FSE

Furry search engine

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"Tokam..." The voice penetrated deep into Tokam's thoughts. Darkness swirled around him, a ceaseless, turbulent force. "Tokam..." the voice repeated. The euphonious tone of the voice sent waves of terror crashing into Tokam. "What?!" he shouted into the blackness. "Turn back...Why do you need to go...? Stay in the forest...where it's safe..." the voice cooed. Tokam felt a chill run down his spine, and he felt his consciousness slipping. Turning back didn't seem so bad...

No! Tokam shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had to go on. For Aisha. The voice hissed in frustration. "Why do you insist...? Ah...a girl... Do you really think she is worth it? Do you believe she will accept your love...? You are truly deluded... Love is an illusion...You are alone..." "No!" Tokam cried out. "You're wrong!" The darkness seemed to grow heavier, the pressure around Tokam increased. "No...? You dare defy me...? You will SUFFER!" The voice screamed in fury, filling Tokam's surroundings. A massive claw of shadow reached for Tokam.

Tokam flinched as a wall of light appeared in front of him. The light was blinding, and slowly the darkness began to disappear from the edges of his vision. As the claw struck the wall, Tokam heard a distant howl of fury. A woman's voice chimed from the light. "Sleep now Tokam... Sleep..."

* * * * *

The Servant clutched his wounded hand as he collapsed. She should not have interfered! She will pay for this. But first, a new way to eliminate this treecko must be found. The Servant gathered his strength and dark smoke began to whirl around him. Out of the darkness, a great serpent appeared. "General Dokun," he addressed the snake. Dokun bowed his head. "Master..." he hissed. "There is a pokemon who stands in our way," the Servant said. "A treecko..." The Servant paused in curiosity as he sensed surprise and recognition run through the general.

"I encountered a treecko during our last raid," Dokun admitted. "He was more determined to resist us than the other pokemon in the area... He even attempted to pursue our convoy as we left." The Servant nodded. "My master has informed me that this treecko has become a threat..." The Servant drew out the word. "Kill him. We cannot allow him to continue." Dokun smiled. "I know a pokemon who can help us with that," he said. The Servant's eyes narrowed as the image of a pokemon flashed in Dokun's mind. "Him?" the Servant hissed. "He is volatile and uncontrollable. I do not trust him." Dokun's tongue flicked out from between his gleaming fangs. "Which is exactly why I do." With that, Dokun vanished in a whirl of dark smog, and the Servant was alone once again.

* * * * *

Tokam woke to a pounding headache. Was that all...a dream? he wondered. _It seemed so real..._Tokam took a moment to take in his surroundings. He and Buson had stopped at the banks of a great river earlier that morning, before the sun had risen. The sun was now almost at the peak of its arc. Tokam glanced over at Buson, who was snoring softly under the cool shade of tree. He walked over to his sleeping friend and gently shook his wing. "Buson!"

Buson grumbled something that sounded vaguely like, "Just five more minutes," and shifted slightly. "Wake up!" Tokam said, with more urgency. Buson lifted his head groggily and yawned. His beak made soft click as he snapped it shut. "Tokam? Where...?" Buson attempted to make sense of his surroundings. "C'mon, hurry up! We overslept, it's almost noon," Tokam interrupted.

Buson slowly stood up. His feathers were ruffled from flipping over in the night, swept in a ridiculous fashion on his head. He quickly shook himself, placing his feathers in their traditional orientation. Buson then focused on the river. The raging current created turbulent waves at the surface, and it was clear that a small pokemon could easily be swept away. He turned to Tokam. "I'm not strong enough to carry you across," he warned. Tokam nodded. "I'll swim." Buson stepped forward. "Are you sure that's..." "I can make it!" Tokam interjected quickly. Buson took one last doubtful look at his friend, and then launched into the sky.

Tokam gulped as he stepped towards the water. In truth, he wasn't sure if he could make it. But there was no other way to cross, and he couldn't give up now. But what if you get separated from Buson? his inner voice chimed in. What if you end up alone? Tokam took a deep breath, cleansing his mind of doubt. Then he plunged into the churning water.

The cold hit him with a jolt, sending tremors down his spine. Tokam began to paddle toward the opposite bank, and was dismayed to find that he was rapidly being swept downstream. He desperately sped up his strokes, but to no avail. Water rushed around his head, threatening to close over it. Blackness began to creep at the edges of Tokam's vision, and his breathing became labored.

Just as he was about succumb to the relentless current, Tokam felt firm talons grip his wrist. He looked up to see Buson frantically trying to pull him to shore. The waves lapped dangerously close to his wings, threatening to drag them both under. The wind buffeted Buson ever closer to the depths. Tokam renewed his struggle, reinvigorated by his friend's loyalty.

Tokam's muscles screamed in agony as they approached the safety of land. Buson had slowed his efforts as he too began to feel the fatigue. Only a few more feet... Tokam gave one final push...and slid onto the smooth stones of the shallows. Buson crashed into the water next to him, and they lay gasping for breath for several moments. Tokam allowed the gentler waters to flow over him, soothing his aching body.

