Furry Art Pile

** Furegon Chapter 2**

*Eve*

Awoken from a light sleep with a start, as a leaf falls from the tree and brushes across her leg her eyes flick open. Eve sat up and dusted herself off looking up at the oak tree she decided to rest under, “I should get home” she said to herself. Getting up and straitening her Skirt, Eve

looked at her watch 5:34p “Better Hurry” Eve thought and started on her way home. It was a pleasant walk along a curvy dirt path she has walked countless times. Eve was walking home from school she was enrolled in the White Claw guild a Magic school. The school was a small one as were most magic guilds on Furegon. For three seasons now Eve has been going to guild to learn spell crafting and the use of magic. Now magic for most of us is a dream and fantasy but for Eve it was a reality she was just realizing.

Along Eve’s way home she saw a herd of wild horses which scattered as soon as they detected her presence. Horses are a Human import brought with them on their colony ships. Soon Eve saw her home in the distance settled in a small grassy glade with several small willow trees. Eve’s home was a clay dome house buried into the ground and covered in grass and sod. Eve could see her Sister Lori playing in the grass, Lori was six years of age and quite the handful if you asked Eve. Lori Saw Eve walking up and ran inside to tell her mom, Eve just shook her head and smiled. Lori was in that telling all age so she ran to tell her mom that Eve was home. Eve walked in the front door, a large oval ash wood door with brass embellishments.

“Mom I’m home!” Eve announced to her mom who she found walking toward her “And where have you been, Young Lady!?” Eve’s mother asked half demanding. “I was enjoying my walk home and kind of lost track of time mom.” Eve replied, “Well next time check your watch, I swear Eve” “Oh Well, your dinners ready, come and eat” added Eve’s Mom and turned to go back to the kitchen, stopping in mid turn “Oh and Eve wash your paws please” she added. “Yes mom” Eve returned tho she always washed her paws it was her sister Lori who was the constant mess.

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Eve walked to her room to drop off her guild work, a bunch of musty old books and scrolls on all the latest spell shortcuts. Long ago when men learned magic from the Elves they had to do elaborate body gestures and incantations to work magic. True purist mages keep to the ancient ways and in truth their magic is much stronger but takes decades to master the basic spells and a mortal’s lifetime to master the Grander spells. Thus this is why the Elves are the greatest mages, Eve’s magic was a kind of magic shorthand.

Eve placed her books and scrolls on her desk, a small oak desk with a fine oak chair engraved with flowers and a space in the back rest for her long bushy tail to fit through. The desk was littered with spell notes and ink quills most of which made from Dark Urchins from the black sea. Dinner was a fine meal, her mother was a very fine cook. Foxes in the past didn’t always cook, it was a human trait adopted for health reasons. Lori was fidgeting in her seat, “Mom I’m full” Lori whined as Eve got up to take her plate and glass to the kitchen. Eve’s mom was a beauty to behold as were most foxes in their prime, her fur was a deep orange red with orange yellow highlights with a white under fur and black socks on her forearms and calves, with long flowing amber hair. Eve was just as radiant as her mother but still young and still not yet reaching her prime. Lori was an orange/brown taking more from her father. Now Eve’s father was a Brown furred fox with tan undercoat and white socks on his paws and hands. Eve’s father worked at the guild as a physical combat instructor and was often gone for days on exhibitions for other guilds and tournaments.

Eve went to her room and watched the news on her bedroom mirror. She made a quick gesture and the reflective glass is fills with the local news as if on a video screen. The news was the same as any other day, stories about government and Entertainers with the unfortunate tragic story here and there. Eve grabbed her notebook, a fine old leather bound book splashed with the stains that come from being a well loved book. “Time to get some work done” She thought to herself grabbing a quill and wetting it on her tongue and making her self comfy on her bed. Eve had been given a challenge for her final exam, she has to come up with a new spell that involves everything she learned this year about Terra Magic. Terra Magic is the magic which focuses its power

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Mainly to shape and move earth. Powerful earth mages have been known to create entire dams and ravines with a single spell. Eve could make very decent stone and clay sculptures but nothing of what could be considered large proportions. Eve had a talent for the healing and Animal magic’s which focused on Curative spells and animal speech and charms. Eve’s mother didn’t know how to cast magic but gathered the basic principals from her husband and daughter, she made sure Eve was attending the guild for she wanted her daughter to have the best chance at training she can get.

