FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The world of Vorpa, from its beginning, has always bloomed with life. Unhindered and unyielding, it spread to the deepest depths of the ocean, across the broad plains, through the dense towering forests, and into the very bowels of the planet itself, life permeated everywhere it could. The creatures who called Vorpa home learned to adapt to their ways of life: some found ways of surviving and remained that way for centuries; others found they could not adapt and died out; while others not only adapted, but evolved over successive generations. Over time however, evolution would take a strange turn, it would create a life that was so altered that it could not be grouped with its fellow creature. These so called mutants had extraordinary abilities, from possessing great strength to harnessing the powers of the elements themselves.

The watering hole was a common meeting area for the denizens of the Shaded Forest, a place to converse, trade, and relax, and today was no different. Various birds of differing shapes and sizes were talking and laughing as they allowed their children to play along the shore. In the water, a mother hippopotamus watched over her child as it played with a tiger cub and bird hatchling. A little ways off, nearer to the forest behind the chatting birds, was a short primate standing by a large pile of fruit and wonton stone and wooden items, waving politely to passersby and offering his wares to possible customers. Father to the left, in the shadow of the massive mountain that gave the Shaded Forest that gave it its name, was a large, tan-furred beast relaxing in the grass. He had four wide claws on each arm and three on each foot, but the most distinguishable feature was the multitude of scales that covered his back, the backs of his arms, and his tail. Leaning against his sleeping frame was a canine with short brown fur, a large white patch on his stomach, and a large leaf he used as a hat. One leg rested on the other, casually bobbing as the air hummed with distant chatter. However, a dull, earth-shaking thud interrupted his tranquility. He glanced up to see a large gorilla making his way over to the small vendor, who upon seeing the large silverback began to cower with fear.

"Caspian! What do you think you're doing? Only gorillas may sell here!" He slapped away the log Caspian had been using as a counter with the back of his hand, sending it flying and then smashing to pieces against a nearby boulder. Caspian fell backwards and scooted away, his terrified eyes locked on the towering brute. He quickly stammered out, "B-but Kale-"

The gorilla slammed a massive fist to the ground, causing Caspian to flinch and his terrified trembling to intensify.

"I told you. Call me Blaze."

Caspian nodded slowly, his eyes shut tight, "Blaze. The Silver clan and Capuchins have an agreement. We have peace."

Blaze snorted and laughed cruelly, "That senile fool Helos is weak; far too weak to know how to deal with lower species like your pathetic race. I'm in control now, and by my decree, all your goods are now forfeit to the new king of the Silverbacks!"

The relaxing canine sighed and jabbed his pillow in the side, "Hey."

The scaled creature groaned and stretched, drowsily lifting his head he turned to his smaller companion, "What?"

He lazily motioned towards the watering hole, "There's the ape you were waiting for."

The drowsy creature's eyes immediately shot open and he lifted himself quickly off the ground, throwing the canine forward on his snout.

"Oh sure Fracture, just throw me to the ground, don't give a warning or anything."

Fracture rolled his eyes and started in the direction of the bellowing Blaze, "You're a big boy, Dek. You'll get over it."

Most of the animals had grabbed their children and moved to the outer edges of the clearing that surrounded the watering hole, peeking through the brush to see Blaze berate Caspian further. He had just grabbed Caspian, his massive fist curled around his small frame, when Fracture stepped into the clearing and Blaze finally noticed his presence. He dropped Caspian and smirked, "It's you again. Are you going to try to stop me?"

"Well I did make it pretty clear last time to stop pestering others."

Blaze sneered, "I'm the lord of the Silverbacks. You have no authority over me, you mistake of nature."

Fracture sighed and shook his head, "Now that was uncalled for. Listen Kale, oh excuse me, Blaze, you know and I know that you are not the lord of anything but your own ego. Now stop bullying the other animals and go back home before you make this any worse."

Blaze scowled, "I'm warning you. You will not be as lucky as you were last time."

"I think I will take my chances."

