FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER 26 Blood Sands

Almost a day had passed now since their ship had crashed into the desert. One of the creatures looked in the distance and contemplated the trail of debris of almost a kilometer long. These scraps of metal were once the ship that had brought them there; the ship that previously had saved their lives. Both of them took refuge in a mass of twisted metal that was once the reinforced cockpit.

Everywhere they looked; there was nothing but sand and sky. No trees, no plants, now life, no nothing; just white pristine sand that formed dunes, slowly carved by the mild breeze.

"How are you feeling?" He asked his partner.

Both were apparently ok, but the crash, plus what had happened before in their journey had taken a toll on their bodies already.

"I'm ok..." The other replied unsure. "I'm still feeling disoriented and weak, though."

"I know, but we need to start moving."

"Where, tell me?" The creature replied frustrated. "Look around you, there is nothing more but sand!"

"Calm down, brother." The older creature said. He sat next to were the smaller one rested. "Last night I walked to that dune over there and I could see a glare in the horizon. That reflection in the sky can only be caused by either a city or a large village."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure." He said, but there were doubts on him, not because he wasn't sure of it, but because of something else. "The only problem is that it might be quite far from here."

"How far?"

"Judging by the size and curvature of this planet, I would say at least fifteen, maybe twenty kilometers. In our condition and thinking on how difficult it is to walk on sand, it would take us at least half a day to get there."

The younger creature wasn't happy to hear that. But he knew it was their only chance for survival. They had nothing to loose.

"The Nanobots have done well absorbing the radiation we took. That's why you're probably filling ill right now. Keep drinking water until you kidneys dispose of all the dead Nanobots. If this was because of radiation poisoning, we wouldn't be alive now, trust me."

"How much water do we have left?"

"Not much, about five gallons. It's all I could save from the ship's tank."

"It's a good thing the tank is nothing more than a big bag of reinforced fabric. If not, it would have shattered by the impact and we wouldn't have water to survive with." The younger creature said. He lied down again and closed his eyes.

"That's the spirit, brother. You see? That statement that you just said means that you're still willing to live."

The creatures had faced death two times in a row now. Yet there was still another challenge brought on them that could also threaten their lives...

"We are going to start moving tonight, Alpha..."

Alone, in that desert they were. Their only hope for survival was to move into the unknown...

"I'm not sure about this, Zonda. But there is no choice, I guess..."

The two Retcans, Zonda and Alpha had miraculously survived the explosion of that sun. Seconds after their sacrifice to save Hasky and K9, something unexpected happened.

"K9, Hasky. Today is not your day to die..."

"We will forever be grateful for your noble and brave sacrifice. But your family needs you and we promised that none of you would ever die again under our guard."

Zonda and Alpha said their last words to their friends the Evocanis. The last ship left just in time.

"It was an honor to meet you, Zonda. I learned so much from you..."_The younger Retcan said. He was a powerful warrior, but now he was unable to hold his tears. The tender nature of the Retcan race took control of him now. _"I love you brother..."

"I love you too, Alpha... It was great having you by my side in everything we did... Even if we don't share the same blood, I consider you more than my brother." The yellow eyed Retcan replied. They both held each other tightly while the heat in the planet grew unbearable. But as the sun got closer to the planet and the earth rumbled fiercely, the older Retcan saw something for second. He couldn't believe it... The ship that was stolen from them not a minute ago flew erratically above them until it crash landed nearby.

Zonda yanked Alpha and ran to the crash site that was not even fifty meters from them.

"Today we might die, brother. But we've been given a chance to fight until the time comes!"

The being that stole their ship ended up being a very bad pilot. As a matter of fact, he had never flown a ship before. The unfamiliar layout of the Wolf350EXP known as Pioneer001 proved impossible for him to control. He was unable to exit the planet.

Who knows what it was; some call it luck, some others call it karma, others might call it divine intervention. It didn't matter what it was. The noble Retcans had been given another opportunity.

The human gave little opposition, but he threatened them once again. It was either them, or him. Either way, they would all die. At the end, after a brief struggle, the Retcans were forced to do something that they were not used to in order to survive.

