FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This is a trade of sorts with https://twitter.com//Atimist (Follow me, too! https://twitter.com/TayuBW)

This series involves AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION! I encourage you all to participate and help guide the story along!

There can be different ways for this story to go, and we're both interested to see the places you send him, and the things you... do to him!

Comments and tips are always appreciated! Https://ko-fi.com/tayubw

If you're interested in talking with others about stories, brainstorming ideas, looking for advice, or just wanna lurk, you can join my writing group! (18+ only) https://t.me/joinchat/CPoeZhclggenrOEh0yYwvg

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Investigating was always Atimist's least favorite part of the job, when it came down to it. He'd started off as a bounty hunter thinking it would be full of action, intrigue, taking down bad guys, and having exciting space battles. It had been disappointing to learn that a lot of what he ended up doing was asking people for information, researching, and paying a bribe or two. It was as boring as it was exhausting. He'd visited five planets in the mining district almost eighteen hours, and was ready to collapse when he wandered back to his ship.

Atimist slumped down in his seat in the cockpit of his ship, body aching from all the footwork he'd done that day. He'd walked around a dozen cities, visited almost three times the number of bars, and talked to more people in one day than he had in the past month. His feet hurt, his body ached, and he hadn't had anything more than a couple snacks all day.

"Cres, any luck?" he asked, arms hanging limply at his side as he blinked woozily up at the screen.

The display lit up and a list of every ship to enter or leave the district popped up. "No, unfortunately. I've been searching through as much personal data as I can access, and nothing has led me to anything suspicious or anything tied to Quinten."

Atimist groaned and slumped further until his upper back was practically on the seat and his ears the only thing above the console. "This is ridiculous. Maybe he didn't come out this way. I should have gone to the damn Entertainment District instead."

"Well, we can head there now. At this rate it'll take a full day to get there, but maybe he's eluded capture," the AI pointed out.

"Against Maurice? I hate the guy but he's way better at this than me. I'm terrible at this. I can't find one, pathetic, dildo-making, nerd," the fox said, bringing his arms up to cover his face.

"This is where I'm supposed to be supportive and say something like, 'You're a great bounty hunter! Don't give up!' right?" Cres's voice came out slightly smug as he taunted the poor fox.

Atimist's muzzle twisted with a growl. "Don't make me uninstall you."

"Of course. Now, what's our next- oh!"

Atimist peeked through his arms, up at the display. "What?"

"There's a call coming through to you. From this planet, actually," the computer informed him.

"Ugh, what could someone want with me? What, did I accidentally land somewhere I shouldn't have?" he grumbled.

"Well, we won't know unless you answer it."

"Fine, put it through." The fox sighed, pushing himself back up into his seat.

The screen flicked on and a young, green-eyed lion blinked owlishly at the screen, adjusting it to get himself centered in the frame. "Oh, uh, hello? Is this Atimist?"

Atimist frowned, eyes narrowing for a moment before going wide with surprise. He sat bolt upright, leaning forward. "Wait, you're Quinten? Quinten Cassidy?"

Cres helpfully brought up the work profile picture that they'd gotten when first researching. Aside from the clothes, it looked just like him.

"Oh, uh, yes. I heard you were asking around for me-"

"Where are you!" Atimist practically snarled, standing up to get his nose closer to the screen.

The lion squeaked and leaned away, as if afraid he'd be pulled through the screen by force of will. "Oh! I-I uh, I'll tell you. You just... have to promise me one thing. That you'll hear me out."

The fox's eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth together. "Okay, I'll hear you out. Say what you have to say."

Cres showed a picture-in-picture frame of a progress bar, the words "TRACING CALL" flashing overhead. It was already almost done.

"Not right now. After you come get me. You see, there's someone else after me, and-" The light's in the lion's room went dark as a loud explosion sounded off in the distance.

Atimist's anger was snuffed out and he blinked a few times. "Uh, hello? Quinten?"

The display was completely black, but Atimist could still hear rumbling and coughing. Then the screen flickered with light as the holoscreen was apparently turned over and picked up. It was dark in the room except for the light coming from Quinten's display. "I think they found me. Are you tracing the call?"

