FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The air was crisp and cool and had the bite of an autumnal chill. However, it was far from fresh. The clean aroma of the countryside had been replaced with the nearly oppressive, choking air of the city. Ferdinand's nose twitched constantly as he made his way down the long, gaslight-lined lane towards the Imperial Academy, his papers clutched in one hand and the worn strap of his bag clutched in the other. Though he was well aware of the wear and tear of his old breeches and slightly-stained shirt, he paid no mind to the haughty glances and half-hidden sneers tossed his way by the well-dressed citizens milling along the promenade. Instead, his entire being was focused on the broad spires that rose up before him.

The Imperial Academy, the pride and joy of the Aeducan Empire. The heart and soul of its vast army, and the reason for its hold over the entire northern continent. Normally a simple country boy like Ferdinand would not have been able to even dream of passing through its doors. However, he had shown great aptitude in a set of skills, the best in his village, that were of particular interest to the Imperial Academy--more specifically, to its air corps.

As he approached the building Ferdinand heard the first familiar, far off cries of gryphons, and grinned as he began trotting faster towards his destination.

--

Soon the lithe young fox skittered up the wide steps leading to Academy giddily, and was waved in by the guards at the front entrance after taking a cursory look at his admittance papers. The vaunted halls of the venerable institution were tall but narrow, their stone floors polished smooth by countless steps over decades and centuries of service. The walls panelled with dark wood were laden heavy with honor and tradition, with insignia and arms of past alumni and their victorious corps. The hallways stretched as far as Ferdinand could see, and were filled with the hustle and bustle of a start of semester. New students milled about like lost puppies, snappily dressed upperclassmen vacillated between disdain and smugness towards them, and occasional professor or drill sergeant parted the masses like a tramp steamer the waves, all mingling into a chorus of noise and urgent confusion.

Ferdinand rested his bag on the floor and breathed in the smell of polish, paper dust, and academic excellence. He felt like he had finally arrived at home.

He was quickly bumped out of his reverie by a manservant, no doubt belonging to some well-off upperclassman, and pushed into the throng accompanied by curses and elbows. He hugged his satchel to his chest and dodged as well as he could, his small frame bobbing along the mass of people leaving a stream of apologies in his wake. Eventually he was lucky enough to pop out of a doorway and into the inner courtyard, dazed and flustered.

The main building was shaped like an angular U built around a large parade ground, and right there before his eyes trotted the subject of his dreams: gryphons. The large, majestic beasts stomped on the dusty ground in precise formation, accompanied by their handlers walking besides them. These fierce, wild creatures were guided with little more than an occasional tug of slack reins or touch from a crop, by men a fraction of their size and weight. Ferdinand did not realize that he was holding his breath as he marvelled these muscular creatures with their haughty beaks and piercing eyes working in precise unison with their vulpine riders, willingly submitting that unbridled strength to a mere suggestion from their partners.

He could make out a multitude of colors and coat patterns belonging to various breed lines, each that he had studied and memorized back home, thumbing through his manuals that kept him company on those lonely nights until their pages were smudged and curled from use. He had fallen asleep on them, whispering and dreaming of their contents, but now he could see that the pictures had not made justice to the sheer awe-striking presence of these noble creatures.

Ferdinand was startled when someone put their hand on his shoulder.

"Who are you, boy?"

It was one of the drill sergeants, his uniform still creased from being pressed and steamed for the new semester. The grizzled fox's voice was rough from his years of shouting out orders to the cadets, but it had a refined--almost posh--accent to it.

Ferdinand gave the older male a friendly smile. "Fer'nand, sir. But most just call me Fern--"

"Papers." The fox held his hand out, his expression remaining flat.

Ferdinand nodded, his jaw snapping shut, and silently placed his admittance papers in the drill sergeant's paw. The older fox let out a low hum as he glanced them over.

"You're in hall 4-C. I suggest you quit your gawking and get there posthaste." The drill sergeant handed the younger fox's papers back and, without another word, turned on his heel and marched away.

"Wait sir, I don't know my way around and need to know where..." Ferdinand trailed off as the drill sergeant rounded the corner and disappeared into the throng of students. "4-C... is... well, dung."

