FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

For a moment, everything was black. He stumbled about in the vast emptiness, grasping for something, anything, but nothing returned. Dizziness overcame him, blinking as he tried to make sense of it all. And then, before him in the darkness, lay Vera on her side. She gazed up at him sincerely, a soft smile on her face that made his cheeks glow. He took a step towards her, reaching out his hand to try and touch her. But the closer he grew, the more she distanced herself from him.

Her expression turned sour, the dragoness's eyes going wide as she let out a scream, her chest heaving as she backed away from him. Mono gasped, looking around him to try and find what she was scared of, running towards her a moment after. He could feel his heart beating, his hands shaking for a reason he couldn't place. But when he arrived, his fingers transformed into darkened claws, his hand charred by corruption, gripping around Vera's neck as he pinned her down beneath him. She squirmed, tail wriggling, her wings flailing at her sides as she cried out into the abyss. Mono yelled as well, unable to control himself anymore, gazing over his body as the horror unfolded.

And then, his other paw dug his talons right into her heart, piercing past her delicate underside before plunging themselves into her organs. He could feel the wetness, the warmth, her body growing cold as she clawed at his hand. She stared at him in horror and he gazed back, the two lost in an endless scream.

"AHH!" His eyes shot open, gasping for breath as he stared up at the ceiling, the chilling air in the room drifting into his lungs as he drifted back into consciousness. He blinked, taking deep breaths, the stone floor beneath him slowly bringing back his awareness as he lifted his head up from where he was lying, trying to make sense of it all. His attention immediately shifted to Vera, the calming blue glow of her Familiar form easing the rock in his heart to slowly evaporate. He let out a long sigh, gulping before noticing the bindings on her body.

Her wings were covered in two large, brown, leather bags, buckles fastened around the sides to keep them securely snug against her form. He then heard the clatter of the chains on her ankles as her gaze shifted to his, ears pulled back, her concern written visibly on her muzzle. She stared at him carefully, lying near the wall of the room, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He licked his lips, still exasperated from the nightmare, trying to brush it away as he turned his gaze to the floor, "I'm alright, I just... had a bad dream." He wondered if he should tell her about it, but it didn't really matter. It was just a dream after all. As his vision began to clear, he made out bars of a cell, a large room full of stalactites and stalagmites filling the chamber outside. Most of the thin pillars had been broken away but some remained. He noticed other cages along the walls, empty from the looks of it, everything cast in a flickering amber glow from the burning torches set along the edges of the room.

He then sat himself up, attempting to raise a hand to rub his pounding head, only to find his own arms handcuffed together with a small link of chains connecting them, much like the ones Vera wore. He tested their strength, pulling his wrists with them, cringing at the resilience before relaxing and catching his breath.

The events from the day before drifted into his mind, the river they had stopped at, Vera teaching him to fish. He remembered the hawk, Fret, who had eaten them and brought them back to their nest. Then reforming later on before getting captured by the wolves and hawks. It was only then that it all made sense, pursing his lips as he rubbed his fingers together in thought. He took another breath, his beating heart soothing over, cracking his neck before gazing back at his companion.

She lay there quietly, head lowered, staring down at her paws with a sense of loss swirling in her eyes. Her tail was curled around herself, lying down on her stomach, pressed against the wall as if to get as far away from him as possible. He opened his mouth to speak to her before cutting himself off, humming softly as he looked away and tried to figure out what to say. He wondered if it was his fault they were captured like this, figuring if they hadn't dawdled at the river that they might have made it to Brook's home, but it didn't matter. The fact was they were trapped and he had no idea what to do to escape it.

He then circled back around to her first question, glancing at her before looking away with a shift of his hands, "Are... are you okay?"

She was silent for a few moments, a deep sigh escaping her muzzle, a weight carrying along with her breath that was plainly noticeable to Mono, "I'll manage."

He let out a sigh, each moment dragging on as the flames danced in their sockets on the walls. He gazed over the room beyond the bars, the door with the keyhole closed on their side, the muttering of a guard outside the dungeon further up the tunnel on the far end of the cavern. He tried to make out their words but eventually gave up, looking over to Vera once more. He could feel how distant she was despite only being a few feet away from him. Trying to ease the tension he spoke up, not even realizing till now that he had been holding his breath. "So, where are we?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then to the room before their cell, closing them a moment after. "We... We're in the dungeon of the wolf tribe. I... I thought they were gone."

He blinked, noticing as she turned her body toward him a bit, happy to see her move finally as she'd been nearly still since he'd awoken. He sat on his knees, setting his chained arms onto his lap, prodding her further with his own curiosity, "'They'? The wolves?" He tilted his head, blinking as he tried to follow her train of thought, "Gone from where?"

She gave a soft grumble, peering at her talons, "It doesn't matter."

"It does. If we're stuck in here together I need to know what's going on." He then paused, watching her ears flatten against her head again, shifting his legs a bit as he leaned forward, "Vera, I... I can tell something's bothering you. You're not usually like this." She remained silent, giving a soft growl as she avoided his gaze. "What are you scared of?"

"Rekali."

He blinked, pondering over her response, noticing her meet his gaze sincerely for a moment before breaking away. He then shook his head, thinking about the wolves and hawks, giving a confused murmur to himself as he spoke aloud, "What... I... I don't get it. I thought you said we were captured by the wolves. What does Rekali have to do with that?"

