FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sun was far past its zenith, its rays leaving a sweltering haze that bathed the world in a bright orange. The cloudfront looming far upon the horizon seemed so enticing at that moment, yet it only moved away from the ruins they now stood upon.

"God damn.", Tar grumbled, his black coat of fur damp with sweat, dripping down over his plain grey t-shirt. His olive green cargo pants fared no better, though it was much less visible there. "This weather's murder.", he complained for perhaps the sixth time that day. A stallion his size shouldn't have complained so much.

"Get this done and we can go back in the car.", said Hiria, otherwise known as Swivel. Her own white tank top and black jeans weren't faring too well, but she kept any complaints to herself. She was a cobra snake, and snakes didn't whine about heat. But it was indeed murder.

"This'd better pan out.", Tar said, gripping his rifle tight.

Swivel shook her head dismissively and moved on ahead, her SMG held at the ready. She was getting rather tired of the horse's foul mood.

Moving among the bombed out remains of the former town, they began to see signs of life. Indirect ones - drawings and writings on the wall, most among them vulgar, not very aesthetically pleasing, and full of spelling errors. Most of it looked like cave paintings.

"'Sygi ruls dix'.", Tar read aloud dryly, taking a moment to admire one of the 'cave paintings'.

"Sh!", Swivel shushed.

"Bitch.", Tar said with a roll of his eyes. Clearly he didn't care much about getting the drop on their targets. Dregs or not, Swivel wasn't planning on underestimating these two.

Moving along the directions she'd been given, the number of painted walls seemed to grow abundant, suggesting they indeed neared their goal. At some point she even thought she caught a glimpse of a garden between the husks, though it seemed quite barren, the few plants there dry and yellowed. They were getting close.

Finally they reached what Swivel had been told the place would look like - unassuming, small, made of naked concrete that somehow weathered the Warline better than most other buildings around. It even had something of a door at its front, though the hinges looked rusted in place rather than something that'd swing to the side.

With a nod towards Tar, Swivel slithered her way towards the entryway, doing her best to remain silent. She couldn't hear anyone inside. Once at the door, she stopped for a moment. Opening this rusty door would no doubt be loud and alert anyone within, if not everyone within a hundred meter radius. Instead she gestured the change in plan towards her partner and began to circle around, seeking alternative entry and a peek inside.

Looking through the holes that passed for windows, she caught glimpses of old furniture and little else. The contrast in light made it difficult to see anything smaller within. Eventually she came across a larger hole, big enough to fit both of them at once. Slow and careful, she slipped inside, her eyes steadily adjusting to the difference in light. She was in some kind of bedroom, with only a mattress sat upon a metal frame and some bedside tables. The floor was covered with a dusty old carpet, beneath which laid only stone, once smooth but now cracked and gravely.

It was a bit dark for comfort, but she moved on inside, walking through a long corridor that briefly diverted into a small dark room of only barren concrete. A couple paces later, she was in the main living room, with the opposite side of the main door now in front of her. Only a scratched up couch and a small table seemed to decorate this particular area. There was a section reserved for a kitchen, but other than some counters and cupboards, it was quite empty. In any case, there was no one there, and it all didn't exactly look very lived-in.

"Balls.", Swivel cussed in displeasure, just as Tar made his way in behind her.

"No one home.", Tar said humourlessly. Swivel could tell he was irritated with the whole thing, but said nothing.

"Eh. Let's wait here for a while. See if anyone comes back.", Swivel said with a displeased sigh and moved back into the bedroom.

"Fug's sake.", Tar cussed as he followed along. "Think I'll go on lookout outside.", he said.

"Suit yourself.", Swivel said and dropped backwards onto the mattress. It kinda smelled, but she didn't care.

Tar moved towards the opening, then paused as though he'd just realized something. "What do they even look like?", he asked.

"Egh.", Swivel grumpled and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the crumpled up description of the whole assignment. It even contained a drawing of the two.

"Uh-huh.", Tar muttered as he took the note in hand, scanning over its contents. "Earring... bandana...", he continued to mutter aloud, annoyingly enough. "Wait, what?", he suddenly asked.

"What?", Swivel asked back in confusion.

"The pay for these isn't even worth my salary!", Tar said.

"We'll figure something out.", Swivel said dismissively.

"Like hell we will. You dragged me into some charity work again!", Tar said.

"Well, it helps to prove you can get an assignment done. And we need those right now.", Swivel said, finally sitting up to face the horse.

"We're not a crafts shop. People don't care about our rep.", Tar went on, growing pissed.

"Companies do!", Swivel argued.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the Talcs, Rothheids and Greywaters are gonna be fighting over us once they hear of this.", Tar said, dumping the job contract on the ground. "Fug this. They're probably gone anyway. I'm going back to Helseth.", he said and turned to leave out the hole they'd come through.

"What? Stop!", Swivel demanded, rising to her feet. But Tar seemed to ignore her. "I mean it!", she then added and cocked her SMG halfway to show she meant business.

Tar finally paused at this, then turned towards her with a look of abject fury. "Seriously? You're threatening me with that thing?", he asked, looking as though the gun was the one thing keeping him from punching her teeth out.

"You're not leaving me stranded here.", Swivel warned. She really didn't want to shoot him, but she wasn't about to get left behind god knows where either.

"It's my fucking car. You can walk.", Tar said, now moving towards her defiantly.

Swivel wasn't eager to find out what he intended once he neared. She needed him to cool down for a moment, but just the threat of an SMG pointed at him apparently wasn't doing it. A warning shot seemed in order, even if it was expensive. She brought the SMG up to her eye, lined it up towards the window, right beside Tar's head, and pulled the trigger.

CLACK

They both froze in abject shock. A jam? Now? A quick look revealed an unspent round had indeed lodged itself in the ejection port. Oh shit, this must've looked really bad from Tar's perspective.

Before she got a chance to try and explain, Tar charged at her, looking pissed like never before. She had only a moment to drop her weapon and try to ward him off with her hands, but he seemingly sailed right through her block and punched her in the snout.

"Augh!", Swivel squealed out as she fell onto the bed, desperately trying to shield herself from further harm. As the smell of blood flooded her nostrils, she felt a fury overtake her as well.

"You'd shoot me over this?!", Tar demanded as he neared, seemingly ready to wail on her.

Swivel didn't give any answer and instead delivered a double-kick to his gut that sent him stumbling and gasping for air. She would explain everything, but only once he was on the ground and bloodied as well.

With a leap off the bed, Swivel threw a broad right hook towards the horse's snout. He managed to lean back just in time to turn it into a grazing hit and in turn delivered a kick to her inner thigh, sending the snake stumbling back again. He was no doubt aiming for the groin, but she hardly felt good that he missed. Booted or not, a horse's hoof was hard and it hurt like hell!