The fox looked from the milling mass of his fellow students to the parade of gryphons out in the courtyard. With a reluctant groan, he turned and began to search the crowd for a friendly face that could direct him where to go.

Eventually, after a lot of bumping into people and asking them for directions, Ferdinand arrived at the door of his room. The dormitory was in the second floor of the academy's west wing, and clearly its designers believed in the character-building effect of austerity. The walls were whitewashed and plain, the dark floorboards polished no doubt by countless hours of elbow grease, and every single piece of furniture he had seen seemed to be designed for maximum discomfort. He was tired, confused, sweaty, his underwear chafed and it was not even midday. He sighed and pushed open the door without knocking.

The room was narrow, as everything else in the building, and slightly too small for two people. There was a bunk bed on one wall, and a writing desk on the other, trunk chest and a simple wardrobe next to it. A single tall window let the sun shine in, making the room light and airy at the least. On the wide stone windowsill sat a fox of his age with a small book in his paws holding his complete attention, oblivious to Ferdinand's entrance.

He wore the snazzy uniform of junior cadets, but had rolled up his sleeves showing off his slender arms. He was about the height of Ferdinand but slimmer, lacking the muscle tone the country-born boy had acquired growing up. He had graceful facial features, a little smile playing on the corner of his mouth, and in the bright sunlight the fuzz on his cheeks shimmered like a halo. The contrast of that aloof little fae to Ferdinand standing in the doorway in his shabby civilian clothes, with sweat stains trickling down his back and aching feet was striking.

Ferdinand dropped his satchel on the floor. "Hi, pleased to meet you", he managed with a weary voice.

The small fox looked up from his book, ears perky and turning to scan for sounds, then noticed the newcomer. He immediately became delighted to see Ferdinand, and skipped off the ledge, his lacquered shoes making a tiny clicking sound against the hardwood floor.

"A new friend, I presume?" He beamed with his mouth wide open and eyes sparkling.

Ferdinand noticed that he had snapped the little book shut and kept it close to his thigh, as if to hide it from view.

"I sure hope so." Despite his fatigue, Ferdinand was able to offer the smaller fox a small grin and hold out his hand. "Name's Fern'and, but everyone back home just calls me Fern."

"Well, it is ever so pleasant to make your acquaintance, 'Fern'and'."

The other fox let out a soft giggle that washed away any notion that his brief imitation of Ferdinand's dialect was meant to be mocking, and hopped forward to take the larger boy's outstretched paw. "I am Reginald Vernaculus Tiberius Antius the third."

Ferdinand blinked at the smaller fox's name, but nodded along with his enthusiastic new friend. "Well, it's good to meet you, Reg'"

"Reg? Oh, how informal! I quite like the sound of that."

Reginald let out another giggle, and bent down to store the book he'd been reading in his own satchel, which rested next to the writing desk.

"If you don't mind me asking, Fern, where exactly is home for you?" He looked over his shoulder, his eyes scanning Ferdinand up and down with bright curiosity.

Such a friendly face was a welcome sight after the vaguely-annoyed indifference--at best--he had gotten from the other students milling the halls and trying to find their own room assignments. With a soft groan, Ferdinand took a seat on the edge of the bottom bunk and untied his shoes, then shook them off with a grunt of pleasure as his aching feet were released from their confinement. He rubbed his feet one by one as he spoke to the other youth.

"I'm from a small village smack dab in the middle of nowhere. It's not a fancy place like this." Ferdinand spread his arms to point at everything around him, but Reginald looked puzzled. He had different concept of fancy, one that went beyond 'stone walls and more than one floor'.

"It's a lovely place, people are nice and neighborly and everybody gets along", Ferdinand paused to sniff like he smelled something unpleasant, "as long as you're normal and don't stand out in any way." He leaned back on the bed, steadying himself with his hands held behind his head, and looked into ceiling wistfully. "And so, I'm here."

Reginald sat next to him, keeping his small hands on his knees but his wagging tail kept brushing against Ferdinand. He leaned close in a manner that was simultaneously nosey but endearing.

