FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Outside of the doorway was nothing but dark streets. Neither of the moons were out, and the stars offered little light for the alleyways of the city of Savasia.

Two figures stood in that doorway and their features were obscured by the heavy hooded cloaks they wore, only the dark ends of their muzzles were visible from underneath their hoods. They stared out at the dark alleyways, contemplating whether or not to go forward. Only a few seconds passed though before one took a bold step out of the building and led the other out from the building.

They trusted each other because they were brothers, and that gave them the confidents to sneak out of the building; the building that they have lived in their whole lives. They have never even seen outside of this building but their gazes were fixed on their path ahead, and they never looked back.

Noise and candlelight from the building they escaped from followed them down the alleyway, but it did not reach them for long.

"Are your sure we're going the right way, Keona?" the trailing brother whispered. I could sense his insecurity, and was not all that surprised but I wished he would stay confident.

"Yes," answered the other without hesitation. Keona knew that his brother was hesitant to carry out the plan; he has been insecure about anything unfamiliar ever since some particularly cruel reptilians conditioned him to be so insecure. I hope you'll get better Leona.

Staying on the darkest streets and alleys, Keona led the way. It was true that he did not know the way to the docks, but if he hesitated then it'd only make Leona more nervous about escaping. We cannot go back... We will not go back.

_ _ It was not easy for Keona to smell the sea with the heavy perfumes still lingering in both of their fur, but he knew from the little information he gathered from his enslavement the general direction toward the sea. Besides he was reassured that the further they distanced themselves from that awful building, the stronger the scent of the sea became.

The streets of Savasia were practically deserted at this hour but they were not completely alone. An individual was approaching them but was still far down the street when Keona first noticed it. Keona noticed his brother hesitated once the sounds of those slow moving steps reached their ears.

"Walk normally," Keona whispered to his brother confidently. He knew he had to reassure his brother otherwise Leona's hesitation might make others suspicious of them. "We don't want to appear like we're trying to sneak around."

Keona led the way walking casually, but staying on the opposite side of the street from the individual that was approaching them.

Even though it was dark the brothers could still see the faint outline of someone tall on the other side of the street. It was moving slowly, and brace itself against the wall as it slowly walked. It stumbled as it walked even at its slow pace. Either it was exhausted from the lack of heat, or it was heavily intoxicated.

It did not pay any attention to the brothers as they passed it on the street, but they had given that individual a wide berth. It was likely that it did not notice them at all. That did not stop the brothers from putting distance between them and the other individual as quickly and discretely as they could.

Thankfully the feline features of the brothers gave them better vision in the dark, one of the slight advantages they had for escaping in the night.

Keona and Leona moved silently down the street the best they could. If they knew anything it was to be graceful with their steps to be as silent as possible. Their cloaks dragged slightly on the ground, which was the only noise that they made, but it was quiet enough that it was practically unnoticeable even in the dead of the night.

Only a few minutes of travelling had gone by before they were able to hear the subtle waves breaking on the shore. Never having heard the sound before, even Keona was a bit hesitant to follow that sound but he was confident that the docks would be there.

After travelling the greatest distance they have ever done in their life, the brothers noticed a great wall up ahead. They knew from the complaints of their clients about the wall and guards around the docks. They have finally found their destination.

Following the street they kept their senses alert for any guard. They would prefer to avoid any contact with any others, even if it was their intention to sneak onboard one of the ships leading out of the city.

The wall guarding the dock grew taller the closer they became, far taller than what they had expected. Fortunately the street led straight to one of the gates, and beyond able to see the soft lanterns on several ships.

Keona slowed down as he approached the gate, being extra cautious for the presence of anyone else. The gate was lit by torch, which meant it would be impossible to stay hidden in the darkness while passing through it. But they had come so far, there was no turning back now.

Stepping within the torchlight's range, Keona cautiously stepped into the gate.

"Where do... you think... you're going?" said a rough voice the moment Keona stepped through the gate. Off to the side of the gate was a small structure and from inside emerged one of the many reptilians that resided in the city.

Its' movements were slow and lethargic but the reptilian quickly blocked the path of the brothers. It was much taller than them, bulkier than them, and armed with a spear that it was using as a walking stick as well.

The intimidating presence made Keona and Leona feel as small as they really are. After all they are still just younglings.

"We're heading to our ship," Keona quickly thought to say. If he remembered anything valuable from his enslavement, that was to act, lie and be confident in doing so.

"Real..ly?" questioned the reptilian. The guard spoke slowly, matching his lethargic movements. It was obvious that it was tired and low on energy, but the brothers have seen reptilians sudden movements be impossible fast, even when they're tired. "You two look... more like thieves... or stowaways... hiding in cloaks."

Keona could sense his brother's insecurities getting the better of him, so he had to stay strong for him. He glanced back at his brother, only able to see slight features underneath his hood of his muzzle and the light reflecting in his eyes. Giving him and confident look, Keona turned back to the guard and pulled back his hood. Leona followed his example and also removed his hood.

Both were practically identical with only slight variations. Their short muzzle, golden fur, black spots and tear marks clearly identified them as cheetahs; identical twin brothers.

"We have nothing to hide," Keona lied confidently, staring up at the reptilian defiantly. In truth they had everything to hide; if their identity, or occupation was even suspected that then they would be captured and severely punished. "We are not thieves or stowaways."

"We're travellers, leaning the merchants' trade," Leona added. Keona was grateful that he was gaining confidence again. It was smart to say that we were learning something, gives them purpose to get through the docks.

Good thinking Leona!

The reptilian guard stared down at the twin brothers still suspicious. "Trade... this late?" questioned the guard in a mocking tone. The guard took a step back, taking a slightly more aggressive stance. "Late... no escort... You're lying."

"There you two are!" suddenly a new voice interjected.

Keona and Leona both felt the fur on their necks bristle. Who could have possibly recognized them?

From beyond the gate another individual stepped into the light of the torch. The brothers had rarely seen the species that stepped into the light, but they clearly identified her as an otter.

"Where have you two been?" she asked using an irritated tone. Keona was taken back and shocked by the accusation. What was she talking about?

The guard was giving her a suspicious look but didn't say anything.

"Uh," Keona stuttered. Is she mistaking us for someone else?

"Speak up cubs, you're speaking to your Captain," the otter spoke, stepping right up to the brothers. Keona was still confused. Now with her back to the guard she gave the brothers a softer look. "You do remember the name of my ship, right? Sibat Dulo is that ship right over there! How could you get lost?" She pointed at one of the sleeker vessels docked.

Oh!

"Sorry Captain!" Leona responded, also picking up on the hints the otter was giving us. "We... got lost."

"Your shore leave is revoked," she said, with a slight smile tugging on her muzzle. She was obvious satisfied that they finally picked up that she was trying to help them. "You are not to leave the ship again. I don't care what trading you want to learn. If you can't navigate a city, then you cannot leave my ship!"

"Wait..." the reptilian said interfering. It pushed itself between the otter and the brothers, staring down the self-proclaimed Captain. "These cubs... are your crew?... What are... their names?"

"I am Captain Wafiya Mika, daughter to Lalit Mika, Lord of Lontra," she growled defiantly. Keona and Leona did not miss that she was also informing them of her name in case it were necessary. "I do not have to identify my crew to a Savasian Enes guard."

"Cheetahs... are native... to Savasia," the guard replied, unfazed by the otter's defiance and title. The guard switched the spear to his other claw while it placed its right claw unearth is cloak, presumably on the hilt of a sword. "I do not... believe they're... your crew."

"Cheetahs were native to Savasia until the Enes occupied the city," Wafiya snapped. She was not going to back down either.

Keona and Leona remained quiet while they watched the intense exchange. The guard was certainly distrustful, and they could not deny that its instincts were not far off.

It was obvious that the reptilian was not content without her answering the question.

"The smaller one is named Sage and his brother is named Bay," confidently spoke Wafiya. The brothers knew she was making up those names but they did not betray that knowledge. "They're the sons of a trader named Chives, who paid for me to take them on this trip. If I don't deliver them back to him then I will make you personally responsible Enes."

The reptilian stared at the otter without moving a muscle. The cheetah brothers thought that at any moment one of them would make a move to try to cut down the other but instead they just stared. A gust of wind blew through the gate, causing for the torchlight to flicker.

"I will be including this... in my report," the guard declared before finally backing down.

The tension faded quickly but the otter signaled for the brothers to move through the gate now. They did not hesitate, and after a moment the otter followed them.

She did not say anything else and led them directly to the ship she had pointed at earlier. On the dock they passed other guards but these were easily identified as otters guarding the ship itself.

Climbing a plank onto the ship they were greeted by one of the otter sailors.

"Captain," he greeted her as they walked by. The sailor gave the brothers a concerning look but otherwise ignored them. "Any luck?"

"No," she replied shortly passing by the guards. "Where's my brother?"

"He and Sage are staying at an inn nearby," answered the sailor. "Munis is with them."

"Nin must have wanted to be alone with Sage," Wafiya muttered. "I want them back on this ship before the sun rises. It's getting too dangerous for us to stay here."

"Yes sir!"

"Follow me," the Captain ordered the brothers. They obliged and she led them directly through a door leading to a large room. It was dark inside but the otter lit some lanterns and had the brothers sit at the table in the middle of the room.

"What were you two doing out in the middle of the night in Savasia?" she asked directly as she took a seat at the table too.

Keona wasn't sure if he should answer honestly. He glanced at his brother, and his expression betrayed that he was sharing the same thoughts.

"Do not worry, I already risked my tail for you two so you can answer honestly," the otter said, as if she read their minds.

Leona's expression changed slightly but enough that Keona knew he was okay with answering truthfully.

"We escaped," Keona answered, turning back to the otter. "We wanted to take a ship to another city. We heard about the cities where the Enes don't control."

"Escaped from what?"

"A..." Keona was about to answer but was hesitant on revealing the identity of the brothers. It was his hope that leaving their enslavement behind would include leaving their past behind too. Besides something did not feel right with this otter.

"We have been slaves all our lives," Leona answered instead. He must trust the otter in order to be confident enough to reveal the truth. "We were forced to work in a brothel. We never been outside of it until tonight."

"Why'd you risk yourself for us?" asked Keona the question that bothered him directly to the otter.

She focused her attention on Keona and glared at him for a second before she softened her gaze. "Your line of work probably did not allow you to encounter many non-Enes so you probably don't know what its like to live among the mammalian species. Generally the reptilians have targeted us, so in a way we all have a common enemy. I have heard the rumors from Savasia and the occupied cities. If you two were caught when I could have helped then I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself."

"How'd you find us then?" Keona questioned still curious to know the otter's intentions.

"You shared your secret with me so I'll share mine with you," Wafiya replied. She closed her eyes briefly then smiled slightly before answering. "We are hunting down a pirating ship that attacked one of our trading vessels. We believe its captain is Vaiko, an Admiral, a leader of the fanatical militarized group called the Talons."

"We've met the Talons," Keona muttered, clenching his jaw to suppress a growl at hearing the name. He knew the Talons because of the two that they met during their enslavement who boasted about how they could do anything they wanted, and they were the reason for Leona insecurity.

"You haven't met Vaiko, have you?" Waifya asked.

"No, neither of them were named Vaiko," Keona answered. He remembered two Talons' names. He'd never forget their names.

"Very well," Wafiya said seeing Keona's hateful reaction at the mention of the Talons. "You can stay on this ship and once we reach Lontra then you can go from there. Out of curiosity, what do you plan to do then?"

"Our..." Keona stuttered at the thought of saying the next word sounded too demeaning to him. He tried to think of another word but couldn't think of anything. With a growl, he continued, "...owner mentioned that it was a 'shame' our sister got away too. We're going to look for her and our mother."

"Noble goal," Wafiya said. "You can rest here. This ship is well guarded so you don't need to worry. I'll assign you two work tomorrow. I hope you two don't mind cooking."

Keona and Leona shook their head. Wafiya stood up from the table and directed the brothers to a small covered bench on the side of the room and informed them they could sleep there for the night.

The brothers didn't complain and climbed on the bench and were snuggled close to each other as when they slept throughout their enslavement. It did not take them long to drift off to sleep because of the exhaustive night they had before.

---

"...fiiiya..."

The voice was distant at first and just enough to pull both Keona and Leona from their slumber. The next shout woke them fully.

"FIIYA!!"

A crash suddenly came through the room's door, and a panicked otter hurried over to the bed where a sleepy Captain was still waking.

"Your brother!" the sailor panted out.

"Nin?!" Wafiya questioned, fully alert now. "What about him?!"

"The Talons," panted the sailor. "They took him and Sage... To the town square. Munis is dead."

Both brothers remained silent sitting up on the bench in the corner, but even from there they felt a sudden spike of tension coming from the Captain. Her fur bristled instantly.

"They wouldn't dare!" she screamed so high her voice broke. She jumped up from her bed and hurried to her wardrobe, pulling out armor and a bow.

"Pelagio!" Wafiya screamed, having sloppily dressed herself in her armor. She was hurrying to the entrance of her room as another otter burst through, the same one that she spoke with the night before. "Arm every member of the crew! Take down any Talon that comes within fifty meters of this ship! Meet me in the town square with your squadron. We're getting my brother back."

The last sentence dripped with venom. She pushed by the other otter and left the room with both the sailor and Pelagio in tow.

The brothers glanced at each other confused and worried. They didn't know what was going on but the mention of the Talons left a horrible taste in their muzzles.

With a simple look they both agreed to find out what was happening and got up from the bench. They exited the room and realized that the sun had barely broke over the horizon.

More sailors than either brother thought to be on the ship werepouring from the lower decks, each armed with a bow or spear as the majority of them went for the dock. Nearly all the otters left the ship and headed toward Savasia, leaving only half a dozen behind.

Keona and Leona stayed on the deck of the ship looking over the edge. From over the walls guarding the docks, they could hear the slight roar of a crowd.

"What happened?" one of the sailors asked another standing near the plank that connected the ship with the dock.

"The Talons took Nin and Sage," the other replied, his voice sounding slightly strained due to the tension. "They killed Munis."

"They killed him?!" the other sounding shocked and hurt. He must have known Munis. "Why? How!? Munis is one of the best fighters on this ship!"

"I don't know!" the other snapped back. Every sailor on board was on edge. "Pay attention! We're to subdue any Talon that approaches the ship."

The brothers stayed on the ship, still trying to understand what was happening. The roar of the crowd was growing louder and more threatening.

"They have gone too far this time! Kidnapping the son of Lord Mika!" an otter couldn't help but to vent.

Several minutes went by with the tension on the ship not fading. The cheetah brothers remained silent as they waited to see what would happen.

"I cannot stand waiting around like this!" another otter yelled obviously irritated. "What is going on over there? Where is the Captain?!"

It felt like an hour but must have only been fifteen minutes has gone by before the sound of the crowd changed. It grew increasingly violent and angry. Everyone on the ship felt the tension rising as something horrible was happening. A wave suddenly rolled over the walls of the docks and the crowd had burst out screaming. Among them enraged voices were two distinct cries piercing through the air.

A sinking sensation overtook the two cheetah brothers. Something terrible has happened, and they knew the crowd was reacting to whatever that was.

Several minutes went by with each sailor on board the ship silenced by the tone of the distant crowd.

"Smoke," Leona muttered as he was staring toward the city with Keona.

Smoke was indeed rising over the city, and not the standard fire as the column was thick and black. Several more columns seemed to be starting all at various points throughout the city.

"Savasia is rioting," the brothers overheard a sailor.

Watching the horizon over the docks' gates, it was now obvious that the city was catching fire itself. The noise of the crowd did not die down but instead spread over the city being slightly more dispersed.

From the docks several of the otters that had left earlier were returning.

"Prepare the ship for departure," one shouted, climbing up the plank to board the ship. "We're leaving!"

"What happened? What's going on?" several of the sailors asked.

"Do as your told!"

Without another word the otters started to move around the ship, several of them climbing up toward the sails.

Keona noticed more of the otters returning, much more slowly as they were escorting the Captain. He instantly noticed the Captain holding an otter in her arms and both were covered in blood.

Watching as the otters returned and climb the plank, the brothers saw the expression of the Captain. It was the coldest expression they have ever seen. Her eyes burned with fire, anger and hatred. Her cheeks were soaked with tears, and her fur was still bristled.

The otter in his arms looked younger than any sailor on the ship, and shared similar features with the Captain. The blood covering them originated from his neck wound. Keona knew without a doubt that was her brother, Nin, and that he was dead.

"Nin?!" one of the otters from above shouted. "What did they do!? How... How could they?!" No one bother to answer him.

Her eyes did not even twitch at anyone as she moved straight to her room.

Among the other otters came up someone they hadn't seen before, a fox with grey fur and looked to be around the same age as Nin. The otter named Pelagio was escorting him. The fox was void of any expression, similar to the Captain, but instead of anger he had only despair.

The fox was sat down on the corner of the ship where he didn't move while Pelagio turned back to the crew.

"Get this ship moving now!" he ordered, glancing at the crew, most of which were frozen in shock.

The cheetah twins didn't move from their spot and stayed out of the way while the otters ran around the ship preparing it to move. Leona occasionally glanced at the fox that was brought on board, but there was never any change with him.

Nearly an hour passed before the ship started to move and was turned toward the sea. The wind picked up the sails and helped carry them away from the docks of Savasia.

The fox hadn't moved an inch but something changed with him. Leona again glanced at him and noticed that his fur was slowly bristling. His movements were slow as he stood up and toward over the edge of the ship, facing back toward Savasia.

Bloodlust streamed from the fox as his facial expression changed. His lips curled baring his teeth, his ears flattened and all the fur on his body was raised. He was facing the other direction, but his eyes would have shown nothing but the intent to kill.

Taking a deep breath the fox screamed suddenly.

"VAIKO!! I WILL KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME? I'M COMING BACK FOR YOU! I'LL KILL EVERY TALON UNTIL I FIND YOU! I WILL KILL YOU, VAAIKO!!!"

The crew was staring at the fox, his claws gripping the edge of the rail so tightly one claw was ripped out.

"Sage," came the Captain's voice. She had finally returned from her room, after hearing the fox's cry. The fox didn't turn around until the Captain place a paw gently on his shoulder. He lost his strength and broke down, sobbing and hugging Wafiya. "Go see him and rest."

With that the fox nodded weakly and headed into the Captains room.

"Pelagio," the Captain turned toward her first mate. "Crew of Sibat Dulo!" Her voice rose as she addressed the whole crew. "The Talons have gone too far! They have assassinated and destroyed the Leakhos faction. They have pirated our ships from Savasia to Sirmiq! They've poisoned the Capital with their influence. And now! NOW THEY'VE KILLED MY BROTHER!"

Wafiya visibly shook at the mention of her brother, and tears were leaking from her eyes.

"All--" her voice broke but she quickly regained her composure. "All because he was in love with Sage! The Talons want to control our lives, to tell us who we can and cannot love, who we can and cannot be, who we must worship! If we don't follow their rules then they will not hesitate to kill us! NO MORE!"

"As of this moment, we are at war! We are returning to Lontra and the Enes will be subdued. Any that resist with be dealt with by lethal force!"