FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

P.O.V. -Shawn-

I woke up feeling groggy. Rolling over I felt the bed for Jake, but he wasn't there. I pushed the covers down and sat upright. The room was still dark and my phone was dim. The digital clock on the screen read "06:47". A quick glance around the room told me I was alone.

Jake must have gone to the restroom.

A few minutes passed and I had neither heard nor saw any sign of him. I stood up and walked to the bathroom door to find it open and the light off. My heart beat as I thought about what could have happened.

I doubt he's actually in trouble, but what could have happened?

I felt around the floor until I found a pair of basketball shorts. Slipping them over my bare body I started for the door. I grabbed my key card before I closed the door. It was still dark outside, but it was getting brighter. There was a form sitting on the curb a few feet away. My heart beat quick as I made my way to the form. Placing a paw on its shoulder I quickly realized it wasn't Jake.

"What's your problem buddy?"

"I'm sorry sir, I thought you were someone else."

"Fuck off. Can't a guy cry alone?"

"I just said I'm sorry. If you want to be a dick then be a dick alone. Ass."

I stormed off trying not to get too upset.

That guy! What the fuck was his problem? Oh well, it's not my problem. I need to find Jake.

The sun had risen a little in the sky, casting a great shadow from the building that it hid behind. I walked to the rental car to see if Jake had gotten in it. Still he was absent.

I heard a soft whimper barely reach my ears. I looked in the direction I presumed it came from. It appeared the direction was from the pool. Making my way over to the gate, I peered through the bars to see someone hunched over with their feet in the pool, a hoodie covered their head so I couldn't make them out. I glanced at the sign drilled into the bars just beside the gate.

"Pool Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m."

Fuck, the pool isn't open for another hour! How did he get in there?

I noticed there was a sizable gap in a few bars of the fence. I quickly slipped through them and made my way over to the individual. I crouched beside them and the sounds of their sobs suddenly became familiar.

"Jake?"

Jake looked at me and sniffed. A tear rolled down his cheek as he did. His feet swirled in the water, making tiny whirlpool in their wake. I shuffled my way to the poolside next to him and stuck my feet in the water and wrapped my arm around his neck.

"Why are you awake?"

"Well, I rolled over and didn't feel my puppy beside me. So I figured you were in the bathroom, but you never came out. So I checked and you weren't there, so I began to worry."

"I'm sorry to make you worry. I didn't think you would wake up."

I leaned in and gently kissed his cheek. He seemed to like that as I heard a low hum in his throat.

"It's okay Jake. Despite what some fur may say, everyone needs some alone time. I haven't given you very much because I'm worried about you."

"It's okay. I like being in your arms. It makes me feel comfortable, like I can take anything."

Jake put his paw back in his hoodie pocket. I soon found mine on his knee, while I leaned forward and kissed him again. This time Jake reciprocated, slipping his tongue in my mouth as he slightly cocked his head to the side to match mine. A low warmth rose in my stomach, making its way up my throat where it slipped out as a growl.

I fueled my emotions, pressing forward until Jake fell back and I was atop him, ferociously kissing him. My paw had somehow found its way up his thigh and stomach, now resting on his chest.

I straddled Jake's hips, pressing forward, keeping him pinned to the ground. Jake's leg made its way out of the pool, his thigh brushing against my crotch sent a wave of lust through my body. I kissed Jake even harder, my fiery passion pulsing with each flick of my tongue.

I broke the kiss, pulling back to gasp for breath. Jake was gasping as well. I blinked wearily, my eyes half lidded from my usual morning sleepiness. Jake's eyes sparkled in the glistening sun, his slight toothless smile made him look like a painting fresh from the easel. I drew in a raspy breath and willed my heart to calm.

"Well, I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry Jake, I know you're not entirely comfortable with the whole 'public display of affection' thing yet."

"No! ... no, it's okay. I like it."

Jake sat up, bringing his muzzle to mine in another passionate kiss. This time, Jake broke it.