She had little time to consider her injury, when Tar fell upon her again, this time sending both of them falling onto the bed in a grapple. Swivel desperately tried to deliver a knee somewhere it might count, and for a second she thought she did.

THWACK

'Oh dear fuck, my god damn knee!', Swivel cried out in her mind as she discovered Tar had armoured up in places unseen. She'd just kneed him in a metal plate, and he looked none too happy about her attempt either.

"Dumb fucking cunt!", Tar roared and began to blindly wail on her with his fists. Swivel now felt too pained and terrified to do much more than defend herself. A hard fist crashed into her cheek, another into her lower abdomen, then another into her solar plexus. She struggled to breathe, let alone deliver any kind of response. It began to feel like she might die there, when suddenly Tar paused for a moment, then yanked down at the front of her pants.

"What the-?", Swivel yelped as she felt her crotch suddenly become exposed to the wind. Was he-...? Was he about to rape her? A glance upon his face suggested he was more intent on killing her, but as he undid the front of his own pants, revealing his dick, it became all too clear. "Tar! Sto-ack!", was as much as she managed to say before he planted a palm on her throat.

Try as she might, she could not kick, punch or shake him off of her. Even her tail, coiled around his bicep, could barely ease the pressure. He rewarded her efforts with another punch to her gut, then another, until she finally stopped fighting back, only grabbing and pushing back on his bulky arm, hoping he wouldn't strangle her to death. She was barely lucid at that point.

Tar no longer said anything, and instead stuck a finger inside of the snake, making her writhe in discomfort and humiliation. This was a new low for her. Not only was she being raped, the man doing it seemingly did it strictly out of spite, and she felt too paralyzed to do anything about it. All she could do was return the hatred, locking eyes with Tar in a glare that said it all - if they met ever again, she would kill him.

Finished with his prodding, Tar then reached down and directed his rod towards her entryway. Swivel gasped in response to the solid length now rubbing up against her slit. She shuddered with every passing moment in anticipation, sweat dripping down from the equine onto her torso, only to mix with her own perspiration. Then, he finally pushed in.

"Khaagh!", Swivel coughed out, her breathing laboured as the horse strained her body from two sides. Eyes shut, she could do little more than endure it. "Agh! Nggggh!", she groaned and whined as his girth split her open, her insides unable to fully accommodate his equine length. But he didn't seem to care. Perhaps he even relished the pained convulsions he was witnessing at that point. Inch by inch, he got further and further in, seemingly stretching her insides and swabbing her raw, until he reached a concerning limit. He then began to move back and forth. Neither of them seemed particularly occupied with the sex itself, though the slapping of his balls against her rear made it difficult to ignore. "Ough! Gah!", she continued to scream, straining her muscles to push the much bigger male's hand off her throat.

But then, he put his other hand around her throat as well. Was he trying to kill her? Swivel's eyes shot open, looking into Tar's for answers, but she saw only hatred. His thumbs pushing into her larynx, she struggled to catch the faintest of breaths. She tried to ineffectually punch at his sides, but her strikes no longer carried weight, and he shrugged them off without effort.

"Kha! Gak-!", she sputtered, her mouth wide open in an effort to draw air, but Tar was relentless, even as the world around her grew dark. All she saw in those final moments was the pure hatred in her former companion's deep green eyes.

---

Kicking up gravel and dust, the banged up car sped through the vast empty wastes, its suspension straining under the added weight of their belongings. The sun grew more and more annoying to Ferk, setting over where they were headed, and consequently blinding him. The heat wasn't exactly pleasant either, but the draft mitigated it quite effectively.

Sat next to him, with her feet over the dashboard as usual, Sigi dozed in and out of consciousness, her red bandana drooped over her eyes in an effort to blot out the sun.

"God damn, this sun's piss.", Ferk grumbled aloud.

"I don't see the problem.", Sigi said dismissively. "Wait, neither should you. You've got goggles!", she said, briefly pulling her headband from over her eyes.

"Uh? Oh yeah!", Ferk realized and smacked his forehead, then pulled them down. With the goggles now over his eyes, he could see better, though not by much.

"Pfft, dummy! And you keep giving me shit about sand in the eyes.", Sigi chuckled and pulled the headband back down.

"Well, goggles are better for that than a headband.", Ferk said with a shrug.

"Ah, whatever.", Sigi said with a dismissive wave. "We ought to stop by the Hole.", she then said, for the third time that day.

Ferk sighed. His sister was inconsolable that day. "I'd rather we just got set up as quick as possible.", he said.

"It's gonna be dark by the time we get there now. Not setting up shit.", Sigi argued. She did have a point.

"Let's just sleep it off, then. Don't like to bring all our stuff to the Hole.", Ferk said. "Why so hellbent on going there today anyway?", he asked.

"Agh... I just-...", Sigi began, but fumbled in her explanation.

"What?", Ferk asked, now even more curious.

"Just rough days ahead. Wanted to get some partying in.", Sigi said.

"Rough? We're just moving base.", Ferk said, furrowing his brow.

"No, I mean rough, y'know. Like red alert rough.", Sigi said, the colour in her cheek suddenly somewhat closer in shade to her headband.

"Oooooh.", Ferk said in realization. "Need anything bought from the Hole... for your hole?", he asked jokingly.

"No.", Sigi said, then sighed.

"Alright, we can have some fun.", Ferk said.

"Thanks.", Sigi said, once again raising her headband to give Ferk a thankful smile.

"Sure.", Ferk simply said. He really would've wanted to throw some jokes concerning his sister's coming 'flood', but doing that usually made those days a lot less pleasant for both of them. She could get really pissy about it.

---

Sat in his usual seat by the bar, Ferk stared into his drink more than anything. Sigi went off with her friends, dancing the night away without a care in the world as usual. He had no idea where she got the energy after the day of packing they went through. Ferk himself hardly felt like doing much other than drinking up and going to bed, in part because so far his night wasn't going too great. He'd been met with rebuffs every time, and not for any discernible reason. It was as though he'd been cursed. Still, he decided to give it a couple more tries.

At a table at the far side of the floor, he caught sight of a lone vixen, her eyes clearly seeking company within the crowd. Ferk decided to try his luck and approached.

"Hi there!", he shouted past the music as he leaned into the table. "How's your night going?", he asked, putting on the best smile he could muster.

"Was pretty good until a dirty dreg talked me up.", the vixen said with clear derision.

Ferk was a bit taken aback, but decided to try and take it in stride. "Really? Where?", he asked, looking around in mock confusion.

The vixen seemed unamused by this, however. "Over there, in that window.", she said, pointing towards a mirror on one of the walls.

"Huh. Well, as long as he keeps his distance.", Ferk said and sat down next to her. "Name's Ferk, by the way.", he said, trying his best not to be deterred.

