FSE

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Chapter 1

Anu was beyond uncomfortable today. Today was a very important day but he was doing everything he could not to get out of bed. He heard a knock at the door and hid under his covers.

"My King! It is time! The Civeti will be here in a few hours!"

"Then I shall get ready in a few hours," he replied. The voice on the other side of the door was not having it, sliding open the door and wandering into the room. He looked down at his ruler curled up under his bed covers and gave a sigh, quickly pulling them off him before immediately regretting his decision.

King Anu apparently liked to sleep in the nude. His entire body was covered in pitch black fur with bits of gold coloring the rims of his ears, his back, his legs and even his nails. Anu had light purple eyes and was very physically fit. A well toned stomach and defined muscles, there was no doubt that he was attractive. His visitors' eyes even wandered down between his legs and caught a glimpse of his equally black furred sheath and testicles. This was far from the first time his guest had seen him this way but it didn't change from the fact that he should be a bit more dignified than he was currently.

"Lord Anu! Please dress yourself!" said the man. Anu groaned and sat up in bed, giving a big stretch before simply looking at his friend. The annoyance bringing him to the waking world was his advisor, Etruscan - or Etrus as he was so often called. He was almost entirely the opposite of Anubis, completely white fur with all the gold parts that would be on Anubis' body now being black on his own. His eyes were a dark brown and while Anubis was tall and fit, Etrus was smaller and thin, lanky and meek as well compared to the bravado of his master.

"What time is it?" Anu groaned, laying back down in bed. Etrus clapped his hands twice and the shaders for the room that kept out the light suddenly opened up, blaring the room with the bright yellow light of the sun. Anu groaned and covered his eyes with his pillow. Etrus growled and took the pillow away from him.

"It is nearly midday! The Civeti Queen and her entourage will be here in only only a few short hours."

"Then I still have time to sleep," Anu said, rolling onto his stomach. Etrus slapped the King's bare butt, making him jump in surprise.

"You and I both know it takes you far too long to get dressed! Now up!" Anubis could be heard growling before slowly rolling off of his bed to his feet, yawning and feeling his body crack as he stretched.

"You can be really annoying, you know that?"

"It's the first proper meeting between our people in nearly a century and I am not going to have you showing up to the meeting bare ass naked," the white furred jackal joked. Anu smiled.

"Would make a wonderful first impression." Etrus groaned, rolling his eyes before tossing a cloak on his friend.

"Come on. We don't have a lot of time." Anu stood up from his bed, refusing to wear the cloak offered to him but still walked out of the room.

"If I'm going to get dressed, no need to put on the cloak, huh?"

"Well, I mean... for modesty's sake maybe..." Etrus mumbled.

"Modesty is lesser people, my friend. Not me," Anu chuckled. Making their way through the palace, the guard along the way all saluted, many of them doing their best not to stare at his obvious lack of attire. Finally making it to the dressing room where he walked into the shower and cleaned himself up. Upon exiting, he was greeted by two servants who held his clothes for him, helping him get dressed. They tried to cut his hair for him but he stopped them, allowing Etrus to style it into locs that reached to his shoulders, the way Anu liked. They handed him a very sleek white and gold suit, a black tie to accompany it.

After he had finished getting dressed, Anu looked out of the massive window that showed the outside world. His world. His home. The country of Senu. Massive buildings and homes that stretched like an endless sea, a concrete jungle extending into the once arid desert. Seeing the various hovercrafts going about the city skylimits, drones and guards patrolling the city grounds and people simply going about their day, Anu smiled. He took a deep breath and looked back at his friend who seemed to already get what he was asking for.

"The city is safe and clean for the arrival of our guests. The guards are at every entry and exit so no one will enter or leave without them seeing. Shops and markets have been closed early and paid for their troubles, and the protestors have been dealt with." Etrus grinned and his friend gave a small chuckle.

"Very good. Those protestors however..."

"Dealt with non violently. I saw to it myself. Though one of them seemed adamant in his desire to 'Die for the cause'. But he is alive and imprisoned."

"Good." Anu thanked his servants for their help in getting him ready and walked with Etrus through the palace, the entire time being told information about how the day was to go and how to act with the foreign Queen.

"And for Rada's sake, please! Maintain eye contact!"

"I am phenomenal at it."

"You're phenomenal at keeping your eyes glued to a woman's chest."

"That was one time."

