FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Morning took its sweet time coming up. The forest had grown colder over the night, Kori having snuggled closer to his furred wolven friend. She didn't mind at all, sleeping soundly before the rain started to come in. It slowly woke Kori up as the small raindrops increased, bit by bit.

"Oh crap oh crap!" he jumped up, rushing to pack up all his things. "Ava, wake up! The rain's hitting!" She yawned, slowly waking up as she looked up to see the rain coming down. It was barely anything tho.

"W-what are you... talking about? You know the rain doesn't last long here." she slowly stood up, groaning at the annoyance of having to leave her comfortable sleep.

"We're entering Central Merian territory. When it rains, it rains HARD and you seriously need to be ready for it." He packed all of their materials into his bag and rushed to get properly dressed. Ava humored him and rushed to put all her supplies back together, packing them into their bags and then getting dressed. Both of them wore tunics, both a dark green. The both of them packed up their things and Kori was already walking off to the main road, Ava slowly following behind him.

"I know you're not that tired." He looked back at her and she just glared at him.

"I don't like being rushed when I wake up. I prefer to take my time." She rubbed her eyes, as Kori took her hand and walked her through the forest. The wooded area was being bathed by the rain and after a few minutes, it started to pour down hard. Very hard. Kori managed to get them under a particularly large tree, the rain blocked by its large leaves and many branches. He reached into his bag and pulled out two cloaks, both made of a sleek material that the rain would simply slide off of.

"Where did you get this?" Ava asked, taking the overcoat and putting it on. It had no room for her tail but was still spacy enough for it to wag around behind her.

"I made it. I bought some of the supplies from the Capital and decided to make some clothes for it. Helps deal with the rain a bit more so it doesn't soak into your clothes and make you all uncomfortable." Kori put his on and Ava gave him a quick lick on the cheek.

"Ewwww haha! Come on!"

"Just my way of saying thanks!" she chimed. "Now come on! We can't be late." The two of them continued through the rainy forest, Ava noticed that the plants and flowers had all closed up in protection from the rain. Interestingly, some of the bigger plants had grown to cover the smaller plants from the heavy rain. They were positioned so that the older flora gave small drops to the younger plants so as not to drown them from the near storm going on overhead. She leaned down and touched the baby plant and it slightly leaned into her hand, wrapping around one of her fingers and taking some of the moisture from her fur. She laughed and Kori crouched next to her.

"It's an Imbibe. They absorb the water like a sponge. If you scare them, they shoot their reserve water at you."

"Really? Cool! Wait, if they need the water, how come this one is covering it?" she motioned to the green plant hanging over it.

"Well this plant is still a baby so the other plants are trying to take care of it." Kori pointed to the various bushed and small growing trees around the area. "The forest is magically enchanted so each plant is like a living person. The older flora takes care of the younger ones, including covering it from being drowned in a rainstorm. Imbibe's also puff out when they absorb water but if they have too much, they can actually burst. It's not good."

Ava took her hand away from the Imbibe plant, watching it look really sad before straightening back up, slightly rounder than when she saw it. Kori smiled and they continued on the path through the forest, the rain lightening up just a bit. When they made it out of the forest, they saw a robed person with a carriage resting not far away from them. Their carriage had a blue glowing lantern and around them was a magical ring that protected them from the heavy rain, a perfect shield that kept the carriage dry.

"Excuse me!" Kori called. The robed man looked at them and smiled, waving back and then calling them over. Kori and Ava ran over and tried to dry themselves under the magical bubble. "Are you going to the capital?"

"Yes I am. I'm guessing you two are Kori and Ava?" The two merchants looked at him with shocked faces before he tried to ease their fears. "No worries. The Empress sent me to pick you two up. She said she knew about the strange weather south of the Forest so she wanted you to have a ride so you wouldn't be late."

