FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Prologue

Alex turned over in his bed, still fast asleep. He dreamt he was in a forest clearing and he was covered in fur, but it was too dark to be sure what color it was. He was walking into the clearing when he heard a loud roar behind him. He turned around and there were two gleaming green eyes staring at him from the shadows. He yelped and ran out of the clearing and into a field. He tripped over a stump and fell into the long grass. He turned to get up when a dark figure pinned him to the ground and the figure opened its mouth to reveal a large set of razor sharp fangs. Then the figure lunged for his throat, and he woke up screaming.

Chapter 1

After Alex calmed down he went to the bathroom, which was only a half bath with a toilet and a sink. He walked over to the sink shakily and turned on the cold tap. He sighed with relief as the cool water splashed his face. He looked up into the over-hanging mirror that was cracked and stained with age. He gasped for what he saw in the mirror wasn't him but a fox standing on two legs and copying his movements. He blinked and the image was his own reflection again. Phew! This day just gets weirder and weirder Alex thought to himself. He walked into the small kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cheerios and sat down at the old and grimy table. After he was finished he stood up and walked over to the living room and picked up his backpack and walked out the door. Alex put his arm up to shield his sensitive eyes from the bright glare of the morning sun. He walked down the sidewalk pausing to smell the air. "I love the smell of those flowers." Alex mumbled to himself smelling the hint of jasmine in the air.

He walked down a few more blocks passing by a few old rundown buildings and cracked pavement. He wondered aloud, "Is this what the war left us, nothing but ruin and catastrophe.", he paused to look at a body bag laying beside a pile of rubble to his right, "And it has brought needless deaths to our city like my parents...". He stopped abruptly as tears welled into his eyes and streamed down his face. Alex had never cried over his parents deaths but this was a first. Alex was ashamed that he had cried in public so he quickly stood up and wiped away his tears, but still felling hollow he walked on. He began to stray from the road and start to walk into the grassy overgrown field to his left. He began to feel a little better because the quiet sounds of the field calmed him. He began running faster and faster, until he was at an all-out sprint from sheer joy of the freedom he had in this field. "This is great!" Alex screamed with joy. Alex ran some more and then he tripped over something hard. He fell over sprawled on the soft grass and sat up and turned around in agitation to see just what had tripped him. He looked in confusion at a trapdoor slightly ajar almost unnoticeable by the mass of grass covering it.

Alex picked off the grass and leaves covering the trapdoor. He ran his hand against the smooth wood of the trapdoor, and he peered at a small little symbol on the center of the trapdoor. It was a picture of a moon with three slashes through it. Weird he thought but there was still plenty of daylight out and he was a curious person so he opened the door. He staggered back as a cold blast of air rushed to meet him from below. "Wow. I'd bet no one has been in this since before the war" he voiced his thoughts. He looked down and saw a steel ladder had been installed into the side of the narrow tunnel into the unknown. He nervously climbed down the ladder until after a few minutes found himself at the bottom. He looked around in awe for this was not just a room but an underground cavern. The cavern was dotted with huge orange crystals which gave off a warming luminescence. To the far end of the cavern was a large vault door that was halfway open. He walked up to it and pushed it the rest of the way open without a sound and walked inside the room beyond. The cavern he just walked out of was shabby compared to this marvelous room. The walls were made of crystal and the center of the room held a massive column of the same type of crystal, but the crystal in the center appeared to be throbbing like a heartbeat.

Alex walked over to the center crystal and saw that there was writing on it. "The one who has lost everything and has seen the end will be bestowed of a power unknown." Alex read aloud. Then he gasped as the crystal began to glow harshly and it began to shudder. Then he began to float in the air and he tried desperately to get back down but it was a futile attempt. Then the room vanished and he was floating in a space alone with the crystal still glowing harshly. "What's going on?" he thought aloud. Then Alex turned to face the crystal and a icy white beam of energy surged toward him. Suddenly as the beam hit he felt so cold it was like the life was being sucked out of him, but he felt strangely calm. He felt a sharp pain in his back as his bones started to rearrange themselves. His hands started to elongate and develop pads on his palm and fingertips. His legs began to bend backwards as they became dog-like. Then his face began to stretch and form a muzzle. Finally a coating of thick orange fur covered his entire body except his hands, feet, and the center of his face were stark white and a crescent moon has appeared on his chest. Then the room came back and Alex, knocked unconscious by pain, floated gently to the ground. Then the light in the crystal in the center of the room began to fade until it was just barely more than a small candlelight.

.....................

