FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

One hundred meters ahead, the serpents thrashed against the ships and vehicles. Several flew through the air, one aimed directly at the little fox and older ermine. The fox watched the vehicle come at him, uncharacteristically frozen, distracted by his thoughts for a split second too long disabling him from dodging the large dropship.

Reacting on instinct, he put his paws in front of him as the ship smashed into him, and nearly rolled over him. The small fox could not stop the momentum, and the force made his hindpaws skid through the soft dirt while he was pushed back toward the trees.

Reaching for his sword, the used all his strength to cut through the ship's hull. He managed to hit a fuel line as the ship blew apart from the cut that threw the fox through the air but redirected the momentum so the ship wouldn't crush him.

The small fox was thrown through the woods until he crashed into a solid tree, with the crack of thunder of the tree snapping almost in half and the crushing of many of the fox's bones. The fox's vision instantly turned dark.

Where am I?

All around him were trees of an apple orchard and all he could feel was the tremendous pain in his chest. Pain he remembered caused by crashing his bicycle and landing on its handles. The pain didn't bring tears, but made it difficult to breath as he tried to make his way back to his house.

The strange world brought an uneasy feeling to him, and not because of the pain but because he had hoped he'd never see this world again. It was a world that rejected him, one that he never felt like he belonged and one that he could not save from itself.

Looking at his own body, he felt like it was nothing more than a vessel.

It was a dream.

The pain sharpened and Yukiomaru woke to see the Stealth home world again but his vision was blurred and he couldn't see through the trees of what was happening with the battle. From the dull flashes of light, the fox assumed fire was blossoming across the battlefield.

"Kazam-de," whispered Yukiomaru, thinking back on the hatchling that captured him and nearly destroyed his mind in attempt to infect him. Too painful to keep his eyes open, Yukiomaru closed them again.

This is not a dream, Yukiomaru thought to himself. That other life was the dream.

"Civilizations know nothing but war," Kazamde's words rung. They were both back on the battlefield, several minutes before Yukiomaru finally killed the Creeper. "There is no escaping it unless you learn to live peacefully on our planets."

"The price of sacrificing what we've accomplished and our own peace is too high, Kazamde," replied Yukiomaru, standing opposite from the hatchling. The rain and thunder was constant, and the battle of the cut off soldiers continued behind him.

"You've seen what peace that civilizations achieve for themselves can do!" yelled Kazamde, angrily. A claw was held lightly to his cheek where Yukiomaru had just landed a kick. "They all eventually destroy themselves. Trying to escape war, like my parents, was pointless. They were fools led by that self-named captain, Alberto."

"Your idea of peace will have us fighting for survival everyday," remarked Yukiomaru, growling slightly.

"The Creeper held worlds allow the natural habitants to exists and rarely feed on them. Those habitants have to find their own food but they learn how valuable life is and how to respect it. Civilizations like ours would kill the innocent for simply existing or being different, kill for possessions, kill for jealousy. Honestly, I cannot understand why you would say that to live with the planet is a fight for survival when so few can survive living with their own race."

"We are different," growled Yukiomaru before jabbing his spear toward Kazamde.

The attack was dodged, and Kazamde spun forward, attempting to bring his strange blade across Yukiomaru's neck. The fox leaned back, bending his spine by nearly ninety degrees, before lashing out with a kick. Kazamde dodged that as well, but Yukiomaru continued his attack by spinning with the momentum and swinging his spear out toward the hatchling.

"How different can you furred ones be?" yelled Kazamde after neither of them achieved landing another hit. The only thing they achieved was disarming the other. "It was a few years before you killed me that I was beaten by some stronger elders before they tortured and killed my sister. All the while the guards stood by and cheered on our abusers! We originate from Canidera like you do so we share some of the same genes, and you all cannot hide your bloodlust that my race has forever. I wanted peace like the other refugees, but that was only an illusion."

"We haven't had war amongst ourselves since we banished your race," Yukiomaru stated. "In place of bloodlust, we've learned friendship and love over everything else. I am growing tired of your arguments, Kazamde."

"Then you are truly lost, Yukiomaru," replied Kazamde before he attacked again.

Yukiomaru remembered seeing the determination in Kazamde but it was only masking a deep sadness. The fox had wondered what the reason for the feeling was but he could not forgive Kazamde for what he did to the arctic fox. He knew what he had to do but still, he felt uneasy when stabbed the spear through Kazamde's throat.

The Creepers are seeking peace, just like the rest of us, Yukiomaru thought. Their approach in achieving peace is radical but their motives are the same.