"Oh... well thank you!" Kori said, him and his partner shifting out of their coats before climbing into the carriage. The man ushered on the horses, walking the carriage from the forest and into the plans of the Empire. They passed by a few small villages on the way, waving to the people kind enough to smile at them. Every now and then Ava would ask the driver to stop so she could get out and buy some of the things sold at the shops of the villages. Kori enjoyed seeing her so happy and enjoying the Humans of the city. She would need a bit of help haggling prices, which he gladly did for her, but regardless, she had fun. The carriage ride through the other villages left them with much to talk about. Important and not so important.

"Are we properly dressed for visiting the Empress' home?" Ava asked, looking over her simple cloak.

"I have more professional clothes for us to wear, I just didn't want them to get soaked in the rain. Gotta look our best when meeting royalty." Kori pulled out the clothes for the both of them, The both of these clothes were a dark green in color, normal territorial color for the southern regions of Blackwood. Kori's had stylized vinyl designs of roots running up around it as if growing over his robes. The decorations were beautiful and were a bright yellow color. The material had a nice cool feeling, nice for when the humidity of Blackwood got too much.

Ava's was the same green but while Kori's had long sleeves and brown pants, hers was more of a skirt, reaching down to her knees and a nice tunic top with a belt for her as well and a cut for her tail to wave about without problem. Kori had a sash with his, green in color with a yellow accent and the clasp had an insignia on it with his initials. He never let Ava touch it. It mattered far too much for him to let it out of his sight. She had in her bag her own special garment, a bracelet made by her mother as a mark of her tribe and her feather extensions, blue in color that are usually braided into her hair.

"Shall we get ready?" She asked, smiling. Her companion agreed before looking at the carriage driver.

"Don't worry. Just close the back curtain there and you'll have some privacy from everyone, me included," he laughed, not once looking back at them. Kori and Ava closed the curtains at the front and back of their little carriage and began to undress, dressing themselves in their respective clothes. The both of them tried to dress quickly but kept getting distracted by the other. They faced away from each other to try and be more modest, mostly for Kori's sake, but this didn't stop them from taking quick peeks.

Kori was the first to look back. Once he had taken off his clothes and tried to pull up his pants, he took a glance at his wolven companion, already having removed her clothes and moving to bind up her chest in wrappings. Something to give her a bit of support. He was waiting for her to get her tunic on because he was worried he didn't make it big enough for her to be comfortable in but she gave a satisfied smile, turning to Kori and grinning.

"My my, taking a peek are we?" She laughed a bit as he rushed to pull his pants up. Before she could though she gave a small whistle at the brief view of his butt, his balls dangling just beneath his rump before he was covered up by his bottoms. "How come you can see me but I can't see you?"

"I was just... making sure the outfit wasn't too tight on you. You're really big up top so I can't have you showing up in a tight shirt." Ava smiled and looked down at her chest.

"Yeah, I'd make everyone in the whole palace jealous. Can't be having that," she laughed again and grabbed the tunic, putting it on and making sure her tail fit through the hole. They both finished dressing before Kori called Ava over. She sat down in front of him and he weaved the feathers into her hair for her and planted some at the base of her tail. She always loved when he did this. It was very relaxing. Once he finished, she helped him with some of the Blackwood body paintings he needed, placing them on his cheeks and then helping him with his hair.

They looked wonderful. Stunning. Unlike what would normally be seen in the Central lands. And they planned on making an impression. And so they did. It wasn't long before they finally reached the lands of the capital city, looking upon it in awe. The buildings were delightfully colored in a wide array of colors. Most of the people were dressed in some very flowy robes, the light gust of wind helping to let them billow in the breeze.

Guards patrolled through the city but they looked fairly relaxed, one guard in fact flirting with a woman at her shop. Ava and Kori looked to see a huge castle placed in front of the massive mountain range, a waterfall just behind it. The palace of the Empress. Impossible to miss with the marble white and green banners marking it. The palace was huge, far bigger than any of the other buildings but was beautiful to look at, not simply large for the sake of size.

"It's... wow," Ava mentioned, too enamored by the world she saw to even speak more on it. Kori smiled and let her enjoy the sights before the carriage came to a stop.

"Here we are. Hope y'all enjoy the city! I'm sure I don't need to tell you where to go," the man said, smiling. Ava and Kori thanked him and paid him for the ride. At first he tried to refuse but Ava was not taking no for an answer, practically forcing the man to accept the money.

