FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sky darkened further and further into a solid grey, bringing along with it more rain and fervent thunder. While Norton was practically soaked to the bone, he didn't dare complain when both of his compatriots were covered in a dripping wet mess of fur. Instead of road, the ground was now a long puddle of mud that dared to penetrate Norton's flimsy boots. The passing carriages were a terrible tease. Beacons of dryness that passed on by him without a second thought. It was certainly nice to be in the company of other people again, no matter how uninterested they were. Civilization felt like a rare commodity, especially after the mess of the last town.

After much wading, the group reached a massive stone wall with a set of large metal doors leading into what Norton hoped was the town proper. Judging by the buildings just beyond it, the man figured, his hopes might come true. Naturally a group of guards meandered about the front of the gate. It gave Norton a sense of security, but also slight worry that his partners were wanted criminals. He couldn't shake the thought on their way through. Ava nor Lydia showed any hesitation, so he tried to continue on as casually as possible.

Passing the arch was nerve wracking, but none of the guards made a fuss. A few appeared taken aback or disgusted, from what Norton could see, though thankfully they didn't stop the group. The beast-women proceeded forward without a second look. Norton let out a sigh of relief and walked on as casually as he could.

The town was a breath of fresh air. A proper brick-laid road began just at the mouth of the gate, allowing the group to find proper purchase on the ground. The buildings themselves, while a little aged, definitely held up properly and were laid out in a sensible manner. From what Norton could see, anyways. “See a store yet?" he whispered to the other two. The rain began to hurt somewhat with how hard it came down.

“Not yet," Ava said. Lydia shook her head.

“Could we get out of the rain at least?" Norton shook his head, throwing off some of the water that coated his hair.

“Fine, fine, anything for you," Ava said with a laugh. She nudged Lydia and pointed to a nearby alleyway. The group shuffled in and settled against the chilling brickwork. Norton let out a relieved sigh and wiped his mess of hair out of his face. Ava shook vigorously like a dog would, sending water every which way. The human smiled and stifled a laugh. “That's better." He looked to Lydia, who extended her tongue out and brought her armored hand up to her mouth. She paused and sheepishly closed her mouth. Instead, she opted to slick her hair back.

“I don't think I've been in a harbor town, what about you two?" Norton asked, trying to pass the time.

“Who would want to go out on the ocean? Stuck in a small boat all day, sounds like hell," Ava said. Not exactly what he asked.

“No," Lydia replied.

“Wouldn't it be nice to sit out on the ocean once and while? No cares at all?" Norton asked.

“I have no cares at all, and I don't have to worry about the waves either," Ava said with a shrug and a smile. “And no one goes out on the water for anything other than fishing."

“Utter tedium," Lydia said.

“Right. I see." He leaned back against the wall. “I guess I romanticized it a little."

“Get yourself a nice fish woman and you can romanticize the ocean all you want," Ava said. Norton furrowed his brow. “Not to your liking, I see."

“I didn't mean it like that."

“Oh?"

“Don't get any ideas," Norton said with a sigh.

“I say Norton should stick with a lovely human. What say you, Lydia?" Ava fluttered her eyes, or rather, eye.

“I don't know what he likes." Lydia tilted her head and looked to Norton. “What do you like?" She put emphasis on the 'do'. Norton was annoyed that Lydia of all people would go along with Ava's prodding questions.

Ava gasped in delight. “That's a wonderful question. What do you like, dear?" The set of eyes on him was frankly worrisome.

“I'm not a judgmental person."

“Oh"—Ava looked to Lydia—“he's dodging the question. Hmph, figures." A clear grin was visible on her face.

“It's a sudden thing to ask," Lydia replied. “Sorry."

“Well, what do you like then, Ms. Ava?" Norton asked. Calling her 'Miss' began to feel awkward.

Lydia was quick to answer for her and said, “Someone willing to bring in money and alcohol."

“That's not a bad answer, really." Ava nodded. “I'd like to think I'm not as shallow as that, though."

“You'd like."

Ava shooed Lydia away with a hand and looked in the opposite direction. “Always picking on poor old me," she joked.

