FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

[Author's Note]:This chapter was originally the second half of chapter two, now edited and expanded. It contains mild violence and infrequent, strong language.

Every little bit helps aid in shaping and improving the writing process. All constructive criticism is welcome too and if you spot any punctuation or spelling errors, please inform me. And please also remember to rate, comment and enjoy.

Chapter 3: New Beginnings

It was the next day. I was back working in the factory, back on the conveyor belts. But, mercifully, Relis was nowhere to be found. Work continued as normal for a long while, punctuated only by every time I caught one of the other children watching me, giving me evil, conspiratorial glares. I began to wonder just how much Master Warris' intervention last night had really cost me. He had stayed with us that night. I remember hearing the scraping of a metal chair along the concrete floor and, later, the quiet purring of a sleeping adult. But what had happened hadn't stopped the jealousy festering inside my peers. To them, it must have seemed like two adults were fighting over the love of their favourite child. They couldn't possibly have grasped that I was living in fear every moment, not knowing who or what might come for me next. What really must have driven the nail home was them all being overlooked for a damn bleached.

The newfound threat hanging over me was no more apparent than when I went to reach for a component off the conveyor belt that another, a rusty coloured girl, was also reaching for. A almost placed my paw right atop hers but stopped myself at the last moment. We both looked at each other, I with embarrassment, she with disgust. She snarled, her whiskers flaring outwards, and barred her sharp fangs. Her breath, like all of ours, stank from having no access to even basic dental hygiene, but it was the fire in her eyes that made me flinch and back away, almost falling off my box.

From that moment on, I was extremely nervous and attentive every time I went to pick up an item. She continued until one of the girls carrying machinery lubricant in a bucket that was, quite frankly, far too big to expect her to carry, dropped the container and spilt viscous brown good all over the machine-shop floor. Naturally, the grouchy supervisor of the factory floor went off on a tirade that would make Boaren blush. Then, to everyone's shock, mine included, he delegated collecting the bucket of chemical thinner and mop to me.

I left the machine shop at a jog. I needed to get across the entire Centre and back and I wanted to do it as quickly as possible as not to infuriate that agitated, prematurely moulting, flat-toothed Panthren who treated that damn factory like it was his cathedral. I ran and ran, between the warehouse and water purification building, weaving in and out of the housing blocks, down behind the rickety sheds where expensive farming equipment - kept purely to wow visitors and going completely unused - was kept all in my attempts to get to my destination faster. Then I suddenly heard a cry go out. It was not unusual to hear one at this time of day, but the voice and the word made me freeze to the spot.

"Vayren!" came an all-too-familiar voice.

Master Zanders? If he sees me out here?

"Vayren!" went up an identical cry, this time in a much more eloquent voice. "Vayren, you come back here this instant!"

Lord Telequinn? Oh No! They were coming in my direction from the front. I had to back-pedal. I had to get away and quickly. I turned and began to run back towards the factories. I'd already figured out they what they were doing, but if he was nearby then surely he'd have heard them and found his way back to them by now. I ran on until my lungs started to ache. I slowed down to catch my breath, leaning against the corner of a laundrette.

It's okay. I'm safe now_I thought. I concentrated on catching my breath, then, just as I picked myself up and went to round the corner a thought occurred to me. _Wait... What if could hear them and just didn't want to-

There was a thud and I hit my head hard against something. It took me a moment to recover myself and look at what I had bumped into. And, to my horror, standing right before me...

"Oh, hello. I do apologise," came the soft, well spoken words of the Telequinn boy, Vayren. He was smiling back at me from behind dazzling green eyes, contrasted brightly against his darkened fur. Between his ears he had a head of straight hair that was swept back around his ears and held in place by grease.

"Hey, wow. Your fur-" I didn't hear the rest, as the second the shock wore off my body went into overdrive. I screamed, turned, ran. I raced away as fast as my legs could take me.

_He saw me! Oh my Gods he saw me! I'm dead! I'm going to die!_I ran and ran until I found a quiet, shadowy corner to hide from the glare of the bright, sunny day.

"I don't know what to do" I sobbed. I contemplated running away, but realised that if that were even possible, I would have tried it by now. Then I thought about just staying hidden, waiting until it all blew over. Maybe if he tells anyone, and they can't find me, they won't believe him... No. No that would never happen. He's from a noble family. Everyone knows they are upstanding, honourable Panthren. They'll know. I sat sobbing for a long while, wondering if Zanders would make my death painless. No, of course not. He'll beat me and beat me until my fur turns red with my blood... Or he'll hand me over to Mistress Relis. That thought made me shiver with renewed fear. Why couldn't he make someone like Master Wa...

