FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The open doorway was filled by a silhouette stepping out of the rain, the figure raised a pair of gloved hands and pulled the hood down revealing a feline head. Several of the occupants of the tavern had looked over at the entrance, a few let their gazes lingering, it was rare for one of the catfolk to be travelling this far after all.

One gaze studied her intently before it slid away, its bearer affecting an image of disinterest and talking to his companions in a whisper. The gaze belonged to the man called Mattas. "Don't stare, but check out all her gear."

"She must be an adventurer. And one that's done well." said the overly tall man on his left.

Mattas gave him a look of disdain. "Of course she's an adventurer, why else would a cat be out this far from the central cities, and passing through this place?" He rose quickly, the woman was inside, but was taking time to move her rain-soaked attire onto an empty space to dry at least a bit. Mattas reached the barman and in a low voice addressed him. "She new in town?"

"First time I ever saw her. The usual, Mat?"

"The usual for me, but give her the best." He tapped a silver mark on the bar before setting it down. The barkeep nodded and pocketed the money, giving Mattas four topped up tankards of ale. He gathered them before returning to his company.

"She'll do," he murmured to his three fellows as he sat, then proclaimed loudly."down it quick lads, but don't let it go to your heads." There was a few glances to them, and a chuckle or two, but Mattas paid no mind, his eyes were solely on the feline. She looked quite the tomboy, a grey tunic in good condition stuck out from above dark brown breeches, the legs of which were tucked into hardy boots, custom fitted to her race's unusual leg shape. Over the tunic was some basic leather plating. Black furred trim with a pattern of white symmetrical markings, highlighting the dark hue in an eye-catching way. She'd made her way to the bar and a few coins clinked out onto the counter.

Mattas tutted to himself, he'd not spotted where she drew the money from, though it wouldn't matter. He drank his ale deep, eyes fastened on her as she spoke to the barman, a drink was given, money was taken. He scowled slightly, that either meant she'd rejected his drink, or the barman was taking a bit extra. Either way, she began to drink, and her head started to turn, looking about the patrons. Mattas looked away, back to his company, but in doing so, he caught the barman's eye, who gave a small nod.

He smiled, just needed to wait then.

And so he did, for twenty minutes later either the drink had begun taking its effect, or she was so tired from her journey that it made no difference, for an elbow had risen to the table she sat at, her hand propping her head up as she looked toward the fire. A lot of the patrons had left. There was just the four of them, and a few regulars. From what Mattas knew of them, they were the kind who hated outsiders, especially those who weren't human. Something his two non human companions, Deg and Shira had often earned nasty looks for. Deg only received a few glances and muttered comments, as one tended not want to earn notice from a half-giant. Shira was of a dark skinned race, with inhuman proportions, her arms too long, the forearm strangely angled. Mattas was a human, as was the last of their crew, a fellow named Renk.

Mattas signalled, and as one they rose up. Renk and Shira went toward the back of the tavern, while Mattas and Deg moved close to the bar. Mattas almost laughed at how perfect their timing was, no sooner had they taken a step, then there was a thud as the cat's head slid onto the table, eyes shut.

Her head felt strangely light, and her mouth had an oddly dry feeling, she mumbled to herself, and had she been fully awake would have paused at the odd noise that came out. Her eyes snapped open as a frigid wind whipped along her back and harsh morning light pierced down on her. She looked around, despite the sun, there was still frost all around the ground, bouncing the light in a sometimes blinding path. "Whmh... ! Mmmmh!" She mumbled, she could barely move her jaw, held open by something in her mouth. She started to wake up, much quicker than usual given her odd circumstances, both knees were against the floor, the ragged material over her shins cold and wet. There was the last signs of a fire which had burned through the night, near enough to provide some warmth, the smell from it told her that it was the same wood she had gathered earlier. Had she.. fallen asleep after making camp? But why was she kneeling-

She gasped as she tried to move, but found that nothing would obey her. Her arms tugged, legs tried to stand, nothing. Her breath came in fast as she tried to look down. Her tunic was missing, leaving just her under-shirt, damp from the weather, and as she twisted her neck to look she saw that her breeches and boots had gone too, some sack-cloth legwear hung from her legs instead. But, most shocking of all were the may coils of rope she saw. She'd been robbed, that much was obvious, while she didn't know what was missing yet, she saw that beyond her underthings, and the trousers they'd given her, all they'd left her with was her rope.

She'd been tied to a tree, forced to kneel as her shins were spread to either side of the trunk, the rope was coiled around her ankles and looped behind her. Then it had been wound around her thighs and shins a couple of times. Another rope, this one not hers, but longer, had been wrapped tightly around her torso, pinning arms to her sides and the rough bark behind her. Her captors had even been so teasingly cruel as to tie it in a harness around her bosom. Four loops around the waist, two loops around the shoulders. And then she'd been gagged with a balled up cloth, the ends of which had been looped around her muzzle. The ropes were tight enough around her wrist that she couldn't try to bend up and claw at them. She squirmed and twisted in her restraint, growling out before she sucked in some breath and howled as loud as she could. "MMMH! Hlmmph mh! Fhmmmnn!" There was nothing but the sound of wildlife in answer. She cried out a few more times, getting angrier with each attempt. Her body was too tightly bound to let her get any freedom. She twitched her toes, and started, a claw scraped along one of the tight ropes at her ankles... it was something she could work with!

