FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter I

'This forest is beautiful after snowfall.' Dante thought to himself as he calmly strolled along a snowy dirt pathway. The forest floor was sparsely dappled with sunlight from the thick green canopies above. The occasional bird chirped or squirrel barked from nearby. His footsteps gave an occasional crunch from the modest layer of snow covering much of the ground. The snow glistened beautifully wherever the sunlight reflected off its surface.

“But I hope this is the last snowfall since spring is almost here." He admitted with a little grin. Being blessed with good weather for travel was always something to be thankful for, especially during the cold season.

'No bandits either.' The human was very content with that fact as well. Forests had a reputation for harboring thieves and runaways, but he had come across no such thing during the past day. Tales of kidnappings and theft tended to bother him, but he felt at ease with his pack on his shoulders. He had surprisingly encountered no fellow travelers the past two days, but didn't mind the absence.

'I hope I can arrive at the next town before evening.' His route to the west was almost a perfect straight line with no deviations or detours, and he didn't have much further to go through the forest. The sudden snapping of a branch caught his attention. It was quickly followed by a yelping sound somewhere further ahead.

'Did I just hear that?' The snow dusted trees were silent as he looked around. The commotion returned and grew louder as he heard a barking yell echo through the snowy conifer forest. The birds had become silent and the wildlife around him had disappeared as if sensing danger.

'I have a bad feeling something is out there.' He hesitated to move only to feel a sense of vulnerability. Cautiously creeping forward along the path, Dante glimpsed movement dart beyond several bushes. He hurried forward with a sense of urgency, unsure of what was happening.

“Grrahhh!" A ferocious roar made him crouch down along the edge of the pathway.

'What was that?!' The human heard odd steps crunching in the snow. His eyes darted in every direction, but didn't see anything in his short line of sight. The leaves and branches were motionless around him.

“They're here! Right here!" A male voice exclaimed as another set of footsteps quickly crunched through the snowfall. His mind quickly thought of what was going on just beyond the pathway. Were a group of bandits fighting a militia? Did a green locals corner a wild boar? Peering out from the thicket, he found a scary scene unfolding right before his eyes. A wolf warrior fully equipped with a spear and round shield was facing a menacing creature that Dante had never seen before.

'Is this real!?' He blinked and rubbed his eyes, but saw that a canine skeleton was wielding a heavy double handed axe. Standing on two bony legs, it towered tall as it faced the defending wolf. Dante tensed as the skeleton prepared to strike at the wolf warrior.

'That shield might not hold up!' He feared, but the wolf warrior wasn't alone. Two more wolves appeared from the forest and a female let loose an arrow. A swift cracking noise pierced the chilly air as the arrow struck the skeleton's neck directly, or rather the vertebrae.

'Yes!' Danta cheered in his thoughts as the skeleton misstepped, giving the first wolf an opening to attack. The canine warrior promptly thrusted his spear and struck just below where the arrow was sticking out of its vertebra. The spear tip shattered clean through the bone. Sensing its demise, the skeleton swung its heavy axe only to clearly miss before its head was completely severed. The body collapsed lifelessly as a result.

“Stay on guard!" A second spear wielding wolf ran up to engage the other canine skeleton that was approaching.

Dante wanted to silently cheer for their success, but a rustle in the snow covered leaves caught his attention. Turning to his right, his excited expression dropped instantly. His eyes widened as a canine skeleton was facing him on all fours. The subtle red glow in its eyes frightened him like a living nightmare. It was beyond eerie being able to see through its skeleton bones while being stared down. The tense stand-off ended as the canine skeleton ran towards him, and quickly erased the gap between them.

'It's fast!' He jumped to his feet and turned to run, but stumbled backwards over a thick tree root covered in snow. Dante screamed and fell down as the ghostly skeleton leapt towards him. The undead monster slashed at him with a bony clawed hand. He protected his face with an arm only to hear his sleeve tear and feel pain sear through his entire arm.

“Aaahhh!" Dante cried out as a figure leapt over the bushes wielding a bow and arrow in hand.

“Hah!" The female wolf scowled with an arrow already notched. Outnumbered and having lost its advantage of surprise, the skeletons creature darted away into the snowy forest. The female wolf started to chase after the beast only to stop and look back at the human still on the ground.

“What's going-?" One of the male warrior wolves emerged to help only to look at Dante in surprise.

“Are you alright?" The female rushed over and crouched down beside him.

“I… I…" He could barely catch his own breath as the pounding of his own heart filled his ears. An intense throbbing pain caused him to look at his own arm. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

'My… my arm!' He stared in silent shock as his face became pale. He suddenly became very dizzy as his vision tunneled.

