FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This one is something of a short "bridge" between the first part and the upcoming part. It's listed as "adult" not because of its own content but because of the content that it ties in to. Tags apply to the overall story and not this section in particular. Thanks for looking :)

---

Leading men was one thing. In spite of all the conviction and authority in the world, there were times when standing up in front of a crowd of men and telling them what to do was a taxing affair. There were always those who would disagree, there would always be some dissent, and there was always the risk that such dissent might become widespread. It was hard to lead men where they might not want to go, and persuading them to do so anyway was an arduous art. A fine art, to be sure, but at times arduous.

Judging them, however, was so much easier.

"All rise!" The court crier spoke up the moment that he pushed the door open, the sound of dozens of men and women getting to their feet all at once a pleasant thrumming sound in his ears. "His Honor, the Most August Lord Mayor of the City of Berdoo, Andrew Sullivan, presides!"

The honorifics always seemed a little blustery, and certainly had never been his idea, but Sullivan still had done nothing to discourage their use since stepping into the office of mayor. In a way they seemed to suit this particular facet of his position, as high judge over those under his protection. This was the part of his office that he cherished the most, the days when he would don the billowing black robes lined with scarlet, the days that he sat at the forefront of the court and wielded his gavel. The days when he would rightfully determine the fate of those who had done wrong.

Today promised to be of particular interest; it had been a long time since a case had come before him involving a bestial. Even as he settled into his seat, he spied the creature off to the side of the courtroom, sequestered away from the rest of the population in a sort of glass vestibule. Some kind of horse-fellow, wearing dingy jeans and a tattered shirt that probably reeked of filth and manure. Sullivan found himself thankful for the thick plates of glass that kept the smell - and, indeed, any infection - far from his lungs. The creature wore a downtrodden look, his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him, already resigned to his fate, whatever it might be.

Sullivan could not help but to lick his lips at the prospect of doling out justice to just such a deviant. The proceedings would be short, quick and to the point. In maybe ten minutes, he'd deliver a verdict and then everyone could go home.

Still, there were rules to be obeyed, procedures to follow. As much as he might find it more amusing to smash his gavel down and pass his verdict without going through the steps, even _he_had to respect the law. Reaching for a statement that had been prepared in advance, he cleared out his throat and let his voice ring out into the assembled crowd. "Today, the court hears the case of the People of Berdoo versus co-defendants, one Joshua Baines, citizen of Berdoo, and one bestial, registration number AX-0474, heretofore referred to as 'Brandon'. It is the claim of the People of Berdoo that the defendants are guilty of the following crimes and that they be punished accordingly. Willful disregard of established containment procedures against the disease known as 'Zoo Flu'. Willful endangerment of the health and security of the people and city of Berdoo. Most heinously, sexual conduct between a human and a bestial. How do the defendants plead?"

Sullivan's eyes were drawn to motion in front of him, where a balding man with a stack of papers was standing up. "My client pleads not guilty." He was the lawyer for the young man seated just to the side, sitting up and staring forward with a blank stare, eyes red and raw. It would have almost looked pitiful, if he weren't guilty of such grievous sins.

"Not guilty," came an other voice, more hushed and resigned. It was the bestial himself who spoke - no foul beast like that could hope to afford representation.

The pleas brought a faint, flickering smile to Sullivan's face. Had they confessed they would have been given some small measure of leniency as required by the law, but when they were exposed for the liars they were, he would be able to flex his true muscle and authority as judge. Clearing his throat again, he spoke up with as much authority as he could muster. "Very well. Let it be known that the People of Berdoo have submitted, as evidence, footage from a security camera placed in accordance with the law based upon suspicion of illicit bestial activities. The footage was rightfully procured and submitted by a concerned citizen of Berdoo doing his duty to protect his fellow man."

