FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Sora sighed as he sat against the wall of his cabin. It had taken quite a while to cut down enough trees to build the not-so-shabby hut, but it also had taken quite a bit out of him. He wasn't exactly use to manual labor of any kind given his background, but he could do it just fine.

He looked around his temporary abode and noted how empty it was. It made sense seeing as he'd just finished building it that afternoon. Besides the fire pit he'd made in the center, the room was bare. He opted against making wood floors in exchange for the stone. A small bed of leaves sat in the corner that served as his resting place. The rest of his house was absolutely devoid of anything and he hated it. His old room was once adorned with weapons and banners abound. Now he only had the simple lance he'd escaped with.

He silently wished he could go back to the life he once had just a few days ago. Back then, he only had to worry about what he would wear the next day and his people.

<----------------------------->

The wolf sat on the edge of his tower, one of many inside a grand castle. He plucked at his mandolin absentmindedly. His coronation was to take place 2 days from then and he was unsure he was ready to become the king. His father wasn't exactly the nicest of people and he was supposed to replace him as a merciless dictator of demons. That wouldn't be a problem if Sora didn't have a single evil bone in his body. Sure he could be unpleasant if you crossed him, but he was one of the nicest people in the kingdom.

“Any harder and you'll snap the strings." A gravelly voice from behind him broke his trance.

“Oh! There you are, Lester!" Sora perked up and threw the instrument off the side into the darkness below. “Where have you been?"

“You just… but… ugh…" He pushed his paw pad into his temple and groaned. His charge was such a handful. “I was on assignment for your father. How have you been?"

“Bored out of my skull." Sora looked over to Lester. The older wolf wore a regal looking robe and a sash across his chest. He'd noticed the older man had seemed tense and irritable. “I missed you a whole lot."

At that statement, Lester's shoulders slumped and he flashed his charge a warm smile. How could he stay mad at him? He was the one thing he still found joy in throughout the entire castle. “And I, you. What do you think about retiring to your bedchamber?"

Sora chuckled. “Isn't that my line? You're supposed to be the strict old man who I have to coerce into my sheets."

“I'm old, tired, and feel the need to spend time with my liege. What's so wrong about that?" Lester walked over and picked Sora up bridal-style. “Or would you rather sit out here in the cold talking about the stars in the sky?"

The lips that crashed into his gave Lester the answer he wanted. He kissed back, feeling Sora's paws rub at his clothed chest. Breaking the kiss, Lester walked them back downstairs to the prince's bedroom.

Sora nudged his head into Lester's exposed chest, basking in the glow of their romp. “You were great… I am... highly satisfied."

“I would be damned if I couldn't please my love." Lester huffed out a laugh.

“So we're dropping the whole 'my liege' thing? Because I'm perfectly ok with that." Sora looked up at his handler/lover's eyes.

“Of course not, but here, you are my lover and nothing more." Lester sat up and hugged Sora into his chest. The younger wolf hummed lightly at the change of position. “I protect you not because it's my duty but because it's now my reason for living."

“Lessy, I'm gonna level with you. That was extremely cliche." Sora pushed him back and straddled his lap. “Why not use the line, 'I'll lay down my life for you because you lay on my kno-'"

Lester booped the prince before he could finish the sentence. “I'd prefer my own colloquialisms thank you very much."

Sora rolled off him and rolled his eyes. “Fine fine… so what was the task my father sent you on?"

Lester sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He'd used the blanket to cover his naughty bits. “It was… a retrieval mission." His voice was filled with sorrow.

“Wh-what's wrong?" Sora scooted closer to his handler.

“Your father has selected the sacrifice for your coronation. I was the one to retrieve them."

Sora could only stare at the older wolf. “Y-you captured someone?"

“All I was tasked with was bringing them here. You shall be the one to kill them." Lester knew his lover wouldn't even kill an ant, but the current king cared not for his son's personal morals.

Sora was slowly gathering his thoughts. Then they all came out at once.“K-k-kill? I have to kill to take the throne?!"

“Shh!" Lester slapped a paw over his mouth. “The castle is asleep, you git."

Sora blushed at the touch, then let the man remove his paw. “I'm not one to take an innocent life. I can't go through with that…"

“The king will end your life if you break tradition."

“I would sooner break him." Sora's tattoos held a faint glow.

Lester scoffed. “You don't even have all your tattoos. You know you receive those at the coronation and until then you're nowhere near as strong as the king."

Sora nodded. His handler had a point but then had a thought cross his mind. “You're the one who gave my father his tattoos! You could give me mine!"

“That may be true, but I've never cast the spell on anyone who wasn't a crowned king… there could be serious repercussions for applying those tattoos before your coronation."