“Don't worry, we can-“ The voice didn't finish as Dante fainted at the sight of his own blood dripping into the snow.

Dante awoke with a startled jump and sat up.

“The skeletons-!" His teeth chattered only to find that he was no longer in the snowy pine and larch forest. The cold air was now warm, and he was no longer wearing his winter clothes. The smell of something slightly musky and pine needles tingled within his nose.

“Easy there. You're safe." A voice broke through the mental fog as a gentle hand rested on his shoulder.

“What?" He blinked and found himself looking at a grey wolf who was nearly nose to nose with him. The human leaned back only to feel a sudden pain. He looked down at his arm and discovered a well wrapped bandage had been applied to his cut.

“My arm…" Dante murmured. “How?"

“It was a bad cut, but nothing that we couldn't handle." The female wolf reassured him. He looked at the mottled grey canine silently and then his surroundings.

“Where am I?" The human looked around a cozy room inside a cabin.

“Is he awake?" A deep voice asked. Another wolf was curiously peeking around the corner at them both. Unlike the mottled grey female, he had a more uniform dark grey color to his fur.

“You're the two wolves from the forest." He realized.

“Yes, and I see that you're doing well." The grey wolf observed.

“You're in our village not far from where you were ambushed. I'm Asaru." The female wolf kindly introduced herself with a smile. She was wearing very little, virtually nothing save for a pair of armbands and a necklace. Her mottled grey fur coat was thick and fluffy for the end of winter. Various grays and hints of browns covered her sides, face, and extremities; whereas a wintry white covered her front. Her body was strongly built with feminine grace. Her bare chest was small and athletic, not that her concealing fur revealed anything intimate to his eyes.

“I'm Rowen." The male stepped from around the wall and introduced himself. He wore nothing at all like the female, and was clearly strong to the human's eyes. The softness of his dark grey fur only subtly masked the strength he possessed within his strong arms, legs, visible abs, and broad shouldered chest.

“We are siblings." He added with an open grin.

“You are?" Dante looked at the two but wasn't sure how to recognize familial canines aside from coat color.

“Yes, although Rowen used to say that we never looked alike." Asaru teased. The male wolf rolled his eyes.

“So who might you be, and why are you traveling through the forest alone?" Rowen curiosity inquired.

“My name is Dante, and I'm going to become a scholar."

“A scholar?" Asaru looked at him curiously. “So you're not a warrior?"

“No, not at all!" Dante was surprised that anyone would call him a warrior.

“I'm guessing my sister thought you were fighting that skeleton instead of cowering before it." The male half grinned.

“I don't have much talent for fighting." He admitted. “How can you even fight a skeleton?" The human didn't understand. Asaru appeared disappointed at the news.

“You need to sever the head from the main body." Rowen tapped his neck.

“Oh." Dante subtly grimaced at the information.

“So where are you traveling from?"

“Malomasso. It's a town outside of the big port city Althea, but I'm not a scholar yet." He clarified. “I was sent by my city's master librarian to obtain knowledge and bring it back in written form. Only then will I be elevated from the rank of librarian to scholar."

“Sounds important. What kind of knowledge are you looking for?" Rowen curiosity asked.

“It isn't anything specific per se. The only requirement is that the knowledge must pertain to original research. It could be about astronomy, history, medicine, or even magic." The human rambled off a few examples only to think about why he was injured in the first place.

“Sounds academic to me." Rowen grinned.

“What were those skeleton creatures? I have never seen anything like them before." Dante had to ask despite feeling a chill run up his back. The canines' playful grins faded at the mention of the skeletons.

“Well… to be completely honest with you, we aren't entirely sure." Asaru stated.

“What we do know is that they're undead skeletons that have been reanimated in some way. However, the circumstances are still unknown." He shrugged. “We don't even know where they are exactly coming from in the forest." He added. “We have been sent in groups the scour the forest floor, but you must understand that the forest itself is huge and it would take a very long time to check every single area."

“That's terrifying." Dante found not knowing even worse than knowing.

“In the meantime, you should bathe in the hot spring. It will help heal your cut, and our noses." He suggested with a little levity causing his sister to snicker.

“But it's freezing outside!" He looked at the male wolf and clung to the bed's sheets.

“I said bathe in the hot spring, not the snow." Rowen grinned. “Cmon, if you're interested, we can walk you there."

“It's a very short walk." Asaru encouraged the human. “You'll enjoy the hot water."

