FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The battlefield around us is filled with the smell of rotting flesh. The bodies of fallen guard dogs lay submerged in mud leaving behind their limbs to sprout out of the ground forming gravestones. The enemy soldiers seem to be untouched by the mud as they lay in there black cloths that turned red from the blood leaking out there wounds. In the distance rabbits walk about talking amongst themselves as they work together to drag bodies out of the mud. Their robes stained as they drag the corpses to large ditches. I notice most of the guard dogs that lie on the ground seem to be mixed breeds, some have ears of rabbits, some of them have the shortness of hamsters, and the tails of cats.

Luckily the road leading up to the city has been cleared of dead bodies, though once in a while the mud seems to act like glue making me believe that there might still be corpses hidden beneath the muddy path.

"Who do you think the important person is?" Eros asks as he stares at the purple banner that lies upon the ruined white walls. The purple banner looks luxurious; having gold trim on its edges and it appears to have a golden silk thread weaved in it creating the symbol of Zao; a star.

"Probably someone important coming from the capital like a high Lord who has gone down with a terrible cold or may be an important merchant trying to find a special remedy so that he can make a couple extra silver coins," General Jeval remarks as he guides the caravan of wooden carts into the city. The guard dogs remain somewhat vigilant as they enter the city with hands tightly gripping onto their sheathed swords though the rest of the animals are too tired to give any care to their situation as they continue following the carts.

The walls are in complete ruins and not a single guard dog stands on top of them. The main gate is completely smashed, the hinges hold onto small pieces of shattered wood that there is some form of markings on them. Beyond the gates lies a large courtyard with a fountain in the middle. The fountain is shaped into a tree that has no leaves with water pouring out of the end of the branches. Around the fountain stand five rabbits and three guard dogs. One of the guard dogs I recognized as Jedrick and the two beside him are scouts. The five rabbits stand closely together as they welcome us with their smiles that try to give a sense of calm to us, though the stains on their robes give a very different idea.

We make our way into the courtyard pushing and pulling carts into any space we can find. The smell of the battlefield quickly changes to the smell of sweet tree sap, even though there is no trees anywhere near us. The muddy road changes to a cobblestone path that is laced with stains of blood, but no bodies to be seen. The buildings around the courtyard are painted white and have illustrations drawn on them of forests, mountains, rivers, animals, to many designs to imagine.

I suddenly remember mom and Sam. This is the city they were taken to when they left Georgos. But the city looks like a ghost town. Most of the houses look abandoned with the doors wide open and all kinds of items strewn about on the streets. Maybe they were taken further back into the city because of the siege and many of them are hiding at the other side of the city.

The general taps my shoulder and says "Marco get these dogs organized and ready to help bring in the carts."

"Understood general, but could you ask them where the animals are that came from Georgos."

"Marco that's going to be the first question I ask" he says and lets out a small chuckle as he heads up towards the fountain. "Even if Georgos is left in ruins the animals that lived in that city are still under my care and are the most important thing to me." The general seems to be enjoying himself even though we have just marched in thick mud for the last eleven hours straight.

I am worried that they have been put in danger because of the attack. My mind starts to race with endless possibilities of what could happen to them.

"So what are your orders Captain Marco?" The rabbit says with a sour expression.

"I thought you don't like taking orders Eros?" I say.

Eros turns around and starts heading towards the carts while saying "I rather take orders from a hamster than a dog."

By now the last guard dog cart filled with weapons and armor has been pulled into the courtyard and most of the dogs have chosen to take a rest. The remaining of the carts being pulled by hamsters, rabbits, cats, and ferrets are starting to make their way through the main gate, but find it difficult because the guard dogs have only pulled their carts into the courtyard and have formed a very small path for the others to make their way through.

Annoyed from their laziness I shout "push the carts further into the courtyard." The dogs look at me puzzled. They begin to whisper amongst themselves but they are quickly interrupted by Eros. "Did you all forget that he became a captain or are you all that lazy?"

The dogs give Eros irritated looks but quickly get back onto their feet and start moving their carts further in. Slowly the courtyard is becoming filled with unorganized carts of food, and medicine. Once the final cart is pushed into the courtyard every animal within my view collapses to their knees exhausted from the long march. The guard dogs once more give back onto their feet and exert themselves onto a large street and form themselves in lines. They stand at attention with their back straight and staring forward.

I take a few steps closer and see my cousin standing just three rows deep. The memory of my uncle and two cousins fill my thoughts. I begin to make my way to her but I stop just a couple feet away from the line of guard dogs. Jedrick is making his way towards us with a couple rabbits following closely. He walks towards the crowd of dogs passing me and Eros. "Listen up! These rabbits will guide you to some vacated homes so that you can rest. They will bring you food and water to drink. Get a good rest, you have all earned it."

"But," continues Jedrick,"I want you all back to this courtyard tomorrow morning before the sun rises." Some of the dogs grumbled but most are happy to just follow the rabbits for food and rest.

I walk over to Jedrick and ask "shouldn't you let them rest longer? This trip wasn't easy for any of us."

"These dogs spent their last twelve years doing nothing more than sitting around wasting time. They need to train and get ready for this damn war or they won't survive." Jedrick says those words loud enough that the guard dogs can hear him clearly. A couple of them give angry glares at the Husky. Jedrick pays no mind to them and starts to follow them down the main road.

Suddenly a thought crosses my mind and I quickly shout. "Jedrick wait!"

Jedrick stops for a moment and slowly turns towards me. "What do you want Marco?"

"Did you by any chance find out what happened to the animals that came from Georgos?"

"They stayed in the city for a couple days then continued down the river to Techne. That's all I know and care to find out." Jedrick says, turning away to follow the rabbits and guard dogs. My mind is once more calmed by the thought that mom and Sam are nowhere near the fighting, even though I'm nowhere near them. It feels like every time they are within my grasp, they are quickly swept away to some foreign place I've never been to. I actually start to wonder if I'll ever see them again.

"I know you must be missing your family Marco." Eros says, placing his hand on my shoulder. "But it is better for them to be away from any battle then..."

"Marco!"

I turn around and see my cousin burst out of the crowd of dogs. A great big smile spreads across her face as she dashes towards me in newfound strength. Before I can react she wraps her hands around me and hugs me as tightly as she can. Without a second thought I hug her back thankful that I have been able to see my cousin once again. "I'm so happy to see that you are okay," Jess says while still hugging me. "You don't even know what it felt like listening to animals describing your body after the battlefield. Dad spent every day praying that you would survive. Jamie would constantly bicker to the rabbits asking how you are doing and when you might wake up."

"Is everybody else okay?" I ask.

"Everyone else is doing fine, but you have to see this." She pulls out her sword and points it towards the sky. "Isn't this the coolest thing ever? I've been waiting so long to get a sword and I finally have one."

Looking into her eyes I see them filled with childlike glee that I've seen so often back home. To think my cousin is no older than thirteen. She's been put in so much danger yet she seems happy even after walking through that horrifying battlefield.

"Guard!"

We both look over to see Jedrick with a stern expression. Behind him the group of guard dogs have been halted and now they stand on the streets waiting for further orders.

Jess releases her grip and taps my back. "I probably shouldn't keep them from there rest." she says with a scorned look. I see the irritation in her eyes but I simply respond with a fake smile and say "get some rest, you've earned it."

She looks over my shoulder and her scorned expression turns into a smile. "It seems that it may be a while before you can get your rest."

I turn around to see Ellen and Charmaine behind us each carrying a wooden bowl filled with water. They both look relaxed with no stains of mud at the bottom of their robes. I look behind them and see animals taking wooden bowls and filling them with water from the fountain. I turn around to see my cousin already rejoining the group of guard dogs. She looks exhausted but somehow she keeps a smile across her face. For a moment I ponder how she is able to look so happy when she is seeing the same things I have. Maybe she's oblivious to the whole thing or maybe she is like my sister and believes nothing can harm her.

The two rabbits walk up to us and Ellen passes me one of the wooden bowls with her usual smile. "Here's something that you've earned Marco." Without a second thought I take a gulp of the water. The water is warm and there is a taste of sourness as if it is soaked with flowers, but the taste doesn't stop me from swallowing the rest. Ellen takes the other wooden bowl from Charmaine and passes it to Eros. "So shall we get go?"

"Where are we going?" I ask as I wipe my wet muzzle.

"To the garden of course; I want to know more about your sash." Ellen says pointing to the sash on my waist.

I look down to see the white sash that slowly clung to my waist. Its long length causes most of it to hang on the side of my waist reaching down to my knees. Small specks of mud are splattered on it making the pure white sash look worn and dirty. This sash which should've belonged to a rabbit of true medical potential is instead given to me by a God that brought me back from the dead. Even though I'm exhausted from the long journey my questions about this sash can only truly be answered by the one they call the gardener.

I look back up to Ellen and say "I'm quite curious to find out who this sash belongs to."

"Well the only way we can do that is to find your gardener." Eros says while passing back the wooden bowl to Ellen.

"Well here's the thing, I actually don't remember much about the city so I don't exactly remember how to get to the garden." Ellen says.

"Why do we need to know how to get to the garden when I see the garden from here? Eros says pointing in the distance where a massive tree rises above the city.

"Because the city is built like a maze. Houses are built randomly throughout the city and besides it has been over thirty-two years since I've been here." Ellen says. "I have many memories of the garden and the old school, but the city itself is quite a blur to me, but luckily I know someone who can guide us there."

"Got an old friend in the city?" asks Eros.

Ellen merely responds by turning her head and looking at Charmaine.

"No offense but I'm not usually guided by someone who can even see the street they walk upon," Eros says with a smile.

"She was able to guide us through the forest into the enemy's camp," I say.

Eros looks at me with a surprised expression and turns to Charmaine. "You're telling me she was the one who guided those mutts through the forest."

Ellen merely responds with a gentle nod and she turns to Charmaine. "Charmaine, would you be so kind as to guide us to the garden of Agapao?"

Charmaine responses to the question with a small nod of her head with her hood hiding her pure white eyes. "Just merely point me to the fountain and I can guide you to the garden."

Ellen takes the young rabbits hand and guides her back to the fountain, which by now is mostly vacant of animals gathering water. Once she reaches the fountain Charmaine raises her left hand towards the sculpted tree and slowly walks along the edge. Her hand weaves in between the branches that poor water onto her robe yet she seems unfazed by this and continues until her hand finally reaches a branch that she is able to grasp. Then she turns around and points out words. "This road will lead us to the garden." Without a second thought Charmaine starts walking down the road that seems to lead towards the center of the city with Ellen and Eros following closely behind her. I also follow the group of rabbits down the road but walking a bit slower simply because the blind rabbit's capability on finding her way through this old city gives me a lot to ponder.

It's quite amazing she is able to point towards a road simply as if she has done this a hundred times. Though this should not be surprising since she was raised in the city, she must have needed a way to walk around.

Walking I notice the beauty of the city. Every building is covered in a white paint and has a multitude of illustrations drawn upon them which make me feel like each building tells a different story. The buildings themselves are very clean and almost no different to one another as if they are building as a canvas specifically for the painting that would be painted upon them. What catches me by surprise is that most of the trees that are illustrated on the building have no leafs and look lifeless.

For a while we continued into the city where our steps are the only sounds echoing throughout the street. Charmaine is in front of us whispering something under her breath then suddenly she turns left and walks down a different road. Soon we are weaving our way down streets and back alleys "So these are the famous painted houses of Kouneli." Eros says breaking the silence. "I heard they were complex masterpieces of art but now that I finally get to see them, they look pretty simple."

"They're not supposed to be pieces of art that bring life to the city," Ellen says. "Each house tells a story about a rabbit. They tell of their life's strife, and glories, of their pains and their joys." Ellen points towards one of the larger buildings and says "every object that is painted onto the building means something different. In the bottom of a building that is painted brown with dead soldiers on top means that the rabbit has spent much of his or her life on the battlefields taking care of the dead and wounded. If there are wooden barrels that bear upon them all types of flowers and roots that spread along the barrel all the way to the bottom then that means they spend most of their life as herbalists finding unique herbs to cure dangerous disease. If there are children of rabbits sitting down and looking up towards the sky then that means they have spent most of their life teaching others. If the building is covered with flowers, bushes and trees then that means the rabbit has been given the rank of gardener."

"What about those trees which have no leaves on them? It seems almost every building has at least one of them," I ask.

"Those symbolize that the rabbits who were given a white sash like yours."

"So you show respect to these rabbits that have done great deeds but I don't see any names written on the buildings."

Both Ellen and Charmaine let out a chuckle. "I do not know how Menelaus children are taught but the rabbits who are raised in this city believe that our name bear no purpose. Names do nothing more than bring a line between us. This is why we have no last names for we are all brothers and sisters of Agapao. Even though the heroism and bravery of these rabbits have been painted on the walls they remind us that we are no different than any other rabbit. I'm guessing that's quite different than how you were raised Eros."

Now it is Eros's turn to chuckle. "It is actually quite different. We more often remember the names of the rabbits that fought bravely and showed there true strength in the direst of times. We write their names on trees and rocks so that whenever we march throughout the northern mountains and forests you will once in a while find one of their names carved onto the land and it will remind us that rabbits can do remarkable things even in the most dire situations. The funny part is most of their stories have been forgotten but their names still live on.

"Do you have any names you choose to write down Eros?" I ask.

Eros looks pained and he falls silent for a moment staring off into the distance. "There's only one rabbits name that I've written down over and over... And she's the reason why I'm here."

"What you mean she's the reason you're here?" I ask.

"I would like to tell you Marco, but it seems we've reached our destination."

At the end of the street stands a large wall covered in vines. Bushes are strung along at the top of the wall adding a couple extra feet to its height. A large gate stands right at the end of the road and has the mark of Agapao carved on it. Charmaine walks up to the door and stops two feet in front of it. She raises her hand and feels out the wooden carving and then she knocks on the door three times. Some time passes in silence as we wait for a response behind the wooden door. Charmaine once more knocks three-time and this time the sound of feet shuffling can be heard. The clinking of metal echoes behind the door and it slowly opens with a creak.

A young rabbit with dark yellow fur walks out and says with an annoyed tone "what do you want?"

Ellen steps beside Charmaine and says. "We wish to speak with Agda the garden keeper."

Looking at us closely he steps out of the way while pulling the door wide open. "But do directly to the garden."

"Why do we need to do that?" Eros asks.

"Wait!" says says the rabbit putting himself in front of the door again. "Right now no one other than Agapao rabbits are allowed in."

"And why is that?" Ellen says.

"Because we have been ordered to gather all the books and scrolls within the school and have them ready to be shipped out to the capital. Some of these scrolls are as ancient as the city as some have been written by Agapao herself. We can't have foreign animals venturing around the school while these valuables are being transported."

"We have some very important business with the gardener so could you please let us in." Ellen says with her usual smile.

"And what is so important?"

Ellen turns to her side and points to my waist. "It appears this hamster has been given a white sash by Agapao."

The young rabbit stairs at my sash for a moment then looks to Ellen with a confused expression. "You're telling me that a great relic of Agapao is wrapped around that hamsters waist."

"I know it sound strange but..."

The rabbit turns his head to the right and shouts "guards!"

Eros pushes his way forward as he slams his fist at the side of the rabbits head. The young rabbit falls backwards onto the ground unconscious.

"You didn't have to do that." Ellen says.

"Did you want to deal with this idiot?" Eros says as he grabs the rabbits arm and drags him onto the street. "Besides, the last thing we need is a bunch of guards shouting at us" He then turns around and pushes us past the wooden door. He closes the door and pulls over the heavy metal latch locking it. Eros turns around to find Ellen giving him an irritated look. Eros silently returns her gesture and for a moment they stare at one another.

Ellen is the first one to look away, though her expression doesn't change. She grabs Charmaine's wrist and starts down a cobblestone path towards a large wooden building. Eros and I follow closely behind looking at our new surroundings.

The wooden building stands three stories tall and is probably one of the largest houses I've ever seen, five large wooden towers rise out of the wooden roof. The building is covered with large windows, balconies, and wooden arches. The house appears to be extremely old showing scars from fall rain and cracks from winter snow, though most of these scars are covered by bushes and the cracks are filled by vines. Flowers randomly grow on the roof bringing out all sorts of colors and even a black tree that has no leaves on its branches grows out of the side of one of the large wooden towers.

We follow Ellen through an open door leading into the wooden building. Inside I see rows and rows of bookshelves that stand at least 10 feet tall with few books placed on them. Large wooden pillars lined themselves along the middle of the massive room holding up the ceiling. There are rabbits running around grabbing scrolls and books and rushing off into all directions. We make our way through the maze of shelves and surprisingly no one pays attention to us. In a short time we find ourselves at the other side of the room where another door stands leading us back outside.

In front of me stand black trees that have no leaves on their branches. Bushes encircle the roots of the trees that have flowers sprouting out of them. Ellen stops for a moment and she says "welcome to the garden of Agapao."

"This looks more like a forest then a garden." I say looking at the dense trees in front of me.

Ellen starts making her way around the trees while saying. "I thought the same thing when I first came here."

We make our way through the garden of what I like to call the dead forest. It is surprisingly easy to walk through. No random rocks sticking out of the ground and no roots sprouting out of the dirt. We continue on our path when suddenly different trees appear before us that have their bark shine white like snow. Each one of them bare a metal pole dug into their side with a bucket lying underneath. I look closely to one of the trees and see a white paste slowly pouring out.

I go to ask why the trees suddenly change color but within seconds our path opens up to an empty field which lies before us with a massive tree in the center, white lines of cloth pour out of the trees branches. White lines of cloth poor out the trees branches slowly lower themselves In front of the tree a rabbit kneels before it whispering under her breath. She wears a pure white robe covered with flowers.