FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Alexis awoke from a dismal sleep. Her back ached as though she had slept on a tree trunk and her legs and arms were very sore. The female rat's eyes slowly opened and she yelped as she found out where she was. Ropes tied her firmly to one of the metal columns that held the helm above the deck of the Artful Dodger.

"What the hell?" She shouted angrily as Quint looked down at her from his perch at the helm.

"I'm sorry, is something wrong?" He asked.

"Untie me right now!" She screeched back.

Quint looked at her; smirking.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! Because the last time you were free on my ship, you threatened to shoot my balls off."

"If you don't untie me this instant, I swear-!"

Quint interrupted her.

"You swear what? You're pretty much helpless right now. Maybe if you're a good girl, I'll let you walk around on my ship instead of being tied to a post all day... and night."

Alexis scowled and spat onto the steel deck. She wasn't about to take orders from a cocky hyena. She looked away from Quint towards the aft of the ship; watching Tireal and Charr as the two sat lazily in the sun. Apparently they were discussing something.

"Let me get this straight," Charr was saying, "This friend of yours loves someone, but that someone doesn't love them back so you want to know what your friend should do?"

Tireal nodded. "Yeah." He said nervously. He wasn't good at talking about embarrassing things with other people.

"Well my only advice to your friend would be to keep trying to get the attention of that someone, unless that someone is truly against loving your friend in any way. In that case, I would suggest giving up.

Tireal frowned. "Giving up?" He didn't want to abandon the possibility that Quint could one day love him. Why would the hyena have slept in the same bed with him if he hadn't felt some kind of attraction?

"I don't think he's ready to just give up." Tireal said slowly; choosing every word with care. "I doubt that his love interest really doesn't love him."

Charr nodded. "Well you should tell Quint as soon as possible I think."

Tireal gulped and looked at Charr wide eyed. "Tell Quint?"

Charr looked out to sea and nodded again. "Quint is the friend you're talking about, right?"

Tireal sighed in relief. "Oh! Yeah."

"Are you alright?" Charr looked at him with genuine concern. "You look kind of ill. Maybe you should go lay down below decks."

"No. I'm fine. I'm just worried, that's all." Tireal sighed.

"Are you sure that's all it is?" The large rat was still looking at him and for a moment, a thought entered Tireal's mind.

Maybe Charr could replace the love he had for Quint.

That thought quickly vanished and Tireal was glad. He couldn't bear to imagine loving anyone else besides the hyena.

The Artful Dodger sailed slowly onward, remaining on course for Taldoor as the day slowly waned and night approached. Quint looked at the deep red sunset and frowned.

"We're in for a stormy day tomorrow." He said to the motley crew gathered on the deck. "We should be able to weather it if I steer the ship from below decks."

Vicks stared at Quint. "You can do that?"

Tireal grinned at the lion. "Sure, the control room is equipped with a steering mechanism as well as a view port so the captain can see outside of the ship."

Charr looked shocked. "Where is this control room I haven't seen anything like it while exploring the ship."

"It's what we're currently using as the galley." Quint told him. "It's a simple matter of moving the table and pressing the right sequence of buttons."

Charr whistled; amazed. "This ship is quite a marvel. I'm surprised Zas didn't steal it for himself."

Alexis scoffed from her place tied to the column. "You think this ship is marvelous? General Zas has a whole armada of ships better equipped than this waste barge."

Quint was beside her and pressing the business end of a pistol into her throat in a split second.

"You would do well to keep from insulting my ship while you are on it, bitch."

Alexis scowled at the hyena.

"What armada?" Charr asked her. "I've never heard of such an outrageous claim."

"Fool!" She snarled. "Zas has been building the ships in secret. He only waits for the right moment and the Sapphire to complete the armada. Zas will rule all of the world one da-!"

"It's nice of you to offer us your opinion." Quint interrupted her. "Now kindly, shut up." He lifted his pistol and cracked the butt of the gun into Alexis's head; knocking the rat unconscious.

He turned to the rest of the creatures on the deck and holstered the weapon.

"I think we can tie her to the ladder in the engine room for the time being, don't you?"