She then gave a louder growl, her wings attempting to flare only to send a jolt of pain through her as they resisted, the dragoness glaring at the thick leather before simmering down. She then began, sighing as she spoke slowly and softly, like a whisper in the cold air around them, "Rekali told me about a deal she had with the hawks in the mountains, but... she never said anything about the Wolf Tribe. This is all new to me." She paused, blinking before starting, "The corruption comes from The Dark Forest, a castle in the center of it all. I remember stories from the elders of my tribe... They spoke about how it was filled with life and abandoned after the phoenix attacked it. I was never around for any of this, but I heard about it."

"It was only a few months after that when The Dark Forest began to grow. The corruption has been spreading for decades but only over the last few years has it finally reached the edges of the Tribe Lands. The Wolf Tribe was the closest to the source and when they realized it wasn't planning on stopping, they had to do something."

She took another breath, the chains on her limbs clattering on the ground as she shifted, gazing out into one of the torches they could see, "I remember... when they came to the gathering. They asked the tribes to let them stay in their lands until they could find another, but... the reputation of the Wolf Tribe was tainted at that point. They'd attacked other tribes for food as their lands already were scarce of prey, even before the corruption existed, so when they asked for help, no one took them in. They said they would be attacking the tower, to rid the corruption and save their lands... but that was nearly five years ago. We assumed they were dead when a search party was sent to their camp... all we found were charred remains of corruption stained the ground..."

She took a gulp, finishing as she shook her head once, "I've been trying to figure it out since you've been asleep. At first, I assumed they must have just moved into the mountains without telling anyone, but the Hawks control this land. It was only..." She then cut herself off, words stuck in her throat as she closed her eyes, continuing on, "One of the guards who was checking on us spoke to me. He said... 'someone' was coming to see me."

Mono then broke into the conversation, standing up finally, grimacing at some of the pain in his back from being knocked out, urging her, "Well then, let's get out of here. I'm awake now so we can both leave." He then took a step toward the door, a boost of adrenaline hitting him as he tried to encourage Vera. "Can you melt the lock with your fire? I can't imagine-"

"Mono." Her word was stern and serious, causing him to pause mid-sentence, glancing back at her in confusion. "We can't just leave."

He shook his head, raising his hands as he grumbled in annoyance, "What, why not?"

"I can't... The..." She stumbled over her words, curling her tail over her chained paws, shrinking back, "I can't disobey her, I can't lose someone again. If she works with them then..." She then clenched her talons, finishing with shaking paws, "She's already here, I can feel it. That 'someone' they were talking about, the one they were sending to see me, she's-"

And suddenly, all the torches snuffed out, breathed away like the breath of death was upon them. The darkness yawned, the soft blue glow of Vera's body being the only thing to light the room.

A silhouette slowly came forth from the shadows, features undefined at first as it stalked through the entrance of the tunnel. The creature paused, her head raised high, watching them both. Three gems adorned the thick collar around her neck, crystals of Pure Magic surrounding the vessel of Dark Magic between. They glew softly in the dim light, swirling with power, two other dark crystals resting on the bracelets around her ankles. Her body was nearly twice the size of Vera's, staring down at them with a glint of her poisonous eyes before walking into the center of the room.

She took her time, gazing away from them, letting out a soft sigh. The cavern stilled, the silence hanging in the air like a thick fog, Mono's heart tightening at the presence of Vera's captor. Her sharp claws clacked against the ground as she moved, the wicked curves of her tail knives trailing behind her, hovering just above the ground to avoid making noise. She then stopped, the side of her form presented to them, her eyes not even bothering to meet theirs. With her body only about ten feet away, the exact details of her form slowly shifted into view as Vera's glow accentuated her scales.

Her ridged horns stood proudly on the back of her head, like a jagged crown displaying her power. Her wings lay at her sides but they were vast, no doubt able to topple over them both with just a gust from them. And along her body lay sharp streaks of verdant markings, like a toxin coating her dark red scales. They were like symbols of a crescent moon, each moon lining her back, reaching from her neck to the end of her tail. And lastly, her eyes. He watched her pupils thin for a moment before rounding once more, the swirling miasma of death in her gaze, unmoving and firm. She bore a confidence that shook him, it made his body tremble, doing his best to keep himself calm as she stood there quietly, the two of them in chains before such a powerful beast.

Her voice resounded with disappointment, cruelty in the back of her throat as her eyes glared at one of the flickered-out torches hanging on the wall. "I thought I told you to leave the Wolves and Hawks out of this." Her gaze shifted to theirs, eyes like daggers as she stared directly at Vera, "You know our treaty only exists because of my protection over them. But perhaps I wasn't clear..."

Vera then piped up, her words coming out choked for a moment as she seemed short of breath, "No, I, I know what you wanted! It- it was an accident! They-"

"Oh, an accident? Really? How?" She then took a demanding step forward, turning her front side to them, the crown of bones on the back of her skull standing demeaningly in the glow of her Familiar, degrading her, "An accident when you got rid of that hawk? An accident when you never reported traveling with a human?" Mono felt his heart stop as the attention was turned on him, taking a step back, his chest heaving as his heart began to thump as the dragoness stared him down. Her muzzle cracked into a sly grin at his reaction, stepping closer to the metal bars before turning her attention back to Vera. "You have one job. One more spell to fulfill for me, and I will set your family free. I don't have to offer you such a gift, I'm being generous. And now, because of your actions, the hawks are questioning my loyalty."

