FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was a weird experience being held by the thick gel. It conformed to the shape of Graafen's body leaving no space for him to move. It had also stripped him of his clothing, he still wasn't entirely sure how. The slick, gooey, motile surface had dragged his clothes off his body and then squished in tight to hold him in place. He could breathe through his nose somehow but try as he might to open his jaws or move his limbs the gel stiffened and pushed back. The gunk also supported as well as held him still; taking the weight off his legs so he wouldn't tire out from being made to stand upright. With his arms at his sides and his head straight Graafen had to just endure the darkness, keeping his eyes open in case anything changed but stare as he might all there was to see was darkness.

He fell asleep at some point, hanging there with nothing to do and no external stimulus beyond the feel of the gel holding him was boring. Time ceased to have meaning; there was no desire to eat or drink or any of the other normal functions he'd expect from his body. There was nothing but darkness, warm gel walls and sleep.

He was napping when release finally came; the gel behind his body suddenly stiffened and shoved him forward. The soft, rubbery texture in front of him relaxed and was pushed out of the way by the passage of his body. It was quite a slow process and Graafen didn't really want to go wherever he was being pushed but it had to be better than hanging in darkness with nothing to do. He shivered as liquid flowed around his waist, tugged at his neck and arms before suddenly there was light. With a gasp of fresh air Graafen opened his jaws and fell forward onto a hard metal surface. Resting on his hands and knees, gasping and shivering the wolf slowly opened his eyes, blinking them rapidly as they adjusted to the light. When he could see clearly he looked around and shivered; what he could see was not encouraging. The chamber he had been forced into was quite small; the walls to either side were plain aluminium set with two large spotlights. The wall behind him was a plain black slab of vinyl and the metal grilled floor was suspended over darkness that glimmered with a familiar purple haze.

"Oh gods... now what?" he mumbled, pushing himself up to his knees and taking stock of the odd clothes that had solidified around him as he'd been pushed through the gel. The shorts were tight black lycra, the sort he'd seen cyclist's wearing. Strangely the collar and cuffs about his neck and wrists seemed to be made from leather. "How... I..." he murmured before pushing the thoughts from his mind. After what had been going on so far, weird new clothes were the least of his worries. Looking forwards he let his eyes follow the metal walkway, it faded away into the gloom of a narrow tunnel ahead that seemed to be the only way to go.

Staggering to his feet, tail twitching from side to side, Graafen jumped as the white spotlights clicked off to be replaced by a beam of purple light from directly over-head. It made the shadows deeper, causing them to dance and shift outside the hazy beam of light. The melodious voice that Graafen had heard before spoke again, once more seeming to come from the darkness behind him.

"The game is ready, will you play? Or do I return you to storage wolf?"

Swallowing heavily, looking around for any sign of the speaker Graafen shivered then steeled himself and spoke in as confident a voice as he could muster. "What game is it? Why should I play?"

"It's a game of endurance, a game of skill and power. You've been chosen because you have the potential. The potential to win, to be rewarded," a shadow moved on the outskirts of the purple light, dark amber eyes catching the light as they regarded Graafen. Their sudden appearance made the wolf step back for a second before baser instincts demanded his attention. With a snarl he lunged at the figure only to bounce off the edge of the purple spotlight. The shadowy shape chuckled and withdrew back into the darkness, eyes fading out as his voice echoed in the cold, dark room. "Walk forward and enter the first contest, win and I may tell you more. Fail... and you shall be returned to storage until another game begins. Remember you are in my domain now... everything that you were before matters not, only my will remains, play or show your craven colours and wait in storage until I think of something... amusing to do with you."

Graafen stood still, waiting, hoping for more, some hint or clue but there was nothing but silence. After a quick look behind him at the dark wall of waiting vinyl Graafen drew a deep breath, trying to decide what to do when a booming voice shattered the silence.

"MOVE!"

The voice made Graafen's heart thump in his chest, his paws clutched his arms and he stared into the darkness in shock. His hackles had risen and a tingle ran down his spine. That voice, he knew it... from his dreams, from his child-hood. Shivering in apprehension, any doubts he had about refusing to play were evaporating. That voice compelled him to obey, despite being an unwilling player in this game he knew nothing about he found himself striding forward into the darkness. Part of his mind was terrified at what that voice might mean the other half curious to find out just what this was all about. So without looking back the wolf followed the metal path, walking to see where it led and what challenge he had to face and win to learn more.

The corridor seemed endless; the faint light that let Graafen see the grid-like floor also revealed the faint curve of the tunnel wall and that was all. The only hint the wolf got that he was approaching the end of the tunnel was the change in the air. It went from odourless and sterile to a rich miasma of plant life and mud and every breath started to grow rich with water as the humidity level crept up. By the time the wolf turned a corner and emerged through a large archway into the bright sunlight his fur was already starting to grow damp from the moist air. Blinking and shading his eyes to help them adjust Graafen peered out at the landscape before him and wrinkled his nose at the dank smell of muck.

