FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

From my point of view, standing at the large main gate, the city proves to be more full of life than one could imagine. Looking about the main street and all the people, all the species roaming about amused and amazed me.

Knights in red tunics with a black, yellow and green trim patrolled the streets at every turn. They wore chainmail underneath, heavy looking armor weighing down on their entire body on top and carried long spears and shields. They posessed long, sharp swords and smaller daggers at their waists. The shields themselves, as well as the knights' red tunics, showed the same image of the pot leaf as the one in the stained glass above the castle door.

Kiosks, like the ones in Selina's town (assuming that she lives there) but much larger, flooded the main street down the center. Thousands of merchants carrying their oversized backpacks ran about the area, from kiosk to general store, from family shops to the most appreciated of businesses, looking to trade their goods for all kinds of rewards. Twice that many citizens weaved between them and each other to spend their hard earned money on the same wares. This is one busy city. I bet this'll go on 'till daybreak.

Buggies, like Daniel's, sat at random corners, trotted down the road and preformed their public services by carrying the citizens throughout the city. Oversized lanterns rose from the stone ground down at the corner of every street. This place lights up like the fires of hell at night.

The buildings closer to us stood only a few stories high, they are small but spread out in an unbelievable number. As you come closer to the castle itself, the buildings enlarge at an alarming rate. They widened and rose several stories high. Homes turned into hotels, hotels into bars, bars into hotels above bars to business buildings to clock towers to nearly high rising skyscrapers.

But the biggest, most majestic creation of all is that amazing castle. I can't wait to see the inside.

"So, you guys gonna be good on your own?", Daniel asks, handing us our bags as he approached us under the gate. "I don't need to hold your hands no more?"

"Like you ever did in the first place.", Jacob said as we took our belongings. "How far would you have gotten with that limp arm.", Jacob lightly punched the arrow wound in Daniel's shoulder.

Daniel flinched, cried out, then punched Jacob back with his good arm in the gut, and much harder to add.

Jacob stumbled backwards but managed to stay on his feet. As he stood, bent over, one hand to his knee and the other across his stomach, catching his breath, Daniel pointed at him. "You had that coming.", he told him.

Jacob looked at me as if he was surprised I didn't back him up.

"Take an arrow through the shoulder and let him punch it.", I joked to Jacob. "If it doesn't hurt, then I'll take your side."

"Dicks.", Jacob says, picking his bag back up, still holding his gut.

"Well, I gotta get to it.", Daniel said, gripping the reins to both of his horses. "I'll see y'all around." He waved to us.

"Later, Hobo.", Jacob said, acting as if he was happy to be rid of him.

"Take it easy, Danny.", I told him, waving back as he walked down a side street with his horses. "Thanks for the ride. And get those 'bandages' replaced!"

Daniel disappeared around a corner and I turned to Jacob.

"Speaking of bandages", Jacob began to say, "I've been meaning to ask, how's that bite on your arm?"

I looked down at my right arm where the bandages Albert had used for the bite wound from the wolves still wrap around up to my elbow. "You know, I completely forgot about it.", I answered as I started to undo the bandages.

The athletic tape rolled off and the bloody sheet of cotton that covered the wound underneath fell to the ground. I lifted my arm to reveal the still tender flesh with stitches holding the gash together.

"Not as bad as it was.", Jacob stated, raising a finger to poke it. I slapped his hand away and gave him a dirty look. "My uncle can wrap that back up for you.", he told me then looked at cotton sheet and athletic tape on the ground. "Seeing as you just trashed what you had."

I picked up the used bandages and stuffed them in the closest trash can. "Shall we?", I asked, motioning towards the castle.

"Let's.", Jacob responded.

We began walking down the main road and took in the sights as we went on. Jacob pointed out some bars he wanted to hit up later. He told me of the bar fights his dad, Albert, used to get into, before he became a recovered alcoholic and a medical professional. They were about as you would expect in general but there was humor to be found in the detail.

My eyes caught, counted and my fingers pointed out every marijuana related shop we passed. We window shopped here and there, drooling over weed, water pipes, hookas, one hitters, grinders and pot treats like brownies, fudge, lollipops, cookies and cupcakes. Any food you could think of was augmented with the finest of marijuana in the entire kingdom. And it only got better as we moved on.

We passed some gentlemen's clubs and stopped to drool over the girls inside. As Jacob and I stood in a window, taking in the wonders of the female body, two squirrels dressed in red and blue lingerie rocked their booties up to the other side of the glass. They smiled at us, each other, then back at us as they pulled their tops down and mushed their tits together up against the window. My eyebrows rose, Jacob and I looked at each other then howled loud in unison, catching the eyes of a few bystanders as they judged our impurity.

The girls giggled then wrapped themselves in each others arms, mashing their bodies together and began to make out. I grinned wide as all the perverted thoughts one could think passed through my mind. Jacob's jaw dropped and he started to pant, eyes so wide, they might as well be shaped like hearts.

We stood and watched as the two young beauties gave us a free show. Eventually I started getting excited and didn't feel like pitching my tent in public so I pulled Jacob away as I waved and winked to the girls. Still holding each other, topless, they waved back, cutely, and blew us kisses.

"Ho-ly-shit, I forgot how awesome this place is.", Jacob said, looking around in every direction.

"How could you know to begin with?", I asked, looking around as well. "You have to be over eighteen to get into most of these places."

"I used to eavesdrop on my dad and his buddies when they came back, drunk, raiding the icebox for more beer.", Jacob told me. "Eventually, I went off to find out for myself. Stole one of my dad's beers, sneaked away to the closest booty house and chugged my first cold one as I starred at my first pair of tig ol' bitties."

