FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

**Re written and corrected 11/01/2013**

Prologue

Standing at the prow of ship at night helps to put a new perspective on things, I am different to how I used to be, I have more to think about and more to do, life has never been so ... full. The air is cold but fresh, relaxing yet awakening filling my lungs creating a clear mind, a breeze gentle blows with just enough strength to slightly fill the three masted ship's sails and propel it forward at a gentle pace, a perfect night for sailing. A fish jumps out of the water crashing back into the wide river only moments later, the ripples however small disrupting the seemingly flat surface water. I used to think the world was simple, you wake, you go about your business, and then sleep again. However it has been shown to me, well, thrown into my face that the world is far from simple, it's complicated, very complicated, there are certain ways of speaking, behaving and dressing, concentrating on what to do and when to do it is physically draining. A few years on from my adventure, a word which makes the experience sound like the stuff of legend, gently brushing past the trauma of the last two years, my life has turned upside down, I used to have a quiet life, uneventful. Now I barely get a moments rest. "Are you all right Zerah?", a familiar white paw touches my back, feeling welcomingly warm in the cold air.

"I'm the one who's supposed to ask you that... Everything's changed hasn't it." I reply quietly continuing to gaze out over the water as the boat cuts through it, the white dog joining me at the prow following my gaze and leaning on the brown polished railings with me looking at my face with a confused stare.

"I don't understand, it's been two years since." He says, I laugh quietly smiling at that familiar face, currently fixed in its usual state as it gently begins to frown.

"Thats the Faral I know, I can always rely on you not to understand my sentimentality,"

"You've being doing this sort of thing a lot lately, sneaking out, seeking your own company. What's on your mind?" This is one of his pet hates, having something hidden from him quickly winds up his temper, his brow furrowing almost instantly as he begins to say something I interrupt him.

"Faral, two years ago I was a simple bard from Daram, I would play my songs, drink my ale, talk to those who wished to, sleep and repeat. Now it's a new event every day, there's you, Amelia and her organisation as she calls it, by Gods Amelia, could she cause any more trouble? I feel out of my depth, I..." Faral putting a finger on my lips silences me and throws me one of his looks that only means I'm over thinking everything.

"Our lives have changed Zerah, if your lingering in the past, and scared of forgetting who you are why don't you write it all down? From start to finish and everything in between. It can be your account of our past." I hate yet admire how he puts everything so simply and dismisses my worry, but is it that simple, where would I begin my tale?

"I think I will write it down, it's about time I wrote an account of our adventure, you never know someone might actually be interested considering our status in Aldri now." I rest my paw on his on top of the wooden rail.

"I'm sure they will be." Turning he nods towards the stairs which lead down to the bowls of the ship where the crew will be sleeping and my two life long companions await, " Come on its late, Amelia was worried you had fallen in" following that cheeky grin and bright pair of azure blue eyes I wander after him his quick pace leaving alone on the deck again. The stars bright in the heavens almost as if to be looking down on me and the small ship on the wide river. A thought crosses my mind, a recollection of the dying words of a teacher and friend.

"Zerah, you promise me that one day when given the chance you go out and see this world. You go and stare it in the face, show it who you are and never let it forget you. No matter how obscure and dangerous the road you may take seems you carry on and hold your head high. Have your adventure, don't stay here and become an old fool like me. Do you promise?"

I hope I have done him proud. Now to find some paper and ink.

Chapter One

'The Fabled Eagle' what an excellent tavern, looking back I had spent many a night and day in that place, playing my lute and singing a verse or two, entertaining the people of high bank inside those walls, all of whom, being the typical folk of Daram were cheerful, welcoming and best of all generous, But I think I'll start by telling you about my home. Daram is situated below Malendri, it is a beautifully wild place, open expanses of land, bronze grass which is most likely the only flora present and Feral wildlife populate the plains and hills, herds of Carek roam the southern plains, a bird like creature with red plumage, with two legs they stand up to three metres tall, being bulky and very stupid they were easily domesticated by the Tribes that moved north in the great excursion, now they are used for transport and food. However many remained in Daram as wild free creatures, these unlike the domesticated types of Aldri are larger and bad tempered in comparison, roaming the plains in large groups the population of Daram have been hunting them for centuries. Their meat is very flavoursome. Trees do grow on the banks of Daram's River despite the dry environment, although they are not used for lumber as they a small and shrub like, making for poor construction materials, the black forest Malendri is used for supplies of wood, the chopping down of the forest could only serve to please all who live near and wish to travel through it, it is not a pleasant place, but more on that later. Daram is dry and sparsely populated as a result of lack of rain most of the water being gathered form the river or wells, and low food availability the main diet of the inhabitants coming from hunting and berry gathering from the red thorn bush which thrives in the low water conditions, it grows incredibly slowly and indefinitely. The largest bushes reaching to the height of a grown male, about two metres, but spreading out over many metres, the fruit is large roughly the size of a small apple and very succulent.

