FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"...it'll only be a model experiment, a proof of concept, just to convince the investors that it really works"

"But we already know that it works, all of our results so far have been very conclusive"

"Yes, you and I know that, as scientists, but those hardheaded desk-junkies wouldn't be able to tell a control group from the treated group. They simply can't see how our experiments proof the pacification method really work. But by taming a wild wolf, turning a savage beast into compliant dog, that'll surely win them over..."

The lupine reserve

There, in the tree line, a bush rustled. In it two green eyes peered at the limp body in the field. The smell of meat penetrated the canine nose, almost intoxicating the wolf. It had been too long since he last fed, if it would have been his own kill then little of the dead deer would have been left by now, but it wasn't. As far as the wolf knew, he was the only wolf in this part of the valley, his pack made sure of that.

Living alone in the secluded valley was the pack's rite of passage, if a young wolf would survive on his own for twelve moons then he would have proven his worthiness and maturity to the pack, and be granted a name. In the eyes of any other sentient species it was a savage and barbaric tradition, as the weak would often die in the process. Luckily for the wolves however, the other species left them alone as long as they would stay in the designated land they agreed upon some hundred years ago. Not that the wolves counted the years, nor were they aware that civilization had evolved dramatically in that time. Lupine society, if you could call it that, stood still when the rest of the world moved on. What had been once considered 'lupine land' was now the 'lupine reserve', something like a sanctuary for endangered animals. Large fences had been placed around it to ward of any intruders, so understandably the wolves never came into contact with other sentient species. Of course they knew they existed, but they simply didn't care.

There was something weird about the carcass. The young wolf hadn't killed this deer for starters, but then there was that unfamiliar smell about it. It wasn't the only strange thing he had encountered today, as earlier that morning he had heard the uncanniest of sounds. Hearing the strange sound he had looked up and saw the most amazing of things, a metal construction which flew through the air like a bird without wings. It left as quickly as it came...

But even the strangest things are of little interest to the mind when the stomach is empty, so when he picked up the scent of meat he had all but forgotten about it. And there it was, the source of both the delicious and unfamiliar smell, the deer carcass. Contemplation plagued his mind, again stomach versus mind. But what harm could possibly come from a few unfamiliar smells around a fresh perfectly eatable carcass? Surely he was just imagining things...

Yet again the stomach prevailed; the wolf broke from the bushes and slowly approached his soon to be prize. Upon closer inspection not only the smells were out of place. There were no bite marks, no flesh ripped by claws nor was the body trampled. Yet its gut lay open, a cut was almost surgically made across its soft belly. Its entrails were still perfectly in place and the flesh was mostly intact, what kind of animal would kill but not eat its prey?

Just as the lupine was about to sniff more of the unknown scents a sudden pain shot across his backside. In a reflex he arched his back and turned his head to see what caused it, only to see a red plume sticking out a metal tube that was lodged into his buttock cheek. When he went to take it out a sudden wave of weakness surged through his muscles, staggering him. He quickly pulled out the dart but once he held it in front of him to examine the strange object his muscles suddenly could bear his weight no more, and with a yelp he fell to the ground. Of course he wasn't defeated yet, and although he was trembling he slowly picked himself up.

All around him the bushes moved once again, but this time no wolf emerged but various species of furs, all dressed in camouflaged clothing. They ran over and before the weakened lupine could react, paws were all over him. His arms were pulled from under him onto his back, and his legs were firmly held by strong paws. One of the strange creatures held his snout firmly closed, while another held down his back and neck to the ground. No matter how hard he jerked his arms or legs the arms holding him were unrelenting.

A loud snarl was soon muffled by a leather muzzle that was buckled firmly in place, its straps running over his cheeks and between his eyes. It held his jaws firmly shut yet allowed him to breathe through the hole that was made for his nose. Not long thereafter metal manacles were shackled on his wrists and ankles. When his wrists were safely restrained the paws removed their grip to which the wolf tested his bonds. He pulled apart his wrists to grab the leather muzzle, but his arms were soon stopped by the braided metal wire that held the manacles. Soon all paws were off of him except for the one holding him down, but as his struggle continued the potent agent that was injected into his blood began to reach its full affect. After one minute all muscles went limp, and only the wolf's moving green eyes that slowly looked around to see his captors gave away his wakeful state.

By now there was no need in holding him down, his muscles simply didn't respond, so he lay there motionless on the ground, captured like a wild beast. He could hear his captors talking, they were speaking Common like wolves, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Slowly his mind drifted away in a deep sleep, and sometime after his eyes had slid shut the men loaded him on the helicopter in which they came.

Doulos Laboratories

"We had to go through a lot of trouble getting him. The state, after much persuasion, only allowed us to extract a single specimen. Luckily for us this one was all by his self, we don't expect he'll be missed. Do be careful though, I don't think we'll be granted another opportunity if this one fails..."

A badger and panthress in lab coats were looking at the wolf through the one-way glass. The wolf specimen laid limp on a mattress, the sedative still hadn't worn of. Beside the wolf and mattress there was nothing else in the room. The ceiling, floor and walls were all identical in color, or rather identical in their absence of color, the entire room was grey. The only thing that broke the sea of grayness was a metal door on the other side of the room and, of course, the one-way glass.

"I'll certainly try my best, do you know when he'll be awake?"

"Any minute now, any minute. The doctor declawed him a few hours ago, that certainly didn't wake him. We locked the muzzle on him too, in case he tries to take it off. I don't think he'd be able to hurt anyone this way, but just in case we'll send a security guard with you whenever he's out of his cell, or you're in there with him "

"Sounds like you've prepared everything, so when will perform the procedure?"

"Sometime next week, and naturally after that he'll be much more compliant, but in the meantime you'll be his handler all the same, so I hope you're in for a heavy week..."

At first it felt like dreaming, everything was hazy and vague. When he opened his eyes he saw little but colorless dim light, an utterly alien sight when one is used to waking to a lush green world. Then he thought it must've been misty, but strangely he didn't feel the usual cold. Only when the clouds in his head finally cleared did he feel the restrictive feeling of something that was attached to his face. He now felt the buckles and straps around his head, and in a sudden surge of panic he tried to open his maw. When he couldn't, his claws instinctively went for his snout, but instead of feeling the thin grey fur that was him, he felt something smooth and subtle. He uttered muffled groans as he tried to claw the brown thing off. As he tried to rip his sharp nails through the leather and pull it off, a lack of resistance caught him of guard and his paws slid of the muzzle. When he tried to do it again, he finally realized what was wrong and looked at his paws.

When he tried to protrude his sharp black nails, he could feel his muzzles moving. But nothing stuck out as he moved them, his claws were gone! Whatever the cause, the wolf was snapped out his embezzlement when he tried to utter his surprise but his jaw yet again couldn't open. Alright, he couldn't claw the thing off, so he reached for the buckles that were on the back of his head to open them, but he soon found them locked in their place. No matter what he tried, the muzzle would not come off.

Then his reflection in the one-way glass struck him. He saw a light grey wolf, muzzled like an animal, in a featureless grey room. He panicked and tried to find a way out. When he saw the metal door he immediately went for it and struck it as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge...