FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Soft layers of snow crunch beneath Penny’s feet. Her light steps balance her weight delicately upon the layers of sleet. She looks up at the sky, steady flakes of white trickle down onto her face, reminding her of the ice at home.

As she surveys her surroundings, she quickly scribbles down her sight onto the map she’s been making before her. Quickly brushing the snow off of it, she clutches it tightly to her robes. The familiar, steady clang of metal and heavy mashing of snow has almost been tuned out, only for her concentration to be roused by a querulous sigh.

Penny speaks up, “You know, not a day goes by that I’m not thankful I grew up in Dun Morogh. What about you, Dog? Remind you of home, much?”

Dog shakes his head, “Ack, save tha questions for later, lass! Just gotta keep movin’! Da sooner ya finish tha report, tha sooner we can return to da hearth.”

The gnome glances around the snowy terrain, keeping a close eye out for any danger. “Almost… done… We’ve made a lot of progress and it’s barely noon!”

“Yeah, but ya makin’ me carry all this stuff like a pack mule! It’s making me back hurt!”

Penny snickers, brushing a violet tress from her eyes, “Relax, we’re going to band together with everyone else soon. You’re a big guy, you can handle it. If you’re really that tired, we can take a little siesta. And no shapeshifting. Last time you did that everything got mixed up.”

“A’ight, callin’ it now!”

Penny scoffs, “Seriously? Not even going to bother taking another step?”

Without breaking eye contact, Dog extends his stout leg as far as he can reach in an exaggerated step before planting his face into the snow as the weight of his backpack pulls him deeper into the cold snow.

Penny rolls her eyes, shaking her head softly, “Don’t get frostbite, at least. Okay?”

“I got me beard!” Dog replies with a muffled shout.

Penny pulls out her notebook as the steady drizzle of sleet begins to soften, clearing up her view. A little ways in the distance something catches her eye. Crystalline trees stand, each a magnificent beauty. She’s never seen anything like them before. Are they natural trees? Did someone mold these crystals into trees? Penny holds up her thumb, carefully measuring the distance. It’s within two miles.

She turns to glance at Dog, now snoring softly. Penny sighs softly before turning her gaze back to the crystal forest ahead, quickly jotting down the view in her map. She glances at the sky one more. The sun is high above, still plenty of daylight, though she needs to be hasty.

As she gingerly treads forward, something else catches her eye. A patch of brown fur sticks out from the snow. A bear? Perhaps some good eating… After all, all Dog does is complain about how bland their rations taste.

Stowing away her notes, she focuses her intents silently. Arcane energy pulses through her as her robes crackle and lift with energy. Trying to be careful not to alert the beast, she maintains a slow tread toward it.

As she steps over the snow, she quickly notices that the fur doesn’t belong to a bear, rather, it seems to be shaped into a swaddle. What could be wrapped up so tightly?

The magic slowly dissipates as she approaches the bundle. She keeps her eyes and ears alert, wary of a potential trap. Nothing. No footsteps nearby, or at least it’s already been covered by the snow. There’s hardly anything to hide under aside from the snow.

The bundle is a foot long, at least. Whatever it is, her curiosity won’t let her turn away. She hovers over it before noticing an infant tightly hidden beneath the layers of fur.

“OH GRIMEY COGWHEELS!” Penny shouts out loud as she notices the baby is already blue. Panic sets in as her voice is quickly drowned out by the surrounding snow. Picking up the infant, she rushes toward her friend.

“Dog, Dog! DOG! GET UP!”

Dog lifts his face from the ice, his beard caked in flecks of white power, “What is it lass?”

“THE BABY IS BLUE!”

“Tha what? Where did’ja get a baby?” Dog’s eyes widen, quickly jumping to his feet as he lays his eyes on the pale infant Penny holds tightly against her form, “THA’ BABY IS TURNIN’ BLUE WE GOTTA GET IT BACK TO THA CAMP!”

The two race through the snow, unraveling the blanket of powder in their wake. Penny constantly finds herself nearly tripping into the half foot of snow beneath her. Her shins are freezing, but there’s no time to think about herself.