"I know.", the vixen said, now looking quite annoyed.

"We met?", Ferk asked in genuine confusion. Perhaps this really was someone he had fun with before.

"No.", the vixen said and took a sip of her drink. "Heard about you from a cheetah.", she said.

"All lies, probably.", Ferk assured. "I wash, for one thing.", he said.

"Uh-huh.", the vixen muttered and rolled her eyes.

Ferk sighed. This was going nowhere. "A'ight. Sorry for the bother.", he said and got back up.

He went back towards the bar and got back in his seat. This was about the fourth time he'd gotten rejected that night, though at least now he had an idea why. Some cheetah... how many of those had he screwed? About five? Or were some of those leopards? Booze and weed made it hard to remember exact details. Or much of anything at times.

"Hey, you.", he suddenly heard a female voice from behind. He turned to find perhaps what he was looking for - pale yellow of fur, dotted all over, short of hair, and looking quite pudgy in the abdomen.

"Do I know you?", Ferk asked with a tilt of his brow.

"You'd fuckin' better!", the cheetah snarled. "This is your doing!", she said, pointing towards her belly.

"Huh?", Ferk asked, feigning ignorance. "I... suggested a diet?", he went on.

"I'm Riss, and this is your kid!", the cheetah said, growing irritated.

"Oooh...", Ferk said, suddenly remembering the cheetah Sigi had decided to draw in some unflattering situations. More than that, she'd stolen a twenty off of him. "Wait, that can't be mine. We rubbered up.", he then said.

"I'm not dumb. I asked around and found something out about you and your sister.", Riss said, leaning into the hyena's face confrontationally.

"So you heard some rumours and decided to start spreading rumours.", Ferk said humourlessly. "For a thief you're pretty dumb.", he said.

"I'm not a thief.", Riss said.

"The twenty that went missing from my pocket says otherwise.", Ferk said.

"Maybe you lost it.", Riss said, suddenly becoming somewhat less adamant.

"And maybe you got knocked up by one of your other fucks.", Ferk argued.

"I... no, it was you.", Riss said, once again growing quite sure of herself.

Ferk shook his head and raised his hands in resignation. "Whatever. If you want a handout, look elsewhere.", he said and turned back towards the bar. Suddenly he found himself staring right at Nat, the bartending tigress, who'd been standing there all this time with a malicious smile on her face. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. "Seriously?", he asked, looking between the two. At least now he knew who'd been spreading the rumour. Unfortunately, there was little he could do about either of them.

"Don't think this makes us even either.", Riss said as she got up and left.

"Ah, piss off.", Ferk grumbled after her, essentially conceding defeat. For now. There were ways of dealing with this. "You too, dry womb.", he then said towards Nat and took a glug of his drink. Her smile barely waned as she walked off. This night was a loss. He decided he'd finish his drink and-

"Hey.", he heard a distinctly male voice accompanied by a tap on his shoulder.

'Oh god, what else is gonna go wrong tonight?', Ferk thought to himself as he turned around. He found himself face to face with a rather large, muscular zebra. Or rather face to chest. He had to crane his neck upwards to look the equine in the eye, and he didn't imagine he'd like where this was going.

"You're Ferk, right?", the zebra asked, assuming a genuine smile as he did. He looked somewhat familiar, but that hardly put Ferk at ease. He'd wronged his fair share of guys as well, albeit usually in a different manner. Then again, this might've been a relative of some girl he'd had his fun with as well. This one was dressed rather casually, in a soft azure button-up t-shirt and grey jeans. He smelled rather nice, too.

"Yeah?", Ferk said, then took a sip of his drink. He hoped he'd get to finish it, but he wasn't about to bet on it.

"Name's Erren.", the zebra said, then abruptly reached down and grabbed Ferk between the legs.

"Woah!", Ferk shouted, nearly spilling his drink in surprise. This was highly unexpected and a bit concerning. "You realize I'm a guy, right?", he asked with a rather nervous smile. He wasn't sure whether this'd turn out to be the kind of ball fondling he enjoyed.

"Mhm.", Erren confirmed and leaned in closer. "Sigi told me you might enjoy this.", he whispered.

Ferk raised his brow and spared a glance towards his sister, standing somewhere near the middle of the place. She was staring back at him with a toothy grin and waved. God damn it. He couldn't help but blush and smirk as he turned back towards the zebra.

"You one of her party friends, eh?", Ferk asked with returned confidence, his free hand now gliding along the hunky guy's pectoral. It was solid as rock, and a bit intimidating.

"Uh-huh.", Erren said, looking pleased the hyena returned his affections, and in turn gave Ferk a slightly harder squeeze. A bit too hard.

"Heh. Ease up there, bud.", Ferk requested, though more than with his own discomfort he now focused on what might be between the zebra's legs.

"Sor-unh!", Erren grunted in response to the suddenness of Ferk's own frisk of his package. Ferk liked what he felt. It'd been a while since he'd gotten to handle another man's eggs. Well, a conscious and willing one's, at least. "Care to take this someplace private?", the zebra asked, finally relinquishing hold of the hyena's goods.

Ferk nodded enthusiastically and downed the rest of his drink.

---

"So how you want it?", Erren asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Sh!", Ferk hushed him and led him towards the bed.

"Well, alright. Have it your way.", Erren said with a smile.

As much as Ferk hated to admit it to anyone, even himself, what he wanted from the zebra wasn't very... manly, to him. It just wasn't his usual dominant style. It actually made him rather embarrassed, yet at the same time he was overjoyed at the chance. The alcohol coursing through his system helped alleviate his reluctance a bit, too. He just would've preferred that his sister hadn't known, let alone facilitated this.

With a light shove, Ferk pushed Erren down to sit at the bed's edge and got down to his knees in front of the zebra. Erren seemed a bit surprised at first, but smiled as Ferk began to fumble with his belt. He suddenly paused as he thought of something, however.

"Hey, no telling Sigi what went down here, alright?", Ferk requested.

"Sure.", Erren confirmed.

With something of a go-ahead, Ferk finally unstrapped the zebra's pants and pulled them down with some assistance. He now found himself with his nose inches away from a black and pinkish prick and saggy balls, dotted with protruding veins and the right amount of fuzz to come off as masculine without seeming unkempt. The scent intoxicated him, but most of all, he appreciated the contrast in size between the length and its owner. It was a combination that turned him on in an instant, and though really he wouldn't have been picky in this regard whatever the case, this was a gift wrapped just for him. Sigi knew him all too well.

He took the zebra's testes in hand, slowly rolling them around in his palm. There was something particularly exciting about getting to touch another man's jewels, perhaps mostly because of how rarely he got the chance, but also due to how 'off-script' it felt. These parts were made to breed, yet here they were in the hands of another man, about to be serviced just for fun. It was a silly thought, but made him smile to himself.