“I'll lose myself if I take an innocent life. I can't go through with the ritual. I won't become my father. You have to help me." Sora looked deep into the eyes of the man that had sworn his life to him. “Please…"

<------------------------------------------>

A loud shriek broke him from his trance. It echoed from a few yards away in the direction he'd come from. Someone was in trouble.

He slowly stood and felt his bones crack into place. The wolf winced. He wasn't sure he could take the threat in his current state, but he wasn't one for leaving people to a sour fate. Against his better judgment, he swiftly opened the door and ran in the direction of the cry for help.

He stayed in the bushes, looking over the situation. About 4 palace guards had surrounded a small wolf pup who held a medal in one hand. Sora cursed himself as he recognized the medal as the one that once held up his loincloth. He'd replaced it with a stone one he'd crafted after losing the previous one.

“Where did you get that medal, boy?" One of the guards growled at him.

“I-I found it on the road. It was just lying there…"

“Lies!" Another guard prodded the boy with the back-end of his spear. The pup looked to the men and women surrounding him and curled his tail around his torso, “The prince would never drop such a valuable and precious token of our kingdom!"

“B-but I'm n-not lying. I just picked it up." The pup was shaking in his shorts. He hadn't known the shiny medal was that valuable.

“We have ways of making you talk… Come with us!" The guard reached for the boy but was stopped by a barrier. The small child was shocked as well. Where had that come from?

“He's not lying." Sora stepped out into the open, revealing himself to the guards. So much for stealth. “Now leave him be."

“Your majesty!" The guards bowed to him, “You must return to the castle! The king is willing to overlook your betrayal!"

The display caused Sora to growl. What sort of a fool did they take him for? His father was no saint and he definitely wasn't willing to overlook something so major as his crown prince denouncing his title. They were sent to bring him back as a prisoner and nothing they could possibly have said would change his mind.

“I'll return when hell freezes over. I refuse to do as he commands." The ex-prince held his paw out. “Now leave before I force you away."

“I'm sorry my liege, but we're unable to return without you." The stood and held up their weapons. “So it's our duty to capture you now."

Sora made a face, then reared his head back and laughed. “Y-you actually think… you can take me?! That's bloody rich!"

The boy, who was the previous source of torment, dashed into the bushes to watch the upcoming fight. The guards all wore helmets and heavy armor while the man they called the prince only wore a simple loincloth that covered his entire lower torso. How would he be able to defeat these guards without help?

The guards began their attack with a quick jab to the prince's chest. A small barrier was erected in place and deflected the blow. The prince hadn't even flinched. Another guard used their spear and went for a stab. A sidestep and a chop down the length of the weapon broke the spear in half. Sora then went for two jabs to the chest and a kick to the side and one of the guards was successfully incapacitated.

The other three guards were shaken by the display, but couldn't stop their assault less they be killed by their king. The other two guards switched to the swords in their scabbards and sliced at Sora. He held up his paw and deflected the slashes effortlessly.

The wolf pup's eyes bulged. He was confused as to how Sora could touch the sharp edges of the swords and not be harmed. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the ex-prince had a purple energy dance around his body and his tattoos were slightly glowing.

Jumping back, Sora began to move his paws in a sort of trance-inducing dance. The air around him grew hotter and he felt the heat rise as he went faster. A snap of his fingers and a pillar of fire sprung up next to the guards. And another. And another. The pillars drove them farther and farther away from him.

“You guys are wearing steel armor. If I keep this up, it'll stick to your skin. I would suggest fleeing with your lives now less you become iron men." Sora smirked. Nothing gave him more joy than tormenting those who would do him or others wrong.

The guards took no time to think and dragged their unconscious friend away.

With them gone, Sora let out a sigh. He let the fatigue he was feeling show and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His fur glistened slightly under the moonlight. Any longer and he would've been completely out of energy. The flashy display had done its job and he and the boy were safe.

Speaking of the boy, “You're safe now, pup. Come on out." Sora huffed.

The pup stepped out shakily and stepped closer to Sora. “M-Mr. Prince sir?"

“Call me Sora." He grinned, then clutched his chest with one of his paws, feeling his fatigue grip him. Even talking hurt slightly now. “I'm gonna head back to my hut. You're free to join me for the night, less more soldiers return."

The pup perked up, his tail wagging as he followed Sora back to his secret hideaway. It had been quite a while since he'd had a warm place to sleep and he was not about to turn down such an invitation.

Once inside, Sora crashed on his pile of leaves, some scattering from the others but the bulk stayed together. The pup sat on the other side of the empty hut next to the fire.

The silence that gripped them was a calming one, but the pup wasn't one to stay quiet for long after such a display. He had many questions and he'd be damned if he wouldn't get some answers.