"I... we, need to get ready. The funeral is in a few hours."

"Okay."

The clear sadness in my eyes enticed another kiss. I was happy to let Jake take charge every so often. It was nice to let someone else be in control. Leaving me a feeling where I don't have to do anything but enjoy the here and now. And enjoy it I did. The kiss only lasted a second or two, but it felt like a minute that I sat there, Jake pressed close to me.

The rain was soft. Not much to get you too wet, but just enough to need a coat. The canopy over the casket was a light blue. It had quite a contrast with the dark sky behind it. It had been sunny all morning, but in an instant, it became cloudy and started drizzling. Almost as if it knew what was going on today.

Jake stood by his mother's casket. Every sob felt like a knife stabbing me in the heart. I wanted to see him happy so bad, but that was rare the past week since we found the news article.

Jake shuffled in place, his eyes remaining locked on his mother. I made my way to his side. No one else was here.

Bastards! No one had the decency to come to their funeral? This is ridiculous! Not even his grandparents? How can they possibly leave him here alone? Jake doesn't even have his family by his side. All he has is me.

When my paw reached Jake's shoulder, his head snapped towards me, his glassy eyes boring a hole into mine. There were tear stains under his eyes. He had been undoubtedly crying mostly when I wasn't around. Only letting a few instances take hold of him when I was near.

Jake looked back at his mother. Her pale body was cold, her paws crossed at her stomach as most normally are. When I peered closer I noticed something that didn't seem to go with everything. She had a single golden ring on. There was a sizable sapphire in the center. By the looks, it seemed real enough. It must have been worth several thousand dollars. I decided to ask Jake about it. Maybe I could take his focus away, if only momentarily.

"Jake, I have a question."

Jake didn't respond. He simply nodded, his gaze remained fixed on his mother.

"What's that ring she's wearing?"

"That's the ring my dad bought her when they got together. She's had it since they first met." Jake's voice broke several times.

Jake reached down and grabbed the ring, removing it from her finger.

"What are you doing? Don't you want her to keep it with her? It obviously meant a lot to her."

"She told me she wanted me to have it if something happened to her. I was reluctant to take it at first, I just told them to put it on her when she was buried. Mostly because I felt like taking that would mean accepting she's gone."

Jake's gaze was distant. Not like he was looking at his mother, but as if he were looking through her.

"Then why did you take it?"

"Because I have something I want to do with it."

My heart beat. It felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.

He couldn't possibly want to sell it could he? No! I'm being ridiculous! He'd never do that!

My thoughts were interrupted when Jake slipped the ring into his pocket. He let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes. Silently, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. I returned the hug with minimal force, simply wanting to let him know I was there.

A slight wind swept by, shaking the trees and blowing a few leaves around. The autumn color was starting to set in even though it was still only August. A few minutes passed when a preacher approached us. His silence informed us it was time to leave. Soon the burial would take place.

Jake released me, pulling a single red rose and a single dandelion out of his jacket.

"The rose is for my dad. He always like them more than mom ever did. Her favorite was dandelion."

Jake handed them both to me.

"I got them for you if you wanted to... you know."

"I'd be honored Jake. I didn't know if you wanted to do something like that or not. I figured it best not to ask."

I gingerly accepted the flower from him. Carefully placing them in their respecting casket, I observed Jake's father was a larger fur.

He looks like he went to the gym most every day. My guess was he weighed about 250 pounds. It seems weird that such a large fur would find interest in something so fragile.

"You're wondering how such a large man could like something so feminine. Something so fragile like a flower."

Jake seemed to be reading my mind. I stood speechless. Jake found my unresponsiveness to mean he was correct.

"He always told mom and me that there were three things so small and fragile that he loved more than anything else in the world. One being a single red rose, the next being my mother, and lastly he always told me he loved me more than anything."

Jake's heartfelt confession struck a nerve in me. Sending a shiver up my spine and easily bringing a tear to my eye. I finally calmed myself enough to speak.

