FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was time to go. Sam had as much fun as she could with her friends but she promised she would do this. She promised Terry, Ananda, and even herself she would find others like her, believing that if there was one there would be more. Judging by the few bad reactions she received, though, her optimism wasn't very strong. There obviously weren't enough out there that they would be recognized apart from a race everyone hates. That is all secondary though. She has more important things to worry about for the moment. Things like 'what is the new world like' and 'how am I getting there and how long will it take'. Terry was walking her way and his presence demanded her attention, though his smile was slightly unnerving.

"Good evening, Sam. I'm sure you have a ton of question about what you're about to go through and what is going to happen. In all truthfulness, no one here is a good candidate to answer those questions. Most of us have not been to the new world and those of us who have are not good for description since they disliked it enough to return here and stay in our condos." Terry glanced at a person with cat ears off to his left, "with every race the conditions on the opposite end are different. Some are sent to their home world, some stay on the planet we send them to. Others even still, the more difficult to catch ones, are sent back for sentencing for crimes committed."

"Wow, so you guys are like border patrol and sheriff for the planet boiled into one. Interesting."

"Yes yes. For all intents and purposes, yes, that is basically who we are. Now since we have no positive ID on what species you are we will be sending a service file with you with the details that we do know. Everything you have told us, the closest DNA matches, even your dietary preferences."

"Any chances I can have to look at that before you send me off? And can you tell me how this is going to work? I'm nervous with anxious energy over here."

"Yes you can, now quit fidgeting so much. Have you ever seen the movie Stargate?" Sam nodded as she paged through the folder, "well the process will be very similar if not a little more high tech and without the mystical water."

"That's kindof cool. So you're saying I'm going to take a stargate to another planet however many light years away? And this pamphlet says my closest DNA matches are the Drakorna who are furred dragons and these Ren'Dal who look like the love child of a panther and parrots. I guess it makes sense. I have the same physique of the Ren'Dal and the pattern of these Drakorna. I remember you said that should be impossible though?"

"As far as we know, yes. Drakorna have no sex organs and reproduce by some unknown means and the Ren'Dal have been extinct or at least in hiding for 15,000 years. There are a lot of Drakornen that have actually been alive long enough to tell the story of what happened. I have a book here you can read about them, if you'd like."

"Sounds like a good idea at this point. I may be able to get some answers from them should I meet any."

"It is unlikely you should meet them and even more unlikely getting them to talk. They are very secretive and can be very violent to outsiders. That doesn't matter much though. For now, here is a new back pack. The material can withstand up to 1,000 mile per hour winds, can stop most melee weapons and projectiles, and, my favorite, a highly efficient insulator so you can keep beverages cold for hours in boiling temperatures."

"Very impressive, Terry. That will make a nice replacement for my old torn bag I've used for the past five years. So when do I get to leave?"

"Right now. Through these doors is the gate. The team has been working on activating it since we have been talking and it should be up and running as we speak. None of us are allowed into the room when you enter so whenever you are ready."

With a solemn nod Sam shouldered her new backpack, enjoying the fit and feel of it, and stepped through the doors. The room was very simple, thirty foot square with what looked like gun slots completely surrounding the room. Sam rationalized that they were in case of an unauthorized entry. The gate itself was a very simple design. It was a simple ring about ten feet across made of a golden material. It didn't quite gleam like gold and seemed closer to brass in coloration but still had a highly reflective surface. There were no symbols on the ring or switches that she could see though there were two glowing cables coming out of the sides and going down into the floor. It wasn't until she shifted a little from side to side that she did not see the wall on the other side of the ring but actually the wall at the other end of the portal. The similarities were so striking that it almost brought comfort to her.

A quick shake of her fur to ease the tension and she stepped up to the portal. She wondered if they could see her as well as she can see through to them even though she saw no one walking around on the other end. She swallowed her fears and stepped through the portal.