Tireal folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't think that's a good idea." The otter said indignantly. "Remember what happened the last time we tied someone up in the engine room?"

"Once again, I'm really sorry about that." Vicks piped up; hands still tied in front of him.

"Er, ok Tireal. I guess she can stay in the cargo hold then." Quint was still unsure of what Tireal thought of him after their confrontation the night before.

The otter nodded curtly. He knew Quint was trying to get back on his good side, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to let the hyena get on his good side ever again. The crew was silent as they untied the rat and carried her to the cargo hold. Tireal stayed behind to watch the sun disappear below the surface of the water; the deep red ball throwing a spray of orange red and purple from it as it was doused in the calm blue of the sea. Tireal sighed sadly and vanished below decks; following the others into the belly of the Artful Dodger that was lighting up slowly with the coming of night.

Quint's lonely slumber was interrupted by someone shaking him. The hyena's eyes snapped open and slowly came out of his dream. The person shaking him was saying something.

"Quint. Quint wake up, please."

The hyena rolled over slowly and stared up into Tireal's eyes.

"Tireal? What's wrong?"

The otter frowned at Quint. "I- I'm lonely."

Quint nodded and lifted up one end of the sheets for the otter; letting him crawl into the bed next to him. The hyena rolled over again, yawned, and then realized what he had just done. The act of kindness had become second nature to him ever since Tireal woke from a nightmare for the first time on his ship. The hyena sighed and rolled over; putting his back to Tireal. Old habits did indeed die hard it seemed. Quint closed his eyes and was about to fall back into sleep when he felt Tireal's smaller form pressed against his back. The hyena had forgotten how good it felt to sleep next to the small otter. He liked how Tireal cuddled into him. It made him feel loved. Seeing where his train of thought was heading, Quint quickly derailed it.

Yet,

He hadn't felt love in so long. He was beginning to forget what it felt like.

Quint shook himself. There was no questioning, he wasn't gay and that was the end of it. He felt sorry for Tireal and the otter's attachment to him, but he couldn't love Tireal back the way the otter loved him.

But,

I do love him.

Quint's last epiphany resounded in his mind like a tolling bell before he fell into a restless sleep once again.

The hyena awoke slowly; listening to the rain pound the outside of the ship. He sighed unhappily and decided to roll over to try and get more sleep. Tireal's sleeping form came into the hyena's view and the otter's scent invaded his nostrils.

Crap.

What do I tell him now? He'll never believe me if I still say I don't love him.

Quint stared at the small otter for a while; his eyes heavy from fatigue. The otter muttered in his slumber and rolled over; facing the silent hyena. Tireal looked like a child sleeping next to an older sibling or a parent. Quint couldn't lie about his affection for the young otter, but he knew his love for Tireal wasn't the same kind of love that Tireal had for him. The hyena's eyes drooped tiredly and he yawned. He remembered when he and Tireal had first met. It wasn't a pleasant meeting by any means. Quint closed his eyes; his mind still focused on that day.

***

There was a thick layer of fog covering Docen City that night. The streets were mostly empty save for a few citizens here and there making their way to their homes and beds. In front of the mayor's mansion, however, there was a multitude of people. Gunshots had been heard and a crowd was gathering to try and see what the emergency was. It was impossible to see anything of what was going on in the fog, though and the crowd was quickly dwindling because of the lack of excitement. Had they been able to see clearly, they would have known that a lone bounty hunter was pitted against two big name criminals in that very house. Quint strained his eyes; trying to tell the shapes of furniture from his prey. The humidity made his nose next to useless; the damp air preventing scent to travel freely. A bullet whizzed passed his cheek, but he didn't move. He knew his adversaries would find him eventually; they did have the advantage of night vision. Another metal slug dug into the floor inches from his foot. Quint perked up his ears.

A blade being drawn,

Rapid footsteps,

Quint ducked to the left as the second assailant came close enough for the hyena to smell her. She flew over his right shoulder and his gun arm was ready. He fired three shots at the airborne creature. Quint nodded in satisfaction as a ping of metal on metal was followed by the sound of a pained yelp as the other two projectiles hit the female lynx in the Achilles tendons. The hyena stayed crouched; head close to the wooden floor as the female feline yeowled in pain.

