FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A/N Start:

The theme for this story is a drawn-out plot and dirty romance stuff: Male Human x M/F Monsters.

A/N End.

"I NEED HELP!" I wasn't sure how long it had been: five, no, ten minutes?

"Grip my hand man, c'mon! Where'd you say your home was?" Home? I groaned and tried to focus. My vision was so blurry, both feet barely supporting me.

Oh, that's right...

We were running. Not from something, just back home; My home. "We're... almost..." I wanted to hurl.

"Oh shit, no!" My knees buckled and I fell. He stopped and stooped down in front of me.

"Hey man, look at me. Look at me!" The ground was getting darker. Two hands patted the ground, getting me to glance up.

"I'm suh-sorry..." I looked down and he followed my gaze. The bite wound wasn't too big. Only bits of blood trickled from my arm, but that's not what was doing me in.

"There's sumthin wrong." I was breathing heavily. My ragged tone caused the guy to bite his lip.

"I- no, it's fine. Alright, just relax." That wasn't hard. I fell forward and laid out on the ground.

"Okay good. Don't fall asleep on me, stretch out." I heard him take a deep breath and tried as well to focus on my breathing.

"Alright, try and steady yourself. Get ready." His hand wrapped under my chest and pulled me up. His arms stayed under my pits, hands gripping my chest as I barely supported myself.

"I'm going to turn you around, just throw your arms over my head, alright?" I realized he was about to do a firefighter's lift and groaned in response.

Turning did me in and I felt myself falling. Luckily, he was already under me and hoisted with notable strength. "I hope this way is towards your village man... I can NOT treat what's going on with your arm."

Those were the last words I heard before things went dark. I had an array of waking moments afterward. Uncertain of how long I was fading in and out, I caught blips of people around me.

"Who are you? What happened to him!" That was the village elder's voice. I recognized that rasp immediately.

"His arm... this is most unfortunate. I've never seen a human get this blight." She spoke over me and looked up at the man who had carried me.

"I need you to tell me what happened. Crunch, you need to bring a stone in here. I think I understand what is wrong. I just never thought..." As she became silent, the man began explaining himself and I blacked out again.

My body felt like it was undergoing torrential amounts of growth. My muscles ached and the pain coursing through me was unnatural. All of it was pulsating from the bite mark.

"You're telling me it stopped attacking everyone after he got bit?" He must have been telling her about the fight.

That was the first time I had met a hunter. Though, she was on the brink of death when I arrived. A Nargacuga, unlike any I had seen, had knocked out a group of people. One man, the one who carried me, was on his rear facing the angered monster.

I had rushed out unarmed and for whatever reason, stood in front of him like I could scare off the beast. That was when he bit me, but suddenly let go, fleeing after a few moments of what seemed to be confusion.

Ever since then, I have been in extreme pain all over. "Crunch, you brought Jay? Never mind, that'll work. Jay, bring your stone to his." Jay was a Rider, what was he going to do?

I felt something touch my wrist. In that waking moment, I saw Jay's stone touching the one on my wrist. My stone, which I just realized was brimming with dark energy, cleansed itself by dispersing that energy into my body.

"Oh...!" The elder, along with others in the room shared a surprised reaction. Tears streaked down my face. The pain took my voice from me and naturally, I fainted for good.

---

"Did you just groan?" A familiar voice woke me. Blinking a few times, I was certain this was home. I sat up and looked around in a hut.

"Man, I feel like I always end up here whenever I leave to go somewhere." I chuckled to myself and glanced left of the bed I was in.

"That elder said you come here often..." It was the man who brought me in. He had dreads, tied and neatly draping behind his neck. His skin was dark brown, caked in dirt, as well as some scratches.

He wore light clothing, though his garments had many pockets with all sorts of gear purposed for expeditions of some sort.

"Yeah, sorry. I was mumbling to myself." I scratched behind my head and scooted backward. Sitting against the bed frame, I sighed and crossed my legs. "Thanks for saving me, uh..."

"Xander. I could be saying the same thing man, but I still don't understand uh... a lot of what happened. Actually, I have a lot of questions." Xander seemed uncomfortable in the little wooden seat. I wondered how long he had been sitting there.

"Well I'm sure you didn't get much from anyone here if you asked questions, I'm sorry to say." I pursed my lips and he seemed dismal about my statement.

"I didn't get to ask much, I was bombarded with questions. I, uh..." Xander drummed his finger on top of his leg and bit his lip.

