FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Star was walking down the worn out road once again, faster than before, but having trouble considering there was a ten pound fox in his bag eating the rest of his berries. He was hoping she would fall asleep, give him time to think about what he was going to do. He had a home, but it was seldom used. He usually stayed at the guild, where there were ample beds to rest in. He could keep her at the guild, but some Pokémon might ask questions about her. Maybe word of the fire spreads to her and she connects the dots. Even if she could get in past the rumors, Nero's Guild had a policy: only staff and explorer teams allowed, no exceptions. He could make her an explorer, but he wasn't sure about her fighting capabilities. He sighed. It was late, and his mind was clouded with thoughts, he needed a good nights rest before he made any drastic decisions.

"You know, I have never been this far away from the forest." The sudden voice snapped Star out of his thoughts. "My parents always told me it was safest there."

Star tried to joke around to lighten the mood.

"Well, guess they will think twice next time about keeping you pent up in one place. Dangerous, ain't it?"

She let out a giggle and sighed.

"Yeah...I guess. So, when are we getting to town? It's getting hot in this bag." Star let out a chuckle of his own and sighed. Then it hit him, he remembered something.

"Actually...we are taking a little detour...is that alright?"

"Sure it is Star, just more to explore!" she replied back loudly.

"You got an explorer's spirit in you lass, I can see it," he grinned back.

He took a sharp right, down a path covered in dead leaves. He had come down this road many of times. Sometimes for supplies, sometimes for a rest, and sometimes just to visit. He felt like maybe the pokemon down this route were getting tired of him. He did tend to be a tad impolite at times and even a bit insensitive towards certain subjects, but it wasn't entirely his fault. He blamed his poor choice of words. Scarlet began to sink into the bag as trees began to slowly cover up more of the moonlight, making it pitch black as the road lead on.

"This road used to lead up to an old village back in the day. Unfortunately, after Presidium and other towns were built, most Pokémon left this to live there. It was safer and more opportunities were available," Star explained.

Eventually, Star had come to an opening, where the area was dimly light with moonlight from patches in the treetops. In the opening, there were piles of brick and wood, covered in moss and plants, lost to nature as time took its toll on them, except for one lone building in the back; a mansion of sorts. Star smiled and gave himself a pat on the back. He always felt glad he could remember where the place was.

Scarlet shivered in her bag as Star walked up to the old tattered mansion.

"A-Are you sure its safe to go in there?" she said, lowering her ears. Star only nodded and went up to the large door looking it over again. He always felt that the door could be smaller, it seemed to ostentatious in his mind. He knocked three times, followed by another knock a few seconds later. Shuffling was heard in the house, and some conversation for a few seconds. Star tapped his paw outside impatiently, maybe they had gotten tired of him. But alas, a loud clank was heard as the lock was unlocked and the door slowly opened. There was a big enough creek in the door for Star to get a good look in, but he wasn't looking in, he was looking down at the one who opened the door. A Ralts stood firm. Star couldn't tell if he was happy or angry to see him, since his eyes were always covered. At least he could look at the bright red scarf around his neck, make it look like he was making eye contact. The ironic thing is that he was positive that the Ralts was older than him; guess size doesn't matter.

"Star the Houndoom, what do you want now-" he said, stopping as he got a good look at the Pokémon in front of him. Battered, trembling slightly, dirty and covered in soot.

"I'll explain everything later...I just need to stay the night," Star pleaded.

"I don't know Star, it's hard to come by supplies out here..." the Ralts replied. Scarlet peeked her head out of the bag, she looked similar to Star, maybe even worse.

"Alex...please..." Star said softly. The Ralts sighed and opened the door enough for him to walk through. Star nodded his head in gratitude and entered quickly.

"You can stay, but you have some explaining to do." Star nodded and followed Alex down the floyer. The inside of the mansion was better than the outside. Sure, everything was dusty and dark, but the furniture was usable and the rooms were clean enough. The rooms had wallpaper drooping from the walls, and the furniture was outdated and begged for some restoration but other than that, fully functional. The two sat down at the main dining hall and began to chat.

"Hey, wheres Imani-" Star said as he turned a bit, a Chandelure quickly dropping from above right up to his face. Star let out a girly shriek and flinched back as the ghost Pokémon giggled and twirled, her shiny red bow magnifying her firelight.

"Hello Star, what brings you here again so soon?" she said cheerfully. After catching his breath, the Houndoom spoke.

