FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

              The air crackled, sending black

lightning bolts through the night air. A rift opened; a mere empty blackness

that made the moonless night seem bright. Something slipped out before the slit

snapped shut again.                "I hate

that."                "Suck

it crybaby"                "I hate

traveling through the space between realities. It's cold and dark and nerve-wracking."                "Not as

nerve wracking as your whining. Now shut up. We made it in one piece."                "Speak

for yourself. I went to pieces a long time ago."                The

owner of the commanding voice searched around. "Village. Can't tell the year.

From the smell I would say twentieth or twenty first century."                "How

can you tell?"                "The stink.

Not as bad as our time, but it's a stink nonetheless. Petroleum most likely. It's

funny really. The archives say how they lamented its loss, but in reality, if

they hadn't used it up, the Great Asteroid of 4023 would have set large

portions of the old Russian deposits aflame. As it was, life was never the same

after that."                "You

and your learning. Like you don't have enough in your head, then you go and

stuff it with facts!"                "Shut

up Morlei. Every fact I have is necessary for this mission."                "Mission?

Didn't the elders say that going back in time would alter the time line?"                "First

off, there is no line through time. It is one mass effect. We slip between the

various realities like pages in what our ancestors called books. Secondly, can

you think of a worse future than the one we have?"                "Perhaps,

but I wouldn't want to try. Can we just stay here?"                "Here?

And where exactly is here?" He turned his head into the wind.                Sniffing

the air, the leader declared, "Sea water. Doesn't narrow it down much, but that

is definitely the sea. I can smell dead fish too." Then his eyes brightened."

And whales!"                There hadn't

been living whales for about a hundred years. There is only so much cloning

that can be done before a species fades out. But the smell was distinct. The

data base had all kinds of photos and sensory items relating to many living and

extinct creatures.                "And

beer. There must be an inn or tavern or whatever they call them in this place.

Back then, meaning now of course, there were a multitude of languages and

cultures. Sadly they were only representative of one species. Humans. Intelligent,

but short sighted creatures. We have several preserved specimens in the

Planetary Cultural Center you know."                "Shit on

them. I've heard the stories of how they fucked up the planet and themselves at

a drop of sweat! Wars, wars and more wars. Pillaging every other species,

killing them off, ruining the water and the air and the land..."                "Oh, so

you have been keeping up with your studies! Good! I thought maybe you were only

good for the pleasure of your company."                "Shut

up Keverne. I'm only along because I don't have a choice and you know it!"                Keverne

was the most unusual of the so-called Enlightened. His body and his mind were

two separate entities. In looks he normally chose the form that came naturally,

that of an ancient animal called a raahouti, though there were other names over

the years. Legends often superseded facts. It was also called...a jaguar or

panther. Of course, Morlei knew that those were just inventions to frighten

children. All the old illustrations showed them on all fours. Keverne was on

two feet.                 But he happened

to like black, from his robes to his fur to his skin and his eyes. All (but the

robes) were the result of close genetic programming. Genetic tinkering had been

outlawed after the last of the humans died off, but as now all life might die, extraordinary

measures had been undertaken. Keverne was the best of the best of the best. And

he had learned to do things no one else could even think of.                His

nose sniffed the air some more. "It's late, but I would guess the local inn is

open. I say we get ourselves some food and some rest. I think it will be interesting

living like the ancients did."                "Suit

yourself, like I have a say in it. But I must admit that I am curious too. So

while in Rome, do as the...uh...roamings do?"                 "Not

quite right, but close enough. Rome and its heyday is thousands of years even

further into the past. "                The two

made their way to the lights in the town square. A sign above was unreadable to

the lesser of the two, but to Keverne it was distinct. "The Three Handmaidens."

He opened the door and stepped inside.                 The

man, the human man behind the bar looked at the newcomer and frowned. It was

because as he entered, the newcomer, aka Keverne, shifted form. He became human

in appearance, and his robe twisted up into the fashion of the day. Well,

something akin to it.                He

walked up to the bar. The man behind it rubbed his eyes. "Damn! I guess I've

been sniffing whiskey fumes too long. I could 'ave swore you was something weird

when you walked in!"    Keverne leaned against the bar. "I've

been called worse things in my day. What's the chance you have a room handy?"                "Room.

