FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Counter Earth Chronicles - Fallen Empire

Chapter 111: Unaware and Terrified (The Future Of Our Future Part III)

In Bloom Flower Kiosk approximately one year ago...

"I am sorry sir but we don't have anything available at the moment." A snooty male binturong said to a blond preteen boy.

"Don't have anything at the moment? Are you kidding me? In Bloom is the premiere florist here in World Three. Your stand even looks like a miniature greenhouse!!! What is going on?!"

"If you must know human..." The shop owner said looking down on the boy whose clothing wasn't as nice as his own or his other customers.

"The name is Kiwi."

"How nice for you." He said condescendingly. "I don't like you humans, you are furless, tailless, lack claws and smell funny... very funny."

"But you gotta help me! My mother's birthday is tomorrow and a half dozen roses would be perfect!"

"I told you I don't want or need your business filthy stinking human!"

"Morning Ganus! How are things?" A white-grey chakat said approaching the binturong's kiosk.

"My morning was going great Song, until this appeared at my stand. Why can't he buy what he needs from his own kind?"

"Please mister you have the best plants in the city!!" The preteen boy pleaded.

"Go away or I will send for the knights!" Was the cold uncaring response.

"Ganus I will take a dozen roses; add it to my tab." Song said to the shop owner.

"Very well. Here you go." The predjudiced beastial said wrapping the roses.

"Thanks Ganus." The female chakat said looking at the twelve long stems wrapped in a white bow. "Here kid, for you."

"Thanks miss cat-lady!!" Kiwi said perking up.

"Chakat actually. My name is Song."

"I am Kiwi."

"Named after the fruit or the animal?"

"Both actually."

"I overheard your exchange. I wanted you to know that not all of us share Ganus' views."

"If he didn't have the best flowers in the city. I wouldn't shop here." The boy countered looking at the chakat's white shirt.

"Well he doesn't know it, but Mr. Ganus is going to get some competition."

"Really?"

"I am planning on opening my own florist shop soon and I won't be picky about my clientele tail or tailless, fur or furless." The chakat said smiling.

"I would like that." The boy said returning the smile. "Perhaps we should stay in touch?"

Day 250 [September 15th] Somewhere far, far west of World Three

"Something on your mind Song?" Naka asked his second in command while she observed her charge.

"No, just remembering the first time Kiwi and I met. He has gone through so much these last nine months."

"We all have Song who would have predicted this a year ago?" The maned wolf asked the chakat as the preteen boy trailed the rest of their group through the woods.

"And another forest to trudge through yay." A gray and white pony announced to his companion.

"I don't know Russell after trudging through a glacier and a desert, this place kind of has its own sense of charm." Nikka observed.

"You are referring to the weird curved shaped trees?" The hedgehog boy said breaking into the skunk's conversation. "Serious mysterious."

"Even more mysterious than a hidden village where the residents were subcontracted to store living cargo for the KLIS Arthur?" A she monkey asked.

"Yeah that was sorta messed up." The hedgehog responded as the blue slim next to him made an observation.

Schwee!!! Schwee!!

"Um, what did Addy say?" Minka asked the miniature horse.

"She said that this is a jungle not a forest." Russell said to the cheeky monkey.

"This area has a unique beauty all its own Naka." Song said as she and Kiwi followed behind their troup.

"I agree. I wonder if we are the first to visit this area in a long time. If you recall during the time of the empire, no one was permitted to live outside of the five cities." Naka observed.

"So naturally the areas far and away were virtually undisturbed."

"Exactly right Kiwi." The maned wolf said to the preteen.

"So how much farther are we going to travel, fearless leader?" A testy Akita asked sharpening his blade.

"As far and away as we can get from that village." Angi replied overhearing Midnight Black's comment. "I never ever want to go there again."

"Agreed child."

The faux beagle looked at him funny. "Err I mean pup. But to the matter at point when are we ever going to stop traveling?"

"The short answer is when we find a place we can settle down in and be truly safe Black." Naka said to the Akita assassin.

"Looks like we are clearing the jungle." A wombat announced.

"Will you look at that!!" Kiwi exclaimed.

Before the nomadic colony was a large body of water. Within it was a large caldera inside was a volcano belching lava.

"Is that the ocean or just a very large lake?" A groundhog asked cocking his head to the side.

"What is is dangerous." The assassin said.

"Arthur?" Naka asked the curious hedgehog.

"I am not a volcanologist, but it appears like that volcano is creating an island in the lake sir."

"Which would make this area a big fat no." The miniature horse suggested.

"But regardless it is fascinating to watch." Angi added.

