FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

-Prologue-

A young black tom with Reddish orange ear tips and reddish orange tail tip smashed through the bracken, dashing blindly through the forest, his fear was overwhelming, controlling him. The forest blurred around him as he dodged rocks smashed through the undergrowth and scrambled over fallen trees. It wasn't obvious what he was running from, but his fear was so apparent so strong that he didn't need something to scare him because, at this point pure terror drove him. The young tom ran, ran so fast he didn't see the cliff directly ahead until he hit the ground so hard, he heard the crack of bone before he blacked out entirely falling into a darkness that scared him more and more, struggling he stared around wildly before finally the darkness took him.

Chapter 1 - Dreams of Adventure

_ _Jade awoke with a start, his recent dream rushing through his mind, what was I running from, he wondered, what was so scary? He scrambled to his paws pushing It to the back of his mind, just a dream, he reminded himself. Padding towards the entrance to the den stepping over the tails of other sleeping cats, and finally reaching the entrance he padded out glancing around he noticed the fresh-kill pile was low. Jade also spied Starflower sitting in the shade cast by the rock pile.

"Hey," she called to him," Over here!"

Jade dipped his head in response and dashed over, "Hi, "he meowed," How are you?"

"Great," She replied, with a sparkle of affection glinting in her eyes, "now that you're here."

Jade purred affectionately, "Want to go hunting?"

"I'd love to," She meowed, before dashing towards the fern tunnel, "come on, can't catch me!" Jade Bounded after her, Loving the feel of the wind as he passed through the fern tunnel, dashing down the steep slope into the sun speckled forest. She was just ahead of him, and he put on an extra burst of speed and was catching up when she took a sudden turn sending him skidding into the bracken," Mousedung!" he cursed leaping from the bracken and dashing after Starflower once again who was leaping over a log as he sped into the open once again," Wait up!" Jade meowed, taking a flying leap over the log when suddenly something slammed into his paws and he was tumbling head over paws, landing in a heap on something soft

"Ow," Starflower meowed, teasingly," get off ya big loaf!"

"you tripped me," he growled playfully, scrambling to his paws," It's your fault."

"I smell squirrel." Jade meowed, his nose in the air jaws open drawing in smells around him," Close too!"

Soon he was leaping, his claws snagged in the tail of the squirrel, and he brought it down with a satisfying crack just as starflower padded up with a mouse and a vole.

"Nice kill!" She meowed, impressed," It's almost as if they can't see you."

"I'm not that good," he meowed humbly, but he glowed with pride at the praise," Your good too." She gazed affectionately at him.

"Jade," She meowed, "I Lo-" she was cut off as a mouse dashed between them and Jade swooped it up and killed it," What were you saying?"

"Nothing," She meowed," It was nothing, come on let's get back!" Starflower led the way back to camp.

Jade padded into the clearing as the tribe elders were organizing a patrol to go drive out a fox. "I'll come!" Jade meowed, dashing over to join, Leaf, Ash, and Pine were already there

"come on, let's go," Pine meowed leading the group into the forest, "The fox was spotted near the ravine," They bounded through the forest to the ravine passing the fallen tree and leaping the river finally coming across the ravine. There was an overwhelming stench of fox, jade wrinkled his nose in disgust, suddenly the scarlet pelted fox appeared and growled, obviously claiming this was its territory. Then it leaped, and the ravine exploded into battle Jade rolled out of the way but could do nothing as the fox latched onto Ash's tail and pulled him down. Unable to watch anymore Jade leaped onto the foxes back as ash tumbled down the hill and the fox yowled in pain as pine and Leaf both bit down on the back legs of the fox yanking it to the ground then Jade dug his claws deep in its back. The fox yowled again and bucked knocking him off, Jade rolled with the impact only to graze his head on a rock, he felt a trickle of blood run down his nose. He scrambled, wobbly, to his paws and, shaking the daze out of himself leaped at the fox once again. The fox had shaken Pine and leaf off and began to whimper and back away, Ash scrambled to his paws and limped over to the group, who'd begun to drive the fox towards the edge of their territory, when it tried to go around them they swiped claws at it putting it back in line and made steady progress.

By sun-high they'd driven it out passed the border.

"Jade," Pine meowed," you and Ash better get back to camp, get that wound seen to," He nodded towards the cut above Jade's eye.

"Sure," Jade replied, "I'm on my way, come on Ash!" Jade padded away, leading ash back to the Plateau where their camp was located. He stopped by the river, not sure whether Ash would make the leap, just as he padded up.

"Do you think you can make it?" Jade meowed, concerned

"Definitely!" He Replied, Squaring up for a leap. Jade nodded his head in response before leaping the river and waiting on the other side, Ash followed landing, half in the river with a splash.

"I thought you said you could make it." Jade meowed teasingly.

"whatever," Ash replied, testily, "Let's go I'm Cold and in pain!" This time he took the lead and they made their way passed the fallen tree and up the steep slope and entered the camp. Ash went straight to the Shaman, who made her den at the far end of the plateau in a dense group of ferns, weaved together at the top making a suitable den. Jade decided to save his healing for later, he'd go to her once he'd reported the success of the mission to the elders, he found them sitting in the shade of an oak tree that grew in the very center of the camp.

"Yes, what is it young Jade?" One of the elders questioned.

"The Fox was successfully removed from the territory." He reported, enthusiastically.

"Good," Another Elder replied, "Your injured, go see Speckleflower." Jade dipped his head in farewell and backed away, he turned and bounded across the clearing to the shaman's den, ash was just leaving,

"Hello Jade." Speckleflower meowed

"Hi," he replied in shock, "how'd you know it was me?"

"I could smell you." She replied, amusement glinting in her eyes.