FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Well, it's been awhile since my last upload, aside from the random journals and sketches anyways. Still haven't felt like finishing the apocalypse, guess the zombie boredom is still there... well, not really, I'm just a lazy fuck, and Skyrim doesn't help. In the meantime, hope anyone that actually reads past the interduction and worthless ramblings enjoy the story below. I'm not entirely sure if I'm satisfied with it, as the beginning was worked on several months before the second half, and even longer before the finishing touches were applied, but meh, didn't feel like rewriting the entire thing...

Anyways, enjoy... hopefully. >.=.>

Alastar's eyes fluttered open, and he immediately groaned as a wave of pain washed over his bruised and battered body. He started to rise, only to shout in surprise as he fell out of the makeshift cot he'd been laid upon. The fall was at least short, but it didn't do him any good as he landed facedown upon the cold stone floor. He groaned, trying to recover his senses, but the only thing that came to his mind was how much pain he was in. He couldn't even remember where he was as he scanned the room through his peripheral vision, but was quickly forced to close his eyes as even that simple action hurt. He realized in his short search that his clothing had been taken and he'd been left with only a ragged pair of pants, possibly old leather, he couldn't tell, but that was the least of his concerns. His breath came in ragged gasps, each one, now that he was conscious, making him aware of even more pain, and upon reaching a paw to his chest gingerly, he immediately knew at least two, maybe three of his ribs had been broken. Even that gentle touch brought another wave of pain to him, and he immediately removed his paw from the area before rolling onto his back. He had to grit his teeth, the pain constant and nearly overwhelming with each movement, but once he was on his back it began to dull to a constant and manageable state. The drake panted, still attempting to decipher what had happened, his memory being rather fuzzy in all the worst areas, this wasn't an easy task. A single window was placed in the small enclosure, along with a bucket and the cot he'd been on only moments before. It was the window in this nearly featureless cell that he was focused on however. Alastar hoped that he'd be able to tell how long he'd been in this place, or rather, how long he'd been out cold, but outside, the only thing that met his eyes was darkness, and as more of his senses began to return, he became aware of the sound of rain impacting with stone... wait... that wasn't rain, it was too loud? The drake staggered up, groaning with each movement, more and more pain hitting him, trying to force him down, but he ignored what his body wished for and simply kept fighting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgAbsyturCw

It took the drake a full ten minutes just to stand, his body protesting each and every action he took, but once he was finally up and his head cleared a bit, it took him only seconds to reach the small window, if a one square foot hole in the wall with three iron bars on it counted as a window. It took Alastar even less time to realize that it wasn't raining, the sound he now heard was... hail? He shook his head, thinking . WEll, this is... weird...** _ It was warm, at least sixty five, if not seventy degrees earlier, wasn't it?_ The thought continued to annoy him, sure, he'd seen some freak weather, but... It's still warm... I'm not cold...**He couldn't make light of this occurrence, no matter how much he thought about it. Each second that passed annoyed him more and more, but as he gazed out the window and felt warmth, not cool or cold air as it should have been, he knew something was out of place.

Alastar's attention was suddenly torn away from the window as the sound of pounding feet reached him. He turned his head slightly to gaze towards the sound, but unfortunately, the cell he was in had no bars like modern prisons, merely a wooden door with a small portal, likely simply there to see whether the prisoner held in the cell was still kicking or had kicked the bucket... Judging by the stonework and the living conditions, he was under the assumption that those thrown into this place were rarely thrown out, and if they were, it was probably to the carrion birds as nothing but a rotting corpse... "What the hell is going on out there?..." he mumbled, having little desire to put in the effort at the moment that would be required to answer that question... not with the pain he was in anyways.

Despite the relatively solid construction, the voices, mostly shouts, were still audible enough for him to make out... of course, having your body enhanced by a virus helped as well. While the voices were faint, as he focused, they became clearer, filled with fear, full of haste... anger... but the main thing that he heard in the voices was fear, and whatever was causing this fear, it made him worry as he listened to the words of, most likely, the guards outside his cell.

"Are you sure the prisoners are all secure?! The mayor will skin us alive if any of them escape, and I'll be sure he skins you first if that happens"

"Sir..." the voice paused, and for a second, Alastar thought the conversation was being whispered, but it resumed after a few moments "The prisoners are all secure and well guarded. I won't let you down, sir, no one will escape this time"

"You'd better be right, or it's your head! These damned dragons! I can't believe the mayor let one of their kind live after capture, and after the bastard killed Raul and Peter no less!"

