FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A Long Term Project

By Bluevirage

Chapter Two

Chasing Down Family

V ena banged on the door in frustration not caring if she drew attention to herself. The exit hatch she had selected refused to open to her stolen codes alone. It demanded a palm scan along with the codes and the little raccoon hybrid felt tears of frustration well up in her eyes as she realized she lacked Cray's prints.

Settling down against the door she focused inwardly and tapped into her talent. Reaching out she sought the string between her and Cray and tugged on it.

Cray was feeling woozy as he tried to get to his feet and sound the alarm. He did not care for what happened to him, but he cared for what happened to Vena. The policy of not telling the subjects of the dangerous world outside was biting them in the ass hard.

But in that moment he felt not purely lust, but love for her. Suddenly he felt a pull and this time knew what it was and tugged back.

Vena felt herself get jolted by mental tug and focused once more on it and yanked again. Cray's response was to grit his teeth and mentally grab hold of the psychic thread and twang it. The effect was immediate and felt as a tingling in the center of Vena's forehead.

Vena, you can't leave. Please stay, come back.

Dad...Cray, let me go, I want out, out there I can do so much more. I can feel it!

Cray grit his teeth harder and focused on the tenuous mental communication. He had never bothered to get so close to someone before, never bothered to open himself to anyone. And now, now he felt something inside himself and he acted on it because it felt right.

Vena felt herself stand up and struggle against the pull Cray exerted on her. The weight on her body, her limbs that kept her from moving them was nothing to the force exerted by Cray. Raw talent backed his desperation to keep her with him.

Vena struggled as she stumbled towards the airlock leading back inside the facility. She growled and tried to fight the pull on her and suddenly decided to not play fair. She bombarded Cray with images of their fucking. Images that made her grow moist as she laid them upon the scientist's lap much like her ass was a half an hour ago.

Cray felt himself harden but clenched his hands into fists and bombarded Vena back with images of them working together for a better future for hybrids and their human makers.

The battle was fierce but came to an end when Cray fell to his knees causing Vena to mirror the movement. Hugging herself tightly she felt a warmth in her chest join with that in her loins and pushed using it.

Cray let go of the mental string and severed the connection and collapsed on his side. Vena felt him let go and found herself looking at the boots of a guard pointing a stun weapon at her.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Vena glared at him and seized him mentally, she dug through his mind and caught hold of something even better than the fleeting images of sex on his mind.

He had external access as well and was right there in front of her!

Vena rose to her feet slowly, her tail bounced behind her as she held out her hand and walked over to the door. The security officer mirrored her movement and placed his hand on the door's palm reader. He then entered in his access code before Vena yanked his consciousness away from him and guided his body to rest in a spot he liked to sneak naps in while on patrol.

She took the time to sort out how to get him to forget he let her out and then did not bother. The system would register him having opened the way out anyway; and having him forget her control of him would serve no purpose other than to confuse things.

So she did it anyway and left quickly climbing a ladder a longways, seemingly forever into darkness. The starry night that greeted her along with the smell of pine was one she savored for a long moment before scurrying into the night.

Free.

****

Ceiling mounted strips of LED lighting illuminated the commander's office, a room that held banks of machines, computer servers, connected to small access terminals at rest in receptacles mounted to them. At the center of the room, with hardwired lines snaking over to it from the walls, was a desk with a computer on it.

Behind the desk sat an older man in a high-backed chair. He had salt and pepper curly hair and dark brown eyes. He stared at the data drive sitting before him inserted into a reader for it on his desk. He had asked for the hidden video camera files of all the research scientists to be delivered to him personally by the head of the security forces for the base.

Another escape had occurred a week before, this time at night, and it had not came to anyone's attention until the next morning. A search was conducted using the usual means and methods of sending out one of their flight capable human hybrids with a dummy explosive collar attached to them. Nothing was turned up, so the issue was pushed aside but still investigated.

The scientist on duty at the time in that particular holding area, Cray Setting, claimed no involvement. Security logs were reviewed, and he was questioned about what had happened along with a guard whose access code and prints were used to actually open the door used in the escape. He claimed he was overcome in a way he had not expected and found himself not at his station and no signs anything having happened later when he came to.

Cray claimed similar circumstances, and thus both men were assumed to have had simply fallen asleep on duty at the worst possible time.

