FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Bruised orange trailed the sky as the sun began to dip over the horizon and fall away for the night to take center stage above the desert city of Praaxis. Pris stepped out into the twilight thinking that she had plenty of time before her engagement. They had agreed to meet at sunset and the sun was still setting so she wasn't going to be late. At first, she had been held up by her own curiosities getting the best of her but then one thing led to another until she had forgotten the time. Pris had barely had enough time to get something that looked good on her for the evening. It could get chilly during the nights in the desert but she loved that cold so she didn't think to put on anything warming. A wrap of fine linen curled around her chest with a parted skirt that fell to her ankles. The style was similar to what she had worn when first meeting her friend and it allowed her body to drink in the cool air freely. If she hurried she might be able to meet her friend before the night truly began. Pris trotted through the city toward the flower shop where they had agreed to meet. She had meant to leave earlier and buy a few flowers for the spirits but now she was worried that she might be making her friend wait. Punctuality wasn't that important to her but the thought of disappointing someone she cared about put a bit of hop in her step. When she got to the flower shop, she stopped and looked around noting that he was nowhere in sight. Her long rabbit ears began to droop while she stepped toward the door and tilted her head. "Boo." Came a voice from behind.

Pris hopped and turned around to see her friend standing there with a smile. The white-furred fox wore a poncho that hung over his waist with geometric symbols lining the hem. A grin touched his features from ear to ear that slowly made its way onto her own face as she crashed into him to wrap her arms around his body and squeeze tight. She squeezed in part to get back at him for giving her a tiny fright but mostly she did it because she was happy to see her friend again. Pris buried her face against his chest while one of his large hands touched her back. When Pris felt her arms aching from how tight she was squeezing onto him, she pulled back.

"Wel! It is good to see you again!" Pris said with a big smile.

The fox placed a hand on his chest and sighed, "And here I thought you were trying to kill me with how tight that hug was!" He then smirked and flicked her nose quickly before she could respond, "Kidding of course. Ready for our little walk through the night?"

She giggled and rubbed her nose while answering, "Of course! That's what I'm here for! Oh, well, I was also here for the flower shop but that seems to be closed right now and..." Pris looked around taking note of the darkness, "Seems like I was also late so um, sorry about that."

Wel shook his head, "Not to worry! I mean, you can worry about not being able to get flowers from the shop but you shouldn't worry so much about being late. I figured you were either held up by a friend or you just had trouble picking something out to wear." He then flicked his digits and produced a black rose from thin air while bowing, "The owner told me to either buy something or stop loitering around their store so I decided to get something small for you. It isn't what you wanted I'm sure but it is still a gift from me to you."

Her cheeks burst with color as the flower's petals glowed beneath the rising moon. She reached out to take it but paused as her third eye focused on his arm. The spirits that were normally invisible revealed themselves to her as they curled around his arm like vines made of bright energy. Pris shook her head and the vision of the spirits faded away and all that was left was Wel standing there with a big smile and that flower offered in a gesture of admiration. Returning his expression, she took hold of the flower and felt the touch of life coming from the spirits sending a spark up her as she put the rose through her golden hair against one of her ears.

"Hm, think it looks nice on me?" She asked with a hum.

Wel took her hand gently in his and planted a kiss atop it, "It is pretty but what makes this view so beautiful is you, Pris."

The burning on her cheeks grew in intensity and she snorted while looking away, "Okay. Yeah. Thanks for making it feel like daytime in the desert again! Anyway, before I get any more embarrassed, how about we get going?"

An arm looped through hers and Wel took to her side to start walking with her in tow while beaming, "Right! We're off! A night full of debauchery on the seedy underside of this beautiful oasis!"

"Wait, really?" Pris asked with a tilt of her head.

He snorted in response and bumped his cheek against hers, "No not really! I just wanted to show you a pretty spot. We can save the night market nonsense for another time."

Pris reached over to give his side a pinch, "Night market nonsense? I'll have you know that if you get me in trouble, my mother is going to be upset with me."

Wel chuckled, "Your mother?"

She couldn't help but giggle as she explained, "Well, not really. Heka is someone I care about a lot who has done so much for me. You kind of almost nutted in her bath if it wasn't for my amazing save by swallowing. Of course, she'd love to meet you and we could always do that right now. You could even tell her all about your night market plans so all of us could go together!"