"He was an intelligent man. He saw the same thing I see."

Jake's puzzled look assured me he was clueless. I couldn't help let a chuckle escape my lips.

"He obviously knew the most beautiful thing in the world was you."

Jake choked up and began to softly cry, wrapping his arms around me yet again. I softly caressed the back of Jake's head as he wept. I slowly pulled out of the hug.

"We have to leave. The preacher needs time to make the final preparations."

"It's okay. I haven't accepted them being gone, but I know I can't do anything about it."

Jake sniffed again. He turned away, taking my paw in his as he led the way back to the car, more somber than ecstatic. When we reached the car, the rain had picked up, the drops about the size of a nickel. I turned on the car and set the ac to low. Jake stared out the window. His slow long breaths were tiring. As I watched his chest rise and fall, I felt exhaustion creeping in.

"Are you hungry? We could get something to eat."

Jake shifted his focus on me. A slight pause had me worrying I asked him the wrong question.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm hungry. I'd like that."

A smile crept across his lips. He looked tired, but as if he just woke up.

"Where do you want to go?"

"It's up to you. But I am craving Italian for some reason."

"I know just the place."

Dropping the gear shift into drive, I sped away to the restaurant. It was only a few minutes away, but the place was well known for its amazing food.

When we pulled into the parking lot, Jake's eyes lit up.

"Olive Garden?"

"Yeah, figured you'd like it. I suppose you've been here before?"

"Only a hundred times! I love Olive Garden!"

The sparkle in Jake's eyes filled me with gaiety. A smile soon found its way across my lips. I stared at Jake, just smiling and reflecting on his beauty. His words broke me from my trance, bringing me back to reality.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"No. Everything is fine." My smile never left my lips.

"You're staring at me funny. Is there something on my face?" Jake's paw darted to his cheek, rubbing it as he went cross-eyed trying to see something that might be out of place. A chuckle slipped my lips as he fumbled about to clear his face of any blemish.

"There's nothing there. It's just been a while since I've seen your eyes light up like that."

"Oh. You had me worried. I thought you were trying not to laugh at me because I had something on my face."

"No, there is nothing there."

Jake blushed, his cute cheeks were an adorable rose color. I raised my paw to his cheek and cupped it. Jake slowly licked my paw and closed his beautiful blue eyes. A few fur passed in front of the car, pulling my attention to them. The group walked inside, disappearing behind the double wooden door.

"Let's go inside. I'm hungry."

Jake stirred in his seat. His smile was faint, but was clearly visible. I opened my door when Jake opened his.

"Hey! Don't move!"

Jake's looked baffled. My only clue to his thought process was his eyes tracing my movements around the car. I reached his door and held my paw out. He grasped my paw and slowly stepped out of the truck.

"What was that for?"

"I just like being gentlemanly every once in awhile."

I smiled, closing my eyes and plastering a stupid grin on my lips.

"Well I guess can accept that. Thank you very much babe."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Paw in paw, we walked into the restaurant and grabbed a place in line. When we were called, we followed a well groomed doberman through all the bustling table filled with families and children and led to the back, where we sat in almost complete solitude. A few tables away from us sat another couple. The buck and doe sat two table away from. They giggled and laughed as they poked each other and flirted. My curiosity got the best of me so I decided to ask the doberman a question.

"Why are we sitting way back here?"

"This is the reserved section."

"But we didn't have reservations."

"We are well aware sir. I did not mean call-ahead reservations. This section is reserved for couples."

My astonishment paused me from speaking until I finally got over the fact that he totally guessed me and Jake were a couple.

"How did you know?"

"It's okay sir. I'm the only one that realized. I'm gay too. It was kind of easy for me to tell simply by how you walked in. And you were holding paw."

My embarrassment reached a new level. I felt like my gray fur was on fire with how hot my cheeks felt.

"It's okay sir. I appreciate you being open in public. Fur like you give the rest of us some courage to do it too."

