FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

17

Uproar.

Ander watched in horror as the Wolves before him went completely berserk. Codo and Erris grabbed fistfuls of burning logs and hurled them as far as they could. Multitudes of Wolves screamed and shouted - not in fear, but uncontrollable rage - as spinning projectiles of flame sailed over their heads and crashed against the walls.

One of these logs came soaring in Ander's direction and he had to jerk his leg away to avoid getting hit. It crashed into the ground mere inches from where his foot was a moment ago, breaking apart into chunks of black and red coals, throwing a shower of sparks into the air, waving to and fro with the breeze.

One of the drum beaters punched a hole right through his instrument, tearing the dried buckskin with a hollow thud. He raised the crippled drum above his head and heaved it Ander's way. Unable to dodge properly, it struck him against the hip. Lucky for him, drums are hollow, so it didn't hurt much.

Nilia, Garten, and some of the other warriors were doing all they could to keep the throng at bay, but it was like watching a beetle trying to fight off a swarm of ants. There were simply too many!

"Justice! Justice!!" one Wolf screamed and punched Danado in the face, who was trying to convince those around him to stay calm.

"This is sacrilege!" another screamed, his voice joining with countless others.

The speed of this outrage was incredible, moving from shouting to shoving to attacking in less than a minute. Ander pulled on his bonds, desperate to get loose before things really went to hell, but it was useless.

Father was too abrupt, too merciful..._he thought. _At this rate, we'll be dealing with a full-blown riot, maybe even a coup.

"SILENCE!!" Father roared to no avail. "SILENCE!!"

How long until they remember all the weapons piled up by the gate?

"Chieftain!" Nilia came rushing forward. "You have to do something about this!"

"You think I don't know that!?"

After standing perfectly still for the duration of the entire trial, Mother stepped forward and uttered a single sentence that made Ander's blood run cold. She didn't scream or shout, but every word came through crystal clear, despite the noise all around them, like an arrow piercing a waterfall.

"I suggest you give them what they want, Kadai."

Father recoiled as if slapped in the face. "What did you just say?"

"They _will_have their blood. All that is left for you to decide is whether they take it from your son alone, or from the both of you."

"You have a very cold way of looking at things, Shekka," Father said, carefully sidestepping a shower of rocks. Each one made a little explosion of dust as they bounced and rolled over the ground.

It would only be a matter of time before these displays of dissatisfaction turned into a sincere attack. And when that happened, they would not hesitate to cut Ander's throat and let his corpse hang at the Cora's feet until it decomposed to naught but a flyblown skeleton inside a dried up husk of brown pelt.

But that would only happen after they dealt with Father.

"Do as she says, Father!" Ander shouted, not quite believing his own ears, but powerless to stop himself. "Before it's too late!"

"No!" he shouted back. "I have had enough of your self-sacrificing stupidity for one night! I am your father! Do you realize what that means? It's my job to -"

"I don't want to get you killed! I don't want to be the one responsible for taking the life of yet another family member I could not save! Please, Father! Don't do this to me! I don't want to feel like a murderer! Not again!"

"Listen to him, Kadai," Shekka said, slowly moving her hand across her mate's shoulder. "He's always been a sensible one. No point in seeing the both of you torn to shreds."

Once again Ander was struck by his mother's behaviour. There was something so fundamentally different he simply couldn't place it. But right now he was all too grateful. If anybody could talk sense into Father, it would be her.

"I understand that you do not want to lose another of your sons, Kadai. But there is so much more to be lost if you don't pull yourself together right now! The loyalty of your people! The chieftaincy of this tribe! Your very life!"

"But he's our son, Shekka!"

The corners of her mouth turned down into a sneer, and for a moment she was back to her old self: looking down at everything in contempt. "I know. But so is Hezzi. Do you really want to put him through the ordeal of watching everyone close to him die one by one? First his brothers, and then you? I had no idea you could be so cruel, Kadai."

Ander and Kadai both shot guilty glances at the youngest member of their family, standing near the wall, away from the worst of the commotion, with his hands on top of his head, cringing every time a rock or a piece of flaming wood came flying past.

Brawls were starting to break out with increasing frequency. Those who sought justice versus those who claimed that the Chieftain's word was final. The latter group was considerably smaller than the former, and soon found themselves outnumbered in seemingly random clusters, the 'fairest' of which comprised a measly three against seven.

"Hezzi!" Ander shouted. "Climb a watchtower! Hurry!"

The youngster simply stood there, staring at him as if he had lost the ability to understand speech.

