FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

No sex guys, sorry. Hopefully somebody still reads this... I appreciate any and all feedback :)

Erik looked out over the wall of the fortress, sweeping hills and stark trees standing on the horizon like a thousand mighty soldiers. He took a sip of his pine needle tea, hands wrapped around the wooden mug, the warmth seeping in through tired fingers. He had aged greatly over the course of the last few months, going from a lazy teenager to the figurehead of an entire nation. The days were getting along now, late fall setting in with the chilling Maine weather following closely. He wished that he could take it all back now, that he could go back to playing xbox all weekend and nearly killing himself with caffeine doses fit for a horse. Then again, he hadn't had the greatest life back then, either. A life-shattering divorce had torn him in two, forcing him to choose between his parents. People at school ostracized him, and the only two friends he'd had were now both presumably dead. His throat felt choked all of a sudden, eyes burning. He missed the days of driving out early in the morning to go fishing with his dad in their old truck, the radio playing oldies calmly. A country boy's dream, and now that was wrecked for him and every single other country family.

"Hey, Erik! You wanna' go check something out with me?" Came a voice from across the fortress.

"Sure thing," Erik called back, seeing that it was that Moose who had saved his life in the trenches not too long ago. He walked slowly down the stairs, yellow work boots padding through the muddy ground towards a 1974 Ford F-150, Erik pulling open the door and sitting inside comfortably. The Moose, Christina, sat down in the passenger seat with her M-4 propped up on one leg. "Good morning, ma'am,"

"Morning," She replied, closing the door and sitting back. Erik pulled out slowly, the suspension creaking happily as they moved outside the gate. "You ever go out by the FPLA hydroelectric plant?"

"Yeah. My father and I used to go Bass fishing there before the war. Bugs were all over that place like white on rice," Erik said, leaning forward to pull his wallet out of his jeans and handing it to Christina. She opened it, looking at the small pictured immortalized in the little plastic sleeves. She flipped through a few of them, stopping at a picture of a young human teenager smiling from ear to ear next to a late-forties man with large glasses. Between the two of them they were holding onto an enormous small mouth Bass, a shining lure dangling from its mouth. Erik gave a feeble smile as he flipped on the heaters, turning onto an antiquated dirt road, dust billowing out from behind the truck.

"That's really heartwarming. I'm sorry he had to go," She said, quietly putting the leather wallet down on the seat next to him.

"Well, I never found him so he could be alive," Erik said, pulling in front of the sheet metal building and parking the truck before stepping out and slamming the door shut. "So many memories here," He whispered to himself, sucking in a deep breath and walking alongside Christina to the locked gate.

"Allow me," She joked, firing a lone bullet into the lock. The chain slid from the gate like a dead snake, coiling up on the ground below. They both walked into the cramped courtyard, transformers sitting nearby as if they were bored. He opened a door, Christina checking the room out for enemies before they moved inward. There were turbines spinning in the river water, huge cables leading out toward the transformers through the cement wall. A red switch clung to the wall nearby, Erik flipping the huge lever into the 'on' position. He watched in wonder as the lights flickered on, a buzzing filling the air around them.

"Well look at that," He spoke at last, placing his hands on his hips. "I guess we should go tell the general. Can't believe it was that easy!" The two of them walked out, closing the gate behind them and walking towards the truck purring happily out front. They stepped in, the sounds of the doors closing echoing off the trees around them in every direction. They sped off back to the fort, returning an hour later with a convoy of tanks, APCs, growling diesel trucks and civilian pickups. Men were streaming everywhere, people in white lab coats walking quickly between their trucks and the power station. Erik just pulled up behind it all, lowering the back gate of the Ford and sitting down on it next to Christina.

"You know what this means, right, Erik?"

"Yes, I believe I do. This means we're going to start manufacturing things," He replied, picking beneath his claws with a pen knife.

"Yes, yes indeed. But, more importantly, we're going to possibly be able to take the fight to the dragons so long as they're on our planet," She said, resting back on her hands. "Erik, you and I might just have won the war for us," Soldiers paced in front of the installation nonstop, overlapping each other and brandishing weapons at everything that moved and wasn't clad in olive drab. Sandbags were piled all over the building, barbed wire sprouting from the very ground and encircling them. Wooden towers were erected near the dirt road, machine guns bristling from every angle. The general walked up to the pair sitting on the brown truck, both jumping down and standing to attention. "Sir!" Christina shouted during a snappy salute.