Norton peeked out of the alleyway. The streets were relatively empty, but the buildings were alight with activity. The warm glow of candles shone through windows. Proof that while the town was at rest, it was still very much alive. He looked about for anything that could be a store, and a shelter from the chill of the rain. He looked back the other way, past his compatriots. More windows lit up by the comforting light of candles, and one of them stood out. It was larger and bore complex writing on it. “That looks like it could be a store," Norton said, pointing toward the beacon.

“Even if it's not, it's better than staying out here," Ava said. She shivered to emphasize her point. The group walked to the edge of the alleyway before making a mad dash to the store, going right back into the fray of the rain. The splash of water on the ground made them all the more soaked. They scrambled into the building and closed the door behind them. Norton took a moment to catch his breath, while the others walked straight off. After collecting himself, Norton was somewhat displeased to find it wasn't quite the useful store he was hoping for, but rather a gaudy place to sell jewelry and other trinkets.

Ava had already taken her spot at the counter, bothering the poor employee managing the store. Lydia watched on blankly just behind her, staring at the contents of the store. Norton sidled up to Lydia and merely enjoyed the warmth the interior brought. “If you'll excuse us, we'll be staying here for just a moment. Not long at all." Her fur dripped water all over the counter. The woman behind the counter was very clear in her expressions. She just wanted to be left alone. Ava leaned onto the table, sticking her rear out. “I must say, you have a lovely place here."

“You mind if I ask you something?" Norton whispered to Lydia. He continued to watch on with more interest than he cared to admit.

“As long as it is not relationship troubles."

“No, not that. I just wanted to know what we're dealing with. The person we're trying to avoid."

“A lamprey," Lydia replied.

Norton shook his head. “I said what we're dealing with."

“I know. We are dealing with a lamprey."

“And what's that?"

“A leech, with more teeth." Norton squinted. His face contorted into utter confusion and disgust trying to imagine such a creature. “I had thought the same thing." She looked over to Ava, who still happily chattered away to the poor girl. “Ava. If you would."

“Fine, fine. Sorry for bothering you." Ava gave a chipper wave and sauntered back to the pair. The employee gave a visible sigh of relief. Norton could only mouth a 'sorry' and walked back to the front of the store. “I was thinking of something in red. Perhaps a nice necklace?" Neither of the two had a reply for her. “Never mind."

“Did you ask where we could find a general store?" Lydia asked.

“Ah, no."

“I'll do it. Dry off in the meantime," Norton said as he ambled off.

“Indeed I will." Ava nodded. “Somehow."

Norton approached the counter as carefully as he could. The girl seemed to turn away slightly, clearly not wanting another round of bothering. “Hello, sir," she said, less than cheerfully.

“Sorry to bother you, ma'am. We're travelers and we were hoping to replenish our supplies." The woman leaned to look behind him, no doubt at the imposing animal people. “Now we just came into town, but as you can see it's pouring rain and we can't exactly look around." She gave a hesitant nod. “So we would just like to know where we can find some food and drink. If that's not a problem." He held his palms up, trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible.

“If you go down to your right from here, and... and..." she trailed off. It was clear she couldn't take her eyes off the pair. “Past the statue and make a left." She nodded again. “You'll find a store there."

“Great, thank you very much." Norton retreated back to his partners with a sigh. As much as it wasn't the best conversation, it was refreshing to talk to a relatively normal human. “Found out where it is. Let's get going."

“It's still raining pretty hard," Ava replied.

Norton looked back at the employee. “Let's not bother her anymore. The alleyway is still free."

“Right back into the cold. How dreary!" She opened the shop door. “After you," Ava said with a smile.

_

Once the rain had eased off its near unending assault, the group moved quickly to the shopkeep's words. The rest of the town was similar brick and mortar, nearly exact duplicates of one another. Were there no landmarks, Norton figured it would be incredibly easy to get lost in this modern maze. Fortunately the statue made a recognizable marker. It was a typical metal statue made to celebrate someone, a soldier, Norton figured, based on the large sword in his hand. He would have taken the time to admire it, had he not been under the constant attack of the rain. “I could take him," Ava said as they passed the large work of art.

