FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Nathan Grey, Sara Smoke, Mike Zoe, Eren Boro, Flora Black, John White and all other characters in this chapter is copyrighted by Natani Grey. If you wish to use any characters please contact me asking so. Thank You.

Chapter 3

The Puzzle

Nathan stood there his question was an honest one; he had no idea who he really was anymore. Mike, Eren and Sara tried to approach the frightened human, but every step they took Nathan backed away.

"Nathan...Nathan you are Nathan. The Nathan we knew for so long and who had protected us and fought with us for as long as we could remember." Eren tried to calm Nate down and his words seem to have an effect.

"Nate you are who you choose to be and you've helped me and became my friends since we were kids, even though I'm a Xerlian you still became my friend." Mike approached Nathan and stood in front of the human before giving him a hug. Nathan hugged back and silently let his tears run free.

Sara came up to the two and patted Nate's shoulder showing her signs of affection as well. Sara glared back at Eren who stood there; her eyes spoke what she wanted him to do. A sigh escape him as he approached Nathan as well and gave a pat on his shoulders. Eren was an underground drug dealer not a mushy softy but in this case he could make an exception for his friend.

"Enough guys I feel better, I believe that it's been a long day, you guys should head home." Nathan got out of the hug he was in and began looking through his father's files.

"Nathan I don't think you-"

"No, I have to. I need to know what's going on, why did father give this burden to me. Is this really as big as he thought it is"? Nate cut Sara off before she could finish, with a nod she began to signal Eren to show her the way home, Mike soon followed. Nathan began sorting through the files trying to understand anything that he could.

Most of the records just showed results from experiments that he couldn't understand. There were some files and records of the structure of Xerlian DNA and compared it to human DNA. The majority of the files Nate had no clue as to understand it. He reached for another but this one looked worn and used more frequently than the others.

Looking at the cover it showed specimens grown in the lab, the combination of both human and Xerlian DNA being put to the test. Nathan began to read through it and most of it he could understand. This file was truly different, as though his father had made this for him specifically.

Nathan spent the next hour reading through the file finding that there were few successes, most embryo dies when both DNA was introduced and those that made it to birth had many defects and died in the first week. There were only three specimen that had survived pass their first year.

First specimen, number P1, name Henry. Henry was a combination of Frankie Mar a human and a female tiger Xerlian. Henry was able to survive up to 432 day before his internal organs shut down from the mixed bloodline.

Second specimen, file number S8, and name Angela. Angela was the combination of Flora's DNA and that of a stray male wolf. The infant was able to survive longer than Henry but not by much, life progress 590 days, cause of death brain defect. Nathan noted that every specimen had defects since birth but was able to live until the defects were too much. Flipping through the file he found the last experiment that his father worked on.

Third survivors past embryonic stage, file number X9, everything after that was censored out. Even the minor details of birth were censored. Everything. Nathan couldn't understand why did his father censor everything except for the file number. Nathan had read through everything that he was able to understand. For a moment silence was his only company until running footsteps were echoed down the pipeline. Jumping from his chair he grabbed one of the rifles leaning against the wall and waited.

Eren followed by Sara and Mike were running frantically towards him, lowering the gun he wondered what had got to his friends.

"NATE!" Mike yelled at him in that moment Nathan knew something was off. Finally they meet up and tried to catch their breaths.

"Nate we need to get out of here, something's going on above ground!" Mike was speaking in a jumble of words.

"Calm down, now tell me what's going on?" Nathan sat Mike down in one of the chairs as waited for the tiger to catch his breath.

"The Military Police showed up in the Western District and began to capture everyone, people thought it was a search party, then it was the South District. But they're not taking them to prison they are sending them somewhere. The remaining North and East area rebelled against them. They are now shooting down anyone who rebels; the East District is almost gone. Next is ours, we have to get out of here!" Things were happening too fast, first his home and so called mother, then it was his real father and his history, now this. Everything was being taken away from him.

"Have you found your families yet?" Nate asked everyone, he had lost his and he didn't want his friends to experience what he had gone through. Everyone shook his or her heads as the shock of the situation took control.

"Now is not the time to panic, Mike check those rifles and make sure everything is good. Sara and Eren help me destroy this place." Mike went up to Nate with a rifle in paw and handed it to him with a worried look.

"Do you even know how to use that?" Eren had held guns before but nothing on this level, he doubt that any of them had held a gun before in their lives, Mike went over and handed his rifle to Eren.

"Truth be told, I've gone hunting a couple of times but...this gun is different from what I had handled." Nate gazed at the gun and was amazed by its functions but at the same time terrified. It was an odd feeling but there was not time to dwell on that matter.

