FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 10

The journey back to Warfang was far calmer and natural than the road to his home village, on this path he didn't feel nothing, but sense of purpose, the usual thing that occupies him when on a mission. Due to all those years spent in the wilderness as a scout it was now a matter of habit to bring the work's instincts into daily life.

Wilderness is a wilderness after all and in truth, as a scout and a cheetah, he is never off duty.

He belonged here.

It was a relaxing thought, lately he felt as if he couldn't focus and gain enough strength to cherish life, legs being pulled by strings he couldn't control.

A scary sensation for someone who dedicated his life to caution and observation, the idea was even more frightening because he didn't know why something like this troubled him. He blamed it on work, so much happened lately, all the information, all those new dragons, it was probably the adorer in him that became so excited to the point of restlessness, especially when he isn't the one who vents up emotions openly.

Or he simply became homesick.

Warfang is a wonderful place, he felt good there, but when the place of your birth is so close, you can't really call the city you live in for so many years already your personal four walls, not when the place you grew up in is just a few golem's strides away.

People like coming home, no matter how far life threw them away from their birthplace, there is magic in homecoming.

There has to be.

He didn't feel so refreshed in a long time.

Mind clear of all unnecessary thoughts, legs unburdened by fatigue, body painless.

There was no pain.

He pulled his bandaged hand away from his outfit, the yin-yang symbol it was gripping all this time sparkled lively as it reflected a poking sun ray. He looked at his hand, ears flattening on the skull.

It didn't itch.

He felt nothing really, it was like his body completely forgot about the pain, he didn't know why it surprised him so, this wasn't the first wound his body had to deal with, medicine, a bit of magic and rest do wonders in speeding up the healing process. It was nothing but a hand wrapped in a bandage.

He gently poked the palm, his fingers twitched at the sudden burning itch shooting through his digits. The hand was still wounded, that's for certain, for some reason he felt relieved to know that he was the one who irritated the injury.

One flattened ear perked up.

This was a really strange thing to think about.

The good thing however was that he actually managed to learn something from this illogical experiment, the pain was minimal, it seemed like the wound under the bandage managed to close.

He reached out with his injured hand as he walked, pressing it gently against a nearby, small branch of a tree that perfectly fit in his palm. At first there was nothing but a numbing pulse, it soon evolved into an itch and then pain. Little, annoying pain.

That was it.

His tail made an enthusiastic bounce.

He curled his fingers to the familiar position of a bow wielding scout. The irritation didn't deepen in the slightest.

While it will most likely be problematic to get a good grip on a sword, nocking an arrow shouldn't be too difficult, in fact it should be possible to do with relative ease.

He exhaled deeply.

Be it as it may, he was born to be out there in the wilderness, doing honorable work, preferably for the dragons. He suffocates otherwise.

Before he knew it the walls of Warfang grew before his eyes, rising above the hills and trees like spears of a marching army. He continued down the path to the city, step light and free of concern, eyes never leaving the stretching city, he was so well acquainted with Nature that he knew and respected her wishes, in return no unexpected rock or log was thrown under his feet.

In return Nature respected him.

He was glad for that, he valued greatly every moment that allowed him to drown in his fascination. Watching Warfang from afar, with many winged silhouettes rising towards the sky, disappearing behind the walls or simply circling and leaving the city was a show of true, spectacular beauty.

From afar it looked like many differently colored birds would go back and forth from their nest, or like a still, exhausted volcano going through a hiccup and spurting all sorts of colorful blobs. It was all pretty, but the truly fascinating sight for him personally were the dragons and their small figures that from a distance looked like little toys.

He adored the sight of flying dragons.

A remnant of his younger years when he extended his hand, pretended to grab the flying form of a dragon between two fingers and steer the creature, he got so good at it that he predicted the movements nearly perfectly. For anyone observing him in that time, it really looked like he was playing with real draconic figurines.