"Ask me anything. I have questions of my own, but answering yours is the least I can do." He nodded in response and stared at the ground. "Before you start, I just want to... well, offer my condolences too."

A few seconds of silence followed. His head stayed hung. "...Yeah." We stayed silent. I decided to look down at my wrist.

The stone looked normal. All the pain I had gone through seemed gone. "Is that a kinship stone?" Xander's mood changed to interest. Tear streaks were fresh on his cheeks, though he seemed to disregard this.

"Yeah. I'm not a Rider though." That seemed to distract him enough to not look miserable.

"A Rider... so that's who was in the tent?" Xander grabbed my hand and inspected the stone closer.

"Jay? He's a Rider. His stone is regular looking, as you saw."

"Yes, but I've never seen one before, only heard of them. Villages like this are secretive and independent. They don't affiliate with us at all!" Xander tapped the stone and I flinched.

"Sorry!" He yanked his hand back and I grinned.

"It's fine, I'm just jumpy. Are you a scientist, Xander?" As I said that he was pulling out a journal and flipping through pages of notes, seeking a blank page.

"Yes, I am a scrivener." Opening and closing my hand, I watched as Xander was taking notes.

"Is that something related to the Hunter's Guild?" He glanced up and raised a brow.

"The Royal Paleontology Scriveners?" We held gazes and I just shrugged.

"We're a research team, we study ecology. I mean, we certainly work with the Hunter's Guild. They use our notes for monster quests. Would a village like this not know about that?

"We certainly do." Piped a voice from the entrance. It was Elder Einzel.

"I ask that you not take notes of this place, Xander." He immediately closed the book. The two stared awkwardly as he tucked it away.

"Man, uh... I'm sorry. I understand you want to maintain secrecy, but if I may-"

"You brought this up already, and we had made our decision." Elder Einzel stated firmly. Xander's eyes shot between us, then away.

"What is he talking about?" She walked over to me and looked at my arm, holding it in her hand.

"Xander informed us of your situation, ever since you saved them. He worries about your condition, but I told him not to worry over such things. We have taken care of you and are overseeing your recovery." Letting go of me, she paced back towards the entrance, leaving space for Xander to walk out with her.

I didn't want Xander to leave, and I could tell he didn't either. "Xander..." I didn't know what to say. He gripped his knees and smiled meekly.

"I appreciate your kindness and help. Elder Einzel and your friends know more about your condition than I. They believe my concerns to be trivial given their knowledge. I was hoping to stay a bit and watch you, but realized that's something they are capable of and-"

"He wants to study you and take notes, which I forbid." Interrupted the elder.

"I said I would respect your secrecy." Shot back Xander.

"Yet you still want to take notes. You're finding excuses."

"His health is not an excuse! I don't care if I'm a stranger or what your village knows, I simply believe there is still something wrong with him while everyone else thinks touching stones solved the problem!" Xander stood up and his gestures became more energized.

The elder pursed her lips, tucking her hands within the long sleeves of her robe. Xander clenched his fists and sighed.

"Listen, I'm sorry. It's... been hard for me. Yes, I want to take notes, but they're for the sake of understanding his condition." She wasted no time replying before he could continue.

"And what leads you to believe he is in a bad state?" I was curious and looked over at him.

"Because the energy left the stone but not his body. I don't think it was neutralized, I think it was driven away from what was containing it. His body could be undergoing something we're unaware of. It's hard to observe such things when he's laying in bed like this." She raised her eyebrows at the end of his sentence.

"You're suggesting that he get up and move around?" Her tone was laced with judgment and Xander drew in a deep breath.

"Regardless...!" She continued, "Such things can be observed by us. Your notes are not needed, we are capable of the same. I appreciate your concern, Xander, but you must understand this village's weariness toward the group you're affiliated with." I could visibly see the frustration flickering behind his eyes.

The breath he had held onto came out slowly. "...I have some dead friends to bury, Elder. Thank you for seeing me in, but I will be seeing myself out." Xander didn't look at either of us, slowly leaving the room.

"Honestly, the dangers of such self-centeredness..." My mouth opened in surprise. I felt my skin tingle as my body heated up.

Having been bedridden and suddenly riled up, I swung my legs out of the bed and stood. "Elder." She looked at me, putting her hands up.

"You need to lay back down!" Taking a step towards me, I calmly put out my hand.