“Well… Okay." Dante didn't want to be rude in front of the two wolves who had saved him from certain death from an undead skeleton.

“Great! The evening is a beautiful time of day to relax in the water." Rowen stepped out of the bedroom.

“Where are my belongings?" Dante got up and looked around the bedroom.

“We left your bag by the door." Asaru walked with him around the wall and revealed the other side of the small lodge's living quarters. The room was a small open area including a hearth alive with a small fire. His pack along with a garment was resting by the door.

“Someone is mending your coat and shirt right now." She told him. “Although it must be washed first. I don't think you want a torn bloody garment back."

“Thank you, I appreciate it."

“Here. You'll need this." Asaru handed him a towel that was hanging on a mounted hook.

“Thanks." He gladly accepted and exited the small home with them. Dante was a little surprised that they didn't bother dressing as they exited the home.

'They don't seem to care about being naked.' He thought to himself. 'They must be very accustomed to it.' Being from a city, there were laws against 'bare fur' and 'bare skin' but a city couldn't extend its authority beyond its reach.

Outside the comfortable lodging was a scenic village with a few coniferous trees within sight. Snow still covered much of the ground except where foot traffic was common. Stepping off the porch, they followed a walkway that was free of snow. The cold air smelled like the forest, clean and refreshing, but the hint of something resembling an ocean breeze was also present. The cold wasn't an issue for the wolves due to their thick winter coats, but Dante was holding onto himself tightly to preserve body heat.

“This is our small village known for its hot spring." Rowen told him. “People from all over the region would come here because the hot mineral waters are rejuvenating. Although that changed once those skeletons began attacking."

“Any idea why the skeletons are attacking people in the forest?"

“No, it is a mystery to us." Rowen admitted. “They began appearing this winter, and they've been seen as far as the outskirts of Trent. Very few people have traveled here this winter because of the skeleton sightings."

“You're one of the few people who've visited our village since the winter began." Asaru pointed out as they approached the hot spring. The steam coming from the surface looked inviting, and picturesque with the snow lining the rocks along the edge of the water. The two wolves casually entered the water and made themselves comfortable, expecting Dante to wade in behind them.

“Eh." Dante hesitated to join them. As inviting as the steamy waters were, the human shivered in place out of embarrassment to disrobe before them so publicly.

“Would it help if we don't look?" Asaru gave him a less than impressed glance.

'I'm such a loser…' He internally sighed but nodded for her. Rowen chuckled and looked away as Dante removed his pants and undergarments before stepping forward into the steaming water. The cold instantly melted away from his body as a savory heat enveloped him.

“Ah." Dante quickly stepped forward and sank down to his neck.

“See? I told you the water would feel great." Rowen smiled and turned to face him.

“Mmhm." The human hummed and leaned his head back onto a rock. His cut ached some from the water, but it was a trivial nuisance for now. 'I can see why people would travel here now.' He thought to himself. Glancing around, the hot spring was a very peaceful place with beautiful natural scenery.

“So what sort of research were you interested in discovering to become a scholar?" Rowen asked. “You mentioned it could be any topic. Was there something in particular that interested you?"

“In all honesty, I haven't decided yet." Dante admitted. “I had a few vague ideas, and one I had come up with was to travel to the town of Trent. The town is known for its arborists, and the reason I traveled along the pathway to the west is because it passes through the forest."

“So you could study the trees a little bit to come up with a specific idea?" Asaru guessed.

“Yes, that's it." He nodded.

“Did you come up with something?" Rowen asked.

“Uh, no not yet." Dante felt a little sullen about it. “And now I've been attacked by a skeleton." He couldn't believe his bad luck.

“How about you accompany us to the town of Trent?" Rowen offered.

“What? He go with us?" Asaru looked at her brother questioningly.

“Yeah, he's a warrior after all." He stuck the tip of his tongue out and teased her. She huffed and rolled her eyes. “You were traveling there anyway, right?" Rowen looked at Dante.

“That's right."

“Finding out what is causing all of this skeleton nonsense could be your research. How does that sound?"

“It could be…" He thought about it.

“At the very least it is safer to travel in a group than alone right now." Rowen reasoned. “And if you decide not to, then we can go our separate ways once we reach Trent." Dante thought over the offer as the steam curled around him.

“Sure. I'll go with both of you to Trent." He finally decided.

“Alright!" Rowen grinned happily. “Hey, you wouldn't happen to know anything about magic involving bones or resurrecting the dead by chance, would you?"

“No, I'm afraid I don't." Dante sheepishly grinned.

