FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Water as smooth as glass, kissed by the heavy, pregnant moon so far above rippled, then bubbled. Air bubbles popped and punctured, before a sleek golden furred head broke the surface.

Firs tthe nose, nostrils clamped tight, relaxed and air rushed into the lungs. Whiskers followed the short muzzle, as it opened and helped to draw air deep. Rows of sharp fangs glistened for a moment, before the lips closed. Tightly closed eyelids flicked open, reavealing eyes like twin pools of night - yet sparkling with love and life. Tiny ear flaps were nex, unsealing and letting this enigmatic creature hear.

Twisting its lithe body, flippers slapped at the water, as it twisted to the right, then again and again - facing back the way it had originally been looking. Content, it flexed and dove, the twin flippers at the tail slapping the waters surface, making concentric rings spread ever outwards.

For a few moments, peace and tranquility returned, before the sea erupted as the creature flew gracefully about two metres into the air, twisting and writhing, as it slplashed down on its belly, the water geysering around it, then covering it once more. Content and at play it dove and resurfaced a loud whoosh as it expelled old, stale air through its nostrils, then rolled over onto its back, gazing longingly up at the moon, entranced and entralled by its palor.

*

Faintly, ears heard something - it frowned, rolling back over and flicking its hind flippers to keep its head above water. It swivelled itself too and fro, trying to source the strange sounds.

Distant and barely heard, but noises its mind struggled to comprehend. Suddenly a brilliant yellow gold flash appeared on the horizon, spiraling upwards and turning red and black.

It was almost a minute, before the slapping shockwave rocked the seal, making it squeal in agony as the concussive force threatened to shatter its eardrums. Hurting, scared and frightened, it twisted and dove back beneath the surface, its ear flaps sealing and nostrils clamping.

Deep beneath the surface, it rolled and spun, before reorienting itself with the surface again, its eyes peering into the inky depths. New noises come through the saline - cracks, crunches, a faint vibration. These were sounds it knew - it had seen and heard these great noisy beasts of steel that thrashed wildly at the surface, when a storm broke them and their carcasses fell to the ocean floor.

This - sounded different - smaller, fainter - none of the concussive implosions that displaced water and made the marine life scatter in wild panic. No, this was similar - but not similar. Curiosity began to burn in the mind, a dangerous and potentially lethal trait it had been told multiple times. It couldn't help it, it may as well been ordered to stop breathing - for all the good it'd do!

Slapping its fins back, it glided with incredible speed through the ocean, drawn inexorably towards that cracking and crumpling sound. Eyes were protected by the specialised membrane, that allowed it to see just as well beeneath the surface, as above. Breaking the surface, it took a quick breath and dissapeared again.

In that heartbeat, it had seen the thing in the sky had vanished - it wasn't surprised. Usually they only lasted a few seconds...usually. One, it remembered, almost beyond its young minds ability to recall - had light the day and the night with a sickening black cloud. Noises had come from that thing, agonising noises that tore apart the air - as great orange, red and black clouds boiled from it.

Diving down, it glanced sideways at a large cuttlefish. That'd make a perfect meal - but it ignored the cuttlefish which squirted away in a cloud of ink. With a stream of bubbles from its muzzle, laughter, the seal gulped and slashed towards the surface.

Its head broke the water and it gasped, choking on the bitter salt water as it shivered. Twisting around again and again, it sought to get its bearings. Really, it was all relative. It did not understand north from south, east from west. It went where it willed, when it willed. It knew, instinctively, the bright painful ball that rose to its right, would come in its own time, just as the beloved moon, so far above, would wilt and die, only to grow and be reborn in its own time.

Diving again, it resumed tracking inerringly towards the engimatic sounds. They grew quieter - the vibration felt as long sound waves as whatever caused it, broke up, its falling parts plunging downwards, towards the darkness so far below...