FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Morning arrived sooner than expected, much to Uma's chagrin. As the light crept back into the world, shining through her bedroom window while she curled underneath the sheets, she sensed a change in herself. A peculiar mood had descended. Enough! She wasn't going to sit around moping, she had a hell of a day ahead.

It's time.

Rising from the white desert her bedclothes formed as they blanketed both her and the mattress, Uma paused. Despite her misgivings about how quickly everything could come crashing down if she let stress get to her...she seemed confident. The trick with the pendant worked; on some bizarre psychological level it helped keep her steady. A rush of optimism overcame prior doubt.

Until, when her foot hit the floor as she slid across the bed, a strange sensation emerged. The room when white, as if illuminated by a blinding spotlight. Her head throbbed, and dizziness took hold. “Ugh." The next minute passed with a gut-wrenching lurch as her sense of balance was ripped away. She teetered over, falling onto the bed. “The house doesn't want me to leave," she joked.

Taking a second to recover, she finally found her feet. The only irritation left was the splashing of water in the shower, quickly followed by the rush of towel-drying. Tony opened the en suite door, setting sights on Uma astride the bed, a t-shirt covering her underwear.

“You good?" he asked, drying his hair. Must've noticed her looking spaced-out.

Uma shrugged off his concern. Scanning the bedroom, she searched for the box where her pendant rested. Must remember to pack it. It'd served her well. Remind me to... __ugh..._ properly thank Kianna if I see her again._

Her odd mood persistent as she dressed. Uma couldn't put her finger on it. When she moved around the house her routine was punctuated by concerning absences of sound. Every so often, the world went mute...like she heard things through a thick wall. She put it down to nerves — maybe a cold — making a mental note to use Kianna's gift when a free moment presented itself.

Mild headache. Nothing more! Sort it out later, lots to do.

The strangest part, the one aspect of her morning ordeal she tried her best to ignore, were the faintest sounds of...whispering voices.

* * *

“Okay, so we're taking Mikey's car?"

“No dice. Me and Donnie are going with mom and dad," Jacob explained, “you and Mikey are on your own."

“And are you okay with that?" Cynthia peered over at Donnie, who was standing idle next to their parent's car. He glanced quickly at Jacob, who was front and centre in the conversation. “I guess," he mumbled, “I don't have a preference really..."

“Sure. If that's okay with you," Mikey said, noticing a tinge of disappointment in his brother; he was stuck with Jacob instead of him and Cynthia. Donnie was cursing his lack of objection now (he bet).

Michael and Cynthia left to retrieve their luggage. A moving van was due later in the day to transport the furniture they weren't selling, but the family was already preparing to embark on their long-awaited (permanent) change of scenery. Tony was making a call to schedule the pick-up, a copy of the house keys had been sent to the moving company, and now it was a sundry matter of making sure they had the list of articles to collect. Uma loaded the car with help from her children, soon heading back inside to fetch more things.

“Guys," Michael called over to Jacob and Donnie, “sis and I are gonna head off now. We know the way. See ya soon, yeah?" He waved at the pair while Cynthia climbed into the passenger seat of his rusted old auto — a hand-me-down from Tony's brother that had seen many a teenage escapade.

“See ya soon," Jacob replied. Through the windscreen Donnie made out the blurred and desaturated forms of his brother and sister strapping in their seatbelts and excitedly slotting the key into the ignition. A hoarse rumble breathed life into the old sack of crap Michael used as a car, and Donnie watched them depart, wheels inching forward off of the kerb and spinning hypnotically as they drove away. Both extended their arms out of their respective windows and waved goodbye to the other half of the Eriksson siblings — growing more distant by the second.

“I'd offer you a lift, but mine's still a write-off," Jacob smiled, laying a hand on Donnie's shoulder.

“Yeah...well...you drive dangerously."

“I do not! That was purely an accident."

“Mom doesn't think so."

“Pfft. What does she know about what happened."

“The police don't think so."

“Bunch o' lazy—"

“Neither did the insurance company, if I remember correctly."

