FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Kobalt took the kettle off the quartet of glowing stones and tapped over a fifth stone, trailing the finger around until the runes there faded to a soft pulsing. The glow of the other four began to fade rapidly, revealing the runes etched into their own surfaces. The hybrid wasn't paying attention to that at all, pouring fragrant tea from the kettle straight into a hardy stoneware mug.

Lifting the mug in his hands the buckaroo blew over the surface of the steaming beverage Kobalt winced a bit and let out a low groan as he felt another pang and tensing sting come from inside his stomach. He quietly cursed himself for letting it get this bad before seeking to treat it, taking a long, slow draught of the tea.

The kitchen he stood in was raised, a few steps up from the nearby living room. The whole thing was surrounded in curving, organic walls while a pillar of heartwood swayed its way upward to support the bedrooms upstairs. Jutting from many of the walls were what looked to be floating shelves, but without anything to adorn them. They were carved of the very same wood that the rest of the structure was made from, and was still being made. The doors and windows were knots in the tree, not disturbing the flow of sap from the roots to the canopy up above.

Residing in a living tree was a good reason to use firestones instead of an open fire for cooking.

A higher up knot in the tree opened up, swinging inward on a hidden hinge. It led from a branch that held the landing perch for courier birds and transport for smaller beings. An eight-inch-tall stoat strode through the little round door onto the shelf directly on the other side, revealing that it was, in fact, a walkway. "Hey Kobalt!" He called out, casually walking his way down the swooping catwalk over to the kitchen. By the time he reached there, he was around eye level with his much larger friend.

Kobalt drained the mug again and went to pour himself more tea, only to find the kettle empty and his stomach no more soothed than from the first cup. "Hey Cody." He groaned, failing to put up a stoic face.

"How long have you been like this?" Cody peered, seeing a green tint showing through the fur on the kangaroo-deer's cheeks. "Here, lemme fix this."

The hybrid set the mug down, looking up at the tiny mustelid. His housemate was a talented healer, but he just hadn't wanted to bother him. The stoat was already so busy with others in the community. "That... That would be lovely. Sorry I didn't come to you sooner..."

"Of course, you thought you could man your way through it." The stoat chuckled, putting his paws on his hips. "Now, open wide, I wanna see all the way down."

Kobalt nodded and leaned forward, parting his jaws. He did his best to relax his throat as well, as he gleaned from the instructions.

Cody took a running jump off the catwalk, rotating in midair to get his feet forward like a long jumper. But rather than a sandy pit to land in, his feet went right into the open gullet.

With a surprised glurk, the buckaroo swallowed his housemate. Eyes wide, Kobalt felt the tiny mustelid land in his aggravated stomach, a muffled splash coming from his midsection.

The stoat surfaced in the fluid that was mostly still very pleasantly warm tea. Gesturing with one paw, he summoned a small orb of light a couple inches over his head, before wiping his eyes free of his own sodden fur. Looking up, he spotted the sores and inflamed strirations in the rugae, all the way around.

"What are you doing in there? I thought you were gonna just... shoot magic down my throat?" Kobalt asked, concerned.

Cody chuckled. "I gotta be where the magic needs to be. Now just go lay down and stay still while I work."

Perplexed, the hybrid obeyed, heading up the spiral stair set into the central pillar. Kobalt soon arrived at his bed and laid down slowly, gingerly making sure not to aggravate his belly or send his occupant tossing and splashing about.