"I mean now, Hezzi! Move it!"

That got him going. He shot through a gap between two sparring Wolves, ducking and weaving, keeping his head down. He jumped over a Wolf sprawled on the ground, blood gushing from his snout, and dodged a flying piece of pottery all in one, flowing movement. But where the hell was he going!? That would only take him deeper towards the center!

"Hezzi! What are you -"

A warrior named Caydus suddenly took a particularly vicious punch and toppled at Ander's feet like an old tree struck by lightning.

"I got us an opening! Come on! Quickly!"

Ander looked up and saw Hyker, the one-eared Wolf, together with two others, come running at him full speed, intent on bringing their own brand of justice to the proceedings.

Ander waited till the last second, then kicked out, catching Hyker in the stomach. Actually, to be more precise, it was Hyker who ran full-tilt into Ander's outstretched leg, only adding to the force of the kick with his own momentum. Apparently none of them stopped to consider that Ander might be capable of fighting back even with his arms tied up.

Hyker doubled over, wheezing for breath, his eyes comically wide. But before he could regain even an ounce of composure, Ander kicked him again, under the jaw this time, knocking him flat on his back.

His two companions skidded to a halt, looking from their downed leader to Ander, re-evaluating their chances, perhaps.

"You louts get the hell away from my son!" Father shouted. "Garten! Stop them!"

Garten slammed the semi-conscious Wolf he was grappling with to the ground and rushed to the scene, quickly putting himself between Ander and his would-be attackers.

Ander utilized this brief window of 'safety' to look for Hezzi. After a few moments of frantic searching, he spotted him running along the length of the wall, leading a terrified Renna by the hand, jerking her along as she struggled to keep up with the pace he was demanding from her.

So that's what he was up to.

Despite everything that had happened, Ander felt a surging rush of pride for his little brother. He watched them skirt around the worst of the turmoil and finally reach one of the North gate's watchtowers. Hezzi stood guard while Renna scaled the ladder, then, once she was safe, he flew up after her so fast it looked like he barely even touched any of the rungs.

Ander sighed with relief and the knot in his stomach finally relaxed a little. They would be safe up there, at least for now, so that was one less thing to worry about.

But speaking of things to worry about, Garten was being awfully quiet...

"Um... Thank you, Garten," Ander said, trying to figure out what the big Wolf was thinking. Not so easy when all he had to go on was a wide view of the brute's muscular back. "I know you think I'm scum right now, but..."

That's when he noticed the looks on the other two Wolves' faces, now identified as Jarvin and Ulsa. They were grinning. Even Hyker, with his bloodied lip, was getting back to his feet with a smile on his face.

"Garten?"

The warrior turned around, and Ander did not like the look in his eyes one bit.

"Scum, Ander?" he said, running his tongue across the gap in his teeth, making the most disgusting sucking sound. "No... scum is too good for you. You're not even fit to be compared to the crap that scum is growing out of!"

Ander bent his knees slightly and shifted his right foot back a little. With his arms tied, this was just about the only thing he could do to get into a defensive stance. Not that it would do him any good. That first attack only landed because it was completely unexpected, and Hyker was no warrior, even by the farthest stretch of the imagination.

Garten, on the other hand, was able to spar with Banno almost on equal terms. He even came close to winning once or twice. If a Wolf like this decided to come after him, there would be little Ander could do to stop him, even if he wasn't bound, and even if he wasn't outnumbered four to one.

They advanced together; slowly, deliberately, focussing on his legs, the only parts of his body he could move freely. Ander tried to retreat, but the ropes were so taut he could barely pull back more than half a step.

Father was beside himself. "Garten! What are you doing!?"

"I'm sorry, Chieftain, but your judgement is clouded," he said, never taking his eyes off Ander, staring at him like a fawn caught in a trap.

In the distance, somebody knocked over one of the weapon piles, spilling axes, clubs and spears onto the ground with a resounding crash. Wolves swarmed around the gleaming blades like flies, scooping up everything within reach.

"Do something, Kadai!" Mother shouted. "These Wolves are getting ready to kill each other!"

Sensing that their time might be running short, Garten made a mad dive for Ander's leg. Ander twisted his hips to the full extent of what his bindings allowed, swinging his foot as hard and as fast as he could. It collided with Garten's ribs, but it didn't seem to faze him at all. Quite the opposite. He flashed his gap-toothed grin, then brought his arm down, trapping Ander's leg between his side and the crook of his elbow. "Somebody get his other leg! Quick!"