They said their goodbyes and Kori guided his wolven friend through the streets. On the way there they passed through all manner of people, A diverse array of Wolves and Foxes, Humans and Cheetahs and even some who defied definition. There were large stone people, made entirely out of what looked like marble. They were almost absolutely perfect molds of the human body, just taller, like handcrafted by a master artist.

Then there were the darker skinned people. Not to say they were tan or brown like Kori but rather they were a very dark gray. Their hair was either white or black and it didn't act as hair normally would. Their hair wafted around as if made of smoke or underwater, but you would hardly see this as for the day time they were always covered up in cloths.

The streets were crowded with all these diverse peoples, carts not allowed on this particular road but the two of them were on their way to a more open one with carts and carriages walking through. Ava was astounded all the way through the city while Kori explained all she asked for. The things sold here, why there were so many people, why the castle was next to a waterfall so so much. But over the time of conversation, they came upon the castle doors. They opened and a short man greeted them, his hair a dark green.

"Welcome to the ladies house of solace. I am Semegestis, her servant. Come with me and I will guide you to her," he said calmly. His voice may have been inviting but his face was unemotional, simply bowing in the introduction and allowing the two in. Kori thanked them and the two came in, enamored by the size of the palace. It was massive! Beyond huge!

"This place is... Truly a marvel," Ava mentioned.

"The lady has some... large guests who like to attend her meetings," the servant remarked.

"Like whom exactly?"

"Dragons. Mostly Dragons." Ava's tail wagged at that, clearly wanting to hear more but Semegestis stayed silent.

"Does she meet with them often?"

"Often enough."

"How long do they stay?"

"As long as they need to." Clearly this wasn't going to go the way she expected. Kori placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll ask the Empress when we see her," he whispered in her ear. The palace was fairly extensive but the architecture was very Ionic, some stories being depicted in the art along the columns. One was of the Battle for the Central Plains, Emperor Kaius riding atop a Direwolf with his army behind him, thrusting a spear into the chest of a man on horseback.

On a neighboring column there was a depiction of the Emperor aiding some farmers in tilling the ground and just below it was of him helping Blacksmiths make weapons. So much art depicted the great Kaius' journeys and actions. His journeys into lands unknown and uncharted, and speaking with people thought only myths, but also his care for the people in his country. He conquered not simply for the sake of having a vast empire, but for protecting the people who lived in that empire. Or so the stories go...

Kori looked at one of the latest engraving in the column, showing the floral wreath being passed from Kaius' head onto his granddaughter, the current empress. Kori smiled at the depiction.

They entered the main throne room and were greeted with several others. Three people dressed in blue and white, two humans and one bear. The humans were a man and a woman duo, the man with fair skin and pale blond hair tied into some ponytail, with a beard slowly growing in. The woman by his side was a bit tanner but still fair skinned, her eyes stern and focused, her hair jet black and free flowing. The bear behind them was Feraci like Ava but from the north, his ursine physique lending him to being twice as big as his companions, thick fur covering his body. No doubt these people were from the north.

The other guests were a four person group from the East, all human women dressed in yellow with golden adornments. Then there were some people from the west, two men dressed in red and black. Lastly was Kori and Ava, from the south.

The Empress smiled as she rose from her throne. She was dressed in a modest set of robes, green in color with intricate designs of vines lining it. Her floral wreath rested perfectly on her white hair which stretched long down her back. Her eyes were an almost glowing hazel and her skin lightly bronzed. As she walked down to her guests, they all lined up and bowed their heads.

"Good to see everyone made it here safely," she said warmly. "I don't need to introduce myself, At least I hope I don't, and you've no need to introduce yourselves either. I know more than enough about all of you." Everyone looked at each other, studying these familiar foreigners.

"Just for a refresher, Empress, what is the goal here?" Asked one of the women from the east.

"All of you are important traders and beacons of commerce and culture in your respective regions. Therefore, you will all be made into imperial diplomats. Your goal is to go outside of your home regions and travel to all others, talk to the locals, sell your wares, craft and create and communicate all in service of spreading your own culture to people who would otherwise not know of it."