"It looks like we have reached land's end Naka." The maned wolf's second in command said as their group took in the scene.

"Schwee!! Schwee!!" Addy said staring at a bizarre shaped rock.

"Hello, what is that?" The wombat asked.

"It looks like a large stone shaped hand jutting up from the ground Ulu." The groundhog next to him replied.

"Schwee!!" Addy nodded in agreement.

"NAKA!!! Look at the detail." The groundhog said to everyone present.

"It is shaped like a hand, a human hand." Midnight Black observed.

"How can you tell?" Kiwi asked the assassin.

"My blade has lopped off quite a few in my time." The dark Akita said as he watched the preteen turn a ghostly white.

"Um, right. I am going to stand over there now."

"So this is not naturally occurring but what is the significance?" Song asked.

"Unknown but it is...." Arthur started to say.

"SERIOUS MYSTERIOUS." The group laughed anticipating what the analytical youth would say.

*BEEP* *BEEP*

"Song you are beeping." Minka said to the chakat.

The white feline- taur reached into a saddle bag she was carrying and pulled out the communication cube she had received from Lady Barq. An image of a scantily clad fennec appeared over the communication device.

"Feleen?"

"Yes. Greetings Song, Naka, Kiwi, Black and the rest of the nomadic colony, I have news."

"Um, how is it that you are communicating with us? I thought we were far outside of the range of the communication network that Lady Barq and the rest of your colony established?" The maned wolf observed.

"Technically you are but a portion of it bleeds over into your location for some reason. That I have not been able to determine as of yet." Feleen replied.

"Interesting, we are far away from the former empire at the moment sentinel." The akita stated.

"Feleen how are things in the former cities of the empire?" Song asked.

"Bad."

"So then nothing has changed?" The former knight of Sevren concluded. ONE is still increasing in strength, power, number and has conquered most of the former cities of the empire."

"Then what will be next?" Arthur asked.

"Probably the planet." Minka said smiling.

"Not exactly a new enemy has arisen and is in competition With ONE for control."

"I think that counts as worse." Kiwi said to those who were listening to the female fennec.

"Both have clashed in World ONE and World Four. The damage has been extensive."

"Feleen who is this new enemy?" Song asked.

"An ancient creature that was recently freed from its eternal prison. It has been on a rampage ever since. This image was recorded while the creature attacked the Diamond City the entity had built on the remains of World One."

"Remarkable. That creature has to be over twenty feet tall!" Angi said.

"What are our allies in the Lost City doing about this?" Russell said looking at Addy who looked equally concerned.

"Well... They have vacated the planet."

"They what? Is that even possible?" Naka said, looking at his subordinates.

"They felt things weren't getting better or why would they have moved their colony off world? That is why I am contacting you now. They are extending the offer to all who are interested."

"That is quite generous." The faux beagle said.

"What is the catch?" The akita asked.

"That we would be declaring this planet, our home a total loss." Nikka said.

"But if where they are is free from the synoptic and even the KLIS, that would be very compelling." The maned wolf reasoned.

"All who are interested will need to meet them at these coordinates as soon as possible. What shall I tell them?"

"Wouldn't it be easier for them to come to us?" Mr. Ferguson asked the obvious question everyone was thinking.

"Sure where are you?" Feleen asked.

Song looked at Naka, Kiwi, Addy, Russell, Aurthur, Minka, Angi, Nikka and their wombat and groundhog chefs.

"You don't know do you?"

"Well this area isn't actually charted." The former knight said.

"We will come to you then Feleen. Tell Lady Barq to wait for us." The white chakat concluded.

"We?" The akita asked.

"Don't tell us you would rather stay here?" Kiwi said to the prejudiced beastial.

"If what the sentinel is saying has any truth ONE or that new enemy will take over the planet." Angi added.

"Or neither will overpower the other and each will carve their turf to rule." Arthur said pondering.

"So which master do you want to serve Mr. Black?" Minka asked.

Midnight Black was silent for a moment. "We should go south."

"Anywhere but here, I have had my fill of volcanoes." The blond haired preteen said placing the communication cube back inside the chakat's saddlebag.

"The coordinates Feleen gave us- it will be days and days and days before we reach the meeting point." The hedgehog boy said.

"Give or take a day Naka." Minka said grinning.

"Right so we will be looking for any shortcuts we can use along the way to cut down on time." The former knight said. "Let's move out."

The nomadic colony proceeded south along the coastline of the ocean (?) lake (?) until that ended and darted west. Before them rolling hills, forest, then rolling hills of green forest, then of course, more hills. The group reached a particularly large hill by late afternoon.

That evening....

"Roasted salmon?" Ulu said offering some to Nikka."

