FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A mouse walked through the desert wasteland, struggling as each leg moved. He had lost every supply he had, including his clothes, robbed by some thugs that hated his race. Living in a wasteland full of mutated creatures were hard enough, but to also content with racist bullies who tried to beat him up just because he was a mouse? That's a little too much for him.

Like everyone in the wasteland, the mouse could fight. Unfortunately, that also applied to those who beat him up. The question was not 'how good you are at defending yourself'. It was 'how many do you have to deal with'. In this situation, quantity did beat quality, especially if everyone had the same quality.

They egged him on, intimidating him enough until one of them punched him in the face. The mouse simply replied with a tail whip that snapped his neck. He managed to dispatch three humans until several others ganged up on him and beat him into a bloody pulp. With him unable to defend himself, all his supplies were taken, including his clothes. "You don't deserve these, worm-tail," said one of them while spitting at him. "You are just a fucking pest."

If the mouse had any energy left, he could just say, "A pest that bites." It was, of course, a bad call, not if they suddenly found their common sense and shoot him on the spot. They apparently thought that the mouse had no guns, which was the situation back then.

Now naked and out of supplies, in addition to being hurt, he just walked aimlessly through the desert wasteland, hoping that he did not end up in the Death Zone. He could find the ruins of a house on the side of the hot paved road, the remains of the old civilization. The mouse wondered that if it was a cozy home in its prime, for the interior looked decent. It gave him a good place to rest, out of the heat. It wasn't the best place to end up for a furred beast race like him.

He noticed a curtain. The first thing he wanted to do was to fashion some clothes, at least to cover himself. Then, he would need to find water to wash himself and to tend to his wounds. They started to sting. He had learned from his parents that the sands of the desert were sterile, and he could use them to cover his wounds. Still, it would be sterile if it wasn't for the fact that it could be as contaminated. He was treading around the borders of the Death Zone, after all, and without the Aether indicator, he would not be able to know when he would turn into an Aether Ghoul. Some said that it tasted like there's blood in the air, and a stinging electric shock that made his furs stood at their ends. He had no intention to prove it, so he just hoped that it was right and not anything less than that.

The mouse went to a nearby torn curtain to wrap it around his waist, then use part of said curtain to cover parts of his wounds. He had cleaned them before with sand. All he needed was ice to ease up his bruises.

He knew fridges and wondered if they still had ice in it. As he opened the freezer compartment, he only saw a dirty interior. He sighed for his stupidity. The house had been abandoned for years, maybe centuries. There wouldn't be any ice in it, right?

At that moment, he heard a click. He froze. He surmised that it was a trap, and he fell into it when he opened the freezer. If it was, it had quite a delay. The only other conclusion was someone releasing his gun's safety, which he had heard so many times.

He was right on his second guess.

"Don't move a muscle," said a gruff voice with a deep tone. "It takes less a second to pull a trigger. Any sudden moves, and your brain is all over the wall."

The mouse tried to stay still, just as he felt a big hand touching him in several places. What was he trying to find? He was naked!

"Got robbed?" said the voice. The mouse did not answer immediately.

"I assume so. Worm-tails like you are easy prey. Without your weapons, you are useless, I guess."

The mouse was offended by that. Without thinking, he turned around and tried to snatch the gun from the man's hand, emulating the lessons of self-defense he learned.

Only that he wasn't facing a man, as he was clearly not human, and the mouse was quite small compared to the fur-covered 'man'. A quick look made it clear that he was a beast race and covered with fur.

He was then lifted by his throat, choking him as he looked at the aggressor's face. He had a leonine appearance, complete with a dark brown mane that covered the top of his head like human's hair. His eyes were golden, and they were glaring at him.

"This place's taken, mouse," said the lion. "Go find someplace else to scavenge."

The mouse gestured to the lion to indicate that he was choking. The lion simply dropped him to the floor harshly, which caused the mouse to yell in pain. As he recovered, he saw the tip of a blade near his throat.

"W-what are you going to do? Kill me?" said the mouse, trying to act brave.

