FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Felix simply laid there panting on the warm sand, drool and other various liquids seeping out of his gaping maw and soaking into the sand below. He thought he could hear the mouse but truth be told he wasn't as particularly concerned if the mouse made it while he laid there and struggled to breath. He felt like the life had been sucked out of him and he hoped to whatever god was listening that the mouse wasn't dead so he didn't just waste a perfectly good meal. Right now he simply wanted to rest, the sun was going down and things that he didn't know could hurt were hurting. Alas it would not be as easy as that; he'd still need to find some place to sleep as night time was a harsh and cold mistress on those unprotected. He'd probably also need to eat something before sleeping or else he might run the risk of starving. He groaned, so much to do and so little time.

The mouse had canned the idea of being in the afterlife. Everything looked and felt as it should feel. Still, it didn't make any sense. His fur was coated in digestive juices and the fox was trying to catch its breath. He should be mush right now, but the fox let the easy meal out. Why would his natural predator do that? He knew the fox gave him his word, but he didn't expect him to actually fulfil it. Izzy tried to move, but his whole body complained. In the stomach it didn't feel bad, but the grinding of the walls was taking its toll outside. "Why?" Was the only thing he managed to say in the middle of his own confusion.

Felix didn't hear him, and instead pushed himself onto wobbly feet. After shaking as much grogginess that his body would allow out of himself he slowly made his way over to the mouse in the sand. It was alive so it wasn't a complete waste but by the looks of things it felt as bad as he did, maybe worse. He felt somewhat bad but not terribly so, he promised not to kill the mouse, not to not harm it. Still, if he just left it there it would most likely freeze to death during the night. With a reluctant roll of his eyes he slowly bent down and picked up the mouse by the scruff of its neck. He then turned to his right and dunked the mouse in the water, shaking him slightly before taking him back out and putting him on the still warm sand. Felix then took his turn and bent down and took a few mouthfuls of water, it helped fill the void in his belly but he was still hungry, maybe the berry bush would have some berries left over?

Izzy watched Felix approach with wary eyes, even if he couldn't do anything in case the fox decided to finish the job. He felt his scruff being grabbed by the familiar fangs. The mouse didn't like how close the teeth were to his neck, but the fox didn't seem to want to harm him. While Izzy thought and worried, he was carried to the lake and promptly dunked in. There wasn't a better sensation. His irritated skin felt fresh again, and he managed to grab a much needed gulp of water. After only a few seconds the mouse was back again in the sand, he looked over the fennec that was now drinking water himself now. Izzy stood up slowly as he drank. Every fibre in his body complained, the fox's stomach was really good at its job. "Fox... why?" He tried again.

Felix heard the mouse this time and stopped his musing to look at it, its eyes wide in both fear and confusion. He sighed and sat on his rump, a welcome relief to his aching paws. "I gave you my word did I not? I have never once gone back on my word and I am proud of that, I won't start just because an easy meal presents itself." He explained to the mouse before looking around the oasis. "Now, where would be the best place to escape the freezing grip of the night? Better yet, where are some berries?" Felix queried the mouse. While the little critter was safe for the night the same could not be said on a new day.

Izzy dropped his head back in the sand and laughed. He laughed for longer than it was probably appropriate, but he just couldn't stop. A fox? Letting a mouse live because it said so? It was all too surreal and, consequently, funny. The mouse calmed himself down when his body complained about the laughing, it was too much for his tired body. Izzy breathed and was finally able to speak normally. "I know another bush near here with the same berries you were eating." The mouse then took some time to think about his next words. "I usually sleep on my burrow, I don't know how someone as big as you usually sleeps... But if you tell me how you'd like to sleep I could tell you somewhere around here that fits your preferences!" He said confident, trying his best to gain a favour from the fox to avoid having him change his mind.

Felix was taken aback and frowned a little at the tiny mouse's laughing, he didn't think he had said anything funny. Maybe it remembered a really good joke? Whatever the reason was didn't matter, the mouse was offering him knowledge and that was invaluable. "Well um, yes, if you could show me to the berries that'd be great. As far as sleeping arrangements go as long as it's not out in the open I'm usually fine." Felix answered before looking up to a bush ahead of him. "With that said something sturdier than a bush would be nice." He added before looking at the horizon, the sun almost kissing it. They had a small amount of time left before the world would be enveloped by night.