Blaze chuckled darkly then let out a ferocious roar and charged towards Fracture with a reckless abandon. Fracture smiled and braced himself, catching Blaze's charge and using the momentum from it to throw the gorilla over his head. He quickly spun around, striking Blaze and sending him several feet away. Blaze quickly rose to his feet and charged again, this time dodging his grasp and landing a solid punch to Fracture's maw. He staggered backwards and wiped the blood dripping from his grinning maw, "Oh you've done it now."

Blaze swung again, but this time Fracture grabbed his fist and pulled him closer, striking him across the face with the closed fist of his other hand. Pulling the dazed Blaze closer, Fracture threw him to the ground onto his stomach. Fracture grabbed Blaze's arm and twisted it behind his back, sitting on his back to pin him against the ground.

"Now Kale, are we finished?"

Despite being pinned, he laughed, "I told you," his body began to heat up and suddenly his fur caught flame, "To call me Blaze."

Fracture staggered backwards as a ring of fire ignited around Blaze's neck and wrists. The gorilla smiled sinisterly as he rose to his feet, "I will scorch you off the face of Vorpa, whelp."

Blaze slammed his fists together, surrounding them with a flaming aura, and then thrust his fist forward, launching a sweltering ball of fire towards Fracture. Fracture brought his arms up to form a scaly shield, blocking the fireball completely. When he lowered his arms, Blaze was rushing towards him with his burning fist poised to attack. Fracture cursed mentally, and readied himself to retaliate. When in striking distance, Blaze threw his weight into a single punch, which Fracture barely dodged, the heat searing his shoulder. Seeing his opportunity, Fracture forced both fist forward with all his strength, launching Blaze into the air and several feet away where he landed with a thud, his fire extinguishing upon impact. Fracture ran and leapt into the air, then came down and crashed his elbow into Blaze's chest. Blaze roared out, but was soon silenced when Fracture delivered a powerful punch to his head. Fracture sat there panting, Blaze unconscious underneath him.

It started out as quiet murmuring but soon grew into a great thunder of cheering from various species. Fracture smiled and looked around to find Caspian, who was now standing by the remains of his stand, "Caspian, are you okay?"

The small primate scurried over to Fracture and took one of his comparatively massive paws into his small hands, "Fracture, I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me. If you had not come along, Blaze would have surely done far more than break my log."

"It was all my pleasure. I am just glad I was able to step in before anyone was hurt."

"But I must repay you somehow."

"No, that won't be necessary."

Suddenly, Dek appeared next to Fracture, "Now Fracture, if he insists on showing his gratitude by giving us a reward, who are we to stop him."

Fracture snorted lightly, but before he could say anymore, Caspian had already scampered off to his pile and was already rummaging through his goods. He returned with a small string-drawn bag in one hand and a large insect body in the other, "Please, takes these as tokens of my appreciation."

"I'll take that," Dek reached a paw out and took the bag to examine its contents. Fracture politely accepted the carcass and informed Caspian that he should alert Helos about Kale's treachery. He promised he would and bid the two goodbyes as they left the watering hole.

"Not too bad. He gave us a ruby and a few opals."

Fracture looked down and spoke through a mouthful of insect flesh, "Opals?"

Dek tilted his head up, his eyes hidden by his leafy hat, "First off, get some manners. And yes opals...and you better not eat these."

Fracture chuckled through a closed mouth.

"I mean, eating rocks is strange enough, but when you eat something as valuable as jewels is where I draw the li-", he glanced over to see Fracture popping the last bit of the bug into his mouth with a squelching crunch.

Dek shook his head and laughed, "You insectivores are disgusting, you know that?"

Fracture licked his maw and laughed, "From the multiple times that you have told me, I can only assume that it might be true. But did see that fight, since when has Kale been able to catch on fire."

"Beats me, he must have grown into his mutation after you took care of him last time."

"Helos was having troubles with controlling him already, now with this flame mutation, he is going to be even more of a hassle."

