FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Prologue of Alvinism: The Chronicles of Alvin Abernous

The fog had settled during the night and was now thick enough to make visibility only a few feet. Alvin stepped out of his house on the main stretch of road in the city and made his way toward the center of town. He was going to meet Wovelmlos and Eckstal there and they would then make their way out through the gates northward and west of the main road into Legina Forest. They were to consider their plan more from there as Alvin had not discussed their plans even for a few moments as it had been getting that hard to talk with them. There was consiprators against him and he knew not who as he refused to allow himself to fully put the blame on anyone. His practice, his mainstay for living and what he wished to accomplish while he was still alive was what they found so irritating. His therapy, his techniques, his beliefs. Someone was behind the sudden encroaching upon him, the upstay of watchers and inquiries into his activities had been what set him on edge. And he suspected that they meant to not only stop his practice but to get him out of the way entirely. It had not been a hunch, he had persons of his own that would find out this information for him. That recently they had turned the other cheek toward him was the sign that something was going on that someone was forcing them to go against him as the people that were in up the ranks in the Council of Gethesa were favorable toward him. He didn't do this entirely for himself, or did he? There were those who would follow him to the ends of the world if need be. Then he had himself to consider. Why he was doing what he did was that he would not keep quiet? The world needed peace, it needed to open up to one another. To keep growing colder and colder toward one another bred war, indifference, even hate. Destruction, death, they both made Alvin cringe. He did not ever want to see it. His practice, his way of life though bold was never in hate, never. Alvin arrived in due course at the central fountain at the center square of town. He had been over careful not trying to make resounding footsteps and the fog helped mask sound even better. Almost too perfect, the fog had come on the night when the cloak of invisibility would have helped. That was what he wore too. He put the sequences on it just yesterday and had slept the fatique off till now. The cloak was a dark beize but it didn't matter about the color as it dissapeared soon as it came in contact with a living creature. He was supposed to toss a small pebble into the pool of the fountain which with the trickling of it would mask sound but for those standing right next to it. Two more plits and Alvin would make for the gate at a steady pace. He bent down slowly beside the fountain in the dirt and got hold of a small pea sized pebble. Taking aim he tossed it up and down into the fountain pool and heard a lite plat amidst the trickle and listened carefully. He was satisfied when he heard two more plits and started to go when he thought he heard another. A bright flash of light resounded throughout the square and Alvin found he was revealed and that the invisibility had been unsequenced. Now three of them stood there still cloaked hood over the face. The one cloaked person northward beside Ias through off the hood and Alvin felt his heart stop utterly as he was looking now into the eyes of Salina. Salina Solidos. She sighed talking above a whisper, "Alvin. You are going too far now. Can't you stop this crusade or whatever it is you are doing. It is going to get you far worse off than you are. There's people who want to kill you because they hate you so much. You used to be so respected..." "I came to a realization. I used my abilities to conquer our neighbors and now look. I was the master of offensive synth while you were the master of the defensive. What I can't understand is how you of all people could do this," Alvin boldy addressed her standing straight up looking right into her inquisitive eyes. "I am defending everyone. We can't do without war, without hate. Conflict, it is our nature, the nature of living things, to survive, to fight over one another," Solidos insisted returning Alvin's gaze. Alvin would not hear it, "We aren't in a paradise, ever since we have been conquering our neighbors. The stress on our country. If we are not careful there will be civil war and we'll split in two." He moved with the other two who were now standing behind Solidos. She turned around to them and Alvin gave her a last look unable to keep the dissapointment and despair from appearing on his face of what he thought of Solidos now. They started moving north up the street there when several armored soldiers took up positions there blocking their way. Alvin spun around and saw that the same case was with every street and passage leading from there and that was several down the various pubs and inns that lined the square. "I'm sorry Alvin," Solidos said her voice half a mumble and she looked down. Alvin started to feel more irritated than angry at this, "Yeah, I guess I must be. You force me..." "Yeah, she forces us Alvin," one of Alvin's cloaked companion said and Alvin recognized the voice as Wovelmlos. They moved back against the fountain with Solidos and the soldiers started moving inward closing