FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Oih! Lucan!" Nol' called forward to the crimson wolf, who was straying farther and farther to the left.

Lucan looked up to see only snow ahead, whizzing around in the wind. Being so distracted by the trinket in his hand he was now facing the wrong direction. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, slightly amused at his own stupidity, but also wary at the thought of getting lost again. The short wolf ran through the falling snow to keep up with Ali and Nolan. His legs were staring to ache again, and snow fall showed no sign slowing. Why should it, nature has no pity, and no sympathy. Lucan thought to himself, rather meaninglessly. At least it gave him something else to think about instead of the mounting discomfort in his legs. Unlike when they were being pursued outside of the forest, here, he dared not stop. If Lucan did, he would be frozen in minutes. Buried not just under the snow, but the eternal whiteness of death. Not for the first time, he was thankful for Nolan's impeccable sense of direction. Lucan had never enjoyed the responsibility that leadership carried and was content to following instructions. Nol' hadn't let them down so far, and he had faith in his friend as always. Blind and utter faith.

A few dozen strides later he reached the nearest, crooked stone wall of the old building. Its size was only moderate but yet it was still an imposing structure. Standing solemnly against the starry night. Considering its incomprehensible age, the barn's durability was stunning. The stone slabs it was built from looked at least a foot thick. No cement remained; they stayed in place due to their shear, crushing weight only. The structure's top was steeply pointed and there was, circular pane of glass high above sloping doorway. A dirty crack snaked diagonally across the wall, going through stone work and glass alike. But what could cause such brutal damage, an earthquake? Any roof tiles had long since disintegrated into oblivion. In the background a taller, hexagonal tower stood, warped and bent away from the remaining structure. After so long, only one half of the farm house was still standing, the rest was rubble. Despite this, Lucan preferred it to the alternative, he was glad to be getting out of the cold. As he ran his hand over the jagged stone arch way, he watched as it crumbled beneath his pads. Finally his paw reached the tall, planked door. Lucan gave it a push with his shoulder, and let it swing inwards quickly. Aided by the wind, it slammed into the wall, creaking as it went. The whole building shook and groaned. He held it open long enough to get his friends inside before slamming it shut with an almighty bang. None of them blamed him; it was not the time for consideration.

The wooden struts that had once held up the attic had collapsed inwards. Towards the north eastern corner, a second large crack in the wall split open, allowing the starry sky to seep through. The moon illuminated the pile of rotting wood skewed across the dusty floor. At least there are four walls still upright. The snow and wind beat against the stone work constantly, creating peculiar echoes. There was very little inside to absorb the noise, so it just continued to bounce around. There was no spirit that could be associated with the husk that remained. Physically there was little beyond a shell. The structure consisted of a large central room and the several smaller rooms leading off from it. Each one was secluded in deep darkness.

Nol' was second inside after Lucan; he surveyed the entire building at a glance before righting a toppled chair and taking a seat by the inner left corner. His keen eyes were ever vigilant; with his eyes he traced the cracks in the walls. Lucan had known Nolan for some years now. Like an old philosopher, he was always thinking. Even when he was talking to people, it was almost as if he was looking through them, or into them. Not many noticed though, he was discrete. Nol' worked like a machine, but one hidden behind a friendly mask. Lucan reminisced of the time he had told his tall friend this, when they had both laughed briefly. But Nolan's eyes had stayed cold, as the gears continued to grind, trying to work out the meaning of the shorter wolf's remark. In many ways they were similar, their perceptions of the world around them was abnormally thorough. Nolan could look across the earth in one sweeping glance; see the important, bare facts. He could then combine this analysis with his never fleeting sense of leadership in a heartbeat to form decisions, seldom misjudged. Lucan on the other hand, could sense every emotion and subtle feeling in a room of people. Taking into account everyone's relationship with each other. He could understand not just the people around him but the very atmosphere they created together. Their completely different perspectives had made them a natural team. This gave them a bond that no one else could understand, not even Ali. But what neither of them had realised, was that she had deduced this.

