FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The wind whipped softly on that cold winter afternoon

Trees shifted only slightly. The snow painted the leaves and branches of each tree with a picturesque sheet of white. It was serene, peaceful, and almost quiet

Almost, except the soft crunching of boots on snow.

A single figure strode through the barely carved out path, leaving deep indents in the snow where they walked. It was the only sign of any human life in miles around. Normally, nobody would have any reason to even be out here, deep in the northern part of the Jhoto-Kanto region, but this was different. They had a reason, a purpose, and despite the cold frigid air around them, their steps were filled with such purpose.

He shivered, shaking off just a tad bit of snow that was building upon his shoulders.

"Cold..." He muttered the first few words he said in quite some time. "Why did I have to come out now, In such a... f-frigid environment such as this..."

He adjusted his saddlebag, as he took slightly larger strides in the snow towards his destination. It brought out just the slightest squeak from his thick puffy black coat.

"Or at the minimum at least they could have dropped me a few kilometers closer..." Their words were partly muffled by his gloved hands which soon after were filled with warmth from a deep huff outward. He rubbed his digits together, savoring the little heat he could gain from such a movement.

He paused, listening to the silence from his earpiece, expecting a snide comment coming forth from it. He, however, was only met with silence. Not that there was much to hear, nobody could even listen to a word he said unless he pressed a button. He gave a soft sigh, of which not even he noticed, before giving in to the need to hear once more.

He clenched his collar, pressing the small button embedded within. A soft, almost inaudible click soon followed.

"Am I anywhere near close yet?" He stated, trying his best to quell any unprofessional emotions. There was a pause, just long enough for him to open his mouth. But before he could even decide on what to say, the soft sounds of breathy static hit his ear

"You should know we're not certain of that Rey" The familiar voice chimed back. "Information on this place isn't exactly abundant"

"Please, Emily," He said through an exhale "Use my full name on this line. Were supposed to be professional here"

Emily, in response, gave a half-hearted teeth suck "Well" She snarked "Reynold, Seeing as our only informant here has gone radio silent, it's been hard to procure information from within this community. This includes how far they currently are, lest you forget"

Reynold snorted, not helping but to crack a smile "Yes Emily, I'm well aware who I'm looking for out here. I've read the mission brief"

"Several times, I'm sure" She stated

"I've also been listening to our superiors talk about it for the last few weeks" He jumped in "I'm more than informed and prepared"

"Gosh," she said lightheartedly "You're starting to sound like him you know"

"And you're starting to make us sound like some sort of spy group" He quipped back

"We might as well be," She said, sounds of a shifting chair coming through the earpiece "You aren't supposed to be flamboyant on who you are you know"

"Still, were researchers Em. Not corporate spies" He said, the seriousness slowly returning to his voice "Were just returning things to the way they were"

"I know" She stated, serious as well "Be careful though, Things aren't exactly a lab out there"

A pause followed, just a single silent beat

"Anyway, The clearing should be soon, Reynold. So keep your head up" Emily said "Were not sure what to expect"

Reynold nodded to himself, just a small gesture "Yeah, thank you. I'll try my best to stay safe"

He released his collar, returning to the silent cold evening once more. Once again, the only sounds were the wind, and the thick crunching of boots against the snow. His pace quickened, more determination in him, more weight in each stamp.

"I'll be fine.." Rey stated to himself "I... Think I can handle this"

Reynold gripped his saddlebag tight as if holding on for dear life. He barely even noticed the numbing of his fingers anymore, or perhaps he didn't care much anymore for it. His mind was elsewhere, wrapped up deep in a cocoon of thoughts

"I'm not sure I can afford not to, after all..."

After some time a glint of yellow caught the very edge of Reynold's eyes. It snapped him out of his deep daze, his head instinctually swiveling towards the faint glow. It was barely much at all, maybe a dim flicker from a distant candle. Yet it was more than enough to signal one distinct thing: Civilization.

