FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1:Just a myth

"Keep up son! It's not gonna stay sunny forever!" Said a large, hefty man hiking in the woods.

Behind him was a young and lean teenage boy trudging along with his oversized backpack. The boy took a deep breath and said.

"I know dad. I'm...I'm trying my best."

The man laughed in a deep voice and hiked on. The boy hurried to his father and said.

"Dad?"

"Yea son?"

"How far do we have to go?"

The man smiled at his son and said.

"We can stop when we get on top of that hill. I always look for a place with a good view."

The boy then seemed worried.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever hiked here before?"

"Well no, I haven't. But what does it matter. A good day like this shouldn't be wasted."

"But...but haven't you heard the stories?"

The man then looked at his son with a puzzled face.

"What stories?"

"Well, I know you don't come here much, but people say that this forest is not safe."

The man found humor in his son's superstitions.

"Not safe?" He said. "Look around son. The birds are singing, foxes are lurking, and the weather couldn't be more forgiving. What can possibly make this 'not safe'?"

The boy looked behind him in worry then looked back at his dad and said.

"Wren."

"When?"

"No, Wren." The boy said slowly.

"Wren? What is a Wren?"

The boy leaned close to the man.

"Well, no one in the city knows her, but the people at that little town say that she's like a...uh...like a forest spirit."

The man burst out laughing and nearly fell over. The boy felt a little insulted by his father's gesture. The man then composed himself and said.

"Okay, what kind of nutcase town believes in a...forest spirit?"

"I'm serious." Said the boy. "And many people say that as they go deeper in the forest, weird things start to happen."

The man was starting to wipe joyful tears out of his eyes and said.

"Son, you need to stop listening to those stories. They mess with your mind."

The boy crossed his arms and didn't say another word.

Soon the two had finally come to the perfect spot on top of the hill.

"Alright, we can set up here for a while." Said the man after taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

The boy was so relieved that he fell on the ground in exhaustion.

"Oh thank god." He said.

"Oh get up." Said the man. "We've only been hiking for an hour and a half. Just wait till later."

The boy stayed on the ground and moaned in agony.

The man took off his backpack and set it on the ground.

"Alright, son. You set up the tent and I'll look for some firewood." He said as he took out an axe. "I'll be back."

The man wondered off as the boy struggled to get his backpack off. Eventually, he managed to make it slip off his back and fall on the ground. He unzipped his bag and took out a small tent kit. When he opened the kit, numerous bits and pieces of the tent fell out all around him. The boy let out a long sigh and then went to work. Meanwhile, the man began chopping down branches and small trees for firewood. He ended up with three pieces of wood the size of rolled up newspapers. Along with a few twigs in his pocket, it came to be a decent amount of wood, but the man wanted more. He soon came to another small tree. He then dropped his wood and readied his axe. Suddenly, the man stopped in the middle of his swing. For reason unknown, the man began to feel like he was being watched. He quickly turned around, but saw nothing behind him. All he heard was a little rustle in the trees. He soon stopped his worrying and began chopping at the tree.

After awhile, the man returned to their camp sight only to find his son sleeping on the ground next to an unfinished tent. The man dropped his wood and axe on the ground in anger.

"For Pete's sake, wake up!" Screamed the man.

The boy quickly awakened to the shouting.

"Didn't I tell you to set up the tent?" Said the man.

The boy rubbed his eyes and said.

"Wait...what?"

"The tent son, the tent. Why didn't you finish it? I thought you knew how."

The boy looked at the unfinished tent in shock.

"Wait, but...I do...and...I did." He said.

The man looked un-amused and said.

"Did what? Sleep?"

"No, I did set up the tent."

"Oh did you now? Because it looks undone to me."

"But...I..."

"Just set it up again."

The boy sighed.

"Okay." He answered.

The boy got up to go fix the tent while the man set up his firewood. The boy soon noticed that the tent was set up, but the pole that keeps the tent up had fell down, and not only that, some of the strings were untied. The boy still believed that he set up the tent, but now he believed that someone must have untied it. Soon the boy fixed the tent back up again and went to go help his father with the wood.

"You done with the tent?" The man asked.

"Yea." Said the boy. "I guess the wind must've blew it down."

"There's barely even a breeze out here."

