FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Kyasha Merrick, on the counts of the indictment: Cowardice and Carelessness in Battle, Desertion, and Treason in the First Degree, how do you plead?" Dirge asked from atop his chair between four other judges, two on each side.

"Not guilty, my Lord," Kyasha growled.

"You have been accused of fleeing with four units of a Raptor Squadron to escape your impending death at the hands of high-value fugitives," Dirge recited the accusation from the account he held before him. Kyasha was standing, bound in chains, in front of the High Judges. Her head was bowed, with one lonely spotlight illuminating her in a white light. Behind her was the audience which consisted of Grimlock, Kane, and numerous other Carnians and even a few normal creatures. "You may begin your defense."

"I have been framed, my Lord," Kyasha's head rose to face her judges. Her fearless expression gave power to her words. "At the time of the incident, I was scanning the mountain ranges for said high-value fugitives."

"But you admit to taking command of four units of a Raptor Squadron for this search?" one of the judges asked.

"Yes, I do," she responded. "I was told that the dwelling was supposedly abandoned and that the occupants had evacuated not long ago. With this in mind, I came up with the idea to scan the nearby ranges for signs of the targets."

"Very well," Dirge took note of her words. "Now, the aggressors may present their offense."

Oxide stood from his chair on the side of the large courtroom and made his way to stand in Kyasha's place as the vixen took her seat.

"My Lords," Oxide began. "I strongly dislike speaking against such a highly regarded leader of our forces, but I feel this conduct cannot be allowed to stand as an example to our soldiers or our people. At the time of the incident, I had just engaged the high-value fugitives in combat when I realized that Lady Merrick had taken the four Raptors and was already heading into the mountains."

"That's a damn lie Oxide!" Kyasha shouted angrily, shooting up from her seat!

"Be silent!" one of the judges slammed a large hammer down onto the desk in front of him. The four judges beside Dirge were strange-looking things. They had smooth, froglike skin, with thick necks and snubbed faces. Their arms were skinny, with four long fingers on each thumb-less hand. They gurgled and muttered to eachother in unintelligible languages. "As you were."

"Thank you my Lords," Oxide began again. "The fugitives were far too powerful for me to overcome on my own, but I would not let them go without a fight. I was defeated, expectedly, but I and my limited forces were caught off-guard by their attack. I was forced to disband for a few moments to regenerate myself, but by the time I regained my consciousness the enemies had fled and three Raptors were ablaze."

"Will both parties stand before the Judges?" Dirge more commanded than asked. Kyasha shambled her way up to the center of room and stood next to Oxide, having to restrain herself to the utmost level to keep her claws from tearing his throat out.

"Does the defending party have any witnesses to support their claim?" one of the High Judges asked.

"I do," Kyasha said. "I call upon the testimony of the soldiers who accompanied me when I took lead of the Raptors."

There was a soft shuffling before a lone Carnian made his way to the center of the room to stand before the judges.

"That would be me, your Lordships," the soldier declared. "I am Gorgos Fex, I speak for the soldiers previously mentioned."

"And are in support of Lady Merrick's claims?" another Judge asked.

There was a moment of hesitation in the soldier. He made a quick look back at both parties: Kyasha's intense stare of determined fury and Oxide's emotionless canvas-like head, cocked slightly in a deceptively curious pose. The soldier cleared his throat and then began to speak again.

"No, my Lords," he said, looking down. "I detest her claims as lies and condemn them to treason."

"Filthy coward!" Kyasha roared, straining against her chains! "You Carnians are all cowards!"

"Silence, wretch!" one of the Judges held up his hand. Kyasha growled and fell to her knees as electricity flowed through the manacles. The Judges and Dirge reconvened.

After a few moments of talking, they all stood up.

"Baneliege Kyasha Merrick," Dirge said solemnly. "You have been convicted by the High Judges of all aforementioned crimes. It is with my power as Serga Carnivex that you be stripped of the title of Baneliege and sentenced to death by beheading, initiating immediately. Your head shall roll among the crowds for your failures. May you find misery in oblivion."

