FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A Few days later while I was getting some upper body strength training from my uncle when I hear from Cassie. {Pardon Hunter Gwen, can you come to the gate? We have a situation, and could use your help}. I send her an agreement and I look to my uncle, "Uncle Lance I have to deal with some issue at the gate, care to come with me and see how we deal with problems?" My uncle nods his head and I feel Cheshire land on my shoulder, "this 'situation' as Cassie puts it has had her tell the guards to divert the people coming into town to another gate. Where she has sent one of the other of her people to scan people," I turn my head to him curious. He just shakes his head, "best hear it from the horses mouth as they say Gwen." I nod and me and my uncle head to the gate with Cheshire perched on my shoulder.

We approach the gate and I see Cassie talking to a woman and her young child, there is a trader group standing nearby. This trader group included five adults and seven children, Cassie turns to me as we come close. "Thank the Gods you're here Hunter Gwen, I was afraid I'd have to have someone restrain Kaylee here so she could not enter the city at this time."

I grow wary and approach slower, with a questioning look on my face. The woman in front of Cassie with an agitated look on her face turns to me and complains. "Why is this horse preventing me from entering this city I wish to move to?" I pause and restrain my anger, "woman this is a unicorn and I plan to find out why she is barring you entry. As she called me here I wager due to the reason why she is barring you."

The woman makes a derisive noise, "that can't be a unicorn it doesn't have a horn. Also why would such a creature be standing in front of some human city anyway?" I place my hand on my forehead and shake it asking the Gods to stop sending us dumb people, "if I were to remove your child's ears would it prevent them from hearing?" She gets a horrified look on her face and shakes her head, I walk over to Cassie who lowers her head for me and I part the top of her mane to show the woman the stub from where her horn was.

"I am glad the analogy horrified you this is where her horn was, a sick human chopped her horn off a year ago. She is still physically a child in unicorn society, but in her segment of society she is considered an adult. As to why she is at this gate it serves two reasons."

I hug Cassie in apology for having to show the woman where her horn was and look her in the eye, "so which is it Cassie?" Cassie turns her head to the child and points with her nose, "the little one has measles and I can sense the beginnings of chicken pox in the child as well." She then indicates the trader group, "they've infected their children and made the adults carriers." I sigh deeply and turn to the woman, who was now standing straighter. "As I don't spy a rash on your child, are you putting makeup on her?"

The woman crosses her arm, "so? It was the only way we could travel with other people, for some reason people have issues when they hear my child has a common childhood illness." I could feel my uncle's anger and I frowned at the woman. I spy that Cassie sent all human guards away so I turn to one of the full elf guards, noticing no half elves were present either. "Two things, first keep her;" I point at the woman behind me, "from coming near that gate I'll deal with her in a moment. Second, why did she send the half elves away?"

The elf gives the woman a withering look, "simple Hunter Gwen. Our half blooded brothers are subject to both people's illnesses, and since most half bloods haven't spent time in human cities." I nod my head understanding, "just make sure to do whatever Gilorndir says to clean any germs from you." The elf nods and him and the other guards turn to stare at the woman as I walk over to the trader group who is now looking very angry.

Their leader a man I have seen often in the market square speaks, "this is unreasonable what this woman has done to us." He looks to Cassie, "my Lady how long have our children been affected for?" Cassie blushes at the honorific but answers, "only a week sir. Most likely while out on the road, so if it was spread farther with you it would have been only with anyone who traveled with you during that time."

The trader nods his head and turns back to me, "I am guessing you need us to spend time in your isolation housing Hunter Gwen? This trip will lose us money and goods, as we have perishables; thankfully I am sure your top Healer will be servicing us?" I nod my head apologetically, "yes sir. As to losing money I'll have your taxes waved for this stay and I will give you trade goods out of my own stores to compensate you for this inconvenience."

The trader looks surprised, "I thank you Hunter Gwen; but only give me half of what you were planning. As you didn't plan this and it was out of your control, however I thank you." He turns to his gathered people and waves for them to follow him as he walks around the side of the building a few of the guards following to inform our gate keepers there what is going on.