The human ended up taking their place in the dying planet.

"All the energy to the shields, Zonda!"

"It's too late, Alpha. We won't make it!"

"You said that we might die today, but that we would fight until that happened. Now brace yourself and trust me!"

The magnetic shields were at double their capacity as they barely made it out of the planet. Thankfully, Alpha is an expert pilot and he knew how to handle this potentially deadly situation.

Alarms and all sorts of warnings invaded Pioneer001's cockpit as they felt a mass of fire surrounding them. The wormhole was still slightly opened; enough for them to go through. Unfortunately, the immense energies that the supernova created were enough to destabilize the controlled wormhole. They managed to enter it, but inside it felt like if they had been sucked by a full blown black hole. The ship's shields couldn't stand it for too long and the ship soon started to disintegrate. But thankfully, before it was too late, they were out of it. However, their ship had suffered a terminal damage.

The disturbance in the wormhole sent them to a different location in space. They were now lost...

Later that day, the sun finally came down in the deserted planet in which they had crash landed earlier. Both Retcans waited a few hours to start their journey into what they thought it would be their possible salvation. Both of them were now standing, going trough every inch of their body to confirm they were not injured. Only minor bruises, maybe a sprained joint or two and insignificant cuts were found.

"Our armors did a great job." Zonda said as he looked at his brother closely. The armors were shattered beyond use. They were made to react this way, absorbing every impact that their bodies received. "They are of no use for us anymore. Take off the hard parts only, they will only get in our way."

Both striped off most of the metallic parts of the armor, leaving only the overall PX undergarment and the metallic paw wear.

Although weak, both were finally feeling better.

"Here..." Zonda grabbed two thermal sheets from the ship and they wore them as cloaks to protect them from the coldness of the night, or sand that could get in their eyes or throat.

"Are you ready?" The yellow eyed Retcan asked.

"No. What about you?" Alpha replied.

"Not really..."

The only thing that both Retcans wanted was to be at home at that moment. They have had enough already. But they knew they had no choice.

A few minutes after they initiated their journey, they stopped by the highest dune and confirmed that the glare reflected in the sky was still there. Without waiting longer, they continued.

Through the endless sand they walked at a struggling pace. The loose sand proved to be an enormous challenge for the digitigrade creatures. Soon they found out that walking bare-pawed made it slightly easier, but it wasn't two hours yet and their legs were starting to fail on them.

"We have to stop." Zonda said. He panted heavily due to the effort that their already weakened bodies were going through. Alpha had no objection.

Both Retcans sat on the soft sand for a couple of minutes, drinking the limited water that they carried.

"We can't go back now, Zonda." Alpha told him when he noticed insecurity in Zonda's eyes. "If we return, there is nothing there for us anymore."

Zonda looked back at his brother and nodded. Soon they were back on their paws and walking towards what they thought it could be their salvation.

For many hours they walked through the never ending dunes. The coldness of the night somehow kept them fresh and hydrated despite the effort.

"Does your muzzle hurt, brother?" Alpha asked. He looked at the injury that the human had left on his brother's face.

"A little bit. It's nothing, don't worry." Zonda replied casually so he didn't add more worries to his brother.

"It really hurt me when that monster attacked you. I've never felt such anger in me. Seeing that wound reminds me of that moment."

"Alpha..." Zonda replied. He now gently placed his arm across his brother. "Don't worry. I'm fine. It's going to leave a nasty scar, but it's nothing really."

"I can't understand why some beings can be that way. It goes beyond all logic."

"I've learned that we don't need to understand them. We just have to avoid them and fight against them if necessary."

The slow paced conversations helped keep their minds focused on other things rather than the painful walk across the sands. Soon they felt the sun slowly caressing their back. They had been walking for hours now, uncertain if they were approaching anything at all.

They suddenly made it to a large dune. To their surprise, at the other end they found what Zonda had suspected of all the time. A very large village covered the entire landscape before them.

They somehow felt relieved, but they knew how dangerous this could be. They had no idea what type of living beings populated this village, or if they were ever visited by alien life forms. They didn't know their customs, if they were peaceful or would see them as invaders and would try to kill them. They had to make a choice, and they had to make it carefully.

