FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hi there guys! It's been a while, I know, but I had a hard time writing it up. Anyway, I actually managed to write two chapters these past three weeks, and to ease off any tension, I decided to post them both tonight. I'll just finish the next one while you guys enjoy this one! :3

---

Canines and Felines: A Kingdom Divided

Chapter 6

~*~*~

The cold afternoon winds swept welcomingly along the streets of Port Kogar. Merchants and shop-keepers alike were shouting out their last calls before closing their stalls and calling it a day, hoping for one last customer before the day draws to a close. With the sun setting over the watery horizon, pubs and taverns all over the city came to life; their halls bursting with the sounds of hearty laughter and banqueting, heavily accompanied with the smell of delicious foods and drinks. Feline peddlers from the further kingdoms frequent the pubs and inns within the inner part of the city, while fishercats who just returned from their days' duties flock the pubs along the coast, gladly taking the keepers' heartening delights.

Even the females get to have some fun of their own once the night rises. Wives enter and volunteer as cooks for their hungry husbands, while others spend some well-deserved bonding time with their mates. Young maidens try their luck, walking sexily inside and flirt with whoever was inside. Others work as waitresses, teasing the guys with their tails as they passed by with trays of food and drinks.

The Broken Net was the biggest and most popular of all the pubs in the entire city. Felines from near and far would kill to grab a seat in there. Unlike other pubs, The Broken Net was a three-story building, with a huge hall and bar at the ground floor. The second floor was known the 'relief floor', as dozens of felines waited inside rooms for their clients, ever ready to 'relieve' them of their worries, thus the name. The third and top floor was the dormitory. If you weren't that drunk or strong enough to resist the alcohol- long enough to climb the stairs, the dorm rooms would be your biggest reward. It was a straight hall of twenty-four rooms, each large enough for four people; having twin-beds, a desk, oil lamp, night table and bathroom. Aside from that, it was divinely quiet. It was definitely the best feature in the pub.

It was hectically noisy inside the hall tonight, with everyone being particularly hearty tonight. Everyone inside was 'wolfing' down their food, taking heavy chugs of ale to compensate and the laughter rose to its climax, signaling the rest of the sleeping city it was midnight.

"The full moon is at its highest!" Shouted the pub keeper, who eagerly raised his ale mug. "Let us give thanks to the goddess for keeping us safe! And may she never forget to do so! To the goddess!"

"To the goddess!" They chanted in unison, raising and clanking their mugs together, a combination of Here here's and "Cheers!" rang aloud around the entire hall before they drained their mugs of ale. It was the end of the harvest season; and what more to celebrate than to consume the fruits of your labor?

Among the festivities, there was a cloaked fur sitting at the farthest corner of the pub, his back leaned against the wall as he silently slept. He suddenly jolted himself upright, as he had woken up from a dream. Luckily, everyone else was far too busy celebrating that he wasn't noticed. He brushed a paw on his face, feeling the wetness on his cheeks.

Had I been crying this whole time? He wondered, laughing at himself.

Amongst the swarms of felines that crowded the packed hall, there was a drunk jaguar who was prancing toward the door. He tripped on a table leg and was about to kiss the wooden floor when he collided with someone's chest, who caught him and quickly brought him back to his two footpaws.

"Eh? W-what the?" He wondered, looking up to see the feline's face, his eyes widening with excitement. "Giovanni! In all my nine lives, is that you!?"

"Carlos, me ol' buddy." Giovanni chuckled, his rough voice making it sound more like a cackle. "It's good tew see ye."

At the sound of Giovanni's name, all the festivities seemed to screech into a ghostly halt. Every feline's eyes stared at the two, their faces turning white as they looked at the feline who stepped inside. Giovanni gave a soft huff, leading the drunken jaguar outside. "C'mon, buddy." He whispered, "Tis ain't the place te talk right now..." The jaguar only hiccupped in reply, and the two walked down the street, the moon only giving them the impressions of lurking shadows.

The pub keeper noticed their discomfort, and raised his mug up, slamming it against the table with a loud 'THUD!', causing everyone's attention to focus on him.

"Oi..." he said, "Let's not let 'im ruin out feasting, eh? How's about this... since it's end o' 'arvest, everyone gets free ale for their first five mugs!"

At the keeper's offer, the echoing of cheers and merriment returned. Although it wasn't as loud as it was earlier, they enjoyed themselves nonetheless.

"Looks like they're tryin' to forget that bastard's face, eh?" Said the keeper to his daughter, who was one of the waitresses of the pub. She was busy cleaning the bar counter when her father started talking to her. "You alright, m'dear?"

"Just a lil tired from working, papa, that's all." She quickly replied, smiling as she finished cleaning the counter.

"Well, why don't cha sit down and take a wee bit o' rest, eh?" He offered, pointing to the table at the edge of the hall. "See 'hat cat o'er there? He's been sleepin' the entire night. Am guessin' 'e wouldn't mind some extra company, eh?"

The cat maiden breathed a soft sigh, seeing that there was no arguing her father. Besides, he was right. She needed the rest, and made her way among the groups of half-drunk males who were off singing drunken songs out of tune while rocking their mugs. She giggled as one of them smacked her rear, purring softly at the impact before reaching the end of the hall. She quietly sat down across the hooded feline, trying to look through to see his face.

"Trying to reveal what is hidden to you, aren't you, dear?" He suddenly spoke, causing her to scream and jump out of her seat, taking several paces away from him. The hooded feline chuckled softly, seeing her frightened face.

"Oops," He apologized, facing her while keeping his face hidden. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Please, have a seat. It's been awfully lonely all night."