Jacob averted his gaze over to me to look me in the eye and finish his story. "Let me tell you, buddy", he said, raising a finger in the air, "There are things in this world five-year-olds shouldn't do or see." He turned his view back to the surrounds, lowering his hand. "Course, I wasn't just any five-year-old."

"Your dad let you take off on your own?", I questioned while I watched an older meerkat woman scrub a building window from the inside.

Talk about a cougar.

She wore a tight white tee shirt soaked in soapy water and a short jean skirt. Her nipples poked out clear as day as she scrubbed high above her head. She had to of known. Either that or she forgot a bra this morning.

She looked at me and waved politely.

"Dude, what part of 'my raging alcoholic father' don't you understand?", Jacob responded as I waved back at the woman.

"Right.", I said.

Still looking at the woman as we walked by, her still looking at me, I pointed to my nipples. She gave me the strangest look then looked down to herself.

"Give your old man some credit though, Jake, he's a good guy.", I told him while I watched the meerkat's cheeks light up bright red as she covered herself. She gave me an awkward smile while I grinned back at her and ran off out of sight.

"I wasn't saying he isn't.", Jacob assures me as we passed through the city square. "I was saying he wasn't."

"Makes you glad that shit's behind you guys now, huh?", I ask, nudging his arm.

"You bet your ass.", He tells me. "But I gotta be honest. Ever since that day, I've been dying to guzzle some beers with my pop in one of these clubs."

"Who says you can't?", I rhetorically asked then continued before he could say any more, "Let's get my ma and that old fart down here, the four of us can order a couple rounds while we sit back and enjoy the show."

I stopped to think for a moment about what I was saying. "Just keep count of how many he has.", I finished.

Jacob just looked at me like I was crazy as we walked. I ignored it at first but couldn't stop myself from glancing over and making eye contact.

"What?", I finally asked.

"Why the hell would your mom chug a beer with us while we're throwing coins at barely legal, emotionally distressed half naked women?", he calmly asks me as if it was an ordinary question.

"Don't ask me, dude.", I told him, raising my arms, surrendering to the question. "Ask her yourself, she'll tell you she'll try anything once."

"......Are you kidding?", Jacob cautiously and curiously asks, staring at me.

"I wish I was.", I answer, keeping my head facing forward. "You don't want to know how many times I've heard her say it."

"That's kinda scary, man."

"Tell me about it."

"Is she serious?"

"God, I hope not."

About fifteen minutes later, we finally made it to the castle entrance. Jake and I stood what seemed like a mile away from the gigantic front door. We looked up and, as I guessed earlier, the top half of the castle, from the base of the main tower to the tip, was hardly visible.

Ha! Called it.

Of course, it was damn near midnight but the candle and lantern light throughout the city shined bright, lighting up acres upon acres of a great kingdom. Light even brighter than any in the city below shined out from the interior of the castle and lit up all six of the enormous stained glass windows. I turned around to see the assortment of colors stretch down their own individual streets. The light glowing from the beautiful giant pot leaf above the door reached much farther down the main street. I focused my vision and saw a second giant beauty projected across the diameter of the city square. Even being a fifteen minute walk away, the hologram pot leaf glowed bright enough to be seen from the heavens.

I turned back around to the castle and realized something unsettling.

"So, uh, how are we supposed to get in?", I asked, looking at Jacob.

He looked back at me in confusion. "What do you mean?", he asked back, "The door's right there, how do you not see it?"

"I see it.", I told him. "Apparently, I see something you don't."

Jacob turned his view back to the castle. His expression went flat as he stared at the door. "It's locked, isn't it?", he asked.

"You tell me."

"Son of a bitch.", Jacob states, refusing to avert his gaze. "Now what?"

I looked in my coin bag and counted my cash. "I have enough to book us in a hotel for the night.", I told him. "We're going to have to head back towards the main gate, though. I'm not rich enough to afford this high class shit."

"Fuuuuuuuck.", Jacob complains as I turn around, chuckling at him.

"Come on.", I tell him, walking off.

Once more, we began the long walk down the main street back to the poorer district of the city. Even though we had just seen all that the main street has to offer, I still took amazement in every sight.

We passed by the city square and all the gentlemen's clubs and stopped to peek through every front window. We passed by the shop that the meerkat woman had been washing the window. I saw her standing next to a table, in a different, darker colored tee shirt, and speaking with another woman, an otter, shorter, smaller but much perkier than herself. She looked over and saw me. Her checks lit up like hot lava as she shyly waved to me. I smiled and waved back. Her otter friend look at me, pointed and said something. I'm not very good at reading lips but I think she said, "Is that him?"

We came to the club the squirrel girls showed off for us. They were standing by a table, still visible from the window. Jacob knocked on the glass to get their attention. They looked, giggled, waved, and blew us kisses. Again, I was forced to drag Jacob away from the window by the collar of his jacket but I didn't do so without blowing the girls a kiss back.

Once we were back on track, the buildings started to shorten and spread out as we moved into the poorer district. The glamour from the high class life faded more and more as we continued to search for a suitable hotel.

"This looks cheap enough.", I said, standing in front an old, beat up brick building. A sign above the entrance read "Get Inn-side!"

"Dude, that doesn't even sound pleasant.", Jacob told me. "Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't hesitate if I heard that from any woman but really? This place? The front door is a fucking crack in the wall!"

"You're gonna have to coop, Jake.", I said to him. "Unless you got some coin stuffed up your ass?"

"Funny thing about that.", he said.

I snickered as I walked up to the door. "Come on.", I told him. "The quicker we get to sleep, the less we have to think about it."

Jacob groaned and followed behind me as I walked through the front door. On the other side, a short, pudgy beaver man with thick square glasses sat at a desk, scribbling on a piece of paper. He looked up to me, unenthusiastically, as I walked up to him.