Nearly half an hour passes as the two continue their dash through the landscape, desperately trying to keep the baby afloat and safe above the snow. It’s not long until they return to the camp they set for the group.

Tate is already relaxed by a protected fire in their camp, roasting what appears to be her latest catch.

The woman stands up as she notices the duo approaching, “Dog, Penny? What are you doing? Isn’t it a little early-”

“NO TIME!” Penny retorts, quickly bringing the baby close to the warmth of the fire.

The gnome anxiously monitors the baby, inspecting the infant’s vitals, “He’s not looking so good right now… I hope it’s not too late.”

“Penny, what are you… Oh, Light save us, that’s a child. Where did you get this child? Why is he blue?!”

“I just found it like this!”

“You FOUND it? What is that supposed to mean? Are you kidnapping children now?”

“No! This poor baby was abandoned in the snow, left to die!”

The baby quickly begins crying, its wails causing Penny and Dog to unleash a heavy sigh of relief.

Dog relaxes, falling back to the ground, “Da baby lives, good thing! Now I can lie down, finally.”

Tate folds her arms, “There is a baby in the middle of our expedition. We shouldn’t be dealing with a child in the middle of a field report. We have much, much more pressing matters at hand!”

“Look, I know we have a job to do, but we can’t just leave a baby alone out here! Do you have any idea how lucky this baby is to be alive? They die within a few HOURS if left alone, let alone to freeze to death!”

Tate sighs dejectedly, “Fine, we’ll see what we can do first… But I’m not getting paid enough to look after a baby, no matter how cute they may be.”

Penny quickly reaches into her bag, now detached from Dog before conjuring up a baby bottle to fill with fresh milk, warmed up next to the fire.

A few hours pass as Penny pays close attention to the infant, making sure it’s healthy.

Dog sits adjacent to her, inspecting the child with her, “What kinda baby is it, lass?”

“I don’t know, but I think he’s an elf. He’s still so blue… I’m worried.”

“He?” Tate asks.

“Just a hunch.” Penny responds

“So, you didn’t change the baby yet.”

Penny leans down gently, sniffing the baby carefully, “I think he’s good for a bit. Maybe the cold is still getting to him.”

Dog chortles, “Aye, well perhaps blue is his natural hue. All I gotta say is that changing tha baby is not my problem!”

Penny holds onto the infant carefully, “Blue elves… hmmm…”

As the sun slowly descends over the horizon, Visanna slowly emerges from the distance, followed by Rust.

Rust speaks up as he sits near the fire, “Hey, you got here before us! Quick expedition, I’m assuming?”

“Well…” Penny replies before being cut off.

Visanna speaks up, narrowing her gaze on the fur bundle within Penny’s arms, “What is that you’re holding? Is that… a baby?”

Penny nods, “Yeah, I found him just lying alone in the snow, can you believe it?! Who leaves a child unattended here?”

Visanna gives a questioning sigh, “And what do you propose we do with a baby in our hands? Do you even know what kind of baby it is?”

“He looks like an elf. He was blue when I found him, but I thought that was early frostbite. Now I’m thinking that’s his normal pigmentation.” Penny glances at Visanna, “Night elves can be blue, right? But I don’t think a Night elf would just leave a baby out and alone like this.”

Visanna reaches out to hold the infant, “Well, not this shade of blue. We’re much paler, and this one is such a deep hue.”

Rust shifts his glance from the swaddle to Penny, “You seem fond of this kid. How about we retire on this expedition?”

Penny protests, “What will we say to-”

“Relax, I have my way with words. I’m sure we’ll be able to get right back on track after we settle this problem with the child.”

“Leave it to Mister ‘silver tongue’ to fix all the problems, hmm?” Tate retorts.

Rust responds with a flashy grin, “I got this, don’t worry,”

“You could jus’ drop tha baby off at tha orphanage, Penny. It’ll only take a second for someone like ya to go in and out.” Dog snaps his fingers, “Just like that”

Penny shakes her head, reaching toward Visanna before the night elf passes the baby back to her, “No, something isn’t sitting right with me. Maybe this child is cursed, or worse. I want to keep a close eye on him for a little.”