Eve was deep in thought and wasn’t watching the news anymore, with her attention elsewhere the charm lapsed, She didn’t notice Lori walk in. “Eve, what you doing?” Lori asked as she made herself home and sat in the chair at Eve’s desk. “Oh nothing much just working on homework” Eve replied and looked up closing her notebook and setting it next to her on the bed. “So what have you been up to all day?” Eve asked as she grabbed one of her sculptures she had made in past lessons. The sculpture was of a small fox girl in mid step shaped from a piece of marble standing about eight inches. Lori’s eyes were glued to the statue, she loved watching Eve practice her craft and wished she could start at the guild, but they have an age limit of 20 due to the taxing requirements. “I found a frog today, oh and Mom and I went and saw Mrs. Frizzle Fur. She was making cookies and I got to help.” Lori replied and paused. “Oh yeah Dad sent a letter, it’s in the den.” Lori went on to say.

“I want to read it” Eve said as she placed the statue of the fox girl in front of Lori and making a few gestures and a quick incantation the statue sprung to life With a pale blue glow that announces the spells effect. “Ohhh” Lori gasped as the statue started to move and come to life, Eve took the moment that Lori was distracted to go get her father’s letter so she could see it. Eve saw her mother outside from the living den area, she was in the garden. Eve came back to her room and saw Lori having a conversation with the statue, Magic when used to animate an object typically is granted a semi sentience which can often be mistaken for actual life. Eve just smiled to herself and sat on the bed and opened the letter, the Letter opens and the starts playing on the page. *quick note: Letters are small foldable video screens introduced by the humans and manufactured so cheaply and effectively

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They replaced common paper for letters, they’re actually powered by ones own bio electric fields.*

The letter plays on as follows, “Hi Hun, Hey baby girls” Waves a large muscular brown fox standing in a heavily manicured garden courtyard. “Well I made it to the school and had a chance to check out Charvallis” He paused, “I will be home in two days and yes I got you something.” The camera zooms in to the fox’s face and muzzle, “I miss you all and send my love.” Zooming out, “See you all in a few days, be good you two” Pointing into the camera, the fox waves and the video flickers and ends displaying the mail service logo and website info. Eve sighed as it ends, “These things are never long enough” Eve said “I know, wonder what Dad got us?” Lori Replied.

“Remember when he got you that pet Fuzkin?” Eve half laughed. “Yeah he didn’t tell me only males glow and I was watching it for almost two days before you told me” Lori stated. *Note: Fuzkins are biogenetically engineered pets, kind of resembling a Furby but cuter and very playful. Fuzkins come in so many colors and various sizes from palm size to small dog, The Male Fuzkin glows when it purrs an added trait. Humans engineered Fuzkins long ago when they were just beginning to master genetic engineering, the Dog furry kind we know today was soon to follow.* “Why’d it have to run away like that?” Lori asked “Maybe it wanted a mate?” Eve offered. The statue Eve animated was sitting and watching the two, playing with her tail. Eve liked the pose the statue fox was in and broke her charm, freezing the pose. “Awwww” Lori complained “Don’t worry sis, I’ll make you one tomorrow” Eve consoled “Promise?” Lori Inquired “For you... Yeah” Eve replied.