"Yes?", he said, placing his chin on his hand.

"We need a room for the night.", I said, opening my coin bag. "Preferably, with two beds."

The beaver raised his head and crossed his chubby arms, staring at me. "What side of town you think you're in, kid?", he asked me. "All the rooms here are singles."

"You're telling us you don't have one room with two beds?", Jacob asked, walking up to the counter.

"What do you think?", the beaver replied. "People come here to act on their dirty little secrets, not sleep."

"Say what?", Jacob questioned, eyes wide.

"Did you even read the sign?", the beaver asked.

Jacob looked at me. "Bail.", he said then rushed out the door.

I sighed, pressing two fingers to my temple then walked out. Jacob stood in the street, arms crossed, waiting for me as civilians went around him.

"There is no way in hell you're getting me through that door again.", he said, pointing towards the raunchy hotel. "They probably don't even wash their sheets."

"Can't say I blame you.", I told him, walking up to his side. Looking around, I spotted a different, nicer looking hotel down a side street next to us. It didn't have a sign, besides the word "Inn" above the front door but it looked promising. I nudged Jacob's arm and pointed.

"Please, God, have mercy.", he cried, dragging his feet past me.

We walked through the door and I felt relief when I saw the inside. It was clean and organized, couches to the walls and a few indoor plants. A young guy, a hyena, sat in a chair, reading a book behind a desk, one made with much more care than the beavers'.

The hyena, who looked no older than seventeen, looked up at us and smiled. "Hey, guys, howzit goin'?", He asked, sitting up in his chair.

"Had better days.", Jacob answered as we approached the kid. "Please tell me you got a spare room with two beds."

"That we do.", the kid said. He rolled his chair across the wood floor behind his desk and pulled a set of keys down from a hook on the wall. He rolled back over to us and handed them to Jacob. "Equal to three gold for one night.", he told us.

I frowned and opened my coin bag again. I counted only ten coppers, two silvers and a single gold piece.

"Fuck.", I said, pulling the coins out and placing them all on the hyena's desk. I looked at Jacob and said, "I'm officially broke, now."

"Barely broke even, huh?", the kid asked, putting the coins away. "Is that good or bad luck?"

"With the past couple days we've had, I'll accept it as good luck.", Jacob answered, heading towards the staircase.

"Only because it's not your wallet.", I mumbled.

The kid chuckled and pointed up. "Your room is number thirteen.", he said. "Seventh door on your left."

"Thanks, bud.", I told him, walking to the staircase.

Jacob must have heard the kid. He was already seven doors down, jiggling the key in the doorknob. He must have been struggling, it took him until I got to the door myself to get it open. We walked in, dropped our bags and my gear on the floor and glanced around the room as I shut the door behind us.

There were two twin beds, as the hyena told us, two night stands with candles and matches on top. Jacob walked over to the closest bed and threw himself on top.

"This is more like it.", he said.

I walked over the the other bed and fell on it. My thoughts faded and I past out within minutes.

I was awaken the next day by the sound of screams on the streets outside. I quickly jumped up from my bed and rushed to the window to find out what had happened.

I saw nothing other than the crowd running for the main street, screaming and crying in panic. I opened the window and stuck my head out. Looking towards the main street, I saw and even bigger crowd of civilians swarming like bees trying to get to their homes for safety.

I turned around and saw Jacob sprawled across his bed still fast asleep, snoring.

"Jacob!", I yelled as I ran for my bow and quiver.

He jumped and stared at me, straining his bloodshot eyes. "What the fuck, man?", he bitched.

"Just get up and follow me!", I yelled, mounting my gear, sprinting out our bedroom door and down the hall.

"Wait up!", I hear Jacob holler as he trips and stumbles to his feet, attempting to catch up with me.

I got down the stairs where the hyena kid stood at the front door watching the people flee through the window.

Did he sleep here?

I ran up and got between him and the door, lightly pushed him back while looking out the window myself. This time I not only saw civilians running in fear, I saw knights in their heavy armor carrying their spears, shields, swords and daggers towards whatever was causing the mayhem.

"What's your name?", I asked the kid as Jacob came up behind me.

"David.", he told me, cowardice in his voice.

"Listen to me, David", I said, opening the door, "Stay inside and do not come out, understand?"

"No problem.", he assured me, backing away from the door.

"C'mon, Jake.", I said, heading outside.

We got to the main street and stood staring in shock. Not too far down towards the main gate, a small army of soldiers clashed their blades with their opponents, whoever they were. Chaos reined as blood was spilled, citizens, knights, and attackers alike. A few buildings had been set ablaze trailing massive smoke clouds in the sky.

"Jesus.", Jacob says.

I'm just as stunned as he is. What the hell is going on?

I snapped to my senses and sprinted down the street. Weaving between citizens as they pushed one another to get away, arrows flew by overhead, striking people in the crowd further down the street. Whoever started this is looking for blood.

I ran up to a knight, a tiger, who was rushing towards the commotion as well.

"Hey!", I yelled, putting my hand on his chest to stop him. "What's going on?"

"Get back, it's not safe!", he told me with an Irish accent, trying to get around.

I grabbed his wrist, twisted him around and swept his feet out from under him. He laid face down in the street, his arms behind him as I held them back with a foot on his back. His shield and spear fell to the ground long after I had him at my mercy.

"As you can tell, I'm perfectly safe.", I told him as Jacob caught up once more, then lifted the knight to his feet. "Now what the fuck is happening?", I asked, handing him his shield as he picked up his spear.

"Smugglers.", he said.

"Say again?", I replied, tilting my right ear towards him.

"They just bombarded our defenses", he told us, "Rushed in like wild animals, slaughtering all they could get their hands on."

"Why?!", Jacob demanded to know.