"Let's get some heat in here Ali; do you think that you could make a fire?" The tall wolf had instantly taken charge. He slapped his paws together in an attempt to bring some feeling back into them.

Ali nodded her head but also pointed out how long it had been since they had eaten. Nolan thought on the point, Lucan knew his friend was undoubtedly hungry. Nolan had always shown a lack of self-maintenance, once going a full three days without eating anything. So he answered for the tall wolf.

Lucan spoke up, "We've got plenty of damsons for the whole night, let's have some right away."

Ali agreed instantly and the dark wolf nodded solemnly, he was in no mood to refuse food.

"Great, I'll go and find something for us to eat off." Lucan said fleetingly, more to himself.

They both waved submissively at him, understanding that even in the most bizarre situations, Lucan would maintain his manners and mannerisms however mundane. Ali interpreted it as his way of keeping structure, even when there evidently was none. This had led her to the assumption that Lucan found comfort in what was known to him. _Which therefore made him frightened of the unknown._She was always noticing the smaller details that were often neglected by Nolan or Lucan. She could see what others never could. Whether they be the minuet motives for an action or the tiny features of an implement. Ali was wary to make her own decisions because she could see the damage that even a miniscule mistake could cause because it had been overlooked.

"If you leave me your bag, I can start to take the stones out of some." The dark wolf replied.

"Sure, just don't eat them _all_big guy'." The crimson wolf was pleased to see a smile creep on to his friend's face. Lucan dropped his bag within an arm's reach of the tall wolf's chair.

More of a throne, Ali thought cynically to herself as Lucan moved off into one room. She meandered over to the opposite side of the building, finding another off-shot room.

After several minutes of silence, Ali's voice called though from the adjacent room. Even her bright fur was impossible to see in the blackness. "I've got some paper to burn Nol', but it's got all kinds of strange writing on it. I don't see any more wood but there is a whole filling cabinet of paper to keep us going if we need it."

Nolan paused when he heard Ali's remark, picking up on her hesitation.

"What's wrong Ali, we need to burn something?"

"No, it's just", she sighed, "It's weird. All this stuff we've found out in this forest that no one's ever meant to go into. I'm unsure about everything, especially here." She was surprised to see that Nolan looked confused; surely he had considered that too?

She dropped a load of files and paper onto the wood piled up in the centre; Lucan came back in from the depths of the building, clutching 3 crockery plates. They all had chips or cracks but apart from a layer of dust looked surprisingly unused.

"Got us some plates guys, I found some matches as well if they'd help." He shook the small box, knowing his peers would not be able to see what was in his paw.

"Toss'em over please." Nolan replied quickly, wanting to warm up his digits. It was very hard to peel damsons when you could not feel or see your extremities. His hunger was making him edgy; he still made an excellent catch though.

"What's this?" The crimson wolf bent down to get a better look at the documents skewed over the stone floor.

"Just some paper I found to burn, it's got loads of nonsense writing on it though." Ali replied casually. A brown card folder caught Lucan's attention; it appeared to contain a diagram or illustration of some kind.

"Hmm, I just want to look through this." He mumbled, more to himself than to his friends. Picking it up in one paw, he realised it was much lighter than he expected. A few pieces had fallen out in the gloom and Lucan studied them as he picked them up.

Neither of his friends minded as there was still a lot to burn, Ali especially was curious to know what the documents were for. Nolan struck a flame on his third match and flung it straight on to the pile of fuel. The material was bone dry and went up in a blaze of furious heat. He watched the match roll head over heels in mid-air, staring at the flame as it spread out across the match length. He had always had an obsession for fire. He loved its bright vibrant colours, the way it flickered and glowed, and how it acted like no other material on earth. It was not solid; gas or liquid, it was energy incarnate. Or at least, that's what he thought, the education he had undertaken was very basic and rather more applied to agriculture rather than to scientific concepts. Not that that was a surprise, there was little to do beyond farm here. Lucan sat by the burning paper and described what he read to Ali, who was leaning over his shoulder, perched comfortably on her haunches.