In Daram there are no Kings or Queens, no governing body, a concept with shocks the most sheltered of the Aldrian nobility every time they ask me about the subject. The higher ups just cannot seem to grasp the idea of the 'common' people looking after themselves without the guidance of a King. If a crime is committed then the village itself apprehends the culprit and deals out its justice which is decided by a group of elders, without the politics of Aldrian society. There is merely a sporadic settlement of Villages throughout the rolling straw coloured hill plains which operate by themselves. Its a system that works each village looks out for its own and not beyond the borders of the region, never attracting unwanted attention, the people living calm and quaint lives.

It is in one of these villages where my tale begins, named High bank for its position on the high banked side of the only river in Daram, it is a collection of a hundred or so decently sized houses built of hard dark wood cut from the smaller trees at the edge of Malendri, set up around a central market square, at the edge of which is 'The Fabled Eagle', known as a place of merriment and good ale, like an oasis in the desert. The village of High bank is a predominantly made up of merchants, using the river to float goods imported from Aldri down to Sipak, and import goods from Sipak and sell them to Aldri, therefore characteristically its tavern is always full at night, of course a merchant must have a place to spend his hard earned gold, in this way The Fabled Eagle has become the villages heart, a place for all, travellers and residents.

I myself, back in the days when I was a Bard, used to visit this tavern very often, the audience as always cheery and the food and drink was always of good quality, my story begins as you can imagine in this place, on a night where the village was celebrating the coming of the yearly rainstorm. Being such a hot place it does not rain very often in Daram and a decade ago it did not rain for two years in a row, this was not too bad for one year, the red thorn bush providing food and herds of Carek were also available, but the second time it did not rain, food became of short supply. At the age of eighteen I could cope with the lack of food as could any healthy person of Daram, being adapted to long periods of hunger and small meals, however children and the old simply would have not survived the second year if some relief carts from Aldri carrying food and water barrels had not arrived around spring time. In the summer when a huge storm did come, flooding the river and turning the grass green for a short time, the people in High bank were so relieved that they held a huge celebration, that celebration turned out to be my Debut as a bard and every year for eight years I returned to High Bank to aide in the celebrations. There would be a great market and a lot dancing, I entered adulthood with those celebrations.

Two years ago I was in the tavern The Fabled Eagle on the eve of the storm celebrations performing a few of my usual songs, it was raining, hard, the banks of the river were already nearly full, and everyone was either at home or in the tavern. It was past midnight and I had one more song to sing, a lullaby if memory serves, I always ended with a song designed to calm the mood, a good idea as it deterred anyone from asking for any more songs after a tiring performance, the atmosphere had usually sufficiently mellowed. After the song I nodded to a few of the regulars who clapped in appreciation, I sat at the bar a complimentary Ale placed in front of me. "Thanks Hulek, your Ale always makes a night easier to get through." The middle aged innkeeper was an old friend, a white horned antelope who was always good company,

"Ah no thanks are needed Zerah, you've been coming here and playing your lute for nearly a decade now, the least I can do is give you a drink or two on the house, Gods know I owe you more!" Its true I never asked for payment of any sort, quite honestly I never needed gold coins but I did have an empty flagon by my feet just incase anyone felt like making a donation. I usually stayed for as long as I wanted, playing songs, entertaining, As my reputation grew I would bring in more customers leaving the innkeepers all over Daram delighted when I said I would stay another night. Everything would be payed for, the room, food and most importantly drink!

I smiled raising my mug drinking some of the fine brew, " Well I'll be happy to warm the bed in that room at the top of the stairs for you, I have a lot to do tomorrow, a good nights rest would be very welcome."

"Of course, I'll make sure the room is ready for you," signalling to one of the serving girls, Jewel I think her name was, " Go and make the first room comfortable for Master Zerah here."

"How many times to I have to tell you that I'm just a Bard, no Master Zerah, Hulek" I chuckled, despite my telling him over and over, he never stopped the constant back and forth becoming a ritual between us.

"And your a good one at that, can I get you anything else?"