She stepped dangerously close to Vera as she approached her side of the cage, peering down at the Familiar as she pressed her ears to her side, "You're playing a dangerous game, my pet." She spat out those words like a hair in her maw, sneering down at her, tail giving a brisk lash, "I see you've been making progress on returning to your true self. You've made it farther than I thought you would, already able to be seen and touched." She eyed the bindings over her wings, letting out a disappointed sigh before turning her side to them. "I am disappointed in you. You return my generosity with betrayal." She then examined one of her claws, raising it before her face, turning it side to side. "My patience is wearing thin. You have until the full moon to complete the task, you've known this, but I think I have the motivation to push you to your full potential."

She then crept to the center of the room, turning back to face them before raising a paw and drawing a circle in the air. As she did, the violet crystal on her neck brace glowed brightly, swirling with darkness as glowing purple runes appeared beneath her talon. It floated in the air as she quickly crafted the sigils, the demonic circle disappearing before her as it drew itself onto the ground before the prison shortly after. Then, from the inscriptions, rose up four crimson tentacles, veins of the dark magic running through them, pulsing with power. They curled around one another tightly, like the base of a tree, each tendril as thick as Mono's arm. The way they grew from the summoning circle was so unnatural, appearing from nothing. It made Mono's stomach turn, falling onto his back as the unworldly sight unfolded before him.

Once the tendrils had climbed into the air a few feet, like a pedestal, they spread apart and curved upwards before their climb halted. The four made something of a pillar with talons of dark magic at the top, clutching the glowing light that Rekali began summoning forth. "You're a smart dragoness, Vera. You know you can't possibly hurt me, not without losing something you love. Something like your brother, perhaps?"

Then, from the clutches of the vines, appeared an orb of violet, wisps of smoke forming the mirage as the object floated lifelessly before them. The inside moved across the surface like clouds in the sky, too thick to see through. Vera gasped, scooting away from the sight, her body shrinking up as she could do nothing but watch, "You know what happened last time you betrayed me. You left me no choice. I never wanted to hurt you or your family..." The red dragoness paused, pondering over the thought for a moment, "...But sometimes you have to lose people to get what you want."

Mono then turned his attention to Vera as he heard her whimper, voice choked up as she forced out, "I'll... I'll never forgive you for that! I'll... I'll kill you!" She yelled out those painful words, eyes red with grief, a few tears welling in her eyes as she glared back at her captor.

Oddly enough, Rekali's face turned to that of confliction, sighing out as she turned her head away, staring at her raised talon before lowering it, "The road to power comes with sacrifice. If I could achieve such without having to hurt a soul, trust me, I would have done so. I like to think of you as my daughter... But this is how it must be. This is the only option."

Her voice then shifted once more, glaring back at the both of them before giving a soft twist of a talon, the dull orb floating above the claws of vines slowly being accompanied by four other orbs filled with amber. They held the same dark miasma amongst it all, but the four new images held a golden center, a recollection spurring in Mono's mind that he couldn't place. They swirled around one another like a slow whirlpool, floating in a mist, so beautiful and yet so fragile. Rekali stood behind them, her head staring down at the mirage, scoffing, "You lost your brother because of your insolence, and now you've forced my claws." She then gazed directly into Vera's eyes, "If you have not returned with what I have asked of you by the full moon, I will make your family suffer."

A moment later the vines pull back, shrinking down into the glowing sigils on the floor beneath the witch. She then stretched out her paw to hold the floating orbs, the mirage hovering over her palm. As this happened, Vera burst out, stumbling forward as she stood up, "NO! Please! Rekali, don't do this!"

The larger dragoness eyed her up in disgust, scoffing, "You make it sound like you don't intend to do as I told you anymore. Perhaps killing them now would motivate you? After all..." Her eyes glinted, a wicked smile plastering across her face. "Death is the ultimate form of freedom. It would be so easy just to-" And then, with a brisk closing of her paw, the claws sliced through the orbs, the mist-like hologram evaporating and breaking apart, clenching her paw together as the golden fog spilled around her talons like blood, "...smash them into pieces! What do you think about that?" She spat, taking a brave step towards her, watching her cower back into the cage.

Vera's face was filled with a mixture of emotions, her tail lashing while her ears were pulled back, a tear streaming down her face as she glanced over at Mono. Her gaze seemed to search his, as if looking deeper into him than just the surface, making him feel a bit hollow and exposed and overall very confused. Rekali noticed her lack of response, huffing as she unclenched her grasp, the orbs vanishing along with the tendrils around her. "This is your last chance to save them." Then, the runes in the ground faded away, leaving a flat stone floor once more, Rekali turning her side to them as the blue glow from Vera dimly lit her jagged face, "You have my word I will let them go, but only if you follow through. Do not disappoint me again." She added a moment after, eyeing Vera's bindings, "I'll make sure they let you go, but anger them again and you will regret it."

Then, she turned and walked away, heading back down the cave to the far hall. As she did, the torches in the room flickered on once more, as if the life had been sucked out of them previously from her presence. But just as she prepared to enter the hallway, one of the guards from outside walked in, greeting her once he heard her exiting, "Sorry to disturb you, but the commander wanted to have a quick word with you about the training of the Riders."

