FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Amulet Story by Raziel Characters © Tyvulpine

Slitted eyes darted around the darkness of the forest. The wooden box under his arm had the weight of lead as he carried it around with him. It seemed to call out to him. It had cost Fiske a lot of time and money to get a hold of the item inside. He also had to make a significant number of people angry with him to acquire it, but that didn't matter as much since most of them hated him already regardless. But he finally got it, and it would help him solve all his problems.

He came to a halt when something fell to the leaf-covered forest-floor behind him. His eyes narrowed, emphasizing his feline traits, and he clenched the wooden box tight against his chest. His ears stood upright and pivoted to catch even the slightest sound. There were sounds, of course, a rodent here, the rustle of leaves there, but nothing save for the usual sounds of a night-time forest. He shouldn't forget that he had the advantage with his dark clothing and similar fur. Soon, he was running again, his paws thumping on the ground and his heart beating in his throat, until he reached a clearing.

Fiske couldn't help but think it was pre-ordained; the full moon breaking through the cloud-cover just as he cleared the treeline, and lighting up a marble-coloured rock on the other side, making it look like a marble altar. A few months ago, he'd have scoffed at such a thought. However, he knew now there was more to existence and he held the proof of it in his paws. Breathing loudly, he slowly, reverently even, approached the moonlit stone. He flinched when his shadow cast over it. He shrugged it off and placed the box on the flat surface. It was clear that a soft, golden light radiated from the crack of the box' cover. Fiske licked his lips, his ears folded back as he reached out and undid the copper clasp holding it closed. His fingers opened the box gingerly, instantly making the glow disappear and revealing the soft, silk-lined insides of it. He didn't care about that. What he did care about was the amulet in the centre.

It was a corny looking thing; fully looking the part of a trinket that you could get at a tourist shop. Still, looking closely at the gemstones set on the surface revealed surprising craftsmanship. The symbol on the front, a stylised hand with different-coloured gems set where rings would be, also had a certain quirk or unorthodox look about it. What looked like random scratches were actually runes set in some arcane pattern that Fiske couldn't hope to decipher, but he was assured that it wouldn't be necessary.

He sprang up when he suddenly felt the sting of eyes in the back of his neck. He turned around, breathing heavily through his mouth as his head turned from left to right and back again. Once again he found nothing and as he his vigilance lasted, the feeling of being watch seemed to become increasingly faint. He shrugged and awkwardly adjusted a collar that was already far beyond mere adjustment. He turned around again, noticing a stray leaf lying on the stone. He brushed it away idly before turning his attention to the amulet, fully unaware of the shifting shape just above him.

Fiske lifted the amulet out of the box with trembling hands and the glow reappeared with more clarity. The amulet seemed warm to the touch as he brought it up to his lips, shivering in anticipation. His words only escaped in a shivering whisper. "I wish for all my troubles to be solved."

Fiske almost yelped when the amulet started to vibrate perceptibly and the glow intensified. One of the gemstones on the surface, originally a bright blue, turned to black, leaving only three coloured stones on the surface. A wave of calm flowed over him as he felt the magic work, purring with content that his problems were over. He opened his eyes to take a look at the night sky unburdened by worry. Only to see a blade flash towards him.

The strike was perfectly clean, life leaving Fiske entirely before he even had a chance to hit the floor. The amulet fell and hit the stone with a sharp ring. A vague shiver went through him, eyes wide in shock and incomprehension, and then he sighed, his body relaxing entirely. Fiske troubles had ended there and then.

His assailant withdrew her blade and looked at the body, gently putting a finger to his carotid artery and then holding a hand over his mouth to check for breath. The shape put itself upright; revealing a slender form in the moonlight, the lower, four-pawed body of a fox and a long upper body with two arms. The blade was cleaned on a piece of cloth and hidden inside its sheathe again - only one of the many rings, pouches and pockets that the dark-blue clothing had - before the assassin turned attention to the trinket that Fiske had been so obsessed with.

"Fool...you really had no idea how many people you made enemies with by ripping them off like that." She reached down and picked the trinket up off the altar, brushing off a few small spatters of crimson. "And all for this...I can't believe you thought it'd be worth it."

Just as she studied the amulet, something slammed into her head. Making her four paws stagger around like drunk for a moment. It's magical. It will make all your dreams come true. She blinked and cupped her head in her hands before shaking it off. Her hand tightened around the amulet and she wound up for a throw...and then felt her hesitation. She looked around the clearing once more before sliding the amulet into one of her many pockets and dashing off into the forest.