"You never know."

Suddenly, the two heard something fall behind them. They both looked and saw that the tent was on the ground again. The man looked at the boy with an annoyed face.

"I swear I put it up right." Said the boy. "And you said there was barely a breeze."

The man didn't answer and went to the tent. The boy followed. Once they got there, the man kneeled down and looked at the tent.

"I see now, you didn't tie the strings tight enough." Said the man.

The boy looked completely confused and said.

"But...I...how?"

"Just come pick it up so I can tie it again." Said the man.

The boy did as he was told and raised the tent. Then the man crawled under and raised the pole. Once he set up the pole he called for his son. The boy then crawled under the tent with him.

"Alright now look," The man said. "You have to take this string here and tie it to the top like this."

The man was tying the string, when, suddenly, the tent had fallen down and covered both of them. The boy panicked and began kicking and pulling the tent off of him. The father flailed his arms up as well. The two were completely tangled in the thick layers of the tent.

"Ah, my leg is stuck!" Screamed the boy.

"Well, stop kicking the tent!" Screamed the man. "Just try to stand up!"

"I'm...I'm trying, my leg is still stuck!"

"Well get it unstuck."

The boy started grabbing through the tent fiercely.

"I got it!" Said the boy.

He pulled the leg and his father fell on top of him.

"Ow, that was my leg!" The man said.

"Oh, sorry." Said the boy.

After a few more tugs and pulls, the two of them finally threw the tent off. Once they were free, they began to hear an odd noise. It was a playful laughter. The two looked around them to find the source of it.

"Who's there?" Said the man.

Then, out of nowhere, an impish feminine voice answered back.

"Who else." It said.

The boy was frightened. He slowly walked closer to his father and whispered.

"It's Wren."

"Enough of those stories." Demanded the man. "There is no Wren."

"Are you sure?" Said the voice echoing around the forest.

"Alright, jokes over." Said the man. "You can't fool me, I know you're just hiding behind a tree or something."

The voice gave a bubbly giggle and said.

"If I am behind a tree, then come find me."

"Alright then." Said the man picking up his axe. "Stay here son. I'm putting an end to this madness.

The man began to walk cautiously through the forest, gripping his axe tight and keeping a sharp eye.

"I will find you!" Said the man.

"I look forward to it." Said the voice.

He continued to walk, frantically looking around after each step he took.

"You're getting warmer." Said the voice in a taunting way.

The man became impatient, but then he heard a slight rustle in a pair of bushes. The man quietly walked to the bushes planning to scare the person behind them. He approached the bushes with a soft step and waited a few seconds. Then, he abruptly jumped through the bushes while yelling out loud. To his surprise, there was no one there.

"Was that supposed to scare me?" Said the voice, now sounding very close.

The man then looked up and completely froze at what he saw. It was an anthropomorphic bluebird sitting on the branch of a tree. Her feathers were sky blue with white and black on the end. She wore a white shirt with blue shorts. Her arms rested on each side of her as her wings fluttered along with her eyelashes. She swung her legs side to side as she starred down at the trembling man. She giggled and said.

"Hello there."

The man stumbled on his words before finally making out a sound.

"Who...who are you?"

"Why, I am Wren." Said the bird speaking in a very sophisticated tone. "And you are?"

The man screamed in terror and ran away through the bushes. Wren watched the man sprint through the trees and vanish.

"Hmm, well that was rude." Said Wren.

The man rushed as fast as he could to his son, who was trying to set up the tent again. The man ran to the boy, knocked over the tent and began packing everything.

"Hey!" Said the boy. "What was that for?"

The man didn't even look at the boy and said.

"Come on! We need to get out of here now!"

"Why?"

"Just come on, before she follows us."

The boy was about to ask another question, but stopped himself when he heard the word 'she'. He too began to pack everything. Soon, their bags were full and they quickly began to run away. They were gone in an instant. As they were running, they heard the sound of flapping wings. The sound grew louder and louder. The man panicked and said.

"Hurry up son, before..."

"Before what?" Said a voice from above.

The two looked up at Wren flying over their heads. The boy was in awe of the magnificent sight, but his father didn't share the same feeling.

"She's real." The boy whispered to himself.

Wren flew lower to them and said.

"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you and why did you hurt that tree?"