She let out an annoyed growl, shaking her head with a lash of her tail, "Fine. Bring him in."

It seemed the wolf was waiting just around the corner as he entered the hallway with a brief bow to the witch. He stood taller than the other, a dark gray coat over his body, his slender form standing out to Mono as quite odd for one in charge of warriors. "Thank you, Rekali. It is great to see you." He held himself high, and yet, Mono could see the twitching of his tail and the fidgeting of his fingers at his sides.

Rekali cut him off, "Enough with pleasantries. What is so urgent that you've come to interrupt me? It better be worth it."

He gulped, the flickering red light from the torches casting an ominous glow over Rekali's face, "Ah, yes. Well, we've been looking into improving the power of our troops and, since we saw the power Dark Magic has granted you, we've been experimenting with it on our own. We've actually been very successful and, while many spells have bigger costs than others, there is a specific type of magic that seems to cause less harm than others when used. I've taken the liberty to teach the Riders to help protect them while in the sky as they can use the magic with the air around them rather than having to rely on the earth to draw power from."

Rekali raised her head higher, looking over them with interest. "Go on..."

Gaining some confidence he continued, smiling a bit, "I'm glad you asked! You see, many spells, as I'm sure you're aware of, come from the ground, such as the tentacles you use. But, recently we discovered a way to harness the very humidity in the sky and clouds to create weapons if needed."

She froze, her tail going still, slowly turning her head to ask, "And what kind of weapon is that?"

"I apologize, I thought it was obvious. Ice Spears! We can take the water from the sky an-"

Then, in a flash of power, his body was slammed into the wall with the might of a rhino, Rekali SMASHING his body against the stone, the breath in his chest coming out in a hard heave, yelping in pain. The witch's claws dug straight into his furred chest, piercing his body with malice, sparing nothing in her rage. Her tail curled around, the blades brushing against his exposed neck as she growled loudly, "ICE SPEARS?! And who the FUCK gave you the permission to teach magic?!"

He began gasping for air, his maw agape as the blood in his body squeezed out around the claws in his chest, stabbing directly into his lungs and liver. She had seemed to miss his heart as if to let him suffer. He sputtered, blood coming from his throat as his chest began trailing with the maroon paint of death. "We... We thought... You wanted us... to be stronger. You never... told us..."

She then twisted her jagged claws, tearing at his insides, plunging them deeper as her tail blades pressed dangerously against his throat. Her horns almost seemed as if they were sharper, her composed form now turned into an uncontrollable force, wings flared as her sole focus was on the wolf, "You will never, NEVER teach anyone Ice Magic. No one will ever be hurt by that type of spell again!" Her heart rattled, the mere retaliation of it drawing her short of breath, her eyes darting back and forth on the dying body pinned before her as something seemed to flash through her eyes.

The sheer terror in his gaze was like nothing Mono had ever seen. It made him almost throw up from watching, the pool of blood dripping down the wolf's paws and into a small puddle beneath him. Rekali then shoved him further up the wall, leaving him hanging there as her force kept him aloft. He begged, his voice cracked and gargled, "Please, don't kill me. I'll... never teach them... ice magic... again!"

Rekali couldn't hear him. Her instincts took hold, pressing all her weight onto his chest, cramming his head between her and the rock behind him. He screamed out, the audible cracks of his bones echoing around the room, his paws grasping at her shoulders, clawing at her as if to fight back as his survival instincts took hold.

And without a word more, two thick spires of wicked-edged stone splintered into the back of his skull, cracking through the barrier and his brain before piercing out his eye sockets on the other side. They skewered his eyes like a grape, all sounds suddenly cut off as Rekali crushed her talons into his heart. Blood spattered onto her face, coating her muzzle, neck, and chest. Yet she cared none, let alone seemed to even notice it, yelling at him, "You will NEVER hurt anyone AGAIN!"

Then, after a jarring series of seconds that seemed to last an eternity, her eyes focused once more, blinking before attempting to yank her claws from his dripping form. At first, they were lodged in his organs, tugging multiple times with her claws, pulling out part of his chest cavity in return before her paw came loose. She then stared at him for a long, hard moment, watching as those spires of rock she'd summoned left his body hanging on the wall from his eye sockets, hung there like a banner of warning. She then turned to the other wolf behind her, the creature having fallen onto his back, fear washing over him.

Then, her long tongue trailed out of her mouth, catching the blood dripping off her face, licking along the edge of her muzzles to taste the iron in his life nectar before growling, "Let this show what you will endure if you choose to disobey me. I gave you all this home and I can take it away." She then raised her head, not bothering to look over the cowering guard as he sat against the edge of the wall beside her, "Inform the troops to ban ice magic, no one may learn of it. Do I make myself clear?" Her eyes then shot back to his, glaring seriously.

"...Y-yes! Yes, I understand! I'll tell them immediately and make sure no one uses it again!"

She scowled, tail giving another hard lash, colliding with the hanging corpse behind her, her back talons now dipping in the expanding puddle of blood under him, "Good. And please, make sure my pet Vera is released? I need her alive, so do what you will with the boy. I have business to attend to." And then, with a final glare back at Mono and Vera, a slight smirk at their terrified faces, she walked up the tunnel and disappeared with a flick of her bladed tail around the corner.

