FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 9

The sun was making its way slowly across the azure surface of the sky towards its resting place. Rays spreading in every direction from the still, round orb hanging on the firmament of the sky. Rays that upon closer and very creative examination looked like stretched lines of yellowish light, emanating from the biggest, highest and all seeing lighthouse that can be found on every children's, pirate oriented drawing.

Explaining in detail the purpose of the sun was as pointless as describing the purpose of an ass, both things were apparent and so easily understandable that even the most dumbest of apes, who just figured out that the fleas frolicking in his fur aren't little grasshoppers, know that both those things are necessary for life.

When you erase the sun, there is a risk that most things would wither. If you cork an ass there is a risk of a shitty implosion.

On this most simplest of simple principles life in the Realms was functioning, sentient or otherwise. Wild animals, from smallest insects to big mammals, they all understood this basic rule, all of those animals respected it.

No matter in which place of the world the animals were, the rule applied. Be it jungles of Tall Plains, frozen hills of Dante's Freezer, or a simple piece of green land at the bottom of the mountains behind Warfang.

And here, according to the one law of the sun, animals lived and thrived. They used their sixth sense to follow that one single principle. Being familiar with the hopes and fears order of nature bestowed upon the world, helped them understand the fair circle of life.

Sixth sense, this is what let the animals react accordingly to the invisible impulses and energy of their surroundings. It was like this everywhere in the world, Nature's law applied to all big and small, wild creations.

Everywhere was the same.

Except near the mountain behind Warfang.

Grass eating deer, always very hungry and lively, consumed green strand after green strand. Pack moved from one patch to the other, members at the edges wagged their tails, soon to be followed by every other deer. Sixth sense, this is what warned the pack of danger and assured it of its safety, receiving and translating every invisible pulse of energy like a radar.

High sensitivity radar.

Due to those invisible waves of nearly magical precision one deer stopped suddenly. It raised its head, pair of black eyes eyed the ground curiously. The grass ended, a line of solid earth crossed the terrain, filled with tiny rocks, like the driest, tiniest fosse.

Gentle, thin legs, ending with small hooves, approached the rocky dash. Those brown legs, dotted in white dots, parted slightly, from a distance resembling four, long sticks of a raising pyre. The doe aimed its black gaze on the dancing on the wind strand of glass right behind the rocky line.

The animal started to lean forward, sixth sense warning about a dangerous barrier, one that shouldn't be ignored. The deer knew that, but it was also hungry, when faced with such conflict, always the one that prolongs survival in the most obvious of ways.

Hunger.

The doe's thin legs started to shake when, stiff like pencils, they supported the leaned forward body. To that craned part belonged the head with a mouth, already opened mouth which lips clamped on a grassy, waving strand and pulled.

It didn't want to give away, almost like it developed roots of a tiny tree.

Sixth sense didn't discard the idea, it was boggled by it.

Hunger continued its song, wild lips munched on the grass, clamping a little deeper. Legs shook even more when additional pulling force was applied. Sensitive ears started to wiggle anxiously, hearing the barely audible cracking of earth.

That sounded exactly like chuckling.

And then with a sudden pop, that resembled a snap of a rubber, the green strand gave away. The deer tottered on its long, scrawny legs, fighting against the force that wanted to topple it down. The animal succeeded, putting its legs in a crosswise fashion.

Left front one jerked into the earthy line, kicking a stone.

Every member of the pack froze, all heads rose sharply, ears stretched up like antennas.

Then, as if hearing a sudden shot of a cannon the pack fled swiftly in every direction as to mislead the potential attacker. Only to become one group some moments later.

One doe remained behind, frozen in the same position as its pack members earlier. Legs were stiff, small tail unmoving, ears stretched up to their limit, black eyes wide and staring ahead.

Three seconds passed and the deer toppled to the side, it fell on its flank, body frozen in the very same position, everything stiff as if stretched by invisible ropes. The ungraceful fall so unlike the typical topple of a living creature, more likely compared to a fall of a porcelain doll.

