FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Skye, Snow and Chris sat down, looking out at the thin clouds skidding lazily across the sky. All three of them sat in silence, each of them wracking their brains as to what to say, finally Chris broke the impasse. "Thank you for waking me up."

Snow looked at him curiously. "Why were you screaming, a nightmare?"

Chris looked at him and started speaking. He described the dream turned nightmare. He talked about his life among the Meeko. Snow and Skye in turn told him of their life on their farm and how they'd decided to join the fight.

They spoke for hours until the Grandmaster, Ukon and Orwen came out. Skye and Snow embraced, each promising to the other that they'd visit whenever an opportunity arose.

Orwen came back later with dinner for them. The little Wolven girl awoke at the smell of the roasted meat. They each introduced themselves to her and learned that her name was Tess. Snow seemed completely at ease in himself, Chris was jealous of the way he seemed to so easily move. Chris was still having a lot of difficulty in just keeping himself balanced. Orwen thought that it was probably due to Snows reaction to Chris's screaming that had allowed his brain to quickly accept his new form. Orwen told the three of them that the little house was specially set out so that they could be by themselves and recuperate after the ordeal of the change, but in a weeks' time they would be moved to the barracks were the Wolven pack stayed. After dinner and easy flowing conversation between the four of them, Orwen bid them goodnight. He gathered up the dishes and made his way out into the gathering darkness. Chris, Tess and Snow spent their time exchanging stories late into the night.

The week passed quickly and they were all somewhat nervous that tonight they would be joining others of the wolf pack in a feast to honour them as new members. At least Chris and Tess could now move around without stumbling and tripping over the smallest thing. Chris had quickly and painfully learnt to keep in mind that he now had a tail to contend with as he'd once unthinkingly flopped onto the bed on his back.

The three of them grew restless as the day passed by, finally at the gathering of dusk Orwen came to gather up his little flock as he teasingly called them.

After a seeming eternity of making their way through the maze of the castle, Orwen once again swept them outside. A line of Wolven stood to each side of a stone paved pathway. Tess, Chris and Snow could only stare in wonder as each pair of Wolven fell in behind them as they followed Orwen along it.

The path finally opened into a large square, great wooden tables flanked by low benches stretched across it. The appetizing smell of roasts turning idly wafted tantalizingly on the slight breeze. Orwen led them to a table and had them seated. All around the rest of the pack took seats where they could. Tankards of foaming ale were placed in front of all. Silence fell when Orwen clambered up on the bench, he bent and picked up his tankard and winked at the three seated with him.

"Tonight!" he thundered "We welcome the new pups!" A great cheer erupted.

Orwen waved his tankard around for silence again and it grudgingly fell.

"We welcome Tess!" He gestured for her to stand and she jumped up on the bench grinning, her brown fur shining in the firelight.

"We welcome Snow!" Snow stood reluctantly, his muscles rippling under his fur.

"We welcome Chris!" Chris stood shyly and clambered up on the bench. His black fur in contrast to the others made him look like a shadow.

Orwen suddenly lifted his head and howled at the sky. The sound smashed into the night like a hammer as the crowd took it up. It seemed to reverberate through everything, filling the three up from their paws to their heads. Snow slowly lifted his head and joined in the howl, without thought Tess and Chris followed suit.

For a moment the howl became the world and the world embraced the three of them.

When it ended the crowd cheered loudly.

Orwen cried into the tumult "Let's drink and eat!" and threw his tankard back, gulping down the frothing liquid and then lapping up the foam sticking to his muzzle.

He smiled at the three of them and sat.

Snow, Tess and Chris each looked at each other. Tess's ears perked up and her bright green eyes flashed with mischief. She upended her tankard and gulped the ale down, then raised it empty to the crowd. They cheered her loudly. She turned and looked expectantly at the two of them.

Snow looked at Chris, then shrugged his shoulders and did the same. Chris had never had a drink, he hesitated for a moment and then opened his muzzle and let the rich bitter tasting ale gush down his throat. When he lifted his empty tankard the crowd shouted and laughed their approval.