"Six times."

"It was not-"

"Six times alone I caught you staring at the the ambassadors from Nordria, four from the women of Itani to our far West, 11 from the women to our East who are completely covered up so how did you even-"

"Okay Etrus, I may have-"

"And that's not even getting into how many times you've been caught taking peeks at the women here!"

"Alright!" Anubis exclaimed, his face slightly aflush. "I will be as respectful as possible and keep my eyes level with hers."

"Wonderful," Etrus smiled. He looked over his tablet, sifting through some more reports and apparently checking something off.

"What did you just check off?"

"Do you remember the Civeti greeting for royalty?" He ignored his friend's question.

"Sëlak."

"That is the word yes but what do you do when you see them?" Anu stuttered for a bit before Etrus sighed. "She will extend her hand out to you, you will take it and lick her hand. Gently. Do not rush and do not linger. Too long and she'll think you're hitting on her. Too short and she'll think you're afraid of her."

"Such a strange way to greet someone," Anu frowned.

"And no more comments like that."

"Like what?"

"That! This is a very serious diplomatic event! It could determine the future of both of our nations. Hold still," Etrus said as he helped fix his friend's tie. "No rude comments about their culture, their religion, their language, their bodies especially," he said while tightening the tie closer to the King's neck who choked for a bit before nodding in agreement. "Be a gentleman and everything will fall into place. In time." The tie was loosened and fixed to make him look as perfect as he could before Etrus backed up and gently bowed down. Anu placed his palm on his friend's head.

"Thank you, Etrus." The white furred jackal stood up and smiled, his tail wagging behind him.

"Always a pleasure." Etruscan got a message on his wrist communicator.

The Civeti ship has passed the first checkpoint into Senu.

We are guiding them to the capital now.

"Perfect. They will be here shortly. We should go over some more of the customs before they arrive. A good first impression is key, Sir Anu."

"Yes yes," Anu chuckled, the both of them entering the nearby elevator before being taken down to the bottom floor.

*********

"This... is a mistake," said Sekhmet as she paced in the airship. She was a white feline woman clad in black armor and armed with a sword at her back and two guns at her hip. "We should have never agreed to this!"

"Sekhmet..." her Queen sighed. The woman wore a beautiful white dress with gold necklaces and bracelets. She was a completely black furred feline with large amber eyes and white nails, with long hair straightened out.

"We should have brought them to our nation. A better show of trust. They have never come to our-"

"Sekhmet stop!" The Queen said firmly. Her whiter furred friend stopped in place before closing her eyes and bowing. "Your pacing is starting to make me nervous."

"I am sorry, my lady."

"We cannot change our decision. We said we would be there and we are. Now sit down." Sekhmet hissed to herself before seeing her Queen glaring at her.

"Y-yes, lady Bast," she said quickly, sitting down next to her friend. Bast took a deep breath before leaning back against the wall of the ship.

"I'm hoping you will be less obvious about your fears when we arrive," she whispered.

"I will... I will try my best, Mizälik(Crown). But surely you can understand why I am so hesitant."

"Of course," Bast responded, standing up and walking over to one of the windows of the ship.

"I don't mean to question your wisdom in accepting-"

"Yes you do," Bast interrupted, giving a small smirk. The white haired feline gave a small laugh.

"Okay, maybe I do a little bit. But most of my fears come from this Anubis man. We know nothing of him."

"And that scares you."

"One should always fear what one does not understand." Bastet didn't say a word back, her tail gently waving about behind her. She was busy watching the scenery of the country of Senu. It was very different from her home. In nearly every way actually. She saw people speaking to each other plainly on the streets, smiling and joking and holding hands. Couples and families showing such public displays of affection were uncommon back home in Civet.

The city was very well kept, buildings reaching high into the sky and down below them were an abundance of shops and markets. Many of the buildings had long neon lights running along the sides of them, usually either red, yellow or orange. Her ship, with it's white exterior and blue light accents, stood out almost defiantly.

The streets seemed devoid of cars but were rather filled with people all looking up at her ship in awe, some waving and calling out to her as if they wanted her to stop and speak with them. Some others however seemed a bit unhappy with her presence. She ignored them and returned to eyeing the city.

The ship had come to what looked like the inner center. There was a large open area filled with trees and some rivers running by with a large building right in the middle.of it all. Not the tallest building around but it didn't really have to be. One of the feline guards of the ship walked in and bowed before speaking.