With his assessment of the zebra's goods out of the way, Ferk pushed Erren's muscular thighs apart, then got down to work and extended his tongue, giving the equine testicles a couple testing licks. He noticed Erren's thighs twitch, and the lower he went, the more pronounced the response was. It made Ferk feel pleased with himself. He decided to give them a more thorough tongue-lashing, and sucked both into his mouth, then began to playfully tug and massage them.

"Oh! This isn't just an itch you're scratching, huh?", Erren asked, seemingly pleasantly surprised at Ferk's performance.

Ferk said nothing in response and merely smiled, continuing to enjoy the shape and feel of the zebra's fleshy orbs. At the same time, his eyes felt drawn towards the rod before him, already hard and bobbing in rhythm with its owner's heartbeat. His own prick was busy brushing against the inside of his jeans, firm and eager, yet woefully understimulated. It drove him wild.

He let the zebra's orbs slip from his mouth, granting them one last but thorough lick before he moved on to the zebra's penis. With a long, slow drag of his tongue, he moved from the bottom up to the tip, then began to more timidly lap and kiss at the underside of Erren's glans. The scent was now overwhelming. Though he knew he'd have little trouble taking someone Erren's size in his muzzle, he still took his time preparing, nipping gently at the foreskin and using his claws to tease the underside of the zebra's sac some more. His shivers were adorable.

Finally, bracing against Erren's thighs, Ferk positioned himself over the equine prick and dove in. His tongue sliding along its length, he bumped the zebra's pubic mound with his nose, one hand planted upon Erren's abdomen while the other gripped and fondled the testes underneath.

"Ah!", Erren gasped out in surprise, feeling the hyena suck down hard upon his rod. The zebra showed his appreciation by grabbing Ferk behind the ears, returning his affection as much as he could in their present position.

With eyes now closed and full devotion to his task, Ferk began to move up and down the zebra's length, from tip to base, all the while maintaining suction with his lips. His own member incessantly demanded attention, but for now he would ignore it, focusing on the big guy he was servicing. It made him feel used, like some dirty whore... and he rather liked it.

"Ah!", Erren suddenly exclaimed, his thighs threatening to close around the hyena's head. Ferk could barely pull back an inch, the zebra's hands now pressing him as deep as he could go. Though he'd never voice the complaint nor try to avoid it, Ferk wasn't looking forward to the taste that was about to hit his tongue, but with the equine holding him in place, the inevitability of it only further excited him. It was almost like he was being forced into it. "Mh!", Erren grunted as the first spurt spilled into the hyena's maw, circumventing most of his tongue and travelling down his throat.

Ferk swallowed it down eagerly, the very act of serving as cum disposal for a bigger man only further turning him on. Finally, the zebra's orgasm reached an end, at which he pulled the hyena off of himself.

"That was great. You've had some practice.", Erren said, looking down at the docile hyena with a sense of satisfaction.

"I have been taking notes.", Ferk admitted as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You enjoy being dominated, huh?", Erren asked.

Ferk merely smiled and nodded meekly, even now unwilling to admit it aloud.

"Then let's award you for a job well done.", Erren said and pulled the hyena up to a standing position. Without getting up, he began to tug and unzip Ferk's pants, before finally pulling them down. He was now facing an eager, pent up and somewhat moist prick and balls, not unlike the hyena had moments earlier. Unlike Ferk, however, he got right down to business, dragging his tongue up from testes to tip, only to envelop the whole thing in his long equine maw.

"Ah!", Ferk exclaimed, doubling over in surprise at the intensity. Even more surprisingly, Erren then used his tongue to pull Ferk's testicles into his mouth. He was sucking the whole of the hyena's package! "Mh. Uh!", Ferk groaned in response, his eyes cycling between going wide and closing shut in response to the sensations. Erren's tongue was doing wonders. Ferk leaned on the zebra's strong shoulders and neck, his legs threatening to give in under the influx of pleasure. Erren's hands ventured over his thighs and butt, seemingly teasing at the possibility of penetrating him, but never going through with it.

Then, after mere minutes of attention, Ferk shuddered, clutching the zebra by the ears as his climax struck. He began to gently hump into Erren's maw, his seed spilling under accompanying spasms of ecstasy. With a pounding heart and sweat running down his back in the aftermath, Ferk gave out a pleased sigh, then straightening out again as his genitals slipped out of the equine's lips.

"Ahhhhh.", Ferk gasped out as he dropped onto the bed, laying next to the smiling zebra.

"I take it you liked it.", Erren said and laid back as well.

"Fuck yeah.", Ferk muttered dreamily, now grinning himself.

"I'm glad.", Erren said, then suddenly turned over on his side and pulled the hyena towards himself.

"Woah! Hold on. I ain't into that gay stuff.", Ferk said, not exactly liking the idea of spooning. It made him nervous for some reason.

"Uh?", Erren asked, somewhat confused but still holding Ferk close.

"Hugging and stuff.", Ferk specified.

"You just sucked dick and this is too gay for you?", Erren asked, now finding it rather entertaining.

"Y-... yeah...", Ferk said without certainty. He realized how ridiculous it seemed.

"Why?", Erren asked.

"Just... find this kind of intimidating.", Ferk said. "Which is fine when I'm in the mood, just not after.", he added quickly.

"Afraid I'll hurt you?", Erren asked with a sense of amusement.

"Well, you could hug me to death.", Ferk noted nervously.

"What if I promise I won't?", Erren whispered teasingly in his ear.

"Uh... suppose that'd help.", Ferk said without certainty.

"Then I promise.", Erren said, then gave the hyena a light nip on the ear.

Ferk sighed to himself. His heart was still pounding, he was still sweating, and he felt like running. It wasn't like him to be this nervous, yet he was, and no amount of reasoning ever made this seemingly benign act seem less stressful. Not in arms as powerful as the zebra's.

He began to wonder if he'd ever want to repeat this if it meant having to pay with another session like this.

Nawh, he totally would.

---

Swivel woke up to a feeling of aches spanning the entirety of her body, but mostly her neck, nose, torso... and groin. It was dark and rather cold, though also soft. A bluish glow entered the room through a window hole, by way of stars and moon, no doubt. Most concerningly, however, she soon realized she was completely naked. It took her a moment to remember where she was.

"God damn it. Tar?!", she called out, suddenly very afraid she'd been left there like this. "Tar!", she called out again, really hoping she wasn't alone here. But she was. "Oh hell...", she muttered, curling in around herself to conserve some warmth. The prick really robbed her and left her alone... worse than that, she suddenly remembered why her crotch and neck were so bruised - he'd raped and tried to murder her!