"Depends on what you do next. I don't underestimate my enemies, even if they're butt-naked. I kill them when they proved a threat."

"Do I look like a threat to you?"

"If you're desperate, yeah. I can just slice your throat and end your suffering."

"I'm not dying."

"But everyone around you wish you are."

"Why aren't you?"

The lion stared at the mouse. The mouse tried to find a way to escape. He knew the lion wasn't intending to share. Even if he knew that escape was almost impossible, he would find a way. It was what his kind do to survive a world that hated his kind for being one of the Chaos races.

The mouse felt that the lion would be intimidated by it and got angry because he talked back and showed no fear (even though he was quite scared of his life). That was when the lion smirked, then put away his sword.

"I'm not going to beat up an unarmed guy, right? Unless you're an idiot, of course."

The lion then offered his hand, which surprised the mouse. He had never had anyone aside from a rat or a mouse offered their hands to him, so he was reluctant. It could be another trap, and he did not want to get into one again.

"That's a right call, mouse," said the lion. "But, I am offering to help."

"Why should you?"

"Trust me on this one. Come on. I can tend to your wound. Also, are you sure you want to continue your journey at night?"

The mouse looked out. The sun was already setting. He did not know that. He had been walking with only survival in mind, and he did not even notice the sun setting.

Reluctantly, the mouse took the lion's hand, and he helped him up. He then took the mouse to a room where several of the lion's belongings were. The mouse did not see this place before. It could be that the lion chose this area because it wasn't apparent outside, and therefore was safe from potential raiders.

In there were several foods, which made the mouse hungry. He wanted to snatch them, but the lion stopped him and said, "You got your share. That's mine."

The lion then threw a slab of cooked meat towards the mouse, and he ate it whole. Just then, the lion walked towards the mouse and said, "You're travelling?"

"Yes. Mack Field," said the mouse short.

"Not far from here," said the lion while cleaning the mouse's wound. "Guess a couple of Muns and some provisions will do."

"You don't need to give me Muns."

"I got some to spare after I got my bounty. I can't give you clothes, unfortunately. The Muns are for clothes and bandages."

"Well...thanks," said the mouse. He then looked away and said, "Any other guy would just leave me to die on the streets."

"I know a lot of them, and they are worse than just being racist," said the lion.

"Name it."

"Raiders, for starters. They simply don't care if you're a rodent or not. They just kill anyone and raid them. Crazies are even worse than raiders. Like their names imply. They are bat-shit crazy."

The mouse did not want to meet them, of course. Who would? A crazy person would simply have no faculty of what they were doing, and what they did was destroy anything that wasn't them. Not just a mouse, but anyone.

"So, for a tip, don't go anywhere close to the Death Zone. Ghouls and Crazies make those places their homes. Also, if you see someone bound being led away, you don't get into a fight with them, especially if they were wearing belts and armors out of junk."

"I know who's who, lion," said the mouse while biting on the meat slab. "I'm no rookie."

"Bullies aren't rookies, either. Anyway, I'm done."

The mouse felt parts of his body was tight due to the bandages the lion applied. His body did not sting anymore, and he felt that the bruises he had on his body had been tended to.

"Thanks," said the mouse short.

"Don't mention it."

The mouse yawned, exhausted and tired from the beatings and his trek through the desert. He told this to the lion and he nodded, taking him to another room with a couch. It had lost most of its coverings, but parts of it could still be used as a bed, at least for a small person like the mouse. He then proceeded to sleep without even bothering to start any conversation with the lion. He knew that after that night, they would go their separate ways, and would never see each other again. It could even turn into something worse, where they ended up as enemies. Who could predict? The world's already a mess as it was.

The mouse looked at the star, staring at it while wondering if there would be a time when his kind could live alongside others. He felt it was impossible, given the situation, but he did not want it to feel that way. There must be something that he could do, something that could unify the races.

Before that, however, he needed to find a place where his kind could live normally, like a free town. While it was one of the worst places to end up in, it was still a civilized place, not like the raiders or the crazies as the lion described.