"Yes thank you. Ow! Ugh, we walked so much today even my blisters have blisters!"

"I rather like your blisters Nikka- they are rather unique, like you." Russell said to the lady skunk who just offered her foot-paws for a massage.

"Oooo looks like someone has a girlfriend!" The monkey girl teased.

"And it looks like someone just volunteered for the night watch." Naka said staring down the monkey.

"Drat!!!" Minka pouted.

"Keep an eye out for anything hostile, although with the forest cover, it will be hard to see anything overhead." The maned wolf said.

The cheeky monkey thought for a minute and then approached the blue slime. "Hey Addy want to help me with the night watch?"

The blue slime started to back away from the monkey. "Schwee..."

"Aw come on, I will share my breakfast with you. Besides misery loves company."

"Schwee..." Addy pouted.

And so the girls started talking. Well it was Minka doing most of the talking as the night watch started.

"...So that was around the time Arthur, Flo and I started investigating the paranormal and things that go rawrrr in the night, if you know what I mean. One of our most challenging cases was a farmhouse that was inhabited by ghosts..."

"Schwee???"

"Yeah, the home was being tormented by a demon from another realm. The family that lived there could not explain all these weird occurrences that were taking place..." Minka said relating the tale.

Sevren Castle one year ago....

"...And over here is the castle cafeteria, down the hall are the offices, briefing room." The gray grizzled wolf said to his newest recruit.

"Thank you for the tour of the castle Sir Wolf and congratulations on the promotion it was well earned." The maned wolf said trying not to appear as if he was sucking up to the leader of the Knights of World Three.

"You're welcome. My mate and cub think it was a long time coming. Now, I am going to pair you with Dusty your first week. Shadow him, learn from him, he will teach you the ropes. The second week it will be with Biff and Looper the third week." Sir Wolf said, placing his paw on the junior knight's shoulder. "You have a good head on you. I think, no I believe you won't stay a junior knight for long."

"So you think I will have a chance to advance to Commander or Lord?" The maned wolf asked nervously.

"Most definitely but not before I do. Now let's finish the tour."

"Sir Wolf..." Naka mumbled in his sleep.

"You say something fearless leader?" The monkey girl asked the sleep-talking wolf.

"ZGHT? Huh? Oh Minka. Oh, it was a dream."

"About what?"

"My first day on the job." The former junior knight said stirring. "That was last September."

"I bet you would never in your wildest dreams would have thought you would be leading a caravan through the wilderness."

"No. Now do you have anything to report?"

"The overnight watch was uneventful, no evil humans, Others or KLIS." Minka said grinning and Addy was helping out right Addy? Addy? Where did she get off to?"

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"Right before I fell asleep." The she monkey said.

"MINKA!!"

"Um, perhaps I should have relayed that earlier...." The she beast said embarrassed.

"Russell! Black! Addy is missing." Naka announced.

"And we should care why?" The Akita asked waking up.

"Because she is part of our group." The grey and white pony said to the assassin. "If you were in trouble, I would not hesitate to help you out."

"That slime could be anywhere in this forest." Midnight Black said looking for tracks.

"You two check northeast. Minka and I will check southwest."

"Do you want us to help?" Nikka asked.

"No, you Ulu and Pabu prepare breakfast. Song and Kiwi check northwest. Arthur and Angi southeast. We will meet back at camp in 15 minutes."

The group spread out to look for their wayward member.

"I found tracks. They are moving northeast." The Akita said kneeling down to the ground.

"But why would she do that?" The pony asked.

"Maybe to answer the call of nature? Or..."

"I hear something!!"

The miniature horse and pony looked up to see a blue splatter high up on the crux of two trees.

"Schwee.... Schwee..."

"How are we going to get her down from that?" Russell asked.

"Oh I can think of a way." The assassin said grinning wickedly.

"Hey!! What are you doing?!" Russell shouted. "Mr. Black?"

He picked up the pony and threw him at the blue splatter. There was a flash and then the young avian with the yellow beak red plumage reappeared sliding down the tree and landing on her head hard.

"Much better." Midnight Black said picking up the combined being. "I did not want to have to climb up there."

"Fifteen minutes and a couple of smelling salts later...

"Scary monster!!! Scary monster! I want badger lady!!!"

"She has been like this since Russell well I, brought her back." The akita said to the skunk.

"You didn't detect anything watching us while we were sleeping?" Nikka said.

"I wasn't looking."

"So you two found her?" Song said reappearing with her charge.

"In a manner of speaking." Midnight Black said.

"Addy is scared." The skunk said to the chakat.

"There is something even more weird. Arthur found another one of those hand rock statues from yesterday." Naka said reappearing with Minka.