A rap at Eve’s den’s doorway announced her Mother, “Time for bed young lady” she announced. “Eve hunny can you help the plants that I just added to the garden?” Eve’s mom asked, “Sure mom” Eve replied eagerly, she loved being called on to use her skills as a Sorceress and to be a help to her mom. Lori wondered off to get ready for bed and Eve got up and placed the letter from her dad back into its letter. Eve made her way out to the garden, the evening was cool and a light breeze made her smile. The garden was huge and overflowing the boundary stones that made its borders. Eve had used the garden to practice her Botanical

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Magic spells, the space her mother had been working was obvious due to the freshly turned earth. Eve cleared her mind and steadied her breathing, looking up she could see it was almost a full moon, magic was always strongest during a full and a new moon and especially on an equinox. Using the still of the night to focus Eve could feel the energies flow from her body and warm her hands. Several minutes of concentrating and a visible ethereal greenish energy coalesces around her hands, taking the energies she has so summoned she turns to the new arrivals to the garden. With a feeling that can only be described as exhaling with one’s soul and body the greenish energies descend across the plants. As if in time-lapse video files the plants start to move and expand filling what empty space that was available. Soon within moments the plants are full and lush. Botanical magic always took time to cast as did healing spells, it always takes more to create then to destroy.

*Note: Magic for casters is like flexing a muscle, weak spells and everyday use makes it stronger, while more dramatic spells can tax a user to the point of collapse. Rest and training make spell use easy for avid users* Eve finished her spell and looked up at something that caught her peripheral vision, A Human airship was flying over on it’s way to where ever its journey leads. Human Airships were huge machines used for luxury travel and cargo transport, imagine a flying luxury liner. That uses an energy field that hardens the air at a border on deck level reaching twelve or so feet high holding back the high speed winds that are at high altitudes. Eve always loved Human technology, she thought of it as Magic in a way. With Magic one could fly and some can actually teleport. With Technology you could do the same but in a different way. Most foxes hated man’s technology for the way it made life too easy, yet in a pinch they would always resort to Human science to heal a sick member who they could not heal themselves. Magic is still a rarity on Furegon, and to furries especially. Eve had the good fortune to have a father who works at a guild, he’s not a powerful mage, but a great fighter who still knows a spell of two.

Her father was first introduced to the guild when a small band of Elves came to settle in her area. Elves are known for their grace and beauty but mostly for their powerful Mages, Elvin mages have been known to shift the very fabric of reality. Thanks to them Furegon has a every growing wilderness full of enchanted creatures such as Unicorns and

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Faye. The Elves soon started the guild to train their own, but furry kind soon inquired and soon enrolled. Eve was one of only 8 foxes enrolled at the guild currently, Eve received no special treatment tho her father taught physical combat. Eve walked back into the house, her mom was downstairs with Lori. Eve went to the bathroom and started the shower, making sure it was good and hot before she got in. Standing there in the shower letting the hot water run down her orange and white snout she thought about her classes at the guild particularly about a young Male fox she met not long ago. Eve met Moontail in her Earth passage magic, which specializes in passing through caves and tunnels helping a mage to find their way deep underground.

Moontail was a small silver furred fox, with dark black on his mask and paws almost giving him a raccoon appearance. Bright yellow eyes gave Moontail a highlight to be noticed and Eve had noticed. They talked at the guild and shared a lunch or two but Moontail never showed a girlfriend/boyfriend interest but stayed at that classmate distance. Eve wondered why he never asked her out, she fought the notion it was because of her dad and his reputation for overprotection of his loved daughters but it stayed nagging. After a hot shower and a session of brushing and drying Eve felt good, Her mother came into Eve’s den and kissed her on the forehead and said “Goodnight my pup, don’t stay up too late you have class tomorrow.” “Ok mom, I love you, see you in the morning” Eve replied. Eve’s mom turned and walked out going to her own den.

Eve rolled on her side so she could watch her favorite show, “Sorceress Shay” A on going fantasy drama that had quite a large following. With a quick and well memorized gesture the mirror fills with the show already in action, Eve made her self comfy and added another quick gesture and the sounds from the show shifted to a small area surrounding Eve. *Note: Humans not long after visiting Euquine met the Elves living indigenously on the planet, not long after humans started dabbling in the Magic that elves so easily appeared to master. Elves take decades to learn there art and Centuries to master, humans being the curious things they are pleaded with the elves to teach them the magic arts, the elves considered forbidding their teaching but the