Everything had happened so suddenly that when she had left and the guard managed to scurry off down the tunnel, Mono found himself lost for breath as well, his head spinning from the mere sight of it. He couldn't bear to look at the bleeding mess in the hallway, turning his body to face Vera. He glanced over her, the fear in her eyes seemingly tamer than his own yet scared nonetheless. He wondered if she was used to this, if Rekali killed others often. He was honestly surprised she let him live, but more than anything he wanted to make sure Vera was alright. He scooted himself closer, not having the mental strength to stand, the dragoness unable to muster the energy to complain as he sat a few feet from her. He spoke up a few moments later, watching as she gazed at the floor by her talons, "Are you okay? That was... a lot."

She blinked, her breathing slowly returning to normal, eyes wandering aimlessly, "I... I'm alright, I just-" She then stopped, her tail giving a flick, "This is why I can't betray her." Her words came out as a breath as if she was speaking to herself more than him, turning her muzzle to meet his gaze. He could see the pain wavering in her blue eyes, the confliction she had shown giving more meaning to him now that he understood better. He felt an urge to hug her, she was so close. She probably hadn't been hugged in years and yet... he felt uncertain, so he held back.

Once he gathered himself he added on, brushing his hair behind his ear as he gasped, "My god, she's worse than I imagined. I thought... she was a normal dragon."

"She was normal. I remember."

He glanced over at her, blinking as he felt she meant something deeper, shaking that thought away as he continued, "What happened? Why is she like this?" He then caught the stench of blood, noticing some guards come in and assess the mess before unhooking the corpse off the wall as they spoke.

Vera let out a sigh, biting her lip, "I don't know. I'm not sure why she went down this path, but I don't think she seeks to hurt people. It's confusing and even now I still don't understand it. I asked her once but... She got angry and... Yeah." Once again, in a way he would have never expected when he first met her, she shivered. She clenched her chained paws for a moment before relaxing as much as she could, looking up at him with regret in her eyes, "I'm sorry, Mono. I shouldn't have dragged you into this, you don't deserve that." She held back her thoughts, humming to herself occasionally, watching as the guards wiped up the blood and carried off the beaten body down the hall. The spikes still dripped with his juices, Mono once again finding himself both revolted by the sight and horrified that Rekali had so much power at her disposal. If she could do all this...

"Will you really be able to escape?"

"Huh?" She tilted her head back to him, blinking. "What are you talking about?"

"We... We're doing all this to break you from her spell, but... If she has all this power couldn't she just... turn you back into a Familiar after it's all said and done?" He felt his heart sink at the thought, half-heartedly wondering if he should have just said nothing, not wanting to put more pressure on her.

She gazed down at her paws. "I don't know, Mono. At best, she won't be able to know where I am all the time. She can travel vast distances with magic, but if I break free she won't be able to know my location anymore. I... I guess if I escape I'll run away. Find somewhere I can hide?" She pulled her body closer to herself, taking in deep breaths, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

He couldn't help himself. He scooted over to her, ignoring the fear of backlash from her before placing his warm hands over her shoulder. He could feel her scales, even in the Familiar form, those purple wisps drifting around his hands but not climbing up them. Vera gasped at the touch, staring at his arm before looking into his eyes. She murmured embarrassingly, glancing away in a way that made Mono's heart flutter. "Please, don't think about me. I... I don't deserve that."

He spoke up, confidence in his voice, forcing himself to be positive for her, "No, you do. You didn't want to hurt anyone, Rekali forced you..." He then trailed off, thinking about the five orbs she had shown them both, biting his lip in thought before pulling back his bound hands. He then brushed over his shoulder, "What was all that about? Are... is your family really stuck in those... orbs?"

"Soul Sphere." Vera corrected him, "You remember that guy back at the bar? Before we met that panther?" He nodded slowly, thinking back to it all, feeling like it was a few months ago despite it only being a few days, "He had a Soul Sphere. He seemed to infuse it with some sort of euphoria to make the fox he held feel pleasure, but this, what Rekali is doing... It's horrible. Fuck, Mono, you can't get it."

"Please, try to tell me."

She sneered to herself in anger, not targeting Mono but the witch for her feelings, "It's like... My entire family is still alive, but they're living in these spheres without hunger or pain. And yet they are awake for every moment of it, every day, every month, every year... Imagine being stuck inside an orb without anyone to talk to, nothing to do but wait endlessly..." He watched as she began breathing deeper, ears pulling back. "I... I'm so scared for them. If they ever escape, will they be okay? Will they hate me knowing what I did to save them? I... I technically don't even know if they're actually in there!" She let out a whimper, Mono comforting her with a touch on her shoulder again, rubbing over it softly, "I... I can't just do nothing, I have to do what Rekali wants. Yet I can't free myself as well. It's one or the other."

Mono added once she had vented a bit, speaking slowly to soothe her, "Are you sure there's not another way? Have you looked into any spells or-"

"Mono, it's not that easy." She clenched her teeth, giving a brisk tail swipe behind her, "This is the first time in the last three years that I've been truly free. When you found me... before then, I was never permitted to leave on my own. I haven't had time to find another option. Hell, the full moon is in about a week. How am I supposed to find a way to save us both before then?"

He hummed sadly for her, opening his mouth to respond only to find no words. He thought over it all, about their goals, changing the subject, "She seemed to know you were breaking free, from the spell I mean. Why didn't she stop us? She just left."

