FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Tokam peered out over the top of the log. The field was empty. He turned away and sank to the forest floor, leaning against the log. He was panting heavily. Tokam looked around him, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. Eventually settling on a fallen branch, he lifted his weapon and again peered over the log.

Still, he saw nothing. Tokam forced himself to slow his breathing. Then, bracing his left arm on the side of the log, he flipped over it and charged into the field. A shadow in front of him betrayed his enemy's position.

Tokam spun around and lashed out with his branch, landing a blow that sent his pursuer spinning to the earth. Buson landed on the grass with a light thud, laughing. "How did you know I was there?" he asked as Tokam lifted him to his feet. Tokam grinned at him and shook his head. "If I told you how, you'd be able to beat me!" "Oh c'mon Tokam, you can tell me," Buson pleaded. Tokam just laughed.

He glanced up at the small hill where Aisha was resting, wondering if she had been watching their game. She used to play these war games with them, but as the years went by, she had lost interest in the games. Now whenever he and Buson played them, she just went up to her little hill under the maple tree and slept. Tokam sometimes wondered what happened to the eevee he had first met seven years ago.

Buson noticed him staring over at Aisha and playfully pushed him towards her. "So when are you telling her you like her?" he asked, grinning. If Tokam hadn't had scales, his face would be a bright red right then. "Not today," he mumbled. Buson's smile vanished, and he sighed. "Tokam, listen to me. A few years ago, I could understand why you didn't say anything, but now..." He extended his wing and put it on Tokam's shoulder. "If you don't tell her soon, she'll find someone else," Buson said, staring Tokam down.

Tokam shook off his wing. "I know, but not now, okay?" he asked. Buson hesitated, then nodded slowly. Tokam looked at his friend gratefully. "Thank you," he said. Buson didn't reply, just stared at the ground. Tokam poked him with his branch. "C'mon, let's go bug her!" he called as he began to race up the hill towards Aisha. Buson smiled, and with a flap of his wings, flew over Tokam's head. Aisha lifted her head as the two of them stopped in front of her.

"Oh, you're finally finished?" she asked, grinning. Buson frowned at her. "You're no fun anymore," he complained. "I'm no fun?" Aisha widened her eyes and stuck out her lower lip, pretending to be hurt by his comment. Tokam softly poked her side with his branch. "Yeah, that's..."

Aisha tackled Tokam before he could finish, and they tumbled down the hill. Buson laughed and spread his wings, flying up into a nearby tree. Aisha giggled as she and Tokam rolled down, both of them struggling to get the upperhand. They eventually came to a stop at the base of the hill, and Aisha, having overpowered Tokam, planted her paws firmly on his shoulders as she grinned down at him. Tokam smiled back up at her, and for a moment, all they could see was each other.

Then they heard a choking gurgle from above. They both tilted their heads up to find Buson sitting on a branch above their heads, trying to contain his laughter. Aisha immediately hopped off of Tokam and helped him to his feet. "Um...thanks,"he muttered. Aisha nodded. She was glad her fur hid her blushing.

Buson flitted down to the ground, alighting next to Tokam. "I, uh, better head back...My parents are probably getting worried," Aisha said, then ran off into the forest. Tokam and Buson called out their goodbyes. Then they turned to walk home as well. As they walked away, Tokam punched Buson's shoulder. He just laughed as he followed behind his friend.

* * * * *

Buson flew into the treetops while Tokam watched from the ground. Tokam reached out his hands and gripped the rough bark of the oak. As he began to scale the side of the tree he now called home, he thought back to the day he had started living there...

*FLASHBACK*

Fikusa landed on the branch outside of Tokam's hollow. Over the past several days, she had cared for him and his leg was almost completely healed. Fikusa poked her head into the hollow. "How are you feeling?" she asked. Tokam stood and stretched, then gently began to shift his weight onto his right leg, his injured one.

When the anticipated pain didn't come, he looked up at Fikusa. "Great!" he grinned. She laughed lightly. "That's wonderful," she said. Tokam nodded. "Thank you so much, for everything," he said. Fikusa smiled. "You're very welcome," she replied. "Where are you going to go now?"

Tokam had told her the story of what had happened to his mother after she had inquired about the locket he wore. Tokam shook his head. "I'm not sure where I'll go," he said. "I haven't really thought about it." In truth, he had thought about it quite often while he healed. He actually didn't have any idea where to go. Tokam knew that he had to avenge his mother, he had to keep his promise, but he also knew that he wasn't ready. He needed to train, he needed to get stronger. Tokam knew that it would take a long time to do so.

