FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Original story by: Courgus

Translated by: Erazaa

Krashak sat in front of the table and continued to stare at the map. He still remembered fondly what Varshgar, and he had experienced. There were many fights that Krashak and Varshgar had fought together, and he remembered them fondly. Since Krashak was more of a warrior who liked to throw himself into the fray of enemies and Varshgar acted from the background, the two fit together so well as a team. But those days are gone. After the last Khan of the Wolves was killed in the battle for the capital, Krashak had to fulfill this task.

He did his best but in the absence of a real leader he did not know what he could really do right. On the contrary. All too often he wondered if his decisions were right and had not caused even more suffering in the ranks of his people.

Krashak thought back to the fateful day when the Khan fell. It was not long before the capital was abandoned. The last survivors fled the city, leaving behind almost everything that didn't seem remotely important. At that time, Krashak had just become old enough to have gone through the initiation rite of his people. Even though he had become a man within the tribe, he lacked all the experience that life in the tribe brought. When the attacks on the capital began and the first human troops invaded it, chaos and despair reigned. The attacking soldiers spared little. At night, Krashak still has nightmares about what happened. Damage, murder, manslaughter, looting and everything you could think of was represented among them. Even the most unthinkable things. Krashak wondered even then if this hatred had been smoldering forever but had never been expressed. But it got worse. After there was hardly anything left to take, but the last remaining troops under the command of the Khan still resisted, the attackers began to systematically devastate the city. Their first action was to poison the river that flowed through the city. They threw, without stopping, carcasses of animals and the fallen no matter if they were wolves or humans, into the canals. The water had become undrinkable until it finally brought death. Thus, the wolves had been cut off from a source of freshwater. Little by little, the supplies ran out and the remaining troops struggled against hunger. At this point, as the people liked to call it, peace negotiations began. Basically, the wolf clan and its khan were told that their surrender would now be recognized if they were to express it. But when the khan wanted to find out what was in store for his man, his heart broke. The people, in case of surrender, prepared everything for the immediate execution of all resistors. For the Khan, this was never an option, and so the talks ended. Krashak remembered that moment well, since he was part of the Khan's troop at that time. But the barbarism of the people still knew no end.

When the wolves' troops refused to surrender, the aggressors began to bombard the last place of refuge of the wolves with the remaining corpses. This broke the will to fight of most of them, but the Khan made his troops dare a last attack.

At night, when most of the troops were asleep, the Khan sent an advance party. They were all scouts who were well-trained. Not only in sneaking, but also in silent combat. One by one, the small group of scouts picked off the sleeping ones. And when they got the signal, the rest of the Khan's troops attacked. It was this moment that would create a legend. The barge used a very ancient martial art and became a real fury on the battlefield. The troops of the people were torn in two and flanked. Now only a handful of people lived under the leadership of their general who was responsible for all the barbarism in the city Krashak still knows the sound of his words when that moment came:

>>We have them! We have them!<< he shouted several times and then an arrow abruptly ended what had just begun.

From the ambush, an arrow hit the Khan right in the heart. He quickly succumbed to his injury, but the remaining men fought until no one was left standing. As the sun slowly rose behind the mountain on which the city had been built, the full extent of the madness became visible. The city was a field of rubble and the corpses piled up in the streets. What little was left of the streets was in flames and what was not yet ruined was looted. Krashak escaped from the confusion of the battle with a handful of soldiers and brought himself and the others to safety. From afar, one could still see the pillar of smoke rising that was once the magnificent and splendid capital of the Wolves. It was only a shadow of its former splendor and not even the tombs were spared from the looting.

Since that moment, Krashak has never trusted a human even slightly. He put his head in his two paws and looked at the map lying on the table in front of him.

"Varshgar..." he thought in that last moment of silence interrupted by the arrival of the guard. She folded back the tarp a bit and cleared her throat. Then she said softly and gently:

>>Krashak, my warchief?<<

He needed a moment before he could pull himself together to look at the guard. It was clear to him anyway what he would want.

>>I have the scouts.<<

Krashak just waved it off and then said:

>>Bring them in.<<

The guard continued to keep the tarp up and the scouts Krashak had sent to enter the tent. When everyone was together and the tarpaulin was hanging down again, the war master straightened up and looked at his people.

"They are all so young..." he thought to himself with a heavy heart.

And again he asked himself if it was right to send these young men into the field to bring back one of them. However, it was the youngest of them who answered Krashak's question.

>>Krashak, my war master. We all know why we are here. And we are more than willing to give anything to find Varshgar. Krashak looked at him and rose from his seat. Slowly, but also with a heavy heart, he walked toward the group.

When he stood in front of them, he had to think that it could be a mission of no return. But still the young ones radiated confidence. He sighed briefly and then said to them:

>>I am sorry that I have to put you in this situation. But as you know, it's about Varshgar. He is very important for us and we need him back. It seems we have no other choice. So your task will be to find him and bring him back here. Without him, we're screwed.<<

The young ones looked at each other and then all nodded at the same time. Krashak was sure they understood the scope of the mission. But he wondered if they were aware of the possible consequences. He lingered for a moment until he asked his question:

>>You know that it may be that few or none of you will return?<<

It didn't take long and the four nodded again. Krashak thought for a moment, and then he said what was the right thing to do: >>I hope so much that you will all return. Even if you can't find him, you will still be our heroes.<<

With these words he dismissed the group to start their mission. A mission that would probably end badly.