Jacob dismissed his brother's jab by stepping back and opening the car door. “Well ya don't have to worry 'bout that, 'cause we're in mom and dad's capable hands."

Donnie groaned. “I'm beginning to see why Mikey was so pushy in having me come with him. Are you gonna talk about crap the whole journey?"

“Bro, I'm gonna talk the ass off you whether ya like it or not." Jacob winked. A cheeky grin crossed his face, the kind a cocksure asshole would wear. Donnie wanted to smack himself. His siblings predicted correctly: the jock was back.

“I want the Jacob of two days ago for a trade-in," Donnie groaned, “this model's too dudebro-ey."

“You're not in peril right now, so you get plain old Jacob classic! Besides, I'm helping you out."

“How?" Donnie restrained himself from laughing.

“Gotta get a hold of yourself, Donnie. You're acting sulky 'cause you aren't going with Cynthia. Not my fault you crush on your sister."

“I do not!"

“Yeah ya do. You've been attached at the hip since the pair of you were toddlers."

“Shut up!"

“Relax bro, I'm teasing ya. Don't mean nothing by it. Mikey's a lost cause but you...you I can train to be more resistant to bullshit."

Yours or other people's? Donnie wondered. “Thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested in lessons, especially from you." Not interested in the tricks you picked up from bullying people.

Jacob shrugged. “Suit yourself. I will have you toughen up. Someday. Hey mom! While we're still young!"

“Manners, Jacob," Uma tutted.

The car filled with luggage, piece-by-piece. Her husband, along with the two kids, hopped into their respective seats. The family dog plopped himself down in the middle seat between the brothers. The front passenger side remained empty as Uma slammed down the car boot, forcing it to close after much struggle. She circled around, gesturing with a thumbs-up to each person already seated.

Keep it together Uma, she told herself, if you can make it through today, you can make it through anything. Baby steps...

She tapped the hood. “Forgot one thing," she said to Tony, who nodded in affirmation.

Running back inside, cursing her distracted state, Uma went up the stairs to her bedroom. The pendant she'd been given almost slipped her mind. Good on her for remembering before it was too late. The funny feeling from this morning returned, drawing some attention away from her current task. She dismissed the quiet whisper-noises as nothing.

Into the master bedroom she went. Once there, however, her heart stopped at the sight.

“Oh no."

Her bedside was a mess. Scraps of cardboard and torn paper littered the carpet. Shreds of clothing — old clothing that used to dwell in the depths of their wardrobe — were strewn about the floor. That god-damned dog! Uma tip-toed over most of the mess, heading for the bedside table. A single drawer remained, the others having been pulled out and stripped of their contents. This one was left unmolested. Mother's orders, you see. No-one wanted to get on Uma's bad side when it came to personal belongings and the concept of 'non-consensual borrowing'. This was where she'd tucked it away. Sliding open the drawer, another defeat confronted her.

The matchbox she kept it in was no more. To be precise, it still existed, just in more pieces than previously. Uma let out an angry yelp and slammed the drawer shut, opening and closing it over and over in vain hopes of it repairing. “SHIT!"

The distant whispering grew louder. Uma shook her head, headache in full swing. “So much for keeping it safe," she groaned. Looking around, she noticed scratch marks on the table, and muddy paw-prints — faded over time as their stain set in — close to the scene of the crime.

Did the fucking dog take it!? If he'd buried or eaten it, there was no time either way to recover the pendant.

“I'm gonna kill Axel!"

She straightened up, rising from her knees after the search. The whispers became hard to miss. Incomprehensible, yet very clearly talking. Uma sniffed. Tears began to form.

Her need had worsened since receiving Kianna's gift. She didn't pay it much mind, but now that its absence burned a hole in her heart she learned something important: she wasn't in the best place right now. How could she become addicted to a piece of jewellery?

“Uma...Uma...stay calm. It's just a necklace...a shitty dime-store New Age hippy necklace your spaced-out in-law gave you...nothing to cry about."

So why am I crying?

She stayed in place for a minute, doing and saying nothing. Just breathing. Calming herself in lieu of her usual routine. Her thoughts were interrupted regularly by the chattering of the hushed voices that seemed to emanate from every corner of the room. The pain in her skull worsened.