The mouse kept thinking as he drifted to sleep. The food and the tended wounds made his sleep easier. He started to dream about him taking a journey through a wasteland, though less of a sandy one. It was an area where plants still grew, something that he had once travelled before. There, he met a rat person, who had been travelling around with his friends, which surprisingly, were of different races. He seemed sad, and the human tried to console him, during which he accepted this attempt.

Before he could see more, the mouse woke up. The morning light had started to shine through the remains of the ceiling, which was his cue to continue his travel to Mack Field. He walked towards the lion's room. He had already left. The mouse simply tried to find something he could use to put the stuffs the lion had left for him: several strips of jerky, dried fruits, a loaf of bread, water in a bottle (not necessarily clean, but was enough), and some Muns for clothes. He quickly found a fairly good leather bag where he stuffed everything in. He then proceeded to continue his journey as he quietly said thank you to the lion that saved him. He did not even know his name.

His travel to Mack Field was short, taking only five hours from where he was. Mack Field was a free town, one of the less dangerous ones, where the mouse could rest up and get some new clothes without worrying about people pestering him. It wasn't as 'civilized' as some towns, however. As civilization fell, people started becoming invested in slavery. Many other towns that did not want Chaos races associated with it had also banned slavery, which made them more 'civilized' even though it had also poor morale. Mack Field was one of those towns where people could sell other people, especially Chaos races.

As long as he steered clear from dangerous slavers seeking opportunities, he would be fine. Wouldn't want something bad to happen, right? The mouse knew better than to pick up a fight against anyone. He preferred to let the fight come to him instead of instigating it, so he had a reason to fight back. While it might end up corrupted by people claiming that he started it, everyone knew the risk of getting into a fight with someone who had survived in the wasteland. Their loss.

For the mouse, Mack Field was just a pit stop. His real destination was a mysterious town that had gained quite a fame several months ago as a 'civilized' free town. It was apparently governed by a rat person, though he was sure that no one would want a rat to be their leader. It was apparently a mercenary town, too, and was the hub of an emerging mercenary group around that area. It was far from the desert, however, in the less dangerous and lawless area, so it might take a while walking there.

The mouse continued his journey, now decently clothed and supplied, along with a new knife he bought from a junk shop. It did not seem to be dangerous, given that it was rusty and barely fit the hilt, but it could be used in case of emergency. It might break when he was skinning a mutated beast, though, so he needed to find a better knife in the city ruins.

The city ruins were a massive abandoned city with several newer settlements built within its borders and beyond. While parts of it had been claimed by the wilderness, it still had the remains of the old civilization that could be used by the population that chose to live there. It wasn't the safest place, however. More ruined buildings meant more places to lay low, and more people could get a jump on unsuspecting travelers.

The mouse was quite cheerful as he continued his journey. The day was long, and he could continue his travel longer than before. He estimated that he could reach the city's suburban area by nighttime, hoping to find a free town or maybe an abandoned house like the one he stumbled upon.

As he thought about an abandoned house, his mind lingered towards the lion. Where was he going? They were not talking much, mostly because both were suspicious of each other. Not a surprise, though. The mouse had acknowledged that fully sleeping without being aware of anything that night was a mistake, but he was fortunate that the lion was not preying on him that night. He could've laced his meat with something, then when he was sleeping, the lion could've either sold him into slavery, or simply ate him as he fell into cannibalism. The mouse hoped that it wasn't the second situation, though, as it was very unlikely for a cannibal to cook a pig's meat. The mouse knew what a pig tasted like. Still, he wouldn't know if he ended up eating a sentient one.

As the sun started to set, he reached the suburban area and tried to find an empty home when he heard people talking. He quickly tried to find a place to hide while he observed the people talking, weapons free. That's when he silently gasped when he saw the people.

They were gnolls, hyena people who either ended up being a raider or a slaver. They were never seen in any settlements due to their status as one of the Chaos races, and thus were looked down upon by others, including the mouse. But, what made him gasp was not the pair of gnolls talking by the fire, but a barely recognizable lion man they guarded.