The animal was made of true flesh and bones however. It simply died of an heart attack, sudden and powerful fright behind it. Something that a skittish heart as that of a dear unable to withstand the unexpected shock.

Wolves smelled the fear of the prey, the scent their sixth sense felt was so strong that it called members from far away packs, even those that usually fought for territory. This feral dogs, far more intelligent than any other wild animal sensed that the fall of prey was never so strong and never before more important than the smell of feuding packs.

All of them appeared in the valley right near the mountainside behind Warfang, surprisingly all at the same time. Every eye fell on the fresh and still pleasantly smelling carcass, none recorded that around were present furs of friends and enemies alike.

The circle of wolves made a step forward, magically, or driven by instinct of their sixth sense, every paw moved at the same time. After three more steps the one big canine family was at paw's reach from the dead deer.

The feral dogs stood there, some were calm, other not so much. Occasional soft whines echoed throughout the circle. Some paws started to scratch across earth, forwarding shy attempts at digging. Some different members of the wolf family nibbled at their fur, just like a very pesky flea started its prancing.

In some cases the nibbling was just a temporary solution for an anxious impulse. Some of the wolves weren't familiar with the words temporary_and _impulse, they nibbled and nibbled at their fur. Tearing strand after strand until nothing remained, but a bleeding, irritated wound.

One wolf pushed from the rank, bending on its paws, nearly reaching prone position, the canine craned its neck forward. Chops wavering, nose wrinkling and fangs glimmering from behind dog's lips. The wolf was snarling, growling, barking and only the animals knew what else.

The cacophony of many different sounds it was emitting didn't shroud its goal however, taking the prey for its pack to feed upon.

There was the sixth sense however, scratching the brain fervently, like a pen in a nervous hand smearing over a sentence that was badly written, erasing it emphatically from existence.

Sixth sense wanted to silence the instinct, the energy, putrid and numbing energy, was too strong to be ignored.

Black nose bumped into soft flesh of the deer. Then, suddenly, the whole wolf colony made awkward several steps back and dropped on their haunches . The curious, brave and perhaps immensely stupid wolf joined its friends and enemies.

Canine eyes looked straight ahead, a moment later all snouts went up and a concert of a blood freezing howling began.

A colorful butterfly, a combination of hues resembling bright sun and clear blue sky, was deaf to such feral screaming. In this particular specimen even sixth sense was poorly developed.

The butterfly wasn't bothered by that, it kept bouncing forward. Slower.

Colors started to turn grey.

The howling soon became a past worry, atoms of air began vibrating with a different kind of sound rather quickly.

It was the scraping sound of flesh scratching against rough rocks.

The butterfly landed on a nearby petal of a flower and momentarily withered, the state of decay becoming too advanced for its frail body to withstand it. The small creature fell down from the petal, swinging gently in the air, looking like dry, tattered leaf.

Blue, feline eye took the butterfly for a dry leaf, the eye was too startled to properly register its surroundings. The eye was focused on a complete different direction.

Hunter's pointy ears were as attentive as his eyes, they were also focused on the same direction. He was experienced enough, spending on the rewarding and scolding bosom of nature granted him the ability of discerning the natural from the odd.

The howling was definitely the latter.

"Nature will come through the claws and the hound will follow the hare"

His ears twitched at the sound of the dark, breathy voice, surprisingly louder than everything he heard before. Louder even the scraping noise of scales edging along rocks.

Hunter shifted on the log he was sitting on, careful as to avoid irritating his wounded hand, he pressed his back to the nearby trunk. Its rough and sharp wooden branches stung like daggers if too much pressure was applied.

He instinctively started to gently slide up and down the wooden, natural spikes. Trying to look as inconspicuous as possible when scratching his back, getting rid off an itch that kept pestering him for some time now.

Another scraping noise.

This time however slightly weaker than the one earlier. As if a smaller body part would be receiving the special treatment.

His shoulder started to unexpectedly itch.

For a moment he wondered if being a test subject for all kinds of medicine didn't develop some side effects.

