FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this story are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All characters are of legal and consenting age, likewise, if you are reading this story you should be of legal age in your respective country.

All characters are my own creation, any resemblance to existing characters is purely coincidental and not intentional, please do not use them without permission. If you would like to use them in a story, please send me a PM either as Inja on SoFurry or TheRealInja on FA. As always, I am open to new story ideas or situations with existing characters.

*************************************************************************************

Tannis stared up at Borruk's raised and outstretched arms as his muscles flexed every time he strained against his bonds. The blindfold about his eyes meant he couldn't see Tannis and what she was up to, only feel her touch as she drew her nails along the inside of his right wrist and down along the inside of his arm as she traced his muscles; finally down across his firm pectoral. Her fingers tracing between the firm little bumps of his abdominals, briefly flitting about his navel before moving lower.

"Beg...," she breathed out to him, barely a whisper as her soft touch lingered close enough to feel his hard heat.

"Please..." The large white bear groaned with need, barely restraining a growl.

Tannis lowered herself before him, leaning in to tenderly kiss each and every well-defined abdominal muscle before trailing kisses lower, her nails scratching through the soft fur of his inner thighs until finally she firmly grasped him. Her lips kissed to his heated flesh and...

"Greetings Tannis, Chosen of Bakkar the Dragon God. He has need of your...other services. I shall await you in your bed chamber to discuss this further," the white robed figure politely said in her multitude of voices, standing at the door to the Monastery's practice room. Her eyes covered by a heavy wrapped bandage and her hands very clearly wringing one another within the long flowing sleeves of her robe before she turned and swiftly left the room.

"Huh...always wondered what exactly the sisters could see, but that one was definitely blushing" Tannis said with an air of amusement. With an annoyed sigh, she took a step back, waving her hand upwards at the bonds holding Borruk in place and uttering the command "Kutolewa" to release the bound ursine. His large white form rising form his knees like a mountain before Tannis as he slipped the blind from his eyes before heading over to collect his clothing and weapon from a nearby bench.

*************************************************************************************

Borruk groaned as his stomach lurched shortly after he rematerialized hundreds of miles away from where he had been standing only moments ago, feeling like he'd been snapped backwards by a massive rubber band but his stomach was still travelling forwards. The large bear looking a little green under his white fur bringing an almost childlike giggle to his smaller mouse companion.

"How many times have we done that and you're still getting green around the gills?" Tannis mocked in a little singsong voice.

"Easy for you to say, you don't have as much mass to shift around like I do, pipsqueak" Borruk grumbled good naturedly, with a sidelong grin at her, knowing how it wrinkled her whiskers when he called her that. Instead of seeing her cute little peeved look, he saw Tannis staring straight ahead with her hood pulled back to reveal her large rounded twitching ears.

"Undead..." She scowled, pointing her long slender white staff at a shuffling horde baring down on a wagon caravan further down the road. "Time to do our thing...Imarisha kulinda kuwezesha!" Tannis began to chant repeatedly, gripping her staff just below the twisted knot at the top, aiming it at Borruk's large white frame, black symbols and sigils beginning to appear on his fur along his strong arms and across his chest. The already large white bear growing further in stature as he started to run headlong at the undead horde already engaged with the caravans' guards.

The guards were ill equipped to deal with so many undead, the first falling beneath a pile of rotting corpses, his scream turning into a gurgle as decaying hands and claws ripped through his chainmail to get at the flesh beneath. A startled yell sounding as a large white flash passed before the remaining guards, taking with it the remaining horde. When it finally stopped, they saw the massive form of Borruk swinging his heavy ax-hammer, the blade cleaving the rotting corpses in twain before the hammer was brought down to crush skulls like ripe fruit. The black symbols and sigils swirled about his form, seeming to repulse the undead's attempts to attack and bite at his bare arms and chest. By the time the noise and clatter died down, Borruk was panting and grinning at the slack jawed and immobile caravan crew. Despite only wearing shoulder guards strapped to his form with a meager leather harness and a kilt, the bear bore not so much as a scratch from the horde. The black marks fading as he set the haft of his weapon into the ground and rested his arms atop his ax-hammer.