"Yeah, especially with the number he did on you. Miss should give you a once over when we get back."

Fracture glanced towards Dek, "What are you talking about? He didn't hit me that much."

"Yeah, but he did set your arms on fire. You didn't notice?"

Fracture turned his arms over to see a large portion of his forearms were blackened, the scales burned and a few had fallen off completely. He lightly touched his left arm and felt a sting of pain travel up his arm.

He flinched and spoke through clenched teeth, "How did I not see this?"

Dek snorted, "That is what I am wondering. Now hurry up, the faster we get there, the faster we can get you fixed up."

"Sure, because getting those gems back has nothing to do with it," he laughed and playfully nudged his friend, inadvertently sending another bolt of pain through his arm.

Dek just shook his head and laughed.

The duo hurried along through the forest until they finally came upon a visibly well-kept shack that was carved into a tree. A bed of vivid flowers were located underneath a small window, the grass was trimmed evenly, and the door was finely shaped. Dek opened the door and immediately shouted, "Hey Missy! Fracture broke both his arms. Do you think you can fix him?"

A threatening hiss came from behind a counter as serpent rose up, an annoyed frown plastered across her face, "Mr. Dek, I told you before; you may address me as Miss. And only Miss. Now what is the matter with Fracture? Let me see him."

Dek laughed as he walked inside and took a seat, Fracture followed close behind and waved politely, "Hello Miss."

"Good day Fracture, how did your little adventure go?"

"I'd say it went well. We stopped Kale's little insurrection."

"Wonderful darling, you know much a brute he can be. Now what is this I hear of you breaking yourself?"

"It's really not much. Kale turned out to have discovered his own fire mutation and burned up my scales."

Miss flicked her tail and slithered from behind the counter, "Oh my. Fire mutation? Curious. Fracture, dear, come over here quickly, let me see.

She slithered over quickly and gently wrapped her tail around his hand, pulling him down so she could scrutinize his wounds closer. She examined him, her eyes unblinking as usual, "You have done far more than just scorch your scales my dear. These are severe burns all along the skin underneath them."

She gently ran the tip of her tail along his damaged scales, "Amazing how despite the fire, not a single scale appears to have cracked," she laughed lightly, "Almost ironic with your name and all."

Dek chimed in from his chair, "Always nice to hear such dark humor from our friendly doctor."

She ignored his comment and continued her exam, "Fracture, head to my room and take that cream colored jar from the shelf and begin to spread it on your arms and put a bit of it on your neck as well. But be gentle, your arms are quite delicate at the moment."

Fracture nodded and obediently left to find the salve. As he left, she turned her attention to Dek who was smiling wryly and leaning back in his chair, "Honestly, how such male like Fracture would ever befriend the likes of you is beyond me."

"Well why anyone would let a venomous snake near their sick and injured loved ones is beyond me."

She flicked her tail and returned to her position behind the counter, her head held high as she passed Dek, "I know I should not feel this way, but...I cannot help but feel a bit happy about being able to examine wounds that aren't just hatchlings with splinters."

Dek stood up and walked over, "I don't blame you. Things have been pretty slow around here, and that's me talking. I'm always interesting."

"True, you do have a habit of getting yourself in more trouble than anyone."

"Funny. Pour me a glass of the hard cider if you would be so kind Miss," drawing out his S in a mocking manner.

She lifted her head and turned away, picking up the glass and bottle with her tail, and then pouring the liquid in a single fluid motion, "Here you are, mutt."

Scoffing at her insult, he grabbed the glass and took a long drink, slamming the empty cup down with a satisfied sigh, "Now that is quality cider. Keep them coming if you don't mind," he looked out the window a few moments as she refilled his cup, "I wonder if Fracture is happy."

Miss looked up from examining her tail, now intrigued, "What do you mean?"

Dek finished off another glassful before continuing, "I mean, Fracture has lived here his whole life, but you and I are pretty new to staying in one place for long. I'm just curious if Fracture is happy here," he glanced to the filled glass and pushed it away.

