FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The remainder of the journey across the land bridge was well fairly dull in comparison, no more Dragon sightings a month into the third leg of the trip. The merpeople thought the twins were proficient enough at this time to wait to continue any more training till after we had an Arms Master teaching them. So we just had our own group with random pauses to give the gryphons extra hunting time.

The day we spy the shore of Brittany every one stared to perk up, it would be a change of scenery. No more flat ocean surrounding up on the narrow mile wide strip of rock and dirt. The previous two nights when we stopped for the evening we were gifted a meteor shower that wasn't one. Alberich said that because there wasn't one due for weeks as yet the "falling stars" were most likely the old satellites that ran our old technologies. A sad yet pretty site to behold, until we saw that some struck ground instead of the ocean. All of us hoped there weren't settlements in those areas, because they wouldn't exist if they were in the landing spots.

We stop to make camp that evening on the land bridge side of the coast, a wise person always takes the more defensible position. Without knowing what lived in the vicinity close to the land bridge it would be easier to defend camp if we were attacked by anything.

Harriet prepared the remainder of the salted fish with a small amount of the dried venison I hadn't known she had saved and made a very hearty stew with it. She only made flat bread to go with the stew to save flour, to make it all the way to where I wanted our home to be. I just hope it won't require to much clean up of city rubble to make at least a common hall for everyone the first year.

Harriet used up the remaining meat we had stored away, as Jose was planning to go scout and hunting before first light, so he got fed first so he could go and sleep very early. We were planning on remaining in the shore area for a few days to replenish our food stores before heading to the shore that faces the former UK.

While eating our evening meal one of the younger children yells and points at the sky to the south. We all jump up thinking there were more Dragons following us, a pity it wasn't. There falling from the sky to the ocean was a giant ball of fire, Alberich came up to my side. {I believe that is the space station, and as I did study the information on it}. He sighs, {I would guess they ran out of food and instead of starving to death they decided to drop the station and burn up. While I would never wish for either death, at least the fire would be quicker. They would also die on Earth verses the great expanse of space.}

Father Peter upon hearing that started quietly speaking the rites for the dead, seems Father Innocent was teaching the boy some of the Catholic beliefs. A couple of the people started singing Danny Boy. I shake my head, "those poor fools didn't have a chance." The children start pointing again at a capsule falling with a parachute towards the water. {Well looks like some might have survived, but we don't have a way to retrieve them Gwen.}

A merman in battle armor breaks the surface of the water on the southern side of the bridge, "don't look surprised Hunter. There are caves in the bridge the Earth Dragon built enabling ocean life the ability to pass through, they are also differently sized to accommodate different sized animals. The one who made this bridge put some thought into it." I nod my head getting over my surprise at his explanation, "I can go and check that pod for survivors for you and if there are any I'll call for help to retrieve them for you." Before I could respond he dives back into the water.

{Well}, Alberich nudges me lightly. {If you wanted proof of the merfolk following us you just got is Gwen}. I pat his shoulder in agreement and go find Harriet who was near the cooking area with the twins helping her clean up after the meal. I walk over and look in the pot to check if there was any stew left, and Harriet speaks without looking up from her bread preparation for the next morning. "Yes there is some left in case that boy finds anyone alive on that thing, though I would not feed them much to start with. Depending on how long they went without eating, we would not want them to become ill." I think a few minutes and I call Cheshire over, "hey just in case there is people on that pod I think more than just eating stew would be best for them. Can you come with me, we'll need to bring Alberich. To help me look for some greens on the shore?" Cheshire looks toward the burning station for a moment, {yes; I think you're right. Though I'm having Dusk ask SwiftFoot come with too, we don't know what is along the shore and it would be safer for you to have plenty of protection especially if you are going out just to pick green things}.

I chuckle, "well at least you didn't say I was being silly and wanting to pick flowers in a field during a war." Cheshire snorts, {you have better sense than that Gwen. Besides you are doing it to help whom ever might have lived through the hell they probably experienced.} I nod in agreement as SwiftFoot walks forward, out of all of the Gryphons in the group with us aside from the twins she understands human speech the best. "You, want go get food for maybe hurt human?" She says to me trying to slowly pronounce the words so I can understand better, I was still learning the language. With her help I was coming along nicely at it. I wasn't sure when the Wing was suppose to leave us so I was attempting to learn it as quickly as I possibly can.

I respond, "yes SwiftFoot. As we don't know how long anyone on there might have been without food we have to be careful feeding them to not make them ill while they recover. I think adding some greens like dandelion and any other edible greens would be a major benefit to helping them survive." SwiftFoot tilts her head in thought, "silly humans eat strange things." I chuckle at her reference to the fact that we don't eat just meats, aside from some baked good of course.

