FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter one:

Everything was dark. The night seemed cold, even though it was the middle of summer and the wind had faded to only a light breeze. The moon, although full, only shone a faint light over the land, as if covered by cloud. But there were none, the sky was clear. I guess that was why it felt so cold, no cloud cover.

I couldn't really complain about it all. It was useful, if not ideal. If I had my way the night would be rather bright by the full moon, and the wind would be a bit stronger. We may have been relying heavily on stealth, but when there has no real light there were no shadows. I liked being in a patch of dark and seeing my targets in a light, honestly. When everything was dark, the playing field was leveled and no one knew where anyone was. The only real way to find people was by sent and sound. That's why I would have wanted more wind, it would have helped with both. Humans were horribly disadvantaged there, since their sense of smell is horrid and their hearing sort of is as well. I guess that's why thing were as they were. They couldn't make things too easy I suppose. Technology was the only thing they had going for them, while we had better senses all around and we're faster, stronger, or just all around more sexy.

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. There were two, maybe three guards. By the smell in the air they had guns. I couldn't see them yet, which was worrying. Humans were usually all standing around in a huge bloody spotlight waiting for someone to come out of a shadow and beat the living shit out of them. I suppose they knew I was coming though, so that would explain why they weren't. My best guess was that they were in the trees, or just laying in wait. It wasn't really fair honestly. They knew I was coming and what I am, so they planned things accordingly.

I growled softly to myself in pure annoyance then paused, hearing something. There was a rustling in the trees about thirty feet ahead. It was hardly more than a shift of weight, but it gave me a good idea of where a sniper was no doubt waiting for me.

I slowly crept forward, not making a sound as I moved towards the tree. With how the light was, if I was careful no one would see me. The fact that the building I was trying to break into was surrounded by trees, and I was on grassland didn't help. At least I had a few pathetic bush type things to hide behind, and long grass all around me. I heard and saw another slight movement, homing in on the spot. I could just make out the shape of someone, half covered by leafs and branches. I was fairly sure he had a sniper, but even with a scope he likely couldn't see me. Foxes did have better eyesight than humans after all.

I pulled out a sleek throwing knife, the edge very lightly glowing with a red light.

"They would give me yet another disadvantaged." I grumbled quietly to myself as I poised myself to throw. I quickly dropped down behind the bush I was standing behind when I saw more movement. What looked to be a patrol of four or five people was just viable on the rim of the trees. They were trying to be sneaky about things, but they weren't very good at it. At least they had the sense to stay within the tree line this time.

I lay there, not making a sound until they passed then lifted my head and looked for the sniper again. To my surprise he had actually moved trees. It took me a bit to find him but when I did I quickly threw my knife. I swore loudly when I missed and it hit a branch above him. There was a yell and I heard a gunshot. I quickly dived to another bush, rolled, and threw another knife. This time it hit and the man vanished. It was too late though, I could hear the patrol running back. If they caught me I would have a very hard time getting away, and if I didn't make it to the trees now I'd be both down two knives, and I'd likely not be able to get close latter. I dashed forward, barely making a sound as a made it to the tree line and grabbed my second knife from where it had fallen. I quickly climbed the tree where my first knife was and slid it under my bracelet before going perfectly still, not making a sound.

The patrol stopped a few feet from the tree I was in and started looking around. They quickly found where I had entered the trees, bloody expert tracker types, these. They started moving towards the tree I was in, looking around in the trees with guns raised. I quietly slid around the tree so I wasn't visible to them, deciding it would be best to wait till they weren't looking then slip away. So long as they didn't know exactly where I was, I was reasonably safe.

As soon as I saw a chance I took it, quickly and quietly jumping to a nearby tree. I hit the tree and went totally still. The sway of the branches from the slight breeze seemed to be just enough to keep the patrol from hearing me move. I slowly made my way through the trees until I was far enough away that I could slip back to the ground. I could see a light ahead, illuminating a small building. I could see two snipers in the windows and a few guards standing in the clearing, their eyes on the trees. They knew I was coming, and because of my mistake they knew I was close. I glanced at the flag that was on the roof, sighing softly. All I needed to do was touch it without getting shot. Easy, right?

I looked at my sheath of knives, I had five, plus the one in my bracelet. If I didn't miss, I had enough to take out all the guards. There was no way that would happen though. As soon as I threw one I'd be exposed. There would be no luring the guards, they knew it was just me here. And there was no way I'd be able to sneak past them.

"What kind of a setup game is this anyway." I swore softly. "Everything is against me here and as long as they're kidguarding I'll never get close enough to the flag.."

I had a thought then. What if I could make the flag come to me. All I needed to do was touch the fabric of it, and it's not like they were watching the flag anyway. The smug little pricks were just staring at the forest since they knew I'd not be able to get close enough.