"This looks as if it's an email that's been screen photographed and then printed from a printer. It was an old way to communicate during the digital age. This part here is a greeting between the sender and the receiver; they appear to be talking about this plot of land. The sender is saying that they could build a farmhouse to keep animals inside for the winter. The receiver replies that the building could also be used as house for his family. They are probably talking about the building we're in right now."

Lucan paused for a moment to let Ali absorb what he had just conveyed whilst looking around himself. He tried to imagine a time when the structure was not so dilapidated and instead was alive with spirit and purpose. He found this activity difficult. There was nothing to indicate a past, present or future for the place. Nolan had finished peeling his 30th damson and placed it on the final plate. Ten each seems reasonable, he was cautious not to be too lucrative, just in case they needed to conserve the rest. This might prove to be imperative to their survival in the forest-come-tundra.

Having slid the plates across the floor with a clatter, the dark wolf pulled the hand gun from his belt. He wiped his greasy paw on the shirt that hung loosely from his shoulders. He retired himself to the back corner to study the weapon in case it accidentally went off. As Nolan rotated it in his paws, he could see signs of wear and use along its angular surface. Even in his large palms the gun seemed massive, and the wolf was surprised that so little finesse had gone into its production. He was also a little disappointed; machines of mass production were meant to be of magnificent quality, both in function and looks. Some of its parts were matte and pitted for grip; others were shiny and smooth. Nolan could recognise a trigger, barrel, handle, and yes, a kind of safety mechanism. Seeing that a red square was visible, he switched it to a position so that the word 'inert' was visible. Along its length, where a semi-auto pistol would have had a slide, the title 'Wind Whistler' inscribed. The title was imposing enough; Nolan returned it to his belt for now, not wanting to learn how the 'Wind Whistler' had gained its name. The dark wolf had no wish to use such a gun, especially one he had no experience with. If one of them got hit by a gunshot, there was little anyone could do. Besides pray. Medical supplies and techniques had deteriorated rapidly since the loss of most electrical systems. Their isolated community was more like one from medieval times then off the 21st century.

Nolan sat forward in his chair; arched his back, and began to feast. 9 damsons, and 30 seconds in, a flash of orange light appeared in the corner of his vision. The tall wolf stopped eating, glanced over and then snapped his head up horizontally. He stood to his full height and strode over to the circular disk of metal that was reflecting the glow from the fire. It was part of yet another unrecognisable machine. Most of its surface was corroded or covered in earth. He brushed off the old voice recorder and sat down again, being careful not to disturb Lucan and Ali.

"What's all this at the top of the first page?" The light wolf was getting more and more into the complex workings of an 'email'.

She was finding it hard to keep up but Lucan was patient and repeated himself if he had too. However, it did give rise to his extensive vocabulary of profanity. As often happens when one is tired, hungry and frustrated.

"It's a load of shit mainly; these numbers would have been used to determine where the email came from, who it was going to etcetera. This over here tells you if there were any documents attached to the main message and how many emails had been sent between these two people."

"Oh, I see."

"This is the important stuff here. This page lays out the materials to be used to construct the building and how much of each is needed." Lucan picked up another page, exposing the map underneath. "...And this is a certificate to authenticate the purchase of this land."

"What are these numbers for?" Ali inquired, pointing at the bottom left hand corner.

"I think that is the completion date in the old year system. 30/03/2028 would have been a bloody long time ago."

Nolan stirred at the mention of the year system, "Once I heard one of the older women talking about the date in the year system, she said we'd be in about the 80's or something like that." He held up the voice recorder so Lucan and Ali could see it.

"Do you guy know how one of these works?"

"Any batteries in it?" Ali asked quickly, knowing from experience that most portable machines required some kind of power.

"I don't think so, but this might be a compartment for them." Nolan indicated a rectangular concave area on the back.

"Here try this, it might fit." Lucan tossed over the 9 volt he had picked up earlier.

"Where did you find it?" Ali asked suspiciously, she was not pleased that Lucan had been hiding something from them.

"Just near the gun in the snow, I'll show you tomorrow if you want." Lucan replied, anxiously awaiting Nolan's attempts to install the power source.

