FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 9: no going back now

Fen left the airport yawning. He wasn't sure how he had fallen asleep in that plane. He really hated flying. He stretched and hailed a cab to take him to the edge of the forest; from there he would have a day's walk to get to the tribe; and his mate. The walk was quiet but it seemed to pass by quickly. He arrived at the tribe right as the sun began to set; making the forest seem like it was bleeding the red orange light. As he neared the tribe, he could immediately tell something was wrong. The dragons were tense and they eyed him warily. He went to Embereye's hut quickly.

"Embereye's what's going on?" he asked once he was inside. She looked at him and sighed.

"Rorick got a message to the wolf clans. They know your secret and they know you're here. They are attacking us."

"Both of them?" Fen asked incredulously

"Yes. I'm glad you are here; we will need you to tell us rising sun strategies. We cannot blindly fight two clans at once."

"And Reist is informing you on the crescent moons?" Fen said. The red dragoness blinked

"He isn't with you?" she said surprised

"No, I lost him at the airport so I thought he came home... I have to go back" fen said turning to leave.

"Feraltooth, if you leave us now, we very well may be eradicated. We are not very numerous. Even with your help we may have to move ahead of schedule. " Fen turned around, his ears drooping

"He's gone isn't he..." he said flatly. The Chieftain stood up and placed a hand on the black wolf's shoulder.

"He's only gone when you forget him" she said softly. Fen hugged her and broke down crying. Embereyes held him to her, and rubbed his head slowly. His sobs quieted down eventually and he spoke with a shaky voice.

"I'll help you fight." He said. He blamed the Clans for all of this. And he would make them pay.

"For now, sleep. Tomorrow, you, frost foot, Fearstriker, and I will discuss battle plans."

"So Frostfoot was found then? That's good at least..." Fen said before going to his hut. There was still a little stain from where he and Reist had mated. He curled up and cried again; this time until he fell asleep. It wasn't so much a cry, as it was just tears sliding down his face. He was going to make the clans pay for this.

"The Rising suns aren't really much for sneaky tactics" Fen said. "If they're attacking something, they're just going to do it head on. The easiest way to deal with them is just build traps and ambushes. And if I know my clan, if they see a crescent moon, then they'll attack him or her too. So this is a free for all. "

"Can you tell us anything about the crescent moon style? Anything at all?" Fearstriker asked. He was a heavyset brown dragon. There was a scar running down the side of his face that distorted his features. Fen could understand the name.

"If the stories we were told as cubs bear any truth; then they play assassination games. So don't go anywhere alone." The wolf said

"Frostfoot and Feraltooth, I'm naming you two commanders in this battle. You will answer to Fearstriker. I will oversee the moving preparations." She said. "Talk to each other and come up with a plan." She finished, walking away.

"Well." Fearstriker began "I'm thinking I'll head an aerial assault. Feraltooth I want you to be head of the guys on the crescent side. Frostfoot, you take the rising suns."

"Why not the other way around?" Frostfoot asked. "Feraltooth IS the expert on the rising suns after all."

"If there must be a battle, I'll not make him fight his own brethren." Fearstriker said. "Now, when this goes down it will be up to you guys to take out the archers."

They spoke about different strategies for different situations well into the sunset. After night had fallen, Embereye's called everyone to the center of the village. Fen looked at the unlit fire pit. The first time he had been here; it had been so happy and energetic. Now it was quiet and somber. Everyone looked serious. There were no smiles.