With only one leg left to stand on, there wasn't much Ander could do other than hop in place, desperately trying to keep himself upright, which was no easy task with Garten pulling and tugging for all he was worth.

Ulsa darted in like a snake, wrapping his bony fingers around Ander's ankle.

"Pull!" Garten shouted, and the next thing Ander knew, he was being suspended in midair: two Wolves holding his legs, two ropes binding his wrists. Nothing between him and the ground. Completely exposed. Completely defenceless.

Hyker suddenly popped in from out of nowhere, seething with anger, his teeth dyed a sickly red from his own blood. "Not so tough now, are you!?" he screamed, a pink line of drool hanging from his cut lip. "This is for kicking me in the gut!" He raised his fist high above his head and brought it down on Ander's stomach like a hammer, reawakening the blows he received earlier from Hezzi like a dozen burning nails. On top of all that, the strike pushed him downwards, momentarily increasing the pull on his wrists and shoulders to excruciating levels, making him cry out in pain.

Hyker raised his fist again, smiling as Ander bounced slightly with the ropes, coughing and spluttering. "And this is for kicking me in the face!"

Ander saw the fist come down, headed straight for his nose, but this time he was ready for it. He opened his jaws and clamped down on Hyker's fist as hard as he possibly could, breaking the fingers between his teeth. They made four rapid clacking sounds, as if someone had dropped a bagful of rocks in his head.

Hyker was quiet at first, muttering no more than a feeble "Ghk," but then...

"DAAAAAAAAAhhrrgh!!!" his scream was so loud, so shrill, so piercing, everybody stopped what they were doing to watch, even those in midfight. "He's biting me! Oh by the Cora he's biting me! Get him off! Get'emoff get'emoff get'emoff!!!"

Hyker tried to pull his hand out, but Ander only bit down harder, disgusted by the warm jets of blood shooting over his tongue and down his throat and dribbling from his mouth. Even worse than that were the sounds of Hyker's shattered bones grinding against each other. Coming from inside his mouth, they had a hollow, crunchy sound, as if he were chewing on gravel.

Everything disappeared in a red flash as something large and heavy suddenly struck him on the side of the head, then nothing but blackness. It couldn't have lasted very long, though, because when he opened his eyes again, he saw Hyker dancing on the spot, holding his hand up for everyone to see. Even in his muddled state, Ander was just as surprised as everyone else, if not more so, at the sheer amount of damage his teeth had done. Hyker's fingers had extra corners now, and they were spouting blood like a fountain.

"Did you see what he did!?" he screamed, running from Wolf to Wolf completely at random, waving his mutilated hand about his head, spraying blood everywhere in his hysteria. "He bit me! He actually bit me! My hand! My bloody hand! Look at it! Look at what that bastard did to my hand!"

If he was looking for sympathy, he wasn't getting any. In fact, most Wolves thought it was funny as hell.

Ander turned his head the other way and was just in time to see Father wrestle a smoking log from Jarvin's hands, probably the same one he had barely managed to dodge a while ago. There was a bloody tuft of brown fur stuck on one end, and a rather familiar shade at that.

Ander suddenly knew what had caused that red flash earlier.

As if knowing acted as the trigger, the right side of Ander's face suddenly bloomed into a dull throb, highlighted by itchy prickles where the splinters had invaded his skin.

"I'll have all four of you skinned alive for this!" Father yelled, chucking the piece of wood so hard it actually bounced. "Now get the hell away from him! My sentencing is not done yet!"

Their point proven, the Wolves gradually started to quiet down, eager to hear a _real_sentence. Even Hyker, who apparently suffered the worst injury of the lot, managed to keep his agony down to an occasional moan.

Ulsa let go of Ander's leg once he realized the chaos was ebbing, but Garten held fast, still sucking merrily on that broken tooth of his, making Ander's skin crawl.

"Let go of him, Garten," Father said. "Now."

Garten looked down at Ander, as if considering it. "Hmm, I think I'd rather..." He quickly shifted his grip, moving one hand down to Ander's heel, the other up to his toes.

Ander was no expert when it came to grappling, but even he could see that if Garten twisted his foot around hard enough in that position, he'd snap the bone like it was nothing.

"This is real justice, Ander," he said, squeezing hard. "I want you to think about how that biter around Banno's foot must have felt like, because you're about to experience something just like it..."

If Ander bent his knee and kicked out with his other leg at just the right moment, he might be able to break free. Either that, or it'll just help Garten snap his ankle even harder. Even so, he would be damned if he just sat back and let something like that happen without trying something. He took a deep breath, psyched himself up and -

A knife suddenly appeared at Garten's throat, summoned as if by dark magic, the blade held so precisely that Ander could see it move forward and back as Garten swallowed.