"I should be thanking you, bounty hunter." A masculine voice floated to him through the darkness.

Quint was silent.

"You led me exactly to where I needed to be and at the right time, too." a sinister laugh followed the voice.

The hyena perked his ears toward the sound; following it with his pistol.

Another voice joined the first, "Let go of me, you fiend!" It was a female voice.

Quint grimaced as he heard a knife slicing flesh. A dull thud was heard soon after as the body of the mayor's advisor fell to the floor.

"You see, now that this bitch is dead, I just need to murder her son." Another menacing laugh floated into Quint's ears. "My goal is in sight, pirate. Make your move before I end the little one's life too." There was a pause. "Or maybe I should just kill you right now."

Quint had been waiting for this. He closed his eyes; picturing in his mind where the sound was coming from. The hyena's experienced intellect quickly calculated the reverberations of the room and he leapt upwards as several bullets cut through the fog; missing him by centimeters. Quint flipped forward; pointing his guns in what he hoped was the right direction. It only took two shots.

The hyena's deadly missiles spun through the darkness and cut cleanly through his adversary's right thigh and left shoulder joints. All that the amazed lynx could do was topple over in shock; his right leg and gun arm rendered useless by two bullets from his opponent's weapon. There was no way that any normal creature could have made those shots. The worse shock, though, was that the feline felt no pain. He lay there on the floor; staring up at the ceiling as his two wounds bled onto the carpet under him. The feline remained motionless next to the female otter he had murdered as Quint's form moved into his vision. The lynx stared upwards passed the hyena and the chandelier at the ornate decorations of seraphim and cherubim on the ceiling.

"What sort of deal have you made with the gods or devils?" He asked. "Why have they granted you their knowledge and power?" The lynx fought to keep his eyes open. The bullets must have been poisoned. "Why did they neglect me?"

Quint looked down at him.

"No god gave me their wisdom and my strength comes not from devils. I'm on my own in this world, just like you."

The lynx chuckled; feeling his heart slow down. "I am glad that you were merciful to one such as me. I don't disserve a painless death."

The hyena nodded and knelt beside the feline.

"You fought well and gave me quite a chase," Quint said, "That is reason enough to spare you any agony."

The lynx smiled up at Quint as he gestured to the otter lying next to him. "She was a gifted and powerful creature." The feline's life was slowly ebbing away. "I wanted to take her power for my own. Was that too much to ask?"

Quint heard the sounds of the local authority gathering outside. "That's not my decision to make, nor is it yours. Take comfort in the fact that you will not suffer for your mistakes." Quint looked into the lynx's eyes. "You will enter Elysium after this night. Give me your name and I will take your sins."

The lynx looked at Quint curiously and nodded. "I am Alexander. Alexander Crucius."

The hyena placed a paw on Alexander's forehead and closed his eyes.

"Rest now, Alexander. Be at peace."

"Please, give my love the same mercy. She may be disturbed, but she does not disserve hell either." The lynx gasped as he breathed his last.

As he approached the other lynx Quint could hear her gurgling in pain from the wounds and the slow acting poison coursing through her veins. The scent of her blood filled the air around her. Quint stood over her and the female tried to get away from the hyena, but he stopped her with a firm paw around her arm.

"I am a simple canine." Quint said. "Your lover asked you to be saved, so you will be. You needn't suffer in death as you have in these last moments of life. Tell me your name."

"C-Christine." the female lynx said, frightened.

"What is your last name?"

"Andrews. Please don't kill me! I-"

Quint placed a paw on the feline's forehead and interrupted her.

"I take from you your burdens. Rest and be at peace evermore."

With his words, the lynx died as she finally succumbed to the poison.

As he stood, Quint sighed. There was another loose end he had to tie up. Alexander had mentioned a son. The hyena just needed to find out where the boy was and pay his respects to the dead mother. Quint knelt beside the female otter and laid his paw on her forehead as two of the city guards entered the house and lifted the dead lynx and his accomplice from the premises.

"Forgive me; I could not spare your life." Quint said to the otter. "I will find your son and I will raise him as my own to repay my debt to you. I beg of you, show me where he is."

Quint closed his eyes and his paw glowed slightly; the image of the hiding and frightened otter child appeared in his mind.

"Thank you." He said as he stood and dipped his head in reverence to the otter. Quint stood; putting a paw at his pistol when he saw the captain of the guard in the doorway.

"Giving last rights to convicted criminals, eh? Do all bounty hunters pity their bounty as you do?" The doberman snarled.

"Alexander requested peace for them both; I merely gave it to them, nothing more." Quint kept his paw at the ready to draw his weapon at any time.

"Is that so? What makes you think they disserved peace? They disserve to rot in a prison for the crimes they committed."

The hyena shook his head. "Who are you to judge what others do and do not disserve? Each of us is entitled to peace after death. To deny someone that, is to become more of a monster than any of the worst criminals on the planet."

The doberman captain growled angrily. "Those two could have been taken alive, but you refused to do so. In addition you failed to protect the criminals' target. As such you will only receive a quarter of the original reward as was the price for bringing the criminals in dead. I hope you're satisfied." The canine turned in the doorway, but looked back at Quint. "You've got a twisted sense of kindness, bounty hunter." He stalked off; barking orders at the guards stationed outside.

Quint was greeted by a throng of civilians and guards who cheered him as he exited the house. The hyena grimaced at their smiling faces. They had no idea what had just transpired inside. The hyena pushed his way through them, remaining silent as they asked him how he had succeeded. He finally made his way out of the crowd and continued walking in silence; following the directions in his head.

He soon found himself in front of a small; one-room shack. Quint pushed open the door slowly and peered into the darkness within. He took a step forward and winced as a sharp pain dug into his thigh. The hyena reached forward and grabbed the otter child from the floor; lifting him upwards as he pulled the dagger from his thigh with his other paw.

"Let go of me!" The child was struggling. "I don't wanna die!" The small otter started to cry.

Quint threw the bloody dagger away and put a finger to the young creature's lips.

"Your attacker is dead." Quint said. "I could not save your mother."

The otter slowly stopped crying and looked at Quint.

"Mommy is-?"

"She and I are bound. I am indebted to her because I could have saved her if I had been fast enough. I am going to raise you as my own. A life for a life: Her life for your life."

"I don't understand." The child sniffled; wiping his eyes with his small paws in vain as more tears started to stream down his small face.

"You will in time. For now, let's just say that your mother told me to take care of you, alright? What's your name, child?" Quint asked.

"I'm... I'm Tireal; Tireal Rei." The small otter said after he stopped crying long enough for Quint to put him down on the floor.

Quint smiled. "I'm Quint. How old are you?"

"I'm nine years old!" Tireal said proudly as he smiled back, but then he noticed the blood dripping from the wound in Quint's thigh.

"Quint, I'm sorry for making you bleed."

Quint ruffled the otter's headfur. "I've had worse, Tireal. Come on, I'll take you back to my ship and show you how to properly dress a wound like this one."

Tireal's eyes lit up. "You have a ship?"

Quint nodded and he held the otter's small hand in his; leading the small child out of the dark shack and towards the port.

***

Quint started awake again from his dream of the past. He sighed and noticed that he was alone in the bed once more, but Tireal's scent still hung in the air next to him. Quint had been truthful. He had raised Tireal as his own; even teaching him about Elysium and the Six Hells. Quint had chosen not to teach Tireal about the philosophy that the hyena followed. Quint preferred that Tireal find his own philosophy. Why was there always someone the hyena had to save? Could anyone else in the world fend for themselves anymore? Am I destined to save lost souls? He asked himself. It seems people in trouble just fall into my lap. Do I have a choice anymore? No, that option was taken away from him when he put the cursed green pendant around his neck. There is no choice in this. What kind of person would I be if I just ignored everyone else's problems? I'd be no better than Christine, Alexander, or Zas. It's destiny that drives me: Fate. I have no say in the matter. When this thing is finished with me, then I'll get to choose again. Quint sighed dejectedly and fell backwards onto his bed. I hope I make the right choice when that time comes.

END?