FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Yeah, didn't see that coming last week did ya. Well, you weren't supposed to, thats the whole point of surprises. It left a lot of unanswered questions that we'll get to now.

It took thirty seven stitches to close the deeper scratches on Jeremy's body. The fang punctures and associated tearing required twenty eight more stitches. He also had a few bruised ribs thanks to the otter. He'd collected assorted strains thanks to wrestling with the jaguar gone feral. The doctor that had sewn up his arm and body wanted to keep him overnight but Jeremy wanted out.

He lay in a hospital bed rubbing lightly on the wrapping on his arm silently urging the pain killers to take effect. His arm was still numb from a local anesthetic the doctor had given him before starting in on repairing the damage. Jeremy eventually settled back in the bed feeling the medication start to ease the pain throughout the rest of his body.

The aftermath of the fight was a blur. The academy's limited security had arrived perhaps a minute after it was over. They'd made sure none of those involved left the scene until the police arrived but otherwise they'd been useless. Jeremy, along with Candy, the still un-named jaguar and a few others with lesser injuries were transported to the hospital in separate vehicles. The police had taken everyone else from the school grounds to sort out their stories at the station.

Jeremy looked to the door as it opened with a knock. Zane stepped into the room accompanied by Alex.

"Sirs, I'm sorry I failed, I should have been-" Jeremy started explaining trying to sit up.

"Nonsense." Alex said, crossing the distance and putting a restraining paw on his chest, stopping him.

Zane remarked "From what we understand so far, you couldn't have avoided that confrontation. They were laying in wait for you, in case you hadn't figured that out."

"No. I hadn't." Jeremy admitted.

"No, because you're still too emotional right now." Alex said.

"Tell us what happened." Zane ordered.

Jeremy started from the beginning, even telling of Candy's use of pheromones to control her entourage. When he was done the two dominants were silent for several seconds.

Alex broke the silence. "You two are lucky only one of her pack turned feral."

Zane said. "It's my fault, really. I didn't think to warn you, but it hasn't been an issue for decades."

"Wait, are you saying the jaguar going feral was because of us projecting pheromones?"

"We only teach the technique to those in mentorship, so I had no reason to think you'd have to face anyone like Candy."

Jeremy looked at the two and asked "And how the fuck can she know something I only learned recently? Who's teaching her, and allowing her to start organizing a pack of predators right under your muzzles?"

"She's a rogue." Alex said softly.

Zane corrected "She soon will have been a rouge. The fact that she didn't get the chance to hear the warning I gave you matters little now. She'll be dealt with."

"Shit, great. Thanks for more guilt to deal with. One feral and a neutered dominant to add to the tally." Jeremy knew he was saying too much but he couldn't stop. "I should buy a trophy case the way I'm going." Maybe it was the painkillers that was doing it. "Then I can put all my collectibles in one place."

"Stop." Alex ordered.

Jeremy coughed at the sensation of his next words catching in his throat. Alex had used his command voice on him. Jeremy was as shocked at the affect as the fact he'd used the voice on him.

Zane tried to be soothing by saying. "We'll come back tomorrow, when you're not so overwrought."

Alex asked "I needn't remind you not to tell the authorities anything they shouldn't know about dominant abilities, yes?"

Jeremy nodded to Alex, and looking at Zane felt compelled to nod again. He could sense the pheromones from one of them in the air. Or perhaps both of them. If they were both in agreement there wouldn't be any dangerous consequences, like him going feral and eating them. They left quietly before he could clear his throat enough to ask.

He'd been left alone in the room for nearly two hours when the door opened again with a knock. Waking with a start at the sound he looked around disoriented for a second. He watched as a technician drew another sample of his blood and left without a word. He barely felt the bed he rested in. His head felt like it was floating somewhere inches above his body. He just didn't have the ambition to look down to check. From the spinning sensation it felt as though he was tethered to himself by the thinnest of threads. His wait resumed as he closed his eyes to the madly tilting room.

He woke to another knock on the door and looked up to see a jackal and ferret walk into the room. The jackal set a large clear plastic bag on the chair at the far side of the room. The ferret stepped to the side of the bed Jeremy lay in and began "Mister Dawn, I'm Detective Frick, and my partner here is Detective Jensen. We only have a few questions if you feel up to answering them."

Jeremy pushed himself up as the detective spoke. His activity caused his bitten arm to begin throbbing again. It also cleared his head from the muddle of the painkillers. He answered "Certainly. I'm able to answer whatever you need." He was glad he hadn't slurred his speech. The pain he'd caused himself was already back to a dull throb that accompanied his heartbeat.

Detective Jensen stated "First off Mister Dawn, we're certain you'll face no charges. Your actions were recorded by several of the students in attendance almost from the start of the encounter. We only need to get a statement from you how it started."

Jeremy explained his side of the encounter, leaving out the dominant ability to project their pheromones. Both detectives let him speak uninterrupted, only taking an occasional note.