It was a vast swamp, at least half a mile of open ground covered in mud or pools of stagnant water interspersed with flat expanses of clay. There was the odd hillock covered in tough wiry grass or a gnarled tree and what looked like solid ground was mostly likely just a covering of moss or grass that had settled on the semi-solid muck. At the end of the open ground however there was a large grove of tropical trees. Royal palms, mangrove trees and some sort of swamp dwelling cypress or oak tree. Graafen could also make out wooden structures strung up amongst the branches of the trees with lots of connecting pathways weaving between them. Peering toward those trees he slowly realised that the swamp didn't end with the woods but carried on amongst and below the tree line. Pulling his attention back from the swamp he looked to either side and stared at the massive iron wall that stretched off in both directions, curving around until he lost sight of it. It also rose over-head, slowly curving forward to form a massive dome from which the sun light was emanating. It wasn't outside at all, from what Graafen could see this whole swamp was inside some sort of artificial room with platforms like his own spaced at intervals all along the iron wall.

"What... the hell?" Graafen mumbled, trying to comprehend it all. He turned back to peer at the structures in the trees and the more he looked the less like a village it looked. There were no roofs just lots of walk-ways and platforms all linked together and he could make out what looked like nets and rope ladders.

"Welcome," the melodious voice of the Memory Weaver suddenly spoke from over-head. "This is the first challenge; you are all here because you had the bravery to step forward. Anyone who didn't has gone back into storage where they shall remain until I start another game."

Peering at the other platforms Graafen could just make out figures standing there. To his left was what looked like a squirrel from the thick bushy tail and over to his right was a sandy furred shape he thought might be Sandson. They were both dressed in the same tight shorts as Graafen and with a frown the wolf turned his head back to look around to see if he could make out any others beyond them.

"This assault course will test your physical strength and your ability to carry on when pushed to the limits of your physical endurance." The voice paused and laughed softly, then spoke as if answering a question from someone. "Fall off as often as you want, you'll get filthy but you can climb back up at the nearest ladder and try again. The only catch is that only twelve of you can pass onto the next round. Be strong, be brave and reach the platform with the black flags. If you are one of the first twelve then you may learn more of why you are here and what I am searching for."

The voice fell silent and a wet glooping sound from the swamp caught Graafen's attention. A thin bar of muck covered wood was rising up out of the swamp, a narrow bridge connecting his metal platform with the nearest tree.

"Good luck... oh and there are twenty three of you running this course... and there are no rules against... friendly competition." The voice trailed off laughing and with a start Graafen realised the squirrel and Sandson had both leapt off their platforms and were making their way toward the assault course. Not wanting to waste time himself the wolf moved to the edge of his platform and considered the best way to cross the mud slick wooden bar. Licking his lips the wolf stepped down onto it tentatively, letting his feet slip and grip the pole and then he shoved off. He didn't run or lift his feet but slid them along the wood, skating through the gooey muck that covered his only link to the assault course. It wasn't easy and a couple of times Graafen felt his balance going and had to throw his weight in the other direction to avoid going over the edge into the muck. Once he had to throw himself flat and hold onto the bar as his feet slipped out in opposite directions. Clawing at the slimy weed choked, mud smeared wood was not easy but he managed to stay on the bar and not fall off. It was a good five feet down to the thick greyish-brown muck beneath and he had no wish to fail on the first challenge! Slowly getting back to his feet he edged forwards, sliding along the wood until he could make out the rope ladder hanging down near the edge of the beam. Picking up speed the grey wolf jumped from the end, yelping as his left foot slipped on the wood and he fumbled his leap. Flailing through the air his right hand grabbed a rung of the ladder and he clung to it fiercely as his legs splatted into the muck.

Growling softly Graafen started to heave himself up the ladder, struggling at first as he had to just use his arms. Pulling his bare feet free of the muck the wolf curled his toes around the first rung of the ladder and hung there for a moment to catch his breath. He only allowed himself a minute at most before he started to haul himself up the ladder until he could crawl onto the platform above. It wasn't very big, maybe twelve feet off the swamp floor in the lowest branches of a mangrove tree. There were also three ways off the platform that he could see, one of them was a rope bridge to the right of him that swung down low through the trees toward another platform. The left side of the platform led to a series of small platforms, stepping stones attached to the branches of the tree and the next, he'd have to swing from branch to branch to reach them however which looked tricky. The third one was also the most treacherous looking. It was a series of small steps jutting out of the side of the tree trunk. They wound around the bare trunk of the tree for a good ten feet before reaching another platform. Problem was each step was so small he'd not be able to fit one foot on them and they were spaced far enough apart that he'd have to spread his legs pretty far to clamber up.