Penny slowly peels back the layers of fur wrapped around the infant. She inspects his skin, noticing the soft coat of fur already formed on him. She brings his arm out, only to notice a curious lack of fingers for an elf.

Fur… Three fingers… Wait… She fully peels back the fur bundle from the infant’s head. Short forehead, long nose… She lifts up his mouth, inspecting his mandibles. No teeth yet, but there’s definitely enough room to accommodate… tusks…

The group leans closer to Penny as her concerns are made true. “This… This is a troll’s baby.”

Dog exclaims abruptly, “A troll?! Are you out of ya mind touchin’ that thing?!”

Tate raises an eyebrow, “Wait, you’re joking, right? It’s not actually one of those monsters, is it?”

“Penny’s terrible at making jokes, you know that, Tate. She’s definitely not kidding around. That baby belongs to a troll momma.”

Visanna doesn’t respond, only peering at the infant with caution.

Penny holds onto the troll’s face, “It’s only a little baby, though. So pure, so innocent. Besides, not all trolls are aligned with the Horde.”

“Aye, but it could be.”

“Perhaps, but the ice trolls here aren’t. I think that’s what this one is. Especially now that the Lich King is trying to take them all under his wing, they have no reason to be with the Horde.”

Visanna maintains a glower on Penny, “So you’re making the risk to take care of a child in hopes to prevent it from becoming a monster.”

“Yes..! No… I don’t know! What do you want me to do? He’s just a baby!”

Tate shrugs, “Just toss it back into the snow. Let nature take its course.”

Rust snickers, “I second that! It should be our problem, anyway. I don’t want to be calling one of those cretins a friend.”

Penny shakes her head, “Look, it’s getting late… I think I should teleport back to Stormwind and see what I can do about this. If you don’t want to be helpful, then fine!”

The group exchange glances together.

“Penny,” Visanna gently states, “You seem adamant about this, and you are one of the smartest, most intelligent people I’ve known.” She clutches onto her robe, “I trust your judgement. I’m sure this child has potential, even if it’s a troll. I’ll help you seek your guidance and make the best possible decision.”

“Aye, I second that.” Dog chortles, “I also kinda wanna see how this turns out. Don’t get upset when I laugh while he bites ya fingers off!”

“Well,” Rust responds, “I guess it’s a new group adventure!”

Tate shrugs, “We’re seriously doing this? Okay, okay. I’ll join you dead men.”

Penny nods, inscribing a rune to teleport back to near the fire. “Okay… We can think more on what to do at Wolftrap. I just want to be somewhere safer first.”

“Ugh… THAT Inn,” Tate retorts. “They always run out of drinks but there’s like never anyone there!”

“Tha’s just ‘cause we always drag Rust along,” Dog responds.

Rust lets loose a laugh, “You know it!”

“The inn is almost always quiet. It’s the perfect place to talk… and we’re going,” Penny states, “iIf you don’t like it, you can stay here, alone for the night.”

Tate folds her arms before sauntering toward Penny as the gnome begins to teleport the party, baby in hand.

Arcane energy flows through the air as ripples of light arc around them. Nothing more but the peculiar taste of iron lingers within the mouth and in a flash, the party has teleported to Stormwind’s Mage Tower.

Penny removes the bulk of her robes, draping the hood over the child to conceal him, “Let’s move quickly. I don’t want to waste any more time until we get to the inn.”

The party follows through, walking down the stone spiral. The sun is setting as the twilight basks Stormwind in a dim, blue glow. The streets are quiet, many stores and guards begin lighting nearby street lights to illuminate their surroundings.

Dog chimes up, breathing in the fresh air of the Eastern Kingdoms, “Ya know, I like visiting the park in tha dusk. It’s a nice time of day. I don’ get tha chance to see Stormwind a lot.”

Visanna nods gently, “Yes, but now’s not the time to enjoy the scenery”

Weaving through the streets, it’s only a few minutes before they reach the Wolftrap Inn.