Ali nodded, but also indicated with her eyes that Nol' might need some help. The crimson wolf jumped energetically to his feet and joined his friend over in the far corner. Ali turned her attention back to the succulent fruit in front of her. The damsons were perfectly ripe and tasted even better than last year's. She briefly stopped herself, and smiled in mild amusement. Despite their appearance every harvest at the farmer's bushes, they had never been found until now. The light wolf was also disheartened at the thought that they could no longer return to collect the damsons, at least for a couple of years. Thinking about that only made them taste better, even if it did add bitterness to the damsons that Ali could not ignore.

It was at this point that she saw something of interest. The map that had originally caught Lucan's attention was sitting only a meter away. Looking at, she could see make out a large city, with a railway running through the centre. Our railway? Ali knew that a large town's remnants were still scattered around the nearby countryside. Many disputed that the old office block was one of the buildings on the outskirts of the old city. Her town was built in what was left of the railway complex and surrounding area. The wolves had moved inwards and southwards toward the forest and away from the coast. She could not remember why though, history had always bored Ali. She was under the assumption that what was going on now was more important than old dusty rumours that no one had any real evidence for. Not anymore since the alleged fall of the rest of the city at any rate. Her assumption was wrong in this case, deeply wrong. For it was what lied in the past, that shaped her future, all their futures.

Ali could just make out writing on corner of the yellowed map; a tall looking structure was circled with a marker. Another, smaller mark had been made south of that; a faint pencil cross that Ali deduced as their current location. Reading the description, she learned of the vyshka, (the tower). Its name was covered by the maker in such a way that Ali could not make out the letters. However simply 'the tower' seemed fitting, as it was described to stand above everything else around it even, elevated high above the small expanse of wood land behind. The vyshka was described as the peak of engineering, whose height was not likely to be beat in the near future. The map, likely from a booklet or pamphlet only focused on the immediate area around the tower. Then the light wolf looked right at the top of the page and saw a name, either for the area or city, in large black letters. Sadly the ink had started to fade in that corner and the paper was deterioted. She could only make out the odd letter or part of one. It was completely illegible even in the face of her best efforts. Not that it would mean anything, she reminded herself. Their settlement did not have a name. It was simply home, because there was nowhere else to go. The surrounding countryside was cut off on all sides. Transport was impossible, either through miles of acidic bogs, the icy and merciless ports, or the massive forest itself.

A sudden crackling noise caught Ali off guard, Lucan and Nol' had got the voice recorder working. They yahooed in a brief flash of childish triumph. It did not last long. Nothing but static continued for about ten seconds, Nolan grunted dismayingly. Losing patience, he walked over to Ali to look at the map for himself. Eventually Lucan realised that there was a voice emitting from the recorder, only it was very quiet. Finding the volume control, the short wolf turned it up to full. He set it down on Nolan's unoccupied chair and went over to peer at the map as well. They all sat in silence, listening to what the voice had to say. It sounded as if it was male speaking, but also as if he was tired or ill. Yet still, he was well spoken class and sounded well accomplished. Ali thought that he sounded arrogant; her conclusion was soon confirmed.

"...time of recording this I am in an abandoned farm house of poor construction. I've decided to stay here for the night; it's too cold outside now. Stupidly I set off not soon after the sun had gone down and thus I have made little progress today. However, due to the fence being built around the ever expanding forest, I will need to stay out of sight of the builders. The forest is meant to be locked down and they will likely take my appearance as trespassing. Many people are dying for little or no reason, even in this age, years after the attacks began. I do not want to die today, not in this forest especially.

I will have to be careful to only eat sparingly; many of the remaining intellectuals now believe the forest to be poisoning the soil through the tree roots and so the only food I have on me is what I could scavenge from the city. Others have warned me that a nuclear device may have landed here nearly a decade ago during the terrorist assault. I will not take any chances; medical supplies in the city are running low. Instead I have my Geiger counter on hand. The best solution for a problem is avoidance of the problem altogether as my father would say.