With a blink, his blue eyes landed on the opening in the mountain, a cave big enough to fit a bear. Its size shrunk due to many, long stalactites hanging from the ceiling and walls. The natural spikes looked like blades of the most obvious trap, sharp walls of which seemed to be ready to crash whoever that entered.

If the spikes would have a mind, Hunter was certain that they never expected a creature which's body filled every free space and then some.

Especially a creature as special as a dragon.

He wasn't sure just how long the cave is, but he guessed that it wasn't long since he could see the dragon's scythe looking tip protruding from below his chest. Gleaming in the sunlight as it laid on the ground right in between two forelegs like it would be a third front paw.

Most of his draconic companion disappeared within the cave, only black snout and part of the golden chest was outside. He arrived when Danox was already tucked inside, judging by the rocky mess and smell of blood he had to force his rump into the hole with some really painful determination.

Black eyes watched him with what seemed like friendly attention, showing no signs of discomfort when the owner moved his body inside the cave. Irritating, deepening and creating new wounds as he ran his scaly body along the stone and jerked the bits of his flesh that were impaled on the stalactites.

The smell of blood wafted in thick mists from the cave.

The black dragon wasn't innocent from the beginning, yet the scent of blood twisted his rather look of a cautious mouse peeking from its hole in the wall into an imagined crocodile den.

Where more than one victim met his end.

"You surprise me, my feline companion" the dark mouse spoke and the low, slightly raspy voice was as alluring as a piece of a cheese on a vermin trap

Hunter lowered his head humbly, hiding the spark lighting up his eyes like a dying flame of a torch illuminates water for a while.

The combination of shame, embarrassment and excitement was difficult to put in words, he simply felt smitten. It was unlikely that someone like him could be interesting for such majestic creatures like dragons. He held the drakekin in great esteem, to point out a mistake by one of their kind would be unacceptable.

"You don't ask" another scraping noise, followed by a soft crack of scale

Hunter's ears twitched at the sound so familiar to that of an opening wound.

"Ask?" he rasped, fighting against another itching twitch

"Everyone is most interested in my actions. Doesn't the smell of my blood bother you? Aren't you interested why I willingly crawled into a hole?"

"I do not seek answers I won't understand. Creatures like you are beyond the scope of comprehension of humble creatures like myself"

Danox smiled, pearl whites appearing in the shadow cast by the cave were like a perfectly white teeth forming a grin on the face of a spy who swore allegiance and sold information to the opposite side of the war.

All so inviting and supposedly tranquil, yet at the same time raising doubt, putting trust in question.

"The feeling of deference and compliance is the beginning of propriety" the black drake recited from memory, using another line of words he remembered perfectly

Hunter had nothing to say, he acknowledged the words in silent contemplation.

"Still nothing?" Danox cocked his head "You must be aware that I intertwine proverbs in my speeches. Aren't you interested why is that?"

"Isn't curiosity killed the cat one of your favorites?"

Danox burst out in sincere laughter.

Hunter winced, not because the laugh was special in any way. He winced because the joyful noise that came out of the cave was strong and pristine, unhindered.

Only then he realized why the laugh was so potent.

The area they were in was silent. No birds sang their wild songs.

Grasshoppers didn't even tick in the grass.

It was silent as in a cemetery.

"Well said! I do enjoy an intelligent conversation, I value a wise mind. They usually tend to be creative and unexpected. Predictable outcomes are boring and so...easy"

Hunter nodded, not because he agreed with the dragon's statement, he nodded because it was the reflex of his organism that had nothing to do with a conscious decision. His mind was somewhere else, focused solely on the sound, or lack of any to be precise.

During his scouting years he became a close acquaintance with Nature, they formed a nearly mate like bond, or an exciting, secret relation between married lovers that knew their most deep desires. Thanks to all those years spent in Nature's company he became sensitive to her every needs and got familiar with her every habit.

Becoming entirely silent was not one of them.

His brain was once more filled with images of vampires, heart beating in the rhythm of an instinctive fear and danger. Warning him, giving him signals that something is wrong.

