THE FURREHS UPDATE
APRIL 4TH, 2011
Presented by The Escapist Furrehs
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-ARTISTIC MONDAY-
Today is the first official issue of the new Furrehs Update, and we should try to start it off with some class. Namely, some artistic credibility. We have more than a handful of talented storytellers or artists among us, and it's time we showed off a little bit.
We begin with some literary work by chromewarriorXIII, and he's provided the first chapter in a novel he plans to write called Red Crow.
Next we have a piece of artwork from Sporky111 he drew for fellow Furreh Fat Man Spoon's boyfriend, Alex.
-DJ Fur w/ JamesJoltWolf-
JamesJoltWolf: man i just woke up xD
If you'd like to submit a story or picture for Artistic Monday, private message TheTygerfire. Adult Content IS accepted.
We begin with some literary work by chromewarriorXIII, and he's provided the first chapter in a novel he plans to write called Red Crow.
Chapter 1
Crow swung his sword, feeling the clash of metal send shocks up his arm. He parried the following attack and countered with an upward slice. His master dodged easily and let loose a flurry of slashes that left Crow's arm numb from the reverberations.
"Okay, that is good for now," Falcon said. A single drop of sweat worked its way from his dark brown hair and down his rough face before falling from his chin to the packed dirt below. He sheathed his sword and hung his buckler from his waist. Crow hooked his claymore on his back and took off his helmet. "That was good," Falcon spoke calmly but firmly. "You should get something to eat. Then meet me back here for more training."
"Of course, Master," Crow said with a small bow. He bowed again and turned to walk inside the giant structure that was the Fiend's Tower.
~----------~
Falcon stood there for a moment, thinking about his new apprentice. Crow definitely had potential to become a great warrior. He was incredibly determined, something that could be hard to find in the Order of Akzarath. He pulled himself out of these thoughts as he sensed someone watching him. Falcon looked over his shoulder and spotted Dove walking towards him.
"Master Falcon," Dove said with the traditional short bow. Falcon observed his first apprentice. She had changed so much since the day that they first met. Her snowy white hair had been chopped short, and her matching colored wings stood strong from her well-muscled shoulders. Dove had become the leader of the Flame Tongues guild, and her once-pale skin had tanned from the fire running through her veins. Even now, the large burn scar across her right shoulder was just as visible as the day it had happened. On top of all of this, Dove had also become a personal advisor to the King and Falcon trusted her with his life.
"Dove," Falcon replied, as he thought about why it had taken him so long to take another apprentice. Dove was incredibly successful among the Order and the Eagle had been pushing him to take another apprentice for the past 173 years. Falcon knew that he should have had several apprentices from the thousand years he had lived. Falcon had been afraid that he might not be able to teach all that he had learned, but Dove had disproved that.
Dove and Falcon spent the next few minutes remembering the experiences that they had had. For the first time in a while, Falcon smiled, remembering all of the good times that he and Dove had shared. She was still young and Falcon found himself admiring her beauty. She wasn't small and delicate like many of the female servants in the Tower but was slim and muscled. There weren't many women in the Order and they were usually treated as men anyway. Falcon shook the thoughts out of his head. This was an army; there was no room for love or marriage.
~----------~
Dove must have known that Crow was returning because she bid her farewells, giving a short bow before going her own way. Crow returned from lunch just as Dove was out of sight.
"Master," Crow said, wincing a little as he bowed. Falcon had been working him to death in the week that he had been training with him. It was nothing like the training he had received in the junior training program he had grown up in.
That wasn't to say that Falcon was unfair, far from it, but he could be ruthless. The black and blue blotches on Crow's arms and chest, which he had obtained from getting bashed with Falcon's shield during training, were evidence from this.
"Let us continue from where we left off," Falcon said, drawing his sword, its blade gleaming in the afternoon sun. He unhooked his buckler shield from his waist, grasping it in his left hand. Crow reached over shoulder, grabbing the handle of his claymore. He swung it out in front of him and wrapped his other hand around the handle. Falcon looked deep into Crow's dark brown, almost black, eyes and was impressed to see that Crow had done a good job of hiding his emotions. Emotions got in the way during a fight. If you do not feel anything then there is no hesitation, and hesitation could lead to death.
They stood there, both waiting for the other to strike first. Suddenly, Falcon lunged, hacking at Crow with a grace that no one could impersonate. Crow managed to block all of the blows with his much longer blade. Then he swung, striking Falcon's shield, and sending him sliding back through the dirt. They both paused for a moment to catch their breath but before long, Falcon was back at it. Crow swung downwards, and instead of blocking with just his shield, Falcon braced it with the flat of his sword as well. Crow kept on constant pressure and observed the look on Falcon's face, which was as emotionless as before. Without warning, Falcon shoved his shield and sword to the side, sending Crow face first towards the ground. Crow spread his legs apart, creating a larger center of balance and caught himself with one hand. He began to rise when Falcon swung his blade at Crow's throat but Crow reversed his grip on the claymore and with a twist of his wrist, brought it up to defend his neck. It was similar to something that his junior trainer had utilized when fighting with daggers, and Crow was surprised to see it work with a longer blade. Once again, metal struck metal, creating the sound that gives all warriors the urge to keep fighting.
