FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It all started ten years after Genetech released their serum that would supposedly cure all diseases. My dad was a researcher for Genetech and my mother was a medical examiner at the local hospital, so we got first dibs on the vaccine, as did most of Genetech's employees. The drug had shown no side effects when tested on animals, other than to completely protect them from any sort of pathogen, even rabies. My dad was the head of research and he'd gone over the results of the tests about a thousand times before finally agreeing that the vaccine was safe for public use. I was somewhere around, six, maybe seven years old, so as you can probably guess I was scared to death of shots. My mom had to promise me a bunch of things to get me to sit still as my dad injected the needle into my arm. Then she had to soothe me for a good five minutes to keep me bawling like a baby. I'll admit it, when I was a little kid I was a bit of a wimp.

After that though, everything seemed alright. When it was proven that Genetech employees had no side effects what so ever after five months, the vaccine was finally full released to the public. Seven months later it was a required for children around the world to be vaccinated with it before they could go to school, it was a onetime only shot though, so most kids already had it by this point. After that first year time went on and everyone, other than parents of newborns, and those in the medical field, forgot about the vaccine which had come to be known as the Sanctus Sanitas vaccine. It did what its name implied, which was to create what many of our forefathers would have called Holy Health.

However over the next nine years, the vaccine started to go through an incubation process in those who'd been injected with it. No one except the team, who'd started research on the vaccine, and the occasional medical examiner like my mother, paid any mind to the changes. However during the fifth year, when I was about to turn twelve or thirteen my father sat me down in his office and handed me a journal. I stared at him with a confused look and he said "Jared, you know our family's motto is 'tego tectum' which means to shield. I want you to follow that motto and shield my notes from everyone. They may be the only clue the world will have on how to deal with what's coming our way. Our family name is Fines Umbra, which means to honor or trusted shadow, though since then your grandfather simplified it to Shadow. We are the guardians of any we choose. Remember that, for it will be what saves you." I nodded taking every word to heart.

Afterword my mother walked up and kissed me on the forehead and said softly "My sweet little Angelus, I love you with all my heart. Sadly your father and I are going on a trip and have to leave you with your aunt. We're leaving several things specifically for you here in the house, and when the time is right you'll have to come get them." I nodded again feeling tears well in my eyes for the first time since I was eight or nine and said softly "I love you Mom, take care of yourself." She smiled lovingly at me and kissed my cheek then her and my father packed up their gear and walked off to finish packing.

Three days later I aged another year and celebrated it at my aunt's house feeling sorrow about my parents not being there to celebrate it with me. My Aunt Laura saw the sad look on my face and convinced my cousin Joshua to play with me, which he did for the next five or six hours. However when we were inside taking a break a car with the Genetech logo painted on it arrived and started asking my aunt questions.

She answered them honestly and they asked to see me. My aunt came and got me then I told them what I knew, leaving out the stuff about my dad's notes, and my mom telling me about what they hid in the house. After they left I turned to Aunt Laura and asked if she told them about the house. She shook her head and said softly "That's a family secret that my father left for your mother and I. However I wanted no part of it so I let her take it. She said she'd find a use for it someday, and I guess she meant to leave it for you all along." I nodded and went back to playing with Josh, trying to relax and act like everything was ok. I knew it wasn't, but back then it was fun to pretend.

The next four years flew by, however toward the end of that ninth year things started to change. Some of those originally injected with the Sanctus Sanitas vaccine were started to feel some strange side effects. At first it was nothing more than flu like symptoms, which made everyone assume the vaccine was just starting to weaken a little bit. However as time went on the symptoms started to get worse and become more widespread. People started mutating into strange beasts with six or seven limbs. Others developed animalistic traits, or became full animal human hybrids. Others still developed strange powers that made them different, while a small percentage saw no change.

Those that remained human in appearance, whether it was by just gaining ears and tails, strange powers, or not changing at all, started to be hunted by those that had mutated into monsters. Those that were a mix of human and animal joined together with what was left of the human race and prevented the monsters from overrunning and killing them all. Eventually the humans built a huge complex beyond the reach of the beasts. When it was finished the more animalistic groups went their own way. What no one seemed to notice was that animals were also being affected by the vaccine. They'd gained intelligence and were now picking sides. Many chose to stay and guard the humans, while a few chose to join the beasts and try to destroy them. Those that didn't pick either side chose to wander the land among the humans who'd been changed.

Not all humans went into the compound, for many of those with powers refused to be bottled up, so they became nomads. The beasts, with their main enemy and food supply locked away from them, turned to destroying the land around them. They quickly devoured trees, plants, and any animals that crossed their path before starting to turn on each other. This made the environment, which we humans had already polluted, a lot worse. This in turn made many wanderers start making more compounds with even more animals choosing to guard them. Eventually the creatures started attacking the compounds, wanderers, and even the more animalistic cousins to the human race. This is where my story truly begins.