"I..there has been an incident, but..." he pointed to the bag on his back, the Zorua inside finally getting some rest as her plump belly slowly rose and fell with her breath.

"Ah...I get it..." she said as she took the bag with one of her handles and floated off to another part of the house.

Alex cleared his throat."So, what happened exactly?"

Star leaned back and rubbed his forehead."I-I don't know Alex...it all happened so fast. I was sent out on another mission, to catch an outlaw in Flaming Dusk..." Alex sat firmly, keeping his arms crossed as he listened. "I found the guy and...fire. The whole forest caught fire. I barely made it out alive..." Alex nodded.

"That explains why you look like you lost a fight with Groudon."

"Yeah, no kidding, I feel like it too," Star said. "But then...I found the vixen, Scarlet. She was the only survivor I had found so far...I wasn't about to leave her like that..." The Ralts shuffled in his spot uneasily.

"Are you sure you made the right choice though?" Alex asked. "I mean, I know your heart is in the right place, but can you really take care of a child on your own?" Star let out a sigh and slouched in his chair.

"I don't know, I made a judgement call, I guess it's too late now," Star huffed. Alex nodded once more and got off his seat.

"Alright then, I guess it would be impolite for me to turn you down now," he said, a smidge of reluctance in his voice. "You know where your room is." Star let out a genuine smile.

"Thank you, this really means a lot to me..."

The Ralts nodded for one last time before Star shuffled his way to his room upstairs. It wasnt anything special. It was a room with a bed in one corner, and some old furniture in the rest, although he dared not to touch any in fear he might break something. Star did leave out a few details from his confession, like he was the one who started the whole mess. He was sure that with Alex's big brain he was sure to figure it out either way. For now, that was of no concern as he collapsed into the bed in one second, and was out like a light the next, not bothering to even clean himself off beforehand, and of course, not even thinking of taking off his sash.

~~~

It wasn't too long, an hour or two at best, that Star began to shuffle and sweat in his bed. He kicked instinctively and whimpered, and soon enough, he shot up from the bed and panted heavily, almost looking as if he were to bust into tears. He shivered in a cold sweat for a bit before slowly turning to his side to see a very worried looking Imani floating near. "O-Oh...sorry to wake you..." Star said, wiping his face.

"You didn't wake me, but Scarlet here was having bad dreams. Seems like you aren't having any luck either," Imani said. Star looked down to see a frightened Zorua looking at him with innocent pink eyes.

"It's nothing. I've had these for a while, nothing to be worried about," he reassured them.

"You know that's not true Star. Nightmares are a problem and if you have had them for this long, you should talk to someone about it...but I know how stubborn you are," Imani said, trying a smile. "Anyhow, I suggested that Scarlet sleep with you for the night, see if that helps. It looks like you could use some company too." Star was about to refuse, but she made very valid points. In the end he nodded and helped Scarlet up to the bed, where she curled up to his belly. He could feel her fluffy grey fur rub against his, her warmth emanating off of her body soothing him. Who knows what she is feeling next to his naturally warm body. The Chandelure smiled and floated out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"You get nightmares too Star?" she said softly.

"Yeah..." he replied without energy, laying his head back down on the bed. The Zorua moved and laid her head down by Star's neck, looking at him. "I've had them for a while now, ever since that bandit came into the forest..." Star closed his eyes, he really didn't want to hear it, but he had too, or he felt like he did. "I dream that my family, my parents and my older brothers, get stolen by the big bandit, and I am not fast enough to reach them, and no matter how hard I scream and cry, they never come back..."

Star slowly opened his eyes. Scarlet was lying limply on his arm next to his chest and neck, her eyes welled up with tears. He knew that dream. He knew it all too well. Then he did something unexpected. He placed his other paw on her head, and slowly pet her. She let out a gasp and looked up but only to be met with a small gentle kiss on her forehead. Star smiled a bit at her and whispered, "Don't worry Scarlet, it was only a dream, and if it ever happens, you can count on Star to get them back..." The vixen let out a tiny smile and slowly rubbed her head into Star's neck, tears idly falling from her tired eyes. "That bandit won't get you anymore," he said as he wiped the tears from her face. She smiled and whispered something he couldn't hear, but he knew exactly what she meant. And soon, they both laid their weary heads down and drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Star had awoken as a ray of sunlight hit his closed, relaxed eyes. He hadn't woken up at all that night. Maybe Imani's advice was right after all. Then again, Alex and Imani were both rather intelligent Pokémon, both more suited to the task of Guildmaster's assistant, but it was too late to gripe now. Star wondered what time it was. It wasn't early, he figured that much. It was seldom when Alex let him stay for longer than he needed. Usually he came into the room and kicked him out, although more politely than that but Star got the point. He guessed that he felt a little sympathetic for the vixen who was snoozing so comfortably on his arm to his neck. He almost felt bad for wanting to wake her up. She looked so peaceful. But, he had somewhere to be, and if the guild wasn't worried then, they should be now. They don't even have anyone to do the morning rally!

Star nudged Scarlet to try and wake her up, but she only rolled over on her other side in retaliation. Star noticed a carefully woven bandage on her arm, a bit dirty, but it seemed to get the job done. She also wasn't as dirty and overall banged up as before. He grinned. For a spooky ghost, Imani sure was selfless. Scarlet clearly didn't want to get up just yet, so the fire Pokémon managed to get his leg out from under her and carry her to his bag, placing her snuggly inside. How she didn't wake up was beyond him. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't as dirty or damage either. He still was sore, but sore was better than most. The hellhound doubted that Imani helped him too but sometimes Pokémon may surprise you. He smiled and left the rest of the berries in his bag on the mattress, or what was left of them; it was the thought that counted. He creaked open the door and stealthy stepped out. He could hear Alex and Imani talking in the other room. Star always avoided conversations when they were together, he always felt like the third wheel in the situation, but then again, he was using their home as a makeshift hotel so it seemed only fair. He managed to creep down the stairs and out of the house, to continue his trek back to town which wasn't far away, and this time, he meant it.

~~~

Scarlet was still fast asleep in Star's bag. It seemed like she was sleeping in a big warm blanket as the sun beamed over Star's head. Honestly, he liked the night better. At least he wasn't too far away now, just a turn here and a turn there and he would be back in the welcoming town of Presidium, hopefully not running into any guild members. He didn't want to deal with them just yet. After a quick shortcut through some brush, Star was home.

Presidium was a fairly populated village, maybe housing about 500 Pokémon, including the guild, which made up a good fraction of the population. The guild rested at the farthest north location from the entrance, and stood next to a large oak tree that housed most of the members in its hollow shell. But the tree wasn't the entirety of the guild. Most other services were in underground rooms like the medical bay and the kitchen. Star was glad to see it again, but it wasn't his target. He was headed to his house. Other than the guild at the north end of the town, at the east end was a small nature sanctuary, promptly known as the Forever Glades. Nothing special there; at least to Star it wasn't. Only a clear lake with a cool refreshing waterfall that supplies the town with water to drink and use for crops. It should be used, considering that around the pond grew rare and fragile plant life, which only grow under specific conditions. Most Pokémon treated the water as a gift from Arceus himself, as if it had magical properties. Arguably it is, since the foundation of Presidium was based around the Forever Glades on their discovery. Star thought that they were full of themselves and that the water tasted the same as any other water he had drank in the past.

On the opposite ends of the town, the south side, were the exits that led to dungeons or other towns, the more important one being Thousand Oceans. A beach resort that was a fair distance away from Presidium. It was a tourist trap, luring anyone in with beautiful white sand beaches and deep blue oceans only to take all your money away with cheaply made souvenirs and mementos.

