FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I woke up, something I hadn't really expected to do, and stared up at the thatch roof of the building I was in. Which was odd since I don't think anyone in North America uses thatching for roofs anymore. I gave the rest of the room I was in a thorough looking over; the results were not reassuring to say the least.

"I don't think we're in Kansas any more Toto." And then winced at the agony in my chest.

"Toto?" Kazath's sluggish voice came to me.

"Glad to see you're still here...wherever here is that is. And it was a quote from the movie the Wizard of Oz." I winced as the bullet wound in my chest flared with pain and then tightened suddenly.

"Any ideas from looking around?" I asked.

Kazath hummed thoughtfully for a moment before responding.

"I think I have an answer, though you might not be too thrilled with it."

"Lay it on me Toto." I eased myself into a sitting position in the bed and examined my chest. That's when I noticed I appeared very human! After my initial shock I checked my wound to see that it had completely healed.

"Remember what that woman said about the bullet, that it would not only kill my form but send me back," he paused before continuing "I think that when she missed our heart we still got sent back, back to my world."

"And it's all thanks to my brilliant plan!" I exclaimed

"Plan?"

"Yeah, my last comment was perfectly designed to throw that bitch off balance and make her miss the shot."

"So you weren't just getting in the last word?"

I paused embarrassedly. "All right I was getting in the last word, but you can't argue with my results."

"Indeed, we've been shot and transported into a world where I am definitely persona non-grata, without any supplies and I have no idea how you can ever go home again." He sounded the most upset about that last part.

I released my consciousness from my body and walked over to him, laying one hand on his chest.

"I wasn't really home in the world you brought me from, it was really just somewhere I lived, I didn't really have close friends or family, there's even the possibility that I won't even be noticed missing for months. I dreamt for years that something magical and exciting would happen to me and now I finally have that dream coming true. My home is where I am, because I don't need to be anywhere else." I brought Kazath into an embrace. "And now I think it's time to figure out what is going on around here."

I let my consciousness snap back into my body and swung my legs off the bed, I massaged the back of my neck for a moment, by the stiffness I felt I had probably been out for at least a day. The remains of my shirt were laid out by my bedside; most of the front had been eaten away by my alter ego's acidic blood so I was left with something like a cape with armholes. I sighed and looked around the sparse room for something else to wear until my gaze settled on a plain robe hanging by the door. I quietly put on the robe and looked through the doorway.

It looked like I was in someone's home, and in the poorer district too. The floor was just packed earth and simple wooden chairs ringed a similar table. I didn't see any pictures or ornaments anywhere to try and get an idea of who lived here. I glanced out the glassless window onto the dusty street and that's how I saw the guards marching towards me being led by a small dirty man.

"I think I found the owner." I whispered to Kazath.

"Why are you whispering in your own mind?" He whispered back.

I paused for a moment thinking.

"Shut up and help me find a back way out." Kazath just chuckled good-naturedly in reply.

I moved quickly to the back wall and began feeling along it for any sign of a door. I stood back and glared at the unhelpful wall for a moment when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a rug in the otherwise decorationless house and grinned. A few moments later and I was cramped inside a small hidden compartment beneath that rug. I heard the heavy footsteps of the guards enter and move immediately towards the room I had been sleeping in then quickly rush out, I heard someone shouting to sweep out and search all the nearby houses. I grinned as I thought of how the house's owner must be feeling right now, he probably thought turning in the strange man would bring him some quick cash, and by the contents of his smugglers stash I glimpsed before climbing in, he wasn't a man with too many scruples.

"And you peasant," a cold voice that wiped the grin off my voice carried to my hiding place, "are coming with us to answer a few questions."

I heard the voice of the home's owner babble something incomprehensible in his terror, and then there was the thump of a body landing directly above me before being dragged away. I held my breath and prayed that the rug would remain in place, luckily it held.

"Send a requisition to the Chapel for more men, if there really was someone here then I don't wish to be caught unprepared." The cold voice continued.

"Yes Sir!" More footsteps left the house dragging the peasant between them.

I felt the man with the cold voice pause and examine the room, I held my breath and hoped that he wouldn't come to the same conclusion I had, that anyone with a home this empty had something to hide. In that moment I became intensely aware of my every discomfort, the itchiness of the robe I was wearing, the tightness of the space I was hiding in, and hat to fight back the urge to scream and spring out of my hiding place. After what felt like an eternity of that torture I heard a snort and the last of the soldiers turned and left.

I slowly let out my breath and tried to calm myself.

"That was tense." I thought at Kazath and felt his agreement through our link.

After I felt enough time had passed I cautiously poked my head out from under the rug and looked out into the empty room before quietly climbing out. I looked back into the smuggling stash I had hidden in and began drawing out items, some of which I had to ask Kazath to identify. I pulled out a sack of coins, various herbs that Kazath identified for me, a plain looking outfit lined with secret pockets which I put on under my scratchy robe, potions and poisons, and a long list of ingredients and two nasty looking little weapons hidden inside a secret compartment inside the secret compartment along with a small sack of gemstones.

"Aha! Years of gaming pays off once again!" The first weapon was an ornate Kama, basically a handheld scythe, attached to a chain leading into a small box with a button on it, I cautiously pressed the button and some of the chain retracted into the box. The other weapon was a kukri, a backwards curving dagger, shaped like a dragon with the wing as the sharp edge. I gave a whistle of appreciation as I looked over my haul and stashed it in my handy new clothes.

"You really are taking this in stride." Kazath's voice startled me as I was putting a potion into a pouch.

I stopped for a second and sat back on my haunches to consider my reply.

"Like I said before, I had always dreamed of something like this happening to me and I'm really not leaving much behind, I barely got by as it was before last night. It's hard to believe how much one night can change your life." I grinned up at Kazath as he appeared in front of me.

"What about friends and family?" I winced before responding.

"I never made many friends, just couldn't seem to connect with people except on the internet, my apartment probably won't even noted empty until rent time passes. And as for family," I winced again "my parents were less than understanding of my 'lifestyle choices'"

"Ah." There was a moment of awkward silence as we both thought of something to say after that.

"Well there is one thing I'll miss." I broke the silence.

"What's that?"

"I will miss video games." I said putting on my most sorrowful face.