The feline felt her cheeks redden at his kind words. She dusted her apron as she avoided his ghost-like stare. "U-um, it's alright..." She almost whispered in reply, luckily loud enough for him to hear through the noise. "I-I'll just find somewhere e-else..." She was about to leave when the hooded feline suddenly grabbed her wrists, causing her to gasp in surprise as she turned back to face him. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist." He said, his shaded sky-blue eyes staring warmly at her. "Besides, the entire place is full. There's nowhere else to sit."

The young maiden blushed redder at the feeling of his paw around her wrist. For a moment, their paws briefly touched, and it sent a chill down her spine. Sighing softly in defeat, she sat back down on her seat, keeping her paws to herself as she looked away from him, hiding her blushing face.

There was an awkward silence that built between them. The young maiden knew she needed to rest, but after talking to her hooded customer, her heart just suddenly began to race. It was like something, somewhere deep in her heart, was punctured by a needle, and all the adrenaline from her scare made it impossible for her to get a wink of sleep.

"Seems like..." the hooded feline spoke, breaking the ice. "It would appear I have disrupted your resting time. My apologies..."

"N-no..." She stuttered in reply. "I-it's alright, I g-guess..."

He nodded slowly, sighing quietly.

"Oh, I couldn't help but wonder though," He said as he looked at her, "What was all the commotion about earlier? About that jaguar and his tiger companion at the door?"

The cat maiden looked at him wide-eyed, gasping in disbelief. "You mean, you didn't know who that was?" She asked in a shocked tone.

The hooded feline slowly nodded in reply. "Forgive my ignorance, my friend." He said, with a hint of guilt in his tone. "This is my first time to visit Port Kogar. I am a wandering traveler, you see. I follow various trade routes and gather information from wherever town, village or city I happen to stop by; and, apparently, Port Kogar is the first city I came across."

The maiden feline raised her eyebrow curiously at his tale, wondering if she should buy it. She couldn't help but overhear two other felines from the next table murmuring to each other.

"I can't believe he's back!" One of them whispered, "I thought he left for good last time!"

"Aye." Said his companion, "Looks like it'll be another month of locked doors and panic if 'e's plannin' on staying 'ere again."

They took the last chugs from their mugs before quickly leaving the pub in silence.

The young maiden was stupefied by their conversation. Was his presence really that frightening after all? She turned to face the hooded feline across her, clearing her throat with a small cough before sitting herself straight to explain.

"Well," She whispered, leaning in closer to him. "I'm sure you've heard rumors of him, but that was Giovanni, first mate of Aeries, captain of a slave ship known as the Evergreen."

The cloaked feline nodded in reply, listening intently to her story.

"Also, from what I heard from the wives in the marketplace," She continued, "They brought a dog for slave trade. Can you believe it!? A canine, enemy to everyone in the Western regions, brought into its very heart? Unbelievable, right?"

The hooded feline was silent for a while, running his paw along the table's wooden pattern. "Well, it does sound unbelievable, from your point of view. Do the felines of Port Kogar take so much pride in being a 'canine-free city' that they would underestimate fate and the rest of the world? I find that quite amusing."

The cat maid frowned sourly at him, banging the table with her paws as she stood up and leaned close to his face.

"Of course we take pride in that!" She growled, soft enough for him to hear. "It's been years since the Western Regions was crawling with mutts like him! How could Giovanni do that, tainting our sacred grounds with that... that dog's paw prints?"

The feline chuckled softly, sighing as he shook his head in amusement. "Well, I presume he had his reasons why he brought that canine here." He replied, smiling to calm her down. "I never knew that Port Kogar and the rest of the West carry such heavy hatreds for canine-kind. It's just like the hatred for all feline-kind over at the Eastern Kingdoms. Humph, I'm not surprised why neither side has put aside their differences yet."

The maiden looked at him curiously, her eyes widened as she leaned in closer to him.

"Eh!? You've been to the Eastern Kingdoms?" She asked, almost shouting. The cloaked feline covered her mouth with his finger, shushing her before letting go of her, telling her to sit down.

"Keep it down!" He growled softly. "If the wrong people hear us, they'll come after me and the information I carry. You mustn't be so careless."

The maiden nodded slowly in reply, just as the hooded feline stood and began walking toward the door.

"It's become too dangerous here..." He whispered to her, pulling her into a warm embrace. "I don't think we'll meet again, but I hope we do. It's been fun talking to you." He then took a few paces back, slowly lifting his hood. She gasped as she stared at a canine's snow-white muzzle and sky blue eyes, a sly smile etched on his lips.

"Tell no one of this..." He whispered, kissing her cheek. "I trust you enough that you carry my secret." He quickly put his hood on, and disappeared into the crowds of felines who were too busy pleasuring themselves to notice him pass. The young feline maid stood there, stupefied and confused.

"H-He was... h-how?" She asked herself, her paw running on her cheek where he kissed her.

The young wolf dashed through the cloak of nightfall, using the alleyways and street corners for cover as he sprinted in the darkness. He ran past the sentries guarding the palace gates. Running up a wall perpendicular to the gate, he managed to vault over the gate without the slightest sound. He grinned slyly as he dashed toward the palace walls. His trained footpaws gripped the wall without any problems, and he quickly sprinted with all his might to the window at the top of the wall. He flew in gracefully, twirling about once before landing on the floor with a quiet thud. He quickly discarded his garments as he sat on the desk chair. Too tired to move another inch, he leaned his back against the wall, his eyes slowly drooping as his mind drifted to sleep.

---

_Alright! That does it for this one, I'll post the next chapter right after I finish it! Stay tuned! _

"Living it my way..." ~Periosha OwO