FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

We fed again the next day, but the stench of the dead uprights was getting overpowering, and I feared it might fester the meat and poison it. So I took Runt with me towards valley where we'd spied the black smoke earlier, as that'd take us further away from the pack's exhausted hunting grounds. We'd just have to be on the lookout for more uprights, in case we strayed into their territory. If they had territories.

Runt didn't speak much that day. Nor the next one. I knew how difficult it was to leave behind the superstitions of puppyhood, so I left him to it. As we reached the bottom of the valley, I called break again, when I saw how fatigued he'd gotten. The downhill going had been especially tough on him. I noticed a few sores on the pad of his good front paw, but he turned away from me when I tried to lick at them.

"What's the matter, Runt?" I asked. I tried to leave the alpha role out of my voice.

"Nothing," he mumbled, turning his muzzle away from me with ears lowered.

"Are you sure?" I pressed. "My job as an alpha-"

"No, it's nothing, Nine," he sighed. "Sorry. Alpha."

"Don't be like that."

He huffed, and laid his muzzle down to the ground, closing his eyes.

"Fine," I told him. "Just... just tell me if you're unhappy, okay?"

He didn't indicate that he understood, but I knew he probably did. I couldn't help but wonder how on earth he'd gotten his ideas to begin with, but I ached for him. I felt his pain as if it was my own, because he was my pack.

In order to push those thoughts aside, I went scouting for water. There had been scarce little of that lately, but I could hear a brook not far away. As I closed in on the trickling sound however, I felt a strange scent on the air. Not corpse rot. Or maybe. Even rotted meat carried a memory of what it smelled like when it was fresh. It was that sort of smell.

Approaching as if stalking a prey, I followed the unusual smell. The already faint sound of my paws was masked by the trickle of water, louder as I drew nearer.

Sitting on its haunches, an upright was washing it's paws in the river. Or that was what it looked like initially. I realised, after it had brought its paws up to its flat muzzle a few times, that it was drinking. Its muzzle was covered in dripping, wet fur, unlike the uprights I'd seen before. And its head too was covered in fur. It had a strange texture, lighter than my own fur, and it didn't even cover the entire head. But it was fur, and that comforted me slightly. Most of the rest of its body was covered in a strange material, the colour of trees. But not made from trees. I'd never smelled it's smell before. So much was strange with this creature, I'd almost suspect it wasn't an upright at all. My doubts increased when I could smell the blood in its veins. This thing was alive, like any other game. Was it even an upright? And if not, what was it?

I could've sat in the thicket of bushes all day, studying this strange thing. But I was interrupted by a loud rustling noise, and a moment later, Runt came up beside me.

"Oh, there you are, Nine," he said, a hint of wariness to his tone. "I figured I smelled something not right an-"

"GET DOWN," I hissed between my teeth. "Are you completely blind?"

Runt immediately pressed down to the ground, ears tucked back firmly.

"I'm sorry, Nine!" he whispered. "I'm not sure what I did, but I'm sorry."

I looked back, and noticed its eyes, pointed straight at where we were hiding. It had seen us. But it didn't run away. After a few heartbeats, Runt saw it too. I knew, because I could hear how his words caught in his throat. His tail tucked, and he backed away cautiously. I got to my feet and stepped in between him and the upright, shielding him.

"Good god. Two of you, eh? Why, hello, there."

The strange noises made no sense to me, but it didn't seem like it meant anything to it, either. I growled at the strange creature, warning it, in the universal language of the wild, that it should stay away from me.

"Look at that."

_ _It continued to make sounds with its muzzle. But it remained dead still.

"You're a brave girl, aren't you? Protecting your buddy over there. Mother with son, perhaps. Or siblings."

_ It turned it eyes on Runt, which only made my growl fiercer._

_ "What's the matter with you, lil' boy."_

_ _The noises from its muzzle lowered in pitch.

"That's one nasty looking paw, all misshapen and crooked. But you look healthy enough, don't you? Three legs are good enough for you huh? Has your friend here been taking care of you?"

I took a step towards it, raising my hackles and growling more. Stay away, I tried to tell it. This is my river now. I have killed your kind before. I will not hesitate. The upright's paw disappeared into a hole in its side, and emerged with something carrying a pungent smell of rabbit. Dried, as if left out in the sun, but still recognizably meat-like. Maybe this one wasn't fierce enough to catch fresh game. I didn't want to find out. I was prepared to push it over if it came for us. If there wasn't a sharp stone here, somewhere, I'd at least buy us enough time to run away. But it remained where it was. The paw came closer, slowly, and stopped.

"Nine?" Runt asked. "Nine, I don't think it's a threat. I think it wants us to have that piece of food there."

"Quiet, Runt," I told him. "We've been over this once already. You cannot trust uprights."