"Not that one I think," Graafen murmured and turned away and jumped as a figure came bounding and swinging on branches from the left. It was the squirrel he'd seen on the starting platform next to his. The russet furred rodent stopped on the last ledge out from where the wolf was standing, he looked the wolf up and down before he jumped over to land next to him.

"Hey..." he said slowly, tail twitching back and forth, on edge and wary in case the larger wolf tried anything. "I wanna go up there," he gestured at the winding steps. "Can we be civil over it? Or we gotta tussel?"

Graafen backed away, holding out his hands in a peace gesture, the squirrel might have been shorter than him but he was well built. There was a lot of muscle under his red fur and he saw no reason to fight. "I'm not a dick, you dun shove me I won't touch you. Care to share what's back your way?"

"Rope ladder leading up and some sort of vine covered chute leading down." He offered, "I'd try the bridge, good luck mate." The squirrel leapt up the small steps, barely stopping on each one as he scampered up the tree toward the higher platform.

Graafen watched him for a moment then turned and jogged across the rope-bridge wondering if everyone he was going to meet would be as reasonable. He very much doubted it but for now he had to concentrate on getting further into the assault course, he refused to fail. Thankfully the rope bridge was a sturdy one and he was able to move at a good speed. He barely paused to consider the paths off the next route before grabbing the netting strung from the branches that led deeper into the forest. The net forced him to slow down, it was attached at either ends by two pins which left it free to shake and sway a lot. He had to crawl along nearly horizontally and it was not an easy task. About half way along Graafen felt the net sag under his weight, the ropes creaking under the strain as he was forced to slow to a crawl, edging toward the far end slowly as the net jerked and swayed beneath him. A couple of times he thought it was going to twist over, especially as he was crossing the centre but by carefully shifting his weight from side to side Graafen was able to keep upright and crawl onto the next platform. Safe for now and another step into the course Graafen sat up stretching and rotating his shoulders to loosen his muscles. He was in pretty good shape, or so he thought but all this crawling around and strenuous physical exercise was having a toll on him.

The sounds of shouting drew his attention away from the platform he was on to one of the rope bridges. There were two figures halfway along the platform wrestling, a large dalmatian had a deer by the shoulders and was straining to shove him out of the way. The buck meanwhile had his arms around the dogs' waist and was trying to twist him around. The whole bridge bucked and swayed under their feet, the slats rattling and Graafen had just gotten back to his feet when a third figure charged onto the bridge and rammed into both of them. It was Mick; the lizard shoved the dalmatian sideways just as his claws sliced the rope railing of the bridge. The wrestling pair went over with a scream, plunging down into the mud below.

Mick had continued to run along the bridge, as the whole thing collapsed behind him, the heavy reptile leapt the last three feet and landed with a thump on the other side of the platform from Graafen. He looked the grey wolf up and down and grinned widely,

"Well... surprise, surprise, wanna go for a mud bath wolfie?"

He started to stalk toward the canine, but the wolf didn't wait around to let him get within grappling range. He bolted for the nearest way off the platform. The other rope bridge was no safe way out so he seized the knotted climbing rope hanging down the trunk of the tree started up the tree. Mick got there in time to seize one of his ankles but Graafen kicked the lizard in the snout with his free foot and he let go giving the wolf time to clamber higher. When he was a good five feet up he planted his feet on the trunk of the tree and looked down. Mick was rubbing his muzzle and glaring up at the wolf, he then shrugged and made a crude gesture in Graafen's direction before walking down the remaining bridge.

"Fucker," the wolf grumbled under his breath as he resumed his climb up the rope. It was really making his shoulders burn and his legs ache but he did it! He was not going to let that over-pumped reptile get the best of him. Clambering through the hole in the next platform up Graafen slumped to the ground, panting heavily as he took stock of what challenge lay in store for him next. There was no bridge, net or stepping stone from this high up, just a strange wooden rail with what looked like a skate-board attached to it. Crouching down Graafen examined the board; there were a couple of rough rope loops to stick your feet through but that was it.

"Well, fucking great," he muttered as he peered forward along the length of the rail, tracking the way it curved away from the tree with his eyes. It dropped away sharply then curved off toward another cluster of mangrove trees about four hundred yards away. It wasn't a very easy looking challenge and the rail passed through a mess of vines and tangled scrub brush then an expanse of open swamp before it reached the next set of trees. Supporting himself on the platforms railing Graafen managed to get his feet into the supports and was just getting ready to shove off when his ears picked up the sound of laboured breathing quickly followed by the head of a pine-marten poking up through the hole he'd clambered through. For a moment he stared at the mustelid then waved a hand and turned around to face the direction of travel as he shoved off, "Sorry mate, I got here first!"