"No. I feel okay right now. I can't be in here right now either." She slowed down and looked at me sadly.

"Now, I know my attitude wasn't the best there but-"

"But you can explain that later." I stepped past her and stood by the exit.

"The riders and villagers here respect you, and all get along under your system... As far as I know, we've never made contact with hunters or researchers of his type, so I expect a good reason for you to shun him so determinedly after I get back." She grabbed my arm and spat back.

"You cannot go out there after just getting out of bed. We need to watch over you." I snorted.

"Xander needs someone to watch over him! He's alone, just like I was when you took me in! The only difference is he comes from a place you hold distaste for, which you know what's ironic? I hated my old village, I mean," I chortled and held the stone up for her to look at.

"This thing was never a privilege or honor for me to have, it was an experiment. I'm thankful for you, but this goes to show that not all Rider villages are nice places. The same can be said for these Hunter guilds. I like Xander, and Xander needs a friend. Sure, I can get hurt going out there, but so can everyone else!" I didn't stick around to listen any further, turning and leaving.

Palicoes and villagers glanced as I ran out the exit and after Xander.

"Hey!" He quickly turned around, wiping his face. Before putting his arm down, I put a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward. Patting his back, I could feel an initial shake in his voice.

"Man... thank you." Stepping back I looked down at myself and shrugged.

"My clothes are dirty, but I'll worry about that when we get back. I appreciate you staying." Xander looked behind me and I noticed someone had been walking towards us.

"Jay?" I noticed that bald head anywhere. He had two shovels in his hand and held them out.

"I have a quest to go on so I can't accompany you. Get back safe, alright?" I took the tools and handed one to Xander.

"Sure." He smirked and we bumped fists.

"Einzel is gonna be pissed when you get back."

"She's got some explaining to do herself when we get back. It'll be a fun conversation." Jay chuckled and shook his head.

"Alright, well see ya." He waved and we walked our separate ways.

We had been walking for a few minutes and Xander had broken the silence. "You know this is gonna be dangerous? Aren't you a rider, maybe have a monster to even things out with?"

"I have a stone, but I wasn't given one the usual way."

"I sort of guessed that, since it's inside your arm." I snickered at that and sighed.

"Yeah, that was my old home village for ya. Burnt to the ground, yet the bad memories live in my wrist. They were... experimental, to say the least." Xander was exasperated.

"People are so... 'self-centered'." I laughed as he imitated Elder Einzel. "But for real man, they put a stone in your arm? And it works?"

I rested the shovel against my shoulder, letting my hand swing as I walked. "The stone works, though I am not a Rider. That title is obtained through the Rite of Kinship..."

Xander was listening intensely and I continued. "Students obtain this stone, which is forged from kinship ore. They use it to hatch what we label as Monsties, and then befriend them. The bonds are forged from birth."

"Wow." Xander grinned and balanced the shovel behind his head on both arms. "I can't believe this isn't shared knowledge, man..."

I nodded and shrugged. "I'm sure there are plenty of stupid reasons. But anyway, this stone was put inside my arm as a kid by my old village folk. I'm not sure what they were trying to do, but they didn't care how much it hurt and I got no superpowers from it."

He whistled and poked his cheek with his tongue, thinking. "Phew, I mean... that stone has some unique power though. I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Thanks. I'm alive y'know? As for the stone's powers, I'm sure you've studied black blight?" His expression was that of recognition.

"There's speculation as to what causes it, but the basis is that it makes monsters rage and become powerful. It's a scary blight I have yet to see." I quipped in at the last part.

"You're right about scary." I held my arm up to him and added, "This cures it though."

"No way...!" Xander reached his hand out but hesitated. "Agh, my bad..."

"You're fine."

"Just jumpy?" He quoted. I rolled my eyes. "It seriously is fine. I don't feel much of anything when it is touched.

"Hm, well I meant what I said earlier." Xander looked warily at the stone. I rubbed my eyes with my other arm and huffed.

"Yeah, you said something about the blight still being in me?" He nodded and that, for some reason, prompted me to look at the veins in my arms for some sort of dark energy. Of course, I saw nothing alarming.

"I have my curiosities, my worries, and my curiosities." He joked.

"My one worry is that using a kinship stone on monsters will infect them with what's inside of me," I admitted. Something then dawned on me. "I... don't think I can be a Rider."

