FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

There was still a pulsing pain in the side of Krysha's head when she was awakened by a gentle pull in one of her arms and the sound of an annoying voice that somehow sounded familiar. It took her a long while to become aware of her surroundings, more than she had ever needed to. Even with her eyes open, for a few seconds she could only see a fuzzy form moving from one side to another within her field of view. She let out a moan as the sounds started to make some sense in her mind.

'Shibaaa! Something's wrong with Zèon... Shiba, please!'

It took all of the tigress' will not to fall asleep again, but somehow she managed to stay awake. There was something on those words that caught her attention.

'Zèon...?' she managed to say. The sound of her voice was amplified by the throbbing headache, and somehow it sounded hoarser and weaker than she ever remembered it to be.

It was then when she noticed something was not right.

She sat up straight in the armchair and squinted, forcing her eyes to stay open.

'What happens to Zèon?' she asked, and her voice sounded a little better then.

'He's not breathing normally...' Koi whimpered, with tears in his eyes. 'Please, Shiba, you have to do something!'

'It's Krysha now, remember?' the tigress grunted, standing up and approaching the arctic fox.

Somehow, she felt like the whole world was spinning under her feet. The tigress decided she would take care of that after she had made sure Zèon was alright, and staggered towards the bed where the arctic fox was lying. Once he reached the edge of the bed, she fell to her knees under the worried gaze of Koi. Then, she put one of her paws a few millimeters over the fox's muzzle and her head on his chest, trying to find his heartbeats.

'He is weak,' she admitted, after a few seconds. 'But he is still alive.'

'And what if Ike doesn't make it? What if Zèon... gives up before he comes back?' the little husky asked, bursting into tears. 'I don't want to lose him, Shi... Krysha! He is all I have left... now that Luca is... is...'

Koi sobbed and turned his back to the tigress, trying to hide his tears from her. Krysha watched him for a few seconds, trying to find something to say, something to comfort him, but she was aware that comforting others was something she had never been really good at.

'What do you know about Luca?' she asked, finally.

'I know that I will never see him again,' the husky replied, sobbing. 'That bad woman took him away from me, and she is about to do the same with Zèon, and...'

'Alright, now. Calm down,' Krysha interrupted him, putting a paw on Koi's shoulder. She would have hugged him, but she thought it might have felt a bit uncomfortable for both. 'We don't know exactly what happened to Luca, Koi. Zèon does, and he will tell us when he wakes up.'

'But what if he...?'

'Don't jump into conclusions,' the tigress cut him off again, softly squeezing the husky's shoulder. Then, she sighed. 'You're just like Ike, you know. Only that he usually jumps into... more optimistic conclusions, I'd say. Which puts him in more and more danger. That stupid lion.'

The little husky did not reply. He eventually turned to look at Zèon, still with tears in his big, purple eyes. There was something in them that caught Krysha's attention.

'Koi, can you dry your eyes for me?' the tigress asked, gently. She would have done it herself, but again, touching someone's eyes without there explicit permission seemed to be wrong somehow.

Koi nodded and rubbed his eyes with the back of his paw. Krysha crouched down and gazed into the husky's eyes. The kane looked back at her, confused. There was a sparkle of curiosity in his eyes and behind it, something that took Krysha a few instants to identify.

Suddenly, she had to internally thank her mother for her tough training.

'What... is something wrong?' Koi asked, after a few seconds, starting to feel a bit nervous.

'...you were telling the truth all along,' the tigress said, genuinely surprised. She was perfectly aware that calling what was happening to the little husky an "illness" was only a way to put it simple: but she did not want to worry him more than he already was.

'Of course I was!' Koi protested.

The tigress sighed. <<I should have known they would try something like this>> she thought, bringing a paw to her temple, where the severe headache still had not subsided. <<Well, at least I managed to find out in time>>.

She stood up again, trying to think of the best way to handle that situation. The little husky followed her with tired eyes as she walked back and forth, her tail swishing behind her. Eventually, she stopped and turned to Koi.

'Stay here.' she said, shooting him a warning glance that let the little husky what might happen to him if he disobeyed that order. Koi, however, seemed to be too tired to even protest and he just nodded sheepishly. The tigress then walked towards the door and, taking a deep breath, left the room.

She had spent so much time in Ike's bedroom that at first she found it difficult to get used to the long corridors and large halls, especially when there was so many people walking through them. However, she forgot about it quickly and headed directly to the stairs that led to the basement. People never greeted her, or tried to speak to her. After all, she was only a Sentinel.

When she reached the kitchen, less than two minutes had passed since she had started walking. A stifling wave of heat hit her, but she forced herself to walk towards the pantry, dodging the huge number of people that ran chaotically from one side to the other. It was almost dinner, and there was work to be done. But that night, Krysha would help them with their work. At least, with her own dinner.

A Persian cat with a smile that showed she was in no way happy to have visitors down there stood in her way. Krysha thought she might be the head chef.

'Sentinel Krysha,' the woman said, trying to be polite 'It's almost dinner time. Your meal will be delivered to your room as soon as it is ready.'