However during a routine inspection of the video delivered to the elderly base commander he found proof of more intimate involvement in the escape on Cray's part. Only he and the security commander viewed the hidden camera recording files. The security commander only doing so to verify their integrity and the old man known as Lachiro Kain did so to understand how to better manipulate the staff under him if need be.

He studied the videos most nights while in his private room drinking from the stock of liquor that was procured before the end of the previous global civilization. He saved the higher end and rarer stuff for his birthday.

However that day he found himself rather upset. One of his staff had actually fornicated with the creatures he had ordered made years ago. It was a rather long encounter, something Lachiro thought was due to the researcher having kept up with his scheduled exercising as plotted by the computer controlling the base by his command.

"You like what you saw?" Lachiro said without an ounce of emotion to the man in military uniform before his desk. "You knew what was on this, and you did not give me any warning."

Security Commander Dave Gunter stared at his boss in a relaxed posture to piss off the old man. Certainly his hands were at his sides, his eyes steady, and his uniform consisting of a jumpsuit with a bullet resistant vest thrown over it and boots was pristine.

It was the grin he had on his face over the whole debacle that had the man behind the desk internally seething.

"I regularly make use of my very accommodating wife, Researcher Cray on the other hand was a virgin until that encounter if I recall his personnel records right." Dave replied with a grin.

"I have no time to be angry at you," Lachiro pointed at the video shown on a monitor bolted to the desk. "she escaped after screwing her father. If there is biblical precedence to this event, I would like to know the passage so that I can personally carve it into Mr. Setting's ass!"

Here it comes. Gunter sighed internally. "What would you like me to do?"

"She knew the codes, Setting's codes to be precise." the old man said accusingly. "It is obvious some metaphysical phenomenon is at play since no audio of the codes being spoken to her or in front of her exists. If anything the link between her and her gene-mate or 'sister' that escaped before her is obvious. Researcher Cray fathered both of them so have him tested for latent paranormal potential immediately and then get him reassigned if he tests positive.

"Any other subjects with his bloodline are to be placed under stricter guard as well. Also, I seriously may have to consider your suggestion that we "integrate" with the specimens. The lopsided gender ratios around here are a contributing factor to the numerous incidents we have on film of researchers and others with friends in the research department fucking them."

Gunter nodded in the affirmative. "The men, they have desires and no amount of bullshitting them with talk of loyalty will keep them satisfied considering what was done to them and the rest while they were sleeping."

Lachiro nodded solemnly. "Integration of the compound proved successful, so much so that no one has noticed they have never been sick since waking up. Partly due to the routine around here, and partly due to the nano-machine bullshit we fed them."

"So, how shall I introduce the good news to the men?"

Lachiro pulled in a deep breath. "The...subjects, they have given themselves names right? Well start small, have their names applied in the system to their numbers. Then give them limited rights to move around the common areas. Also explain that they are not to be harmed nor harbor any illness or genetic bug that could harm the populace.

"Though such fear would be pushed aside as it has been easily before when it comes to possible breeding matters. Much like the rest, the video shall be deleted and the individual involved not made aware of our knowledge of their fucking. As to their fuck-up, detention in the prison level should suffice."

"So, Cray gets what? A week? Two?"

"A few days, I suspect he was manipulated mentally given how she knew the codes for the doors. Codes that would not set off any alarms, none that would send guards running anyway.

"Assuming the worse, and to prevent future escapes or leaving without permission. Position guards at the exits in shifts. Also see to it that Mr. Setting gets tested while on detention. The sooner we can identify a potential boon to our studies the better."

"Sir, while we are here, I want to explore combat applications besides companion and breeding applications for the subjects." Guther said with a lingering smile.

"You remind me too much of your father, always thinking beyond your station but never reaching above it." Lachiro smirked. "A manipulator or a fool that loves servitude."

"I call it letting the boss think he is in charge, also I happen to like you as a leader."

"Fool it is." Lachiro replied before settling in for a long conversation. "You might as well have a seat, I am certain you have ideas to pitch."

"Yes, namely the eventual recovery and integration of our gifted raccoons, but first we must talk about training programs." Gunter said as he relaxed in one of the leather seats of Lachiro's office placed in front of his desk.

****

Lachiro studied the cybernetic designs laid out by Adam Hu, a cybernetics surgeon and researcher, on a cluttered table. The man wore the usual base community clothing, a jumpsuit and boots. Lachiro himself wore a pressed suit and leaned on a walking stick as he looked from the detailed diagrams to the thing laid out on a table behind the two.