"But this one is different, Nine."

"No." I was the alpha here, I needed to protect my pack. I wouldn't let anything like what happened up in the mountains happen again.

"Come on boy, its' all yours. Go on, I won't hurt you."

_ _The upright waved the little piece of meat slowly, and Runt followed it intently with his eyes.

"Nine," Runt insisted. "I think he wants me to take the meat. I'm sure of it. It's like... I can understand him deep inside my head."

"It could be a trap," I told him intensely. "Stay away."

"No, no, it's not." Runt practically whined. "It's clearly different from-"

"Runt, stay back, or It'll go badly for you. We're leaving. That's an order."

"But- But-"

"NOW RUNT," I barked at him, and for good measure, nipped his hind quarters to get him going. Whimpering, he scampered back, and I made sure he ran the right way. Away from the upright.

Day 114,

Weather clear, temperature high 19, low 13.

Winds from northwest.

Pos. unknown.

No sightings yet, but always alert. Found some small game, skinned and salted a grouse, two hares, and brought down a caribou. Couldn't take more than a few cuts before nightfall. All signals down. still no signs of intelligent life.Encountered two wolves (?), seemingly unharmed by either radiation or the mutation one of which had a strange physical deformation. Not suspecting radiation, but not ruling it out. Seen similar conditions in pictures in medical books. Very uncommon. Tried to give them food. Big wolf bitch kept him in line though. Either mother or leader. Want to find out if it's hurt, going to see if I can follow their trail. Seemed to be heading north. Will be following them.

_ _

Runt's sulking didn't cease that day, but for a change, he was quite vocal about it. As we trotted along the brook against its stream, he kept complaining.

"Didn't you hear the noises it made? It was clearly not like the others. It wasn't. I'm sure of it."

"That doesn't mean it wasn't dangerous. You don't understand these things, Runt. You've never seen the wider world."

"But it could easily have attacked us if it wanted."

"It didn't dare, because I kept it at bay. Honestly, Runt. I'm doing my best to keep you alive, here. I already saved your life once. Twice actually. I went against my orders for you."

Runt's pace died off, his halting trot calmed to a cautious lope. Then he stopped.

"What?" he asked. "What orders?"

I sighed.

"Two's orders." I didn't turn my muzzle towards him. "Two wanted you to leave our... to leave his pack."

"Nobody ever told me that."

"He didn't... expect you to understand... so he told me to... to take you into the mountains and make sure you didn't return."

"What do you mean?" Runt had stopped some fifteen steps away from me, and seemed hesitant to come closer. As I turned, his legs stiffened, his posture alert and ready to run. "You're meant to... to kill me?"

"I never wanted to-"

"But you were told to kill me?" He specified. "And you brought me along... planning to kill me?"

"I don't want to kill you, Runt. I don't want to."

"I get it." Runt sighed. "I'm not like you. I'm not like any of you. It's not just my paw. It's everything, isn't it. You smell different, you're stronger, you're smarter. You think clearly, but I can't get these uprights out of my head. I'm just... I'm just a nuisance, aren't I?"

"That's not true," I told him. "You're pack. I'm taking you with me, and we're leaving them behind. Because I can't be in a pack where some are more worth than others."

"But I'm still not worth much," Runt sighed. "It's okay, Nine. You can leave me. I'll take my chances with the uprights instead. You go ahead and find a mate who'll give you strong healthy pups, or whatever it is you want. I'm going back."

"No, you're not," I told him sternly. "I want you with me. I want you there to be part of that pack."

"But... But Nine... I don't belong in a pack!" Runt whined.

"Quiet now. You belong in a pack, and you have as much a right to one as I do. Come along now. Going at it alone is a death sentence, and I swore to the spirits that I'd keep you alive."

Runt looked for a long time back the way we'd come. But eventually, he lowered his ears, and followed me.

"I'm sorry, you know," I told him, as we started trotting again. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay," Runt responded flatly, limping behind me. He kept turning towards where we'd come from. If I had to guess, I'd say he wanted to return to that upright. Perhaps he liked his chances with that thing rather more than he liked his chances with me. But I could keep him safe. So long as he did as I said. It was time for him to grow into a proper wolf.

The whole next day we spent running upstream. There was little in the way of game, but we could both still feel the heavy meal we'd had up in the mountains, and Runt sustained himself with little birds whenever he caught one. He was surprisingly agile, I suppose, but after a day's run I could tell that his good front paw struggled. He kept incessantly licking at it, but refused to let me near it.

For the next few days, we followed an old game trail. Some nights, we heard howls, but we were too far away by now to chance encountering any of our own. Though Runt realised our old pack was not for him, I couldn't seem to turn him on the idea of being in a pack with me. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong. I protected him. I provided for him. I concerned myself with his wellbeing. Everything a decent wolf should do for their pack.