A sense of disgust and weakness washed over her. She couldn't even bring herself to check what the 'damage' was between her legs. For the moment, however, she was left to contemplate what to do next. She had nothing for covers, as far as she could tell, and nights in the wastes could be cold as all hell. Either Tar thought she was dead already, or he left her there to die. She wasn't giving up, however.

There had to be something left within this patch of barren ruin she could make use of. Only issue was navigating around in the dark. Careful in her step, she walked out into the open, seemingly unbothered by her nudity, though only because her life was on the line.

Swivel took to exploring the first closest building she could find. Its innards were strewn with dust and rubble, making exploration in the dark almost impossible.

This was hopeless. If there even was anything to be found in this place, she had no idea where to look nor even a chance of seeing it if she did. In resignation she went back inside the house she'd woken in. She scoured what few cupboards and corners unsearched yet remained. She began to lose all hope, when suddenly she opened a drawer.

"Oh, thank fuck!", Swivel yelled out in relief as she found what felt like dusty old blankets. Too ragged, stiff and worn for the house's previous occupants, yet a life-saver to her now. She gathered up all of them and placed them on the bed.

Wrapped in as many blankets as she could manage, she closed her eyes, hoping to stop shivering eventually and fall back to sleep. Her growling stomach and parched mouth didn't help matters either, but they would have to wait until morning. Maybe even later.

---

"Fuuuug.", Sigi whined, stirring in her seat for the n-th time that ride.

"What?", Ferk asked, trying to stay focused on the road, even as he munched on a trail ration of dried honeyed grain.

"It's started.", Sigi said, gripping her abdomen in discomfort.

"Wha- oh! Shit.", Ferk said, remembering what she'd mentioned the previous day. "Had a good time, at least?", he asked.

"Yeah.", Sigi said, a pained smile extending over her face. "Met a nice fox. He had moves.", she said dreamily.

"Sounds nice.", Ferk said.

"What about you? Have fun with Erren?", Sigi asked.

"Yeaaah.", Ferk said with a roll of his eyes. Even thinking of discussing this made him blush.

"Haaa, you're weird! You'll fuck some bitch right in front of me but don't want to talk about this.", Sigi cackled.

"It's different, alright?", Ferk said in exasperation.

"Pffft! Well, I got a good boning.", Sigi said, pretty obviously goading her brother into trading experiences.

"Good for you.", Ferk said instead.

"Oh, come on. Do I have to ask Erren?", Sigi asked.

"You could try.", Ferk said. He wasn't certain whether the zebra would keep a secret, but either way he found anything better than having to talk about it himself.

"God. No wonder dad thought mom slept around. It's like you're someone else's brother!", Sigi said.

Ferk rolled his eyes again.

"You could show some gratitude for the hookup.", Sigi then suggested.

Ferk sighed and shook his head. This was getting annoying now. "You really want me to tell Erren 'no' next time, huh?", he asked.

Now Sigi shook her head in exasperation. "God. Fine. Prick.", she said, just as annoyed, if not more.

Ferk really didn't like fighting like this, but this was something he preferred to keep to himself. At least for now.

"You need any meds?", Ferk asked, trying to divert the subject back to Sigi's condition.

"Don't got the stuff that helps. Already checked before we left.", Sigi said unhappily.

"Coulda said so. Woulda bought some.", Ferk said.

"Coulda woulda shoulda. Shuddup.", Sigi muttered in annoyance.

"A'ight, a'ight!", Ferk said, growing defensive.

"I could use a smoke.", Sigi then said.

"Oh, come on. Not in the car.", now Ferk whined.

"Ferk, this is an emergency.", Sigi said, sounding quite stern.

Ferk sighed. "We're gonna have a real emergency if I crash this car.", he said, just as a bump sent them bouncing quite harshly.

Now Sigi sighed unhappily. "Fiiiine.", she grumbled and closed her eyes, seemingly doing her best to calm her insides. Ferk had no idea if that was even possible. "You're carrying all our shit in, though.", she said.

"Fine.", Ferk said with a sigh. This was going to be a long day, he could tell.

---

Shivering from exertion, Ferk stumbled into their new home with the last of their stuff. "Fug!", he exclaimed as he nearly collapsed while setting the box down on the floor. "Aaaagh!", he groaned, stretching to try and alleviate the back ache he'd built up doing everything alone while Sigi laid on the bed, flat as a pancake and still high off her smoke. It'd been the last in Ferk's pockets, though thankfully they had more. And he really needed one now.

"Keep it down, huh?", Sigi said, apparently trying to sleep off her lady pains.

"Egh...", was all Ferk said. Sigi's moody days were annoying that way, and unless he rolled over on just about everything, it'd usually result in a fight. Digging through their bedroom stuff, he found the joint bag, eager to get his hands on one. "Uh-oh.", he said upon seeing what he saw.

"Whu-uh-oh?", Sigi asked, now even more annoyed he'd been rummaging through their stuff in the bedroom.

"Only one left.", Ferk said, holding up the final smoke in disbelief. Had they seriously burnt through the pack so fast?

"What?", Sigi asked, bolting into a sit with worry in her eyes.

"This is the last one.", Ferk reiterated, holding up the joint.

"Wh-... how?", Sigi asked. "We had a whole package!", she said.

"I guess we smoked a bit too often.", Ferk suggested with a shrug.

"You mean you smoked a bit too often.", Sigi corrected accusingly. In reality, Sigi got a puff every other time Ferk lit one up, and then some. He could hardly bring that up without escalating things, however. This was the worst possible time to be having this conversation.

"I've been trying to cut down.", Ferk said in a defensive manner.

"Ah yeah, as can be seen.", Sigi said, derisively gesturing towards the scene before her. "Just give it here.", she ordered, her grabby palm outstretched.

"Wha-? Hold on.", Ferk said, backing off a step.

"Come on, I really need it now.", Sigi said.

"But you just smoked one.", Ferk noted.

"I mean, not 'now' now, just gonna need it soon.", Sigi said and finally slid off the bed. "Give it!", she then said, trying to swipe the joint from Ferk's hand, but he had already lifted it up in the air, keeping it well out of reach of his considerably shorter sister.

"Slow down. Let's just share this one and think on how to handle this.", Ferk said, but Sigi was already growing more and more aggressive, arms flailing in an effort to reach the unreachable smoke.

"Give!", Sigi growled, now growing irritated.

Ferk continued to hold it just out of reach of the little runt, his other hand on her scalp, keeping her from jumping. He couldn't help but smile, which no doubt irritated Sigi even more. As entertaining as this was, Ferk worried she'd soon escalate things and send them tumbling to the floor. He was up for a good wrestle, though. That was when he looked down and saw in her eyes she was genuinely pissed and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Ooogh!", Ferk gasped out, a sudden sharp pain forcing him to double over with a look of disbelief in his eyes. Oh fuck, she'd just kneed him in the balls! He barely had the time to notice she'd swiped the joint and ran towards the exit, his focus now squarely on the ache he felt and how much worse he knew it was going to get before it got better. Leaning against the bed and looking back towards Sigi, he could've sworn he saw her stop for a moment, but she quickly bolted outside. "Fuuuuuuug.", Ferk cussed in resignation as he collapsed onto the bed, able only to endure an ache that seemed to radiate up his gut with steadily increasing intensity.