“How'd you take down 4 armed guards barehanded?"

“Well pup," Sora began before he was interrupted.

“My name is Frederick."

“Ok, Freddy." Sora rolled his eyes. He was tired, but he did invite the boy into his home so it seemed like he should at least be a proper host. “I used my magic, plain and simple."

<-------------------------------------------------->

“Sora… Sora, wake up… SORA!" A small wolf woman screeched in his ear.

The man in question simply rolled over in his bed that could've easily fit 10 of him.

Hearing the woman's shrill voice only annoyed him. “Go away, Liz. I'm sleeping."

“Not until you're up and about!" Liz crossed her arms. She truly hated this part of her job more than any other. She'd rather be cleaning his royal chambers than wake him up. Seeing as he was quite a clean man despite his age, it was miles easier.

“I don't wanna get up. Go away,"

“What sort of prince is late to his own coronation?!"

Sora flinched. The true reason he was dreading leaving his bed had arisen. “About that… I don't want to go."

Liz seemed to look through the lump on the bed. “What do you mean you 'don't want to go?'"

“I know what the coronation entails. I can't go through with that."

“Lester…" She cursed. “Well, what are you going to do? They expect you downstairs within the next 2 hours ready to be crowned king."

“The king they want us not who I am… quite the opposite actually."

“Well whoever you are, you better be out of that bed before I get back or I'm conjuring up some water…" Liz huffed and stepped into the hall.

Sora heard the woman leave the room and threw the sheets off his body. He looked around the room and found the sash he'd prepared last night. He reached for it and tied it around his waist along with his loincloth.

“This ends today…" Sora spoke to himself. “If anyone is to die today, it shall be him."

The throne room was filled with many different wolves, all adorned with regal cloaks and sashes that were all sectioned off from the center of the room. The walls were draped in purple and gold banners while the path lay bare of any adornments for the first time in a while.

Sora's presence silenced the peanut gallery. He stepped closer to the throne slowly where his father sat. Just the sight of the man made him want to gag. He always did love a bloodbath.

The man he despised was one of the biggest wolves in the kingdom if not the biggest. His massive chest was covered in tattoos that ran all over his body, unlike Sora's that only covered his arms and face. His body was wrapped in black cloth that only allowed his face and arms to be exposed.

“People of Lupania! We are gathered here today to crown my son, Sora, as the new king!" The man's voice carried easily across the room. “Bring in the sacrifice!"

The crowd cheered as a human was dragged in, bound by chains. It seemed they'd treated him decently well besides a few bruises. The guards plopped him in front of Sora and stood by the door.

“Now… spill his blood and take his life! Only then will you be worthy of the throne."

Sora looked down at the man. He looked extremely frightened and shook with worry.

“P-please… spare me…"

Sora felt himself waver but held up his paws. “Your life… means nothing to me." His tattoos began to glow a light purple and he felt the power drip to his paws. His eyes also began to tint purple.

“N-no! NO! PLEASE!" The human began hitting the chains against the ground. “I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

“REQUIESCE EN PACE..." Sora flung the ball of dark energy at the man and watched him slowly disintegrate from existence.

The room was filled with cheers as Sora shook the excess power from his fur.

The king slowly stood, a stern glare plain on his maw, and silenced the crowd. “You thought you could pull the wool over my eyes, did you? I know that spell."

Sora's blood ran cold. Plan A was a total bust.

“You honestly thought you could get away with breaking tradition?!" The king dashed over and gripped Sora by his neck. “If you won't strip the life from another, I will strip the life from you!"

Lester broke from the crowd and shot a fireball at the king's paw, breaking his hold on Sora.

“Hurry, my liege! You must escape!" Lester cast a few more fireballs.

“B-but…" Sora struggled to utter through gulps of air.

“Fucking go!" Lester growled. His paw glowed, causing a chunk of ground to separate the two royals. “I'll see you on the outside!"

Sora wasted no more time and poured power through his tattoos. "See you there…" His speed increased, he dashed out of the room and through the castle.

<--------------------------->

“W-wow…" Frederick gasped. “Did Lester survive?"

Sora hugged himself. If the man hadn't escaped the castle as well, he was as good as dead. Lester wasn't exactly a denizen of the castle and traveled a lot so he could be anywhere if he did escape, but knowing his father, they both had targets on their backs regardless. “I… I sure do hope so."

“I-if it makes you feel any better, I think you did the right thing. I know I'm just a kid, but you definitely have my respect." Frederick looked Sora in the eyes, smiling lightly.

Sora smiled back. “Thanks, kid… You're alright."

The room held a silence that neither of them decided to break for the rest of the night.