FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

(Author's note: This chapter's a little bit low on smut, and is from a different character's point of view. It will switch back to Russell in the near future.)

Far away from Russell's home, over hills, through forests, and past a small mountain, an undersized kingdom would receive word of their fantastical exports.

Mimid was far from a superpower, and its land was taken in large chunks by its surrounding neighbors every time it showed weakness. Only around four hundred miles remained, and officials lived in fear that they would give up more to appease their greedy neighbors. Its people were poor but patriotic, and many would rather die than give up their homes.

One day in the middle of spring, Mimid's king called for his eldest son. Haggard and sickly as he was, it was clear that his position had taken its toll. Those sharp brown eyes were as discerning as ever, and his voice still held a regal dignity. "Gregluin. I require your assistance. If we are to regain our lands, we must secure the source of these wondrous weapons." A dagger held in his shaking hand flashed crimson with flames, and its jeweled handle caught the light, accentuating its glittering splendor. "I've heard rumors of a boy in a wagon selling these to adventurers near our borders. Find him."

Greg's eyes lit up at the sight of the gloriously blazing blade. Far from the dings and dents of their standard-issue weapons, the beautiful edge was wickedly sharp, and as he took it from his father's trembling hands, he felt as if he could take on an entire enemy battalion with just its splendor. More of these would turn the tide of war and set Mimid's place within history books.

His best knights outfitted themselves with what little equipment they could scrounge from the sparse armory. Ragtag bunch as they were, he would trust any of them with his life, and the defeated state of their eyes brought pangs of guilt to Greg's heart. Their sorry state was his family's fault. If only there were a way to give up their country without loyalists losing their heads.

Greg shook off his melancholy and saddled his horse. He had a job to do. His blonde hair glistened with sweat, and his intelligent grey eyes set themselves with resolve.

The road was far from safe, and more than a few times, Greg found himself hiding as a rowdy bunch of orcs marched past on their way to new conflicts. Their grizzled faces and glistening muscles promised death to any they stumbled upon, and he was thankful once their warbands moved on. His men wouldn't stand up to such a bestial onslaught.

Thankfully orc lands passed quickly, and their pace could quicken. Through dense forests and across stretches of flat plains, and through weeks of travel, Greg let his mind wander to his destination. What would he find when he arrived? What sort of legendary blacksmith could create such wondrous works? Was it the merchant boy? Or was he just some sort of go-between?

The prince daydreamed, his gaze wandering to the side of the road. His lip curled in disgust. Dirty beasts in tattered rags toiled miles below in a makeshift mine, and as he watched, wincing in sympathy, coarse men with whips drew crimson stripes across their backs. His own country used forced labor out of necessity, but they couldn't be this cruel, could they?

He looked away from the depressing sight. Mimid was far behind him, and interference in this country's matters could mean war. Still, he couldn't help but pray for their souls. If they couldn't find happiness in this life, let them spend eternity in comfort.

Barren wastelands gave way to a lush forest, and the pleasant warmth of the mid-day sun almost enticed Greg to remove his armor. Doing so would invite trouble, so he made do with a splash of water down his ornate chest plate. If he were to travel here often, he should get something less bulky to wear.

Reaching the spot that, rumor has it, the minotaur-drawn wagon would disappear into after its treks into towns, Greg found a trail of varying footprints leading into the dense trees alongside the unmistakable tracks of wagon wheels. Was there a town in these woods?

They followed the tracks, their horses plodding along the worn path. Trees opened up before them, and after a short trek, the forest gave way to a pleasant-looking town. There was something foreign to the buildings' design, and as Greg looked around in amazement, he noticed that the citizens were far from the norm.

Monsters. Varied in size, shape, and species, going about their days with smiles on their faces, engaged in various activities around the quaint buildings. To Gregluin's embarrassment, some of them seemed engaged in carnal relations.