“Darn. No harm in asking I guess." Rowen shrugged. Asaru turned her head as someone approached them. A jet black furred male wolf paused along the walkway. He was somewhat older than Rowen due to a few silver gray hairs on his muzzle, but not by many years. It also didn't diminish his physical strength on full display, especially since he only wore a pair of armbands with feathers and a white beaded necklace.

“You're not a tax collector, are you?" The wolf looked at Dante with suspicion.

“Huh?" Dante looked at the wolf dumbly.

“No, he's not a tax collector!" Rowen laughed at the idea. “We would've left him to the skeletons if that was true." He grinned.

“He's the human we rescued earlier today." Asaru explained.

“Oh!" The black wolf's face lit up. “Sorry for the confusion!" He quickly apologized to Dante.

“Don't mind Pylo. He's tasked with reporting to the region's tax collector." Rowen explained as the black furred wolf walked away.

“That must be a stressful job."

“He has been anxious since fewer people have been visiting the village." Asaru added.

“Is tourism to the hot springs an important source of income for the village?" Dante guessed.

“Yes, it is the only income we receive outside of hunting. We occasionally lease some parts of the forest for lumber, but no one dares approach the forest nowadays." Rowen sighed and looked at the tall pine tree beside the hot spring. A brief silence passed between the three until a small chunk of snow fell off a low branch and landed with a nearly silent plop.

“Alright." Rowen stretched his arms up and yawned. “I think we've soaked long enough for the evening. Nightfall is almost here. Thank you for joining us, Dante. I'm sure the spring waters will help your cut heal faster." The wolf spoke optimistically. “You can stay in the small lodge for the night if you'd like."

“Thank you. I appreciate it!" He nodded as the male wolf rose up and waded past him. Asaru stood up next, but the human didn't want to leave the warm water now.

'I have to get out at some point.' He waded out next and was quick to grab his towel which had become colder from the chilly air.

“I'll see you early in the morning then. Get as much sleep as you can." The male wolf bid the human farewell for the day.

“Thank you!" Dante quickly dried himself to preserve some of the heat as the chilly air cooled his skin.

“I'll take you back." Asaru offered and walked past him to grab a spare towel.

“Huh?" He blinked and noticed a few markings on the female wolf's back. “What are those? Are they cuts?" Dante innocently asked.

“Hmm?" She glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, yeah I can tell you about that." She plainly mentioned, and walked back with him along the pathway.

“A few years ago I was alone on a trail south of the village and was ambushed by a few bandits." She began her story. “The weather was beautiful and I was fresh off the cusp of adolescence. A group of bandits emerged from the underbrush and trees and cornered me. They wanted money from me even though I didn't have any. I chose to fight and injured most of them, but they managed to restrain me. For fighting back they tied me up and whipped my back several times. I howled and screamed but I'm proud for not passing out." Despite her firm words the human still sensed lingering pain in her voice.

“Oh my." Dante was wide eyed with shock. “That's cruel and evil."

“When they let me go I ran back home. A group from the village eventually tracked them down and kindly returned the favor twofold before dragging them to town where they were imprisoned. I felt better knowing the thieves were taken care of, but it took time for the pain to go away even though my fur grew back nice and thick." She concluded.

“I'm sorry that happened to you." He couldn't believe something so horrible had happened to her. The wolf didn't answer back verbally, but her tail swished once.

“This is the lodge you're staying at, right?" She paused and looked to her right.

“Oh, yes it is!" Dante realized they had already walked back along the entire pathway. “Thank you very much for your hospitality." Dante gave a short bow, but started to shiver from the cold. “And thank you for saving me from that thing." Dante looked at his wrapped arm with renewed gratitude.

“You're welcome." She kindly grinned. “Just be ready to leave early in the morning."

“Goodnight." He stepped inside and closed the door. The human shuddered and rubbed his arms. The warmth of the fire felt nice even from across the room.

'I better put more wood on the fire.' He noticed the dwindling flames and approached the hearth. The wolves were very cheerful and kind to him despite being complete strangers. He felt very fortunate to have become acquainted with those two wolves of the village.

“I need to write all of this down." He looked back at his backpack by the door. “Wait a minute…" He realized something else was amiss only to frown. 'I forgot my clothes at the hot spring!'

“Are you dressed yet?" A female voice called out from the doorway. Asaru was patiently waiting for the human to finish dressing in the adjacent bedroom, something she was not accustomed to doing.

“Not yet! I'm almost done."

“City people and their strange customs…" The female wolf sighed.

“I'll freeze without my clothes!" Dante called out as he finally donned his pants.

“It isn't freezing anymore. Most of the snow has melted."