"Mike you said that the Military are currently occupying the East District right?" Mike nodded as he too began to observe and check his rifle. We don't know how much time we have but things are getting rough we have to act fast.

"Alright, Eren you go ahead and start smashing, I need to collect and organize my father's files." For the next ten minutes the sounds of crunching wood and tearing metal was heard, finally everything was destroyed beyond recognition.

"You owe me a new pad Nate." Eren commented as Nate began to pour gasoline over the remains of the furniture.

"We can deal with that once this is over, alright everyone step back." Everyone got behind Nathan as he pulled out his lighter and lite the gas trail; in seconds everything was on fire.

"Everyone we need to get out of the cities, we will collect what we can and head out." Nathan felt odd, this was not like normal plans that his friends have gone through this was life and it was falling apart around them.

"Where will we go?" Sara asked as she gripped the case, Nathan hadn't thought about that. If the government was after everyone then where could they go?

"My mother has a small cabin deep in the woods a ways from here, it's pretty isolated and was built by a private constructor. The government shouldn't find us there and we could wait things out." Shock covered Mike's face; he had to leave everyone behind, his family and his home?

"We don't have time to panic, we gather everyone's family and leave." Nate spoke more towards Mike than anyone, Nathan had read Mike's mind like an open book. With a nod and new determination to save his family and his friends he gestured for Eren to lead.

"We head towards the closes house, Sara that's you. Once we get there tell your family to pack what's necessary and leave, we will cover you and signal if anything's coming." Sara was glad that it her place first. After ten minutes of running they reached the ladder that would lead them to the house next to hers but as Eren climbed the ladder screams and rounds going off was heard.

"Guys get down!" Eren whispered, everyone got down; Eren lifted the sewer cover enough to look around. The Military was everywhere, there were even tanks running the streets now, some houses where on fire. Turning around Eren could see some citizens trying to shoot back at the military forces but those soon fell to military firearms.

"Sara, everything's gone up there...I'm sorry." Eren explained as he finally reached the bottom, Sara was about to rush up the ladder but Mike held her down.

"There's nothing you can do now, if you go up there you'll just get caught. Your family might have made it out!" Mike yelled as Sara still tried to escape his grip. Sara soon collapsed in tears as the though of losing her family took hold, Nate helped her up and wiped away some of her tears.

"Let's go, we can't stay here long. What about Mike's and Eren's family?" Nate asked as Sara finally began to calm down.

"Eren, your next let's hurry before the Military get's to your place too." But to everyone's surprise he just shook his head, they knew why Eren had ran away at a young age, he had no family here. Soon everyone was running again, it felt like a lifetime of running as everyone had the same thought running through their mind, ' Is my family alright?'

Reaching Mike's place, Nate decided he would go first to see if it's clear. As he pushed the lid silence was all that he could hear. Leaving the sewers and taking a lung full of air he could smell the smoke and blood.

"Eren get up here..." Nate took in what was around him nothing but destruction and blood, but there were no bodies. Nate began to wonder why did the Military do all this, was it because of him and his mother?

'No, she's not my mother, just...a care taker.' Nathan thought as his friends left the sewers. Mike immediately rushed to his house searching for his family.

"Mom? Dad!" nothing the house was empty, Mike sat down as he tried to calm his nerves. Mike was just a normal Xerlian the thought of losing his family had never occurred to the tiger. The crunching of glass was heard as Sara came up and gave him a hug.

"It's alright to cry, no one's gonna judge you." That was it Mike cried into Sara's arms, Nathan had no idea what to say, and he had lost his family along with Sara and Mike.

"Guys we need to leave, there is nothing holding us here anymore." Nathan had lost his shine in his eyes; they were cold and focused at the task of saving his friends. They left Mike's house running to anywhere that was safe.

"Stop!" a soldier yelled as he spotted them running away, ignoring his orders Mike ran straight for his house in front of view. Just as he reached the front lawn the house busted into flames. Shards of glass where pushed out and cut Mike's ear leaving a deep gash as blood began to flow down his face. The force of the explosion was enough to knock him back and onto the ground.

Mike's ears rang as he tried to get up his vision blurred; he was able to make out his friends struggling against the Military soldiers. They were caught and it was his fault for turning his backs on them. Mike slowly got up and aimed at the soldiers holding his friends. Rushing towards them he began shooting at them.

Hitting his mark he was able to free Eren but a soldier tackled him to the ground before he could do anything else. The sound of cuffs locking into place as he was picked up, Eren, Sara and Nathan were now all cuffed as they were then dragged into an SUV.

