FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The dungeons of Cynon were dark and dank as any other, lit only by torches along the hall. Dust blanketed the stone floor, rats scurried about, and various insects clung in dark corners away from harm. A hooded figure glided silently down the entrance stairway, nodding to the guard who stood watch near the opening. The guard did nothing, for he knew the visitor.

The figure made his way past the row of cells leading to the end of the hallway. There he found the final cell, and in it a hyena in commoner's clothes dozed on the rickety bed provided. As the visitor neared, his eyes crept open.

"Ah, Runil," the hyena drawled lazily, his gaze directed at the ceiling. "I wondered when you might show."

The figure froze for a moment, as if caught red-handed. He then lowered the hood of his blue robes, revealing the fox himself. "Rencor," he greeted, moving forward to address the hyena properly.

Rencor swung his legs off the mattress with a grunt. The iron shackles binding his wrists jingled with the movement. Glancing over the fox's person, he commented, "I must say, you look good in blue." With a wry grin, he added, "However, I still think black suits you better."

Runil huffed. "How can you still be so smug? You are to be executed in two days' time."

"Perhaps I am exactly where I want to be." Rencor rose off the bed and sauntered over to the bars.

The fox took notice of his casual gait and became uneasy but stood his ground. "Don't try anything. Those shackles are enchanted; you won't be able to use any magic as long as you wear them."

Rencor scoffed, rubbing a paw over the metal cuffs. "You think I don't know how the enchantment works? Why have you come to visit in the first place? I assume you did not come for a friendly chat."

"It could be, if you let it." The fox reached into his robes and retrieved a frosted crystal hanging from necklace of bones, the very same pendant the hyena had worn at the coronation. "Tell me why you have this. It's clear titanite, an extremely rare gem. It will magnify even the smallest of magical power within a person. The question is, why do you need it? You are more than capable without it, and I get the feeling you were going to use it for more than just to raise a few bodies and cause a fuss."

The hyena eyed the pendant, and Runil thought he could see a glimmer of want in his dark eyes. That look quickly vanished and was replaced with one of derision. "You always were a bright one. Tell me, is the Archmage proud? How does it feel to be the teacher's pet?"

Runil lowered the pendant and glared. "I am a good student, nothing more. Now answer the question before I do call the Archmage and have him continue this interrogation!"

Rencor smirked. "I'd wager you are. The best student he has ever had, I daresay."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Runil demanded.

"You really don't know? Let's see," Rencor began counting on his fingers. "First, you came to the court asking mentorship, and they took you in. Then, the Archmage found you were a superb student and you found yourself climbing the ranks like a kit on fire salts. Am I correct so far?"

"Get to the point," Runil snapped.

"You got where you are only because I helped give you the ability to do so," Rencor pointed out. "And likewise, I am here because of you."

There was a pause as the fox let the words sink in. "Me?"

"You and the rest of your kind."

"What do you mean, my kind?" Runil asked in bewilderment. "What have I done?"

The hyena's eyes glinted in the low light. "Remember that day you got me arrested?"

Fifteen years prior...

_ A fox and a hyena stood over a bloodied body in the middle of the street. Scorch marks scarred the cobblestone, and the victim's clothes were singed and torn._

_ "What did you do?" Young Rencor whispered in shock._

_ "I didn't mean to!" Runil muttered as he surveyed the damage. "The spell just...went out of control."_

_ "Lucifer will not be happy about this. Do you think he'll kick us out?"_

_ "He doesn't let anyone leave."_

_ "Maybe he'll forgive us?" Rencor suggested. "It's only our first contract after all."_

_ "Maybe. But first, let's -"_

_ "Guards!" The cry came from a commoner who had come outside and seen the spectacle. "Someone's been killed!"_

_ "Run!" The boys took off on a sprint, immediately pursued by a couple guards. As they ran, more sentries began to take notice and joined in the pursuit. They soon reached the city gates, where their path was blocked and more guards waited. They were trapped._

_ Young Runil thought fast. He tore a pouch off his hip and tugged it open. Pouring a silvery dust into his paw, he threw it down at his feet. In a puff of silver, the fox vanished from sight._

_ Rencor saw this and panicked. Grasping at the same place on his hip, he realized he hadn't brought such an item. All he had were a few potions and his own magic! Before he could begin to cast a spell, the guards were already on him._

_ "Cease your magic and come quietly," one of the guards ordered as he grabbed the hyena. "Else you will spend the rest of your days in the dungeon."_

_ "No, I - Runil!" Rencor struggled desperately as his eyes darted around the area looking for his friend. Where was he? He knew the fox was still here, somewhere. Why wasn't he helping? "Runil!"_

"We were young!" Runil exclaimed. "Do you mean to tell me that all you have done was because of me?"

"Not just you. It's your entire race," Rencor countered, his gaze burning with hate. "You Canids are all the same."

"So you plan to eliminate the Canids?"

"Not eliminate. Just make them suffer. Terribly."

Runil shook his head in disappointment. "I should have you executed immediately. But maybe this is a good thing. You still have two days to stew over your actions."

"But we both know that won't change a thing," remarked Rencor. "So why do you not simply incinerate me on the spot?"

The words made something within him snap. The fox grabbed the bars, his face suddenly inches from the hyenas. He growled, hackles raised. "Because I am better than that. I am better than you. And not because I'm a Canid," he added before Rencor could interrupt. "I will never use Dark magic to get what I want. Not anymore."

A knowing grin spread across the hyena's muzzle. "What about the Mind Tap spell you're casting right now?"

The fox's eyes went wide as he jerked away. "H-how did you -"

"You have grown rusty, old friend," said Rencor. "I may be powerless, but I can still feel you poking around in here," he said, tapping the side of his head. "And while you're listening, why don't you stay, and I'll tell you a secret about your..." The hyena gave a sadistic chuckle. "King?"

The offer was...intriguing to say the least. It was a bad idea, but his curiosity got the better of him and he obliged. Runil focused on the spell once more. Some time passed while Rencor silently relayed the information through the telepathic bond, and the fox grew more horrified by the second. Runil soon cut off the spell and backed away in terror.

"Y-you're lying."

"Would I?

"Yes."

_ _ "If you will not believe me," Rencor smirked confidently, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Runil finally turned and began walking back the way he came. "You are sick."

"Where I come from, that is a complement!" The hyena called back. "And remember, he is always watching! Always!"

_ _ Runil brushed away his former friend's parting words and continued out of the dungeon, nodding once more to the bored guard sitting at his post. It seemed that hyena would never change, not even in the face of certain death. He should have known better.

But now, he had some questions to ask Atreyu.