Honor didn't allow him the privilege of pretense any longer, as he grew older he realized that someone like him has no right, even a fake one, to influence creatures like that. The adoration remained however, now evolved into something else than fun, flying dragons were the ideal, final touch on the beautiful canvas that is the world.

One of the Nature's wonders.

He had to stop for a second when he remembered that once, not so long ago, for the very first time he was invited to be a part of that wonder.

Of all possible dragons he was invited on the back of no other but a black one.

Danox knew how to satisfy desires, even those deep, dark and embarrassing ones.

The enthralling sight ahead became less interesting with each passing second, something that never happened to him before, or at least when he was aware of it. It felt like the sight of Warfang ahead is a rock that got thrown into the ocean and he was the one on the shore watching it sinking deeper and deeper into the dark depths of indifference.

The interest didn't fade completely, it was still there, but it wasn't as potent as in the beginning any longer, it was like something demanded to split his attention, but failed in the end to achieve full victory.

Something.

It was a weird notion to indicate that he didn't have control over his personal wishes, he didn't know from where he got the idea. Images from childhood trigger fascination, but they lose their enchanting value when someone becomes older, they simply don't have enough power to keep an adult mind under their spell.

It was a natural thing.

As natural as seeing Danox skulking in between the trees, far away from the walls, watching him.

He froze in place, hand momentarily smacking into the chest, pushing through the symbol and every piece of cloth on the way to hammer at the heart's household. For a moment he felt every bit of fear and reserve the people have against black dragons wash over him, overpowering the senses, his knees bucked under the weight of dread.

There was something in blackness, it influences the mind in such a natural, intimidating way, triggering unexplainable fright. It reaches to the soul, deep down everyone is afraid of the dark. Nobody likes to admit it, most probably are oblivious to it, but when suddenly you see beast coated in blackness you had nightmares about when you were a child, observing you intently from between the trees, the heart immediately remembers how it is to feel afraid.

Jump scare.

It was that and nothing else.

He didn't expect to see Danox, especially didn't foresee the dragon giving him so much attention.

He didn't know how to react, with the hand still on his racing heart he stared into the black eyes of the drake, they in turn stared at him. Part of him wanted to go to the dragon, there had to be a reason why he showed up, usually Danox doesn't do anything to draw attention. There was another part that urged him continue to the city, discarding all of this and blaming it onto irony of fate.

He scratched his chest all the time, his fur became oddly warm.

It must have been the surprising spark of stress that heated his body.

He waved a shy greeting at the black dragon, continuing on his way to the city.

Danox' head rose up, he observed his waving, wounded hand as if it was a defenseless chicken ready to be eaten. With the eye of his imagination he saw the white horns flattening like feline ears.

Surprised.

Danox was surprised.

The dragon pushed his paw in the air, claws directing themselves at him, a single one started bending rhythmically in the popular gesture of invitation.

He froze once more, instinctively looking around to see if he is really the one being called over. He was, there was no one here.

He knew that however, what really threw him off track was the image of Danox asking him to come over, him, a black, majestic dragon is calling him to come over. There shouldn't be anything shocking about this, dragons are powerful, but they aren't mind readers, it quite normal for them to sometimes call you.

The only thing was that Danox didn't fall under the normal category.

A dragon who seemed to have everything under control, or at least didn't bother with many of the things that happened around him, in his pride knowing that important events cannot miss someone like him.

And yet there he was, asking him to come over.

Him.

Of all the people on this earth, a black dragon asked for him.

He didn't know if it was pride that he felt right now, or it were the first layers of intimidation. Whatever it may be, his legs impulsively carried his body onwards towards the city. Following the orders of the brain that didn't plan any detours.

Danox rose on his paws, basically jumped on all fours, obviously forgetting about the fact that he tried to remain hidden. Hunter stopped immediately when for a brief second the light the sun was giving away dimmed unexpectedly. He looked up, the sky was clear and devoid of any clouds, sun once more glowing with its usual power. A flock of birds must have flown along the path of the rays.

