FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The bustling capitol city on the industrial planet of Vov, a glimmering landscape of towers and skyscrapers, edifices nearing the heavens above. Flickering and steady lights from spacecrafts and speeders danced and darted across the sky and ground. Traders and merchants haggled and bargained, bought and sold tools, parts or artifacts with each other almost aggressively. The dark red sun was setting, the skyscrapers casting shadows of avarice along the wide spread city. The Galactic Alliance terraformed numerous planets during its inception over 500 years ago, Vov was one of the first to undergo agricultural alterations to better support life, and now major commerce across the galaxy. Rumors spread about a planetary defense system, hidden away in one of the many spires that towered over the cityscape, but not once has it been seen activated. After the schism of the Alliance and the birth of the Legionaries, Vov was declared a neutral zone for its status as a major commerce planet and its intimidating defenses.

Yuuki Kettenkrad walked out of a shop with a generous stack of Units, wrapped in a thick band to hold the thin slips of paper together. The tall crocodile shoved the stack of currency in the inside pocket of his vermilion colored jacket, a triumphant look etched on his face. "As soon as I saw that crate of persuaders I knew we hit big. Ten thousand Units... Not bad for a day's work." The crocodile glanced back towards his partner. Ryskiris Kiersennik shook her head, rolling her violet eyes. The hyena's slender hands were in her dark hoodie's pouch pocket, hood over her head as they exited the shop.

"We knocked over some raiders who must've got one over on an arms dealer. Not exactly impressive." The hyena blankly stated as the walked down the road, the walkways somewhat populated, even as the sun dipped below the horizon. The ground level was illuminated by radiant lights that hung from wires across the buildings and towers, the city floor a beacon in darkness. The duo walked through the throngs of the city, making their way back to their hover-speeder. Yuuki stepped in the driver's seat and Rysk in the passenger seat next to him. They hovered and sped through the air, another bright light in a myriad of luminaries as they flew towards the Ouroboros, its flat triangular shape nestled just outside the city's borders. "Tell me why we couldn't just take the freighter?" Rysk asked in a surly tone.

"And have the guards rummage through my dirty laundry? You're out of your mind, Rysk." Yuuki countered, guiding the speeder up into the entry hatch of his spacecraft. Once inside the belly of the ship, the ramp creaked closed, sliding into place. The crocodile hopped out and went to the lounge in the back of the vessel. Plopping down on the curved couch, he pressed a button on the table on front of him, the holo-monitor flicking to life with lights and sounds. Rysk stepped into the lounge shortly after with her computer. The holo-monitor blared the usual programming nonsense, then Yuuki flipped through channels until he stopped, a red furred vixen on the screen, her voice professional and brisk in tone.

"Be on the lookout for Gregory Carraway, a bounty of 50,000 Units for anyone who captures him alive. Last seen on the neutral planet Vov. Bounty hunters be advised, Carraway may be armed and is considered dangerous, approach with caution..." A rather stocky badger with brown fur and black eyes was shown on the screen, his hair was a long mane of golden brown, his sour expression formed into a menacing scowl. Rysk looked at the holo-monitor with wide violet eyes, her tail swaying excitedly.

"That's a nice payout for one little bounty. And he's nearby! We can totally bag this guy, Yuuki." She exclaimed, her enthusiasm building in her tomboyish frame. "I can buy a better console and have some left over..."

"Who says you're getting a new console? With 50,000 I can get this ship fitted with some killer armaments. You're thinking small, little hyena. Without the ship, I can't do my job properly." The crocodile glanced over at the elated tomboy sitting on her barstool.

"Wait, what about my share from that last job, asshole?" Rysk quickly retorted, holding her small hand out towards the crocodile.

"Well, aren't you pushy?" Yuuki said as he slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket, pulling out the stack of Units. He counted out an amount and placed it on the table in front of him. "Here, three thousand. Don't complain. Ouroboros gets most of the share anyway, got to fix her up tomorrow."

Rysk swiped the Units from the table and counted it herself, making sure the reptile was being honest. Once she was satisfied, she slipped the stack inside her pouch pocket. She turned to her console and began to type feverishly. "So, about this bounty..."