The boy's eyes then focused on his father.

"We...needed firewood!" Said the man still running and out if breathe.

"Well sir, I don't think a fire in the forest is a good idea." Said Wren.

The boy laughed a little as he ran.

"What do you want from us anyway?!" Demand the man.

"To show respect to my home." Answered Wren.

"I promise!"

Wren smiled and said.

"Thank you."

She then looked at the boy, showed him her smile and flew away.

"That was amazing." Said the boy.

Then the man grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him through the forest. Soon they were gone.

Although she seemed like a spirit, Wren was quite real. She dwells in the tall trees of the forests, exploring new discovers and playfully pranking any visitors. Wren flew with grace and speed, passing through the clustered forest that she sees as a playground. Eventually, the forest opened up to a large field. The field was covered in plants and crops and on the other side of this field was a small house made from the bark of trees. This lively domain was Wren's house. She flew low over the field and then landed next to a small group of plants. Wren scanned the area.

"Hmm, lets see. Ah, there they are." She said as she pulled the plant out of the ground. They were a fresh batch of carrots.

Wren then took the carrots and then quickly flew to the front porch of her house. On a small wooden chair lied a brown book named "letters to Emily".

Wren picked the book up and admired it for a short moment, remembering all the great scenes she read. After getting lost in her memories, she soon gained her focus and looked at the sun.

"Oh darn." She said. "No time to wash them. Oh well."

Wren then gripped the book and the carrots tight and flew back in the air.

Now Wren is known to spend her days deep in the forest or high in the sky, but there is one little town that Wren always loved to visit. It was the town of Cherrywood, an old fashioned town at the end of the forest. It's businesses and homes have flourished there for many years and Wren was very well known there.

Wren soon arrived at the little town. She flew lower to greet the people that walked below. They waved to hear and called to her with friendly faces and Wren gleefully returned a nice smile and wave, but she didn't wave for long, for she was in a hurry.

Another attraction at Cherrywood was the five star restaurant, Peter's Place. Serving a wide variety of entrées, the restaurant was a very popular location, and also the one location on Wren's mind. There was only one person Wren truly knew at the restaurant and that was Charlotte, the hardest worker in the restaurant. Charlotte was a tall, twenty year old girl with long, braided, brown hair. She may only be a waiter, but she has quickly become the motivational leader for the whole staff. She hands out orders in lighting speed and never misses a step.

Wren flew right outside the building and peered inside. She looked at the half filled restaurant and searched for her friend. Suddenly, she saw Charlotte burst through the door with over four plates of food in her arms. She rushed from table to table handing out the right plates to each customer and quickly going to the next.

"Table number 2!" Yelled Charlotte.

"Yep. That's Char." Said Wren.

Then, Wren flew to the back entrance of the restaurant. Once she got to the door, she slowly opened it and peered her head inside. It was the kitchen and it was bustling with workers. Wren watched as every worker tried to find anything they could do. This increased work effort puzzled Wren at first, but then, Char burst through the doors.

"Alright, I need the order for table 6." She said.

A diligent chef then said. "It's not ready yet."

Charlotte sighed and then began to survey the whole area. She tried helping everyone she saw with there work. Wren slowly walked inside the kitchen.

"Alright, we need plates over here!" Said Charlotte.

Then Charlotte looked at the food supply. She got very annoyed and said.

"Oh no, do we have any extra...!"

"Carrots." Said Wren now right behind Charlotte.

Charlotte calmed down and grabbed the carrots.

"Oh Wren, you are a life saver." She said.

Wren laughed a little.

"No problem Char." She said. "Are we still having dinner?"

Charlotte quickly gave the carrots to an employee and said.

"Can you wash these please?"

Then she looked at Wren and said.

"Yea, sure. I'll...uh set up the food for everyone later. You like the veggie meal right?"

"Very much so." Said Wren.

"Okay, got it."

"I'll let you get back to what you were doing."

"Oh, I'm sorry Wren." Said Charlotte.

"Oh, it's alright. See you tonight." Said Wren.

"Same." Said Charlotte. Then she ran back to work as Wren left through the back door.