A really quick flock of birds because there was no trace of them left.

The claw once more invited him to come over.

With his brain readjusting to new orders his legs changed their course, heading towards the dragon. He wasn't really aware of his movement, too dumbfounded by the fact that he is being summoned by a dragon, a black one no less. To his regret he had to admit that he got quite used to being sought by the Guardians, while it was always a great honor and privilege to serve the leaders of Warfang, the youthful excitement wasn't as strong as always.

This is the unfortunate fate of repeatability, people get used to things eventually. No matter how special they may be.

An invitation from a black dragon didn't yet suffer the same fate and he had a feeling that it will be quite a while before something like this becomes tiresome and boring. Not in his lifetime probably.

Danox visibly relaxed when he realized that he was heading his way, this was perhaps the first time the dragon showed a different palette of emotions than the typical repertoire of a grandiloquent noble. The drake looked around quickly, making sure that he didn't draw unnecessary attention, when he was sure that everything was in the right order his head returned back to its original position.

Danox offered the cheetah a brilliant, white smile of a coquettish shark.

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently"

Hunter bowed respectfully, didn't matter that he knew the dragon for a while now, the presence of such a beautiful beast demanded respect and a manner of devotion. Danox was a striking example of a dragon, he just couldn't help himself but feel humbled in his presence.

"To what I owe the honor of being summoned?"

Danox' enchanting smile grew a bit wider, head nodding gently in approval.

"First reach your target in your mind, then reaching your target in reality will just be a formality"

Feline ears twitched at the sound of this peculiar quote, with body still bent in a respectful bow, his eyes traveled up to look into the pair of coal orbs. Danox was an enticing creature, his dark, mysterious voice was in perfect par with his awe inspiring figure, you simply couldn't ignore his words, no matter what he said, all of it was interesting.

Always.

Even if the true meaning behind the quotes eluded everyone except the one who spoke them.

This ominous gallantry was charming beyond words, it was surprising really that it took so long for him to notice that. Danox seems to influence you, his dark, intimidating aura was simply so interesting and alien that no matter how bored one can be, things around Danox adopt a certain, strange flavor.

The drake observed him closely, the smile that stretched his lips lost its brilliant shine, while it was still there, nothing remained of its original, triumphant power. If he wouldn't know better he would believe that Danox was irritated and confused.

Not even once the dragon showed such emotions before, hence he believed that all of this was just an idea created by his imagination that wanted to find something normal in a creature that is beyond any measure of comparison.

"Rise Hunter" Danox intoned, the rumble that came out from his throat lacked the typical charm his breathy voice echoed, it was more like a growl of a commander that tries to bark out orders without alerting his enemies that circle about

It was almost cold, he could swear if he could touch the dragon's breath it would feel like heated snow.

It took him a moment before he followed the wish of his draconic companion, the sensation of shock and general touch of being out of place was too strong to ignore.

There was a moment of awkward silence when their eyes met with both heads owning them in their natural positions.

The black drake claws started to move, scraping away something rough, Hunter's eyes twitched at the noise nervously, he could feel his sensitive ears whining.

He looked down, impulsively, expecting Danox tearing off bark from a nearby log that found itself under his paws. He gasped faintly when he realized that this wasn't a tree making this sound, but flesh.

Danox was scraping off the scales from the wrist of his foreleg, blood soaking the earth below the paw as it dripped in continuous, fierce flow from the holes torn in the body.

"You're bleeding" Hunter noted, observing the claws that seemed only to speed up their scratching at the sound of his voice

"In more ways than one it seems" the claws clenched, burying into the wounds, blood gushed from the holes and flesh squished

The cheetah hissed, ears flattening on the skull. This was out of the ordinary, but he wasn't the one who should teach a dragon behavior.

