FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1: Mission

The slender she-cat crouched within the bush, only her long graceful tail moving as it waved back and forth. Icy blue eyes flickered between members of the herd, appraising each before moving on. At last she settled on an elderly buck, who had wandered away from the defense of his harem. He was on his last rut, that was obvious by the gray around his muzzle. The she-cat closed her fist slowly around the long spear beside her, lifting it gently from the forest floor. The buck continued to pick his way closer to her bush, oblivious. The spear was at the proper height, only a few more feet and it would be a kill impossible to miss.

"Isi!" The call from behind her started the girl almost as much as the buck. Her spear dropped to the ground even as the animal turned and bounded away, his harem of does scrambling to follow. Isi turned with a hiss of annoyance, turning to aim a ferocious glare at the intruder.

"This had better be really good, Honiahaka." She growled, clenching her hands to resist attacking him with her sharp hunter's claws.

The wolf boy was doubled over, panting with effort. "I...sent...find you..." He gasped out. The cat allowed her fur to fall back into place.

"Who sent you? It was important enough to interrupt my hunt? I need another hide before winter starts, or I'm going to freeze to death." She gestured at her formfitting leather garments, which left most of her body exposed.

Honiahaka stood straight slowly, still panting. Isi looked down on him from her greater height, waiting for an explanation for this untimely interruption. As a full hunter, she outranked him and he shouldn't even have spoken to her at all.

"Matoskah sent me. He says he needs you right away. He's putting together a group to go out on a mission." Isi felt her blood chill, and her black fur stood on end again.

"Tokala's not on it, is he?" She snapped. Honiahaka nodded, white hackles rising in response to the combination of anger and fear radiating from the cat. She set off for the village at a run, Honiahaka following at a walk, muttering to himself. Matoskah would not have put her and Tokala together to do anything if it were avoidable, he knew how she felt about that backstabbing fox-boy.

Isi didn't slacken her pace as the small foot path she was on converged with larger paths through the forest. There wasn't a lot of underbrush around, and she could catch glimpses of the lithe bodies of her tribe-mates through the trees. All were moving in the same direction with a sense of urgency. The cat girl dropped to all fours to increase her speed, covering the ground in great leaps. Eyes squinted against the wind of her speed, she didn't see the other girl until they collided. Isi flipped in the air to land back on two feet, bristling in readiness for a fight. The other girl was sent tumbling to land in an embarrassing position on her face, legs curled up over her back.

"Galilahi, you bitch, what are you doing?" Isi hissed, ears flattening against her skull.

"You should watch where you're going, slut." Came the reply as the bundle of fur on the ground sorted herself out.

"What did you call me?" Isi snarled, taking a step forward, hands clenched so tightly her claws pierced the thick skin of her palms. The pain worked its way into her brain, piercing the haze of hatred she felt toward her enemy.

She sighed. "Never mind. I have to get back." She turned to leave, and felt a hand catch her wrist. "Are you still mad at him, whore? Are you still mad the way he used you and dumped you aside? Because you know you scared him with how eager you were for it. But now that he's got it from you, he can move on to the other girls, the girls who he actually means it when he says he loves them-" Galilahi's voice was cut off in a squeal as Isi's razor sharp claws sliced into her scalp just above her eyes, the only place the cat could reach from this angle. The bear blinked her small brown eyes as blood dribbled down into them.

"One more word, bitch. Just one more word." Isi whispered. "I swear, if you open your stupid mouth again I will hurt you. You think that stings? I'll show you exactly what a full hunter can do. I'm not scared of your father, even if he is the chief." The cat yanked her arm out of the other's grip and took off again, blinking away tears. Galilahi had a way of saying exactly what Isi was thinking herself, the things she didn't dare mention to anyone else. She shook her head, driving out the whispers of the voice that was gleefully repeating everything Galilahi had said. Honiahaka caught up to her as she passed the first tents of the village, loping easily along.

"What happened back there?" He asked. Isi shook her head, leaped over a fire to land back on her two feet, and trotted into the central circle. A bonfire roared in the center of the space, and already several other hunters were seated around it. She took a seat beside a cougar, folding her tail over her knees and wiping the blood off her claws onto her short pants.

"Had another encounter with Galilahi, did we?" The cougar asked. Isi nodded.

"You know I hate her, Tocho." She sighed.

