FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Star huffed as he climbed over yet another ridge toward his destination, cursing under his breath with every step. 'The moron who suggested taking a shortcut through the badlands is losing their dinner privileges for a week,' he thought to himself. Much to the disdain of the guild, he had the power to do that. Being the Guildmaster's second in command had its perks after all. He usually wasn't sent out on missions and kept to his respectful place at the guild in the bustling town of Presidium. This case was different. Normally he would give each team or guild member their own individual assignments for the day- depending on their rank and overall skill level out in the field -and go on his merry way, but for every time he sent out Pokémon to capture a certain outlaw, they would come back bloodied and beaten. The amount of injured explorers and rescue teams were crippling to the inflow of cash, as no team was available to get any new jobs. The guild was in a bad shape, struggling to make ends meet, and the fact that a single outlaw was responsible for disrupting an organized guild's income was infuriating to Star. After all, he was the one in charge of finance too. He took it upon himself to take on the bandit himself with any means necessary, mostly because there were no other experienced members left to even attempt to challenge him. Hopefully it wouldn't come to drastic measures. Even if he was one of the strongest explorers in the group, he never really relished on the thought of fighting. It always left a bad taste in his mouth, and he tried to avoid a fight whenever possible. Eventually, Star had reached the location: Flaming Dusk Forest (named after a savage forest fire long ago, it was originally just "Dusk Forest"). The trees loomed high over the lowering sunset, and the inside of the forest looked pitch and foreboding. The entrance was clear of any Pokémon, and the path that lead inside seemed safe as well. Star walked up to the threatening entrance, glaring into the darkness as the last rays of sunlight shone on him.

Star was a Houndoom, his fur very disheveled and tinted a deep bluish hue. He had a burnt orange underbelly and weathered silver rings on each of his four legs, just above the paws. His head was topped with two large horns, one chipped and cracked at the end. Two dark purple eyes that shimmered on his soft looking expression. His tail swayed back and forth, the pointed end sharp in case anyone tried to get the jump on him. And of course, he wore a red and orange focus sash around his neck, like a scarf. Not many Pokémon had seen Star without it. It gave him confidence, always standing out among his overall dark and gloomy look. The sash was infamous throughout the guild and even Presidium itself, and no one but Star would ever dare to touch it.

He stood and waited at the entrance, not moving an inch as the sun slowly set over the treetop. Eventually the sun had set, and the moon shining bright and full up in the sky. A grin had etched on his muzzle as he pulled out a poster from his treasure bag that was hanging lazily over his side. A wanted poster.

Name: Kross

Gender: Male

Species: Tyranitar

Bounty: 15,000: Dead or Alive

Warning! Any Pokémon traveling throughout the main path north of Presidium toward Thousand Ocean's City are to be on the watch for this outlaw. Little is known but suspect is very dangerous and hostile. Any information on the assailant will be rewarded.

He crumpled it up and tossed it aside before stealthily creeping into the forest. The air was dry and thick, and the ground felt heavy. Burnt stumps of what used to be trees littered the ground as bare trees stood sturdy through the forest. Star avoided using the path and headed down through a somewhat open area in the brush, careful to keep his treasure bag away from anything that could attract noise. His purple eyes faintly glowed in the darkness, his movements gracefully moving over twigs and leaves sprawled out on the dirt. It wasn't long before he came across a clearing, two Manectric going sifting through a cart filled to the brim with bags and chests most likely from their latest heist. Star took a few seconds to observe his surroundings, although difficult due to the darkness. The two thieves were chatting, one talking about some sort of debt they had to pay off and the other teasing him about it. 'Might as well...' Star considered as he slowly and cautiously stepped out of the brush into the clearing. As soon as his paw stepped out from his dark hiding spot, a loud booming crash rattled his ears as he was lifted up by his paw and hurled into a nearby tree across the other side of the clearing. The hellhound let out a yip as the air was knocked out of his lungs, leaving him heaving on the ground. His vision came too, and he could make a good guess on who had just attacked him.

"Another one of you guild members? Persistent little pest's aren't ya?"

Even in the dark, Star could clearly see the large, burly Tyranitar lumbering toward him, one Manectric on each of his sides.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think your guild has a bit of an obsession with little old me," he taunted. "Say, whats my bounty now anyways? It was 12,000 last time I checked."

