FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Skye

Shards of the Past

An Amorous Fanfic

Prologue

Pain...

... Agony...

... His hatred burns across countless stars! Worlds heave with his torment! Kingdoms quake beneath his rage! The whole of many lands will break, and all will burn beneath the shadow of his wings! But he was not always like this. He was once a good person. He even had a name. Viktor Vasili. He was born to a good family. But the story of his past is for you to learn. All that will be said here is that when he was between childhood and adolescence, it all turned on him. He became alone, forsaken - misunderstood and reviled. He was tormented by his peers for what he was. As fate would have it, there was another who had this same problem.

Her name was Skye. Born a grey fox with a love of Cosplay, she was a tomboy who had a rough time as a child. Picked on and harassed because she was different. She now fears going out into the world, lest she be misunderstood again. Living with her parents, she took a job at a restaurant to make money, and spends her time coming up with new looks. Her friends all like them, but how much do they like her as a person? A question that burns like the brightest star. Deep down, she wonders if she'd ever find anyone that likes her as a person. Fate, it seems, has plans to answer that question.

On the eve of Skye's birthday, Viktor and Skye are set on a path that will define them both...

* * *

Skye sat in front of a mirror, finalizing the details on her fur. "A birthday surprise," her friend, Lindsey, kept saying on the phone. "You'll love it. You'll have a good time." But if there was one thing Skye knew about Lindsey, it was that her version of "A good time" was significantly different than Skye's. Over in the corner, her personal TV unit was streaming the news: The Canine Reporter was on the screen, talking about some recent closing of a small island just off the beach.

"Authorities still are refusing to comment on just what lead to the closing, and there's no indication they ever will. For now, all we know is that the small island has been claimed by an unidentified party for reasons unknown. With the beach temporarily locked off and now the Island declared off-limits, that's bad news for many--"

"That's quite enough of that, thank you," Skye commented, hitting the power button on the remote and switching off the TV. It was then that Skye's mother - Jillian - poked her head in the door.

"Your friends are here, Skye - you ready?"

_Holy fuck, that was fast,_Skye thought. _Must have misjudged how long it'd take them to get here._No time to do the rest of the look; she'd have to improvise... but how...? She cast a glance at that Renamon jacket, then thought, _Fuck it,_and threw it on. This was gonna be a winter look, anyway. She headed out to her Lindsey's car, and was a little surprised to see Joe and Marlene in the back seat. Front passenger seat was empty. Lindsey motioned her to get in.

"Come on, Skye! Get in!" she urged. Skye complied, and sat in the front seat, immediately throwing on the seat belt. The second she finished, she found a blindfold over her eyes.

"What the hell...?!" she protested.

"Skye, this is supposed to be a surprise - I don't want you to see till we get there! You're gonna love it, Skye!" Lindsey assured her.

"I better," Skye jested. "Just promise me it won't be like last year..."

"That_wasn't_our fault, Skye," Joe said. "And besides, we have Hane and Lexy meeting us there."

"Yeah, Jake would have a tough time with Hane alone - you know how built he is," Lindsey added. Skye felt the car lurch slightly as it backed out of the driveway, and get moving. Skye had no idea how much time had passed as she sat, blindfolded, in the passenger seat. She tried to get hints at where they were going, but to no avail. Didn't matter. From how her friends spoke, she was supposedly gonna love it. When she heard faint pop music that got louder, she started getting an idea. She felt Lindsey park the car, and she was escorted toward from the car to a specific spot.

"This her? The birthday girl?" asked a gruff male voice.

"Yep," Lindsey answered.

"Well, happy birthday and welcome to Club Amorous!" the man said.

"Wait, what?!" Skye responded as the blindfold was taken off. When her eyes adjusted, she found herself standing at the entrance to a club. A Night Club. She was immediately disappointed. "Seriously? Your birthday surprise was a Night Club?!"

Hane, who was standing nearby - Skye didn't even see him - sighed. "Skye, you need to branch out a little. Get out of your comfort zone, if only a little. Try new things. Who knows? You might make some new friends in here."

"And the last place Jake would think to look for you is here," Marlene suggested. Skye opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. Marlene had a point there - Skye knew Jake well enough to know he wouldn't set foot in a club like this. The music was good - in fact, she thought she could hear one of her favorite songs starting to play. And her friends were here. It was when she cast a look inside, while the doors were briefly open, that she caught a glimpse of something inside - something she felt didn't belong. The instant she saw it, whatever it was, she was hit with a peculiar sense - like she was supposed to be here, though she knew not why.

"Well..." she started. She paused, then snapped to her normal self. "Well, let's see what we can do in here. Maybe I'll meet someone new!"