He turned clumsily, almost tripping over himself as he changed directions. His heart was racing, breath staggering. The rest of what the glow was attached to soon came into view. A building, rough around the edges like the structure itself was struggling to learn its own shape as it was being constructed. If it wasn't for the fact that it was deeply embedded into the midsection of a rather thick tree, it looked as though it would have collapsed with the few inches of snow there was. Nonetheless, there was certainly someone living in such a place. To Reynold, whomever it was, it was a good enough place to start

He slowed his pace as he approached the base of the tree. He stood cautiously below the suspended box. He noticed a hatch, maybe slightly smaller than normally one would make for a door, nearer to the tree. Surprisingly, at the moment it looked open. He couldn't help but stand below it, just to be sure that this was so.

"Maybe they just left it open...?" He muttered to himself, putting his hands on the makeshift ladder, nailed securely to the tree. He thought for a moment about perhaps being polite and calling out, but he shook his head, deciding whatever the reason, he was better off heading on in.

As he did, he started to hear whispers of a singular voice, which grew in loudness as he climbed step by step, hand over hand.

"...not what it means.." The higher-pitched squeaking reassured, "...I never fully... after all..."

Reynold slowed his pace, as not to fully spook the owner of the voice. He steadily got a good grip on the wooden frame of the floor above him, being able to peek his head into the structure.

It was surprisingly roomier than it seemed on the outside. It was a room big enough to hold a small gathering in, maybe 5 or so people comfortably. There were four mostly straight walls, with two windows placed in the far wall and the wall to his right. Somehow, There was glass within each window, which did somewhat keep the heat within the room. The rest of what lay inside was what seemed to be a sort of living quarters. A small table adorned the middle of the room, as well as a compact kitchen-like area complete with a small cooking stove and a stockpile of canned foods. A well-used sleeping bag also caught his eyes, shoved into one corner of the room, and piled high with what he guessed counted as bedding. In the far side of the room, placed against a window, was another table with a singular chair. It almost seemed to be a desk, layers of paper and crude writing materials laid skewed about. The soft glow, the only light in the room, was a lantern sitting on the desk's edge. It was dim, but even so, it still let the room have a faint orange glow.

Sitting at the desk hunched over, its pose crumpled over itself was a lean-looking man. Their ragged-looking coat was still lightly dusted with snow. One of their still gloved hands ran through the dusty blond hair which peaked out of a knit cap

"It's fine... we're fine... we're not like... not like the others..." He spoke to himself, shifting in his chair, letting a little snowfall off his hiking boots onto the wooden floor

Reynold silently tried to get closer, stepping in an almost cartoon-like fashion, foot over foot. It wasn't exactly silent but neither he nor the man seemed to notice. After a few steps, Reynold slowed down to a crawl, then a stop. He gulped, clearing his throat.

"Hello?" Reynold said, his voice shaking ever so slightly "Are you okay?"

The man whipped around rather quickly, shoving one hand deep into the pocket of his jacket, leaning that side away from the unexpected intruder. "Wha- who are you?" He tried leaning farther back into his chair, his eyes wide with surprise "How did you get in here?"

Reynold backed up as well, one hand outstretched in a calming manner. The other gripping his bag's strap tightly

"It's okay" Reynold stated "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help"

The man looked at Reynold, lowering his guard just a little. After a silent moment, he reached over and grabbed a rather large stick from the nearby table, pointing it at Reynold as if it was a sword.

"I uh... I asked you how you got in. How'd you get into here?" The man repeated

Reynold laughed a little awkwardly, adjusting his thick glasses on his face "You uh... you left your door open" He gestured towards the hatch

"Oh..." The man said. He waved his stick towards it "...Go ahead and close it"

Reynold took a few more steps backward, nodding at the man's request. He reached down slowly, then closed the hatch, sure not to make any sudden movements

"See?" He smiled a little as he spoke "Not an enemy. I'm just here to help you..."

The man hesitated, looking at the hatch, then at Reynold. He sighed, placing the stick so it was leaning against the table

"You don't look like a stray" The man stated "What brings you all the way out here stranger?"

Reynold scoffed slightly "I'm... well I'm a little lost. I was looking for a friend of mine" He said, tracing down his strap "His name is Fauroux. A distinct name I know" he gave an awkward single syllable laugh "...Ever hear of him?"