The self-righteous smug that was now smeared over the face of a man who called himself Sean might be unbearable in most circumstances, but Sullivan figured that it would be deserved in this case. Acknowledging the man with a brief nod, he continued. "For the sanctity and sanity of those present, I will refrain from having this footage replayed during these proceedings. I will simply state, for the record, that I have seen this footage and borne witness to the depravity contained therein. It is an unmistakable recording of defendant Baines engaging in homosexual, bestial activities with defendant 'Brandon'."

A startled murmur rose up among the gathered crowd, and a woman seated behind the young defendant began to sob loudly. It must have been the man's mother. Such a realization must be hard on any parent, and Sullivan felt pity for her, pity that only steeled his resolve to see the sinners punished for what they had done. He allowed the quiet ruckus to continue for a moment longer, indulging the crowd in their righteous indignation at such a revelation, before he spoke up again. "Please, citizens, contain yourselves. How do the defendants respond to this evidence?"

The balding lawyer had been shuffling through his paperwork in obvious confusion. Once upon a time, such an attorney would have been given access to the evidence, would have known about the video, and likely would have had a chance to formulate some kind of twisted, pedantic response. Some attempt to cast aspersions on the man who had submitted it, perhaps. Justice was not so easily manipulated these days, however; the lawyer and his client would have no choice but to respond directly. The man squirmed a moment longer before shrugging his shoulders, huffing in exasperation. "The defense has no response, your honor."

Another murmur, more excited than the last, began to rise up, but Sullivan cut it off with a gesture. "Very well. As evidence has been submitted the court, and said evidence has not been refuted, this court has no choice but to find the defendants ..."

"I would like to say something, your honor."

Sullivan was mildly shocked to hear the voice of the bestial again, speaking up quietly from his little vestibule. The beast had stood up straight, looking up to the bench, its eyes still riddled with guilt and fear. "Go on," he allowed.

The horse nodded, swallowing dryly. "I ... I claimed I was not guilty of the charges that have been ... laid. It's not that I am trying to proclaim my innocence ... but rather that I am guilty of another, a different crime," he said, shuffling back and forth, eyes beginning to dart around nervously.

Sullivan found himself leaning forward in his seat. Never before had a beast bothered to try and speak up in its own defense during a trial - they simply stood there, mute and dumb, taking the punishment as it came. He was strangely anxious to hear what this one would have to say. "Continue," he ordered.

"I ... what you saw in the video was real, it is true, but it is not as it appeared. Am I guilty of sexual conduct with a human? Yes. But Joshua is not guilty ... you see, I lied to him. I convinced him that I ... that I had some way of harming his family. I told him that if he didn't do what I said, I would hurt them. I told him ... told him ... that he would have to pleasure me ..."

The response from the crowd in the courtroom was as sudden as it was vociferous. Several women gasped and swooned, while still others broke out in tears. Men and women alike shouted in revulsion, several hurling numerous loud taunts and threats in the bestial's direction. The young defendant had turned to look at the bestial with his jaw agape, but did not move. Sullivan himself stared for a moment before rapping his gavel loudly against the bench. "Order! There will be order in my court!"

As the crowd began to quiet itself, Sullivan almost started to salivate. This case was turning out to be more than merely interesting. "Are you telling this court that you forced yourself upon the boy?"

The bestial nodded, once again looking down to the ground. "Yes, your honor."

"You do know what the punishment is? Forcible sexual conduct by a bestial against a human being is punishable by ..."

"I know," the horse replied again, cutting him off.

Sullivan sat back in his seat slowly, eyes widening a little as the court once more broke out in a sort of chaos, shouts and cries ringing out around him. It had been a _long _time since there had been an execution of a bestial. The last one had been a near disaster. The beast had been hung in a square at the center of town, but no one had been willing to go near the corpse to clean it up for fear of catching the disease. For weeks it had been left to rot, and for weeks the whole block of town had been avoided at all costs. No, this one would have to be conducted outside of town. Few of the townsfolk would see it, and it wouldn't have quite the psychological impact on the citizens, but perhaps it didn't matter. The bestials lining up for work would see it, they would see it and know the severity of the situation. It would be a lesson to them all.

He would see it too, of course. Sullivan could not help but to lick his lips lightly as he smacked his gavel against the bench once more. "Very well. Based upon the defendant's testimony, the court is striking all previous charges and is modifying the charge to a single count of forcible sexual conduct by a bestial against a human being, against defendant 'Brandon'. As the evidence is incontrovertible, the court has no choice but to find the defendant ..."

Sullivan nearly jumped out of his skin when he was interrupted by a hoarse shout. "Wait!" This time it was the other defendant, the young man, Joshua. He was suddenly on his feet, his eyes glistening, yet also burning with some startling kind of passion. "Wait ... just wait. He's lying."

Predictably the crowd began to murmur and gasp at the outburst, and Sullivan was beginning to prickle at the unexpected drama unfolding so rapidly from what should have been a straightforward case. "Now look here, son. You understand that I've just stricken your charges, right? I'll have you ordered for a medical evaluation, and psychological counseling to make sure you're okay from all of this, but then you'll go free. You're not going to be charged with anything."

"I understand," the young man said dryly, his voice wavering. "But he's not telling the truth. He didn't force me at all." The woman who must have been his mother tried to bolt upright, arms stretched forward in the youth's direction, mouthing 'Joshua, no!' before she was pulled back down by another man, presumably her husband. If the defendant saw or heard any of it, he gave no sign. "He didn't force me. He didn't even want to do it, he never does. He always says he's worried that he'll get me in trouble, or worse. I have to convince him every time. I have to talk him into it. He didn't force me. I _wanted _it."

Sullivan sighed as his eyes rolled back into his head, hearing the courtroom once more burst out into a cacophony of noise. For a moment there had been so much _potential _to this case. It had so much promise. Even though it now looked like it was going to end just as he had predicted at the outcome, the unnecessary drama, the outbursts from the crowd, the constant changing of the story and the facts was beginning to annoy him. Dinner would be soon, and he didn't have the time to be fooling around with this sort of thing. Smacking his gavel down noisily, he stood up straight and all but shouted down the crowd. "Order! Enough of these outbursts!"

When the crowd went as silent as death in a heartbeat, he thrust his gavel in the direction of the young defendant and frowned. "You. Do you have anything else to add, any new evidence?" He didn't wait for a response before shifting his gaze at the bestial. "You? Anyone? Anything else to add, or are we finished?"

When the only answer was silence, he smashed the gavel down once again, sitting down heavily in his seat once more. "This court reinstates the original charges against the defendants and finds them both guilty as charged. Bestial AX-0474 will be stripped of his license to conduct business within the borders of the City of Berdoo, and is permanently barred from entrance within the city walls on the pain of death. All citizens of Berdoo will henceforth be forbidden to conduct any commerce with this bestial, and any doing so will be subject to the full penalties of the law for contempt of court."

The reaction was only a quiet murmur from the crowd, the horse hanging his head in a defeated manner, even though his life had just been spared. Anger still burning in his eyes, Sullivan turned and jutted his finger in the young man's direction. "Joshua Baines, you are hereby exiled from Berdoo for your transgressions. You will be escorted to the nearest city gate by the police immediately following these proceedings. Your name will be stricken from the population records of this city and your rights as a citizen are hereby forfeit. You will from this day forth be classified for what you are - a bestial. When your transformation is complete - should you survive it - you will be granted a bestial registration number and be permitted to apply for a license to conduct business. Until that day you shall remain outside of this city, and may God have mercy on your soul! This court is dismissed!"

At that, Sullivan slammed his gavel down so hard that it nearly flew out of his grip. As he turned on his heel to head out, he could hear the court behind him erupting in chaos. Men yelled and women screamed, but at that point he could not care less. The police would take care of the rest from here, make sure the beasts would be escorted out of his court and removed from the city, and taken out of his hair. He didn't care how it went from here on out. His judgement had been passed, and now he was late for dinner.