She kept calling intermittently whenever her ankle ached from the attempts at sawing the dew-soaked rope as memories returned and she recalled the previous night, something at the inn, she blacked out, and then she woke up robbed and tied up on a mountain.

After what felt like ages she heard a snap of twig. A man was walking across the rocks around her, seemingly ignorant of her presence. She squealed again and his head turned, his clothing and attire painted him as a local, and he wandered over, totally unhurried. "Hah, wow, looks like those boys got another one. And a cat thing too." He sounded amused, the creep. "Hahahaha, how are adventurers so bad at this? Here let me help with that." He said as he dragged the gag loose.

"Unngh, fhah..." She moved her tongue about to loosen her voice, "Thank you, my good fellow, could you help me out here?"

"Need a drink first?" He said with raised eyebrow. "It's just water, you sound like you need it."

"No that's fine just he-acgh!" She grunted eyes widening as he took a strong grip of her chin and splashed water out of his waterskin. She made to spit it but he clamped her mouth shut until she swallowed.

"No really, it's just water, look, see?" He took a swig himself. "Anyway, captive adventurers are hilarious, I'm not gonna interfere. You have fun now kitty cat, if you're still here when I'm walking home tonight then I'll let you out. For a price."

"What? Seriously? You can't leave me here like this! I was robbed! Gods damn it!!"

"Yes I can, and I know that, you silly fool. Now if you don't want me to gag that pretty mouth of yours you'll just keep quiet till I'm gone and get out of it yourself. So, good bye, and if you're in a real pickle I'll see you later on. Gonna be a mild day at least!" He chortled, even as she shot a rage filled stare at him and struggled afresh.

He was already walking off. Headed onward to wherever he was going.

It was even later when she finally carved through the whole rope between her ankle. It let her legs part, and even loosened the wrap around her right thigh. With a bit more wiggling one leg was entirely free, though she winced as it lit up with a tingling ache from being held there so long. Her left was still too secured to get much further but still, she could move it a bit. Her stomach growled hungrily, but she ignored it, this wasn't the worst situation she'd been in before. She could get out of this with enough time. Another sound of something approaching. She took a breath.

"Whoever's there, I need help!"

Her voice pierced the afternoon air. And the sounds came closer, someone with a horse, that means they must have travelled! Surely a traveller would be sympathetic where the local just laughed.

It was a woman, one who had the telltale bulges about their clothing of being another beast like her, hopes rising further.

A long snout poked forth from behind a cowled head, and she stood over the kneeling prisoner. "What is this? Who are you?"

Oh thank the heavens, someone helpful and not smug. "To answer your question, my name is Terila, I was robbed in the local town and they left me up here like this. Please, if you can help me out I will be grateful to you!"

A knife flashed out, and the figure, a rat-woman, knelt beside her, cutting her other leg loose. "You are not from these parts?"

She tilted her head. "No... I get the impression it's not very friendly to adventurers though."

"No. And good." She clicked her tongue and her horse came over. She stood up and fiddled in a bag.

"Good? Heh, are the locals that bad?"

"No." She replied, drawing out what looked like straps. "Means no one will miss you."

"Wait, what?!" Terila replied in alarm. The rat struck out, snaring Terila's legs, one still recovering from the cramps of its incarceration, within seconds she'd strapped her shins together and then another belt was wrapped on her thighs. "No! Get away from me! Someone help!!" she shouted in hysterics. The rat brought her dagger pommel around and knocked her out cold in a swift strike.

Her body went limp, and the rat slaver stabbed a fingernail into her side to test. Sure enough she was out cold. With a last furtive look around, the rat brought down a sack from her horse, tucking it around the cat's legs as she folded them up. She cut the rest of the ropes, and pulled out a harness, she ran straps below the cat's legs and up her body, dragging Terila's arms across her chest. She placed them hugging below the breasts before securing the harness on there. Finally she clipped a strap to her thigh-band, and then that band to others on her shins. Forcing her new prisoner into a balled up fetal position. Next, she drew out a thick black hood and tugged it over the feline's head. When it was secured on, the rat dragged up the sack to cover the captive entirely, drawing it shut.

As she hefted the captive into the small cart her horse was dragging along, she ran the drawstrings around a metal ring on the floor of the cart, before stacking the rest of her luggage to obscure the person-shaped sack.

As she took her horse's reins up again, she stuck out away from the town. It was a damn shame this adventurer was already robbed penniless, but at least cats sold well as slaves this far North...

...the man came back that evening, there was the tree, and there were the ropes, all cut. He had a moment's disappointment, but oh well, Mattas' targets often didn't have much worth to offer payment, and he didn't need more firewood chopped. The cuts seemed a bit messy though, surely an adventurer prizes a good rope and wouldn't cut it up so much. Then again, this one got dragged here to begin with so can't have been the best at her profession. He walked away, Mattas and his crew would burn through the cash they raised in no time, and then the next mark would end up here, maybe that one was destined to be less able to escape and he'd get to 'help'.