They both lied on the sand, cautiously inspecting the village from the distance. As the sun slowly rose, activity soon invaded the place. It was not long until they saw the first inhabitants.

"Unfurred ones..." Zonda whispered frustrated. Humans ruled over the village that could've once been their salvation. But they noticed that although the majority looked alike, some others were very different. Some had horns, some others were green skinned; some were short and others tall. This could mean something.

"There is a possibility that this planet is inhabited by various species form other parts of the galaxy." Alpha suggested. If this was true, then they could somehow blend in with the other aliens.

"There is no way that we can be sure of that. They could be from other parts of the planet." Zonda replied. "Besides, look at us. We are very different from them."

While they were debating the possibilities, something happened that took them completely off guard. Right next to them, one of those beings approached them. They were so exhausted that they never felt the presence of the unfurred. The being looked at them and showed them a large amount of artifacts and robes that he carried. He spoke in various strange languages like if repeating the same phrase, until he said something in #9051; the same generic language that the Evos and many civilizations used across the galaxy.

"I've got lots of good things on sale, strangers...he, he." He said. Both Retcans' hearts beat at an incredibly fast pace, pumping adrenaline to every millimeter of their body. "What are you buying?"

Both Retcans were stunned. They stood up and tried to act casually. "Thanks, we are fine." Alpha replied instinctively. Intimidated as they were by the interaction, they tried to keep a low profile, as if this was not new for them.

"I can assure you there are no prices like mine. Feel free to examine the merchandise." The lanky flat faced unfurred insisted with an eerie, paused and mysterious tone of voice. His skin was very dark, somewhat purplish. His skin looked thick and his eyes were almost white. His head had a hard carapace made out of scales that protruded from beneath his skull.

"No. You don't have what we need. Sorry." Zonda honestly replied as he quickly covered his face with the cloak. The unfurred had already seen them, but apparently he didn't care about anything else but to exchange the things that he carried for other goods. Both Retcans knew about these types of interactions, but never really understood how some species lived out of exchanging goods.

Both Retcans saw this as an opportunity to continue on, trying to blend in like if they were familiar to that place already. The unfurred just mumble something as if irritated and continued his way after he realized his insistence wouldn't convince these two outsiders.

"I guess that answers our question." Alpha said as both Retcans walked down into the village.

"Be on your guard, Alpha. I don't sense any good intentions in these beings." Zonda replied. Both walked into a crowd that yelled, laughed and discussed in a disorderly fashion. Not what the serene Retcans were used to.

They walked through where the sand of the desert met with the hard stone that made up the ground where the village stood. The buildings were cramped and very small, none of them being taller than two stories. The edifications seemed fused with the solid ground as if carved from the sandy stone itself.

As they got in, they were invaded by a sense of rowdiness. The screams and voices fused together in a chaotic uproar. Retcans were overwhelmed by this, as their cities were almost silent and engulfed in order and serenity. This was like a realm of chaos.

"Now what, Zonda?" Alpha realized.

"I'm thinking that we might be able to power on what's left of the Com systems of Pioneer001. If we manage to do it for at least a few seconds, we might actually be able to send a distress call. My ComPod is still operational, so I can somehow bridge it through the more powerful Com System of the ship." Zonda said in their own language so they couldn't be understood. They knew there was no way someone could know their native tongue since they haven't taught it to anyone else but the Evocanis.

"Why don't we try and use the small crystal in the ComPod?"

"It's too small. Besides, we need it to power the ComPod itself. I don't want to risk it."

"So we will look for someone who can lend us a power supply of some sort, then?" Alpha asked as he constantly dodged the massive crowd. "Do you really think that someone here will help us?"

Zonda sighed when he realized how difficult that would be. "I'll think of something."

The minutes passed and they got deeper into the village. The place was making both Retcans feel extremely claustrophobic; even though they remained calm and focused.

"Take a look please!" One of those beings yelled on one side, almost shoving its merchandise on their faces.

"Is this what you are looking for, I know it is!" Another yelled as it followed them for a short period.

