FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Heya, everyone! I'm finally trying to get back into writing after a LONG break. This is the first chapter of a new series I'm hoping to get going. Please leave your comments! This one is clean, but -does- contain kissing and one nude scene, but contains no sexual activity. If you are uninterested in reading about a female taking a bath, or a female being kissed by a male, then you should not read this!

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Destination: Oblivion

Chapter 1: Destination: Home

In the age Midreth, the season of midwinter, nearly a hundred thousand orcish warriors lay waste to the final resistance of the united humanoids of Mithyer. The resistance was crushed, and the remaining non-orcish humanoids were forced into hiding, constantly running from the orcish hordes that were desperate to finish the job. The great cities of Man fell into ruin, and the trade paths that were all so often used became covered by brush. Humans, elves, dwarves, and furres became a myth among the Orcs, a mere rumor and joke. After thirty years of war, the humanoid races were finally obliterated. Shortly after their victory, the orcish tribes began warring amongst themselves with no common goal to unify them. The jungle orcs with their broad shoulders, stout frame, and sharp tusks easily took power of the southern jungles to which they were akin, and no other tribe dared to roam there. With nowhere to go, the smaller tribes all had to submit to the rule of the brown-skinned orcs of the plains. They stretched their empire from the northern frost-glazed peaks to the edge of the southern jungles, dominating the entire land with no enemies to stand against them. Every so often, however, humanoids were found and promptly slain or put to chains. Even more often, the warriors sent to capture these few bands of refugees never returned.

It was a cold night. Marrelle had just finished preparing a stew for the few survivors of the humanoid's caravan. They had been found just the other night and had lost all but four of the twenty person pack. She bit her tongue lightly to stifle a whimper as she dished out food to the three other humanoids: a stout dwarf with a long red beard, a tall, handsome elven lad with blonde hair that he kept always tied back, and her 'father', a human with plain features. They all kept silent, saddened by the loss of the rest of their family. Marrelle remained the most silent. She had long been the one they had relied upon to keep the mood light, and she feared that if she opened her mouth, she would break down into tears.

Marrelle herself was a beautiful creature, a mix of a felinoid furre and elf, giving her the ears and tail of a feline, yet the immortal graceful look of the elves. She kept her silky brown hair relatively short, not long enough to pull back into a ponytail, but not short enough to keep it out of her eyes. To remedy this, she constantly wore a tribal headband that she had been given by a nomad warrior before the humanoid forces had been crushed. She was quite short, barely crossing five feet by about two fingers, and was more adorable than anything, causing many to underestimate her capability in a fight. She had found the band of survivors only a couple days after the Loss, and had taken to cooking and sewing and bandaging: all the 'womanly' chores that were required. She was also a soldier, however, and, with the exception of the dwarf, was easily the best fighter among the group.

She quietly went towards the far wall of the tiny cabin they had stumbled upon and set her head down, beginning to weep silently into her palms. The stress of the Afterworld, as they had grown to call it, was striking at her usually happy spirit. She did not know how much longer she could survive.

A loud crash outside brought her head from her hands. The males jumped from the table, each grabbing their weapons from the wall. The human blew out the candle and the elf knocked an arrow to his bow, glancing out the filthy glass window into the blackness. All was silent for what seemed like forever until the window shattered and the elf fell backwards onto the ground with an axe lodged firmly in his skull; he had never felt a thing. A moment later a large orc lunged through the window and the door was splintered as another two kicked it down. Both orcs outside the door were cut down immediately with a fell swoop of the dwarf's axe. They fell to the ground screaming in their raspy voices and wiggling the bloody stubs that they had left of their legs. He spat on the both of them and swung again, bringing down another that tried to make its way in. The human was covering the window with his shortsword. He lunged once, sticking the first orc in the throat, then ripped the blade back and swung, brushing the top of the first orc's skull as it fell to the ground and gashing the throat of a second. Marrelle grabbed her own blades, a small longknife with a serrated back edge and a dagger with a gladius-style edge. She rushed to aid the human who was quickly becoming overpowered with the orcs coming through the large window two at a time. They had no trouble defending the window, but a short moment later, she heard a shout from the direction of the dwarf. A quick glance brought a sinking feeling to her gut as she saw an arrow sticking triumphantly from his neck. He clutched at the wound with his eyes wide as his lifeblood leaked from him; two seconds later, he was silent and his once lively eyes were covered in a dark glaze.