The doberman's soft smile reassured, allowing me to calm down. I glanced down at his name tag.

"Thank you very much Chris."

"Wha... Oh, right, my name tag." Chris' laugh made me feel at ease. Almost like nothing was wrong. Jake twisted in his seat.

"Hi Chris. Thank you very much for the compliment. If you're allowed I think me and Shawn would be happy to have you sit with us for a conversation."

Chris smiled again. His sincerity was evident, but his tone lacked optimism.

"I can ask my manager if I can take my break early, but she doesn't change the schedule very often."

"It's okay if you can't. But maybe she will say yes."

"Yeah, let me take your order and I'll go ask."

When the food reached our table, Jake's stomach growled.

"Someone sounds hungry."

Jake chuckled a bit. He pick up his spoon and began to slurp at the hot soup he had ordered.

"You think Chris will be able to sit with us?"

"I doubt it. You saw the look on his face. I doubt he hardly ever even gets a break."

Jake slurped another spoonful of soup while I began to dive into my Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. The explosion of different flavors melted in my mouth. The warmth of the chicken warmed my bones, effectively diminishing the effects my damp cloths had on my mood.

I watched Jake slurp his soup some more. His muscles appeared to be relaxing more by the minute.

I glanced over my shoulder at the couple a few tables away. The buck was still poking the doe while she just giggled. The doe looked over at me and waved, causing the buck to shift his attention to me. At first he glared, but a second later his scowl melted into a smile and he waved as well. I gave a subtle nod back and went back to my meal.

Chris came back out. His green apron hung over his shoulder. He came up and waved.

"Hey guys, my supervisor said I could take a twenty minutes break. Said something about I've been working hard and deserved one."

Jake wiped his mouth with his table cloth. "Awesome! I'm glad we can sit and get to know one another."

Chris giggled. He took a seat from a nearby table and sat down next to me. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

"So Chris, how old are you?" Jake was still busy eating spoonfuls of soup so I started conversation.

"I'm twenty. I turn twenty-one next month. I'm working full time to make some money to go to college."

Jake set his spoon in his now empty bowl, "That's awesome! Where were you thinking about going?"

"Oh, I've already been accepted to Willow State, but I don't start until next semester."

Jake lit up, "No way! We go there now!"

"Really? Why are you here now? Aren't there classes going on right now?"

The color flushed from Jake's face.

My eyes widened as I quickly interjected. "Let's... not bring that up right now. We are just visiting for a few days. We head back tomorrow morning."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories.

"No, it's okay. I need to look past it. I can't be upset every time it's brought up." Jake's dejected look was fading, but still visible.

"Jake, it's okay. It just happened. No one is expecting you to be okay with it for a while."

"It's okay Shawn. I need to be stronger."

"I told you, you don't need to be strong by yourself."

"I love you."

Chris remained silent. I didn't blame him, he didn't know, but a small part of me was irritated that it had been brought up again. It can't be helped.

"I love you too. It's okay Chris..."

Jake suddenly began radiating confidence. His more recent feel of dejection and loneliness was gone.

"No Shawn, I need to tell him."

Jake had his paws resting in his lap, his eyes were shifting around the room. First at me, then Chris, then the table. His breath was short, but strong. He took a deep breath and exhaled as he closed his eyes and composed himself.

"We came back so I could attend a funeral for my parents. They were hit by a drunk driver last week and killed on impact."

"Oh my God! I remember that crash. It was all over the news. Jake those were your parents? I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Chris. I'm learning to cope with it. I've had my moments, but i've come a long way since I found out."

Chris slumped down in his chair. I watched him begin to fumble with a ring on his finger.

I interjected their conversation to inquire about this new tidbit of information. "Hey Chris, what's that ring for? If you don't mind my asking."

"Oh, you noticed." He pulled the ring off his finger and displayed it to me and Jake. It was a beautiful diamond with several sapphire and emerald surrounding it. It looked very expensive.

