FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Alexander gently placed a log on the burgeoning fire, glad to finally have it going. Of course either of the girls could have just thrown a fireball at a pile of wood, but it was much more sustainable to build it up the old fashioned way, get some real embers going.

It was just in time too. Mallory came back into their roadside camp with a dead rabbit in her hands and nearly bumped right into Amber, who was carrying more firewood. The mouse squeaked in surprise, nearly dropping her armful before regaining her footing. "You should really watch where you're going in these woods!" Mallory joked, the encounter reminding her of the first time they had met all those years ago.

---

A younger Mallory took a breath, concentrating her thoughts. That deer looked absolutely delicious, way better than the squirrels she'd been able to get so far. It had been a month or so since she had escaped from the church, and in that time she hadn't been caught, but she hadn't gotten anywhere safe either.

The dense woods had given her enough food and shelter to live off of with the few spells she knew, but she didn't know if she could keep this up for much longer. The trees seemed to lean in on her from all sides, and she was only ever a day or two from starving. The few rags that she wore wouldn't do well if it got any colder either.

Now wasn't the time to think about it. Now was the time to aim. To breathe. To feel the magical energy flow through her. To use the word of power to focus that magic into a single bolt. "Fletxa!" She chanted and a stab of red light sped forth, right on target!

Just as Mallory released the spell though something went wrong. Not with her casting, not with her aim or wording. But a light grey, bipedal figure stumbled into the path of the bolt. Not anyone Mallory knew, not a church inquisitor or slave hunter, but a common mouse. Probably a slave herself judging by the ragged state of her clothes.

This was bad! Mallory intentionally broke her concentration, cut off that flow of power in a single-minded attempt to break the spell. Still the arrow sped forth, threatening to pierce straight through the mouse like it would any prey animal. Mallory wanted to scream, yell at the mouse to get out of the way, but her mind was too focused on breaking up her own spell!

Finally, mercifully, the red light dispersed just before the mouse. Of course the deer noticed her clumsy movements too and scampered away, out of reach. Mallory cursed her misfortune loud enough for the mouse to hear, making her freeze in her tracks. Her big ears turned to listen, deep red mouse eyes darting about like would a scared prey, soon finding Mallory.

"Why you get in my way, huh? I was gonna eat the deer!" Mallory chastised the mouse in an exasperated tone. The mouse hadn't even noticed the wild animal, or Mal's attacking bolt.

"I-I-I-I'm s-sorry I was just... there was that s-s-squirrel. The w-w-white squirrel, did you see her?" Explained the mouse. Despite her stutter, she had a much more refined accent than the cat did. That made Mallory suspicious. It was almost as suspect as the white squirrel bit.

"White squirrel? If there was squirrel it would have been my dinner. Like the deer was gonna be before you tried to kill your... to get yourself killed with my magic." Mallory crossed her arms on her chest, annoyed at this dumb blonde mouse. "Who are you anyways?"

The mouse seemed confounded that Mallory hadn't seen. "N-n-not that kind of squirrel! The kind like you or me. She was l-l-like albino, you had to have seen her!" She did seem genuinely surprised. Was she telling the truth?

"What's alb... albino? And you didn't say yer' name." Mallory interrogated her a bit more, but after a closer look she allowed herself to lower her guard. It's not like this rail-thin mouse could hurt her or haul her back anyways. Especially not with those magic restrictor cuffs.

"Oh uh, albino means lacking pigment in y-y-your fur. So like, bright white." Well, Mallory would have seen that for sure. Maybe this mouse was hallucinating from hunger. "And I'm Amber Bennet." She said the last name about twice as loud as the first, as if she was proud of it.

"No, I didn't see an al... and albi... a white squirrel." This mouse seemed a little weird. But so was she after all. "And I'm Mallory."

---

The fire crackled softly, the warm glow illuminating all three in the camp with a dancing, gentle light. Keeping them warm against the brisk night air of fall. The rabbit had been surprisingly good once plenty of seasoning was added. A welcome addition to their pack courtesy of Sapphire's spice trading.

None of them were particularly awake though. They had all taken turns managing the horses and driving the cart, and even when off duty they didn't really have a chance to rest on the bumpy road. Their horny remarks earlier in the day were sadly going unfulfilled so far in favor of gentle relaxation.

Alexander wasn't about to let the whole night slip by silently though. With his lute playing summarily banned, he decided to try conversation instead. "Wasn't a rabbit the first meal you two shared?"