"Hmm," she glanced towards the ceiling, "I don't know. He always appears to be happy enough."

"I think I'm rather content."

Miss and Dek quickly looked up to see Fracture standing at the hallway entrance, "I like being able to help everyone around here, even if it is less than exciting most of the time."

He walked over and stood beside Dek, "It may be mundane, but it's an enjoyable life."

He reached over and picked up Dek's glass and took a sip. Frowning in disgust, he set the glass down and pushed it away, "This stuff still tastes awful to me. I will never understand how you two can stomach it."

Miss tilted her head, "But why settle Fracture? There is so much more out there."

"I wouldn't call it settling. I'm protecting innocent creatures from harm. Is that settling?"

Dek laughed and smirked, "Fracture, I love you, you know that, but you're wrong. There is much more to life than this hero business, not to say that there is anything wrong with that. You can be as heroic you want, but it doesn't have to just be here. Explore the world; think of all the gems you could find out there or how many lonely females out there are just waiting to get a piece of your tail. Back me up here, Miss."

He turned to see Miss giving him an annoyed glare and slowly drinking from her cup. Dek smirked and laughed, "Oh lighten up, you know I'm joking. Mostly."

He yawned and grabbed his glass, turning to leave, "Well I'm going to sleep. Miss, be a doll and tell him I'm right," he waved without turning around and disappeared into the hallway.

Miss set her cup down and shook her head, "That dog. It continues to amaze me that you associate with a male such as that."

Fracture laughed weakly, then she looked towards him and cleared her throat softly, "As much as I distaste his crude example, he does make a valid point. What you do for this community is priceless and so wonderful, but your service does not have to be secluded here. There is so much to experience out there," she sighed and briefly took on an annoyed expression again, "as Dek so lewdly suggested, finding a mate to call your own. Though, I earnestly implore you to not take mating advice from him."

Fracture smile and cracked his knuckles, "I have thought about it before, starting a family and finding a mate, all of that, but I'm not much one for it."

She flicked her tail, eyeing him skeptically, "And what do you mean by that?"

Fracture rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, you know. I'm not what females are looking for and, as far as I know, I'm the only," he paused, motioning towards his whole body with a sweep of his claw, "whatever I am around here."

"Dek is right, again strange collection of words, but what is the importance of that? Are you telling me that just because you are a different species means that you cannot find a mate amongst the females here?"

Fracture sighed and scratched his neck, "No, that is not what I'm saying," then he smirked, "I do remember the time you and Dek," he was cut off by Miss clearing her throat rather loudly.

She stopped and smiled, clearly embarrassed, "That particular incident was the result of far too much cider, but you see my point."

He laughed, "Yes I see your point, but that does not mean I'm what females like."

She smirked, "And what is not to like?"

Fracture snorted, trying to hold back a smile, and leaned on the counter "Well my rather large stature is something of an issue; there is the fact that I'm a mutant, and I am nowhere near as suave as Dek is when it comes to courting females."

"I believe you give far too much credit to Dek supposed suave nature, but in any case you should not compare yourself to him. You have a charm of your own that you should be using. And a mutant may deter some but you would be surprised by how many females find the thought of a mutant for a mate...interesting to say the least. And males are usually larger than females, why bring up that point?"

Fracture scoffed, "Because males are usually slightly larger, not three times larger than their mate."

She smirked and lifted her head slightly, "Is not bigger better, as Dek puts it."

Fracture shook his head and laughed. Miss slithered from behind the counter and rose to his eye level, "You are absolutely charming in your own right, so do not display yourself in such a poor light. Your physique," her voice suddenly taking on an unusually seductive tone as she slowly ran the tip of her tail through the fur of his chest and up to his chin, "is truly something to admire."

Taken aback by her sudden change, Fracture was speechless, a blush burning his face. Miss smiled deviously, enjoying the reaction she was getting.