Instead of falling for her bluff, Wel snickered, "Sounds fun! Not often that I get to go on a date with two such beautiful creatures. I'm only guessing that Heka is as beautiful as you if not even more so since you're willing to call her your mother."

When he stopped, she urged him to keep walking forward while giggling, "Okay, okay. Let's not do that. You can meet Heka later but be polite! You don't know her."

"Ah! So does that mean I win this little duel?" He asked with a raised brow and a smirk.

She gave his side another pinch and stuck her tongue out, "Bah! Fine! Guess you do. Now lead the way mister jester."

While Wel laughed, he continued walking to lead the way to the special spot he wanted to show her. Pris wasn't quite sure what he had in mind but if he said that he wanted to show her something special then he probably meant it. She had known him for such a short time but he had proven himself to be a good friend and someone that was immensely honest with her. From thoughts he considered dumb, to misconceptions, and more he would share them with her and correct himself if she ever had anything to say about it. They had talked so much that whenever they met it felt like she was seeing a friend she had known when she was a child. That openness along with the fact that the spirits seemed to favor him gave her reason to trust him.

His voice trailed through the evening as he filled the silence with random tidbits from his life and how he was feeling. Pris was glad of it because it kept her mind from wandering too much. Anytime she thought she might've been drifting off in thought, he would make a joke or say something dumb enough to get a snort out of her while a rush of joy would fill her. Their trek took them deep into the city near the center but nowhere within sight of the academy that rested over the waters of the oasis. The space they had to walk began to get a bit thin as they walked between a set of buildings with only a few lanterns serving as the only sources of life.

Wel took his arm away from hers and planted both hands on a wall with a small smile as he whispered, "This place was abandoned years ago, or so a few merchants told me. Anyway, I like exploring places that have been left to time and I found something amazing. Can you climb?"

Pris met his gaze with a pang of uncertainty touching her heart that melted away as she saw the giddiness in the wag of his tail and the curve of his smile. With a crooked and nervous smile of her own, she nodded, "Yeah. I guess I can but I'm not really sure what we're doing."

"You'll see, you'll see! I promise. Now follow me. There are plenty of footholds but if you get scared I think I can lower a vine or a few once I get there."

"Vine?" She said with a tilted head.

With a chuckle, he repeated, "You'll see."

He grabbed onto the building and began to climb up the side while she watched him. With a sigh, she brushed aside her doubts as best she could and grabbed onto the building to start climbing behind him. They got to the roof soon enough and he helped pull her up before they started up the side of another portion of the building. Up and up they went until she heard the rustling of leaves. Pris took a chance and peered upward and found that Wel had disappeared. In his place, there was a mass of greenery that she hadn't quite expected. Wel's hand popped out through the brush and she reached up to grab it before he brought her up and into the greenery.

The other side of the wall of leaves was something that she would have expected to see only back home. It was a hanging garden like many others but the plant life had overgrown and taken over entirely. There were benches covered in vines, statues kissed by moss, and a fountain at the center where a large blossoming flower produced glowing balls of light that trailed through the air and illuminated the covered garden. Her eyes grew wide and her third took in the sudden influx of spirits that appeared one by one traveling through the air and landing on the various pieces of plant life. She could feel them, she could nearly hear them in the physical realm whispering that this was home to them and she wondered if they meant that it was like their home or if they lived within the plant life.

Wel's voice brought her back to reality as he took a step forward and placed a hand beneath one of the flower's large petals, "I found this place and I thought you might like it. Someday, this building might be bought and this plant life might be cleared away so I wanted to show you before that happened. I know it is a bit dangerous but it is hard to find quiet places in a city and so, I use locations like this to get a break from the crowds."

Pris stepped in to join him near the flower and she leaned down to feel over one petal with her digits barely touching the surface, "This is beautiful Wel. I...I've gotta let Heka know about this place. Maybe we could buy it out and allow the plant life to overtake it. How did you find this place exactly?"

The fox leaned back and hummed, "Just took a guess. I saw that there was a hanging garden that looked a bit scruffy when I looked up and thought that it might be nice."

"You said that you took a guess? Was there any sort of feeling guiding you here?"