I inform Jake of what I was doing and assured him I had plenty of protection to make sure I didn't get harmed. I also suggested he prepare a movable bed in case some of the stories I heard of the crews returning being unable to use their muscles for a number of weeks was true.

My group and I head onto the shore of Brittany in search of some fresh greens for the possible incoming from the pod. If there was no one to rescue we would have the food for our own breakfast the next morning. I took a fairly large basket that me and Shadow had to hold between us, with Cheshire in the lead as he could see the best in the dark.

We spend almost an hour filling the basket with as much safe green food as we could find, Harriet was going to be so happy along with the rest of our group. The change in diet would be welcome, after all the dried salted fish we had been eating.

Alberich flicks an ear and stands in a defensive posture in front of me, who is there and what do you want? A terrified dwarf breaks out from the tree line to the east of us. He had a wide eyed look and was constantly looking over his shoulder. "Hunter! We've heard tale you were coming here, and we need your help! There's a Manticore eating the settlers we set out in a village we established nearby." Alberich stills and I walk around the unicorn over to the dwarf. "Well on the plus side it's not a Dragon, how many are left in the village?" I ask the still shaking dwarf, "none my Lady Hunter. It has eaten all of the people we had in our village. I was sent to find ye to see if you can rid us of the beast."

I turn towards Alberich, "you know I need to do this. The whole point of what I want to establish is to protect people, if I cannot stop one rampaging 'monster' then why have the principles I have?" Alberich bows his head in thought and Cheshire speaks up, {I'm sure you know how rare a creature that is Gwen. They are normally left to their own devices, yet this one did eat a whole village of dwarves. That does require some kind of action, and technically you are the best suited to this task. Your reflexes are the swiftest of the humanoid species.} Cheshire turns to Shadow, {you cannot help in this fight though body guard. As the Manticore are very swift of foot, more than a standard human can match. You will need to remain behind with the twins.}

Shadow looks angry but slowly nods his head knowing the cat wouldn't say so if there wasn't at least a grain of truth to the statement. Cheshire then turns to SwiftFoot and swaps to his gale head, and from what I can guess. Tells her that we will need paired fighters, I look to Alberich who was still looking depressed. {Why paired fighters?} He slowly looks up to look me in the eye, {because if they might die the gryphons would prefer dieing with their mates.}

"Are Manticore's swifter than Gryphons as well?" I ask in general, {yes. The only thing much faster would be a Dragon, would can almost match it's speed. As to why the concept of us going after one bothers is because the magical unicorns are responsible for their creation.}

He nods to the basket, {lets take that back and I'll explain to you what happened. Dwarf come with us for now you will need to give Hunter Gwen the important information about this beast}.The dwarf practically glues himself to the unicorns side as we head back to the camp.

When we get there and I drop off the basket to Harriet, Jake waves me over to the southern shoreline. He points in the distance and I see two heads swiftly heading in our direction. The merman had found someone it seems, and it takes him about twenty minutes that felt like an eternity.

The merman makes it to shore with a man in his arms, "Hunter this man is alive but I think there is something wrong with him he can't seem to move." The man tries to move his head but is unable to, "As I have told this; whatever it is. I am fine, just the effects of having lived in space for so long." Well at least the man was conscious, I squat down near the shore Shadow leaning over to lift the man from the merman's arms. "Was there anyone else?" I ask the merman, "no Hunter. There were three bodies and this unmovable man." I bow my head, "thank you. Please tell your Queen we thank you for this aid." The merman gives a salute and dives back into the ocean.

"Astonishing! First a fish man now a unicorn and a cat with wings, what has happened here on Earth? Last we heard something was attacking D.C. then nothing." Shadow lays the man on the hand stretcher that Jake made up to be more bed like.

"Well before I tell you that, have you been without food? If so for how long, and can you chew at all or do we need to give you things you can just swallow?" The man's eyes twinkle a bit in amusement, "just like me to forget myself. It's been about four days since I last ate, no water for the last day. We knew it was a long shot to try to escape the satellite as it crashed. Though we had seen people traveling this span of ground that appeared on the ocean, we were hoping someone could get to us. Or we would starve without being able to even get to a side arm to end our own lives. As to chewing, yes provided it is soft."