"Sir, isn't it possible that he simply wishes to interrogate the creature, maybe even find out where more of its kind are hiding?"

"Yes, it is possible, but I would have killed the damned lizard and then asked questions. I think he's grown too confident since the last dragon attack, and now this! We're stuck down here while the entire town could be destroyed, and for what? To protect one of their kind?!! It's probably because of that damned thing that the other one is here now..."

Alastar stared at the door, as if hoping he'd be able to see through it, but of course, that was one thing he couldn't do. The conversation continued, a third guard joining in, and it didn't take the drake any time to figure out that most of the rage was directed at him, but at the same time... he kept hearing mention of Another one, and this made no sense to him... _Another what? _ He contemplated, and after a few moments came to the conclusion that he wasn't the only dragon here. But, if that was the case, then... Where was this other dragon? As if on cue, a cold breeze suddenly rushed over his scales, sending a shiver up his spine. He turned back towards the window, gazing out into the night sky, only to hear the guards outside his cell shouting while the pounding of feet and clanking of armor reached his ears as well... _What the hell is going on around here? _ This thought persisted for only a brief moment before the chill in the air suddenly intensified tenfold, and within seconds he could see his breath, the condensation quickly forming on a small patch of the wall he faced. What happened next made his eyes widen in fear. Even as he watched, the water vapor froze, not only what had collected on the stone, but each breath he took began to crystallize mere seconds after exited his body.

Alastar backed away from the wall, already shivering as more shouts from outside reached his ears, but now... now he had other problems. "Great... and here I thought things couldn't get any worse..." Muttering, he backed away from the door, slowly at first, then more swiftly as he watched ice crystals forming around him at an alarming rate, spreading from the window into the cell, and slowly towards him. It took only moments for his back to press against the cold steel that was the iron door to the cell. Alastar stopped, his path blocked, yet the ice formations did not, continuing to advance on his position instead at an alarming rate. "Note to self... avoid that line..." Whirling around, the drake faced the door, debated for a brief second on a course of action, and shook his head after coming to a conclusion that his only option would be painful. Gingerly touching his torso and running a hand over the bare scales on his chest, the drake winced again, a soft whimper escaping him as he moved his hand away from his body and placed it in the small window that adorned the door. His other hand followed suit, he hoped the guards weren't watching his cell too closely, but it likely wouldn't matter. "Where's a few ounces of plastic when ya need it?" Taking a deep breath, he readied himself, giving a few practice tugs on the door while bracing his legs, his right against the wall, and his left on the floor. He flexed his claws, the soft clicking sound from them touching the stone floor comforting for some reason. Taking another breath, Alastar gave a hard tug on the door and nearly lost his grip as a sharp, stabbing pain shot through his body. He gasped, but resisted the urge to fall back and curl up, instead, bracing himself against the wall and beginning to pull once more. The cold was spreading fast, and as he started to pull for the second time, he glanced back briefly, his eyes widening as he realized the forming ice crystals were only a meter or so away from him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbTozgoj9OQ

Turning his attention back to the door, Alastar began pulling again, this time pacing himself, even as his body began to quake, he continued pulling, applying as much force as possible. The muscles in his arms bulged as he strained, gasping as his body was continually flooded with pain. The moment he felt the slightest hint of give in the door however, the drake's efforts doubled, the sight of several small pieces of debris falling away from the iron door encouraging him to continue. He heard the grating of steel on stone, of one of the guards dashing off, while the sound of footsteps nearing the door reached him. Closing his eyes, he strained with all his might and nearly shouted with glee as he felt the door slide free from its hinges, pulling bits of stone with it. With no time to celebrate and the surprised shout of a guard in his ears, he put one final bit of effort in, pushing the door to the side quickly and dashing out of the cell. His escape was halted for a moment by a single, and very surprised guard that had been standing just outside his cell, the lightly armored guard however, had only just been placing a hand upon his sword, and the drake was upon him before he had the chance to draw his weapon. Alastar's hand was at the guard's throat, claws sinking into chainmail, fur, and flesh before the surprised guard had time to blink, and without a second thought, he crushed the guard's larynx, pulling his hand back swiftly afterwards as the guard toppled to the floor. Glancing back, Alastar took a moment to examine the ice formations and noticed that they seemed to have slowed, but he wasted no time in grabbing the guard's sword from its sheath before dashing out of the dungeon... or at least, he hoped he was on his way out, the direction he picked and then ran in based solely upon the way he'd heard the other guards running.

