FSE

Furry search engine

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The small candle lying in the center of the large tent fought off darkness coming from the night outside. The cold wind of spring blew through the opening of the tent sending shivers up the spine of Marco and his three rabbit friends.

"You're telling me I have been asleep for twelve days straight?" I ask as I tightly cover my naked body with a blanket to try and keep the cold away.

"Marco, you had hundreds of wounds all over your body and a massive gaping hole in your chest," Eros says. "Somehow even with all those wounds you were still alive and in less than a couple days your wounds had completely healed leaving behind not a single scar. You really think being unconscious for twelve days straight is the weird part?"

Eros has a point. What has happened to me would be considered nothing less than a miracle which of course it is. Madal brought me back to life so I can win this war, but he told me to tell them that it was Agapao who saved me and not him.

"I've not gone through many battlefields, but I am most certain that I've never seen an animal survive such gruesome wounds, Ellen says as she stares at me curiously. "How did you even survive this?"

I take a deep breath, collecting my thoughts on what I should do next. Should I side with Madal and tell them that Agapao or should I tell them the truth. The answer to this problem came quickly to my mind. "In my dreams I met Agapao; she was the one who saved me."

I am met with surprised and suspicious expressions. The room is silent as everyone seems to ponder my statement.

"That explains the white sash," Eros says as he rubs his tired eyes.

Ellen looks at Eros with a perplexed expression, but Charmaine simply stares off into the air with her blank white eyes. I pull out my left hand to show everyone the white sash Madal gave me.

"Wait isn't that..." Ellen starts to ask, but she is cut off by Eros. "One of Agapao's great relic."

"What's that?" I ask, extremely curious about this mysterious sash.

"It is given to the oldest and greatest healers amongst all the rabbits in Zao," Charmaine says without moving her eyes from the ground. "The first ever great relics are believed to be made out of the very robe Agapao wore and the rest are made from a massive tree she left behind when she disappeared."

"Where is this tree?" I ask .

"The ancient tree stands in Kouneli," Ellen says.

"Wait, isn't that the city we're going to?" I ask.

"It appears you aren't having any memory issues," Ellen jokingly says as she chuckles under her breath. "Kouneli is where all rabbits are taken when they are born and trained to become healers."

"Not all rabbits," Eros says.

"That is true," Ellen says "but the surprising thing I find about this is that this sash is in your hand, instead of being buried with the rabbit with whom was bestowed upon."

The room falls silent for a moment as everyone stares at the sash pondering what it could mean and how it has ended up in my hand. So the question I ponder is how Madal got his hands on it. Maybe he stole it from one of the graves or maybe he merely just copied it and created a new one.

"Doesn't the garden keeper Agda know who the sash belongs to?" Charmaine says

"Who's that and how would she know?" I asked, curious of this garden keeper.

"The garden keeper is someone who is chosen to watch over Agapao's tree and all the other trees surrounding it. They are chosen because of their kindness and gentleness. They are given a walking stick that was carved out of the branch that fell from Agapao's tree. Their common job is to take care of the trees, making sure there are no random weeds popping out and no bugs that have chosen to make their homes inside the trees. But it is also their job to weave the white sashes and bestow them upon the rabbits that deserve them. There is a story that the garden keeper weave each white sash very specifically so that each one is completely different from each other. If this story is true then she might be the only one to tell us who this sash belong to."

Eros ears perk up as he slowly gets up and walks over to the tent opening.

"Where are you going?" Ellen asks.

"I smell something terrible coming from outside," Eros says as he looks out of the tent. He gives out a long sigh as he slowly steps back from the opening of the tent. Then two dogs walk into the tent which I recognize as Jedrick and General Jeval. They are both wearing well stitched cotton clothes. The general's uniform is red with a trim of black while Jedrick is the opposite, having black with the trim of red. Their tired eyes spoke of exhaustion, but when they set their eyes upon me their expressions changes to amazement. Even their tails now released from their armor swivel side to side in curiosity. Smiling, General Jeval jokingly says "Ellen you might be the greatest healer I have ever met in my entire life, and that's saying something."

Ellen chuckles at what the general said while slowly getting off her knees. She taps Charmaine's shoulder which makes the young rabbit stand up and once more cover her head with her hood, hiding her eyes from onlookers. "It would be nice to continue the story but sadly we need to get ready for the long march, so if you don't mind, we will be leaving," Ellen says as she walks by the two dogs. She then pulls open the tent and allows Charmaine to walk out into the night. Ellen looks back at me with a kind smile and says "it will take a couple more hours for the medicine to work, so just lay there and let the medicine do its work.And Marco...I'll spread the word around about your miracle of recovery. Zao knows that these animals need hope."