"I'm not sure.", he answered. "Some of the other knights said they heard something about looking for revenge. They want some archer to 'man up' and face their boss in a duel."

My forehead tightened as my eyebrows lowered. My fangs began to show as rage filled my eyes. Jacob got in front of me and looked me in the eye.

"Nate, don't.", he said, trying to bring my focus back to him. "You're walking into your grave here, man."

"Wait, it's you they want?", the knight asked, pointing at me.

I looked at Jacob with hatred for those persistent asshole burning in my soul.

"Don't.", Jacob said again. "Remember what I said about making decisions that'll get you killed?"

I turned and ran for the main gate.

"Nathan!", Jacob yells as I vanish in the crowd from his sight.

I weaved in and out of the crowd, sprinting between bodies, dodging arrows, ready to take on anything that comes at me. I made my way to the main gate where the battle further in the city originated from. Knights fought bravely against the hostile smugglers, striking the enemy with all there might for the good of their home.

I rushed towards the fight and tackled the closest smuggler I could get my hands on. His weapon fell to the ground and he lay frightened for his life as I held a drawn arrow to his face.

"Where is he?!", I snarled, growling like a wild animal.

"In the forest, south of the city!", he cried, holding his hands up to his sides.

I jumped off the grunt and slipped past the others in the fight, out the main gate and pressing down the road leading into the forest.

It took me a while to get to the outskirts of the forest. My sprint turned into a rushed jog as I panted, trying to keep up the pace. When I arrived to the edge of the trees, I walked down the dirt road that disappeared into the wooded area. Wherever the boss man is here, this is as good a time as any to catch my breath.

As I walk, keeping alert for an ambush, I began to wonder when this would end. Whatever his name is, the boss, he doesn't know when to quit. I've beaten him twice and he just keeps coming. And now he has the audacity to attack the city? For me? Is he ever going to give? Is this going to have to end with one of us dead? I won't let him win. Whatever happens, he won't win. I'm the one who brought this on so I'll fight it to my last breath.

He's a fucking idiot. But where that grizzly bear lacks in brains, he makes up for in brute strength. This fight isn't going to be easy but I'm certain I can outsmart him. It can't be easy for a big guy like him to move all that weight around too fast. I'm sure I can bring him down, but if he gets a good hit in on me, I'm in trouble. I'm going to have to keep on my toes if I want to win this.

I bet he won't be alone, either. The rabbit archer will most likely be there. Probably hiding in the bushes to strike me down when I least expect it. When I get there, I should find him before I show myself. I'll feel more in control knowing where he is.

I wonder if this brute even knows the meaning of humility. If he does, he's not a fan of it. I would think that he would know defeat when he sees it, at least, any rational person. But this guy isn't rational, is he? He's a man hardened by the wreckage of a poor life. His ignorance and hate have taken him over and turned him into something... vengeful.

He has power and rein over his own personal army. It doesn't need to be said that he didn't get it by drawing the shortest straw. He's the worst of the worst, something I really should keep in mind when I face him.

Eventually the woods became thicker, the leaves more flush, blocking out the sun overhead and leaving me exposed in the dark. I grew uneasy after a while and caught myself looking over my shoulder several times. I looked up towards the treetops. That's the last place they'd expect me to be.

The trees here were much larger than the ones back home. The limbs themselves are so high, it's impossible to jump to them the way I'm used to. This is going to take a little more effort.

I sprinted at a tree and jumped straight up at its base, running up the trunk to get as high as possible before drawing all ten of my claws and latching them into the wood. I jumped further up, latched again and pulled myself up to the closest tree limb. I continued forward, sticking close to the road so I don't go wandering aimlessly through a dark forest.

I felt like I was making my way over the pricker bushes surrounding the hidden field in the mountains. This sure as hell was taking just as long. I started to think maybe I followed the wrong road. Maybe there was a different forest I was supposed to go to. I don't even think I checked where the other roads lead to, I just sprinted straight down the middle.

God, please tell me I didn't just fuck this up.

I began considering turning around when I noticed the road below started to widen. The dirt road become thicker and thicker and soon curved out to both sides, creating a large open circle. I stopped at the edge of the treeline and looked about the area.

There was a single enormous tree that towered high in the center of the circle. It had so many long arms erupting with every shade of green, it all stretched out over the treeline, blocking out the sun's rays the smaller trees weren't.

I looked below to the circular dirt field surrounding the giant tree. Only, it wasn't dirt anymore. I'm just noticing, but somewhere back the way I came, the ground changed from its rugged tan origin to a soft dark brown with trillions of tiny white dots scattered all over.

This... this is unnatural soil.. how the fuck...?

Okay, so somebody planted a gigantic tree. Never heard this bedtime story from my mom.

At the base of the big tree, I saw the grizzly bear, that pompous dick who leads those vicious, blood thirsty smugglers. He wore no armor as he did when I first saw him inside his hideout. He had no weapons, well, no visible weapons, and no shirt. He stood back to the tree trunk, arms crossed. And who would have guessed, Rabbit Hood stood at his side, bow drawn, waiting to fire on me.

I took a deep breath and drew my bow. I mounted an arrow, aimed and exhaled as I released. It flew true and struck the rabbit's bow just above his hand, pinning it to the giant tree between them.

The rabbit flinched from the surprised while the grizzly looked in puzzlement.

"Move an inch, Bugs, and I'll put the next two through your hands!", I yelled from my hiding spot in the trees.

The grizzly straightened himself and walked out further into the open. "Where's your honor, boy?", he yells into the trees with a deep voice. "You're here to face me!"

"You have a funny way of showing your honor!", I yelled back. "Dragging your boyfriend around to cover your fat ass!"