It took only moments to get out of the damp, chilled dungeon, the warmth that greeted him as he slammed through a, thankfully, wooden door that led into the next room, some kind of guard barracks, and what appeared to be a set of stairs leading up, and hopefully out of the building. The roaring fireplace set in the center of the room was comfortable, and after taking a brief moment to ensure that he was alone for the moment, he walked over to it and sat down to catch his breath. He kept the short-sword he'd gotten from the guard at the ready in his right hand, even as his left moved over his chest, checking for further damages and attempting to assess just how badly he was injured. A sudden shake that rumbled through the building and sent clouds of dust falling from the ceiling brought him out of his musings, bringing him back to the reality that he couldn't simply sit and enjoy this fire and rest.

"Fuck it all, when I get out of here, I'm going to sleep for a week!" Growling to himself, Alastar stood up, or rather, staggered up, his muscles having already begun to relax in the heat. Glancing back the way he'd come, the drake made his way over to the staircase and stopped in the entryway, gazing up, although he quickly realized he couldn't see much, the winding staircase, as it turned out to be, prevented him from seeing all the way up, but at least he knew it definitely went up. Taking one final, longing glance back at the roaring fire, he started up the stairs, slowly at first, building up an easy pace for the moment. Honestly, why did I have to agree to this? It would have been so much easier just to tell those guys to fuck off and continue riding... damned curiosity, one of these days, my luck is going to run out and leave me to die... Another tremor interrupted his thoughts and slowed his pace briefly as he reached out a hand to steady himself, pressing it against the stone wall. He quickly recoiled however, the stone was cold to the touch... very cold. He hadn't even noticed it while walking. Alastar glanced down at his bare feet absently, shivering as he realized how cold they actually were. He hadn't spent enough time by the fire to really warm up, and hadn't even noticed until now. Realizing that his body could, and would likely start to shut down within a few minutes, he increased his pace to a run, dashing up the stairs two at a time.

His gaze was suddenly met with another door, hopefully the end of the staircase and the chance for escape! He readied his sword, suppressing a shiver as the air seemed to grow colder with each step he took towards that door. The drake started to slow, but sped up again as he noticed the door beginning to open, luckily the door swung outward, and as he hit it and bowled aside a startled guard, the drake stumbled out onto the roof. He grunted with the impact, but it seemed the guard took the brunt of the blow, and now lay on the ground, stunned for the moment. Alastar's gaze darted around, searching, taking in his surroundings swiftly, and what he saw chilled him to the bone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOLXT4NjKSk

The sky above was dark, likely due, in part, to the fact that night had fallen, but there were no stars in the sky. The roof, possibly a guard tower that he now stood upon, offered an excellent view of the town below, and the fires that now raged in the streets. Even from this vantage point high above the town, he could make out bodies littering the streets. What was on the tower with him was his main center of attention. The frozen bodies of at least fifteen guards littered the tower, all turned to what appeared to be solid ice. Some still stood in place, bows and swords drawn, but most had fallen, several shattered limbs littered the area around a few of the guards. Alastar gazed back at the town and noticed something he hadn't seen before. A large shape was nestled among the buildings, prowling through the streets like a wolf hunting in the woods, and it took only seconds to realize what that creature was. "... dragon... so that's what the guards were talking about..." Alastar trailed off, glancing over his bare chest, a soft chuckle escaping him as he watched the light flicker on his scales. The moment of odd amusement was lost rather swiftly as a roar greeted his ears, his head snapping up to the skies as his eyes darted from left to right. He spotted it quickly, a dark shape looming higher up, then another, and finally a fourth. One of these dragons descended upon the city, breathing out jets of flame that lit buildings and people alike ablaze as it passed overhead. Alastar's eyes remained in the sky, watching as another dragon began a slow, spiraling decent towards the tower. Absently, he walked forward, towards the edge of the battlements, still gazing into the sky as he watched, partially in admiration as the dragon descended. He could tell the creature was massive, at least seventy, maybe even ninety yards long from head to tail. The firelight from the burning town reflected off of the creature's scales, which glittered a faint bluish white in color as it neared the ground.