She looks over her shoulder to Eros with a stern look and says "Eros, be nice." Eros gives her an annoyed expression and Ellen simply gives him a smile before leaving the tent.

The general slowly approaches me while pulling out his metal flask. He pulls off the cap while getting on one knee and presents me the flask. "This should help get the metallic taste off your tongue."

"No thanks," I say as the smell of the liquor coming out of the flask reminds me of the terrible taste.

"Suit yourself," General Jeval says as he gets back on his feet while placing the metal flask onto his belt.

"So do you have an explanation on how you survived your wounds?" Jedrick asks as he slowly walks towards me with an expression of curiosity.

"It appears the gods themselves saved him," Eros says as he remains standing beside the opening of the tent.

Jedrick looks over to Eros with an annoyed expression and says "really... Did he also talk to Zao over a nice dinner?"

"Shut the fuck up Jedrick!" The General shouts as he glares at Jedrick. Silence hangs over the tent as Jedrick and General Jeval stare at each other. Suddenly the general takes three quick steps and places himself just a couple inches in front of Jedrick. "I swear to Zao herself that if you weren't such a capable captain I would have you spend the entire day digging holes for us to shit in. So do me a favor and go prepare the carts for the march before you really piss me off."

"Is that an order sir?" Jedrick asks showing no expression. The general just stares at him with eyes that looked like daggers which gave Jedrick his answer. He turns around and makes his way out of the tent, but right when he reaches the opening Eros says "I could do a better job than this sorry excuse for a." Before Eros could finish his sentence Jedrick slams his fist against Eros's face making him stumble backwards, but as usual Eros quickly finds his balance before falling onto the ground.

"Jedrick!" General Jeval shouts, but without looking back Jedrick leaves the tent and heads out into the night sky that is slowly starting to lighten.

"Leave him be..." Eros says as he moves around his jaw. "His punch couldn't hurt a hamster let alone a rabbit."

"That's not your choice to make, rabbit." The General says as he rubs his tired eyes while turning his attention back to me. "Listen Marco, I don't know how in Zao's name you survived your wounds, but I'm happy that you are still with us. Thanks to your tactics our battle was a complete success with minimal losses. But sadly we lost a couple good dogs in that battle including Cola."

"Wait, Cola is dead?," I ask.

"Marco..." Eros says with a surprised expression. "Did you really think anyone else could have survived that explosion?"

Eros is right. The only reason I survived was because of a God keeping me alive. How could I be such a fool to believe that Cola survived?

"By the time we found him his body was mangled beyond recognition," The General says grimacing at the memory. "The only reason we recognize him was because a guard dog saw the explosion from a safe distance."

"It feels like it was yesterday he was telling me all about the things he found in the forest," I say with a grimace as a knot starts to tie in my throat.

The general walks up to me and kneels on one knee while patting my shoulder. "He was a good captain."

I look up to the general hoping to find reassuring eye, but I only see the eyes of a creature that is too old and tired to lie anymore. I wonder how many animals have died before his eyes to allow him to fall to such despair. A deep silence fills the tent leaving the noise of animals scurrying outside to fill in the void.

"How many more will die before this war is over," I ask?

General Jeval gets back onto his feet while saying. "The first time I met Cola was at the city of Polemos when the great gathering happened. One captain from each city and army come together every ten years to bicker amongst themselves of the great issues that are befalling are kingdom."

The general's starts to chuckle while saying "I remember walking through the front gate and seeing all those tired eyes. Those worn-out dogs who just a year ago were busy feeding off the breast of their mothers while enjoying the hot sun and cold breeze but now they were nothing more than shambling dogs just realizing what they truly must sacrifice. They stood in that freezing cold weather to show us respect by standing strong and firm against the cold northern wind. After all," the General says while looking back at me and slamming his fist to his chest. "We were the chosen captains that showed respect and honor on the battlefield and were chosen by our generals themselves to show off how well trained and powerful their soldiers are."

General Jeval lowers his head down with a frown across his expression. "It's truly amazing how stupid that thing was," he shakes his head in frustration but continues the tale, "I remember staring off in this group of exhausted dogs and I thought to myself how thankful I was that I had already finish my training in that horrid city when my eyes suddenly were caught by a single guard dog all the way in the back of the animals. The funny thing is, the only reason I was able to see the beagle was because he was the only one standing straight up while everyone else was crouched over trying to hold onto whatever heat they could find. I could see the frost collecting at the edge of his fur yet he did brush it off. The wind would howl through the courtyard sending a wave of shivers throughout the dogs but he stood still."