"He's merely a precautionary.", the grizzle says, "How was I to know you wouldn't bring an army with you?"

"Because they're all preoccupied keeping your men from slaughtering the civilians!", I screamed.

"What?", he said, turning to the archer. "I told you to draw their attention, you idiot!", he screamed, socking the archer in the face. He flew back and skid across the soil ground. The grizzly then yanked his bow from the tree, obliterating my arrow, and threw it at him. "Go fix your mess!", he screamed as the archer stumbled to his feet then ran down the road I came from.

I waited till the archer was out of sight before I did anything more. I mounted my bow and jumped down from the trees. I hit the soil hard, landing on my hands and one knee. I stood and walked closer to the grizzly.

"What kind of leader can't keep control of his own men?", I asked, stopping only yards away from him.

"Bite your tongue, boy.", he growled. "You'll do well to know the blood of those people are on your hands."

"You're the one who gave the order!", I snarled, "Those people died because you couldn't accept your loss and leave well enough alone!"

"Those people died", he started to 'correct' me, walking up closer to me, "Because you don't know your place."

"My place is standing on your crippled back with a trophy.", I threatened, getting in his face. Well, under it. The bastard is four times my size.

His mouth opened wide as he voiced an ear piercing roar of anger. I bared my teeth fiercely, snarling and growling like I have rabies in response.

"You got balls, runt.", he told me. "Why don't you put your toys aside and fight like your daddy expects you to."

"I never disappointed him before he died.", I said, throwing my bow and quiver to the ground. "I'm not going to now."

"Daddy's dead, is he?", the grizzly taunted. "What a pity."

In rage, I jumped up and smashed the top of my head into his bottom jaw, busting his chops before he stumbled back. I landed on my feet but turned to nothing short of disoriented. I headbutted him pretty hard and it put me in a daze. I tried to focus my vision and saw the bear coming straight for me.

"You scrawny little chewtoy!", he screamed, lashing out at me.

I jumped and rolled in time to avoid the attack but was still too disoriented to keep my balance. When I tried to stand, I just fell back on my ass. The grizzly came for me again. I got back on my feet and forced my focus back.

The boss ran up to me, pulling back a punch. His fist came down as I stepped to the side. He punched the soil and splashed some into the air. He threw another horizontal swing, I ducked, uppercut his chin and double kicked him backwards. He fell on his back as I got up from mine. I ran up, stepped on his groin and jumped off. He sat up to grab himself just before my feet came down on his face, smashing his head into the soft ground.

Shit. SOFT ground.

He quickly brought up a hand, grabbed the back of my sweater and, with his immense strength, literally threw me off of him. I rolled across the soil, throwing it into the air as I came to a stop. Before I could stand up, the grizzly had made his way to me already. He grabbed the front of my sweater and lifted me to his eye level. I spit in his face and punched him as hard as I possibly could. He stumbled aside but didn't release his grip and took me to the ground with him. The fat bastard rolled on top of me and drew his fist back again. It came down and struck the soil next to my head as I struggled to dodge, he would have crushed it like a melon if I didn't move. He pulled back again and struck the soil again. He did it a third time and I dug my fangs into his arm before he could bring it back up.

The grizzly roared from the pain, standing up, grabbed me, pulled me off of him and slashed his claws across my chest, cutting me open and throwing me aside once more.

I coughed up blood as I strained to stand. When I got to my feet, I fell to my hands and knees. The smuggler boss walked closer and picked me up by my leg.

"Still think you can kill me?", he asked as he began, squeezing, crushing the bones in my leg.

I screamed in pain and clenched my teeth to ignore it and fight back. With my free leg, I kicked him in the throat several times until he dropped me and fell back again. I stood up with pain that should have been enough to put me down but I kept going.

I threw myself on top of him and dug my claws into his neck. I ripped out a huge chunk of meat and choked him with it. He punched my side, throwing me off, but I caught myself and jumped right back on him like the wolves in the mountains did to me. I unleased a barrage of punches to his face, knocking his head back and forth. I heard a few teeth crack and break before he roared and tried throwing me off him again.

Again, I caught my footing, rushed over and kicked him in the side of the head. I forced my foot into his jaws, stuffing his neck meat further into his throat. He began to roll over and gag and I kicked his shoulder, rolling him onto his stomach. I fell back, becoming weaker by the second. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.

I slowly stood and limped over to the bear as he sat on his hands and knees again, trying to cough up his flesh. It flew out of his mouth and hit the soil. The bear coughed and gasped for air. Before he could stand, I lifted his head back and continuously boxed his snout until I heard the bones crack. He roared again and I threw him on his face. He tried to stand, still very able to, but I forced him back to the ground and wrapped both my arms tight around his throat, squeezing. He stood up and tried to grab me. He tossed my legs around as he tried to swing me off. The grizzly's hands came up as he tried to pry himself free from my grip. I squeezed tighter and locked my joints to keep him from gaining any chance of escape.

He attempted to back into the enormous tree and crush me but I let go and he stumbled backward over me and smashed his head into the tree. Looking as disoriented as I was, he tripped to his feet and struggled to stay on them. I ran at him and tackled him back onto his back. He got a foot in between us and kicked me off him but I jumped right back on and sunk my fangs into the other side of his neck, ripping out another chunk of meat. I spit it into his mouth, blood pouring from mine, and began knocking his head back and forth as I sat on top of him.

The bear spit the meat out and opened his mouth. "God damn it, get off me, rodent!", he yelled, throwing me aside again.

He struggled to his feet. When he stood and looked towards me, I was already in the air, bringing my weight down onto his knee. Bones cracked and snapped as his leg bent in a direction it's not supposed to.

He roared loud again and fell backwards. He lies in the soil with a fucked up leg and two big missing pieces of his neck. Blood poured from his wounds as he growls in pain.

