FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hi there everyone! As promised, here's my next chapter. I'm sorry for disappointing all of you with my first chapter. Being it my first post, I wanted to make sure it was worth your time to read. Now that I know that it's good, I'll try to update as often as I can (no promises because of college and schedules).

Sorry for taking so long, read and enjoy!

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Canines and Felines: A Kingdom Divided

Chapter 2

The emperor looked at him curiously, inspecting him from top to bottom. He looked like every single shred of his dignity was stripped off him. Tears were ever present in his eyes, and every word he spoke was toned with regret, shame, and fear.

"Then, how should we call you, young one?" The lion asked, with a growl of authority in his voice.

The wolf knight bowed slightly, avoiding his gaze.

"However you wish to call me, your eminence." He replied, regaining his voice, which was rather powerful despite his youthful demeanor.

The tiger was astounded by the wolf's poise. When he was given to them, he was no more than an unconscious, bleeding wreck, sold to a slave ship for a mere sack of gold coins by his canine comrades in the Far East.

"Um, yer pardon, lord..." He mumbled, "But Ah was ordered te sell 'im to ye."

The emperor nodded and signaled out to a guard, who then gave the tiger three sacks of silver, which was standard price for an average slave. The first mate looked disappointed with the amount he was given, and sourly looked at the lion.

"Beggin' ye for mercy, lord," He spat calmly, "But fer a slave of that caliber, it'll cost ye more than just standard price."

"If you're not happy with what you're given, kind sir..." Said the wolf, "Then you should never have considered my traitor brothers' deal to have me sold. But if you so wish, I'll keep your money if you're not wanting it..."

The wolf then began to feel light headed, the exhaustion from the journey as well as malnutrition beginning to eat him alive.

"Are you still capable of standing, young one?" The emperor asked, to which the wolf quickly nodded, shaking off his sudden fatigue.

"Aye, and I was hoping I'd save the last of my strength to kill the slavers who did this to me..." He growled bitterly, his cold sky-blue eyes veering into the soul of his tiger captor, who backed away in fear.

The tiger snarled bitterly, but seeing the look on the emperor's face, and the number of guards that were surrounding the hall, he reluctantly kept the money sack on the side of his loincloth before bowing respectfully at the lion, and slowly walked out of the hall.

The lion then chuckled softly, seeing just how well-mannered his unwanted visitor was before him.

"You have a lot of poise for one so young, child..." He said, walking to him. "Tell me, you said that you were a - lord knight was it, in your kingdom?"

"Aye, I was..." He nodded slightly in reply.

"Are you strong enough to bear a sword?"

"I think I am, but it depends on the sword I'm wielding."

The lion swished his tail in interest at the young wolf. A minute ago, he was in tears, broken and scared. Now, here stands the same wolf, but he was cold and calm, like he knew how this charade was played. In a flash, the emperor threw a short sword in the wolf's direction. Side-stepping the wolf easily grabbed the sword by the hilt, fancily twirling it about before he stood in battle stance before the lion, one paw tucked behind his back.

"Indeed you have fast reflexes, despite the abuse you've been through." The lion remarked, a purr echoing from his throat.

"And," the canine continued, his eyes focusing on the lion's stance. "Does your eminence have other plans for me?"

With a cocky grin, the emperor quickly drew his blade, a golden jeweled scimitar, and began swinging at the wolf with quick precision and aim. The wolf, not appearing intimidated at all, quickly parried the first swing, then the other, then another, constantly keeping up with the lion's swift blows. When the emperor stood close, the wolf locked blades with him, showing the emperor just how strong he was.

"Incredible..." He groaned as he fought back the abused wolf's miraculous strength. "You were right to be given your title, young one."

The wolf said nothing, and he pushed harder, trying to pin the emperor to the floor.

The lion was quick to break the parry and, seeing his opportunity, slashed at the wolf's right cheek, which was quickly parried by the youth's blade, causing him to jump back and recover.

"You've got fast reflexes, dog..." He growled, his tail swishing from side to side, showing his interest. "This is getting exciting!"

He charged again, interested on how this canine child's mind works. In seconds he began a flurry of swift swings, jabs and slashes; every attempt quickly ended or interrupted by the wolf's quick yet subtle parries. When the emperor leaned his weight on the right of his body, resting from his most recent attempt, the wolf seized the moment, spinning a half-circle before landing a clean cut on the emperor's left shoulder; blood staining his royal robes as he knelt to the ground, panting.

The wolf stood before him, pointing his sword tip on the emperor's neck.

"You were wide open, my lord..." He said coldly, "You should've maintained your balance, or I would've done more than just cut your shoulder if we were not sparring."

There were gasps of shock and awe amongst the crowds; to see that their ruler, the one they've known to fear and respect, defeated by a mere slave, much worse a canine. Guards suddenly surrounded them, aiding their leader to his foot paws while keeping their spear points close to the young wolf.

"You dare strike his majesty?!" The largest of the guards, a panther by the name of Deus, snarled. The young wolf could easily see, that his size and build, along with the unique set of armor plating and carrying a large flail than a spear, meant that this cat was the captain of the royal guard.

In quick withdrawal, he dropped his sword, spreading his arms outward, showing his surrender.

"I meant no intention to harm your emperor, friend." He stated coolly, "I merely retaliated, as would any fighter would in the midst of combat."

Insulted by the youth's words, Deus raised his flair and nearly struck him, when Rex held the panther's shoulders, instantly stopping him.

