advanced scanner network. Handheld machines would do outside, but here it helped to have a built-in set of them to keep track of everything.

"Did they really blow up the whole thing?" Bren looked to the side, Kaz had walked in at some point, checking in on the barn as he frequently did. "You didn't make that up to scare them?"

"It's all gone, you can probably go see for yourself if you want, assuming they haven't blocked off all public access after my stunt." The news had left the whole group a little more downcast than usual.

Kaz sighed, the sound coming out long and deep from the horse's large chest. "It's not right, what they do. Not much we can do though. Nobody up there who wants to put a stop to it." He shook his head and chuckled. "That's politics."

Politics indeed. Bren ground his bare hind paw into the dirt as Kaz walked off to chat with Liss about something. The horse was wrong. There was something he could do, and he was doing it. He'd give those mites a good life, and as many more as he could possibly find. The Snuffers might win that war of theirs, but they wouldn't get all the spoils of victory.

Lyn walked past, stooping down by one of her boxes. The one with Gaven in it. Bren smiled and took a step toward her to check up on his fox, but stopped. He had to wait, for now. Showing up would interfere with Lyn's experiments, and he couldn't throw a random variable into her work at this stage. Her boxes required there to be a single macro authority, and playing favorites could ruin the whole box. Soon, he promised himself, I'll just have to make sure she lets me know how he's doing until then. Sure, the scanners could do that, but it was better to hear in person.

Once everyone finished checking in on their experiments, Bren met with them outside to talk about the next steps. There were still several unfilled boxes, after all, and once they finished with the ones they had, they'd need to get replacements. "Alright, we've gone through all the border towns in this area," he said, sitting on his stool. "Between those and the inner cities, population is fairly sparse."

Cory cocked his head. "So? They're not exactly dense around here."

"In a way, they are," Lyn said. "The border towns are spread out a little more than those a bit farther in, but they also have larger populations. I was with you when Mr. Azla went over that with the class, you know. The tinies near the border have more close-knit communities."

"That's enough, Lyn. But that is correct, we'll need to cover a wider area as we move forward, and that means we'll need some help."

Liss smiled. "More people, then? It would definitely help if someone else would gather for us." Annika and Rege nodded their agreement as she continued. "How many do you think we'll need, doctor?"

"I can't say for sure, but we might be able to stop gathering entirely if we can get perhaps ten others to do it for us. They'll all need a scanner of their own, of course, but I can help make that happen if I need to." Bren pulled out his phone and pulled up a basic map of micro territory. "The outer cities will be a perfect training opportunity for the help, before we hit more urban areas. Good time for another project, too, but that's for another time. I give us a month at most to gather in that area, so I want you all to be looking for anyone you think would be good for this."

"My, uh, my uncle would probably be interested," Terrik offered. "Said he was eager to help out with what I was doing however he could."

"That sounds perfect, I'll call him later. You'll have to be sure to give me his number. If anyone else has any ideas, let me know. I'm going to make a trip up to the office and check up on our patients, the rest of you all have work to do. Training regimens for the new tinies, I believe?"

"That we do," Liss said, standing up. "Thank you, doctor." The others went back to the barn, hopefully considering who they might know for the job. Could be hard to find volunteers, especially that many. He walked off to the office, considering his options.

<><><>

Sadri lifted a small tank and dropped it into a plastic bag, sealing it shut for analysis. The techs always wanted to know what the mites were arming their traps with. Usually the dangerous ones had a chemical spray, but some were worried that the mites would develop a biological weapon. It wasn't her job to worry about that, so she didn't.

Even so, the traps were pesky. Most of them couldn't do any real damage - the worst she'd activated by accident left a wound no more serious than a particularly nasty paper cut - but some of those chemicals could kill, and it was her job to worry about that. More and more of them peppered the landscape as they moved inward.