It had hoses sticking everywhere into its body underneath a tarp that was laid over it. It was on life-support, having received injuries to its right eye, and fractures throughout its body. Its legs were missing below the knee joints, its left arm was also missing at the elbow.

The thing was found by the scouting party sent out after the first subject that had escaped. The loss of the subject was one that was not too weighty considering they could breed more. Her power however, and the fears she injected into people's heads along with manipulation of already present fears of the outside made her valuable nonetheless.

But the mutant from the outside was also valuable. It had been decontaminated and immediately attended to by the mechanical surgery suite (MSS). Its robotic arms wielded surgical tools with precision to ensure its life for whatever period Lachiro and the researchers needed it around for.

Weeks had passed since it had been operated on to just keep it alive. It had been in a medically induced coma since. During that time portions of its skin had already grown back thanks to stem-cell therapy. However a choice needed to be made about getting it up and about.

"You want to apply custom bionics to this thing?" Lachiro motioned to the tarp covered mutant.

"I know what you are thinking," Adam looked over at the mutant canine. "but we can insert control chips that would have been too invasive to the subjects here. Memory augmentations, reflex augmentation, I have a suite of chips I can install. The stuff that was black project material back in the day can be put to practical use here with my discoveries made in recent years."

Lachiro leaned on his walking stick with both arms as he listened to the man drone on. He scowled at the scientist for a long moment after he said what he had to say to the elder researcher. "Inhumane sociopath tendencies got us in the position we are in."

"Alive, safe, and discovering new things?" Adam countered.

"A ruined world outside because of idiots like yourself claiming that what they do is right so long as it can be justified!" Lachiro fumed. He stared at the scientist hard for a long moment before visibly relaxing but not losing his firm expression. "Fine, if what you intend will prolong its life and prove a few of your long held theories about mammal machine interface neruo-chips so be it.

"But do not prolong its life unless you intend to make it a pleasant one." Lachiro pointed at the mutant under the tarp. "I find out its suffering I pull the plug and I might plug you once or twice myself!"

Adam watched the man leave the lab and quickly approached a computer terminal. Placing his thumb on the print reader he quickly called his assistant researchers in their private quarters. All of them had set their personal message systems on standby to allow for sleep. However his alert code would wake them. "I want you all in my lab in forty minutes." he said before ending his message.

Lachiro sat outside the lab on a bench, one of many throughout the underground complex that also doubled as makeshift door barricades once disassembled. Each bench held six metal planks, four for seating and two for the backrest. Each was forged steel poured over a hexagonal carbon-alloy mesh.

As he sat there he watched the researchers that worked under Adam lumber into the hallway carrying cups of coffee. It was three in the morning according to his wristwatch, the timepiece had held up well in storage over the many years of his own suspended animation.

Everyone was over a century old or approaching it thanks to that particular shortcut to a future beyond the atmospheric storms and poisons that had plagued the land after the war that ended the previous global civilization.

Now it was a time of greater scientific endeavors. And whatever was under that tarp would benefit from them as opposed to suffer due to them Lachiro mused as he watched the last scientist enter the lab.

****

The lights of the room were turned up, an MSS unit was on standby programmed with data on the subject's physiology as recorded thus far. Everyone involved in the surgical procedures to come was suited up and ready.

Adam went over things one more time with his team, stressing the importance of getting the brain chips in quickly and cleanly.

"We have only one shot at this since the subject, System Number A33P, has already shown signs of loss of neurological function via uncertain means." Adam was wearing a full surgical suit, an environmentally sealed garment that included a hood with a clear visor as well as an exoskeletal harness for the body. It was designed for marathon operations and showed Adam's fellows he was not going to quit until he succeeded or the subject died.

Adam motioned for the lead surgeon, Henrietta Lawson, a brown haired woman physically appearing to be in her forties, began to mark spots on the subject's shaved skull. Once she was done she took a pen light and shined it in the mutant canine's one good eye.

"Got severe cataracts here, she was pretty much already blind in one eye to state the obvious."

Adam made a note of it on the tablet computer he carried, whomever had made the first assessment had missed it. Of course, the person involved was understandably freaked out by the mutant canine's physical state. He looked at another researcher who spoke without being asked.

"Already loading the cataract surgery program." the man, Simon Gestalt, a black haired man yawned. His gloved fingers danced over a large wall mounted screen behind the surgical table. It showed the subjects vitals as well as scans of the areas to be operated on. "Total number of surgical programs to be used on 'Snap'," the man ignored the looks for his nickname for the creature. "are ten, with the remaining two to be handled manually by the woman and man of the hour themselves."