"And Fracture, females look for far more than just physical traits. They care about your mind," her tail tapping his forehead, "and your heart," the tip of her tail resting on his chest, "both of which I can say, with the upmost confidence, are in wonderful condition."

Fracture smiled and held her slender tail, "Thank you, Miss."

His smile quickly disappeared when she suddenly leaned forward against his chest, her slender tongue flicking against his cheek, "If you would like," her tail tensing and squeezing his hand slightly, "I could show you how confident I am about you."

Fracture stared blankly at her, "W...what?"

She just smirked and licked his nose.

"Okay then, let's get you to bed," he reached down and gathered the rest of her body in his arms, taking notice of the rather large and empty cider bottle behind her and the stone cup beside it. He shook his head and tossed the cup into his mouth before leaving.

She lifted her tail and ran it underneath his chin, "I hope you will be joining me."

Fracture smirked, a slight blush coming to his face, "As much I would enjoy that Miss, I am going to bring you to your room and then go to mine."

"Would coming to mine not be more enjoyable?"

"That is quite the tempting offer, but I would feel awful for taking advantage of a friend."

She smiled coyly and sighed, "Such a gentleman," and laid her head on his shoulder.

He reached her door and went inside, gently laying her down in her small reed bed, "Good night Miss."

He turned to leave but her tail quickly wrapped around his, he glanced back to see Miss smiling warmly, "And this is one of the traits I was speaking of. Refusing to take advantage of a female is proof of a kind of gallantry that a female appreciates."

He smiled, "You aren't drunk, are you?"

She smirked, "Maybe."

"And if I had taken you up on your offer?"

She smiled wryly and brought her tail under her chin, "And who is to say that I was not fully prepared to go through with my offer?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Fracture just smiled and shook his head, and said good night. Fracture stepped into his room and fell face first into his bed, his body suddenly succumbing to exhaustion of the day.

"Fracture...did Miss just offer to mate with you?"

His turned his head towards Dek's cot, "Yes."

"Fracture, am I sleeping?"

"No, Dek."

"Am I drunk?"

"I am not sure about that, Dek."

"So I am awake?"

"Yes, Dek."

He scoffed and shook his head, "Fracture, you are an honorable male, a stupid male, but an honorable one."

The last thing Fracture remembered was laughing drowsily before sleep over took him.

Chapter 2

Fracture grumbled as light streaked in the window and struck his drowsy eyes with pin point accuracy. He groaned and rolled onto his side, but immediately regretted his decision as his face met the floor. He stood up and stretched, "You win this time sun."

Yawning he left his room and entered the main room, greeting Miss in her position behind the counter, "Good morning Miss."

She nodded and smiled, "Good morning to you too. How are your arms doing?"

He rubbed his forearms and grinned, "I think that salve of yours really worked, my arms feel great."

She looked somewhat surprised, "That is strange. Your arms were severely burned. The medicine should have eased the pain, but your arms should still at least sensitive. And...did your scales grow back?"

He just shrugged and began walking to the door, "I guess so. See if one of your books has something about it. In any case, I am going out for breakfast."

Ducking beneath the cabinet, she began searching through her various books, "Be safe darling, you may feel well but your arms could still be weak."

She heard the door shut as she found the tome she was looking for, a book she had picked up from the market a year ago, but one she has neglected to read besides skimming a few pages. As she set the rather worn book onto the counter she saw Dek slinking from hallway and slumping over the counter. He groaned before weakly saying, "I...need...a drink."

She rolled her eyes and began mixing various ingredients into a clay mug, "And a fine morning to you as well, Dek," she said as she slid the drink to his waiting paw.

He took a sip and flinched, then grinned; "Now that is a wakeup call. You have to show me how to make this sometime," he lifted the mug and drank it in its entirety.

He slammed the cup down and sighed, "So what are reading about this early in the morning?"

"It's a book I bought but never read. It is about the rarer mutations that some creatures are born with."

Dek replied dryly, "Oh that sounds fascinating. So is this just light, morning reading?"