The red drake's breath caught in his throat as he realized the dragon was making a beeline for the tower. Thinking he'd been spotted. Alastar turned swiftly just as five guards burst through the open doorway from the same staircase he'd come from moments before. They spotted him a brief second after he started charging, not even bothering to glance back at the sight looming overhead. Apparently, they saw the same thing, and their attention was drawn to the skies above as they all seemed to forget about the small, red drake charging their position. It took the squad of guards a moment to actually seem to notice the oncoming attacker, but by the time they had, he was upon them, barreling past their lightly armored bodies before they could truly react. He felt a few sharp objects slicing through his scales as he ran through the guards, but he didn't care, and he didn't waste time killing them. Another roar reinstated the point in his haste, and he increased his pace as a sudden numbness spread through his body, the sound of screams being replaced by deathly silence enough to urge him onward. Nearing the edge of the battlements once more, Alastar took a moment to glance back just long enough to spot the creature that loomed behind him. He watched as it started to bank around the tower, paying no more heed to the now frozen guards that dotted the battlements. Either it hadn't spotted the red drake, or it didn't care, or it planned on making another pass... he didn't care himself. Shifting the sword in his grasp to a reversed grip, the drake sprinted to the edge of the tower and jumped, hurtling him over the battlements and into the cold, empty air. Alastar felt fear welling up inside him as he saw the ground below and realized how high he actually was, but suddenly, it vanished in a flash of scales and another ear shattering roar of fury as he landed atop the passing dragon. The moment of sheer, dumb luck and joy didn't last long though.

Grunting from the impact, he fumbled for a hold, using his free hand to grasp at anything he could as his body seemed to be in a moment of free fall, broken only by the lances of pain that shot through his body with each bounce. A myriad of curses came to mind as he fumbled, finally managing to stab his sword into the scales of the larger ice dragon and getting another roar in response! His grip on the sword in his hand faltered as his body was yanked to a sudden stop, wrenching his arm in the process and making him scream in agony. He held on though, gasping as he forced his claws between the overlapping scales of the ice dragon. The sight below was a thing of beauty in its own way, forest below, peaceful and still, while the town that was surrounded by this forest burned, fiery light shining and brightening the night sky. Alastar didn't have time to admire the view however, as the dragon he now clung to began to ascend. The wind ripped at his tattered pants, chilling him beyond what the ice dragon's body already did. He could feel the air freezing inside his lungs as the pair ascended at a frightening speed, and he knew he had to act fast. The drake pulled himself forward, trying to judge his position and how far he'd have to go. He would have sighed in relief as he realized he was at the center of the dragon's back, right between its two mighty wings, which meant he wouldn't have far to go. With the cold being a constant reminder to his short time span, Alastar began easing himself forward, pulling his claws out from under the ice dragon's scale and moving it up to the next as he aimed himself for the dragon's head.

This is insane! He thought, and knew he was right... it was insane, and he probably would have been better off going back downstairs to that warm fire... Shaking his head, the drake pulled himself away from his daydream as he ripped the sword from the dragon's flesh and buried it a few inches away, once again, moving forward. The process repeated as he began to ease himself towards his target, clinging to the creature for dear life as the wind ripped the air from his lungs. His hair, and even his tail were blown about due to the force of the winds, but the cold and the numbness spreading through him made him forget about this, and even the pain he felt as he advanced. Each stab brought another roar from the dragon, each one more angered as it finally seemed to realize what was happening, and that its passenger wasn't freezing to death and falling to the ground.

Even if he wasn't freezing "to death" right now, he felt like it, but at the same time, the cold made him forget about his shattered ribs, and was as much of a blessing as it was a curse. Inch by inch, Alastar moved upwards, towards the dragon's head as it continued to ascend. The seconds ticked by, everything seeming to rush past him, and it wasn't long before he realized that it was becoming hard to breath, although whether this was due to the cold or the altitude, he wasn't sure, all he knew was that his time was ticking away faster than he could move. Reaching the base of the dragon's neck, a spine in one hand and his sword in the other, he knew it was now or never. Alastar dared not try to stand, for he knew that he could never keep his balance on the ascending dragon, and to even attempt to do so would send him plummeting to the ground... granted, his current plan of action wasn't much better, and he wasn't even entirely sure why he was doing this, but he didn't have time to think about it as he yanked the sword from the ice dragon's scales.