I turn back to the woman who was looking angry again. "Isolation housing? What is he talking about? I want to speak to someone in charge, this is unreasonable!" My uncle steps forward with a very unhappy look on his face, "you better watch your mouth young lady. My niece there is a 'person in charge', as this is the city she has founded and she is the Head Hunter here. You can't get more in charge than her, or would you prefer to have her call her Dragon guardian over to chat with you? I hear children taste sweeter than adults." The child looks scared then and the woman starts shouting, "how dare you say that about my child; why aren't the guards arresting you?"

She glares at the elvan guards the head of this group speaks, "because {human} I agree with Hunter Lance. I'd feed you to the Dragon too for putting my city in danger." The woman turns to me, "I traveled all the way here from the Americas because I heard this was the best human city in the world. How dare you let these lesser beings talk to me this way." {Ye Gods another entitled human}, I speak to Cassie. {Considering the distance she's traveled can we expect more with the measles or even chicken pox}?

She looks at the child a moment, {I think we'll see the pox first as I believe they picked up the measles on the other side of the Land Bridge. However, I think they brought measles to a few towns here}. I sigh shaking my head, "woman why didn't you stop and have your child treated when she showed signs?" The woman stands taller, "because it's just a normal childhood illness; everyone should get it. Thankfully we have no more vaccinates, as I know they spread illness." I could feel Cheshire shifting weight as if he wanted to say something, but then uncle Lance does.

"Are you daft woman? People can go blind from the measles or even die from it, it also can cause brain damage." The woman shrugs her shoulders, "it's just a fever and a rash. God doesn't make mistakes."

Listening to the woman gave me an idea and Cheshire jumps off my shoulder and walks over to the child purring like he's a house cat. "Oh! A kitty! I haven't seen a kitty up close before!" The woman gets a horrified look on her face, "Sarah stay way from that thing you don't know where it's been. It might have rabies."

Cheshire chuckles and the woman looks around trying to find the source of the sound, he looks to the child. "Funny how your mom is worried I'd make you sick youngling." The child smiles clapping her hands together, "oh! It talks! Yeah mommy says Gods didn't make sickness in people that can kill but animals can. I'm tired though, ever since the itching started I've been very tired." {Hunter}, Cassie speaks; {I think this child is probably close to a coma due to her mother's actions}.

I nod my head and give Cheshire a look, he calmly walks between the child and it's mother and talks quietly with the child as I walk up to the mother. My uncle steps close looking angrier, "I'm making an on the spot ruling here Kaylee was it?" She nods her head, "we're removing Sarah from your custody. You are demonstrating that you do not care for her welfare, we on the other hand shall take care of her." The woman looks indignant, and starts shouting during which Cassie inserts herself between Cheshire and the woman.

"How dare you do something so inhuman to my family!" I grin at the woman, "technically woman all Hunter's aren't actually human. Also," I rip the sleeve on my left arm to show my upper arm and I turn to the woman. "Hey look, small pox!" The woman goes pale and backs up then turns and runs away. Uncle Lance looks at me and laughs, "Gwen you should have had me do that. It's cheaper to fix men's shirts, good move that one though."

I chuckle, "you can tease the next antivaxxer if one shows up while you are here. How is our new resident?" I look behind Cassie to see the child curled up against Cheshire, I get concerned; "She's just asleep Gwen, I nudged her mind before her mother's outburst so she wouldn't see what happened." Cheshire spoke up, I would say to wake her before you send her into the enclosure so you can give her the warning."

Uncle Lance reaches down and picks the sleeping child up very carefully. "This poor thing is under weight too, whomever is going to have to work in your enclosure will need to give her a proper bath before she can be treated. It looks like her mother put on foundation with a putty knife."

We start walking around the outer gate, "Cassie does Gilorndir know what is going on?" She nods her head, "he's already there taking care of the trader group Hunter Gwen. He had me pass on the best way to clean the gate area of any residual infection so it'll be safe for people to use again tomorrow."