Before the prince could react to the flustered feeling in his chest, he felt the point of a sword press gently against his throat. A man with long hair tied up behind him held an ornate sword to Greg's throat. Fully nude and covered in dense hair, the man grinned, and as Greg raised his hands to show he wasn't a threat, the man's bearded mouth opened. "Do you have business here?" His voice was cordial, but his expression showed a quiet resolve, and it was clear he wasn't above ending Greg's life if his answer wasn't satisfactory.

His half a dozen knights were in a similar predicament, and a hulking orc stood over them with a neutral expression alongside a tall rabbit man with a bow drawn. What was this place? Had Greg wandered into a trap? No, his father's information couldn't be faulty.

The prince cleared his throat and was about to launch into a longwinded speech worthy of his position when he felt the sword press slightly against his throat. "I am the crown prince of Mimid. We're here on a diplomatic mission. We want to commission the blacksmith that created this." He tapped the dagger in its holster at his side, careful not to make sudden moves. "Our kingdom would benefit from his help, and we promise to make it worth his while."

The sword removed itself from Greg's throat, and he felt a practiced hand remove his sword and shield from his side, tossing them to the ground. "Leave your horses outside of the village. We don't want to clean up after them." The hairy man pointed past Greg to his men. "And tell them to drop their weapons as well. Armor too. I don't trust you as far as I could throw you."

As they hurriedly complied, the orc stepped forward to gather up their weapons, and as Greg watched, he bent over, his emerald pucker on full display. As he stood up, he shot the prince a wink as if he noticed his stare, and Greg gulped. What kind of place was this? He felt dozens of hungry eyes fixated on him as he removed his breastplate and shirt, leaving him in nothing but a loose-fitting pair of underclothes.

They left their horses in a dense thicket, their ropes tied around a sturdy tree, and followed their nude and thickly muscled guide into the town. A heady, sweet smell drifted from one building, and as the exhausted and hungry men watched, a chubby beast with heavy hanging balls materialized from a building with a thin cloud of smoke rising from its chimney, with a tray of mugs and petite pastries.

Greg was hesitant to try the offered refreshments, but as their guide took one of the pies and took a hearty bite, any concerns of a poisoning attempt left his head. He took the offered treat, and as he bit into it, he almost moaned at the intense flavor. It was crispy and buttery, and the filling was delightfully tart, with a flavor that combined the mellow bitterness of tea with various berries. Royal chefs would die of jealousy with one taste! The drink was cool and sweet, with a floral hint that pleased the nose as much as the tastebuds.

Feeling a hand clap him on the back, he looked to his human guide. "Amazing, isn't he? Ko's food is the best in the kingdom. I don't think I could survive without his cooking." With a heavy swig, he downed his drink in seconds and continued. "Our leader won't be here for a few days, so I suppose you can make yourself at home. No fighting is allowed, but you can interact with anyone you like. I recommend the bathhouse. That place could relax a schoolmarm's tight ass. Oh, and try to stay in town, there's been some unpleasantness nearby, and we don't want to have to save your asses."

With that, the hairy human waved, scratching his ass as he walked back to his post at the edge of the village. He and his rabbit companion enjoyed a lively conversation, and his arm drifted around the other man's waist, his hand resting on that soft butt, just under the tufted tail. Was everyone here this open with their affections?

As his men cautiously wandered off to explore the town's varying delights, pastries clutched in their hands, Greg decided to visit the bathhouse, as the human had suggested. There was nothing similar in his palace home, and even he, royalty, couldn't bathe as often as he would like. He had to settle for a damp rag and a bucket most of the time.

Sumptuous and steamy, the bathhouse was more than the prince could hope for, and he became keenly aware of his stinking body as his nose took in sweet scents he couldn't identify, along with a heady hit of warm vapor. It was intensely relaxing, and as he stripped off his last remaining garment, he slipped right into the water with a tired groan.

His eyes fluttered closed, and the soft trickle of water melted the prince into himself. Only a faint clacking sound, as if something pointed clicked on the wood around him, could be heard, and suddenly he felt his weary head resting against something impossibly downy.