A while later, a blonde-maned foxtaur emerged on a forest path close to the city. Dressed in a simple white shirt, a backpack and sporting innocent-looking blue eyes, nobody would even think of connecting her to the body deeper in the woods. The amulet seemed oddly heavy in her chest-pocket and she felt her hand hover over it. It was a silly thought...but what harm could come from it?

The following day, the city was a hive of activity as always with people going to work, cars driving down the road and construction crews hard at work to build new housing for the growing populace. "Where do you want it, Joe?" The voice boomed all over the construction site, and the foreman turned around. It took a bit of getting used to, but by now the sight of a 150-foot tall, muscular, grey-furred foxtaur wearing his usual red working shirt was familiar to him. He was carrying a full-size I-beam like another construction worker would carry a set of planks "Just put it over there by the cranes, Ty. They'll get it in place." "You got it! I'll get it over there and then go on break." "Go right ahead if you haven't already! We're nicely on schedule anyway."

Ty nodded and finished the job assigned to him, before finding a nice, open spot to take a rest and eat his (literally sub-sized) sub. His ears twitched when he heard a familiar voice. "Hey, big guy!" He looked down, noticing his sister standing on the roof of one of the buildings under construction. "Emily! You know you're not supposed to come up there!" "Aw...so what? I just found something and I thought you might be interested." Ty sighed, but smiled. He knew better than to say 'no'. "Alright sis...let's see it." At that moment, she felt positively mortified when she proudly revealed the amulet. As if she hadn't realised before how hokey it looked. Ty leaned in close and squinted, first to get a clear view, and then even more as if he wasn't sure if he was seeing what he thought he saw. "Umm...looks great?" "Yeah, yeah...well - I heard it fulfils wishes. Figured we might as well give it a shot." Ty folded his arms with a grin. "I didn't know you believed in this stuff...but sure. All in good fun." Emily nodded, feeling the blush disappear from her cheeks slightly and just thinking of it as a joke. She cupped the amulet in her hands and brought it to her mouth to whisper. "I wish to be the greatest assassin." The amulet flared like it had the night before and one more stone went dark. She then passed it to her brother, putting the amulet in his massive hand. He raised his eyebrow questioningly. Prompting Emily to sigh and put her hands on her hips. "Just humour me, you big lug. And be careful you don't snort it up accidentally." Ty repeated the same gesture as he spoke his wish, and Emily felt a brief shudder when she realised she'd seen Fiske do the exact same thing. "I wish to be the greatest carpenter of the world." Despite the absolutely tininess of the amulet to him, he could feel it heat up and could see the glow. Emily smiled; due to his size, even a whisper of him had the force of a conversation for a normal-sized person. "Now...that is pretty neat! Now what." Emily shrugged. "Now we wait I suppose. I'll see you tomorrow - I have a job this evening." Ty put his pinkie on her head gently. "Don't you always?" His face turned serious. "Be careful, sis." "I always am."

The day went on without further incident, although Ty and Emily both felt curiously invigorated and energised, like they could strike sparks by mere touch. But it was Ty to notice the change first. When he got home, he moved to his workbench straight away. He sunk through his hind legs to sit down, and looked at the still unworked wood. He shook his head and smiled. Am I seriously thinking this'll work? He gingerly picked up a piece of wood, and instantly dropped it when it squirmed in his grip like it was alive. Ty blinked and stared at the piece of wood, suddenly realised that there were carvings on it. It took a moment longer to realise that those hadn't been there initially. An even closer look revealed that the carvings, while incomplete, were exactly what he had in mind to work on. You're kidding... His fingers reached for the piece of wood again, picked it up and palmed it. He gasped when the wood started to move, bending, flexing, its surface sinking and rising to create reliefs of staggering detail. Finally, the wood curled up and merged its ends, forming a beautiful wooden bracelet. Ty gingerly put it back on the table with a bewildered smile. The work was achingly beautiful, like the work of an ancient master with decades of experience. It was the most beautiful piece of work he'd ever seen. Wow...that's certainly something. It's the greatest piece I've ever done...or seen. He leaned forward, gently putting his hands on the wooden workbench. It suddenly jumped and jostled on its legs like a wild horse. Ty staggered back, his giant paws thundering and making people far distant wonder what was happening at the Vulpintaur's place. He leaned heavily on the wooden wall, and nearly fell through when it warped and opened under his touch. For an instant, he realised that he'd intended to make a new window... He stumbled back and wanted to steady himself on the chair, not yet realising the subconscious plans he'd had for this particular piece of workmanship...

