FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Skye woke and sat up, flinched as his movements pulled at the wound on his arm. Gingerly he touched it. The cut was closed and scabbed over. He gaped as the world came into view around him. The earth was scorched and blackened, the majestic trees scattered and broken like twigs.

Snow was sprawled near him and he crawled over on hands and knees fearing the worst.

Sudden light made him turn toward it, fearful that it was the mage woman he'd seen come to claim their lives. His last memory of her was the gathering darkness.

A silver skinned woman stood before him, her hair fell in shimmering green waves down to her waist. Her eyes shone with loving warmth and she smiled down at him.

Skye's' breath was taken away at the beauty of her and watched as she lifted a slim graceful arm to him. Dreamily he reached out and took her hand, her skin felt like water caressing his with a velvet touch. She helped pull him upright and he stood before her. She was floating slightly in the air, her toes mere inches from touching the ground.

"The darkness is gone for now little one and your friends are safe." Her voice sounded like music on a light breeze. "It has shown its hand to you and forced me to show mine. This world is in grave peril and few know of it. You mages have in your arrogance and your quest for power opened the gates to beings whom you could not comprehend. They walk between you with familiar faces and spew forth their hatred into willing ears." Her voice had become sad and Skye could feel tears welling in his eyes as her emotions seemed to sweep through him. "We have battled them for an eternity in the coldness of space and on worlds beyond yours in an endless conflict. You would mark them as evil, beings of dread and death and destruction. We have been their balance, but now your world has lured them here and our battle has changed." Her words painted pictures in his mind. He could see the endless expanses of nothing in the starlit void. See light and dark embroiled in a twisting formless war. Her smile slipped sadly from her face and eyes.

"You and your world are now the field of battle. This place of magic and people, the darkness has twisted minds and subverted others in the long passing of your years. Only recently have we found our ancient foe and now strive to regain the balance. I will come to you again in time, I cannot keep this form for long and you are yet too young to see truly. I will however leave you with a small gift" She leaned down and he felt the heat of her silver lips on his forehead, peace and warmth rushed through him like a soothing balm. The silver woman thinned and became transparent before vanishing.

Skye stood in stunned silence for a time, no thought or feeling disturbing the peace in which he revelled. A cough and grunt brought him back to reality and he quickly dropped down next to his brother who was stirring.

"Snow? Are you alright?" Worry and angst tripped over his tongue as he gently took hold of his brother and let a trickle of power flow from him. Snow's eyes snapped open and he looked at his brother.

"I'm alright, I think. Are you ... are you alive?" Snows voice choked with emotion.

Skye couldn't help himself.

The absurd question in view of all that had happened in the past short time was too much for his mind. He began to laugh. It broiled out of him like a pot too long on the boil, bubbled and frothed from his mouth in a strange relief and release.

His brother cradled in his arm stared up at him in consternation, the look on his face only increased the ferocity of his laugh, his sides ached and he gasped for breath between the tear stung happiness overcoming him.

He watched as Chris stood up shakily and wondered over.

"What's up with him?" Chris asked, looking down at Snow with a smile.

The laughter seemed to infect Snow and he bubbled with it, tears running from his eyes into his fur.

Even Chris became caught up with it and the three of them sat amidst the carnage and destruction around them with the sun streaming down laughing for the sheer joy of being alive.

Laughter spent the three looked around at the chaotic clearing around them. Snow found his weapons, but there was no trace of the Draco's. Snow stared at his brother a moment and quietly asked him "Did you do all this?"

Skye looked up at him with uncertain eyes. "No, the last I remember was the mage summoning shadows around her, after that nothing."

"Something must have done this, saved us, but there are no other tracks." Chris said as he walked up to them. It was only then that realisation hit Skye like a hammer between the eyes.

"I can see you!" He near whispered, his fingers touching his lips.

"What?" Chris asked, not having heard the soft-spoken words.

"Chris, I can see you! I never could before, but now I can!" Skye said louder, quickly he summoned the spell-form to mind and cast out the sensing pulse that the mages had used to capture the Wolven during their game of tag that now seemed to have been ages ago. The sense only brought him the presence of Snow and further out a woodland creature.

"I still can't sense you, but I can see you now. I wonder how?" Skye wondered aloud at the new development.

"I wouldn't know, you're the book worm. You'll probably figure it out eventually. We should start heading back to the Mage Keep. It's getting late and I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." Chris said with a hand on his stomach.

"I agree, it's time we get back. We need to warn them that the Imperialists were here." Snow spoke, latching his Warhammer across his back. With that the three of them set out, alert for any more danger.

Tess was the first to find them, she rushed out and jumped into Snow's arms her eyes filled with tears. "Where were you? You've been gone for three days! We thought you lost or dead."

Snow stroked her head, tenderly brushing his fingers against her ears.

"We're fine, but we need to talk to Bayle and Grev." Snow said softly.

"There's a whole search party out looking for you, including them. After Klain came back saying that Chris had run off after hearing a shout in the woods they thought there might be trouble. O you had me so worried!" Tess beat her fists against Snow's chest before he gently hugged her too him.

"Well, let's get back and we'll talk about it all later ok?"

"I've got a communication amulet, let me just tell them to meet us there." Tess said, pulling the amulet from her pocket. The gruff voice of Bayle spoke from it. "What is it? Found something?"

"Yes sir, I've found them. All three of them, they say they need to speak with you urgently and Grev. We're heading back to the keep now." Tess spoke holding the amulet dangling before her snout.

"Have they said what happened? I'll have those three's tails roasting on a fire if this is a prank!" Bayle's voice thundered from the glittering trinket.

Snow took it from Tess's paw. "We're fine sir, but there's something we need to speak to you about urgently. It's not a prank."

"You three have a lot of explaining to do, I'll call the search party in and meet you at the Barracks." Bayle's voice was almost a snarl, whether in anger or relief Snow couldn't be sure.

"You have blood on you!" Tess gasped, seeing the stained and torn sleeve on Skye. "What happened?"

"Enough Tess, we'll tell you later. Let's get going!" Chris snapped at her exasperated, hungry and not looking forward to the interrogation they were likely in for.