The Burning Snow
How's it going? I'm Azuran. Nice to meet you. This is my first story here, and despite the erotic theme of the site I decided to make my first story a tad bit on the serious side. It has furries though, and an actual plot. Some chapters will have yiff, though not all. I truly hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. Also, look forward to my other stories that I will be submitting shortly that are much more erotically oriented. Disclaimers: The usual stuff, please do not read what offends you. After all, doing so might prove you are an idiot.
Denongarwa Chapter 1 - The Burning Snow November 14, 2013 The ruins of Boston The full moon hung heavily over the chilled landscape, it's bright glow seeming cold and unwelcoming. Unpleasant winds strongly pushed forward, drifting past fallen street lights and overturned motor vehicles of various kinds, bringing with it the frosty cold that seeped to the bone. Flakes of blackened snow fell from the crying sky, the soot and smoke that hazed the horizon darkening the clouds above and tainting the snow that fell below. Fires burned despite the wind and frost, those having lost their home to flame now using the burning remains to warm themselves. The snow that lay across the street's length is streaked with black soot and red splotches of once hot blood. Humans milled about,most seeming lost as to what they should be doing, while others seemed content to simply survive or go about looting what they could. In the distance, the loud sound of gunfire and the occasional booming sound of a collapsing building served as the only means to break the would be silence. Roun sighed deeply as his deep azure eyes scanned the scene before him, as he gazed across the humans fighting in the street over food or shelter, as he watched small children crying for lost fathers or mothers. This wasn't what he was expecting at all, though he wasn't quite sure what he had expected. Anything but this, he thought, a sad smile crossing his muzzle for a moment. He felt a strong grip on his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. He turned his head to face the female beside him, his mate. Like himself she was not human, but instead Lith'ander. Upon first seeing them, they had been called "cat people" by the humans, to their amusement. Later he discovered that the description was not far off, as his kind did somewhat tend to look like a cross between a cat and a human. Both he and his mate's bodies were covered in fur hued an extremely light cream brown, much like the lions of their world, save for the strip of white that streaked from their collar bones straight down to the base of their tails. As a male however, his fur was slightly darker then his mate's. It was not something humans noticed easily, he realized quickly as he was addressed as a female more then once when called while facing away. They both shared the same deep blue coloring of the eyes normal to their kind, and pointed feline ears on either side of their heads. Their faces ended in short, rounded muzzles lined with sharp teeth. All four of their paws held retractable claws, similar in fashion to the felines of the humans' world. Their long tails moved about behind them, though he did not bear the tuff of fur at the end of his tail, and for that matter nor the mane around his neck, that the male lions on this world had. The real differences between them in racial appearance, as with humans and many other races, was between gender. He was not much more muscular then she, and his body still held the slight feminine curves of youth, but his chest was flat and his body firm. Her body was softer and much more curved then his, and though her breast size was average at best, it easily marked her as a female. Looking at her lovely face and her bright smile, he couldn't help but smiling himself. "You feeling ok, love?" she asked, worry in her eyes. Sighing once more and leaning against the broken wall of what he assumed used to be a school building, his gaze once more turning to the scene before him, he shook his head. "How could I? Look at what you see before you, Ameth. This is not what I was expecting." he replied, his tail flicking about and his voice shaking slightly with anger that suddenly sprouted from within him. She said nothing for a time, leaning against him and looking out at the street that had just a few days ago likely been filled with playing children and roaming cars. Finally , she spoke, her voice soft as the falling tainted snow. "We knew we were losing even before we came here, but..this.. this is the first time this has happened. How can I hate these humans so much at one moment, and pity them the next? I want to say they brought this upon themselves.. but I can't. " she said, smiling softly. "They did bring this on themselves.. but we have our vows, even as they cut our tails we must protect them..." he said gently, closing his eyes. He was not sure what he felt about the situation, to be completely honest. His eyes remained closed, even as his sharp hearing told him of footsteps moving towards them. He flattened his ears against his skull, muffling the sound slightly. Eventually the voice of a young female started as the sound of the footsteps ceased. "I...I.....ah..please... my little brother, he's hurt.. they told...that..they told me you could help him..." the young voice said, sounding terrified. Idly, Roun wondered why they were feared so much, even after having made their purpose here clear