The night was spent greeting the multitude of Wolven, after the fourth group Chris had already given up trying to keep track of names. The ale made him feel warm and fuzzy and he found himself starting to enjoy himself immensely. He hazily confronted a thought and greeted it like a friend that he had longed to have for ages. I'm home, I'm accepted. A pang of loss coloured the happy thought though as he remembered his father and the others that he had left behind.

The night flew by, music, food and drink steadily making their progress through it. Chris never could remember how much he'd drunk. He was sure that it wasn't a lot. His Tankard had always seemed full. His memory was hazy and flashed by with the dances spinning across the square. He remembered watching Snow, his white fur shining in the light, only the tip of his tail and ears as black as the fur that covered Chris's own body. He remembered seeing Tess passing out at the table and other Wolven females carrying her away. He was sitting reminiscing about all the ways his life had changed when a fuzzy white paw came into view. It beckoned to him. Snow finally growling in disgust pulled Chris from his seat and pushed him out to the dancing square. He found himself twirling and dancing, faces flashing by. Without thought he followed some of the patters of dance he'd learned for the song of growth. Some Wolven easily followed him laughingly and kept pace in the complicated steps of the dance, but he only vaguely made note of it. Finally exhausted, his fur matted with sweat from the heat and exertions he stumblingly made his way back to the table.

He awoke to Snow heaving him onto his feet, "Come on let's get you to bed." Chris only stared at him blearily. He shakily let himself be led along, trusting his white Wolven friend. He giggled.

Snow looked down at him, a smile on his face. "What are you giggling at you drunken rat?"

"Friend" Chris slurred happily at him. The world tilted and swirled around him, it wasn't a very pleasant feeling. He concentrated on the grey tail ahead of them, every time it turned Snow turned with it.

"Here we are, this is your bunk from now on" Chris recognized the voice.

"Orwen" he giggled. He felt a paw pat him on the back. "You're going to hate yourself in the morning." Orwens voice cheerfully informed him.

"Thanks Orwen, I'll see about getting him to bed. I might yet come out for some more ale if you think you can hide us some" Snow said.

Chris confusedly stared at the stone steps in front of him. He wondered where the grey tail had gone, he lifted his head to look about and immediately dropped it again when it felt like his stomach had jumped. The world seemed to be swirling at the edges of his vision. "I feel sick" he muttered miserably.

Snow heaved him up the stone steps and through a doorway. Chris found himself being lowered onto a bed. He tried closing his eyes but the swirling feeling intensified nauseatingly and he opened them again. He felt something cool on his brow and found that Snow had put a cold wet towel on his forehead. "Oh, that's better" he muttered.

"I'm going out again, try to get some sleep. If you end up having to be sick, I've put a bucket next to your bed. Don't miss it, ok." Snow instructed him.

"Uhhhh" he mumbled at him, watching as Snow walked to the doorway. He saw him turn once and look back and then disappear from sight.

Snow had awoken with the early light. The need to relieve himself of the liquids he'd so greedily ingested the previous evening almost painful in its insistence to escape its confines. He forced himself to get out of the warm confines of his new bed and made his way to the little room made for absolutions. With a sigh of relief he gave freedom to his heavy need. He was still amazed to find himself having a little room not only for washing, but for absolutions. Orwen had tried to explain to him the thought of plumbing, but to a simple farm boy like him it sounded more like the esoteric description of magic of some kind, so he'd paid little heed. Orwen had explained that there was some magic involved, specifically that of heating the water that came from the pipes. Snow wasn't much fussed about all that, but he sighed in appreciative relief when he turned the knob marked with a red mark and steaming water fell from the holed metallic device set above the sloping granite square with a drain in its middle. He quickly spun open the blue marked knob, having learnt when first using a shower in their prior dwelling, that the water from the red marked knob would quickly become scalding hot.

He adjusted the knobs between testing the temperature of the water with his paws. Finally satisfied he shifted himself under the water. It was a blissful experience that he loved to luxuriate in. Glad that the act of cleaning himself no longer consisted of lugging kettles full of water heated over the hearth into the copper bath they'd had at home.

The water quickly soaked him thoroughly, the warm water making him feel heavy as it added its weight to his fur. It was still amazing to him that he had been chosen for the fabled wolf pack. A dream that had come true, one he had never dared to wish for too fervently. He grabbed a bar of soap and starting lathering his fur. As he did so he thought back to life at the farm. How his brother had argued for days with him that they should come for the next choosing.