She rushed to the door, ducking under a blade and lodged her own in the deliverer's ribs. She kicked hard, sending the writhing orc backwards as his black and greasy blood spurted from his chest as her blade was wrenched out. She had no time to think before the next axe brushed her arm, narrowly misdirected by her dagger. She heard the human behind her cry out, but had no time to turn and she only hoped for the best. A moment later, after killing her current attacker, she glanced back just in time to dive out of the way of an axe. Her 'father' lay on the ground lifeless and she was now surrounded by the small army of orcs.

She rolled backwards, standing up gracefully in a corner of the small shack. She made a valiant stand, easily slaying five of the orcs before they ebbed off slightly, growling and snarling right outside of her arm's reach. Suddenly, their captain, she expected, came through the door.

"Leave the bitch alive. We'll have her in chains for our brethren to share!" He shouted in a disgusting voice.

She raised her weapons to the ready, but was suddenly caught off-guard as an orc in her blind spot caught her in a perfect throw of a net. She thrashed about wildly for a moment before collapsing, defeated. She screamed in anger, and then in agony, realizing her only friends and probably the only survivors of the humanoids lay dead in a pool of their own blood, never to be recognized for their valor. Her tired arms dangled lightly by her sides as she bawled silently, much to the amusement of the orcs.

"It's always more fun when they cry," said the largest orc, the one commanding the most attention. He grinned evilly and stepped forward. Marrelle tried to swing her blade at him, but her arms were restrained and tangled in the net. He brought his scabbed and scarred hand to her cheek and gripped it firmly as she tried to pull away. "Ah, spirited bitch, eh? I just may have to keep you to myself. I need a new whore."

She glared at the orc with hatred, her eyes rivaling the rage and fury of a wildfire. She struggled against the net, but it might as well have been steel bindings. She was going nowhere. The orc stepped forward and grabbed the net, dragging the poor half-feline across the floor and over shattered glass, gashing and cutting her arms and back cruelly. - He had barely reached the door before he stopped suddenly. The other orcs looked at his back curiously, wondering why he had halted so suddenly. Marrelle too looked up in confusion until his still body fell backwards, a large hatchet sticking from his chest prominently as blood began to seep through the leather sheets of his armor. The other orcs pulled their weapons up, ready for a fight. They looked about with fearful eyes, only seeing the walls of the cabin and the blackness of the night outside. One with a torch held it up higher, trying to cast the light outside, but to no avail. They stood silent for a moment in the dancing light of the flames before an unnatural chilling wind blew in from the window, causing the torch to dim and then vanish. The orcs whimpered in fear, shuffling about quietly in the pitch blackness that engulfed them.

Marrelle searched the ground with her hand, grasping a piece of shattered glass. She began to saw frantically at the net that contained her. She gripped the glass tightly, and soon began to feel the warmth of her blood coating her hands, making her grasp it tighter to keep it from slipping. One by one, the ropes of the net snapped. "Just... a bit... more..." She thought to herself as she reached for what she hoped was the last rope. Suddenly, however, she stopped as her mind detected a change. There was silence.