For a second the skateboard ground its way along the rail slowly then it reached the incline and just dropped. Graafen yelled and threw his arms out to either side, trying to balance himself as he rocketed down the slope. For maybe ten seconds he held his balance before hitting the first corner. The board twisted under his feet but Graafen didn't, the wolf tumbling head over heels out over the swamp. Plunging toward an expanse of green grass the wolf closed his eyes and threw his arms in front of his face. Seconds later he smashed through the faux layer of greenery with a sickening glorp as the swamp mud claimed him. Wriggling his way back to the surface the wolf shook his paws and clawed muck out of his eyes so he could see. He'd left a very large dent in the grass and he was now covered in a thick, oozing sticky layer of greyish/brown clay. It felt horrid, gunking up his fur and squishing between his toes as he dragged himself through the muck toward the nearest wooden ladder he could see. His route took him away from rail and the next stage of the assault course; it looked like he'd have to climb up a tree several bridges over from where he started. He wasn't the only one in the swamp either; several other figures were floundering through the cloying muck that he could see. At least one other seemed to be heading toward the same ladder as Graafen though what species they were was beyond him. They were just a creature of brown muck and slime, wading through the mud with a ponderous, hip swinging gait very similar to his own as he forced his lower body to move. He was half way to the ladder and coming abreast of the other figure when a yell from behind made him turn and look. The pine marten shot past overhead, clinging to the board on all fours, he managed to stay on as he was whipped around the corner that had done the wolf in then he was lost to sight as the rail plunged into the tangled brush.

"Should have done that myself," Graafen grumbled before turning away to continue the hard slog toward the ladder. This one looked like it had been made by driving wooden pegs into the tree trunk. Wiping slimy clay from his fore-head to keep it out of his eyes he warily eyed the mud coated figure that was wading toward him. It was a buck, maybe the same one he'd seen take the plunge earlier. His antlers were caked in mud and it was dripping in a thick ooze down his chest and his hoof capped fingers and hands were caked with mud much worse them Graafen's.

"Hey, we gonna fight over this or be sensible?" the wolf asked, "We're both out of the game until we get back up there."

"We can be sensible," the deer muttered gesturing at the ladder, "You first though..."

Graafen hesitated but decided he had to take the offer; he reached up and started to pull himself up the ladder. He had just got his feet out of the muck when the buck's antlers jammed into his body and pitched him backwards into the mud. He barely had time to register what had happened when the deer landed on him and tried to shove him under. Growling, eyes narrowing at the cervine Graafen wrenched an arm free from their grip and got it across his chest, shoving back, trying to push him off. For a moment the wolf thought he was in trouble. His body was sinking under the muck, the thick brown clay oozing up around him, slipping across his chest as he sank deeper and then the deer tried to move one of his knees and press down on Graafen's stomach and slipped. The moment he was off balance the wolf threw himself at the deer. The feeling of thick slurry sucking at his fur, squelching as it let him go was horrible but Graafen quickly shoved the buck off him. Rolling onto this knees the wolf seized the other male's shoulders as he slipped forward and shoved him head first under the surface, holding him down and growling heavily. The buck kept fighting, squirming and pawing at the soft ground with his hands, trying to push himself back up but Graafen had clambered onto his back, pushing him deeper with all his weight as his knees pressed against the buck's spine. When he was a good foot down the wolf scrambled back to his feet, dripping in swamp mud and walked over their back on the way to the ladder. This forced the deer even deeper under the surface and Graafen left him there, struggling feebly as he started to climb. It wasn't an easy route, the mud coating his body made everything slick. He never would have been able to haul his slippery body up a rope ladder but thankfully the way the rungs were hammered into the tree trunk let him loop his arms around them which reduced his need to rely on his muddy hands. Reaching the top of the ladder Graafen turned to peer down, the buck was still floundering in the soupy muck, his head was free but his body was buried under the surface and he seemed to be having trouble wriggling free.

"Serves you right!" the wolf shouted before turning away, hands trying to sluice as much muck off his body as he could as he looked around for a way to get deeper into the assault course.

His best option looked like a large series of rotating islands standing atop tall wooden poles that marched off through the trees. Moving closer to the edge of the platform Graafen tried to work out the pattern of their revolutions. They were all slightly off centre so as they spun they moved closer to each other then drifted apart. There were also obstacles rotating just above, spinning poles and bars that would sweep across the islands as well, designed to knock people off who didn't jump or duck in time. Shaking his feet and scraping off as much mud as he could Graafen crouched, watching the nearest platform spin around to meet him and jumped. His feet hit the wood and he slipped forward an inch or two, he was much too slimy to do this but it was the only way across to the next set of trees he could see. Crouching down he waited, watched and then jumped over to the next platform as it swung around and tried to flatten himself out on top of it as a bar came swinging over as well. He wasn't quite fast enough, it clipped his back and shoved him off the platform and scramble as he could he failed to hold on. His mud coated form slipped off and he dropped back down into the swamp. Struggling back out of the gooey, churned up mass of wet clay and mud Graafen slogged his way back toward the ladder. He refused to give up, though he did pause to grind the buck's head and shoulders back under the surface before hauling himself up the ladder again, he would not lose!