---

"Y-y-you really think that you can do it?" Whispered Amber into Mallory's ear. She knew that anyone could have magical powers, but this cat didn't seem particularly bright to her. Especially because of how she talked.

"I know I can! Been doin' it fer the past month! Just keep an ear out for any prey. I got some mushrooms too!" Mallory patted the bag tied to her back to show where they were. Amber didn't express it, but she was close to pouncing the cat for those.

Something came up first though. Amber's big round ears twitched and she put a finger on her lips to shush the cat. Mallory knew what that meant and promptly quieted down. After a second of careful listening Amber pointed. "Something over t-t-there."

Mallory nodded, stalking off in the indicated direction as quietly as she could, with Amber following closely behind. Then she saw it. A plump rabbit, much bigger than the squirrels she usually caught. A real treat. She put out an arm to stop the mouse and started on her spell again.

A deep breath, in, out. Feel the energy in the plants, in the ground. In the open air. All of it left behind by the moon. Open her senses, open her mind. Feel the well of power inside of her. Connect the power inside and outside, let it flow. Focus it in front of her body. Feel the intent, focus on the target, give it direction, and now, "Fletxa!"

The glowing red arrow sped forth silently, gaining speed until it hit its target, neatly piercing the skull. The rabbit didn't even know it was being targeted before it was dead. Amber was amazed.

"Wow, that was incredible! How did you m-m-maintain that spell over such a distance! Who trained you? Was that more your power or latent? Or do you have a mana crystal?" She chittered on, not giving Mallory any time to actually answer.

Mallory meanwhile was only focused on dinner. She was almost jogging to that rabbit carcass with a huge smile on her face. She just shrugged at Amber's questions, but was clearly enjoying the attention. "I dunno, I just kinda do it. They taught me at... at where I was before. I've always been good at it."

They'd rarely ever given her praise at the church, only punishment when she did wrong. Even her profound natural ability was talked about exclusively in hushed tones to avoid giving her any ideas. To have someone so openly impressed felt nice.

"Where were you at b-b-before?" Amber asked and the smile fell off of Mallory's face like a rock. Amber realized her mistake quickly. She wouldn't want people prying into her past either. "Y-you don't h-h-have to talk about it if you don't want to." She clarified.

Mallory was glad to have the way out of the question. "Maybe later", she replied, picking up the rabbit carcass seemingly without concern for the blood or mess. Amber recoiled a bit, but her hunger kept her around. "Can you light a fire?" Mallory asked her. Amber shook her head no. "Well uh, want to gather some wood then? I'll get this ready. And don't get lost!"

---

"Yeah, there were some mushrooms too." Amber reminisced. "I think I would have starved if I hadn't run into Mal then." Mallory nodded in agreement.

"You were like, paper-thin. If you hadn't starved you might have blown away!" Mallory chuckled at her joke. "That rabbit was good though. Really fatty, which was great after those tough squirrels. I think you could have eaten three of them on your own!"

Amber laughed. "Yeah probably. But if you hadn't found me you would have been lost in these woods forever."

"So would you!" Mallory quickly countered.

---

Amber and Mallory devoured the unseasoned rabbit and the mushrooms alike in the light of their campfire. Tearing into them as soon as they were cooked, not caring about manners or cleanliness. Mallory would have eaten even more, but decided it would be better to give the larger portion to the mouse. She seemed very grateful for that.

"Do y'know any magic?" Mallory asked, gesturing to the cuffs that Amber had on her wrists. They looked like the kind that her old owners had put on her back at the church to restrict her magic as a punishment. She'd HATED that, losing her magic was like cutting off a limb.

"Well, some. I h-h-had to for my job. I'm not actually very strong, but I know a lot of s-s-spells." Amber tried to hide her hands, pull them away so Mallory couldn't see.

"I think I could get those off", Mallory offered, "I broke a pair once. But I gotta spell that might do it better."

Amber's eyes lit up. "Could you? Oh my Goddess that would be amazing!" Her initial reaction was quickly tempered though. Something was bothering her. "B-b-but just, uh, be prepared. I g-g-got some i-i-injuries there."

"Thas fine. Bring 'em here." Mallory gestured for her to come closer. Amber scooted towards her and presented her wrists. Mal could notice a bit of scarring underneath, but she was mostly focused on the metal. "Alright, I think I can. But you'll have to hold completely still, got it?"

Amber nodded quickly, bracing herself. "I'm ready."