"We stand here in a situation we have never found ourselves in before. We are under attack. The clans want the deaths of our new family members, Feraltooth and Strongheart. We shall defend our family like we defend our own lives. The fight here is so much deeper than an ignorance of rules; the clans are convinced they are allowed to control whom one falls in love with. So we now find ourselves defending not only our family; but the very right to love." When Embereyes finished speaking she looked over her tribe. Her eyes ended on Fen. He had the realization that anyone who died would be on him. "Now everyone get some sleep. Relocation preparations begin tomorrow. And so does our war." The clans were not much for waiting when it came to attacking. This would be quick, brutal, and soon. The night seemed to last half the time it should've. The sun wasn't even awake when Fen sat up. He could've sworn he smelled something. He sniffed the air curiously and then sprang to his feet snarling. He grabbed his sword and stepped outside carefully. There were crescents in the area he reared his head back and howled as loud as he could to alert everyone. Unfortunately for him it also told the wolves where he was. A volley of arrows headed his way. Only two of them hit him. One went through his foot and buried into the ground, the other hit his shoulder. He howled again, his time in pain, and fell to the ground. But the dragons were up and he caught sight of the white furred crescents running into the refuge of the shaded trees. His next door neighbors Treesong and rainstorm crouched next to him. He was clutching the arrow shaft protruding from his shoulder.

"Damn." Treesong said softly. "Go get Miracleclaw"

"Who?" Fen said as Rainstorm bolted off

"Tribe medic. He'll help you. Do you think you could stand?"

"The arrow in my foot is pinning me down." Fen said. He pulled lightly and exhaled through his teeth. "It's not moving." Treesong mouthed something, it looked like a swear word to Fen. The two were silent for the next minute; then Miracleclaw ran up, along with a panting Rainstorm. He was a short and portly black dragon with kind blue eyes. He examined the arrow in Fen's foot for a moment before he flapped his hands at Treesong.

"What? What does that me-" Fen was cut off by Treesong smacking him hard with her tail on the back of his head.

"What was THAT for??" Rainstorm exclaimed.

"Taking this out is going to hurt; best he is unconscious for it." Miracleclaw said grimly grabbing what little arrow shaft he could. He gritted his teeth and yanked. "Take him to my tent so I can take out any splinters." The dragon said tossing the arrow aside.

"What are we going to do? Without Feraltooth on the field we'll be next to blind" Fearstriker said.

"We only need to defend, not attack. I will hasten the packing as much as I can but we shall have to deal." Embereyes said worried. Her tribe had never had need to fight. She had practiced a friendly pacifism just has her mother before her and her father before that. But neither of them had ever had a tribe member threatened. Maybe letting these wolves join them had been a bad choice. Her ancestors had never let someone join but they had never really faced a situation where they would. No one ever really asked to join. Have I brought about the end of my tribe by inviting in these wolves? She sighed and looked over at Frostfoot; he was curled up in a chair. I certainly hope not.

_ _ "We can hold them off long enough to get away." Frostfoot said confidently. Embereyes looked at him then back to Fearstriker.

"That'll be enough. Tell everyone to go back to sleep. Set up a sentry. We'll...defend in full force until we can leave."

Fen woke up the next morning (a few hours later) in Miracleclaw's tent. His shoulder and foot were heavily bandaged. He sat up and groaned as his shoulder screamed at him.

"You shouldn't move too much" miracleclaw said. Fen hadn't even noticed him. "You're out of the battle. With that foot you won't be walking for at least two weeks. We'll be gone by then. Or dead." He said. Was that bitterness in his voice?

"So I stay here?" Fen asked

"Yes. Unless you want to go back where you came from." The dragon said. He froze for a second, like he just realized he said it out loud. "My apologies Feraltooth. I just hope that all of my loved ones don't die over someone I barely know."

"I understand" Fen said looking down "I hope the same." He said quietly and laid back down slowly thinking about Reist. Where could he be...?

Fearstriker and 5 other dragons flew in a tight formation around the camp. keeping eyes out for any sign of a wolf. Frostfoot had another, larger squad on the ground patrolling a perimeter around the tribe, about a half mile away from the most outside tent. After about an hour, Fearstriker and his five switched out with another group so they could rest a little bit. He had been sitting for 17 minutes when he heard the horn blaring. It's begun. All of the resting dragons and the ones who had yet to have a turn on flight patrol took off. The horn blared again, and the dragons shot off in that direction. There was a LOT of wolves down there. More than Fearstriker had expected. There were crescents and Suns.

