FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Three weeks on a ship, four days across the hot desert sand until, finally, I reached the sandstone city of Ecru. It isn't that I don't like travelling, I never moved far from my home in the green isles and it was nice to get out to see the world. I just despise the dreaded desert sun beaming down on my back every minute I was on the red sands. "Of course," you're probably thinking, "the ocean-bound otter would hate the heat," or "what a stereotype, water mammal hates the sun" well f**k off, the deserts hot, I'm hot and this story isn't about my travels. The ride was long and rickety, I was tired and had a few priorities for when I got off the cart, first was a long bath, with enough water to feel at home, cover my knees and enough soap to cleanse my very being too its core. Second was the market, I wanted to see what was available in these new and distant land, even if I had a handful of coins to my name, I'm sure I could find something interesting. Lastly, I had a task to complete, I needed to bring my acceptance letter to the mistress of Ecru's Academy, one of the finest schools for education and rumored to teach spy-craft.

I walked into its walls with little but a small pack on my back and a letter for the head-master of the academy, I was there to "further my education", at least that's what my parents said when they shipped me away. Either way the rumor was that you couldn't do much better than Sek Suhira but she was an exclusive educator for only the best students. I brought the letter to prove myself, outlining my extensive schooling from home.

Immediately entering the gates, I found myself in a bustling shopping district (finally!) people pushing passed me, strangers selling strange things, everything was fascinating and I was ecstatic. The first stand I approached was that of a human merchant, straight face and trim beard a slim man with the thick smell of tobacco on his breath, he was playing, and selling, some stringed musical instruments, a small handheld version of a harp by its look. The song it made was soft and sweet to the ear. The craftsmanship was remarkable and I could see myself learning it in my spare time. Of course, I've never been one for music, and I didn't have a lot of spare coin to hand out so, though intriguing I had to pass. I did the same for many similar shops: a weapon seller with curved ornate daggers, a young woman selling fine, silken shirts, an older man selling cabbages out the back of his cart, many salesman and women but sadly, I had no money to give. I passed each booth at a meandering pace, my head pointed to the ground and hands in my pockets, until one stand caught my eye.

A fruit stand, dark wood with red cotton cloth, nothing too unusual but the fruits, remarkably colorful and intricate. Piles and piles of various fruits I'd never seen before from lands I could point to on a map but not much else. I stared for a solid minute before the young man working the stand caught my attention, he was a jackal, dark fur, stocky build, with beautiful pink eyes with the whites tinted like black oil, and holding a round fruit, like a tomato but deep blue with light purple spots gracing its surface. I took the fruit, it was soft, smooth and light-weight, I bit into it and realized it was sweet, probably would go great on waffles or in some sweet bread. Rifling through my bag I found a few coins and tried to hand them to him but he refused instead handing me a small black packet. "Enjoy that later, my friend." With a smooth silk voice and a wink of an inky black he vanished into the crowd.

Standing there with the strange fruit in one hand and the Jackal's package in the other, I took a moment to regain my composure. I looked back to the fruit stand and found a larger burly bear staring back at me, polishing a massive, green watermelon, maybe. "Who was that, do you..." trailing off I just stared for a moment the black bear shaking his heavy head slowly. I opened the pack and whatever it was it was strong and sweet comparable to vanilla or cinnamon, looking in the bag all I saw were a pair of loose cigarettes and a scrap of paper. I pulled out the scrap and it had a small icon on it, a thin loop with two hooks on either side and a pair of lines through the center. On the back was a crude doodle of an otter, I assume me, with a lit cig hanging from his mouth. I tossed it back in the pack and tossed the whole thing in my bag, I could figure it out later, for now I had an appointment to keep.

Searching the streets as a much more laborious task than I had thought. Many of the city dwellers were unkind, some simply shrugging me off, others swearing me away, one large lizard merchant spat at me. The vaguely beige walls were all very similar in color and shape and it was hard to tell most of them apart. Once I was thoroughly lost, and the sun began to set, I found my way into a small tavern, round tables with various gruff characters sitting around them. The small building was dimly lit and built in an unwelcoming arrangement, walls and seating that led most patrons to be facing me, with grimaces or sneers gracing their slack jaws. I approached the bar, manned by a tall and buff camel quietly wiping down the smooth oak counter. Gathering up my confidence and puffing out my chest I let out a "Uhm..." with a quiet squeak. Immediately my voice dropped and I continued, "Would you, by chance, have any idea, where the academy is, if it isn't a bother."

