FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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CHAPTER 18

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Not wanting to fall too far behind the rest of the group, I took the same approach that the cheetah and gazelle had taken. Running full speed down the steep slope. They reached the bottom before me they had a few seconds head start on me, but I wasn't worried. Both of them had run into the side of the lodge, which was just a couple of yards away from the bottom of the slope. They didn't allow the impact to slow them down, they pushed themselves off the building wall and took off down the street. The Zangarians glided into the street, cutting off the cheetah and gazelles path by landing in front of them. The fox leapt from the shield, rolled through the momentum and took off after them; right on their tails!

As I approached the bottom of the slope I leapt, rolled through the landing and them ran along the wall of the lodge, using the momentum to carry me along the wall rather than right into it; rather than crash against like the gazelle and cheetah. After my third stride along the wall, most of my momentum now gone, I flipped over onto my foot-paws and took off after the rest of the pack. The bulls and the stallion were just behind me having used the path all the way to the bottom.

Not wanting to lose, and lose face to my 'students', I pressed onwards. I used a small amount of nen and channelled it to my legs to give me a speed boost. As I did this I extended the length of my stride and took off at speed into the middle of the pack of furs ahead of me. There was too many bodies to try and navigate around, so instead I moved to the edge of the street, used a wooden crate to leap off of to gain the height I needed to jump onto the top of a stone wall which surrounded the garden of one of the larger houses in town and then leapt to the next wall and then leapt onto the roof of the house. I took a quick moment to ensure I had footing on the slick tiles that covered the roof before running full speed over the house and then leaping to the ground before.

I rolled through the landing and sprinted round the corner, now ahead of the rest of the group much their surprise. I looked over my shoulder and smiled, amused at their looks of astonishment. I was challenging them to keep up with me. The Zangarians seemed too surprised by my sudden lead that the gazelle, cheetah and fox seized the opportunity to run around the pack as the street widened.

There were some curses shouted and I felt several of the Zangarians draw on their nen in order to catch up. The three were Loire, Mantou and one of the locals. They were finally starting to go all out, but we were already halfway across town. This was where the fastest and smartest of the group would show me what they were capable of.

The only ones who were able to keep up with me at my current pace was the cheetah, the fox, the gazelle and three of the Zangarians who were using nen in order to boost their speed as I had done, in order to be able to jump onto the roof of the house. Ahead of us there was a corner. We were running along the edge of town, one row of houses separated us from the outer wall, and it was here that the wall cut inwards before curving to meet with the gate. I ran along the length of the wall, gaining two feet of height with each stride, and on the third stride, just as I began to lose momentum I pushed off the wall with as much force as I could muster from my right leg and up onto the roof of the building that formed the corner.

I paused atop the roof to see who, if anyone, would attempt to follow me. The cheetah did as I did, only just managing to land his left foot-paw on the roof. He lunged forwards and dug his claws into the hard tiles, managing to stop himself from falling. The fox tried a different approach. He tried to run up the wall directly, but only just managed to grab the edge of the roof. He strained to pull himself up and just before he managed to get his elbow over the edge his foot-paw slipped and he began to fall. I lunged out and grabbed his wrist in time. He hung there for a moment, breathing hard as I pulled him up. The others did not try and follow, instead continued to follow the streets towards the target destination.

"Not bad. Now try and keep up!" I said, beginning the roof-top run.

The pair managed to keep pace with me as we leapt roof top to roof top, showing no fear from the numerous potential falls as we leapt over the gaps. The rest of the race participants could not keep up with us as they had to go around the buildings. When we came to the last roof top I sprinted towards the edge and leapt towards the nearby tree, grabbing the branch, swung my legs up and somersaulted to the ground. I landed in a crouch and looked over my shoulder at the cheetah and the fox who had come to a full stop at the edge of the roof-top. They would not attempt to descend the way I had.

I jogged the rest of the way to the gate at a comfortable pace and waited for the others. Less than a minute later the cheetah and the fox sprinted towards the gate and skid to a stop in front of me, breathless and exhausted from the intensity of the race. The warriors guarding the area looked on in mild curiosity. A few seconds later the rest of the group appeared, all of them sprinting toward the gate. There was not much in the race. In the final stretch the two bulls and the stallion managed to pull alongside the three Zangarians who weren't, or couldn't, use nen to boost their speed as the others did.