The battle raged on between them for many more minutes and all through it Falcon never seemed any more tired than before. Crow, on the other hand, had sweat dripping down his face and could feel it soaking his jet black hair under his helmet.
It took a long time, but finally, Crow let up and slid through the dirt towards Falcon before falling. As he began to rise, Falcon dealt the killing blow, stabbing through Crow's
unprotected neck. The blade shimmered in the light, phasing through Crow's skin, the spells on their weapons saving Crow's life, but Crow could still feel the sting of the blade. He let out a little grunt of pain and dropped his sword from exhaustion and tore his helmet from his head, letting it fall to the ground next to his sword. He collapsed, breathing heavily. Falcon sheathed his sword and removed it from his waist, placing it gently on the hard ground. He lay his shield next to it before sitting on the ground across from Crow who had collapsed in the dirt. Crow groaned, and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position and looked Falcon in the eyes, still seeing no trace of emotion.
After a few minutes, Crow spoke up asking "Why was I given the name Crow?"
"Many people think that they can change who they are. This however, is not true. Everybody has two personalities, one that they show and everyone else sees. This is the personality that is shaped by the events in a person's life and is called the outer personality. This other personality is one inside you, which only you can see. This can be the same as the outer personality but in most cases is not. This is called your inner personality and is the one that determines your name in the Order. The Elders have the ability to see this inner personality and through much thought and research, determine your name," Falcon explained.
"Okay, but why am I Crow?" Crow questioned.
"The crow is viewed as highly intelligent and competitive. These must be some of the traits the Elders saw in your inner personality, as well as many other traits that you share with the crow," Falcon answered.
"Do you know anything else about the crow?" Crow questioned "I want to be able to learn more about myself. I don't know where I came from, or who my parents are, so I want to at least know who I am. Then I'll feel like I know something."
"It would be better for you to learn this on your own. You could go to the Archives and find files on others who shared your name," Falcon said, before his face changed, as if he regretted saying it. "There may be some information on the bird itself there as well," he continued, as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you Master."
"I have nothing else for you today, go rest up for tomorrow. We shall continue our training then," Falcon said after a moment. Crow always liked how Falcon said "our training" as if it wasn't just Crow learning, but Falcon as well. He liked the thought that he may be able to teach his Master something.
"Thank you Master," Crow said, rising. He bowed and after picking up his equipment, bowed again before leaving.
Falcon rose from the ground and picked up his sword and shield as well. He attached both to his waist and walked the opposite way.
Crow swung his sword, feeling the clash of metal send shocks up his arm. He parried the following attack and countered with an upward slice. His master dodged easily and let loose a flurry of slashes that left Crow's arm numb from the reverberations.
"Okay, that is good for now," Falcon said. A single drop of sweat worked its way from his dark brown hair and down his rough face before falling from his chin to the packed dirt below. He sheathed his sword and hung his buckler from his waist. Crow hooked his claymore on his back and took off his helmet. "That was good," Falcon spoke calmly but firmly. "You should get something to eat. Then meet me back here for more training."
"Of course, Master," Crow said with a small bow. He bowed again and turned to walk inside the giant structure that was the Fiend's Tower.
~----------~
Falcon stood there for a moment, thinking about his new apprentice. Crow definitely had potential to become a great warrior. He was incredibly determined, something that could be hard to find in the Order of Akzarath. He pulled himself out of these thoughts as he sensed someone watching him. Falcon looked over his shoulder and spotted Dove walking towards him.
"Master Falcon," Dove said with the traditional short bow. Falcon observed his first apprentice. She had changed so much since the day that they first met. Her snowy white hair had been chopped short, and her matching colored wings stood strong from her well-muscled shoulders. Dove had become the leader of the Flame Tongues guild, and her once-pale skin had tanned from the fire running through her veins. Even now, the large burn scar across her right shoulder was just as visible as the day it had happened. On top of all of this, Dove had also become a personal advisor to the King and Falcon trusted her with his life.
"Dove," Falcon replied, as he thought about why it had taken him so long to take another apprentice. Dove was incredibly successful among the Order and the Eagle had been pushing him to take another apprentice for the past 173 years. Falcon knew that he should have had several apprentices from the thousand years he had lived. Falcon had been afraid that he might not be able to teach all that he had learned, but Dove had disproved that.
Dove and Falcon spent the next few minutes remembering the experiences that they had had. For the first time in a while, Falcon smiled, remembering all of the good times that he and Dove had shared. She was still young and Falcon found himself admiring her beauty. She wasn't small and delicate like many of the female servants in the Tower but was slim and muscled. There weren't many women in the Order and they were usually treated as men anyway. Falcon shook the thoughts out of his head. This was an army; there was no room for love or marriage.
~----------~
Dove must have known that Crow was returning because she bid her farewells, giving a short bow before going her own way. Crow returned from lunch just as Dove was out of sight.
"Master," Crow said, wincing a little as he bowed. Falcon had been working him to death in the week that he had been training with him. It was nothing like the training he had received in the junior training program he had grown up in.