"My first and only boyfriend got me this. We had been together for five years. He had proposed, but his father was furious. He had always been furious about Zack being gay, but his proposal to me broke the glass. His dad locked him in his room while he moved all their stuff across the country. Zack had escaped and found me and we lived together for a few weeks when his dad found us and attacked us. He broke several of my bones and nearly killed Zack. Ever since then Zack has been scared to even be around me. I haven't seen him in two years."

I was flabbergasted. "That's ridiculous! What the hell? Was he not put in prison?"

"Yeah, he was sentenced five years, but got parole after one. Zack moved when he got out. He left home and I haven't seen him since. He never came back and got his ring."

"Then I bet he's waiting on you. A ring like that wouldn't be just left behind. Do you know where he moved to?"

"He moved up North. A place called Elsewhere."

Jake sighed, I'm not sure what he's thinking, but we both know that city. It's a small city where fur move to feel more wanted. Most fur there are gay looking for someone to spend the rest of their life with. But at the same time there are a lot of fur there that look for one night stands.

"Chris. Go after him. I bet he misses you. He moved to Elsewhere to get away from his dad. I bet..."

Jake was interrupted when a nearby fur called Chris' name.

"Chris! There you are!"

Chris jerked his head in the direction of the voice. His look of depression melted into a huge grin.

"Zack! What are... what are you here? I thought..."

Chris was cut off when Zack grabbed Chris in a huge hug. Zack was a German Shepard. He was big. He looked like he worked out a lot. He had the usual brown and black fur that mixed in various ways.

"I came for you. I want to be with you. I don't ever want to leave you again. Will you... accept me back?"

Chris' smile broke as the question left Zack's lips.

"Zack, I don't know. I... what if your dad comes back?"

"It's fine. I'm not afraid anymore. That's why I left. I needed to collect myself. I worked my ass off and now I'm strong. I won't stand for anyone picking on my little puppy anymore."

Zack's emotions were pouring with every word. It was obvious what he was saying was true. Chris didn't seem to have any idea what to say as he fumbled with his words for a moment.

"I noticed, you're a lot bigger than before. It's nice, I like it. But what if you leave again? I haven't seen nor heard from you in two years, now you suddenly want to pick up where we left off?"

Chris' voice betrayed his stoic expression as it broke.

"I left because I was afraid. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to protect you. So I went to get stronger."

"Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me what you were doing. I'd have left everything and went with you."

"I... I thought me leaving the ring was hint enough. I'd figured you'd know I'd come back, that if I didn't want to be with you anymore I would have taken the ring. I'm just surprised you still wear it."

Chris teared up when Zack took his paw, removing the ring as he dropped to one knee.

"Chris, I still love you, I want to do this over. Despite everything, I want to be with you forever. Allow me this do-over. Let me fix my mistakes. Chris... will you marry me?"

Chris covered his muzzle and began to cry. He gasped for breath. The couple of deer behind us had stopped their flirting and we're staring, obviously waiting on Chris' answer.

"Zack... I don't... I love you too Zack, I always will. I guess... yes... Zack. I will."

Zack exhaled a breath I didn't notice him take. His eyes watered as we rose to engulf Chris in another hug. Zack pulled away and kissed Chris. Chris broke away.

"I'm sorry guys, this is Zack, Zack, this is Shawn and this is Jake. They are together as well. We were actually just talking about you."

Zack's ears perked as Chris finished his sentence.

"Oh you were? What were you talking about?"

"Well Shawn noticed my ring and asked about it, so I told them the story."

"So y'all probably think I'm a dirtbag for leaving Chris like that. It's not..."

Jake held up his paw, cutting Zack off mid-sentence.

"It's okay. We were actually ensuring Chris that you were waiting for him. We figured you left the ring on purpose... and that you wanted him to go find you."

"True, I wouldn't have been upset having you beside me. It was very hard the last two years without you being there. I felt empty."

I cleared my throat so I could put in my two cents.