"At ease, please," The general said, helmet cradled between wrinkled hands. "I have to thank you two for finding this. I don't know why we didn't think of it earlier,"

"You were busy moving troops everywhere, it's understandable," Erik replied, shrugging one shoulder.

"Nevertheless, during this current cease fire that we've stumbled upon by accident, it has been brought to my attention that we need ammunition and weapons primarily. Which is why we're going to be setting up the first New Earth foundries at this very location,"

"That's a great plan, sir," Erik applauded him, itching inside to sit back down.

"Of course it is," He joked, pushing Erik's shoulder. "Nevertheless, I need some... Specialized help,"

"Oh?"

"Yes. There have been reports of a sniper here picking off some of my rangers around these parts. I don't need a sniper with the current proceedings we've started,"

"Don't you have snipers that can do that?"

"We did, but we had so few fifty caliber rounds to spare for them that we're actually out. Last few rounds are back at the fort with the anti-aircraft weaponry," The general scratched at his sparse, graying hair with a free hand. "So I'd like for you to do whatever needs to be done to remove him from these woods before somebody gets hit,"

"Yes sir, do you have any idea as to what region he's been in?" To that the general simply pointed to the trees along the railroad tracks.

"There," He said, before walking away. Erik stood, grabbing his bolt action hunting rifle from the mounts over the truck's rear window.

"Care to join me, Christina?" She merely nodded, walking behind him onto the railroad tracks.

"Keep your head down, if I remember correctly there's an old boathouse on the top of the hill. That's probably right where he is,"

"Shouldn't we go around back?"

"Not if you want to kill him," Erik said, sliding down over the stones lining the tracks. Christina raced to catch up, slowing down as Erik held his hand out behind. "Be quiet! Think like a sniper, he could be anywhere,"

"But you just said..."

"I just said, be quiet," Erik spoke, moving from one tree to another. The forest was eerily quiet, the only sound was the occasional chirp of a bird in the distance. Erik sprinted and slid behind a broad oak tree, resting his back up against the rough bark as he breathed deeply and slowly. Each passing second only served to increase the tension, Christina kneeling behind a pile of brush with only her rifle poking out. She moved up behind the next tree in front of him, him to the one in front of her once she stopped to cover him. Without any warning, there was a loud buzz as a purple bolt of energy crackled through the air. The smell of burning ozone assaulted Erik, and he pulled himself behind the tree, trying to make himself as small as possible. Christine began to move, and Erik yelled out to her angrily. "Sit your ass down! We're taking fire!" Her eyes widened, and she threw herself to the leaf-covered ground. Another sizzling bolt whispered through the air where she'd just been. Her feet scrambled over the moist leaves, throwing mud into the air as she crawled behind a tree.

"Sorry!" She called out to Erik, voice echoing all around them.

"Don't apologize to me! You're the one what almost died! Covering fire, I'm making a break for the next oak!" He heard her rifle stutter, and he bolted. Feet pounding the earth, he pistoned his arms through the air. In the second it took him to cross no more than ten feet, a round sliced into the thick tree that he'd just left. "Your turn!" He shouted.

"Oh what the hell," He heard her say, Erik leaning around the trunk of the tree, rattling off three rounds as fast as his bolt-action would allow. He heard footsteps and saw the flash of a green uniform as she charged up to the edge of the treeline.

"Good job! Stay there, I'm going to move up next to you in a minute or two!" Erik yelled, thinking quickly. Why hadn't the sniper displaced? From the sound of the weapon, he was in the same exact position he'd been in before. Erik shook it off, shouting for Christina to cover him. As soon as he heart the staccato of the assault rifle he sprinted out from the safety and into the yard of the house where the sniper was holed up. He beckoned Christina forward, and she sprinted madly towards him. He caught her before she slammed into the wall, "Stay calm,"

"Alright, now what?" She asked, panting.

