FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Are you sure about this?" asked the rhino, his huge body hunched behind a wall of bushes.

"Come on Antonio, don't get cold feet now. We'll be in and out before you know it." Replied the lynx, a confident smile shining on her face.

"But if we get caught-"

"We won't"

"they'll throw us in a cell-"

"A non-existant cell,"

"And then they will toss away the key. And we will be trapped, forever, in a small room, forgotten and, and, and-." A slight tremble took hold of the rhino's hands; ragged breaths leaving his mouth as if he had just run a marathon.

"Antonio, Antonio, look at me." said the lynx with a gentle but firm tone. Her paws grasped his shaking ones with a soft hold. Their eyes met, the rhino's tainted by fear while the lynx reflected her calm heart. "Breathe deeply. Hold it. Breathe out. Hold."

Antonio gave the lynx a small nod, his chest stretching the fabric of his dark blue sweater as he followed her instructions. The lynx smile changed then, gone was the cockiness in her expression, replace by understanding and patience. The pair repeated the exercise in the safety of the bushes until the Rhino's breaths were even once more."

"I'm, I'm okay now Ana. You can let go" mumbled the rhino, a faint blush decorating his cheeks.

"Are you sure?" asked the lynx, receiving only a shy nod in return.

"Antonio, you know I'd never let that happen, right?" the rhino nodded once more with a sober face.

"And that I have a plan for this. A plan to make sure we make it out of here," A single flick from a gray ear was the only answer she got.

"I got a plan and we_will_ make it out of here," the feline said, giving her partner a reassuring squeeze, "but I can't do this alone. I need you big guy."

The rhino eyes widened, his body grew taut under her gloved hands. The lynx brought the meaty hands to her face, planting a quick kiss on the thick skin of his knuckles, bringing out a surprised gasp from the bigger animal. Antonio lowered his gaze to stare at their joined hands; his ears flicked a hundred time a minute while a set of dark gray eyes were locked with his.

"But, if you really think this is too risky. If you don't believe this will work out then," the fox started, eyes reflecting the conflict raging inside her mind. A resigned sigh left her, her tail hung tiredly behind her,"then we will forget about all this and go back the way we came. No one word about this to anyone."

The pair stayed silent for what seemed like hours. The lynx's tail moving to the nervous rhythm of the rhino's ears. The rhino was none the wiser, his eyes closed while a low hum came from his chest. Finally his eyes opened, amber orbs shining with determination.

"We need this." he said, a bit of doubt cling to his tone. But even that was gone when moments later he repeated himself with a brisk nod. It was no longer a question nor a statement, but a resolution.

"Thank you" whispered the feline before she left the security of the bushes, her slender form soon getting lost in the darkness of the night.

Despite his size and weight, Antonio made no sound as they moved through the campus; the moist earth under his feet absorbing the consequences of gravity without complain. The darkened clothes they wore helped to keep the pair from being found while they jumped from shadow to shadow towards the opulent building that housed the director's office. More than once their hearts raced with adrenaline as a solitary light broke through the darkness and fell upon their last hiding place, a quick prayer leaving the Rhino once the guard had gone on their way.

Little by little, the unlikely duo skulked around the three story building, not a word exchanged between the until the lynx, with a smile full of glee pointed at the ornate double windows standing barely above the feline's chest and comically low when compared to the large rhino.

"Here it is Antonio," announced the lynx, her reflecting the scarce light in a true feline fashion, "work your magic."

With only a grunt in response, the big animal approached the window with timid steps. One hand pulled up the bottom of his sweater, revealing a set of metallic tools of a dozen different shapes. His other hand taking out a pick like tool from its pocket on the black sash. His hands moved like a blur against the crystal panels and after only a few minutes of scrapping, one of the panels fell away with a soft pop. The thick glass stopped from a disastrous fall by a thick skinned hand.

The removal of the crystal made it easy for the lynx to slip her hand inside and open the windows with a dramatic flick. Her body soon followed her inside, crossing over without the groaning of wood that accompanied Antonio.

"I'll take the PC, the records are yours, as always. " stated the feline, before moving towards the ancient computed laying on the wooden desk.

The rhino gave her a quick nod, before he shuffled towards the stack of books precariously ordered in columns almost as tall as him. Apprehension seeped into the rhino's heart the moment he saw the books; a part of him wondering how he would find the book in the dark and without calling the guards on them. With a dozen puffs of breath the rhino set to work, dismantling the many columns one by one until the floor around him was littered in books. His eyes moved fast through the tittles, checking and double checking the numbers against those in his head. A deep frown forming in his face the as the piles of checked books increased without success.

Both animals worked in the shadows, the monitor's light reflecting over them and giving them a ghostly appearance. The lynx, her tail tracing happy nines behind her, was the first to announce her victory with a subdued "yes", But her happiness didn't last long, for she had barely done the last changes to the files when a loud alarm shouted from teh computer. She didn't had any time to check before the door opened with a bang. A flash of golden light blinded her, moments before something heavy and furry slammed into her. The impact with the ground, left her breathless, but her feline eyes quickly adapted to the darkness.

"Don't move" said a nasal voice above hair. A long snout with a bored face glanced at her with tiredness and resignation while the tapir's hands moved quickly to neutralize his opponent.

On the other side of the room, the Rhino laid still, his bulky frame still half hidden behind the stacks of books. HIs chest rose and fell in quick succession, ragged breaths coming from him for the second time in the night. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, his eyes wide and fearful taking in the scene before his eyes. Showcasing a dexterity never expected of a rhino, Antonio advanced towards the pair with surpringsing agilty. Like a soft breeze, he made no sound to alert the tapir of his presence. Book in hand, he raised his improvised weapon high into the air before hitting the tapir on the head with all he head .

"Oh shit" was all he sad when he realized the severity of his situation.