His ears perked up suddenly, catching the last prolonged tone of a fading howl. Invisible letters understood always solely by members of the canine race, yet now, surprisingly, he could read the howl. Understood its blaming tone, directed solely at him.

It's your fault!

Hunter looked down, at his bandaged hand through which started to crawl invisible, itching ants and buzzing flies. He expected to see his own bloody, tormented head in his palm.

There was nothing there.

Through his head shot only one question, becoming once again an incomprehensible howl, not before he read its message however.

Why?

"Hunter my friend, is something wrong?"

His head jolted up, body becoming tense, muscles contracting in quick spasms, at the brink of a cramp. He felt like he was caught in the act of doing something unthinkable.

When he looked into the obsidian eyes however, he didn't see blame in them, nor shock and abhorrence. He saw nothing in them besides his own reflection. Blue glimmer of his own eyes lost completely in the sea of darkness.

There was something unnaturally normal in seeing his own tiny body surrounded by darkness. Seeing himself felt odd, he sensed as he would be pulled away from his very own flesh, farther and farther away, just like he would be dreaming and in that dream fell down.

Snapping out of the trance just before the painful impact.

Mind coming to one obvious, yet at the same time crucial, enlightening decision.

That was just a dream.

In Hunter's case however the enlightenment carried a different information, even if the fall and pulling felt like a dream.

There is poison in your veins.

He shook his head, turning his gaze away from the thick, black eyes, corner of his mouth twitched into a tiny small. There was a part of his brain that found the revelation amusing.

Black dragon and poison, who could in believe in such a thing.

It was like being surprised by a rose with thorns.

"Nothing" Hunter replied, shifting once more on the log he was sitting on, its rough surface becoming more and more uncomfortable for his butt

"I apologize, I had to daze off there for a while"

"Would you be offended if I asked what were you thinking about?"

He looked back into those eyes, spotting his own reflection once more. He wasn't sure if at some point light blinded him, because the small Hunter was sitting in a completely different position and it had nothing to do with a reverse mirror reflection.

It had to be some sort of a light effect, since he spotted a tiny, perfectly white dot dashing across the black canvas of the dragon's eyes. Making the tiny Hunter trapped within look at him with an intense, suspicious frown.

"About you actually" Hunter admitted forthrightly

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" the dark _mouse_from the hole replied, amusement clearly heard in the breathy vibes of his voice

Hunter's tail wagged nervously, that and his bandaged hand started to itch, burning like fire. It was like the medicine Amela applied forgot about its purpose.

Danox smiled.

"How is your fortune seeking going my savior?"

One of the cheetah's feline ears perked up in surprise.

"Savior?"

"Why yes, a fitting nickname for someone that gave me an opportunity to do something else with my life, than allow it to be wasted in snow and encased in ice like in some sort of a display case"

His ears flattened on his skull.

"I beg your forgiveness, but this title is reserved for Spyro. Someone far more worthy than myself. I couldn't be called such a grand name"

"Very well. How should I call you then?"

He placed his free hand on the wounded one, claws curled, ready to scratch. To be considered as someone of value, by no one else than a dragon himself was a great honor, overbearing even.

And shameful.

Being aware of his limitations, accepting a title of respect, any title, would be unfair. Especially considering his black companion's, willing or otherwise, disregard for his kind's standards. This would be a shortcut, impairing of given trust.

On all grounds considered.

He pulled his hand away, leaving the irritating scratching to itself. His ears returned to their natural position.

"Hunter, my Lord"

He noticed Danox biting his lower lip, a glimmer of immense amusement sparkled in his usually lifeless eyes.

And then he laughed, hard.

He straightened up on the log, its rough surface no longer bothering his butt. Pointy ears shot upwards, nearly pulling the scalp behind as they nearly leapt into the sky like sentient kites.

The laugh from the cave was different than he expected, different than he got used to hear from the black throat. This laughter was sincere, true unmistakable real and so very familiar. Like a song created by the two most famous and talented singers.

The laugh was absolutely beautiful.

It was so dazzling that Hunter missed hearing a bird singing in the distance.

