FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Toonification By: Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. Additionally, some characters are depicted as underage and there is minor cartoon violence. There is also some micro-macro content. You have been warned.

"Laughter is timeless,

imagination has no age,

and dreams are forever."

-Walt Disney

The world is a strange place. Sometimes you awaken to days so bright that the sun's rays burn so brightly, that you have to shield your eyes. Other days the clouds take a darker hue and the sun doesn't show it's bright face. What do you do when you're faced with such days? When sadness seems to overwhelm you itself despite the prospect of hope on the horizon. We all experience these days and it is how we overcome them that shapes our character.

Pent was a young boy who lived on the outskirts of Montreal. At 12-years of age, the cub lived with his brother in a small apartment among the residential district of Laval with his brother who was 5 years his senior. The two had lived together all of Pent's life and he had grown used to living a modest life with his brother as he wasn't one to complain. But lately, not much had been seen to be going right.

Pent was an arctic fox who lived among other furs, but while he shared that in common with people, he had a hard time getting along with similar age cubs. The kit was way more advanced academically than most of his peers. Pent was very much the perfectionist. He did everything within his power to get perfect grades on everything. When things didn't go his own way, he was keen on extra credit in order to repair the score and keep his record squeaky clean.

One day at school the kit received a test from his English teacher, which was far from his best subject. He took it from the woman who passed it on his desk without a second thought. The cub looked it over, beaming with pride as he looked at the checkmarks drawn on the page before each question. Then when he got to the top, he was surprised to find a 99. Looking over the paper a second time, it didn't appear that he had gotten any wrong.

The fox raised his paw and waited a few moments to be called. It was close to the end of class, so he felt like it was an issue that needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Within moments the bell rang and all of the students filed out the classroom, obviously having no interest in staying behind. However, Pent was much too worried about the idea of a tarnished record even if it was but 1%.

"Ma'am. I think you made a mistake." Pent placed the paper on the desk in front of the woman.

The older woman tilted her head up and took hold of the paper. "And what mistake is that?"

"Well, I see you gave me a 99 but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong?" The fox pointed at all of the checkmarks on the paper one by one.

The woman tilted back on the chair and pointed at the error the boy had made. "You misspelled a word."

"Which word did I misspell?" Pent peered closer at the paper seeing no indication of an underlined word, which usually meant something was wrong.

The teacher sighed and bent forward to point at the error. "Here."

Sure enough, the fox had used the incorrect misspelling of an indictment, using inditement instead.

"Can I do something to increase my grade?" Pent was nervously grinding his paws together.

The woman shook her head. "No. Your grade is fine the way it is. 1% will make no difference."

"But..." Pent's voice trailed off in fear.

The woman pointed out the door. "Goodbye. Mr. Ghelsburg."

The fox walked out of the room hanging his head low. It was as if his whole world view had crushed. There was no one else around to make it better either as he walked, totally alone, from the classroom down the hall to the exit.

Pent felt as if he was going to cry, trying to man up and not let his sorrow get the better of him. The fox neared the door that lead to the exit, thinking but for a moment to go back. He saw the janitor down the hall and watched him clean. Not wanting to dirty up his work, the cub decided to let the issue rest until tomorrow. Opening the door, the fox was met with a tremendous and blazing light.

It was as if the sun was looking directly into the school, which Pent knew was not possible at any time of the day. The fox had to shield his eyes a bit.

"Why so down, chum?" An unfamiliar voice beckoned from the light.

Pent looked around confused. "What? Who said that?"

"Don't be so glum, come in for some fun!" An arm extended from the light and suddenly grabbed Pent.

Pent's vision blurred for a moment, he thought his eyes were going to burn out. Instead, when he opened them he found himself in unfamiliar terrain. Looking behind him, the school was still there but it's dull grey exterior had been replaced by tan brick and a blazing red roof.

In front of him stood a wolf of similar stature to him. The other cub's eyes were starry and his fur was off the oddest hue of blue. On his person was a red Hawaiian shirt complete with yellow flowers. He wore blue pants but nothing on his hands or feet. The wolf seemed to be of a similar age to the fox, from what he could tell.

Pent scratched his head. "Uh...who are you?"