He had been tied to a low cross that forced him to kneel, naked and clearly robbed of everything, much like what the mouse had just experienced several hours ago. However, this lion's fate was even worse. He was barely conscious with his face swollen after being hit by something blunt, though from the look of it, he was far from dying. His maws were forcibly tied up while he was biting a piece of log that acted as a gag, apparently to stop him from roaring in pain. Lions were quite loud and he could attract attention. Not only that, his mane was shaved, leaving him with nothing much covering his head, losing most of his menacing appearance in the process. The gnolls seemed to be fixated with the mane they just cut, though the mouse did not understand the significance of it. However, further examination of the lion from afar quickly gave the mouse a conclusion.

The captive lion was the one who he met earlier.

The mouse quickly ducked away from view and started thinking why an imposing and clearly experienced lion could be reduced into that state. He could be jumped upon, or maybe he fell into a trap, something less obvious than what the mouse suspected. Whatever's the case, the mouse felt obliged to return the favor.

Just then, doubt started to seep into his mind. What if the lion turned out to be someone who looked just like the one who saved him, yet not him? It could be awkward when the mouse claimed to return the favor. What's worse, he would think that the lion was in fact a rival raider who got defeated and was carried around by the two gnolls as a trophy.

What's more important was the two gnolls themselves. What if they were not the only ones? It could be a group of raiders taking the lion out. He wanted to be sure that it did not turn out to be a reckless attempt.

With the doubt came the temptation to just leave the lion to his fate. It was what he did to many people, knowing that saving them was useless anyway when they ended up being an ungrateful prick. The mouse felt that guessing was useless, and either way, it would just be him alone on the road again. But then, he would be haunted by the fact that he abandoned someone who had been nice to him. He was a hardened survivor, but he wasn't _that_hardened. He still had friends, even if they were all rodents.

After all consideration, the mouse simply said, "Fuck it." under his breath and started creeping towards the two gnolls. He gotta take a risk to save someone he knew, not simply running away citing 'strategic reasons' for a curtain of him being a coward. He needed to save the lion, and if he ended up wrong about his identity, at least he saved him, and he expected the lion to pay him back the next time their path crossed.

He crept behind the two gnolls talking and listened to their conversation as he approached them.

"You think he'll sell?" said one of them. "Riz doesn't like his slave broken."

"Who had the idea of beating him up, huh? I told you to just hit his neck and tie him up, not beat him to half dead!"

"He knew something's wrong, Ar. He might end up killing us. Just look at him! He's a fucking barbarian!"

"Oh, and you don't trust the sleep dart I gave you?"

"You think it'll be enough to put him to sleep?"

"Hey, at least we try, right?"

"What if it ended up being a poison? If he's dead, he's useless."

"Yeah, that's a problem too. I'm no doctor."

One of them sighed. "At least we secured him. Still, he got one heck of a mane, huh?"

"Not gonna sell much, but people wanted it for several reasons."

"How about coat? We can cut him bald and sell his fur."

"What? No one want to fuck with a baldie!"

"You serious? In this time of age, even someone would fuck a Ghoul!"

The other was repulsed. "That's fucking sick!"

"Tell that to the Crazies by the DZ."

It was at this point when the mouse snatched a gun from the satchel one of the gnolls carelessly throw away. It was loaded and the safety's off, ready for shooting. The mouse could've held them hostage with it, but he was not the lion. He did not take second chances.

With a well-positioned aim, he pulled the gun's trigger towards one of the gnolls's head at point blank, splattering his brain everywhere in front of him. The other gnoll was surprised and horrified by this, but he did not have time to react when the mouse shot him through his head, killing him instantly. The two loud shots woke the lion up, and he looked at the white-furred mouse that saved him.

He struggled in his bonds, letting out a muffled voice, which the mouse heard with his big round ears. He approached the lion and cut the gag off his face.

"You're...," said the lion, recognizing who the mouse was.