Fikusa cleared her throat. "Well...I was thinking...that you might like to stay with us..." she said hopefully. Tokam stared at her in shock. When she saw his face, she looked disappointed. "Of course, it's your decision...if you don't want to, I completely understand..."

"No, no I'd love to!" Tokam said quickly. "I...I was just surprised you would offer." Fikusa's face lit up. "Oh yes, my mate and I have been thinking for awhile now about having another child, but when you told me about your mother, we started to consider adopting. And then when you and Buson became friends, we knew we had to offer," she said. Tokam nodded. Buson had visited him almost as often as Aisha, and they had become fast friends.

"Thank you," Tokam said as his eyes began to water. He rushed forward and hugged the great bird. Fikusa wrapped her wings around him. As they broke apart, Tokam looked up at her. "Does Buson know yet?" he asked. "Yes, I spoke to him after Chi and I decided to ask you," she replied.

Tokam had met Chi, Fikusa's mate, on his fifth day in the healer's hollow. Fikusa and her family lived in the tree's that surrounded that one.

Later that day, Buson brought Tokam to the base of his tree. Buson lived in the hollow at the very top of the tree, while his parents occupied the one below it. "Race you to the top!" he shouted as he spread his wings. "Hey, you can fly! At least give me a head start," Tokam complained. Buson grinned. "No way! I've seen how fast you can crawl," he said. "Darnn, I thought you'd fall for it," Tokam said, smiling.

He leaned forward and gripped the tree. "Alright...go!" Buson yelled as he launched himself skyward. Tokam raced up the tree side, digging his fingers into the rough bark. Above him, Buson struggled to maintain his lead. As the flaps of his wings became more labored, Tokam dashed upward, pulling ahead. He smiled as he heard Buson cry out in surprise. He dove into the hollow just before his friend and collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath. "I...win!" he panted. Buson just grunted.

When they had both caught their breaths, Tokam looked around his new hollow. Buson's nest was to the right of the hollow's entrance, and Tokam saw that one had been made for him on the left. He climbed into the nest and found a makeshift pillow made of feathers. He lay down on the soft plumage and closed his eyes...

*END FLASHBACK*

Tokam lay down on the very same pillow now, and shut his eyes as he remembered. It had been nearly seven years since that day. He was more than happy. Buson had quickly become his best friend and as those first months went by, Tokam began to develop feelings for Aisha. He had starting noticing the little things that she did. The way her ears perked up whenever he approached, the way she laughed at every joke he made. Tokam loved her laugh. It reminded him of the windchimes he had played with when he was little. Tokam sighed contentedly as sleep enveloped him, and the world went dark.

* * * * *

Light flooded through the hollow's entrance. Tokam raised his head and blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He could hear Buson snoring from his nest. Tokam crept out onto a nearby branch and then made his way silently down the tree. As he hit the ground, Tokam heard a branch snap in the undergrowth.

He looked over to where the sound had come from, but saw nothing. He shook his head and decided that it was probably just some bird pokemon searching for food. Tokam was about to start walking towards the field where he and Buson where playing yesterday when he saw a flash of brown fur in the distance. He recognized it immediately as Aisha.

Curious, he started towards her. Tokam followed her for a good twenty minutes before he finally caught up. He was surprised when he saw where they were. Aisha was sitting at the edge of a small stream. The same stream she had found him in. Tokam cleared his throat and Aisha spun around, her eyes wide and her fur raised. She sighed in relief when she saw who it was.

"Tokam...you scared me!" she giggled. Tokam grinned. "Sorry..." Aisha frowned. "What are you doing here anyway? Did you follow me?" she demanded. He looked down. "Yeah..." Aisha rolled her eyes. Tokam laughed. "So why are YOU out here then?" he asked. She shrugged. "I come here to think a lot...usually after my parents..." she trailed off.

"Oh..." Tokam said. He knew what she was talking about. Aisha's parents were always fighting, and it often got pretty ugly. She sighed. "I'm sorry, I know you can't be very interested in hearing about my parents..." "Oh, no! No it's not that way at all," Tokam said quickly.

Aisha looked up at him. "I just... I didn't want to mention my parents because..." He stared over at the stream. "Because you don't want to remind me of my parents," he finished for her. She nodded slowly. Tears began to glisten in Tokam's eyes. "I'm fine with it, really. I just really miss her sometimes," he said.

Aisha leaned against his side. "I know," she whispered. They sat in silence for a long while. Suddenly, a loud screech rang out in the distance. Tokam turned his head towards the sound. Aisha frowned. "That sounded like it came from your tree..." she said. Tokam's eyes widened. "BUSON!!" he shouted, jumping to his feet.

Aisha sprang up and began to race towards the noise. She skidded to a halt when she realized Tokam hadn't followed. She turned around. Tokam was staring intently at a bush near the edge of the water. "What are you doing?!" she cried. Another screech sounded from the tree. Tokam looked up and shook his head. "It's nothing," he stammered. "I just thought I saw..." He shook his head again. "Nevermind," he said and ran up to join Aisha. "Let's go!"

They began to run as fast as they could towards the tree. More screeches rang out, and Tokam started to hear the sounds of a struggle. When they reached the base of the tree, they found Buson standing over the unconscious body of a pawniard. He glanced up at them. "Where...have you two...been?!" he panted. Before Tokam could respond, he heard a scream of fury from behind him. He spun around, only to be tackled to the ground by a haunter.

The pokemon grinned wickedly above Tokam. "Remember me?" it growled. Tokam's eyes widened. "Raibar?!" he gasped. The haunter's grin widened. "Hello, Tokam," he said. Raibar smacked Tokam across the face, sending him flying into a log. He groaned in pain and slowly raised his head. To his left, he saw Buson fighting against a second pawniard, and losing badly.

He couldn't see Aisha anywhere. Raibar floated closer, laughing at Tokam's pain. "I'm not your punching bag anymore Tokam," he said. Tokam rose to his feet. He glared at the approaching haunter. Then he charged, catching Raibar by surprise, and smashed him against a tree. Tokam pinned him there with his elbow. Raibar smiled. "Tell me Tokam, where is your mother?" he asked.

Tokam flinched, then glared at him. "Who...killed...my...mother?" he growled. Raibar smiled. Tokam opened his mouth, about to bite down and use crunch. Then a large purple tail slammed into him, and knocked him away from Raibar. Tokam lay in the grass, too tired to move. Suddenly he felt himself being lifted, and saw that the end of the tail had wrapped around his foot.

Soon Tokam found himself hanging upside down, face to face with a massive arbok. At the top of it's head was a golden scale. The snake hissed at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Tokam saw Raibar grinning. "No one interferes in our plans," the arbok growled. His voice was deep and menacing.

Then a small voice spoke up from behind Tokam. "General Dokun, sir, we have all the sacrifices we need," the pokemon squeaked. "Excellent," the arbok hissed. He flung Tokam away. As Tokam tumbled onto the ground, he saw that the pokemon who had spoken was an ekans. The arbok, or Dokun, slithered over to join the ekans.

Raibar followed and the group left, trailed by the two pawniards Buson had been fighting earlier. Tokam turned and saw his friend lying on his back, panting. Tokam rushed over. "Oh Arceus, are you okay?!" he asked. Buson nodded and gasped. "They...they took...her," he sputtered. Tokam frowned. "Who?" Buson looked up. "Aisha..." he gasped.

Tokam's eyes flew wide, and he turned around, running after Dokun and Raibar. They had headed towards the field. His heart raced as he sprinted forward. Tokam finally reached the edge of the field, but what he saw made him skid to a halt. At least fifty pokemon stood in the field, all of them dark, poison, or ghost types. Pawniards, ghastlies, ekans, and zoroas made up the majority of the group, but he also saw several haunters and zoroaks.

Dokun was at the center, and he appeared to be the only arbok. His gold scale glittered in the sun. But what was most shocking about this scene, was what was next to Dokun. Cages. Six metal cages, each with a pokemon inside. And inside the one closest to Dokun...was Aisha. She was slumped on the floor of the cage, and appeared to be unconscious.

Tokam let out a scream of rage, and launched himself into the field. Many of the smaller pokemon in the group panicked, but Tokam heard Dokun cry out above the frenzy, "Take the tributes away! I'll handle this." The pokemon listened, and Tokam watched in despair as several zoroak lifted the cages and ran into the forest. The rest quickly followed and soon the field was empty, except for Tokam and Dokun.

Tokam clenched his teeth. The arbok glared at him. "You don't have to fight me," Dokun hissed. "You're right," Tokam said, and attempted to run past Dokun. Dokun hissed and swung his tail out at Tokam. Just before it smashed into him, Tokam noticed the tail shining in the sun. Then Dokun's iron tail made contact. The hit sent Tokam reeling back. He felt his breath knocked out of him. As he gasped for breath, Dokun leaned in close and whispered, "I'm letting you go because you are a child, and we already have enough sacrifices. But should you ever cross my path again...I well end your pitiful existence." Then, he was gone.