"Master Warris!" I cried. I needed to find him. He was out in the fields where he always was, looking after the group we replaced from the workshop.

I took off at speed. I ran along the dusty paths between the purple corn sprouts and ran through the jungle of barley and under the canopy of orange and blue grapes until I saw a gathering in the distance. As I ran closer, I could clearly make out the figure of an adult in the distance, surrounded by smaller silhouettes.

Is that? Yes, yes it is!

I ran and ran until my lungs felt like there were boiling. When I was within fifty feet, Warris turned and saw me coming. He had to squint against the glare of the sun behind me, then...

"What the- What are you doing here?!" I was so relieved to see him that I had almost forgotten the urgency of the situation.

"Master Warris, he saw! He saw me!"

"Who saw you? What's going-"

"The Boyquinn. I mean the Tele... The noble boy. He saw me. I ran right inta' him. What am I gunna do?" Warris seemed to mull that over for a few seconds. "Okay, okay... calm down." He paused to think for a moment as I continued to bawl and shake. "Okay, I know what to do. Just go back to your block and wait outside. I'll be along soon."

"You not comin' now?"

"I can't just leave these children out here, now can I?"

"Please promise I'll be okay... Please."

"You'll be fine. I promise." It was only then that I realised that I had leaped into his arms and he was holding he tightly even as I had my arms wrapped under his armpits. I felt his body shiver and thought something was suddenly wrong, but from his throat he released a small, involuntary purr. "You know... you remind me a lot of my son," he said softly. It took me a moment to realise that was intended as a compliment, as whenever my father had drawn comparisons with me, it was to my lacking.

"Izzee lots like me? Izzee... pale too?" The words seemed to pain Warris.

"He... He was... He looked just like you. Had blue fur that was so light... that was almost white too." I thought about that for a few moments, the way the words he was hurt Warris so much. I tried to imagine meeting him, shaking his hands like all the adults seemed to when they met each other for the first time. Then I understood what he really meant. But just as that thought entered, another replaced it, a foolish, child's solution to such a problem.

"Could I be ya son?" spilled out of my mouth before I even had chance to check myself. Tears were beginning to gather in Warris' eyes.

"Not now... But you'll be taken care of, I promise. Now go on, quickly." I jumped down from Warris' arms just as he pawed away the tears soaking into his cheeks. I only made it a few steps before I stopped. Turning back to Warris, who was already twisting to instruct the other children to gather around and listen, I asked "What waz iz name?"

"Who's?"

"Your son?" Warris conjured up a small smile before answering.

"Kyren," he said. I smiled back.

"That's an awesome name." Warris just nodded and stroked his eye once more. Then I was off, running across the fields, over small, wooden bridges that crossed the irrigation system, down and up ditches, until I was back at the edges of the Centre. I was careful from there not to be spotted by anyone. Master Zanders could already be on the hunt for me. I thought it might be possible that the boy, Vayren, had not told anyone he had seen me. Maybe they hadn't even found him yet... No, that was impossible. The sun was already getting low in the sky and the nobleman's son seemed like the curious and excitable type. There's no way he'd be able to keep seeing someone like me a secret. I could only hope, as I approached the door to block K, that Warris' plan could and would really work, whatever it may be.

It was three hours later and I was standing in the corridor of block K, looking out through the windows in the middle distance at the heads of Masters Zanders and Warris having a heated debate. Or perhaps debate was too soft a word.

"It's just a damn bleached!" I could hear Zanders crying from the other side of the metal doors. "No one in their right mind will-"

"The boy seems interested in him." I heard Warris reply.

"Vayren is just a spoilt, snotty nosed brat. What happens when he gets bored of it, hmmm?"

"Why do you care? He'll be out of here, no longer your problem." Warris took a quick glance at me. I don't think I realised at the time that all the things he was saying were only to save me.

"And you still haven't answered the question of how the hell this isn't gonna reflect badly on me!" Zanders' voice was quickly rising.

"I dunno, say... say it was a sympathy thing. Say you found him outside the walls and brought him in because you're such a great guy." By the look on Warris' face, you could tell he was reaching. But Zanders seemed to buy it.

"Hmmm," he mused, stroking the tuft of beard on his chin. "I don't know. Telequinn's never struck me as the lovey-dubby type. He has a his family's honour and traditions to maintain. And is he gonna pay anything for, for..." he trailed off, indicating to all of me with a rising and lowering paw.

"Well... I... Um," Warris began.