I ain't got no rooms. The Bronze Stag next door has rooms. I have food, and

drink, and if you ask real nicely, I can even direct you to which ladies here

are willing; for a price."                "I see.

Then I shall go next door and secure a room and return for whatever food you

feel is best."                When he

returned, this man with his strange clothing and his quiet demeanor, sat down

to a plate of meats and vegetables cooked to almost beyond recognition.                 Morlei

shared in the aroma. "Doesn't smell bad, but what animal did it come from?"                "I'm

guessing something they called a cow. Bovine genetics are in the computer, but

the only worthwhile ones are from the undomesticated versions. Anything grown

for milk and meat had the brains breed out of it."                The human

man brought two glasses of beer, potent heady stuff the likes of which disappeared

a few thousand years into his future, if you counted time in that manner.                Morlei

was whining again. "Do you know how nice it would be to actually drink that

myself, instead of relying on your tongue and taste buds and stomach to do it?"                "Shut up.

If you hadn't gone and gotten your previous body killed by that rogue warmouth,

you might be doing just that. I could have left your soul to dissipate into the

ether you know."                "I

might have been better off if you had."                "Enough!"

His voice was louder than he wanted, attracting the looks of the entire tavern.

He apologized to those present. "Sorry. I'm a little tired and I'm having an

internal debate. I'll be better after I eat and drink something." His voice

went internal again.                "And

how do you intend to pay for it?" Morlei asked from his shared spot in his friend's

soul.                "They

use an old plastic money at this time. You saw me use it already, next door. A

little magically enhanced information on the small flat card and I apparently

can have whatever I desire."                "Good,

Buy a way home."                "Don't make

me shut you up Morlei."                "Fine.

Eat and drink and I will dream of salivating and digesting while you actually

do it."                Though

no one heard their conversation to begin with, the voice went silent. After the

meal, and two or three more beers later, Keverne got up, paid the bill (

leaving a large tip) and walked back outside.                "OK.

Now you can talk."                "Now I

have nothing to say!"                "I couldn't

be so lucky. So if you have something to say, say it soon, because once I go to

bed, I intend to stay there. So if you wake me up with some stupid idea or

crazy notion, I swear I'll climb inside myself and dig you out."                "Touchy

touchy. I just think that you're wasting your time. What is it the ancients

called it?"                "Called

what?"                "You

know, wasting your time?"                Keverne

sighed. "Like I know every idiom and saying from the old world. Maybe you mean "a

wild goose chase?"                "Yes! Precisely!

I don't know what wild geese are, but legend says that chasing them is a

fruitless endeavor."                "You

may be right. But in the meantime, what we are doing is better than doing

nothing. In a few more years, our time, the world will be dead. If we can

manage to find the balancing point, and tip it in the other direction, then maybe

we'll save our world."                "And

you may destroy it as well. If you tip too far, you could end up saving the

human race. Then we will never exist."                "It's

too late for that. We exist, and we will always exist. If I don't get it right,

I'll keep coming back until I do."                And if

you never do?"                "Then we

will wander the temporal sequences for the rest of our days."                "Days?

Days don't exist according to you."                "There

was a heavy sigh. "Shut up Morlei."                Once in

bed he regressed to his natural form. There was only so much one could do while

asleep, and doing what constituted as magic required the user to be awake. The

door was locked and the room secured. He slipped off his robe and used it to

cover himself.                "You

know, there are sheets and blankets for your comfort."                "The

robe is all I need. Now shut up and go to sleep. Tomorrow I want to be off and

see if I brought us any closer to where we need to be."                "Hrmph!

If what you told me is true, then each passing second is a page in the book you

call time, and you're trying to find one specific page, and then from there, to

a particular spot. I don't see it happening. I think you might be better off

getting there before it happens and waiting."                "I've considered

that. If I can get close enough, I might give it a try. But for now, no more talking.

It's time for some sleep. Even I need to give my body time to recuperate."                "Yes milord,"

said Morlei sarcastically.                 "You

know my friend, if you still had you body, I'd take your tail and stuff it up

your ass!"