She rolled her eyes, "Fracture's rapid healing is why I am reading this, although your mutation would be interesting to read about as well. They are both so unique unlike my iron skin."

Dek snickered, "What do you know, a snake that's a book worm."

Miss gasped sarcastically, "My Dek, you are clever."

"I try."

Fracture hurried in through the front door, a scroll in one hand and a half eaten stone in the other. He lifted the rock to his mouth and, with a loud crunch, bit a large portion of it off. As he chewed, he handed the scroll to Dek and sat down next to him. Dek, unfurled it, "Helos wants to see us," he smirked, "He probably wants to reward us for shutting down Blaze. I bet its jewels, lots of jewels."

Fracture swallowed and sighed, "Dek, it was just a pleasure to help."

He snorted, "Maybe so, but a little monetary reward wouldn't hurt either."

Miss chimed in, her head still focused on the book, "He is partially correct Fracture, dear. Doing good deeds is wonderful, but you cannot survive on good deeds alone. You and Dek go meet with Helos, I will stay here and continue my research."

Dek nodded and started toward the door while Fracture cracked his knuckles and followed suit. They followed the path down to the watering hole and then off to the left towards the territory of the Silver clan.

"Hey Fracture, how are your arms?"

"Better. I mean, even better than normal. That rock I was eating earlier, I ripped that straight out of a boulder. I just punch my fist into the boulder up to half of my forearm and pulled out a chunk."

Dek turned to look up at Fracture, his face still covered by his large leaf hat, "And you did that despite your arms getting charbroiled yesterday?"

"Yeah, it is weird. And my scales grew back too."

"That being weird is an understatement, but there's not much point in questioning a good thing."

Fracture laughed and nodded, "You can say that again."

As the two walked on, the trees thinned and the shadows of the forest canopy began to recede, marking the entrance to the Silver clan den. On the ground and in the trees, huts constructed from wood and leaves housed gorillas of various ages and coloration. Some carrying out business in their shops, others playing games, but most were simply lounging outside of their homes. Few paid any attention to the two as they made their way to the center of the village other than a few brief greetings. In the center of the village, in front of a much larger hut sat a group of five gorillas each with some form of crown made from vines, bark, and flowers. In the center sat the largest of them, an elderly gorilla with orange markings along his arms and orange-tinted silver along his back and head. He stood up as they approached, and raised his arms, "Welcome, my friends."

Fracture bowed and Dek bowed his head, removing his hat and closing his eyes. Helos stepped down from his spot and approached the two, "No need to be so formal," he wrapped his enormous ape arms around both of them and slapped their backs; "You are both honorary members of the Silver clan."

He released the two and stepped back, "Thank you both for what you have done for my clan. Blaze, as Kale has come to call himself, would have caused us much panic if not harm and the other elders and I worry that we may not have been able to stop him without someone being injured."

Dek straightened his back with and audible pop, "It was nothing."

Fractured smiled, "We are just happy we could help without anyone getting hurt."

Helos, turned around and shuffled back to his seat, but continued shouting, "You both have risked your own lives in protection of us time and time again, and for that, on behalf of the entire Silver clan," by now he had reached his seat, but instead of sitting, he turned around and raised his arms above his head and boomed, "Thank you Fracture, the scaled one, and Dek, the leaf-headed dog!"

Both males smiled smugly, taking this chance to revel in their accomplishments, when suddenly a rancorous clapping and hooting erupted from all around them. They turned around to see that the entire clan was gathered, praising them.

"Please accept these gifts as payment and a way of showing our gratitude. Jewels from the caves beneath Mount Spire," a large sack of sparkling gemstones was carried out and given to Dek who smiled widely, "And Fracture, I have heard of your appetite for the earth, for you we have for you a piece of obsidian, a precious stone passed down from generation to generation. We would now wish to bestow it onto you."