Word of their approach was spreading, and mites were becoming less common. The traps they left behind slowed their movement significantly, and by the time they reached a place only the most stubborn tinies were left there. Part of her was relieved that there would be fewer prisoners for the Snuffers to toy with, but that meant her own tinies would be targets. She patted Rinn, safely stowed in her tight back pocket. He gave a little squirm in response, hopefully a friendly one this time?

She looked over at Garnet. The panthress was sitting with her back against a tree, one of the few large ones left this deep into micro territory. Well, former micro territory. Occasionally she held out her paw, and her tiny would give her some nuts to eat. Micro nuts, a stash of them had been found earlier that day. Rinn struggled more in her pocket.

"Hey Garnet!" She called, walking over beside the panthress.

Garnet tossed another couple nuts in her mouth and smiled. "What's up?" Another time that would warrant discipline for not recognizing rank, but her branch was meant to stay close and personal when off duty.

"How'd you get your tiny to like you?" Sadri didn't look at the little white rabbit directly, but still caught her pause for a moment. "Mine just won't stop struggling."

"He was an officer, wasn't he? Makes sense he'd be harder to break." She chuckled and ate more of those nuts. "Would you like some of these? They've got a lot of flavor packed in 'em."

Sadri shook her head. "Next time, maybe. Really though, what's it take? You didn't really break yours, you got her to like you. That's different."

Nodding, Garnet grabbed her tiny and pet its head with a finger. "I suppose it is. Have you tried getting to know him?"

"I'm not going on a date with him, Garnet."

"No, but the idea is the same. Tania here likes stars. Showed me a rose, once. Might even be able to point it out tomorrow night." She put her pet back down. "Don't get me wrong, you still gotta be dominant and set expectations, but he'll never like you if you don't even know who he is."

Sadri leaned against the tree, thinking. Truth be told, she had tried talking to Rinn. He was just so uncooperative. The rare times he spoke, it was always an insult, and she had to gag him again. Maybe it was time to give it a more serious attempt? "Thanks, Garnet. I'll try."

<><><>

The cage squeaked open once more, waking Vane up to see Lyn's paw reach in and grab the litterbox. It came back down before long, hopefully fresh and clean. The food and water were similarly replaced, but even after the three amenities afforded the micros were all taken care of, the metal grate was left open.

"Hey Allie," Vane said, nudging her with his arm. "Has that ever been left up like that before?"

She nodded and stretched her arms out. Vane thought it was her waking up, but she continued working her muscles, getting limber. "Yeah, it probably means it's exercise time. We got a bit of time off while you new ones were getting used to the place, but now it's time to get to work."

Sure enough, Lyn stepped right back up to the edge of the box, though strangely only one foot was planted there. It looked like the other was next to a different box, which meant she must have handled two. Maybe more, who knew? "Alright, everyone, playtime is over. I'm sure you enjoyed your break, but we don't want any of you getting out of shape. Everyone stand up, please." Her tone didn't make it sound like a request, but it was gentler than Vane expected.

"Just do it, Vane. I know you don't want to, but trust me. It's better if you play along." He put his arms on his hips and opened his mouth to reply, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him with her, standing near the front of the box. "Come on, Vane. I know what I'm doing. Second row from the front. She keeps an eye on the ones that try to hide in the back, and we still have a crowd around us to get lost in." He grumbled a reply, but went along.

"Good, good! Everyone up! You too!" Lyn reached down into the other box for a moment. "That's better. Jumping jacks first, don't hit your neighbor! Jump on my count, ready? One, two, three..." Vane sighed, but he went along. He couldn't see the ones in the back, but he could see Lyn's occasional scowl at them. Apparently that was enough to get them going. "Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, and done!" She clapped her paws together and smiled. "Gauge, Blacky, I noticed you two still weren't jumping! And don't think I forgot about you, Flick."

"I'm not doing your dumb exercises!" Vane turned, it was the badger. Much as he disliked the guy, Vane made a note to refuse to call him Flick.