in the first battle a few days ago. "Yeah.." he heard Ameth say. Opening his eyes, he tilted his head slightly to watch as she placed her paw on a boy a head shorter then she was. Seeing the lad reminded him of how young they themselves were. He often forgot. At the age of fourteen in human years, they probably had a mental capability beyond that of a human adult. Their kind lived long lives by human standards, but somewhat matured mentally at an early age unlike human children. The burden placed on their shoulders that had also stripped them of their childhood did it's share of work in forcing him to grow up as well he noted with an inward sigh. "Hold still, little one." Ameth said in a gentle voice. The boy had tears streaking down his eyes, though he was silent. Along his arms and face, deep cuts poured forth fresh blood. "He doesn't feel them, but I think he's losing a lot of blood. One of those.. things.. almost..almost.." his sister said choking back the last words, worry overcoming her fear of them. Roun said nothing, allowing his capable mate to her work and simply watched. She was both a healer and a doctor, in human terms. Light faintly shimmered around her paw and her breathing deepened, and as she closed her eyes the boy did as well. His wounds slowly sealed closed, the scars vanishing soon after. As she finished, she once again opened her eyes and examined him. She seemed tired, though she hide it well from her voice. He knew better, she had been using her healing spells most of the past few days, some on him, because they had exhausted all of their medical supplies during the fast battle. Thus she was forced to use her healing more then her medical skills, and it was taking a toll on her. "He should be fine now, let me know if he gets hurt again." she said, smiling cheerfully at the boy. The boy blinked through his tears , seeming at first surprised the wounds were gone then looking up with a large grin. "Thank you Miss Cat!" His sister quickly chastised him. "That's not nice! I'm really sorry, he's still just a boy." "It's alright. " Ameth replied, the smile still on her features. With a quick "thank you", they both walked towards the group of humans across the street. Roun watched them go, wondering if they would be alright considering how close the fighting was. "I'll be nice to have some children of our own, someday." she said absently. "Yeah.." "First we have to live long enough to reach the right age, mmm Roun?" she said with a grin, teasing him slightly. "The way your luck goes I'll laugh if you see another year." "That hurts you know, there's not much I can do about lady luck, I believe she's jealous that I somehow ended up with someone like you. " he replied grinning. He had long shed any thought of living long enough to bear children. Their race only became fertile at a particular age, usually when they mature fully between twenty and thirty human years after birth. It was something the younger humans soon came to envy quickly, he recalled with a slight grin. Still, it was an age he doubted he would reach. Especially now. Ameth smiled at his comment, rolling her eyes. "Maybe lady luck and I should have a talk, she should know that she isn't missing out on much. I might even get you a few years more to live." He simply grinned, looking back towards the horizon. Slowly in the distance, the sound of treads caused his ears to perk up. It's about time... he thought, slightly annoyed. A large black and white camouflaged tank slowly rolled into view followed closely by armed soldiers and a humvee. They all came to a stop before them. Eyeing them with hatred, the soldiers said nothing and Roun ignored them. From the green humvee emerged a man who casually walked over in front of them, followed by two men holding riffles. "Are you the beastmen we are to bring?" He asked, his face expressionless. "I'm Roun, and this is Ameth. We have names, and I'd like you to use them." he said, looking at the man with a tired expression. "And yes, we are." The man's face did not changed, and he quickly turned around and began walking back towards the humvee. "Very well, follow behind us and we'll take you to headquarters." he called back as he stepped inside. With a quick bark of an order, the group of soldiers moved forward again. Saying nothing and sighing, he placed his arms behind his head and began to follow them, Ameth shaking her head beside him. ************* November 14, 2013 Makeshift Military HQ They sat in a rather plain windowless room, with a single light to stave the darkness. Including himself and Ameth, three others sat across from them around a plain gray table that shared it's color with the walls of the room. Behind these humans, the only door to the room lay closed and locked. Two men and a woman watched him with interest. One of the men had a pen poised over a silver notepad. The other typed away on a laptop. The woman between them, the military leader stationed here, licked her cracked lips. Roun had not been told the two men's name, but she had introduced herself as Lieutenant Raseingard. "So, you two... I believe you said you came here to speak with us on behalf of your kind?" "Yes, that's correct." he replied, leaning forward and resting his head on his paws. "Well then, speak. Let's start with who you two are." The man typing at the computer was watching them with interest, looking back between both of them. "They look like brother and sister to me, eh? " Grinning as he looked over at Ameth, he shook his