In a rush of brilliance, a torch was lit up, illuminating the cabin in its orange glow. The ground was littered in the orcs' corpses, and the wielder of the torch wrenched his blade, a gorgeous elven La'pierre (a mixture between a rapier and a longsword which combined the rapier's speed and beauty with the longsword's devastating slicing edges), and brushed it clean of black blood on the orc's tunic. She could not identify the person, as a dark hood was pulled over his face. His armor was black leather, and a dark forest green cloak tailed behind him. A bow was slung over his shoulder, and, along his leggings, several throwing knives were tucked into sheathes. He cast a glance at the captive feline and the yellow light of the torch danced across his dark eyes. He stepped forward after tucking the La'pierre into his belt. He offered a gloved hand to help the poor girl up. She was still for a moment before taking the hand, a bit wary of someone who could kill that quickly and silently. As she stood up, the world spun and turned into a blur. She felt the sensation that she was falling, but she never hit the ground. She was cold, and the ground was coated in her blood.

She awoke with a start, staring straight up into a huge ball of light. She lifted a hand over her eyes and sat up. She was in a large meadow with flowers and butterflies and birds: just like the ones she had grown up in. She tried to look around, but quickly felt dizzy once more and lied back down. A moment later, she felt a warm palm on her cheek.

"You lost much blood. Thought I was going to lose you for a bit there..." said a kind but firm voice. The sun disappeared behind her eyes and she opened them, finding the dark shadow leaning over her. From her view, she could only tell he was elven, as the sun silhouetted his ears and caused the rest of his face to be blocked in mystery.

"Wh-who are you?" she stuttered out, squinting to see his face in the black canvas.

"I am Saldore. Lead Scout and Assassin of the People's Resistance of Mithyer," he said.

She felt a hand under her head, lifting her up slowly. His face slowly came into view beneath his hood.

His skin was pale, almost ghostly. He had a thin and handsome face, but it was covered in silvery tattoos. His eyes were dark red in color, and she caught a glance of a silky white strand of hair. A Shade Elf. Before the Loss, the Shade Elves were considered a mortal enemy of the humans. She figured that humans might not be as prejudicial considering that there was only a handful left. Still, she had heard many things about the cruelty of his people, and she couldn't help but appear afraid, even though she was more in awe of his looks than afraid of them.

"You fear me, Feline?" he asked in a slightly disappointed tone. "It is understandable. My race has been considered 'evil' by surface standards for many centuries." His voice was smooth, and his words seemed to glide into her furred ears gently. She shook her head once to escape the trance that his liquid voice was putting her in to.

"No... I don't fear you. It's just that I've never seen one of your kind, and... it caught me off-guard."

He pulled his hood back and grinned. His smile was perfect in every aspect, and his teeth were almost as white as his hair. His skin was more visible now, and it glistened in the sun. His ears were much longer than a surface elf's, and they tapered more, giving them a slightly crescent appearance.

She didn't know how long she stared at his features, but he grinned after a while and chuckled.

"Well, you're not scurrying away in fear. I suppose that's better than my last 'rescue'."

They were silent for a while as he set about cleaning up the remnants of a campsite. He tossed the burnt logs in different directions and swept the ashes of his campfire into the tall grasses before turning back to her. He gazed at her for a long moment, and she felt her skin grow a bit warm under her cheeks as she blushed slightly under his attractive gaze. He opened his mouth to say something, but simply chuckled and shook his head.

"We're about a thirty minute ride from the entrance to the Resistance base," he stated as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Once we get there, you can get a warm bath, something good to eat, and lay down to rest."

"A thirty minute ride? That's about a three hour walk, no?"

"Aye. Three hours by foot. I've got something better though."

With that he let out a soft whistle, high in pitch but low in volume. She listened fiercely, but did not hear a sound. She caught his gaze, however, as he smiled and pointed to something over her shoulder. She spun about and almost fell backwards as she came face to face with a fearsome raptor. It cocked its head and sniffed at her stunned figure curiously.

Saldore nodded at the raptor and pointed slightly as he slung his backpack onto its rump. "This is Nightrunner."