Penny waits for Dog to open the door first, holding her breath as the party slowly trickles in one by one. The inn, just as she’d hoped, is quiet with a calm atmosphere. She relaxes with a soft sigh, “Good, it’s a relaxed day today.”

Tate takes a deep whiff, the inn contrasting the gentle autumn breeze outside with a smell of freshly seasoned stew and honeymead. A warm hearth cackles softly, bringing a gentle warmth to the inn while it boils a pot of water.

Penny keeps a wary eye on the other patrons. A few humans and elves chattering in the corner to her left. Inga, the innkeeper's wife, bless her heart, is waving them down.

Penny tugs on Dog’s cloak, “Go and ask for a table upstairs, Dog. She seems to be fond of you the most. I’ll stay a little back. I know if she were to see this swaddle she’d immediately want to make it her business.”

Dog nods as he approaches the bar where Inga waves them down, “Hey, lass.”

The mature woman returns his gesture with a warming smile, “Ogran, it’s been some time, good to see you! Party of five?”

Dog gives a half smile as he places a few gold coins on the oak counter, “It’s nice to be back ‘ere, Inga. And yeah, same deal. Look, we’re jus’ gonna get a table upstairs. We have a lot of business to take care of and we just wanted to chat in our favorite in.”

Inga maintains her smile, “Oh! Sure. I’ll leave you be. You can place your orders now or come down when you’re ready!”

Dog nods to the rest of the group as they order a different assortment of drinks.

Penny does her best to remain as unobtrusive as possible while the party speaks. She’s the only one that doesn’t order. Inga doesn’t seem to pay attention to her as the group walks to the tables upstairs.

The only other patron up here is another dwarf in a corner. Penny leads the group to a table at the other end of the bar’s second floor.

As everyone takes a seat in the booth, Tate speaks up first in a stage whisper, “So… What the hell are we supposed to do now? We’re at the inn, and we still have this… baby on our hands. Why can’t we just toss it into the ocean and forget about it?”

Penny shakes her head, “I already said, that’s NOT on the table, okay?”

Just as quickly as they got seated, footsteps emerge from the stairs. Inga brings a fresh bowl of baked bread and butter.

Penny quickly hides the infant between herself and the wall.

Inga smiles warmly as she places the goods at the center of the table, “On the house!”

Visanna smiles nonchalantly, “Thank you.”

Dog nods as he takes a deep smell of the fresh, warm bread, “Ah, fantastic. I love ya bread!”

Penny remains quiet as Tate and Rust give their thanks, keeping her eye on the woman. Inga is too nosy for her own good. Somehow, it feels like the only reason she came up here was to eavesdrop.

Inga maintains her smile, yet her grin seems to fade briefly as she locks eyes with Penny.

“Oh, I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t seem to get your order, did you want anything?”

Penny musters up the politeness to smile back, replying with a curt, “No thanks,” to which Inga responds with her smile, yet her gaze shows nothing but suspicion at the gnome.

As Inga slowly steps down, Penny shifts the infant to her lap, still hidden from prying eyes.

Rust chimes up as Inga leaves their view,, “I’m sure we could make a huge sum selling the kid. After all, I’m sure many people would be willing to pay top coin for something as… let’s say exotic as this baby.”

Penny adamantly shakes her head, “No, it doesn’t feel right selling this child, either.”

Dog gives her a small nudge with his elbow, “C’mon, lass. Ya can’t seriously expect yourself to raise this kid, d’ya? Ya have too many responsibilities, ‘sides, raising a kid ain’t easy. Especially one like this.”

Penny slowly strokes at the troll’s forehead, “I… I don’t know…”

“Penny,” Visanna softly rings, “I know you want what’s best for this child, but I don’t think it’s your place to decide. If you don’t want to dispose of this baby, perhaps you can go back to where you find him. You have the talent and magic to do so. You can do it with almost no risk, either. I think you just wanted to come here to look at him one last time.”

Penny tries to protest only to be interrupted by Visanna, “I know you’re fond of him, after all, he’s an infant left alone. I know your heart is in the right place, but we should just go back and you can try to return him.”