"You must be that Godfist fella we've heard so much about?" The caravan leader finally spoke up, staring up at the much taller bear. Borruk smirked and shook his head no, nodding behind the collected crowd at the small hooded figure striding up behind them. Turning about to follow the direction of Borruk's nod, the caravan leader was met with the sight of a slender white mouse, the hood pulled up over their ears and eyes as they walked with the aid of a slender white staff. "Oh, well...thank you kind sir..." the caravan driver said to the small hooded figure, looking in confusion as Borruk's eyes went wide with fear and he urgently shook his head side to side in warning, but it was too late.

"Do I look like a fucking boy!?" Tannis shouted, flipping back her hood to reveal her soft features. Her eyes beginning to glow and surge with power as she glared at the caravan driver so hard his straw hat burst into flames.

"I beg your forgiveness, m'lady...it's just, well...I thought you was just a...very effeminate wizard" He tried to rectify, looking over Tannis rather small bust it looked more like a slender man's chest. The way her hips swayed when she walked having seemed like a typical sashay.

"Just because I don't have a heaving bosom like Valeria, it doesn't mean I am not a woman!" The small mouse yelled pointing a finger up accusingly at the caravan drivers' nose as he desperately patted his hat to put out the flames. Tannis grumbled, pulling her hood back to reveal her long ebony locks, her sparkling violet eyes partially obscured behind her fringe. Her soft features and gently rounded face looking cuter than anything as she glared at the caravan driver. She thought she looked obviously feminine and womanly in her off the shoulder vest and flowing dress, she didn't know any wizards that wore elbow length fingerless gloves either. Her slender tail twitching and flicking in annoyance behind her, at least until Borruk joined by her side and rested a large comforting hand at the small of her bare back, his claws idly tracing the dark ebony crescent in her fur just above her tail. Tannis' anger quickly fading and being replaced with a faint blush before she elbowed Borruk hard in his side.

"These attacks are becoming more frequent and in bigger numbers" One of the other drivers commented as he looked down at the remains of the guard whom had been partially devoured.

"What exactly are you transporting?" Borruk asked, looking at the line of wagons, some covered with canvas tarps over their cargo.

"Just Steelwood for the Kings navy to construct new ships"

"Steelwood, how have you managed to harvest so much of it?" Tannis asked curiously, knowing how the curious trees were impervious to most axes and blades alike.

"The Kings engineers came up with these wondrous new ropes, can't quite say what they're made of, but they cut through the Steelwood like butter" The caravan leader said, leading Tannis to the side of one wagon and flipping the canvas back to reveal some strange looking ropes. On closer inspection, Tannis noted the ropes were a clever combination of strong fibers and very thin steel, along with what appeared to be tiny chips of diamond.

"Ingenious..." She whispered before stepping back to look back at the caravan leader. "We've been informed of the attacks on caravans along this route; might we join you along your journey to try see if we could perhaps find the source of them?" Tannis asked.

"That would be most splendid!" He replied with a friendly smile before leading the small mouse up ahead to his wagon. Borruk followed close behind and took up a spot in the back, his ax-hammer resting across his lap and at the ready.

The caravan set off again, now with their two new guardians sitting astride the lead wagon; slowly trundling along the winding path through the hills and valleys. Gradually making their way along on their journey to the Oceanside town where the Kings new ships were being constructed by the best artisans in all the land. As day began to fade and the sky was painted in brilliant fiery reds and oranges, the caravan eventually stopped in an open field to make camp for the evening, circling the wagons and unhooking the horses to let them rest as well as providing some protection.

"So...pardon me asking, but how does it all work, you know...your uh, gifts?" The old grizzled canine caravan leader known as Skrim asked, curiosity eventually getting the better of him as he sat beside Tannis.

"Oh, it's called the Will and the Word, though if the will is strong enough, the word isn't actually required. So I suppose Willpower would be more accurate to describe it, the word is just like a focusing iris for the will to execute our desires," the slender mouse replied, the flames of the nearby flickering fire casting a warm golden hue across her white coat.

"I see, but your magic doesn't come from the natural ley lines like normal mages? I hear they're stronger when closer to them magical lines, but you ain't bound by such nonsense," He asked with a frown, as if trying to work out a difficult mathematical equation.

"You mean my powers? I guess you could say it is sort of like...filling a jug from a flowing river, our God being the river and source of our powers. We fill up our jug and as we expend powers, it slowly empties. The bigger the spell, the quicker it depletes. We're all different and have different "jugs" so to speak, so our powers come out in different ways and replenish at different rates. At least for most of us; Tyne is...different. It's almost like she draws directly from the river, I don't think she is even aware of the potential she has..." Tannis spoke softly, almost with a note of envy.

Borruk wandered over with their bowls of soup from the cook, taking a seat beside Tannis and handing her one. The small mouse smiled up at the large bear as she began to eat, taking a tentative taste first before deciding she liked the flavors before taking a larger mouthful.

The caravan driver watched the large bear approach, noting the collar about his neck and the curious bands about his wrists. The loops in them looking as if they were suited for chains or bindings. Turning to peer over at Borruk, Skrim leaned a little closer before whispering, "Are you a slave?"

"Sometimes, but I enjoy it," Came his honest answer before he took a mouthful of his own meal, though he would turn to frown at Tannis as she suddenly began to cough and choke on her mouthful of soup, her ears and cheeks glowing pink while she tried not look either of them in the eye just then.

*************************************************************************************

The journey towards Oceanside was relatively peaceful, aside from only minor undead encounters that the caravan guards would easily have handled themselves; but Borruk felt he needed the exercise. The guards watched on in amusement and awe as the large white bear cut swathes through the undead hordes with ease, their rotting corpses were no match for the sharp blade or the mighty crushing hammer of his weapon.

"It's too easy," Tannis commented while sitting beside Borruk in the back of the lead wagon.

"How so?" the large ursine asking in his deep baritone voice.

"From what the sisters said, there seemed to be an unseen force driving these attacks. So far all the hordes we've encountered have been the typical mindless sort. The sisters don't send us out lightly and they're never wrong with their information," the small white mouse mused, her slender fingers wringing about the length of her staff.

"Maybe whomever it was has moved on and what we're seeing is just the remainder of their conjuring's?" Borruk offered in a hopeful attempt to lift his mistress's spirits.

"Maybe, but I doubt it. I've been thinking about it and it makes sense to try prevent the kingdom from making these ships. Once they're afloat, they'd be nigh unsinkable and pose a real threat or at least be a deterrent for anyone wishing to invade from the sea," Tannis began explaining her thought process. "We've pretty much got the southern expanse protected with the Black Watch manning the walls; the North is protected by the Dragon Mother and her riders. The only other way to make any meaningful headway into the kingdom is via the sea."

Borruk thought on this for a long moment, aside from the demons whom operated on a different plane of existence, mere mortals would indeed be faced with all that Tannis had described if they attempted to invade. Grunting softly, he eventually nodded in agreement. It was too quiet...

"More undead heading out way, up for more exercise or would you prefer my men take care of them this time?" Skrim asked with a friendly laugh.

"Let your men have some practice, I'm here if they need the help," Borruk replied without turning to face the old dog. He was far too focused on Tannis and the odd look on her face he'd never seen before. "What's wrong?" he asked tentatively as the sounds of fighting began once the guards engaged in combat with the new horde ahead.

"Something's wrong...I can feel it, something is coming....wait...get your men out of there, now!" Tannis stood up and whirled about to face a cheering group of soldiers standing over a pile of rotting corpses. The caravan driver turning about to face the scared looking mouse with confusion.

"Ain't nothing to worry about little miss, my men've already done handled them walking corpses," he said reassuringly. Tannis just stared wide-eyed and pointed back behind the confused looking soldiers.

A dark crimson mist began to rise up around the fallen corpses and guards alike, quickly becoming thick enough to obscure the view all around them. Sounds of bones breaking and flesh rending; tortured metal groaning as a large dark shape began to take form within the scarlet haze.