"I see. Well, if you insist, I can't make you. You'll just have to spend some time in the can." She lifted up a metal can, with a soup label wrapped around it. "Come along, now." She reached in and grabbed him, dropping him inside and covering it with some kind of plastic lid. "Looks like he's excused from the rest of today's exercises, would anyone else like to join him? No? Good. Pushups, then!"

Vane grumbled as he exercised, but truth told it wasn't much different from his usual routine. Sit ups, stretches, a plank. Nothing he couldn't handle, though his arms were still a bit sore from the day before. Occasionally a slacker in one box or the other would earn a gentle push to the ground, some a little less gentle. It was all a show of power, Vane knew. Look what I can do with just one finger. You don't have a hope against me.

Eventually the exercises were over. "I think it's time we all sat down and had a break, don't you?" The earth rumbled as she sat. Vane's eyes went wide when she brought a hind paw down right in the middle of the box. Everyone had gotten out of the way, but still. What was she doing?

"Just play along, Vane. It'll be okay." Allie sighed and stepped into a line that was forming near that paw, it seemed most already knew what was going on.

"Single-file, everyone. Yes, just like that!" Vane stared up at Lyn's too-wide smile. "Those of you who are new, just watch the rest. Don't give me that look, Blacky. Just do as you're told and there won't be a problem." Vane grudgingly stepped into line, watching as the ones in front stepped up.

He gasped. They were... massaging her? He covered his eyes but peeked through his fingers, watching in horror. It was worse. Each micro went through one toe at a time, giving each one a massage and a lick before wandering back into the rest of the box. There was no way he'd do it. Surely Allie wouldn't-

She did.

"Is there a problem... Gaven?" Vane didn't look up at first, until he realized Lyn meant him. "Keep the line moving, please." He shook himself out of his reverie, noticing that the line had moved forward without him.

He stood his ground and shook his head, trembling a bit. "I... I don't want to..." He said, voice a little shaky.

"You still have to do it," The voice came from behind him, he didn't know who it was. "Come on, just get it over with."

"I'll give you three seconds, Gaven. Move along." He didn't. He tried to tell his legs to step forward a little, buy him some time and make a show of obedience, but they wouldn't move. He couldn't do it, no matter what she said. "Well, it was your choice."

Lyn's paw lifted into the air and came back down, right on top of Vane. He fell on his face, pinned down by the huge paw. "Tell me when you're ready to obey, Gaven." He struggled to breathe at first, shifting a little until he could draw in air. He could see the legs of the rest as they moved forward, doing as they'd been told. How could they, it was so humiliating!

More humiliating than being trapped underpaw? He ground his fists into the dirt, shaking a bit. Allie said to just do it. Was it really so bad? Would it be worse than being stuck here, or thrown into that can? In there with the badger. He grit his teeth, eyes clenched shut. "Fine."

The weight lifted, just a bit. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said fine, okay?" He shouted up at her, a couple tears of frustration squeezing out past his eyelids.

The paw lifted off him, and two fingers hoisted him up, setting him back in front of her paw. "That's better, Gaven. It's always easier when you just do as I say." He grumbled, stepping up to the first toe. Massage it, hah. I'll massage it. He thrust his arm forward, palming the toe as hard as he could. Over and over, he vented his frustrations out on the wolf's toe. The micro in front of him moved on, so he bent his head in and quickly pressed his tongue to Lyn's paw before "massaging" the next toe. He swore he could hear her laugh a little.

He found Allrianne when he finished, fuming. She held up a food pellet. "It'll help get the taste out." Vane sneered but took it, sneering and chewing. It did help, a little. When he finished, he sighed and held the other fox's gaze.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"I told you, it's Allie." She put a paw on his shoulder. "Are you-"

"No. What is your name. Your real name."

"Allie. It's me-"

"Not that name! What was your name before? Outside, when we were free?" He was standing, not sure when that happened. His voice was still low, kept quiet enough that Lyn wouldn't hear.

The fox sighed, looking down at the ground. "Margaret."

Vane sat back on the dirt, facing away from her.