"Beat you!" The stallion chuckled at the bulls.

"Fuck off! No way I was last!"

"We came ahead of all of you!" One of the Zangarians butted in.

The situation was about to get aggressive. Loire and Mantou were doing their best to try and hold everyone back but there were too many for them to handle. I needed to put a stop to it now, before a brawl broke out between them. I was tempted to let them go at it, to get a glimpse at what they were capable of in a fight, but that wouldn't be responsible of me as their trainer. I placed two fingers into my maw and whistled loudly, causing those next to me to cover their ears in discomfort. It was enough to get their attention.

"What are you all doing?" I asked.

"But you said..." One of the Zangarians trailed off.

"That the fur who came last would demonstrate the next exercise to the group." I grinned.

"Yeah..." The stallion nodded.

I just stared at them, hoping that they would realise their mistake. The fox was the first one to realise and took off at speed, followed closely by the cheetah, the gazelle, Loire and Mantou. After a few seconds I realised I was going to have to clue the rest of them in, given the confused expressions on their muzzles.

"The race was to the gate and the back again." I smirked.

The realisation dawning over the nine remaining furs standing before me was rather amusing. With the head start the rest of the group now had the true race was between these nine furs. They turned and scrambled back towards the training grounds. I chuckled in amusement and ran after them. I didn't try to get ahead of them, as the position I was in allowed me an excellent view of how they acted under the pressure.

The local Zangarian who could use their nen took a slight lead thanks to their increased leg strength. But one mistake on their part and they could end up in last place. They didn't try any dirty tricks in order to take the lead, possibly because I was watching them. All of them decided to try and scramble up the steep grassy slope. From the bottom I could see the rest of the group reach the top as the rest of them began their climb.

It was a tough climb. It would be difficult climb at the best of times, but when you were trying to rush as they were, the one who could keep their composure would have the advantage. They were slipping and falling constantly, unable to find a proper grip with their foot-paws and hooves. It was a neck and neck race between the final seven. I jogged up the path leading to the top, keeping my eye on the other racers. By the time I reached the top the last fur crested the hill to a round of applause from the other warriors who weren't even participating.

"Jack was last!" Someone yelled.

"Fuck off!" The bull with the brown speckled hide cursed, shoving the Zangarian who had declared him the loser. "You were last!"

"Was not!"

It didn't take long for several of them to start cursing and shoving each other. It was ready to break out into a fight again. Before things could get any more out of paw than they already had, I whistled loudly like I had back at the gate. All of them turned to face me and stood at attention. I took my final step off the stone path onto the soft grass and walked towards them.

"How pitiful!" I sneered. "You call yourself warriors? You're nothing more than a pack of squabbling cubs!" They all went rigid. Nervous about what was to come. I walked around them, each of them worried that I'd pick them out as the loser. They had all fought hard not to fail. I could see the steam rising off their sweat dampened hides as I circled them. "The fur who will be demonstrating the next training exercise will be... myself."

"Huh!?" Several of them grunted in confusion. I grinned.

"What? You think I'd let one of you mess up my demonstration?" I chuckled.

"But you said..."

"That the fur who was last would demonstrate the next lesson." I finished his sentence. "And I think you'll find I was the last one back."

"But you could have beaten all of us easily!" The cheetah smirked. "You lost on purpose."

"That I did." I smiled. "Nothing motivates someone more than knowing there is a unpleasant outcome for failure. I didn't lie, I just rigged the game."

They all seemed to let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. My plan had worked. They had all put in their best effort into that race. I know had an idea of how fast and agile some of them truly were. I also managed to identify a couple who showed real promise. The cheetah and the fox. The cheetah was obvious, he had marital arts training, but the fox was a surprise contender. He was the only other fur who dared follow me up onto the roof-tops and that ingenious use of the shield to get to the bottom of the slope to begin with. He had the best weapon of all; smarts and ingenuity.

"I see you are working them hard." Warlord Hanril declared as he entered the training grounds behind me. "Your little race caused quite a commotion around town. So I thought I had better come see what you were up to."

"Just getting warmed up." I said. That comment earned a groan from a couple of the warriors.

"I see." Hanril chuckled. "If you don't mind I'd like to hang around and see what else you have planned for them."