Kyasha snarled and cast her vicious gaze to Oxide once again as Grimlock and Kane stood up and demanded a retrial, claiming fraud and false evidence! Dirge would hear none of it, however, and would not be questioned in his court.

The beheading was to begin immediately after the sentencing. Kyasha was dragged in front of a hastily assembled crowd and forced to kneel before a block of stone. She heard thumping behind her, but didn't even blink as her emotionless stare remained straight ahead. A golem walked up to the stone block and drew an enormous axe from a weapons rack.

Grimlock and Kane followed, arguing with Dirge for another trial. The Emperor walked leisurely towards the stone block, ignoring the words of those around him. Finally, Grimlock grabbed his shoulder desperately and spun him around to look him in the eyes!

"Morbossus!" he yelled to his face. "If you execute her, you will have condemned and murdered one of your finest warriors and an innocent woman!"

Dirge ground his jaw and shrugged off Grimlock's claw. He looked as though he would strike the lizard, but instead simply let out a small chuckle. "I don't care."

Grimlock looked as though he had just been shot. The words struck him with the force of a blow and for a moment he actually wished Dirge HAD hit him! He took a step back, a look of impossible shock on his face. His arguments were null and void...Dirge KNEW Kyasha was innocent and still he would let her die!

"Kyasha Merrick, do you have any last words?" Dirge called to her. Kyasha said nothing for the first few seconds, but then started shaking. Dirge's jaw twisted with cruel joy, savoring the feeling of watching prey quiver and cry in fear. But his smile soon faded; for it was not fear that made her shake...it was laughter...

She lifted her head up and looked back as her manacles clinked open suddenly and fell to the ground!

"Get better locks," she said with a malicious grin and leapt into the air, landing with a thud on the ground in front of the executioner's block! Dirge roared and raised his claw to her.

"Kill her!" he cried. Carnian guards and soldiers readied their weapons and began firing, arrows zipping past the agile vixen. She dodged and swooped with grace that could not be copied, moving like a liquid across the battlefield. Grimlock couldn't help but smile broadly. He patted Dirge on the shoulder.

"I warned you what you would lose," he said with a chuckle. "And now you've lost her."

Dirge spun around and backhanded Grimlock so hard, he felt his jaw crack! He turned back around furiously, his metal eyes following the escaping criminal with intense hatred. He loathed being made the fool, and he also loathed the feeling of prey escaping...to be honest, he loathed the entire situation.

Grimlock sat up weakly and reset his dislocated jaw with a painful crack. The connection healed quickly, being only a minor wound, but the mental effect was still present. Kane helped the lizard to his feet, and the two then ran back into the palace.

"What do we do now?" Kane asked, sprinting alongside Grimlock.

"We go and get into more trouble," Grimlock murmured, still sore. They raced around the palace wall until they found Kyasha running for her life from a horde of Carnians in fireball form. Grimlock dissipated into a black fireball himself and slipped through the porthole into the fray. He placed himself between Kyasha and the horde, spinning back into regular form again and standing tall. The fireballs didn't slow...

Grimlock raised one claw towards them and growled unhappily. The fireballs turned back into corporeal forms as well, tumbling to the ground in surprise! He had forced their transformation back, shocking and them. The Carnians looked at him with mixed looks of confusion and misunderstanding. Then one of them smiled.

"Ah, Lord Grimlock! Come to kill the bitch yourself?" the Carnian asked, chuckling. Grimlock was not amused, and only growled at them. He turned to Kyasha, who had stopped as well and was watching them interact.

"Grimlock," she whispered. "You know I am innocent."

Grimlock smiled lightly, turning to face her. His jaw was still sore, but he managed to speak loudly enough for her to hear him. "I know."

She smiled and then snarled viciously at the Carnians behind him. One of the Carnians' eyes widened as he figured out what was happening, but the realization came too late. Grimlock zipped towards them with lightning speed and slashed one with his claws, sending a thick spray of blood into the air!

They scrambled, trying to take the offensive. One swung a blade at the lizard, but missed and was met with two razor-sharp claws to the eyes. Grimlock murmured to himself.