"Woo." Henrietta said with her usual unenthusiastic charm she always had when working late.

"Indeed." Adam replied. "Cora, Jason, are the tools ready?"

The two technicians went over the clean surgical attachments they had ripped out of sealed plastic bags for the lab's MSS unit for a third time. Each one had attached and ensured the functionally of each per lab protocol once. The additional two times were per Adam Hu's personal directions.

"Yes, Sir!" Jason was younger than the others, physically at least, by ten years. He was a black haired college student when the whole mess went down nearly a hundred years before. Now he was an apprentice of Adam Hu and eagerly explored the world of cybernetics alongside his teacher.

Cora, shorter than everyone else, ran her brown eyes over the equipment and checked a few connections again. "I can confirm what the lab dog says, we are good to go."

"Whatever." Jason said with a roll of his eyes.

"Excellent, stand back and lets begin." Adam said eagerly as he used his hand-held computer to start up the MSS.

****

Sheila Franklin was floating in a sea of light. Dazzling images of her past whizzed by her as she felt herself falling slowly towards nothing. Spiraling streams of sparkling particles appeared suddenly before she found herself staring at a ceiling.

"Snap is awake." a voice said

"Not my name." Sheila said but her voice came from places she could not see and not from her throat.

"Sorry, what is your name and we can go from there." someone else said.

"Sheila, and why is my voice not coming from me?" she asked with a bit of worry in her voice.

"Your new voice box needs tweaking before activation. You were in bad condition before we found you."

"Raiders." Sheila said. "You work for Lady Eurynome?"

Adam looked at Lachiro as the old man sat in a chair nearby with two armed guards that his security commander insisted accompany him to this meeting.

"Why do you ask?" Adam asked.

"She has tech to fix anything...for a price. How much time I owe you? I can work, I am used to working."

Adam looked at Lachiro but the old man fixed him with a steely gaze that left no doubt that the scientist was in charge of introductions and information gathering at the moment. "I am Adam Hu,"

"Hi, Adam." Sheila chuckled.

Adam continued to speak without missing a beat. "I, fixed you by replacing portions of your body with mechanical parts controlled by your brain. They operate just like your original parts did, only they are machine driven and far stronger than what you originally had."

"How nice of you to help a mutant human like myself." Sheila replied. "Why can't I move my head?"

"We locked down your body until we get to know you better. You are no longer just...did you say mutant human?"

"I guess you do not work for Lady Eurynome then since you have no idea about what I am. Well, I got this infection as a child, once I hit puberty things started getting hairy for me, get it? Hairy? So anyway once I finished my 'fuzzing' as my folks called it. I walked on my toes, looked like a talking mutt to anyone who saw me, and loved chasing things smaller than me."

Lachiro looked at Adam and scowled. "Regardless of your origins Ms. Sheila, you are under our care."

"A new voice, but still only six of you in the room if your breathing and scents are any indication."

"Interesting, care to work off your debt to us as a tracker?" Lachiro asked.

"Would not see fit to just walk out of here with new parts and everything without learning how they work or working off my tab." Sheila smiled. "So sure."

Lachiro nodded to Adam and he quickly began to issue orders. "Detach her from the base systems physically," he watched as a cable was unplugged from the back of the cyborg mutant's neck. "get her voice-box data finalized."

Sheila felt a soft buzz in her throat and swallowed as she realized she could move her arms. The bed she was on shifted and soon the upper half of her lifted up until she could look down at herself. What she saw made her cry silent tears but not say a word. For a long moment she just stared at herself before moving.

Her right arm was there, but her left was replaced with something covered with a dark mesh-like material. Since she felt it she realized she could move it just like her old arm. But the replacement attached to her body felt stronger to her somehow. Flexing her fingers, she moved them individually as the people watching her voiced opinions on her physical condition.

"Motor-control is good, Sheila, look at me." Henrietta smiled and dabbed away the tears staining her fur and held out her hand. "Sorry, but, shake."

"I heard this joke before." Sheila grinned as she spoke from her throat and through her muzzle and extended her mechanical arm.

Henrietta flexed the arm and fingers and wrist joints and then handed Sheila a ball. "Squeeze that please."