Another one of Wren's go to places was the town's library. The library was an old but sturdy building owned by a Mr. and Mrs. Burcham. They were a young fox couple when they first opened up the library, but after a few years, they have aged along with the building. They now have two, twin, boys named Trent and J.C. Although the twins have a lot in common, their different personalities can be shown in the books they read. The energetic and rambunctious Trent loved to read adventure and fantasy stories, while the more calm and collective J.C. read non-fiction and biographies. The well-known fox twins now live on the top floor of the library that they now work in and are very happy to live in the peaceful town Cherrywood. Although, today wasn't completely peaceful.

On the top floor of the library, Trent and J.C. were on their break and decided to go to their room. But a silly argument was happening between the two. Trent opened the door to the room and said.

"Oh man, will you give it a rest already."

Trent walked slowly and tiredly to his bed as J.C. walked inside the room.

"No. I know you did it Trent now give it back." Said J.C.

Trent then plopped on his bed headfirst. He moaned a little as his bushy tail drooped down to the floor.

"Ah, sweet bed. Oh how I miss thee." He said.

"Trent, I know you have my phone." Said J.C. "Now give it back."

Trent turned his head to J.C. with a smile and said.

"How do you know I took it? There are plenty of culprits downstairs."

"If one of the customers saw it, they would've given it back." Said J.C.

"Some of those 'customers' don't even bring back their books and you think that they'll give back a phone?"

J.C. crossed his arms and said.

"If they took my phone, I would've known. It was right next to me the whole time."

"Apparently, you wouldn't have known because someone took it." Said Trent.

"Just give it back!" Said J.C. loosing patience.

"For the last time." Said Trent. "I didn't take your phone!"

Suddenly, something in Trent's pocket started vibrating and playing Moonlight sonata.

Trent looked startled and J.C. looked at Trent in anger.

"That's my ring tone." Said J.C.

"Is it now?" Said Trent trying to be funny. "I didn't notice."

J.C. then ran to Trent and tried to grab him, but Trent quickly sprang up from the bed and ran on top of J.C.'s bed.

"Give it back!" Said J.C.

Trent laughed and said.

"Not until you tell me who Abigail is."

J.C. charged again at the fox, but Trent dodged him again and ran to his bed.

"She's just a friend." Said J.C.

"Really?" Said Trent with a smirk. "I didn't know you like to give your friends twenty kisses when you text them. You never gave me that much affection."

J.C. didn't answer and tried to get Trent again. This time, managed to grab his arm and pull him back on the bed. Trent fell on his back on the bed and J.C. mounted him quickly. He tried to grab the phone, but Trent grabbed his arms and pushed them away. The kept going in this cycle for a good three minutes.

"Give it back!" Said J.C.

"Not until you tell me who she is." Said Trent."

"Oh boy, are you two fighting again." Said a female voice by the window of the room.

The two foxes stopped fighting and looked at Wren who stood by the window holding a book and looking somewhat amused at the sight.

"No." Said the two foxes simultaneously.

Wren giggled. J.C. then took the phone from Trent when he was distracted.

"Ha!" He said. "You have nothing on me now."

Trent laid back down and said.

"Don't get too comfortable. I will find out who Abigail is one day."

Wren's face then lit up.

"Oh, Abigail." She said. "I know her. A very nice fox. Very funny, active, and loves puzzles."

"No! Wren, don't tell him!" Said J.C. in a whining way.

"Hmm, she likes puzzles huh? What else?" Said Trent.

Wren smiled and held her black beak down.

"I think I've said too much." She said. "Anyway, I've come to return this book. I hope I'm not overdue."

Trent giggled a little and said.

"Wren, you're our most loyal customer. You have never handed in a book late."

Wren placed the book on the bed and said.

"Well, you can never be too careful. So, are you two coming to Peter's tonight?"

J.C. sat down on his bed and said.

"Oh yea, that's tonight. I almost forgot."

"We'll be there." Said Trent.

Wren's wings fluttered in excitement.

"Great." She said. "I can't wait to see you there."

Wren then headed for the window and said.

"Well, I must be off. I still have crops to tend to. I'll see you two later. And try not to fight this time."

Both of the foxes let out a sigh.

"Okay." Said the two.

Then Wren jumped out the window and flew through the sky.