I rose to my feet and slowly limped over to him. He looked at me and fiercely roared like he did in the beginning. I punched him in the face hard enough to roll him onto his stomach as I fell to my knees.

I gripped the fur on the back of his head and bashed his head into the soil.

Fuck. SOFT soil, Nathaniel.

I did it several more times then slapped both his ears to disorient him further. I lifted his head from the ground and opened my mouth.

"Allow me to make something clear to you.", I said, holding back the pain in my voice. "And you had better get it through your thick", I smashed his head to the ground again, "fucking", and again, "skull!", and again. "This kingdom is my home. And I know where you live, I know where you sleep. If I ever see or hear of you or any of your men showing your faces in Canniban again", I got my mouth real close to his ear, "I'll come after you. I'll crush your windpipe before putting an arrow between your eyes."

I threw his head to the ground, picked up my bow and quiver and walked away.

As I slowly limped down the road I first came through on, I examined my wounds. My sweatshirt had four long cuts from his claws with the matching gashes in my chest underneath. I was still loosing blood. The stitches on the bite wound on my right arm had been ripped out and the wound reopened, bleeding again. I have a pounding headache, I probably have a concussion, I'm pretty sure several of my ribs are broken and I can barely put any weight at all on my left leg. I'm pretty beat up.

I started to grow light headed. I was loosing too much blood. I'm not going to make it back.

I stumbled sideways and smashed into a tree, falling to my side. I started to black out. As my vision faded, I noticed a small, green caterpillar crawling up the tree trunk. I watched it, lying in my own blood until I fell unconscious.

I opened my eyes to find myself squatting in a tree. In front of me, an enormous field spread out over the area, coated with snow as more fell to the earth. Behind me, a wall of pricker bushes towered over the ground, nearly reaching the tree limps I sat so comfortably in. I'm in the mountains, in the field I found. But something's off. The field was empty, I'm the only living thing in sight.

I looked to myself and realized I was geared up for a hunt. I wore my old plain black hoodie, worn out jeans with rips and tears here and there and my winter boots I've had for the last few years. My bow and quiver are hoisted on my back along with my hunting backpack. I'm not sure what's happening... but it feels right.

I jumped down from the tree and walked slowly out into the middle of the field. I stopped in front of a set of tracks. Buck tracks like the ones that originally lead me to this field.

Kneeling down, I examined the footprints. The snow that got caught under the weight of the animal that made these tracks felt hard, almost like ice, but was still soft enough to crack under the pressure of a finger. These haven't been here that long. There was no softer snow in the print from what was falling, identifying that the tracks are fresh. I stood up and looked around the field. These are the only tracks visible besides mine.

I started to follow them. They took me northwest, into the trees and moving up the mountain where the home of the wolves resides. As I moved, the wind picked up, whistling a creepy tune into the air. The snow gradually began to stop falling and cleared the white from the sky above. I looked up towards the sun and lifted a hand to protect my eyes. It hung low to the east with no clouds and with the blend of beautiful colors I so strongly adore, signalling an early dawn.

I brought my field of vision back to the tracks in front of me and continued to follow them. Seconds turned to minutes as I pressed forward up the mountain, minutes into hours as the sun rose higher into the sky, lighting up the white ground through the winter withered trees. I walked into the area where I had my revengeful battle with the wolf pack. Their bodies still laid on the earth's floor, covered in fresh snow and dried blood. I looked to each one for several minutes as I inspected their wounds.

Now that I stand here, calm and clear minded, I began feeling remorse for the brutality I brought onto them. They killed Adam and I hated them for it, but would I be any better than these wild animals if I simply kill for vengeance and walk away? I would be worse for killing at all, for that matter.

I dropped my hunting pack and pulled out the tactical shovel. I spent the next couple hours digging several graves, side by side, for each one of them. When I had buried their bodies and made my peace with them, I put the shovel away and continued following the tracks once more.

What about the wolves that I didn't kill? What happened to them? Are they hiding, plotting their retaliation? Not likely, underdeveloped dog types lack the brain power to devise a plan. Still, I doubt a simple burial for their fallen kin will be enough to ease their rage. I have no doubt that they'll return to raise hell, eventually. Then I'll have to kill them, too. Will it end there? I pray it does.

The tracks I followed took me well past the newly dug graves and further into the thick frozen woods. I didn't even know the thorn wall circled this far out.

The trees started to thicken and cluster together at my sides. They kept growing taller, wider and closer together and soon it became impossible to move in any direction other than that the tracks lead and back the way I came. I continued to walk along side the tracks when I saw a bright shining white light glimmering between two trees ahead of me. The tracks lead straight into it. I didn't stop to investigate, I kept walking while the light got bigger and brighter, soon shining like a star up close. I was forced to close my eyes when it grew too bright but I still continued to walk. I could see the light piercing through my eyelids as I drew closer and I squeezed them tighter. The light became impossibly blinding, even with my eyes shut and then, just like that, it vanished.

I stopped and opened my eyes. I was standing in a forest. A green forest. I was no longer in the mountains. The trees around me are flush with leaves, the sun above glowing bright and hot in the sky, the ground green and brown from the mixture of mud and grass. At my feet, the buck tracks still revealed a path further ahead of me. I looked back in the direction I came from. It was no different than my other surroundings.

Um. Okay.

I decided to keep following the tracks, seeing as I couldn't just turn around and go home. They continued straight, making me wander into unfamiliar woods. I saw something in the distance and began jogging as I started to comprehend what it was.