“You have fur!" He called back.

“Ready?" She sounded impatient as he finally emerged from the other room. Dante found Asaru standing by the door wearing little more than the previous evening, although she appeared more elegant. The female wolf's fur was neatly groomed and she wore a small loincloth that covered her nethers just enough. A pair of simple earrings with little red feathers and matching armbands also looked nice on her.

“Yeah, but where are my belongings?" He looked around.

“Right here." She tapped the wooden wall with a claw.

“Thank you." He slipped on his pack. “Where's everyone else at?"

“Waiting for us at the village entrance." She opened the door revealing the bright early morning sunshine. The refreshing morning air was chilly but no longer frigid. Snow was quickly melting as the air was warming.

“Thank you for getting my shirt and coat sewn. They're good as new." Dante felt the tight stitching over his bandaged forearm.

“You're welcome. I'll let elder Okugyu know you appreciate her handiwork. Asaru led him with a brisk pace along the pathway.

'I can't even tell that she has scars under her fur.' He kept glancing at her back. The wolf's pretty mottled grey coat didn't reveal any of her skin's secrets unless completely soaked. Dante felt a chill thinking about how she had been beaten. They passed by the hot spring where they had bathed yesterday.

'It's even more scenic here during the morning.' Dante noted the steam hovering above the hot water. Glancing around the buildings farther away, a few inhabitants were outside, but it was easy to imagine the entire village of wolves preparing amenities to travelers from different regions alike. Dante and Asaru quickly arrived at the village's entrance where a pair of wolves were waiting.

Pylo and Rowen were underdressed in the human's eyes, but a small loincloth was a step above outright nakedness. Both wore necklaces and armbands; but were also armed with sheathed knives around their waists.

'I didn't even notice that she was armed as well.' The human saw that Asaru had a modest sheathed knife hanging on her hip as well.

“We're here." Asaru greeted them.

“Sorry for making you two wait as well." Dante apologized.

“Nah, you're fine." Rowen didn't mind. “We have plenty of time to reach the town of Trent."

“I don't think I caught your name last evening." Pylo looked at the human.

“It's Dante." He introduced himself.

“Ah, Dante." He gave a nod. “Sorry for confusing you with our village's tax collector." The middle aged wolf bashfully grinned. “I never come across too many humans, especially these past few months…"

“That okay-."

“Hhhaaahhh!" A high pitched voice cried out as a small canine figure jumped out of the bushes and surprised them. Dante froze only to realize it was a pup that charged at them.

“What are you doing out here little Kesi? Are you scaring us all before we leave?" Rowen smiled at the little one.

“Ahahah!" Kesi laughed as he was picked up. “I want to go with you!" The pup eagerly spoke.

“You do, eh?" Rowen gave a toothy grin. “You know, we could always use another strong warrior in training for safety."

“Grr!" The pup growled and made a fierce, yet adorable face.

“Too cute." Asaru mentioned.

“Well, given everything that's going on, I don't think you should come with us." Rowen explained.

“Hmph!" He frowned and folded his arms.

“Maybe you can practice charging with your mom if she isn't too busy taking care of your baby brother." He suggested.

“But I wanna go with you…" He quietly whined.

“I'm sorry, but maybe another time. Bye." He hugged Kesi tightly before setting him on the ground. “Try to keep away from trouble."

“Bye dad." He pouted.

“Don't worry. We will return later in the day." Pylo promised and waved to the pouting pup.

“Is that your son?"

“Yep." Rowen proudly spoke as they left the village entrance. “Heh, he's like me when I was his age."

“Mmhm." Asaru hummed knowingly.

“He's quite a handful." Dante glanced over his shoulder and saw the pup trudge away to spend his time elsewhere.

“Yeah, and I love him to pieces." The three wolves and one human set out along the dirt road leading into the forest due west.

“How far away is Trent?" Dante asked.

“It's only an hour or so walk from our village." Pylo said.

“That's great to hear." Dante nodded. “I was afraid there'd be a long hike from here."

“Well, it's an easy long hike." Rowen grinned and led the way. “Only a few hills along a well maintained forest path. And how's your arm doing?" He glanced at the bandages.

“Okay." Dante still felt discomfort. “But it hasn't gotten any worse."

“I suppose it'll take time to heal." Rowen acknowledged.

“Will there be any skeleton creatures prowling around?" The human couldn't help but ask.

“We haven't encountered any in the morning hours yet."

'Yet?' Dante didn't like the sound of that.

“Everyone keep your guard up!" He enthusiastically declared as they walked into the forest.