The Empress looked at everyone and had them all introduce themselves, everyone saying their pieces and Kori and Ava being the last to speak. The people from the north were a bit aloof, speaking with a very gruff and casual tone, almost overly friendly but still kind. The women from the east were almost stilted, practiced, clearly elegant but also a slight hint of dislike, as if speaking to everyone was beneath them. The men from the west were straightforward and direct, a cloud of ambivalence over their heads.

The people from the north were metal workers and fur traders, bringing intricately patterned furs from their region to sell and trade across the area along with new metals unique to the North. The women from the east sold beautiful pottery and carried a great many gems from their home, wishing to sparkle the other domains of Meria with their own special touch. The men from the West carried some spices with them, unique culinary temptations for the people outside of their home.

Lastly was Kori and Ava. They both stepped forward, Kori folding his hands in front of himself and Ava placing her hands on her hips, chest out.

"My name is Kori. This is my companion Ava. We are textile and wood workers. We make clothes and fabrics and carve unique wood decorations for the home and office," Kori smiled.

"We grew up in the Southern regions. We are fluent in many of the regional languages and sell to both Humans and Feraci. We have modest shops littered throughout the south and central domains. We are happy to meet everyone!" She smiled. The northerners seemed happy to see another Feraci/Humans merger while the other groups were less enthused.

The Empress grinned and invited them to her dining hall. In the hall was a grand array of food and numerous guests, all happy to see these people greeted with full honors to the Great Lady's home. The people were kind and laughing and merry with all the traders allowing our favorite merchants to converse with themselves.

"This is nice. The Empress is kind. The people seem happy to see us," Ava beamed in excitement. "I can't wait to travel to the other domains! See the rest of this wonderful nation."

"We will definitely have our fun. May want to just go back home afterwards. We'll speak with the Empress and claim first travels." Kori sipped from his drink.

"Hey now, is that all it takes?" Said a voice from behind them. The other traders had come to welcome the new arrivals and the first to speak was the man from the North. He took Kori's hand and shook it firmly, his friends greeting Ava.

"Hrimnir, was it?"

"You remembered! Now I feel bad cause I can't remember yours," he chuckled and Kori joined him.

"Had no problem remembering the wolven woman's name," said his female companion, named Khutulaara.

"As I recall," said their Bear companion. "He remembered her due to her large chest." Everyone looked at Hrimnir who awkwardly laughed, avoiding eye contact. Ava, however, was grinning. "What did you say about her? She could 'Feed the whole country with milk sacs that big'?"

"Hey hey!" Hrimnir interjected, far too late. Everyone gave a small chuckle, minus Ava who burst into laughter. "Making me look bad, Bjorn!"

"Your actions do that enough," said one of the men from the West. He shook Kori's hand. "Amiridiin, my brother Amaradaan."

"Amir and Amar work just fine. Everyone calls us that after all." The brothers shared a laugh before looking Ava's way. She gave a kind bow.

"Twins, I am guessing?"

"Of course haha!" They said together.

"I must say," said one of the women from the east. "It is interesting to see a wolf participate in this trade," She said, side eyeing Ava.

"As if they don't already," she said back to them.

"Never have we ever seen any," said the eldest woman.

"I have to admit, I have been pretty interested in the... commerce of the animal people. Walking around all your lives in the nude, what could you trade that the rest do not have?" Ava gave a dry laugh.

"Maybe some manners," she brushed her hair out of her face and Kori gently touched her arm. The two shared a look before Ava let it go. No use letting such little things get to her. Her actions would speak for her.

"We're all on the same side here," Kori cut in. "Let's not make an enemy out of each other." There was a brief silence between everyone before returning to the festivities, Kori doing his best to try and make everyone smile. It was in his best interest to not anger or ostracize fellow merchants, even if they started the issue. The celebration went on until around nightfall where people slowly started to leave, Kori and the Empress spending a bit of time together. The both of them wandered to a small room away from everyone so they could talk without limit.