"That's the spirit!" Lexy heartily agreed. They all headed inside, and Skye kept an eye out for whatever it was she saw earlier. There were the usual party-goers here, hot girls and hunky guys gripping neon light tubes and wearing skimpy summer clothes. She happened to cast a glance at the bar when she was hit with that strange sensation from before - when her eyes settled on a person who, like her, did not belong in the club in the least. She wasn't sure who he was - he wore a black, hooded cloak, and he was filling a glass of ice with this blue drink she'd never seen before. What was that, she wondered?

"See anything catching your eye?" Hane asked. Skye never took her eyes off the man at the bar.

"Possibly," She responded. She felt drawn to this character. She walked over beside him, and got a good look at the drink he had - the bottle seemed to refill itself - she was gonna have to ask about that later - and it was emblazoned with an odd symbol that seemed familiar, in some way; a logo of a bird, half colored green, the other half colored blue, clutching two orbs. An odd symbol, but Skye felt it was almost familiar. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked, indicating a vacant bar stool. The man looked up at her, and Skye saw his eyes - narrow, black sits surrounded by a churning blue pool hidden behind a blue glow in his eyes that seemed to radiate ice. It almost made Skye glad she was wearing a jacket - she could almost feel the cold, somehow. The man gestured to the stool, and returned his head to his hand. Skye sat down without hesitation. The man never made a sound, just sipped his drink. It was then that Skye noticed he seemed a bit tired. In fact, the more she looked at him, she noticed he looked exhausted. Deciding to break the ice a little, Skye spoke: "You must have traveled a long way to get here, huh?"

The man opened his eyes, and looked to her, but didn't speak. He looked her up and down, as though sizing her up. Skye couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable at this. Did this man even--? "It has been a long journey, yes," he finally said. "A _very_long journey. With any luck, I am hoping to finally settle here."

"That right?" Skye responded on an impulse.

"Yes..." The man said. He looked Skye dead in the eyes and asked, "You live in this region, you must know the area - what can you tell me about it?"

Skye was a bit taken aback. He was asking her? Odd. "Well, I grew up around here; it's a great place to live. Especially if you're the type for girls in bikinis and hunky guys in swim shorts at the beach... and damn near everywhere else, here, now that I think about it," Skye replied. The man gave a thoughtful "Hmm" as he shifted his arms to grab his bottle, and Skye caught a glimpse of something beneath his cloak - a metallic glint. Acting on it, she asked, "Forgive me, but... are you dressed as any particular character? Cosplay is a thing for me, you know."

The man chuckled softly. "I can see why you'd think that. This outfit could constitute as Cosplay."

Skye raised an eyebrow. "It's not Cosplay?" She asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," the man stated, taking another sip of his drink. Now Skye felt this man was hiding something. Either that, or he was acting in character. Quite convincingly, in fact. She wouldn't judge him.

"If you were Cosplaying... who are you Cosplaying as?" She asked. The man again chuckled.

"You could say I am dressed as a... Rogue Sith Lord," he responded.

"Oh, a Star Wars fan, huh?" Skye chuckled back. "Now there's an interesting thought... never thought to try Star Wars in my Cosplay."

"Not really that hard, when you think about it," the man stated. "By the way, I don't think I got you name...?"

Dammit!_Where are my manners?!_Skye thought. "Oh, sorry! My name's Skye Hudson," she introduced herself. She extended a hand. The man gripped it in his own.

"Viktor Vasili," he introduced himself. "What brings you here? This hardly seems the place for a Cosplayer."

"I could say the same about you," Skye replied. "No, my friends brought me here for my birthday. Said I needed to branch out a bit, meet new people."

"That right? Happy birthday," Viktor stated. "As for me... well, something told me I should be here." He sipped his drink and fixed his gaze on Skye. "And it's starting to make sense, now that I've met you."

"Yeah, this place isn't exactly my comfort zone," Skye replied. "I'm not normally one for clubs like this."

"Neither am I," Viktor agreed. He paused for a moment. "Hnh. Seems we both were drawn here." He growled softly and murmured, "But to what end...?" In a bizarre turn of events, he immediately afterward winced, as though in sudden pain, and Skye was hit with an extremely cold chill that gave her the impression something was wrong. Playing it off, she asked,

"So, you're looking to settle here? You spot any houses that catch your interest in your time here so far?"

"One - but I am not at liberty to discuss that," Viktor responded, his tone that of a man suddenly worried.

"Are you alright?" Skye asked in concern. "You seem awfully tense, all of a sudden. Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Viktor admitted. "But I fear I may have stayed here too long." He slapped some cash on the counter, and paused, looking at Skye. The way he looked at her made Skye feel as though he was unwilling to leave her company. "You have any way I can get in contact with you later?"

Skye was blown away. He was asking her for her number? "Yeah!" Skye enthusiastically responded. She jotted down her number on a piece of paper and handed it to Viktor. "Call me anytime!" Viktor accepted the number and slipped it in a pocket, and headed for the door. And just like that, he was gone. Skye was elated, if a bit worried. She had done what her friends wanted - met someone new. And he seemed like a guy she'd have a lot in common with. At the same time, however, she got the impression he didn't tell her everything. But, that was to be expected - she'd just met him. It was then that Hane approached her.