"Run you fucking idiots!" Tannis tried to call out to warn the guards, but it was too late. The screaming had already started; again the sound of limbs breaking and flesh being torn asunder grew louder until it was almost deafening, and then it stopped as suddenly as it had begun; followed by an eerie silence.

Tannis looked over at Borruk; he felt it too. The large bear was already on his feet, weapon gripped tightly in his hands as he stared ahead, trying to see through the heavy scarlet mist. Tannis knelt in the back of their wagon, her staff clutched in her hands as she began to recite her enchantments while ignoring the growing sense of dread.

Borruk felt the familiar rush of power surging through him as the black sigils and symbols danced across the white expanse of his fur. The large white ursine growing further in stature as he took a step forward and into the swirling crimson before him, weapon at the ready.

Tannis recited the words slowly and clearly, now more than ever she felt the need for her desires to be as precise as possible. Trying her best to ignore the roar of Borruk from behind, the clashing of metal on metal and even the pained cries of...whatever that creature inside the scarlet mist was. There was no doubt that whomever controlled the creature was exceptionally powerful, perhaps even on the same level as Tannis herself. Every strike of the creature against Borruk sent feedback through to the slender mouse, wincing as she was not accustomed to feeling pain this way, further cementing her suspicions this was no simple conjuring. So long as it kept the protection spell in place and allowed Borruk to do what he needed to do, she would bare the pain.

Tannis lurched back from where she sat, slamming into the wooden wall of the wagon behind her. Gasping for breath as it felt like she had just been kicked in the chest by a horse, but she knew this was not the case. A large white figure sailed across the periphery of her vision before landing with a heavy thud beside the wagon. The mouse was on her feet and leaping over the side to the ground below before she realized she was even moving.

Borruk lay groaning on his side, facing away from her with the sigils flicking in and out of view a few times before fading entirely. As the large bear began to shrink back to his normal size, he rolled onto his back as he clutched at a grievous wound running diagonally from his left hip to his right shoulder. It looked like whatever was in the mist tried to sheer him in two, but he'd barely managed to dodge the attack. Blood seeped from the wound and stained his fur red, Tannis all but snarling at Borruk as he tried to stand.

"Stay down, bear. You've done enough today..." the mouse commanded with a slowly growing glow in her eyes.

"Yes, dear..." the ursine tried to jest, but grimaced as soon as he tried to laugh at his own joke.

"Men..." she smiled before uttering a soft incantation, drawing a glowing palm along the length of his wound and with a sigh from Borruk, she knew the pain was beginning to subside. Already the wound showed signs of starting to heal, but he would not be fit to return to the fight before she had her turn. "Don't move, let the spell work..." she ordered the bear before taking one last look at him and turning to head back to their wagon.

"Kuyeyuka," Tannis commanded after retrieving her staff from the wagon, a moment later and the scarlet mist began to fade and reveal the threat previously unseen.

The beast within was an amalgamation of flesh and metal, large limbs composed of mutilated corpses, the faces of some she recognized, and armor forged of the guards and other victims outfits. Jagged spikes formed of sword blades and spearheads alike, the beast shambled about with a ragged gasping wheeze as it's multitude of eyes took in the world around it. Spotting the small mouse striding toward it, the beast let loose a loud deafening bellow that almost shook Tannis' teeth within her own mouth.

"Kimya!" the mouse shouted in annoyance as she clutched at her large ears, her eyes flaring bright white as she raised a hand and made a motion as if wiping away something. The beast glared at her, only when it tried to bellow again, it found it no longer had a mouth.

The mumbling and snorting beast charged, heading straight for the small mouse whom stood her ground. Borruk and the wagon drivers watched in horror as the beast leaped upon Tannis, obscuring her from view. The beast seemed to be celebrating its victory, an odd sort of malefic glint in its many malformed eyes as it flexed and bucked its weight down hard against the ground as if to ensure the mouse was dead, crushed beneath its enormous weight.