Mal grabbed a firm hold of one of Amber's hands and took a breath. Concentrate. Focus. "Ummese", she chanted, and a glowing red blade sprang to life in her hand. It looked similar to the arrow from earlier in color and brightness, but the shape was like a slender chef's knife.

Amber couldn't help but jump back at that, then quickly calmed herself. This cat had only helped her so far. There was no reason to think she'd stop now.

Mallory was careful with the blade. Sliding it to the cuff, the magic sparked and shuddered when it met the metal. Mal put in a bit more power and it regained its shape and firmness. Slowly she worked to cut through the side opposite from the hinge, careful to not so much as nick the mouse.

Inch by painstaking inch she cut until, finally, it popped open, falling to the ground with a metal clang. Mallory let the knife fade away, smiling. Until she saw the mouse's wrist that was.

It was bad. The warning hadn't really prepared her for the deep, vicious-looking scars that went all the way around the mouse's wrist. It seemed fairly recent too. Amber was overjoyed to be free until she saw Mallory's face. She quickly hid her wrist after that

"Let's get the other one off too", Mallory suggested. A quick subject change to relieve the tension. Amber just nodded, holding out her other arm. Having let the spell break, Mallory had to concentrate again before bringing it back to life with that same chant of, "Ummese".

She knew what to expect from the metal this time, so Mallory made the cut a bit faster. The same freeing clang marked that Amber's magic was completely unlocked again. The mouse promptly made a little light that danced around her fingers playfully to test it out, but quickly extinguished it and went to hiding both of her wrists.

"Your owners before did that, right?" Mallory asked. Amber nodded a tiny little nod. "I understand. Here, look." Mal turned around, then pulled up her shirt. Her back was covered in a lattice of whip marks. Spaced at random intervals like whoever made them was more concerned with cruelty than artistry. Between all her different teachers at the Church, she felt like there hadn't been a single day when she hadn't been whipped.

"C-c-can I feel them?" Amber asked. The request caught Mal a little off guard, but she nodded her approval. Amber reached forward and soon the mouse's gentle touch trailed down the cat's back, making her shiver. No one had ever touched her like that before. So softly, so gently.

"I messed up a c-c-crystal seed. It was slow growing too, so they didn't find out u-u-until a month later. F-f-for wasting that time and those i-i-ingredients they started whipping me." Amber explained as her hands drifted over Mallory's back this way and that. "I c-c-c-couldn't take it. I used magic to deflect one of the blows."

Mallory knew not to do that from experience. Any attempt to escape a punishment would only result in it being redoubled, or worse. Amber continued, "T-t-that was a m-m-mistake. They REALLY didn't like that. So they took those cuffs, heated them up red h-h-hot and forced them on my wrists."

Mallory cringed when she heard that. She'd had her own share of tortures, but that still sounded extraordinarily awful. Taking away her magic and injuring her in one move, it was truly cruel. "Is that why ya' decided to run?"

"It was the final s-s-straw. Julian and I had been working on a way to escape for a while, but after that w-w-we hurried it up. I w-w-wish he could have come with." Amber's face had a wistful expression as she mentioned him.

"Did he stay behind?" Mallory turned to face Amber now, not bothering to put her shirt back into place. The soft white fur of her belly seemed to distract the mouse quite a bit.

"N-n-not quite. We both got out, but he wanted to stay around town to continue h-h-his research. I wanted to go somewhere s-s-safer. With other former slaves." Mallory had a suspicion she knew where Amber was talking about.

One more question though. "Did ya love him?", Mallory asked softly.

Amber bobbed her head side to side. "N-n-not like that. As a brother yes. B-b-but I don't really, uh, l-l-like guys l-l-like that." Her stutter seemed worse when she was nervous to talk about something.

That information greatly interested Mallory. She smiled a little, relating to Amber's attractions. She had often felt the same way, even if she never had a chance to act upon it. "I gotcha. Say, are you looking for a place called uh, Sa Lelin? I think that's it. That's what I've been after."

Amber's face brightened immediately, her big ears perking up. "Se Lalin! The Moon Sisters! Yeah! Do you know them?"

Mallory felt a bit guilty seeing how excited she got. She didn't have much actual information. "I mean, I heard of 'em. One of the good ones at the church gave me a piece of paper and told me stuff but I, uh, I dunno how to..." Mallory's words trailed off.

"Sorry, what was that? S-s-speak up a bit." Amber asked. The still night air of their camp couldn't exactly be blamed for obscuring things. It was Mallory who was avoiding saying something.