"We have arrived, Mizälik Bastet. I have spoken with the King's assistant. He awaits us in front of the building. With the King." She nodded and he excused himself. She took a deep breath and looked over at her friend who simply nodded to her. The ship came to a stop on the landing pad in front of the building and opened up to let Bastet and her entourage out. Something they regretted almost immediately. The heat of this city was beyond overbearing. The ship was air conditioned so it protected them from anything too serious and the sun was blocked by some clouds but the heat nonetheless made them all uncomfortable beyond words. The guards and even Sekhmet groaned at the feeling while Bastet did her best to not show any sign of it troubling her.

There was a lull amongst the crowd of onlookers, stunned at seeing one of the Civeti after so many years. Some were stunned, others were furious. Even the guards couldn't help but take a look at the new visitors.

In front of them was a small band of Senu soldiers with a single white furred jackal leading them and a black furred jackal next to him. The white jackal was slightly shorter and had a delicate smile on his face and all of them bowed upon seeing the feline Queen and her countrymen, The black jackal speaking first.

"Sëlak, Mizälik Bastet(Greetings, Crowned Bastet)! Welcome to Aurum, the Golden City and capital of Senu. My crown home." His voice was deep. Not quite booming low but one that was almost at odds with his appearance. It took Bastet by surprise.

"I am Anubis Pharis Wepwawat VIII, King of all Senu... And your future husband." While he spoke with respect, Etrus' ear flicked for a moment.

"If you find him wanting, of course," he mentioned quickly. Anubis' eyes never left Bastet's, the two of them locked in a stare down for quite some time before they broke eye contact to wander over each other's body. This was not kind however. Far from it. It was brutal, scanning for imperfections and flaws. Anything to be used against the other. Not now. But maybe later...

"This," he gestured behind him, giving a small smile. "Is Etruscan, Vice of Senu and my chief aide." Etruscan walked forward and smiled.

"Isëk aunumai sisi enmür(I am pleased to see you)." He spoke with such an air of respect and flawlessly spoke in the Civeti language. Like he had spoken it his whole life. Sekhmet stepped forward and held her hand to her chest.

"I am Sekhmet, Protector of the Queen and head of all military affairs." She gestured to the man next to the Queen. A black and white furred Tiger striped feline with his visor hiding his eyes but an ever present smile on his face. "This is Khonsu. Our communications specialist and brother of the Queen. We demand you give him the same treatment you would the Queen herself." The feline bowed but never spoke a word.

"And lastly is the Crowned Queen herself, Highest of all who live in Civet, Mother of Felines, The verdant Monarch and blessing of the coast, Lady Hatshepsut Iset Bastet." At the mention of her name, she walked forward and extended her hand outward. Anubis took his steps forward and for a moment, the guards on both sides tensed up, readying their weapons as if preparing for an attack. Anubis simply took her hand, leaned down and licked it. Her tail twitched behind her. Dogs and their gross tongues. At least he knew how to greet her.

"A beautiful name for a stunning woman," Anubis said calmly. He released her hand and she nodded, Khonsu writing something down on his tablet. He looked up and saw the flurry of drones flying overhead.

They flew through the area, each going about to do whatever it was they were programmed to do. One drone in particular flew down to them and displayed a holographic image of an androgynous jackal, mostly white fur with pale green markings lining their body as well as long green hair.

"All of these drones are controlled by our own communications specialist: Thoth! Say hi, Thoth."

"Hello everyone! Should you ever need anything from me at any time, simply call out to a drone and I will respond. I promise!" Their tone was very chipper even though their voice had an electronic resonance to it. It sounded as if two voices were speaking at the same time, one high and the other low, and as the sentence continued, the voices merged together before separating again.

"Might I ask the purpose of having both drones AND in person guards around your capital?" Bastet asked.

"We have them like this all over the city actually. And we learned that while drones can be dispatched and deal with threats in an easier way, there are some problems that require a more direct and personal touch. People are less likely to run from drones, but the King is less scary if he has a police force with a face. Thus..." he gestured to one of the guards, a woman who stood at attention.

Khonsu watched all of the drones in utter amazement before Sekhmet nudged him.

"Stop being such a kitten! We have drones at home too." He pouted at her chastisement and looked over at the female guard. She looked over at him and gave a wink which made his heart skip a beat. Sekhmet rolled her eyes.

