FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The navigation screen of the stealth shuttle glowed a fuzzy green. 'Auto Pilot' and 'Tracking' were locked into the top left corner as the screen displayed a large blip on its radar map. A red square surrounded the blip and blinked between a light and dark red. It was the target of the auto pilot tracking system.

Loud snores rang through the tiny cockpit. A large brown Equin lounged lazily sleeping underneath his wide brimmed cowboy hat. His ears flicking repetitiously through the slits in his hat as his snores reverberated loudly.

"Auto Pilot disengaged. Tracking target lost," an electronic voice bleeped in a heavy digital tone.

The horse slowly raised a hand to his hat and lifted it off of his eyes. The thick brown orbs blinked awake, staring at the navigation panel. The radar was silent and showed no display of the target it had only moments ago.

"What the...?" he huffed in a low whinny.

The horse leaned forward and tapped at the controls. Mechanical noises and pneumatics sounded throughout the tiny room. A large metallic visor lifted off of the ships thin view-shield. The light from the nearby sun pierced through the window, blinding the barely woken Equin. It only took his eyes a minute to adjust before he could see again.

Before him and his small stealth ship floated the massive QXR Inoya. The Imperion Class Frigate was suspended motionlessly against the backdrop of the cold devoid space surrounding it.

The Equin hit his fist against the radar display a couple of times.

"Stupid thing must be busted," he breathed to himself.

The horse wasn't particularly angry. He knew that the equipment he bought was often cheap or bootlegged.

He raised his hand to the button that controlled the visor so that he could close it and return to his nap, but as he was about to close it a small blip appeared on the radar. It approached quickly from a head on trajectory. The horse watched intently out of the tiny windshield. Almost instantly a medium sized asteroid flew into view, crashing into the ships outer debris shield. The power to his ship fluctuated as the outer energy barrier deflected the space rock and rebuilt itself. It glowed a pale blue for a moment during the impact, then faded back into its invisible state.

"Hmm," the horse grunted.

He stared at the radar perplexed. It appeared to be working just fine. He leaned forward and took a better look at the large ship looming before him.

"How the hell does a ship that large have a stealth feature?" he asked rhetorically.

The brown Equin sat back heavily and stared out into the space around the ship. His nap would have to wait. He wasn't about to lose eyes on his target.

An inferno lit up the early morning sky of the barely awoken planet. Sounds of nature squelched by the brimstone streak across the atmosphere. The Inoya descended to the island cluster below as the sun peaked over the horizon, reflecting off of the blue-green ocean surrounding it. The large ship slowed down quickly as it broke through the atmosphere. The flames surrounding the outer plating turned into a white smoke as the hot metal cooled rapidly with the cool morning air. After a few moments the smoke dissipated, leaving the ship to descend upon the planet in an otherworldly fashion.

Within moments the frigate skid across the water hap hazardously in a type of crash landing. The ocean sprayed up over the ship in a great white mist like breaking waves upon a jetty. As the salty spray rained down, the reflecting sun created an unbelievably vivid menagerie of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The rainbow lasted only mere moments as the moist air settled back into its ocean home below leaving nothing but light streams of steam flowing off of the ships exterior as the water quickly evaporated.

"Did you have to land the ship so roughly?" Aietos scoffed, looking over the Wolvrun ship captain with disdain.

Nephadius wasn't in a speaking mood that morning. He stared out of the window of his ship at the island nearby. He knew very well that both he and Aietos had the same objective, but coming to grips with cooperating with the bird woman was harder than he could imagine. On top of that challenge, the sandy colored Wolvrun standing behind her awkwardly, perturbed him as well. After a few moments of silent thought, he finally decided to speak.

"What do you think you'll find on the Eakawha ship?" Nephadius asked as if the subject was every day conversation between friends. Aietos froze at his words, mouth half open.

"...but, how did you...?"

"Know about the ship and your mission? I make it my business to know such things."

Aietos stood in silence. The normal look of hatred and anger had returned to her face. Her unasked question of what the Wolvrun's intentions on this planet were had been answered. She wasn't too happy with the results either. The classified nature of her mission lost to time and space.

"...I'm hoping that there are survivors."

"We both know that that's not the reason you're here." Nephadius replied.

Aietos snapped her beak shut. There was no fooling the white Wolvrun. It was clear that he already knew too much and she wasn't about to risk him finding out any further information about her mission.

"You're an Eakawha Commando. I know it from the insignia stamped into the hilt of your sword. If you cared about anyone, even your own kind, you wouldn't be here right now knowing that they've likely been dead for over a hundred years... Not only that, but I had the ship scan the entire island. There are no Eakawha vital signatures."