It's a wall. Made of dried mud. And what's more bizarre is the man pinned to it, head hanging, lifeless, with arrows through his wrist and forearm. My arrows. Blood trailed down the mud wall from his wounds and into the grass under him. I stared in astonishment for minutes until realization hit me. This man is one of the two smugglers that stood at the boss' side in their hideout. He's the one who spotted me sneaking out with mine and Jacob's stuff. I forgot all about him. I pinned him to the wall surrounding the fight ring. He must have bled out. Making me responsible for another death. Why would the others not attempt to help him? They just left him here, hanging from my father's personally crafted arrows. How cruel can people be?

Again, I felt remorse for another life I had taken. In all good consciousnesses, I couldn't leave him crucified like this. I removed my arrows, laid him down and proceeded to pull out the shovel to dig his grave. When I had buried him, I made my peace, and walked away, which I found much harder to do than it was with the wolves. He must have stood here, suffering, for a good while before his heart stopped. And it was my doing.

I started following the tracks again and found myself walking much longer into nowhere. Soon, I came across another body lying face down in the mud. The victim lied in a huge pool of his own blood with another of my arrows sticking out of his neck. This was the first man I ever killed. I severed his jugular in reflex when Jacob, Daniel and I were making our escape from the smuggler hideout. Again, regret filled my heart. It ate at me more and more every time I came across a new lifeless carcass I created. I removed my arrow from his neck and turned him over on his back.

Dried blood covered his entire front, head to toe, cloths and all. His fur had become hard and crusty and the color in his eyes faded to a grey. As with the others, I dug him a grave, buried his body and made my peace.

At least it was over quickly. I'm sorry, you didn't have to die.

The buck tracks dragged me further into the unknown, guiding me through my mistakes and regrets. The trees began to grow again, clustering together. Another light glew in the distance and the tracks lead straight into it. I closed my eyes tight as I walked forward, knowing what to expect. The light brightened more and more, burning my pupils through my eyelids like eggs in a frying pan. Then the light vanished as it did before. I stopped and opened my eyes.

I stood on a soft, brown surface polka-dotted all over with tiny white specks. The area was dark and surrounded by trees. The world's largest tree stood in the center of a circular field. This is where I had my battle with the smuggler boss.

But... didn't that just happen? Wait...

I started to remember what happened here. I beat the boss but got my ass handed to me, as well, pretty bad to add on. And then...

Shit, what happened next?

I looked around the area, searching for a clue. I saw nothing. Not even the tracks I had been following all this time.

Now what?

"Remember what Tony told you?", a familiar voice asked from behind me. My heart rose in my throat and pounded like a drum when I fit the voice to the face. "About me being proud of the man you've become?", asked my dead father who stood in front of me as I turned around.

I opened my mouth but couldn't summon any words. I stuttered and babbled until he rose a hand to silence me.

"He wasn't wrong, son.", my father told me, walking closer. I stepped away in fear.

"Whats happening?", I finally spit out. "Am I dead?"

My father chuckled and shook his head. "No, son, your heart still beats." He answers.

"How are you here?", I asked, staring in shock and awe.

"Do you even understand where 'here' is?", he responded with a question.

I looked all around the area, into the soil and trees, down the road and into the leafy sky.

"I understand I'm not where I thought I was." I answered, looking back at him. "I'm asleep? Or in a coma?"

"It really doesn't matter, Nathaniel.", my father told me, walking up to me and placing his hand on my shoulder. It felt so real. "We need to have a talk, son."

"What about?", I asked, looking at him in confusion.

My father walked past me and sat down in the soil, leaning up against the tree giant. He patted the ground then pulled something out of his pocket. I walked over and sat down next to him. What he removed from his old jean jacket was the tin case he kept his weed in before he died, the one I use today.

My father pulled a joint from the case and snapped his fingers. The end of the marijuana cigarette spontaneously combusted as my dad puffed the joint then passed it to me.

"How the fuck did you do that?", I ask him, taking the piece from his fingers.

"It's a dream, remember?", he says, exhaling smoke, "Or a coma."

"Does that make this any less real?", I questioned as I laid my head back against the tree and puffed the joint. "It feels real.", I said, exhaling.

"Listen to me, Nathaniel.", my father said, taking the joint from me. "Tony was right."

"About you being proud of me?", I asked him to confirm.

"Yes."

"Why?", I questioned, giving him a look. "After all the mistakes I've made? The wrongs that took me a near death experience to right? How can you be proud of that?"

"Because you're learning from them.", he told me, taking his puff and passing. "Since the day I disappeared, you took responsibility in your own hands and raised yourself. You took care of your mother and your home over the years, you've turned into exactly the man I had always hoped you would be."

"A killer?", I question then take my hit.

"You're not a killer, son.", he said. "You're a lover. A hunter. An archer."

"The best.", I gloated, handing my dad the joint.

He chuckled under his breath as he took the piece and rustled the fur on my head. "Best of all, you're a freedom fighter.", my father says.

"I killed those men to protect my own ass.", I tell him.

"No, you didn't.", he corrects me. "You did it to protect your friends. And the fight with the head smuggler? Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't do that to protect the citizens."

"How could you know what I did it for?", I asked, looking him in the eye. "You weren't there, you haven't been there since I was ten. You walked out on my birthday like it was nothing special." Tears began to flood my eyes. "You left and you never came back. Why?"

"I can't tell you.", he answers, "You'll learn the truth in time, Nathaniel."

"Why are you even here now?", I asked, tears rolling down my cheek. "And if you say, 'to tell you I'm proud', I swear I'll deck you."

"I AM here to tell you I'm proud, Nathan", he assures me, "More importantly, I'm also here to tell you how proud I am of the man you will be."

"What the hell are you talking about?", I cried in frustration.

My father put the joint down, never taking his hit, and put both hands on my shoulders. "You need to find the cave, son. Find the cave, then find Victor."

"Who the fuck is Victor?", I questioned, furiously, "What cave? Make since, old man!"