"Kori!" The Empress cheered, rushing to hug her friend. It was such a strong hug too, lifting the young man off his feet.

"Good to see you, Empress Emirysi," Kori smiled before she put him back down, pouting at him.

"No no, come onnnnn. You know I don't like that formality stuff with you."

"Sorry... Emir," Kori said, smiling slightly. Formalities were for strangers, foreigners, people who worked under her. Not family. She had known Kori since she gained the crown, even babysitting him on occasion. He was as close as two friends could be and always stressed for him to call her by her name. Or even...

"Almoooossttt," she chimed, stepping a bit closer to him. The male blushed and looked away for a bit, covering his mouth.

"..... Emem," he said quietly. She laughed and hugged him tightly, his face practically shoved into her chest.

"There it is! Good to see you again little Kori!" A complete change from who she was moments before. When they first met, the Empress was the most professional and serious woman you could probably imagine, speaking only of the matter at hand yet still having a motherly kindness to her despite still being young. But now she was practically a kid, hugging, teasing and pinching Kori's face. While the two were growing up, Kori always had trouble saying her name and when they got older, he had to call her "Empress Emirysi". He thought it was funny how her name was kind of alliterative so he jokingly called her Em Em cause of her name coupled with her title. Empress Emirysi. It made her laugh and she never corrected him, allowing it even when adults said she should. She was the Empress! Such a silly nickname would not do! But she didn't care.

"Good to see you too!" he said, muffled by her bosom. She pushed him away from her chest and fixed his hair, grinning merrily. "Still as touchy-feely as I remember."

"You never had an issue with it beforehand," she teased, folding her arms just beneath her chest. The Empress was a stunning woman, skin a delightful bronze with long silver-white hair that reached over her shoulders, even when styled like it was with braids. The braids had jewelry and flowers interwoven into them, her floral wreath atop her head perfectly, a verdant green made from the Seslir branches of the South because the trees never wilted, even when Autumn came.

Her eyes were a nice green, almost glowing, denoting her heritage. Many southerners had green eyes. While Kori did his best not to stare too intently at her overall figure, he couldn't help but notice that she had certainly matured since they last saw each other. While not quite near the size of someone like Ava, Empress Emirysi was certainly nothing to scoff at. Her dress gave a modest show of cleavage and she wore a necklace with a sapphire gem which twinkled in the light.

"It really is good to see you," he said, finally opening up a bit.

"Likewise. How have you been? How's business going?"

"Actually rather well, A lot of Feraci are really interested in the clothing we make so they come from all across to come and see us! It's a lot more than I was expecting." The Empress gave a small chuckle.

"I've heard some stories about you from Feraci there. They all speak highly of 'The Man in the Woods'. I'm glad you managed to earn their support! I was a bit worried. Thought I would have to use some imperial power to pull you out of the hole," she joked, nudging him and making him laugh. He had a bit of trouble making it through those first few months. It was around that time he met Ava...

"Well, I couldn't have done it without my business partner Ava," he said proudly.

"Ah that's right. News said you were traveling around with a naked wolf girl." Emirysi tried not to laugh but seeing Kori immediately blush and then rush to try and silence her, making her laugh even harder.

"She was naked at first but she is dressed now and presentable," he cleared his throat. The Empress simply smiled before looking behind Kori and seeing this she-wolf make her appearance. She walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. Just as he saw her, he smiled and brought Ava to his side.

"Speaking of! Empress, I'd like you to meet this lovely partner of mine, Ava of the Southwestern Wolves." She smiled and gave a low bow, folding her tail in front of herself. Emi responded with her own respectful bow, eyeing the wolf closely. The two gazed at each other's eyes a bit before combing up and down the other's body, as if searching for something. An awkward silence followed as the two women studied each other and Kori waited nervously.

Searching for every little detail, The two women seemed to be having a silent battle. Emirysi looked over Ava's clothes and posture, seeing obvious pride in her attire and endowments. She let her eyes linger a bit too long on the wolven woman's chest, making Ava smile just a bit more and puff her chest out. Ava made an obvious look down at the Empress' own serviceable breasts and snickered, her tail wagging briefly. The Empress grimaced a bit. Ava won in that department, no contest. She cleared her throat and smiled.