"I know." He reached over to hug her around her shoulders gently. Isi gave a rusty purr before turning to look across the fire to the leader of her tribe. The huge old bear's face was almost entirely white with age, but that didn't slow him down. He moved with grace and ease as he stood and raised his huge left hand to quiet the hunters. Her eyes were drawn to the right, to the two hunters seated there, and she shuddered. The vixen was pulled half into the fox's lap, her eyes closed in contentment, tail twined with his. The fox himself was smiling widely, seemingly delighted just to be there. Isi ripped her eyes away, unable to stifle a gasp. Tocho reached an arm around her again and squeezed, trying to calm her down.

"I'm okay." She whispered, smiling at him. He grinned back, rubbing her shoulder as she turned her attention back to chief Matoskah.

"Thank you for coming," The bear began, the only sign of his age other than his face his voice, which cracked with long use. "As you know, this team has been assembled from our best hunters. We cannot tell you exactly what you are being asked to look into, because we don't know ourselves. The deer on our eastern border have disappeared at an alarming rate. Message runners sent to the tribe that border is shared with reported that their village had been abandoned, much left behind, and the trail leads away to the south. Our trackers are already following it, but we need to know what could have forced the tribe to move so fast that they would waste things easily carried. We are splitting you into four groups, each to follow one of the borders of their territory. You are not to pick a fight with anything you may find, but to report back immediately. I cannot stress this enough." He stared hard at Isi, who widened her eyes at him innocently. "The approximate length of each excursion will be three days, five for the team covering the eastern border of the territory. That one will take you out of the mountains and onto the plains."

Isi was distracted by the fox and his girlfriend, who had arched her back to whisper something in his ear. He grinned and whispered something back, kissing her cheek tenderly. Tocho grabbed her hand, drawing it away from the wrist she had started scratching at with her nails.

"Don't." He said firmly. Isi nodded, trying to ignore the ache in her chest.

Matoskah was glaring at the pair. "Is there something about this mission that you find funny, mister Tokala?" He asked.

"Well," the fox replied, tightening his grip on his girlfriend. "It seems that this is a waste of our time. Why disturb the hunters, we have better things to do with our time. Leave it to the scouts or message runners."

Isi shot to her feet. "This is dangerous! Something drove that tribe away from here, and whatever it was threatens us too. You just don't want to get off your fat ass, or spend a minute not tangled up with your little-" Tocho's paw over her mouth cut her off before she could say anything that might start a true riot. Tokala had stood to face her, one paw clutched tight by his vixen, even as he took a deep breath to shout a reply.

"Enough!" Matoskah thundered. Tokala's ears flattened at forced of the sound right beside him. The huge old bear glowered at one young hunter, then the other.

"Isi has a good point, Tokala. It will do you very much good to get out of the village for a while. As I recall, most responsibilities have been getting mysteriously routed away from you for the last several weeks, leaving you with a lot of free time. You will take the route through the center of the territory, to check the far side." Isi stuck her tongue out at him and flipped her tail in triumph.

"However, Isi, it would do you well to get away as well. You will take the route with him."

This took a moment to register in the cat's brain.

"What? Matoskah, you can't-" she began loudly, even as Tokala added protests of his own, but a glare from the chief silenced them both.

"I believe it to be the best." He said in his slow voice. "After all, we must cultivate good relationships with all of our fellow hunters, especially now, when there are so few of you. Also, you two will balance each other out. Tokala, you are over-cautious, and often think too long before jumping, losing valuable chances. And Isi, you have a habit of sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong, without checking first to make sure it won't be bitten by something."

Isi and Tokala glared at each other, seething, ignoring the giggles of the other hunters.

"The other teams will be Tocho and Naira covering the northern border, and Migisi with Chuchip on the southern border. You two," Matoskah gestured at the two wolves he had selected for the south, "You will come across the place that the Falcon tribe left their territory. Don't follow that trail, continue along the border, but keep those noses aware, make sure nothing followed them over." The twin wolves nodded.

"Alright, everyone. You leave in one hour." The circle broke up. Isi stalked away, tail lashing in fury, aching to dig her claws into something. She passed Honiahaka just outside of the circle, and he fell into step beside her.

"What's going on? What happened to the Falcon tribe? Are you on the mission? Are you going to have to put up with Tokala?"

Isi stopped and glared at the smaller wolf. He stared up at her, brown eyes widening pleadingly.

