FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1

The sharp scent of blood was the first thing to torment the kobold, followed in quick succession by flashes of a horrifying scene - Sounds of screeches, screams, and even /roars/ echoing loudly in their mind. Familiar and unfamiliar forms were seen in glimpses, the noises of pain ringing through their mind either sickeningly known or frighteningly alien. It all grew to be too much rather quickly, blurs and distorted whispers trailing off into darkness once more.

Some amount of time later, a hazy vision of the world around greeted the soft kobold lying on the forest floor. There were greens and browns, earthy tones of what were likely trees about, even those difficult to make out for the overwhelmed creature. With a whimper, they crawled to the closest trunk, pressing themselves against it and fearfully glancing about. Malicious shapes still danced int he edges of their vision, keeping them from relaxing or even managing coherent thoughts. They hid underneath their paws, cradling themselves as they curled up, slipping into another fitful rest.

When they were awoken again, it was by the feeling of an unfamiliar touch against their fur, making the kobold's eyes snap open in a wide, fearful look. It didn't seem to be one of the silhouettes dancing and bleeding in the world around them, but instead something colorful. In a way, it was almost reassuring, having something real come into contact with their soft shoulder, but they quickly pulled away nonetheless. A soft, begging cry was all they could manage to give to the shape above them, clearly conveying how afraid the poor creature was and how much they needed help.

Cries and yells still plagued their mind, but soft whispers that seemed more rooted in reality managed to slip through the cracks as well. First, it was murmurs to get someone, and another shape that'd huddled above them darting off into the distance. It was hard to make out how much time had passed, but eventually a louder noise managed to cut through the nightmarish haze surrounding the creature huddled against the tree, powerful wingbeats in the air resulting in their fur being brushed this way and that by the breeze. As a larger, blurry head peered closely at them, they tried to scoot away again, only managing to end up falling prone. Slowly, that looming shape grew closer and closer...

Until it came into contact with them, and the world /swam/. Rays of iridescent, shining light cut through the dark illusions surrounding the kobold, a comforting ringing fighting against the screeches echoing in their mind. Something was fighting over them, tugging them back from the brink of madness. Eventually, the world calmed, and the soft lizard managed to see a wide, reassuring smile above them, sparkling in the sunlight. And that was the last thing they saw before they fainted once more.

As they finally came to for the third time, they were met with the warmth of the sun shining down on their fur, mind racing as it tried to parse together what had happened. This place felt distinctly unfamiliar to them, a sense filling their heart of being far from home. Slowly, they climbed up to hug their knees again, eyelids hesitantly fluttering open, afraid of what they might find. Their vision was clear of the nightmarish visions from before, though, able to properly take in their surroundings. A quick glance over themselves revealed their fur to be dirtied by the ground below but unharmed, the soft pink and white fluff that made up their hide matted.

With that out of the way, they attempted to wobble their way up to a stand, only to immediately tip over, paws quickly extending to try and break their fall - but the impact with the ground below never came, instead cushioned by a large, cradling paw that caught them. They sniffled and writhed, reflexively trying to break away from it, but firmly held in place. "L-let me..!" They managed to stammer out, weakly protesting being held like this.

A soft, shushing coo broke their panic, seeming to cut through to their soul and soothe their nerves. "Quiet, dear. Breathe. You're alright." A warm voice murmured down at them, the command indeed prompting the held kobold to take a deep, gaspy breath, movement slowing to a halt. Each time the air hit their lungs, it seemed to last for an eternity, but they eventually managed to open their eyes again.

They were quickly met with a large, somewhat slender head gazing down at them, coated with beautiful scales that seemed to sparkle in the daylight just as the magical iridescence had before. The sheer size looming over them felt like it should've overwhelmed the poor kobold below, but it was instead rather reassuring as their mind worked, and they realized it was a dragon above them. Dragons were good, they liked those. This one felt unfamiliar, though, but before they could dwell on it too long, a warm lick was placed across their soft forehead. "You're doing so well, poor thing... When you're feeling up to it, tell me your name, please? It isn't often another's kobold ends up in my territory."

"I'm, uhm..." They had to think on that for a moment, searching their foggy mind for an answer. "Atlu. M-mhm. I don't.. know you..?" The fluffy little lizard below whined confusedly, gazing up at her.