"That is enough out of you, Deus..." He commanded, "How could you not see that we were engaged in a duel? Obviously, this canine has more sense of character than you and the royal guard put together."

Deus was taken aback by his lord's words, and felt completely ashamed and embarrassed. How could he, captain of the royal guard, be shunned and humiliated because of the words of some juvenile mongrel?! It was unthinkable to him, and he was willing to let the dog pay the price for such humiliation.

But he remained silent, and bowed in respect to his emperor.

"My apologies, my liege," He respectfully answered, "I honestly did not know what was going on."

The emperor nodded in forgiveness, and sheathed his blade before walking toward the young wolf, removing his necklace, and placed it around his neck.

"I have thought of a name for you, young wolf." He spoke with a soft purr, "You have shown great strength and agility, as well as a calm demeanor in the midst of strangers, strangers that detest and disapprove of your race. But you have gone beyond the barrier of racial differences, and even considered my captain of the guard a friend."

The young wolf then knelt before the emperor, his head hanging low as the lion once more unsheathed his blade, tapping on both the wolf's shoulders as he proclaimed.

"From this day forth, you shall be named Calindel; Calindel the Peacekeeper. You shall honor your name, by living in my castle as my honored guest, until such time I release you of your charges."

The wolf, now named Calindel, slowly rose to his foot paws, bowing elegantly at the lion.

"Emperor Rex of Port Kogar," He replied with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Indeed, the Gods of Light and Dark are working their wonders, even here in this dry land. For you have named me with the same name that was betrayed by my brothers-in-arms."

Rex then smiled as he placed the short sword Calindel used to spar with beside him, placed in a special sheathe with the seal of port Kogar, a cat's paw print, stamped on the middle.

"Be at ease then, Calindel the Peacekeeper..." He assured, a light purr emanating from his throat. "For that name shall not be betrayed by my words or actions. This I promise to you."

Calindel nodded happily, tears flowing from his eyes as he unsheathed his sword, placing it next to his heart.

"Then I, Calindel, do hereby offer my total support and service to you, Emperor Rex. To you and you alone shall my loyalty lie. And I shall gladly offer my life should yours be in danger."

Rex was pleased, and he and the rest of the guests present applauded and cheered at his statement. One of the nobles there, raised his chalice of wine, and called for a toast.

"I would like to propose a toast: To Calindel the Peacekeeper, the first of his kind to be accepted into our lands, and hopefully the last."

At this, Calindel couldn't help but chuckle a little as he was also given a chalice of wine.

"To being the last canine to ever see this desert gem of a city!" He cheered, and the guests applauded with resounding sounds of "cheers!" and "here here, to Calindel!"

As the celebration went on, Calindel was led by a maid cat to his quarters, which was located a floor below the king's chambers in the middle of the palace.

Calindel smiled as he inspected his room. It was large enough to fit a large dresser, with a scholar's desk by the window facing the rising moon and the port market, which appeared so peaceful that evening. His bed was an exquisite king-sized bed, with the best fabrics for coverings, even if they were in simple white, he didn't mind.

"Is there anywhere I can bathe?" He asked the maid kindly, with a soft smile in his face.

"Um, yes, the bathing room is just outside..." she said shyly, leading him outside to an isolated part of the castle. It was a rather small clearing, but it beautifully hid a small pool. It was big enough to fit three people, and the crystal clear water was cool and refreshing.

"Thank you," Calinder smiled, "I'll be taking a bath first. I need to get this gunk off me anyway. Do you have anything I could wear?"

The cat maid nodded before looking away, noticing that Calindel had already began stripping off his rags, parts of his still snow white fur glowing beautifully with the light of the moon and stars.

"O-oh yes..." she replied, covering her cheeks with her paws to hide her embarrassment. "I-I shall get them immediately."

She dashed off back into the castle as Calindel stepped into the pool's welcoming waters. He scooped a pawful and splashed his face with its refreshing waters, before kneeling on the ground and washing the muck off him; restoring the bright white glow of his fur.

A pair of eyes was watching him bathe, a growl of lust and anger emanating from his maw as he saw the young wolf wash himself clean, the aura of the moon making him look like an angel from heaven.

"Soon," the voice whispered, "I shall make you regret you ever came to this land, mutt..."

Calindel hummed a soft tune as he began washing his nethers, his juvenile member slowly poking out of its sheathe as he slowly rubbed it, washing it clean. He swished his tail happily, exposing his bright pink star tail hole, which stood out beautifully against his white pelt.

'Hmm... I think I'll like it here... even just for a while...' He thought as he left the pool, shaking himself dry as he noticed a pile of freshly pressed clothes lying on top of a log.

'I think that maid was just a tad too shy to talk to a stranger like me, but I don't blame her...' He softly chuckled in his mind.

But when he was about to take his clothes, a pair of paws suddenly emerged from the darkness, and grasped him tightly. Calindel was about to yell, when one paw covered his muzzle with a piece of cloth, cloth that had been placed with a strong drug, easily draining the wolf's strength as he fainted.

The pair of paws dragged him into the darkness, a sadistic growl of lust and hatred echoed from the bushes.

"You shall learn your place soon enough, pup..." It voiced, "And I'll be more than happy to show it to you..."

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Annnd... CUT!

Yes people, it's another cliffie, I apologize, but my train of thought hit a wall when I wanted to continue.

Please review! I'd like your feedback as well as constructive criticism. If there are any errors, please notify me immediately so I can edit them.

Thank you and have a nice and Blessed day!

"Living it my way..." ~Periosha