FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Had there been some wind to whistle through empty halls, the two intruders might have felt better by the presence of sounds, something to break the unholy silence of this castle. But all they could her was their own steps echoing endlessly through the halls, like a stone thrown down a well. "You think this place is abandoned?" asked James softly. "I don't think so...I mean the place is a li'l too...clean-looking." "Yeah you're right, nothing's broken or in repair, or that dusty even. Someone has to be living here." With no proper direction to go, they stuck close to each other, investigating room after room of seemingly useless storage, as well as a rather robustly-sized rectangular kitchen that had pretty much everything that was needed and the size of a restaurant's. More evidence that someone lived here, judging by the food that was well-stocked and the various appliances all neatly cleaned, a central area of metal cupboards and worktables. Fridges, cupboards and cookers lining across the walls. A kitchen this big made Sailor Dee wonder aloud: "Maybe this is the king's palace!?" "King?" "Yeah, King Dedede, he's the guy that rules Dream Land." "Oh...what's he like?" "Ehhh kinda selfish and a huge appetite, but he's not a bad guy. He just tends to not think of others as much as he should." "Hmmm...is he like some kind of really young king, like a kid?" "No way, he's a full adult!" "Right...so if this is the king's place, you think we should even be near his food?" "Mmmmmaybe not, he can get really crabby if you try to take his food. Maybe it's not even his castle, but I don' wanna risk it. If it is though...I kinda hoped it'd be bigger." "How many people own castles in this world, anyway?!" "Um...there's Dedede...and Castle Lololo...can't think of any others." After wandering around the kitchen a little, they decided to hold themselves until they could find the owner and ask permission, continuing onwards in their ultimate search for a place to sleep. After what felt like 5 minutes of walking, the wind began to filter from the outside, blasting through a window suddenly. "AAAGH!"

The two panicked and cowered slightly before they realised with a sigh. "Goddamnit," murmured the raptor, "hope your house isn't too far away from here." "Me too. I don't recognise this castle at all. Maybe it isn't Dedede's." "Why do you say that?" "I been to his castle before, when I was getting transferred onto the Halberd. The layout of this place is juuuust a li'l off." "So...why did you become a sailor?" The question now came to his mind curiously. "Well I wanted to do something with my life, felt home life turnin' a li'l boring, heard about the Halberd and the legendary Meta Knight." "Meta Knight?" "He's this awesome guy, commands a whole platoon of soldiers who fly across Dream Land scouting the land." "Sound like a buncha pirates to me." "Meta Knight's way more than just a pirate though! He...he's a legend. He's a master of the sword, he's so noble too, he never fights an opponent unfairly." "Hmm." James wondered of those sort of knightly characters, the way they were so chivalrous in never fighting on unequal grounds. It was not for him. When he fought, he took every advantage possible, because to win was to survive for another day. He didn't say this to Sailor Dee in case he upset him. After they stopped talking, they heard a thud from behind them, something falling to the ground heavily. "Wh-what was that!?!" "I-i-i-i dunno!" "M-maybe a bat knocked something over or-" "Wait." James listened intently out for another sound, faint at first, but he could hear it all the same. Some sort of shuffling noise. It soon turned louder, coming from the north, never stopping, heading straight towards them yet they could see nothing down the corridor. James could spy a shadow, something huge and block-like, advancing forwards with such a speed. And then he realised. "JUMP!" Grabbing Sailor Dee, he leapt out of the way to narrowly avoid a huge sturdy-looking box from slamming into them, passing effortlessly through the hallway to the other side, its continuous sliding fading away from their ears. "...the fuck was that?!" "Uh oh...I think I know now whose castle this is." "Who?" "Castle Lololo." "Lolowha?" "They're these two guys who work for Dedede, brother and sister, must be tryin' to defend their castle." "Well isn't he your king, you can tell them to stop." "A-alright." Sailor Dee called out loud as he could to the darkness.