The General grins widely as he says "I remember the general looking at me with pure confusion when I brought a guard dog that hadn't even finished his training. At first he was pretty confused, but Cola quickly showed his determination. With my help I was able to train him to be a well skilled and dangerous guard dog. I spent some of my time helping him become a strong and powerful guard that some captains mockingly called him my son. When I heard this I wasn't insulted, but proud to think that such a strong guard dog could ever be considered part of my family.

When I got recognized for my..." The General suddenly stops he sentence as if he is stuck on his thoughts. His expression changes into more of a scowled while he continues this story. "... heroism, I was given command of Georgos Garrison. Many guard dogs hate the idea of living in the wetlands. They say that there is no glorious battle to win or any honor to gain. Some of my closest friends told me not to take this position because I belong on the front lines fighting battles. But by then I was sick of war and all of its glory. I was sick of watching armies disappearing at night, dogs going insane from the howling of wolves, and seeing towns burned to the ground. So without a second thought I agreed to become the General of Georgos. First thing I did was get Cola to come with me. After all, everybody needs a drinking partner," he patting the metal flask on his side. "That is what I told myself when I took him with me, but truth be told I did it so maybe he wouldn't go through what I had gone through. You may stand firm against the winds of the North, but no one can stand the endless torment of war."

The general lets out a deep sigh as he says "I took him to the wetlands so that he may live the rest of his life without the horrors of war but I guess the gods didn't plan it that way. Cola was no great captain, but he always knew how to raise the morale of the guards. He was someone I could always trust to follow orders and do what needed to be done. After the battle I was going to make him into a captain. Sadly he will not be able to, so I have chosen to have you take his place."

The room once more falls silent as I look dumbfounded at the general. "Why would you want me?"

"You have guided us to victories that we should have never had. Somehow you defy the very ends of our lives by giving us ways to win battles that we shouldn't. And now I see you coming back from what should have been your grave. You got to understand that..."

"What Marco did was impressive but what will he gain from becoming a captain?" Eros asks.

"If Marco becomes a captain then he will be allowed to enter any war room no matter what other generals or lords opinions are. When our armies finally unite and are prepared to fight this battle head-on, Marco will be standing beside generals and lords giving orders and getting counsel from the animals around them. That is the place that Marco belongs, helping to save animals from death."

"How can I save you or anyone else from this war when I cannot protect my own father or friend?" I ask.

"Marco," Eros says as he walks towards me "I have lost many of my brothers and sisters but I continue fighting so that their death may not be meaningless."

He's right, every minute I stay here mourning for the death of Cola, more animals will die. I must continue fighting for Cola and to protect mom and Sam.

"If you're going to make Marco a captain," Eros says looking over to the general "then I will be his personal guard."

"And why would I do that?" General Jeval says giving Eros's a stern look "are you suggesting that my dogs are't capable of protecting Marco."

"And tell me general how many dogs do you have left standing?"

General Jeval stares at Eros for a moment. Then he glances at me as he slowly nods his head. He turns around and starts walking towards the opening of the tent and says "we will be leaving soon so help Marco get on the medicine cart. Make sure that he is watched by a healer in case of sudden pains or issues." The general stops right before he leaves the tent and turns around and looks at Eros in the eye; "protect Marco with your life for if his ends so will yours." Eros straightens his back and slightly nods his head. With that the general leaves the tent heading outside into a night that is becoming is slowly becoming day.

Eros walks over to the left and grabs a well-made cloth bag and tosses it to me. It lands on my chest with a good thud. "Here are some clothes we were able to find for you. I'm going to go outside and start taking apart the tent, and if you need anything just yell" Eros says as he respectfully nods his head. He turns his head towards the candle and with a quick breath banishes the light leaving the sun outside to brighten the tent. He leaves the tent joining the now growing noise of animals preparing for a new day of chaos and possible death.

The cold wind of the night slowly diminishes and the sun brings warmth into the tent. I slowly get to my knees, the wet grass tingles my fur but it stops the mud from soaking into it. I open the sack and find thin brown cotton pants, a white shirt with a couple dirt stains at the bottom and leather shoes with deep marks of dirt scarring the leather. I quickly put on my pants and shirt finding the pants short leaving my ankles exposed and the shirt long enough to pass my hips. I pat down the shirt trying to see if the dirt can easily be removed, but I notice a small hole allowing some of my fur to show. The thought of dad crosses my mind, remembering him getting annoyed from his shirt brings a smile to my face. Suddenly the whole tent violently shifts to the right reminding me that I don't have much time to reminisce. I quickly put on the leather shoes and make my way out of the tent.