When he finished the ferret said "That confirms everything we've gathered to this point." He looked to his partner for a second and continued in a more cheerful note. "The doctor told us you'll make a full recovery with very little visible scaring."

Jeremy lifted his arm glancing at it and said "Yeah, I think I got really lucky." Settling his arm back at his side he looked at Detective Frick and asked "What's going to happen to the jaguar? Has he come out of it yet?"

He shook his head and answered "His name was Samuel Addleson. The doctors say the adrenaline and endorphin levels in his blood aren't coming down, so his chances of returning to normal aren't looking good."

Jeremy shivered. It was rare for anyone to go feral, and less than a fifty fifty chance for them to come out of the blood rage mind-state once they did. There were horror stories of larger carnivores going feral and slaughtering dozens before finally being put down. There was still no way to tell in advance if a person had the tendency. He was exceptionally lucky to only receive a few bite marks from the jaguar.

Jensen put an paw on his good arm and said "For what its worth Mister Dawn, you handled yourself remarkably well. The videos show how composed you were even at the end."

Jeremy nodded still looking down at the sheets covering his belly. With a sigh he looked up and asked "What about Candy?"

The jackal grimaced. "She got off with a shattered kneecap and fractured femur. They say considering her weight, she's likely to be in a wheelchair for at least two months. Crutches for far longer."

Jeremy looked at both detectives, they'd clearly misinterpreted his question so he added "Okay. Is she going to be charged with anything?"

Frick answered. "To be brutally honest Mister Dawn, with her status as a dominant alpha it would be rather difficult to make anything stick. At best we could only charge her for assault against you, even then considering the actions that preceded her attempt it's not likely any jury would convict."

"I hate to say it but we've seen it before." Detective Jensen added for his partner.

Jeremy sighed. "Her status as a dominant." he repeated. "Just as my status as a dominant is helping me?"

The jackal snorted "In this instance, you don't need the help of your status."

Frick said "By the way, just so you're prepared, the video of the fight has been online for a few hours now."

Jeremy looked between them and asked "So? Videos get posted all the time."

"Not videos of a young dominant taking on eight larger attackers and coming out on top." Jensen actually smiled a bit. "When you see it you'll understand how impressive that is."

Jeremy nodded looking down at his belly again. "Thanks for the warning." He was tempted to project them from the room.

After a few seconds of silence detective Frick said "Well, if there's nothing else, we'll let you get some rest."

His partner nodded as he stepped away from the bed.

Jeremy looked at detective Frick and held his arm out. "Thank you for your time Detectives."

The ferret's eyebrows were raised at the offered paw. Stepping back to the bedside he took Jeremy's arm in the gesture of equals, a smile on his face. Jeremy turned and offered his paw to Detective Jensen as well. The jackal took his arm with a wide grin on his face. When done Jeremy added "I appreciate your efforts, Detectives. If there's anything else you need from me at anytime, please feel free to ask."

"Thank you, Mister Dawn." Jensen said.

"I appreciate it, Sir." from Frick.

With one final nod to Jeremy's they left the room. He looked at the plastic bag for a few seconds before climbing out of bed. His arm protested but only slightly, he was learning to be more careful with it. He pulled off he hospital garment and opened the large plastic bag that Jensen had set on the chair. Pulling his shirt from the bag he saw it was torn to shreds and covered in blood.

"Shit." Holding up his shirt Jeremy could see bands of light through it in more than a dozen spots.

"I really liked this shirt." he said to himself, slightly mourning his loss. His shorts were in better shape. His slipped them on and decided to go shirtless until he was home. His backpack was damaged much the same way as his shirt but still looked useable. His belongings in the backpack were undamaged. Gathering the rest of his effects Jeremy left the gown and plastic bag with his torn and bloodied shirt in it on the bed and left the room.

Jeremy wandered for a bit getting his bearings and after getting directions found where he could check out. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his care was being paid for by the academy. The fight had happened on school property despite the presence of security. Their insurance had already stepped in in an effort to prevent any lawsuits. He left the administrative offices to see both his parents in the waiting room.

His father stood and looked at him as he walked toward them. The concern on his face melting away to be replace with pride. His mother stared at the stark white bandage that covered his entire forearm. The tears came and wouldn't stop until after they left the hospital. They shared a hug that Jeremy guessed must have lasted more than half a minute. For all his recent thoughts of his parents being out of their depth he realized how much he appreciated everything they'd done as he was being hugged by them.

On the way home his mother alternated between chatting and the occasional sobs that preceded the bouts of tears. It had turned out that by the time the police were done interviewing Jeremy visiting hours were over. They'd waited anyway. Back home Jeremy soon begged to be allowed to go to sleep. The dose of painkillers he'd taken on getting back home were making him feel more than a little loopy. The last time he looked at the clock before sleep took him it was almost three in the morning.

* * * *

Sorry, its been a long week the result of which is I got nothing for this section. It might actually be a few weeks before I have a bit more time to work on this. Fortunately I'm far enough ahead that I can stay on schedule. However, if there are any questions about anything please ask.