FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Mists gathered on the mountain, twisted and swirling before coming down and through the town at the base. The mists were heavy enough that it was difficult to see going up the mountain and more than that, the people took it as an omen that the spirits and oddities living among the forests and thickets were upset. It was a warning from the nine-tailed fox at the shrine that there was danger. Blood had been spilled on the mountain and the faint scent reached the as a trio of bandits set foot on the sacred stone. A boar, a bear, and a canine wearing bits pieces of metal armor along the chest, the boar sporting a helmet while the others had nothing else. Both the boar and the bear moved through the shrine without a care, grins on their faces, axe, and spear touched by a blackening hue of blood. The shivering canine had sat almost immediately as he stepped into the shrine, sword at his side while he looked down with a mess of hair covering his eyes. Clouds covered the moon, the mist gathering around the sides of the shrine but the bandits remained.

"It was a good haul." Said the boar with a snort as he threw down a bag in front of the young canine.

Quiet touched the air as the dog stared at the bag bulging with coin. It had indeed been a good haul.

The bear grunted and leaned down to plant a large hand on the boy's head, "We survive thanks to what we did. You pulled yer weight too so don't thinking it wasn't for nothin'." The bear then offered a gourd directly in front of the boy's vision, her voice a quiet murmur, "Should take some of the edge off. Or make y'puke, or both."

Just as he reached out to grab the gourd, he noticed for the first time where they were and Kei's voice came aloud, lop ears raised high, "We're holed up in a shrine?"

"Yes but don't expect any divine punishment. The townsfolk stay out of the shrine and the mountain in general when the mists are this thick." The boar grunted.

A small frown touched the canine's features as he clutched onto the gourd, "But aren't we asking for trouble if we're here getting blood on the stones? If we have to, then shouldn't we at least, I don't know, donate some of what we stole to the shrine?

Kei winced as the boar dug his axe into one of the stone markers on the ground and snorted, "Shut yer yap. What do we have to fear from a few rocks? A nine-tailed fox that calls the mists and protects those who follow the marked paths? Superstitious nonsense. What safety were those afforded that ran into us?"

The canine's ears dropped as he muttered, "I guess so."

More words were about to be exchanged before the bear whistled and motioned toward the other two. Kei got up and the boar retrieved their axe as a figure appeared through the mists behind the tori gate. Their shoulders relaxed a bit as they all saw it was a white-furred fox with ink colored hands and markings along the face. Only one tail tipped by that same inky color flowed behind them and they wore a haori of deep blue with a gust of mist drawn on the back and passing over one of the sleeves. As the trio saw the katana looped through the sash the fox wore, they gripped their weapons tight.

"It is a nice evening, isn't it?" Asked the fox aloud while approaching.

The bear took the front with her spear pointed at the fox, "Not another step."

Another step echoed in the area as the fox tilted their head and hummed, "Why would I not take another step? I simply wish to talk. There is nothing to fear from one lone fox with a sword, is there?"

This time, the board spoke up, "We've lived long enough to know that any sort of samurai is a dangerous one and by the looks of it, you're a ronin since you don't fly any marks I know of."

"Is that so? Well, I'll have you know that I simply come here to enjoy the evenings and rest my head. The mountain air is nice here and the evenings provide a sweet chill. What are you three doing here?" The fox said with a smile.

Another step was taken and the bear rumbled, "I'm warning you. Keep pressing your luck and you'll make these grounds your permanent resting place."

This time, the fox did not stop approaching as they sighed, "I see...The blood on your weapon, the bulging bag by the pup there. You don't have to tell me. Busy night? Just trying to survive? I understand but I regret to tell you that I cannot abide by slaughter." The bear opened her mouth to snarl a retort but the fox spoke louder, the air suddenly shaking as the mists surrounding the grounds thickened, "I found them. Bloodied and ruined. Not simple wounds meant to kill but many gashes spilling warm blood onto the dirt and rock. Two merchants without weapons, who posed no threat to anyone, who probably gave themselves. At the same time, you three are brought down low. An orphan...Two soldiers broken by old wars and no longer needed. I can see that, I can feel your pain but is there no other way? Surely with that coin, you could find a place to rest in the town below, surely there would be someone kind enough to help you find work? You are all strong after all."