As I take my first step out of the tent the spring sun covers my body with warmth while at the same time blinding me from looking into the blue sky. The wind shakes the top of the trees forcing leaves to fall onto the wet grass. I look to see everyone frantically running around pulling down tents throwing utensils, clothes, swords, armor, and anything else not stuck to the ground into sacks and boxes. Most of the dogs are lugging heavy wooden boxes towards the carts while the rest shout orders to organize the rest of the animals. Rabbits are running around carrying heaps of herbs and spices. Ferrets and cats work together to take down some of the larger tents and roll barrels back towards the line of carts. The numerous hamsters scurry around picking up small objects and helping wherever they can in getting everything done as quickly as possible. The animals stop what they're doing and turn to look at me. Some of them express amazement and while others talk amongst themselves, whispering words that I cannot hear.

"Get back to work!" A guard dog shouts. His words send ripples throughout the animals as scramble back to what they were doing.

I hear a sudden thud and turn around to see the black tent collapsing on itself. I notice groups of flowers surrounding the black tent. There must be at least a hundred flowers forming a garden around it. It reminds me one of the shrines of Auxano back at the village. Eros is sitting beside the black tent pulling it towards him while rolling it together. Some of the flowers have slowly become entangled in his roll making an even bigger mess than before. I walk over to him and start carefully folding together the black tent.

"You don't need to help me Marco," Eros says as he continues.

"I would if you weren't doing such a terrible job," I say jokingly as I pull out some of the random flowers that have entangled in the tent.

Eros stops for a moment and chuckles as he says "sadly I wasn't taught how to properly fold a tent."

"I didn't know that Menelaus children never spent a night outside of a village." I say, while slowly unraveling his mess.

"Oh no, we spend more time sleeping in dugouts from the freezing cold than we did on a soft bed in a warm house," Eros says as he watches me and tries to replicate what I do. "I simply was never the one to put up the tents."

"Why's that."

"Because I was the one who always made the meal" Eros says proudly as he starts properly folding the tent.

"You cook."

"Oh yes, I cook better than any other rabbit."

"Really?" I say, surprised.

"It was thanks to my father that I learned how to properly forage for spices and herbs to put into my meals. He always had a great nose for foraging, even in the snow."

"So it is thanks to your foraging that you are a good cook."

"That and of course a couple tricks my father taught me.

"Like wha- dammit!" I say as another flower gets caught into the tent. "Where did all these flowers come from?"

"Each flower represents a prayer from a hamster," Eros says as we finally finish tightly folding the tent which he then places into a large sack with the mark of Dunamai on it.

"Why would they do that?" I ask.

Eros throws the bag to the side and grabs another large bag to collect the cloth, pillow, and hay stuffed bag that I used as a bed. "Most of the animals in this caravan have never met you, but they have heard about you. At night I would walk by small crowds of animals huddling around campfires while hamsters, rabbits, and dogs tell your story. I heard them whisper that back in the city of Georgos you unleashed a devastating attack against the enemy, slaughtering through hundreds of them with your spear and axe. They say your war cry sent shockwaves throughout the enemy shattering their resolve and sending them running for their lives."

"Why would they say something so ridiculous?"

"Because everybody loves a good story and of course and if they believe that they are following someone who is a true legend, then they have no fear of following you. Stories like these make animals braver then a belly full of liquor and feel safer than a body covered in metal. Now you have risen from the dead and say that you have spoken to the gods themselves. This will spread like wildfire throughout Zao making many animals wish to see you, speak to you, and even kneel to you, but this will also create very dangerous enemies."

"What do you mean? My only enemies are the ones who burnt down my city and possibly even my home."

"You may think your greatest enemy is the one pointing a sword at you, but you will quickly realize your greatest enemy is the one shaking your hand. The Noble electorates are commonly seen as the voices who speak for the gods, especially the prophet. They are the ones who lead us by God's words ever since the gods disappeared over a thousand years ago. These ferrets will not be willing to give up the thrones simply because of rumors."