"Now we need to clear this house and kill the damned bastard," Erik said, sliding along the wall with his weapon jutting out in front of him. They rounded the corner, finally seeing a window. Erik smashed it with the butt of his rifle, clambering into the old white house. He waved Christina onward, "Go in a different window!" He whispered, creeping as quietly as he could. His heart was beating so hard in his chest that surely the sniper would hear it as he walked to the stairs. Erik swept his rifle around every corner, coming upon a closed wooden door. 'Hell-lo' He thought to himself, creeping up to it and leaning against the wall. Dust glittered in the air, the entire place eerie and too quiet for comfort. Erik steeled himself, busting the door down with a vicious kick. He lowered his rifle back down from his kick, the sights reaching a dragon looking back at him from its mounted rifle. Erik saw it reach for its sidearm, and he pulled the trigger before things got out of hand. The hunting rifle clicked, Erik's heart jumping to his throat. He cycled the bolt, the trigger doing absolutely nothing this time. He threw it to the floor, hands outstretched as he dove at the armored dragon. Strong fingers wrapped around his throat, Erik trying to squeeze the life out of the menace. He felt the thing writhe under his grip, arms struggling for something. There was a click, and Erik saw a grenade roll over the floorboards away from them. Christina burst into the room then, Erik reacting quickly. He grabbed the moose, throwing her out of the room via the window, following her out of the second story as the beeping orb settled against the sniper's foot. There was a curse from the room, and instants later the house erupted in a ball of blue flame. The shock wave rattled Erik's teeth, Christina covering her face with her forearms. Chunks of wood and siding pelted the two of them, the dust settling gently afterward. "We did it," Erik said, standing before helping Christina to her feet shakily. He winced, clutching a hand to his lower back. "Remind me not to dive out of buildings any more,"

"Hey, Erik. Don't jump out of buildings any more," She replied, smiling through the white dust clinging to the both of them.

"Yeah. Okay," He said, dragging out the 'okay' as he started walking down the hill back towards the power plant. By now, they were getting along towards noontime and the sun beat down on the two of them. The wind chilled them to the core, but when they emerged from the trees the sun served to warm their tired bodies. Christina looked down at her M-4, the dust covering every inch of its surface.

"Now that will be fun to clean out of there," She said, slinging it over her shoulder. Erik snorted, smiling as the two rounded the corner towards the gate of the electrical plant.

"Right this way, sir," One of the guards said, sweeping the dirt road beyond with his M-16. Erik and Christina walked slowly in, back to the truck. They sat down, the truck's suspension lowering a few inches beneath the weight.

"So. Is that how you have to take out snipers every time?" She asked, popping her rifle open and pulling out all of the mechanisms.

"Well, it's that way or the way I would have used if we knew where he was holed up beforehand,"

"Which is..."

"Those," Erik said, pointing towards the huge howitzers sitting in the courtyard. Christina looked over at the shining artillery pieces, then back down to her weapon.

"That sounds easier than all that running and getting shot at,"

"It sounds it, but believe me, it isn't,"

"And how's that?" She questioned, poking a finger at his chest.

"Because if they miss, they kill you," He said, "But they don't miss so..."

"I can never tell when you're being serious or not," Christina said, rubbing the parts off with a greasy rag from behind the truck's seat.

"Hey! You two! General Stratton said he wanted to see you!" A soldier yelled, waving them forward after dodging a few trucks filled with supplies. They stood from the truck, Christina grabbing all of the rifle parts and scurrying off after Erik.

"Erik, I'm glad to see you back. You get him?"

"Yes and no. He roasted himself with an incendiary grenade but Christina and I managed to get out in time,"

"Good to hear. Now, where can we find machining supplies and lathes and stuff?" Stratton asked, hands folded over his desk within the power plant.

"Waterville high school had a machine shop for vocational students. Check there first," Erik said, "But why don't you know that? Didn't anybody think to do this before?"

"No," Stratton responded, looking down and blushing.

"How come? It's all I've thought about,"

"Because nobody expected us to survive this long," The general said, leaning back in the swivel chair.

"Damn," Christina said quietly.

"No kidding, soldier. But, the point is, we are alive and now we've got a fighting chance. We've already laid down heavy-duty wire all the way to the Huhtamaki plant in Waterville and we're producing the first bullets already,"

"Good to hear, sir,"

"Alright, warriors, feel free to help get some of the machine shop items over here, we need all the help we can get," Erik nodded, spinning around and walking smartly from the building with Christina in tow. They got into the Ford, one of the army riflemen running up to Erik's window.

"Sir, can we get a ride to the mechanical school with you?"

"Get in," Erik pointed at the bed with a thumb.

"Thanks, sir," The soldier jogged behind the truck, beckoning to his squad. The truck bounced around as they all vaulted in, Erik pulling away as soon as the truck's tailgate closed. He followed behind one of the old M35 Deuce trucks, the diesel exhaust filling the cabin in instants.