Izzy nodded and pointed to the left of the fox. "The bush is over there and if you keep going in the same direction, you'll find a small stone grotto, I think you can fit..." The mouse wasn't entirely sure if it was big enough for the fennec to sleep in, but he could only hope it was. The last thing he wanted was for the fox to feel tricked. Izzy tried to stand up again. Despite the exhaustion, he managed to do so this time. "I hope berries are enough..." He says looking at the floor. "And if it isn't too much of a bother... may I come with you? I don't eat much; you'll have plenty for yourself!" He said in his defence before the fox has a chance to open its mouth. "I just didn't have anything to eat and the night is dangerous for a mouse you know..."

Felix had gotten up by the time the mouse was done explaining where things were and had to stop himself when he heard the mouse start to talk again. He was about to decline the mouse's... request when it explained its situation to him. Damn thing was playing him like a god damn fiddle! Sighing he turned to face the mouse. "Fine, but don't expect me to carry you or anything, the water thing was simply because you smelt horrid." Felix turned back around and started walking in the direction the mouse had pointed in. Truth be told he wouldn't mind carrying the mouse but with that thought crossing his mind he also had to remember his pride, he wasn't about to let that get at stake just in case anyone saw him. At least at this point he could explain the mouse was his captive or something.

Izzy ran after Felix as he walked away. His body hurt more in the start, but it got better as he walked. The mouse did his best to keep up with the fox, but at normal walking speed, he was way faster. He was also a bit preoccupied with how Felix answered his question; he hoped he wasn't overstepping his boundaries. He thought it was better not to answer. "Thank you for not killing me..." He said humbly. "I'm Izzy by the way..." Izzy was truly happy, and thankful to fox, even if completely confused as to why he would let the easy prey out. Still, he wanted to humanize himself as much as possible so the fennec would give a second thought about eating him in the future. "The bush should be right up ahead."

"Felix." He replied with, hoping the mouse would get what he meant. The mouse was also right in the regard of the bush being close, with the casting shadows of the falling sun it was hard to spot among all the other bushes but after another pointer from the mouse Felix found it. It also gave him a view of the sun which was already starting to go below the horizon, he had to hurry. Using his height to his advantage he grabbed as many berries as he could in his mouth before spitting them onto the soft sand below him. After he thought he had gotten enough he started to gorge on them while keeping an eye on the sun. There were still plenty left when he was done and even some half eaten ones but Felix needed to wait for the mouse now, something he wasn't particularly inclined to do but a needed thing given his newness to the area. He sat on his hunches and stared at the mouse as it ate, his full belly no longer seeing the mouse as a potential meal.

Izzy couldn't help but have a look at the fox gorging itself in the berries. He looked and quickly turned away. Just as before, he couldn't stop imagining himself in the berries, being torn to shreds by the sharp teeth with no remorse. Izzy grabbed one berry and quickly ate it. Only then he noticed how hungry he was. He got another one and started eating it. He saw the fox staring at him intently. He picked up the pace and shoved it in his mouth as fast as possible, and walked away from the bush still chewing. He wasn't sure what the staring meant, but he wanted it to stop. "Over there." He pointed forward. "The grotto is over there." Izzy couldn't help but get worried about the setting sun. Night was too dangerous to roam around, and he wasn't about to escape death by fox just to be strangled by a snake.

Felix said nothing and simply followed the mouse, as he did so he experimentally sniffed the air a few times, picking up some scents of some other hiding rodents but luckily nothing that could cause him harm. Or at least that's what he could smell; reality always seemed to be different. While he followed he kept glancing at the quickly setting sun, its rays of life starting to run out in favour of the rays that heralded night. He wanted to get to where the mouse told him the grotto was and as such was walking uncomfortably close to the mouse in a subconscious attempt to speed him up. He was however conscious on not stepping on his tail for more reasons than the fact that it could slow them down. He hated nights, at least during the sweltering days he could see where he was going.

Izzy wasn't sure if the silence was good or bad, but he didn't want to start conversation with the fox, he gave him chills. In any case the fox kept looking back at the sun and approaching the mouse. He wasn't sure what he wanted, but he picked up the pace to remain distant from the fox. To Izzy, that meant that either the fox wanted to arrive as quickly as possible or that he wanted to protect its catch from other predators. He hoped it was the first option. "There." He said pointing forward. It was a small cave that curved like a shell. It wasn't tall either and most of the entrance was hidden by leaves. The mouse only now was able to see it had more than enough room for the fox. "It's pretty safe, I've slept there a few times and never had... unpleasant encounters." The last beams of sunlight vanished as they arrived in the small den and the temperature was starting to drop quickly. Only then Izzy realised a problem: he was on the other side of the oasis. Walking to his role at this hour would be suicide.