"And who was that?" he asked.

"That was Viktor. He just got here to this region, looking to settle here," Skye said. "But I get the impression he's more than his appearance lets on."

"Given that outfit, I'd imagine he's a Cosplayer?" Hane joked.

"If he is, he's got real talent; he could win big at the convention. Said that... well, he said he's dressed as a Rogue Sith Lord," Skye said with a beaming smile.

"Ohhh, ho-ho, beware the dark side!" Hane laughed. Skye couldn't help but laugh, herself. Considering she met potentially another Cosplayer, Skye felt that this Birthday was alright, after all. She stayed at Amorous a while longer, but eventually called it a night and they group went for the car. It was as they were approaching it that they came across something they were not prepared to see: A group of thugs were nearby, standing over the body of...

No,_Skye thought. The outfit, the attire of the person they were standing over... _It was Viktor!"What are we gonna do?" One asked.

"Yeah, man, no one said anything about murder!" another said.

"Can it," the ringleader snarled. "He got what he deserved."

"Did he?" another thug asked, clearly nervous. "This wasn't supposed to end this way!"

One of the thugs looked over and noticed Skye. "Hey, look - we got witnesses," he said, motioning his head in Skye's direction. The others looked over, and saw her standing there. Skye was paralyzed. She wanted to run, but couldn't move.

"Guess we need to teach this one to mind her own business!" the ringleader sneered. It was as they started for her that Viktor glowed briefly with a strange light, and started moving. The thugs didn't seem to notice, and Skye was relieved, but at the same time afraid. They all had blades - and wore the same mark. A red gauntlet holding a blade. She had heard of this group.

The Red Blades. "Time to teach you a lesson!" the ringleader stated. But before he could close the distance between him and Skye, there was a blood-curdling war cry from Viktor, and he leapt inhumanly high in the air, landing between Skye and the thugs. Then, he launched his arms forward, and the entire group was sent tumbling to the ground. Viktor's breathing was heavy and raspy, and he gestured with his right hand. In an instant, a small, ornate cylindrical item flew into his hand. _Is that...?_Skye thought. Her question was answered when an Imperial Crimson blade flared with a _snap-hiss!_That was, indeed, a Lightsaber. Leaping in to the air with a snarl that carried a hellish screech, Viktor went on the attack, and engaged the Red Blade gang, swinging his blade in exaggerated, enraged, but still practiced and precise arcs. The Red Blades couldn't keep up; Viktor was just too fast. One thing was made abundantly clear to Skye: Viktor knew how to handle himself. In an instant, he reached out with his free hand, and a _second_lightsaber went active. If Viktor was fast before with one blade, he was a _blur_with two. One after the other, the thugs were dispatched, until only one was left. But Viktor's attention wasn't on that one: _He was looking straight at Skye!_Skye had no idea why she felt he wouldn't hurt her. She slowly held out a hand, as though to show she wasn't armed. "Easy, Viktor," she calmly stated. "I am not your enemy. Put it down, pal... I won't hurt you." Viktor growled, but made no hostile gesture. "You know me... you know who I am. Don't you?" Viktor stood his ground, even as the thug behind him stopped shaking. "Listen to my voice, Viktor... I'm not gonna hurt you. I am not your enemy. I'm a friend; I'm _your_friend. You know my name. What's my name?"

Skye had almost close the distance between herself and Viktor when he spoke, his voice having a mechanical thrum to it, _"Skye..."_But just before she could get to him, a gunshot rang out, and Viktor's shoulder exploded in a spatter of green fluid. He cried out, and his face contorted into an expression of rage, and he leapt after the last thug with a roar that was not human in the slightest, a roar that could only come from one logical source:

Dragon.

He engaged the last thug, and put him down. When Skye looked around, she noticed the thugs were not dead - just incapacitated. When the last hostile went down, Viktor dropped to one knee, clutching his wounded shoulder, and collapsed.

"Someone call 911!" Somebody shouted. Skye ran to Viktor's side, and was shocked he was still breathing. His wound bled a phosphoric green fluid that seemed to glow. Human blood was not this color - Skye knew that. She'd known humans. So either this man was from another dimension, or this man was not human. Viktor managed to open one eye and look up at Skye, who was kneeling before him.

"Kill me or leave me... I'm dead either way," he said hoarsely. Hane was the first at Skye's side.

"Skye, we gotta get this guy to a hospital!" he told her. Skye said nothing, her attention fixed on Viktor. She ran a hand over his cheek, then told him,

"You're not gonna die... not on my watch." She then went to grab his arm, heft it over her shoulder, and lift him up. "Mom and dad are gonna love this..."