Emily was tailing her next target, and noticed how smooth it went. He'd look behind him on occasion, but he never noticed her stalking him. In the city, she always hid in the crowds. It was much better than trying to stick to the shadows; thanks to all the city lights, there was preciously little of that to be found. Suddenly someone ran into her flank from a shop with enough force to almost tip her over if it wasn't for her excellent balance and reflexes. He wasn't so lucky and slammed his muzzle on the pavement. Emily froze a moment when her target spun around in shock, stared right at her...and then shrugged and went on his way. Emily's ears sprang up in surprise. "Walking's difficult, isn't it?" "Oh, up yours, John." Bewildered, Emily waved her hand inches from 'John's' face, not getting a response at all. She smiled. I'm crazy to try...but... She quickly pulled the hoodie she was wearing over her head, hiding her eyes and face. Her legs started pumping as she simply sprinted at her target, dodging other pedestrians with ease as her paws rapped on the ground. Nobody even responded, all completely unaware that she was even there. Even if she had to push through people, they responded but could only express bewilderment when as far as they could tell, they'd been hit by nothing. Her blade slid out of the sheath smoothly and she slashed at her target without breaking stride. She felt the shock of contact through the blade and knew it'd been another perfect killing strike. People flocked to the target lying on the cold concrete, screaming in shock when they saw the blood but at a loss of what had happened. Confused shouts of 'gunshot' and 'sniper' rang out as people fled. Emily smiled. I could get to anyone...I can truly be the greatest assassin like this. She disappeared into an alleyway to switch clothes, she felt eager to tell Ty about the incident and squeezing the amulet in her palm.

Emily realised something was wrong the instant Ty's abode came into view. She charged in and found him sitting shivering in the centre of his room. His mostly wooden house was a mess of warped and partially, but achingly beautifully, worked wood. He shivered and kept his arms folded tightly, as if afraid. "What's wrong?" He didn't respond, instead he kept staring at nothing. "Ty, talk to me!" Not even a flinch of acknowledgement. Emily jumped up on him, climbing up to his shoulders. He seemed to flinch this time, but could only stare at the spot where he felt a strange, little grip on him, eyes wide with fear. As she reached his shoulder, Emily also felt the cold realisation sink in. Her eyes darted around the room, once again seeing the warped wood. A partially curled workbench, one table leg beautifully curved like it had simply grown from a tree like this. A partial window-opening with a frame worked in images of workers. A chair worked in such a way that seemed impossible for all but the most skilled to create. She heard Ty's wish replay in her mind. Oh no...

Her hand moved to the amulet again, and she pulled it out. You little piece of...this is your doing isn't it? Her eyes rested on it, realising that only one coloured stone remained. She squeezed tightly and yelled at the trinket in anger. Acting more in reflex than clearly thinking about it. "I wish we never made our damn wishes!" The last stone lit up and faded, before the amulet flared brightly and crumbled. It ran like sand between her fingers. And then she nearly fell to the ground if it wasn't for the strong grip her four paws had of his red shirt. "Sis! What are you doing here? Where did you come from?" Even through the shock, she felt herself smile in relief. Ty steadied himself, accidentally leaning against a chair before yelping and releasing it. He stared at it. "It...it didn't change." He poked at it again and laughed. He started running around, touching every piece of wooden craft in his house and revelling in the unresponsiveness. Ty sighed in relief. "How did..." Emily brushed her hands off on her shirt, cleaning it of the last glitters of whatever the amulet was made of. She smiled, but it was laced with unease. "Found the off-switch...I hope." Ty laughed out loud, the sound almost painful to Emily's ears. "Sis...promise me one thing. If you ever find one of those things again, dump it in the ocean." She sighed and sat down on his shoulder before rubbing her muzzle against his massive cheek. "I'll dump it in a volcano, more like! I don't think I want to experience you ignoring me like that ever again!"

Elsewhere on the world, in a dark place, the amulet materialised like sand falling out of thin air and landing in a perfect shape. Five coloured gems gleamed on its surface, and a golden light pulsed from inside it. It waited to be picked up again, waiting for another wish to corrupt, as it had for centuries.