Felix watched the last rays of light quickly vanish from existence, the desert already giving up its heat in exchange for the cool air that had already started to blow past him. He walked over the mouse, some of his underside pressing against the small creature as he pushed past the curtain of vegetation that hid it so well from any prying eyes. Those with a better sense of smell might find them but there weren't many that would bother him. The small enclosed area was cosy, his back easily touching the smooth wall with still room to spare before his body would touch the vegetation. He curled up in a ball on the small amount of sand that had found its way inside, the rock providing much needed protection from the unforgiving night. His night however, was not yet over, the mouse was still outside, he could smell him. He rolled his eyes before covering his snout in a last bit attempt to stop being able to smell the mouse. He didn't want to cave into the mouses whims but knew he might even if the inclination was there. What sort of predator was he?!

Izzy saw the fain silhouette of the fox vanish between the leaves and heard Felix get settled. The mouse however stood outside without moving, he had no idea what to do. Should he try to get the fox to give him some room in the cave, putting up with the risk of becoming too scrumptious in the morning for Felix to resist, or should he leave and find his den, risking becoming a meal to someone else? Izzy wasn't sure. He was in a mental arm wrestle until he heard a noise coming from behind. His body didn't give his mind time to process the situation, and before he knew he was standing in front of the fox. Once again he was paralysed, what could he possibly say?

Felix was having his own internal warfare when something small rushed through the vegetation with a squeak. Needless to say it startled him and he almost bit his intruder until he saw who exactly it was. Why did he have to learn its name?! Where normally he could growl at the mouse and scare it off, knowing its name made things hundreds of times harder than it already was. In short he found it hard to rationalise being feral and aggressive to someone he knew - even remotely. Curse that mouse and its large mouth! "What seems to be the problem little one? You seemed to be in an awful hurry to be in my den - or dare I say it with me again. Maybe you had gotten hungry again?" He knew that wasn't the reason, it was dark and deadly out there but he still felt the need to at least show it who was boss. Maybe if he forgot its name it wouldn't be that hard to scare it off?

Izzy was already scared. Why couldn't this day be like any other? Why must his life be in constant danger? "Felix... I- I don't have anywhere to sleep... If I go out there..." The sentence got stuck in Izzy's throat and he started to silently cry, with only a few sniffs to give it away. He held himself back for the whole day, and now he just couldn't deal with the constant danger anymore. He wanted to go back to his den, to be away from the fox and to be safe again, but he was afraid he wouldn't make it through the night, or worse, someone like Felix would find him, but wouldn't be as merciful. He was embarrassed, but couldn't stop himself from whimpering.

Felix softly pounded his head against the smooth rock wall, repeating no over and over again in a vain attempt to tell himself not to allow the mouse in here, to tell it to shove off and go find somewhere else to go. He continued to pound his head softly into the stone but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't convince himself to say no. Great and powerful predator he was. Sighing and giving the mouse a knowing and sympathetic look he rolled a little to his side and opened his legs to the mouse for a completely different reason than what transpired earlier that day. He hoped the mouse understood but he wasn't really sure what he'd confuse it with.

Izzy used his arms to wipe his face and slowly moved forward in the newly opened space between the fox's legs. He quickly settled down. His breathing was getting calmer and the mouse was starting to regain control of his emotions. "Felix... thank you for being merciful. I'd be dead now if it were anyone else..." The mouse knew everything that happened to him was Felix's fault, but he couldn't help but feel thankful. Most predators could have killed countless mice by now, but the fennec didn't. Izzy was both alive and in peril because he found Felix. The mouse moved around to get comfortable. The fox provided a comfortable amount of heat, and the beating heart was once again calming to the mouse. Izzy was quite calm now. Tomorrow would be a new day, and if the fox decided to eat him there wasn't much he could do, he could only hope the fox would be merciful enough and let him go.

Felix yawned as he watched the mouse settle into his fur. He was still annoyed at himself for caving so easily but at this point there was little to nothing he could do no matter how much of a wuss it made him feel like. After feeling the mouses breathing slow down to a more consistent pace Felix felt more at ease knowing the mouse was probably asleep. Checking his surroundings in a vain attempt to see if anyone was watching he then curled his tail and head around the mouse as he closed his legs to encompass the tiny mouse. It was like a tiny warm teddy bear for Felix and he fucking loved every second of it until he fell asleep.