"It is wonderful to meet you at last! I have heard much of you, Lady Ava."

"Likewise, Empress." Ava nodded.

"How are the Latanii? It has been a while since I was able to speak with the Materii." The Lataii was the name of the specific tribe Ava was from. The Southwestern wolves were an amalgamation of different tribes governed matrilineally by the "Materii" or "Mother".

"All fine. Fine enough. Summer is coming so the hunting games will begin. It would be wonderful if you made an appearance." Emi's eyes widened at the invitation before laughing a bit.

"I would love to! I have always wanted to see the Wolves' famous hunting games... so, have you been enjoying the business of tailoring?" She asked outright.

"Oh yes. Kori is a very skilled clothes maker. Very helpful for Feraci like me. And he is so nice! I have never met a human so kind and willing to learn my culture!" She beamed, her tail wagging behind her. Kori blushed a bit and Emi looked happy to see him all embarrassed.

"Mmm yes, he has always been kind. Good to see he hasn't changed. I remember he once made me a special trinket for my birthday. It was supposed to be a necklace but-"

"Oh come onnnn..." Kori laughed, playfully pushing her. "I already told her that story. She knows."

"But it was so cute it bears repeating! I will never forget it!" She rolled up one of her sleeves and showed the bracelet. She still had it all these years later and Kori lightly touched it, feeling it a bit worn down by the passage of time but still in one piece.

"Man, I'm going to have to remake that for you. It looks old."

"No!" She hid her arm, almost turning her back to him. "I will hold onto this until the day it withers away to dust! No replacements! It is a remembrance of the days of yore..." She looked to the sky as if imagining the day he gave it to her.

"Emi, come on. It's old and I've gotten way better at making things now. Besides, it was supposed to be a necklace, remember?"

"Part of the reason why! Little Kori has such a cute... ruggedness to him! And I love that I can make it something other than intended and it still fits wonderfully!" She looked genuinely happy before wrapping an arm around him. "I still remember the poem you showed meeeee."

"No! Please tell me you're joking!" he looked seriously scared, his face almost going pale. Ava normally would be interested in hearing such a tale but... seeing these two have such a long history and being so close made her feel a little different...

"'Em-Em, sweet Em-Em, lady of snow...'" She began.

"You stop it right now!'

"'I miss you so much, and your smiling face...'"

"Em!" he shouted, covering her mouth. She giggled and held her hands up in resignation. "You're the worst!" He pouted before she gave him another hug, rustling his hair.

"I'm sorrryyyyy buddy, just wanted to tease ya a little bit! Been a while since I've seen your cute little blushing face," She said, poking his cheeks. He rolled his eyes but couldn't stay mad at her. Ava on the other hand gave a low growl watching the two. It went unheard by Kori but Emi heard it clearly, looking at the she-wolf and giving a sly grin, almost challenging her. Ava might have Kori's attention now, but Emirysi has known him for years. She grew up with him. They had history.

She won this one.

Ava cleared her throat loudly, her tail flicking behind her angrily before she gripped it tightly. She was still speaking with the Empress of the nation. She couldn't be rude but... Rhea's red hair, she felt a harsh stab in her chest. She did not like her being so close to him.

"We'll have to recap another time. Share some stories. I'm eager to hear your stories of travel and trade," She said, standing straight and letting him go. Kori nodded and stretched, seeing the party was about to die down.

"No problem. Ava and I should probably go find an inn to stay in before it gets too late. Get some decent sleep," he said, walking with Ava out of the room.

"Oh! Well if you like, you can stay here!" Emi interjected. Ava's eyes widened as she looked back at the Empress. For a brief moment she saw that smug smile again before she looked at Kori with an innocent smile. "We have a great many rooms available here. My grandfather entertained and invited many diplomats here. There are all kinds of rooms available for your taste. That way we can catch up in the morning."