The girl's directions were indeed correct after all. At the very end of a long stretch of buildings lay a market store. It was surrounded by other shops of varying design. 'General Goods' was painted onto a large wooden board in red and yellow paint. It stood out proudly from the rain, as if beckoning all poor souls to it. Perhaps that was only in Norton's mind, as he considered his situation. Regardless, he still sped up slightly upon seeing it. He could hear Lydia let out an audible sigh of relief as well. Apparently even she couldn't stand the rain.

One final dash to refuge and they were out of the rain once again. Norton took a few breaths and shook his head. He was going to have to get used to all this movement. Lydia opened the door and they all filed inside, welcomed in by the heat. The store was as Norton hoped it would be, a moderately sized store with all the foods they could possibly need for a trek back to their starting point. There were other various goods, but Norton wholly focused on the food. It wasn't until that moment that he realized he hadn't had anything to eat all day. His stomach rumbled uncomfortably. “Poor thing," Ava said.

“Perhaps it's best if you select your own helpings first," Lydia said soon after. Norton wasn't sure if that was an insult.

“Let's just pick out what we'll be eating. Come on." A surprising amount of fresh fruits and vegetables were on display. He had never seen so many perishable foods and it was almost tantalizing. “Can either of you eat fruits?" he asked while admiring the bright coloring of the juicy morsels.

“We're not simple animals, dear," Ava said while clearly eyeing a large slab of meat near the front of the store.

“Hello? Yes. Hello," someone piped up. Norton snapped to the sound of the voice. “Over here. Yes. Here." A green figure waved to the group. “Here I am. Run the store. Here. What do you need?" It was a kobold, or at least Norton assumed it was a kobold. A small little reptile with bright green scales and an adorable set of horns. A darker and more lustrous patch of black scales ran down its head. Norton assumed it was female from its lithe form and chipper voice, but he had never actually seen one in person. At best, he knew one of their scales made a good addition to a cleaning solution.

“There's the culprit now. Better get your shield back, Lydia."

“Hush."

“Speak up, speak up," the creature chattered.

Norton was quick to step forward. “Hello, erm..." And just as quickly he froze up as he was unsure how to address the creature.

“Kunka," the kobold said, pointing to itself. “I am Kunka."

“Yes, Kunka. I am Norton and-"

“Hello, Mr. Norton." It waved.

“Yes, hello. We're travelers and we were hoping we could get enough food for two or three days worth of travel."

“Travel where? Nothing. Nothing is that far from here. Nothing."

“Ah, we're heading back to Hull on foot."

“Why foot? Horse— Carriage. Carriage makes a day!" Well, Norton had learned one thing. They're certainly curious creatures.

“We don't really have the money for a carriage. Especially not for the three of us."

“Boat? Water. Cheap." It tapped its chin.

“We are not traveling by boat," Lydia quickly responded.

“Ah, felid. Hm. Too much water. Won't like it." Kunka shook its head. Ava tittered.

“I've got a question for you, Ms. Curious Kunka," Ava started. So she was a girl. The wolf walked forward and leaned onto the counter. “How did a little thing like you get to run such a big store?"

Kunka snapped her fingers and a small puff of blue flew out of her hands. “Ice magic. Easy. Keep everything fresh." She nodded proudly. Norton was astounded to see such a diminutive creature perform something like magic.

Ava looked back at Norton. “How come you can't do anything like that?" He shrugged. “Anyways, like our pink friend said, we need some food for a few days. I think a good amount of meat will do us well. Oh, and some fruits for him."

Kunka sized up the trio, looking up and down their forms. “Humans are biggest eaters." Norton felt a bit awkward hearing that. “Pack lots of fruit and meat for him." She hopped down, nearly disappearing behind the counter, before reappearing on the other side with a hefty basket. She tottered along the market and daintily picked out all the little bits of food. “Keeping fresh is extra."

“We can do without, thank you," Ava replied. “And some fish for my dear knight."

“That's not necessary," Lydia said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Fish is cheap. Take plenty." Kunka stopped. “Humans eat fish?"

“Yes. Yes we do." Norton nodded.

“OK. Yes. Plenty of fish." Kunka nodded repeatedly in tune with Norton. “Funny. Cat doesn't like water. Fish in water. Cat like fish." She rounded off her basket with a topping of raw fish and handed it off to Ava. “Have a spot to carry that? Bags free for more than a hundred gold purchase!"