"Oh come on, there's more to it than that! You must have taken the entrance exams, and what I've heard is that they're really hard. You must be a really bright student!"

Ferdinand was not good at accepting compliments, having received them so rarely. He furrowed his brows. "Man, are you messing with me?" He felt ready to sock the smirk off this strange kid's face.

Reginald just shook his head and seemed sincere enough, so Ferdinand did not know how to react. He mumbled a thanks and stared at his patched socks as if he had been caught doing something embarrassing. Reginald kept being blithely oblivious and prattled on.

"We're going to get along really well, I can tell it! I've never had boys of my age as friends before and that makes me so excited!" He made a little squealing noise much to Ferdinand's disbelief. Just who was this guy?

"Come on, let's go!" Reginald jumped up and pulled Ferdinand by his paws. His touch felt soft against Ferdinand's calloused hands. "I want to show you the gryphon stables. That's why we're here after all!"

Ferdinand's heart skipped a beat hearing that. His dream was about to come to life so quickly that he hardly could process what was happening. Reginald misinterpreted his failure to come to grips with the situation as hesitation.

"Oh right, you need to change clothing first. I'll wait outside while you make yourself decent." With that he left the room in a rush of activity.

Ferdinand blinked, still trying to process the whirlwind of almost aggressive friendliness that was his new roommate. "Alright, sure", he said to the empty air and sat up with another groan.

He stretched, cracking his back and then his neck, and reached down to start rifling through his satchel for the uniform he had been provided with along his acceptance letter. As he stood to dress himself, his gaze wandered over to Ferdinand's satchel. For a moment the urge to snoop into that little book that the younger fox had been trying to hide from him overtook him, and he found himself taking steps towards the writing desk as he buttoned down the starched, slightly-scratchy uniform shirt.

Then hesitation struck him. He knew well what it was like to have people snooping through his private business, and there were things about himself he rather would not have his classmates know. Ferdinand grunted and shook his head, and stepped back to the bed to pull his trousers on. Let Reginald keep his secrets, he thought, for they would be about something weird anyway! In just a few more minutes he was finally dressed in his uniform, belt tightened, shirt tucked in, and coat buttoned and in place. He squirmed a little bit in the stiff fabric, trying to adjust himself as he pulled on the polished uniform boots--so much shinier and better made than his own ragged, time-worn pair. He cast one final glance towards Reginald's belongings, as if to see if they had noticed his ill intentions, and then made his way out of the room.

"Oh my, you do clean up quite well!" Reginald smiled when he finally caught sight of the larger fox.

Ferdinand blinked, once more unsure how to take the compliment, and settled for rubbing the back of his head and murmuring a quiet 'thank you.'

"Come along, come along! The stables are this way!" Reginald took Ferdinand's hand and began to tug him along. "My father has his own small stable with a few gryphons on the estate, but I've never been allowed near them, so this will be my first time seeing a gryphon up close." He looked to Ferdinand, smiling brightly and wagging his bushy tail. "Do you have gryphons out in your village, Fern?"

"Uh... no, not really..."

"Well then, this shall be an experience for us both!"

Reginald let out another soft giggle, and pulled Ferdinand down a corridor. The smaller fox continued to chatter to Reginald, talking about all the things his father and brothers--"Three, all older than I, and much more experienced in the ways of the world, I'm embarrassed to say"--had told him about the great beasts. Ferdinand just nodded along, heart pounding in his chest as they grew closer to and--slipping through a large, wooden door--finally arrived at their destination.

--

For a moment Ferdinand though he had accidentally stumbled into a railway station, the size and design of the large hall confusing him. The entire ceiling of the wide hall was made of glass panels, held aloft far above his head by arches of filigreed iron that descended in rows of green painted columns bolted sturdily into the floor. Between the columns wooden stalls were set as far as he could see, sequestered into separate areas with iron fences three times his height. Smell of hay and dung permeated the air, overlaid by a sharp animal smell of a hundred gryphons he had never seen but weirdly enough felt intimately familiar with. Constant squawks and rustling of feathers echoed in the light, airy space, followed by sounds of men working as beams of sunlight glittering with dust cascaded on the scene brilliantly.