At the very least it took his mind off his back, though he hardly considered it much of a consolation. He was pissed, no doubt about it, and even more infuriatingly there was little he could do. For now. Sigi had to return there eventually, and then... he wasn't even sure what he'd do. Worst part was he really didn't want her upset with him either. Not for now. That infuriated him even more.

It felt like it was taking forever to end, when finally the pain crossed that peak and began to subside, almost pleasant in how much relief it delivered. He still didn't exactly feel like walking or moving much at all, the soreness in his crotch likely to hold for a couple more minutes, but he really needed to get out of there. He didn't expect to catch up to his sister, nor did he really want to, he just needed some air to think and cool off.

---

Surrounded by a pleasant haze of smoke within a dark little building, on a reasonably comfortable cloth bedroll, Sigi inhaled the blend deep. She held her breath as long as she could, wanting to get the most out of this last joint. It dampened her high to think they'd be going sober for the next... however long. Perhaps she'd apply some other types of intoxicants like booze instead.

Gliding through her own mind, Sigi tried not to think much at all, normally something very much achievable, now a bit of a challenge with the unpleasant thoughts nagging at the back of her consciousness. With one last pull that nearly burned her fingers, her little treat was done, leaving her with a mild sense of loss. She flicked it outside.

Floating there in a pleasant stupor for what felt like forever, eventually those troubling thoughts began to surface unbeckoned. She'd pissed off her brother for this one last smoke. Hurt him, too, and that was going to cost her, likely in some similarly painful or humiliating way. Though he couldn't exactly hurt her back the same way, she fully expected him to try.

He should've just let her have it. She really needed it that day, and he'd smoked through most of their stash. Not to mention she hooked him up the other night. Yet she couldn't exactly feel good about this either. He did offer to share that last one, and had spared her the hassle of moving their stuff.

"Uuunghhhh.", she groaned to herself and ran her hands over her face. She felt bad, and she really didn't want to. Slowly but surely, she got back up to her feet and peered out a hole in the building, as though expecting to see Ferk somewhere in the distance. She'd spent more time there than she'd thought, it'd become mid afternoon. She really needed to get back. Her stomach, among other parts, demanded it. With a quick readjustment of the rag she kept in her pants to keep her bleed in check, she climbed out the hole in the wall she'd used for entry.

Wandering through the old ruins, she took note of the pictures she'd drawn upon the walls, many months ago. Most of them looked crap, and not simply because the paint had flaked off. They just weren't very good. Some time spent away from her drawings seemed to turn them all to shit, and she couldn't understand why.

'Focus.', she thought to herself with a shake of her head. She needed to come up with something to say to Ferk. 'Hey, sorry I kicked you in the nuts!' didn't seem particularly regretful in her mind. Though really, she wasn't that sorry either. She decided she'd just wing it, like most things in life. That always turned out best.

---

"Huh.", Sigi muttered to herself, her scan of their house resulting in nothing. Ferk was absent, and it was kind of irritating. Here she was, looking to make amends, holding a raw half-eaten beetroot in her hand, and he'd wandered off somewhere. Much like she had, but whatever. As she finished off the last of her lazy self-grown lunch, she decided to go out and look for him. He was probably on lookout somewhere, though she'd passed by at least two of their spots for the place without spotting him and there were only three others she knew about.

Sighing to herself, she then decided that maybe it was best if she just got some sleep instead. He'd come here sooner or later, then they'd talk it out. Maybe he'd wake her in some unpleasant manner, but that was a possibility she was willing to accept. And with that, she dropped onto their bed, bothering neither to undress nor put any sheets on their mattress. She felt too tired. And lazy.

She just hoped she'd get to try and explain herself before he punched her.

---

Sigi awoke much as she'd fallen asleep - flat on her back and staring at a picture on the ceiling - an early rendition of Captain Kigg's space ship, flying among the stars, a piece she still took some pride in with how it held up. It was also one of few she'd managed to draw inside before Ferk decided he preferred their bedroom walls kept clean, possibly due to the paint that'd landed on their mattress. Somewhat alarmingly, it was already bright out, probably nearing noon. She sat up with a sense of confusion. Ferk should've woken her by now, but he was nowhere to be found.

At that moment, Sigi felt a tinge of worry, one that she knew would grow if she couldn't figure out what happened. A myriad of scenarios began to stream into her imagination, one only slightly less unpleasant than the next. Had he run into someone dangerous? Had he been kidnapped? Killed? Did he maybe have an accident walking over some unstable elevation? The possibilities were killing her.

Breathing out heavily, she got up and decided to go looking for him. Although not without some breakfast first.

"Fucking asshole.", Sigi cussed to herself, furiously biting into the grain-battered strip of dried meat Ferk had made a couple days ago. She had no idea where to even start her search. This former town wasn't exactly much smaller than the one they'd vacated, and it'd been a decent while since they'd been here. All she knew to look for was their garden, water stash, and lookout spots.

What was worse was that her insides were acting up again. She took some regular pain meds, but they wouldn't help that much. Maybe the walk would take her mind off it.

---

With a pronounced sway in her step, rather appropriate to her name, Swivel lurched through the open wastes with only her own scales on her back. The prospect of coming humiliation had lost its sting many kilometers ago, when she dropped the blanket she'd taken with her, its surprising bulk too much for her exhausted, dehydrated body. All that was left was to find her way somewhere that might take her, and right now her prospects for that were poor. She had no idea where she was. Though she'd aimed at travelling to Helseth, somewhere along the way she must've lost her sense of direction, cause this journey was taking far too long.

She took a moment to thank and curse out Tar in her mind for landing her in this predicament. Getting even... no, just making him die horribly, that was all that drove her on anymore. And even if she died, she would do her damndest to rise from the dead and haunt the prick.

"FuuuuUUUUCK!", she cursed aloud in impotence, the prospect of just falling over and dying there without a soul to witness it making her wish to lash out at something, anyone.

Just then, she heard something in the wind, as though a crash or distant gunshot. She turned towards her right where she'd heard it, ready to dive for cover, when she realized she saw something in the distance - a string of rock and metal, faintly lining the horizon. Was it a mirage? Or just some cliffs? She decided she no longer cared. Anything was better than venturing on towards some featureless horizon.

With a moderately hopeful bounce to her step, she began her approach. For a while it seemed as though the shimmering heat would reveal it to be but the delusion of a starved mind, yet as she got closer and closer, the sight proved only more and more certain. It was Helseth! Probably. Maybe. She didn't care. All that mattered to her at that point were some clothes, food and water.