"Damn Xerlians, shooting humans like nothing, you'll regret that kid." The soldier holding Mike spat as he threw the tiger into the back along with the case that Sara was holding on to, hitting him in the head. The sound of the SUV starting was heard and they began to drive off to who knows where.

"Damn, can't believe we got stuck with this job while the others get to lay back at HQ." the soldier in the passenger seat exclaimed.

"You know just as I do that we are on a schedule Havier, We need as many subjects as we can." The driver yelled as the soldier whose name was Havier.

"I don't care, everyone is at Selyne sipping coffee while we do the dirty work. And don't tell me to shut it." Havier yelled back. In the back Nathan, Sara, Eren and Mike were trying to figure out an escape plan but Nathan was paying closer attention to the conversation going on between the two soldiers.

"Look, once we get there we can relax. This was the District HQ wanted us to hit, that scientist ordered the attack; she's from up top anyways. We're not taking any chances, once everyone's been captured we can call it a rebellion we had to put out." The driver stated he appeared to be Havier's superior.

"Nate, I got it " Eren whispered as Nate turned his gaze towards Eren's cuffs which was now unlocked. Silently Eren removed the rest of his friend's cuffs.

"Pretend you still have them on!" Mike whispered, as Sara was about to stand up. Sitting back down the soldier took notice of the odd silence in the back.

"You punks sure are quiet, what's going on back there?" Havier asked but Nathan just grinned before spitting on the soldiers face. Grunting in anger Havier reached back and began to strangle Nathan but he failed to see Mike grabbing hold of the brief case and swinging it at his head. Eren jumped up and began chocking the driver with the cuffs he had. Quickly losing control they crashed into a building near Mike's old home.

"Uurrgh... hey guys... you okay?" Eren asked as he shook the stars in his vision.

"Yeah I think so, what happened?" Mike asked as he slowly got up and observes what was going on.

"Guys help!" Sara yelled which got the immediate attention of the two. Sara was holding Nathan's stomach as blood began to pool out.

"What happened?" Mike asked as he rushed to his friend's side.

"I don't know but there was a shard of metal from the crash, it hit Nate. It's still there I can't get it out!" Sara yelled as she tried to apply more pressure on the wound.

"Move!" Eren pushed Sara's hands away as he dug his paw into the wound feeling for the metal object giving it a firm yank, flesh ripping could be heard as the shard left Nathan's gut. Taking off his shirt Eren wrapped it around the wound and tied it to keep the pressure.

"We need to leave, Mike you've studied some medical procedures right can you heal him?" Eren asked as he shouldered his friend.

"A little but I don't know if I can heal something this serious!"

"No time we need to get out of the city. Sara follow me we need some wheels now!" Mike grabbed the metal case from the crashed SUV, for whatever reason it held some answers they needed. He followed Sara and Eren as Nathan's blood began to soak through the shirt. The smell of his blood soon filled their noses and worries began to form. As they reached an RV Mike tried the door but to no avail. In frustration he kicked the door repeatedly until it gave way.

Placing Nathan on the couch Eren went to work on hot-wiring the vehicle, him being covered in his friend's blood was the least of his concerns right now. Successfully starting the RV Eren floored the gas pedal to head in the opposite direct of the Military's forces. Reaching the outer limits of the city Eren still refused to slow down until he had reached the forest line a couple miles out.

The road was bumpy and Nathan was still losing blood while Mike tried his best to heal the wound.

"How's it's going?" Sara asked as the soft yellow glow of magic encircled the wound.

"I...I can't, the wound is too severe, I... I don't think I can heal it." Mike said as tears formed in his eyes. He had already lost his family; he didn't want to lose another.

"Sara, take over I will help where I can." Eren got up as Sara took over driving. Both Eren and Mike focused their Magic to try and heal their friends but there was just not enough between the two.

"One more, this time push as hard as you can!" Eren yelled as he focused all his strength to save Nathan. The yellow glow from both Mike and Eren once again encircled the hole in Nathans stomach but suddenly a bluish glow began flowing from the hole and began to seal up the wound. Mike and Eren stared in amazement as the wound finally closed up and healed itself.

"Wha...What was that?" Eren was a lost for words as he wondered what was that light just now.

"It's magic but magic has a yellow tint not blue...unless...it was Nathan's" Mike suggested, the threat of losing their friend was over but now questions remain as to how and what was going on.

"Nathan...has magic?" Mike was about to respond until Sara yelled out.

"We at the forest line, where should I go?" Eren walked over to Sara and began navigating her to their next location while Mike was staring at the slow rise and fall of Nathan's chest. Slowly opening his eyes Nathan's vision began to clear up.

"What's going on?" Mike stared at his friend for a while until,

"That's what I want to know..."