"I believe the Chieftain gave you a direct order," Nilia said, sounding positively bored, like this was just another lazy day and they hadn't just narrowly avoided a full-blown riot.

Garten smiled. "Sneaky sneaky, aren't we? I never expected you'd stoop to such low tactics."

"You are in no position to insult me," Nilia said, pressing her blade against Garten's neck until the edge disappeared among the tangles of his coarse fur.

Everyone was staring now; all the Wolves, some panting and battered, some rubbing their hands together in anticipation.

Garten growled a sound that vaguely sounded like "Fine," and released Ander's leg.

Finally able to stand upright again, Ander rolled his shoulders, trying to work some of the stiffness out of them while he still could. The ropes creaked under the strain, and made soft rubbing noises against the statue's thumbs.

Nilia backed up - slowly - taking Garten with her.

Ander turned his head to the side and spat a bitter red globule of Hyker's blood to the ground.

How could Banno be so obsessed with this kind of thing? Ander thought, absolutely disgusted. He sucked on his tongue, trying to get rid of that metallic taste, and spat yet again. It felt like his mouth would never be clean, but every time he spat, a stinging pain shot through his right temple, probably from the log-bashing he took.

Come to think of it, with his left ear bleeding and the right side of his face all torn up and a mangled Wolf's blood on his lips, he must look like quite the monster.

Must be a new record, he thought with an internal chuckle. To be this badly beaten up before the trial's even ended.

Nilia slowly removed her blade from Garten's neck and a few of his hairs gently drifted down to the ground. She wiped it on her pants leg, first one side, then the other, and stuck it back inside its sheath.

Garten turned around, his lips peeled back in a snarl, his entire face crinkled up with fury. He balled his hands into fists, but the calm, almost serene look on Nilia's face must have convinced him to save his anger for another day.

He pushed his way past, going out of his way to rudely knock her aside with his shoulder, and rejoined the crowd, his demeanour practically screaming that he would gladly bludgeon the first Wolf who dared make a witty comment.

Nobody did.

Father sighed deeply and ran a hand across his tired face. "Thank you for that, Nilia."

"It was my pleasure, Chieftain," she said with a slight bow.

"Now..." Father turned to address the tribe once again. "Are you all done with this outrageous display of disrespect? Am I free to speak?"

Ander looked the crowd over, his gaze jumping from face to face. There were many frowns, some smirks, some scowls, but none showed any shame, not like they would have done before this fiasco.

'Disrespect'? No, that's not the case. These Wolves weren't purposefully being disrespectful. They simply had no respect to left to give anymore. In trying to save the tribe's greatest enemy, Father may have sacrificed the most important thing for a Chieftain to have...

The faith of his people.

"Yes, my son is a killer, but he is not a murderer! That is why he should be banished from this tribe, and never be allowed to return! Let him live his days alone in the mountains, or -"

"Boooo!!"

"Hsss!"

The culprits weren't even trying to hide their presence anymore. They openly shouted out their displeasure with their hands cupped around their mouths.

"We demand justice!"

"Banno would be ashamed to call you 'Father'!"

"I say we cut open his belly and tear out his entrails! Then we hang 'em to dry!"

"You mean Ander or the Chieftain?"

"Why not both?"

"Aye!!"

Not this again. Ander looked from his father, pacing up and down, trying to talk sense into a crowd rapidly growing more and more mired in its own bloodlust, to Hezzi and Renna watching from the relative safety of the watchtower, both their young faces wracked with worry.

"You should all be ashamed!" Father yelled. "This isn't even about Banno anymore! You just want blood! And lots of it!"

Those words only riled them up even more, and if chaos broke out for a second time, there would be no stopping them. They would destroy everything.

Ander couldn't let that happen. He knew he would likely die tonight, but he didn't want to drag anyone else along with him. He had to do something, but what? If they wouldn't even listen to their Chieftain, then who...?

Mother stepped up to her mate's side and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Let me talk to them," she said.

"But Shekka, if you get dragged into this, they'll lynch you, too!"

"I know what I'm doing, Kadai. Just..." Here she did something Ander didn't think he's ever seen her do in his entire lifetime. She shifted her hand up to the side of his face, pulled him down ever so slightly, and kissed him gently on the lips. "Trust me..."

Judging from the shocked look on Father's face, it must have been a very long time indeed since she showed this kind of affection.