"No I'm fine, I'll be set for the rest of the evening, I've already had four of these, your brew is terribly strong"

"Well I'll watch you, make sure you don't make a fool of yourself, I'm just going to go attend to my customers"

"I'll not keep you." I said looking around the tavern, the fire created a warm orange glow which highlighted everything inside the building the wooden walls looking warm and welcoming, the number of furs inside had decreased, only those who were part of group or staying the night remained, the elders sitting at their table with hunched shoulders, reminiscing about past days, younger males in their twenties discussing a certain female who had caught their eyes this evening. I can remember every detail of that night vividly, the dark wood tables and smell of fine ale and woodsmoke, hushed chit chat about rumours coming from Sipak, there was always rumours about Sipak, a merchant selling illegal goods, killing too many Carek, bandits coming from that area plaguing the country, and the list goes on. The distaste stemmed from a hatred of change, fifty years ago a band of travellers and would-be money makers came form the North, on the trail of rumours and investigations about the perfect soil for cultivation and a fruit called the grape which could be used to make Wine, a very fruity and deceptively strong drink. Furthermore upon arriving the workers and merchants discovered an insect called the silkworm, which could produce a fibre of unparalleled beauty, and strength, used to make the finest clothes and fabrics for the ladies of the courts of Aldri. The settlement grew and grew until it became a sprawling city to rival that Win Güden.

The door to the tavern opened a dripping wet figure walked in quickly, an extremely cold draft following the newcomer most of the heads turning in surprise, a new face is quite rare in Daram, the wind also blew his scent through, a male dog, even more unusual, that type of canine was rarely seen in Daram, most of them north in Aldri, their homeland, thankfully the door was closed very quickly, he must have been glad get out of the rain. Hulek ran over to greet the wet furred male, speaking in his usual polite voice " Can I take your cloak sir? I'll hang it by the fire to dry it out", classic Hulek, always thinking of his customers.

"Thank you" he said quietly, a small puddle of water forming at his feet, as he started off his coat, it revealed he had very short white fur with black spots dotted all over it, accenting his already thin frame. He had a pair of eyes which were azure in colour, and behind them you could see years of experience and hardship, he had the eyes of someone who has seen much.

"Can I get you a drink? Some Ale perhaps or some warm spiced wine? I believe I still have some of last years harvest from Sipak in the cellar." Hulek inquired, Sipak is an Aldrian City in the South east of Daram, the people of Daram have nothing to do with it, the city was built near the tropical forest, the soil and forest providing many luxuries such as grapes and silk, all the residents are merchants, farmers and their workforce, I have no idea how Hulek obtained that wine but I'm sure it was ridiculously expensive.

"I'll have some of your ale...and could I a have a room for the night, if there are any available?" he spoke quietly, no discernible cheer in his voice, he possessed one of the velvety smooth north Aldrian tones to his voice, stranger still was sword hilted at the dog's waist, weapons were common of course, a fur needed to protect himself but strangers with weapons always sets people on edge.

"Of course...Mister?"

"Just Faral if you don't mind"

"Well, make yourself comfortable and I'll get your drink" Hulek gestured to the bar where I was sat watching, I quickly averted my gaze out of reaction. I felt the dog walk over behind me and sit on the bar stool adjacent to me placing his travel backpack by his feet, being a welcoming and cheerful Hyena I opened a conversation.

"So what brings a traveller to Daram during the storm season?" The dog turned his head towards me and answered "I'm travelling north, I came to Daram to find a piece of information and now I'm on my way to Arben."

"The Capital of Aldri?"

"Yes, I forgot that people here don't know much about the Northern Kingdom," a small smirk on his face as he spoke.

"It's not that we don't know, its more that we don't wish to know," Hulek interjected placing two ales in front of us both, folding his arms, "They love imposing on us simple folk, with their new ideas and ways of living, they should realise we get by just fine. They're full of themselves thats whats wrong with them!"

"Hulek, I think you've gotten a little carried away with your speech" I said nodding my head discretely in Faral's direction, who now had a full grin on his face.

"No no its fine Master Hulek, your right of course, they do have a mighty opinion of themselves, I may have been born there but I do not describe myself as Aldrian."

"And why is that?" The ale had got to me by now, ale at The Fabled Eagle is really too strong and tastes divine, I may have to back someday, I'm not usually that forward.

"I don't mix well with Aldrian society, there are too many rules," he chuckled as did myself and Hulek, his facetious attitude was quite funny. He reached down to his bag and pulled out a simple pipe and pipe weed packet, lighting the pipe from a candle lit splint he puffed on his pipe, sweet smelling smoke flowing from his pipe. This particular smoking weed was called golden flower, anyone could tell immediately from it's distinct smell, the flowering plant comes from Aldri by the lakeside near lake town, it promotes relaxation and has a pleasant aroma.

"It appears I've finished my Ale Master Hulek, could you fetch me another one?"

