FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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Chapter One:

Childhood Memories

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Tobi ate the last of his hotdog, licking the sauce from his fingers. He was sitting on a bench across from an oval where some young teens were kicking a soccer ball around. He watched them idly for a while as he thought of what to do next. He honestly didn't have much of a plan. He had been pretty lucky hitch hiking as far as he had. That one guy had even shouted him lunch last Monday. Tobi didn't have a destination in mind.

He worked whatever jobs he could, wasn't silly with the money he saved and just took a ride whenever he could find one. He wasn't desperate to get anywhere in particular, so long as he wasn't too far from a forest or woodland. Dense cities were a bad place for a pack-less wolf.

It helped that in the event that he couldn't find decent accommodation or food, he could shift and find something to eat in the forests. As a wolf he had no problem curling up and sleeping on a sun warmed rock or on top of dense ferns. He sometimes preferred this over staying in town because he often attracted to much of the wrong kind of attention. He didn't mean to.

He wasn't a loud person. He would have liked to blend seamlessly into a crowd but he was just a bit to odd looking.

Tobi had always been a little to scrawny and delicate looking. His face was all soft curves despite having just had his nineteenth birthday. Pale green eyes, naturally long lashes and oddly platinum blonde hair gave him a ridiculously feminine look. He had tried dying his hair in the past but the colour never stuck and always seemed to wash out after a week or two. He couldn't help the way he looked. In such hot weather he couldn't even rug up under layers of clothing to disguise his mop of messy hair or thin frame.

He scrunched up his napkin and tossed in a nearby trashcan. Stretching, he felt his shirt ride up a bit, exposing his flat pale belly. He needed some new clothing. He had been putting it off but this shirt like so many of his others, was already too short in the length and arm. He wondered if there was a second-hand clothing shop in this town. He found some good stuff in there sometimes though the strong smells of mouth balls, bleach and washing detergent often forced him to leave early.

As a wolf, his sense of smell and hearing were better than a regular human. He, like all werewolves, had learnt to filter out background noises as best he could. A wolf's eyesight was not as complex as a humans' and many wolves he had known in his old pack had been colour blind in the red spectrum to some degree even in human form. Tobi was lucky to have fully trichromatic vision except for when he became a full wolf.

He had only arrived in this town the day before and was keen to do a bit of exploring. The forest, he knew, was very old and massive with a large portion of it set up as a nature reserve. He picked up his back pack and headed towards one of the footpaths, leaving the neatly groomed oval and carpark behind him, heading absently towards the street of little shops.

He tried not hunch his shoulders and walk purposefully. His old pack had always told him that he looked weak, that he looked like a victim. In their opinion, if he looked and acted like a victim, then they should treat him as one. He shivered, his hand going automatically to scratch at a thin scar on his shoulder.

He wasn't too worried about being recognised as a werewolf. He wasn't a mindless thing controlled by raw instinct. He wasn't bothered by blood or paralysed by the sound of screeching car breaks. In the vast human population, were-animals made up a rather pathetically small minority. Several times when he had been hitchhiking, he had carefully inspected local hot spots for traces of other weres but had only come across a single werelynx. The scent had been days old and he had not attempted to follow it.

He was just thinking about getting a milkshake from one of the little cafes when the sight of flaming auburn hair caught his eye. He turned his head and saw, with a flash of recognition, a girl about his age step into one of the shops. He stood frozen. He had to be mistaken, a trick of the light maybe. For a whole second, he had thought he had seen his childhood friend, Holly.

That couldn't be true though. The last he had seen of her was that late Autumn day. That moment in time had been seared in his brain, the rain pelting down and her terrified tear stained face as her father dragged her into the back of a taxi. He remembered trying to chase after the taxi, his paws slithering in mud as the vehicle got further and further away.

But that had been thousands of miles away and many years ago. Wolves didn't leave their packs. Holly was being taken to her new pack with her father, married in by pack law. Tobi hadn't been allowed to leave and she had not been allowed to come back. She couldn't be here. Still, his hear leaping in his throat he crossed the road, barely noticing the car that just missed him. He wrenched open the door to the shop, whose sign he hadn't even read. He stopped on the threshold, his legs shaking under him.

There she was.

Holly.

Taller now, hair longer, older but definitely her. The woman at the counter jumped in alarm at Tobi's abrasive entry. Holly turned her head to see who had startled her and froze at the sight of him. Her mouth fell open, her green eyes filling with tears in seconds. She moved away from the counter and stepped towards him in that graceful timidly way he remembered so well.

"Tobi?" she choked. He nodded, his backpack thudding to the floor. She ran to him, on instinct it seemed, and flung her arms around him. Tobi, being small himself, was still the same height as her. He returned the rib cracking hug that she gave him. Her scent was so powerfully familiar, like daffodils and cheery wood. They just held each other for a long moment. Tears bit at the corners of his own pale blue eyes as he pulled back to get a look at her. Her expression of wonder and excitement swiftly turned to one of fear and worry as logic set back in.

"What are you doing here!?" she asked in a choked voice.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here!?" he spluttered, gripped her arms tightly.

"I..." her lip trembled. The woman behind the counter gave an awkward cough.

"Umm, can we get some coffees please? And a table?" he added. The woman was a little pink in the cheeks as she nodded. She indicated to the table furthest away in the back corner. He smiled at her gratefully. Taking his backpack in one hand and Holly in the other he almost ran to the table, desperate to find out what became of his only friend.

"I ran away," she admitted in a tiny voice once they had settled. He held her hand. It was shaking in his. Holly had always been shy. He could only imagine how afraid she would have been and how much courage it would have taken.

"It took years. I'm not proud of that," she whispered; her lashes thick with tears. He handed her a napkin. She took it and dabbed at her eyes.

"I was so scared they would track me that I didn't even take anything with me, just the clothes I was wearing and as much money I could collect from my own savings and the wallets the other left on the counter." She had to stop then, her voice cracking. They were quiet for a minute as the waitress brought them their coffee. Holly took a tremulous sip.

"What about you though?" she said quickly. She suddenly looked around as though expected Nathan, their old alpha to pop up in the front window.

"I left two years ago." Tobi said, wrapping his hands around the coffee cup to absorb its warmth. Her auburn eyebrows rose.

"Who are you with then?" She asked sceptically. Tobi gave her a weak smile.

"No one," he replied. Holly nearly spilled her cup.

"You're alone!?" She rasped, looking panicked again. It wasn't in the nature of wolves to been in isolation. Occasionally, a much older wolf may separate his or herself. A young alpha may leave to start his or her own pack but for the most part, non-dominate wolves stuck together. It was safer and it was instinct. It was an instinct that Tobi had learned to bury.

"You've been alone for two years?" she hissed out the statement as though it was something utterly sacrilegious. Admittedly, his situation was unique. He knew of wolves who had moved packs but only rarely had he heard whispers of a wolf staying out of pack all together.

"Yes." He said simply. To his great concern, her face lost even more colour, making her freckles stand out like puncture wounds.

"You have to leave!" She whispered. She put down her cup rather hard, splashing its contents onto the tablecloth where it began to bleed out into the white fabric. Tobi began to feel the first tremors of panic himself now. His wolf could feel the anxiety and recognise the fear in Holly's scent and posture. Her being here, looking healthy but clearly afraid could only mean one thing. It seemed insane, the odds so unlikely and yet...

"There's already a pack here," he said, his throat dry. She nodded, her red curls tumbling over her shoulders.

"But... but there were no boundry markings! I checked," he said desperately. She pulled a face that was somewhere between disgust and misery.

"They don't leave any on purpose. It's how they acquire fresh blood," she explained. Tobi stared at her, dumbfounded. A werewolf territory that wasn't marked or patrolled on the boarders? That was unheard of!

"You have got to get out of here. They are the worst kind of werewolves Tobi. They're collectors. If they see you, they'll either take you or kill you," she said, already rising out of her seat.

"You have to get on the next bus, leave the boarder before they know you are here or the black sentry will never let you pass."

"The what?" Tobi asked, startled. Holly rushed over to the counter to hand the woman some money for their drinks.

"Come on," she hissed, already heading for the door. Tobi grabbed up his back pack and followed her back out into the street on wobbly legs. She was practically running down the street, Tobi catching up in a few rapid strides.

"Holly, slow down," he panted.

"I can't! We have to get you on the bus," she said desperately.

