FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Years seem to mean something to people. At least for the shorter lived species. They hurry around and feel pressured to accomplish things as quickly as possible because their lives wouldn’t otherwise have meaning. For the longer lived species, years mean nothing. Years could come and go like the blink of an eye, seeming ageless to those who have to count the years like they were important.

Years had come and gone. How many didn’t matter. Maybe it was fifty. Maybe it was a hundred. Kupper didn’t care. Nothing had really changed. At least not in his life.

Lots had changed on the planet, though. The major human city had expanded beyond its boundaries as humans always seem to do. It had begun engulfing the peaceful towns around it.

The natives accepted the fate that would befall their culture as they were absorbed by their human guardians. Had they known what they would bring upon themselves by nurturing the survivors that had crashed here so long ago, they likely would have done no different for the idea to do nothing in the face of suffering did not occur to them. At least, not yet.

A breeze tugged at Kupper’s shaggy hair, black as the shades he wore. He looked down at one of the nearby villages. If he cared to turn his head, the towering landscape of the modern city would be easily visible in the near distance.

But he didn’t turn around. He wanted to forget that place. The humans had chased him away, told him he was not welcome. He could not be one of them. It didn’t matter to them what his mother had been. They said he was a predator and he had no place among prey.

His path had brought him to this town. The little scaly people here were wary of humans. Thugs had visited. Humans had caused them much grief so near the city, regardless of written laws, and turned their welcoming society into one of mistrust. They watched him with their massive eyes narrowed, whispering behind his back as he strode through their town. His legend would do him little service here.

The sweep of his eyes behind the dark lenses made him rethink sticking around. It would be just another day's walk to the next little town that would be sure to welcome him. He had done honest work for the natives there. Surely they would have told their grandchildren and great grandchildren of him.

He continued his long legged stride towards an old memory. The sun was going down so the natives crowded the streets and watched as he vanished into the orchards that ringed their town. The first time he had left that wretched human city when his mother had passed away, he had slept in a dark purple barn down this path, and he was starting to grow weary.

At the end of the lines of fruit trees, he stopped to stare at the faded, overgrown barn. Yes, it had been many years indeed. So, things did change. The doors hung on their hinges. The garden that had once so neatly ringed the barn and small house had grown wild and unkempt. Still, the vibrant flowers smelled so sweet. A sad kind of peace hung around the scene like a mist.

Letting out a deep sigh, he started heading for the barn when his sharp ears picked up a humming. Silently, he slipped from the trees to the side of the barn, crouching below the line of flowers. Peering over the edge through some of the boards, he had to stalk carefully around to find a spot where he could see the source of the humming which had now been joined by an instrument.

Peeking through a hole in a board, his eyes narrowed dangerously. A slender neck arched to a glowing holographic violin resting on an exposed shoulder. Nimble fingers manipulated the device expertly, a melancholy sound filling the clearing like dancing memories. Elegant, pierced ears stretched out past a neglected undercut.

He never forgot. Such was the curse of the Q’Hu.

By the time the aching melody had gone silent, he had worked his way to the other side of the barn. There was an opening there that he could sneak in through when she bedded down. He watched as she rolled out an old sleeping bag over an intact bale of hay before stretching in various ways. He smirked, letting his imagination wander for a moment as he marveled at her flexibility.

It took her a while to settle. Snuggling into her sleeping bag, she stayed awake a while longer as she stared at a softly glowing screen. Elven script floated across the screen as she read something that was obviously humorous since she chuckled to herself a few times.

At last, she could keep her eyes open no longer, head cradled by her arms. The screen soon went dark beside her head.

The flash of predatory excitement on his face was quickly replaced with somber focus. Meticulous and silent, he slipped into the barn. Painstaking was his journey from the wall to stand beside her sleeping form.

That skin looked so soft, so tempting. This close to her, even her covering could not hide her form. His nose tickled with her delightful scent. It would be such a simple thing to lean down and slip his hand around that supple neck. She would be helpless, and the demon in him found that to be enticing.

Clenching his jaw, he wasted no time in snatching up the unique devices she had. If nothing else, he would make her hunt for her things, leave them somewhere she might find them... maybe. Lifting her bag with care, he silently returned the way he had come.

A blast of air struck him a physical blow in the back and shoved him so hard against the rotten wood that it shattered, sending him tumbling through the flowerbed. Growling, he knew he had to have messed up somewhere. Now, he was faced with a dilemma.