"I know," Zanders said, clicking his fingers. "I'll say he was completely dumb when he got here. Couldn't talk, couldn't walk. We had to train him like a baby." Warris looked at me sadly, clearly unhappy with that part of the deal, but with no alternatives to offer he just nodded soberly. The pair then turned in unison before bursting into and flurry of motion. Warris raced into the corridor and up to me carrying something in his hands.

"Here, take these and put them on," he said, handing me a pile of clothes and rushing to unlock my door. He quickly shepherded me inside. "Now stand up straight and remember, let us do the talking. Got it?"

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I'm getting you out of here," he said with a smile.

"But I wanna go with you," I said.

"Hey, hey... Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay. Now get dressed, like a good boy." I nodded agreeably. Warris nodded back and quickly shut the door. I swapped over my clothes from the same ragged, torn set of corduroys and stained white shirt with bracers I had been wearing for the last four months straight into a brand new set of trousers and button-up shirt - amazingly, most of the buttons still be present - and stood ramrod straight as I heard two new voices rising outside.

Most of the conversation was incomprehensible until they drew very close to the door.

"I do hope this is worth out time, Zanders. Vayren hasn't stopped talking about seeing this bleached and I would hate for him and myself to be disappointed."

There was a creak and the door opened, light flooding the darkened chamber. It took my eyes a second to readjust, but I didn't even flinch as they all got a good look at me wearing, for the first time in my life, new clothes that almost fit and were actually new. For a moment there was silence and, feeling embarrassment at so many unrelenting gazes, I clasped my hands behind my back and lowered my gaze slightly.

"See, I was right father. He has the brightest fur I've ever seen," the young Telequinn said proudly. From the excitement in his voice, I couldn't make out whether that was supposed to be an indictment or not.

"Come now Vayren, don't be rude," Lord Telequinn stated. That made it clear to me that, although he was a well-mannered and upstanding gentleman, Lord Telequinn still harboured the same, common belief that brightness of fur carried with it an inherent disadvantageousness. "Do you have many more like this here at the Centre, Viktor?" he asked, turning to Zanders.

"No, my Lord. Alas, we found this poor thing abandoned and half-starved outside the walls and I simply couldn't bear to leave it out there to starve." To his credit, Zanders was very good. There was not one hint of deception or disgust in his words.

But I was only half-listening. My mind was fixed on something far more perplexing and a little intimidating. I was looking at the little Vayren, specifically the colour of his fur. I was trying to work out what colour his fur was. Even from this close proximity, the light hanging above him made it impossible to identify, the shade being so unbelievably dark. Then I shook my head and broke my gaze when I realised I was, quite rudely, staring.

"That was a very decent thing, Viktor," Lord Telequinn said, a notable hint of scepticism in his voice.

"Why do you keep these children all the way back here, Mister Zanders?" Vayren asked. "Nobody is going to see them all the way out here." Even at that age, Vayren was very perceptive, although he likely didn't understand just how complex and messy a question that actually was, not even after the look of discomfort that washed across Zanders and Warris' faces.

"Has it been educated at all?"asked Lord Telequinn.

"Well, it isn't a member of the indentured servitude program, but we did the best we could," Zanders said. "It took us months of nursing for him to regain the ability to walk and years to teach him how to speak. His past has been... less than ideal, shall we say?"

"Hmmm... I am unsure," Telequinn said. "It would be both experience and inconvenient to have to train it ourselves. I think we shall probably look elsewhere."

My heart sunk. I could see my future, my life, disappearing before my eyes. If this didn't work, Zanders would make sure I disappeared for sure.

"My lord, if I may," Warris spoke up. "Think for one moment what it would say about the noble house of Telequinn if you were to take in a poor, orphaned bleached boy?"

"Warris, shut up," Zanders muttered back at him over his shoulder. But Telequinn cupped his chin in his paw, gazing off into the distance.

"Please father. All the children in the other families' households look the same. Why can't I be different?" That seemed to strike a chord in his father. He nodded slightly.

"Yes. Yes, that is an excellent idea. Taking in this poor child and elevating him would evidence the house of Telequinn's generosity and charitable nature." My heart began to flutter, even more so when I saw the smile stretching across Warris' face. Then Telequinn knelt down beside Vayren and put his hands on his shoulders to look him straight in the eyes.

"Now son. Are you absolutely sure this is what you desire? Training this boy will be very expensive and may not reflect well on you, what with your..." he trailed off.

It was at that moment I realised just what had been vexing me about the boy. Telequinn's words seemed to colour in what my eyes had failed to see.

The shade of his fur... His fur doesn't have a shade at all... It's black!