Buson staggered to his feet and shook himself, sending droplets of water drizzling on Tokam's back. He helped Tokam stand, and Tokam looked at him gratefully. "Thanks," he said. Buson nodded. That single word held enough meaning to explain everything Tokam felt, and Buson understood that.

They moved out of the water, and onto the crisp grass. The grass here was short, and had a lifeless feel. The tall pines were dark and packed densely together, casting large shadows onto the forest floor. Patches of ground were illuminated by sunlight struggling to break through the foliage. There was stillness in the air, as though this place was frozen in time.

Tokam shivered. There was something unnerving about the calmness of the forest. "This place gives me the creeps," he muttered. Buson nodded in agreement. "I think we should get going, there aren't many more hours of daylight," Buson said, glancing around nervously. "I don't want to have to spend the night here."

They began to trek deeper into the forest. They didn't talk much, and instead focused on covering as much distance as possible. But something started to bother Tokam. Something he had been wondering since they had left the previous day. "Hey, Buson?" The small pidgey turned his head to face Tokam. "Yeah?" Tokam paused, unsure of what to say. "It's just...I've been wondering why...why you came with me."

Buson stayed silent for a moment, and then said, "Well...because you're my friend." "But what about your parents? Did you even say goodbye?" Tokam pressured. Buson lowered his head. "Yeah. I said goodbye." His wings sagged slightly, and he slowed his pace. Tokam stopped and touched his friend's shoulder. "What happened?"

Buson appeared to be on the verge of crying. "They left before we did. They went to go find help... They made me promise to stay put...said they'd be back in a few days. But when I saw you leaving... I knew you wouldn't let it go, you wouldn't stop until you found her...and I just couldn't let you go alone..." Tears were brimming in Buson's eyes.

Tokam was suddenly struck by how dedicated his friend was. Buson was panicking, taking rapid breaths as he tried to pull himself together. He sank to the ground. Tokam kneeled and gripped Buson's shoulders. "Listen to me," he said. "It's going to be fine. We are going to find her, we are going to make it back, and we are going to see them again." "But what if they think something happened to us, what if-?" Buson objected. "Don't think about what could be, think about what is," Tokam replied. "Your parents are going to be fine, but Aisha is out there somewhere, and she isn't going to be fine if we don't find her."

Buson nodded slowly. They sat there for several moments as Buson's breathing slowed and his tears dried. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then he looked up at Tokam. "Thanks," he said hoarsely. Tokam helped him to his feet. "Don't mention it. That's what friends are for."

* * * * *

Sand. As far as the eye could see in every direction, there was nothing but sand. It occupied every available space. Including Aisha's fur. Sand clung to her like sap. It irritated her skin and burned her eyes.

They had stopped at the heart of a massive desert the previous night. Throughout the night, several other groups of captive pokemon and their abductors had arrived. There were now hundreds of cages filled with pokemon, and from what Aisha had managed to gather from snippets of overheard conversations, they were still expecting more to arrive.

As the number of cages grew, the pokemon were divided into small camps watched over by one or two guards. Although their captors had finally given them permission to speak amongst themselves, the majority of pokemon were silent. Aisha had no doubt many of them were attempting to devise escape plans, and she had entertained those thoughts herself for quite some time. But she knew that these were desperate hopes, unlikely to succeed and almost certain to result in death.

Aisha's group was one of the few that had actually begun to exercise its right to talk. Aisha looked over the faces of her fellow captives, illuminated by a small fire set up at the center of the group. She had abstained from the conversation thus far, but had managed to pick up a few of their names. She already knew the inhabitant of the cage directly to her left, Tori, the starly.

To her right was a young growlithe. He had a superior air about him, which at first Aisha had found irritating, though she had become accustomed to it as the night wore on. Next to the growlithe was a lopunny, who was the oldest member of the group by far. She was old enough to be a mother, and a certain matronly feel to her. She was constantly pacing and fidgeting in her cage, fretting about something or other. Aisha had been unable to catch either of their names.

The final member of the group was the youngest, a small roilu named Panchi. Of all of the pokemon present, Panchi was the calmest. He hadn't spoken a word the entire night, other than when asked his name. Instead, he appeared to be stuck in a deep meditative trance, his eyes shut and his breathing smooth.

Panchi appeared even more at home than the guard of the group, the zoroak who had been responsible for carrying Aisha's cage, Sakkak. He had spent the entire night tending to the fire, glancing around the sand dunes, and jumping at the slightest sound from one of the nearby camps.

Tori, the growlithe, and the lopunny were currently putting all their effort into pestering Sakkak, trying to learn anything about what was happening. Sakkak stuck to the same story as every other one of their captors there. They were to be tributes, and that was all they needed to know.

As the group gradually began to lose interest in Sakkak, they began to gain interest in one of the more silent members of their party. The growlithe reached out a paw and gently tapped the side of Aisha's cage. "So what's your name?"

She was about to respond when the sound of a horn shattered the stillness of the camp.