"I don't miss that smell," Erik said, Christina laughing and rolling the window down to breathe out the window. The fighters in the back of the truck were all sitting comfortable one minute, almost thrown from the vehicle as they went over the smallest of bumps. The speedometer hovered around forty five miles per hour, the gas cemented at three-quarters of a tank. One of the soldiers tapped the window, Christina turning around and sliding the window open.

"Hey! There's something up in the sky!" He said, pumping his finger up towards the air. Christine whipped the door open, standing up and hanging up onto the roof.

"He's right, Erik! There's some kind of ship up there!"

"Well what's it doing?" He asked, swerving into the left land and flooring the truck to catch up with the M35 driver. "Hey! There's a ship! Spread the word!" Erik slammed on the brakes, whipping the truck around and speeding back towards the FPLA hydro plant.

"Why is it silver?" Christina asked, sitting back inside the cabin and slamming the door shut.

"Maybe it's not dragon,"

"Yeah, and I'm Bruce Willis," The soldier yelled in the window, cocking his rifle. The wind pushed the truck as they raced down the asphalt, engine roaring happily as they thundered along the road. They skidded onto the dirt road, rocks pinging off the sides and dust billowing out from the mud flaps. Erik slammed it into park outside the general's office. The clouds were turning dark, and lightning was crackling across the sky.

"Stay in the truck," Erik said angrily, stabbing a finger at the air before turning and stomping into the general's office.

"Sir, we have an unidentified ship in the air," He said quickly, blood thundering in his veins.

"Shit, I'll get the others warned, you get to where that ship is and find out who they are!" Erik flew out of the room and back into the truck, threw it into drive and raced back out of the gate towards the field where they'd seen the ship handing over them like a pinata. The truck's tires grabbed the asphalt, throwing them down the road at a breakneck pace.

"Dammit!" Erik yelled as they turned past an old gas station.

"What?" Christina asked, worry in her eyes.

"I'm not going to get to eat lunch now," He felt a punch on his shoulder and he flashed a smile over at her, laughing. They crested a hill, the M35s parked below with the soldiers dug into trenches in the field. The ship was lower in the sky now, a huge black box protruding from the underside. Erik turned the truck off, jumped out and beckoned for his marines to follow him. He grabbed an M-16 from one of the nearby trucks and jumped down into the trench. There was the sound of static before loud music came from the heavens, rattling the very soil.

"The Hell?" A soldier yelled, lifting his cheek off his M60 and looking around. It was Ke$ha, Erik's least favorite kind of music. "I remember this tune! It's Blow!"

"What a name for a song!" Another soldier called back, a few wolf whistles breaking out.

"I think that black box is a speaker!" Erik yelled to Christina over the pounding music.

"I think you're right!" Erik's eyes fixed on the ship, little black dots were coming off the sides and getting bigger.

"Get ready! Hold fire until I give the word!" Erik roared, the black dots zooming up on them with insane speed. They set down seconds later, the metal crafts denting the earth beneath their weight. "The fuck?" One of the doors opened with a hiss, a human stumbling out, completely naked. Blood gushed from wounds on him, and dirt was caked into his hair. The body fell to the ground, rolling down the metal ramp which was opening from the craft.

"Dad!" One of the soldiers made a move to jump out of the trench, face twisted with rage.

"Get down!" Erik yelled, dragons kicking human bodies out of the way and bursting forth from the machine. Another warrior pulled the first back into the trench as a hellish barrage of bullets coursed into the dragons. The inside of the white metal ship was splattered with purple blood, the next landing craft spewing bodies and dragons. "They're trying to use psychological warfare on us! Open fire!" Erik sprayed them with an entire magazine, reloaded, and opened up again. He switched aim smartly between targets, lasers soaring inches away from his head.

"Sir! The ship's trying to take off!" Erik was going to take the fight to them, no matter what it took.

"Everybody! Get aboard those ships!" He shouted, climbing out of the trench and rushing towards one of the ships whilst still shooting dragons the entire way. Christina followed, starting an avalanche of soldiers down the gulley into the field and towards the ships. Erik pushed out the last few corpses of human prisoners, and slicked up against the wall. "Everybody! Get in!" He said, the entire fire team packing into the ship as it began to take off. The door snapped shut and they were jostled around as the ship piloted itself back to the larger ship.

"I hope to Christ this works, sir," One of the army fighters said, all of them checking ammunition. "We don't have a whole lotta ammunition,"