Star had just scoffed him off, brushing himself off with his tail and stretching in place. The two Manectric surrounded him as Kross let out a chuckle.

"Look at this smug little prick!" he boasted. He smiled as he slowly lifted his arm back and thrusted it toward Star, who was standing perfectly still.

Star turned his head, a dim glimmer shining in his eyes as his teeth glowed with a faint aura. A swift Crunch attack to Kross' hand halted the attack, and a swift turn of the head tipped the bulky Pokémon onto one of the dumbfounded Manectric. Kross being easily three times his size, easily crushed the electric pokemon under his colossal weight. The other Manectric panicked and ran off into the wood, ignoring the loot. Star stepped back as Kross stood up, growling with anger. Star kept his smug grin as the bandit charged him. Star stood sturdy, ready for another Sucker Punch, but was surprised to see him stop mid charge. He threw his arms up into the air and slammed them into the earth, fracturing it as the ground shook underneath Star, knocking him off balance. The ground only shook harder and more violent, knocking over small trees and tumbling rocks about. Eventually, the tremors were enough to throw objects into the air, even Star. He gritted his teeth as he began to fall, only to be caught by the bandit by the neck. Kross brought him close, puffing hot air from his flared nostrils onto the explorer's unamused face. He clenched his grip on the hellhound's throat, and Star began to kick and struggle against the colossal beast, but to no avail; the Tyranitar was too enraged to let go now. Star began to retaliate, building up flames in his gullet to try and singe Kross' grip from him. Kross was smarter than he looked, however, seeing the faint glow emanating from the chest of his adversary. That Sucker Punch he hadn't used before came in at full force, straight to Star's soft underbelly. A jolt of pain shot through the Houndoom's body as the wind was knocked from him for the second time. Kross soon learned of his mistake as the pained Star let out an exasperated cough. The charged flames were flown out from his gullet in an uncontrolled fashion, sending fire in all directions in front of the fire pokemon, hitting the bandit point blank in the face. The outlaw let out an ear piercing shriek as his face was burnt, releasing his firm grasp on Star, him landing to the ground with a thud. His vision blurred as he coughed, taking in deep breathes and heaving on the ground. It took him a couple seconds to gather his bearings, but his nose caught a peculiar scent from the other direction. A few seconds later, composed again, he turned toward the smell. Star's eyes widened and he scooted backward up against a tree. He was breathing fast, panicking. The tree's had caught fire, and were spreading fast. 'The smell was smoke, how could I have been so oblivious!' he thought as the heat began to hit against his face. Embers were flying off burning branches and leaves and hitting the ground, catching the brush on fire too, spreading it faster. Star was paralyzed by fear, his eyes growing ever wider as the growing, monstrous, uncontrollable flame. He began to tremble as he stared unblinking at the fire. He was hyperventilating, terrified out of his mind. He had to get out; he didn't want to endure the suffering again. The hellhound panicked and quickly looked for a way out. Kross was unresponsive on the smoldering ground, too late for an attempt to get him out. The fire was getting hotter, and the smoke thicker, stinging Star's lungs and eyes as he desperately looked for an exit to this torture. After pointless seconds of looking for a way out in vain, he settled for the main path, and bolted down, hoping the route was not blocked by fire. So far so good, but the fire had already spread throughout this section of the forest. Star huffed as he ran, his lungs burning as they filled with smoke. He could hear Pidgey's above crying out in horror as their homes were set ablaze and squawked as they flew as fast as they could. Star risked a peek behind him as he ran. The same sight as the front: seemingly never ending fire. The sharp sound of crackling wood brought his attention back up front. A large burning tree had given in to the ravaging flame and was tipping over across the path. Star was feeling his legs growing numb by the second, wheezing as his vision was blurring. The crackling was growing louder, but the exit was peeking in his sight. The explorer clenched his teeth and made a last ditch effort, adrenaline pushing his body just enough to evade the toppling tree as is smashed into the ground over the destabilizing forest. His legs finally gave in as he fell through the exit, just far enough from any real threat. Star rolled and tumbled along the ground and stopped, closing his eyes as he breathed slowly in the faint glow of the fire still raging close beside him.