The sense of suffocation due to the constant aggressive harassment was starting to take effect on the two already exhausted Retcans.

Robes, strange vases, what appeared to be fruits and even masses of organic material with a dreadful stench were placed inches from their faces, being almost obligated to purchase them.

The two couldn't handle it for long. They soon found a dark alley where they decided to take a break.

"We are getting nowhere with this, Zonda." Alpha complained irritated.

"We have to think..." Zonda replied. He panted softly, showing how desperate he was now. They were high rank warriors, but everything that had happened to them to that point was starting to affect their bodies. "Alpha, we have to look closely. If we see anyone that has technological devices, we need to ask them for a power supply."

"Just like that, Zonda? Haven't you seen how aggressive these being are? I highly doubt they will help for nothing in exchange."

"Do we have a choice?" Once again, they didn't.

Soon they continued their search. After a while they reached a plaza of some sort. This place was completely crowded. The noise was almost unbearable for the sensitive creatures.

They started searching all around, and they found a couple of places where those beings had various devices. These devices looked primitive and overused, but they had to ask.

Zonda approached the merchant who immediately noticed his interest.

The bloated dark orange human approached them. One of his eyes expressed nothing but greed, the other one couldn't be seen anymore due to a large scar that crossed half of his face.

"5091?" Zonda asked cautiously.

"Ah, yes... I see that I might have something of your interest, outsider." He replied in the same language.

"We need a power supply." Zonda said. He was still very reluctant to continue with the interaction, and thought of nothing but finishing the negotiation as soon as possible. Alpha kept guard.

"You'll have to be more specific, outsider." The unfurred grunted.

"We need anything that might be able to give energy to a fairly powerful communication device for at least a minute or two."

The unfurred wasn't too pleased with the Retcan's lack of accurate details. But he had a potential buyer and he soon started going trough his inventory in his mind. "Wait here. I'll look for something." The unfurred said. He disappeared into a tent where he had more things.

The Retcans kept vigilant, and they soon started to feel used to the place. No one really cared about their presence, or the fact that there were furry muzzles sticking out of their cloaks. As long as they kept a low profile, they would be alright.

"What about this?" The unfurred returned with a rather large machine that looked like a primitive engine. "It's an old generator. It works, but it needs fuel. I don't sell fuel unfortunately."

This was it. They had to be very careful to choose the right words, or they could cause anything from the merchant getting upset, to something as severe as a riot.

"Look... We don't have currency. But we can make a deal." Zonda dared to propose.

The unfurred's face expressed an immediate dissatisfaction.

"We only need to borrow this generator of yours for a couple of hours, maybe a day or two. We will return it."

The unfurred one didn't reply. Instead his face expressed nothing but anger.

"You dare to come to my place and ask for things for free?!" He yelled. The Retcans felt the potential danger of the situation they just got into. "Who the hell do you think you are? What are you doing in this city without money?!" He continued. "I won't tolerate this insult!"

"Listen, calm down please. We can make a deal!" Zonda tried to ease the unfurred's anger.

Alpha noticed how other humans started turning their attention to them. This was not good.

"Look," Zonda continued. "If you lend us that generator, we will give you this." He said showing the unfurred his ComPod. "I'm not asking for a full interchange. Just let us use your generator and we will return it to you. You can keep this device as sign of appreciation after that."

The unfurred inspected the ComPod, looking fascinated for a second. Then he frowned again. "Do you think I'm stupid? What use can this device be of?!" He took the ComPod and threw it across the plaza. The ComPod was their only means of sending a signal to either R105 of Lusceonis. If they lost it, they also were.

Zonda and Alpha looked hopeless as they saw the device disappear into a sea of people. They had to find it, and quick.

"Don't you ever come back, you stupid rats!" The merchant could be heard yelling as both Retcans ran to find the ComPod.

"Quick, we need to recover the ComPod, Alpha!" Zonda yelled worried, roughly calculating where the device had landed.

"I just wish mine wasn't lost in the crash..." Alpha replied.

As they cautiously but energetically dodged the crowd, they had a glimpse of the ComPod lying in the sandy ground. The image of the ComPod disappeared and reappeared between the endless legs that blurred their focus on the life saving device.