The hackles rose on the necks of the bandits as they took a step back, Kei speaking with a hush, "How? How did he know?!"

"Shut it." Snarled the boar while he stepped forward, "I don't care who the hell this ronin thinks they are. We can't give up this life. We can't escape what we've done to survive. Don't you fucking try to lecture me! What the fuck do you know of our lives?!"

Metal began to wail and sing in a slow tone as the fox drew their sword and continued walking, "I know what it means to starve, what it means to feel the cold dirt beneath you reaching out as if to grasp and take you away and what it means to survive but I cannot let you continue the way you are. Needless blood spilled for the sake of pleasure is unacceptable."

"They struggled! The merchant pulled a knife!" Kei said aloud.

The fox stopped and tilted their head, "And where was the knife? Did you see it? Did you take it? I didn't see a knife...Only two corpses stripped of valuables and left to rot."

Kei looked at the boar and their gazes met for a moment before the boar looked away, eyes narrowed, "Don't you look at me like that boy. We couldn't let them live."

"And why not?" Asked the fox.

Mist blew along the floor, engulfing ankles as the boar snorted, "Because they would have gotten help, they would have told someone about us."

With a hand raised toward them, the fox sighed, "And now the travelers on the road will know of bandits, will be more wary and perhaps petition a nearby lord for aid. What then, will you do when these mountains are protected not only by the divine but also by living steel?"

That brought a pause to the boar's words, his eyes looking down at the ground before they turned them back on the fox and charged forward with his axe swinging at the fox's neck. The fox's katana came up to meet the head of the boar's axe but where the axe struck, there was nothing but ink and mist. There was a moment where the boar stumbled forward and the fox simply stepped under the blow, both hands on the hilt of their sword as the blade reformed and sung through the air cutting the boar's throat. So this was it. This was how his life ended. He fell to his knees, blood spilling on the stone, hands coming up to try and stop the flow of life while his axe fell but when the boar clutched his throat, he noticed that the blood was gone. There was no warmth, no pain and when he pulled his hands away he found that he was entirely okay. Turning his head around, he looked at the fox with eyes that continued to grow wider as the mist gathered behind the fox and eight more tails formed.

"My name is Wel," Said the nine-tailed fox with a breath that seemed to scatter the mists beneath them, "I do not wish to kill any of you and I am begging you to find another way, to sit with me and talk of a life without this blood on your weapons. All of you are strong, you are capable of so much more...But I need you to put your weapons down."

Kei fell to his knees, trembling while the boar got up and grabbed his axe, the bear's eyes wide but her spear held aloft, "Flesh and blood!" Yelled the boar, "That's all you are! Whether or not you're a creature of the mists, a divine being as the townsfolk claim, or something else entirely it matters not! What help could you possibly provide us!? We're considered the dredges of this world because we couldn't stand up fast enough after being knocked down. The kid would have died if it weren't for falling in with trash like us?! So what? You want to make it all better? I don't believe it, I won't! Killing is all I know and death is all I deal in."

Wel's eyes turned toward the bear with a frown, "And you?"

"I've been with him far too long to step back from his side. All I can do is keep going. If he won't accept your offer then neither will I."

The canine reached for his weapon with shaky digits, searching for something, anything to hold onto to give him the strength to stand up and help the flawed individuals who pulled him from the cold but the boar rumbled, "Leave it. You'd just be in the way kid."

His hand stopped as if he had been slapped in the face, his eyes turning downward while the nine-tailed fox spoke quietly, "It doesn't have to be this way. All three of you could go with my blessing. I do not favor only the fortunate."