"My Lord!" Danox mimicked the cheetah's voice with a rather poor, squeaky manner, each letter coming what seemed like a desperate gasp for air in between nearly shocking, coughs of laughter

"Wooo" he kept chuckling, pressing a claw to his left eye "Now that was something. If crawling into a hole too small to fit my ass earns me the title of a Lord, I can only guess what I would be called if I slept under the city's waste disposal system"

Danox smiled, it was as enchanting and familiar as his laughter.

"You do have a sense of humor after all" the drake pointed at the feline "You really do. I don't remember laughing so hard in a long time"

Hunter smiled, out of politeness and modesty than true amusement.

"I didn't mean it to sound like a joke"

The drake laughed again.

"But it is a joke! Look at me, do you truly see respect and magnificence here?"

"Your actions and habits doesn't change the fact that you are special. You are a dragon, your presence humbles me"

"Lips courtesy pleases much and costs little" the drake recited

Eyes darted instantly to his slowly withdrawing, extended claw on top of which glistened a drop of a tear. He blinked, black eyes once again became emotionless like a pair of onyxes. He flicked the tear away, splashing the drop on the wall of the cave.

In the distance a bird singing ended abruptly with the sound of a snapping twig.

Or neck.

"You have free time now" the alluring dark tone pointed out

During this somewhat unexpected and quick change of...something, Hunter could believe in everything the low, breathy voice had to say.

"Walk around the city, with your groovy charm and gallantry I'm sure you would be able to seduce some pretty girls. I have a feeling that also more than one dragoness would be added to the mix"

Pointy ears one more time glued themselves to his skull, his head momentarily jerked to the side, eyes instantly finding something very spectacular in the bark of the log he was sitting on.

The prospect of being romantically involved with a godlike creature as a dragon was a heresy and a sin he would never wash away. In a world where there are only a couple of races and one of them having less members than the rest, interspecies relationships are exotic and most likely scolded by many.

Unacceptable.

For him however, a cheetah that erased and shattered more than one principle of his people, unacceptable didn't exist. To be involved romantically with a creature outside the bloodline of his race was as normal, even if scary, as walking through the forest at night.

Now besides his hand, back and who knows what else, his heart started to itch, followed by thoughts of him romancing a dragoness. Something that he was sure he would never do, he was unworthy of such affection, tainting such creatures with his fragile aura is worse than declaring war against a long term ally.

He discarded the thought, such cruel and disgusting act, as quickly as it crossed his mind.

And yet his heart itched, demanding attention.

Nostrils flared up suddenly, taking a deep sniff of the air. He was surrounded by plains and every bit of flora that thrived upon them. Not to mention the presence of a bustling city nearby.

And yet his nose was filled with the smell of a jungle.

"I am a meager creature, I cannot be placed next to symbols of grandeur. This is wrong"

"Discouragement is the devil's most valuable tool" Danox recited

"Self-pity isn't speaking through me"

"No?" the drake's eyebrow raised in surprise "Then what is?"

Hunter looked up, taking the whole perfection of the dragon in front of him into notice. Determination sparkled in his blue eyes.

"Respect and honor"

"Still that doesn't change the fact that you aren't giving yourself enough credit and before you start another dramatic speech let me remind you of some little details. Namely your accomplishments"

Hunter shook his head "I don't have any of those"

"Hmmm" the drake huffed "Are you certain? Perhaps you would be so kind as to remind me who was the one that led Spyro and Cynder out of the death trap three years after the events of The Eternal Night?"

"This-"

"You" Danox cut him off "Who made his way through the freezing mountains, eventually saving someone like me from a very ugly death?"

Hunter opened his mouth, but went silent out of respect. Getting in the middle of a sentence when someone obviously still didn't end his speech was impolite to say the least.

"You. Who convinced the guards to give me a chance when all signs on earth and sky were saying that I will be turned down? You"

Danox pushed his paw forward, raising all his three claws in the air.

"Three examples, three examples to show your worth, enough to prove my point. No doubt there are more, but you are too modest to admit to them. No matter how much you deny it, you are aware of your importance and value, even now your caressed ego, in all its deserved right I might add, speaks through you"

Hunter shook his head shyly.