As they were getting very close, the ComPod suddenly disappeared from sight as it was kicked out of the way by some of the village dwellers.

"Where is it?!" Zonda yelled. He tried to locate the device, but it was nowhere near from where they spotted it first.

"Over there!" Alpha managed to relocate it. A villager started kicking the ComPod. But they noticed that the unfurred was aware of the shiny device, and he was kicking it away from other's sight until he ended in an alley.

The two Retcans finally managed to free themselves from the merciless river of dwellers until they reached the alley. They saw the villager picking up the device and immediately placing it inside a pocket as he smiled.

The Retcans tried to approach him, but the unfurred started walking at a fast pace, getting lost within the alley. This alley was a series of tight, dark corridors that at some point felt like a labyrinth. But the Retcans never lost track of the unfurred one.

"Hey, you! Please stop!" Zonda yelled at him. He tried to sound gentle, to avoid any confrontation.

The unfurred turned back to them and instantly quickened his pace. After several twists and turns through the alleyways, they finally reached the exit into another smaller plaza.

The agile Retcans managed to catch the unfurred and finally met with him face to face.

"Please, give it back. We need it." Zonda insisted gently.

The unfurred looked everywhere as if searching for an escape, when suddenly... "Thieves!" He yelled. The crowd gave their attention to what was going on, almost forming a circle around the Retcans and the one who had taken their ComPod. "These two wanted to steal from me!"

Both Retcans felt that something very bad was about to happen. Out of the nothing, two large and heavily armed unfurred ones appeared.

"What's going on here?!" One of them grunted.

"Those two! The ones with the strange cloaks." The liar pointed at both Zonda and Alpha. "They wanted to steal my property. They threatened me in that alley so I would give them my goods."

"No, wait! What he is saying is not what happened!" Zonda instinctively defended his brother and himself.

"We dropped our device. He took it!" Alpha also tried to point out the real facts.

Both intends of stating what just had happened didn't seem to convince the two large beings. The two of them approached Zonda and Alpha, now pointing their large guns at them.

"You two, on your knees now!" The heavy armed unfurred ordered.

The one who had taken the Retcan's ComPod tried to flee as quickly and silently as possible. "Where do you think you are going with that..." Suddenly, a menacing voice stopped him.

Meanwhile, Zonda and Alpha appeared to be in huge problems. The two guards were now surrounding them, hitting them with their guns, not forcibly enough to hurt them, but enough to intimidate them and make them answer their questions.

"Where are your permits? Show them to me!" One yelled furious.

"I don't know what you are talking about! My brother and I just needed some help!" Zonda tried to convince the guard.

"Your permits, NOW!" The other one insisted.

"Please, let us go. We don't want to cause any problems. You won't see us again, I promise." Alpha said firmly, but his voice started to break due to the nervousness that the situation provoked on them.

"No permits? NO GODDAMN PERMITS?" The guard yelled furiously.

The other one violently uncovered both Retcan's faces. "Outsiders..." He then looked to his partner as if they had made a great discovery.

"Where are you from? What is your business here?!" The guard demanded.

"Please, we do not seek any conflict. We just needed help to get back to our home world." Zonda once again tried to convince the heavily armed guard. He knew they could not fight their way out of this. They were injured and still weak. Besides, they didn't have an idea of how the rest would react.

"You made a big mistake, animal." One of the guards directed to Zonda.

"Kill them." The other guard suggested. As these words came out of the unfurred's mouth a huge sense of fear invaded both Retcans. Zonda and Alpha looked at each other; somehow they knew that it could be their last day alive.

"Let's kill them!" was heard within the crowd. "Just cut their heads off already!" Another one yelled.

"We are the law here; everyone back to their jobs!" One of the guards yelled, pointing his weapon to the crowd. The crowd obeyed reluctantly as if waiting to enjoy the inevitable massacre.

"Let's get this over with." The guard then told his partner.

Zonda and Alpha could hear them cock their weapons, getting ready to shoot at them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A mysterious voice echoed from behind. "Those two are with me..."