Penny can feel tears welling up in her eyes, distressed at the thought of abandoning the baby, “But… what if his parents are dead, or worse..? He might not have a family to return to.”

Visanna reaches over the table to hold her hand, “This is simply something you must have faith in. It’s too dangerous to keep him here.”

Penny nods softly as a tear streaks down her face. She brings her arm up to wipe her tears, “Yeah… What was I thinking? It was dumb to bring him here. You’re right, I just wanted to hold him one more time… We should just go back, sorry for disrupting our mission.”

Penny slowly brings her cloak over the troll’s head, thoroughly covering him in the warmth of cloth and fur.

As soon as she hides the infant, a piercing wail emits from the swaddle. Initially, it comes off as the cries of a baby, but animalistic growls and hisses quickly emit from the troll.

Tate begins to panic, “What did you do?! Everyone’s going to hear!”

“I… I don’t know! I just wrapped him up so nobody would be able to see him as we walk out!”

“He’s an ice troll, right?” Dog chimes, “He must be burnin’ up in there! We’re no longer in Northrend, after all.”

Several murmurs emit from the patrons below as the noises echo through the inn. The dwarf at the opposing end raises his axe, “Whas tha’ noise?” His speech slurs together as he slams his metal stein on his table.

Rust stands up, trying to ease the dwarf, “It’s… just a bear cub. Someone thought it was a good idea to take the little baby from his momma.”

The dwarf pulls out his axe accusingly as he wipes the beer from his beard, “Tha’s no bear cub!”

Inga quickly ascends the stairs, heart crossed over her chest, “I heard a baby, is everything alright? Let me see!”

Penny desperately tries to hide the crying baby, but ultimately freezes, unsure of what to do next.

Inga stands over the booth, “Are you just going to let him cry? Your baby is obviously sick, or worse!”

Penny exchanges glances with everyone, the party seemingly dumbfounded, unsure of their next action.

Visanna reflexively picks up the baby, passing the infant to Inga.

Inga cradles the troll, trying to soothe the infant, “Oh, poor thing. Is he alright? Who’s child is it?” The woman pulls back the violet hood draped over the troll, “Oh, it’s a little elf, you must be very lucky Visanna.”

Visanna holds her breath, if there was ever a time to shadowmeld in embarrassment, this would be it.

Inga slowly pulls back the swaddle as she strokes the baby, quickly realizing the hide he’s coated in. She slowly wraps her fingers around his arm before holding the three fingers of the troll in her palm.

Confusion initially sets in, “That’s… I’ve never seen an elf… like this. Is he okay?”

The other dwarf keeps his axe pointed at the infant, before he shouts, “Tha’s no elf. Issa troll!”

Inga cradles the infant gently, “Troll, elf, whatever it may be, he’s a child. A child deserves all the love, care and attention a mother can give.”

Visanna slowly smiles, releasing a breath as she begins to relax.

The inebriated dwarf shouts back, “Bah, child? That thing will eat ya alive!”

Inga shakes her head, “You don’t know that, Karn. Return to your room. You’re far too drunk to stay at the bar. I recommend you take the night off in your bed, okay?”

Karn slowly approaches, “I’ve seen what those damned monsters do. Cannibals, all of them! They eat each other, they eat humans, dwarves, friends, family. OUR FAMILIES!”

Inga shakes her head, “Enough! I won’t hear any of this!”

“Jus’ because he’s a wee baby doesn’t mean he can’t bite your fingers off at any moment. He’ll eat ya alive..! Jus’ as tha trolls did my friends… Why do you think I’m always alone? I should jus’ kill tha thing right now and be rid of another monster!”

Inga takes a step back, “No, you can’t!”

Rust stands up from his seat, “Inga. You are a wonderful woman, but maybe it’s best to listen to Karn. After all, you don’t know what he could grow up into.”

Inga begins stuttering, clutching the child to herself, “I… He’s just a baby!”

Tate quickly retorts, “A baby now, a monster in only a matter of years.”

“Give me tha troll, Inga. You don’ want this t’ get ugly.”