"Don't bother yourself with this little trifle" Danox said enthusiastically, back to his ominously, gallant way of carrying himself "I just have an itch I need to scratch, this pesky annoyance reaches deeper than scale alone"

"I know a very talented healer in the city, her name is Amela, she helped me in a lot of situations. I'm sure there should be something she could do to help you with your affliction"

"This is not a disease, you don't have to worry about the little old me" Danox tail wagged, the tip of his deadly blade poked the furry shoulder playfully

Hunter jumped away, startled, gut reaction kicking in.

Danox grinned.

"Your kindness is appreciated however" paw started smacking against the wound, creating a wet rhythm "Let me repay you with the same grace, how are you my furry friend?" he leaned in

The cheetah's ears flattened when he noticed one of Danox' black veins on his snout near the eye undulate as if a worm would dash underneath his scales

"How was your day?" he chuckled, it was a beautiful sound despite his ominous exterior "Forgive me, not much of a companion I am when I'm only interested in yesterday. How are you in general Hunter?"

He smiled weakly, rubbing tenderly his stabbed arm, the poke was gentle, it didn't even break through the material of his clothing and yet it stung. The irritation radiating to the palm of his wounded hand, running through the whole arm like one of those small shivers when body is struck by sudden cold.

Somewhere deep, in the dark corners of his mind he imagined slick tentacles of a monster feeling his flesh. Familiar touch of a monster, he found it inside a pile of snow, it feasted on his hand.

How long?

Doesn't matter.

It was gone now.

Are you sure?

I am sure.

How?

I don't know.

You must know.

I don't.

Then how can you be so certain?

I have...

...I have...

Hope.

"Life is to be lived, not controlled, tolerance is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat"

Hunter balked at the unexpected, solemn recitation, he felt like a blindfolded prisoner at an execution wall who just heard crossbows being set loose.

"I apologize. What was the question?"

A trail of odd light run across Danox' eyes, a strange white illumination that might just as well been a ray of the sun striking for a second at a weird angle.

"I wondered how were you feeling, but now I can see that you are a bit confused"

Hunter shook his head.

"It's nothing really, below the concerns of a creature like you. I recently returned to my home village after a long time of separation. My mind must still be there"

"Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition"

Hunter cocked his head, one ear standing up while the other flopping down.

Danox laughed, the cheerful, toned down explosion of energy was wrapped in the usual package of breathy charm.

"I'm silly, I have a tendency on voicing my thoughts aloud in my own specific way, don't bother your head with it my dear, spotted friend. Your mind is better used when it preoccupies itself with processing the world around you and your next actions. Don't waste energy on pursuing comprehending reason about me, you might not like what you find"

Hunter swallowed uneasily.

"How was home Hunter? You don't visit your birthplace often from what I understood. Can I ask why is that?

He never was asked such questions by a dragon before that he wasn't traveling with. Spyro and Cynder were the only two representatives of draconic race he indulged into meaningless conversations with. Humoring a small talk, this was one of the requirements of the road, when you travel and fight with someone for a while you need to talk about something else than wounds and danger.

Being asked such questions by a dragon who wasn't a friend, not even a companion, was humbling. They weren't total strangers, as a scout he was aware that meetings out there in the wild are far more different than standard social encounters between city folk. In the city it takes several attempts to create a chance to form a bond of any kind, on the road it takes only the first eye contact, proceeding directly to the link forming, chance was not present in this calculations.

Danox wasn't a stranger, he wasn't a friend either, he was one of those special contacts found in the wilderness, nevertheless the interest he showed him was unexpected and pleasantly intimidating. He could do nothing else but to acknowledge the interest with a flattered bow of the head.

Hunter scratched and tugged at his belt, strong urge to fidget always overwhelmed him when he spoke about his home and the atmosphere surrounding it. Luckily he didn't have to do it often, when it happened however he didn't avoid it, his duty as a scout taught him that sometimes you just have to force through a difficult obstacle to reach your destination.

