FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The walk back to the tribesman's village was a chilly awkward one, and left Jason feeling younger than he had even when he traveled with Micha. And she had an uncanny ability to make him feel like an ass. He glanced around himself in grudging admiration.

Though the wood was still touched by winter, he could see the small buds of spring trying to pop back to life a bit early. The wide trunks of the majestic trees that rose around them only grew larger and more gnarled as they traveled further in. Soon the young human couldn't even see they sky through the bare branches and he wondered how dark it got once the leaves began growing. He shuddered to think that the large wolf before him could probably navigate them without thought even on the darkest night. He found himself stumbling over roots in broad daylight. The wolf looked back at him for a moment before stopping. Micha was sleeping peacefully in his arms and he felt a twinge of jealousy that the wolf could touch her so easily. He suddenly wished he knew more of her customs and beliefs. That he had bothered to ask instead of remaining a passive observer.

"The sick hut is empty and roughly ten paces to your left. Should you need to speak to either me or her, simply blow this. We will hear it, although I don't suggest blowing more than twice unless it's an emergency." He said. He shifted Micha's relatively small body to one arm and pulled a necklace off of his neck and tossed it to the human. Jason caught it and nearly wanted to drop it once he realized that it was a whistle made of human bone. He imagined the arm of the person it came from and repressed another shudder. He looked up and gave a short bow to the tribal leader.

"Thank you for your hospitality." He intoned. He meant relative civility but knew it wouldn't do to get snippy with him after he was being housed. The wolf's ears went back in amusement as a grin broke out on his face.

"Such a strange bow. When you leave I will show you the proper way of doing so." He said. Knowing he was being teased and taking it in stride Jason shrugged and replied,"You're a leader and deserve respect, and that is the only way I know how." The wolf appraised him before slinking off into the wood, taking his vixen with him. Jason looked to his left and began walking. The wolf had been correct and he approached a small sudden clearing with a hut at its center. It was a squat square thing made of logs, grass and a mud mixture holding it together. When he entered the building he was assaulted with the smell of a sick bay. Herbs hung from the low roof and a mixed assortment of rugs covered the hard earth floor. It was empty save two small cots and an oven at the back. The wind was effectively trapped outside despite the flimsy door covering and Jason sighed before unloading his backpack onto the ground. He had woken less than an hour ago but felt drained enough to sleep again already.

He sat on one of the cots and half-heartedly noticed that the blankets were strewn about and a steaming cup sat beside it. He looked it over again with renewed interest. Someone else stayed in the cabin he noted. A rustling at the back of the cabin drew his attention to the back door, covered in drying herbs and long thick forest leaves, where a female wolf entered. He eyed her long lithe form and her narrowed golden eyes and swallowed heavily.

Lise put the vixen down in an honored guest hut and smoothed her dark hair from her face. It was sleek and thick. It warmed him to know she was at least healthy. And now that she was under his care, she would be cared for as fitting her species. He waved over one of his female attendants and asked her to set up an alter so that she might properly speak to her Goddess when she awoke. No doubt she hadn't been able to reach her in the Christian temple she had been at previously. He stood and left her to her much needed rest.

He had only one other fox in his pack and some days he regretted taking in the high strung young male. He was only seventeen summers old, curious as a cat and inventive to a fault. The wolf females fawned over him, but he hardly noticed at all. He was wrapped up in his world of technology and invention and the females of his pack didn't care much for his science until he created something useful, like the pulley system used to their laundry. He was a handsome, eccentric young thing, but Lise grew tired of the explosions, injuries and malfunctioning equipment. Not to mention the fact that the cur hardly ever got clearance for his experiments within the village. He shook his head and hoped the tiny female in the hut behind him didn't share his eccentric tendencies.

"Ah. Hi. I-uh. Leader Lis-um. I'm supposed to be here I swear." Jason stammered out. The tall female slunk towards him, her gold coin top clinking as she swayed. Her dress was slightly ratty and covered more of her than he originally thought. It was haltered and dotted with beads of sea glass and gold. The sound of her moving about was soothing. She wore a circlet of pearls and assorted teeth around her head and she smiled a bit before settling onto the cot across from him. She had an odd smile, strangely toothless. Even when Micha smiled he often caught a glimpse of her fangs, no matter how hard she tried to hide them. This wolf seemed more adamant about not showing them than even his companion.

She held her paw out and he took in her assorted bracelets. One in particular caught his attention and he regretted looking it over as it moved. It wasn't a bracelet at all, but a snake. The snake writhed off of her wrist and made its way towards the young man. He sent her furtive looks as it slithered onto his cot and onto his lap. There it coiled up and stared up at him. He looked up at the witchy woman and swallowed again. Her eyes had glazed over and she stared at nothing. A thin white film began to gloss over her eyes as she tapped out a beat onto her legs, the sound almost like music as glass and metal rubbed against each other.

The snake began to move again and Jason dropped his eyes back to the massive green and brown creature. It hissed and writhed before pinning him with eyes identical to that of the wolf before him. He reached a shaking hand towards the whistle on his neck as the snake began hissing lowly and twining about him.

He took a deep breath, but before the whistle could reach his lips, the snake had reared back, fangs protruding and the last thing he could do before everything went dark was drop the whistle and begin to scream.