This time he really slowed himself down, crouching and jumping over to the first platform then waiting until the bar had passed. It meant his second jump was longer but he made it and was able to leap off at a tangent to a smaller platform before the heavy wooden bar swung back round. The next jump was hard; Graafen had the choice of two platforms. One of them was huge but had a large pole coming out of the centre turned a series of spokes that swept across the platform continuously. The second option was a smaller platform that was wobbling precariously and after it each successive platform was a bit smaller and tilted at a steeper angle. Thinking about it for a moment Graafen made his choice and leapt over to the larger platform. As soon as he landed he started to move forwards, trying to stay ahead of the rotating spar following him. It wasn't easy, the muck coating his fur was oozing down his legs, dripping onto the wood and making it slippery and from the looks of it someone had already been along this way before him. Sliding in a patch of muck almost made him loose his balance but Graafen threw himself forward and dashed for the far edge of the and leapt off it just before the spar caught up with him. In his rush however he managed to foul up his landing, he wound up clinging to the edge with his legs hanging over the swamp. As his mucky body started to slip backwards Graafen dug his claws into the wood and pulled, swinging one leg up and getting it onto the platform. Rolling over he lay on his back to catch his breath, he was just about ready to sit up when he heard a thump and someone yell. Quickly sitting up he was in time to see someone vanish over the edge of the platform he'd just escaped from shortly followed by a thick squishing sound as they hit the swamp.

"Ugh got to move faster...." Graafen grumbled clambering slowly back to his feet, steadying himself and looking at the next challenge. It was a balance bar and led all the way to the end of this particular challenge! The only drawback was the three large tree trunks on pendulums swinging back and forth. Looking back Graafen grimaced, there were at least two other guys about to start the assault course he'd just crossed. If he fell off now he'd fall even further behind. "Gotta remember I'm not alone up here... come on Graafen," muttering under his breath he edged out slowly onto the beam of wood and started to slide forward. Inch by inch he moved until with a deep breath he charged forward as the tree-trunk swept past. Panting on the other side he glanced back, the guys had gone different routes now; one of them was heading for the spoke platform the other was jumping onto the tilted platforms. They were both coated in mud but Graafen could just about make out their species, the weasel was short and fast and had a knack for balancing on those tilted platforms whereas the bear was big and heavy and not overly bothered by the heavy spoke prodding him from behind. Taking another deep breath Graafen started edging forwards and then dashed past the next pendulum. The last one gave him trouble, it was moving a lot faster than the other two and he barely got out of the way as he dashed forward. But he made it; jumping onto the platform attached to a tree and getting out of the way as the weasel came leaping along the tilted platforms. He was literally throwing himself from one to another, leaping onwards until he landed on the edge of the final platform. He wasn't all the way on though, his feet were half off and he was wind milling his arms for all he was worth. For a moment he staggered there looking like he was going to fall but Graafen seized his arm and pulled him to safety.

Stumbling backwards as the mustelid suddenly crashed into his body the wolf had a good view of the bear getting smacked by one of the pendulums and fall into the swamp below.

"Ouch... bet that hurt," the weasel said softly and squirmed his muddy body free from Graafen's grip. "Thanks for the assist man; I thought I was going to follow him back down there."

Shrugging, a bit self-conscious at being praised the grey wolf ran a paw through his shaggy hair, trying to shift some of the mud. All he managed to do was spike it up in crazy shapes so he gave up and offered the weasel a smile. "I'm trying not to be a dick, some of the guys however don't seem to care"

"Yeah... I met someone like that, don't really blame them, this whole set up is mad... but... well thanks for the assist but I'm gonna go that way," he pointed off to the right where a wooden wall was covered in nets, "Good luck"

Graafen let the weasel go, watching him start to swarm up the nets for a moment before turning to look at the other ways off the platform. There was a series of stepping stones; large, wobbly looking slabs of wood attached to narrow poles. They lead off amongst the trees, vanishing amongst a tangled mess of branches. The other option was to climb up to the platform over-head.

"I've had enough of moving platforms," he grumbled and started up the tree, clambering up the wooden pegs that made up the ladder. The climb was twice as long as the one that had led him to the skate-boarding challenge and when he finally made it to the upper platform he was so high he was above the crowns of the surrounding trees.

Sitting on the edge of the narrow ledge of wood Graafen gulped down a couple of lungful's of humid, sticky air and frowned at the wire that stretched off at an angle over the tree tops. It was a zip line, a very long one but the bars to hang onto where locked inside a wooden cage of some sort and there was a metal lock attached to it. Crawling over on his knees, not quite trusting himself to stand up as the ledge swayed with the trees he moved to get a closer look at the cage. Graafen was unsurprised to see the lock was actually some sort of puzzle. Sighing he started to fiddle with the lock, he had no intention of climbing back down and it looked like this zip line skipped a whole layer of challenges. Cursing and growling at the metal puzzle the wolf spent a good ten minutes working on it, twisting the pieces of metal around, trying to get the engraved colours to line up. In the end he managed it but in his rush to pull the cage apart he almost let the handles slip down the line.