"Of course Faral, I'll just break open another barrel" he left to fetch the Ale, quickly descending the stairs behind the bar which obviously lead to the cellar.

"Its good stuff isn't it" I said once the innkeeper was out of earshot not wishing to incur another one of Hulek's stories, taking another sip from my own mug.

"Its strong, just how it should be, Wine is all the range these days in the fine cities of the North" the latter part of the sentence steeped in sarcasm.

"Haha, the Aldrians have a strong legacy, but they seem to be a bit flamboyant, compared with the legend of their Kingdom's birth"

"The Royal family are still strong, The law is enforced... Diligently. Trade booms, but the aristocracy have never seen a days work in their lives, they sit on feather cushions and talk about themselves, what everyone else is doing and why they are not doing it their way," he said with an air of distaste. Faral was clearly not proud or happy about any of those boons and it was clear he didn't like nobles, giving the impression that he despised everything about the country.

"Well, there isn't anything like that in Daram, we all like to help and are rightfully proud of our land"

"That's how it should be I think"

"I'll drink to that!", I drunk from my mug before I continued, "If the country annoys you so much why are you going back?" I said, Hulek returned placing an ale in front of the canine before stating he was going to attend to his room before rejoining the merriment. " Well I need to obtain some information, which requires a journey to Arben", he replied drinking a good portion of his ale as he finished speaking.

"Information regarding what?" I asked, all social conventions were lost in mugs of ale by this point in the evening, a crease forming on his brow as he looked at me. He paused smoking a little more, the sweet smell filling my nose, a light headed feeling coming over me.

"I suppose it will do know harm talking about it, I came upon a scroll detailing a the position of a hidden fortune from ancient times, I'm going to find it."

"Haha, that sounds like a fools errand to me, how do you know its not just story?"

He frowned and regarded me with a chilling look, unblinking, almost as if he was working something out, I immediately felt apprehensive due to the sword hilted at his waist, of course he was polite and calm, but the sword, it clearly showed he led dangerous life, meaning he was somewhat dangerous himself and that a bad tempered drunk canine could be tempted to draw it.

"I don't, yet I am no fool and have nothing to lose and everything to gain from searching and finding it. I could end up rich, Zerah", he finished his ale and continued smoking. "You shouldn't dismiss something because it's old."

"I'm sorry, I'm sure it will be worth it." I smiled hoping that I had not caused any long lasting offence, I turned quickly as my name was shouted. " Zerah, we are leaving, would you play us a final song?"

"Ah a song? I think I could play one more for you elder, just a short one mind you" I stood up gracefully considering how 'merry' I was by that point in the evening and sat down by the fire and began playing the intro to one of my songs on my lute. The furs positioned themselves so they could see my play and watching intently whilst. The song was about The Fabled Eagle, which I wrote after Hulek told me of the Tavern's namesake, I think I did it poetic justice. The story goes that one day a young female antelope was washing her freshly harvested red berries and some of her clothing in the Daram River, little did she know that her baby in its infantile curiosity has slipped into the river, upon realising this the young antelope screamed, "Help, someone save my baby!" her father came running but the river was too fast and the baby was carried downstream quite quickly, a loud shriek came from the clouds and black shape dived down to river picking up the young child and dropping it into the arms if its mother. The bird was seen to be an Eagle and the father, the owner of the tavern out of respect for the bird renamed it The Fabled Eagle. My version is less dramatic and a little bit more comedic.

"Brilliant Zerah, one of my favourites" Shouted Hulek from behind the bar, Faral walked over as the rest of the people left, it was just the three of us now, the fire cracking and pitter patter of rain on the roof the only sounds to be heard. "Yes it was, Hulek your inn has a very interesting backstory." Faral said sitting down by the fire propping his foot paws on a nearby stool.

"It's as true as I am an antelope, now sir's I take me leave, Zerah, Faral, Goodnight" Hulek took his leave after wiping down the bar and blowing out the candles, the only light remaining emanating from the fire, flinging shadows all over the room.

"This ancient scroll, your sure about it being genuine?" I asked aiming to make light conversation.

"The previous owner swore to it, saying he would look it up himself If he had the time, and his youth, it has been handed down through generations of his family, its actually a map of Gündir, but it detail's a certain area unknown far to the West."

"There isn't anything to the West, just endless forest"

"Well, according to this scroll there is, and it would be worth an obscene amount of gold."

"But it could all be Myth Faral."

"As I said there is nothing to lose, I have no family tying me down, no job and enough coin to buy myself supplies, if it is myth then I can safely say I have no regrets! Lets not leave out that I would also be one of the only people to explore what lies beyond the forest"

"Hmmm, I cant argue with you...anyway let's finish that Barrel of Ale" I stood, walked to the bar and filled four mugs of the stuff, worryingly the golden brown colour of the drink became increasingly enticing as the night went on. After drinking far more than we should in a short space of time, with vision blurred the subject changed back to the scroll and its details.