Saldore hopped up onto the raptor and offered Marrelle his hand. She grasped it and she was hoisted with surprising strength onto the raptor's back. "Oh! I never got your name." He said with a seductive wink."

She swooned and blushed hotly, barely remembering that it was a question. "Oh... Oh! I'm Marrelle!"

Saldore laughed and shook his head, giving one of Marrelle's ears a gentle tug. "Welcome aboard, Marrelle." He said, giving the raptor a brief nudge with his ankle.

The creature took off with incredible grace. It wasn't nearly as bumpy as riding a horse and the rhythmic beating of the feet against the earth quickly caused Marrelle to doze slightly. She leaned back, nuzzling her head into the warm cloth of Saldore's tunic and resting her head beneath his chin as they galloped onward.

She awoke as she noticed the beating starting to slow. She opened her eyes, but saw nothing. A black void stared back at her.

"S-Saldore?" she asked in a slightly fearful voice.

"Shhhhh. I can see fine. Don't worry. We're almost there," he said, grasping her shirt a bit tighter as she felt the raptor take a turn.

As they came around the corner, she could see once more. A tiny flame danced off in the distance, but was rapidly approaching them. Her ears perked up as she heard human voices muttering quietly. Her heart soared into her throat. She had thought all the other humanoids for dead, but as she rounded the corner, an entire underground city greeted her.

"Welcome, m'lady, to Valgard." Saldore stated politely.

Saldore hopped off of Nightrider and offered Marrelle his hand once more. She took his hand and hopped down similarly and glanced about the large cavernous city.

She saw humans and elves and dwarves and wolfens, tigrans, draconians, felins, mustelins, everything! But most of all, she saw Shade Elves. Their graceful features were unmistakable amongst the more clumsy surfacers. An entire city! She couldn't get over it.

"This city is the Shade Elf capital. We heard the humanoids had been defeated and quickly rounded up all we could find, bringing them here to live," Saldore stated. "We are forever working against the brown-skinned orcs in secrecy."

He walked swiftly across the cavern floors and Marrelle had to jog to keep up with him. He walked towards a tall building formed of stone straight into the rocks. There was no door, only an opening to enter. A gorgeous shade elf stood behind a circular counter in the center of the room, idly picking at her nails. She looked up as Saldore approached, smiling widely.

"Saldore! Nara'min curtue varadrethia! Eets veradryn tomire!" She shouted with a wide grin.

"Irrewrynth, this is Marrelle. She's a new refugee. Just picked her up last night," Saldore stated, nodding in greeting to the elf. "She'll be needing a room."

Saldore and Irrewrynth stared at each other for a long time, seeming to have a silent conversation. After a brief moment, she looked at Marrelle, her eyes going from the tip of her feline ears down to her bare toes which she wiggled nervously.

"I doubt you'll be there long, sweety, but here's a key. You'll be up top in room Twelve-Twenty," said the beautiful shade elf.

"Doubt I'll be there long? But... why?" she asked, almost cut off by Saldore stepping in.

"I'll lead her there. Then I'll need a carrier to the Council. I am counting you can make that arrangement, Irrewrynth?"

She offered nothing but a grin and a wink in response to Marrelle's question. "Ah, yes, Saldore. I'll have a carrier hear to pick you up in say... cherí vereth?"

"Of course," he stated flatly, walking to what appeared to be a solid wall.

Marrelle followed him, feeling slightly stupid as she stared at a blank slab of stone. However, after a brief moment, she yipped as the floor lifted from the ground, rising magically into the air with her and Saldore on it. The slab of stone rose quickly, and she felt she would throw up. Just as she was about to gag, however, the stone came to a halt.

"Floor twelve," Saldore stated briefly. "Come on."

She followed behind him for a couple steps, past eleven doors before he stopped at the twelfth.

"Your room, m'lady," he said, bowing as she entered.