Its victory was short lived as a brilliant white light began to emanate from the small spaces between its limbs, the smell of burning flesh permeating the air as the beast tried to scream in pain. With a loud thump, which sent a shockwave through the ground, the large mass of rotting corpses contorted into the form of the beast suddenly launched backwards through the air in a slow almost graceful arc to land with a heavy earth shaking thud. Wisps of smoke rising from its charred underside as Tannis stood smirking in a newly formed crater in the ground around her.

"Cute...but you should just about be out of juice by now, little mouse," A sultry voice called out from within the shadows of the nearby forest. A pair of glowing red eyes appearing and moving closer until the form of a slender ebony furred wolfess with curled black goat horns became visible. With a wave of her hand and a mocking laugh, the corpse of the beast began to twitch and convulse before it flopped over onto its scorched belly; forced back to a torturous existence by the ebony wolfess.

"Who..." Skrim whom had moved up to stand behind Tannis began to ask.

"A Hellmancer..." Tannis replied tersely as the ebony bitch retreated into the shadows and vanished, knowing the mouse was almost out of 'juice' as she put it. She had expended most of her reservoir on protecting and then healing Borruk after his fight, the explosion that had initially killed the beast left her on near empty. It was unusual for a Hellmancer to be granted this much power, Tannis started to understand that there was more to play here than just stopping the King from getting a few new ships. The real prize appeared to be her; someone was making a play to remove a chosen off the field it seemed. But those thoughts would have to wait, right now she had a more immediate problem on her hands.

The beast was back on its feet, or what crude mutilated construction passed for its feet at any rate, making its slow lumbering way back over toward her. With her limbs feeling weak, barely able to lift her staff, Tannis couldn't think of any spell that would work against the beast a second time, at least not one she had the power for right now.

"S'truth...got anything that can cut through that beast's armor?" The caravan leader asked as he hurled a spear uselessly at the beast, watching as it barely managed to pierce its thick hide.

"No...but you do..." Tannis replied, whirling about on the spot before aiming her staff back towards the row of wagons. "Nyoka!" she yelled, using the last of her reserves and praying it was enough. At first nothing happened, but then as if a gentle breeze began to blow, the canvas coverings of the wagons began to flutter.

A rasping hiss rose up along the line of wagons as the cutting ropes came to life, slithering out from under the canvas covers and towards the unaware beast. Only once it found its limbs were restricted and it could not move did it look down, seeing the glinting almost silvered ropes all around its body. A brief moment of almost panic flashed through its eyes just before the ropes began to move, coiling around and slicing through the beast's thick hide and armor as if they were wet paper. Gouts of thick congealed blood spurting from open wounds as large chunks of the beast began to fall to the ground. Tannis almost felt sorry for the creature as it tried in vain to escape the storm of pain all around it, though it did not have to endure long before the ropes cut clean through and left nothing but a quivering pile of flesh and body parts laying in a slowly growing pool of crimson. The ropes slithered out from the mass of shredded flesh a few moments later and returned to coil up beneath the canvas tarps once more.

Tannis watched for a moment, ensuring the beast was truly dead this time before she returned to Borruk's side. The wound across his torso had opened anew, the dumb bear had obviously tried to get up and help her when the beast was revived. The pain too much for even him as he lay unconscious beside the wagon.

"Sister, I require aid!" Tannis yelled out to no one in particular, causing the caravan drivers to look about in confusion.

"I live to serve," a soft voice spoke up as robed figure stepped out from between two nearby caravans and walked over toward the kneeling Tannis.

"Borruk is hurt...," the mouse said simply, reaching out to brush her fingers against his cheek gently; smiling as his eyes opened to stare up at her.

"I'll be fine..." the bear tried to say in protest.

"Yes, you will...once the sisters tend to your wounds, now go..." Tannis said firmly.

"Yes, dear..." Borruk sighed and laid back as the robed figure knelt down beside him. A soft palm pressed to Borruk's forehead, his eyes drifting closed and in an instant, they blinked out of existence.

"Where'd dey go!?" a caravan driver exclaimed in surprise.

"Back to the monastery. The sisters will tend to his wounds for me while I carry on with you and see this journey through," she replied, standing up and turning about to return to the lead caravan and climb up beside a grinning Skrim.

"Happy to have you along, Godfist."