Above him, leaning over with a mischievous grin was the most ethereally beautiful creature that Greg had ever seen. Golden feathers mingled with bright orange in an elegant pattern, and the crimson eyes looking down at him above a smooth, flawless beak felt as if Greg could drown in their depths. A lyrical voice floated down to greet his ears. "You must be the prince Grom's telling everyone to entertain. I'm Luminos. Tell me, do you think I'm pretty?" Others would find his forward, attention-seeking tone annoying, but Greg found his confidence infinitely alluring.

Transcendent, beautiful, breathtaking, ethereal, gorgeous. None of Greg's words did his beauty justice. Was this what it was like to fall in love at first sight? He stammered, his words failing him for the first time since childhood. "You're captivating." Finally managing to release some portion of his smitten feelings, he felt the bird gently coax him to turn.

The rest of the phoenix was just as gorgeous, and Greg felt his cock swell to life in the warm water as his gaze drank in the soft curves of the beautiful man's tufted chest, following his plush, smooth stomach down to the cleft between his legs. He ached to explore that smooth slit, and he allowed his hand to reach out, rubbing over its impossibly silky lips. It was distinctly different from a woman's sex but still felt just as warm and inviting.

"Oh yeah? What's your favorite part of me?" The phoenix was coy, but his legs spread to allow those rough fingers to freely roam over his silken cleft, inviting them to explore his warm depths. Each soft, exploring thrust of those fingers made his chest heave with arousal, and Greg grew more enamored with him as those slick depths coaxed him deeper. Fingers felt along two distinctly textured channels, and the prince wondered how each would feel around his member.

"Everything. You're perfect. I- Will you marry me?" Greg's wits failed, and the sweltering heat of the phoenix's depths called to him. He slotted his throbbing member against that yieldingly soft cloaca, his desperate lips darting forward to meet the phoenix's in a demanding kiss.

Luminos's tongue was lazy, and as it drifted over the human's in an elegant oral waltz, his legs drifted around Greg's waist. He clenched with each prodding attempt to slide into him, and his fingers wandered down the laboring human's back to lovingly cup his smooth, hairless cheeks. Spreading his legs opened his warm tunnel, allowing that questing member to slide home, slipping into his lower passage.

Greg couldn't think. Unable to focus on anything but the heavenly grasp of that moist, deliciously heated tunnel, the human settled into a slow rhythm. Finishing seemed like an afterthought, and in fact, he hoped that their slow lovemaking would last an eternity. Crystalline feelings burst in his stomach with each needy slide, and soon he felt as if he would explode. His face buried itself in those delicate feathers, and he lost himself to pure sensation.

Lyrical coos encouraged the human's efforts, and soon the phoenix's body clenched tight around that plundering spire. Sticky seed flooded his silken tunnel, bathing Greg's cock in sweltering glory, and the human wasn't far behind, his cock discharging what felt like months of pent-up seed to be hungrily absorbed by the bird's silken cleft.

Even the phoenix's creamy cloaca was beautiful, and the smitten human drooled as he watched his half-hard member slip free from its clutching depths, its soft lips gaped and leaking. Half-lidded crimson eyes called to him, and he embraced the phoenix with another slow, reverent kiss.

This man. This beautiful, perfect, impossibly sexy creature would be his. Tradition be damned, royal succession be damned, his father be damned. His cock surged with renewed vigor, and he plunged back into the bird's welcoming depths, showering the bird in half-whispered compliments.

Hopelessly in love with the phoenix, the human could only spend every day partaking in his boundless beauty, stopping his tireless worship of Luminos's perfect body only when nature called or the ache in his stomach demanded sustenance. He was like a man possessed, and despite the carnal delights surrounding him, he only had eyes for his avian lover.

Even once the wagon returned, he was still buried deep within Luminos's depths while he spoke with the town's leader. The bird slowly slid along his length while he explained his home country's predicament, adding a stipulation that he would have to live within this paradise as his country's emissary. (A condition that he created himself, in his love-drunk state.)