in on them swords drawn. "Not very smart," the other cloaked one of them said, who was by default Eckstal and Alvin started as she drew a small dagger from her sleeve and in a quick motion snatched Solidos up against her the dagger poised at her throat, "Step back!" The guards hesistated at the new turn of events but Alvin didn't read any wavering expression in their faces so he added his words, "We don't want her dead and neither do you. Let us pass!" The north ended guards balked but broke their line and they immediately but slowly went up and passed them. Only past them did they quicken pace moving up the street past the houses that lined it until the line of the outer wall came into view. At the end of the road, was a large wooden gate that took up moat of the space between the walls and the road stretching up to the top line of the wall. Toward the side of the road against the wall was a mid sized gray brick hut and at the right side of it hanging from a hook was a lit lantern. Toward them as they came closer was a door seperated by two windows. The door opened as they came the closest and a guard dressed in a tunic over a coat of chain linked armour and leather leggins started out but stopped seeing the situation and stood ready looking at them his hand over the sword. "The gate!" Eckstal screeched and it was at this point that the calm Solidos started squirming. The guard gave them a cold stony gaze but moved to the gate and produced a band of keys from his tunic and selecting a key inserted it into the two locks there and pulled at two levers which moved the arm bars to the side and pushed open the gate. Slowly but surely they moved through the gate eyeing the guard carefully but he didn't make any move. Down the road they'd just came in in the fog Alvin could depict the guards they had left following them at a subdued pace, their swords glinting even in the fog. Once they were outside of the gate Eckstal took one look moving her hood and head beside Solidos's face and they glanced over at Alvin. Suddenly she threw her down and bolted and Alvin with one look back proceeded the same with Wovelmlos keeping the rear. They ran down the road up and over a rise and down steep into a small drop where a creek ran under a large wooden bridge large enough to fit two carriages across and after crossing the bridge they diverted off the path into the woods and half stumbled half trudged through fern, brush, and briar darting past trees and underneath vines for many yards until they had put a considerable distance between them and the road. At the next hill in the small drop in it, Eckstal dissapeared over it and Alvin followed and it was here she had stopped and laid up against the rise in the hill and at the bottom a small line of a grassy path. The path cut it's way from far to Eckstal's right winding past the edge of some hills and at the bottom of other intersperesed with trees until it dissapeared and passed them far off a similar way winding away. "Catch our breath," Eckstal panted heavily and Alvin slumped down beside her fatiqued considerably himself he wasn't used to this much running and they had been going for almost a half an hour. Due to Alvin's practice they were in shape enough to stand it long, but not that great of shape. "We are going to need to use some other mode of transportation. I don't think we could outrun them just running," Alvin said amid gasps. Wovelmlos settled next to him sitting with his arms linked around his knees underneath his cloak, "That's why we didn't ride horses out of town. Too much attention. And besides, it really didn't work anyways with our sneaking out. Now we're not going to be able to come back in this country with much ease." Alvin knew he was right. Now he wouldn't be able to come back to any civilized place in this country, "I wish you would not have done that, Ecks." "I did what I thought needed to be done. It was either them or us, you have told us how much you believe in your practice and in everyone else," Eckstal said. "That's the point. Everyone. This is not how I plan to help everyone by taking hostages," Alvin replied. "Alvin, they would have put us in prison and we would have rotted away there," Eckstal retorted. "No..." Alvin said and he was preoccupied moreso with the way Solidos seemed. She seemed not to be herself, preoccupied with the situation. She almost didn't seem to want it to happen and she even said it. "No what?" Eckstal asked. "No... I think Solidos was on our side," Alvin said at length. "You... what?" Eckstal exclaimed. "Yes, I do," Alvin replied. "I don't know what to say, Alvin. I'm sure my faith doesn't lie in her," Eckstal replied. Alvin didn't say anything but stood up, "One thing is for certain, we are going to either need time to rest here before going on or we are going to need me to use synth on us to give us energy." "We are not going to be able to rest for long," Wovelmlos said. "Can't Solidos detect if you use synth?" Eckstal replied. "Yes, that is another force against us. We must get further away from the city and where she is..." Alvin started. The all jumped up as a distant barking of dogs sounded from the way they came. "Oh no. Shit!" Eckstal said. "They're on our trail," Wovelmlos echoed. "We must get away now. No time," Alvin whispered. They immediately followed the grassy path at the bottom of the