Almost each of the stalls in the row nearest to them was occupied, and the two approached in excitement. The gryphons in this area were of the common domesticated breed, their withers at the height of Ferdinand's chest, fairly lean and good-natured beasts. The stall had an open roof and four walls little taller than Ferdinand, with a set of plain balusters at eye level to allow view inside. At the front was a narrow doorway cordoned off with a rope. Its occupant was a young tiercel, his rump reminiscent of a sand colored lion and front of eagle in the classic combination. Seeing his two visitors he stood up from the rushes that he was resting on, his long feathery ears perked up, and he trotted to the entrance expecting treats or scritches or both.

He stood there and tilted his head, looking at the boys with his bright yellow eyes inquisitively. Ferdinand was the braver of the two and extended his hand to pet his cheek, but was stopped by a stern voice behind them.

"If you want to keep your fingers then you'll learn out of that habit real quick. Never touch a bird you don't know!"

An instructor had appeared behind them, a tall middle-aged fox whose hair had started to gain a silver gray fringe to it, and stood arms crossed and looked at them with disapproving stare. He wore tall riding boots and form-fitting jodhpurs and suspenders over a white, puffy-sleeved shirt. The upper buttons of his shirt were open revealing an impressive tuft of chest hair like some fluffy cravat. In a breach of etiquette he had left his jacket laying somewhere, but he did not seem the least bit worried of catching a sanction for it.

He walked past Ferdinand and Reginald with a springy step to scratch the gryphon behind his ears, who cooed appreciatively and nuzzled his palm. "But who can blame you for being curious", he looked over his shoulder with a much softer expression, "these guys are pretty awesome after all!"

He introduced himself as Bertrand, the academy's master of the stables. He explained that his duties involved the day-to-day business of housing, maintaining, and training over a hundred gryphons, and as such was not directly involved with the students. However, he seemed to recognize a kindred soul in the two, and warmed up quickly to the boys. Seeing their enthusiasm he promised to show them around the place. The area they were in housed the common gryphons, who would be reared and evaluated there for their aptitude. The most promising candidates would be moved to the next section to be augmented to full war beasts, while the rest would get snipped and assigned to less demanding support roles. He made a cutting motion with his fingers as he said that, and could not help laughing at the boys' shocked look when it dawned to them what he meant.

"Only full grown war beasts get chosen for stud purposes, and gelding makes the rest much easier to handle. Of course some of them escape that fate, for example the private pets of the instructors, but most end up losing their family jewels. So it goes!"

Bertrand guided them to a gate in the fence, where a guard stood in attention and opened it to let them through. This section looked similar to the previous one, but perhaps only a third of the stalls were occupied.

"And here are our pride and joy, our war birds. Watch your hands, one can cleave off a man's wrist with a single bite!" His chest puffed out and he spread his arms as he spoke, clearly pleased by what he could present to his guests.

The beasts there were simply massive, easily over a head taller than the earlier ones, heavy and musclebound pinnacles of gryphon masculinity. The surly creatures had a fierce look to their eyes, and their beaks and talons glistened like steel weapons. Unlike the affectionate ones earlier these proud creatures sat regally and huffed at the unnerved visitors, undoubtedly waiting for any reason to jump at them to tear them apart. Their colors and patterns were more varied than that of the common gryphons, having all kinds of combinations ranging from spotted snow leopard white to tiger striped tan. Everything about their bodies was thicker and heavier than regular breeds, from their broad chests and well-developed rumps to the girth of their limbs and majestic wings. The same was true of their sex too, and noticing this made Ferdinand blush.

"Look over here boys, I have something fun to show you."

Bertrand's voice had a mirthful tone to it as he drew their attention to one particular gryphon. It was a pitch black one, with panther-like hindquarters and raven plumage, a cruel-looking black beak and claws like obsidian knives, and bright green eyes burning with rage from him being leashed down completely. He had manacles on his scaly forelimbs, connected by a metal bar restricting his movements. A steel muzzle shut his beak, and a leather harness kept his wings folded. One of his hind legs had been leashed from its ankle to thigh, keeping it constantly raised and making him unable to kick anything. The gryphon snorted and hobbled around, but he was forced to stay put by the reins tied to the wall.