"Certainly." I nodded.

"Warlord Hanril Sir!" The bull who was giving me attitude earlier spoke up. I really needed to learn their names! "Who would win in a fight between you two?" He asked with a grin.

"Oh I don't..." Hanril began.

"You are a reputed master swordsman after all!" The bull added.

"Perhaps back in my youth." Hanril admitted.

Hanril was no spring chicken, that's for sure. He was around Malnark's age, he probably grew up with my fathers father; or perhaps he was a few years older still. He was still a capable warrior. The way he carried himself told me that; a quiet strength that radiated from him. But no matter how you try and fight against it, time catches up to you. He may not have the stamina of his youth, but he did have a vast amount of experience that I didn't. Decades of training which made his skill with a blade formidable, if rumours about him were true. In a straight up sword fight I doubt I'd stand a chance, but in an all out fight I was confident I could beat him.

Suddenly a horn sounded, startling most of the warriors around us. The worried gaze of Hanril towards the sound of the horn confirmed to me that it was in fact an alarm call. I followed the rest of the warriors towards the Western Gate. By the time I got there with the others there were over two dozen warriors gathered on the parapets, and numerous civilians lingering on the ground below. I channelled a large amount of nen into my legs and leapt up onto the parapets twelve feet above me; where the warriors patrolling the walls stood with their bows at the ready.

From here I could see the situation more clearly. About half a mile away a giant beast, which I recognised as a graug, was currently chasing three Zangarians towards the town. They had a short lead on the beast, but the graug was catching up to them. They would never make it in time.

"SHUT THE GATE!!!" I barked.

"The fuck do you think you are!" The warrior next to me spat, shoving me in the shoulder. "I don't care if you are Lady Anaris's bastard nephew! You have no authority here and we don't abandon our friends!" The brown pelted bull snorted at me.

"You're friends won't make it in time!" I shoved him back in the chest, hard. He almost fell onto his ass but bumped into a drake who helped to steady him. "Close the gate or everyone in the town dies!"

The bull tensed, ready to lash out at me in his frustration. I readied myself.

"CLOSE THE GATE!" Hanril ordered from behind me. He had finally climbed the ladder and joined us.

"But... Sir..." The bull argued pitifully.

"Close it! That's an order!"

The bull submitted and waved to the others to close the gate. As the group of warriors below began securing the gate I stared out at inevitable chase occurring before everyone. The moral of the warriors around me was plummeting by the second. Their friends and comrades were about to die before them, and there was nothing they could do to help them. A few warriors fired arrows at the lumbering graug, but their arrows would only bounce harmlessly off of the beast thick hide.

Graugs were large dangerous beasts! This one was at least twenty foot tall. Powerful arms and short but incredibly powerful legs. They moved slowly, but when running on all fours they could chase their prey down with surprising speed. The graug was taller than the wood walls that surrounded the town. The walls would only hold it back for a few minutes at best.

"All warriors to arms! We will defend our home!" Hanril declared.

They would try and they would most likely fail. The walls would not hold! The best chance was to lure the beast away. But anyone who took that role would likely not survive. No one except for me!

"Young Master!" Jovani called out from below as he sensed me draw on my nen.

Ignoring Jovani's call I propelled myself into the air. Once I had gained the height I needed, I twisted my body and propelled myself towards the graug. The beast was only a few hundred meters from the walls now! I circled the beast just above its head. It slowed and roared loudly at me.

The air reverberated with the force of its bellow. It reached down, grabbed a huge clump of earth out of the ground and I readied to dodge, but to my surprise it hurled the earth not at me but at the two fleeing drakes it had been chasing. The graug missed them, but the massive clump of earth landed right next to one of them. The drake was sent flying from the force. The graug began lumbering towards the fallen drake, whose companion had bravely stopped running and ran back to help him.

I swooped down just as the graug was about to pounce upon them. I drew my sword, channelled as much nen as I could muster as I could into the blade and struck it a foot below its left eye. My attack was enough to stop the beast in its tracks; I didn't do more than scratch its thick hide. But I had its attention now. It turned away from the others, who seized upon my distraction and started running for the gate.