Snow had yearned to come for sure, but he had his little blind brother to take care of. His parents had long imprinted the importance that he do so on him, but even without that he still would have taken care of him anyway. He remembered the day when he had been so young and he and his father had sat outside their home, listening to his mothers screams of labour. He'd thought that his mother was dying and had fearfully clung to his father, who had whispered soothingly to him.

When the midwife had finally come out of the house smiling and called them into the house. His father and he had run into the familiar surroundings to find his mother lying smiling on a nest of blankets in front of the hearth. Her hair had been plastered wetly against her skull and tears had run from her cheeks, but she'd called him over and told him to come say hello to his little brother.

Snow had stared in amazement at the tiny form with milky eyes lying in the crook of his mothers arm. He'd slowly brought forward his hand to wonderingly touch this new part of his future life and found his face split into a grin with the little hand had clutched his finger and burbled happily.

Snow grinned to himself happily as he closed the water flow off, having rinsed the lather of soap from his now clean fur. He stood for a moment dripping water onto the granite and watching it run in little trails down the slight sloping to disappear into the waiting maw of the drain.

He turned another knob, this one marked with a spiral white pattern and he felt the warm blow of air whipping about him. He thought again of how his brother had argued with him for days, saying that he'd be fine and Snow should go follow his dream. It was only when Skye had angrily yelled at him that he was then going to go on his own the Snow had finally relented and agreed that he'd guide his brother.

Now his little brother was not only the apprentice to the Grandmaster himself, but he could see. That alone was a miracle in itself. Snow wondered if they could get someone to give word to his parents that they had made it alright and how their children were now part of the fight for freedom, one having joined the fabled Wolven and the other a great mage in training.

He wished that he knew how to write, but it would have done little good as neither of his parents knew how to read. Snow shook himself, the almost burning hot air still swirling around him. He felt at his fur and realised that he'd stood long enough reminiscing to be completely dry.

He laughed when he looked at himself in the mirror after closing off the airflow. His fur was all puffed up. He ran his paws over himself marvelling at the velvety feel against his paws as he smoothed the hair down around his body.

Having finished his grooming to his own satisfaction he stepped out of the little alcove of absolutions. He looked around what was his new home. It was a small affair. Only the two beds, a washbasin and a small table with four chairs filled it's stony interior, that and the curtained alcove of absolutions. Dim light filtered through the white curtains hanging across the two windows set in opposite sides of the room.

He remembered from his walk here with Orwen both times, the first to bring Chris to bed and the second when the night had drawn to a slow halt and he'd yawningly asked Orwen if he'd guide him to his sleeping quarters. Snow wondered where Tess had been placed, but realised that it was only right that the little Wolven female not have to share a small room like this with two males. His mother had always laughingly told them that it was almost unbearable to be the only women in a house of three stubborn loggerheaded men who kept tracking dirt over her clean floors.

Snow looked down at the sleeping form of Chris, sometime during the night the boy must've thrown his blanket off himself as it was lying crumpled under his one foot, the other splayed over it.

Snow marvelled at the black sheen Chris had, even through the whole night Snow hadn't once seen another Wolven with fur as midnight black as Chris's, most were grey or a tawny brown and others were as white as his own. Only the tip of his tail and ears where a frosted white.

Snow wondered at the similarities in their differences, Chris seemed the opposite of himself, black where he was white and white where he was black. The young Wolven was almost as tall as he was, but was sleek instead of muscular. The only thing they had in common seemed to be their eyes, both grey with yellow flecks. Snow felt a strange connection to him, ever since he'd tried to fill the crushing loneliness he'd felt when Chris had had his nightmare what seemed months ago, but had only been a week. Snow guessed that it was because of the way he'd always been near his little brother, maybe Chris had become a surrogate now that Skye wasn't near at hand.

That and the fact that he and Chris had gone through the change together, Snow remembered dimly how he and this boy had repeated something over and over. The words though were lost in the haze of pain that he couldn't or didn't really wish to remember.

He shrugged to himself, either way it seemed the two of them were going to have to spend a lot of time together as they were housemates.