"I owe you one," said the mouse. "Consider it paid in full."

As the lion was taken off the cross, he said, "I...don't know how to thank you, mouse. I am grateful."

"Just...a question, lion. Are you the one who saved me back then?"

"Well, of course I am! You're the only mouse I've known to have a partially bitten ear."

"Oh...right, I guess you saw that, didn't you?" The mouse then rubbed his scar. "I'm...sorry for doubting your identity."

"Yeah, I know. Don't mention it. A shame about my mane, though. Guess I'll go maneless until they grow back."

"Do they grow that fast?"

"In a month or so. Anyway, I thought you're going to Mack Field. Why travel this far?"

"I only stop there for supplies. I want to follow the rumor about a free town led by a rat. They said it's beyond the city ruins."

"You know what...that's where I was going, too," said the lion. "I wasn't going to Mack Field to resupply, however. They don't sell good stuffs."

"Yeah. I know."

"And I suppose our situation is now reversed, huh?" said the lion with a smile. "Now I'm beaten up and naked."

"But we've got a camp to loot from, and possibly your supply," said the mouse. "And I got this gun for free."

"That's actually mine, but I'll give it to you, as a compensation for your help," said the lion with a smile. He then proceeded to walk around the camp while the mouse looted the camp for anything useful he could take. The lion then proceeded to get himself cleaned up, dressed, and took the two gnolls's bodies away.

The two then sat by the campfire (the logs that was used to tie up the lion was used to stoke up the flame), now less suspicious of each other. This was when the lion started a conversation that's friendlier.

"I haven't had the time to ask for your name, mouse," said the lion. "What's your name?"

The mouse had a lingering doubt about telling him his name, but in the end, he trusted the lion enough to say, "Johann. My name is Johann."

"That doesn't sound like a name for your kind to me. It sounded almost human."

"I thought John is a human equivalent?"

"You'll never know. Anyway, I'm Taron. Nice to meet you, Johann."

"Likewise."

They both shook their hands.

"So, about the free town led by a rodent...do you know its name?"

"Not really. Words of its name does not travel far. How about you? Why are you seeing this town?"

"I want to join their mercenary business, or maybe as a hired guard," said Taron. "I want to find a place to start, a place to plant my seed."

"So, you're sick of wandering around?"

"No, I just want to survive better, and what's better than working with people who know how to fight together? Things could be different if you didn't come and save me, though."

"You and me both," said Johann.

They both talked through the night, before they slept in relative comfort. They continued their journey together towards the unknown settlement, hoping to find a place to be safe.

Along the way, the dangerous areas of the city were easily tackled by both of them, and while they were at it, they slowly trusted each other as friendship grew. It became easier to travel with someone who Johann could trust, and Taron was glad that he did not need to protect his small friend all the way, as it was double his effort.

Before long, they managed to cross the city through a broken highway, and they ended up in a greener area of the wasteland. It was still overgrown with high grass covering rusted remains of automobiles and street signs, but at least it was a better environment than that of the hot desert. In addition for being lush and green, it was also quite friendly in term of people, with some humans greeting them as they traveled with their bulk of trading items, along with several guards.

Johann and Taron then asked a nearby traveler about the unknown settlement. The moment they heard about it being run by mercenaries and led by a rat person was when they quickly told the two about the settlement and the direction there.

"Oh, it's called Diamondback's Nest, home to the Wanderers," said one of them. "What? You don't know about the Wanderers?"

"No. Are they famous?"

"Well, famous is a relative term. They are reliable and quite friendly. Most mercenary guilds won't even bother with Chaos races but given how one of their leaders is a rat person, I think they know who to trust."

"I guess we're on the right track," said Taron. "Do you know where it is?"

"Sure. You can travel with us if you want."

Johann looked at the human with an expression of not believing his words, something that the human did not seem to notice. Taron, however, noticed this, and said, "What's wrong?"

"I can't trust him," said Johann, lowering his voice. "He sounds dodgy."