Henrietta squeezed the ball as hard as she could and felt it deform in her grasp. Releasing the damaged item onto a tray next to her. The newly minted cyborg moved to slide off of the table. Henrietta guided her with a hand on her false shoulder and watched as she balanced on her new artificial feet.

Sheila blinked as she realized she could see just fine out of both eyes. "My eyes,"

"Fixed them, replaced the faulty lens with a video-relay capable one tied into your skull implants in your left and replaced the whole eyeball in your right eye socket with a bit fancier one."

Sheila focused on a distant object and found that an overlay popped up giving her thought controlled options for her vision. "This will take practice to get used to. But I am up for a challenge."

"Good, we will require your services, for now get dressed please." Lachiro said as he stood to leave.

"Grumpy much? My fur not good enough for you?"

Lachiro stopped at the door with his guards covering him. "Ms. Sheila, I would advise you to be mindful of what you say to just anyone around these here parts." the elder man said with a folksy twang to his voice.

"Did you just mock my accent?"

"Would never dream of it." Lachiro grinned as he left the lab.

****

Sean carefully sat his lantern down on the ground and turned down the wick before rising back to his full height with his rifle pointing ahead of him. "Whatever the fuck you are, come out or I will shoot, hell to be honest I might shoot when I see you depending on what you look like! So lets just get things going!" Sean called out into the night behind the local trading post.

His shift as a guard for the town of Winthrope was pretty easy. He got up at three and patrolled until about midnight. Helping out where needed and making note of any and all strangers stopping by or passing through.

There was a mix of mutant and normal looking humans about. Or to be talking fancy like the New Landon folk, Alterhumans and Basics. Sean did not care much for the terminology, but it was useful when skimming their digital materials they traded via a wireless system they gave the town when some of their soldiers called Enforcers came waltzing through town some time ago.

They looked ready to start and finish a land war and Sean and the mayor along with the other guards had done their best to try and learn any weaknesses in them. None of them stuck around long enough to remove their strange armor completely, nor attempt to hook up with a local whore.

But they did establish formal trading with New Landon in that encounter and the literacy of the kids and adults went up along with general knowledge.

Knowledge that Sean put to use with improved skills in tracking thanks to his reading up on the subject. Before he was just mostly operating on gut instinct, now he knew what to listen and look for and he was certain something was behind the garbage pile behind the trading post.

A slender feminine figure appeared with her hands up in the moonlight. Sean's breath caught in his throat as he studied the skinny raccoon girl. She hardly had any tits, but she was undeniable as having caused his loins to become flooded with blood from her nude appearance.

Sean did not shoulder his weapon but took his finger off the trigger. "Good evening."

"Good evening."

"Nice night for a walk eh?"

"If you say so." Vena sighed. "Look, how about I give you a blow job and you forget you saw me."

By the plaid of his shirt Sean was surprised the girl offered what he was about to recommend she do for him to forget her wandering around town. She obviously was not stealing anything due to the fact she had nothing on her like a pack.

But Sean had to be sure she was not stealing. "Lets see what you have behind that pile then we can talk about...other things."

Vena kept her arms up and backed up to allow Sean to see the other side of the garbage pile. He spotted no packs, sacks, or weapons of any kind stashed away. He shoulder his weapon and undid his pants. "Do a good job and I can give you one of those New Landon nutrition bars we get if you are hungry."

Vena nodded and got on her knees, her big brown eyes bore into Sean's own and she rooted around in his head as she did the same in his pants with her hands. Her claws danced over his hardening flesh and she smiled up at him as she pulled out his cock. He was slightly bigger than Cray and less clean, but it was nothing she could not handle as she stroked him to full hardness.

Sean watched her work and began to ask her questions. "So, where you from?"

"Some place to the East, ran away with just my fur."

"Slave born? Some raiders do that nasty mess."

"No, complications with my folks not letting me out of sight. So I decided to leave," Vena cut off the questioning by shoving as much of Sean into her mouth.

"Sean," Sean offered as the girl began to blow him.

Vena pulled off with a wet pop and pursed her lips as she kissed the end of his cock. "Vena," she offered before suckling upon the tip of his rock hard erection. She slowly began to stroke it with one hand as she neglected Sean's balls. She wanted this to last and the extra stimulation would set him off early she had learned rooting around in his mind.

Sean relaxed a bit and rocked on his heels as Vena closed her eyes and devoured his manhood. It felt good to have an experienced slut work on him. It was obvious wherever she was from she had experienced the joy of sex regularly to be so good without laying a hand on his balls to help get him off.