"I wouldn't allow for something so disrespectful"

"There is nothing disrespectful in confidence. If you would be so submissive as you want me to believe you would never sit down in my presence without my consent. I don't remember asking you to sit down and yet look where you are"

His ears shot up once again with a faint gasp escaping his throat. Even before understanding and shame struck, his scout's reflex kicked in. Forgetting about his injuries he used both of his hands to push himself off the log and jump onto the ground.

Something crunched underneath his boots with a sound similar to cracking ice.

He looked down, making a step back, surprised wrinkles groping his nose.

Bodies of several dead beetles littered the ground in between dangling strands of grass.

The carcasses looked withered and dry, as if they would be lying here for quite some time now. They were completely intact, it seemed like even the tiniest of flies couldn't find its way to the bodies.

Hunter my friend, is something wrong?

He heard his own thoughts echoing like a shout across mountains. Hand instinctively began patting at his chest, trying to feel that one delicate bump of the medallion he always wore. He looked slowly at first, before he knew what is happening the selfish frisking momentarily became hectic and thudding, no longer resembling a calm search, pats rumbling like furry fists of a gorilla smashing against the chest.

It isn't here.

Hope isn't here.

A cold finger of dread poked him in the back.

With a startled gasp he jumped forward, twisting his back in such a violent arch that he was certain he would break his spine. The hand that patted at his chest, smacked on the gently itching shoulder. Fingers massaging it gently, feeling the small indentations in the flesh, clawed by the faithful talons of his falcons.

His lips pouted automatically, a whistle pushed from his tightened mouth, the bonding signal uninterrupted by distance.

The sky was empty.

The finger of dread turned into a metallic hand, it gripped his spine.

He screamed one of the strangest screams, it didn't come from his throat, it resounded all around him, rumbling like thunder.

"And they say cats always land gracefully!"

He blinked, that was not a scream, but a laugh, honest, charming laugh. Coming from nowhere else, but the cave his scaly companion occupied.

He looked up and smiled, only now realizing that he is bent like an elder over a cane. He straightened up, ears flattening on his head, he met his surrounded by darkness reflection.

Tiny Hunter was smiling the same pleasant smile that undoubtedly stretched his own lips.

They were one.

You throw away your duties, just like the clothes with the medallion in your quarters, you forget about everything. How to jump, how to land, how to remember the recent minutes in between those two actions.

Funny what shock of embarrassment is capable of.

"Correcting your posture wasn't necessary" Danox said with a smile "I was just teasing you, wanted to check if your reaction will amuse me. You didn't disappoint"

"I'm happy to serve in any way I can"

"Meekness is the pride of the humble" the black dragon recited "A very valuable trait, but unnecessary. We are equals Hunter, you have perspectives to become someone great, you just need to remind yourself to keep your head high. An advice from a saved dragon to his hero. A cheetah hero"

"Really, titles are unnecessary. I was simply fulfilling my task"

Danox shrugged.

"As you wish" his black eyes raised to the sky, nose sniffing the air "Seems like you fulfilled another one. Ignus is coming back" black eyes returned to the cheetah "I'm sure he would be glad to see you keeping me company, but I know it would be just polite pretense. Ignus has royalty issues, bossing me around is therapeutic for him, he would be jealous, despite what he would say, that someone is tinkering with his sidekick"

Another charming smile stretched the drake's black lips.

"He spotted you by now, if you want to earn more points I suggest you wave at him and slowly retreat. Those with royal arrogance really respect those they consider below them, when they show signs of understanding their position. Scattering away from royalties and their highborn presence really rubs their ego in the right way"

"Thank you Hunter for keeping me company. You are probably one of the few who doesn't shun away from me. I appreciate that. Now go" he waved the cheetah off playfully "Go"

Hunter bowed, fulfilling the order. He started to retreat back to the city. He looked up, spotting the slowly approaching red silhouette from above. He smiled and waved at the descending dragon, using his bandaged hand.

Blood started dripping like raindrops from the nearly scratched to bone hand.