Jake and Shadow grab either end of the stretcher and with me walking next to it we make it over to the cooking area. Harriet is cutting up greens with the twins washing the remainder. "Harriet he hasn't eaten in four days and no water for the last day. He says he can chew if it is soft, but we'll probably have to find a way to prop him up so he can eat without choking." Harriet nods her head and motions to a stack of crates positioned so that a person would be slightly inclined. "That spot should work best though I recommend having something surround him so he doesn't fall over. If he has no muscle control then it is possible he might fall over. Cheshire can you have Atsuko come and give, oh now dearie what's your name?"

The man's eye's twinkle again in amusement, "John Camen Ma'am." Harriet puffs up a bit, "I'm no Ma'am son I'm just Harriet. Cheshire tell Atsuko that John here needs a once over to check him out, as I'm sure he can't tell if he has problems if he can't hardly move on his own." Cheshire nods his head and Harriet goes about prepping some food for John.

I spy the dwarf nearby eating a bowl of stew and walk over to him and sit next to him, "so where is this Manticore hiding out at?" The dwarf almost chokes on a piece of dried potato at the word Manticore, "begging your pardon Hunter I was a tad hungry after all the runnin I did." I wave my hand to show it was fine and wait for him to give me the information. "The thing is that beastie isn't hiddin anywheres, he's been sittin in the middle of the village napping." I nod my head, "so how far from here is the village?" The dwarf sets the bowl down, "on unicorn back probably a couple hours south southeast." I nod my head and pat him on the shoulder as I stand up, "go on and get another bowl if you need it. I am sure your people have a bolt hole nerdy for danger, if you feel safe enough go ahead and head home then. I'll go after this beast in the morning." The dwarf nods as I walk back to were John was.

Now Cassie and Atsuko were present, amusingly Atsuko was the one feeding John. She looks up as I approach, "he is a bit dehydrated Hunter. That will take a couple days of drinking regular amounts of water to fix as well as a lot of small meals till he can stomach a full meal. As to his muscle atrophy, I don't know enough about the phenomenon as I should to help him. Though I do suggest helping him move his limbs to exercise the muscles daily, I can ride with him in the wagon while we move to help that process." I grin at her, "that should be fine Atsuko especially if he's going to need to eat often."

I then turn to Cassie and Alberich, "alright. So which one of you wishes to enlighten us about Manticore?" Cassie steps forward, {I will Hunter Gwen. As it was the fault of my people who made them to begin with.} "Wow is she talking in my head?" John asks, Cassie turns to him. {Yes, all unicorns can speak mind to mind Mr. Camen. Also before you ask while me and Alberich are both unicorns we are different types. I am a member of the magical species while Alberich is not. I have no horn because some humans cut it off and because of that Alberich adopted me, as I am still a child. My parents won't accept me as one of them due to me missing my horn}.

"What kind of parents won't accept their child after they are disfigured, I am guessing on purpose by some monster people?" Alberich steps forward and touches John's face, {ones from the magical unicorns. They believe a unicorn is dead if they lose their horn for any reason. That is fine we accept her here, and if I ever meet her parents I plan on teaching them a lesson}.

"Good, sorry for interrupting you by the way." John says anger still laced in his voice. Cassie nods her head, {quite alright Mr. Camen. My people created the Manticore back during the human dark ages. They were being hunted by humans for their horns and so the council of elders we have decided they would work on a magical experiment to make themselves a guardian. One that could think like a human but have no qualms about killing and eating them. They used the deadliest toxin they could find for the spines in the tail and they looked to the sharks of the ocean for it's teeth. They used the body of a large cat so it would be nimble.}

Cassie pauses a moment, and Alberich lays his head along her back what ever he said was kept to themselves. {Since the Elders were the ones to make the beast they were the first victims of it, or I should say them. They had made three pairs of the creatures, who then killed and ate the magical elder council. Some of our people managed to follow them a while watching them. They were killing humans, however they slaughtered anything that was living. At least for the first few weeks}, Alberich looks up. {The more scientist type of her people discovered that in their creation they were given an uncontrollable hunger. Once they satisfied it they would nap sometimes for centuries before waking again, though sometimes a matter of hours. It was also discovered they very rarely breed, it seems they are not social enough to for bonds with their own kind.}

I sit down slowly, "so they created the perfect predator then released it to the world. Cassie dear the more I learn of your people the less I like them." I say shaking my head in disbelief. Cassie nods her head in agreement, agreed. {The magical unicorns can be very stupid in their ideas. It doesn't change the fact we have one of these to kill}. I nod my head, "true. I suggest we get some sleep, it's going to be a long day for us tomorrow. Atsuko, can you bring John up to date on what has happened to the world in the last few years?"

I then turn and head to my tent to get some sleep hopefully, I wonder how many more surprises we are in store for out there. I ponder to myself as I lay down, {I just hope we get through this.}