Two large gorillas came forward carrying a rather large chunk of dull obsidian, bowing and presenting it to Fracture. He smiled and accepted it graciously. Slowly, the crowd around them grew silent. They stood still, all seeming to be waiting for something. Fracture looked towards Dek then to Helos. He smiled wide and did a small eating motion, bringing his massive palm to his mouth a few times. Fracture laughed and nodded, then bit into the shard.

Fracture's vision was the first thing that began to fade. He could hear the cheering and feel the handshakes and congratulatory patting, but the colors and faces were blurring. The next was his hearing, as the sounds of clapping and talking warped into a jumble. He tried to speak out, but his tongue felt like it was on fire. Every time he opened his mouth, only a hot breath escaped. The entire world seemed to be distorting, every sense becoming unintelligible. But somehow he still made it through the throng of denizens of the Silver clan and quite some way down the path before all the mental stress took its toll on his body and caused him to collapse. Then, everything went black.

Fracture slowly came away from the darkness, the sun once again striking his eyes and rousing him from his daze. It took him a few seconds to clear his head and to comprehend the scene playing out in front of him.

Dek was in his attack position, his leaf hat discarded off to the side and his eyes revealed. His pupils were quite large, giving his scowling muzzle an even more terrifying countenance. Three slender whip-like appendages, one from each shoulder and another extending from his tail, slowly bobbed up and down. Fracture looked to the left to see a small group of strange creatures. They were short, at most two feet, and appeared to walk on two legs much like him, but their heads and legs resembled that of a goat. They brayed and charged towards Dek as he snapped his tendrils and readied for the attack.

Fracture rose unsteadily to his feet and roared, gathering everyone's attention. Charging forward, the group stared in shock. His ran clumsily and, rather than pulling himself into a full roll, he threw his weight into his shoulder, landing on them and rolling to his feet near Dek, a bit disoriented by his stunt. The small creatures were worse for wear, most of the group lying motionless on the ground, the others struggling to stand back up.

Dek smirked, his heavy breathing staggering his words slightly, "Well look who's awake?"

Fracture shook his head and laughed, "Better late than never, right?"

He walked over to the one of the still creatures, lifting it by its leg, "So what happened?"

"After you passed out, I had to drag you here. Just when I got you against the tree, these things," he took the creature from Fracture, lifting it with his tendril, "jumped from the bushes and tried to attack you."

"What are they?"

Dek brought the creature closer to his face, his strange eye closely examining it, "I think...I think this is a minion of...Pan?"

"What?"

Dek unceremoniously tossed it aside and began walking towards his hat, "Who, and that who is Pan. He is in a few legends and is said to have strange goat minion creatures. He's a pretty interesting one. His legends speak of him as some kind of forest guardian, but he usually just slacks off in the stories I've heard. Though, there is a particularly interesting one that claims he is so fast, that he has never been hit."

"So is he similar to his minions, except taller, no fur on his upper body, and instead of a goat head, he has hairless face but horns, a small beard, and messy head fur?"

Dek put on his hat and retracted his tendrils, "Well...actually yeah I think so, though he is also said to have charmingly good looks," he laughed, "no I'm wrong, that's me."

A foreign laugh echoed in the small clearing, "I like you dog."

The duo turned towards the other end of the field to see the being Fracture just described. He smirked and laughed, "I see you two have met my little ones," he brought his hand up and whistled.

The small creatures immediately leapt to their feet and rushed over to their master, crowding around his legs and bleating quietly.

"Seems you roughed them up a bit, big guy."

"Well I do not take kindly to anyone assaulting my friends."

"Point taken," smiling, he shook his head and cracked his knuckles, his underlings scurrying off into the nearby bushes, "But they did have a job to do, and now it seems I'm going to have to do it myself."

Before Fracture or Dek could respond, he vanished, a small cloud of dust left in his spot. A sinister laughter echoed around them as they moved back to back. They looked around frantically, Dek's tendrils whipping out as he tensed, "What the hell just happened?"

"I...have no idea. Was that Pan?"

"Looked like him."

"Is...he trying to kill me or you?"

"The little ones were after you, but it's hard to think of anything when that annoying laugh."