"Hello!?!? Lololo? Lalala? It's okay, we're friends of Dedede!" Silence reigned for a while in the dark castle. But they heard no reply. A quick shuffling back and forth like scurrying rats, the tiniest of giggles from two directions made James nervous. "D-dammit, what's with these freaks?" "M-maybe they didn't hear me...HELLO!?!?! WE'RE NOT ENEMIES! CAN YOU HELP US PLEASE!?!?" There then came another loud shuffling noise from the west. James saw the shadow and was ready this time to dodge with the sailor, moving to behind a column as another large box slid past without slowing, whooshing past like a train. "Wh-what the hell!?!" "GUYS, come on!" The only answer they received were giggles before one of them spoke rather childishly: "So...you think you got some amazing skills huh?" "Wh-what?" "Well, why dontcha try an' figure your way out of this!" The shuffling was twice as loud, and James could sense it from two different directions, both the north and the east. Waiting for the right moment, he dodged back with Sailor Dee following him as the two boxes flew past them, one across and one to the distance, never in danger of colliding with each other. "Are they like kids or something!?" "W-w-well kinda!" "Oh come ON! Am I stuck in some private little playground for two stupid kids!?!" "Stupid!?!" The voices from the shadows said in unison. "You call us stupid!?! You guys wander into a castle at night, who's the stupid one now!?!?" "We just wanna sleep, okay!? It's cold out there!" "Nobody calls us stupid and gets away with it!" More sliding boxes began to assault them from different directions, testing James' reflexes as he dodged and rolled step after step, with no place seemingly safe from being slalomed into by the large tractionless obstacles. Sailor Dee did his best to stick to the raptor, trying to find a safe spot before he saw a small room, grabbing James' arm and diving into it. It appeared to be a storage room for art supplies, filled with easels, brushes and half-empty paint pots.

They waited for a while until the sliding stopped, the sounds of shuffling little feet pacing back and forth across the hallways. James waited for the two steps to get closer to the door, slowly edging his way towards it. Placing his head upon the solid wooden frame, he put one hand on the handle, waited for the steps to turn loudest, and suddenly thrust the door open. A resounding single THWACK came from the other side. James immediately ran to the other side of the door and grabbed the assailant, surprised to hear a girlish scream as he manhandled it. "AIE LEMME GO!" "Hold still asshole, you're gonna gimme some answers NOW!" Slamming the assailant in his hands against the wall, he was surprised moreso to find it was a pink ball-like creature, with wide blue eyes and white limbs with a tiny red bow on its head, clearly scared. "Le-le-lemme go..." "Huh...so you were the one pushing blocks around?" "Y-y-yeah, I-i was jus' doing what I was told to..." "And who told you to do that?" "K-k-king Dedede!" Sailor Dee was rather confused by this and walked up asking: "Why would the king ask you to take us down?" "Well...he just said to do it to any intruders other than him...h-he's been tryin' to stop Kirby." "Kirby!?!" Sailor Dee's face suddenly turned into terror. James was confused but decided to let them off the hook and asked: "Okay listen, we're not gonna hurt you or your pal. Just give us a place to sleep, some food, and all's forgiven. Sound good?" The pink one nodded and called out to the darkness: "LOLOLO! It's okay! They don' wanna hurt us!" And then, like a ninja, out came a creature just like the one James was holding, except blue. He put her down and they hugged each other, looking up at the raptor. "I'm sorry sir...we were jus' following orders." "It's okay, I guess you can't stop following a king really...mmmngh...is there a room we can sleep in?" "Sure," said Lololo whose voice was also child-like, "we'll take ya there, an' sorry again about uh-" "Just forget about it, it's alright, all I want right now is a bed." The two castle owners took their guests to a rather comfortable-looking room down the farther end of the castle, practically across the entire length of it. The room itself had several beds, dressers, a mirror, even its own bathroom adjacent with fine red carpets and oaken bed frames. "This is the guest room," said Lololo proudly, "You guys can sleep here 'til the morning." "Fine by us, thank you." "Alrighty, g'night then! We gotta get back to our duty now." And so they were left alone, with James just leaping onto a bed and snuggling into it immediately, surprised at how it wasn't even dusty. He wondered if the two had servants or if they did this all themselves. Either way, he was glad of being able to get under the sheets. It was the most soothing feeling he had ever experienced, as if he were back in his own bed, though this one was far plushier. He didn't even hear Sailor Dee trying to discuss things with him when he immediately fell fast asleep, and when the sailor realised this, he went to sleep in turn. Yet despite their success in uncovering the ones who tried to attack them, there was another shadow who observed quietly from the windows. Waiting.