"You're serious? Have you even dealt with outlaws with high prices on their heads? There's a reason that it's such an alluring amount, usually means they're not petty thieves. I'm not taking a greenhorn to the big boy tables." Yuuki leaned back on his couch, trying to relax and not think about work for a bit. "We just got paid and you want more."

"I can find him before anyone else does, everybody leaves a trail. I'll just get access to the cameras all over the city and..." her voice hung in the air, her focus now set on the task at hand. She typed and scanned through the videos and live feeds, zooming, enhancing and filtering the images.

"And you expect me to go and get my happy ass kicked?" The crocodile inquired sardonically, shaking his head, crimson eyes closed in disbelief.

"Aye, for 50,000 Units, that'll be more than enough for whatever damage you do to yourself." The hacker quipped back, the clicking of her keyboard faint but audible. She continued to search through the virtual data, her violet eyes darting behind her glasses. "Besides, you got the military training so you should be fine out there..."

"You're not staying here, I hope you know."

Rysk stopped typing and slowly turned her head towards Yuuki. "What?"

"You heard me, junior sniper. Find the bounty and we can go get paid." Yuuki smirked deviously, reclining back in his couch, hands behind his head with his fingers interlaced.

The hyena went back to typing, swearing under her breath. She continued her search with the same diligence as before, humming to herself as usual. She was hoping she could just locate Carraway and let Yuuki do what he does best. But, she's seen his reckless behavior a few times now and witnessed the messes he can create. "He's a sneaky little bastard, but I think I got him! Mr. Carraway is hiding out near the theatre district, north east of the central tower. Let's go!" She put away her console in her pack and darted towards the speeder.

Yuuki groaned, he should've expected this. As good as Rysk was with a computer, she was just as eager to increase her funds to supply her electronic fix. At least she wasn't robbing people in caves. He stood and walked over towards the parked speeder and sat in the driver's seat once more. "Just got back, too... After this, we're taking a day off." The speeder hummed as it was activated, and the ramp door was sliding down, allowing for the duo to head back out into the city, hovering for a second then lifting off and flying towards the theatre district.

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Yuuki walked around the district, his crimson eyes surveying the area. The wide thoroughfare was teeming with patrons, merchants, entertainers, and businessmen all shuffling and bustling. Deals, bargains, and shady exchanges were commonplace throughout the area. Gilded paper lanterns lined the sides of the walkway, casting a festival-like glow as the tall crocodile stepped through the crowds. His hands were near his belt, just in case any passing pedestrian decided to catch him off guard. He spoke softly in his earpiece, "Are you sure? I'm not seeing shit, Rysk." His earpiece chirped in response.

"The cameras last saw Carraway around this area, hold on..." a pause and silence on the communications. "I think I see him... Big guy, too. He's not too far from you, maybe forty meters or so?"

"You don't sound so certain, Rysk." Yuuki kept walking, he reached a large theatre building, a group of actors and performers gathering near the entrance.

"Well, I'm perched on a roof and this scope sucks. Go left."

"Quit complaining and keep your eye on my back." Yuuki growled and turned the corner before the theatre and kept walking though the crowds. Must be a major show playing tonight, the streets were packed. The crocodile kept his eyes open and glanced from face to face, he shook his head. "This is such a pain in the ass..." he grumbled.

Yuuki saw a group standing near an alleyway with a crate of what appeared to be laser pistols and rifles, most likely stolen. The crocodile glanced to each member of the group until he saw a real familiar face. Well, familiar enough from this distance. A large stocky badger, long golden brown mane of hair peeking out of a hooded coat, his shoulders broad and the same devious and menacing scowl, his height tad taller than Yuuki. Carraway appeared to be making a sort of deal with a group comprised of two shorter foxes, a slender wolf and a rather hefty grizzly bear. Yuuki may be reckless with the denizens of the underworld, but he wasn't stupid. He'd wait until the deal was through and Carraway was alone. The badger in question slid the crate towards the ursine, who appeared to be in charge of the operation, then the wolf handed Carraway a stack of Units, and the two foxes hefted the crate. The group turned and stepped away from the stocky badger, the deal concluded. Problem was, there were coming towards Yuuki's direction. The crocodile turned and nonchalantly picked up a colorful and flamboyant theatre headdress and put it on slipping into the crowd, waiting for the intimidating group to pass by. He got a good look at the ursine, the leader. He was large, very large. But not completely out of shape, he carried himself well with all that weight, dressed in an expensive looking suit colored a deep blue throughout the attire. Once Yuuki saw Carraway alone in the alleyway counting his money, he made his way towards him, eyes on the prize.