Wel rubbed at the back of his head, "A little bit but I'd call it more of a hunch than anything."

She took his hands in hers and beamed, trying not to bounce while she whispered, "You might've felt the call of the spirits then! I told you they are all around you and you even said it yourself that you've freed them from artifacts! Maybe you could see them right now if you focused enough."

"I don't know about that, Pris, about any of that. Sure, I do magic and I deal in curses, hexes, and what have you but I'm not in tune with the spirits."

"You might be in tune with more than what you understand!" She said while tapping his nose, "I see them on you all the time even though you don't have any sort of spirit within yourself."

Wel frowned as she led him to a vine-covered bench to sit down, "I guess that's true but still, how would we even go about this?"

Pris closed her eyes and breathed in and out while resting her hands on her knees, "First. Steady yourself. I don't really know how this works for most people because it is as easy as breathing to me but Wel, the spirits love you, if you focus I'm sure they'll show themselves. Don't doubt it, just think about that love for you and grab onto it."

"Love for me? I don't know about that. I don't think I de--" She leaned against him to interrupt him while muttering, "If you can't believe that you deserve it, then at least believe me when I say that I love you and that these spirits cherish you. Concentrate on that because I am your friend. Trust me as I trust you."

A deep inhalation of breath came from Wel before he sighed, "Okay. I'll trust you."

All three of her eyes opened and she focused on the flower until she could see the spirits twisting and dancing among the petals, "Look at the flower. Think of that care that I have for you, of the love these spirits have for you. Relax."

Wel followed her instructions and was quiet for a while. She expected him to get frustrated, to maybe say that he wasn't seeing anything at all but he waited and waited patiently until she heard him muttering, "I see...Faint lines in the air? Not just the regular lights but something behind those wisps. Bubbling and twisting and getting brighter too."

She did her best to keep her excitement to herself while she spoke, "Good. Keep focusing. Don't think too hard about it but let yourself feel it. Follow that gut feeling you said you had last time. Can you sense it again?"

His words came soon after she stopped talking, "Yeah. It's there. If I follow that feeling then it is telling me to watch those lights and--" Wel's eyes grew wide and he leaned forward while whispering, "There's so many of them!"

Pris had been focusing on keeping her excitement down but when she looked at the flower properly she saw that the spirits had gathered like butterflies on the petals of the flower. Even the ones on Wel had gathered at the center of the garden before they began to flutter out toward them. She let their energy swirl around her body and did her best to resist the temptation to reach out and touch one while in this state.

She finally was unable to keep the excitement from her voice, "Do you really see them?"

Wel nodded, "Yeah. They're everywhere! I...I can even see the ones that usually sit on my body. They feel like me in some sort of weird way. So what if I just..."

Before she could stop him, he was reaching out with the intent to touch a spirit. Her hand slipped through many as if they did not exist in the same space but the tip of his claw allowed one of the many spirits to land on his body and suddenly, the plants around them began to writhe and grow. The vines dug into the building cracking the material and the flower blooming in the center spread further, the top of the hanging garden opening to let the moonshine pour in. When she grabbed his wrist, she pulled his digit away from the spirit, and Wel gasped, his fur frizzing up as if a current had been pushed through his body.

"Wel! Are you okay?" Pris asked while her digits moved to touch his cheek.

He coughed a bit and shook his head, ears straight up while he answered, "Am...Am I okay? I think I'm doing better than okay! I feel like I drank three cups of coffee! Wait, that isn't good. Anyway, I don't think there is any pain. Um, what happened?"

Pris sighed and placed a hand at her chest, "You connected with a spirit. Normally, even if you see them so long as you don't want to touch them that is fine but if you desire to touch them then you start to form a connection and that's dangerous. The energy gathered was released through your body because you didn't know what you were doing and...The spirit gave it freely?" She then tilted her head and hummed, "Normally, spirits require a contract or some sort of feedback in order to use them but you just sort of did."

The fox tried to smooth out his fur while shrugging, "I have no idea why that might be the case."

She grabbed both of his hands and beamed, "We have to take you to Heka!"

Wel blinked and looked at her, "Heka?"