It was strange, seeing his mother act like this, but Ander was glad. Shekka might be a cruel witch most of the time, but even she was capable of love, and if she could use the fear she has instilled in the Wolves to protect the one she loves, then that's a good thing.

"Hear me!" she screamed in the shrill, piercing note she always used for her sermons, her voice like a splinter in Ander's eardrum. "My son has committed a terrible crime, yes! But Kadai is guilty only of loving his sons! Can any of you say you would freely condemn your own child to death, were the choice yours to make? No! Noooo!!"

This was greeted by muted grumbles, and arms folded across chests. But they were letting her speak without interruption. That was the important part.

"As long as there is even the smallest chance of innocence, Kadai will fight for his son! Because he is a good father! That is why..."

She turned her face ever so slightly, and even though it was impossible to know where she was looking for sure, Ander knew - he just knew - she was looking right at him. Normally a dull, cloudy white, her eye now had the reflective glare of the bonfire dancing around its crescent edge.

And she was smiling.

"... I have to remove all doubt."

Father turned his head sharply. "Shekka, what do you...?"

"You all have been focussing on the murder of Banno, my precious ensa, but that was just the last of a series of unforgivable crimes committed by that Wolf!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Ander. "A Wolf whose very name goes against everything we hold dear!"

"Shekka! What are you doing!?" Father said, but she just threw her arms up in the air and ignored him completely, her voice climbing higher and higher into a trilling damnation.

"He betrayed his own people by freeing an enemy of our tribe! He betrayed his God by denying Him His lawful sacrifice! Are these crimes alone not worth the harshest of punishments? Does he not deserve to receive pain equal to the amount he has caused? Add to all these sins the murder of our tribe's strongest son and the outcome is obvious! Why are we still holding this trial when even my blind eyes can see the truth so clearly? Do you want justice!?"

"YES!!" the tribe shouted as one.

"Do you want justice!?"

"YES!!"

That's when Ander realized the truth. How could he have been so blind? Shekka wasn't trying to save Father's life. That was just a coincidental side-effect. What she was really trying to do...

"Do you want justice!!?"

"YEEESS!!"

She was trying to kill her own son.

"Then let this Wolf take the place of the bitch he betrayed his family for! Let him act as the sacrifice that will appease the Cora! Let him burn alive, and bring peace back to this tribe!"

"YEEEESS!!!"

They chanted that same word over and over, a single syllable to represent all their hunger, their euphoria, their exultation, led by their revered witchdoctor. She had her arms spread out and her face raised to the heavens, her bonecharms and necklaces clacking an otherwordly tune as her whole body shook in ecstasy. Until...

Slap!

Ander was so deep in shock, so lost in the thoughts of what it would feel like to burn to death, to have to smell his own fur char and curl against his skin, wondering if this is what Kiana must have felt when Shekka first placed this same fate upon her, that he didn't at first realise what had happened.

A silence followed, even more striking than the slap that preceded it. Father had his hand raised, and Mother's head was cocked at a weird angle, that jubilant smile completely wiped form her face.

"I am still the Chieftain of this tribe," Father said in little more than a whisper, but it was so quiet that every word could be heard clear as day.

Shekka turned back to face the Wolf that had struck her, one hand gingerly rubbing the side of her face, but he had no interest in her right now.

Kadai was slowly scanning the crowd, his gaze stopping briefly on each hateful face, taking it all in, the complete and utter hopelessness of this situation. He sighed, and said, "As Chieftain, I have to do what is right for everyone, even if that means doing what is wrong in my own eyes..." He turned around, and the look Ander saw on his father's face was one of absolute defeat.

I'm sorry, he mouthed. I'm so, so sorry.

"Father?"

"Ander! Tonight, you will be..." He shut his eyes tight and bit down on his bottom lip, his shoulders trembling under the strain of keeping it all in. "Tonight... you will be Thrown To The Wolves."

---

If you enjoy my story, please help keep my face un-mauled by irritable ostriches by dropping me a donation.

Thank you! ^_^

Paypal: [email protected]

Donation Progress $57 / $100 (Unlock Wednesday update)

How and Why: The Story behind "Ander" (Journal): https://www.sofurry.com/view/517234

Special thanks go out to the following furs for helping me keep this project afloat with their generous donations. I couldn't do it without your support.

1. The mystery fur strikes again with a second donation! If you'd like to be credited, drop me a PM with your username. :3
2. PyrePup has also donated twice.
3. KmlRock
4. Faan

Thank you! You guys are the best! ^_^