FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Nero is a cross between a Siberian Husky and a Czechoslovakian Wolf Dog. His parents immigrated to Canada shortly after their first Cub was born. Ten years later, and a single year after the bombs fell, Nero was thrust, blind from birth, into the wastelands.

"MOOOMMMM", Nero loudly complained from his sister's back, "are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?", His sister scoffed blowing long fur out of her eyes, "we're not anywhere close yet little brother."

"NOOOOOO", Nero whined, "why do things take so looonnggg?"

His sister shook his head, "continents are big lil' bro, you can only cross them so fast. Hey Dad, can we stop soon? This little devil won't keep his claws out of my shoulders."

Nero's father, a military veteran of 20 years, was a scarred, battle worn Czechoslovakian Wolf Dog who'd seen more than his fair share of fights. Nearly 2 and a half feet high at his shoulders, his combat prowess and sheer strength were matched by his bullet proof stamina and razor sharp teeth. His bright tan fur mixed in just as well with the sands of Iraq as they did with the Canadian Wastelands and his dark brown eyes hid him well in the dark. Despite the seemingly sadistic intent that surrounded him, along with his highly aggressive nature, his mate kept him tame, especially around their three cubs.

"What do you think?", Viktor asked looking towards his mate and oldest son, "how far have we come since we left camp?"

"Ahh....I wanna say about 6 miles? Seven at the most", Martin said. The oldest in Nero's family, Martin retained more of his mother's features than his fathers, being mostly black and white, as opposed to tan and silver, though he had bright yellow eyes, more common in his Dad's breed. He had inherited his Dad's aggression and spent two years as a K9 officer in Sherbrooke before he eventually quit, intending on joining the military, but the bombs had come first.

"Six miles?", his Dad mused, "yeah, next place we can find with some shade we can stop for a while."

"That's good", Nero's mother Kristina said, speaking for the first time in days due to a severe throat infection. She was a jet black Siberian Husky with piercing blue eyes that her pups said could look straight into your soul and pick out lies from truth. Her mate always said that her eyes kept him from going off and killing other furs when they made him angry, which wasn't that hard to do

"You're talking again Mom", Martin smiled, "that's a good sign. How do you feel?"

"Not very good", Kristina said trying unsuccessfully to clear her throat, "my throat is still killing me."

"You just ate that entire bag of cough drops we found at that last house", Viktor said perplexed, "I figured all of that would have at least lessened it."

"Still feels like someone's lit a fire underneath it", She coughed.

"If only we had some cold water that was actually clean", Martin sighed.

"That would only make things worse Martin", his mother stated.

"I'd give anything for a bowl full of the stuff",Sara said longingly. The middle pup of the pack at only 5 years old, Sara was closer to her Dad in features, though her personality was stunningly similar to her Mother's. She was quiet and polite, never forgetting her manners, though she retained the soul piercing gaze of her mother. Her fur was a stunning silver color covered in little brown spots, almost the invert of new born deer. The sun shined off her glossy coat like a mirror, making her a large target in the open desert, though there wasn't much that could be done about it. She was the smallest of all of the group excluding Nero at barely a foot and a half from the bottoms of her paws to the tips of her ears. Too weak and skittish to put up much of a fight to anything except pages of a book flapping in the wind, Sara relied solely on her older brother and parents to keep her safe, all of who were much, much stronger than she was.

"We all would Sara", Martin said, "Especially Mom. Heat can't be doing her any favors."

"Won't have to worry about much once we make it to Alaska", Sara replied, "snow every winter, no radiation, cool summers and clean water."

"Don't forget lots of game animals and fishing", their Dad smiled, "I can taste the Salmon already."

"What does Salmon taste like?", Nero asked.

"You'll have to wait and find out for yourself little bro", Martin laughed, "it's too good to spoil."

"Not fair!", Nero squealed, "I wanna know!"

"I can't put up with this for 1500 miles", Martin said looking at his Dad, "no way, I'll eat my own head before I can deal with that."

"I'll bet you said the same thing about me", Sara laughed nudging her brother, "just be glad his tiny claws aren't in your shoulder blades."

"Oh you mean like what you used to do to me?", Martin smiled, showing his white teeth, "you even chewed on my ear once."

"Well, you were probably making an ass of yourself and deserved it", Sara giggled quietly.

"When isn't Martin making an ass of himself?", Viktor asked proudly.

"He gets it from you Dad", Sara smiled.

"I taught him everything he knows", Viktor grinned.