She placed one of her paws over the other, closing her eyes as she summoned the inner strength to compose herself, "I think she wants to torment me. She knows how much I hate her and yet, with the control she has over me... I can't stop her if she chooses to..." She then clenched her talons, giving a loud roar, raising her head up as she let out her anger.

After a second she calmed down, Mono having pulled back his hands as he hadn't expected her outburst and yet sympathized with her. She eventually lowered her muzzle, opening her eyes again, staring into the hallway. He followed her glance, the wolves now gone with the body while the pool of blood on the ground and spatters on the wall were still very much present. He then gazed back at her, Vera returning the look, "It'll be okay. Maybe your friend Brook will know something that could help us? You said she's a Spirit, right? Surely if anyone can help us she can."

She grumbled in uncertainty, gazing over her bound wings, "Maybe, we'll just have to see. Things don't always work out, Mono. The world is harsh and fairy tales aren't real. I've come to expect the worst because usually, that's how it ends up being."

Mono then forced himself to stand up, brushing off his legs from the rocky ground, preparing to walk around the cage to get his body moving in hopes to raise his spirits, "You have to believe in yourself, Vera. You've come this far already. We have to succeed or all this would have been for nothing."

"Maybe it is all for nothing..." She whispered.

"No, we'll do it. I'm not leaving you." He took a step toward her, holding himself up proudly, smiling at her as her eyes held a glimmer of hope, "I mean it. We're in this together." He then took a deep breath and turned to the metal bars of the cell, gripping them between his chained hands, the links clattering as he moved, "I guess we just wait now until someone comes to get us? It sounded like Rekali planned to let us go."

And not long after one of the guards approached them, a few others behind him with spears of wood and stone, the anthros eyeing them carefully before ordering them to follow them. Mono walked behind them with Vera only a few feet in front of him, the guards around them making sure neither of them fell behind. Still, he found himself nearly falling over multiple times as the restricting chains linked to the cuffs on their ankles made taking large steps difficult. Instead, they took a slow pace, none of them bothering to talk as they exited the dungeon and walked up into the main cavern of the wolf's den.

The room they broke into was so much larger than the last, the mountain they were inside nearly seeming hollow as the roof above them stood high, the cave looking more like a valley. There were wolves, both ferals and anthro, fire pits and training areas scattered about. He noticed multiple sections set apart for different reasons, glancing over it all as they were led onwards. There were a few, large stalagmites of stone spiraling up to the roof around the room, seeming to withstand the weight of the mountain from crashing down on top of them. Mono wondered how such few pillars kept the ceiling aloft, nonetheless keeping it in mind.

Yet, at the far end of the cave, stood a large hawk blocking an exit to the sky. Mono tried to get a good look at the open door to the outside, a platform to launch from for the hawks standing behind the towering guard, making a mental note of that as they were then led between some wooden walls and into a dark tunnel that led deeper into the mountain.

The torches on the wall flickered ominously as they passed, the heat of the fire grazing Mono's ear and cheek, his hands resting at his waist as the links to his cuffs clattered with each step. There was a gradual decline in the floor, curving this way and that, the voices from the huge chamber behind them quickly fading into a soft hum. He caught a glance of Vera peering over her shoulder to Mono, whispering, "Are you okay?"

"Hey! Stop that! You will remain silent unless spoken to!" The main guard spoke up, glancing back at them with a glare, "You are about to meet our leaders, so give them your attention."

He then remained silent as they walked on, noticing the lack of weight over his shoulders that he'd had to deal with the day before. He blinked, unsure why his mind traveled to that only to remember that his backpack that he was carrying the day before was stored within Vera. He thought about everything he had inside it, instantly capturing his attention as one thing inside stood out from the rest.

'No... No, I can't do that. There's got to be another way. Maybe they'll let us both go. Rekali did say Vera needed to leave... what did she say about me again?' He blinked, gulping as they then turned down the tunnel once more before walking into another cave deep within the wolf's den.

On either side of the room were stalagmites growing from the ground like a layer of spikes, torches hanging from the walls just above the tops of the small pillars. In the center of the room, the floor was barren, like a carpet for them to approach the throne. And standing before it was the same anthro wolf they'd seen back with Rekali, the one who had cowered on the floor. He held himself high but his arms shook nervously, ears pulled back as he answered quickly. And atop the throne of a large boulder lay what Mono presumed to be the two leaders of the pack.

A pure white she-wolf lay beside the male, both of them feral, her tail end dangling off the edge of the platform with slow sways. Her face held one of intrigue, listening curiously to the conversation between the guard and her husband. And beside her, a wolf cloaked in black fur lay proudly, holding his head high as he lay beside his mate, staring down at his subject with his ears tilted towards him. His face bore one of understanding and yet wavered none even at the subject of death. His voice came out low and raspy as if the spryness of his youth and the burden of their past carried along with his words. "And his body, has it been brought to the altar?"

The guard nodded briskly, his voice stuttering, "Yes! We, uh, still have to clean everything. The tunnel is a, well, it's a bit of a mess, but we should already have someone on it!"

"Excellent." His gaze then raised as he noticed them approach with the guards, his yellow eyes narrowing at their entrance before finishing to the guard with a glance, "We will continue this conversation later. Make sure it is done."