Thankfully, Russell agreed with the prince's terms, and as he slid home to finish inside of his avian lover once more, they shook hands.

His men were just as enamored of the village, and they nearly came to blows over who would have to leave the erotic paradise. They drew straws, and the disappointed loser put on his clothes, luxuriating in one of the orc's demanding kisses before he hurried off to report on their discoveries. No doubt he would find any excuse to return. Their hopeless eyes had regained their spark, and Greg would often see them paired up with monstrous lovers.

Greg's fevered coupling wouldn't end until both the phoenix's abused cloaca and his pink cock were red and stinging with the abuse, and they lay in each other's embrace, the human softly caressing every inch of his avian lover. In apology for his relentless penetrations, his tongue flicked over the swollen avian vent, tasting their combined juices. Gentle and worshipful, he slid his tongue past those throbbing lips, exploring the dual tunnels within the bird's exotic anatomy with soothing laps.

Luminos's soft groans were music to Greg's ears, and he nearly buried his face to coax an orgasm from the phoenix's swollen hole when that musical voice rang out, slightly mournful. "Dearest... Can I ask you for something?" The phoenix's beautiful face twisted with anxiety, and he looked off into the distance. "Do you think the mines are safe?"

Mines? Lust cleared from Greg's eyes as he remembered the wretched creatures toiling within the mines earlier in his journey. Dirty faces exchanged themselves with Luminos's in his memory, and his blood boiled. Was that where his love was before they met? Had he ignored their plight in the name of duty? Or was he just too ashamed to confront himself?

"My friends were so sick. We didn't get to rest, and those who couldn't or wouldn't work got sold off so they could replace us with fresh fodder. Russell saved our lives, but we didn't know where to find the mines to free everyone else. They blindfolded us when they took us to market." Tears were gathering in his eyes, and Greg raised himself to embrace the trembling avian. "Do you think they'll have someone as kind as you to save them? Will they be alright?" He sounded so sad. Greg's heart broke, and he came to a decision.

"They do now." The prince's love-drunk expression had melted away, replaced by righteous anger. Luminos was asleep and couldn't hear his promise, but he would follow through anyway.

Striding from their little love nest and walking with purpose to his men, he told them his plan. They broke from their lustful activities, and as he explained his plan, horror dawned on their faces. For the first time, they looked at the monsters that had so graciously taken care of them and compared them to those they passed days ago. There was no difference between their newfound friends and those pitiful creatures. Their faces paled.

Weapons found their hands, and as they snuck off in the night, Greg's thoughts turned to Luminos's crying face. He would move the earth to bring back his beautiful smile. Those that dared to torture him, and others like him, would meet his blade's cold judgment.

There was no mercy. Life was too good for the cruel slave drivers. Their swords slashed open throats indiscriminately amongst cowering captives, sending their lifeless bodies tumbling to the ground at the feet of those they tortured.

Soon their leader was the only one left, backing away with a cowardly sneer on his face. He grabbed the nearest chained man. "Don't fucking come any closer. I'll do it. I'll gut this little shit." Craven and trembling, the mine's boss held a sickly-looking lizardman with a knife at his throat.

He pressed the blade deeper, drawing a small trail of blood, and Greg felt torn. Greg couldn't let the man escape. He'd alert his superiors, and Greg's new home would be in danger. Terrified eyes begged for another outcome, and he knew that he couldn't risk the captive's life. His sword fell limp in his hand, then clattered to the ground.

"That's it. Drop it. I'll take this little-" The triumphant scumbag's words died in that hateful throat. As if blooming from the tattooed human's skull, an arrow sprouted from between his eyes, piercing straight through and sending a spray of blood behind him. The lizardman was released, and Greg caught him before he could fall forward.

His eyes followed the arrow's trajectory. Panting at the edge of the path above them, Buck stood with his bow still drawn, his arms shaking with effort. As Greg watched, his powerful legs navigated the steep incline, and he joined them.