Hardly conscious, Yukiomaru felt himself being picked up. The pain from moving brought him made him more alert, just enough for him to open his eyes and realize that fire was burning across the landscape, reaching horizon to horizon. Looking up through his blurred vision, he recognized the red alien and his orange-tipped feathers with those almond-shaped black eyes.

"Velsh'nark," muttered Yukiomaru, struggling to stay awake. His mind was consumed by his confusion over killing Kazamde; the same confusion that caused him to hesitate when the drop ship was flying toward him only a few minutes ago.

Despite his fear of falling unconscious, Yukiomaru could not stay awake and drifted in and out of consciousness several times. Carried onto a medical ship, other aliens started to look Yukiomaru over but there was an argument until the Guardians left, except for Velsh'nark.

The familiar alien did his best to treat his wounds as the ship started to take off and leave the planet's atmosphere. The ride was rough but the medical ship reduced the shaking that allowed Yukiomaru to remain conscious. Slowly he started to sit up, to the objection of the alien. Regardless, Velsh'nark supported the fox.

"You should rest," Velsh'nark said with a very heavy accent. It would seem that he has learned to speak their language as well.

"I'm fine, Velsh'nark," stated Yukiomaru, his voice a little raspy. Glancing through the cockpit, his eyes widened. Thousands upon thousands of warships were in the system, with countless single fighters flying around the planets and asteroids.

The entire Guardian armada, Yukiomaru realized, slowly standing up and approaching the alien cockpit. His wounds started to feel better, being healed by the unnatural microscopic aliens in his bloodstream.

"We go to your ship," Velsh'nark said, remaining seated but still as tall as the fox standing. "Rest, we will be there soon."

It took a moment for Yukiomaru to realize that a moon-sized body in the middle of the armada was another ship. He remembered Velsh'nark once mentioning vaguely that the Creepers took their home world, and so the Guardians must have built that structure and that's where they live now.

Soon Drach'n Fury was distinguishable from the other ships as they approached. There was some damage to the hull but nothing that looked serious. By the time they were docking, Yukiomaru's was physically recovered and the broken bones in his body mended but he was still distracted.

Stepping off the ship, he was immediately pulled into the embrace of a familiar marten.

"Yuki," Jun muttered, holding the fox in his arms. "I was worried about you. After the Klienestov appeared, Fury knew we had to lure it away from the planet."

"I'm unhurt, Jun," replied Yukiomaru. The comforting touch was welcoming to him but the fox pulled away after a few seconds. "I'm glad you're safe. When did the Guardians arrive?"

"About an hour ago," replied Jun, taking a small step back and allowing the fox to keep his professional demeanor in front of the Guardians.

"Velsh'nark," said Yukiomaru, turning back to the alien. "We need to talk. Your companions are welcome on my ship if they choose to stay."

"Air is too dense for them," remarked the tall alien, following the fox off the hangar. Once they were in the corridors, it was Velsh'nark who asked the first question. "Where is Aggressor?"

"He's dead," Yukiomaru answered, leading the way to his office. "He landed on our planet but was killed by Fury before he could do anymore harm."

"Aggressor was killed?" asked Velsh'nark, using his own language again, relying on the translator. "And the younger Klienestov?"

"Yes, that one is dead too. Their invasion wave has been nearly annihilated and we're still battling them."

Velsh'nark refrained from speaking until they reached the Admiral's office. Once they arrived, Yukiomaru sat behind his desk and invited Velsh'nark to sit. Jun remained standing looking like some sort of bodyguard to the young fox, as he has done since Yukiomaru was rescued off of Velmaria.

"Fury, what is the status of the armada?" asked Yukiomaru, before resuming the conversation.

"Over three thousand capital class warships counted, Admiral," replied the intelligence, Fury. "Of our fleet, we lost three Stealth ships and two of ours. The Guardian Supreme Commander is ordering the fleet to head back to Canidera. The Guardians are very interested in talking with the leaders of the survivors that have rallied there."

"Why are you here, Velsh'nark?" Yukiomaru asked directly. "Why is your entire race going to our planet now after your fleet abandoned us when we were battling Aggressor?"

"The parasite has changed," Velsh'nark answered, staring back at the fox but not in an intimidating way. "Normally they are more passive with only a few groups of them, like Aggressor's armada, attacking and expanding. After Aggressor started his attack, our barricade was attacked on a scale never seen before. We were overwhelmed and our Supreme Commander recalled all of our fleets to try to hold the line."

