FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A week and a half on a ship had still not killed the amusement of watching the badger's frequent dash to the rail to toss his last meal into the waves. Apparently the stout male had never been on a boat before and Embla was secretly delighted to see him unable to spend more than a few moments on the deck before turning an interesting shade of green. It was the first sign of any kind of weakness she had gotten to see, despite their journey forcing them to be together for nearly a month. She likened him to a brick wall, sturdy and nice to have between you and scary things, but ultimately boring and more than a little rough.

He had as much charm as a brick wall as well. Mostly when they were met with an obstacle that he couldn't use force on he left it up to her. His sense of justice had also put them solving the problems of the countryside as they meandered their way East. She had found herself using her skills to help others for the first time in her life and people that normally would have been begging the guard to run her out of town were welcoming her into their homes. Given, she couldn't steal anything or he'd force her to take it back and apologize. It was like being a child with a particularly observant nanny. He rarely spoke to her other than to tell her to stop doing something or to take cover when the road got dangerous. She was perfectly content hiding in the trees and taking shots at those that thought they would be easy prey while he went hilt to hilt with them. While she would never admit it, it was a bit nice to have a companion to share the burdens of the road, though she was a lot less pleased with having to share a small cabin with him on the ship.

Embla she watched his wobbly progress back down below from her perch on the ship's mast she wondered why it was that the paw print mark that adorned his chest didn't show through the plain shirt he had on. It hadn't taken very many times of running up and down the narrow stairs that led from deck to cabin before he realized that his full armor was impractical to wear aboard the ship. She glanced over at her shoulder and hummed. The mark wasn't visible through her regular clothing either. It was only when she wore the leather armor she had been wearing when the mark was put there or her shoulder was bared that she could see the cat print and the six stars that marked her. Corsurus had told her that she would be drawn towards their goals but she wished she had a little better indicator than the tiny tugging inside her that told her which direction they were supposed to be going. When she had actually taken a moment to pray to the thief god for a better compass she had received only silence. If Ozias had any sort of hint about where they were going he wasn't sharing it with her. Any time that she said they needed to go a certain way he had accepted it without so much as a grunt. The only protest he had made was when she said they needed to go to the island of Qatos. She supposed she should have taken it as a hint right then the boat ride was going to be far from smooth.

She could see the island from where she was sitting, but that didn't mean that they were going to get there before nightfall. She wasn't sure if she was willing to spend another night tucked into a tiny hammock several feet off the ground. It didn't offer the stability of a tree and she got the constant feeling that she was going to fall onto the sleeping badger below her, which would probably end in her death before he realized that she was not in fact attacking him. She sighed and started to climb down the rigging but paused as the badger went running for the rail again. She waited until he had finished and gone back down below before going to find the captain of the ship.

"Is there any way that we'll reach the island before nightfall?" She asked the slim otter that served as captain of their ship. He looked at her confusedly for a few moments as though he couldn't remember who she was or why she was on his ship, but his confusion cleared when he glanced the badger.

"We'll get your lover boy off the sea soon enough, lass. The wind's good and I have no desire to linger in these waters." Embla didn't bother correcting him. No matter what she told most people they would believe that she couldn't possibly be traveling with a male and them not doing more than sleeping in that tent, or in this case in their cabin. She was much more interested in his other remark anyway.

"What's wrong with these waters?" The way his expression changed told her that she was about to get told some superstitious drivel. She quickly sat on a nearby barrel, expecting this to be a rather long tale.

To her surprise he shook his head. "It's bad luck to talk about it while sailing over it. Let one of the islanders tell you about it. Better yet, go talk to that shaman of theirs." He made the sign of the sea god in the air over the steering wheel then shooed her off so he could concentrate on his duties. She strolled around the deck until one of the sailors told her to get out of the way so they could begin preparing to dock.

When they finally were docked the badger was the first off the boat. Embla was a little upset that he didn't throw himself to the ground and kiss it, but apparently with his internal organs no longer rebelling he was back to being typical stone-faced Ozias. She trudged along after him as he headed into the little village that was apparently the only civilization on the island. It was a tropical paradise, the air perfumed with sweet flowers, and the water filled with every kind of fish imaginable. Even the badger seemed to relax a bit at the glorious surroundings. When the village headman, a monkey with a smile too wide for their comfort, approached them he turned back into a brick. "Welcome, you are travelers?" He asked them, looking hopeful. "You are here for... honeymoon?" The looks on their faces must have answered that for him because he quickly shook his head. "Daring mission? You are looking for something? We have many things on our island. You stay at my house?"