"NO!" Ava jumped in, scaring her companion. "I-I mean uhm... thank Empress, but Kori has promised we have inn." She was so bothered that her speech was starting to falter. Merian was not her native tongue after all and it was starting to become clear.

"Did I? Weird I-" Before he could say anything, she pinched his arm with her claws. "OW! Okayokay! Sorry Em I... I made a promise."

"Oh no problem. I understand. Our word is our bond after all." She said kindly. Her tone was taunting but still genuine and Ava practically grabbed her friend, bringing him out of the room but not before bowing again.

"Thank you Empress! Your hos... hosssss..." she struggled with the word, looking to Kori for help.

"Hospitality."

"Hospit...ality was thankful. Sleep with tightness!" She said quickly, bringing her friend with her out of the room. Emi was somewhat disheartened but nonetheless let them leave. She'd have to catch up with him another time...

As the party had died down, they ran into the other traders for a bit, talking with them about what tomorrow would be like, but the real conversations would be had tomorrow. Play now, business later. Kori guided Ava through the night city, making sure she remained at his side. He didn't want to lose her after all. She seemed determined to look at everything, even the shops closing down for the night. The cool night air tickled her pelt as she seemed all too eager to stay outside.

The city was decently calm, some musicians awake for the night and providing their nightly ambience to the city. The capital was called Sesilva, translated from Blackwood to mean "Home to Silver. It was said that when Kaius the Conqueror came, he brought an influx of silver from the south and sold it to the central tribes and the other independent regions for the mana crystals he needed for his magical works. He was dubbed "Kaius the Silver" because of it. One of his many nicknames.

"Sesilva. I've always wanted to see the proper capital of the empire," Ava said, her tail wagging erratically. "I just wish it was at a more... awake time." She gave a giggle and Kori smiled with her.

"Well we can always travel a bit more around the place in the morning, see the sights and whatnot." Ava seemed very happy with that, her tail wagging wildly. The two soon made their way to the hotel they would be staying at. It was a cozy little cottage area, three floors high with a fire still going for a late night dinner. The man in charge was a nice looking man, dark skin, big belly and long gray hair.

"Ahhhh, you two must be the traders for the Empress! Got a room reserved for ya upstairs. Last meal will be done innnnn..." he trailed on, thinking for a bit before turning to the kitchen where a woman leaned around the corner from, her blonde hair framing her smiling face.

"Gimme 10 minutes."

"10 minutes!" The owner repeated. Kori and Ava thanked him, heading upstairs to their room on the top floor. It was a fairly big room, the highest rooms always had a bit more room. The shower room was a completely separate room, not a common thing in the rest of the country. Yet anyway. Emirysi was working on that. There were two beds for them, Ava's being near the window. She immediately jumped into her bed, rolling around in it like a child before bundling up under the covers.

"Ah, a real bed! A genuine bed! Not some blanket and cloth tossed onto the dirt to sleep on. Real, soft, genuine bedness..." she chimed, burying her face into the pillow while Kori placed all their stuff to the side and out of the way. He sat down on his bed closer to the door and felt how soft it was, his worries immediately fading away. Man it felt nice to be in a normal bed again. They had been camping and traveling for so long. There aren't that many towns from the south to the center of Meria.

"Yeahhh," he sighed, laying back in his bed. He thought about the dinner, the presentation the Empress gave and the overall importance of this mission. The country was experiencing some pains at the moment. Kori got up and pulled a map out of his bag laying it across the bed. It was an expansive landmass, the map detailing even small towns and cities both along the roads and even some seemingly randomly placed towns in some forests and barren regions.

**Lots of backstory here, if not interested, skip to the next asterisk line**

The nation of Meria covered the entirety of the continent of Tezara. The continent was big and this large size harmed it in the earlier days. Travel was slow, communication slower. Over time it all slowly branched into five distinct regions with their own cultures and languages and problems to bear.