The graug leapt at me, swiping the air attempting to catch me, but I was too quick for it. I made sure not to get too far from it. I needed to keep its attention on me. It followed me but after a hundred yards it bellowed loudly at me and turned back towards the town. I was too much of a hassle for it to continue hunting when there was easy prey right in front of it. It was smarter than I gave it credit for. Knowing that I was not going to be able to lure the graug away I flew back towards the town as fast as I could. I would only have a few seconds to prepare!

As I reached the gate the others had opened the gate just enough to allow the others to enter before slamming it shut again and begin securing the gate. I hovered above Hanril, Malnark, Jovani and my aunt who were standing on the parapet above the gate.

"Are you all right Malakye?" My aunt asked.

"I'm fine. But the town won't be for long!" I quickly scanned the area around me until I found what I needed.

The warriors were now firing flaming arrows at the graug in an attempt to slow it down. Smart, but there just wasn't enough flames! I swooped down, snatched one of the torches they were using to light the arrows from the paw of a bull, and flew towards the graug who was now only a few dozen yards away from the walls. I fired my nen in a stream through the torches flame and created a constant torrent of fire that struck the graug in the muzzle.

The flames worked, the graug bellowed in panic and retreated a short distance. Using the opportunity I began scorching the ground around the town, creating a wall of flames between the beast and the town. The graug had not been hurt by my attack, its thick, grey hairless hide would not be harmed by such weak flames. But like most feral beasts it panicked at the sight of open flames. With a flaming wall fifty yards wide now in place, I landed on the ground behind the barrier and stared at the graug who was roaring in frustration as it approached the flames but then backed away at the last moment.

It repeated this action five more times. I had to give the beast credit for how stubborn it was. Despite the flaming barrier it was not running away. As I watched it pull away from the flames for the sixth time I noticed the change in its demeanour. It was becoming more and more aggressive and agitated! On its next approach it began running full speed towards the barrier of flames. It leapt over the fire and landed with an earth shaking shudder. It bellowed loudly in triumph and snorted at me.

It smacked its chest in a display of dominance. It was challenging me! This graug was seriously beginning to piss me off! I drew on my nen, and the power of the spirit within me. When the graug came to a stop I knew it could sense the spirits power within me. I stared it down with as much intensity as I could. It reacted, slamming its massive fists into the ground repeatedly in an act of defiance.

I drew my sword and channelled my nen into it. The runes along the swords length glowed white and then red as the spirits power flowed into it. It was risky, but I needed to use the spirits power in order to have a chance of defeating this beast! I drew on as much of the spirits power as I felt was safe to do so, pushing what I considered my limit.

I could feel the spirits influence over me increasing with each passing second. The blood-lust, the anger... its incredible power! But for the moment the spirits attention was directed not at me but the worthy prey standing before us. This was the moment I could use the spirits power with the least amount of risk; while it was distracted.

Even with the spirits power I was not assured victory by any means! One careless mistake by me, or a luck hit from the graug would end this fight! A single blow would be enough to kill me instantly. The beast was three times my height, and was a wall of living muscle! My only advantage was my size and speed. If I could get close enough I could hide beneath the graugs massive frame. It would try and hit me blindly, but so long as it couldn't see me I would have a chance to hit it where its hide was thin enough for my blade to pierce!

The graug leapt at me, swinging it massive arms over its head. I rolled to the right to avoid being crushed. I somersaulted over its arm as it tried to swipe at me. I leapt backwards to avoid the fist which pulverised the ground where I had been standing. I skidded to a stop and watched for signs of its next attack! As it raised both its arms over its head to try and crush me once more, I channelled my nen into my legs and propelled myself towards the gap between its legs. I narrowly avoided the bone crush blow, the ground shook from the force; nearly causing me to stumble. I passed between its legs, spun around and struck the back of its left knee with my sword.

The blow was a good one. It connected solidly, the force of the and nen enhanced blade was enough to cut into the beasts hide. My arms shook under the recoil of the impact, vibrating up the bones of my forearms. I kept a firm grip on my sword, tightening my grip to prevent myself from dropping my weapon.

Blood gushed from the open wound and its knee gave way for a moment, the graug stumbled forwards, catching itself with its arms. Using my wind bending I propelled myself into the air, gathered my nen and created as large, and as dense, an air blade as I could muster. The graug turned, swiping at the ground behind it where it had expected me to be, and as it looked up at me I hurled the nen blade into its right eye.