It had to be the deeply rooted fear that made him nervous so, even if he was an odd one among his culture, not giving enough heart to the beliefs and way of life of the cheetahs he was aware that part of it he cherished, this was what created his identity.

And he threw it all away to pursue fascination.

There was nothing wrong about chasing dreams, he even reached his own, this was something to be proud of, yet reaching dreams always has a price, there is always a speck kl guilt and shame in there.

Even if in the end he achieved victory, reminiscing old memories reminded him of the cost and it's unfortunate in the soul of every living creature to regret something you had lost. Doesn't matter that you didn't care about in the past, origins remain with you forever.

"I abandoned my village to move to Warfang and spend time among your kind" he explained, single claw running back and forth along the inside of the belt "Dragons and your natural connection to magic was, still is, more valuable to me than the beliefs of my own people"

"You love magic" Danox noted, it was hard to decide if it was an accidental, audible voicing of inner thoughts or simply an acknowledgment of the situation

"Perhaps I do, we cheetahs don't have any magical potential, to pass up the opportunity to be among creatures that are embodiment of this force that is part of the world seemed like a massive waste. This decision barred me from the culture of the cheetahs forever"

"Yet you returned home, never took you for the rebel that bends the rules"

"While I'm not welcome in my village any longer the current chieftain is a traditionalist and understands family ties. He didn't bar me entrance for which I am grateful considering the fact that I shamed myself and should be exiled for abandoning the trials that would declare a new leader "

Danox sunk a single claw into the cut, prodding the wound like a scientist tapping the quill against the paper in intense contemplation.

"You were nominated to become chieftain, the current leader is one of your rivals and yet despite the disgrace he accepts you into the village? Just because he is a traditionalist?"

Hunter nodded, finding the dragon's interest in his personal life quite surprising and positively charging.

"We grew up together, long before we became rivals we became friends. No matter how much the Chief despises my actions, that respect is there, just enough for a day or two if I'm careful and not visiting every week"

A muffled rumble echoed in the black dragon's throat.

"So you didn't have much time to make yourself at home?"

"Unfortunately not, one day was all I was granted, despite everything a very charitable gift. Just enough to reminiscence old memories"

"And meet family and friends"

Hunter smiled sadly, scratching his ear in visible discomfort.

"No ties like this remain any longer. My parents were in advanced age when they sired and raised me, they passed away when I was a barely an adult. While mutual respect remained, all friendships shattered when I abandoned a sacred rite of our people. There are no hooks in my village any longer to which I can hold onto. My former house has already another inhabitant, I'm almost no different from a passing sage, I simply lack the wisdom that comes with age"

The claw that was prodding the wound shot up, on the tip of the glistening with blood natural blade was a small chunk of crimson flesh. Danox huffed, putting the bloodied claw into his mouth with a contemplating suckle.

Hunter recoiled back at the sight, the black dragon acted so naturally as if he was a child that forgot himself and picked his nose, eating whatever he found on his finger.

A small tear of blood pushed from the sealed, black lips.

"A most interesting tale" the claw popped from the mouth, it clean as if it was washed "I know it might not seem like it to you, but for us dragons, the life you call mundane is interesting, we never get that. The way you handled your fate only proves that you are an exceptional individual"

He bowed, there was respect in this gesture, this time however he bent mostly to avoid the sight of his companion's mouth. The trail of blood on his lips reminding him of the disturbing sight all too well.

"My scales color condemned me to an existence where there is at least a single pair of eyes watching me all the time. I don't remember any longer how it is to live in the shadows" Danox smirked "Metaphorically speaking of course. One day, when I get off my leash for a while, I'd like to remind myself how it is to be forgotten, your village sounds like it's a good place to start if you don't mind naturally"

"Unfortunately, I have to disappoint" Hunter sighed "Despite the peace, the Chieftain still holds a grudge against the dragons, blaming the whole race instead of individuals for all the wars and bloodshed. Your kind is not welcome there and I'm sad to announce that everything you find there are locked gates and hateful stares"

"A pity" black eyes observed the cheetah intently, red tongue running over the lips finally licking off the crimson tear "Would it be too much of me to ask you to tell me about your day in the village? Allow me the privilege to taste a bit of normality?"