The next day, James and Sailor Dee woke up feeling incredibly refreshed, the raptor moreso. "Mmmmmnnnngh oh god that was the best sleep I ever had." "Yeah?" "God yes...I haven't slept in a bed like this for...well, a while." "Glad to hear. Hey I wonder if those guys made breakfast?" "Why don't we find out huh?" They gently opened the door and called out to Lololo and Lalala that they were awake, and they were soon greeted by Lalala with smiling eyes. "Hi there! Didya sleep well?" "We did, thank you!" "Maybe I better introduce myself. I'm Lalala, and my brother around here is Lololo." "I'm James and this is Sailor Waddle Dee. We're gonna be heading off to his home soon, though if it's okay with you, we'd like to have some breakfast." "Ooooh, I'll get one of the servants to whip ya up something!" "Servants? Wow, you guys live nice and cushy, huh?" "Well it IS our castle, hehehee! So how about ya head down to the kitchen over there and ask?" "Alright thanks! We just need to eat and we'll be out of your hair quickly." Sailor Dee decided to ask a more specific question however. "Uhh, do you know which way Vegetable Valley is?" "Yeah, it's west all the way that way! Cantcha see Yogurt Yard over there?" Lalala pointed out the window to a huge mountain in the distance, a grey triangle picturesque against the sky. "Ohhhhhh yeah, then it's past Butter Building and Ice Cream Island right?" "Yep! Ya might have to take a detour through Grape Garden to get to Butter Building though." "Yeah maybe...thanks for everything, by the way." "Yer welcome! An' sorry again about before-" "Naaaah nah it's okay, long as we can keep on moving after a nice breakfast." "Welp, I'll letcha two fill yerselves up, bye now!" And then she ran off, leaping up to the ramparts to keep guard over her castle. James was feeling even more hungry now by the conversation alone. "...are all the places here named after food?" "Yep." "Damn...I better not look at a map or I'll go crazy with hunger." And speaking of hunger, the kitchen was more aflame than it was last night. In fact they began to notice the entire castle was a lot more lively than before, bustling with all sorts of creatures who had either arrived in the early morning, or had slept somewhere unbeknownst to them in the grounds, halls now well-lit and bleaching white against the morning sun. The kitchen was thriving and steaming with dozens of different smells that made James go weak at the knees. Truly he had made the right choice to come to a land so fertile in its produce, he'd never seen a kitchen this big in his life, and so full of scents truly fit for a king!

The fresh fruity scents of strawberries and bananas, the almost tooth-rottingly sweet fragrance of candy, and the robustly mouth-watering stench of ham. All of them just mixed into the raptor's nostrils enough to make his teeth water. Noticing them in the doorway was the head chef, a strange tall orange character in an apron and a chef hat, smiling at them. "Hello there! How can I help you strangers?" "Oh hi!" Sailor Dee waddled forwards excitably. "Lololo and Lalala said we could have some food before we leave." "Ohhh you're guests? Well please, ask away and I'll see what I can do. I'm Chef Kawasaki." James smirked at the name and replied: "Kawasaki huh? What's your girlfriend called, Sue Zuki?" He laughed to himself, much to the other two's perplexment, before he calmed down a bit and shrugged it off. "Uhhh just a joke back from where I came from, sorry. I really appreciate you giving us some food, chief." "Chef, boy, chef! Not chief. Now what would you like?" "Well, whatcha got?" "Everything! Candy, meat, fruit and vegetables, whatever you choose, we got ourselves WELL stocked!" And so they took their earnest opportunity to ask for the most delicious food the chef could muster, and what a breakfast they were given. Fried eggs so white and slippery, strawberry jam so thick and tangy, ham and cheese toasties that melted just perfectly into itself and into their stomachs, all topped off with a heaping of candy for James to carry in his small pouch, filling it to bursting. With eternal gratitude and full stomachs, they were ready to leave. Waving goodbye to the castle inhabitants, they made their way west towards the huge mountain in the distance, Yogurt Yard. Sailor Dee's memory was starting to come back to him as they began walking to it, their pace far more strong than yesterday's with renewed spirits and heartwarming cheer. James was especially enjoying the look of this new place, moreso for the abundance of food that seemed to exist. One question however came to mind to ask his companion. "So...you know how those two in the castle were talking about this Kirby?" "...uhhh huh?" "Well...who is he? How come you freaked out?" "W-well...remember the ship I was on?" "Ah huh." "He crashed it. Blasted it into the sea himself." "...jesus, is he some kinda warrior?" "He's got a good heart but he...I dunno what he wants sometimes, all of Dream Land loves him except Dedede, and Meta Knight only considers him a worthy rival, but...sometimes the guy's just crazy in what he can do. He can copy ANYONE'S ability, can run for days without tiring out, floats with the wind, rides with the stars, and can take a heck of a lot of damage." "Woah...what's he look like?" "Like a big pink rubber ball." This was the part where James did not take him seriously.