"Punctures, both ocular organs," he whispered. He ducked another swing and rammed his claws into the next Carnian's stomach. "Multiple stab wounds, lower abdomen. Single laceration, right jugular. Two stab wounds, center of cardiac muscle."

He went on and on, quietly saying the type of wound he inflicted upon his attackers and where exactly he hit them! Kyasha could barely hear him, but some of the things he said were parts of the body she had never even heard of! Finally, when none were standing, he stopped dead in his tracks and stood still, continuing to speak.

"Grimlock?" Kyasha moved closer to him. He spoke rapidly, so quickly that the vixen just barely made out what it was he was saying.

"First target, still alive, in pain. Second target, bleeding, dead within moments. Third target..." he whispered. Kyasha put a paw on his shoulder and gasped as he spun around, claws bared!

He stopped instantly though, realizing his mistake and then softening his features.

"Forgive me," he said, still unable to speak very loudly. "Killing my allies does not sit right with me."

"Shhh," Kyasha whispered and kissed him, wrapping her lips around his gently. Grimlock's eyes closed and, for the first time in almost fifty years, he felt truly at peace. Finally, Kyasha moved back.

"You must go," Grimlock said worriedly. "Run to the mountains somewhere, get into the caverns and wait there for at least a week, I will do my best to influence them to stop their search. It will not be easy."

"Ok, come and find-" she began, but was cut short by Grimlock's quick denial.

"No! No, I cannot," he said, his voice straining with misery. "I cannot find you. I can never find you, if he knows that I know where you are, he will make me tell him. No creature, mortal or god, can suffer his torments for long."

"But I..." she began again, the corners of her eyes began to well up with tears. "But I need you..."

"I promise you, one day I'll see your eyes again," he whispered, the horrible pain in his soul tearing him apart. "But now I need you to run...run Kyasha!"

"Grim..." she cried.

"GO!" he shouted, his jaw aching less than his heart. Kyasha turned and ran as fast as she could, wiping tears from her eyes as she ripped her way through the forest towards the mountains. Grimlock watched her until she faded into the distance, his eyes begging for tears. Had his sadness not dried up long ago, he would have been in shambles.

He heard a small groan and a weak laugh from behind him. He turned to see the Carnian whose eyes he gouged crawling across the grass and laughing meekly.

"You've grown so soft, Grimlock," the Carnian whispered. "It's a shame and a burden to say that I ever followed you."

Grimlock's emotions turned to rage. His eyes flared so strongly they would have stricken the Carnian dead on the spot had it still the capacity to witness it. He stormed towards it furiously and grabbed it by the throat, hoisting it into the air.

"If I had the time, I would make you suffer more than you could have ever known for that comment," he hissed furiously. He dropped the creature to the ground and knelt over it, pressing his claw to its throat. "Consider yourself lucky."

The Carnian sputtered and choked as Grimlock ripped the razor-like talon cleanly across its neck. Blood spurted down its chest and it died with a look of fear upon its face. Grimlock liked that. He stood up and waited patiently for Dirge and whoever he had brought with him to arrive.

When they did, Grimlock turned to face them with a look of mock shame.

"What happened?" Dirge demanded.

"My Lord, you may as well place my head on the stone for my failures," Grimlock said, being inconceivably convincing in his act. "After my disrespectful comment at the block, I made it a goal to make up for my failure by catching Kyasha for you. Unfortunately, I arrived but a moment too late and now can only beg that you end my miserable life for it."

Dirge seemed surprisingly convinced. "You are too good of a warrior to lose, Grimlock."

Grimlock tried to smile, but it was his hatred that held him back, not his pain. Dirge gave him freedom to leave, but asked which way she had gone.

"She headed towards the Hellgraf Swamps," Grimlock lied. Dirge nodded.

"The murky waters are an excellent place to hide, no doubt that would be a smart choice," one of his lieutenants said.

Grimlock actually stifled a powerful laugh as he made his way back into the palace. The Hellgraf were so far away from the mountains Kyasha had headed to, he might as well have sent them to China...or the Carnian equivalent of China.

Kyasha would be safe.