"I am Aleph." The wolf bowed cordially. "And you are Pent."

"How do you know my name?" The fox backed slowly away as if he were weirded out by the other cubs' perspective omniscience.

"I am a toon. We are the guardians of your boons. Our job is to ensure happiness and you sir...are not but sappiness!" The wolf poked a single finger forward playfully pushing Pent.

Pent suddenly fell to the floor. But instead of feeling pain, he felt nothing. The other cub looked over him with an impish grin.

Aleph offered a paw to the other boy to help him up. "You're frown must go down. Up, up and away is much more sound!"

"Right..." Pent took a hold of the paw and who seemed to pick him up with ease, catching the fox off guard a bit.

The wolf bent his arms to his side. "Don't believe me? Well just come and see..."

The kit figured he didn't have many other choices in the matter. His surroundings seemed off even if they seemed like somewhat familiar places he grown up knowing. Everything seemed more colorful and lively than what he was used to.

Aleph led on into the distance towards a river. Pent assumed it to be one of the many of the regions but didn't' see any of the traffic, bridges, or even roads that typically led over such expanses. A steamboat could be seen chugging down the water, a piece of technology Pent had never seen before. A black and white cat waving to the two boys as they gazed over the river. The wolf took a few steps, his paws seeming to keep tread over the water.

"Not everything is as it seems. For you, it could be a dream. So try and cross this stream!" Aleph spread his legs and imitated the Colossus' of old.

Pent's maw dropped as the other cub seemed to be walking on water. He pinched himself to be sure he wasn't dreaming. Sure enough, he did not wake. Aleph crossed his arms, patiently awaiting his charge in the center of the river.

"Come on, now. No need for such a frown. Tis all for fun and games! Now cross it as if you were Poseidon on the Thames."

The cub's voice seemed to soothe Pent's fears of reality and the laws of physics, slowly he took a step onto the water.

Very lightly he pushed the weight of his shoes on the surface of the water. Pent watched as he began to walk over water, just as the over cub had. Eventually, he began to trust himself and walked ever closer to where Aleph was.

"See? I was right. Now show me the bright!" The wolf forced a smile from the other cub by stretching out Pent's mouth using his fingers.

Pent couldn't help but grin as the other boy began to dance around on the water's surface. Soon joining him in his idea of fun.

Soon they were back at the waters shore.

Aleph put his paws behind his head casually. "Believe me now? Or how else can we rid of that scowl."

"So...where am I then? This isn't the real world...is it?" Pent shrugged figuring this couldn't be reality.

"The Toon world and for today you are one of us. So just give in and show less fuss." The wolf tugged away Pent once again.

Pent's body lifted as if it were paper. He was strung along like he was a kite without a string. Aleph seemed intent on showing the cub a good time. The fox couldn't help but wonder what the other boy had in mind. Eventually, they arrived at a big hill that overlooked the same hillside. The wolf allowed Pent's body to settle back down, so he could get a look at where he was.

Pent gazed into the distance. Just like in the real world several rivers converged at a single point. In the middle of them was a sprawling city. One without paved roads and without rivers. Instead, some dirt passages existed that connected the areas between each other. Still, it was awkward to see the area without a tremendous amount of traffic. Only a few cars were around and many of them seemed to be antiquated by what Pent considered to be modern standards.

Over the top of them, Pent could see the familiar bright ray of light. It resembled the sun, except that when he looked at it he didn't have to shield his eyes. The glistening and sparking in the solar disk resembled very much a happy face. It was very surreal to be sure.

"We are one and the same. What you know, is what we created to keep you tame." Aleph eased one of his hands behind Pent's back and pushed him a bit.

Pent's body responded, just as easily as it had previously. When Pent looked down, there was nothing beneath him except for the vast fields below.

The fox looked back at the wolf who waved with a smile. Suddenly panic took over as Pent's body plummeted below. The cub clawed forward as if he expected that to give him some sort of resistance from the fall. Within moments his body crashed into the floor. But instead of his body cremating and exploding into tiny bits, his body rebounded just as if he were on a trampoline. The indignant fear inside of him soon replaced by glee as each and every bounce brought him closer to the floor.

Soon his body came to a rest. Aleph began his way down, walking on air, using it like it was some sort of staircase. The atmosphere seeming able to support his weight even as he traversed down it.

"Fun, yes? Tis' all in jest. Come with me, there is more. After all, you are still sad at the core." The wolf whisked away with his new friend once again.

They eventually arrived at a huge open field. The only thing in front of them was some big wooden boxes that had the words "Acme and TNT" on them. A metal lever rested right above the box.

"I bet you want to press it, don't you? Well, don't tarry and make big boom!" Aleph pointed to one of the boxes nearby.

Pent felt a weird sense of danger as he approached the box. It smelt of gunpowder and made Pent a little anxious.

"Go on now. Push it down. Don't be shy. You won't go and die." The wolf crossed his arms patiently.

The fox knew he was being pressured, but so far the other cub hadn't hurt him. Slowly the cub began to depress the lever. It lowered easier than he expected. Once it reached the bottom, nothing happened.

"Wait for it..." A whistling sound could be heard overhead.

Pent scratched his head, unsure of why it didn't blow up. He was sure it was going to explode and yet it hadn't The whistling sound grew louder and more obvious. Looking up, he realized what caused it. A huge anvil was careening towards him. But it was much too late to move. The huge piece of metal equipment crashed on top of him. The fox's vision was blacked out, but he felt no pain.

Aleph approached the now flattened fox, who still had no idea what happened to him. The wolf poked the anvil with his claw. The thing squeaked and deflated as if it were nothing more than an inflatable. He could see his new friend flat on the floor beneath him.

Pent couldn't move no matter how hard he tried. "Help me, please?"

The wolf leaned down and took hold of the other cub's hand and blew into it. Slowly the fox's form returned to normal.

"Well...that was certainly interesting." The kit smiled as brushed off some dirt off of his sullied clothing.

The wolf frowned a bit. "But not fun? Oh...then we are far from done."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Pent watched as he was pushed towards another box.

"Go on...try again. Surely, it will not take long for you to begin." Aleph stepped away again.

Just as before the fox found himself in front of a box. It looked exactly like the other one had. This time Pent was more sure of himself and pushed much more eagerly.

Once the lever was depressed, the floor beneath him disappeared. Instead, all he could see was an infinite black void. Pent panicked and within moments his body plummeted below into the abyss beyond him. On and on he continued to descend, deeper and deeper until he was entirely swallowed by darkness. But that darkness was soon replaced by the same overwhelming light he had experienced earlier in the day.

His body rushed through it. It rekindled the sense of hope within him as his body floated through the stream of light and back into the atmosphere of the toon world. Pent could see Aleph below him. The other cub watched as he continued to descend closer and closer to the ground. His body coming to a complete stop once it reached the floor. Pent couldn't help but feel giddy from it, even laughing a bit.

Aleph joined in laughing as well. "That's better. I was sure that would put an end to your fetters."

"That was pretty neat. What is this place?" Pent looked around trying to see if he could find any signage to indicate their location.

The wolf's body levitated a bit. "This is the toon world and you can do as you like. So pretend as you will, after all, you are but a tyke."

"Right...okay." The fox still voiced some doubt in his tone.

The floating cub crossed his arms. "Still? Such a buzz kill. Perhaps another show is in order, then? Press the button, again."

Pent saw the boxes disappear in an instant as if by the command of the god-like pup. A huge red button appeared with scribbled instructions on top of it reading "Do Not Touch". Of, course curiosity was getting to the boy and Pent. He lurched forward and pushed the button. With even the lightest touch, the button disappeared. The sound of an engine could be overheard. Before long a motorcycle pulled in front of Pent.

The fox had seen plenty of vehicles in his life but motorcycles were not something that were super common where he lived. Still, it seemed strange by what he could tell. It was bright yellow and red as if it were one of those toys designed for very young kids. However, it was much larger than a toy would be.

"Aleph glided back down and sat on the driver's seat before patting the seat behind him. "Get on, time for a ride. We don't' have much time to bide."

The fox joined his friend and clutched his sides in order to feel a little safer. The pedals and handlebars on the bike shifted to adjust the wolf's smaller size. A moment later he began driving. The distance between where they were and the city in front of them, closed rather fast. Their surroundings shot past them as if the bike was going much faster than it actually was. Within mere seconds they were in the city proper.