Finally, the day was gone leaving only the moon to light up the sky. Peter's Place was closed now and only serving one more table. The first to enter the restaurant was a tall man wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. He had brown eyes and black hair and bright white smile that could light up the room. When Charlotte came out of the kitchen, she was ecstatic to see this man. It was her boyfriend, Jason. Jason works in the town's music store. He is a very talented musician and a very loyal boyfriend.

"Jason!" Screamed Charlotte in excitement.

She ran over to him and hugged him tight.

"Hey Char." Said Jason. "You didn't work too hard today, did you?"

Charlotte laughed and said.

"Remember who you're talking to."

"Oh, of course." Said Jason. "So where are the others?"

Suddenly, the door opened behind him and a voice shouted out.

"Don't worry people. The foxes are here so the fun may begin!"

Jason and Charlotte both looked to see that it was Trent with J.C. They both laughed at the fox's entrance.

"Must you announce yourself like that?" Said J.C.

"Yes I must." Said Trent. "It makes things more interesting."

"Okay you guys." Said Charlotte. "I'll go get the food and you guys can sit in...Table 4."

"Wait." Said Jason. "I'm gonna help you. You've work hard enough okay."

Charlotte just smiled and pulled Jason in the kitchen leaving the two foxes to find their table.

"Does Abigail hold you like that?" Said Trent.

"Oh knock it off will you." Said J.C.

Trent just laughed.

Then they heard the door open again. It was Wren.

"Hey, over hear!" Said Trent.

Wren looked at the two sitting down at the table and walked over to them.

"Well, it seems that I've arrived a little late." She said.

"Eh, don't worry. The food isn't even out yet." Said J.C.

Wren then began to notice J.C.'s somber expression. Wren sat down and asked.

"Is something troubling you?"

"Oh, no. I'm...uh...I'm fine." Said J.C.

"It's about Abigail." Said Trent.

J.C. looked at Trent annoyed.

"Can you keep any secrets?" He said.

"What's wrong?" Asked Wren.

J.C. let out a sigh and said.

"I...I just don't know if she loves me or not."

"Do you love her?"

J.C. blushed a little and said.

"Maybe."

Wren smiled and said.

"If she knows you love her, then she will start to think of you more."

"But will she love me."

Wren giggled and said.

"Knowing Abigail, she probably will."

J.C. Smiled.

"Thank you Wren."

Then, the kitchen doors open up and Jason and Charlotte brought out the food. They placed it on the round table and sat down their selves.

"Hey Wren." Said Jason.

"Well hello Jason. Thank you for the salad."

"Your welcome." Said Charlotte."

Then everyone sat down and began to eat. There was a silence as they began to eat. Trent and J.C. both had pizza, Jason had steak, Charlotte had spaghetti, and Wren had her favorite veggie salad. After a short moment of silence, Wren popped in the first question.

"So, how is business everyone?"

Everyone stopped eating and looked at each other in sad faces. Wren was confused.

"Did I say something wrong? If so, I apologize."

"No Wren, it's okay." Said Charlotte.

There was still silence as the group waited for someone to answer the question. Finally, Jason said.

"Well Wren. Business is actually going pretty bad."

Wren looked shocked, then Jason continued.

"They're thinking about relocating the music store to the city."

Now, Wren was upset.

"The city." She said with discontent. "Why would they move the store to such a dreadful place?"

"Because it makes money." Said J.C.

"Ugh, money." Said Wren. "The source of all evil if you ask me."

"That may be true Wren, but makes more money than this town."

"So, why does that matter?"

Jason let out a sigh and said.

"Wren, business here is going down. Many people are leaving and going to the city for a better opportunity."

"If all the stores go, then the people go." Said J.C.

"And the Town will go too." Said Trent.

"No!" Said Wren with force.

Everyone was surprised by her sudden burst.

"We can't let that happen." She continued.

"It's not looking good Wren." Said Jason.

"Well, we can't give up now." Said Wren. "We've been here too long and we can't let this city bully us."

The room was silent. No one joined Wren in her enthusiasm. Wren then got up from her seat and began to leave.

"Where are you going Wren?"

"I'm going to find a way to save our town."

"Wren, please. Come back and sit down." Insisted Charlotte.

"I'm sorry." Said Wren. "But I won't give up."

She walked out the door letting the wind blow in the restaurant as the door opened and then disappeared as the door closed.