"He's our newest bird, and far too ornery to train. You know how they want nothing more than to rut constantly when they arrive from augmentation? We've restrained the big guy to let him simmer for a while, until the urge to mate grows too strong and then he'll become much more eager to please if you know what I mean." He winked and smiled.

He crouched down and lifted the gryphon's tied leg even higher, making the beast hop to maintain his balance. The boys could see that he had a metal chastity cage over his sheath, that was attached with leather straps going between his legs and wound around the base of his considerable ball sack. Each of the orbs in that furry pouch must have been grapefruit-sized, and Ferdinand felt his heart starting to race faster as he watched Bertrand weigh them in his hand.

"It won't be long until he gives in, because these family jewels must be uncomfortably full already!"

He rolled them around on his palm making the gryphon snort and make thrusting motions with his hips, but to no avail. Bertrand laughed and started to fiddle with the bindings, and loosened the chastity device letting it hit the floor with a clank.

"It has taken longer than usual with this boy, though. Heh, look at this!"

The gryphon's sheath was heavy and about the length of Ferdinand's outstretched hand. It jiggled loosely between beast's legs as he moved around awkwardly, looking puffy like it had swollen up recently. Bertrand pressed the soft flesh between his thumb and forefinger lightly, and white, greasy cock cheese squeezed out of its tip like from an overfilled toothpaste tube. He pulled back the skin to reveal that the gryphon's entire cock was covered in a layer of smegma so thick that the member itself couldn't be seen!

The smell of concentrated gryphon cock musk wafted into Ferdinand's nose making him blush furiously, and he shuddered from the intensity of the entire scene playing out in front of him. His own cock was helplessly rock hard by now, signaling his depravity for everyone to see. Ashamed he glanced around to gauge the reactions of the others, but to his wide-eyed surprise he could spy the awe-stuck Reginald pitch a similar tent in his trousers too!

He was snapped back to attention by Bertrand's voice. The older fox had released the sheath and was caging it up again.

"We have great expectations for him, he shows promise and is fierce. Who knows, maybe one of you will get assigned as his rider? So it goes!"

He stood up and brushed his hands on his pants, and started to guide his guests out. Whatever reason the man had for giving the boys that show they could not guess, but he seemed pleased with himself, chuckling at some private joke. As they neared the exit he stopped and stood between them, touching their shoulders with his hands and leaned over them.

"By the way, we haven't named the big guy yet. Would you have any suggestions?"

"Uh... ummm..."

Ferdinand was not able to think straight, as he was struck dumb by the sight he had just witnessed. He could feel the shameful pulse in his groin and the burning on his face, which only served to tie his tongue further into knots.

"Nightingale."

Both Ferdinand and Bertrand looked over to Reginald, who began to grow red inside his ears at the older fox's raised brow.

"I mean, well... it just... you know..."

Reginald ducked his head, as if anticipating a blow for giving a wrong answer. Ferdinand took the opportunity to check that his eyes had not deceived him earlier, and indeed there was a definite bulge in the smaller fox's uniform pants, one that had not thought of or cared to hide.

"Nightingale, hm?" Bertrand scratched at his chin, continuing to gaze down at Reginald and letting out a considering hum. "I'll suggest it to the his keeper. For now, you two had better run along. The welcoming ceremony should be starting soon. So it goes!"

He let out another chuckle, and then one corner of his mouth turned up in a playful smirk as his eyes dropped downward.

"You might want to take the time to make yourselves presentable." With a grin and a cheery wave, Bertrand turned and began to stroll back towards the war mount stables.

Ferdinand sputtered a bit, face burning as he watched the older fox's back. He turned, and met Reginald's wide-eyed gaze. The larger fox quickly looked down and shuffled the hay on the stable floor with his boot.

"So... that was..."

"I-Indeed." Reginald cleared his throat, looking curiously at Ferdinand and tried very, very hard not to let his gaze drop below the other boy's waist. "I... never imagined gryphons to be so... so..."