"Please don't teach Nero everything you know", Sara asked, "please, please, please for the love of God don't ruin him too."

"Hey!", Martin howled.

"It was just a joke bro", Sara giggled again, "you need to lighten up and relax."

"I'll relax when I'm dead", Martin said sarcastically, "that's the only time I can fit relaxation into my busy schedule."

"What busy schedule?", his mom asked, "you mean walking, walking and more walking?"

"Don't forget walking Mom", Sara joked.

"I'm gonna kill myself before the day is out", Martin joked shaking his head, "oh how I can see where this day is going. If only I could use firearms."

"Hey now, no son of mine is going to be caught dead with a gun in his hands. We're wolves Martin, firearms are beneath us."

Martin shut his mouth after that. Sara suspected something else may have triggered that comment, though she didn't voice her concerns. The family of canines walked for another good hour or two before happening upon an old gas station. The cluster of buildings was detectable from relatively far away due to the tall prices sign witha banner slapped across it that read "No Gas, Diesel Fuel only." The legs of the sign were rusted out, the sign itself was broken with holes of varying sizes in it at different places and the banner was tattered, with the wording barely legible. Prices for gas were up in the $20 range, a stark reminder of how bad things were before the bombs fell. The station itself sat stop an artificial hill from the looks of it and seemed as though the family were the first living creatures to set foot here since the bombs. Upon approaching the station, they saw some more of the condition it was in, which was bad at best and outright a deathtrap at the worst. Broken windows, chunks of concrete missing from the parking lot, piles of scrap consisting of anything from large shards of glass to sharp, twisted pieces of rebar and concrete chunks. Underneath the creaking covered area that looked like it could collapse at literally any second were about a dozen old cars with various bits and pieces missing along with a semi trailer that had been stripped down to it's frame and even had pieces of the frame itself missing.

"This isn't sketchy at all", Viktor said as they ascend the small ramp into the parking lot, gathering under the shade of the creaky covered area. Nero slid off Sara's back and wandered around under his sister's super vision while Viktor and his mate stepped off to search the station, demanding their pups stay put by the black pickup near the edge of the covered area and stay out of sight. As soon as he was sure his Dad was out of ear shot, Martin set down his bags and lay next to his little sister.

"Sara, can you keep a secret?", Martin asked quietly.

"What kind of secret?", Sara asked.

Martin glanced over his shoulder to make sure his parents were gone, then reached one paw into his bag and pulled out a Canik Tp9SA pistol, showing it to his sister, who seemed rather shocked.

"I found it in a house yesterday when we were split off", Martin confessed, "a safe in the wall was ajar, I got away with this and ten magazines full of ammunition. It's the same one my partner carried when I was a cop."

"So you know how to use that thing?", Sara asked.

Martin nodded, "yes, effectively. I didn't tell dad because I know how he feels about firearms."

"Why are you showing this to me?", Sara asked.

"Because when we get to Alaska, I'm gonna teach you how to use it. Guns are the great equalizer and this puts you on even ground with someone five or six times your size."

"Why are we whispering?", Nero asked squeezing himself in between his older siblings, "Martin, what's that shiny thing? The glare hurts my eyes."

"Just a piece of interesting scrap metal I picked up little buddy", Martin laughed placing the pistol back into his bags.

"There's nothing to do around here", Nero complained, "and I'm hungry."

"There's nothing to eat either", Sara laughed, "we're all hungry Nero. Just wait till we get to Alaska, we'll have all of the meat we can stomach."

"If we can catch it", Martin daydreamed, "having Caribou again...yes."

"And deer, pork, fish, Salmon", Sara drooled, "just thinking about it makes my stomach growl."

"You'll have your pick of any male you want too", Martin teased, "you know there's like 17 males for every female in that part of America?"

Sara's cheeks turned hot red, "Martin....I'm, barely six years old! Ferals need to be at least eight!"

Martin shrugged and rolled onto his side, "hey it's true though. Ryley? Remember her?"

Sara smiled a matter of fact smile, recalling the female that had driven her Dad insane for the final two years leading to the bombs, "I'll never forget the day you worked up the guts to bring her home, Dad wanted to brake your head open for being to young."

"Yep, her Dad wanted to do the same to her", Martin laughed, "damn bombs."

Sara nuzzled her brother, "hey, she's at peace at least."

"Yeah, guess she is."

The three cubs stayed put where their parents had told them to wait for well over a half hour before Martin began to grow concerned.

"Mom and Dad have been gone a long time", he said stretching and standing up, "I'mma go see if I can track them down."