Vena heard the word fuck leave Sean's mouth in soft whimpers as she nibbled on his cock gently. She snagged the end of it by its small flare, the ridge where his foreskin began and gently applied pressure with her teeth to hold it steady while flicking her tongue against the swollen purple mass.

Sean groaned. "Stop, stop," he sucked in a slow breath of air as Vena pulled back. "how long you want to stay in town?"

"Just passing through, but if I am not attached the next time I pass through...." Vena said dangling an offer of future pleasure before the guard.

"I insist you stay the night at least at my place."

"Going to need more than some food bars," Vena lecherously stroked Sean's cock. "What else you got?"

Fucking slut is good. "I got some dried meats, can cook up something before we hunker down. The nights can be cold you know."

Vena mumbled around her mouthful and swallowed Sean's pole again. Sliding her head up and down she got into an easy rhythm that she interrupted occasionally to kiss and suckle the sides of his cock. She was glad he had not put his hands on her head, instead opting to keep them to himself and just enjoy his dick being sucked.

Sean heard something from behind him and quickly tapped Vena on her head. Getting the message she cupped his balls with both her paws and began to caress and toy with them. The result was instantaneous as Sean came hard enough to cause some of his seed to leak out of the raccoon fem's mouth and down her chin.

Sean pulled his dick free of her lips with a soft pop and did up his fly after replacing it back within his jeans. "Get low, I got this."

Sean returned to his round to find the mayor standing near the front of the trading post. "I was not expecting you-"

"Get your dick sucked on your own time." the mayor said tersely. "Still, she any trouble?"

Sean wished he had never gotten used to the idea that the mayor with her freaky insights was normal. It would keep him from freaking out whenever she questioned him about things he got up to when he thought no one was around.

"No, just sneaking around, trying not to be seen by anyone that can rat her out I figure to her folks. We should expect trouble," Sean quickly added. "even more than we already do."

The mayor, a woman with brown nearly reddish skin and straight black hair nodded sagely. Her dress covered a pair of jeans she kept tucked into boots that came up to her calves. "Best you stay a bit more alert till the end of your shift. Besides, I can think of other reasons why she would sneak around. Girl has not one bit of covering on her," the woman smirked. "and your seed does not count, Sean."

Sean looked where the mayor's eyes went and sighed as Vena looked at the pair from around the corner of the building. He waved her over and she approached slowly.

"You a wild child or something?"

"I am something." Vena replied.

"Call me Mayor Chamis, Mayor, or simply Cham and you are?"

"Vena, Mayor," Vena replied.

"Well I got rounds to continue, right?"

Mayor Chamis waved Sean off and motioned for Vena to follow her. She noticed the girl stuck to the shadows as she trailed the woman to her own home. A two-story log cabin with wooden shutters as opposed to windows. Plenty of gun port slots dotted the property's walls and it was obvious it also served as a major fallback point for the townsfolk.

"Lets get you some clothing, and then get some food in you so you don't have to suck any more cock for it."

"Who says I was not in control?"

"The gun he had?"

"I let him find me."

Chamis stopped at her front door and knocked while looking at Vena. "Your a strange raccoon you know that?"

"I was made that way." Vena smiled.

Chamis raised an eyebrow at the comment and wondered something aloud about the raccoon. "You one of Lady Eurynome's kin?"

"Never heard of her." Vena said still smiling as the bright interior light of the cabin momentarily blinded her.

"Come on in, and mind my kin, they can be a bit...exotic much like yourself young lady."

Two Days Later

Vena studied the map she had in her head of the area, pulled together from the village's collective trapping and hunting knowledge. Already she was hot on the trail of her sister and looking forward to meeting up with her. Stories about a secluded guy in a nearby valley having taken up with a raccoon woman had reached the nearby town he came to for occasional trading.

With map firmly stored in her head, she utilized the survival skills she had picked up from random strangers as she sneaked through the town in one night catching a hold of various skilled minds slumbering. Certainly the guards were an issue, but she had made a deal with one of them she fondly remembered that ended up going pretty well for her.

She had clothing now, it was made from animal skins, but it was better than sneaking around at night in just her fur. Besides, she wanted to encounter more people, it was fun picking at their brains for information. And meeting with them in the nude was distracting for some of them and embarrassing for others because of their own hangups over nudity.

Still, she had a destination in mind, and it was the cabin of this stranger that may have her sister staying with him.