The nen blade struck its target and the beast shriek in pain as blood came gushing forth from the now destroyed organ. It collapsed and rolled around in agony, clutching at its eyes. It was an almost deafening din, but the spirit within me was revelling in the graugs pain. It wanted more, urging me to finish it off. I didn't like giving in to the spirits whims, but I needed to continue along the current course, and protect the town and the furs living there!

I began gathering as much of the flames from the failed barrier as I could into the air around me. By the time I had gathered a sufficient amount the graug had recovered from the shock of losing its eye. It was starting to gather its wits. I had possibly done enough to make it flee in fear now, but I needed to make sure that it would never return to this village!

I gathered the flames into the air above me, channelling as much of my own nen, and that of the spirits, into them, creating a huge mass of blue flames in the air around me. The heat of the flames was almost unbearable, even with the nen barrier I had created to protect myself. The air was almost too hot to breath! I manipulated the flames into two large fireballs, channelling a large amount of nen into their cores to sustain them. Each fireball was as tall as I was. It was difficult channelling so much nen to sustain them and remain air-born; I was at the limit of my skill. I was sweating from the effort of maintaining such a delicate balance as I was from the insufferable heat!

As the beast rose and turned to face me, a river of blood steadily flowing from its destroyed eye, I hurled one of the flaming balls of nen towards it, striking it in the chest. The fireball exploded, staggering the beast several steps backwards while also engulfing it in the flames which began to burn the beasts hide. It howled in pain once more and began flailing around. After a few moments it turned and began to run away. As it ran I hurled the other fireball at it, striking it in the back. The fire ball exploded, causing it to stumble and fall flat on to the ground with a heavy thud. It quickly scrambled back up and took off at speed away from the village, its body engulfed in the raging blue flames.

I could feel the spirit within me cackle in amusement, urging me to chase it down and finish the graug off, to feed off of its suffering. To suck the beasts blood from its throat. I didn't give in to the urges and began sealing its power once more. It fought against being sealed, but it didn't have the power to resist for long. After a few moments, only the lingering remnants of the spirits power remained in my system. I felt weaker... but that was normal after drawing upon the spirits power.

The power was intoxicating. It made me want to continue using it, but if I used it carelessly I could become reliant on it, giving the spirit all the opportunity it needed to wrestle control away from me. Once I had sealed the spirit away I turned and flew back towards the town.

As I flew over head the residents began to cheer and applaud me. I hadn't been expecting that! I felt slightly embarrassed if I was honest. Once I had located Malnark and the others I flew down and landed next to them. Within moments I was swarmed by furs. All of them thanking me, congratulating me, wanting to touch me. It was all a little much! I wasn't sure how I was going to escape when Malnark and Hanril began pushing the crowd back.

"All right that's enough!" Hanril barked. "Give him room to breath!"

"Are you okay Young Master?" Jovani asked, placing his paw and my shoulder.

"I'm fine." I smiled. "A lot better than that graug is!"

That earned a laugh from the crowd. It wasn't that funny, but as the relief of impending death slowly faded, everyone was just enjoying the moment. The bull who had shoved me on the parapet stepped forwards.

"Look... I'm sorry about before." He said, not willing to match my gaze..

"Don't worry I about." I assured him with a wave of my paw. "You were looking out for your friends."

"Thank you!" The two drakes who had been running from the graug said.

One of them was struggling to put any weight on one leg while two furs from the crowd helped support him. The other carried a brass stave with a rounded ball on both ends. He wore a wrist guard with a family crest that I recognised from Zangar.

"We owe you our lives." The one with the stave said, bowing in thanks. "The graug attacked so suddenly! Jacques and Garth were dead before we even realised what was going on! Patrick and Leon ordered everyone to retreat while they drew its attention."

"It's all right Arman." Hanril assured the drake, placing his paw on his shoulder.

"The hell it is!" Arman shouted. "That beast killed my friends! Killed our family!" He looked around the crowd. His statements brought the crowds mood down, like a stone falling into the depths the ocean. "I could have done more! I should have done more!"

"You did what you could Arman." The injured drake he had escaped with tried to console him. "I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for you!"

"But the others..."