Wel had a few more words but they were stopped as the boar charged in swinging wildly. They avoided the flurry of blows and turned in time to avoid having their head skewered by the bear's spear. Both bear and boar moved in time with one another, swinging and stabbing whenever one or the other had an opening. Even in this, Wel could see beauty. They had been trained as weapons, as killers but given no recourse but to steal when the world had no more use for them. From the looks of it, they hadn't even been samurai, just common foot soldiers. Had they seen war? Had they been broken by the years of senseless bloodshed over land? Perhaps they had been given some boon, some sort of small stipend that would have let them live comfortably for a while but what could they turn to when that stipend was gone? They wanted to give them options, wanted to tell them that there was another life, but how could they? Desperation had once clung to their own eyes and it was only by furious spite and chance that they had become what they were. Even then, it had taken a long time before their anger had subsided. These were lives that did not have the luck, did not have the tenacity to weather the abyss again and again, and so, they were both broken. Both their eyes were sharp as they attacked Wel but the fox could see the emptiness. Whether Wel died or they died, to them it did not matter.

Brought back to reality, Wel ducked a swing and stepped in, a hand made of ink rising from the ground to grab the oncoming spear. The axe came down as if expecting Wel to make it past their formation, sword meeting the head of the axe and again it faded as Wel hopped back and grabbed hold of mist and ink with both hands as a spear appeared, their body thrust forward as they thrust toward the boar. Blood spilled in the night, the mists swallowing it as the bear's hand clasped the tip of the spear impaled through it. The boar had paused for a few seconds, eyes wide before they recognized a chance. He roared and charged around the bear to swing his axe. Wel let go of the spear as it faded to mist and hopped away admiring the tenacity and strength of both of them. More than that, Wel had been given a glimpse at their souls. A tear fell from their eye as they absorbed the information. They had appeared as cracked spheres of light with embers flickering through and within those cracks they had seen their pains, their woes. An axe cutting through the first innocent, orders that could not be ignored, a world of blinding bloodshed. A spear thrust through the heart of a friend, a betrayal too harsh for a warm heart to handle. These echoes would be remembered and Wel would see it that their spirits would not suffer. A spire of ink shot from the ground and the boar threw themselves to the side just as the bear came charging. Wel reached out with one hand to clasp the mist and cut as the sword was forming, blade cutting through armor, flesh, and bone. It was a sloppy wound but enough to halt her advance before they brought their sword back and jammed it into her heart. She hadn't even reacted. She could have but she had not.

The boar drove himself up to his knees and punched the ground, furious bellowing filling the night but he did not pick up his axe. Instead, he placed both hands on his thighs as he sat on his knees, eyes turned downward. Wel walked up to the boar and brought their sword up, the boar did not close his eyes and did not tremble as the blade came down on the neck. Blood stained the grounds of the shrine, their own heart shaking as they felt life seeping from the two corpses, the sound of a young man sobbing filling the air. Lights burned from the boar and bear, shifting and twisting, rising until Wel captured them both in one hand.

Kei stood up slowly, hand grabbing onto his sword and calling out, "Stop! Please! They've suffered enough haven't they?"

Wel looked toward the young canine with a small smile, "They have. With so much regret, they would be forced to wander this earth as spirits...But they were warriors, they were strong ones at that and were forced to do terrible things. I believe they deserve rest and I will make it so."

Both souls were let loose into the air, falling toward the ground until ink and mist swirled around them. Gentle whispers that made the young canine feel tired curled through the air. The fractured souls did not mend, did not heal but the embers within them seemed to brighten just a bit and they began to twist about one another until they faded away to a place where they could both rest with one another without the past.

"Will they really be happy now?" Kei said quietly.

For a moment, Wel wasn't sure whether or not they could speak without sobbing, but they held themselves together and spoke, "Yes. They were in pain constantly but could do nothing about it. No, the world around them did nothing about it and I was too late."

"Too late?"

Wel nodded, "Yes. If I had met them sooner then I would have presented them with options, with help and they would have perhaps been at a point where they could have trusted that. Would they have ever accepted my offers, you think?"