“We have a good person to carry it, yes," Ava said with a smile. She held the basket up to Norton, who quickly went to work packing away all the perishables into a bag to then shove into the mess of a pack that he carried, but set aside an apple for himself. He was feeling less like a medic and more like a fancy chest with legs. At least he was getting paid either way. “And how much is that?"

“Thirty two gold," Kunka said near instantly.

“That was quick. Didn't even weigh it."

“I know the weight. I know. Pay up. Pay up now." She stuck her hands out and greedily presented her palms. Ava pawed through her pockets and accumulated all the pieces, dropping them into the kobold's green hands. “Very good. Good business."

“You deserve it," Ava said. “Say, you remind me of another cute little thing. She was also good with bits of magic. Do you perhaps have a sister?"

“Yes. Yes, one sister. Mehni."

“That's the one. She helped us with a little task. Happy to see the family line doing well!" Ava patted the reptile like a child, clearly much to her chagrin.

Lydia stepped in. “Do you mind if we stay until the storm passes?"

“Stay. Paying customer. Do look at more products!" The sound of the front door opening rung through the air. “Ah, welcome!" Norton turned to look at the door as he bit into his apple. He nearly choked on the piece once he saw the thing that squirmed through the door.

“Mammals," it wheezed, “where are your manners?" It was slimy, and large. A beast-man. Droplets of water slicked off of its hide, which lacked clothing. It instead wore something of an odd net, with proper coverings. It had less of a head and more of an elongated tube that came to a sudden stop. Two sunken eyes peered at the group. And its mouth. Its mouth lacked a jaw and sharp teeth threatened from the rim of its long lip. Lydia pulled Norton behind her, where he continued to gawk at the monster.

“We don't need to do this here, fish," Ava said grimly. “We know how this will end, and we'd rather not deal with the law here. Let's go our separate ways."

“I need to pay you back for your stupidity. Who would have guessed you would be dumb enough to meet up with the lizard's sister?" It let out a raspy laugh. Norton looked at Kunka, who quickly slunk behind Ava. “Did you buy a pet with your blood money? What is his name?" Norton froze.

“You were right alongside us when we made that choice," Lydia replied. “You could have left all of that behind, as we did."

“And miss out on more riches?" The fish creature produced a large vase and took a swig from it. As it tilted its head up, the entirety of its frightful maw came into view. It was all teeth. All of it. “The perfect scapegoats for my rightful place." It took a step forward, while water dribbled from its mouth.

“Don't," Ava commanded. She drew one of her many blades.

“He didn't expect to be struck down. Did he?" it asked, clearly ignoring the wolf. It took another step forward. “How many hacks from your blade did it need?" Ava growled and tossed the knife. It struck the creature squarely in one of its large shoulders, causing it to hiss. It pulled the blade free and tossed it aside like a toothpick. “Too hotheaded, as usual." It charged forward, straight for Ava.

“Move," Lydia said. She shoved Norton off to the side, sending him to the floor. Lydia pulled her sword free in one swift motion and smashed into the creature with the brunt of her shoulder. Norton scrambled away and stuck to the wall, watching the battle from an uneasy distance. Lydia shoved her sword into the mess of teeth, straight through the middle. A loud screech of metal erupted from the clash. Lydia began to visibly shake as she struggled to push forward. The lamprey barely seemed to exert any strength. “Ava!" The wolfess dashed around to the fish's other side and stabbed directly in its back.

The lamprey tossed the sword downward with the flick of its head. It threw a punch at Lydia, who barely managed to avoid it. Ava jumped on its back proper and came down on its neck with another blade. Norton could only guess she hit her mark as a spurt of bright red gushed out onto the floor. Then, in a horrifying move, its head flipped backwards to snap at Ava. She let out a cry of anguish and pushed off of the creature. Norton's heart leaped and his mind forced him into action. Awkwardly he tossed his apple, striking the creature's head. It took mere moments for him to regret his stupidity. The thing faced him and bared all of its teeth. In the center a pair of incisors gnashed at him.