Pent looked around once the bike came to a stop. There were no street lights or stop signs. The place was without much traffic. Only an occasional car sputtered by. As with the boat, the cars seemed to be older. Many of them struggled by and made rather loud noises as they traveled further down the main street. The outlay of the area seemed similar to what he was used to, except there weren't many big buildings.

The buildings that were around were much more colorful in nature. Each of them had open doors with a few furs in front of them waving to the kids on the bike as they went by. Once they come onto what would be considered county lines a wall could be seen, built with large red brick. Suddenly Aleph began to pick up speed as if he intended to crash through it.

Pent shook in fear. "W-what are you doing?"

Aleph didn't answer and instead rotated the hand gear to make the bike go faster. The fox watched as the wall got closer and closer.

Pent closed his eyes, expecting a quick and painful end. Forgetting all about the experiences he had earlier the same day. Aleph drove through the wall without issue. The bike maintained it's velocity and broke the bricks rather easily. The whole world warped around them. The same bright light enveloped them as before. After a few seconds, they reappeared in the real world. The colorful motorcycle they had ridden in, only to be replaced by a much more kid-friendly moped.

Aleph ruffled the other boys' head fur. "You can open your eyes and relax. Did you enjoy yourself to the max?"

The fox re-opened his eyes to find himself back at the school that he had been taken away from earlier. He could see the janitor locking the door, which likely meant some time had passed during their excursion

"Yeah...that was neat!" A huge smile erupted on his face.

The wolf reached in and hugged the other cub. "Good, I am glad. Then you are not mad?"

"No, of course not. That was really fun. Thanks for the trip." Pent embraced the hug and returned the affection with one of his own.

Pent got off the bike once the hug was over. The two stood silent for a moment.

Aleph stuck out his paw in a gesture of friendship. "Friends? Perhaps we can make amends."

"Sure, yeah." Pent took the paw and shook it with both of his own.

The wolf broke the handshake and got back on the bike. "Well, I must be on my way. Don't be quick to dismay."

"I'll try harder. Thanks for your help. Thanks for everything. I had a really great day." Pent's smile was quite obvious at this point, having forgotten all about his issue with his grade.

Aleph pointed into the distance. Sure enough, the same bright light appeared in front of them. The wolf began pedaling towards it, though slower than Pent thought he would. Pent rushing over to give him another hug before waving him off. Eventually, the toon wolf returned through the light and the makeshift portal vanished without a sign. Pent wondered if he would ever see the other boy again.

As he was walking back home, the fox began to ponder his day. All the negative thoughts had left him and he only thought of his time in the toon world. Looking at his watch, he realized how late it was. Knowing that Samaliel would be angry he rushed home. Luckily his house wasn't that far from the school. When he arrived at his apartment, Samaliel rushed to hug his little brother as he was quite worried about him.

Pent explained his day. Of course, his brother didn't believe him. The younger fox grew frustrated. After all, it wasn't like Pent was a liar. Even after going over his whole ordeal, Samaliel still didn't believe him. The fox began to wonder if he could have a way to prove it to his older brother. Suddenly the flash of light appeared and through it Aleph appeared from it. By this point, the young cub had grown used to it but the teen had to shield his eyes.

Aleph and Pent recounted their day. Eventually, Samaliel came around and believed the two boys about their fanciful day. After all, the wolf had just appeared out of thin air and that was just as unlikely as any toony tales told by the two cubs. Regardless Samaliel wanted to believe his brother but was sometimes a hard sell. Still, once the discussion was over, the three of them shared a hug.

It was time for Aleph to go again. He couldn't spend much time in the real world without breaking some untold toony rules. Pent and Samaliel stood and watched the cub return into his portal of light.

The smaller fox sticking his tongue out at his brother. "See...told ya!"

"Yeah, Yeah. Whatever." Samaliel put the smaller boy in an arm lock and gave him a noogie.

The two going about their day like normal. Pent continuing to canter tales about his day. Samaliel seeming more glad to share. Though, Pent wondered in the back of his mind if he would see Aleph again. Something in his gut told him, he would...