"I didn't say with certainty the blight is in you! And even so, you've gotten rid of the blight from monsters. I'm sure the same could be done for you -- uh if you even had the blight." Xander's efforts at consoling me were amusing earning a short, amused exhale through my nose.

"I guess the blight entered me because the stone is a part of my body, and that Nargacuga wounded me near the stone while possessing the blight." As I said it, he seemed like an obvious connection, but the concept weirded me out. Xander seemed to pick up on the fact I was reflecting deeply on this.

"Maybe..." Xander began, but as we arrived upon a familiar scene, I saw his thoughts halt and fall to the ground, along with his posture.

I took a deep breath, staring ahead of us at a barely-escaped battle. His friends remained untouched by creatures, something I was thankful for, though I knew the mere sight of them must have been an indescribable torrent of misery for Xander. I walked forward, looking at Xander sadly, though kept moving and gripped my shovel. My momentum inspired him to straighten up, and he wiped an arm across his face for the second time since I woke up.

It took a few hours of undisturbed silence until everyone was buried. Xander whispered what seemed like prayers, or perhaps farewells to each of his friend's graves. I remained idle, the ambiance of the forest underlying Xander's murmurs and feeling eerily quiet. While he spoke, I heard something snap.

My attention swerved behind me and rested upon some bushes and trees. I pinpointed the general direction of what could have been a twig snapping, or something falling from a tree. It was a common sound, and could easily belong to a small critter, but for some reason, I felt uneasy. It was when the second snapping sound occurred that two thoughts smacked me.

It was definitely a twig that snapped, and it belonged to a particularly large footprint. My unease grew, complimented by a sudden pain in my wrist. No more twigs snapped, though I realized that slow footsteps were approaching us, attempting to be quiet. That meant something was sneaking up on us.

"Xander..." I whispered, though my back was turned from him, not wanting to look away from whatever approached. The foliage stretched higher than a human, and I could only see a silhouette peaking through openings in the shrubbery. I grit my teeth, the pain in my wrist sparking familiarity from when I had been bitten. A headache formed in my head, though it was unique, just like when I had experienced one in front of Nargacuga.

Was it a headache?

As the thought crossed my mind, my brow furrowed. It was obviously painful, but as I concentrated it felt more and more like an overwhelming sensation, as if someone were screaming inside my head.

"Stop it..." I murmured, though who was I talking to? A swirly feeling tormented my gut, causing a sickness and fatigue that brought me to my knees. As I sunk, the silhouette became one of my worst expectations.

"XANDER!" I screamed, falling back as a black monster shot above me and toward him. I somehow knew that it wasn't going to attack me, before it had leapt from the bushes. I turned onto my belly, adrenaline and fear locking my body in place, yet urging me to move.

His head snapped toward me, but instead of seeing my trembling figure, he was met by Nargacuga. It landed delicately onto the ground, yet towered over my new friend, the man who saved me...

The man who wasn't a hunter.

He's gonna die.

The statement lingered in Xander's eyes, dangling the thought in front of me as his fear-ridden gaze battled with an angered, vengeful scowl. My fingers scrunched up grass, penetrating the ground into the cool dirt beneath as my forearms bulged with energy that prompted movement.

"Stop it!" Why had Nargacuga leaped over me? As I stood up shakily, I felt my head wanting to split open. There were two emotions, one of which didn't feel like my own. As I limped toward the Nargacuga's tail, I had to rely on my instincts. I had to ignore whichever emotion was mine, and whichever wasn't, and do what my rapidly beating heart urged.

It was my gesture that finally got Nargacuga's attention. My hand, which found the tip of his tail and gripped it desperately, caused his head to turn toward me. The wyvern's yellow eyes, adorned with a red outline, stared down at me piercingly. Both my eyes and Nargacuga's changed expression. Mine widened whilst his pupils shrunk, combining anger with confusion.

Realization knocked me to the ground, and Nargacuga turned fully toward me, his paws slamming in front of me and bladed wings expressing hostility by flaring out. Despite the response, he only growled. His body crept closer, to the point where his head was mere inches from mine. I couldn't turn away, each of his yellow eyes locking me in place as my fear grew more with each hot breath that hit my face.

Xander screamed my name, but my senses poured through this creature's eyes and brought me into a revealing headspace. The reason my head was hurting stared me right in the eyes. Thoughts that had raced through my head incomprehensibly began merging, forming one answer that made my suspicions clear.

We can feel each other's emotions.