FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

" Remember," said the general, " we'll call when you're needed. Don't lose your communication device!"

" Yes sir."

With that, James, accompanied by Emily, pressed a button in his coat and turned to face a portal. He knew where it went; High Vatharvis, where New Awekamp had been established. " To Hundsburg."

She nodded and said, " Yes father."

He took a deep breath and stepped through the portal. Inside, it felt just like hyperspace; like everything inside was being yanked all over. Emily's eyes rolled around in their sockets throughout the trip. James grabbed her by the hand and embraced her afraid of scattering, and then, just like that, they were in a wooded clearing. Their organs and bones began to settle. Emily flopped to the ground like a fish and gasped, " Good gods!"

" You'd think we'd have gotten used to it by now."

" Yeah, really," she grunted as she was getting up off the ground. " Where are we," asked James. " I don't know."

" Trail over there," he said and pointed at an opening. Emily bolted towards the trail, followed by James. Along the way, the wind blew through the trees. Under the wind, they could hear a voice coming from the trees. It cleaerly sounded male. "Miss me?"

James gasped and grabbed Emily around the waist from behind. She gave a yelp, and both of them watched as a Kitsune jumped down from a tree. He had white fur with short black hair and a black muzzle. He had a green tint with that permanent squint that could only come from an asian nation, along with red tips on his four tails. " Who the hell," gasped James, " wait!"

He took a deep breath and instantly caught the whiff of fermented rice used to make Japanese sake. And, there was only one person he knew who regularly drank it. " Long time no see, Tak."

" Hai. Long time no see, James-Sensai."

Takeo followed with a quick bow as James followed up with a question, " How'd you get here?"

"Hmm, maybe I hitch ride. Teleport."

" Also, why here?"

" I thought I should say Konichiwa. Or not."

" Well, have you heard of a place in here called New Awekamp?"

" Hmm, that I not."

" Well, we're off to check it out."

" Well I will come."

James turned to Emily and asked, " What do you think, Emily?"

"Eh, I don't mind. As long as he doesn't try anything."

" Okay."

With that, Takeo came closer to them only to be greeted with Emily asking, " You kill Hisa or no?"

To this, James raised an eyebrow. " What?"

" No," said Takeo, " I no kill her!"

Then, a seemingly seven year old girl who looked like Takeo, minus the effects of alcoholism, jumped out from the bushes onto his back. " Onward daddy!"

" Whoa! Where'd you come from?"

" I was hiding! I go everywhere with daddy!"

" Really?"

" Hai, she does. Just not in the bath or when I pee."

Takeo chuckled as Hisa wrapped her arms around his head. " Have either of you seen anything indicating civilization nearby?"

" No. No We have not. Maybe little village."

Emily and Hisa exchanged looks as James followed up with, " Any anthro wolves?"

" A couple. Really kind."

" Did you see where they went?"

As Hisa covered his eyes, Takeo answered, " To the west. I can take you, if Hisa can stop blinding me!"

" Cool."

Takeo started in the direction, followed by James leading Emily. James heard her muttering and asked, " What's up?"

" Why is she so much like him," she asked in a whisper.

" Maybe, they're related."

" Related, that's Takeo's daughter. Where is his fruit ball son?"

" Does he have one?"

" Remember, before we came here? That weird gay guy who came through the mirror you bought."

" Oh-oh! That's right!"

" Knowing him he's out cross dressing."

" Well, let's keep our eyes open."

"Yes."

They walked the trail through the woods eyes open and noses raised. " Anyone see or hear anything? Or, smell anything?"

"Aweks!" barked Emily.

" Where?"

" The way Takeo is going!"

After hearing that, he turned on his toes and bolted after the two Okudas. Takeo looked behind and widened his eyes, and that was when James skidded to a stop. As soon as Takeo jumped out of the way, he turned to face where he was looking. " Well, hot damn."

Sure enough, he saw a wooden manor atop a hill surrounded by a small village, reminiscent of either vikings or Anglo-Saxons. " This the place!" exclaimed Takeo.

" So, this is New Awekamp."

" Hai, It is. Just don't get in trouble here."

" What makes you say that?"

" They no mess around."

" Can you blame them?"

" No, I can't. I just think they bit barbaric."

" Well, the nation is still new."

" Hai, I know. But you know my kind-"

Before Takeo could continue, James broke the treeline and headed towards the manor. The fact that he had wings drew some eyes, and his Dracosith officer's coat didn't help. It was in the middle of the path when he stopped and took notice of the eyes staring at him. He looked down at himself remembering that he was still in uniform. He went back to the treeline, took off his cap and coat and threw them in the woods at Emily and the Okudas. " Heads up!"

Emily and the two dodged, and Takeo shouted, "James, make you self decent! There little girl here!"

" Tak, you still have that box?"

"Hai, I do. Why?"

He backed into the bushes and said, " Got any clothes in it?"

Takeo nodded and took out a Japanese kimono. "Here you go James-son!"

" It'll do."

He quickly got dressed and went back out on the path. The robe had a slight kitsune heat scent to it. He picked up the scent and stopped. " Takeo, what's been done in this?"

" You realise, even though I take male form, I still get heat cycles, right?"

" Seriously? So, you're letting me wear your heat garb."

" Sheesh, I washed it! I have like 5 kimonos!"

" I wonder what would happen if the king smelled it."

" I wouldn't know, he would probably will figure out it me."

" We'll see."

" Hai. If anything, run off with little Hisa."

With that, they stepped towards the manor. As they did, Emily went off to explore. Once up the motte, James took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. " Hello?"

A guard came down and barked, "Ja?"

The guard was gray furred and seemed to be in his early twenties. His legs had two joints in a digitigraded manner, typical of purebred Aweks. James cleared his throat and asked, " Is the king here?"