The guard gave a silent nod before squeezing past them and down the hallway in the direction he'd come, leaving the guards around them to spread out. The commander of the guards walked forth to address the leaders, "Venture, Clarity." He nodded to the male and then the female. "I have brought you Vera and her... human. They were the ones found together where Fret was last seen. I know we talked about the incident but I-"

"No need." He spoke up calmly, turning his gaze to the dragoness, beckoning them forth with a nod before nuzzling Clarity softly and standing up shortly after, "They are capable of sharing the story themselves. Please, walk forward you two."

The guard who had brought them here stepped to the side, giving a disapproving glare at the captives before obeying and letting them approach. Mono was cautious, taking one careful step forward at a time while Vera seemed undaunted. She huffed, tail swaying behind her as she looked over the both of them curiously. Venture hummed at her as she halted a few feet away from them, Mono staying at her side. He started with a knowing tone, "I'm sure you have many questions, Vera, as to where we've been all this time. I do wish it was under better circumstances. You have caused quite an uproar in my people with Fret's disappearance."

Yet the dragoness remained fixed in her thoughts, questioning him boldly, "Where have you all been? We thought you all died after attacking the castle."

The dark-furred wolf frowned, tail swaying calmly behind him where he stood as Clarity began grooming herself shamelessly beside him, "I assume Rekali never told you the story? Well, you are right, we did lay siege on the tower. But we failed. The power of the creature inside was too much for us..." He then glanced to his side, Mono following his gaze as he only just now noticed a wide patch of fur on his left hind leg charred and singed with the same corruption that was present on Vera's neck. It seemed to harden the area of fur, rendering it like a dead piece of flesh on his body. That only made the human more confused, wondering if the two of them shared something in common. "I now bear this mark to remember it."

"After losing many of our guards, we were forced to seek help from Rekali. We knew she, just like the phoenix in the castle, was dangerous, but if anyone could help drive the curse from our lands it would be her. Instead, she offered an alternative, providing us shelter in the mountains of the hawks. We've been here ever since."

Vera shook her head, giving an annoyed rumble, "Why didn't you tell anyone in the tribes before you left?"

He hummed for a moment, his firm eyes scanning over the both of them before holding his head high, "When you are a wolf, you stick together with your pack. You treat one another as family. The neighboring tribes on the other paw didn't care for us at all. When we asked for help, for shelter from the corruption, no one cared. We were left to fend for ourselves in a world where we thought we were friends. Why would we care what the other tribes thought when they were more than happy to leave us behind?" The resentment in his voice was thick, his gaze hardened as he glared at Vera with narrowed eyes, "The reality of life is harsh, and as a leader, I will give my all to protect my people."

He then took a deep breath, Clarity licking his leg once to calm him down, Venture giving a rumble in her direction before refocusing their discussion. "Now, I brought you here because you appeared in the Hawk's Nest. Only the wolves know of the location. I was told Fret, one of their soon-to-be guards was sent back to the nest to relax, and when they returned he was nowhere to be seen with only you two present." His tail flicked, "Before you answer, I will let you know that lying will only make things worse. You are bound and outnumbered." He held out a paw to show the other guards to the sides, placing his limb below him once more, "What did you do to Fret?"

Mono glanced over to Vera, the two of them sharing eye contact for a long moment. Mono blinked at her, holding back his words, desperately trying to read her mind. 'Veraaaaa, what do we do? Actually, what did we even do to Fret?' It was at this moment that he wished they were Soul-Linked so they could read each other's head, knowing communication would be much easier. Then, it dawned on him that it wasn't impossible. He eyed her body, glancing down at his chained hands, eyeing the bindings on her wings. 'What if...'

The leader continued, interrupting his thoughts, "I know you wouldn't kill anyone Vera without a reason. Still, if that is what you did, our law requires a sacrifice of equal value to make up for the loss." He then changed his gaze to Mono, causing the hair on the human's body to rise up as his eyes chilled him to the bone.

Vera caught what he was implying, taking a bold step forward, "No, you can't hurt him! I need him!"

"Need him? You can find another human for whatever his purpose is." He said matter-of-factly, adding, "Unless there's something special about him?"

Vera gazed at Mono, noticing the movement of her wings in the bag, a deep rumble rising in her chest as she turned to face Venture once more, "Leave him out of this, he did nothing wrong."

"Then I'll give you one more chance." He straightened his stance, glaring seriously at her. Clarity paused in her self-grooming, watching with distaste. "Where is Fret?"

Vera bit down, grinding her teeth together, giving a conflicted growl. She stared at Mono with a pleading look in her eyes, the words in her throat held back as if she was afraid to say something. Her talons scraped against the ground, a pained groan coming from her before taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes, breathing, before opening them once more to reply, looking straight back at the black wolf, "I can't say."

The wolf gave a low growl but quickly brought his composure back, a deep sigh coming from his maw before finishing, "Then that is all I need to know. You will have until midnight to return him or we will sacrifice your friend here as collateral. So is The Way of The Wolves."

A stone settled in Mono's heart at those words, talked about as if he was merely a pawn in a game of chess to be disposed of. The weight of his words hit him hard, inhaling sharply as fear struck him. His mind shot to the backpack inside Vera, wondering if he could get to it in time. The guards behind them began walking up to Mono, preparing to take him away.

