FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The cool air danced over her flesh and little bumps rose all along her bare body. Beneath her, the soft ash shifted, giving way to rough earth and jagged pieces of partially burnt timbers. She curled her digits on her left hand into the nearly nonexistent mattress of what used to be a barn while the other hand clutched tighter at the warm scepter she did not dare to let go of. She would die before she let it go.

Her lids slowly opened as another gust of wind blew over her body. Not far away, timbers snapped and creaked in protest as the wind pushed on them. A moment later, they crashed loudly to the ground.

Alcmene lifted her head and glanced about. Where once had been a barn stood only a few stubborn boards and her body covered in ash. Nearby, the last supports of what had once been a farm house had toppled to the ground.

She sat up with a groan and was momentarily startled by an alien tightness in her middle. She looked down and was instantly reminded of what she had been hiding from. She lifted her free hand from the ash she'd slept on to press to her round belly. A thick layer of powder fell away from where her fingers pressed against the taut flesh and she sighed.

She still looked like she was going to give birth at any moment.

She wished she'd burned there with the barn and the house. But somehow deep down, she knew her sister would blame herself. She would believe wholly that it was her fault her baby sister had come to her rescue and perished needlessly to save her. Alcmene wouldn't let her big sister do that to herself.

She hefted her weight onto shaking legs. One hand cradled her belly as if to lift it and ease the burden on her back. She stumbled out of the smoldering remains of what had been her sanctuary and gazed skyward. The sun hung low in the sky over the western horizon. She'd slept all night and all through the following day.

Forcing one foot in front of the other, she stumbled after the sun. Soon the moon, Xulu, would join its twin, Helos, in the night sky. She knew she wasn't nearby the coast, but she hoped she would be lucky enough to find another farm or small town before Xulu rose.

She looked down at herself and brushed her hands over her naked flesh. The ash exploded off of her in great plumes with every stroke of her palms. It wafted around her as an immense grey cloud until another gentle burst of wind drew it away from her. Once her front was as clean as she could get it, she glanced over her shoulder at her once black wings. They were as grey as her pale flesh.

She spread her wings wide and clamped her eyes shut. She gave them a trio of powerful flaps and pitched herself off balance. She stumbled and fell, catching herself as another courteous gust blew the ash behind her. She whimpered and dragged herself upward once again. Her wings were still covered, but they were a much darker shade than they had been.

She continued west, grateful to every gust that cleaned her just that much more. She stared down at the grassy earth beneath her as she traversed every gently rolling hill. How much time passed, she couldn't be sure. The sun set and Helos and Xulu began their slow dance in the sky. Again she counted herself as lucky as one could trick themselves into feeling given the circumstances. The moons were full and bathed the grassy hills in an eerie glow.

A loud scream tore her from her reverie. She lifted her head slowly to find she had stumbled to the outskirts of a small market and trade post. Settlements like this one dotted the unmarked border on the map where the coastal villages and farms inland met. The two traded and exchanged their goods in places up and down Aslennor's coast from Glelsolara to The Relward.

Beside one of the wooden buildings, a woman stared at her wild eyed with one hand clutching her chest while the other used to wall to steady herself. Alcmene was acutely aware of more and more of the settlement's eyes turning toward her as a murmur rose among them. She stopped, trying to decide why they looked so frightened. She was a Warden, a symbol of hope and justice in Aslennor.

“Alcmene?" a voice she was sure she knew called out. She turned slowly to its owner, lifting one hand to her heavy belly to steady her exhausted body. A young human in his mid-twenties rushed toward her. He wore the alsilrite-laced clothing of a Warden. He was adorned in a purple robe belted tight around his waist that shimmered like a fluid metal. “My Goddess, you look like a ghost!"