Though the information wasn't particularly shocking to her, deep down the hope she had for a single surviving Eakawha was ripped from her chest and stomped on in a single instance. She maintained her cold emotionless appearance, staring over the wolf as the thoughts inside her head reorganized themselves.

"Hmph" she grunted.

Talrean stood behind the Eakawha woman listening to the conversation. He still had no clue what was going on, but the intensity of the situation was rising. He felt like he was becoming wrapped up into an ordeal that was far beyond his comprehension.

"There is no point," Nephadius said after a brief pause, "in not working together. Though our goals may be different, at least for the moment, our destination is the same."

The thought of working alongside the notorious murderer of so many of her people made her cringe inside. She knew that he was right though, and as much as she hated it, she had to agree, at least for the moment. If anything, she could use this opportunity to better understand her enemy and look for an opening to seek her revenge in the future.

"Then let's go. We're burning daylight," she replied to him, turning and exiting from the command deck. Talrean turned and followed.

"Kid," Nephadius said quickly, before Talrean had a chance to leave the room, "I don't know what you're doing on my ship, or why you're following that devilish woman around... but watch your back. I won't save you a second time."

Talrean gulped loudly at the older Wolvrun's words, nodding his head quickly and exiting the room quickly to catch up to Aietos.

Nephadius remained sitting in his chair, staring out of the window at the island cluster before him. He began to tap his nails across the arm quickly. His brain raced in thought.

"Mother?" He asked loudly, almost childlike.

"Yes son?" a feminine voice reverberated from the room.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Help them, Son. Help them find the answers to the questions that their hearts seek."

The Wolvrun ship captain stood up quickly, his brown coat fluttering behind him, and followed the trail that the two others had left.

The cargo bay door splashed heavily into the ocean. The cool salty air flowed steadily into the bay, filling Talrean's nostrils. It was pleasant in comparison to the filtered air that the ship had. The breeze flowed past his fur, causing him to shiver for a brief moment, the kind of shiver that occurs when the body feels an intense pleasure it hasn't felt in a very long time. Talrean sighed mirthfully at the feeling. It felt like he was stretching his legs for the first time in an eternity.

Nephadius hovered up beside him in one of the ships many catamarans. Aietos was already sitting beside him, arms folded across her chest disparagingly. The white Wolf looked down at him, motioning his head at the young Wolvrun to 'Hurry up and get on'. Talrean quickly jumped up onto the small ship, sitting behind the two odd characters curiously. As soon as he was seated the ship cruised out of the bay, speeding towards the islands in front of it.

It wasn't long until the trio was deep into the jungles of the strange planet. The dense foliage quickly became a hindrance, causing them to have to ditch the vessel for the less conventional on-foot approach. Talrean panted heavily as he stared at his two companions. Despite constantly arguing with each other, and wearing fairly heavy looking clothing, both the Eakawha and the Wolvrun seemed to manage the intense heat and humidity as if it was nonexistent. Talrean's fur was damp with sweat and his breathing was heavy as he attempted to expel the heat from his body as best as he could.

It was the first time that Talrean had ever been in a jungle. Each new sound of nature caused his ears to perk up and point towards where the sound originated. It unnerved him slightly, but at the same time it was exciting. He was so accustomed to urban noise that the subtle sounds of his surroundings created an atmosphere that he had never experienced. Despite being overheated and damp, the young Wolvrun was in awe.

'Crunch'

An intense pain shot up through Talrean's paw pad. The boy howled loudly and hobbled around, wincing and whimpering in pain. Both Nephadius and Aietos turned to the wolf and spoke simultaneously.

"Shut up you fool!"

Talrean covered his muzzle with his free hand as the other massaged his foot. He bit down on his lips and tears poured down from his eyes.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Nephadius scolded.

"Let's make sure the fool isn't permanently damaged," Aietos sighed, squatting down and taking Talrean's foot into her hand. It didn't take long to inspect the wound. Aietos's eyes widened as she looked it over. She stood up quickly and turned to Nephadius.

"The idiot stepped on a Deadlocke spine. Looks like we'll have to cut his foot off if he wants to live."

Talrean jumped backwards, yelping loudly once again. The words rushed out of his mouth were nothing but garbled cries for help. Aietos pulled her sword out and approached him quickly.

Nephadius burst into laughter at the two. Aietos stayed her blade mere inches from the young Wolf's leg.

"What is so funny, Wolf?"

The older Wolvrun wiped a tear from his eye and explained, "Deadlocke hasn't been deadly to Wolvrun's for the last hundred years. We've evolved to handle its poison. Still hurts like a bitch though."