head. "I know to you we look alike, but no, we're not. We're actually mates." All three of their eyes widened slightly, but it was the Lieutenant that spoke. "You two are pretty young, from what I've seen of your kind , and you're already married?" "No, we're not exactly married. Uh.." Ameth said, pausing to think. She swished her tail about, seeming slightly embarrassed. "Well, at a young age it's not uncommon to choose a mate, it's kind of like a betrothal . I suppose if either one of us really wanted to, we could simply break up and choose other partners." "I see..." said the Lieutenant, though it was evident she disapproved. Besides her, the man on the computer shook his head. "So, uh, you two have already done it then?" he asked, grinning. Ameth grinned at his comment, and Roun scratched the back of his ears. The Lieutenant threw him a vicious look. "That question was out of line , soldier!" she barked, looking back over at Roun and Ameth. "Forgive him, my men seem to lack tact these days." "It's alright. I suppose I can understand why he's curious, but we're honestly quite open about normal functions like sex. Something I see you humans still are not.." Roun said, shaking his head slightly. "But yes, we've had sex before. Our society is a lot different then yours, sex, reproduction, and making love are completely different things, though to humans they are the same. But we really should be talking about more important things besides our society and personal lives." "Of course, sorry. Please continue with your introductions." "I am Roun, one of the four leaders of Denongarwa , and a Lith'ander. My power is the command of water. My trade is in mechanics, and I have training as a strategist. " He said softly, wondering if they were making a mistake in trusting the humans. "And I am Ameth, of the mind users within Denongarwa, and also a Lith'ander. My power is difficult to explain, but the manipulation of emotions seems easiest. I am also what you call a doctor by trade and use my power to heal as well." One of the men frowned. "So you're saying, miss, that you could control our emotions? I'm not sure I like the sound of that.." She smiled briefly, shaking her head. "It's not that simple, I can't directly control your emotions. My power is grouped as a mind user ability, and between us it's considered a versatile one. I use emotion as energy for my spell crafting without depleting it or manipulating it directly, but that's about it. It does not matter what kind of emotion it is, as long as there is any emotion I can generate energy from it, and the more emotion the more energy. " Nodding, the Lieutenant smiled. "You're a bit too modest, even I can see the advantages to such an ability. Unlike your friend here, you are not limited to a single scope, and though among things with no emotion your power is not as strong... when facing against or standing alongside millions of say.. people.. .your power is probably without limit. The only time humans are without emotion are when they are dead or unconscious." She said nothing to that comment, and the man with the note pad shook his head. "Your kind are too powerful for their own good." "Even with the magic you humans lost, our technology, and the abilities of Denongarwa we're not powerful enough to fight the threat you face alone. The fact may also be instead that you humans are just too weak and too indifferent." Roun snapped, annoyed. Frowning at his comment, the man seemed about to say something but thought better of it once the lieutenant gave him a look. "Let's try not to argue, I believe this is the first time we've managed to sit down and talk to some of you since the invasion a few days ago. I have a lot of questions the upper command wants me to ask you. Ameth shrugged. "Ask away." Nodding, the Lieutenant continued. "What the hell are you, and what is this 'Denongarwa' you said you're a part of? And why did you come to earth?" "We're called the Lith'ander, and though me and Roun are of the original race, others have been adopted. A lot of the mythical creatures you write and read about are our brothers and sisters, and also call themselves Lith'ander. Humans used to as well.. " she paused, shaking her head before continuing. "Denongarwa is a group of Lith'ander with exceptional power, that has existed for as long as our records date back to. They travel between worlds, combating the Korugi, knowing that someday their own children will do the same. There is a prophecy of which sections were found on many different planets, that supposedly says those of Denongarwa are the fragments of a god, and that eventually they will return to being one." She grinned. "Though even among us it's just myth and tales. I can't quite see myself as being even a fragment of a god." "To us, that is exactly what you seem like though.." The man that had been typing commented. "We came to earth after learning that the Korugi came here, after all it was our job. We came to help you fight them, that's all." Roun stated. Shaking her head, the Lieutenant paused thoughtfully. "And these.. Korugi? What are they? I have fought against them, and they are horrible things. If hell exists, I expect that's how demons would look. To damn with all our depiction's of what we think demons look like." Roun and Ameth both shrugged. "We don't know what they are, we just know about them." he said. "Their goal is to consume existence, and I mean that literally. They feed on the mind, soul, and body. From what I remember