After two weeks of running free, I decided to ask what he thought about our arrangement.

"You're doing great," Runt said simply. "But... I can't explain it."

"Why don't you try to explain it, at least?" I asked him. "If I'm mistreating you-"

"It's more that my mind keeps mistreating me," Runt muttered. "I can't stop thinking about it, Nine. The upright we met. It spoke some kind of language, and I could almost understand it. Almost. What if all I needed was more time?"

"You need to put that upright behind you," I told him. "Sure, it was different from the ones we met in the mountains. I'll admit that. But it's still an upright. They are still dangerous. What if it had taken you? I'd be all alone."

Runt looked at me, lowered his ears, then his muzzle, then replied, "You'd go better alone. I don't understand it, Nine. Why are you still running with me? I don't feel like I'm part of the pack, so why are you so insistent?"

"You don't feel part of our pack?" I ask. "Why?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you." Runt sighed and turned away. "I guess I'll keep following you. I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"To hell with my feelings," I told him, "If I'm doing a poor job as an Alpha, then I'd like to know."

"You're doing great," Runt reiterated. "It's not you, it's me."

"I don't get it."

"Neither do I." He laid down, and licked his good paw. Small whimpers came as he touched it. I could smell the signs of festering blood.

"Runt," I said, somewhat sternly. "Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," I tell him. "I order you to let me see it."

Runt lowered his ears. "It's just a dumb little cut."

I nudged his muzzle away from his paw, and exposed his pad. It looked small, indeed. But it didn't smell very nice.

"I told you it's nothing," Runt muttered. "Just a stupid mistake of mine. I always make mistakes. I'm just slowing you down."

"You're not slowing me down," I told him. "Because we have no place to be. This is free land, nobody's territory. At least not wolf territory."

"You think we'll see that upright again?" Runt asked. The way his pain seared his voice, and longing layered it broke my heart. I couldn't stand being so difficult with him, when he felt so down.

"Maybe we'll see it again," I told him. "If we do. You need to promise me you'll not draw its attention. If you can promise that... I'll let you watch it. From a distance."

Runt perked up suddenly. "Are you sure? I mean, do you promise?"

"I promise. Now eat. You'll need your strength to get rid of this wound."

I hoped I was doing the right thing. I only wanted the best for him, and if he felt he needed this, then maybe he did.

Day 140

Temperature high 17, low 12

Scattered rains, north-westerly wind. No signals.

Pos. unsure. Some small hamlet.

I followed the trail north until I reached the outskirts of a village. Long since looted and abandoned. Sought shelter and mended some clothes. No sign of the wolves I tracked but I'm fairly sure they went this way. Found traces of half eaten rodents and birds, unlike the leavings of other predators. P. sure it's the little one. I think it has something to do with it being a cub or something. Surprised it can feed itself this well. Suspecting its main source of food comes from its pack mate. Will continue looking.

_ _

It had been Runt who had first come across it. It wasn't so much a clearing as it was a scar in the landscape. At the bottom of one of the valleys we crossed, all the trees had somehow disappeared. Or rather, instead of trees, there were large square boulders spaced some distance apart scattered across the landscape. On further inspection of one close to the treeline, I could discern that the boulder was made from trees. But it had the wrong colour, and I didn't like how it had so little smell. The trees it was made from had long since died. But, in the absence of any fresh smells-because there were plenty of old and stale ones--I relented, and let Runt explore.

We walked on a strip of rock which seemed to cut the landscape in half. Either side of us were large plains of grass, full of small rodents and other creatures. Thankfully, Runt knew better than to break to seek them out. This was a strange land, so alien to what either of us knew, so we proceeded with caution. But Runt hadn't the same weary alertness as I had, and he did some things I found too strange to not comment on. When he'd lifted his legs at the corner of the fourth square wood boulder, I had to stop him.

"Why are you doing that?" I asked him. "This is not a territory for us."

"I don't know," came the reply. "It just feels natural. Should I stop?"

"I guess it doesn't matter," I replied. "I can't smell anything near us. I'd imagine there'd be more high game here. Look at all this grass!"

"I know, right?" Runt replied. "Where did it all come from? Where are all the trees?"

"I don't know," I told him. "I don't like this one bit."

"Do you think the uprights belonged here?" Runt asked.

I couldn't imagine what they'd get out of this strange landscape. But as far as I knew, strange places attracted strange things.

"Perhaps."

That made Runt's tail twitch.

"Do you smell that?" Runt asked, as we approached a cluster of the same square boulders as we'd seen earlier. "Smells... Smells bad, really."

"I know," I told him. I'd smelled the corpse rot of the uprights too. "Smells like they're far away though. And in this terrain, we should be able to see them and outrun them easily. You will run if I tell you to, right?"