"Ja, he's up I zhe throne room."

" Can you lead us there?"

"Ja! Up this vay!" barked the guard before going up a round staircase. James followed suit up the stairs, along with Takeo. They stopped at pair of large doors of wood. "Right in zhere."

The door opened, and James walked through the hall. He could see a throne at the end, and on it, a burly Awek. He was older, possibly in his forties, one eye had glazed over and a scar stretched over his face. He stopped within a couple feet and knelt down. "Ja, young sir?"

" Is there anything essential that I can help with?"

"Yes, we to need a quarry master."

" Where's the quarry?"

"It's little to the North."

" I'll be over as soon as possible."

"Good, good. So you have training with dealing with morons?"

" Well, I survived the American school system."

"I see. Any jobs you would've."

" I also managed a squad of yinglets."

" Oh dear Lord, you are hired!"

The king, named Abelard, clapped his hands as James said, " I won't let you down."

" I hope so."

With that, James stood up, turned and headed for the door. Once outside, he went to look for Emily to tell her that he got a job. He found Takeo sitting on the steps and asked, " Have you seen Emily?"

"Emily just went running and no look back!" replied Takeo, who was holding Hisa.

" Oh. Did she say anything?"

" No. What you make her with road runner? She just meep meep and went running."

Takeo, with a free hand, swiped it forward, and James snickered and said, " Well, she did hatch from a yinglet egg as a yinglet."

" That probably it. Those thing weird."

" Well, if you see her, tell her I've been assigned to oversee a quarry."

"Okay, I can."

With that, James set out to find the quarry. He trekked through woods and fields, between two shores until he came across a camp. Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground by none other than Emily. " Ow!"

" Oh sorry dad!"

" What were you doing out here?"

" I don't know, Running!"

" Well, it looks like I've been put in charge of a quarry out here."

" Well that's good!"

" Yep. Well, better not keep them waiting."

" Right. Onward!"

With Emily at his side, James climbed up to the camp to see the workers doing very little to nothing productive. " Wow, you've got a hand full."

" Oh yeah."

" Such winners."

" Like yinglets, eh?"

" Yes! Exactly!"

" Well, if I can manage a squad of yinglets, I can take care of these."

" Yeah, true. And, if not?"

" Then, I'll mine stone myself."

"And hire ones with brains?"

" Oh yeah."

" Because you wouldn't wanna do this by yourself."

" Yeah, god knows what this stone'll be used for. If it's gonna be a castle, they'll need a lot of it."

" Yeah, even housing."

" Oh, yeah."

" Maybe government officials need it."

" That's a given."

" Yeah, true. Let's go meet these people."

" Right."

With that, he entered the camp and made a bird type whistle. Aweks looked at him, and he shouted, " Form up!"

They dropped what they did and formed a line coming as slow as they could with slouching gaits. " Now, I've been put in charge of this operation by order of the king. They'll need lots of stone, and there are two ways to get it, one of them is harder than the other. I intend to make sure that they get the easy way. The honest way."

" Right," said Emily.

" Now, let's get in those pits."

" And, check out them conditions."

James turned to one of the pits and stepped towards it for a look. It was filled with garbage and feces, and a body or two was inside. Stagnant water made a horrific mixture of it. " Jesus!"

Emily covered her mouth as James spun on his heels and barked, " Alright, who the hell killed someone?!"

"No one," replied one of the workers. " They fell in."

" And, no one moved the body?"

" We are to scared to! Its said a demon lives in that pit!"

" Oh, for..."

He sighed and jumped down into the pit. He looked up at them and said, " You see? Nothing."

Then, he heard something growling within the pit. He raised an eyebrow and said, " Real funny, guys."

However, a feline creature jumped out in front of him. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and he grabbed the ledge of the pit and scratched at the wall with his feet. He felt a tug on his leg and cried out, " Help!"

He looked to his right and saw a ladder being lowered into the pit. He grabbed the ladder and tried climbing up. The men at the ladder pulled him up out of the pit. He sat up and gasped for air still hardly believing what had just happened. " Someone needs to kill that thing!"

" We don't have the stuff to do So."

" We can always throw rocks."

"Wow, such genius!" one of them said with a tone of sarcasm.

" Let's cover the hole," gasped James.

" Yes!"

He stood up and asked, " How much wood do we have?"

" Not enough."

" Any axes?"

" Yes. In the shack."

James took a deep breath and headed towards the shack. He opened the door and went inside. He could smell mold all over inside. He stepped out, spun around and gagged.

One of the workers came to him and said, "Sorry if it stinks."

" What crawled in there and died?"

" Nothing. It hasn't been opened since our last boss died."

" Died?"

" He was one of the bodies."

" Oh."

" Yeah, Sorry."

" Did he just slip, or was it something else?"

" He jumped, he just wanted it to end."

" What drove him?"

" Pressure."

" I see."

" And the looming threat."

" Looming threat?"

" Yes, the superstition."

" Superstition?"

" Yes. Of death and the legends and all."

" Honestly, I'm kinda new here."

" Ah, that's okay."

" Well, shall we get started?"

" Yes!"

" Then, let's get some tools."

"Yes!"

James watched as they filed into the shack and, one by one emerged with tools. " Let's avoid that one pit, though."

" Agreed."

While they went into the pits, James wandered the area looking for something to mask the odor in the shack. From what he could see, he noted that there was a bed inside, possibly indicating that it was where the master slept. He saw a bunch of shirts strewn about all over the place " Where did all these shirts come from," he asked himself.

He settled on picking some needles from the pine trees nearby. While picking twigs off the tree, he noticed one of the Aweks also picking pine twigs right next to him. As the Awek looked at him, he saw that they had one green eye, and one yellow. His fur was brown with gray patches here and there. " I can help!"