FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Having left the riverbed behind hours ago, Key stops for a moment in a clearing to rest. He has yet to actually see any of the native creatures. He's heard them skitter at his approach, and Drudge has registered over 600 unique calls. Calls that, as of yet, have no source.

He sits for a moment to search through his pack. Hearing some closer skittering, he slowly looks towards it source.

About three meters from him stands a small, four legged crustacean. While its shape is similar to a crab, it stands more like a long legged spider, and its body is about the size of a squished baseball, the legs are fatter than a spider's or crab's would be, and each has four joints. Its shell is a mottling of greens, blues and whites. Great for hiding in riverbed, but not so much in the underbrush.

As Key sits, looking at it, he realizes that it's looking back at him. He watches the creature for a moment, letting Drudge learn as much as he can about it, before taking a drink from a canteen.

The creature watches him take the drink and then takes a few tentative steps closer.

Seeing this, Key makes a small impression in the damp clay-like ground and pours some water in it. "Is that what you want?" he softly asks.

As Key steps back, the creature makes a few clicking sounds, looks between Key and the water, and then squats low and sneaks up on the puddle.

Key smiles, but doesn't move as it gets to the water.

Instead of drinking, it starts to play in it, making small splashes in the water with its leg tips.

At this distance, Key gets a better look at its face, or lack there of. Like some long-legged spiders, its eyes are positioned directly on its one-piece body. Key also realizes that it's making a very soft chitter as it splashes in the water.

He watches for a while, and when the water disappears, the creature looks at Key and starts tapping a leg tip at the empty puddle. Key sits in awed by the level of intelligence it's displaying.

It stops tapping and lets out a low pitched warble, then walks over to him, climbs up his leg and taps on his canteen.

Key's eyes go wide, It recognized where the water came from?

"It would seem so," Drudge answers.

As Key slowly starts to move, it darts back to the impression and starts to bounce it's body. Key fills the depression again and then sits and takes another drink. This time, the creature dips it's body in the water, folds its legs around itself and softly chitters again.

As he watches it sit in the water, Key begins to notice that other creatures are coming out of hiding. Some are very small and insect like, while others are cat or even dog sized, and are like nothing he's seen before. Everything he sees though, has an exoskeleton.

He slowly reaches back into his pack and pulls out a bio scanner. Using it to scan the largest--an eight legged, dog sized, ant-like creature--it quickly comes back with a cold-blooded indication. It also indicates that's it a carnivore, which Key had already noted by its mouth.

When it ventures near the spider-crab like thing, the little creature unfolds and scurries over to hid under Key's leg. Fearing that he may be in danger, Key slowly draws his pistol.

The ant-dog though, having not seen the other move, shuffles away through some red-grey bushes.

He slowly scans the other creatures, they come up as insect or crustacean and herbivore. He also learns that many have some kind of defense mechanism, like stingers or extra thick armor. When he looks under his leg to see where the first creature went, he doesn't find it.

Figuring it left, and not wanting to learn anything more about the current collection of creatures, he quietly stands to leave. Some of the creatures turn to look at him, but when he starts to walk away, they slowly turn back to what they were doing.

He quietly slings the pack on his back again, keeping the scanner in hand to use on any new creatures he finds.

The spider-crab, having crawled up on Key's pack, secrets a sticky fluid and "glues" itself to the side of the pack. It then folds its legs around itself, and secretes a chrysalis.

* * *

Key sits on a fallen log, looking up the earthen cliff face. The probe is wedged in some roots nearly 20 meters up. Its casing looks heavily dented, but otherwise intact. He's already tried to climb up, but the face it too soft, he just ends up digging into the dirt.

He grabs his pack, and as he starts into it, he notices the chrysalis attached to the side. Curious, he cups his hand over it so Drudge can scan it.

"It is the creature that was following us," Drudge states.

Key smirks. No longer concerned as to what it is, he returns his attention to looking in the pack. He pulls out a sensor ball, it's a golf ball sized sensor cluster that his AI can interface with. Normally only scouts or spelunkers use these, but right now he needs to see what's topside of the cliff.

Stepping up near the cliff, he tosses it straight up. It floats for just a moment, before falling back down. Drudge reports that he did not get a clear view, so Key throws it up again.

A large, winged creature zooms out from above the cliff and snatches the ball.

"I have lost telemetry," Drudge reports.

Key sighs heavily. "Well, you think can we grapple something up there?"

"I would not recommend it. The creature appeared to be nesting."

"Figures. Well, let's go find the pod then."

As he picks up his pack, he gently touches the chrysalis. "If you're gonna hang around, I should at least come up with a name for you."

A single word comes to mind, and he softly says, "Avy."

Shoulder his pack, he turns to find the pods marker to the west. He then sets out to find it.