My aim is to uncover why this forest has been the interest of official investigation as well as the focus of our city's greatest minds. With the economy basically collapsed inflation is rampant. Money is becoming worthless with every passing day. So why waste resources here? It seems only so much can be found from what limited research materials I have. With hands on evidence, I hope to solve this mystery, for the last of us intellectuals who have survived. The persecution we have suffered is great, but maybe there is a reason for this. Too keep us busy? To divert attention away from the fence, and the secrecy it is encircled in? Only recently did I discover that the renowned architect of the fence was shot dead, to keep her quiet, the same happened to a wolf who was targeted as unsecure. Maybe there's a reason for this grand construction after all. To keep something out, or to keep us in? This conspiracy may go far, and I will uncover it all, you can be certain of that. If there is a reason for the deaths of our colleagues, God help them.

However, back on topic: The trees around me have been well known for their phenomenal growth rate. The size of the entire woodland nearly increasing tenfold in the last decade. Inside this building I have already discovered a wealth of information. I found an old map here and discovered that there is a structure not far of here, only a few miles south. The tallest tower in the city at one point, before it was carpet bombed and left to be absorbed into the forest. Not only will heading for this structure take me deeper into the heart of this forest but also towards a recognisable land mark. This will be of paramount importance as I fear, without knowing my location I will get lost and then die in no time at all. I only have a limited supply of batteries for my voice recorder so I must stop soon; I plan to continue my report once I reach this 'tower'. Sadly my camera seems to be malfunctioning despite frequent testing but alas, technology is rarely flawless. It was strange that sometimes it worked but other time not. I guess that's what we deserve, getting those illiterates to build the very structure of our once grand, urban haven. The capital of our whole island as well! No wonder we crumbled so easily, just like this very building. Built by the proletarians on minimum wage.

Furthermore, an intriguing change I have noticed, is that the temperature has fallen significantly since I have entered the barrier of trees. I don't have an explanation for this anomaly but I hope to learn why."

A pause followed, during which it seemed the nameless voice was taking a deep breath.

"All these questions that need answers! Stranger and stranger!

And although I do enjoy rambling on, I should draw particular focus to the more, unusual, accounts from the locals that I have received. Some of the wolves nearer to the forest border have described to me that they have heard strange howls and calls coming from within the forest and have seen large, hulking shapes between the trees. Like no wolf or other animal documented since our ancient ancestors. Although no one story confirms the other, they are in great supply. I am not armed, but I ask that my listeners will put their faith in me! In saying this, I expect that these rumours have very little value any way, except to attract my attention. It seems that my reputation ...." The recorder cut out for about a minute. It gave them time to absorb what they had heard. Although the young wolves wanted to confer with each other, they did not dare stop the recorder, just in case it would not turn back on. After half a minute, when all hope seemed lost, it resumed, but not where it had left off.

They heard the end of a fit of course coughing. "... And that's really about it. Taking into account everything I have been told, I will use this evidence to aid my investigation to be as topical and accurate as possible. I guess I will bid farewell, and have faith that you will all survive in these difficult times. After all without my loyal followers, why else would I go to such lengths to report the truth? 22/09/2037, recorded for the faithful readers of . Oh, and make sure the beasts don't bite!" The recording ended with a brief chuckle and then another long, wheezy fit of coughs.

No one said anything for seconds, minutes, it was hard to tell. Time stopped moving for an immeasurable amount of time. What Ali, Lucan and Nolan had just heard was from a time they knew nothing about, and was almost lost from memory. The old recording had created more mysteries than it had solved. Together they shared silence, but that did not last. It was not meant to last. But even as Ali spoke, the information continued to churn in all of their minds, each one of them was desperately trying to fathom all that they could.

"It is strange to hear about our home in such a different state, and to hear about a time so far beyond ours. I can't believe that we lived so close to this forest and never knew what it was. We had no idea what was held within its borders, supposedly impassable by any means."

Lucan and Nolan turned to face her; they knew what she was implying. And they knew that she could not bring herself to say it.

"We were great, we were so great." Nolan said softly, his eyes did not water, nor did he snarl or smile or sweat or express any emotion. It was a realisation, which was haunted with doubt, and strain and impossibility.

Lucan continued where Nolan had left off. They had all reached the same, damning conclusion. Three minds, and three perspectives, same end result.