"Do you have a death wish?" The rabbit man rebuked Greg and his men for their recklessness, but his eyes held no malice. He held out a hand to help Greg to his feet. Powerful, lean arms embraced him, and he heard the rabbitman whisper, "Lumi would be devastated if you were hurt. Next time ask for help."

With Buck's help, they were able to gather the captives. Nearly two dozen dirty, emaciated men of varying species stood on shaky feet, their arms and legs bruised and bleeding from their manacles. As the rabbitman spoke, hope bloomed across their faces, and Greg felt his chest tighten. He could have saved their lives before. They suffered needlessly for days while he came to his senses.

His self-hatred was interrupted by a scaly hand that gripped his own. The lizardman hostage, with a grateful expression, brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of his hand with dry, cracked lips. There were no words, just his gratitude, but just then, Greg knew that this couldn't be his last rescue.

Buck raced off on wiry legs to retrieve the wagon while Greg and his men did their best to make the captives comfortable. Most of them were so exhausted, and they'd been beaten to within inches of their lives almost daily. All they could manage was a lapse into a grateful sleep.

What few supplies their horses carried were divided among the starving men, and Greg's knights opted to go hungry. Not one of them envied the captives their dinner, and Greg felt a sense of pride as he looked around at their efforts to make the wretched creatures comfortable. Knights should take care of their people. Titles, prestige, land, none of it mattered if they couldn't manage that. He would be forever grateful to Luminos and his friends for showing him what he could be. What his people could be.

Hugh arrived with the wagon the next day, sweat shining on his coat, and snorted, tossing his head to the side to demand they load it up with its precious cargo. His working eye scanned the crowd, and fatigue disappeared from his face, replaced with gentle concern. Selfless as he was, he would have made a fine knight.

Buck and Ko helped each of the fragile captives inside, packing them tightly until the wood groaned under their combined weight. The tanuki tried his best to treat the more worrying wounds, with Buck assisting him where needed. They made a good team.

Hugh struggled with the added weight at first, but one glance back at the sorry state of his passengers seemed to steel his resolve, and he sped off at a lumbering pace the moment the wheels rocked forward, sweat dripping off of his steaming body. The poor guy would probably collapse when they reached home, but he would get them there first.

Greg's men took the least injured among the captives on their horses, propping them between strong arms and following after the cloud of dust that Hugh left in his wake. The lizardman opted to ride with Greg, and as the poor man embraced him from behind, he could feel his head resting against Greg's heart as if the sound comforted him. The sensation drew Greg's thoughts back to Luminos.

Would he be angry that Greg didn't tell him about this little trip? It didn't matter, even if he was furious. Greg knew that his choices were just. He couldn't bear to see Luminos's beautiful face marred by sadness.

Two days later, the last captives arrived at the village. Greg stepped down off of his horse, handing off the groggy lizard man to willing hands and scanning the small crowd receiving care in the middle of the village. A golden flash sprinted between Durz and Brigirth, and Greg felt a surprisingly hard blow on his cheek.

"You idiot. I was so worried. You just disappeared." Luminos, his eyes watering, stepped close and took Greg's stinging cheeks into his soft feathered hands, lips meeting beak for a passionate kiss. "I can't believe you did this. Everyone I missed, everyone I couldn't find. You brought them home." He sobbed, and his hands pulled his human lover close for an embrace that threatened to squeeze the life from him.

"I'm sorry." Greg was sheepish under the emotional assault. "When you mentioned that awful mine, I knew I could do something to ease your heart. I was afraid you would want to come with me if I told you. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you." Like a chastised child, he turned his gaze to the ground.

Luminos's grip paraded Greg around the small pack of refugees, introducing him to countless faces and clinging to his arm in a way that wordlessly showed him that the bird forgave him. His face flushed when he realized that the phoenix was introducing him as his 'husband.' His act of kindness must have made an impression on the beautiful bird.