Ozias started to shake his head but Embla stepped in. "I'm afraid we aren't going to be here long... the captain said that you had a shaman here that I should talk to?" The tugging was stronger, making her believe that this was certainly the proper place. The villager's expression soured when she said she wanted to talk to the shaman.

"The shaman is very busy, can I help you find something?" The sun was starting to set and he seemed anxious to get back inside so Embla nodded. "Actually I suppose we can stay with you for the night." He wasted no time in getting them inside and his wife seemed excited. She rushed about preparing food for them despite their protests that they had their own supplies. By the time she was done a spread of roasted plantains, mountains of crabs and shrimp, and fruit so ripe and juicy it looked ready to burst covered the table. At their behest both of them ate heartily and then were shown their separate rooms, much to Embla's delight.

Once the household settled down for the night and Embla found herself alone she stared up at the ceiling, realizing that this was the first time she had been alone for an extended period of time since Ozias had caught her. The realization that she was truly alone sank in as she laid there listening to the waves lap against the sandy shore. It felt empty without the badger's breathing. Then another realization settled over her and with a little purr she began to untie the laces that held her pants tight around her hips.

Her breath hitched, and she froze as she heard a little grunt from the next room over. The walls were thin inside the house, merely layers of leaves bound over a stick frame. The following gasp of pleasure could have come from only one place, though it was hard to imagine the hulking badger being able to break his sour mood long enough to enjoy a little personal time. As she lay there listening to the unmistakable sounds of Ozias blowing off a little steam, Embla felt a tingle creeping from her belly between her legs. As quietly as she could she slipped her pants down and kicked them off. Her questing fingers met her slit and she barely stifled the resulting squeak of pleasure. It had been so long since she had gotten the chance to deal with her own needs, and a painfully long time since she had gotten the chance for someone else to help her with those needs. In a moment of deviant pleasure she imagined what sort of expression the ever stoney badger made when with a woman. She also wondered if in his pious life of justice he had ever actually been with anything other than his paw. Another muffled moan from the next room over brought her back to the task at hand, and she eagerly slid a finger inside her tight folds. Her other paw teased her breasts, tweaking sensitive nipples and massaging the taut globes. As she felt her walls tighten around her fingers she brought the other paw to tease her clit. Spurred on by the groan of release from the other room she let herself go, back arching in pleasure as the much needed release caught her. Her moan went unmuffled but she was beyond caring. It was only as she relaxed back against the bed and delicately licked her paw clean that she wondered if he would be fool enough to question her about the outburst the next day. With a contented sigh and a little impish grin she drifted off to sleep.

Ozias laid awake in the next room over wondering if the noise that had just come from her was a declaration of pleasure of a plea for help. He was debating getting up and checking on the raccoon but feared walking in on her doing something he wasn't prepared to witness. His companion was trouble enough, with her generous curves and wicked ways, he didn't need that image to haunt him when she wasn't around. His wondering was shattered however by a scream that came from somewhere clearly not in the house. He jolted up out of the bed and quickly pulled his clothes on. He could hear the confused movement in the other room that said Embla would be joining him outside shortly.

The monkey met him in the hallway and told him it was nothing to worry about, that one of the village woman was having a baby, but the frantic look in his eyes told Ozias that something was terribly wrong. He pushed past the headman and found the beach lit up by a strange glow. A ghostly woman, a parrot of some sort it appeared, dressed in a tattered wedding dress, stood on the dock, screaming that she had been cheated. Embla came rushing up behind Ozias a moment later, panting. "What... the heck is that?" She demanded from the headman.

He shook his head frantically. "I can tell you that, if you'll come here." A female voice responded from the water. Embla and Ozias went to the water's edge and saw a shark woman, her lean body tan with dark brown stripes. "She is a curse on our village. She was going to marry a ship captain when he returned from a big trip, but something on board angered the sea god and he took the whole ship. Everyone on board haunts these shores... and anyone that dies in the sea in this area. Despite all my searching I cannot discover what it is that keeps the sea god from letting them pass into the afterlife." The shark woman shook her head sadly. "I am Nadine, the shaman here. You both carry a god's mark..."

Embla quickly introduced both of them, glossing over all the details that had led them to the island. "That ship wreck, is it within swimming distance?" she asked hopefully. The shark frowned and looked from the ghost woman to the glowing sea.

"Not really, though if you will come to me during the day, I may be able to help you." She paused and watched the two of them for a moment. "and maybe you will be able to help us."

After being told that they could do nothing until the next morning they returned to their beds but between the unnerving wailing of the ghost woman and their own fears about what was to come, neither got much sleep.