We leave Cassie behind as we walk around the city walls and uncle Lance stops a moment, I smile. "Oh yes you haven't seen our quarantine area yet have you uncle?" He shakes his head, the design was simple yet impressive. While the dwarves built the main city Gilorndir had instructed both the dwarves and the elves to create a small keep outside the city on the side tucked away so it could be easily defended.

It is walled in, the walls are as smooth as glass; inside and out. Yet are made from stone, there is one structure inside. It is placed dead center of the enclosed area in mathematical precision so that the walls are all an equal distance from it. It is built five stories high, the bottom floor has quarters for non humanoids. We send the very best of our bedding straw here, actually we send all of our best products here to make sure anyone ill has the best chance at recovery.

Our best foods from the fields come here first, the best cloth for bandages are sent here as well as the best of the medicinal herbs. The second floor of the structure has the surgery, the apothecary room; as well as the kitchen and dinning hall. Anyone very sick is fed in their rooms, the next floor up has large rooms for families with the same illness. The floors above that are single rooms, it was very well designed; and has one more feature.

The mages had created an invisible shield over the whole structure, the shield will incinerate any microbe or germ that passes through it. You have to be let in or out of the structure to not succumb to your internal organs bursting into flames from your gut bacteria. It was a very effective system to prevent outbreaks, and guarding the gates was a very interesting system.

The guards for this structure are mated pairs, and they have to be male/female partners. We have the quarantine building gate guarded by older women who have had families, and didn't want to retire. Their husbands guard the city gate leading to the structure, if anything gets to the women the men are meant to deal with it. The women are there to keep people from being stupid, as the gate also has the shield. You have to either wearing a counter stone or the large counter stone must be placed in the gateway for you to pass unharmed.

When we near the gate one of the women an older dwarf who has seen five hundred years at least looks at the child in uncle Lances arms. "'ere now, that the young'in? Poor thing, she gonna be alright?" I look to the girl sleeping peacefully, "I hope so; it's no fault of hers that her mother is an idiot." The dwarf nods, "gonna wake her an show her what's what?" I nod my head as the dwarf pulls a sack out of a sealed box and we all shudder from the smell.

I lean over the child in my uncle's arms and speak quietly, "Sarah sweety can you wake up? I know you're tired honey." The child squirms a bit and slowly wakes up rubbing her eyes. "Did my friend tell you I had to show you something before you went to sleep?" She nods her head as I feel Cheshire's weight on my shoulder's again.

I indicate for my uncle to place the child on the ground which he does gently and I squat down to her level. "Now sweety you need to trust me alright? This is for your own safety alright?" She nods her head, "the kitty said the place I was going to go to has something protecting it that I had to know how it worked." I nod my head, "yes exactly. See the old woman there holding the sack?" The girl nods her head, "now she's not going to open it; but you should know that smell is rotten meat." The girl nods her head holding her nose now, "we all have germs that live in us even when we are well. The protection on this building prevents germs from getting through, that means you can't make others sick while in there." The girl tilts her head looking at the building, "now she's going to throw that sack at the open gateway. I want you to watch what happens to it." The girl nods and the guard tosses the sack towards the gate and it burns up instantly.

The girl's eyes go wide and I touch her shoulder, "now remember I said you have to trust me right?" She nods, "if you are given something special to wear by one of the guards or they tell you it is alright to walk through you can. We have a way to let people pass through safely," she nods her head in an odd way and passes out.

Gilorndir walks out of the gate right then and rushes to the girl's side, looking her over. He turns to me, "I need you to get me Atsuko. She knows the most about these illnesses here, I need to know if I have to use magic to save her or if we can take a longer route to heal her. I will take her inside, the guards have a stone to remove germs from your skin. It might burn slightly but you'll be safe to walk into the city." I nod my head as he carefully picks the child up and rushes back inside, the dwarf walks over with a stone in a gloved hand and starts passing it over the two of us.