"Stupid," he growled at himself, wrapping his hands about the handles, "Can't rush, gotta do this right." testing the line he took a deep breath and shoved off the platform and yelled at the top of his voice as he was carried over the trees toward the swamp. It was exhilarating, a real thrill to be dangling from this tiny contraption, racing through the air. In moments he was past the large cluster of trees and out over the swamp, the thick brown muck and grass strewn tracks of undisturbed bayou rushed past below him and slowly drawing closer. As he zipped over-head Graafen could make out a large wooden tube to his left that looked like a water-slide. He couldn't see where it started but it looked like it was following the same path as the zip-line. Over to the right was what looked like a maze of wooden walls and muddy channels and he thought he could see figures slogging through it? Beyond the maze was a series of rope bridges strung above the swamp and he could definitely see people on those, several of them fighting.

Shifting his attention back to the swamp rushing up to meet him the grey wolf lifted his legs higher and braced himself as he swiftly came in for a landing. The zip line terminated just short of a large wooden stage and it looked like the wolf was going to plough into a large pool of water. Graafen's legs hit the surface, kicking up a spray of water before they ploughed into the thick mud a few inches below the surface. It quickly dragged him to a stop as it surged up around his chest and he let go of the bar and used his arms to stop himself going under.

"Fuck me... that was fun," he crowed eagerly before starting to push his way toward the landing stage ahead. There were wooden steps leading up out of the muck all he had to do was get there. It wasn't easy, the water was brackish and brown making it hard to see how deep it was and the thick mud beneath the surface didn't want to let him through. He had to shove and squish his way forward with all his weight, struggling for every inch. He'd covered about half the distance when the sound of someone laughing and shouting at the top of their voice drew his attention to the wooden tube off to his left. Moments later a muddy figure hurled out of the darkness riding a wave of water and went splat into the muck. He watched as the figure squirmed their way out of the mud, brushing it free from their eyes as it oozed and slid across their muzzle and chest. They looked like a real mud man, Graafen had no idea what species they might be but they offered him a friendly smile once they had their eyes open.

"Oh hey! Heh... did you come down that way too?" the figure gestured at the slide, "It was fucking brilliant!"

"Nah, I took the zip line," he replied and resumed the log slog toward the steps, "It was fun though, so... what the hell are you under all that muck?"

Clambering up the steps, pulling his feet free from the sucking swamp-mud, Graafen set down to stretch his legs, pushing the muck off his limbs as best he could and watching the other figure push their way through the muck toward him.

"I'm a badger," the guy sad, pawing at his head to try and dislodge some of the gunk, "Name's Roger," he then flopped down next to the wolf and followed suit, sliding the thick morass of slimy clay off his legs with his mud caked hands. "You think we stand a chance of winning? I fell off about three times back there and then I had to like unlock some puzzle to open the way into the slide."

Standing back up the wolf moved over to look at the next challenge, "I'm Graafen and I have no idea, I had to work on a puzzle to unlock the zip line. I dunno if we are ahead or behind right now."

"Well then," The badger got back up and walked to the far edge of the platform to look out over the next challenge. A large expanse of water, mud and weeds stretched out ahead of them with large tree trunks thrust up out of the muck. "Stepping stones that should be easy.... oh... well fuck..."

Graafen was about to ask what was up when he saw what the badger had seen. Every now and then the tree trunks suddenly dropped into the muck. In twos or threes or just one on its own; they vanished beneath the water and muck with a wet, sucking glorp and then about a minute later they re-appeared. "Can you see a pattern or anything?"

Frowning at the muck the badger shook his head after a few minutes of staring at it. "No, there is nothing it seems random to me... we'll just have to brave it but...."

"But what?" he asked as he moved a short way down the landing stage to line up one of the closest trunks. It glorped under the surface as he got there but the wolf was watching the muddy form of the badger, waiting for him to reply.

"Nah, nothing, let's go, good luck mate!" The badger shouted as he leapt forward onto a wooden log and then quickly darted off at an angle across the swamp. Graafen watched him for a moment, waited for the tree trunk he'd chosen to start with to re-appear and jumped out to it. Darting left, forward, then right the wolf was making good progress when he heard the badger yell. Turning the grey wolf saw that he'd mistimed a jump and landed in the swamp. He'd sunk up to his waist and was just turning when suddenly something seemed to yank him under the surface. Graafen shouted his name but there was no reply, there was also no sign of him. He'd vanished under the swamp and the ripples in the water were the only sign that Roger had gone down there. Graafen stared in shock then leapt to the next tree-trunk as the one he was on started to tremble. He immediately had to jump across to another one then another as a block of six dropped into the muck. Once he was past them and on a trunk that seemed stable for now he looked back to see if there was any sign of Roger and sighed in relief at what he saw. The swamp back near the landing stage was frothing and muck was being thrown in all direction as Roger clawed his way up the wooden steps and back onto the starting stage. Graafen however couldn't afford to waste any more time he had to focus on jumping from trunk to trunk to avoid following him back to the beginning.