hill up to their right as it went up and again. The fog started clearing and Alvin saw the sun peeking over the horizon. "The cover of fog will soon be over," Eckstal said after them as she led the way again. "There's a ranch up here a good trek," Wovelmlos said back. Alvin stopped followed by Eckstal, "You could've said that back there." "No one asked," Wovelmlos said matter of factly. "Just like you," Eckstal said. "A good turn of events, anyways, how much do you have," Alvin said to them ducking under a tree that was fallen halfways over the trek. "I have probably 90 pittence," Wovelmlos said from behind. "I have half a geld," Eckstal said from ahead brushing away branches picking off various cobwebs from her. "I have three geld," Alvin confided not feeling surprised when Eckstal stopped for a second then trudged on saying, "Figures, you being a Synthicist." "What do you mean, being a Quanician probably pays good to," Alvin replied looking up as the sky started becoming brighter. "About 3/4 less than a Synthician," Eckstal said. "Oh well, it'll do. Should be more than enough for three mid grade horses. "We'll make excellent time with them," Alvin said and down a ways off above the trees on the top of the upper left hill a tip of the roof of a building showed. "Perfect timing," Wovelmlos said and Alvin heard the dog barking which had died out get a little louder. Eckstal started moving much quicker ducking in and out of the vines which were overhanging across the path. Alvin matched pace and the barking of the dogs steadily increased distantly behind them but they kept it at a distance. The hills to either side of the path suddenly started coming down in level and farther off ahead Alvin noticed the the hills became level with the path at a small break through a line of trees and various bushes and he saw part of the house through it. They made for it and soon broke through it as the dog barking got steadily louder. They were now in a large field and a slight trek to fencing about the height of each of them. They ran up to the fencing and through it could see a troop of horses grazing right close to them. They moved along the fence at the right until they met the end of it and there they followed it down a gravel path at the end it branched after going through a wooden gate to a barn and a wooden barn and house. "We chose a good time. This is when they would have started the days work," Wovelmlos said and sure enough a man came out of the house and walked toward the wooden gate along the path and they ran and met him at the gate. He was a burly looking man with worked hands and weather worn skin wearing worn clothes but spouting thick arms legs and chest, a powerful looking man the way Alvin saw him. His beard and hair were a deep brown and his hazel eyes gave a hardened stare back at them. "Sir, we would like to purchase three of your horses quickly, if we can," Alvin said throwing back his hood and the others did as well but Alvin kept his gaze on the man. "Well sure," the man said and turned away but looked back at them and at the same time the dogs barking startled howling. Then they continued their steady barking again, "Quickly... what... are you in trouble or something." He gave Alvin a penetrating stare but his features softened and recognition came into those eyes, "Alvin Abernous? Oh my... what's happened Alvin." "You know me?" Alvin said looking at the man. "I knew your father, we started in the same horseranch as hands. It was such a long time back but he did mention you from time to time. Even as far away we are from the city, we have heard all too well of you," the man said his voice becoming softer and easier and a smile came to him. "Sir, we need those horses now," Eckstal said after a glance toward where the barking was from. The man looked at Eckstal with a hard gaze again so Alvin interjected, "I wish it was under better circumstances. I am in need to leave as soon as possible and I will gladly pay you all that we have if we can get underway quickly." The man now looked at them all and his features became closed and his eyes hardened but he said, "Follow me." They all hurried to the barn and the man flung open the doors and they met a slight waft of hay and horse shit. The man went to the barn and went to several three different stalls and brought out three horses saddled up also with reins and harness. "These are my best horses, me and my hands use these," He said. "No! I can't ask you to..." Alvin said. "Take them, and keep your money," the man barked. "I insist, take this at least," Alvin held out his three geld pieces. The man's expression changed but immediately became hard and he shook his head, "You should get going, I'll say I saw you head the other way." "Thanks, i'll never forget..." Alvin started then he heard another howl and he mounted with help from the man who also helped the others. "It's been a while since I've ridden one of these," Wovelmlos said looking over his horse with the reins folded in one hand. "Me too," Alvin replied directing his horse outside the barn and with a slight urging he got the horse into a trot down the gravel road the came before the house and went left down a little trek till it went in between a line of trees there. He urged his horse on to a full gallop and charged down the path amid a long shrill howl that filled the field.