He tossed Marrelle the key once she turned around, which she fumbled and then dropped clumsily. He shut the wooden door and stepped in a bit more. He went about the 'apartment' showing her all the rooms. It was extravagant and lush, compared to what she was used to. There was a humongous bed that could easily fit eight orcs, a privy fit for royalty with running water! She had never heard of such a thing. The icing on the cake, however, was the bath. It was more of a wading pool, and steam rose warmly from the top. "Magically heated," Saldore explained as she gazed at it in bewilderment.

After a tour of the house, he smiled and made his way to the door.

"I must speak with the Council, but I will be back soon to show you the various places you can get food in this city," he said dryly.

Marrelle's heart sunk briefly, and she sub-consciously frowned as he made his way to the door.

"Wait! I don't... you know... have any gold. I couldn't buy food," she said, wanting only to delay the attractive male a bit longer.

"Shade Elves live in equality. All provide their services and goods in exchange for others. You and all the other humans are considered guests, and thus receive anything you desire free of charge," he stated, almost as if she should have known that already.

She barely managed an 'oh' before he had gone out the door. She plopped down onto the soft couch with a sigh. She sat there for a brief moment before standing and walking to the privy. She glanced in the mirror and almost threw up at what she saw. Her face was matted with dirt and blood, her hair was ratty, her one hand was wrapped in a bandage and the other was blackened with grime. She lifted her arm and sniffed, almost passing out. She needed a bath.

She stared at the pool-sized bath for a long time before deciding that magic was most definitely the best thing she had ever witnessed. She lifted off her shirt, and her small nipples immediately hardened into diamonds in the cool air of the apartment. She shivered and took off her leggings, her legs immediately growing goosebumps as she removed the leathers. Shivering in the cool air, she hopped into the bath, the water around her growing dark with the grime, and then suddenly clear as crystal again. 'Magical filtering?' she wondered to herself. On the edge of the pool, several ornate glass bottles were placed, each containing a different colored gel. She sniffed at each one before tasting the one that smelled oddly of strawberries. It was disgusting. Not meant to drink, she figured to herself. She eyed the bottle closely, and then noted the word 'hairwash' on the bottle. She shrugged and dumped the entire bottle onto her head, standing there bewildered as to why people would use potions in their hair. She scrubbed the gel into her hair vigorously, as if she was washing clothes, then dunked her entire head under water. The warm water felt sooooo good. It washed over her cuts and soothed them, along with her sore muscles and bruises. The distinct smell of strawberries filled the air, coming from the copious amount of shampoo on her head. She closed her eyes and hummed quietly before lifting her head from the water. There were large fleece towels hanging by the bath, and she quickly scurried out of the water and wrapped herself in one. It felt unnaturally warm against her skin, and the droplets of water quickly evaporated as it touched them.

A few moments later she left the bathroom and stared in wonder at the large bed. Atop it, several dresses, robes, shirts, pants, socks, and slippers lay. She squealed in delight as she sprinted over to the bed. She had always loved new clothes, but had never even imagined being able to wear the royal-looking clothes atop her bed.

Her bed, she thought. She grinned and threw on some cozy silk nighties, eager to take a nice long catnap. She leapt into the bed and immediately the blankets surged up around her. They were as thick as her arm. And there were so many of them! She crawled around happily for a moment before collapsing in the traditional 'I'm a sleepy kitten' position, curled into a ball with the blankets nearly covering her. She yawned and closed her eyes, not bothering to suppress a purr as she snuggled into the blankets. The linens smelled lightly of lavender, and it wasn't long before she felt herself being lulled into a slumber. The only sound she could hear was her own purring, like the sound of thunder many miles away. She sighed happily and began thinking about happy things for the first time in a month.

"Cozy, are we?" said a familiar voice. She nearly leapt out of her skin from being startled. She hadn't heard the door open, no footsteps. Just a voice. Her head poked above the mountain of blankets, only her ears and eyes visible from outside the deep woolen nest.