But just as they approached, Vera suddenly growled and spun around, tail lashing as she bared her teeth and bunched up her muscles. "No one is fucking touching him, or you'll have to get through me!" He knew she couldn't do much in her chained state but perhaps she was stalling time for him. At the same time, something warm resonated in his heart at her display, shocked a bit by her ferocity to save him.

The leader warned, watching the two prisoners, "Don't do this, Vera. I wanted to do this the easy way. You are outnumbered and chained, you won't win. Just step aside and I will let you leave."

Mono's brain went into overdrive, glancing around as the only exit was behind them where the guards were. He had an idea where to go after they escaped the tunnel, but he'd need to distract them somehow, they'd need to get out of these chains. He then thought back to how he wished he could read Vera's mind, how they could Soul-Link. A thought then crossed his head as the tension in the room grew, taking a deep breath before reaching out with both his hands to the dragoness's form.

She stopped growling as she felt something inside her shift, turning back to see the wisps of her body climb up into the tunnel of magic Mono had summoned, pulling towards his form. Her eyes seemed to catch onto what he was thinking, giving a loud growl at them all as she was quickly absorbed. He put all his energy into it, the guards too stunned to react, watching as both their bodies began to disappear and forge together as one. As it all happened, the clattering of their chains and bindings fell onto the floor, their physical forms leaving reality just long enough to release them from them.

When they reappeared a moment after, Mono blinking and taking in a sharp breath, his eyes widened to see his now feral body unbound. He promptly raised his head, catching a whisper that escaped Venture's breath. "Another connection. More than one can exist?"

In a brash attempt to flee, taking the moment of confusion to his advantage, he focused on the fire within. He could feel it swirl in his chest and up into his throat like airborne lava, the red fire spewing from his mouth in a blast. The guards jumped to the sides to avoid it, the sheer heat from his breath making even him wince at the odd feeling, stopping a moment after as he realized that came to him naturally in the circumstance. Then, with a quick glance around and back at the leader, he darted down the hallway with the bindings left behind them and pounding in his chest. "What are you doing? Go after them!"

He barely could focus on what was happening, the sheer instinct to escape with the face of death on his tail causing each leap forward to become thoughtless, simply pushing onward without looking back. Vera's voice rang in his mind, ~How did you know that would work? You're crazy!~

'I didn't, I just... It made sense. I had to do something!'

~Then let's get out of here, they're coming after us!"

When they exited the tunnel they were presented with the large, open cavern filled with the bustling of life. They dashed past the confused faces of the wolves, none of them sure why they were running until the guards behind them ordered everyone to stop them from escaping. By the time it had reached their ears, Mono and Vera were already halfway across the large room, turning to run straight to the launch pad he'd seen earlier. For a moment, no one stood in front of them, the open sky standing at the large entrance, giving him a rush of adrenaline. 'We're gonna make it!'

But just as they grew near, the huge hawk that had been guarding it earlier landed heavily on the outside platform, his maroon eyes fixing on their form. Mono paused, skidding to a stop, glancing around quickly to try and think of a way to get around him. There weren't any buildings around, nothing that he could hide behind... The pillars! One of the long stone foundations stood to his right, glancing behind him as the wolves rushed forwards to try and grab them. Just then the bird cawed, thumping towards them with outstretched wings, intent on preventing them from leaving.

And then, in the span of a second, a dark lingering thought curled around his mind. If he did this, it could mean death for everyone, yet the desire for revenge took hold, the unnamed desire urging him onward to do as he wished.

In a quick rush, Mono darted to the pillar. He had one idea of how to escape, and while it was drastic he couldn't stop himself. The sparks of fumbling claws against the ground scratched against the stone, the bird attempting to halt itself as it realized it was rushing towards the foundation, the pillar slamming into his body a moment after. It made the very ground rumble, the dragoness nearly falling on their side before forcing themselves past the stunned hawk and towards the exit.

Only then did the center of the pillar crumble, the intensity of the collision causing the mountain to shiver and drop. Stones from the ceiling began slamming into the ground, the weight of the roof causing the other foundations to topple over. Mono watched in fear before forcing himself onward, his heart beating out of his chest.

When he reached the exit, the cool air from outside greeted him eagerly, the soft brush of the wind caressing his now unbound wings. But his eyes widened, the cliffside dipping off into the air, the platform seemingly only used to fly from. His heart stopped, the forest far below with the roaring of a waterfall nearby crashing down into the lake beneath the foot of the mountain. He backed away from the edge, his mind spinning as he gulped.

A huge smash and bits of debris hit him as the cave began crumbling in an uproar of screams and slams, the loudness of the rumbling deafening his hearing as he whimpered, "I can't do this!"

~You have to!~

"I can't! I'm too scared!"

But by the time he'd said those words, an overhang from above them crashed down onto the ledge just behind them, the platform they were standing on crumbling away as it broke into pieces. Mono yelled, trying to grasp for anything, spreading his wings out to try and catch the wind in desperation. He twirled among the loose pieces of stone, time slowing down as he began stroking his wings, holding his breath.

The call to fly washed through his chest, closing his eyes as he gave his all to flap.

And then a boulder hit him in the head, sending him tumbling down into the small lake below. 'I'm going to die... All because I'm too scared...' And with that last thought, they drifted away from consciousness, the weightlessness of his descent sending them plummeting to their doom.