"It is about a half mile to the southeast." The hedgehog said but he was drowned out by the monkey girl.

"Hey Russell and Addy combined!!!"

"That is kind of weird but fascinating." The faux beagle commented.

*flash*

"And now they are uncombined. I love it when they do that." Minka commented.

"Russell are you ok?" Nikka asked the grey and white pony.

"Yeah. Addy saw something this morning that scared her badly. I tried to get her to show it to me but she wouldn't."

"So that explains why she was up a tree." The akita said. "Now if we could figure out what happens to your clothes every time you combine with her."

"Um, yeah." The horsie said staring at his groin blushing.

"I think we should break camp and leave now." Song suggested.

The maned wolf nodded.

And so the nomadic colony continued southward. After the hills came a plateau and then a canyon.

"Oh goodie a canyon!!" "The wombat shouted.

"You say something Mr. Ulu?" Angi asked.

"Yeah look what we have to cross." He said pouting as the rest of the group gathered around.

"That is really deep, if you threw someone in- they would never be heard from again." Naka said, tossing a casual glance at the Akita.

"I suppose. It would take too long to go around it so we will have to go through." Midnight Black said.

"No way!" Angi said.

"Yes, way child... err pup." The assassin said.

"You are not going to believe it, but there is another of those hand statues Naka." Arthur said, pointing.

"Well I will be." Kiwi exclaimed.

"One was remarkable, two of them was coincidence but three of them now?" The group's groundhog chef said.

"Arthur what do you make of this?" Song asked the hedgehog.

"It looks identical to the previous two we have seen."

"That is quite obvious boy." The Akita assassin said impatiently.

"Is it paranormal?" Angi added.

"It is eerie looking is what it is." Russell stated. "Addy?"

The cute blue slime shook her head and trembled.

"She hasn't seen anything like this either."

"Serious mysterious! During our time investigating ghosts, ghouls and hauntings, Minka and I have never seen anything like this."

"Well no one has been through this area in sometime." Kiwi yawned. "This area really is an uncharted mystic place."

"All the same, let's get moving again. We still have a lot of ground to cover before nightfall." Naka ordered.

World Three Culinary Campus one year ago....

"Nikka how is the culinary school going?"

"Niko, it has been rough; I don't think I can handle the pressure." The skunk said talking to an image of a younger skunk on her cube.

"You can and you will. I look forward to the day I can tell my friends that my big sister is a renown chef across the empire."

"Niko you place too much faith in me."

"No. Nikka you don't place enough faith in yourself. Mom and dad would agree."

"Fine, fine so what is this I hear about you joining a club?" The older skunk asked the younger skunk.

"It is a consortium for mutual coexistence. They were looking for members in World Five."

"Is this a rebel cel Niko?"

"NO! They are trying to promote communication between 1st and 2nd class citizens Nikka in an attempt to mitigate human suffering."

"I see some of that every time I travel by their areas. That sounds like a worthy cause sis. It might even challenge the rebellion."

"I do hope so sis."

"I have to go Niko. I have my next class in twenty minutes, love you."

"I love you more." The younger skunk said ending the communication.

"Something wrong Nikka? You have been awfully quiet." Russell asked looking back at his companion.

"No just thinking about my sister and admiring your assets."

"Yeah, I have to remember that every time Addy and I merge not to do so clothed. I am starting to run out of things to wear."

"I might have a few things for you if you do run out of clothing- a nice white loin-cloth, a black thong or grey undergarments." The skunk girl said to the pony.

He gave her such a look as if to say you would.

It took the nomadic colony most of the day to traverse the canyon. They had to back track several times when they ran into dead ends. It was late afternoon when they had finally cleared it entering a stone forest where they decided to make camp.

That evening....

"Whatcha doing?" Minka said startling Kiwi.

"Oh, getting ready to watch a nightly transformation." The blond pre-teen said.

"Really?" Arthur asked walking up. "Oh, I see."

"Three, Two, One and there you have it my fellows the fursuit is off and Angi the beagle has once again become Angi the human." The monkey girl said to her companions.

"It is a shame she has rejected who she really is because she is rather pretty underneath the fursuit." Kiwi remarked.

"Yeah that is pretty messed up. But we all have our stories I suppose." The hedgehog observed.

"Yeah like a certain preteen boy liking a certain preteen girl." The monkey teased.

"Minka!" Arthur scolded his fellow Ghost Hunter.

"Well it is common knowledge actually." She countered.

"However, she just thinks being a beastial is better." Kiwi observed.

"Do you Kiwi?"

