FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

In all my years of being a keishi-worker, I've never encountered an unoccupied guard tower. Most countries were rather stringent about documenting who came in and out. With Duskhaven's reputation, I thought that I'd be met with armed resistance. Lucky for me, my client sent me a visa, which was rather unusual. Nothing felt better than receiving the stamp yourself; a physical reminder of how far you've been and what you've seen. I don't miss home often, but when I do, I run a thumb over the faded crest in the back of my logbook and the memories of my mother's chestnut pies come flooding back. Unlucky for me, Duskhaven seemed to have taken the liberty of making the journey to their border as difficult as possible. Confusing signs and paths leading to nowhere were only the beginning of my troubles. During a particularly restless night, I ventured forth solely on the stomach pangs of a bygone meal and foolish determination when I noticed a clearing among the tree line. I was lucky I didn't run straight to it. When I got to the opening, I lost my footing and almost found myself tumbling over the side of a cliff. Needless to say, Duskhaven wasn't known for its hospitality.

Their guard tower was also more like a box. A squat little thing barely noticeable among the dense foliage of the forest. Strangely, the gates and walls that enclosed their country were also hard to make out. Almost like a mirage, my eyes couldn't focus on the structure. I feared that this was another trap. When I thought that I knew what I was looking at, the realization that I was staring into nothingness struck me. I reached my hand out, half expecting it to phase through. Instead, I was greeted by the familiar inky stain of keishi.

I have been traveling with these wonderful beings for almost as long as I can remember. As a child, watching them dance around my room enraptured me. They were so strange and playful. It was difficult to understand what I was seeing at first. How do you explain to a child that the amorphous blobs of ink they were seeing were actually the earth's essence; a form of life between the physical and metaphysical? That keishi made up the world and hold it together? I had a lot of questions and there were not many answers. The urge to travel took hold of me soon after. One of the first things I learned on my journey was that they responded to your desires. Which made it even stranger that they seemed to prefer falling over the nightstand, hanging onto clock hands, and shooting through the ceiling.

I was careful to wipe my hands clean before pulling out the letter again. Tricky client this one. She refused to explain what sort of problem the keishi were causing, but, based on what I had experienced thus far, an idea had already begun to form. A rather dangerous one at that. Instead, she put her efforts towards making a list of instructions. Cutting straight to the chase. Where to find her, how to behave, what to wear (that last one made me raise an eyebrow). The strangest thing, however, is the day she chose for me to arrive. It was, what I understood, the busiest night of the year: the summer solstice festival. I hoped that she wasn't planning to turn this into some sort of spectacle.

Looking up at the sky, it was obvious that the festivities had already begun. Vibrant explosions of color tore across it, clawing their way toward the horizon. Despite the lively scene, any semblance of sound was missing. The fireworks produced no noise and nothing could be heard from inside the country's walls. I was left alone with my own breathing and the faint noise of some curious forest critter.

I soon realized that I would have to get over the gate myself. Which wouldn't be a problem, it was just more annoying than anything. With a sigh, I stuffed the letter back into my pocket and opened the drum on my back. Bundles of keishi spilled forth. Some of them took the opportunity to sink back into the earth, painting the wild grass with a fine black. The majority of them just seemed happy to be out, able to move freely and harmonize with the world's rhythm once again. Unfortunately for them, I needed to get over this wall, and upon my command they rushed to it, bulging, combining, and mutating together to create a ladder that I was able to grip onto.

As soon as I leapt over, the noise popped like a bubble. It all came rushing to me. The bang from the fireworks, children's shrieks of amazement, and the awkward sound of adults trying to raise their voices loud enough to be heard over the crowd. When I walked, my shoes clacked softly against the pavement. Opening my bag again, I let the keishi slink back in.

The first thing I noticed was how similar everyone looked. Girls, boys, kids, and elders were all wearing a variation of the same outfit. A long, free-flowing red gown that sparkled in the moonlight. When they ran, the sequins shook, making it look as if they were on fire. The boys had a more androgynous look with their long hair. I looked down at my own dress. I thought it was pretty silly.

Nobody paid me much mind. It was as if I had always been there. As if I had always been a part of their little community. Stalls were set up, selling anything from fans to clothes to candied treats. These street salesmen called out to me, promising one-time bargains and discounts if I bought from them. Families enjoying the light show nodded to me as I passed them on their grassy knoll. Groups of kids ran past with sparklers, giving me large smiles as they raced their friends around the city. I followed one of these groups and ended up standing in front of a gigantic stone statue of a fish on its side. The poor thing was hollowed out, allowing people to run in and out of it. Kids threw their sparklers, cheering as the fish's inside lit up with vibrant colors. Red, green, blue, yellow, then the normal gray as the toy fizzled out. There must have been more than a hundred people crowded around this thing, clapping and cheering like it was some big attraction they would never see again. When I asked the person standing next to me what it was, he gave me a strange look, his smile bending downwards towards concern.

I've seen people treat strange objects like this before. Crowding around it like worshippers praising an ethereal being. It was part of what kept me going. Seeing how people lived, why they lived, it was fascinating. Some believe that being a traveler is committing yourself to a life of narcissism. That we crave this never-ending flow of knowledge in pursuit of something we'll never understand. I don't know if I'm searching for anything. I'd like to think that life has never been that big. That, the reason I travel is because I can.