There was a rustle behind him. Instinct took hold and he rolled over, a booted foot sending her breathlessly stumbling back into the barn. She coughed, panting as she tried to get her breath back, her wide eyes dazed and blinking.

While she struggled to regain her composure, Kupper deftly leapt to his feet. She made another attempt to blast air at him, but could not summon the breath needed to fuel her magic.

It took him only a few strides to close the distance between them which made the woman stumble backwards over the hay bale. Regaining her feet, she crouched low, both her hands out before her, palms to him. “Leave me alone! I have nothing you want!”

He gave her a wry smirk. “Well, your items would fetch a good price since it doesn’t seem you have any money for me to steal.”

She was backing away as he continued to advance, a step for a step, watching her like a predator. When her small safety of the hay that had been between them was gone, she tried reason with him.

“I... I will give you what little coin I have in my pocket, but leave my things.Those are personal.”

Kupper scoffed. “That hardly seems like a fair trade. You owe me quite a bit of coin.”

The woman stared at him silently for a long moment, her eyes glowing at him. Even in the darkness he was sure she saw his face in fine detail. A visible shudder ripped through her and she swallowed hard. “I-I stole money from you. I left your things. You can show me the same courtesy.”

The deep growl from his expansive chest made the woman cringe. She put up her hands again as if she could ward off his anger. “You left me hanging in the middle of the woods! It took me nearly an hour to get out of that trap! You owe me coin and my pride.”

Her eyes flicked over to the satchel behind him. A blast of air struck Kupper in the chest as she exhaled with a thrust of her hand, throwing him against a support beam with enough force to knock dust from the ceiling. A spiral of air pushed up under the bag with her inhale and accompanying hand movement, bringing it within her reach.

Snatching her bag, she attempted to flee, getting only a few strides away before Kupper’s long iron fingers tangled into her hair, wrenching her head back so that she whimpered in pain. His other hand wrapped entirely around her throat, slamming her against the beam she had planted him against.

In a desperate move, she drew the dagger from her belt and swung it at his face. When he jerked back and tightened his grip, her blade turned to his long arm. His quick reaction saved him a painful experience. Perhaps he used too much force on her delicate wrist, bending her arm until she could no longer hold onto the dagger.

“Please stop!” she cried, squirming against his solid body.

“Why should I?” he snarled.

Her eyes squeezed shut as if she expected his anger to grow hands and slap her. It was not an expression he was fond of. Taking a deep breath, he let his anger slowly melt, willing his hearts to slow.

“L-Look, jus-just take the stuff. Y-You beat me, and you’ll easily make as much money as I took from you and then some.” Her sweet, silvery voice was laced with panic.

At first, he thought about it earnestly, but the scent of her apprehension so close was an alluring perfume. He had never been so close to an elf, much less a H’elfling, and just like him, she released a pheromone that caused his hearts to pound for a different reason. Pressed tightly against her, he could feel every curve of her trembling in his grasp, a delight to his alien hunter instincts. He had to struggle to stay focused.

“You know, I’m not sure that’s enough for me,” he replied with a deep, sensual purr that sent a warm shudder through the woman. Another scent joined her fear and he smirked.

“I-I-I could repay you! I-I can steal something for you! You-you know, k-kind of like... you getting paid to take a vacation?” She was using her free arm to try and push him away. Though she was strong, he was as immovable as a mountain.

Now his face was at the tantalizing curve of her neck. His hot breath danced over that bare shoulder. His devious little smile grew wider. “I think that’s a lovely idea... after you repay my pride.”

Her breathing was tremulous, her trembling growing stronger. “Uh, well, I, uh, I-I know some interesting importers! I-I could get you any manner of rare and exotic drug that, uh, c-could make you forget all about your pride!”

“I already have an exotic drug right here,” he purred again, knowing well how it affected her, especially with her so near the source of the vibration. He breathed a scalding line up to her pointed ear, his tongue playing with her various piercings. “Why would I wait for black market scum?”

Her pulse raced under his hand that still held fast to her neck, a nervous gulp forcing its way down her throat. He could hear her hearts pounding. The scent of her was causing him an almost painful erection that throbbed against its confines. A terrified tremor ran through her at the moment she gave herself to the inevitable.

“Please, just... don’t hurt me.”