The man gave Reynold a puzzled face "Fau?" He said, regaining his tense composure "Yeah, I know of him. He's not been around lately..."

He glared confused daggers into Reynold's thick glass-covered eyes "I'm sorry, who did you say you were again?"

Reynold perked up in slight shock "Oh! Right, my apologies" He said, outstretching his hand "I'm Reynold, Reynold Kort. Nice to meet you"

The man paused, looking at Reynold's hand. He grasped it after a moment in a firm handshake "Charles" says the man, pushing his other arm further down into his coat

"Nice to meet you, Charles '' chirped Reynold. He loosened his grip, Charles's arm going limp towards his side. Reynold gestured to the man's hidden arm "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" Charles snapped back "It's not- I'm not wounded if that's what you're asking"

Reynold's concern grew, as he placed his hand on his chin "You know" He said "I am a co-worker of Fauroux. I do know a thing or two about medicine..." Charles looked back and forth from his hand to Reynold's face. He sighed, closing his eyes

"Screw it, you were going to find out anyway," He said, slowly pulling his arm out from his coat

The first thing Reynold noticed as the man revealed his hand was just how thin that particular arm was. Sure, Reynold was gaunt, and Charles wasn't exactly a hefty man himself. But this was different. His sleeve practically hung loosely from his fluffy coat. It looked as though there was practically nothing there. Then, just as the hand itself would pop out from cover, instead of the tanned skin tone everywhere else on the man, there was a flash of silvery-white as if the hand itself was snow. Except it wasn't quite the shape of a normal hand, it was stubby, like someone had pressed each digit down into small round dumplings. There were also fewer, only three, of those round white orbs. Reynold stepped a little closer, hoping to get a better view in the dim light. But it was more than clear enough. Reynold pondered for just a moment.

Then it dawned on him. It wasn't a hand at all. It was a paw

Charles grimaced at the sight of his own digits, spreading them wide "No... I thought I was fighting it..." Charles pulled back his sleeve with his other hand, revealing more of the white tufts of fur, which grew outward and thicker by the second. It spanned upwards and faded into a deep silvery blue "Shit, it's spreading so fast..."

The man began to hyperventilate, grasping it with his other hand just to be certain of the situation. Reynold meanwhile got much closer, putting a reassuring hand on Charles' back.

"Breathe, breathe deep. It's gonna be okay. Can I take off your jacket?" Reynold attempted to soothingly say, the adrenaline making his voice ever so slightly shaky. Charles nodded, giving out some semi unintelligible sound, before snapping his arms upward. Reynold slipped his hands into the soft collar above, tugging gingerly until the entire puffy mass left Charles' body.

Charles already looked far more gaunt, the silver fur already extending upwards into the armholes of his T-shirt. Each body part it touched seemed far more slender and lean. Reynold winced, looking over the effects of the sudden changes

"I-is it bad?" Charles said, viewing the grim face staring back at him

Reynold snapped out of his daze, looking back at Charles' worried expression. He could see the fur edging upwards on Charles's neck, which itself was steadily puffing outward. "It's... spreading fast"

"N-nonono..." Charles said, slipping his one paw and hand to hold the sides of his head. He retracted his whole body inward, away from Reynold. His panic grew, looking down his arms and towards his paw, watching the fur grow down his left arm. He breathed deeply, breath staggering at random intervals. He stood, whipping his whole form in anger towards Reynold "T- this is all your fault!" Charles said, pointing accusatory with both his eyes and his paw

"M-Me??" Reynold stammered out the shock of the situation jittering his whole body backward "What could I possi-"

"YOU made me CHANGE faster!" Charles yelled, pressing forward with his body and his words "I was FINE until YOU tried to... to... 'help' as you'd call it..."

Charles' body kept changing as they spoke, tufts of fur pressing outward his shirt, the only real mass left as his torso slimmed down. The fur spread upwards around his head and into his hair, which started to grow outwards and back, taking the shape of several long locks of fluff that looked like hair. His head began to lose its normal round definition, the dome of his head flattening down making the space between his eyes and hair shrink.