An unknown voice crossed into her mind:

Give in.

The cryptic message confused her. Give in to what? She found her answer as a burning between her legs manifested. No...not now. She forced herself to ignore the mysterious lust spreading from her shut thighs. No rhyme or reason to its origin, no thoughts or fantasies spurred its creation. Uma's mind was blank, focused only on emptying itself, banishing the dark emotions that pooled within her.

Ignoring it didn't help.

I need to take care of this...can't sit in the car for hours...

In a trance, she wiggled out of her jeans, kicking them off, her flat shoes flying along with them. She placed a hand on her crotch. The heat was palpable. She touched the silken material. Damp to her touch. Her body wanted...no, demanded relief; she was not one to refuse it.

Uma slid her panties of, recoiling at the sensation of the soft underwear separating from delicate flesh. “Oooohh," she moaned as her lower lips met the air. A mischievous fingertip worked its way to her slit, stroking the exterior with gentle grace. Her nerves flushed with pleasure. With Uma's mind captive in pursuit of relief, she started masturbating.

Why? Why now? They're waiting for me outside, the sane part of her protested. Uma ignored her inhibitions and caressed her treasure...breathing sharply at each tortuous, tender movement. Her pace increased in line with her need. This would be short, but worth it. She gasped loudly. Her fingers pinched her clitoris, squeezing the swollen nub of flesh.

Taste yourself.

Another utterance from the unknown voice. It could be her...maybe...her subconscious egging her on...

“Yes!"

Uma obliged the foreign command. Her tongue swirled over her fingertips, having pulled them from their duty below. Lapping up her juices then sending them back to finish the job. Her digits probed inside her.

She peaked. A powerful orgasm rocked her. Gasping. Moaning. She glimpsed, in the fleeting moments her eyes opened, the room contorting...contracting. Could be her imagination running wild, but she swore it happened for real. Uma shook. Feeling like she'd suffered an out-of-body experience, her frame sank into the carpeted floor, muscles weak. She hadn't cum like that in a long, long time...hell, she probably hadn't cum like that ever — it was intense.

Another minute passed, a minute of delirium as the room spun. The same blinding flash that struck her when she woke cast her surroundings in pale light. Without conscious intent she dressed herself.

Wage of sin, the disembodied voice repeated, wage of sin.

“Wage of...mmmh...sin," she said, hushed, recovering from her climax.

The car's horn blaring through the haze snapped Uma out of whatever trance had just come over her. Any remaining pleasurable feelings from her little indiscretion were gone. Unfortunately the same could not be said of her headache.

“Whuh...what just happened?"

BEEEEP-BEEP-BEEEEP!

“Shit," she realised, “they're waiting for me." And I haven't found it!

Walking towards the car, Uma scratched her head. There was a blank spot in her memory...her mind seemingly skipped the truth of the last seven delectable minutes...and she had no idea why.

* * *

Tony's hand hovered over the horn, the engine already revving as if the car was eager to leave on its own. He was about to slam it again when Uma appeared. She looked a little shaken. Closing the front door, she walked to the car. Half-way across the lawn she spun 'round, but no-one was there behind her. Tony frowned, she was acting weirdly.

Unlocking the passenger door, he let her in. “You okay? You were in there a while."

“Yeah...had to make a phone call. No worries."

“Well now you're here," he chirped, turning his head to those seated, “ready to see our new home?"

* * *

The drive was less than pleasant for Uma. As Tony steered them along the narrow highway — following its gentle curve as the road splayed out into the countryside, the city skyline falling away behind them — her headache was getting worse. She rubbed her temples, feeling the piercing sensation that hadn't abated since morning, wondering what was the cause. Her...incident...left her with a lingering sense of satisfaction, and afforded her a short respite from the pain, but it'd returned quickly once the journey was underway.

“Donnie, keep Axel steady," she heard her husband order. The slobbering mutt was excited by the consistent rumble of the car as it vibrated beneath his paws. He was one of the few dogs in the neighbourhood who didn't puke their guts out when being transported. This, however, made it a chore to control him. Uma listened to the commotion, the dog barking in the back of the car, her two present sons bickering over which side should take charge...

She felt faint.

“I've his collar," Donnie said, holding the dog's aged leather collar tightly. Axel settled down, obeying one of his many masters. “Good boy."

“Uma, could you check your phone...we should be halfway..."

Uma complied with Tony's request. “Yep. We are."

Thirty minutes passed. The inside of the car heated up under the warm sun. Windows were unrolled in an attempt to cleanse the stuffiness, to moderate success. Tony was focusing on the road. Donnie rubbed Axel's chin, supplying all sorts of complements to the calm canine. And Jacob...he leaned on his arm as it lay perched where the door and window met. His eyes showed a drowsiness.

Donnie was glad to see his brother tired. It saved him from his earlier threats of endless banter. A fairly large dog between them was a bonus layer of protection. He seized the moment and adjusted his seat, needing to relax. With half an hour left on their journey, he could catch up on lost sleep. Ever since the attack, his sleep schedule was disorganised. Some nights he enjoyed a long and fulfilling rest. Others, well...the flickering shadows cast by shreds of light poking through the dark kept him up. Fighting shapes and figures clashing on the canvas of his bedroom wall, rolling across his view no matter how closed his eyes were, as his mind buzzed and his body lacked all sense of lethargy, abound with anxious energy...it made life difficult. Maybe he was wrong to brush off Mikey's offer to talk about it? It might provide catharsis, or open a recent wound. He weighed his options as they travelled.

Jacob, in contrast to his brother, wanted to feel restless. He would give anything for an injection of caffeine into his system. Alas, there was no gas station en route. His limbs were sluggish, like thickly-bunched ropes someone tried to bend. He was hot. Too hot. Boiling under his clothes. A fever? No, he wasn't sick. Then what? He needn't look far for an answer. Cracking open an eye he stared ahead at the seat in front of him. There his mother was, gazing out at the green scenery as it rushed by, a thicket close to the road almost striking the car — a testament to the overgrown remoteness of this patch of highway. Uma...the one person who left him with a pit in his stomach.

Fuck! Stop it! Stop thinking about—

But he couldn't. He didn't want to. He'd forged a forbidden bond with her. Minutes went by, and she was still on his mind, living inside of him. That night...why'd it have to happen?

Why couldn't he stick to chicks who didn't bring complications of blood to the affair? Jacob was handsome, so never short of adulation. Combine that with a sporty lifestyle and regular work-outs, and you had a dangerously attractive mix on your hands. His mom saw it, when her guard was down. Her vulnerability altered her perception of things. Making wrong right and right wrong. He could see their lovemaking, clear as the day it happened. It played in his mind, their coupling. Her haphazardly-clothed body writhing against him, her warm flesh tickling his cock...he remembered each thrust in mind-numbing detail.

Gah!

Deny all what wanted, but Jacob knew what had developed. A lust for his mother. A virile, burning desire to copulate with her again. His body craved her, and his mind was left to meekly follow. Jacob suppressed a groan, the uncomfortable swelling in his groin brushing against his jeans.

Uma turned to speak to Donnie, narrowly missing Jacob's weary stare before he shut his eyes. The woman's features expressed a tinge of regret whenever she looked his way. Beneath, Jacob saw the same struggle he faced. One to give in to primal urges. Give in...to sin.

“WOOF!!!"

“Axel! Shush! I'm talking to Donnie," Uma said, pretending the dog understood her displeasure. Jacob heard pieces of the conversation. Something about school? That's right, Donnie would be moving schools as well. His little brother hadn't lost his timidity, a fact Jacob wanted to change. Letting him go the route Michael took — that of a loner, basically a walking advertisement for bullies — was a no-go. Kid needed to toughen up, and Jacob saw himself as the mentor. Twenty going strong, he thought, admiring his social life, is better than what dorky shit Mikey'll put in his hea d. Why the fuck is he so wishy-washy about taking my advice?

His musings on Donnie's reluctance aside, Jacob let his thoughts wander. The eldest Eriksson sibling risked pushing the others away with his brusque demeanour, but they knew he loved them, right? They could work that out for themselves, they weren't morons.

If they were, they deserved it.

He drifted back to sleep.

More time passed. Fifteen minutes until their destination, by their parent's reckoning.

“Hey," Jacob heard Donnie speak to him. He mumbled in reply.

“Hey," Donnie said, now poking his brother, “Jacob. You awake?"

“Bro," he hissed, “poke me again and—"

“Are you okay?" Jacob was caught off-guard by that question. He was gearing up to trade blows with his brother...now his irritation had no place to go. Nowhere to be released.

“Fine."

“Sure? Because you're lookin' kinda pale."

“I'm tired." Jacob brushed him off at first, before a sudden belch left him queasy. Light-headed. Feeling like absolute shit.

“Mom, dad...Jacob doesn't look great."

“Whatcha mean?" asked Tony.

“Leave it, Donnie," Jacob groaned. “I'm just tired."

“Well if you were unwell, we can stop for a moment." Tony flashed his indicators — a meaningless gesture on an empty road, but a legal necessity — and began turning off the highway onto the road leading to Carlyle.

Ten minutes left.

“Anyone carsick?" he asked, Donnie's concern fresh in his mind. “Better tell me now before we have a mess on our hands."

Tony looked at Uma, noticing her weak appearance. Her face was pale. He'd been distracted by Jacob and the drive, so this was new to him. For Uma, however, she'd been slowly getting worse. Seems it showed now.

“Whoa...you really don't look the best. Hang on, I'll pull over."

“No, you don't have to. It's nothing. I'll get over...whatever this is."

“Stop it." Tony's assertiveness interrupted any protest. “Honey, if you need to throw up I'm gonna let you out just here," he said, guiding the car to the side of the road. Coming to a stop on a narrow patch of grass, he unlocked the doors.

Uma let herself out. There was a crop of trees ahead. She could let loose there, away from her family. As she shambled, zombie-like, towards the forest, she heard Axel's barking.

Barking?

He was quiet for most of the trip.

“Don't worry mom, no large animals 'round these parts," she heard one of them joke.

“Listen," she called back, “I just need some fresh air. The car is like an oven." Even with the windows down...why am I so ill?

I just need a minute alone...with Kianna's—SHIT!

Well...I'll make do without it. C'mon, Uma! It's a fucking necklace. I could find a million metal doodads of the same make online. Stop acting like's it's magic.

She continued her trek from the car. The first leaves tangled around her legs as she stepped over low-lying plants. Uma balanced herself against a tree trunk. That's what she needed, something sturdy to help her stand.

Stupid pendant isn't magic. Wasn't magic. You sound like her now, y'know?

Like Kianna. Seems she's made an impression on you.

Heh. Falling into the mystical bullshit crowd, are we? her mind teased. What next? Healing crystals? Magnets!?

Meanwhile, Axel continued to bark and growl at nothing in particular. “Geez," Donnie exclaimed, “the dog's hyper!"

“I think he wants out," Jacob said. Neither he nor Donnie were in any way able to doze off with Axel causing a commotion.

“Give him a treat or something," said Tony, “that'll shut him up."

“Right...hold up," Donnie unclipped his seatbelt and swivelled to face the boot of the car, Axel pushing against him while fidgeting from his newfound burst of energy. He rummaged around for the bag of biscuits, but the dog had other ideas. Walking over the divide, he wiggled his way onto the passenger seat, beside an angry Tony who tried to grab him. Missing, Axel saw his chance and broke free, leaping out of the car and making a mad dash for the woods.

“God-dammit Axel! Get back here boy!" Tony whistled, trying to call the dog.

Uma watched the family pet speed past her and start running in circles in the undergrowth. “I'll get him," she said, “stopping here is my fault."

“He won't go far. Mom, make sure he doesn't get lost, 'kay?"

Uma nodded. “Will do sweetie!"

Fortunately, vomiting wasn't necessary. The air helped soothe her aching, invigorating her. A bit longer and she felt she could continue. Yes...just needed a breather...

Eugh...wish the dog hadn't run off with my pendant...using the stupid thing's about the only peace of mind I've gotten recently.

Betcha he fucking ate it. That would be a laugh, wouldn't it, she harrumphed. The dog ate my stress aid. Imagine!

The was no sign of it otherwise; after scouring the house in those frantic minutes before departure nothing was the result. She tried her usual hiding places, yet not a glimmer of its silvery surface. Her feet moved without her conscious control, taking her into the forest. The foliage wasn't dense, so it made for a comfortable stroll — Axel's distant clamouring notwithstanding.

“Gotta find Axel, can hear him barking."

Closer.

“Axel!" she roared.

Closer, she heard. But not outside of her head. That word...it came from...

Somewhere else.

Where exactly? She had no idea. What she did know, however, was that is sounded like her own voice. Like she was...calling to herself?

This doesn't seem right, she thought, her mind racing as she trekked in silence, only the rustling leaves to keep her company. “Axel!" she cried out again, the faint sound of his collar jingling in the distance, its direction unknown.

Uma turned her head, looking behind her. She hadn't walked far but the path taken no longer existed. Confronted with a veritable wall of plant life stoked her fears. She can't be lost! It's only been a minute...

“AX—ACK!" Uma spluttered and coughed, her knees bending, felling her among the copse of trees. She picked herself up, making it halfway up, her arms and legs wobbling under her own weight.

Nearly there.

That voice again. Hers. It was unmistakable.

“Oh no," she sobbed, “not now." Familiar sensations coursed through her, the same she'd felt in her room, similarly in a hurry.

Find me. Find yourself.

Oh God what's happening!? Terror was free to roam. Crawling on the ground, in search of the disembodied voice, her memory of the first time she tried Kianna's therapy returned with a vengeance. The grey-tinted hospital, the purple sheen hidden 'neath Kianna's eyes, haunting jabs at her having sex with her son...lusting after him...

It broke her.

“Aaaggh!" she wheezed, coughing and hacking still. A blinding pain formed in her temples, a red-hot poker stabbing through her skull, burning flesh and bone away until her fragile soul lay exposed and vulnerable.

The soundless atmosphere returned, the whispering...

She'd entered a worse version of her addled state.

Between her legs burned. Just like before. Only now she fought against her instincts to dispatch digits to soothe her itch. She was reminded of her earlier ministrations.

Oh God, I came so hard.

The pain in her temples spread, countering any hope of gaining pleasure from her episode.

It...it felt so good.

Shivering, she bit her lip and forced her hands to stay put. Squeezing clumps of dirt on the forest floor, clinging tight to Mother Earth's majesty and never letting go. No...she wasn't about to degrade herself in the wilderness.

Pleasure. Pain.

Uma was losing herself in the moment, her body wracked under the strain of whatever curse she'd inflicted upon herself. Curse? Yeah...no word came close to describing this.

Curse.

Again something spoke to her. With her own voice. Wretched mimicry sent to confuse her, draw out her emotions, force her to see them laid bare. Her voice! Another Uma.

Not curse, the other Uma explained, pact.

Pact?

Kianna surfaced in her memories a second time. The real one, not the dream version. Don't call it magic. It's more of a pact.

Her echoed words danced mockingly.

Yes Uma. A pact.

Kianna's laughter deafened her. It arrived with great force, adding to the pain she was experiencing. No sooner had it appeared it left. Uma shuffled forward on bruised knees, her voice the only remaining tormentor.

Pleasure. Pain. It's all one and the same.

“It fucking hurts," she cursed, “Jesus! First the headaches, then the whispering...gah...now I can hear voices...what God's name is happening to me!?"

Scrabbling to find purchase on a nearby root, Uma pulled herself over the obstacle. Dragging herself in pursuit of her dog, who — if she concentrated very hard — could be made out to be hollering in the distance.

Almost there. At this point Uma had no idea if that was her own internal monologue, or the other mysterious entity that'd stole her voice beckoning her to come forth. Those were never her words, that's how she knew there was something else talking. Something else was in her mind. Or was it part of her, and had always been so?

Pleasure? Pain? Hah! Meaningless...

Now power? That is something to indulge in.

You are powerful.

And I am you...

Unleashed.

Uma shut her eyes, muttering to herself in a vain effort to ignore what was spoken — because it spoke the truth. It was her. It was the Uma deep inside, her innermost demons borne of her sin. And yes...the most lascivious sin of them all — incest — was at the helm of its awakening.

The wage of sin must be paid, she realised, and I must collect.

How? It was herself she was fighting! Her own soul battling her conscious mind.

Then, it dawned on her, like a brand-new day...

I am powerful. Why do I hide it?

This has been a long time coming. I sinned with one son and nearly lost another — and I was the one who healed him. He wouldn't wake otherwise. I accepted Kianna's gift, poured my feelings into it. I made this happen—

The talisman!

Uma opened her eyes. Around her the woods had darkened, though no time at all had passed. The air was crisp, leaving a sharpness in her lungs that stung when she inhaled. For the first time she understood just what Kianna had foisted on her.

Soon there'll be a new you in place of the old.

...

You devious bitch! You knew what this would do to me!

Aghast at been taken advantage of for unknown ends, Uma gnashed her teeth. Would this revelation outlast her delirious state? Only time would tell.

“Kianna," she choked, detecting smoke in the air.

Her surroundings had darkened. The day's light dwindled, its rays scarcely penetrating the canopy above her. Seeing a brightness at ground level, she froze. Warm, orange flickering obscured by dense growth. The light source moved across her field of view, hiding from her. Uma was afraid.

Crackling foliage amid great flames licking the ground spread out from the mysterious source. Fiery spurts burning away the plant cover, revealing a terrifying beast. Uma, paralysed, could only watch as it strode through the dense forest. Getting closer, she made out its proportions: four legs, a tail, muzzle and teeth-filled maw. That was as far as its natural properties went. The rest of the monster belonged to some fevered depiction of eternal damnation — a demonic creature, wreathed in shadow as violet-tipped flames swaddled its body, burning and cloaking it in smoke and light.

A haunting familiarity accompanied its monstrous appearance. Uma squinted, the heat hurting her eyes. In blurry vision it looked worse, streaks of colour and black morphing and swirling in front of the frightened woman. She inched back, unsure if it was aware of her presence. Her hopes were foolish, each backward crawl countered by a forward motion, the creature tailing her, scrutinising the human before it with glowing red eyes.

Continually averting her gaze from the beast, Uma caught furtive glimpses of it. Enough the see the shape of its body: an enlarged dog.

Canine. Definitely canine.

She understood its chaotic form better. When her eyes settled on its stomach — seemingly the source of its fiery power — a core of light burned in its belly.

The...hellhound. That glowing core...it couldn't be?

Axel!?

Too far-fetched to be true, yet here she crawled, prostrate before a demonic incarnation of the family pet.

The hound's core...her talisman!

Kianna's gift had been swallowed by the dog. And now it sat at his heart, emanating heat and pressure. Uma had not the wit to speak, or even think, at this moment. Axel walked up to her. When close she noticed every depression, every seam in the pendant's appearance. The faint lines that had first criss-crossed its surface gave way to thin cracks under use, then deeper and deeper they became...until now, when the teardrop-shaped jewellery resembled broken clumps of metal fused together.

Oh God!

In awe of this apparition, Uma's jaw dropped, struck dumb by the events unfolding.

The core at the centre of the demon-creature split. A flash of intense heat barrelled into her as it shattered, bursting apart at the seams, throwing her back through the forest where she landed painfully and rolled across the dirty ground. Axel growled, a heavy sound that filled the world around her with dread.

Flames exploded outward. Spreading from Axel, turning blue, then a ghostly purple, reaching her as a black mass of lightless cloud. Inky tendrils coiled around her fingers, tightening around her hands and wrists and ankles. She tried screaming, seeking to alert her family back at the car, but the ropes of shadow were too quick. They wrapped around her throat, killing her scream in its cradle.

The pitch-black closed in around her.