Taron knew why Johann acted like that. As a mouse person, he had been treated with distrust and mostly violence, and in return, they regarded them as the same. The lion knew that Johann had been hardened with the state of the world, as he did. Only compassion and a chance to find the good thing in life could change someone's world view, and Johann needed that.

The lion smiled towards the mouse and said, "If it turns out that you're right, which I doubt it is, just know that you have my back."

"Huh. Weird hearing that from a lion twice my size," said Johann. "Still...why?"

"Because we're friends, right?"

"What? No, it's not that simple, Taron!"

"Then why are you still sticking with me?"

"Because we walk the same path. After all this is over, things will return to what it was."

"No, it won't, and I won't let it," said Taron with a serious expression. "Johann, you may think that me telling you about this world's good is a pointless effort, but I'll tell you anyway. This world is not all that bad. You just need to find someone to rely on, and lucky for you, I am that guy."

"Look, Taron, I appreciate your efforts, but if we met 10 years ago, I might believe you. I...no longer know who to trust."

"Then try me for your first in 10 years." Taron then extended his hand. "No one walks alone in this world. No one."

"I have a question, though. Why do you even bother? I'm a mouse, a Chaos race. You even call me a worm-tail. Everyone doesn't like me walking, so why do you even want to be friends?"

Taron was trying to find a good answer, which he quickly found.

"Because a single act of unmotivated kindness never fails to earn someone's respect," said Taron. "Back then, you had all the chances to just leave me to my fate and continue alone, but you came anyway. It's not because of muns, or even what suited you. You owe me a favor, and you paid it back."

"So, what about that?"

"Have you ever broken a sweat to save someone you barely know?"

Johann went silent, and did not immediately answer. It was bizarre. He had learned not to trust anyone, not even Taron. He gave him food and Muns, but that's it. It was simply out of pity.

Pity? He had never known pity. People saw him and thought of him as vermin, as a scum. No one even bothered to give him some Muns or some food. All he got was a beating, and in the end, he either endured it all, or got it back on those who wronged him. So, why Taron? A desire for a guard? A desire for exploits? A desire...for a friend?

Johann looked at Taron's leonine face. His smirk was more creepy than sincere, but maybe it was because of his instincts. Feral lions did prey on mice, at least from what he read. He knew it would be stupid to blindly trust the lion, but he would be an asshole to reject what Taron had tried his sincerest.

In the end, Johann chose to give what the lion wanted, at least for a while.

"Okay, I give up," said Johann with a sigh. "Let's be friends...for now. However, I won't hesitate to cut all ties with you when you betray me."

"I won't, because that won't come. I'll make sure of it, starting with ending my travels in the town."

"You're...not wandering anymore?"

"I might go somewhere, but no more dangerous journeys. I may be a lion, but I am not a brave idiot who simply don't know what safe is. Life has a way to say that I'm overreaching, so I won't. I suggest you do the same."

"What if..."

"Before you do anything, you gotta stop making assumptions and live with it. Throw away your old life and start anew. I'll help. Promise."

Johann started to warm up to the lion, in which he said, "You're a charmer, aren't you?"

"Comes with the good look, too. I heard they like cats."

"Not so much for a mouse, huh?"

"Some do. You got some clean white fur, so if they don't choose you, they'll be missing out. The other rodents, I mean."

Taron started to laugh, which caused Johann to start laughing, albeit nervously at first, before it turned into something sincerer.

"See? I know you'll find happiness, somehow."

"Haven't laughed like that in a while." Johann then stopped, and said, "Guess I'll take this chance."

"And I'll make sure you find it, as I did before."

"Yeah."

They both walked together, with the trader group, towards the town they had seen. Johann and Taron quickly became friends as they started to know each other and open up towards each other. They both then started to exchanged information, including farming and starting a family.

The end of their journey might be close at hand, but their journey to a new life had just begun. It would not be easy for both. Things could even turn out bad for both, as this world they lived in was unpredictable, dangerous, and unforgiving. But, even with all that, one thing was certain.

The will to change was always a cherished moment in the journey of life.