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{There is a Vey'Ral in the portal room! I repeat we have a parasite in the portal room! Full lockdown! Get me extermination immediately and shut down that portal!}

Sam had no idea where that voice was coming from but she was heavily disoriented after stepping through the portal. The sound of heavy boots and charging weapons rang true enough to her ears though and she bolted for what she assumed was the exit. Everything felt like the hospital all over again as she slammed through the doors and made a right down the hall. A few people burst through a doorway behind her and she made an immediate turn down another hall. She was running at full speed at this point, passing doors and startled interns at almost sixty miles per hour. Another group of soldiers was amassing somewhere ahead of her so she slid to a stop. Opening the door next to her she saw an open window at the end with several startled aliens as she ran past them. A few of them shouted "Vey'Ral" and a couple even told others to "shoot it now" but they didn't react fast enough. In seconds she was jumping out the window and into the sky high above a bustling city.

Looking back at the building she saw a few people try to aim guns at her but they quickly dropped them when she was out of range. She took a moment to take in the building and realized it looked a lot like the Seattle space needle, only a lot larger in size and shorter. In fact, as she looked around, the whole area looked like a big city from earth. A lot of the buildings looked similar in design; simple and efficient. She was sure the structural and interior designs were very different but from the outside it looked like home.

She flew a little lower so she could see the people milling about and was completely astonished. Beings and creatures from different fandoms and shows were everywhere! Pokemon, Sergal, fox, canine, feline, tauren, orc, elf, even species she could recognize but not name and many more that she did not recognize. All of them milling about in harmony as if it was just another day. Then something hit her: there were no cars in the streets. Everyone was walking or jogging. Some had carts, others had satchels. A glance at the horizon and a sniff told her the air was mostly clean with very little pollutants. She noticed a few flying vehicles off in the distance but none seemed to be dumping any pollutants into the air. There was even fields and trees that looked lush and healthy right on the edges of town.

A large vehicle the size of an aircraft carrier lifted off right in front of her, causing her to have to abruptly adjust her heading, and started flying out of town at a quickly increasing pace. Within a minute it was already beyond the horizon with no traces of exhaust. Sam found an area of town that was less heavily travelled and flew down to land. The moment she landed, though, all eyes were on her. She couldn't understand what they were saying but one word stuck out: Vey'Ral. A few of the larger beings started walking towards her and as she looked around more were joining. The closest, a large Sergal male, looked at her like a big rare steak. Sam was slightly unnerved and took off to find another place to land. She tried another spot that had less people but had to immediately jump back into the air as a large bull charged her. Everywhere she went she was immediately attacked.

She was about to give up and fly into the forest when she found an area that looked run down. It was a last ditch effort, sure, but it was also the last area in this city she could go. The repeated snarls and shouts of "Vey'Ral!" over and over was grating on the nerves. Sam knew she resembled them a little but people should know the difference of their most hated enemy. She had done some research on them while stalling before making this trip and the facts were all there. They all looked the same and behaved the same. They were practically clones of each other. What really mattered at the moment, though, was finding a place to sleep. She touched down and started looking around. So far so good. Everyone is leaving me alone out here. A few beings were eyeing her and most gave her a wide berth but it was better than being attacked.

While walking around, the area reminded her of an old industrial district with the old warehouses and small store fronts. It was getting later in the evening when she came upon a small grocer. The door was huge compared to stores on earth. Nine feet tall and seven feet wide the door was big enough to drive a truck through. She had remembered seeing a few beings roaming around that may need this large of a door to get through. She pushed her way through the double doors and was greeted with a cool interior that smelled of exotic fruits and salted meats. The racks were too high for her to see over but she heard someone call from the back in a language she didn't know. Not finding anyone friendly was starting to get annoying since she needed to sit down with one for a few minutes to learn the language. At least if she knew the language she could let people know she was not a Vey'Ral and possibly get a job to survive. As it was, she couldn't even read the boxes of various foods lining the shelves.