I grinned and pulled out a small coil of fishing line. I generally used it for tripwires, but for this it'd work just as well. I took out a knife, making sure to keep it's glowing edge well hidden, and wrapped one end of the line around it a few times before tying it off. I let out several feet of it, enough for it to get to the flag with a few extra feet to spare. I cut the end and tied it around my left paw and purred softly. They would totally not be expecting this.

I quickly climbed a tree that was rimming the clearing and took aim, careful to keep myself in shadow. The flag was flowing gently in the breeze and no one was looking at it. They would never even know until it was too late. I took aim and threw my knife. It hit the flag and went right through. I quickly pulled on the line, watching the knife catch on the flag. I grinned again and started pulling it towards me until it was standing out like a strong wind was blowing it. None of the guards had any idea what was going on, which was perfect. I wasn't really sure what I'd do now, I could cut the rope keeping it to the poll and just pull it in, and that really seemed like the best thing for it. I held the line tightly in my left paw and threw another knife, cutting clean through the rope and sticking in the ground right at the feet of a guard.

"Uh oh.." I swore again as I started rapidly pulling the flag in. There were shouts and I heard gunfire as all the guards and the two snipers appeared. They didn't know just where I was but they knew the general direction and had started shooting at me. I pulled faster, the flag was only seven feet away from my tree now. There was another shout and the branches around me started shaking as bullet-fire started hitting them. In a last effort I threw myself from the tree at the flag. Time seemed to slow as I flew through the air at the flag. It was so close.. I reached for it, my fingers just brushing the fabric as a bullet it my footpaw. I cried out as everything around me changed and I was laying face down in a well lit room. The sniper I had taken out earlier was sitting next to me, holding his shoulder where my knife had hit.

I gritted my teeth together and sat up.

"I don't bloody care if these bullets are non lethal, they hurt like bloody hell." I gasped. My paw wasn't bleeding, in fact there was no sign that anything had happened to it. The sniper looked at me with a pained smile.

"Oh, your knife felt wonderful as well when you bloody threw it at me."

"Oh like you weren't going to try and shoot me." I grumbled.

We both looked up as a man walked in. He was a rather ugly human sort, gray goatee and hair, wearing a silk suit. He grinned at me before he spoke.

"You lost." He said smugly.

"Like bloody hell I lost. I felt the flag before I was hit. I won." I growled.

"It was actually a tie, and so we default to fail."

I rolled me eyes before quickly taking the knife from my bracelet and throwing it at the man.

He looked at me wide eyed as it hit him and he vanished, reappearing seconds latter on the ground, clutching his chest. I limped over and picked up my knife, sliding it back into it's customary place under my bracelet.

"You were saying, mister Lich."

He glared at me and spat.

"If you weren't Fox's student, I'd have you thrown out of here for your bullshit!"

"Bullshit yourself, I won that. Not that it was fair anyway, the way you had it set up. It's no wonder no one ever wins it. You're just mad because I was the first.. Well, the first of the students."

The man swore at me and limped out of the room. "You've not heard the last of this, Shadow. You and your sister are in big trouble!"

As he left, my sister, Misty, walked in. She glanced at him then to me.

"You threw a knife at him again?"

"He was being a prick."

"He always is, but that's no reason to piss him off again. Remember what happened last time?"

"Last time was fun, actually."

"That's only because you think being thrown out and breaking back in is good sport." She grumbled.

I smiled and hugged her, giving her a light kiss.

"I wish they would let us do those together, solo training is hardly any fun."

"If we do things together we just piss everyone off, and Lich doesn't like to think we are better than anything he throws at us. He likes to keep the mindset of his soldiers being able to take out any of us they may run into. It's an ego thing." Misty giggled.

I suppose now is a good time to tell you what I am and such. Well, I'm I suppose what you'd call a furry. Me and Misty both are. We're human, but due to a scientist named Simon, we have the traits of animals in our DNA. I was part arctic fox, and so I had the senses of a fox and I had more like paws than hands and feet, and white fox ears and a tail. Though I had dyed blue designs into my tail and the tips of my ears. Misty was the same, but she was a red fox. Her ears, tail, and bits of fur were red, white, and black. She was a ginger with black streaks in her hair and I had pure white hair. We looked basically the same other than that, except for eye color. Mine were silverblue and Misty's were purple.

I smiled and hugged her again before pulling her into another kiss, making well sure anyone around could see. We were the twin sisters, top of the class despite out small sleek builds.

"Come on, Misty, lets go back to our room. I'd like to rest my footpaw, it was sort of shot.." I said, chuckling.

"They actually got you? Wow, ether they've gotten much better or you were being pointlessly reckless." We both knew they would never be able to hit ether of us, or most furry's in general, unless the furrys themselves made a mistake. It was how things were, and how they should be. It was why this place existed after all.