Carraway heard the faint footsteps, turned his head towards Yuuki and darted down the alleyway. The crocodile dashed after him, growling indignantly. The badger was quick for his size. Carraway bolted through the alley and onto a main thoroughfare, running through a crowd. Yuuki swore under his breath and growled into his earpiece. "I need some eyes, Rysk!"

The lanky hyena searched through her scope, her eye following the path Carraway took. Once the badger slipped into the crowd, she climbed down the roof with her laser rifle slung across her back. She then found another roof to scale atop of for higher vantage point. As she positioned her rifle, she spotted the fleeing badger, running through thoroughfares and turning sharp corners into other alleyways. "Turn right at the next alleyway, you'll cut him off and he'll come running right into you." She stated in her earpiece."

Yuuki followed her directions and turned into the next alleyway, dashing swiftly. He then heard Rysk's voice again in his ear. "Wait! Something's not right... He's gone."

"What the hell do you mean, he's gone?! Motherfuckers don't just disappear." The reptile growled in his ear piece, stopping at the end of the alleyway. He looked around and sure enough, Carraway was nowhere to be seen.

"He was running down 99th and he just vanished, I'm not kidding." Rysk explained, her tone tinged with disbelief. She scanned the streets with her scope and swore under breath.

Yuuki walked towards 99th Avenue and looked around, his crimson eyes radiating fury and frustration. "Sonuvabitch..." He found the cause of the disappearing act, but didn't like it one bit. A large, heavyset male wolf stood in a deep doorway, hidden from Rysk's vantage point, clutching Carraway by the throat and pinning him to the glass door. The gray furred canine wore a dark cloak that reached his calves, his bulky fingers squeezing around Carraway's throat. The badger tried to gasp, hands gripping the canine's wrist in vain tried to escape the crushing grip of the wolf. Yuuki knew he was a second too late as he heard the snap emanating from Carraway's trachea, silencing him. The badger went limp and was dropped to the ground. The wolf bent down and ran through Carraway's pockets, pulling out the stack of Units and slipped it into his coat pocket. The wolf turned and saw Yuuki standing a few meters away.

"Well...fuck." Yuuki grumbled, his body tensing up slightly at the sight of the monstrous canine in front of him. He lost the bounty, and now had a much bigger problem. The wolf stared him down for a moment, and Yuuki could've sworn he saw the canine smirk.

"What're you looking at, punk?" He growled, revealing glistening sharp teeth as he took a few steps forward.

"From where I'm standing, a really big piece of shit." Yuuki retorted, his hand inching towards his belt. The wolf seemed unarmed, but the reptile didn't want to take any chances. He took a measured step back, keeping his eyes focused on the hulking canine. He then heard Rysk's voice once more.

"What's going on? Where's Carraway?" she inquired.

Yuuki didn't answer, just kept his gaze straight at the wolf. The giant canine took another step forward, his smirk devious, his eyes a shimmering silver. He had his intention written all over his face, he wasn't letting Yuuki get any further. With fierce agility, the wolf closed the distance between them, his large hand clutching Yuuki's neck before he could draw his weapon. The crocodile tried not to thrash around, it'll only make it worse. He gritted his teeth and delivered a stunning kick in between the wolf's legs. The canine howled in pain and released Yuuki from his grip, dropping him on the ground. Yuuki reeled back and briskly steadied himself to his feet, drawing his laser pistol and fired a shot. The beam struck home, right between the wolf's silvery eyes. The canine dropped like a stone in water, his bulk hitting the ground with a thud. Yuuki rubbed his throat and approached the fallen wolf, then angrily kicked him again out of spite. He didn't care if he couldn't feel it. "Fucking...piece of...shit!" He growled in between kicks. After he got his frustrations out of his system, Yuuki ran through the wolf's cloak pockets and slipped the stack of Units into his jacket pocket. He'd count it later.