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Dangers of miscasting a spell you don’t know how to control can be disastrous, so they conceded. Humans being the ever inventing and creative beings they are soon made magic shortcuts so they wouldn’t have to take decades to learn the use of magic. Soon they were making their own variety of spells such as, receiver and audio spells like the one Eve was using on her mirror. Humans can master their shortcut spells but will never have the power of a proper classically Elvin trained wizard.*

Eve stayed up and watched the whole episode which ended on a cliffhanger, Sorceress Shay was trapped by the Dark wizard Banador. Soon after Eve lay back and readied for bed. Sleep came and Eve slept, she awoke from her slumber and saw the ceiling and immediately got the feeling that she wasn’t alone in her den. Her senses returning to her from sleep, Eve could make out two figures black as darkness could be, one was on her desk looking at her papers the other was watching the first. The creatures stood no more then a foot high, with no head just a bump where a neck should be and had a quadruped’s hunch as if it moved more easily on all four legs then the way they seemed to be moving. Eve could almost make out a whisper of conversation between the two, Eve knew about supernatural creatures in her training at the magic guild. Eve had even been told about shades and shadow folk, a race of mystical shadow creatures that mainly haunted old grave sites and buildings. Elves unwittingly brought shadow folk to Furegon with a miscast spell here and there in the long past. These things however looked too solid in being to be shades or shadows, Eve’s ear flicked by reflex and the two Black quadruped figures turned toward Eve.

The one on her desk leapt onto the wall clinging scattering papers yet making absolutely no noise, the one on the floor moves almost too fast to see and runs toward Eve leaving her line of site as it nears her bed. Eve freezes in fear her heart racing having no idea what’s going on, the creature on the wall skitters towards Eve in a mock charge jumping down to the floor just under her bed. Clawing sounds in wood can be heard then silence, dead silence. Eve gathers what courage she can after such a frightful way to wake and rolls to her side slowly looking under her bed. Casting a light spell to see better, Eve sees the back bed post is bearing fresh claw marks but no worse for wear and no sign

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Of the strange dark creatures that ran under. Eve was too freaked out to sleep the rest of that night, she went to her desk and looked at the papers the thing had been looking at. “A bus schedule? Why a bus schedule?” Eve asked herself in amazement when she picked up her old sky shuttle schedule.

Eve was amazed since there were spell notes a plenty available to read if you were familiar with its use. Eve was starting to have a bad feeling, she was going to ask her divination teacher about this. Eve was feeling claustrophobic and needed some fresh air, making her way to the back door and opening the glass sliding door. The cool night air made Eve feel better in moments, standing on her rear porch illuminated by the stars and moons she noticed the evening insects weren’t sounding their song. Eve shuddered not for the cold for more ominous reasons, Eve didn’t know if she should say anything to her mother since she didn’t know more then the basic principal behind magic, and she didn’t know what was going on anyways.

Morning came in full time, Eve lay on her bed asleep fear and emotional exhaustion from her frightful night taking its toll. “Wake up Hun, you’ll be late for class and breakfast is on the table.” Eve’s mother said as she woke Eve from her slumber. Eve’s eyes flew open and she took a quick look around her room before looking up to her mom, “I’m up, I’m up” Eve announced before her mom could try and add more. “Are you OK Eve?” Her Mother asks as a brief look of concern, “Yeah, I just had a bad dream that’s all” Eve quickly replied getting up.

Quickly getting up and eating her breakfast with minimal conversation, Eve races through her morning on to class. Lori, Eve’s sister was already gone to school, she was still in remedial classes learning reading and writing along with the sciences and arts. Lori attended a Human university miles away, they lived on the outskirts of the human city Hope, so their mother was adamant to give her pups every advantage she could. “Gotta run mom, I’m late” Eve mumbled with a mouth full of toast as she headed for the door. “Don’t get lost on your way home like yesterday” Eve’s mom lightly chided at Eve as she left through the front door. The walk to the guild gave Eve some time to

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Gather what had happened last night, it did happen she checked the scratches in her bed post to be sure it happened when she got up. Eve decided that she should talk with her teacher after class today. On the way down the worn dirt pathway Eve saw a nice sized rock and got the idea to shape it with her Earth magic into a statue of the creatures she saw the night before, but was late for class as it was so she dismissed it hoping she could have time to do it at the guild.