"They said to wait here", Sara protested.

"I can take care of myself sis", Martin said, "I've dealt with makeshift bombs, tear gas, hand grenades and crazy people with knives."

"Just don't stay gone long", Sara said.

"I won't", Martin assured as he got up and went to check the store. Five minutes after Martin had left, Sara heard very quick, successive gunshots. She and Nero both jumped up and spun around to face the store, where the gunfire had come from, backing up so they were more concealed behind a gas pump. Peeking their heads out, Sara saw a Coyote with a SCAR-L come running out of the store, firing his weapon on fully automatic, spraying behind him. Shortly after the dog stopped to reload, Martin came crashing through a near by window and grabbed the dog by his neck, wrestling him down to the ground and tearing his throat out with a single swift motion. More gunfire came from in the store, one of the bullets struck Martin in his back leg, causing him to roll, though he managed to shrug it off without too much issue and dove into cover beside the thick brick wall of the gas station. His maw was covered in blood and one of his ears had a bullet hole through it, Sara didn't see their parents, or even smell or hear them, she knew what that meant. She had never seen the look her brother had in his eyes before, a look of rage and hate that she didn't know he was capable of.

"One", Martin said aloud as two others, a bear and a Fox, came out of the store. One of them had an ACR, while the other one, the fox, was shirtless, wore torn pants and only had a knife. The bear saw Martin before the Fox did, and Martin wasted no time at all in ripping him to shreds. His flaking skin no match for Martin's razor sharp teeth and reflexes. That left the Fox, who had a sickening grin on his face. The skinny, furless creature began to pace around in circles with Martin. Sara watched in fear as her brother hissed and snarled at his adversary, blood dripping from his mouth and chunks of flesh stuck in his teeth from the bear.

"Quebec Federal Police", Martin snarled, "put the knife on the ground or I'm going to kill you."

"Straight to the point huh officer?", the Fox mocked, "were those your kids we killed inside?"

Martin snarled something fierce, it made Sara and Nero's skin crawl. She was glad Nero couldn't see what Martin was doing, she didn't want to see it.

"Or, were they your parents?", The Fox mocked.

"You were warned mother fucker!!", Martin howled in rage as he took off as fast as he could, clearing a good four feet in his leap towards the Fox. As quick as Martin was, the Fox was quicker. He ducked, slashing his hunting knife across Martin's underside, ripping open his chest and stomach, his insides exploding out of the gash when he smashed into the wall and hit the ground. His pain filled yelp about made Sara and Nero faint. Martin found himself unable to move at all as the Fox, laughing menacingly closed the distance and got in Martin's ear.

"I've killed more than a few cops in my day, what made you think you'd be any different?"

On that last word, the Fox drove his knife deep into Martin's head. Twisting it and opening his head enough that his brain started to leak onto the pavement. After Martin was dead, two more, a Mink and a tall Rat joined the Fox.

"Man why'd you have to do and butcher that one?", the Mink asked, "we can't fucking eat that."

"Doesn't matter", the Fox said, "those two we got inside will be more than enough for a few weeks and if I can find the other two, even better."

"Other two?", the Rat asked.

"This one", the Fox said wiping his blade off on Martin's bloody coat, "had a brother and a sister. I can smell them, they can't have run too far."

At that, Sara picked up Nero by the scruff of his neck and backed up, looking for an escape, she knew she didn't have one. She knew she couldn't out run an automatic rifle, and they could track her by scent, so she had to mask her's and Nero's somehow. She desperately searched for something she could use to hide, and the only thing that caught her eye was a blue pick up truck with the rear door open, suicide in this weather, but it was her only chance to keep her and her brother alive. With the agility of a ninja, Sara glided across the hot pavement and stuffed her brother under the seat of the truck, climbing in and shutting the door behind her, tightly and quietly. Peering cautiously through the window, none of the bandits appeared to have seen her, though she knew if they came over here, she was done for and even then, the heat that was already beginning to set in, would kill her.

"Sara", Nero asked with a quake of fear in his voice, "where are Mom and Dad?"

"Dead buddy", Sara choked, "those bandits killed them...and they killed Martin too."

Nero started to cry, but Sara quickly shut him up.

"No...Nero don't make a sound. If they hear us, we're both dead."

Nero shut his mouth on his sisters order, his entire body shaking from fear. Sara stayed low to the ground and quiet as she could. Hours passed, the day soon became night. Sara, wondering if the bandits were still waiting for her to make a fatal mistake, decided taking a peek was worth the risk, figuring the darkness might help conceal her. She inched over the back seat and surveyed the surrounding area. Martin's body, the bodies of the two bandit's he'd killed as well as their weapons, were all gone, only stains of blood where they'd once been.