"Well I have never thought about it, I suppose it would be cool having fur, scales or a tail maybe even claws. I mean what is it like having an extra appendage?" Song's charge asked.

"What is it like not?" Minka countered.

"Alright enough peeping you three off to bed with you." Mr. Ulu said.

"Well. I guess we know who has the watch tonight." Arthur said.

"That means Nikka and Pabu have breakfast duty in the morning." Minka concluded.

The lava lake World Three five months ago....

"How could this happen?! How could this happen?! How could this happen?!" The distraught wombat said.

"I don't know but it did." A maned wolf said approaching. "Don't get any closer, it is not safe."

"It is about time Sir Wolf and the wolfpack showed up." Ulu stated. "Hey what are you doing?!"

"Saving you." The junior knight said pulling the wombat away from the edge of the lava lake. "There is a creature in there that likes to burn its prey alive."

"That is unbelievable...." The wombat started to say as a large set of eyes appeared on the surface of the lava flow. "GOODNESS! So what are you and the core going to do to fix this?!"

"There isn't a wolfpack anymore."

"Sir Wolf? Dusty? Biff? Looper? They were revered in my neighborhood."

"No, it is just me- a junior knight." Naka said. "As you can see there is nothing left of the city to rebuild."

"And it is too dangerous to live here." The wombat concluded.

"I am forming a caravan to look for a new home far away from this. Would you be interested?"

"Yeah sure the name is Ulu I was a cook at the..."

"I am Naka. You had me at cook Ulu...."

*rustle* *rustle*

(And there hasn't been a dull moment on this journey at all.) The wombat said thinking to himself as he heard a strange noise on the edge of camp.

*rustle* *rustle*

"Someone there?" The wombat said getting up from his spot near the campfire. He walked a little ways away and was supposedly staring right at the interloper on the pathway to their camp. But there was nothing there! "Someone there?" Ulu asked again.

The wombat got his answer rather abruptly.

*CHOMP*

*drag*

That morning....

"Naka!!"

"Something wrong Pabu?" The former knight asked at the abrupt awakening.

"Ulu is missing! Nikkia and I can't find him anywhere." The panicked groundhog shouted.

"AHHHH!!!!"

Naka, Song and Midnight Black sprung to their foot-paws and ran toward the direction of Nikka's scream.

Upon their arrival they did find Ulu, but only his paws and plenty of blood.

The akita knelt and looked at the blood trail that abruptly stopped. The rest of the colony combed the stone forest but no other trace was found.

The wombat had been eaten alive. Shocked and dispirited, they returned to their travels- the stone forest gave way to green countryside with mountains in the distance.

Later that morning....

"Naka, this looks like a good place." That chakat said. She had been playing the maternal figure trying to console the group as they grieved the loss of their friend.

"Everyone if you could gather around...." The maned wolf said as he was surrounded by his flock and prepared to eulogize the eaten wombat.

".....We have lost so much this year, our home, our society, our civilization, friends and family. Ulu being the latest example. At times it feels like there is nothing left to lose; like everything else that is left has already been taken and our lives are empty and hallow inside...

....However, some things can't be taken. As I look around our group, I realize that we still have our faith in each other and our will to fight to survive. This is what we will never lose."

Naka then knelt. He, Angi, Kiwi, Arthur and Minka buried the wombat's remains in a small grave grave.

"That was a nice speech." Russell said as the rest of the group proceeded onward. "Not bad for a former junior knight."

"Um Naka...." Angi said her voice trembling.

In the distance was another hand rock formation.

Nikka noticed that Addy had started trembling again.

"Aw, come on!!!" Minka shouted.

"Arthur?" Pabu asked.

Cautiously the hedgehog examined the rock structure. "It is exactly like the last three."

"They don't seem to be naturally occuring. It is more like they are markers." Kiwi said as Song placed her paw on the boy's shoulder.

"What are they marking?" Minka added.

"And the attack on Ulu was it a random event or targeted?" Song said thinking out loud.

"Schwee!!" Addy said trembling.

"There is your answer." The miniature pony said pointing to the blue slime.

"You have been quiet Black." Naka said to the akita who looked at him and marched on ahead.

The countryside turned into hills and then mountains. Several times the young former knight stopped to plot a pathway.

"Which way?" The groundhog chef asked.

"Well, I do not want to go over all that over there so I guess that means we are going through the valley then Pabu hopefully we should make it to the other side by nightfall."

"Naka, a word." The akita said dismissing the chef.

"Yeah Black. Black?" Naka asked.

He received a serious stare from the assassin.

"I couldn't be sure at first but now I am."

"What are you getting at Black?" The former knight asked.

"We are being followed."

To Be Continued....