FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

From behind a great stone slab, seven wolves about the same age as Charlie appeared. As soon as they noticed him, they formed a tight circle around him so quickly, the two eagles had to hop aside to avoid being trampled.

'Charlie, what's up?'

'It looks as if you've lost a contest again.'

'Or did you step on your tail?'

'Maybe you fell out of a tree?'

'Bumped your head against a rock?'

'Do you cry just for the fun of it?'

'Oh, oh, I think know! You simply miss us too much and you're homesick. That's it, isn't it?'

Then a deep voice resounded. 'I think I know what happened here.' The voice belonged to Charlie's father, and every creature made way when the enormous wolf, followed by his wife, stepped onto the scene. Their long shadows loomed over their son like a set of storm clouds. Charlie tried to wipe away his tears, recompose himself as best as he could, and meet his parents' eyes. It was more difficult than it sounded.

Charlie's father took a moment to look his son over, raising an eyebrow at the wrecked plumage dangling from his fur. 'I could hear your scream and smell your fear, even though I was a long way away. That must have been quite a fall you made, son.'

Charlie's mother let out a gasp. 'Did you really think he... Oh my!'

'Yes, and I am sad to see you have failed in your mission, for I would have loved welcoming you back into the family,' Charlie's father said with a shake of his mighty head. 'Even though you have visibly grown stronger, the challenge proved to be too much for you. You could not take responsibility for yourself anymore, and decided to jump towards your own death.' He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in. The two eagles shuffled a bit, but he continued before they could open their beaks to say something. 'I understand how tough it must have been for you, but in the wilderness of the winter forest, only the strong survive. This... this is just no good.'

The words hit Charlie like a sledgehammer. He felt something spark inside his chest, but the heat was not strong enough to fuel a retort. His ears drooped down.

The father wolf's gaze left Charlie. He turned to his wife, his children, and finally to the two eagles, giving the latter a polite little nod. 'Mister, Missus, have a good day,' he said, and made ready to leave.

Suddenly, the eagles ruffled their feathers and hopped forwards. Chuck said, 'Hold up there for a minute, Mister, um...'

'Gerard.'

'Mister Gerard. You got it all wrong, you see?'

'There is more you should know,' added the mother.

Charlie's father, Gerard, stopped. He turned back around. 'Wrong, you say?'

'Yeah!' The two eagles flapped their wings and jumped between Charlie and his father. 'I respect your status as a predator and your ways and all, but honestly... I think you're being a little harsh on your son there,' Chuck said.

Charlie looked up at the scene before him. He wanted to speak, but his throat was dry and he could find no words to express his feelings. He had never felt more confused.

'Your son has faced so many dangers and has always come out of them alive,' said Hazel.

Slowly, Gerard shook his head. 'I, in turn, respect your species as well, but I don't know you personally. You could be making this up.'

The eagles glanced at Charlie, but his eyes still looked glazy and distant, as if his thoughts were drifting away and he was trying to keep them in sight.

'Actually, you were the one making something up, sir,' said Chuck, narrowing his eyes at the big wolf. 'You assumed your son was doing something desperate, while reality is much more awesome--in a good way, I promise.'

'You see, Charlie was so impressed by our eagle ways, he wanted to honour us by showing us his first flight. It took a lot of creativity to model a pair of wings after our own, not to mention the courage he surely had to muster to jump off the cliff.' Hazel stroked Charlie with a wing.

'Our little ones spend years preparing themselves, both mentally and physically before they should even think about making that jump,' Chuck added. 'They have to eat a lot, sleep a lot, and grow a lot of feathers. That takes some serious time, you know? But this little dude--eh, I mean Charlie prepared himself for his first flight in what? A month or so?'

Gerard opened his maw to say something, but the eagles weren't done yet.

'Point is, your son is a strong-willed son of a gun,' said Chuck.

'He deserves another chance,' said Hazel.

With those words, the tale ended. Both eagles stepped aside, their wings unfolding like a curtain opening. Charlie scrambled up. The words 'another chance' gave him a burst of energy, and even though he still felt beaten-up inside, he was willing to fight one more time. He looked into his father's eyes. For a long moment the two wolves' gazes met, Gerard's old and deep one and Charlie's young and fiery one. No one dared to blink.

Suddenly, Gerard let out a heavy sigh. 'Very well,' he said. 'You will take on three challenges against your siblings, but if you lose just one of them against any one of your brothers and sisters, you will never be allowed to join us. I will cast you out completely.' A pause. A stare. 'Do you understand, son?'

A nod from Charlie. Already he could feel the extra pressure resting upon his shoulders like a boulder, but he tried his best to ignore it. 'Trembling tails are of no use in a hunt,' his father used to say. He checked his tail. It was not trembling.