"Yes! She knows so much about magic and she told me that spirit magic was too dangerous and too unpredictable but you have a genuine connection with the spirits! What you do naturally is also strange and unheard of and she could help figure so much of that out!" When she saw Wel's ears start to droop, she grabbed his arm gently and squeezed, "She's not going to experiment on you...I'd just ask her to help figure some things out with you. Wel, you're my friend, not an oddity or freakshow."

He smiled just a bit at that, "Oh, I'm not getting disheartened because of that. I just can't help but think about how scary it would be to figure out anything about my magic. If you trust this person, though, then I'd be happy to meet them."

Pris wrapped both of her arms around him and squeezed tight before releasing, "Thank you! I promise you won't regret this! Let's go, let's go!"

Together, the pair left the hanging garden behind and climbed down the building that now had a lot more vines sprouting out of it. The trip back to where she was staying didn't take too long and when they arrived, Pris knocked on the door. She didn't want to just walk in with someone that Heka didn't know and figured that unicorn would still be up. The door soon opened and there stood Heka wearing robes that covered most of her body. She was a unicorn with long black hair and brown fur touching soft vanilla. Those soft eyes were touched with amber and chocolate but they hardened upon seeing Wel and she suddenly stepped out into the night to grab the fox by the collar and bring him up.

"I feel a disgusting amount of spirit magic from you and I'm guessing you're the cause of that spiritual disturbance I felt?" Asked Heka.

Pris grabbed Heka's wrists and brought them down as she squeaked, "That was my fault! I didn't tell him that when he saw the spirits he shouldn't touch them with the desire to connect!"

Heka's eyes grew wide before she set Wel down and looked toward Pris, "He saw them? You showed him how to see them?"

She nodded, "Yes. This is my friend who I told you about. The one that the spirits love."

The unicorn looked back at Wel who was rubbing his neck and Heka sighed, "Sorry about that. You must understand. Spirit magic has a manner of setting me off due to circumstances in my life. If you are a friend of Pris then I welcome you...If you can see spirits then I would like to know; is that true?"

Wel cleared his throat and stood straight while inclining his head, "Yes. Pris told me how to do it and I couldn't really believe it myself but there they were. I made the mistake of reaching out to touch one and that's what you felt."

Heka frowned and stepped around Wel to give his shoulder a nudge, "In. I'd like to examine you for a bit."

Pris shooed Heka to get her to stop pushing her friend while she took Wel's arm to lead him inside with a smile, "She just means she wants to make sure you're okay! I'm sorry she's being so abrasive. She means well though, I promise!"

Wel chuckled, "It's okay. I get it."

When they were inside. Heka shut the door and immediately moved to their front to tap Wel on the nose, "Open your mouth. Pris remove yourself from him." She huffed but stepped away as Wel opened his maw and Heka began to poke around through his mouth, "Doesn't seem to be any sort of spiritual corruption I can feel and his teeth are fine. No strange abrasions or growths on his body. Okay. You said he was cursed but he looks fine?"

She nodded, "Yeah but you should be asking him, not me."

Heka looked at Wel with a small frown before taking her hands out of his mouth and sighing, "Very well. Come."

The unicorn turned around to start walking while Wel and Pris were left to follow. They entered a large chamber with several beakers among many other instruments that were placed on long tables. There were bookcases containing tomes on every sort of magic and plants hanging on the walls that were within reach to be plucked of their herbs for various purposes.

"Now then...Wel was it? My name is Heka and I want to know more about your curse. I wasn't curious at first but the fact that you can see spirits and even connect with them without a contract is concerning so now, I want to know about you. Will you allow me to properly examine and question you?" Heka asked with a sigh.

Wel rubbed at the back of his head, "I guess I'd be glad to answer anything I could."

Heka rubbed her chin while looking through the books on the case, "Let me see. Pris said that you remove hexes, curses and free spirits from artifacts with your ailment should the need arise. Ah, here we are." The unicorn reached into the bookcase and pulled out an orb within her large hand. She then set it on the table and grunted, "Remove the spirit from this. I know it is complex and these things take time."

While Heka turned away to fish through the bookcase, Pris watched as Wel took a claw and began to etch something on the glowing orb. She saw trails of ink forming words where he left them and slowly, the ink began to sink inside of the orb. Wel then picked it up and smiled as the glow began to fade from it. He even gave it a soft kiss and whispered something sweet on the air that made her shiver as she felt the energy flowing from the orb, escaping. Heka could feel it as well and stopped what she was doing to turn around and look at the orb.