Sara sighed, "coast looks clear. How you holding up little brother?"

Sara ducked down to check on Nero, finding he'd cried himself to sleep. Sara sighed, checked the area once more and then quietly opened the door of the pickup. A gust of cold air blew in, seeming even colder than it was due to the fact her coat was soaked with sweat. Sara took a deep breath of fresh air, she didn't smell the rancid body odor of the bandits that had killed her parents and brother, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her nose had never wronged her, not yet at least.

"Nero", Sara said reaching under the seat to get her brother's attention, "Nero, wake up little brother."

Nero picked up his head and blinked a few times, the moonlight shining off his silvery eyes, "huh? Are they gone?"

"Yeah", Sara sighed, 'they're gone. Come on, let's get out of this truck and see if we can find something to eat."

Nero crawled out from under the seat and Sara set him on her shoulders. She walked up to the gas station and slowly pushed the door open. Martin and the bandits had all left plenty of blood around, and inside the store, the scents of her parents, brother and the bandits were still lingering heavily. It made her sick to her stomach, but she couldn't throw up, not as dehydrated as she was.

"Sara..", Nero whimpered, "I think I'm gonna be sick...."

"Not on my back your not", Sara said, "please don't throw up Nero, we're dehydrated enough as it is. At least wait till I can find us some water."

Nero whimpered an unintelligible reply. Sara trashed the store looking for something to eat or drink, but preferably drink. She supposed, if she got desperate enough, she could kill the next survivor they ran across or try to stiff them for something to eat. It made her even sicker that she was entertaining the thought of sinking down to the level of a bandit, but she also realized she may not have a choice. She was going to have to grow up very fast if she wanted to live and keep Nero alive at the same time. She turned the store upside down and in the end, found two bottles of water and a can of soup.

"Well...it's not much but at least we'll be eating dinner tonight", Sara sighed.

She and Nero exited the store and went back to the pickup. Sara managed after some time and braking a tooth to get the can of soup open, which she then gave to Nero. She let him eat as much as he could and then ate the rest herself, which wasn't enough. It only left her hungrier. She was thankful that there were two bottles of water though, so at least they didn't have to share. Sara got both their bottles open and handed Nero's off to him, within a few seconds, they each had drank theirs dry, and it was more than enough. It left them both feeling refreshed, for now at least.

"Sara", Nero asked quietly as a small gust of wind kicked up, "what are we gonna do now?"

"I don't know yet little brother", she sighed as Nero snuggled up next to her. She could feel him shaking, though she didn't know if it was from fear, sickness, dehydration, or some combination of the three. Nero fell soundly asleep next to her, lightly snoring. Sara sighed, looking over the barren landscape lit only by the pale blue moon, maybe sleep was a good idea. She carefully got up so as not to stir Nero and opened the truck door. She then went back, picked him up by the scruff of his neck and stuck him under the seat. She knew he'd be safe there even if something happened to her. She was about to climb into the truck herself when she heard something land near by with a heavy thud. Spinning around, she came face to face with a massive Feral dragon. He wasn't an intelligent one either, a Lesser, judging by the collar and broken leash around his neck. He was malnourished, his sunken in eyes said he was dehydrated and his breath reeked of dead shit. Sara knew she couldn't fight it, and if it found Nero it'd gobble him up like a lunchable. Grimacing and accepting what she knew would be her fate, she shut the door of the truck and turned to face the dragon, figuring she'd at least go out fighting.

Her struggle didn't last very long. She managed to get in a single bite near his neck, her teeth puncturing his armored hide without trouble and only stopping when they hit bone. The dragon, enraged, sent Sara flying from the gas station's hill and into a car on the ground below, braking her spine in a few places and leaving her back legs and tail worthless to her. She could still feel her front legs, though she was in too much pain to move. The dragon flew down to where his prey was immobilized and snatched it up, flying so high above the clouds that Sara couldn't even see the ground any more. The dragons claws gouged her to the bone and every flap of the dragon's wings made the gashes deeper.

"Nothing personal", the dragon muttered to himself, "just you, or my four cubs...god I hope the next one dies clean."

Sara started crying from pain and regret. Pain from her injuries and regret that she'd left Nero alone. She knew he wouldn't live more than a few days. Maybe, just maybe, it would have been better for them to die together, then to let little Nero suffer alone.