'I'm afraid I'll have to pass on dinner tonight,' the tigress said, her face showing no emotion. 'I've been feeling sick to my stomach, so I was wondering if I could just bring some fruit to my room insted.'

The Persian cat frowned. She had lived on that castle for long enough in order to know what the tigress' real problem was. However, she also knew that the court issues were none of her business, and that she would last longer as the head chef if she simply ignore them. With a movement of her paw, the cat invited Krysha to take all that she wanted.

Moments later, she was walking upstairs again, carrying with her a big basket full of fruit that would hopefully last for a week. The fatigue was starting to make an effect on the tigress, so she had to make a huge effort in order to walk the last steps and open the door that took to Ike's room. Koi looked slightly startled as she walked in and then collapsed on the armchair, breathing heavily.

<<Whoa.>> Krysha thought, genuinely surprised. <<This is worse than I expected.>>

'You brought fruit,' the husky observed. He was sitting next to Zèon with his footpaws hanging over the edge of the bed. He looked thoughtful for some reason, Krysha thought.

'Yes. Fresh fruit will make us feel better,' the tigress replied, still trying to catch her breath. She could not remember a time when she had been weaker than then. <<How could I not see it coming?>> she asked herself, a bit annoyed at her own carelessness. Being away from the palace had surely made her forget how dangerous everything was there.

'Huh,' was Koi's reply, as he looked down at his hind paws.

The tigress felt something strange in that answer.

'What's the matter?' she asked, a bit worried.

Koi did not answer at first. He kept staring at his feet without saying anything for a few seconds, until he shook his head and looked at Krysha with his big purple eyes, a bit accusingly.

'Don't think I don't know what is going on here. I know we are not ill,' he said. 'You... all of you are always treating me like I don't know anything. Even Zèon did. Like I don't know about the war and that stuff. Like I don't know that I have to hide when I am among the fehlar... as if, as if I had never...' he stopped then, biting his tongue at the last second. 'And usually it's... nice to pretend I don't see what is going on, but sometimes...'

'Well, I'm sorry then, Koi' Krysha cut him, rubbing her temple with one of her paws. 'Yes, we were poisoned. It was aden root, a slow-acting poison that kills in a few months when digested regularly. It's kind of popular here in the court, or so I've been told, because it doesn't leave traces and not many people notices its effects. But it's easy to tell when you're being poisoned because the corner of your eye gets redder than usual.'

Koi folded his arms, a bit bothered by the tigress' interruption.

'You didn't have to tell me that way.'

'I feel my head is about to explode so forgive me if I'm not being as understanding as possible, kid,' she replied, tiredly. 'Besides, you sounded like you wanted to be treated like an adult, and that's exactly what you got.'

Koi did not answer. He turned his eyes to Zèon, still lost in his thoughts. After a few seconds, Krysha thought she might have been a bit too harsh with the little husky. She could not forget that, if it were not for him, she probably would not have noticed that there was something wrong happening to them.

'The effect of the poison will last a few weeks,' she said, in a less agressive tone. 'And until Ike comes back, I suggest we feed only on fruit.'

'Okay,' Koi replied, succintly.

<<It must be difficult for a child like him to bear with all this>> the tigress thought, noticing the sad look on the husky's face. However, she knew that desperate times called for desperate measures, and that if Koi wanted to go through that, he would have to be brave.

She knew how difficult having a childhood stolen could be. But she also knew how strong that could make anyone.

Ike woke up in the middle of the night, with a terrible headache and a throat so dry it hurt. The room seemed to be spinning around and sickness was building inside him. With some effort of his hazy mind, Ike made a mental note that he should never ever drink dakhar again. He was about to try to stand up and stumble towards the bathroom, when what little lucidity he had left made him notice he was not alone in his room.

Nausea quickly turned to adrenaline and ran through his veins faster than alcohol, making him hold his breath. Frozen in bed, the lion weighed his options.

The person who had entered his room thought he was unaware of his presence, jugding by their audible movements, which they tried not to conceal. Probably, someone had assumed that being drunk the prince would not notice the intrusion and that would be enough to catch him off guard. <<I only wish it's not Kathreen>> Ike thought, still holding his breath. <<If this is one of her stupid jokes, I won't forgive her.>>

The wooden floor creaked under the heavy steps of the intruder, convincing Ike that whoever it was, it could not be his sister trying to play a trick on him. He breathed deeply, trying to stay calm and cool-headed as the steps got closer and closer to him. Then, he heard the soft caress of iron on leather: the sound of a dagger being drawn.

Fear decided for him and before he could even think what was going on, he had already pounced on the intruder, tackling him to the ground. The floor creaked again under their weight and something hard fell to the other side of the room noisily. Ike thought it might have been the dagger, but it was too dark to see anything and he was not sure whether that was the only weapon the intruder had on him or not.

Both struggled on the floor, grunts and groans filling the darkness. Ike wondered frantically whether he should try to immobilize his opponent's paws or find the dagger: however, before he had decided, he was punched in his temple so hard that the room seemed to light up for a second.

A sharp pain break through his clouded mind as the light faded again and he found himself lying on the floor, in total darkness. He could not tell whether just one second had passed or more time. The noises he heard told him the intruder was no longer fighting him, but rather seemed to be looking for something, a few steps away. It took him a few instants to remember the dagger and, again, fear took over.

His kick impacted directly on the other's muzzle and an unpleasant noise of bones breaking could be heard clearly. The lion had no time to praise himself for his aim, because before he could even react, the intruder pounced on him again, wrapping one of his arms around his neck and tightening his grip until he could barely breathe.

'You bastard,' someone spat out into his ear, someone who smelled of anger and sweat and blood and alcohol; someone who was clearly stronger than him and could kill him with no effort at all. 'You broke my nose. I hope you have time to regret what you've done before I send you to say hello to all those stupid kane friends of yours...'

The pressure around his neck increased as Ike tried desperately to fight back. However, there was nothing he could do against the strong grip of the intruder, and he could not hit him from his position either. Terrified, he made an attempt to scream for help but no noise escaped from his throat. Soon, he was running out of oxygen, his movements becoming erratic and weak, closer to death.

Then, a dry sound broke through darkness and the grip on his neck loosened somewhat. He fell to the ground, coughing and trying to catch his breath again. He could see the shadow of the intruder standing up, trying to reach something behind his neck; then stumbling and falling to the ground with a gurgling sound. An overwhelming smell of blood filled his nose.

With what little conscience he could regain, Ike understood that someone had saved him. It took a few seconds before someone lighted a candle and its bright light revealed all the shapes in the room, forcing the lion to close his eyes.

'Such a shame,' he heard his sister's voice say. 'He was so hot. Why do the hottest guys always try to kill you... or your family?'

'I... I don't know, your Higness,' Kodu answered, his voice with a far more worried tone than the lioness. 'Ike? Ike, are you okay?'

The lion opened his eyes, the light still making it difficult to see clearly. Kathreen and Kodu were at the door, looking down at the corpse that lied on the floor, covered in blood. Ike was not surprised to find out that the body belonged to Atha. The leopard was face down, his empty eyes looking directly at the lion and a dagger, probably his own, stuck in the back of his head. Ike's could not look away from the dead mercenary. He found it difficult to believe that corpse was the same fehlar who had been mocking him a few hours ago.

'What the...' a new voice came from the door.

Ike looked up to find the horrified look of Rohm, who had just arrived there, probably attracted by their voices. The panther's gaze moved between his dead companion and the lion, incredulous, and Ike looked back at him defiantly, daring him to say anything.

'He tried to kill Ike,' Kodu explained, but was soon interrupted by Kathreen, who took advantage of the panther's surprise to place herself between him and the lion and put a paw on one of his arms.

'Now, this is a very awkward situation,' the lioness said, with a cold smile. 'And a very delicate one, for you, indeed. Your colleague tried to kill the prince Alekai the Second, heir to the fehlar throne and member of the Embertooth family. As a result, now he is no longer alive.' She paused for a few seconds, but the panther failed to react. 'And we can no longer trust you.'

'B-but...' the panther muttered, still too confused.

'Ssssh. Now, if you promise to go very far and never come again, we won't tell anything to our father. What do you think? Does that sound like a good deal?' she asked, giving him a charming smile.

Rohm did not answer immediately. He stood there, gazing skeptically at the lioness, who only kept smiling. After a few instants, Kodu cleared his throat.

'Mmh... Rohm. You should leave.'

The panther seemed to hear him now. His eyes adjusted again to the scene in front of him and he gave a last look at the dead body of Atha. He turned to Ike, giving him a puzzling look, and then walked away.

'Don't,' Kodu said to the lioness, who had already drawn a knife from one of her long sleeves. She put a sad face when she heard that and, after hesitating for a while, put it back.

'Eesh. Why didn't the panther try to kill you, Ike? He is boring and cold and absolutely unattractive.'

'I'm sorry I was targeted by the one you liked, Kathreen,' Ike groaned, trying to stand up. The blow in his head still hurt and made him feel a bit disoriented, but otherwise he was not feeling that bad. 'I can't believe he did this,' he added, looking at the leopard again. 'I mean, I know he could not stand me, but... trying to kill me seemed a bit over the top.'

Kodu nodded, but he did not say anything else.

'We'll have to speak with the innkeeper,' Kathreen said. 'I'm sure he will like to know there's a body rotting up here.'

'Wait, what?' Ike asked, alarmed. 'Are you going to tell the innkeeper? What if he freaks out and keeps us here? What if he finds out who we are?'

Ike could not help but feeling a bit bad about how lightly he was taking Atha's death, but after all, his priority in that journey was finding Zèon's name and bringing it back to him. Any setback, any obstacle between him and his objective was not important.

He had to bring back Zèon. He needed to.

Besides, it was not as if Atha was, precisely, his best friend.

'He won't find out who we are,' Kathreen answered, 'because we are going to tell him. I'd say it's about time that our name starts to help us a little, don't you think, brother?'