FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hal came to me, standing at six-foot-six, a little shy of Isaiah's towering height, but he was still a goliath in his own right. Broad through the shoulder and muscular to boot, his ego alone said he was all the more arrogant than he seemed. His hair stopped just above the neck line, unruly and thick, done in sandy-blonde curls.

He was handsome enough and the tan told me he was the outdoors type, maybe even a bit of an athlete.

One minute I was watching him stride toward me in the Haven Institution's uniform across the gymnasium floor, the next I was being dragged by my scalp across the floor toward a set of double doors at the far end of the room with the words 'shower block' branded on the frosted glass.

Isaiah, Miles and Lian followed, with Lian leading the charge. Romeo, Juliet and the other students from the earlier session had dispersed when Hal entered, some because they had heard the phrase 'Initiation' and some simply looked fearful of Hal when they realised who he was.

"Hal, we were ordered to leave him alone for a week! That was the agreement Linus and I had!" Lian snarled.

Even in a crevat, with golden hair and eyes, and bound in a waistcoat, Lian's anger made him all the more formidable, he was strong. Whether that strength was of character or of actual, physical power was yet to be seen.

I grit my teeth as Hal launched me into the double doors. I slumped against them and tasted blood in my mouth.

Hal barred the others from reaching me with his sheer, domineering presence.

"Linus decided now would be a good time for the mongrel to get a taste of what the Initiation entails," he grinned, towering over Lian as he spoke.

Hal looked about Isaiah's age, in his mid-twenties, a smattering of stubble lined that square-lined jaw. He was chiselled and boy-next-door cute, but those eyes, his eyes, which had bled to an unusual brown-orange colour, looked older. Like he had seen things that we could only ever dream of? What things had he seen? What had he endured? Pain? Violence? Sex, even?

Either way goosebumps ran up my bare arms to see someone that young with eyes that old and haunted.

I touched a hand to my bottom lip as blood spilled from my mouth. I did not like Hal.

"Please, Hal, let me go speak to Linus, just hold off for an hour or two, please?" Lian pleaded.

Hal shook his head and grinned.

"Why not?" Isaiah demanded.

"Initiation priviledges, and..." he groped himself through the groin of his pants, "...I'm all horned up now, scaly-man!"

"Hal, do not do this!" Lian snarled.

How bad was Hal in the bedroom? Lian seemed anxious, and even Isaiah looked a little worried.

Hal sneered down at Lian and demanded, "Or what, pussycat?" His arms tensed, corded with muscles.

Lian stood his ground, but it was Isaiah who stepped up between the two and stood within a breath of Hal's muscular form. His eyes bled to crocodile-yellow as he squared off with the manic Hal.

"You wanna have a go, big man?" Hal snarled.

"Leave Jack alone until Lian returns from his meeting with Linus," Isaiah warned.

Hal smirked back, hands clenching and loosening at his sides. He was waiting for Isaiah to make the first move, it seemed.

I pushed away from the double doors and shoved the two apart. I expected them to stumble at least, what I got was something else. Isaiah slid backwards a good couple of feet from me with a shocked expression on his face. Hal staggered back and slammed against the double doors hard. He let his shoulders take the impact, but even still it had to have hurt a little judging by the way the hinges on the doors trembled.

I looked at my hands. I'd never been this strong before. I'd never been strong enough to even touch wereanimals on Isaiah's levels in that way, let alone shove two with such force. It was new...and enticing.

"Your a strong lil' guy, aren't you?" Hal growled as he pushed away from the doors, "I fucking love it." His eyes were wild as he watched me with that bizarre orange-caramel gaze.

I clenched my fists and grinned back. Hal raised an eyebrow at me. I was getting stronger. No matter what was about to happen, I was getting stronger. Good. I was a step closer to being Linus' equal, and when that time came I'd liberate each of us. I'd kill Linus and I'd kill anyone who stood in the way of our loved ones' protection.

The good feeling was fleeting however, when a cool, cultured voice filled the gymnasium.

"Hal Erich! I believe I sent you here to begin Jack Whyatt's Initiation?" Linus grinned as he stalked into the room. Eyes narrowed and focused on me as he walked, dressed in a tailored black Armani suit, loafers and hair beaded black too and bound in a ponytail behind him.

He was accompanied by a woman, she was tall, almost as tall as Linus, slender and well-endowed in the chest department. Her skin was pale, her eyes uptilted in the corners and a pale amber. Her hair was sleak and jet-black, bound at the base of her head in a flourish of straight black hair. Slender, wire-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of her small slender nose. She wore red lipstick on her bottom lip and black on the top. She was clad in black leather; a vest that was cut off to show her midrift, a thick leather belt wrapped around skin-tight leather trousers that were tucked into knee-high boots with a slight heel. A dark blue denim jacket thrown over the vest, the waist of which cut off just under her ample bosom. Black, leather gloves finished the outfit.

She looked badass. She also stank of wolf.

Something about her scared me. More than Linus? No. Broderic? Yes. Broderic's madness was obvious, I knew where I stood even if he might be unpredictable and sneaky in a fight. But her? I couldn't read her at all. She could be thinking about what to do for dinner that night, or how she'd go about removing my head from my shoulders. It was all the same.

"Yes, right away, Mr Eckhardt," this came from Hal as he stepped up beside me and gave a playful salute to the weresnake.

Hal suddenly swung his arm, attempting to ensnare me in a headlock.

I ducked and launched myself a solid three feet from the sandy-haired fucker. I crouched low as a growl trickled from my lips. I was all defiant and on the defense, the wolf inside me echoed that sentiment.

"Now, now, Jack. You don't want that beloved sister of yours to get into some kind of freak accident because you were childish, do you?" Linus grinned. He then glanced at Lian and asked, "Or perhaps I should punish little Lisa instead?"

Lian suddenly glared at Linus, and whispered, "No."

Lisa? His daughter perhaps?

Lian's crevat slipped and his scars revealed themselves, his pulse jumped in his neck as he watched Linus with cautious, panicked golden eyes.

"Stop!" I demanded as I straightened up and stepped back toward Hal. "I'm going willingly, there's no need to threaten anyone, Linus."

Linus gave a small bow of fake-appreciation. He then rounded on Isaiah and said, "I believe we need to have a little talk."

Isaiah scowled and then followed, as Linus and his companion turned and abandoned the gymnasium.

Hal stood before me. He pulled a small, plastic container from his pocket. I watched as a black-and-white tablet tumbled into his palm. He placed the tablet on his tip of his tongue. He reached for me and gripped me with his hand at the base of my skull so that he could anchor me.

I knew the game. He leaned in close and kissed me, open-mouthed, tongue diving into my mouth and slipping me the tablet. The kiss was deep and slow. I closed my eyes and endured it, hands squeezed tight at my sides.

I swallowed the SD tablet and knew two things; one; Hal was staring across at Isaiah as he kissed me; and two; Isaiah was staring right back with those yellow crocodile eyes filled with so much rage.