FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It didn't take long for Kaya to start getting into her sparring match against James. Ty noticed something after an hour. James was huffing for air while Kaya stood in front of him, barely even breathing hard. That fact made Ty look to the blacksmith.

"Interesting girl," the bull said, his brow furrowing in front of his horns. "You never carry her on your shoulders, do you?" he asked.

"No," Ty replied, watching James swing low with a wooden sword. Ty saw the boy falter, stepping just slightly off to the right, causing him to slip on the grass. "I met her only three days ago."

The bull turned to him, crossing his arms. "You did not kidnap her did you?" The bull growled.

"No," Ty replied, looking the bull in the eyes. "I stopped an alpha from... well, use your imagination. I just wanted to get through that alleyway and the snide bastard was just going to stand there, so I knocked him out. She's been following me since. Still has to talk, yet."

"Hmm. Well, I best be getting back to the forge," the bull said, turning to the door. "I'll have that spear ready come morning."

"Kaya," Ty called as she pressed the tip of the wooden spear to James's throat. "That's enough for now. We need to head to the tavern. Let James rest a bit, then you can practice more, assuming he wants to."

"Sure!" James huffed, smiling. "Been a few months since anyone has beaten me. Uh, aren't you the least bit tired?"

Kaya looked the boy over, and then shook her head. Ty stood, kneeling for a moment to take the wooden spear, which he immediately threw into the crate it had come from. Kaya looked up at Ty for a moment and Ty looked down, having one thought as he looked into the ice blue eyes of the wolf. What am I supposed to do?

The two of them walked quietly across the street to the tavern. As Ty pushed the door open, a tigress stepped in front of him saying, "Welcome, and what may we offer you today?"

Ty looked into her eyes, seeing something... broken. "Do you have a room with two beds?" Ty asked, watching the tigress's golden eyes. She scribbled something down on a sheet of paper and turned away.

"Ah. More customers!" A grotesque looking boar yelled around the customers. Covered in grease, and looking like he had just finished rolling in a sand pit, he walked directly up to the tigress, grinning with disgustingly rotted teeth. She handed him the pad of papers that she held, moving to stand behind him.

That was the moment. That was the exact second when Ty noticed the collar around her neck. Among all the creatures in the world, the collar was a degrading object. It symbolized ownership above all else. The fact that a tiger wore one disgusted him to his very core.

"A room for two, eh?" the boar said, looking to the tigress. "Prepare it immediately."

"And would you mind if she stayed a while?" Ty asked the boar, hoping the disgusting thing would not be able read his expression.

"Eh? A dominant one, I see. Very well," the boar sneered. "That will be an extra coin onto the three for the room."

"Fair enough," Ty grunted out, trying to sound at least somewhat grateful. The boar was, thankfully, oblivious. The tigress seemed to brighten slightly. Although subtle, the apprehension in her eyes spoke volumes.

Tigers were naturally reclusive, prideful, nocturnal, and violent. This woman had almost none of that. If Ty had to guess by the way she held herself, he would guess it was beaten out of her. That reclusive attitude, though, made it very difficult for outsiders to read tigers.

Later, Ty found himself in a well decorated room, where the tigress laid down on one of the beds. The way she felt at it seemed to indicate that she was rarely allowed to sleep on one. He cared little for the decorations, paying no mind after seeing the red, silk drapes. "Do you have a name?" Ty demanded.

The tigress looked up at him, briefly looking worried before she sat up. After a moment she weakly answered, "My name is... Feria."

"Feria, how badly do you want to get away from here?" Ty asked, looking to Kaya.

Feria looked at the silent girl as well, seeing the young wolf's confusion on her face. "I would take my own life if I believed it would end my pain, but you and I both know the fate of a coward's soul."

Indeed. According to myth, any soul cast adrift in an act of cowardice will forever roam the earth, unable to interact with the rest of the world. You will always remember, seeing how everyone else lives on, that you were a weak. "Then would you be against my purchasing you?" Ty asked her, looking to the floor between his feet. After uttering those words, he felt as though he would vomit.

Feria sat quietly for a while before she answered. "I doubt you could afford the price. Garr set his price at four-hundred twenty-five coins."

Ty did the occasional odd job as a mercenary, whenever someone was willing to pay. In two years, he had accumulated over five thousand "coins", as everyone called them. They have a name. They are really called "Jems", after the prince who designed them, Prince Jemison. "You might think," Ty said, looking up at her. "But as the best at what I do, I get paid well."

For a moment, Ty looked over the tigress's body. She was fit, though not necessarily healthy. She seemed to have given up all hope. The clothes she wore consisted of a very revealing top and a pair of tight fitting shorts, leaving little to the imagination. "Like it?" the tigress asked, looking away as her ears began turning a bright red.