Step by step, the gate of the settlement drew nearer, and as it did, she caught sight of a lone sentry up front, nonchalantly awaiting her unsteady approach. It was some white cat, standing under a red tarp by a table with what looked like bottled water and some bowl with dry foods. Swivel's eyes now saw little beyond that table.

"Ho there, girl!", the cat called out with some cheer.

At that moment, she found it greatly difficult to coax the words from her throat. She needed water. "Wa-... wa'er...", she muttered, approaching the cat without caring much for her modesty anymore.

"Alright, alright.", the cat said, then picked up and handed her the bottle off his table.

Swivel chugged greedily and nearly choked, some of it spilling off the side off her mouth and down her nude body. She set the bottle down, panting in relief and leaning into the table.

"Where you from, ey?", the cat asked.

Swivel looked at him momentarily in bewilderment, a question so simple seemingly much too demanding of her half-fried mind. She began to realize she still wasn't sure where she currently was. The guard was unfamiliar to her, and the place itself didn't exactly look like Helseth. "Dalceth.", she simply answered.

"That so?", the cat asked, then abruptly walked up to her. "Stray slave, ey?", he asked, staring at her bruised and naked features.

Her heart skipped a beat at this question. This cat was now no doubt looking for a boost to his pay day, and she wasn't certain clearing up the misunderstanding would help at all.

"No.", Swivel said. "Partner screwed me over and robbed me.", she said.

"Hm. Don't have a brand, that's for sure.", the cat said, looking her over curiously. Only now did Swivel feel the urge to cover herself, which she did. "How you intend to pay for that water, though, ey?", he then asked with some malice.

"I... I'll work it off.", Swivel said, realizing she had little else to offer.

"Uh-huh.", the cat said, crossing his arms in disbelief. "How about you work it off with that mouth of yours, ey?", he asked.

Swivel frowned in distaste at the prospect. "Not that kind of girl.", she said. "Look, just let me do some menial work. In return for food, water and clothes.", she suggested.

"Don't really have a use for a beat up prude serpent.", the cat said. "Actually seen my fair share of your type. Got a cleaner and some farmhands that way. And they're more willing to do a little 'extra'.", he added.

"So what now?", Swivel asked, wanting to splay her arms to the sides, but resisting the urge on account of her bare scales.

"Now you wait right here while I go fetch my boss.", the cat said.

"Where am I anyway?", Swivel then asked, once again looking over the metallic town walls with some unease.

"You're at the Rig, of course.", the cat said, pointing towards some rather large faded letters on the wall.

Swivel felt her heart leap up to her throat. She couldn't have ended up in a worse place in her current state. This was basically bandit territory. Even armed and ready, she would've seldom travelled here alone, and now she was naked, starved and weakened. She needed to get the hell out of there!

The cat wandered off towards the city gates and soon disappeared beyond. Swivel immediately dove towards the table and chugged down whatever was edible or drinkable there. Peanuts, roots and dried fruit. Not rich, but enough to get her through another day's travel... at best.

She tugged at the tarp to see if she could loosen the material. Jackpot. She now had a length of cloth to wrap around herself for warmth and modesty. But it was not the time for that. She just ran with the thing in her hands.

"Ey!", she soon heard a shout, but she did not look back. If they ran after her, she needed all the head start she could get. Pure adrenaline drove her past whatever aches or weakness she felt.

For a while it sounded like no one was keeping up with her. But then, she heard the distant roar of engines.

Oh fuck, cars!

She needed to get clear of the open road. Maybe hide somewhere till they got tired of searching. A mound of rock was her nearest best bet. She swiftly ducked behind them, peering out to see if the bandits would find her.

'Ooooh, shit!', she thought to herself. They were heading right for her!

She went as low as she could and hugged the rocks, as if wishing to disappear between them. The tarp she stowed beneath the dirt, its colours much too vibrant for the surrounding sand and stone, her own scales a much better match.

Such efforts seemed wasted, however, as she heard a car pull up nearby, its brakes whining loud and high in pitch. Sat there in endless wait, her heart pounded so hard she could hear it. She managed only to gulp as she saw the shadows loom over her bare form, their three owners pointing pistols in her direction.

---

"Ah, god damn it!", Sigi exclaimed, standing upon one of their lookouts. No sign of her brother, even though she'd begun to call out his name during her search. He was hiding somewhere, probably freaking her out on purpose.

She suspected he might've gone off to the Hole, but then she found their car was still parked. There was little else to go on. She now felt like getting back at him for all this... even though technically he still owed her one.

Scratching her cheek, she gave the area one last look-around, when something caught her eye - the car. She'd always wanted to take it for a spin. Normally Ferk wouldn't allow it, being a prick and all, but he wasn't there to tell her off. Heck, maybe if she drove around a bit and made some noise, that'd draw him out of his hole.

With a short leap down from her elevated position and a couple bounds, she slid into the car through the side window without even bothering to open the door. This was exciting, and it was just what she needed to take her mind off her womanly issues. With a flick of the two exposed cables against one another, much like Ferk had done many times before her eyes, the engine roared to life, sending tremors throughout the whole of the cabin.

Smiling to herself like a mad woman, Sigi fastened her seatbelt and took hold of the wheel, then gently pushed down on the pedal and... nothing. With a raised brow, she looked down at the two pedals. Slowly she gave each a more and more firm push, to no effect.

"Ah, fuck.", Sigi said, looking around the cabin for what she might've been missing. "Oh, right!", she exclaimed as she noticed the lever Ferk always pulled just before starting. 'P, R, D, prrrt.', she thought with a roll of her eyes. Fucking letters. Even now it felt like Ferk was teasing her over her inability to read. She had no idea what any of it meant, but she recalled the one Ferk always selected - the D. 'Heheheh, the D.', she thought to herself. With a flick of her wrist on the lever, she gave the pedals another push, at which the car jerked into motion. "Woah!", Sigi exclaimed in startlement, pushing on the other pedal to try and stop it. "Alright, girl. You got this.", she said to herself, bracing for what was to come.

Slow but steady, she began maneuvering the car past all the rubble and buildings. At times it felt like she should've scratched against something already, her route forcing her to just about brush against the terrain. Ferk made it look so easy and she had no idea how. It seemed so difficult to gauge just where the car ended and the obstacle began, particularly since those obstacles were out of her sight most times.

ZGRRRRRT

Oh-hoh, there it was. A hard scratch that'd probably send Ferk into a tirade about how she should never drive again. Good. Served the prick right. And it wasn't like a scratch could possibly stand out amid all the dents and bullet holes.