Aietos sheathed her sword and turned away from the cowering Talrean. Talrean gulped loudly, then relaxed as he realized that he was going to be alright. The pain in his foot was already subsiding.

The woman turned to him, asking the same question that the older Wolf asked only mere moments ago, "I agree, why are you not wearing foot protection?"

Talrean stared stupidly at the two in front of him. Both of them stared back as if they were parents scolding their child. Truth be told, Talrean had no excuse for why he wasn't wearing anything on his feet. He had grown so accustomed to roaming the streets bare-pawed and free of danger that he hadn't considered ever having the need for shoes again. He opened his mouth to speak but Nephadius waved a hand to keep him silent.

"The reasoning does not matter. Here, these should fit."

The white wolf reached into his back pocket and pulled out what looked like two very small socks, tossing them to Talrean. The young Wolvrun looked them over curiously. They were stretchy, but he could hardly see how they would make a difference.

"What good are these going to do me?" He asked. Nephadius's face furrowed in disappointment at the question.

"Put the damn things on. Unless you prefer writhing around in pain every time you step on something sharp and pointy?" The wolf replied.

Talrean sighed and stretched the socks over his feet. The material was cool and actually felt rather comfortable against his pads and fur. The pain in his paw pad instantly went away as well. Suddenly, he felt a jolt of electricity surge through his feet, causing him to jump up in surprise. The material wrapped around his feet contorted and snapped in between his toes. In surprise he jumped again. When he landed he could no longer feel the subtleties of the ground beneath his feet. Below him felt like level ground. He looked down at the odd garments.

"They'll make do for now," Nephadius said, "At least they'll protect your feet from Deadlocke and other pointy things... They aren't meant to last forever though, so, when we get back to the ship, I'll find you something more permanent."

Talrean stretched his toes inside the odd, makeshift shoes. The material bent where it needed to, but was firm and rigid at the same time.

"Are we done now?" Aietos scoffed. The impatient Eakawha woman had her arms crossed as she looked over the two Wolvruns. Her vexation was apparent by the look she was giving them.

Nephadius turned and continued walking through the brush, looking over the map displayed on his wrist computer. Aietos followed, keeping no more than a few paces behind the wolf. Talrean followed silently, still embarrassed by the ruckus he had caused moments before.

The atmosphere had grown odd in that instance. It was the first time that the entire party had been silent since their departure. With it, all the sounds of nature had disappeared as well. Both Nephadius and Aietos stopped at the same time, nearly causing Talrean to run into them.

"...What--"?

"Shut up!" Both of them snapped at Talrean in a hushed tone. The young wolf stood silently, listening.

There was nothing. Not a single sound. As if all of nature had stopped in time.

"We are being watched," Nephadius whispered.

Talrean felt it first, the makeshift shoes he wore giving little resistance between his feet and the ground. The dirt shook beneath him. It wasn't constant, it had a frequency. Every two to three seconds the ground shook subtly. After another fifteen seconds or so, Aietos turned, having caught the feeling herself. Nephadius was the last to catch on. His ears twitched in confusion as he turned to look behind Talrean. The intensity of the miniature quakes was growing with every passing second.

A flock of wild birds burst forth in the sky above the group, clouding the midday sun in a wave of chaos.

"Run!" Nephadius yelled, looking straight at the young Wolvrun.

"RUN!"

The roar was unbelievable. Not only did the ground shake, but the air around them blew hot and heavy as the beast let out its angered breathe. It emerged from the foliage in an explosion of leaves and branches. The creature was covered in a grimy mixture of scales and fur. Its teeth gnashed wildly in the air as is trampled towards the group. It was on a blind rampage.

The ground shook wildly as the three ran through the jungle. They quickly sprinted through the trees and vines, dodging the roots and pits beneath them. The beast charged behind them, shattering the thick jungle trees as if they were twigs. Nephadius led the pack, vaulting over fallen branches and trunks as he tried to find a clear path for their escape. Talrean followed behind, keeping quick with the older wolf's pace as he sprinted in sheer panic. Aietos trailed behind, pushing the younger Wolvrun to keep running any time he began to slow down.

With a brief squawk the bird woman disappeared. Talrean looked back but she was nowhere to be found.

"We lost Aietos!" Talrean yelled up at the older Wolvrun.

"Tough shit!" He yelled back, "Unless you want to stop and get eaten by that thing chasing us, I suggest you shut your mouth and keep running!"