An overwhelming sense of dread fills me as I quickly realize the danger I've put myself in. The worst part of all this is that I am not even telling the truth. If they would put my life in danger simply because I question their authority, what would they do to me if I tell them I speak to a foreign God? My thoughts are interrupted as Eros touches my shoulder. I look up and see his sympathetic eyes staring down at me. "Marco does not be scared. I've seen with my own eyes the miracle of you surviving your wounds and the fact that you are better commander than any mutt in our entire kingdom. I will stand beside you to my final breath."

His last words echo in my mind. They bring me a sense of comfort, yet a sense of dread. Eros is willing to die for me, but I told him a grievous lie that in the end it could kill him. Yet now he stares at me with soft eyes and a curved smile. The only thing I can do is just stare back and try my best to put a fake smile across my face. This is a lie I must live with because there's no way back.

Eros nods his head and pats my shoulder as he returns back to finishing the tent. "Now let's get going. No offense but I would like to be behind some walls by the end of today."

"How are we so close to Kouneli. I thought it would take longer."

"It is amazing how fast animals travel when their enemies follow their steps," Eros says jokingly as he tosses one of the smaller sacks towards me. It falls against my chest quite softly, thanks to it being filled by cloth and hay. "We would've made it a couple days prior but light rain has sprinkled above us for the past few days making the dirt road a muddy mess." Eros grabs the largest sack holding the tent and the six pegs and with his left hand he grabs the white sash and throws it over to me. The sash floats its way to me and lands on top of my sack making no sound. Eros starts heading towards the carts while saying over his shoulder "let's get going before they leave us behind."

We make our way on the wet grass while passing the reminiscence of the camp, being nothing more than a couple tents, sacks, and crates that are carefully being taken to the carts. Many animals glance over to me while continuing their work. A couple of them stop for a moment to whisper in each other's ears but quickly return back to their work before any guard dog can glance at them. We quickly make our way to the road and find the medical carts right in the middle of the caravan. These carts are much larger than the rest simply because they were designed for rabbits instead of hamsters. There are five carts filled with herbs and medicine that release strong and flowerily smells. There are around forty rabbits talking amongst themselves while wearing their brown garbs and green sashes with seemingly endless amounts of potions and satchels carried around their waists. I also notice that there are fresh mud stains on the bottom of the garbs.

Ellen sitting on top of a cart notices us making our way towards them. She slowly gets off the wooden cart and motions for three rabbits to stand beside her. "I see you've regained your strength Marco," Ellen says with her usual smile. As my name is spoken all the other rabbits turn to glance at me and then quickly return back to their whispers. One of the rabbit standing behind Ellen moves forward with a quick step and says "here let me take that." The rabbit grabs my sack and easily pulls it away from me. A short gust of wind sends the white sash flying off and landing in my empty hands. A couple rabbits chuckled as Ellen walks up to me and takes the sash out of my grip. "Let me help you with that." With one quick movement of her old hands she wraps the white sash around my waist. Before I could even blink she has already tied it around me, allowing the excess to fall down my left leg, almost reaching my knee. "There...much better. Now how about you get on the cart and we all can get started on our trip."

All the other rabbits took it as a cue and start getting ready to leave. Four rabbits go in front of each cart and the rest line themselves beside them. "Come Marco, you'll be keeping me company." Ellen says as she turns around and heads to the first cart. As I take my first step onto the dirt road I quickly realize my feet easily sink into its mud. The mud oozes around my feet, staining my leather shoes, but I quickly make it to the cart without any real issue, though Eros is having a harder time than me thanks to his heavy chain mail that weighs him down into the mud. The cart itself is halfway filled with sacks and barrels that give the smell of fruits and flowers. In front of these sit Ellen and Charmaine with the rabbit ears curled around their necks. I get ready to jump into the cart and out of the mud when I realize that I'm too short to do it. The cart itself is at the height of my chest and the wheels stand taller than me by a couple inches. It is quite surprising how large a rabbits cart is, though the amount of herbs and remedies they carry does beg the reason to need the extra room. Ellen notices my problem and gives her hand. "Let me help you." I reach out and grab her hand when suddenly I hear someone shout behind me.

"Captain Marco...the general...needs you," a guard dog shouts as he runs towards us out of breath and sweating profusely.

"What's wrong?" Eros says as he places his right hand on his sheaved sword.

The guard dog reaches us and takes a moment to regain his breath. His legs are covered in mud as his expression shows fear. "The general sent a small group of guard dogs...a day in front of us to reach Kouneli and tell them...of our arrival and..." The guard dog takes another moment to breathe in the summer air.

"Dammit Mutt just tell us what's wrong!" Eros shouts.

The guard dog finally slows down his breathing and says "the scouts have returned and they say that Kouneli is under attack."