Reynold had his back against the far wall "Really I- I did nothing I..." He tried to figure out more words, but they failed to come forth. The pair stared at each other, coming to their silent conclusions. The air was tense.

Then, suddenly, movement.

Just as Charles turned, trying to grasp the club with his good arm, Reynold threw himself forward, hands fumbling to grasp the small wooden handle, or perhaps anything, to lift the hatch open. His hands slid down, finding the small groove there within, and tore open the hatch letting the cold air flow in once more. He looked up, just in time to see Charles was staring directly back, the large wooden weapon in hand. Reynold wasted no time, throwing himself down, landing feet first in the snow below.

It was quite the landing, he almost fell over due to the force, but stayed upright. There was a twinge of pain from the impact, but he couldn't stop now. With the surge of energy guiding him, he began to run in a random direction. Anywhere that would lead him to get further away from this situation. When a loud thump came from behind him, he shot his gaze back. Landing in a thick layer of snow, not that far away from the treehouse, was Charles. He was on all fours, his face already stretching outward, pressing out into a thin pointed muzzle. His eyes were clouding with a light blue haze, losing definition between the whites of his eyes and the deep forest green there once was. Charles tried to stand upwards, but his body was contorted. His last hand pressed down into the snow, his balance allowing him to stand like that on his new set of paws.

It was only then that Reynold noticed that he had stopped. Perhaps it was the shock of seeing the sight before him. No description could fully prepare someone for the shifting flesh before his eyes. He was torn, between the now grunting in pain man, and the safety of running into the woods behind him. He eventually turned to the figure, perhaps no longer a man, in the snow

"Please..." He pleaded "I don't want conflict. Can't we just talk or something, please."

"No!" The fox-like thing that was still Charles growled. It was hard to tell, but each syllable was very much human. "No more talking, No more!"

Charles pulled himself toward Reynold, putting reluctantly his right forepaw forward, his mind in conflict on which of the two wants were more important. He shivered as if he was re-learning how to move. His left foot grew, stretching back out from his shoes, the heel of his foot pulling themselves like taffy away from the soul as it propelled him forward. He pulled the other foot forward, perhaps out of instinct, it too stretching in almost a mirrored fashion to the first. The shoe fell off, just before what it was covering got lost in the cold expanse of snow on the ground. But just for a moment, Reynold saw the same white paws that were now pointed in His direction. Charles' body shifted, things leveling themselves out to the now new structure they resided upon. The hips stretched out, widening just enough to look level. Reynold finally came to a sudden decision at that moment, he needed to get the hell out of there. Knowing what might be coming next, he frantically turned away from the pokemorph that stood before him, scrambling to get his footing. Soon though, he was in a sprint for the treeline

"I said..." Charles stated, distant enough to mostly be an echo "ENOUGH!!"

Within an instant, a sudden rush of force came crashing into Reynold. It was cold and icy as if the words themselves willed the snow to fling itself at him. He barely registered more than the chill, before the sharp sting of the ground spread all over his face. He grunted, pulling himself off the ground, seeing nothing but stars for a moment. Guided by the sound, he turned around, hearing light yet rapid thumping. He caught only an instant of clear vision in his dazed state. A creature, willed with spite and anger in its eyes, ran fast enough snow kicked up behind him. Its tails bobbed up and down, the snow that it touched floated up around the multi puffed appendage in an unnatural, emotional way. Rey never saw one, but he thought- no he was certain. This thing barreling towards him was an Alolan ninetails.

Then it occurred to his nerves the words that just ran through his mind: It was coming for him. As quickly as his body allowed him, he turned, which quickly became a roll, to his left side. He felt the woosh beside him, barely inches away from his body. He gasped, expecting an impact, but there was none. He started to try and calm his breathing, letting his body stand back on his two feet. The world spun, vision fading in and out from a blurry field of white. Even in that state though, the angry blueish mass was unmistakable. He didn't know if he had time, any at all, but he had no choice. He tried again to rush, hoping, praying that he could get any amount away from the beast. A second passed, then two. He had time, time to do something, anything to save himself. His hands found their way to his bag, rummaging through it for the only thing he could think of. It was a long shot, but if he could just find it, it might be something.