Kei looked at this divine creature uncertain what to think. There was a small smile on their face but they could almost make out something like pure beautiful anguish. They answered with a sniffle, "I don't think so. Not now at least. Both of them barely tolerated any help with simple things let alone the kindness of strangers. I...I followed them because there was no one else. What do I do now? I'm stained too, aren't I?"

"Anyone once stained, can be redeemed if they wish for it. The town down below will be open for you. There is an inn near the exit of the village heading to the mountain. The owners are kind and would gladly take another helping hand if you explain your situation. I believe even if you told them you had to kill, they would still take you in. Take the money and tell them you stole it too. Be honest."

The dog looked over at the bag of bulging coin and shook his head while letting his sword fall to the floor, "I can't...That belonged to them. They lied to me, pushed me into doing things I didn't want to but they made sure that I survived. How can I take that from them?"

With a sigh, the mists drained the blood from their sword before they sheathed it and leaned down to grab hold of the bag, "Very well. I'll put it to use for the town."

"Great nine-tails?" Said Kei in a small voice.

"Just Wel will do."

A moment passed before the boy could manage to chew out the word, "Wel...I know what they did, what we did was wrong but is it wrong that I fear you? That I hate you for this? That I feel so frustrated and angry?"

The tears were on the edges of the words but the boy did a good job of not sobbing as Wel answered, "It isn't wrong. It is only natural. Put that energy into living and making a new life for yourself. I'll always be around to accept your vitriol, your anger, so long as you do not use it to hurt anyone else."

Kei began walking away but as he neared the tori gate, he muttered, "Thank you."

And with that, Wel was alone. Their tails faded until there was only one and the mists began working on cleaning the grounds along with blue flames that swirled with black. Wel did not enter their home but instead climbed the shrine until they were sitting on the roof staring up at the clouds clearing to show the moon. It was full of a light that reminded them of the celestial realm. Sometimes, they wondered if they could let go of all their pain and exist there, would they feel better? Would it be easier?

Wel spent about an hour like that while the mists and flames worked. They kept their eyes fixed on the stars until they heard a voice calling for them, "Wel...Wel? Is that you up there? You okay?"

They turned their head enough to spot Cotton standing at the bottom of the shrine, the pink-furred rabbit watching them with a small frown. Wel gave their best half-smile and spoke, "I'll lie and say, never better but I think we both know you caught me at a bit of a moment."

Cotton clambered up the shrine to sit next to them, legs drawn up as she muttered, "What happened?"

Wel explained quietly what they had done, explained the lives of those they had taken and the one canine who had been spared. For a while, Cotton was quiet, her eyes regarding them while she frowned. When Wel finished, they felt something wet coming down their cheek and they brushed it aside.

"I see..." Cotton began before she looked up at the stars, "They desecrated the shrine grounds. They killed others in cold blood but you gave them chance after chance. You didn't want to but still killed them. Do you think they deserved it?"

They shook their head, "No. There are those that do. Those that I wouldn't bat an eye but they were desperate survivors. At the same time, how many others had they killed as bandits? How many times on this mountain would they have taken those safe paths and used them to kill and steal? I couldn't let that happen so I tried to push them away from it but not even showing them my power, not even snaring them would do anything. If I used magic to change their minds then it would have left them shattered as different people entirely, so what good would that have been? It would have been like killing them or worse. Perhaps if it was just that boy I would have toyed with him a little, played tricks on him, and urged him on a good path but those two were...They were already ready to die."

A weight pressed against their side as Cotton leaned on them and nodded, "I see and so here you are about to cry. Right now, I'm unsure of what to say, so what I will say is this. You've helped a lot of people and I have no doubts that you tried your best. That boy will have a better life most likely and even though it frightens me just a bit what you did, I understand. Keep your chin up and let's enjoy the night together for a bit, okay?"

Wel smiled and put an arm around her in response while closing their eyes and muttering, "Okay."