"Fuck." He muttered. So much for the Aerial defense. Frost foot needs all the help he can get. "Everyone down there now!" he shouted and folded his wings, dropping out of the sky. His legion followed. He landed on top of a white wolf, he felt something snap under his feet. Without wasting a beat he pulled his sword and attacked the nearest furred creature, this one was black. As more dragons dropped out of the sky the battle became more matched. It was obvious that the Crescents and Suns were not working together, as Fearstriker had feared for a moment. This was a three way battle. He downed one wolf and turned to see a gray downing a brown. He fought his way over to frostfoot, receiving a few cuts but nothing serious. Frostfoot had a bleeding slash on his left arm but he was holding his own. The battle lasted a few hours before the dragons had to begin to pull back. The Suns were decimating the crescents and the Fearstriker could recognize a massacre waiting to happen. Luckily taking a camp down didn't take nearly as long as it did to put it up.

"Get back to camp; help take it down." Fearstriker said to the nearest dragon. The message started to spread. While the suns continued to fight their rival clan, the dragons retreated to the camp. It was almost done and with all of them working it was down in the next couple of hours. The injured dragons were carried by the able ones, as was Fen, and for the first time ever; the dragon tribe ran away from a camp site.

Reist

2 months later

Reist pushed his way through the forest panting. HE was elated. He had made it back to the Forest before the end of the Season. He looked up at the sky, it was midday. He was almost there. He had almost felt bad leaving Trick at the circus but Fen was waiting for him. And now that trick had his own act, he could manage on his own. Reist resisted the urge to run through the trees screaming for his mate, but he did pick up the pace. Finally, he got to the camp. The empty, camp. He blinked in confusion and sniffed the air. This was the place, but the dragon scent was stale and almost gone. That couldn't be right. He walked through the camp site and then longer. Then he found the battle ground. He shook his head and tears ran down his face. There were many many corpses. He sprinted back to the campsite and screamed out for Fen. He HAD to be there. He had to be... someone moved in the bushes and he turned beaming. His beam turned to a mask of horror as he saw Rorick sprinting towards him. He turned tail and ran, nearly smashing into Brute. Impossible! He thought. The horse grabbed him and Rorick's fist smashed into Reist's snout. The Caught wolf blinked several times, seeing stars.

"You? How?" he sputtered out, bleeding from the mouth

"We figured you might try to run back home. Or to the dragons. So we waited for a while. And here you are. Of course we had to be careful. The Crescent moon clan was almost destroyed. The Rising sun clan is everywhere. But we made it." Rorick said gloating

"Now where is that fox." Brute demanded, twisting Reist arm behind his back. The wolf yelped out in pain and fell to his knees

"Fuck you" he said glaring. Brute shoved him down

"I just might if you don't tell me where he is!!" the horse threatened.

"Who goes there?" said a third voice. A group of black and brown wolves entered into site.

"Damn." Rorick mumbled. Rising suns. Reist saw his chance and bolted. Rorick and Brute followed him; halfway chasing him and halfway running for their own safety.

"I'm never going to stop chasing you!" Brute shouted, starting to fall behind. "Not until I have a fur coat made from you and that damn fox!"

"Get the slower wolf!" Reist heard one of the Rising suns shout. They were referring to Rorick. The gray wolf shouted out as his leg was speared through and he fell. The rising suns were on him and he was gone. Reist felt a small feeling of joy when he heard Rorick's death yelp. After all that trouble... then he remembered brute still hot on his trail. He sprinted as fast as he good and took a sudden turn, finally losing the horse. He fell with is back to a large tree trunk, panting hard. Fen was gone. He felt numb. After being away for so long, he had gotten used to not seeing him. But that was with the expectation of seeing him again. What am I going to do now? He thought for a moment, before deciding to rejoin the circus. He was never going to see Fen again......

The end?