Kori and Ava knew the Southern parts of Merai well. It was a large, forested region, home to the Wolves, Jaguars and a human population mainly in the city of Blackwood. The Blackwood natives were the outcasts from other cities, people fleeing war and looking for shelter or discriminated against and seeking some place to call home. Thieves, escaped convicts, servants and slaves, rebels and so much more. The undesirables. Ironically, they all banded together and became a very close knit community. Emperor Kaius was born there and now the region also houses the House of the Gods and Shamans, the main religious temple for the nation. While the main hall of convergence where the Shamans all speak of faith and scripture is only for women, the temple is open to all of any background or creed.

Bordered by two powerful Feraci nations left the Blackwood people suffering more times than not. The Wolves would sell them as slaves to the West and the Jaguars would sacrifice them to their Gods on certain holidays. It was a terrifying situation until Kaius put a stop to it. The two nations hated each other fiercely, still do today in fact, but were very helpful in the beginning years of conquest.

Ava looked over at her friend and saw him studying the map, slowly trudging herself out of bed and to his side.

"I'm sure she'll tell us where we're going tomorrow," The she-wolf leaned against his leg. Kori ignored her. Unintentionally though. He was too busy thinking about their possible destination.

"I'm just... I'm a little worried about where she'll send us."

"Why? I'm sure she won't send us to some place unkind or bad for business. We are still a business after all," she chuckled.

"Yeah but... Our business is only really likely to sell in the North." He pointed to the northern part of the map. Often called "The Skylands" or "Skaelins" by the natives because the perfect untouched snow most of the year made it look like the sky had fallen to the ground, It was inhabited mostly by two human ethnic groups along with some other Feraci. The Bears native there before the humans, once thought brainless until one day forming a government for the purpose of the Sovereign but never actually seriously having one. They didn't believe in Kings or Emperors or even nations. They believed in one person and every one person takes care of themself.

Next were the Wolves, the Paterii wolves, an antithesis to the Materii in the south. While the southern wolves were communal and valued cooperation for survival, the northern wolves believed in one leader. Might makes right. Southern wolves believe in honor and respect. Northern wolves believed in dominance and victory above all else. Southern wolves were matriarchal, the southern wolves patriarchal.

The humans who lived there were of two cultures. It was divided into two main cultural boroughs each with their own respective clans. Borough one was foreign to the continent. In the nation's past, distant men crawled from the north, called "Skyfall", and raided the north, forcing themselves further into the continent until they reached the middle plains, kicking out the natives and establishing their own regions of control. When Kaius came in to fix the issue, he divided the land into two for the natives and the newcomers, much to the chagrin of everyone.

Whether native Tuvan or foreign northerner, they were a strong and more independent styled people. The North was harsh and difficult to tame so it needed strong people to care for it. They didn't care much for higher society or class, they value hard work and tradition. Kori could make up some proper clothes for them, things that were rugged enough for their attention but also showed a sense of respect for their culture and heritage. It would take work but he could do it. The northern people were always happy to see someone liking their culture. So few did in Meria...

"I've always wanted to see more of the north. Such a vast, forested place. And the snowwwww..." she rolled onto her back and messed up the map, Kori slowly pushing her off.

"Yeah yeah, maybe. The north is gonna be the easiest of all options to sell our wares. They are least bothered by the Merian government and people so they accept us easier. But the East and West are..." Kori groaned. Those two nations were an issue for the longest time, the people stubborn and unwilling to change. It was a mess. Kori sighed and rolled up the map.

"Done with all your thinking?"

"For now, yeah. But the thinking will resume tomorrow." He collapsed onto the bed, Ava rolling next to him. She snuggled close to his side, not even bothering to go back to her own bed. Kori and Ava stayed like that for a while before slowly nodding off to some much needed sleep.

*****

Emirysi looked over her own map for the empire, marking some relative points of interest for her travelers to wander to. She had already gotten their paths set and felt a bit bad for what she was to do with Ava and Kori.

"Let's hope they won't have too much trouble there.... Zara please keep them safe." She gave her small prayer and called for a servant.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Send word to the tribes west. Tell them to expect my friends within the month." The servant nodded and left the room while Emi took a deep breath. She was certain they'd make it without much trouble... But maybe she could pull a few strings to make the journey easier for them too. Just a little favor from one friend to another.