"Saldore!" she stated a bit too happily. She leapt up from the bed and fought her way through the blankets until she was on solid ground once more. She smiled brightly and waved to him as she finally managed to find her way out of the blankets.

"I thought you might be tired, so I took the liberty of bringing dinner to you," he said, holding out a metal dish towards her.

She stared silently for a moment, fixated on the large dish. As if on key, her stomach rumbled, causing her to blush slightly. Her embarrassment did not stop her, however, from leaping forward and seizing the tray, setting it on the ground and prying it open, tossing the lid to the side.

She almost fainted as the heavenly scent of tuna assaulted her nose. It was the largest tuna she had ever seen. It was huge! It was thick! It was juicy! And... It was hers. She dug into the fish mercilessly with her teeth and claws. Saldore stood in awe as it was devoured with very little chewing. He shrugged and tossed the utensils he had brought into the corner.

Marrelle looked up between bites, a long piece of fish skin hanging from her lips (which was promptly sucked into her mouth). "How did you know!? Tuna is my favorite!" She gasped, her adorable cat ears perking up higher than ever, and her tail swaying mischievously behind her.

"Oh, consider it a lucky guess..." he said, tugging lightly on one of her ears. "Hmm...." He thought to himself, "A cat that likes fish. I wonder how I knew..." This thought made him chuckle slightly. "You better finish it all!" He stated in a joking manner as she continued devouring the poor fish. It was now completely unrecognizable.

"Oh," she said, looking up with its tail sticking out from between her lips, "I will." With that, she sucked the tail into her mouth, and the fish was gone, leaving only the decorative plants on the platter.

He handed her a large sprig of something. "Mint," he stated in an amused voice. "Helps get rid of that fishy smell. You chew-" He was cut off as she grasped the mint leaves and devoured them as well. "Or well, I guess you could eat it..."

She licked her lips with her feline tongue and rolled onto her back, her belly sticking out proudly as she sighed. Her hands and face were a mess, covered in seasoning and fishbits.

He gazed upon her for a moment, savoring every supple curve of her body. This was the first time he had seen her without grime covering her every inch, and she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

"My gods..." He said, his mouth hanging open in amazement. Her head lifted up and cocked in curiosity. "You are the most... gorgeous creature I have ever..." He stopped there and simply shook his head.

Her face turned a beet red and she scrambled to sit up, feeling a bit rude lying on her back with her mouth hanging open.

"Umm... what?" She asked, in disbelief that he could find her more beautiful than any shade elf. She was short, thin, and barely had any chest or hips.

"I mean... not even the forest dryads come close to your beauty, Marrelle..." He stated, his mouth still slightly open.

Her face went even redder. She looked as if she was about to explode. Here the most gorgeous man was, telling her that she was the most beautiful female. Did he know that she was a half-breed!?

"I- umm... " she stuttered, unsure of what she should say. He leaned in a bit closer, sniffing at her hair.

"I see you found the hairwash," he said, trying to quickly change the subject.

She sat stunned, unable to speak or move, still hung on his previous words.

He sighed, knowing that he would be unable to change the subject so easily. He edged closer to her, taking her hand in his own and leaned forward.

Her eyes were still open, but they weren't seeing the room. They only saw stars. Fireworks. Bright rainbow lights. His lips were on hers! She couldn't believe it. She wanted to stand up and jump for joy. She wanted to dance around in circles like a little girl. She wanted to- what was it? She forgot as his tongue pressed against her lips. She thought quickly, parting her teeth and her lips slightly. His tongue felt like silk inside of her mouth. She wrapped her own tongue around his, caressing the wonderful muscle. She leaned forward more, trying to get her entire face against his, but he pulled back, breaking the heaven that his lips had formed. She whimpered and must've looked disappointed, because he grinned and helped her to her feet.

"I think it's time for a bath." He stated.

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Please forgive any failure in indentation. It turns out that Microsoft word doesn't like copy-pasting indentations. >.