She turned a corner and came upon a few crates with strange fruit in them. She picked one up that looked like a cross between a dragon fruit and a banana and smelled it. She was tempted to eat it right then but the clerk came around the corner and saw her. She looked up and met his eyes and instantly saw he was panicking. So much for getting any food. She focused on his eyes as he started spouting out what she figured were obscenities before he picked up a fruit that looked like a small red melon before throwing it at her. She caught it easily but he started picking up more fruit and she didn't feel like making a mess and left quickly, taking her acquired fruits with her.

Sam jogged away from the store to put some distance between her and the clerk. No point sticking around and antagonizing him further. Once she got a block away she slowed to a walk and started looking at the buildings again. The sun was low on the horizon now and it was time to look for a place to sleep. The day was stressful enough for Sam to need a nice long sleep to relax. When the sun was almost below the horizon she found an abandoned warehouse that was boarded up except for one window that was knocked out towards the top. The hole was too high up to reach by jumping but she'd gotten very good at flying through small holes in her years alone. A quick hop and a flap and she was through the hole and gliding to the dusty floor of the warehouse.

Amusingly it appeared to be a textile plant and had lots of cloth, thread, and filling laying about. It posed the perfect opportunity for Sam to make a comfortable mattress to sleep on for her time here. In an hour she had her mattress assembled, though it looked more like a cheap dog bed than anything. She didn't care though, so long as she slept good. She just curled up on her giant pillow in a corner and passed out.

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Sam awoke in the early morning to a loud bang just on the other side of the wall she was sleeping against. She jumped up onto the ledge next to the windows and peered out in time to see a few beings with white fur and wings on their shoulders. Vey'Ral!!! Nothing good could come of them being in the alley. Sam found the latch to the window and peered out into the alley enough to see a blood smear on the side of the garbage bin. The alley was clear so she hopped down to the ground to check inside the bin. Curled up in the bottom of the bin was a young fox girl. She could have been no older than twelve or thirteen and had a huge gash that was still bleeding from her lower belly. Sam propped the lid open and hopped in. She could see multiple blood stains and smell other beings that had been in the bin before. The girl was priority at the moment though. Sam checked for a pulse and thankfully it was still strong. She tapped the girl's cheek a couple times and her eyes opened. They were the deepest blue she had ever seen and she stared into them for a moment, absorbing her language.

"I need to get you to the hospital. Do you know where it is?"

Her reply was weak but at least she was coherent, "yes, it's by the portal tower."

"Okay, hang on. I'm going to take you there."

"Why?" The girl sounded completely defeated like she expected to die.

"Why? Because you will die if I don't. I'm not going to let you do that." Sam picked her up and hopped out of the bin. Normally she would jump straight into the air but that might make the girl's wounds worse.

"Why would a Vey'Ral save me? They already tried to kill me." Her voice was getting weak.

"I'm not a Vey'Ral," with that she ran out of the alley and took off into the air as gently as she could. The girl started nodding off again, "hey, stay with me. You might not wake up if you fall asleep. What's your name?"

"Linley."

"That's a beautiful name, Linley. Where are you from?"

Linley took a shuddering breath before replying, "I'm from Cordon 5. Me and my parents were visiting my aunt Myrtle. We are supposed to leave today to go home."

"Don't worry Linley. We're almost to the hospital. You'll see your parents again soon enough." Sam was starting to get choked up. Innocent life being lost always tore her up.

Linley's voice was barely a whisper now, "why are you helping me? Who are you?"

"Sam. I am Sam. And I'm helping you because you don't deserve to die."

Sam flew straight to the entrance of the hospital since there was no one around this early. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon but at least the hospital was open. Sam disregarded the stares she was getting as she walked in, "she has been badly injured by Vey'Ral and has lost a lot of blood!"

The nurses looked at each other and spoke a different language. Lovely, Linley doesn't speak that language. Sam walked up to the desk and held up a barely conscious Linley to them. They moved close enough that Sam could finally absorb their language though in her urgency she settled with basic knowledge of it.

"Vey'Ral hurt her. Slash lower belly. Lost much blood. Help her!"

