FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Lask Frildur was a fine specimen of a Monitor, but still very young, and was ashamed to realise it had taken only forty rats to bring him down. Ten were dead and three more soon would be, and more would likely follow. Monitor bites festered, and the bleeding never stopped. That was little comfort, as he lay spreadeagled in chains held down with solid staples which would take even his strength a while to shift, a cunningly-crafted assembly of metal bars forming a tight cage over his snout. He growled, and a rat turned a key to tighten the cage. Up close he saw the dullness of their eyes, the slackness of their expressions. What was that about? Whatever it was, they showed no fear, nor paid any attention to their dead; they merely gave perfunctory but efficient assistance to the wounded and surrounded him in a half-circle. Somebeast was coming.

The somebeast in question proved to be a marten, quite a young one insofar as Lask could tell with mammals; he certainly couldn't tell its gender. It walked with a swagger, the bushy tail which would be useless as a weapon swishing behind it and giving off a soft cloud of musk and rosewater. Its fur was groomed, its clothes were silk, and when it smiled Lask wrinkled his snout as he saw its fragile little needle fangs were sparkling clean. He couldn't believe this tiny ball of fluff and vanity was also a predator. Prettiness was for flowers, not fighters, and the sword at the marten's hip showed it at least considered itself a fighter. Dirty sneaking squashy little egg-thieves, mammals were, and this one looked more fur than meat. Some of the rats looked nice and crunchy though.

The marten looked him up and down and pulled a face, then snapped its claws. A rat approached, expression flowing into his features, and said "Captain?"

"Your latest effort? I see it's strong, certainly." A male voice, then. A mammal might have commented on the floral perfume, but the cue did not cross the species boundary enough to occur to Lask; Monitor females had as little interest in such things as the males did.

"Aye, sir. Does it please yer?"

The marten nodded to the other rats. "Wash its face." They fetched full waterskins and sloshed the contents over Lask's face, washing away the camouflage coating of mud and dung young Monitors cultivated to block their sight and scent from prey and territorial adults. From the marten's sneer, he found the uncovered result not much more pleasing. The feeling was mutual, and Lask tried to force his jaws open to growl. A gesture from the marten and the cage was loosened enough for him to speak. "Your name, lizard?"

"Lazk Frildur, and to you my name iz death!" Lask heaved with all his strength at his chains, succeeding in creaking forward a clawslength. "Look well on thiz faze, it will be the lazt thing you zee, tiny warmbloodz!" A gust of the lizard's vile breath hit the marten's face, and he backed up, ears flat, suppressing a retch. He didn't quite make it far enough to avoid the tip of the reptile's tongue slithering over his nosetip and up towards his eye. Lask felt him shudder violently, and smirked to himself as the mammal wiped frantically at his face with his sleeve. He was right, the thing didn't even taste good.

"Whoof! Augh, that was awful. Am I to take it you're venomous?"

"Venom iz but the ztart, zoft thing. Venom juzt keepz the wound open until the rot zetz in!" Lask licked his fangs and snarled, dripping stinking saliva to the ground. "If what'z left of my lazt meal doezn't finizh you I'll zhove you in the dirtiezt part of the river and let the zewage do the job! Ever eaten cattle, tiny cruzhable one? Monitorz have! Ever zoftened your prey up while they're ztill alive? Ever ztalked them for dayz while they get zlower and zlower, devoured the bitz that fall off them as they die? Ever let the black zlime that'z left of their flezh drip through your zcented pelt while they zcream?"

The marten appeared less than terrified. In fact, he seemed interested. Out of curiosity and confusion, Lask quieted and let the marten approach him, and did not try to bite when the pampered little paws explored his face, noticeably avoiding his mouth.

"So that smell isn't a sign you're dying yourself. Good. Hm, you seem fit and strong enough. Terrible breath. Such dull scales, too. Yes, I think we can safely say you're fates-forsaken hideous." A smile crawled over the creature's muzzle, and he breathed "Sublime. Are you looking for a job?"

Lask spluttered. "... What?"

The marten bowed. "I am Captain Ublaz, and I've been in search of somebeast suitably terrifying to assist me. Half the world and I've not found one species as gloriously, nightmarishly gruesome as yours. Mere dullness is one thing..." He waved a paw at the surrounding rats, and preened himself. "But beauty appears far greater with a stronger contrast. I can assure you you'll be well taken care of. Riches and adventure await! Tell me, Lask, if I may call you that, how can you refuse?"

"Onze my clawz are free I'll refuze by ripping your head off and ramming it down what'z left of your neck, you pompouz zlime. Lazk Frildur doez not take orderz from fluffy pillowz, and no 'contrazt' iz great enough to make you anything but revolting, warmblood!"

Ublaz sighed. "Fine, we shall do this the hard way." He took a firm hold of the cage on the lizard's head, leaned forward, and whispered "Look into my eyes."

Lask did, and was lost.

Very soon, the cage was unlocked and the chains unwound; no further resistance would occur for now. He'd wake the Monitor later when he had food and gold at paw as an incentive for a less volatile reaction. Ublaz chuckled softly as the remaining rats - another was dead by now - gathered the bindings and led the docile lizard away. Bonds on the body could be escaped. It was so much easier to bind their minds.