"Come with me," he said. She actually stopped running and turned back to face him.

"I can't," she croaked miserably.

"Why not? This isn't like last time. We aren't kids anymore! We're both older now. We can look after each other. We can go, just like we always said we would." She stared at him with desperate eyes and he could see the longing in them.

"I can't. The bus drivers all know me. They know I'm pack. They won't let me on," she said in a small voice. Tobi's jaw dropped.

"What!? That's-"

"It's not their fault. They're scared," she said, cutting him off. He frowned.

"What, you mean they're human and they know about the pack?" he spluttered, dumbfounded. She nodded sadly.

"So do the local police and most of the shop owners. There is no help for us here Tobi. Andrei's word is law here, even to the humans," she breathed.

"Andrei? He's alpha here?" She gave another nod.

"Yes. And Loana, his mate," she added and gave a little shiver. He just stood there. He felt like his head was swelling under the mass of information that had just been dumped on him. He looked at her. He couldn't leave her here. Not again. Not after last time.

"The bus!" she gasped. An old blue and grey bus was trundling towards them from the end of the street. She grabbed hold of his arm to drag him over to the bus stop sign, its faded yellow letters half peeling on one side.

"I can't leave you here," he said hollowly.

"You have to. I can't leave but it's not too late for you." Her voice broke slightly on the last word and she wasn't looking at him. He pulled her arm from of her grip.

"Tobi!" she practically shouted, whirling around.

"No," he said.

"I'm not leaving you. Not again." The bus rumbled closer. Holly looked from it to Tobi, her face stricken.

"You don't know what it's like here. What they're like!" she said desperately. Closer. He could smell the exhaust fumes. It made him want to cough.

"It can't be worse than from where I've come from," he said bitterly. She hesitated. She could see the resignation in his face. Her lips parted. The bus's engine growled closer. It was nearly level with them.

It went passed.

"Let's go find somewhere to sit down. We can catch up properly," he said, his stomach churning sickeningly. The wind picked up, sweeping back his platinum curls as it pushed her red ones out in front of her. Her soft green patterned dress fluttered around her legs.

"You'll change your mind," She muttered weakly. He shrugged.

"If I do, we'll go together." He could tell she didn't believe him.

"So, when do I meet this alpha?" he said in a falsely bright voice. She just shook her head, her lovely face looking oddly ashen in the sunlight.

"You won't have to wait long. He'll come to us. By now he will have already been told you are here," she said wearily.

"How!?" he spluttered.

"I told you. Most of the shop owners are loyal to the pack." They walked rather slowly down the street. Was it his imagination or were the few pedestrians on the street purposely avoiding their eye?

It was so odd. This strange coagulation between the bright sunny day and the pretty little shops against the dark heavy mass of worry, fear and doubt he felt. His hands were trembling. He had struggled so hard to escape his old pack. It had taken him so long and now he could very well be right back where he started. Or worse.

No.

No, not worse.

He had Holly, and she had him. They were together again and he wouldn't leave her again. A sleek silver car pulled up on the curb beside them. Tobi looked at it, puzzled. Holly sighed and opened the back door.

"Get in," she said. The windows were tinted and Tobi couldn't see the driver but as the door opened, he could smell the scent of other wolves. The hair on the top of his arms stood up. Nervously, he did as he was told and she climbed in after him. The driver didn't turn around or speak to them.

The car pulled smoothly away back into the traffic. Tobi looked over at Holly. She took his hand and squeezed it very tightly but didn't say anything. they drove for about fifteen minutes, leaving the little town centre and pulling onto a country road. It wasn't long after that the car turned left up a winding drive that turned to cobblestone.

Tobi felt his mouth fall open. The wealth of a pack was generally pooled in one place. His old pack had lived in a mansion with the high-ranking wolves getting the best rooms whilst the lesser wolves got the smaller servant quarters.

Here, it was like its own little village with beautiful little cottages on either side of the road, each with a little flower garden or hedge. At the end of the drive was a massive one-story manor house that stretched out in front of them in a wave of white brick and polished timber.

The car pulled to a stop in front of the massive front doors. Holly climbed out and Tobi followed on numb legs. The front doors opened and Holly went up the front step and into the entrance hall. With one final agonizing glance back at the road behind them, Tobi followed.

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END

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