The palace my client described in her letter was difficult to miss. It was obvious from her calligraphy that she was someone of importance, but seeing the elegance of it all was astonishing. I followed the steps upward, counting them under my breath, (24, 25, 26...) before reaching two guards that were flanked by equally large doors. Even they wore the same garment. It looked as awkward on them as it did on me, but they didn't seem to mind. After handing them the letter, they knocked on the door and called for a 'Catherine'. After only a few seconds, a woman emerged, exuding a level of confidence and comfort high for even everyone else in Duskhaven.

"Sebastian!" she exclaimed, giving me a smile. "I'm so glad you're here."

My eyes instantly fell upon her dress. It was black. Not just that, but it had the same mirage-like quality as the country's border. Keishi. They were covering her dress for some reason. I was about to bring this up to her, but she had already turned and started to walk back into the palace.

"Not a talkative one, are you? That's fine; follow me." Obeying orders, I followed closely behind her, giving the guards a small nod as I passed through the door.

The inside of the palace was even more grand. Everything just seemed bigger there. Bigger doors, windows, chairs, tables, fireplaces. Everything was huge. It was a secret how they would even use these things if they weren't just for decoration. Other signs of wealth were self-evident. Paintings swarmed the walls, their gold frames shining in the candlelit darkness while glorious chandeliers twinkled from above. Instead of staying here though, Catherine quickly led me down a dark passageway. I had to trail a hand on the wall for guidance while walking down the stairs. When we reached the bottom, my eyes widened.

It opened into a wide and well-lit area. This new location was so large that you wouldn't fault me for calling it a plaza. It was connected to numerous subterranean tunnels, each spreading out in their own varied direction. A smile of my own crept onto my face. The entirety of the palace was underground.

As if sensing my change in mood, she quipped with a "Like what you see?" before heading down one of the tunnels, never turning around to wait for a response. I hastened my step to keep up.

As soon as I stepped through the tunnel's entrance, the crashing of waves made it to my ears. It was loud, echoing off the walls and ceiling repeatedly. When the narrow passage opened up, I couldn't believe my eyes. An entire ocean made of ink below ground. The entire body of water was devoured by keishi.

"Welcome to the lifeblood of Duskhaven," she said, her voice brimming with pride. Catherine grabbed an old, wooden fishing pole from a rack on the wall and took a seat in a chair that lined the shore. Tentatively, I sat down next to her. We sat like that for a while, tortured with each other's company as she cast the line into the water. She would be the one to break the silence.

"I'm sure you've realized what's going on here." I nodded.

"So you can see them too?" I asked, nodding towards the keishi sea. That got another laugh out of her.

"Yep! I'm the only one that can here."

She reeled in the line, yanking with a swift and fluid motion before realizing that she hadn't caught anything.

"Damn it." She cast it again. I sighed.

"So you know how dangerous this is. If you allow them to keep spreading, they'll eventually swallow your entire country." Her response was quick.

"Of course."

This time, it was much more evident that something had taken hold of the bait. Once again, she reeled in the line, using that same fluid motion to yank a fish high into the air before it came down flopping onto the stones. Swiftly, she took the fish by the fin and bashed it against the rocks, Where there should have been blood, there was ink.

"Did you know that we catch and grow all of our food here in Duskhaven?"

The question took me aback. She had turned to look at me and the expression on her face was perplexing. A jumbled mixture of pride and sorrow. But she looked at me with determination as if she really wanted me to ponder her question.

"No." She turned around again, sinking into the chair.

"It was amazing. I felt like we had truly accomplished something. Being completely self-sufficient that is. We didn't need anyone's help." I looked over the sea, watching the waves of ink crash into each other. When confronted with my silence, she continued.

"Everyone agreed. We didn't want help from the outside world. We were fine here. It was like our own little paradise. Looking back on it, I think we were actually just afraid of foreigners."

"How so?" She took a few seconds to respond.

"I think we were scared of finding out that we were inadequate. That, despite all of our successes, all of our triumphs, there were still people, countries, out there that were more advanced and happier than we were. That the way we lived was wrong."

She looked back out over the sea with me as we sat in silence again. It all started to come together. Duskhaven's reputation despite the way everyone seemed so exuberant and playful. While walking through the country, everything seemed happy and in its place. They seemed happy. It was almost as if...

"You don't want to solve your keishi problem do you?"

She shook her head.

"Why'd you call me then?"

She turned back around, looking at me with a smile.

"I wanted someone to know that we existed. That, when we're gone, people knew that we were happy and satisfied. That we didn't live for nothing."

Springing forth from her chair, Catherine headed towards the tunnel entrance. For a moment, it looked as if she were going to cry, her body trembling. As I looked over at her though, she was back to her strong and confident self.

"You can stay for a few more hours if you like. Write down whatever you want about us. The good and the bad. Our true story. Anything more than that and it'll be too late."

We walked quietly out of the palace and Catherine gave me one final goodbye when we parted. I stood on those steps for a while, looking out upon the night sky. How the stars twirled and danced. The people down below twirled and danced the same way but they were infinitely more beautiful.