Arriving at the Guild Eve sees classes were already started, The Guild was a large stone and wooden building. Several dozen large trees shaped with magic helped make the walls and ceiling of the guild. Living branches continued to grow along the outer walls, the stone that helped make the guild was the very living bedrock that the elves shaped and called forth with Terra magic as they called it. Eve opened the large stone gates to the guild with the access charm taught to all students and teachers, the gates were inscribed with Elvin runes and engravings. The charm helped the Guild elders to tell who came and went and when, today they would be telling them that Eve arrived late today. Eve quickly made her way through the empty halls, the school always had that green tree smell from the shaped tree walls. Opening the door to her class on Terra magic, Eve was interrupting her teacher’s lesson and all eyes turned her way. The teacher, an old elf standing in the class rear dressed in long dark brown and grey robes, with short golden blonde hair and a pair of small spectacles.

“Welcome Eve!” Her teacher announced as his lecture was stopped anyways, “Maybe you can give us the answer to problem number eight from last nights homework?” he added. And so Eve’s morning went, she hoped things would pick up before lunch. Lunch arrived after a grueling class with her miffed Terra teacher. Sitting under a large branch growing from the guild, Moontail and Eve were starting their lunch, Eve was quiet trying to think of how to bring up what she saw last night to Moontail and her divination teacher which she had next. “EVE?!” Moontail said as he caught Eve’s attention from her thoughts, “Eve you alright?” He asked looking annoyed she wasn’t listening to him. “Yeah, I’m fine” Eve said and composing a thought, “Last night I had a weird thing happen, I saw a couple of creatures or things in my den and when I noticed them they ran under my bed and disappeared” Eve added grinning

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Nervously. “Say what?” Moontail asked looking disbelieving, “It really happened, I swear” Eve returned sounding and looking defensive. “Here I’ll show you.” Eve concentrated on the images from last night and began casting an Earth shape spell, with a few well learned gestures fresh from Terra class, Eve drew up the clay and stones from the ground next to her combining and shaping the form. Moontail looked onward waiting for Eve to finish her spell, using a deep breath to steady and clarify her mental image she gave her sculpture a final shape, the shape of the headless quadrupeds she saw in her den. “There, that’s what I saw” Eve exclaimed looking up from her work, Moontail picked up the figure and looked it over.

“You know I think I’ve seen one of these in one of my dad’s bestiary books about Euquine” Moontail said seriously placing the figure down gently. “Do you know what they are?” Eve asked hopefully, “I can’t remember the details, but I think I’ve seen this thing before.” Moontail replied. Eve opened her lunch and finally began to eat, “I’m going to ask Madame Lunagade about it next class.” She said between mouthfuls. “You have to let me know what she says” Moontail said as he finished his lunch and was washing it down with a cool drink of water. A bell sounded ringing through the courtyard alerting all that there were only a few minutes before classes started again, Moontail and Eve got up to go to their separate classrooms.

Eve picked up the strange statue, headless yet its every movement and reaction aware yet with no eyes, a body like a mans and squat limbs ending in four toed feet that it stands on yet runs on all fours. On her way to class she noticed a few of the elder elves giving her strange scowls and disapproving looks her way as she passed. Eve was feeling really self conscious about all the looks that seemed to burn through her, as she arrived at her classroom door the teacher Madame Lunagade was there about to close the door. “Eve your not bringing that into my classroom!” looking down at the statue Madame Lunagade warned, “This, I don’t even know what this is!” Eve stammered stunned at the reaction she was getting over a statue. Giving Eve a serious look, “Well put it in the storage cupboard in my office, and see me after class” Madame Lunagade moved aside and beckoned Eve into the classroom. Eve was mix of fear and curiousness as she headed into the room, “I wonder what this thing is and why it’s so bad to even have a statue of one” she thought to herself. Eve took her seat after stowing the figure, she couldn’t wait for class to end.

End Chapter 2