"Mission failed, Rysk. But I got a little something for our trouble." His voice was a bit strained from getting choked.

"Are you okay? You sound like shit." Rysk asked.

"Thanks, you'd sound like shit too, if you got choked out." He snapped back. "Meet me at the cathedral on 99th."

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The tall, dreadlocked crocodile sat on the steps of the cathedral, his throat sore. He counted the Units, only two thousand for his trouble. Soon afterwards, Rysk walked up the stairs and looked down at Yuuki. "So, Carraway bit the big one, huh?"

"Yeah, that means no fifty grand for us, supposed to bring his ass in alive. Some fuck head got to him before we did, must've been a collector for some mobster." Yuuki growled, trying not to strain his voice any more than necessary.

"Damn it... My bad. I should've moved to a better rooftop, or-"

"Doesn't matter, what's done is done. Don't waste your breath on things you could've or should've done." Yuuki interrupted her and shook his head, standing up and stretching. He pulled out the stack of Units he collected earlier. He counted out an even thousand and handed it to Rysk. "It's not much, but here. Let's go. I need a drink..."

Rysk took her share and slipped it into the pouch pocket of her large black hoodie. She watched the crocodile walk down the steps of the cathedral and onto the thoroughfare. The night air was brisk, and the wind picked up slightly. The lanky hyena followed the crocodile down the steps and the duo walked through the city once more, a silent cloud of dismay hung above their heads as they meandered towards their speeder. They flew through the evening and returned to the Ouroboros, and Yuuki sat back down on his long curved couch, heaving a sigh as he opened his ice box, retrieving a bottle of wine and two glasses. Rysk sat on her usual barstool as Yuuki poured the alcohol into the glasses, handing one to the lithe hyena. "Here, have a drink."

The slender hyena gripped the glass in her slender hand and looked at the contents almost quizzically. "Th-thanks... though I'm a lightweight, you can probably drink me under the table."

"Just drink, it's not a competition." He took a sip from the wine and set his glass down on the table, stretching out on his couch. Rysk followed suit, tipping the glass slightly and sipping the red liquid. It left a sweet aftertaste as she gulped it down. She set the glass down and turned towards the couch in her barstool.

"How's your throat?" she inquired softly.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Yuuki replied, taking another sip of wine. It slightly hurt to swallow the alcohol, but he was used to taking damage. He turned on his sound system, the room was filled with smooth jazzy music, perfect to drink and relax to. The notes and chords were dreamy, slightly distorted but smooth like velvet as it filled the room.

Rysk's ears twitched slightly as the music penetrated through. She took another sip and closed her eyes, the music was soothing. She wasn't expecting the crocodile to have such tastes. She bobbed her head to the slow, steady beat, a small half smile across her lips. "I'm liking this... It's so serene."

Yuuki chuckled gently and leaned back on the couch, relaxing to the ambient tunes. He let out another sigh, "I'm glad you can appreciate some good music." He took a generous sip from his glass, the residue of the failed bounty hunting attempt slowly melting away as the smooth, serenading music moved throughout Ouroboros' speakers, the ambient waves pulsing and reverberating through the lounge. He finished his first glass and sat up to pour himself another. As he stood, he took a sip and patted Rysk's thin shoulder as he walked past towards his quarters. "Lounge is yours, just don't stay up too late and don't drink all my wine. I'm heading to bed." He yawned and disappeared out of her view.

Rysk sat on her barstool and took a few more small sips, letting the alcohol and the music work its magic on her. She stood and sat down on the couch, glass in hand. Once she finished her glass, she poured herself some more wine, but only filled it halfway. She was already feeling the intoxicating effects as she took another sip. Setting the glass down on the table, Rysk then turned down the lights but kept the music playing as she slowly laid back on the soft couch and drifted off to sleep.