"... I hope you burn, you cold ass bitch!" Sneering, Alastar plunged the sword into the base of the dragon's neck, releasing his hold on one of the ice dragon's spines as he did so and placing it upon the sword's hilt before giving the blade a sturdy twist. His action was immediately rewarded by a roar of pain, the agony of the blow apparent in the feral dragon's screech. Perhaps it was the relation he had, a creature of the ice or not, it was still a dragon, as was he, and he felt something deep inside him stir as he pushed the blade in deeper, a pain of some kind in his chest, and something he couldn't explain. Perhaps it was just his broken ribs, perhaps not, but it did not stop him from jerking the blade to the left, then right, and he merely paused for a brief moment before continuing the movements that would ensure the feral ice dragon died. Feeling his current standing faltering, he knew he'd succeeded as the beast's wings began to falter, their constant beating now sporadic and lacking coordination. Tearing the blade from the dragon's neck, he thrust it swiftly into the dragon's spine, ensuring that the job was completed, and giving him something to cling to as well.

As the dying feral dragon began to descend, its wings no longer keeping it aloft, the red drake clinging to its back remained silent, knowing he was likely going to die, that there could be no way to survive this fall, and even if he did survive, his corpse would likely be devoured by wild animals before he even awoke... if he ever awoke. The brieft moment of adrenaline began to fade after a few seconds, quickly replaced by the thoughts of one who realizes death is near. Well... guess this is it. It's been a long road... heh, a fun one at that. Wonder how that bastard of a fox is doing back home... bitch still owes me for that bet... guess I won't be collecting this time... Figures... my one chance to truly fly on the wings of my ancestors, and it has to end like this. At least... at least I got the chance... The drake's thoughts began to focus more on home as he gazed towards the fast approaching earth, the feral ice dragon barely keeping out of a death spiral towards the ground now, but still bordering a vertical decent as it hurtled towards the ground. Wonder what dear old dad would do in a situation like this... probably just meld into the shadows or something, never was much of an innovator, then again... kinda wish I'd mastered those abilities now instead of focusing on guns so much... Well... time to kiss your ass goodbye, Red. I kinda doubt this virus is going to heal every bone and vital organ in your dead ass after this impact... Shame there isn't a lake nearby to land in...

The wind, still threatening to tear what remained of his clothing off, was forgotten for the moment, as was the cold. The ground rushed to greet the pair, even as Alastar felt the drying dragon's last pitiful groan as it went limp under him, its wings ceasing to beat altogether. It took no time at all for the feral dragon to begin a downward spiral, with the much smaller drake clinging to its back. He wanted to look away, possibly to let go, but he didn't do either, and merely watched with rapt attention as the trees grew larger and larger. The burning city, or what remained of it, could be seen on the horizon, marked by one of the other dragons and the glow of fires in the night sky. All of this, as peculiarly beautiful as it was, faded as the ground and trees grew larger. The drake's eyes drifted closed as the impact he'd been waiting for neared, and finally occurred. He felt the first branch hit his face and snap, heard the first thunderous crack as the feral's body crashed into the trees, gasped as his hands were ripped away from the sword's hilt that was still buried in the ice dragon's back, grunted as his body hit a branch, and even as he felt his form cartwheeling through the air, he kept his eyes closed. There was no point opening them again, he knew he'd never get to enjoy the light of day again... why prolong it?

Pains like no other he'd ever felt rushed through him as his body bounced, smacking against trees and crashing through branches. Hearing was the first thing he lost, then the feeling in his right leg faded with another jarring impact, and finally, he barely registered the feeling of skidding against the ground and coming to a stop... or at least, he thought he had. Unsure of whether or not he was still in the land of the living, the chance to dwell on this, or the damage done to his body, never came. Alastar's world faded at that moment, surrounded only by shadow as the last breaths of consciousness left his mind.

New chapter should be up much sooner, as the college semester is just about over. Hope ya enjoyed the chapter. ^.=.^ Like and favorite... or I piinnch.