Ty sighed, and asked, "Did he make you do what I believe he did?"

Under law, if a slave refused to follow orders given to them, their owner had the right to torture them any way they saw fit, so long as it never left a scar. Until that slave refused, however, they were untouchable. "Yes," Feria choked out, tears coming to her face. Kaya walked forward, climbed onto the bed, and curled up against Feria's side. For a moment, the tigress hesitated, but reached an arm around the tiny wolf.

Ty let out low growl for a moment, be he looked at the sack he kept against his left hip, at all times, that was filled with every coin he had earned. That tigers had size and strength advantages on most animals made it easy for him to carry that much. The trick was making a sack that could hold it. In the end, it took three layers of leather from a feral bear. "I want to talk to this Garr."

Feria stared at Ty as she stood behind Garr. It was easy for Ty to imagine what emotion might be going through her mind. "You want to buy this slave?" Garr asked incredulously. "I must admit, I never thought anyone would come through who had the money to afford her. I wonder... did you even hear my price?"

"I did," Ty said, intentionally keeping his sentences short, so as not to say anything that might anger the boar.

"And you still believe you can afford it?" Garr continued, incredulity written in every feature of his unclean face.

Ty used one hand to untie the sack on his hip. The second he set it on the table, Garr just about fainted. The second the tiger opened the sack, he did. Feria quickly ran through the door behind where Garr had fallen from his chair, coming back with a bowl of water and a cloth. Dabbing at Garr's forehead for a few moments, she waited to hear a groan come from the disgusting pig. After which she set the bowl aside and helped him up.

During all of that, Ty had begun counting, making the boar gasp at the stacks of ten before him. As he watched the tiger stack the coins, Garr was counting. Ty got to forty-two piles of ten, and picked out five more coins to set before Garr's wide eyes. "I believe that was the promised price," Ty growled at the pig, who looked into the pools of brown that seemed to threaten his very soul's existence, making him think twice about crossing the large warrior.

"And by law, all you need to do is sign here," Garr said handing over the bill of sale. Ty skimmed over the paper to make sure, and grabbed the quill from the ink jar, scribbling his signature onto the line at the bottom.

"Feria," Ty said, pointing to the office door behind him, and tying his leather coin sack closed. After Ty tied the sack to his hip, Garr leaned onto the desk to collect his payment. Life on the road had taught Ty a very important lesson. Never trust a soul. As such, the instant Garr leaned over the desk; Ty buried his axe in its surface, just missing the boar's head. "I will only say this once. This is a legitimate sale. If I even hear a breath from a guard saying I stole this slave from you, I will have your head."

The boar started sweating as he watched his reflection in the axe head. "Understood," he squeaked. A second after he said that, Ty picked up his axe, slipping it back into its holster by his right hip, opposite the coin sack. Finally he nodded to the terrified boar, turned, and walked out.

The second Ty stepped out, Feria sighed in relief. "One night, correct?" she asked, looking up, the three inches between her and Ty, who nodded in reply.

"Hey Feria," A drunk lion said, strolling up. "Hows abot 'nother nighd?"

"She is no longer Garr's slave," Ty growled at the lion.

"Eh?" The lion started, confused. "en whor you?"

"Her new owner," Ty said, wincing slightly. Again, he felt the urge to vomit. Feria noticed the wince, herself, obviously surprised by it.

"You?" the lion gasped, sobering up, slightly. "You mus' bey rich!"

"Did ah hear that right?" A lean coyote asked from behind the bar, with a strange drawl. Ty saw a collar on her too, and watched for a moment while she finished mixing a drink. "Is it true, Feria? Are you really leaving?"

Feria nodded, looking to Ty. "We have the time, and I want to say goodbye."

Ty nodded, seeing her golden eyes lighting up. "Well, shoot, dear! This one looks like a keeper, and if he comes back alone, I might just take him!" The bartender yelled.

"Carly!" Feria hissed, looking around. She quickly jumped over the bar, dragging the brown-furred woman down behind it. Ty sat down and listened in. "This man is different from the others!"

"Oh ah can see that, sugar!" Carly whispered back. "Not many other tigers around down here."

"You know I hate it when you talk like this," Feria whispered back, painfully. "No. Did you see the little wolf girl that follows him around?"

"The slave?" Carly asked. "What about her?"

"She is no slave!" Feria whispered back.

Ty looked at Kaya, who was pulling herself onto the stool beside his. For a moment, the pair grew quiet, and then they stood, gripping each other's forearms, which was interesting given the one foot difference in height and the stark difference in build. They let go, once they were standing. Carly leaned over the bar; showing off her breasts to the entire world, and whispered, "Well, what do you know...?"