The two burst out of the tree line into a field of yellow flowers. Pollen puffed around them as they trudged through, kicking up a trail of petals behind them. Moments later the unruly giant exploded from the trees, letting out another monstrous roar. The wild beast stopped at the line of flowers, sniffing them and shaking his head violently. Nephadius and Talrean kept moving, deeper into the field, only looking back out of curiosity.

"It stopped!" Talrean yelled, beckoning Nephadius to look back.

The white wolf turned his head over his shoulder to observe the creature chasing them. It had in fact stopped. The beast whimpered and backed into the tree line, roaring loudly once more.

"What's--, "Talrean tried to say. His vision had become blurred. The blood rushed to his brain and pounded in his skull. The intense feeling of sleep drifting over him. The young wolf collapsed, trying to keep his eyes open and move his body.

He saw Nephadius above him, reaching down and grabbing hold of the scruff of his neck. His eyes closed. When he opened them the wolf was dragging him through the dirt. He couldn't feel his body. He couldn't control anything. His eyes closed again. Inside his head was nothing but darkness. He heard no sound, felt nothing, saw nothing. He struggled to open his eyes once more, barely able to make out the blurred silhouette of the older Wolvrun.

"This is it... I'm dying"

"Wake up damn it!" Nephadius yelled as he splashed Talrean in the face with cold stream water. The wolf woke with a start, fumbling around to get a feel for his surroundings. After settling down he yawned wearily, rubbing his eyes and looking around. Nephadius sat on a nearby stump, arms crossed, watching the boy.

He felt drowsy, his head hazy and heavy. He laid next to a cold running stream. The water trickled nearby, flowing smoothly away. It was as clear as crystal and small fish could be seen swimming throughout. Talrean was soaking wet, and remarkably confused.

"What happened?" He asked, thinking back to the last moments he remembered.

Nephadius held a yellow flower in his hand, examining it and turning it over in his fingers.

"These happened," the white wolf replied as he tossed the small flower to Talrean.

Without thinking, the young wolf caught the curious plant, grasping it in his hands. Almost instinctively he sniffed at the bright yellow petals. The fog that had clouded his mind moments ago had returned and thickened with every breath of the intoxicating smell. Nephadius quickly snatched the flower from Talrean, spiking it into the ground before his boot came down on it furiously.

It only took a few moments for Talrean to snap back into all of his senses. As he came around the look of confusion on his face turned to embarrassment. He looked down at the boot print on the ground in front of him. Inside of it was the remains of the once beautiful and curious flower.

"It's a type of Sleeping Sage. Apparently pretty powerful too," Nephadius said, pointing towards the sky. The distant sun had settled over the horizon, Talrean had been asleep for hours. It would only be an hour or two before it finished setting and with it the darkness would come. The whole day was wasted.

Talrean glanced around quickly, looking in every direction.

"Where is Aietos?" the young wolf asked with concern.

"She's alive... Somewhere. I had the ship remotely scan for her vital signatures and she's didn't get eaten." Nephadius replied with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"I don't understand why you hate her so much," Talrean huffed, "She isn't so bad once you get used to her."

The older white Wolvrun stared dryly at his younger companion, eyebrows furrowed and eyes squinted, contempt running throughout his face.

"My qualms with the Eakawha are not your concern, boy, and I already warned you, I will not save you from her when she turns on you."

The tension in the air had risen to an uncomfortable level. Even the obliviousness that Talrean generally carried caught wind of the intensity of the conversation. He backed down from this fight knowing he would not win. He still felt dejected by the situation though. It felt wrong not trying to at least defend the mysterious bird woman. Something inside of him begged to continue, but he knew it was not the time.

"What exactly are we doing out here anyways?" Talrean asked, quickly changing the subject in an attempt to catch the older Wolvrun off guard.

"Trying to find a very old, and likely destroyed, Eakawha ship," the wolf replied without hesitation, "and we're close."

Nephadius had been looking over the hologram projection of the local area map. A bright blue triangle marked their current location, and a large red X marked their destination. From the looks of it, it seemed only a short distance away.

"Let's get a move on, we should be able to reach the ship before nightfall. I've got a feeling that we don't want to be out here in the dark," he said, closing out of the map interface and making his way east.

Talrean couldn't help but agree and follow. After being chased by whatever that feral beast was, he definitely didn't want to be in the open in the dark. His mind constantly worried about Aietos. She had disappeared so suddenly that he had feared the worse. While he trusted the Wolvrun ship captain's word that she was still alive, he was still cautious about treading too deeply around that trust. The similarities that Nephadius and Aietos shared were scary, and for some reason, he trusted them both.

With quickened pace, the two headed away from the setting sun, in search of the old Eakawha ship.