"Well, shall we go and... announce the news?" Anubis asked, looking directly at Bastet. She was busy looking at the architecture of the building before looking out at the large mass of people and the podium in front of them. She then turned to meet his amber eyes.

"Yes. Let's," she said simply. The two of them walked up together and stood in front of the podium. They stood next to each other and Anubis took the microphone.

"People of Senu," he began. "Today is a historic day for both Senu and Civet. Their magnificent Queen has agreed to put an end to nearly a century of distrust, and espionage done by our forefathers and mothers." His speech went on for a bit and all the while Sekhmet and Etrus kept an eye on the audience. Anubis had finished his speech just as Bastet had taken a step up to the podium. There was some rumbling in the crowd as she spoke, doing her best to keep her tone neutral but still firm enough to command respect. This is something that would take some getting used to.

Etrus and Sekhmet continued their scan of the crowd, making sure things were in order as they stood by each other's side. They looked at each other for a moment, Etrus smiling but Sekhmet rolled her eyes.

"See anything in the crowd?"

"Aside from the glaring eyes and snarling muzzles of Jackals? Nothing much."

"You and I must be looking at different crowds. I see a lot of smiling faces. Some children are in awe."

"They hardly know us, Etruscan."

"All the more reason to rid yourself of that scowl. First impressions and all that." He looked at her and saw she was focused on the crowd, her frown unmoving.

"What if these are the first impressions I want to give?" She retorted. Etrus took a deep breath but smiled and returned his eyes to the crowd. Things seemed normal... but then he locked eyes with a strange looking man. Black furred but a scarf covering much of his face. Not uncommon wear in Senu as a whole but whenever in the presence of royals, you always showed your face. To do so was rude... and more than a little suspicious.

They both kept their eye on him before seeing that there were quite a few other men and women like him, worming their way through the crowd. Etrus told the guards to apprehend all of the hooded individuals in the crowd but suddenly a large explosion could be heard from further into the city. Then another. Then even more traveling closer and closer until Etrus rushed at Anu and Bast, tackling them to the floor.

"Everyone get down!" he shouted as the last explosion went off not far from the podium. The blast was huge, knocking countless people away and scattering them over the street. Some... violently so. At first it was hard to see, a cloud of black covered Etrus' eyes and his ears rang from the explosion and his whole body ached. The ringing slowly started to fade as he heard the sound of gunfire, people shot and groaning. He heard someone calling his name and slowly opened his eyes.

His vision was blurred and burned, forcing him to keep them closed for a time as he was slowly dragged behind some cover.

"Hey!" called a muffled voice. It was hard to discern but the voice sounded female, screaming in his ear before he felt a slap across his face. "Wake up, Jackal!" She exclaimed. Etrus pulled himself awake to the sound of gunfire and more explosions, someone screaming as they flew over their cover. Sekhmet took the gun from the nearby fallen guard and shot at two of the robed men, taking them out with ease.

"What... what happened?"

"My guess?" She shot another robed man. "Those 'smiling faces' you saw weren't what you thought!" She ducked back behind cover, Khonsu trying to get his tablet to work.

"Where are Anu and Bast?" Etruscan said as he fiddled with the communicator with his arm. It was busted and the screen was cracked, unable to provide him any useful information.

"I lost them in the explosions! We need to find them!" Sekhmet exclaimed. Khonsu rushed over to Etruscan's side.

"I can help find them! I just need a working piece of tech!" Khonsu remarked. Etrus nodded and talked into his earpiece.

"Thoth, all drones will work with Khonsu for the day! Every feline in the city is to be helped however they can!"

"Yes sir!" the voice said over the earpiece. Etrus gave it to Khonsu who was greeted by a pleasant voice. "Hello, Sir Khonsu. Shall we save our King and Queen?"

"Yes please," he responded.

"There is a communication tower not far from here that is connected to the drones in the area." Etrus said. "Get to it and Thoth will show you all the visuals the drones see. Use them to survey the city and guide us to the Monarchs. Sekhmet and I will cover the ground." Khonsu agreed and was given some guards to protect him as he ran off to the communication tower. Etrus and Sekhmet reloaded their guns, looking at each other for a moment.

"If your Jackals harm one hair on the Queens head, I swear-"

"Trust me. Anyone dumb enough to do this are not my Jackals. You can do whatever you please to them."