He heard the pattering snow against paws once more, closer, faster. His heartbeat matched the pace, going to highs he only read about in books. Just then, he felt it, the small cylindrical spray. His salvation, or at least he hoped. He tried turning, standing his ground to face the charging creature, like a cowboy turning round in a duel. But unlike the heroic stand he might be envisioning, the reality is often not quite so kind. Instead of a moment to ready himself, aim, and perhaps spray, there was barely a split second. The ninetails was there, already mid-air. And in that brief moment, the fear took over, leading his muscles to tense, freezing him. Then, with another force, this one of paws, claws, and fur, Reynold was once again pressed against the ground.

This time, instead of seeing snow and ice, his vision was full of the creature bearing down on him with surprising weight. He might've been able to press against it, but with the creature's maw bearing down quickly, his body instead went to cover his vitals with his arm. Not long after the pain sunk through his arm, as the sharp teeth dug their way through the layers of cloth scraping just a little of his skin. He screamed in pain. It hurt, but it was no move. The damage to that would have been way more. He saw his moment then, pulling his other hand forward and shoving the small plastic nozzle against the creature. And with a force fueled by the pain, the panic, and by a hint of anger, he pressed with all his might against the button, easily snapping the seal. The irritant sprayed all over the kitsune-like creature, hitting even its glowing blue eyes.

For a moment, Reynold thought the creature's spasms meant it might back off. Perhaps even victory in this tussle. But beyond a shaking creature and a releasing of the jaw, the creature only grew more agitated. It gave off a snarl, now indistinguishable from a rabid beast. Once again, the creature bared fangs, trying again to bite down on the pinned human below. Reynold was able to grab the creature's neck, as well as its head, able to keep its fangs barely at bay.

His mind raced. What could he do now? He was miles away from civilization. Even if he could call for help, it would take too long. He could try and run, hide, fight, but the creature was faster, stronger, and he had no weapon. He racked his brain, thinking of anything, anything at all that he could possibly do, but it all felt so impossible. His lanky form couldn't even remove the creature on top of him. Tears welled in his eyes. Was this truly the end of his story? To face his end at the mercy of a single angry pokemon? He closed his eyes. He screamed again, this time in pure stress.

Then, all at once, there was a sound, like a whooshing of air, the weight he was holding suddenly gone. He opened his eyes, just in time to see a blur of white knocking off the enraged blue. He breathed deep, in and out. His mind barely registered what happened. But continued sounds of angry claws and grunts caught his attention. He half sat up, enough to see another quadruped, this one mostly white, with a somewhat muscular form for what it was. Two horns stuck out, one as a makeshift tail, another on the left side of its head. An Absol, Reynold was very familiar with those. He had one set of claws pressing down on the snarling creature, which was desperately trying to wiggle its way free. The other was in the air, charging dark energy, the black light coalescing on each digit. Then with one swift motion, he gave a single swipe across the creature's face, which quickly slumped to the side. The edging of the blow stayed hanging in the air for just a moment, before fading. The absol gave a very disappointed sigh

Reynold made his way to his feet, feeling the panic still in his body slowly leaving. In return, the pain in his arm started to remind itself of its existence. He grunted in pain gripping his wounded arm. The absol looked back at the human with dark reddish eyes. He looked dead serious

"He's not dead if that's what you're thinking" The creature stated, in perfect English, with just a touch of a french accent "It's a lot harder than that to kill a pokemon"

Reynold stared at the creature, taking stock of his legs, his body shape, the puffs of his fur, his very familiar face. There was no doubt to Reynold who this was

"Fau?" Said Reynold, his face giving a warm excited smile

In return, the absol gave a wide almost prideful smile

"Hello there, Reynold. It certainly has been a while now hasn't it?" The absol said as he approached Reynold "Why don't we reconvene on, well, perhaps the way back home?"