"And now that you're here, I assume you failed," questioned Yukiomaru being straightforward.

"Yes, we were not successful. Our fleets were scattered and it took us several cycles to regroup, and that's when we saw forces still fighting in this sector. We came as fast as we could and now we're here."

"Why the change in the Creepers?"

"We do not know. We had hoped you would tell us."

"Me?"

"Yes. Aggressor went far from the boundary to attack your planet, and after that the Creeper waves pushed us hardest where they could attack your planet fastest."

"They're targeting us? Didn't you say that they've consumed thousands of alien civilizations?"

"Yes, I did. And never have they been so aggressive. You do not know why?"

Yukiomaru had to think on that a little bit. He couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with Kazamde.

"No," Yukiomaru said.

"How did your planet hold off an invasion that's crushed stronger civilizations than yours?"

"Killing the smaller Klienestov was relatively easy compared to Aggressor," Yukiomaru began. "We lured it close to the sun and pushed it in. Aggressor landed on the planet when we were trying to evacuate it, destroyed hundred of refugees ships and cost thousands of lives, but a bombardment of leathilium missiles burned him into ashes."

"And what about the rest of the invasion?" questioned Velsh'nark.

Yukiomaru didn't have the answer because he was captured moments after Aggressor's death.

"Our defenses held off most of it," answered Jun when he noticed Yukiomaru's hesitation. "Our planet is colder than most, and it seems that the Creepers rapid growth is slowed by extreme temperatures. We built a base high in the mountains and were able to continue the fight that we are still fighting today."

"They are affected by cold but not by that much," Velsh'nark stated, glancing off and thinking to himself for a moment. "It's another unusual Creeper behavior. Maybe they're weaker and slower without a strong presence nearby, like a Klienestov."

"That'd explain they why they were trying to grow another one under our cities," remarked Jun.

Yukiomaru was surprised to hear the news. He hadn't heard much about the battles going on the planet because he only spoke with Jun and his officers on occasion. With his officers he only spoke about the missions he was planning, and with Jun they avoided the topic of the war.

"You killed that one too?"

"Used one of our strongest bombs on it, that destroyed the landscape above," answered Jun, staring at the alien. Jun had grown taller since he last saw Velsh'nark but the alien was still almost as tall as him, sitting in a chair.

"Three Klienestov's dead in only a few short cycles," Velsh'nark said. "We had to hunt the last one we killed with two purification fleets, and that still took several cycles to finally destroy it."

Yukiomaru wondered what Velsh'nark would say if he told him about how he killed Kazamde. Does he even know about that type of infection? They've been fighting the Creepers for an unknown amount of time, how could they not?

"How long have you been fighting the parasite?" asked Yukiomaru.

Velsh'nark stared at the fox for a moment, comprehending the question. "Since they landed on our planet," answered Velsh'nark. "What I am about to tell you is something that we have never told an alien before. We have uneasy relations with most other aliens so I must urge that you do not share this information with anyone else. Is that understood?"

Yukiomaru nodded.

"Before we had star travel capabilities, an asteroid crashed into our ocean," started the red alien. "It took several planetary cycles for us to start noticing the change in our aquatic wildlife. From the sea came the first infested creatures we ever fought. The first planetary cycle, we lost nearly every coastal city. That's when the war started. Generations were spent fighting the parasite on the planet, until we started to develop technology to leave the planet that'd better combat the parasite."

"We thought they wouldn't be able to leave the planet but they infected our technology and soon the battle took to the stars," continued Velsh'nark. "We never encountered any other parasites off our planet until they started to spread. Our race was the first planet they infected, having travelled there by that asteroid. We eventually were pushed back and lost our planet. The survivors tried hiding for a time but the parasite was growing stronger with more time and we couldn't outrun them. Our technology continued to develop until we were able to fight back but it quickly became obvious that we would never win on our own.

"We tried to gain alliances with the aliens that we discovered, but then their planets fell they refused to take to the stars like us. Others fought us for no reason, and after one war nearly cost us our very existence, we decided to leave others to fight off the parasite themselves while we attempt to slow them down until we have enough power to destroy them. They are our responsibility because we failed to kill them when they were weak, when they crashed on our planet and in our ocean, when they were born."

"Have you ever seen a form of infection that looks no different than the original form?" asked Yukiomaru. "Not the mindless wights that they create, but something stronger, faster and far more deadly than the Klienestov?"

"I do not know what you mean," answered Velsh'nark. "Klienestov are the leaders of the entire parasitic race."

So, he doesn't know about them, or me, thought Yukiomaru.