Somehow he made it to the far side, stumbling onto the identical wooden platform on the far side of the swamp and turned back to wave at Roger. The badger waved back from where he was sitting at the start, wiping mud off his fur and eyeing the tree trunks warily. The appearance of a couple of other guys clambering out of the landing pool deterred Graafen from calling out. Some sort of very big equine and a tiny, whip thin reptile, they looked at Roger then across to Graafen and moved to opposite ends of the starting stage.

Sighing, the grey wolf waved at Roger and started up the rope bridge that led up into the mangrove trees. He couldn't stay and wait for Roger, he couldn't risk letting anyone else over-take him. Picking up the pace once the bridge flattened out Graafen hurried through the trees, panting lightly, letting his tongue hang out as he raced toward the next challenge. What he found caught him by surprise, the trees opened out into a large clearing and the bridge joined up with a circular route that ran around the outer edge of the clearing. The swamp mud filling the clearing was bubbling and hissing, shooting up geysers of warm muck at random intervals and in the centre was a square, rail less platform. Two large flag-poles thrust up out of the centre and there were five guys already standing on it. A quick look around the circular bridge showed Graafen at least three other guys hurrying toward one of the gaps that led onto the last set of bridges. These bridges were segmented, long strips of wood and rope suspended above the swamp that shifted and turned, rippled, bucked and twisted. Each segment occasionally lined up with another and in that split second you would have to cross from one to another. Graafen watched a guy try and do just that, he made it on but failed to get a good grip on the railing before it pitched sideways and with a scream the fox vanished into the thick swamp below. He flailed about and started to try and push his way clear but he'd only gone a few yards when he was dragged beneath the surface by some unseen assailant.

"I gotta do it," Graafen growled running around the outer bridge to the nearest gap. Thankfully no one else was trying this one and timing his movements carefully he got onto the first part as it swung past and grabbed onto a guide rope. He had to haul himself to the far end by holding onto that rope for dear life, shifting his feet and bracing himself to avoid being thrown off every inch of the way. The transition from the first part of the bridge to the second was horrible. Lurching from side to side Graafen gritted his teeth as he was rattled about and then without warning the bridges aligned and he threw himself forward. Seizing the rope he was nearly flung off as this new section started to spin but he held on. As he was hauling himself toward the far end a cheer from the guys on the centre platform drew his attention. A squirrel had just leapt onto the winning stage and the other guys were congratulating him. Whining and ducking his head Graafen continued to move forward, he wanted to be one of them. He wanted to join them, to prove that he was worthy of moving onto the next stage of this weird game.

Hurling his body onto the third section of bridge Graafen felt a moment of terror as his back legs slipped off the wooden slats. Only his death-grip on the rope and a fortuitous change of direction and bucking motion saved him from being flung off into the mud. Scrambling along, head down he groaned and shook his head as he heard the guys at the centre cheering someone else who'd made it. That made it seven people, he would be number eight! He would not fail, he refused to fail. Gritting his teeth he steeled himself for the switch to the fourth bridge and with a frustrated yell hurled his body forward the moment they were aligned. Gripping the rope, biting back sobs, fighting the cramp in his hands Graafen clawed his way across this bucking bridge then leapt toward the finishing platform. He landed with a thump, claws dug into the wood, legs scrambling for purchase and then he was up! He had made it! Blinking sweat and tears from his eyes he gratefully accepted the helping hand of one of the guys and stood up to find himself staring into the mud streaked features of Sandson.

"Glad you could join us wolfie... that was one hell of a course."

"Yeah..." Graafen murmured, thanking the others as they offered him congratulations and moved away from the edge. "I'm surprised you're up here though..." he shot a knowing glance at the others as they turned back to watch the guys trying the final assault. "I'd figured they'd have..." he made a throwing motion with one hand.

Sandson grimaced and shot a wary glance at the others, "I dun think most of them have looked beneath this," he gestured at his mud smeared body. "And well... Mick's here..." he nodded his head toward a figure crouched between the two flags. It was quite clearly the lizard; he was clean except for a bit of muck around his ankles, his black shorts glistening slightly with damp.