The next morning Embla slipped out early, going to find the shaman on her own before the monkey headman could try to talk her out of it. She wasn't certain what his issue with them knowing about the island's secret was but she wasn't going to let it get in her way. She got halfway across the village when a male voice stopped her. "Trying to leave without me, or were you out shopping this morning?" The disapproving tone in the word shopping told her that Ozias thought she had been trying to rob people.

"I wanted to get this over with, I know how ill you get on the water. I assumed that she would get us a boat, so I was sparing you." She smiled sweetly at him and was rewarded with a shake of the head.

"You are not a very good liar, for a thief. I would expect better from you." He turned and headed the direction that they had seen the shaman the night before. After a little searching down the beach they found a little lagoon that seemed to serve as her home. She was already awake and appeared to be doing some sort of prayers. They waited a little ways away until she finished.

She turned to them and held out her hands. "Come, you must learn to swim." Ozias balked at going into the water, but with some coaxing the two women managed to get him to agree. Before either of them could even get fully submerged, a strange tingling magic passed over and through them. A little whimper of pain escaped Embla and she brought her hand to her neck only to find little feathery gills had sprouted there. She looked at the badger and confirmed that he too had undergone this strange transformation. "They will go away when you leave the island for good." Nadine promised them.

After a little swimming lesson for the badger who had to be forcibly held underwater before he would believe that the gills worked, Nadine agreed to show them how to get to the sunken ship that had started all the trouble. Even before they got there Embla could feel the temperature of the water dropping. She looked nervously over at Ozias as they went deeper into the water. He seemed uncomfortable and uncertain, but still his usual sturdy self. When they reached the ship and Nadine gestured for them to go inside however both of them stopped.

Ozias started to say something but at that moment a huge fleshy tentacle swept out and caught Embla by the leg. The huge bulbous body of what appeared to be a giant squid appeared over the dark figure of the ship. His tentacles thrust through the holes in the ship to wrap around the raccoon. Despite being out of his element Ozias was still quick to slash at the tentacle that had trapped the coon. Nadine did another strange spell that turned the water in front of her into a spike of ice then hurled it like a harpoon at the squid. The blood from the beast was darkening the water now and Nadine called Embla over. The shark positioned herself behind the raccoon and put her hands on hers. She whispered something in her ear and water began to move quickly away from them. Ozias had to catch part of the ship to avoid being pushed into the monster squid. The water seemed to pass straight into the squid and it began to expand quickly, some sort of magic Nadine was channeling through Embla forcing the creature to absorb vast amounts of extra water. Ozias realized what they were planning and began swimming away as quickly as possible, only to be caught in the sudden woosh of water as the monster exploded, sending blood and globs of calamari everywhere.

Embla turned to Nadine, trying to figure out exactly what the shark had just done but she simply shook her head and pointed towards the ship. "I will explain everything to you later." She assured her. The raccoon was willing to accept that and headed into the ship. The tugging inside her was so strong now that it felt as thought she were being physically pulled towards what must be the next jewel. The spirits of the ship's crew floated all around them, mingling with the long stripped skeletons that at forever at their posts. The tugging led her to the bottom of the ship and she looked around quizzically until Ozias smashed through the boards and revealed the crushed skeleton of what must have been the person in possession of the gem. She reached into the sand under his frame and brought a faintly glowing sapphire. She winced as the tugging abruptly stopped. Ozias nodded and pointed upwards.

The trip back to shore was mercifully quiet and as soon as they broke the surface Embla whirled at looked at the shark. "What happened down there? What did you do to me?"

Nadine shook her head. "I did nothing but use the vast stores of power inside you to help fuel the spell. When the god put that mark on you he infused you with quite a bit of his own power. You could be a powerful spell caster if you put your mind to it." Embla stared at her like she had told her that she should count the grains of sand on the beach. "Is it so surprising?" She asked her. "A god has granted you his favor, and has given you a task. Certainly you didn't think he would leave you without aid."

Embla did in fact think that he had just left her to accomplish the task with only a badger to help her out. She glanced over at Ozias, realizing that he had probably saved his life yet again with his quick thinking. She caught his eye and he just nodded, seeming a bit embarrassed by the thought that she would thank him. "Okay... so I can do things like that?" She asked, gesturing back towards the water.

The shark nodded. "Come, I will teach you what I can." She gestured towards a small hut that appeared to have been built half in the water and half out. Ozias shook his head, grumbling about spell slingers and wanting to take a nap.

Embla just watched him go. She knew that she didn't have long to learn from Nadine, already the tugging inside her was urging her to head South.