"You know Faral, I've never been out of Daram in my life, Aldri is a completely alien place to me" our speech was slurred and imprecise, this is as much as I can remember of what transpired.

"Really? I forgot you lot are hermits down here", he grinned and giggled like a young child after he spoke, high pitched and for longer than need be.

"Bah! We just like quiet lives", I retorted also giggling just as embarrassingly.

"Well, Aldri is busy, full of money grabbers and politics, people up there spend all of their life working and never do anything with what they earn, its insane. You should have a look one day, you'll run straight back down here with your fluffy tail between your legs."

"If its so terrible maybe I'll tag along on this hunt for this scroll's treasure, I'd hate to see you too scared to spend your discovery... If you don't mind of course, It is about time I got out and saw the world for what it is ... and! My tail is not fluffy, it is dignified!". Faral looked at me and regarded me with a calculating stare, puffing smoke from his pipe.

"It will be a tough, long journey Zerah, once we start we can't stop."

"I've camped rough before, I'm not a hermit Faral."

"Hmm, Daram and Aldri themselves are not that dangerous, but that doesn't matter right now, I aim to leave at first light Zerah after resupplying, help me with that and we'll be off to Aldri."

"Good, A toast to a profitable adventure" I said, we both downed our last mug of Ale.

"I'll see you in the morning, lets get some rest." The dog picked up his bag and we swayed over to the stairs like a pair of cubs cruising from chair to chair as they learned to walk. Helping each other up the stairs we both stopped outside our respective rooms and turned in for the night. I led on my bed on top of the sheets, my fur being thick enough to sleep without them. My mind was full of thoughts, who was this dog I had just agreed to go on a treasure hunt with? More specifically what is he? Just an innocent traveller perhaps? Or a mass murdering criminal? It is better to travel with company than alone I reasoned and Faral seemed like an agreeable travelling companion.

I awoke as the sun was peeping its rude face through my window the cold morning breeze flowing in making my fur stand up to attention, blinking I stretched and yawned a fresh wave of tiredness overcoming me as I stood up, I felt a little light headed from the quick change from being led down to upright, complete with a light throb in my temple, a reminder that Ale is a drink which leaves its mark. I grabbed my belongings and put on my travelling cloak, I walked downstairs spotting Hulek as he was relighting the fire. "Hulek have you seen Faral this Morning?" I asked, as I picked up my lute and bag wearing both over opposite shoulders.

"Aye Zerah, the dog went out early this morning and said you should meet him by the Market, something about supplies for a journey north for you both. Did I hear him correctly, are you going to Aldri?" the antelope seemed oddly concerned.

"Don't worry old friend I'll be back for next year's celebrations" I said as I walked towards the door and opened it turning to have a last look at the inn.

"Have a safe journey." Hulek shouted as I waved back to him and walked out into the market square, my eyes looking for white fur and black spots, the market was busy as usual, each stall with a different stock, some clothing and other garments, some were fruit and vegetables such as grapes and figs imported from Sipak, there was also stalls of game and the native red thorn berries. The village was flocked around these stalls, the luxury garments and fabrics attracting the females of the village, I walked past the fabrics and a stall selling various vegetables to see my new companion looking at stall of game, buying some smoked Carek meat. Joining him I said, "Ah good choice, let me put them in my pack, I still have some space, are we leaving soon?"

"Yes, we are, we can pick some berries on the way and stick to those for now, have you got everything you need?" I nodded as he looked up and handed me the meats which were wrapped up in cloth and salted to prevent them from rotting, just realising then how much taller I was than the Dalmatian, I must be at least a half a foot taller and his breed of canine isn't a small one, Faral had quite a small frame also, I found myself wondering why he was so small. I put the supplies in my bag. "Yes, I have all my travelling gear and some other supplies in here."

"We should go now...lets go quietly before your fans ask you for a song eh?" He said with a glint in his eye, I chuckled and we both walked around the edge of the square leaving the town in a northern direction, heading across the river's bridge on a path that Faral said lead to an outpost just before the forest of Malendri. As we reached the top of a hill I turned as looked back at the village, in the direction we had just came from, the village where I had started my trade as a bard, the village where I had spent many a night and celebration playing my melodies and songs. I wonder what my response would have been if I had known I would never be coming back.

Thanks for reading this chapter!

Feel free to message or comment with any feedback, I can only improve with it!

I try and post a chapter every week or so.

Thanks again, Faral ^.^