"I uh, well I don't exactly know how to uh. Read. They only made me train magic and I..." Mallory scratched the back of her head sheepishly. It wasn't terribly uncommon for a slave to be illiterate, but everybody else at the church had been.

"M-Mallory. That's fine. We can only know what we're taught. I know h-h-how to read, maybe I can teach you some. But can you give me that p-p-paper for now?" Amber reached out towards Mal, not hiding her wrists as much anymore.

"Yeh sure!", Mallory said, rummaging a bit in her pack. She pulled out a piece of paper that was a bit wrinkled, but still legible.

"Let's see... all equal, all welcome, no slavery, magic freely allowed, yeah yeah, knew that part. Let those whose desire is pure follow the... arrow of the heart? W-w-what does that mean?" Amber seemed to stutter much less when reading something. "S-s-some kind of riddle?"

"I know the arrow spell, I used it earlier. Heart is uh, Cor, right? Maybe Fletxa Cor would work?" Mallory was really getting into this part of it.

Amber shook her head violently. "No way! That would probably shoot an arrow a-a-at a heart! Maybe uh, Fletxa de Cor? That might still do it though..."

"Uh, sure. I dunno what the difference is really, but if you say so." Mallory shrugged.

"I don't know, untested spells can be d-dangerous. But I guess you could g-g-give it a try." Amber seemed excited too, but was trying to temper her own expectations in case it didn't work.

"Well if ya say so." Mallory took a breath. She wanted more than anything to live there if it was even half as good as promised. "Fletxa de Cor!", she enchanted. The same red arrow as before appeared, but this time it didn't shoot off. Instead, it appeared to bob like it was floating in water, slowly turning. Eventually it stopped, pointing in one direction. Amber and Mallory turned to stare at each other.

"Think that's the way?" Mallory asked with more than just a hint of trepidation in her voice. She didn't want to get too excited in case it wasn't.

"I don't have a-a-any better idea. I've probably just been going in circles anyways. W-w-we're probably safer together too." Considering how starved Amber was, she had many good reasons to want to stay with Mallory.

Mallory wasn't going to point that out though, it would be mean. And without Amber knowing how to read and being better at making spells than her she'd be either lost or dead herself. "Yeah, you seem nice." Mallory shuffled around a little on her seat. She felt kind of awkward asking for this next part, but she wanted it.

"Could ya, I mean, if you want to, I won't force you, but maybe uh, touch my back again all gentle like? It felt nice." Her tail twitched about in nervousness as she asked, and she couldn't seem to maintain eye contact with the mouse. The ground here must be very interesting.

Despite the obvious signs of nervousness, Amber smiled at her just as warmly. "I would like that. Y-y-you're kind of cute, you know?" Amber was about as nervous to say that as Mallory had been to ask her for that touch in the first place.

Luckily it was also well received. Mallory smiled at one of the first genuine compliments she'd ever known. Turning her back to the mouse, she took off her shirt completely this time. Amber liked that a lot. She reached forward, using both of her hands to lightly trace those scars up and down, back and forth. A gentle brush over all those places Mallory couldn't easily reach on her own.

"You're pretty cute too." Mallory finally replied. She felt something she hadn't in a long time. A purr starting to form in her chest. A soft rumble that Amber found absolutely adorable.

They stayed like that for a while, Mallory purring, Amber petting. For once they were both warm and fed and somewhat safe. Even if there was a long journey ahead of them they knew that they had each other.

---

"OOOOOH, we're off on a secret mission~! We've got us a secret plan! We're goin' to slay the crusader~, as quietly as we can!" Alex strummed his lute, having picked it up as soon as Amber moved out of reach to grab more firewood. She would not have appreciated his musicality, but Mallory always loved it.

He slowed his strumming a bit, humming the melody for one more bar before he asked Mal a question. "You and Amber were a thing for quite a while. Did that start right away or was it later?"

Mallory sighed happily as she smiled, remembering it fondly. "Oh no, that was right away. I think we had both been mistreated for so long that as soon as we found someone nice we couldn't stay away."

Amber came back with some firewood and shot a withering glare at Alex and his lute. She didn't keep it up long though. She wasn't actually that upset. "Years of repression might have had us a little pent up. And you know how nice cat tongues are!"

"Hey!" Mallory stuck her tongue out at Amber's lewd comment.

"What, it's not like he doesn't know. But yeah, we couldn't keep our paws off of each other at first."

---

Continued in Chapter 5, Remembering Pt. 2.