FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The man was almost naked compared to the heavy infantry that began marching slowly into the town. Axes, tower shields, and dark iron plate armor, so thick it was surprising they could walk, yet they did so with ease. He wore a familiar getup, strips of cloth and a bit of bronze, with a chain shirt added over the top of it, and concealed with his torn, holey tunic. His sword was chipped, but in good condition. He quickly ransacked the place, finding a sack and adding miscellaneous items to it. Then, he was off to begin something. Something terrible. It would be more merciful than what the soldiers had in mind, and thankfully he had enough time to do it, since the temple was far up on a hill, furthest from the city entrance, overlooking a vast expanse of land and city. The young soldier figured it was once used as a small keep or watchtower. On the bottom floor, he scraped flint over some cloth soaked in oil, starting the beginning of what would be an impressive inferno. Burning the nuns to death was more merciful than men, but his blade would be quicker. He shuddered at the thought. He couldn't bring himself to hack down helpless women. He flew up the stairs, leaving his items by the door. He took hold of her soft furred arm as she exited the Mother's chamber, obviously upset. They had no time for feelings. "We have to go. Now." he said, his voice blank - expressionless - and it was a tone that brooked no argument even as he stared her dead in her tearstained face.

She nodded only once and tightened the straps of her pack across her shoulders. "I'm ready." she said softly. She took a deep mental breath and imagined static. She let that static take over her thoughts, leaving only instinct. Base instinct took in the situation and for less than a second it lamented the imminent loss of her pack. She quickly identified the alpha male and took in his physical features, memorizing them, before taking in his scent and memorizing that as well. She stepped towards him slightly, ready to flee or fight at his command. She smelled the gas, and the beginnings of a fire, but the connections didn't register yet. Perhaps it never truly would. She growled low in her throat at the scent of enemy soldiers approaching. The Alpha in her demanded she stay and protect her meager pack, but she knew it was futile, so she stalked silently after the young man before her.

He didn't bother to check to see if she was coming or not. The entire bottom floor filled with smoke as he dashed through the ornate back doors. Kerosene lanterns were emptied throughout the holy house soaking into curtains and carpets, making the house smell thick and dangerous. By the time they fled out the back door, flames were visible in the windows. The boy soldier stopped to hack violently for a moment, giving his side a desperae clutch.She may have healed him, but many of his wounds had done their damage and were raw. She had apologized, and he hadn't thanked her. It could wait for now, at least. He was simply grateful to have use of his body again, rather than dying defending the doomed temple until he died. He cut through the tall grass behind the temple and cleared a way through the neck high fauna to the forest line.

He marched her for the better half of the day, only stopping to briefly eat and answer nature's call. A slight incline led them to a small bluff, enough to see the smoking skeleton that the chapel had been reduced to. Smoke coiled from the still burning windows and formed claws that cut into the sky. Their vantage point allowed them a glimpse of the ominous black clad soldiers hooting and hollering, as if they had set fire to it. The young man flopped onto his rear, "Take a break, they're busy right now." he said. His voice was heavy from exhaustion and his body hadn't fully recovered. He nibbled some of his rations, simple travel bread and a bit of dried meat, offering her a few morsels in commarandie. "So...where we go from here?" he asked. He sounded so young, so uncomfortable around the slender fox and she glanced at him sidelong for a moment before looking away, silently questioning his age.

She turned her face to look towards her decimated home. The one place where everything that had ever mattered to her had resided. Well, almost everything. She was still alive. For now. She glanced back at the man and turned her static back on. She waved the food away and merely sat, cross legged in front of him, watching him with unblinking, slightly haunting eyes. She was almost sizing him up, but mostly it was a general examination. Her eyes took on the canine quality of a curious wolf. She watched his every movement and memorized his slightest mannerism. He could do whatever he wanted. He just had to deal with her following him while he did it. She tipped her head to the side and lowered it. It wasn't very often she saw humans, and never up close. The lack of fur was the strangest thing to her. "I will go where you go." she said simply. She continued her blatant observations and blinked rarely. She was unnerving him at best but he didn't fidget under her gaze, though he sorely wanted to.

After a long while he merely figured the girl to be in shock. She spoke rarely and didn't look at much except him. Poor thing. Traveling with the man, who'd murdered her sisters and mother superior. He felt awful, but was too tired and sore to address the girl though she was obviously shocked. His eyes wanted nothing more than to close; to sleep for a day or two. But even a two hour nap was out of the question. There was a small village not far from their current location. They had a good inn, good food, and the bedbugs weren't too bad either. It would be a good place to rest, since it would take the army a few days to arrange a force to break the town. Unless, there were no minerals beneath it. In which case any who had managed to survive the bombing and pillage would be brutally slaughtered. "Are you sure? Have you no family to go to? I would escort you to them, of course." He liked to think it was chivalrous offer to escort her and imagined for a short moment that he was a knight and not a grunt soldier. "Well, I am going to fill my belly, get supplies, and briefly rest. We both need it, so no arguments, girl." He called her girl to needle her mostly, because he could tell she was older, if only by a few years. "Girl is no good for a name. What's yours, sweetheart?" he asked, though eyes were heavy and tired. He felt burned out, but knew they would have to continue on, even without destination. "I am Jason." he said, offering his own name first, hoping to coax the mysterious woman to offering some information about herself. She cocked her head to the side and smiled slowly. "Right now, you may call me Micha." she said, blinking at him owlishly.