And in the middle of it all, was the main town. Most of the buildings were made of sandstone. Some citizens of the town considered taking down the old sandstone constructs and replacing them with something more modern, but they scrapped the idea considering most of the buildings were occupied with Pokémon from every type and region. Some Pokémon paint their buildings bright, beautiful colors to catch attention since most buildings were shops and stores. Not one store sold everything, most specializing in one certain thing like clothing or produce. For a tourist, it would be difficult trying to find what you wanted, getting lost in the maze of sandstone structures, but most learn to live with it and only go to one or two stores at max.

~~~

Star walked past the bustling crowd in the main walkway that broke through these stores. The middle of the town was split, separating the shops from the homes. The homes were in a climate of its own covered by trees mostly so the houses were much more flexible than the normal sandstone. Something poked his ribs and he turned to see Scarlet poking her head out with her fur disheveled. He gave a little smile and grinned.

"Morning sunshine. Sleep well?" he said loud enough to be heard over the countless conversations going on at the same time around them. She let out a yawn and gave him a look that shut him up. "Alright, I'll take you somewhere quieter. Try to bear with me."

She scuttled back into her pouch and moved around inside before resting. Star let out a sigh and made his way to the west part of the town. The west part promptly named the Exodus Quarter, where the houses were located. Star guessed that it was named such because around dusk all the shopkeepers and townsfolk seemed to leave at the same time toward their own respective houses. It was a little ways out of the town and in its own area, almost the same size, possibly bigger, as the town itself to accommodate for 500 souls. It had to be huge, the houses couldn't be tightly packed together, and they weren't made of stone like their counterparts over in the shops. Each home was made differently to support certain Pokémons individual needs, like a Bulbasaur's house would probably be more floral and grassy compared to a Squirtle's house. Each were of varying sizes and shapes, some as tiny as a small room, and some as huge as the three story shops in the shopping center. At least it was more organized than the main town; a linear path which lead to individual columns left and right which then kept roughly five to ten houses depending on size. Simple and easy to find. Just count the columns as you walk down the path until you get to your road. Star was headed to his house, though, which was near the back of the quarter. The back was reserved for the more wealthier Pokémon of Presidium, and in turn, provided better housing and more space. It was a long walk, but that was the price you had to pay for being rich. Star didn't even technically buy the house, it was a gift when he first got promoted to "Guildmaster's Assistant". Because of its distance away from the guild, and the fact he spent most his time at the guild in the first place, resulted in him seldom using the house. A shame really, it probably cost a fortune to make too.

Star reached the end of the road and took a left, the farthest one all the way in the back. A short walk later, and he was there, facing the house. It was a two floor bungalow made of dark ash wood. It was thin, and had a flat roof with a chimney leading out from the back. It was fenced off, and took up a large chunk of land too, probably enough to fit three more houses inside. The soil was 'taken from the foot of a real volcano' they said. Star was never good at catching liars but at least it was fertile, and he grew his own berries as a result. the house had no windows, only one skylight on the roof of his house. He prefered the dark anyways, even though his mother had always told him that it would ruin his vision. Too late now. He just hoped Scarlet felt the same way.

He reached for the gate when he felt a cold shiver, causing him to take a cautious look behind him. He turned around but only saw a dense thicket in front of him. He shrugged and turned around to see a Sableye inches away from his face. After a shriek and a jump backwards, Star calmed himself and spoke. "Oh...it's only you, Nefi. I told you not to sneak up on me like that!"

Nefi was slouching against his gate with his trademark pitch black sunglasses on. "Well maybe you should tell me when you are in town again and I won't have to scare you," he remarked back in a sinister voice. Nefi and Star were technically best friends. They used to run a thieving circle a few years back. The main members were Nefi, an Absol named Marshal, and of course, Star. They stole for years and were on the outlaw board on every guild, their bounty slowly rising and rising. That was until a heist caused the trio to be arrested, and informally be disbanded for good. That heist, was the Nero's Guild Treasury. At some odd turn of events, Star managed to get amnesty for his crimes by doing some personal jobs for, and sometimes with, Nero himself. He grew to like him and the rest is history. During the time, though, he managed to get Nefi out of jail, but not under Nero's consent, so Star has been keeping the thief under the radar for safetys sake. Still, every now and again, someone's ring or necklace would be stolen, and only Star knew who it was.

"Yeah well, I've had a lot on my mind lately," he retorted as he pushed the ghost out of the way and entered his property. Nefi scowled and disappeared from thin air and reappeared on Star's porch.

"Like what, the fact that a certain someone got caught in a fire not too long ago?" he said almost insultingly. Star stopped, like Nefi predicted.

"Don't know what you are talking about," he said blankly.

"Oh please, spare me the excuses," the ghost retorted. "Your all cut up, you smell like ashes, and you have that look in your eyes. I know what happened." The explorer gulped and shuddered in place for a bit. "And I know about that Zorua in your pouch there," he continued. Star let out a growl and stomped up to him.

"Shut. Up. I don't want to wake her right now. She doesn't need to hear this." he said, soft but cold. It was rare when Star got angry, almost as uncommon as his house being used. Nefi held his hands up in defeat, but the Houndoom could never tell what the thief was thinking. Those stupid glasses of his always getting in the way, and even if they weren't there, he had gems for eyes, so not much progress there either.

"Whatever man, but you and I both know that you aren't the 'child caring' type." Star waved Nefi off and he vanished again. It's times like this that Star regrets being so open with the thief in the past. Now the Sableye uses these things as leverage to get things from the Houndoom, knowing all too well that it gets under his skin whenever he mentions anything. Still, it was sparse that Nefi used the more important accidents that Star had been involved in, and it usually never ended well for either of them.

"What a prick..."