Atimist glanced at the other frame and saw the progress bar complete. "Yeah."

"Please hurry. I'll try to stay hidden!" the lion said, and then the call ended.

Atimist's muzzle hung open in shock, completely dumbfounded at what had happened. He'd never have someone he was searching for find him, and certainly never asked for his help. Then again, no one he had ever gone after was being hunted by someone using that kind of force.

"His location puts him about fourteen-hundred miles from here. Not that far if we go up into the atmosphere and cut across. Maybe fifteen minutes," Cres said, showing a map of the planet and a pinpointed location of the lion's spot.

"That's got to be Titus after him. He must have found him, too. Crap, oh crap," Atimist said, falling back into his chair and leaning his elbows on his thighs.

"Shall I head that way?"

Atimist bit his lower lip, thinking about the situation. "I don't know if I can go up against someone like Titus. I was hoping to get here first, not go head to head with him."

"Well, we came all this way. Do you want to leave now?" the ship asked.

"No, take us there. I'll... shit, I guess I'll get ready for war," he muttered. "Tell me about the area while I change."

About twenty minutes later, Cres landed in what looked like the safest spot that could be managed while providing at least some coverage. A quick search of the surrounding area didn't turn up any ships that weren't part of the mining operation, or were simple transports. Titus must have been using something to shield it from scans or sight; no hope of disabling the ship and just waiting.

Atimist stepped out onto the planet's surface, the stress and anxiety of what he was about to do fending off his fatigue for now. They'd landed in a small valley about a mile and a half from where Quinten was last holed up, and the walk was through a few lines of trees and a creek before he'd come to the edge of town. Only a few thousand people lived there, and the hotel Quinten was in was on the very edge.

"Okay, can you hear me?" Atimist asked as he started up a slow jog that put him on course for the village.

"I hear you," Cres confirmed.

Atimist let out a slow breath. "Okay."

"I don't know what exactly I can do for you, though. It's not like I can fly by myself, or tell you who's coming up behind you."

"Yeah, I know. But... I don't know, it's nice to have someone there, you know? Now stay quiet. I need to concentrate."

Cres sighed.

It didn't take long to close the distance on the town. Atimist stayed in shape, even aboard the ship, and his paws ate up the mile and a half jog in no time. He immediately saw what made the explosion. A few hundred yards off to the east of the city was a large pile of burning, smoking rubble. It was probably a generator before someone had blown it up, and Atimist could only guess that Titus had destroyed it to keep the city dark.

This rock had no moons, and barely had a name, one that Atimist couldn't even remember. Cloud coverage was thick overhead and the fennec could only see because of the goggles he wore. They were the older kind that showed everything in shades of green, but he couldn't afford the nicer, full-color pairs that would make life easier.

There were dozens of people near the blaze of the generators, but no one seemed to be panicking, or tending to injured; one good thing, at least. Atimist entire body was covered in dark blacks and blues of a fibrous material that would stop most energy weapons, and even a few projectile ones if they were being used. Even his tail had been stuffed in a sock-like garment that hid the sandy fur from view while letting him keep the balance it offered.

He darted across from the tree line to the row of buildings, barely making a sound, not having to worry about any shadows with how dark everything was. He could hear voices from the streets, calling out to one another, checking in to make sure people were okay. He rushed to the small hotel and gulped when he saw the front door had been demolished. It must have been locked when the power went out and someone had simply blasted it off its hinges. The place wasn't very big, and there wouldn't be many rooms to check. If Titus was inside, he had to hurry.

Atimist darted inside, glancing behind the counter, but no one was there. A small clipboard was on the desk with a list of chores and duties and he snatched it, having to pull his goggles off to read the list. Housekeeping only listed three rooms to clean for the following morning, and he was betting one of them would be where Quinten was.

As he ran down the first hallway, he found the first room, not on the list, was busted open and torn apart. A flash of hope ran through him and he grinned. Titus didn't check the list and was probably going room to room. That would slow him considerably.