Finally, she reached a clear road, along which she could pick up some speed. Pressing her paw onto the pedal, she now truly began to feel the whirr of the engine. Pulse pounding adrenaline through her veins, she began to feel the exhilaration Ferk had felt on his first drive. Once the car cleared the last of the buildings, Sigi truly put her foot down, blasting the engine for all it could manage. It screamed torturously, and she would make it scream even more before she was done with her joy ride.

With a sharp twist of the steering wheel, she went off the dusty road into the even dustier sandy plains. Dodging the various plants and rocks was becoming second nature. She felt unstoppable.

---

"Huh?", Sigi blurted out in confusion. She was... in the car, looking through a busted windshield at a low dusty roof over what looked like a large orange basin. Her head was pounding, the seat belt was painfully tight, every hair on her scalp and even her arms rising in unison towards... "What the fuck?", she mouthed, finally looking up to find dirt and shattered glass on the ceiling of the car.

Holy shit, she was upside down!

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.", Sigi muttered as she began to panic. How'd this happen? She didn't remember anything. Either way, she needed to get out.

Fiddling with the belt, she found it particularly difficult to undo with her entire torso pressing into it.

Click! Thwump!

"Gaaaah!", Sigi groaned, her sudden impact against the ground leaving her rattled. She bumped her head again, though thankfully the shattered glass didn't seem to have cut her. She did smell blood, however. A quick inspection revealed her nose was hurting and dotted with dried blood. But otherwise she seemed relatively ok... so far. Just achey bumps and bruises. Unpleasant ones, but no bleeding.

Sparing no time to try and figure things out, she crawled out through where the windshield once was, soon finding herself in the scorching late afternoon sun. Unsteadily she pushed herself off the dirt and soon found her sense of balance was way off. It actually made her a bit nauseous.

"Blegh!", Sigi puked onto the floor, spitting a couple times to get it all out of her mouth. Oh, she did not feel great. A lot more of her ached than usual. Then she looked at the car and thought about Ferk, as well as how he would react to this sight. It made her feel sick in a different way. Oh god, he would be mad, and how.

Slow but steady, she began her journey back home, fearing the worst, but really just wanting to go back to bed.

---

She entered their home to find Ferk already there, reclining on a couch with a book in hand. It would've been a welcome sight, were he not about to punch her once he heard what happened. He didn't seem eager to acknowledge her, however, even though he must've heard her enter.

"Ferk.", Sigi began, feeling like she was putting her neck in a noose just saying this.

"Hm?", Ferk asked, barely glancing away from his book. He immediately did a double take, however. "What happened?", he asked, suddenly rising off the couch.

"I... accidentally crashed the car.", Sigi said, not even having to try sounding remorseful.

Ferk looked at her for a while with his mouth slightly agape.

"You alright?", Ferk asked, looking over her with visible concern.

"I... I think?", Sigi said uncertainly. She hadn't even looked in a mirror since the crash and had no idea what the damage was exactly. She must've looked like hell.

"A'ight. Let's go see it.", Ferk said with a resigned sigh.

---

"Huh.", Ferk uttered, looking over the flipped wreck. It was a mess, as Sigi herself surmised only now on second glance. Bits of the chassis were strewn across the area, forming an arc that hinted at a trajectory that'd led to this. It hardly mattered now, though. The car was in shambles. The front wheels were gone, half the doors had fallen off or become inoperable, the cabin was compressed to hell. It seemed a miracle Sigi got out as unscathed as she did.

For the longest time, Ferk said nothing and simply stared at the car as though seeking some idea of what to do with it. Sigi really didn't like the silence. It'd already been unbearable enough on the way back there.

"Where'd you go?", Sigi asked.

"Hm?", Ferk asked as though he'd just been pulled from thought.

"Couldn't find you.", Sigi said.

"Oh. Just took a breather in one of the other buildings.", Ferk said, then pulled out... a joint? Sure enough, he lit it up and took a puff.

"Where'd you get that?", Sigi asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know.", Ferk said with a coy smile, smoke billowing out of his mouth.

"Ferk.", Sigi said sternly, hardly in the mood for half-truths.

"Remembered I had some extra stashes around here.", Ferk said with a shrug.

"Oh.", Sigi said unhappily. She didn't know of any of those, and Ferk would no doubt keep them secret now. Not to mention it made her feel worse about how she acted up over the 'last' of their supply.

"Oh well. Let's go back.", Ferk said with a shrug and began his return.

"Uh? That's it?", Sigi asked, pacing after him.

"Nothing to be done. Win some, lose some.", Ferk said, then took another pull of his smoke.

Sigi walked on for a while in silence, trying to process his reasoning. It didn't make her feel any better. In fact, she may've preferred if he just directly got back at her somehow, clear the slate and all, even if it did mean getting punched. This just made her feel worse about everything. She could really use a drag of that smoke.

"Next we go to the Hole, we're gonna have to walk, though.", Ferk commented.

Sigi nodded absent-mindedly, only realizing he wouldn't even see it a second later.

"Are you mad?", Sigi asked, feeling the answer was obvious.

"Ain't thrilled.", Ferk said in a deadpan tone. "But I'm relieved you're ok.", he added after a moment.

Sigi fell into silence once again, not really able to provide much comfort. God damn, he really knew how to make her feel bad. She knew she'd fucked up, but even now she didn't want to apologize after the disappearing act he'd pulled. Not saying anything only made her feel worse, though.

"Thanks.", Sigi said meekly.

"Uh?", Ferk asked.

"For keeping cool.", Sigi said.

"Heh. No point staying mad considering it's just the two of us here.", Ferk said with a toothy smile. "Just promise me you'll keep it cool.", he said, looking at her expectantly.

"Yeah. I will.", Sigi assured, smiling back at him. It took her only a moment to doubt that promise. Her insides were acting up again.

"Want the last drag?", Ferk suddenly offered, holding out the nearly burnt out joint.

At that moment, Sigi looked at him in stunned silence, then nodded enthusiastically. She took it in her fingers and dragged it down her lungs, the remainder managing to scorch a bit of fur off her muzzle.

"Wow. Really needed it, eh?", Ferk asked in a bemused tone.

But Sigi couldn't answer for the moment. She was desperately holding it in to get as much out of that one drag as she possibly could. It took a feeling of faintness to finally make her release the smoke from her lungs.

"Ahhhh, hell yeah!", Sigi said, then abruptly ran up to Ferk and wrapped her arms around his front.

"Woah!", Ferk exclaimed, struggling to maintain balance under the sudden contact.

"Best brother everrr!", Sigi said, finally unleashing her sibling.

"Aheh!", Ferk snickered, seemingly unable to find proper answer.

Sigi then trudged on ahead towards their home, her head in the clouds and her shoulders free of weight. Also a growling stomach, though sating that was just another thing to look forward to. She'd have to repay Ferk for all this somehow, only she had no idea how. At least yet.