"You do not." The motherly voice above them cooed affirmatively, her warm breath felt against Atlu's forehead as she leaned in to give them a gentle sniff. Atlu managed to glance about while she did, noticing the colorful shapes from earlier, able to actually process what they were. A variety of colorful kobolds, similar in stature to themselves, but with scales similar to the dragon above instead of soft fur like the fluffy lizard. Some of them seemed to be standing guard, but the vast majority were looking onwards, the number of eyes on them making Atlu shift with mild uncomfort. They were quickly distracted again by that warming voice resuming, though, before they could worry much. "My name is Allira." She purred. "Can you stand on your own?"

Atlu managed a timid nod, and so the dragoness's paw was lifted away, leaving the fluffy kobold to wobble for a moment before standing properly. "Where, uhm, a-are we? I don't know how, I.. got here... T-there were shapes, and screams, a-and.." The soft little reptile sniffled a bit, glancing about again.

"You're far from home. Not terribly far, but you've come quite a ways." Gently, the paw that had been holding them was reached up to stroke across their head and neck, easing the kobold's budding fear yet again. "As for what you saw... I can't say for certain what it was. An affliction of sorts. Something I could cure... for the most part." There was just a hint of worry in her voice at that last phrase, her voice quickly picking up again after a soft pause. "It does not matter. You are safe here, yes? I promise no harm will come to you while you're under my care."

With that reassurance spoken, her paw was lifted from them again, the dragoness standing properly upright. She certainly dwarfed the small lizards below, Atlu for sure, but not the surrounding environment. "Let me take you back to my den, soft little one. Hikri, come guide them, please?"

At that question being spoken out, one of the male kobolds in the crowd bounced forwards, his hide formed of soft blue and white scales. Not unlike Atlu's own, if his cool-colored scales had instead been pink and fluffy. "C'mon! Not very far. Want me to carry? Probably do you some good to walk, though. Here, will hold on." With a bright chirp, the kobold Allira had named as Hikri gently grabbed one of Atlu's paws, squeezing it a bit before beaming and starting to tug them along. With a soft yelp from Atlu and an amused purr from Allira, the group of kobolds as a whole began trotting along after the dragoness, curious yips and squeaks heard from the crowd as all eyes remained on the fluff.

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Despite the ongoing chittering and scurrying of the small horde of lizards, the walk was peaceful to Atlu's mind. Having the time to clear their head and properly start thinking was a blessing, although the thoughts that quickly began to take over their attention distracted them from the present. How had they managed to get so far from their home, and end up at another dragon's, no less? Allira seemed so very pleasant, but they missed Frienu, their own master. He was fluffy as they were, and always treated his kobolds kindly, even where other dragons would've been harsher. Even to the point of dressing his loyal little fluffy lizards up in sweaters, ensuring they'd be kept cozy and warm. Atlu looked down at the fuzzy red fabric covering them, only to realize with a soft frown that it'd been torn.

“Can fix that!" Hikri chirped at them quickly, jolting the soft kobold. Atlu had almost forgotten they were being led along by him, paw held in his scaly one. “Don't understand why wear, though. Are so fluffy already! Rest of us don't even have fluff, and don't need to wear anything."

Atlu's naturally pink muzzle warmed slightly as they realized Hikri was right, the crowd of kobolds was trotting around bare-scaled. Being kobolds, there was little to see, kept modest by their reptilian anatomy, but still. “O-oh, that's very.. true. You don't, uhm, get cold?"

Hikri simply giggled back at that, his tail swishing in amusement as he squeezed their held paws. “Mm-mm! Well, sometimes. Usually just get more of us and press close to stay warm. Like this!" With that, he tugged Atlu closer and wrapped his arms around them, warmly nuzzling in at their soft neck and giving a bright purr. Just as soon as the embrace had begun, it was released in favor of continuing to trot along, leaving the fluffy kobold blushing a bit more. Hikri had smelled.. rather nice. Comforting, with his casual affection.

Before they could dwell on that for long, the newly familiar voice of Allira spoke up, laughing softly at the distracted little fluffbold. “We're here, dear. I.. think I may need some time to rest, mm? There's some things I need to check on. Hikri, would you take Atlu on a tour of our den? You seem rather attached to him, already." Allira giggled warmly at that, extending a paw to pat at both Hikri and Atlu's heads in turn.

“Am on it! C'mon!" Hikri chirped back up at her with a quick bobbing of his head, already yanking Atlu along, prompting a yelp from the soft kobold. The entrance to the cave before them was nestled in a line of trees, only noticeable by the soft sparkling of gemstones caught in the sun streaming through the branches. Before Atlu could gaze on them for long, they were dragged right inside, tugged into the gem-coated cavern.