"Couple of the guys recognized him when I got here and tried to throw him off... he tossed em both over.... not everyone here is someone we nabbed either... so.." the monkey shrugged and crouched down, watching the bridges, "I just wanna get out of here Graafen... I think just being here is payback enough for doing what we did." He glanced over as someone fell into the swamp with a scream and shuddered as they were dragged under. "I dun wanna find out how far back that puts a guy.... I fell off on the last challenge before I got here, it was... horrible."

Sighing and sitting down Graafen watched as another couple of guys made it to the platform. "Yeah... well ten of us now... so won't be long," he shot Sandson a glance and whispered, "I gotta know, why though?"

Scratching at one ear the monkey sighed, "Money, I needed it ok... Karl said it was an easy job and I didn't have any other choices so..." he shrugged, "That's all k? Now drop it or try and throw me in I'm too worn out to argue."

Shaking his head and sitting down Graafen stared at the course, watching as another guy, a ram or goat of some kind clattered onto the platform, muddy hooves slipping. "Eleven and here comes number twelve I think..." Sitting up the wolf watched the guy struggling along the bridge sections. He wasn't sure what species they were at first but the sight of his long thin tail and the way he hopped onto the finish platform gave it away. "Cool... dun see many Kangaroo rats and well that's twelve now what?"

The other guys were looking around warily, eyeing each other and shifting away from the edge. The bridges had stopped moving, the poles holding them up lowering until they were no longer aligned with the winning platform. Grumbling quietly to each other the group moved slowly toward the centre of the platform then froze as Mick screamed. The well-built, muscular lizard was scrambling away from the flag-poles as the flags sagged and started to melt. He didn't get very far, the slick black material lashed out and wrapped about the reptile, spreading rapidly to cover his entire body. The last thing to go was his head, his muzzle thrown back as he got off one last curse before he was engulfed from head to toe. For a second the black, vinyl like mass bulged with Mick's outline before it flattened out. Someone else screamed and turned to run but the dark gooey material lashed out in all directions. Graafen saw thin tendrils of black goop hit to everyone and start to spread. He was caught himself, one moment he was crouched in the humid air atop a wooden platform in the swamp the next thing he knew he had been engulfed in thick black gel once more. Everything was dark, featureless, the slimy walls clinging to his body undulated, squeezed and then he landed on something with a thump.

Looking around warily Graafen frowned, he was in a small stone floored cell, the ceiling and three of the walls were made from the black vinyl material. The fourth wall had black bars like a cell from an old jail house though no door that he could see. There were bunk-beds, a sink, toilet and that was it. Sandson was lying on the floor next to him and the cell opposite contained two of the guys from the winning platform. The kangaroo rat and a red panda both of them clean with slightly damp fur. Look at the monkey he saw that he too was now clean and a quick look at his body showed that his grey fur was also clean and a bit damp. There was no sign of the mud they'd been crawling through for the past hour or so.

"What the hell!" He shouted at the ceiling, "You promised to explain what was going on! What the hell was that?"

"And I will do so, now that you have all been... removed from the swamp." The melodious voice from the start of the assault course said, his words not seeming to have a source. "After all my winning stars should get to rest before the next challenge and I need to.... hunt the losers down and return them to storage." The way the voice said the word hunt made Graafen's hackles rise and he shot a worried glance toward Sandson.

"Wha... what is going on? Who are you?" someone shouted from down the corridor outside the cell even as another demanded in a gruff voice.

"What is this place?"

Pulling himself off the floor and sitting on the edge of the lower bunk bed Graafen tilted his head, listening intently to the voice. He had a horrible feeling it wasn't coming over a PA system, it was too smooth and natural sounding for that.

"You are in the realm of games.... I am its care-taker. The spirit of this realm has charged me to oversee the game you are all playing."

"You... you aren't making any sense!" someone shouted, "What realm! None of us agreed to play willingly; you coerced us all to play!"

"Not true, you all had a chance, go back into storage or play, you choose to play and you won."

Moving to the bars of their cell Sandson pressed his body against them and tried to peer into the corridor, searching for the source of the voice. "Wait; tell us what the prize is! It's a game there has to be a prize!"

"A good question... fair enough, some of you will know of him, others will not. You are all here because you have the physical strength or the strength of character to try and win. Whoever can pass the final and triumph will be given a chance to meet the spirit of this realm, to meet the Dark Knight."

Graafen's head jerked up at that name, eyes widening, he saw Sandson's jaw drop in surprise and someone else shouted another question but the wolf didn't hear it. The Dark Knight, creature of darkness, master of games... it was a fairy tale. A made up character for an old children's game, hero of his juvenile dreams and a being he'd admired for longer than he could remember. Sandson was shouting another question but Graafen was no longer listening; lying back on the bed, a smile on his muzzle the wolf was thinking of only one thing. The grand prize, the chance to meet the Dark Knight... shaking his head in disbelief he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to win, not just to prove he was as good as these guys, but to prove that he was worthy of the being in the presence of his childhood hero, he needed to meet them, to hear their voice. To be greeted by the Dark Knight.