Vayren had black fur! Instantly the gravity of the situation hit me. I could see why Vayren being seen with a bleached was so troubling for Lord Telequinn. It wasn't that it would reflect badly on the depth of his pocket, it was about breeding and about the honour of generations of his family. Vayren was the epitome of the Panthren ideal; Intelligent, handsome, well-educated... and had the darkest fur any Panthren could ever be graced with... he was the grand, end result of centuries of concerted effort by this family... a truly honourable Panthren.

"Yes, father," Vayren said, groaning slightly, as though he'd heard this pitch a thousand times before. "I am absolutely sure that this is the one I want. All the other children I've met have just tried to cling to our status." Vayren spoke very maturely for a ten year old boy, and he seemed to understand the world around him far better than any child his age had a right to, much to the dislike of Zanders.

"Of course, you don't have to make your decision right now," Zanders said scheming. "Please, feel free to spend the night thinking it over." Warris turned and looked at him, half shocked, half infuriated. He was changing his mind, backing away from the plan. Maybe he smelt more money to be made, or maybe he just didn't like the image it would paint of his school, a scruffy little bleached being bought over one of his own, prim and proper pupils.

"No, no. I do not think that will be necessary," Lord Telequinn said, flicking back his braid from his shoulder and reaching into his jacket. "We have taken long enough coming to a decision and, besides, I know what it is like to end up saddled with a different child guardian to the one you would have liked." He removed a beautiful, handmade wallet of some exotic animal pelt. "I had to contend with a chubby Arleenian who would steal snacks off my plate when I wasn't looking and always smelled of week old cabbage."

Master Warris chuckled, along with Telequinn... Zanders didn't.

"Now, how much will this be, Viktor? Considering that the child's a little rough around the edges and needs training, of course," Telequinn manoeuvred. Zanders grumbled.

"I suppose... I could bear to part with him for... four hundred. I still have overhead to cover, you see-"

"Four hundred will be acceptable, Viktor," Lord Telequinn said, removing a small plastic chit from his wallet. Zanders took it and slotted it into a machine he removed from his large, suede coat, taking note of the code above my door.

"Come on out here now," Warris said to me softly. "These nice gentlemen are going to take you home with them." Smiling shyly and with my head lowered, I plodded towards them.

"It's okay. We don't bite. We're not like that," Vayren said cheerily. As I stepped out of the room, to everyone's amazement, Vayren innocently put his arm around my shoulders. "We're gonna be best friends," he said.

"Vayren, don't do that. We need to take him back and get him cleaned up first," Lord Telequinn said. Sheepishly, Vayren removed his arm.

"Oh... of course," he said. I looked up at the transaction happening over my head. Zanders' machine made a series of loud beeps and two lights went from red to blue and green.

"All done," Zanders said, handing the chit back to my new owner. "And thank you once again for your custom, my lord," he continued, bowing his head.

"A pleasure, Mister Zanders," he replied. Then he looked down. "Now coming along Vayren, we must get... oh, yes, what is his name?" Zanders and Warris both stopped and looked at each other.

Of course, most children had names when they came to the Centre, which were given back to them when they left - not that they made it obvious to customers they dePanthrenised the children in the first place.

"Uh..." Zanders said.

"We..." Warris continued.

"Does he now have one?" Telequinn asked. He looked down at me. "Then we must endeavour to find you one, mustn't we?" I looked up into his big brown eyes and saw a warm glow, not quite fatherly, but safe, honest. That gave me the courage to ask one of the most poignant questions in my life.

"Can... C-Can I b-be called Kyren?" I looked across to Warris. He covered his maw with his paw and smiled, even as his eyes began to well up with tears."

"Kyren? Hmmm," Telequinn said. "I don't know. It sounds a little garish to me."

"Oh, but I like it. Please, can we call him Kyren? Please!" Vayren pleaded. Lord Telequinn sighed wearily.

"Yes, alright Vayren." He looked down at me and smiled "Kyren it is." I was so happy. I had found people who were going to take me away from this place, I'd found people who seemed to care about it. I was going to be okay. Then the tremendous crash of the outside doors being kicked in signalled the arrival of a threat to all our plans.

"What the hell are you doing?!" boomed Mistress Relis as her angry stride pulled her through the wake of her devastating entry. I shrunk and hid myself behind Vayren, wrapping my tail around my leg.

"Miss Relis? Can't you see we have guests?" Zanders snapped. Relis strode right up to him defiantly and jabbed a finger into his chest.

"We had a deal! He's mine!" she growled.

"No, he belongs to me and I've deemed to sell him to Lord Telequinn here," Zandres replied, gesturing to the man.

"You sneaky sonovabitch!" she snarled.

"Excuse me, but what is-" Lord telequinn began.

