FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Dann wiped dust from his eyes as he, along with Foremole and Tragglo Spearback the Abbey Cellarhog, walked up the short flight of stairs from the cellar, where they'd been searching for the two missing Dibbuns, to Cavern Hole and a very worried looking Abbess Song. "Any sign of them," she asked hopefully.

"'Fraid not, Abbess," the massive hedgehog replied, "but may'aps one o' the other've 'ad better luck."

"Hope you weren't hangin' that luck on us, couldn't find 'ide nor 'air of 'em," said Rusvul, quickly followed by Janglur and Gawjo, returning from searching the barren attic at the top of the Abbey. Song anxiously chewed her lip, her paws trembling on the oak tabletop. The gigantic, scarred paw of Cregga, the ancient, blind badger who had once been the Lady of Salamandaston, laid gently atop them, stifling the shaking.

"Easy Song, worrying yourself sick will help no beast. They will be found, I'm sure of it."

The Abbess forced a smile, "You're right of course, I just hate the idea of two Abbeybabes alone and afraid." ************************************************************************* Just at that moment, Gubb and Winny were having the time of their lives; warm, comfortable, and chatting away like old mates with their fox rescuer. Argo had just hit the center of a clearing, the snow even thicker thanks to the hole in the canopy, when the fox froze in his tracks and fell silent, his ears perking up.

"Wa 'rong, Awgo," the mousebabe asked.

"Shh, quiet matey, I think we ain't alone."

"Haha, you're right 'bout that, fox! Now turn 'round, nice an' slowly like."

Argo turned slowly around 180 degrees to find four ferrets, one with an arrow strung meaningfully on his bow and pointed directly at the fox's chest, cutting deep gashes through the thick blanket of pristine snow. They wavered slightly as they caught sight of his scarred face, but they quickly regained their cocky expressions.

"Whoa now mates, no need for any fightin'," he said, showing his bare paws.

"No need for fightin'," said the smallest ferret, a scrawny thing with a rusty and chipped dagger, mockingly in a reedy voice. A growl from the largest, clearly the leader of the gang, silenced him and the other two giggling underlings.

"Ain't gonna be no need to fight, s'long as you do as I say," he said in a deep bass voice, "you leave all yer weapons and yer pack roight there where ya stand and ya can walk out o' 'ere with yer 'ead still on yer body."

It was then Gubb and Winny chose to make their presence known, poking their heads up into full view.

"Mis'a Awgo not gon'a do tat, 'e could beat you aw up wid one paw," Gubb shouted.

"Yezir," Winny added, "'im da gurtest wurriur wot ewer lived!"

"Is 'e now," the ferret leader asked condescendingly. "Well Mista 'Awgo,' if'n ya don't lay yer gear down by tha count o' three, we'll kill the babes first. One, two, thr..."

"WAIT WAIT WAIT! Ok maties, ya win. Jus' let me set tha babes down and ye can 'ave it all."

Argo turned his back on the ferrets and lifted the sling from his shoulder, whispering, "keep yer 'eads down and doncha look up 'til I say," to the mouse and mole as he lowered it to the snowy ground. Once sure they were safe, he pawed one of the throwing daggers on his broad belt and, quick as lightning, whirled around and flung it at the beast with the bow, hitting him in the shoulder and causing the stung arrow to go flying harmlessly into the forest. Before the other three even had time to react he was among them with his sword drawn. He took a mighty swipe at the leader, severing his head from his thick neck, and then redirected mid-strike to disembowel the little one. He swung the blade up over his head and cleaved down at the remaining vermin, hitting right where the neck and shoulder meet.

A rapidly growing crimson stain spoiled the pure white of the snow covering the ground as Argo wiped his blade on the rags of the ferret leader. He replaced his sword in the sheath strapped to his back as he strode back over to the bundle containing his charges. He knelt down and uncovered them, affectionately ruffling their ears. He was about to lift the improvised sling back over his shoulder when a searing pain tore through his back, causing him to howl out in rage. He gripped the knife handle protruding from the lower left side of his back and whipped it back around, catching the injured archer ferret in the throat.

"Stupid ol' cuttlefish," he said to himself under his breathe as he painfully hobbled over to the rapidly cooling body, "you missed 'is 'eart, ya ain't never missed yar target before." He replaced his dagger in it's belt sheath and reached around to check his wound. It was fairly shallow and far to the side, so it wasn't mortal. He unlaced his jerkin part of the way and placed a pawful of snow directly on it, slowing the blood flow and easing the pain to a dull ache. He picked Gubb and Winny in their cozy sling back up and starting forward again, Redwall Abbey thankfully not far now. *************************************************************************** "I knew we should'a checked these gates first," Skipper of Otters exclaimed, standing next to the partially-opened east wall gate with the sturdy built female hedgehog Nettlebud.

"Aye, that we should," she agreed, "let's tell the others an' get a proper search party together."