The fox took off down the hall, keeping his footsteps as quiet as he could. It was eerily quiet in the building, and Atimist nearly jumped out of his fur when he heard a furious shout from just around the corner. He suppressed a squeak and dipped into one of the rooms, hiding just around the corner, and in time, for someone to turn the corner and stomp down the hallway.

It had to have been Titus. He didn't bother to look back in the room that Atimist ducked into, and instead stomped down the hallway, holding what appeared to be a large hammer in both hands. "I know you're in here!" he screamed, and his voice was oddly modulated.

Atimist poked his head out and watched as Titus stomped along back towards the main foyer, his heart racing. He was holding a death grip on the pulse gun he was carrying. Titus had appeared to be wearing something similar to his own gear, so the gun would be all but useless unless he found some exposed fur or skin.

"At least he hasn't found Quinten yet," the fox thought, letting out a soft breath. He had to be around here somewhere, though.

Atimist took off down the hallway, away from Titus, and began looking at all the smashed doors, trying to figure out a good place to hide. He ran into the utility room and found what he was looking for; the laundry. Titus had overturned the large cart of all the sheets and towels, but the fox just stepped past to the washer and opened it.

There was a startled gasp and movement from inside, but Atimist just hissed under his breath. "Quiet!"

The movement stopped and Atimist could see the lion looking up at him, unable to see much in the dark. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, now shut up and let's go!" he said, helping the lion out of the machine.

Once they'd gotten free, Atimist guided him to the first room available. The window was solidly in place and there was no way to open it; he'd have to blast it open if they wanted to get out without crossing paths with Titus. "Can you run?" he whispered, directly into the lion's ear.

Quinten nodded and Atimist pointed at the window, the dim light of the night just enough for him to hold up his fingers and count.

"Three... two... one..." Atimist though, taking a deep breath. Then he aimed the pulse gun at the glass and fired.

It sounded like a low bell being rung, and then a warping of glass as it bent and then shattered. Against things like wood, metal, and stone, it was hardly effective, if at all, but glass couldn't disperse the energy as well, or flex to avoid breaking. Atimist darted forward, tugging Quinten with, and helped the lion out and over the ledge before hopping over. He heard a loud boom from somewhere behind, but didn't bother to look back behind him. "Just keep running!" he shouted.

Quinten was already breathing hard and he didn't have any the night vision offered by Atimist's goggles. He just ran at break-neck speed, trusting the fox in front of him to lead him to safety.

"Ati? Are you okay?" Cres called.

"I'm fine!" the fox breathed, dodging through trees and glancing back to make sure Quinten was still with him. "We're heading back now! Start up all the systems you can. I want to be in the air as soon as possible."

"Copy that."

"How far is it?" Quinten gasped, almost losing his footing as they leapt the narrow creek.

"Another mile, maybe less," Atimist said, heart racing too fast.

The lion gasped and shook his head. "Oh god, I don't think I can make it."

A large, white ball of lightning zipped past them and struck a tree, illuminating it in a coruscation of electricity. Atimist yelped and almost ran into another tree, but managed to slip aside.

Quinten wailed out in terror and redoubled his efforts. "Maybe I can!"

The tree line provided them enough cover as several more balls of lightning shot towards them, lighting up trees with crackling energy, and doing more to illuminate and safeguard their path than threaten them.

They ate up the remaining distance to the ship, losing the psychotic bounty hunter behind them. Cres had the doors to the ship open and waiting and the fennec ran inside, making sure Quinten was on board before running to the cockpit. "Alright! Let's go! Go! " he shouted, flicking all the instruments on and starting up the last few systems he needed to take off.

He was breathing too hard, shaking too much, and his nerves were all but shot after running away. He ripped the mask away from his face to take in air better, and threw his goggles aside. "See? I told you I had a plan." he wheezed.

"Running away with your tail between your legs. Yeah, great plan."

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Looks like Atimist might be out of the woods for now. He's gotten the runaway he was hunting, even if it had nothing to do with his investigation skills.

What do you think should happen next? What kind of twist do you think you could see coming that Atimist would not?