"I cannot believe our little town was once the capital. I'd heard stories about the city this place once was but I never really absorbed it 'til now. To think we have lived in farmland, and woodland for all our lives but yet are actually in the overgrown remnants of a city. A metropolis way beyond what we could achieve today. I almost feel sick to think how low we have fallen."

At that time their thoughts were curiously indistinguishable from each other. But more than that, they had _realised_this. They had discovered the universal seeds of suspicion that had been planted the moment they had arrived in the forest. All of this hit them at once, their brains were overwhelmed. To cope, they tried to consolidate the only thing they could, knowledge. They needed to be unified together, for each other was suddenly all they had. Of course, they had not come to that conclusion yet. Not even the great Nolan Waterfield. For his time to discover would come soon, he and his friends would bear witness to what would become of the notions that they just uncovered. Before long their thoughts would blossom into decisions and actions that would shape their lives. But for now, they were struck with caution and confusion. Because their world's had been turned upside down.

Lucan's companions did not respond for a while. The crimson wolf could tell that they were not going to agree willingly. He would need to handle this gently. Choosing his words carefully, he continued.

"It seems we have walked into something that we were not expecting, into circumstances we could not expect. We are not entirely sure what to do or what to believe. The recording may have confused us more than it benefited us, but not one part of that matters now."

His lips barely moved. The short wolf raised his voice louder.

"But right now, right here, we only need to agree on one answer ... Can it be true?"

Focus moved from Lucan to the dark wolf. He became uncomfortable and shifted in his place, very unlike his usual demeanour. Nolan took a long, deep breath and exhaled through his nostrils. He was always thinking, always analysing. This time his judgement meant more than just an opinion. He drew in another slow breath and spoke. His response shocked them.

"No, no it's not real. I don't think that it can be, not here, not now."

He waited for criticism or outcry, but none came. The other wolves waited patiently.

"What we have found in this forest is beyond anything we could have imagined. Therefore I see the only alternative is that these events have been created. We hear a scream, and then find a weapon seemingly from the future and a recording allegedly from the past. And then there's a battery, under the gun that powers this recorder? Too many coincidences, within such a short amount of time. Then there's these 'beasts' as that voice calls them..." He sighed again, unusually nervously. "guys...someone's trying to mess with us, they must be."

Lucan no longer knew what to think, so he sided with Nolan. No surprises there. There was still a lot that needed to be cleared up before he would reach his own conclusions. However for the moment he would agree what the tall wolf had said. Better not to avoid unneeded confrontation.

"I see where you're coming from Nolan; I guess you're right." He said, louder than necessary, trying to cover his shakiness. It was not entirely convincing.

Ali shook her head half-heartedly; she did not want to disagree with them. But the light wolf knew that the fear she had experienced during those brief moments out in the snow were too genuine to be fake. How could they be engineered? How could they be created? There was something wrong with the forest, even if she could not name it now or put it into conventional terms. The fear had been real and Ali knew that neither of her friends could feel how she did. And that scared her more. The last thing the light wolf wanted was to alienate her only friends by going against Nolan and Lucan. However, she knew that she had to speak her mind, lest she forget her instincts that had been proved right time and again.

"But how can everything we've seen be a lie? Why would someone create something like this? They wouldn't know when or if anyone would enter the forest. Why would someone set up this scenario? To trick us? We're not even meant to be here!" She sighed, Nol' and Lucan sat quietly, waiting for her to continue. "I'm just worried as all. What proof to we have that these 'creatures from the shadows' don't exist?"

Nolan responded quickly, almost violently, "You are taking it too seriously Ali; I just meant that the message was completely crazy. How do we know to trust this guy? Maybe if we had some more evidence...

Then he stopped, following Ali's gaze down at the final file from the brown folder on the floor mid-sentence. Lucan looked down as well and all of them read it without another word being spoken. Ironically, it was the evidence Nol' had beseeched. The most controversial part of the whole recording, the part they had all listened to disbelieving, was now the only supported fact they had. But what did this meant? None of them were sure, not even Ali... And that scared her more.