"What did you do?" Heka asked as she took the orb from his hand, "This was a complex hex meant to keep this spirit in this world, not just a simple binding...How did you do that? I was going to work on this for a few days tinkering with it, figuring out how to not blow myself up with it but you just...Did it!"

Wel muttered, "I just did. I wrote on it and willed for the hex to come apart. Bindings like these are really hard to dispel by natural means so I just used my curse to do it. Intent becomes reality and so I wrote what I wanted to happen. Common curses are easier to pull apart but um, yeah. Sorry?"

The unicorn snorted, "Don't apologize. What you did was nothing short of a miracle! And yet, you call it a curse? Why is that?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "I've hurt a lot of people and myself in the past. Before I picked up this work my intent would go wild with differing emotions and desires getting out of hand. At first, I had to control it myself and it was difficult but it got easier once I started removing curses and freeing spirits from artifacts."

Heka frowned and looked down at the orb, "So you say that it got easier once you freed spirits from artifacts. I thought that Pris was toying around with me when she said that there were spirits tending to something strange in your body and that you yourself had no spirit within you but now I think the puzzle begins to come together for me." She then took a deep breath, "I'm interested now. Pris, take Wel to your room, or to one of the guest rooms and sleep. It is late. I'll be up for just a bit more thinking about this and what we can do tomorrow for your friend to better understand his magic. Wake up early."

Pris nodded with a smile and took Wel by the arm to lead him away, stopping for a moment as he spoke, "Um, thank you for helping me figure this out. I've never had someone help with this."

Something like pain and sympathy flashed across Heka's features for half a second before her features hardened again and she stared at the orb intently, her words surprisingly soft, "Not a problem. Just rest and we'll talk more tomorrow."

Though Pris had seen that expression, she did not comment on it as she led Wel away again. They climbed a flight out stairs outside the chamber and stepped through a hall where they found her room. She thought about how exciting it would be to talk to Wel in her own room but oddly, she felt tired. Perhaps it had been all the excitement. Pris led Wel through the door of her room and opened her arms as if to present her space to her friend. Flowers were hanging here and there with vines drooping down as if they wished to touch her. A bookcase stood with a few books that Heka had allowed her to borrow and the scent in the room was sweet thanks to the flowering plants.

"Here. We should be able to rest. I've got an extra bed if you want it but um, I thought it might be nice sleeping together? Was that too presumptuous of me?" She asked.

Wel chuckled and shook his head, "Not at all. Honestly...I'm feeling a bit tired. Meeting someone new. All of that magical excitement. Bearing myself to her. Using my ink. Feel like I might pass out any second."

Pris quietly slipped out of her clothes before sitting on her bed with a sigh, "I'm sorry Wel. I didn't think it would be such a stressful night."

Once Wel was out of his clothes, he joined her on the bed and placed an arm around her, "It's okay. It was exciting and...Strange. Heka is going to help me learn about myself and that's scary but it is good. Thanks, Pris. Let's get some rest, okay?"

She nodded with a small smile and together they laid on the bed with his warmth against her back and an arm around her body preventing her from wondering if she had insulted him if she had somehow made a mistake. Those doubts, those cursed thoughts were steadily brushed away as their steady breaths joined together and they allowed themselves to begin drifting off to sleep underneath the moonlight pouring through the window.

Before sleep found them fully, Pris muttered quietly, "I'm sorry if Heka seemed like she was judging you or probing into your life. She means well but she's a bit firm. Even more so with anything spiritual involved. You don't hate me for it...Do you?"

Wel's arm squeezed tighter around her body while he responded, "She scared me a bit, I'll be honest about that. At the same time, I felt that she was concerned most of all. She was worried that I had done something to harm you at first and then worried about something I couldn't quite tell when she was looking me over. Was she worried about me? About how I was doing? About my past? It was weird. Like she cared about me even though we had just met beneath that steely exterior. I like her even if she's a bit scary and I'm sure I'll get to like her even more once I've settled. I trust you."

With that said, Pris pressed her back against him and sighed. She hoped his words were true and above all else, hoped that Heka would come to look at Wel as a friend just the same as she did.