FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Dai places the flashlight in his mouth, clasping the torch between his teeth as he leans into the crawl space. The moisture clinging to the case dampens his gloves, but he does not let that stop him from pulling it free. Years of sitting still have crusted the old box to the ground, so it requires a quick tug before he pulls it free. It is just big enough for him to have to carry it in both hands for easy balance, yet the weight was light enough that it could potentially be empty.

He places the box on top of an old sea chart on a table. Placing the flashlight down, he drowns himself in darkness in order to take care of something first. He pinches each finger of his left glove, tugging his fingers loose before he pulls the whole thing off. Then, he does the same to his right glove with the tips of his exposed fingers. He takes a moment to carefully fold the dampened things with the respect a soldier has for their flag before slipping them neatly into his coat pocket. He then reaches into the inner pocket of his jacket to pull out a pair of leather gloves. He pulls the left one on over his naked hand, wiggling his fingers once the supple material stretches over his skin. It's not the best in his extensive collection, but that's because it's made specifically for doing the heavy jobs.

Slipping the other glove on as well, he grabs his flashlight once more and examines the small box. There isn't much to say about it, aside from the glossy finish covered by years of dust and some dampness he cannot quite identify, but perhaps a certain slime or mold. It slops off with a few simple brushes, revealing the undamaged wood underneath. It's simple, but made with care. Of course, its simplicity tells the former Admiral that it isn't the box he should concern himself with, but the contents inside. He applies just a little pressure at first to its latch, only to find the metal stuck to the wooden frame.

Dai shakes his head and puts the flashlight down once more as he directs his full attention to the little box, gripping it tightly with his left hand as his right thumb pushes against the latch. His grunt of exertion breaks the deathly silence of the old ship and is quickly followed by the snap of the latch, loud enough to echo off of the walls of the dark room and into the corridors beyond.

"What's that?" The captain shouts, her voice carrying through the abandoned ship.

"Nothing, captain," Dai shouts back. "Just checking on something here."

"Well, hurry up. We got more than we can carry from this vessel, and I need all hands to make a return trip."

"Right..." he sighs and glances down at the opened box. When he sees what's inside, his ears twitch and his heart flutters in his chest. Dai slams it shut as he heads out to help with the captain's work.

It's hard work, indeed. They struck jackpot, alright, but Dai doesn't care about the riches that the crew is finding in the depths of the ship. All he is concerned with is the box he so lovingly grasps. While the others take inventory of uniforms, medical supplies, and raw materials, most likely for the war effort, he slowly strokes his leather-clad hand on top of the smooth lid of his own treasure.

The captain saunters up to him, holding up a bracelet, bearing a set of arrows similar to Dai's uniform. "This stuff will fetch a mighty fine price on the market," she says. "But have you figured what you'll be taking from us for the payment you've requested?"

"All I want up front," he says, "are the contents of this box. You may pay me the rest of my share in liquid assets when you're done appraising everything else."

The captain narrows her eyes, stuffing the bracelet into her pocket. "And what exactly is in that box of yours?" She asks, her tail flicking back and forth, almost whip-like.

"You may take a look if you desire, captain. I just ask that you don't touch them."

The captain shrugs and takes the box out of his hands and casually pops the lid open. When she sees the contents, she completely freezes, her tail straightening off in surprise. She closes the lid and pushes the box back toward him. With a nervous laugh, she turns away from him, pulling her hat off to rub the sweat from her brow. "W-well, if that's something you want, you can have it! Though, really, what do you want with... with that?"

"I'm a collector of these sorts of things," he says gently brushing his gloved fingers over the lid to press it closed once more. "As a retired seaman, I find the simple things in life are the most important. You can have all your ambition, power, and treasure," he says, motioning to her pocket, "but those days are behind me. I simply want to enjoy my hobbies."

"Your... hobbies." the captain says, stroking her chin as she appraises Dai in a new light. "Well, then, if that's what you're about, don't let me stop you, but..." she places a hand upon his own and smiles coyly. "Let's keep this between you and me. No need to spread your secret to the crew."

Dai's nose twitches, not quite sure what she means, but he salutes her, as befits someone below her rank. "Will there be anything else, captain?"

"Huh, uh, no. Go and rest. You're a guest here." Her whiskers twitch, but she shakes her head and calls to her crew. "Alright, lads, shove off. We have plenty of time to take inventory on our trip back to port! We're all gonna be rich, rich!"

As her voice gets softer from the distance, Dai returns to his inspection of the box. He smiles, his heart fluttering and his fingers trembling as he holds onto it. Oh, what a treasure he found, indeed.

The trip from international waters back to the main port took the rest of their long day. While onboard the ship, Dai observes his treasure from afar, resting the box upon the table in his cabin and strumming his gloved fingers against the wood. Sometimes, he carefully strokes it, like he was calming a nervous pet. But his eyes are filled with wonder and his heart thumps with excitement at his discovery. Inside that plain wooden box rest perhaps the most beautiful pair of green gloves he has ever seen.