being taught, they are things that do not exist, hoping that eventually they will.. somehow they believe that will happen if they manage to get rid of us. Well, in general everything that exists, so they are the enemy of all of us. Normally most are mindless creatures that act on instinct, but they eventually have obtained something or someone that has been leading them for a long time now." "And why are they on earth now?" she asked. "Because...originally this planet was our homeworld. We never thought we would come back, but apparently the Korugi are after something here." Ameth admitted. The Lieutenant's features hardened at what Ameth said, but she only nodded. If she thought anything of what Ameth admitted, she didn't show it. "So much we don't know.. but what exactly do you want from us?" "We want you to allow us to help. We've warned you days before the attack, our kind risked our lives to help you when the Korugi began their attack, yet most of our losses were caused by your forces. Look at your cities, those lucky enough to still be alive are miserable, and the Korugi slowly control more and more land." Roun said, ears flattened, tail flicking and anger touching his words. "All you have done is shun our help, surely your kind can't be that stupid, especially now? This battle isn't just yours, we can help share the burden. " Ameth said, looking between all three humans. The Lieutenant closed her eyes and said nothing for what seemed like ages. "I'll report what we've spoken of to my superiors, but don't hold your breath. We didn't ask for your help, and we won't indebt ourselves to 'aliens'. Most of us believe you have another goal in mind and we can't just bring ourselves to trust you." Nodding, Roun sighed and stood. "I guess we're done talking then.." "Yes it would seem so, it was nice meeting you two. I've never met a non human before." the Lieutenant said, her face hard and expressionless. Later, as he and Ameth stood outside in the blowing snows once more walking silently side by side, tails and ears drooping, he couldn't help feel a sense of forbidding. The Korugi were powerful he knew,but he was no coward. He had no time to be, he had slain many Korugi before, including some of the greater ones. But this time it was different. They all knew that. They hadn't told the Lieutenant everything. About how even now humans had discovered that the bodies of Lith'ander were gold mines, how even now on the black market injured and captured Lith'ander who had fought bravely alongside the humans were being sold. Their blood cured any human disease, the oil upon their tails rejuvenated cells, giving birth to true youth creams. Even as his kind were hunted and sold for obscene amounts of money, making their relation with humans that much more difficult, the military refused to work with them, making matters even worse. When they first came to Earth, they discovered that the Korugi had several years ago corrupted particular common stones, giving them new meaning and near endless power. The foolish humans claimed these orange stones the answer to their energy crisis, unaware of their origin and quickly implemented them into all their technology. What they were aware of however, was that any Lith'ander near one quickly became sick and weak, something they used to their advantage in weapons and in the capture of his kin. As if that wasn't bad enough, the humans did not know the position he and the others were in. How they were expected to give their lives guarding those who they should hate the most. After all, so many years ago, it was the humans who had betrayed them. It was the humans who had destroyed their home world, betraying their Lith'ander brothers and sisters. It was the humans who had caused his kind to allow themselves to be slaughtered in honor of the Great Pact, even if the humans had abandoned it. It was because of them his parents were dead, the mantle of Denongarwa placed on his shoulders, and because of them he and all the other children were placed into stasis to awaken later. Because of them, their once lovely world was split into two by the best Lith'ander minds in an attempt to save something, anything, sealing magic away from the world humans called Earth and sending many of the magical creatures and the children to the other half, the world they hide far away. He sighed deeply and placed a paw on the side of his head, wincing at the strong headache now throbbing. He was in a foul mood, and they still had a lot of work before them. He would of course first have to meet with the others, to discuss what they would do. For all he knew, they might end up having to fight both the humans and the Korugi in spite of the Pact. Beside him, a warm touch on his side vanished the throbbing pain in his head. Turning to face his mate, he returned her bright smile. Putting his arm around her and pulling her close, linking the tip of his tail with her's and holding her paw in his he couldn't help but think that even through all this, he'd have one thing to be thankful for. As he nibbled on her pointed ear while they walked in silence, he smiled to himself. No matter what happened, he would face it with the little family he had left, the few who loved him unconditionally, who would face any storm beside him. These were those who he had grown with, and who he would likely die with, the others of Denongarwa, including Ameth. It was a small thing,he knew, but somehow he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot.