FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

... "Oh, come on! Stop running, I'm tired..." said the hooded figure as she hopped from rooftop to rooftop. A man was frantically running on the ground, looking up in horror a few times to see that he was being hunted. The hooded woman had a silver Winchester slung across her back, and twin silver revolvers on her waist. The buildings looked as though they belonged in the old wild west. Music was playing, but it sounded like a modern band. The hooded woman did not draw her guns, but instead was able to keep up with her target. Unfortunately for her, the buildings were about to come to an end. She noticed this already, and from the way she was smiling, it was as though she knew this before she climbed onto the buildings. She quickly reached down into her boot and pulled out a thin and narrow knife as she hunched over more to gain speed. On the last building, she leaped off and landed right on top of the man with her knife sinking into his skull.

There was a snap, and the hooded woman lifted up the knife handle, without the blade, "Damn. Guess this isn't gonna look good on my record. But I can't help it, I gotta deal with this hard sand and rocks, they get soil. This sucks. At least the pay on this one is good." She got up and simply walked away. A filthy tail waved under her tight shirt as what appeared to be a Native American woman walked up to her and hugged her....

Taffy woke up in her bed with a gasp. She had been having a lot of dreams like this recently, all that involved this hooded woman and murders. She felt her forehead, and she was trembling. It all seemed so real, as though it was her. But that was impossible. As her mother had told her many times before, it's just a nightmare. She also said to stop eating late at night, but that didn't mean much to Taffy, who didn't eat past seven. She was wearing her usual pajamas and her great grandmother's necklace. It had a platinum chain, and a large smooth sapphire encased in thin strips of platinum in an odd pattern. Luckily, it was morning. Sometimes she would wake up a few hours after she fell asleep and just couldn't rest.

She slowly stumbled out of her room and down the stairs, rubbing her eyes, "Hey mom. Good morning." There was no reply, "Hello?" she looked around through tired eyes, but noticed that her mom was gone. There was a note on the kitchen counter that said that she had left to go shopping, "She could have woke me up. I want to go shopping too." She walked over to the living room and sat down, but as usual, her eyes were fixated on the strange wooden ottoman with the unique carvings. It belonged to her great grandmother, but no one was really sure why she had it. It was heavy, awkward, and very uncomfortable. However, it was one of the few things that reminded the family of her existence after she disappeared. Taffy was curious because it was too plain to be nothing. Her mother always said that it was natural feline curiosity, but she didn't buy it.

"Hmm... this hole... it kinda looks... like my necklace! How did I not see this before?!" Taffy quickly took off her necklace and gently inserted it into the small hole. It fit like a glove, and there was a click. What once appeared to be a solid wood block now had a lid. She removed the necklace and slowly opened the lid. Inside, perfectly packed and preserved, were things that she only saw in her dreams. A silver Winchester, twin silver revolvers, a hood, some clothing, a thick knife, a pouch with a sling, a gun belt, gold pieces, a solid steel box, and a lot of ammunition. Taffy pulled everything out and although it was old, it smelled clean. Under everything was a note, written on old parchment:

"Hello, my great granddaughter. Yes, I know it's gonna be you who finds this, call it a gut feeling. Now, I assume you've been having dreams about me. Don't worry about them, it isn't anything bad... I think. I had them about my great grandmother too before I opened her chest. Everything in here is a family heirloom of sorts, but I don't want you to be putting it on a fireplace or a wall or something like that. This is to be used, for you have to find them. They might be more popular in your time, so it won't be as hard, but be careful. There's gonna be lots of people after this stuff, so hold it close. You're gonna look for a young man, probably your age, he's the leader. I'll bet you're wondering how I know that. Well, let's just say some things just run in the family. You, for example, will have a girl. He will have a boy. Just simple incredibly complicated scientific mumbo jumbo. Remember, you need to find a way in. I know you have it in you. Do not be afraid of what is to come, for when it is your time, you will die. But never before then. Your faith in your family will be your strength, your courage, and your wealth. Now seek them out, and carry on our true legacy. Signed: Chelsea."

"Who are these people? My great grandmother and... who? Why has it taken me this long to find out how to do this, it just doesn't make sense. Wait... on the news the other day..." Taffy stood up and rushed over to a computer. She went to a news site and tried as hard as she could to find something. Suddenly, she found exactly what she was looking for, "Here. It's a... cult? In a large walled compound. There aren't any doors, yet they are still seen across the world, and trade their goods like normal. There was a big story about this, how there were rumors of murders caused by them, and the sexual abuse of minors. I guess they had to think of something, otherwise they wouldn't be news. Hm... they all wear a... a brown hood. Like the one I found. THESE are the people I'm supposed to be looking for?!"

Taffy hopped out of the chair, but hesitated. Instead of fearing the new information, she was actually more curious, "Wait, none of this seems real. This is all a dream. Yeah, that's it! A dream! That's the only way any of this is making sense." Taffy sighed in relief, then went back to look at all of the items. Just as she was about to everything back in the box, but the lid snapped shut and the strange hole vanished. It was replaced by a different hole, one that resembled a very long keyhole. Taffy made a split-second decision and took everything up to her room and crammed them under her bed, "Alright... I need to wake up... now! Okay, now! Come on, wake up! Maybe if I lay back down..." Taffy fell on her bed and pulled her covers over her head before realizing that she was very tired. In a matter of seconds, she fell asleep.

"Hello? Are you still sleeping Taffy?!" her mom was standing over her bed with her hands on her hips. She was clearly angry, "Come on! It's past noon! How do you expect to get a job if you can't even wake up?"

Taffy smiled weakly, "It was just a... cat nap?" Her mom was not happy, "Sorry, I just had some weird dreams, and couldn't wake up. I won't let it happen again." Taffy flipped the blanket off of her body and hopped out of her bed. She rubbed her ears a little, then wobbled up to her feet. She felt something soft, like a shirt, which was odd since she was a clean freak. She looked down, and saw part of the brown hood. Taffy shivered and tried everything she could to forget about everything she had thought she had dreamed about. For one, if anyone found out she had guns, she would be thrown in jail. Only police, military, and those with very special permits could own any firearms, and she had three under her bed. Another reason is that she wanted to know more, but her mother would never let her. Taffy squealed as quietly as she could because of what she hoped hadn't happened.

For a second, she saw a shadow in the window, but when she went to investigate, nothing was there. "Huh, maybe everything has just gone to my head. Yeah, that must be it. It's all in my head. None of it is real." Taffy spent the next ten minutes trying to convince herself that everything was fine, but it was easier said then done. She decided that she needed a shower, and that the warm water would relax her, as it usually did. Taffy calmly walked into the bathroom, and turned on the water. For most felines, this would be terrifying. Even her mom had to struggle to shower, as cleaning oneself was not considered good public behavior. Taffy, however, has an affinity for the water, and as such never held any fear of it.

As she stepped into the stream of water, she thought she had heard something outside, but there weren't any trees or windows, so Taffy ignored it. Downstairs, the doorbell rang. When she heard the door opened, she leaned her head out of the water to hear more. Her mother was the first to speak, "Excuse me, can I help you with something?"

There was a gruff male voice, "Yes, are you the granddaughter of a feline named Chelsea? Do not deny this, as we know it is true."

"But... I don't even know anything about my grandmother, not even her name. My mother didn't even know anything. All she knew was that she was a feline, and was later adopted. So, sorry I can't be more help to you gentlemen, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave." There was a few seconds of silence, then the door shut. Taffy finished up her shower quickly and got dressed. She walked down the staircase, her fur still slightly wet, and looked around for her mother. When she reached the bottom, she looked into the living room and there were two large humans, with a red half-cape covering their left arms, and strange red and black clothing. There were silver badges on their chests, but they weren't the police. Taffy's mother was lying on the ground with blood coming out of her mouth and a panicked look on her face.

"You! Identify yourself!" One of the men pointed an automatic rifle at her, and Taffy froze. Suddenly, the window burst inwards and a skinny male wearing tight tan shirt, dark drown pants, and a brown hood tackled both men to the floor.

"Run!" he yelled, and Taffy saw that he was a wolf. She wasn't thinking, so she grabbed her mother as the wolf pulled out a small sword and attacked the men who were trying to get up. Taffy did her best to hold up her mother, but she wasn't strong enough and her mother was too injured to walk under her own power. Her room was the safest place, since it was at the end of the hall and upstairs. The front door was kicked in and three more men with the red capes ran in, assault rifles at the ready. One was a wolf, one a lizard, and the other a bear, "Shit!" the hooded wolf tackled into them, killed one and taking another to the ground. The one left standing opened fire, and Taffy was convinced that the wolf was no more. However, this bought her time to reach her room.

She put her mother behind the bed and held her head up, "Mom! Mom, are you okay? Can you hear me? Who are they?" Her mother had lost a lot of blood, and was unconscious. She had a bullet wound in her stomach. Taffy had to think fast, and remembered the guns under her bed. She pulled out the two silver revolvers, and noticed that they were loaded. She pulled back on the hammers, but they put up a lot of resistance. Taffy was sure that this was because of their age. Eventually, they clicked into place and were ready to fire. She hopped behind the bed next to her mother and aimed both guns at the door. They were very light, and although she had never held a gun in her hands before today, it felt right, "Don't worry, mom. I won't let them hurt you any more." Taffy reinforced her resolve and waited for the inevitable.

There was a knock on the door, "True daughter of Chelsea, we request your presence. Our leader would like an audience with you, so if you would drop all weapons and open the door, we promise that we will not harm any resident of this home any further. Taffy didn't buy it. They would kill her mother, and probably her as well. She steadied her hands and tried to aim at their chest level. The door slowly opened and the men pointed their guns at Taffy, who froze once again. She wasn't a killer, and could never be one. She shook as the two men fell to the ground. Behind them stood a human male wearing the same clothing as the wolf.

"Pathetic. Susuka can do better than this. Of course, she wasn't here... where are my manners, bloodying up your floor like that. Stand up, kid. We have some traveling to do." He leaned his head and saw her mother, bloody and clearly on her last legs. He walked over to her, but Taffy put both guns in his chest. He brushed them away as though they were nothing and kneeled down in front of Taffy's mother.

"I... I did the best I could... Master. The rest... the rest is in your... hands." The man lowered his head, pulled out a knife, then spoke in another language. He then pierced her heart. She let out a small gasp of pain, but ended up smiling.

"You killed my mom!!!" Taffy pointed the guns at him, tried to pull the triggers, but found herself mysteriously lying on the floor with the revolvers just out of reach. All she could remember was blinking.

"She was not your mother, only a guardian from the Lilith. She was sent by both your real mother and my father. They aren't in a relationship, don't worry about that. You have been kept here for your safety, but apparently the Tanek have somehow figured it out. You must gather your family's belongings and meet me at the front door. I will send someone later for your other belongings. Are you clear?" He spoke in a calm voice, despite having just killed two men.

"What the fuck is going on?!"

He sighed, "Do what I said and you will learn everything, from your family's true past to what you are a part of." He walked away before Taffy could ask any more questions. He was obviously important. Se picked up the two revolvers and noticed the hammers were back in their original position. She pulled out everything from under her bed, and grabbed a large duffel bag from her closet. She put her great grandmother's belongings in first, then a few treasured items, and finally some clothes. It was heavy, but not unmanageable. She walked down the stairs and saw the man crouching over the wolf. He was apparently giving him his last rights. He then walked up to her, "Are you ready? For you will not return to this place for a long time." Taffy nodded, still shaken from what had just occurred.

As they walked outside, there were five more of the Tanek, with red half-capes and gold badges. The hooded human did not pause, even though Taffy did, "Hey! They're gonna kill us!"

He continued to walk, "If any of you value your lives, or at least the life of your princess, flee from this area."

The group laughed, "You wouldn't dare touch her, besides, we're some of the high ranking soldiers, we know about your past with our sovereign. Give up Chelsea's blood and we'll leave in peace."

Taffy leaned forward, and whispered to the human, "Am I the princess?"

"No, but since the Lilith said you were important, here I am. Keep your mouth shut and let me do my thing." He took another step forward as the Tanek raised their weapons. The hooded man sighed, Always with the unnecessary violence. Fine, I suppose I'll have to leave a present for Susuka. Farewell."

Taffy blinked, and the next thing she saw was the hooded man ripping off one of the Tanek's arms. He then proceeded to beat the others to death with that arm. It was a gruesome sight, but Taffy couldn't turn away. When the last of the Tanek fell, unable to fire a single shot, the hooded man gestured for her to follow. Taffy did, but this time it was more than plain curiosity, this was pure fear. This man was just as likely to kill her as to lead her to safety, "What's your name?"

"You can call me Master. All of the other apprentices do."