"Yeah..." Ferdinand swallowed, trying to will his erection away, but he could still smell the scent of the gryphons surrounding them, hear their warbling and calling, which only brought images of the bound beast back to his mind. "So! Uh... why Nightingale?"

He finally lifted his gaze back up, a forced smile on his face as he tried to clear his thoughts with the change of subject.

"I'm... not entirely sure, myself. Word association, I suppose." Reginald shrugged, though his tensed expression made the motion far from a relaxed one. He gave Ferdinand a quick smile, and then looked back towards the war mount stables. "Plumage black as the night... wings that could raise a gale with every beat..."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ferdinand scratched at his neck. "But aren't Nightingales those pretty-singing birds?"

"Oh, yes indeed!" Reginald's tail began to wag once more as he smiled to Ferdinand. "We have many of them on the estate, and you can hear their songs all the way in the manor every evening."

"Yeah, we got some out in the forest outside the village, too." A sudden, thoughtful expression crossed Ferdinand's face. "...Can't really imagine that big guy singing like that, though."

Reginald let out a bright giggle. "Indeed, I suppose not." He took Ferdinand's hand once more. "Well, we'd better hurry along. I'll show you to the presentation hall, shall I?"

"Lead the way, Reg'"

--

The rest of the day went by in a blur of activity. They had a big inauguration ceremony at the presentation hall, where the entire student corpus had gathered to listen uplifting speeches and to swear an oath to serve with honor and dignity. It was followed by a chaotic swirl of meeting teachers and signing for classes, going through school regulations and dormitory curfew hours, and misheard questions being answered with misleading explanations.

When Ferdinand finally crashed on the bottom bunk of their bed he was exhausted, but sleep did not come. He stared at the wooden slats of the top bunk, hands behind his head and his brain idling after the day's stress. The first year would consist of basic training common for all students, during which they would be evaluated and assigned into different branches based on their aptitudes--just like their gryphons. He could not help but feel vaguely unsettled by the comparison.

"Hey, are you still awake?", he could hear Reginald's soft voice from the top bunk.

"Yeah. I can't sleep."

"Me neither."

"I've slept all my life in my own bed. This one feels strange." Ferdinand tossed around for a bit, but despite his efforts the bunk did not magically turn into a more comfortable one.

"My dad is a diplomat, a Very Important Person", Reginald started, "when he was traveling on an assignments he took me and my brothers along from a very young age. To learn the trade, see, so I'm used to never sleeping twice in the same place." There was a pause before Reginald continued. "...I think he is happy that I've been sent here. He always seemed embarrassed to present me to his guests and peers."

There was a creak of wood then Reginald's head peeked over the edge, upside-down and grinning. "Although, I thought a handsome guy like you would be used to waking up in strange beds by now?"

Ferdinand frowned and made a half-hearted attempt at swiping at his face and hissed.

"Pshaw, I was too busy for stupid things like that! I had to study, and then there was other reasons too..."

"So you're a virgin?"

Ferdinand blushed furiously. "W-what kind of question is that! It's really rude to ask a guy that kind of things!"

"Come on, you can tell me!" Reginald's voice had a lilting tone somewhere between taunting and pleading.

Ferdinand pulled up the bedsheets up to his chin and avoided his gaze intently, boring a hole in the plastered wall by his side with his stare.

"Sheesh, what's with this guy...", he spoke to wall. "Fine, I'm inexperienced okay? Now drop this subject already!"

Reginald smiled and made conciliatory noises, and disappeared from the view again. Ferdinand could hear him settling down from the faint creaking and rustling of sheets.

He glowered in silence at the top bunk, his cheeks burning red. However his righteous anger was cut short by Reginald piping up again.

"So, are you gonna jack off now?"

"W-what!?" Ferdinand yelped and froze still.

"That's what guys do, right? I've listened to all of my big brothers do it one time or another when I've shared a room with them. You don't need to hide the noises you make, I don't mind them at all." He sounded far to cheery for comfort, and yet again Ferdinand did not know how to respond...

(TO BE CONTINUED...)