"Gave their lives so that you might live." Malnark said. "Don't sully their sacrifices feeling sorry for what you cannot change. Live your life and honour their sacrifices!"

"Well said old friend!" Hanril smiled.

Malnark's words seemed to bring the young drake some solace. But the drake wasn't entirely wrong either. He would always wonder if there was something more he could have done in order to save his friends. He believed he had the strength to have done so. That told me that he had potential. His companion showed nothing but relief at being alive. He didn't believe he had the strength to have done anything differently.

The grief for the fallen was now starting to grip the crowd. Friends and loved ones of the departed falling into the inevitable cycle of grief that everyone felt when they lost someone close to them. They would all deal with it their own way. But I could not allow myself to be distracted, I still needed to deal with the graug once and for all. If it survived its injuries it would continue to be a constant threat to the lives of the furs who lived in this town. If the injuries were fatal, which I suspect they were, I could not simply allow the creature to suffer a long, drawn-out and painful death. That went against Callen's teachings. I turned and began walking away from the crowd.

"Young Master! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to hunt down and finish off the graug once and for all!" I said.

If knowing that the beast was dead helped these furs deal with their grief then I could do this much at least. I was confident I would be able to track it down, and if it wasn't already dead then I would finish it off for good!

"Then I'm going with you!" Arman declared.

"No you're not!" I growled.

"You can't stop me!" He snarled.

"No. I can't." I admitted.

If I flew then he would never be able to keep up with me. But that determined look in his eye... he was going to go one way or another. It was safer if he went with me. I motioned him to follow me and headed towards the stable. The squirrel who ran the stables jumped when I burst through the door.

"I want an empty wagon with four dandos ready to go as soon as you can manage it!" I demanded.

"What are you planning Malakye?!" My Aunt asked.

"I... 'We'" I corrected myself. "Are going to hunt down and make sure the graug is dead. And then we are going to collect the bodies of the fallen, and return them to their families." I explained.

"Then... I'll make sure the funeral preparations are made for your return." She said.

"And before any of you think your coming, you're not!" I declared.

"If you think I will let you hunt that creature down with just the two of you..." Malnark objected, but he quickly fell silent when I flared my nen.

"This is not open for debate!" I glared. "Unless you know how to fight a graug..."

"Then explain why you are taking him?!" Malnark demanded to know.

"Because he is the only one who can show me where the bodies are!" I countered.

Malnark and the others seemed to want to argue further but they knew they weren't going to get anywhere by arguing with me over this issue. The truth was a graug, particularly an injured one, is an extremely dangerous predator. Their strength and size made it easy for them to kill a fur with a single blow! Taking a large group would make sneaking up on the injured graug more difficult, and if it attacked I would not be able to protect everyone.

Once the wagon was ready I tossed a few supplies in the back just in case we had to spend the night out in the wild. Some food, rope, some sheets to cover the bodies with... As I tossed the sheets into the back of the wagon I noticed Jovani climbing into the wagon.

"Jovani..." I sighed in frustration.

"Young Master!" He interrupted me with a stern tone and glared at me. "I have been more than patient with you! But if you think I am going to allow you to gallivant off into the forest, after a dangerous predator, you're father would never forgive me! If I allowed you to do that and you ended up seriously injuring yourself, or worse, I would never be able to face him again!"

I guess I had pushed Jovani temper and patience to breaking point. He was meant to be my bodyguard, but in nearly every dangerous situation we had encountered I had forced him to abandon his duties. For someone like Jovani that must be incredibly difficult. I doubted that anything I could say would dissuade him from backing down.

Trying to focus on the positives of his presence I remembered that he knew how to suppress his presence. I had witnessed him do so during my fight against him and father at the outpost. He would not be easily detected as we approached. Hopefully Arman would be similarly capable. He was a member of the hunting party, so he had to have a few skills in regards to hunting and tracking.

"Fine. But only the two of you."

"I feel better knowing that Jovani will be with you at least." Malnark stated. "Just be careful, and come back safely!"

The entire town saw us off. Cheering us on, wishing us luck on our hunt. I steered the wagon in the direction the graug had run off in. It was not going to be too difficult to follow. It was so large and heavy it left tracks which were easy to follow, even when travelling at speed as we were. Not to mention the smell! The scent of a graug was distinctive enough, but the scent of burnt flesh was not easy to ignore!