"I would be glad to, I'm afraid however that you give me too much credit, I am not as interesting as you might think. I might disappoint you"

The all knowing, arrogant smirk that Danox is known for played another game with the black lips.

"Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal, it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it"

Feline claws once more started to molest the belt. This time however Hunter wasn't sure if it was because of him about to walk a rather boring walk down the memory lane, or it was his dark companion with his recitations that was responsible for it"

"My day looked like the typical home visit, after exchanging a few words with the Chieftain I visited my old house, the current occupant was nice enough to show me around my old home. It changed so much that I no longer felt any emotional connection with that building. After that I met some old acquaintances of my former guild, participated in some small falcon training event, drank some wine and went to bed in my old bunk" he shrugged "I do not own an interesting personal life"

Danox laughed.

"Oh, my dear scout. The wonderful thing about life is that it is your own and no one else's, you live it however you want. As long as you are satisfy with it then it is worthy, other people opinions are of no value whatsoever, there is no pressure to live your life as people accepted usual existence to go by. I know about it, be a little different, don't meet idiotic expectations declared by society and you are a fool, murderer, maniac, creep and all those other nice names. Don't judge a life that is not your own, I always followed that little nice rule and believe me that existence is far more bearable. That diversity, makes for some wonderful meals"

Hunter nodded in gratefulness.

"Thank you"

"No, thank you, your tale was very valuable"

"I am glad to be of service. I'm afraid though that the way of how can I truly assist you still eludes me"

Danox frowned, cocking his head slightly.

"Pardon?"

"We still didn't approach the point of my summoning"

"Ah yes!" the drake waved his paw dismissively "It's of no matter really, our little talk resolved everything. But I don't want you to feel like I wasted your time, so let me just ask one question, it will wrap up everything very quickly"

The cheetah straightened, bowing and readying himself to offer assistance.

"As a talented, worthy scout and basically an expert when it comes to draconic race, it's about time you make a step to reach your true potential. Apply to the city guard, become equal with dragons as the first cheetah, you are ready to do that, are you willing to make the step?"

Hunter frowned, this wasn't what he was expecting, Danox was a peculiar dragon there was no doubt about that, but even from him he didn't expect a request, a command really telling him to try joining the Guard.

No.

There was wasn't any mention of a trial in that sentence.

It was like Danox believed only asking would be enough to join, he sounded sure, as if taking his presence in the Guard for granted.

This had to be some kind of test, he simply didn't know how to pass it.

"Well Hunter?" the drake hissed, almost Impatiently

He shook his head, deciding instinctively that this is too big of a fantasy to happen and that Danox is provoking him in some mysterious way.

"I am not worthy to join the Guard, only dragons serve under that banner, requesting to join by someone like would be a disgrace for them I can't make such a bold move, I'm a scout, for this the Guardians need me and I will serve until they decide to change my appointment or discard me"

"What about the foundations?"

Both pointy ears perked up, startled by the question.

"What foundations?"

Danox smiled a warm smile, one of his black veins pulsed.

"Never mind, thank you for your time. You've been of great help"

"It was my pleasure, though I feel like I didn't offer much"

The drake placed a paw on his shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.

"Are you familiar with the power of proverbs friend? You know what makes them potent?"

"I do not"

"Giving them purpose, making them real, bringing enough evidence to prove they are genuine. You created such treasure today my friend, you gave meaning to a proverb" the dragon leaned in, touching his nose with the feline one

Hunter respectfully pushed his head back, struggling greatly to withstand the lifeless gaze of the dragon and his own reflection staring back at him.

"Each life makes its own imitation of immortality"