"What was that kid, I need you to speak up." The camel wasn't even looking at me, the words drooling out of his mouth. I sat there, words scrambling through my mind: 'I couldn't even form a sentence, every mistake I'd ever made playing out in my head, I wasn't ready for this, why would I ever leave home.' As I scrambled a hand gripped my shoulder snapping me from my sudden descend into madness. I looked up into a young bunny's face, her soft golden eyes reassuring, a black fuzz soft and calming. "Be still young-one, I can lead you back to the academy. Do not worry, this place can be confusing to the fresh mind of a new student." Her eyes closed softly as she spoke, a slight lilt in her voice and creamy undertone bringing ease to my racked mind. "Here," she held out her other plush and I took it, "come with me, by the way I am Cordelia Chen." She led me from the tavern into the cool, night air and I finally got an eyeful of her. Mss. Chen was dressed in a well pressed uniform, black skirt, white blouse and black jacket with green trim all topped with an elegant forest green cloak. Chen's fur was cream colored, a color close enough to the surrounding buildings that she would vanish if she stood close enough.

Chen and I sped through the alleys of the city swiftly, the buildings and people a blur of color in the corners of my vision. We dashed for a short time before we came to a tall building with carvings across its surface of peoples on ships, crashing waves, massive tendrilled monsters depicting something horrifying and gorgeous captured in a single moment. "This is the head office, check-in here tomorrow to turn in your papers and then ask to see me so I can get you fitted for a uniform, I can teach you to sow and hem if you do not know already." Chen continued to lead me further in until we reached a shorter building, maybe two stories, at the vary edge of the area. "This is where you will stay tonight, a smaller dorm for temporary living. We get so many new students here they tend to overflow in the busy season but right now you only have a few roomies." She let me go and shuffled me toward the building, smiling and pushing me to go inside. I hesitated but eventually found my way in looking back about halfway and finding Chen gone, assumingly back to her home or office.

Inside I found a young man siting behind a desk in the entrance, a small white flower blooming on his desk. The young owl behind the desk reminded me of a pear, a small chest and larger hips, he was reading a trashy looking novel called "Only by Gaslight". His eyes rolled in his head before he looked at me, "Can I help you," the words sluggish and cold oozing out of his face. "I'm a new arrival." He flipped the page of his book before half-heartedly putting it aside and grabbing a clipboard. "Name?"

"Elliot Ottsel." I spoke quickly, trying to keep from belaying this conversation. "I don't see your name here." He squinted at me while scratching the scruff on the side of his feathered neck. "Yeah, I got a little lost." I rubbed my neck uncomfortably, laughing nervously. He took a sip from a glass of tea he had slightly out of view before looking back at me, half lids slightly crooked like his head. "Normally I'd have you fill out a stack of forms but I ran out of copies and won't have any until tomorrow. Sorry I can't help you." He chuckled quietly enough that he thought I couldn't hear before picking his book back up. I was stunned, all I could do was stare, from his desk, to his book, to his feathered face, to the flower. "So, what are ya' reading?" I had an idea. He looked up at me and opened his mouth to speak but shut it just as quickly. That got his attention, now just to keep prodding. "What kind of tea is that, and sugar or you more a plain man?"

"Special recipe from home, my mom used to brew it with a sprig of ginger and a cinnamon stick, brings me back there." That got him, hopefully I could find some sympathy and he wouldn't just turn me back out into the cold. "Warm or cold? I could use a warm cup of something, its brisk out there!" I faked a shiver, like a chill ran up my spine, he didn't look amused, glancing back to his book. "What are you growing over here?" I moved over to the flower, little crescent moon like blossoms hanging from the white and pink plant. "Its called a Moonflower," He shut his book and placed it on the table. "I brought from my homeland, I love them because they bloom at dusk and close in the morning, a lot like myself." His eyes were wide and his feathers puffed up in excitement as he spoke. "This is only a child right now, the one I grow in my window is getting to nearly 10 feet!" He chattered away for a bit and we had a long, pleasant conversation about botany and plant growth, soils, nutrients, and many other things that are irrelevant but he did eventually cave in.

"Here's a key to a room at the end of the hall to my direct right, the showers on the first door on the left directly behind me, and hey," The Owl, Walter, took a sincere moment looking me in the eyes, a deep green pool, before continuing, "thanks for talking with me, most of the new student, at most, glance at me as they pass but you chose to listen. Thank you." He gripped the spine of his book and glanced back-and-forth between me and the pile of paper. "Anytime. Druid bro." I swung a fist out and he bumped me before I started down the hall toward the room. The late night started to dawn on me and I started to drift, as soon as I hit the pillow I was out like a light.