"Though it looked very bad, I could tell from your voice you were sincere. I know you truly want to be with Chris. It's none of our business what happens or what Chris does. We just met like an hour ago."

"I see. I thought you knew each other for a while."

"No, Chris is a nice guy, and he deserves someone who will treat him like the amazing fur he is. Same on the other hand. You seem to be an honest and caring fur, sacrificing time with Chris to get stronger to protect him. It's noble of you. You both deserve someone who makes you very happy. And from what I've seen, that's each other."

Jake stared at me, dumbfounded, his maw agape. I reflected on what I just said.

Where did that come from? I've never been philosophical like that before. Oh well, I just said what was on my mind.

Jake cleared his throat.

"Well now, I didn't know you were such an analyst. I like it. Said the same thing I was thinking."

A high voice broke in from a doorway to our left.

"Chris! You were supposed to be back at work fifteen minutes ago! What the hell...?"

The otter stopped mid sentence when she saw Zack holding Chris.

"Well now Chris, who is this hunk of fur?"

Chris furrowed his eyebrows, replying with a bit of annoyance.

"Chelsea, this is Zack, my fiancé. Not a 'hunk of fur' for you to look at."

Chelsea crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one foot.

"How about you don't give your manager attitude and get back to work."

Chris rolled his eyes.

"Or... I could tell you I quit."

Chelsea's eyes went wide with astonishment.

"You wouldn't dare! You need this job!"

Zack jumped in, "Chris! Don't do that! Don't quit for me! You need this job to get into college!"

"It's alright Zack. I have enough money to get started. Once I get there I'll get another job and Erin the rest of the money that way. I only need a few thousand more before I have enough for my bachelor's."

Chelsea stomped a foot as she strode off into the back room.

"I guess I don't need this apron anymore. I'll just burn it later. I always hated working for her. She's a real bitch."

A deep voice interrupted our conversation.

"That was real brave of you young man. You said you were going to go to Willow State?"

All of us look around at the buck, who was now standing, his hoof over his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Yes sir. Pardon my rudeness, but what's it to you?"

"Well, I know for a fact you now are jobless, and I need someone with guts like you. I own a few stores down in Johannesburg and I need someone to help me manage them. How would you like that?"

All of our muzzle dropped. The pure chance of something like this happening would be something like was written in a book, or perhaps in a movie.

"What kind of store do you have?" Zack shot the question with a skeptical frown.

"They are actually a couple of supermarket. You heard of Target?"

Zack cocked his head slightly. "You mean, the big name brand Target? Multiple store all over the country? Like, the Target dogs?"

The buck chuckled a bit. "Yes, that Target. I have a store or two in the area of Willow State that need managers. You look like you would be good for the job. The both of you actually."

Zack kept his skeptical expression as he continued his conversation.

"You're telling me that you're the owner of them?"

The buck gave a small sigh. "Yes I am the owner. I own the Target in that area. Only four stores, but still a small empire."

"How do we know you aren't lying?"

"I can prove it. Here."

The buck handed his phone to Zack. Judging by Zack's expression, the buck was telling the truth. I waved my paw dismissivly. I glanced at Jake. He nods, understanding what I was hinting at.

"Well guys, I'm glad to have met you. Good luck on your journey Chris. It was a pleasure. When you get to school then feel free to look us up. Zack, I'm glad you found yourself and you're no longer afraid. Sir, I will accept that you are the owner of the Target near my school. I visit them regularly. Fine stores you have on your hands. But, with that, it's late and Jake and I have a plane to catch early in the morning. We bid you all farewell."

Jake and I walked to the cash register, we already had our check. We paid for the delicious meal and departed from the restaurant.

"That was nice. I'm glad everything worked out for them."

I chuckled slightly. "I suppose. You know we have to get back, have three days and start school again, right?"

"Yeah, I know. It'll be a good distraction. I can't wait to get back and see everyone."

The engine of the rental car revved as we made our way back to our hotel for our last night in Trinity.