Alex woke with a start he yawned and stretched "Mmmm. I had an odd dream just then. There was a crystal, a trapdoor, a huge underground cavern..." he trailed away as he realized his surroundings. "It wasn't a dream." He said in wonder then he walked over to the vault door and walked into the cavern. He climbed the ladder and eventually reached the surface which was broad daylight out so he guessed he had been asleep for a day or two. He started towards the road and walked back into the ruined city. He passed by a old shop and looked at the window absent mindedly. In the window he saw what looked like a fox standing upright on two legs glaring back at him. He walked on not giving the odd image a second thought, and then he realized what he just saw and ran back to the window and stared in disbelief at the image before him. He slowly raised his hands and he gazed in horror at the paws that greeted him. He screamed out of shock and disbelief that he had become this thing. Then he slowly began to feel strangely happy. He jumped up and down in pure happiness that he had gotten his life-long wish, to get a second chance at the ruined life he had. He dropped on all fours and ran into the forest on the outskirts of the city. Since no human being had lived in this part of the world since the war the sanctuary had grown into forest of epic proportions.

He ran for a few minutes into the forest and then he stopped and stood up panting hard. Then he climbed up a tree with little difficulty and laid down on the huge branch and within minutes he was fast asleep. However out in the forest a creature stirred, it had not seen anyone or anything in this forest in a long time for it had been here since before the war. It was mad, oh yes it was mad that something was foolish enough to disturb its peaceful forest. The creature howled a blood-curdling cry and started in the direction of the disturbance. Another creature was stirring as well but he was kind and loved to play games, he had not played a game for a few years but this new guy was a perfect chance. So he made off in the direction of the new guy and was giggling the whole way. Alex was having a perfect dream, he was in the forest closing in on a deer and he sat in the undergrowth without a sound. Then he tensed his muscles and jumped and killed the deer with a swift flash of his claws on its neck. Then he woke up, yawned, and stretched out on the branch and put his arms behind his head and relaxed. "What a great dream" he said aloud while staring at the beautiful dawn sky. Then a deep voice sounded down to him from above, "That it is. And just who are you.". Alex looked up and saw two gleaming green eyes staring at him from the branches above his head. Then a weight dropped onto him and he stood facing a well built tiger with white fur and blue stripes running down its back, like him it was on two legs and he looked like he was having fun not attacking.

Chapter 2

"W-who are you?" Alex stammered. The tiger simply let out a purr and said, "I'm Max, and I've been watching you for a while now.". "Umm...hi Max, and why were you watching me?", Alex asked nervously. He purred and licked Alex's face, "'Cause I think you're cute. And I haven't had anyone to play with for a long time. Want to play?", he asked excitedly. "Umm...sure. What do you wanna play, but you need to get off of me first.", Alex said with a laugh. "Oh sorry hope you didn't mind." Max said as he stood up. "It's ok and about that game?" Alex began. "Oh right, how about we play tag." Max jumped up and down excitedly. "Sure, sounds fun." Alex said ready to play himself. Max walked over to Alex and poked him gently in the chest. "Tag! Your it!" he hollered then he began running along the branch and jumped across a small gap to another tree. Alex jumped up and raced towards Max on his new fox legs. He quickly shortened the distance until he caught up with Max and poked him in the back "Gotcha'. Phew I'm exhausted." Alex gasped. "You are so much fun! We should do this tomorrow but it's getting late we should make camp." Max purred. "Ok I'll go catch us something." Alex called to Max jumping out of the tree. "I'll make the beds and stuff." Max called to Alex. Alex was felling really happy that he had a new friend as he walked around scenting the air for prey. He smelled a couple rabbits nearby and quickly pinpointed they're location. They were eating lazily a few leaves that hung low to the ground from a bush. Alex ran up and killed one with a bite and snapped the other ones neck with his paw.

Feeling triumphant Alex walked back to the tree with the rabbits in each of his paws. He bunched up his legs and leaped up onto the branch and saw Max putting piles of leaves together to make beds. Max turned around and grinned "That catch looks pretty tasty, nice one." He purred. "Its nothing. They practically ran into my mouth." Alex chuckled. He sat down on one of the beds and started eating his rabbit and passed the other to Max. "Mmmm...thif if greaf." Max said with his mouth full. Alex fell over laughing and almost rolled out of the tree. "What's so funny?" asked Max with a half-serious face. "This!" Alex roared and playfully tackled Max. They rolled over and over occasionally warm-heartedly growling at each other for a while then they stopped and sat side by side looking at the night sky. "I'm glad I have you as a friend Max" Alex said sleepily and he laid his head on Max's fluffy shoulder and fell asleep in seconds. Max stroked Alex's head "Goodnight Alex." He purred. Then gently Max picked up Alex and set him down on the bed he made for Alex and then he laid down on his and he fell asleep in minutes.