My father did not answer. Instead, he smiled, said, "This is fate, son. I love you.", and dematerialized in front of me.

"Where are you going?!", I screamed into the trees, standing up. "You can't drop something like that and leave!"

The trees in the back ground slowly started to dematerialize as well. They faded to the ground which, in turn, began to disappear as well, leaving nothing but empty white space like a sheet of paper. The vanishing area closed in on me and forced me against the giant tree. I hadn't noticed the tree vanishing until it disappear from behind my back, causing me to fall on my ass. I sat on a small circular patch of soil that slowly melted away until there was nothing left but me. I fell into nothing, surrounded by white light as I plummeted. The light grew brighter and brighter and I closed my eyes, preparing for the next transition and whatever awaited me on the other side.

The bright light flashed and I opened my eyes. I sat up fast from where ever I was laying and took an intense, desperate gasp for air.

"Nathan, Jesus Christ!", Jacob announced, revealing himself to me.

Hyperventilating for oxygen, I turned my head and saw him. He stood at my side, hand on my back, with the most horrified look I have ever seen on his face.

I looked at myself. I was lying in a bed in nothing but my boxers. My entire torso, left leg and right arm were bandaged up.

"Where am I?", I struggled to ask. My chest throbbed with piercing pain as well as my right arm and left leg. I clenched my teeth, grunting roughly, while I grabbed my chest in response.

"Be careful, you idiot!", I hear a strange voice behind me say as I felt something hard thump the top of my head.

I turned around and saw a completely grey wolf in a long, white coat. He wore black khakis and tennis shoes and a tan turtleneck shirt under his coat.

"Move too abruptly and you'll rip all your stitches open.", he told me, turning around then stopped to say something else. "Again." He turned back to whatever he was doing.

"You're charming.", I huffed in sarcasm then turned to Jacob. "You're uncle?", I asked, nodding towards him.

"You guessed it.", Jacob answers.

"I can see the resemblance.", I stated, hanging my legs over the side of the bed I woke up in. "He has your social skills."

Jacob's uncle chuckled then turned to me. "I'm Elrick.", he said. "And you're still recovering. Lay back down."

I did as I was told, solely because it was too agonizing to keep my current position.

"Call him, Old Man.", Jacob tells me. "I always do."

Elrick shot him a look then continued his mystery work.

Old man... Oh, shit!

When I heard those words pass through Jacob's lips, the memory of my conversation with my dead father flowed back to my knowledge.

What cave was he talking about? Why does he want me to find a cave, for that matter? And who the hell is Victor? Question after question flew through my mind as I wandered off into my thoughts. Maybe it WAS just a dream. A nightmare manifested from my stress. Maybe it was my subconscious trying to bring me back to reality. Or maybe it was simply just my dead father visiting me from beyond the grave to 'teach' me of my 'fate'.

"How do you feel?", Jacob asked, handing me a glass of water.

"What?", I asked, bringing my attention back to him.

"Oh.", I said, slightly sitting up and taking the water. "Like I got mauled by a bear." I chugged down the liquid and handed the glass back to Jacob, laying back down. "How long was I out?", I asked.

"A week.", Elrick answers.

"WHAT?!", I yelled, jumping up fast then gripping my chest in pain again.

"Easy, bro, easy!", Jacob tells me, helping me lie back down.

"I lost a fucking week?", I questioned Elrick.

"What did you expect, boy?", he asked, looking at me. "Do you have any idea how long it takes the bones to replace all the blood cells you lost? It's a miracle you didn't bleed out before we found you!"

"How did you find me?", I asked Jacob in curiosity.

"After the fight with the smugglers passed, I guilt tripped the knight who told you what you shouldn't have heard into sending a search party with me to find you.", Jacob informs me.

"What I shouldn't have heard?" I repeated, slowly sitting up this time. "Do you even know how many more dead bodies there would be if I didn't hear it?"

"No more than there already is.", Jacob says. "That rabbit archer showed up and called them off."

"He called them off because the boss told him to.", I inform Jacob. "The boss told him to because I showed, if I didn't, they would have slaughtered men and women down to their last standing soldier."

"They're smugglers, Nate, taking on the best soldiers we have to offer.", Jacob argues. "Why did you have to take it into your hands, again?"

"Don't start, Jake.", I warned him, pointing a finger.

Elrick turned to look at us, we looked back and he started to walk out of the stone brick room. "I can tell when I'm not needed.", he said.

"Nate", Jacob started to speak again.

"Don't.", I cut him off. "Just don't. I know what you're going to say and you know what I'm gonna say. I risked my life for the safety of others and I won again. Why can't you let me hang onto that satisfaction?"

"You won?", Jacob questions, "Look at you! What makes you think you won?"

"The grizzly I left bleeding in the dirt is what makes me think I won.", I answered.

Jacob looked at me, astonished. "You killed him?", he asks, unsure if he wanted to know.

"No.", I answered. "But if he's stupid enough to make a fourth move on me, I will." I laid back down on the bed and covered myself with the blanket. "Until then, I'm enjoying a victory."

I turned my back towards Jacob and I heard him start to walk out.

"You should know better than anyone why I get so pissed at you when you do shit like this.", he says, stopping in the doorway. "One day, its going to kill you. One day, your courage is going to take the life of the only brother I have."

Jacob walked out and shut the door behind him. I crossed my arms and looked to the table above my head that Elrick was working on. I saw a candle, thread, a needle and my sweatshirt. He sewed it back together. I reached, stretching agonizing muscles to grab it. It was practically seamless.

I struggled to put it on then blew out the candle flickering on the table and tried to fall asleep. Not because I wanted to, needed to, or felt like escaping reality. I just wanted to see my dad again.