Lydia gave it a hard punch and retrieved her sword. The lamprey reeled from the strike. Just as Lydia was going to bring her blade down on the creature, it was suddenly obscured in a mist of blue. The smoke cleared, revealing the creature encased in ice. Norton quickly looked to the kobold, who was peeking over the counter, arm outstretched. “Guards!" a voice from outside screamed.

“Go. Customers. Go!" She barreled over the counter and held her hand on the frozen statue. A small glow of blue emanated from the spot. Norton nodded and rushed to Ava's side.

“I'm alright. Let's get going before the law gets here," Ava stressed. The apothecary stuck out his hand to help Ava before Lydia stomped over to her partner and picked her up. He then ran to the door and opened it for the two, trailing after them. He gave the kobold a wave just before he departed. They rushed past the encroaching crowd and into the maze of the city.

“Where to?" Norton asked worriedly.

“Away from here," Lydia said flatly.

“I'm fine, set me down." Ava gently tapped the feline's shoulder. A streak of red ran down Lydia's armor.

“She's bleeding pretty badly. We have to stop soon." Norton reoriented himself on Lydia's other side. “Do you feel woozy at all?" His professionalism struggled to override his fear.

“No. It's not that bad," Ava mumbled. The trio moved back into one of the alleyways. This one was cluttered with miscellaneous wooden crates, which would have to serve as simple cover for now. Lydia carefully placed Ava down against the brick wall. Norton quickly pushed her cloak aside to examine the wound. Several gashes of varying size ran down her forearm. All of them were bleeding, not as badly as he had first assumed, but still enough to make his heart drop.

His hands quickly went to work, producing all the necessary tools for the job. Cleaning away the cuts with balls of cotton and adding his own mixtures of cleansers to the wounds. Ava hissed, though made no protest. Lydia stood off to the side, peering past the crates. Occasionally she stole a look at the two. A subtle amount of worry visible on her face.

Norton pulled out a bundle of gauze and carefully wrapped it around Ava's arm. He made it firm but not uncomfortable. Trickles of red oozed through the bandages, staining the clean white. “I guess I should be happy I got my money's worth," Ava said with a laugh. Norton gave her a weary smile and continued on with his work, finishing it off with a cut of the gauze. Ava tentatively touched the wrappings, running her fingers across them.

“Don't use that arm, and try not to poke at it."

“Well, there goes my afternoon plans."

“I have something for the pain if you need it."

“What a lovely catch you are." She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You don't get my astounding looks if pain is an issue, sweetheart." Ava leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. There was something depressing about her response. She passed it off as a joke, but the pain was there. Norton cast his gaze away to the ground. His chest became very light as he looked back at Ava. There was a silent pause as they stared at one another. Her lips parted ever so slightly. Norton didn't think. He pressed forward.

The pair locked lips. It was a curious sensation, feeling her soft fur brush against his lips. Not an unwelcome one, though. His nose brushed against hers as they adjusted around, exploring just a little more of each other's alien mouths. Norton dared to inch his tongue further, gently caressing hers, sampling her mouth a tiny bit. She responded in kind, pushing forward into his. It was a wild taste. Animalistic in its flavoring. He wanted more. He needed more.

Consciousness edged back into Norton's clouded mind and he gently pulled away. They traded their stares again. Ava's ears swiveled and flattened. Her brow furrowed into uncertainty, something Norton hadn't ever seen her do until that moment. “We'd better get going," Lydia said. Neither of the two turned to look at her. Ava nodded and stood up uneasily. Norton contemplated what had happened for a moment before following suit.

“The guards are beginning their search." Lydia pointed off to distant armored men. “Either we move further into the alleyways or we leave now. Unfortunately I know of only one way out. The way we came in." She sighed. “We may have to go by boat."

“I doubt any of the transports are going to let us on," Ava replied.

“A few gold pieces might convince a cargo ship."

“Our money continues to dwindle."

“It's that or facing court."

“On to the boats, I suppose."

“Port is this way." Lydia motioned off to the left. “Come on, Norton." The human nodded mindlessly and followed after the two. His thoughts continued to replay that moment over and over in confusion. That was such a stupid thing to do. He chided himself repeatedly. Why did he do that? The taste of Ava lingered on his tongue. He tried to ignore it, and yet, one part of him embraced it.