That wasn't to say that Falcon was unfair, far from it, but he could be ruthless. The black and blue blotches on Crow's arms and chest, which he had obtained from getting bashed with Falcon's shield during training, were evidence from this.
"Let us continue from where we left off," Falcon said, drawing his sword, its blade gleaming in the afternoon sun. He unhooked his buckler shield from his waist, grasping it in his left hand. Crow reached over shoulder, grabbing the handle of his claymore. He swung it out in front of him and wrapped his other hand around the handle. Falcon looked deep into Crow's dark brown, almost black, eyes and was impressed to see that Crow had done a good job of hiding his emotions. Emotions got in the way during a fight. If you do not feel anything then there is no hesitation, and hesitation could lead to death.
They stood there, both waiting for the other to strike first. Suddenly, Falcon lunged, hacking at Crow with a grace that no one could impersonate. Crow managed to block all of the blows with his much longer blade. Then he swung, striking Falcon's shield, and sending him sliding back through the dirt. They both paused for a moment to catch their breath but before long, Falcon was back at it. Crow swung downwards, and instead of blocking with just his shield, Falcon braced it with the flat of his sword as well. Crow kept on constant pressure and observed the look on Falcon's face, which was as emotionless as before. Without warning, Falcon shoved his shield and sword to the side, sending Crow face first towards the ground. Crow spread his legs apart, creating a larger center of balance and caught himself with one hand. He began to rise when Falcon swung his blade at Crow's throat but Crow reversed his grip on the claymore and with a twist of his wrist, brought it up to defend his neck. It was similar to something that his junior trainer had utilized when fighting with daggers, and Crow was surprised to see it work with a longer blade. Once again, metal struck metal, creating the sound that gives all warriors the urge to keep fighting.
The battle raged on between them for many more minutes and all through it Falcon never seemed any more tired than before. Crow, on the other hand, had sweat dripping down his face and could feel it soaking his jet black hair under his helmet.
It took a long time, but finally, Crow let up and slid through the dirt towards Falcon before falling. As he began to rise, Falcon dealt the killing blow, stabbing through Crow's
unprotected neck. The blade shimmered in the light, phasing through Crow's skin, the spells on their weapons saving Crow's life, but Crow could still feel the sting of the blade. He let out a little grunt of pain and dropped his sword from exhaustion and tore his helmet from his head, letting it fall to the ground next to his sword. He collapsed, breathing heavily. Falcon sheathed his sword and removed it from his waist, placing it gently on the hard ground. He lay his shield next to it before sitting on the ground across from Crow who had collapsed in the dirt. Crow groaned, and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position and looked Falcon in the eyes, still seeing no trace of emotion.
After a few minutes, Crow spoke up asking "Why was I given the name Crow?"
"Many people think that they can change who they are. This however, is not true. Everybody has two personalities, one that they show and everyone else sees. This is the personality that is shaped by the events in a person's life and is called the outer personality. This other personality is one inside you, which only you can see. This can be the same as the outer personality but in most cases is not. This is called your inner personality and is the one that determines your name in the Order. The Elders have the ability to see this inner personality and through much thought and research, determine your name," Falcon explained.
"Okay, but why am I Crow?" Crow questioned.
"The crow is viewed as highly intelligent and competitive. These must be some of the traits the Elders saw in your inner personality, as well as many other traits that you share with the crow," Falcon answered.
"Do you know anything else about the crow?" Crow questioned "I want to be able to learn more about myself. I don't know where I came from, or who my parents are, so I want to at least know who I am. Then I'll feel like I know something."
"It would be better for you to learn this on your own. You could go to the Archives and find files on others who shared your name," Falcon said, before his face changed, as if he regretted saying it. "There may be some information on the bird itself there as well," he continued, as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you Master."
"I have nothing else for you today, go rest up for tomorrow. We shall continue our training then," Falcon said after a moment. Crow always liked how Falcon said "our training" as if it wasn't just Crow learning, but Falcon as well. He liked the thought that he may be able to teach his Master something.
"Thank you Master," Crow said, rising. He bowed and after picking up his equipment, bowed again before leaving.
Falcon rose from the ground and picked up his sword and shield as well. He attached both to his waist and walked the opposite way.
Next we have a piece of artwork from Sporky111 he drew for fellow Furreh Fat Man Spoon's boyfriend, Alex.
If you'd like to see more art from Sporky, visit his Furaffinity profile
WARNING: includes Explicit Content
Now, some art from our current Alpha, Fox KITSUNE. A drawing of his fursona's full wolf form.
-DJ Fur w/ JamesJoltWolf-
JamesJoltWolf: man i just woke up xD
-OPENINGS AVAILABLE-
If you have an article, review, idea for a segment, or just want to give your opinion on an interesting topic, we're looking for people to write for The Furrehs Update. Simply private message TheTygerfire for articles or Fox KITSUNE for Furry News of the Week stories. Hope to see you up here!
-Featured Video-
We here at the Furrehs sure do love our Saints Row, huh?
-Featured Video-
We here at the Furrehs sure do love our Saints Row, huh?
From all of us at the Furrehs, thanks for reading
PEACE BE THE FURRY
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