"You stay the hell outta this!" she yelled. I had backed around Vayren as he turned around to watch the argument, so that I was still cowering out of sight, then flinched when Vayren reached behind and put a paw on the crown of my head, seemingly wanting to protect me and but bringing back raw memories of the very person he was trying to protect me from.

"You've crossed the line this time," Zanders threatened.

"I paid for him knowing no one in their right mind would ever want him but me. What's worse is you've gone behind my back again. I had to find out from Mordif and Juufan," she continued.

"Serves you right," Warris said. Relis hissed loudly at him, bristling her whiskers.

"Now see here," Lord Telequinn said. "I will not stand for this kind of behaviour in front of my son."

"Secruity," Zanders was blurting into a walkie-talkie he had removed from the inside pocket of his coat. "Block K. I need security here, right now." Relis turned and looked at the man, then down at Vayren. I cowered further behind him, gripping the back of his jacket for security. But it was impossible to hide myself completely.

"Give him here," Relis growled, stretching out a paw of exposed claws towards us. She was wild, angry, and her lavender eyes bore down with an icy chill.

"Keep the hell away from my son," Lord Telequinn said, stepping in front of her as she broke from a feeble attempt at restraint by Zanders. He grabbed Relis wrist, but she then twisted out of his grip and shoved the man back. She bore her claws and went to swipe his face just as Warris leapt forward, grabbed her and slammed her against the wall. There was a scuffle and they both fell to the floor, Warris kneeling on Relis' chest. She kicked and slashed out, scraping him across the arms.

"Fuck you, preacher boy!" she screamed. Then Warris drew back his paw in a fist and delivered a single, crippling blow to her head. The thud echoed through the hall, lengthened by the short silence that followed. Relis wasn't completely unconscious, but there was no way she was getting up after a punch like that, despite her size and fitness. Warris drew his fist back and un-balled his fist. I stepped out from behind Kyren, shocked and amazed by what i had seen Warris do to a Panthren far larger than himself.

Vayren broke the ensuing silence. "Whoa, you hit a lady."

"She's hardly a lady, son," Warris replied, rising up and standing dramatically over her, then spoiling the moment by clasping his fist with his other paw in obvious agony. Relis, below him, dribbled on the floor as she tried to speak.

"F-Fuh yuh..." Moments later two men in smart shirts and trousers - people who normally only hung around near the school and the staff premises - rushed in and grabbed Relis under each arm, hoisting her up.

"That's it for you Relis. You're done. Get here out of here," Zanders said. One of the security guards cuffed Relis and began to drag her out, her feet dragging across the concrete. The other stood next to Warris, who was exchanging a long glance with Zanders.

"You too Warris," Zanders said. "That's strike three for you. I told you if you broke your probation one more time I'd send you back." The security guard slapped cufflinks on his wrists, something that Warris didn't resist.

"It was worth it." He turned and looked first as Lord Telequinn. "Apologies, my lord. Someone had to." Then he looked down at me as the security guard led him away. "Now you be good, Kyren. Be good and stay safe." As he was led out into the dark, Zanders turned to Lord Telequinn.

"Is- Is there anything else I might be able to interest you in?" he asked, clearly scrambling to save face.

"I think we have seen enough, thank you," Vayren's father replied curtly. He put his hand on Vayren's back and led him on. "Come one Vayren. You too Kyren. We're leaving." He all walked out into the cold evening air and he added "And I don't think we shall be back anytime soon." I felt the chill air sweep around me, with only a thin cotton shirt to keep me. Behind me, Zaders could be heard hitting something solid with a rhythmic, clang, clang, clang and cursing his luck at the top of his lungs.

I was led towards the heart of the Centre, where a canvas covered truck and an expensive and lavishly painted and maintained statesman's car were awaiting us. I was told that I would have to sit in the back of the lorry, along with the other children who had been bought for the Telequinn estate. As I was hoisted up and stood in the open back of the vehicle, I saw that most of the other labourers and servants inside were older than me. There were few even close to my age. All the seats were filled too, so I nervously sat down with my back against the foot-high shutter than had been raised behind me. As the engine started up, in the gloom of the Centre's lamplights, I could see Relis and Warris being led into the main building. He looked up and saw me kneeling in the doorway, watching as the truck began to pull away. He simply smiled and nodded his head and I waved back at him with tears in my eyes before he was pushed inside and the truck pulled out of view.

I never saw Warris again. I never learned his first name, nor his fate. I never discovered what crime he was supposed to have committed. But none of that mattered to me. All that mattered was that he was a good man and he saved me from dying in that place. Saving me was his redemption for not being able to do the same for his son. My life has left me with many regrets, but not having the chance to tell him how thankful I am is certainly one of my greatest.