Inga freezes, back pressed against the wall, “You can’t… take him like this…”

Karn advances toward her, axe pointed at the infant, “Tha baby. Now.”

A fresh set of footsteps advance up the stairs, followed by a deep voice, “What’s all the commotion?! Ironbrow, are you disturbing the peace? That’s not like you!”

Karn lowers his axe, “Grimmwood, ya wife is harboring a troll baby! Tha enemy of tha Alliance! A monster, right in your very inn!”

Grimmwood raises his eyebrow as he shifts his gaze to his wife, “A troll, honey? Is he joking? Where did you get a troll?”

Inga still clutches onto the infant, “He’s just a baby! I can’t let Karn take his life!”

Grimwood rubs his brow, “Look, we can’t take in a troll, do you have any idea what that means for us? Just let Ironbrow take care of the issue.”

Tate walks toward Inga, reaching for the infant, “Let him go, Inga. He’s not yours to raise”

Inga screams, pulling back, “Do you have any idea what you’re saying, I’M NOT LETTING YOU KILL MY BABY!”

Rust shakes his head, “Let the guy do his thing and be done with the troll once and for all. The sooner we put this mess behind all of us, the better.”

Karn grins, as he begins stepping toward Inga once more, “I’ll gladly dispose of tha monster as soon as she drops the beast.”

Penny quickly leaps from her seat, conjuring a barrier to keep Karn away, “Stop! I won’t let you! I can tell you with a hundred percent certainty that he’s not a beast! Anyone can be worth protecting!”

Karn growls, “This is none of your business, girlie.”

Penny shouts back, “Yes it is! I brought the poor child here. He was abandoned, left to die… I… I trust Inga. I know she will raise him well.”

The inn freezes as a deadly silence coats the area. Inga shifts her gaze to Penny, mouthing a small “thank you”.

Penny returns the gesture with a sincere smile before facing Karn, “Look. I know bringing a troll here was irresponsible of me. It was a terrible idea to begin with. But look at them. A mother and her child, would you ever want to sever that bond..?”

Dog stands up, “I trust Inga. She’s already a fine mother. What’s one more child under her wing?”

Karn heaves with a heavy huff, “I know she just wants what’s best, but don’ say I didn’t warn anyone about those monsters.”

“He’s my child now,” Inga states, “And I promise I wouldn’t let any harm come to any of my kids. I will protect and care for him just as I would my sons or daughters.”

Karn raises his arms, “A’ight. G’night. I’m outta here. Good luck being a momma to that thing, you’re gonna need it if ya want him raised right.”

Grimmwood shrugs as he slowly descends the stairs, “Alright, I’ll get the ol’ crib back out. Never thought we’d need to use it again.”

Inga slowly slumps against the wall until she’s seated on the wooden floor, still clutching onto her new son.

Penny steps closer to her, “Are you okay, Inga?”

Inga nods softly, cradling the troll as she hums to him softly, “Yes, I am not that my baby is safe. I’m sorry for all the snooping earlier, I thought I saw a child in your arms.”

Penny shakes her head, “I’m glad you did. I don’t think I would’ve known what to do if you weren’t here.”

Inga smiles warmly, “Well, how about you stay the night for free? I’ll even pay for your meals.”

Penny shifts her glance back to her party. They exchange knowing glances and gestures before Penny returns her gaze to Inga, “As much as I’d love to, we should get going back to our mission. We have a lot of work to do.”

Inga nods, “I see, well. Thank you. If you ever return, I’ll keep the promise of a free meal and night’s stay.”

Penny hugs Inga softly, “I’ll take you up on that offer. I’d like to see him again one day.”

After Penny pulls away, Inga slowly stands up, waving them goodbye, “Come back soon!”

As the party takes their leave, Penny looks toward Visanna, “How did you know she’d be so quick to take the baby as one of hers?”

Visanna smiles knowingly, “I could sense the maternal instincts in her. Never doubt a priest. After all, I am a clairaudient. I could tell she was getting a little lonely without her children around her home. The elf shifts her gaze back to the inn briefly, “I know she has plenty of love in her heart to raise something like him. Now, come on. We still have our mission to complete.”