That got their attention and they got a gurney brought out immediately. Once she disappeared behind the big double doors Sam relaxed and looked down. Blood covered her clothes and she could feel it soaking into her fur. She hoped the place she was staying had running water. She was about to leave when someone stepped in front of her. He was tall, around eight foot, and looked to be of reptilian origin. His red and orange coloration was fascinating as well. She tried to go around him but he kept getting in her way.

It seemed he spoke the same language as Linley, "hold it right there. You're under arrest for assaulting a minor! Come quietly and I won't get rough."

Sam was really getting tired of this blame game, "you can ask her yourself, Vey'Ral attacked her. Not me. Now move so I can go home."

"Incriminating evidence is all over your clothes. I'm taking you in whether you like it or not, Vey'Ral! You can expect a swift execution!"

Sam felt a twitch developing in her eye, "tell me. Have you ever seen a female Vey'Ral? That's because they don't exist you moron! I'm not a Vey'Ral! Now move or I will be the one getting rough!"

Big n colorful growled at her and advanced. He tried to get hold of her shoulders since that was the only thing he could reach from his height and missed horribly. Sam stepped into him and with a flick of her wings and a shove from her shoulder he was sent flying onto his back and sliding into the wall. The big ones definitely fall hard! Without any further aggression she stepped outside the doors to see two more tall burly guys and three bikes that looked like they belonged in the movie Judge Dread. As soon as they made eye contact she could tell they were going to bother her. She saved them the trouble and leapt directly into the sky to fly back to her warehouse.

Sam flew directly back to the warehouse she was staying in. No one ever bothered to look up so she went unseen by most as she flew into her window. The day so far left her too wound up to go back to sleep so she decided to make her time useful. She made a more thorough search of the facility and found a lot of more materials including something that felt like silk and a wash area where she happily took a break to clean herself. She sighed happily as the shower washed the dirt and blood from her fur, feeling the tensions of the past day melting away under the warm spray. With a quick shake of her fur the water fell away, leaving her just lightly moist but refreshed. She picked up the material that felt like silk and walked over to her pillow to play with it and make some clothing.

She had been relaxing nude on her pillow for a few hours when she heard the front doors being opened. A few garments of the silk material were scattered around the floor around her though she remained unclothed.

The front door to the building shuddered as it was pulled open and a voice came through, {I'll deal with this one, organize everyone and search for the big ones.}

Sam heard footsteps slowly working their way through the building towards her. The person stepped around a machine and stopped to stare, giving her a good opportunity to size up her intruder as well. He was another lizard like person from the hospital but unlike the last she dealt with he had blood red scales and stood closer to nine feet tall. She didn't see any weapons but with how burly the guy was he probably didn't need them. He said something to her but she didn't understand the language.

Sam tried speaking in English to see if he worked with those who come from Earth, "I don't speak that language."

He looked startled but continued in clean, if accented, English. "I'm surprised. I thought all Vey'Ral spoke that language."

"You know, if I had clothes on I'd understand being mistaken for a Vey'Ral. As it is I look nothing like them. The only similarity between us is the wings." Sam fumed for a second before continuing, "I do hope you aren't here to bother me. I've had enough dealings with ignorance and my temper is wearing short."

"I just wanted to see your reaction to being called a Vey'Ral. Apparently you have a similar reaction to anyone who has had dealings with them."

Sam just growled at him, "I've read enough to know what those beasts do. I'd prefer you did not patronize me. The moment I can figure out how to get off this damned planet I'm taking it."

"Now now. Calm down. I was merely joking with you. I was just--"

Sam cut him off, "I have had it up to my ears with this planet. I have only been here for one day and already I've been chased by angry mobs and profiled by militia! This is not the kind of reaction I was expecting from a civilized society. Now I suggest you either get to the point of your intrusion of my privacy or leave me be."

Big and red hissed as spines flared out on his head, "now see here! You are the one intruding so don't get me started. My intentions are only diplomatic for the moment so don't get on my bad side or I will do what everyone wants me to do with you. Now if you could, explain to me who, and what, you are."

She winced, "I don't know what I am, they couldn't figure it out back on Earth, but I am Samuel Pederson."

"Earth? You come from Ogra 3?" Sam thought his eyes were going to fall out of his head with how wide he opened them.

Sam slipped on one of the dresses she had made, "Sure, I can go with that. I've never heard it referred to as Ogra 3 but it makes sense. They gave me a folder with details of what I might be and sent me through a portal."

"AND you are the one who put the portal in lockdown? Gods above you have been busy. How did you manage to get out of the portal in full lockdown?"

"Full lockdown? Could have fooled me. I just jumped out a window and flew away. Not very hard to do."

Once again his eyes looked like they were going to fall out, "you can fly? There is only one race alive that can fly."

"Let me guess, Drakorna? I've heard of them. Don't Ren'Dal fly as well?"

"Ren'Dal? Nobody has seen one in over 2,000 years. They were practically wiped out over 15,000 years ago. They are assumed extinct now."

Sam pulled her folder out of her backpack, "yeah well apparently enough have been seen to have them in your systems." She walked over to the tall lizard-man and handed him the folder, "this is what they found back on Ear--Ogra 3."

He had watched her the whole time she was walking up but she couldn't tell if it was cautious examination or veiled interest. He paged through the file for a minute in silence, only stopping when he got to the end and the possible races. Only two were listed: Drakorna and Ren'Dal. He eyed her carefully, "this is not possible. The Ren'Dal have been gone for too long to have a thirty year old child and the Drakorna do not reproduce in a traditional method. And no, do not ask, nobody knows how they do it."

"Yeah well, possible or not, that is the only races that I come close to a match with. At least according to the equipment on Ogra 3. Yours here may be more accurate and thorough."

He shook his head, "not very likely, no. Our Office of the Lost keeps their satellite facilities updated as much as possible. Probably surprisingly to you, the Ogra 3 site is one of the busiest and thus the most up-to-date. That and the ones who usually end up there are either truly lost or on the run from someone or something. Since you were born there we can rule out the latter. Though, off topic, what is this in your file about limited telepathy?"

"Telepathy? Is that what it classifies as? Well if I focus on someone who is close enough to me I can learn the languages they know. Definitely comes in handy in new places though not very helpful when everyone is aggressive towards me."

"Interesting. I'll have you sit down with our translator at the Office of the Lost. She usually teaches all newcomers their first languages anyways. How about I take you to the office so we can get things with you smoothed out? I have a huge pile of paperwork you created for me and I need to get through it."

"I guess that sounds like as good of a deal as I'm going to get. So how are we going to get there?"

"Well normally I would have to call a transport to pick you up and bring you to the office but seeing as how you can fly you make my job a load easier. Just follow me and I'll bring you there."

"And how do I know you aren't taking me someplace that I wouldn't want to go? How can I trust you?"

"You wound me. I am Commander Drazt of planetary defense. Protection of the citizens is my priority."

"Yeah well, technically I'm not a citizen yet and judging by the general populace's reactions to me, your job would be much easier eliminating me."

"Ahhh. Yes I see your point. Well I guess you'll just have to trust me. Judging by how quickly you dispatched one of my top men, though, I doubt you would go down easily."

"In my defense, he tried to muscle me around and was calling me a Vey'Ral."

"Fair enough. Ready to go?"

"Just about. Give me a couple minutes." Sam folded and packed the five dresses she had made and tossed the blood covered clothing into a bin. Shouldering the bag, they walked out together into the light and were greeted by an empty street with one of the cycles parked out front. She saw a few craft, each the size of a tank, flying around in the distance doing a search pattern. She figured they were looking for the Vey'Ral she had seen earlier that morning. Drazt mounted the craft and lurched straight into the air without any sounds. As he started heading away, Sam jumped into the air to follow, quickly catching up. They sped through the air and to a building that was a few city blocks away from the portal tower. The building they arrived at was in a rather busy section of the city and they had a hard time with everyone in the way. Sam got plenty of dirty looks but everyone left her alone with Drazt walking next to her. He held the door open for her and they walked in to a large building labeled "The Lost" in several different languages.