"From those?" Runt looked around uncertainly. "I promise, Nine. They are very different from the one we met. I think they are different species."

"Don't be so sure," I told him. "They could cooperate. Like hunters and scavengers."

"Alright," Runt said, though I could tell he wasn't convinced.

As the sun started going down, the scent of upright grew slightly stronger. I worried we'd not be safe sleeping here, but Runt had found a hollow under one of the lumps, which could be accessed through a hole in the side, large enough for us, but too small for the uprights and their wide, unwieldy shoulders. I decided to stay watch anyways, while Runt caught some sleep.

During the night, I could hear the faint sounds of the uprights. The stinking ones, as I'd come to know them as. I heard their shambling steps as they shuffled along the rock path, or across the grass plains. Some, I could see silhouetted against the moonlight. I could see how uncoordinated they were. How clumsy and unbalanced they were. Constantly on the lookout for prey to hunt and eat. Predators, if anything, though they didn't hunt wolves, clearly. They were at least wise in one sense of the word. But the one Runt had wanted to greet had definitely held out food, which was clearly its own to eat. The gesture stuck out to me even more, the more I looked at these uprights.

I had only just decided to get a little sleep, half in and half out of the entrance. But a set of new and unheard noises caused my ears to perk. The sound of some kind of struggle. They were still hunting, and one of them must have found something. I'd best keep an eye on them, just in case we needed to learn more about them.

Thankfully I didn't have to go far. In a narrow gap between two of the wooden lumps, one upright was struggling to clasp its dextrous forepaws around another, similarly shaped but bulkier one. I wasn't aware they could fight among themselves, as if they were in a pack. If I'd gone from the smell alone, I'd never have recognized it.

I saw fur among it all. It was the upright Runt had been so interested in. The first upright, the foul smelling one, tried to bite it with its weak, stubby jaw. They were enemies. I couldn't understand why, but this was not the time for trying to understand.

I snuck up on the struggling pair, to observe, naturally. I needed to know how the non-smelly upright hunted, how it killed. After some moments of struggle, the upright with fur on his head put one paw in a hole in its side, from which it had found food that one time, and instead pulled out a strange, sharp and shiny thing. Not unlike a claw, but much larger. It pushed the claw deep into its opponent's neck. That was when I learned what surprise looked like on the upright with fur. It hadn't been aware. It was as inexperienced as I had been. If it didn't have any more tricks at paw, then I suspected the foul smelling upright would win the day. Out of the two, the stinking one seemed the more desperate to kill. It didn't concern me, I wasn't going to feed on the dead. Uprights made you sick. But Runt... oh dear. Runt would be heartbroken.

I'd done what I could do protect Runt, but he also needed to grow and learn, and thrive too. I imagined the disappointment if this unique species of upright we'd been following were to die. How all the energy would just leave him. This upright was important to him. Which meant it was important to me. And I knew how to hunt these foul-smelling beasts. Letting out an instinctual growl, I started towards the two struggling uprights. The one with fur in its face turned towards me briefly, which came at the cost of its balance. The other one nearly fell on top of it, but maintained its balance. Tumbling to the ground turned out to be a very lucky move for the one with fur, as it allowed me free access to its attacker.

I leapt, and bowled into the shambling corpse, pushing it backwards and away from the furred upright. We tumbled together for a while, before I kicked away and got to my paws again. The stinking one decided to climb to its own two paws, rather than staying on all four, so I felt pretty confident. But how to crack its skull open? There weren't any rocks, the ground was made from flat smooth stone. However, a lot of these square boulders had small, jagged paths leading up to them if the ground they sat on wasn't flat. The nearby ones were no exception. I drew the upright around one of the boulder's corners, and towards one of these jagged hills. When it got close enough, I darted around it and slammed into its chest with all my force. With a wet crunch, the stinking creature landed on a sharp angled outcropping. Then it stopped moving.

I scampered to my feet, and immediately turned to face the fur-covered one, who had come around the corner just in time. It slowly, very slowly, approached me, one paw held out in front of it with all its digits splayed. I didn't fail to notice that it wasn't proffering me any food this time.

"Dear lord... I think... I think you saved me!"

I locked eyes with it for a moment. Stay where you are, I indicated, by flecking my teeth. It obeyed. Intently stalking over to the now immobile corpse, I slowly, painfully slowly, indicated the back of the foul smelling one's head, as if I was teaching a pup to hunt for the first time. I kept my eyes on the upright all the while. I don't know if it understood me. It just stood there with its eyes fixed on me and paw outstretched. For a fierce and dangerous species, it sure didn't strike me as much of a threat. Maybe it was reaching for its claw? I made sure to leave quickly after that, so that it didn't get any ideas.