A tree to their left suddenly cracked, as they turned, Pan sped towards them, using one fist to strike Dek and one fist to strike Fracture in the side. Fracture took the blow with a loud grunt, sliding to the side a bit, but Dek was sent flying, crashing into a tree. Pan laughed and jumped back, bouncing up and down slightly. Fractured glanced back towards Dek to see several minions holding him down.

"Sorry, but I can't have a two on one fight. That's not fair. Now come on, show me your moves."

His powerful legs launched him towards Fracture with immense speed.

He had barely enough time to raise his arms to defend himself, the impact pushing him backwards while Pan flipped away, landing rather gracefully. He smirked, "You know the legend that I've never been hit is true, right? How about you make this less of a hassle for both of us and let me end you quickly."

Fracture lowered his arms and scowled, "Try me."

"Whatever you say," He crouched, then launched himself high into the air, flipping once in the air before dropping at an amazing speed.

Fracture leapt to the side, avoiding Pan's earthshattering strike. However, Pan quickly swept his leg, tearing through the ground around him. Fracture stumbled backwards, allowing Pan the opportunity to jump towards him, delivering a swift kick upwards. Turning his head, the scales along Fracture's neck took the full impact of the attack. A loud crack could be heard as Pan deftly leapt away, expecting to see Fracture's motionless body. He was surprised when he saw Fracture rubbing his neck and glowering at him.

"You can certainly take a beating, can't you?"

Fracture growled, bracing himself in a defensive stand.

"Well, nothing we want is easy, I suppose," he ran a hand through his head fur and charged forward.

Steading his stance, Fracture focused on Pan. Several feet from Fracture, he suddenly changed direction, kicking up dust as he circled him. He would dash from his running and strike him, but his scales prevented any of his attacks from affecting him. After delivering another ineffective kick to his side, Pan circled a few more times before attempting a frontal strike. He leapt forward, his fist landing square in Fracture's chest. It was like punching stone. Pan cursed under his breath before quickly flipping backwards, the breeze from Fracture's own punch shifting a few hairs on his head. He flipped several times, before landing, panting heavily, "Veck! That was impressive."

Fracture lowered his arms and clenched his fists.

"Right, let's finish this," Pan crouched, launching himself again with extreme speed.

He moved far faster than before, seeming to vanish before reappearing with a heavy thud in Fracture's chest. Shocked that he received no reaction from Fracture, he prepared to rebound off his chest, but a large claw wrapped around his leg. Fracture swung Pan, a toy in his large claw, and slammed him into the ground next to him. He lifted his body again, slamming it into the ground on the other side of him, a fleshy thud as the body landed. Fracture lifted Pan once more, reeling back before throwing Pan across the field and against a tree.

His arms trembled as he lifted himself off the ground, a stream of blood leaving his smirking mouth, "Well," he spit and laughed before getting to his feet, "Well that was certainly an experience. The first time I've taken a hit."

He staggered to his feet, despite his multiple wounds; he spoke confidently, "Well I guess I'm beat. We'll talk later Fracture, till then," he leapt backwards onto a tree and then disappeared into the woods.

Fracture turned around in time to see Dek getting to his feet and the bushes near him shaking slightly. Dek picked up his hat, retracting his tendrils as he walked back to Fracture's side, "Hey, you feeling okay?"

As the scowl left his face, Fracture's shoulders relaxed and fell and he let out a heavy sigh. He slid his claw over his chest and turned to Dek, "My chest hurts, but I'll live. Why would he want to kill me?"

"I don't know," one of his tendrils slipped out and lifted the hat momentarily, pulling a black rock from underneath it, "but, this might have something to do with it. I don't know what Helos was thinking when he gave you this rock, but this is not obsidian. I have no clue what this thing is."

"Think Miss will know what it is?"

"Worth a shot, it's not like what we have much else to go on."

Fracture stood up with a bit of difficulty, taking the chunk from Dek, and cracking his neck. They began walking, albeit slowly, back toward their home.