Where most caves would quickly grow dark just past the entrance, Allira's seemed to be illuminated through. It was certainly a bit dimmer than the sunny outside world, but the light seemed to bounce from crystal to crystal, giving the passageways a delightful shimmer. Atlu was absolutely captured by the beautiful interior, not noticing the pair had stopped in a wider cave until Hikri reached a paw to bap their nose.

“These are our nests! Sleep here. Cozy. Can find one for you later!" Hikri chirped, prompting Atlu to gaze across the room. Nests was a quite accurate way to describe the piles of soft materials scattered about the room, already sparsely filled with peacefully sleeping scalies. Crystals around the room had been covered with cloth as well, dimming the light further to just a soft glow, almost making Atlu themselves yawn. Before they could be lured into sleepiness by the surroundings, though, they were already pulled along down another passageway.

“Eating-room! Miss Allira likes it if we all eat together. Says it's 'polite'. Think she just doesn't like when we get crumbs all over." Hikri giggled as the pair entered a room full of small tables, with one larger one, clearly fit for the dragon, in the very center.

“It does sound rathe-“ Atlu yelped again, cut off by the insistent tugging as they were dragged down another crystalline corridor. “Baths!" Hikri proclaimed, leading the pair through some hanging vines into what seemed to be a series of connected, steam-filled rooms. Bubbling springs came up from the cave floor, likely the source of all the plant-life around, comfortable moss underfoot and vines providing privacy as they draped from above. Slipping into one of those warm pools was so very tempting for the soft kobold, but Hikri didn't give them a chance to voice such, already yanking them along again.

At last, the pair ended up at the entrance to a seemingly massive cavern, crystals twice or three times as tall as the kobolds lining the opening, like teeth would line a jaw. Despite the intimidating look of the passageway, the voice that called from within was reassuring, belonging to Allira as she gently sung out to them. “Come in please, Atlu~ Would you guard us, Hikri? We have much to discuss." With an affirmative chirp, Hikri gently nudged Atlu forward to wander inwards, scrambling up to take a seat on one of the massive crystals and intently peer outwards.

To say Atlu felt small within was an understatement. For the room to feel comfortable for a full-sized dragon, it had to feel giant for any kobold to step in. Bookshelves lined the walls, carefully set into the crystals there, full of seemingly ancient tomes. Carefully-carved crystals were also strewn about, both lying in piles and even molded from the gems on the walls, made into statues showing various animals and figures. “A hobby of mine." Allira cooed, laid out on her side, tailtip flicking as she gestured for Atlu to come sit as well.

“Thank you for, uhm, welcoming me in Miss Allira, I…" Atlu trailed off as Allira gently laid a pawpad on their snout, shushing the kobold.

“No calling me Miss, silly little thing. I can hardly break that habit from Hikri and the others, don't let them start you on it, mm?" She laughed, rubbing affectionately down at Atlu's fluffy snoot. “You probably have many questions. I will do my best, yes? Ask away."

Atlu laid their own paws on their lap as they sat, tail swishing nervously across the floor behind them. “I, uhm… Do you know how I got here? I can't really.. remember anything from the past while." The fluffy little lizard admitted with a soft whine, looking confused.

Allira gave an empathetic coo as she gazed down at them, reaching to reassuringly pet their soft head. “I don't, I'm sorry. I… have thoughts, perhaps. But I'll need time to figure it out, yes?"

Atlu nodded understandingly in response, still looking a bit worried as they gazed up at her. “Maybe, uhm… Don't really know. Frienu is always really kind to me, he's never sent me away before…"

Allira responded with another set of comforting rubs against their head, her soft pads stroking through their fluff. “I doubt he intended to do so, mm? He's quite sweet, I agree. Every bit as soft as you, mm?" Allira giggled warmly, reaching down to rub her larger muzzle against Atlu's soft forehead. “I can't say for certain. I'd like you to stay with us until I can contact him, though, yes? Would you be alright with that?"

The soft little kobold hesitated for a moment before nodding, hugging their knees. “I just… miss him. Home. Y-you're really nice, and so is Hikri and the others, but…"

Allira gently scooped Atlu up, cradling them in a paw and then tucking their soft body against herself. They didn't protest much, glad for the large, comforting form to hide under, curling against her. “It'll be alright, dear. We'll get you home as soon as we can." She promised, just a hint of unease in her voice as she draped a wing over Atlu. Despite how unfamiliar it all was to them, they felt.. safe, hidden like that. Plenty enough to coax them into a rest, exhausted by the day's events.