"You're just shitting me now arentcha?" "No really! Don't let his looks deceive ya, he's one mean machine when he's got a mission in mind!" "And what mission is that?" "Not sure now, I mean last time it was taking down the Halberd cuz he didn't want Meta Knight ruling Dream Land." "Wait...your boss wanted to conquer the land?" "Yeah?" "Is he...a good guy?" "He's noble fer sure! He had great ideas for Dream Land, I'm sure he'd have lead it into a golden era of balanced work and play and productivity for all!" "And it isn't like that now?" "Well...kinda? I dunno...I just joined cuz it sounded exciting." "At least you're honest, and that counts a lot." They walked onwards, the mountain starting to become more outlined to their eyes, rising higher and higher before them with every step until they reached its base. Yogurt Yard was perhaps one of the tallest, if not THE tallest mountain in Dream Land, piercing even the clouds themselves. The clouds thickly convalesced around the peak to the point that they looked almost solid and unmoving, mimicking the earth beneath them. The entrance laid before them as an underground shaft in the grey rockface. "We gotta go inside and climb upwards," said the sailor. "No climbing on the outside?" "Nope, it's way too steep, so people dug out tunnels to reach the top easier, and then we can get to Grape Garden!" "Is it some kind of huge orchard on the other side of the mountain?" "Nooooo it's right up there! See?" James gazed upwards and he saw nothing but the sky and the clouds, keeping his stare at the peak until nothing came to him. "Nnnnnnnnope not seeing it." "The clouds right there, come on you HAVE to see those!" "Wait, the CLOUDS!? But...but it's called Grape GARDEN, how can a garden be up in the sky!?!" "It's just a name, don't be so picky!" Leaving the raptor in confusion, Sailor Dee wandered into the interior of Yogurt Yard, with said confused raptor following in turn rubbing his head trying to comprehend a garden being grown in the clouds. It was weird enough plants could grow candy but from the SKY? That was pushing it, even for a place called Dream Land, which in retrospect he should have just accepted without question.

The inside of the mountain was very well maintained, with supports everywhere to keep the tunnels from collapsing and various doorways leading upwards or downwards. Getting directions from the few workers in there was a chore, especially when they hated being disturbed, but they nevertheless got enough to navigate properly upwards through the strata of gemstones both semi-valuable and totally worthless. They even discovered more candy growing in the rocks, but again avoided them. It took them what felt like 3 hours just to reach the upper part of the mountain, climbing through various tunnels, with James wall-kicking upwards to higher areas and lending a hand to Sailor Dee for places he couldn't clear. With a destination set they didn't even need to ask anyone else for more directions once they got the hang of it, finally reaching the very peak of Yogurt Yard. And what a peak. The top of the mountain range itself was an incredible view for James. He'd never seen mountains like this before, half-peaked with snow, bracing against the furious high winds that dared to suck their breath away, and managing to do so quite well. But they had to keep going, trying not to talk, focusing on their air intake and trying to reach the clouds. "Are we...huuuh...gonna reach that?" "S-sure," panted Sailor Dee, "...nnnGUH...j-just head fer the clouds!" "H-hokay!" With occasional bursts of energy, they fought against the lung-battling winds as they traversed the mountains, rocky cliffs all over the place offering only severe injury and perhaps even death if they got too careless. But they managed to navigate them well enough, thanks to Sailor Dee's memory starting to shine, remembering how he had travelled these very mountains from before. Soon they had reached Grape Garden. Which was to be an altogether different experience for James Campbell.

The easiest methods of tracking had lead the shadowed figure towards the raptor, following him since Castle Lololo. What would have been a routine investigation had become a rescue mission. He only managed to see some of it, but he was sure that was the one he'd been looking for, with that strange-looking fugitive. Why was he taking him along? Was it coercion? There were a lot of factors that could make this situation not what it seemed, but he had to make sure. He would have a much easier time following them in the clouds further on. And he knew the perfect place to confront them.