"Okay, I give up, I can't be mad at you." She sighed after losing the stare-down. He grinned.

"So will you tell me what your awesome hunter mission is?" He asked.

"You're just a message runner, you won't have anything to do with this. And don't you dare follow me." She threatened him with a single claw. He nodded vigorously. "The Falcon tribe is gone. They may have been driven out by something. And whatever that was is taking the deer along our border now. Me and Tokala are going to the far side of their territory to check it out."

"What, Naira isn't coming?" He asked in amazement.

"I know, I was surprised too." Isi sighed, continuing to her own tent. She pushed through the hide flap, grabbed her small traveling bag, and began stuffing outfits in every-which-way. Her thin woven blanket was rolled into a tiny bundle and shoved in as well. From under the pillow at the head of her sleeping roll, she pulled out a thin, stone knife. She stared at it hard, at the dark stains on the stone that she couldn't be rid of no matter how much she cleaned it.

'He hates me. He never meant what he said. I would give my life for him without thinking, and he doesn't care. All he cares about is her...'

After a moment, she used the blade to part the fur on her inner arm, laying it against the dark scars that were uncovered. With a deep breath, she began to press, not hard enough to cut to deep, just deep enough...

The knife was knocked away from her, and safe arms enfolded her even as she scrambled after it, bursting into tears.

"What's going on, Tocho? What's wrong?" Came Honiahaka's concerned voice from outside, as Tocho pulled Isi closer, letting her cry herself out, making soothing noises. After a while he pulled away, and lifted her chin so she had to look him in the face.

"I told you. No more of that. I know you're hurting, but you can't do that. Think of it. One wrong cut, just one accident, and I could lose you. And don't ever think I don't care." He whispered. She nodded, closing her eyes rather than look at his scared, honest face.

"Promise me you won't while you're gone. No matter what. I know it's hard, but don't." She nodded, still not opening her eyes.

"But it hurts so much inside..." She whispered. He pulled her into another tight hug, and she shivered, refusing to react.

'I need him back. I need him. I need to hear that he loves me...'

Within an hour, Isi was sitting back near the bonfire, watching Tokala and Naira's farewell. They stood beside the fire, holding each other tight, foreheads pressed together, staring into the other's eyes. Once or twice he whispered something, and she would squeeze her eyes shut and pull him even closer. After fifteen solid minutes, Isi got up and left. As she passed the last tent, she realized Tokala wasn't following anytime soon.

"Asshole." She muttered, retracing her steps, finally losing her temper. The two foxes were right where she had left them, except slightly more intertwined with each other.

"Okay, let go of your little bitch already. We have to go." She said, voice as icy calm as possible, refusing to let her anger show in her tone. The only response was a tightening of their hug.

"Dammit!" She stomped away, closing her eyes against tears. Tocho crept around her to go talk to the pair, and at last they separated, Naira reluctantly following Tocho as he set off after Isi. Tokala sprinted to catch up with the cat. She refused to acknowledge him as he fell into step beside her.

"I don't like this anymore than you do, but we're stuck, so make the best of it, alright?" He said, not bothering to hide his distaste. She nodded, biting her lip to hold her tears in.

Neither spoke as they walked, covering the ground at a constant pace away from the slowly lowering sun. By the time the sun had set entirely, they had reached the border of the Bear tribe's territory.

Isi was the one to sense the change in the air, the scent of the Falcon tribe covering that of the Bears, but waited to see if Tokala was willing to acknowledge her long enough to point out the border. Instead, he stopped right at the edge of Bear territory, and stood there, shaking slightly. Isi continued on, then turned to stare at him.

"Do you have a problem?" She asked coldly, not feeling very charitable toward him.

"I've never left the territory before." He closed his eyes, ears and fur flattening with embarrassment. Isi couldn't help a smile as she looked at him.

"What, scared?" She asked. He nodded.

"What the hell am I doing?" His companion muttered as she picked her way over the forest floor back to him. She raised her right hand to him, purring encouragingly. He took it, intertwining his fingers with hers in an obviously familiar gesture. Isi grinned.

"C'mon, scaredy cat. Or fox. We can do this together. Just like everything before. Remember?" She tugged at his hand, pulling him over the border. For just a moment they stood there, hand in hand, emotions warring behind their faces. Tokala broke the moment first, turning to stare back over the border.

"I'm going to miss her." He said wistfully. Isi bristled.

"It's five days. I think you will somehow survive." She said sarcastically, hitching her bag higher on her shoulders and turning away.

"I know you don't like it, Isi, but I like her. And you're going to have to deal with it." He snarled.

"At least you've stopped lying, saying you love people and not meaning it. Stopped messing with their heads." Isi's voice rose with each word until it was a shout. His ears flattened again.

"I did mean it. I never meant to mess with your head. I meant it every damn time I told you I loved you." He yelled right back, voice rising into something resembling a yip.

"I did too. I still mean it. I still love you so much it hurts inside. And you couldn't care less, could you? You have your little vixen, your 'one who's always there.' And what am I supposed to do. Tocho is sweet, yes, but he knows nothing about me! He never shared my secrets. He never was there when I needed to feel like someone even knew I was alive. I had that with you! And now it's gone!"

He was trying to speak, but she pushed into his face, continuing on her rant. "And you don't even notice. You can't let go of her for two freaking seconds to notice I slit my damn wrists! Would you notice if I died? Beyond being free of annoyance, free from that girl you can't get rid of? I know the answer to that. You wouldn't care! You'd just go and sit and snuggle and be happy."

She raised a hand as if to attack, and he flinched away from the expected blow that never came.

"I hate you!" Isi hissed, putting every ounce of emotion in her body behind it.

With that, she turned and sprinted away, not caring about anything but removing herself from his presence.

Sobbing, she dashed through the forest, searching for a tree thick enough to support her, a difficult thing to find in a pine forest. At last, one thick enough. She clawed her way up it, ten, twenty feet above the forest floor. At the first limb she crouched down, clinging to the trunk with her hands, hind claws flexing deep into the bark of the branch as she cried.

At last it was too cold to remain alone up a tree, and she had cried herself out. She scooted away from the trunk, crouching on the branch, looking down at the ground.

"Why do I always do this?" She muttered to herself. "I always climb a tree and then remember how much I hate heights. And how much of a pain in the ass it is to get myself down."

One paw at a time, she maneuvered around to cling to the trunk with all four limbs, tail held rigid for balance. She inched her hind paws down first, releasing her front claws just enough to slide the few inches she'd gained. By the time she reached the ground, she was trembling with chill.

She began to retrace her wild dash through the woods, spotting places she had slashed her claws into the trees, and where her feet had gouged all the way into the dark soil beneath the covering of pine needles. She inspected one of these marks, seeing that she had skidded around a tree before taking off in a different direction. Taking a moment to rest and to marvel at how much she had become turned around in her mad run, she didn't hear whatever was stalking her until it was right on top of her.

A twig snapped not ten yards away. Isi squeaked as she spun, staring into the darkness with wide eyes. Nothing stirred, and, after a moment, a cricket started up it's nighttime song in the pine needles beside her. She glared at a particularly menacing tree, but couldn't justify going out of her way to investigate it. With a sigh, she turned away, following her tracks back to the trail. A scent of wood smoke hung in the air, and she followed it off the track into a thicket.

Tokala had built a fire, and was curled up beside it. Judging by how much the fire had consumed the thick pine branches he'd last placed on it, he'd fallen asleep less than an hour before her return. She sat down across the flames from him and watched his sleeping face. He looked so innocent. Somehow, at that moment, she could forget everything that had happened, could only see the sweet boy she'd fallen in love with so long ago.

As she watched he shifted and moaned a little in his sleep. She stood and crossed the clearing to crouch beside him. He rolled over and she froze at the slits of his green eyes she could see beneath his lids. After a moment it was clear he was fast asleep and dreaming. She reached out to trail one finger lightly down his cheek. He moaned again, and whispered her name, in a tone that made her shiver even as she fell back, startled. Before she could lose her nerve, she bent and kissed his mouth, hard.

He didn't wake up, but moaned deep in his throat again before rolling back over and curling up. She leaped back over the fire and crouched to watch him. He didn't show any sign of awareness, seemingly deeper asleep than before. Isi grabbed her blanket out of her bag, wrapping it around herself and closing her eyes. She drifted off into sleep with his innocently smiling face in her mind.

Neither was awake to see the figure that crept from the shadows to warm small hands over the slowly dying fire. Neither noticed as it scurried away when Tokala pushed himself into a sitting position. He glanced across at Isi, and a smile touched his sharp face before he curled up again.