FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

They stood on a coast of pebbles, holding paws, a tiger and a mouse half his height. Zachary, the former, shook his head suddenly conscious. The waters were still with a gentle cold air, and there was a distant fog encroaching on them. Behind was a road where they parked their car, front doors opened with the hazard lights on. And beyond was a deep forest that ascended the mountains where its peak kissed the skies behind low-lying clouds.

How did he know that? Zach wondered, remembering only a train ride; not where they came from with the car nor who the mouse was. A train ride between an endless golden field of wheat and rye where it meets with a horizon of blue.

The mouse beside him asked, tightening his paw grip, "Can we stay here longer, please?" His tone was in his early 20s, and not too high pitched as mice usually were. Though the way he asked was longing, that they would never have this opportunity again.

Zach smiled as the mouse pulled himself down and he joined too, beside. With the latter curling itself around his arms, and his unusually large ears resting against his chest, he told him, "Of course hun, of course."

The last sentence disconnected him from this sort of reality. He was alone in actuality. On that train ride going home, and where he came from. The fog approached towards them and he felt the need to flee it, yet his body kept itself bonded to the mouse, his hands caressing the top of his head. And it enveloped them, the lightweight mouse becoming one with the fog, his gaseous form slipping in between his fingers. A distant sound of a slowing train chugged around him, and he felt his body shake in correspondence. And the blanket of gray dissipated, revealing the green-yellow interior of a train's passenger cabin with its maroon seats.

His body remained still until the process was complete, the cold weather turning warm as the setting sun manifested itself. There were a few passengers, various anthropomorphics, that had come into existence too. None were like him, nor even his species; a few dogs, a rat, which is definitely not a mouse, and a formation of stars in the shape of a humanoid.

Then the sounds started coming in. Distinct chatter between the passengers, and music played in the intercom. Yet the train noises were already there long before. And a distant town shaped itself which his ride approached at a slowing pace. 'Golden Horizon', he recalled from the signage prior to boarding the train. That was when he regained control of his body, gasping for air that had drawn the attention of the rat passenger just across.

He asked him, "Are you alright cat-kin?" Offering a paw as his other got a bottle of water from his backpack.

Zachary immediately turned down the gesture, catching his breath. "I'm fine, thank you rat-kin." He answered in the same colloquialism out of respect.

"There is a clinic not too far from the station, I can put in a notice."

"I am perfectly fine," he gave him a warm smile and a thumbs up. His sleeves rolled back itself revealing that his stripes detached itself from his orange and white fur to give a thumbs up as well.

"Ah, a Colloquial Tiger, fascinating. Are you..." he started pondering the familiarity of another certain tiger. Zachary opened his mouth to refuse the impending statement but he said otherwise, "Nevermind, I was thinking of my cousin's boyfriend. Is it true that you can reach five times farther with your stripes?" His eyes shifted towards the extended appendages.

Zach's stripes rolled themselves around his fur, and rolled out his sleeves again. "Yes but it's very exhausting. The farthest I've reached was about ten meters, and my stripes gave out." Recalling the time he wanted to reach for toilet paper from the bathroom in the middle of the night, and that he woke up with back pain after sleeping on the toilet. The aftermath, "And I had to manually put it back onto my arms."

The rat-kin had another question, "Does it feel like an actual arm, or as a tail? I've never had the opportunity to meet and speak with a Colloquial cat-kin."

"Like an arm," he rolled his sleeve back and his stripe reached out in the shape of a hand. "I'm Renthau, but you can call me Zach."

"P-Five," he reached over and held the thin appendage. It felt like a skeleton's hand for the rat-kin, without the bone texture. "How do you get Zach from 'Renthau'?"

End of Summers - Roommates 02-2022-08-06

Fddhty, pronounced as Fiddhy, paced around the waiting platform of the Golden Horizon train station with excitement. There were only a few people waiting with him; a star-like humanoid that seemed more feminine in shape, and two old hounds in matching clothes befitting of local farmers.

"That's Old Man Sampson and his missus," he thought. One of the canid farmers he worked for in his early teens but was let go after a land dispute lasting for almost a decade. He recalled its resolution, that they had won their land back and gained more from the dispute. Good on them, he thought, as that was all he knew. Even got offered to work for them again but he was satisfied at Gay-Baker's farm, a friend of theirs.

He ought to greet them when his large mouse ears picked up the sound of the approaching train. Tail wagging faster, excited that he was getting a roommate. A fellow by the name of 'Renthau Antoinette', but goes by Zachary. Prospects know how he got Zachary out of that. Nonetheless, the fellow was a special kind of tiger, and sounded polite during their limited conversations over the phone. And he wasn't too large nor too small which meant the lack of repair he wouldn't be doing anymore.

Such a joyous event ruined by the fact that he couldn't have given him a welcoming pie. Gay-Baker's daughter runs a bakery not too far from here but all the good stuff was gone. And by that he meant pastries that their species could consume, and he wouldn't want to give his new roommate anything less. He'd have to get him one tomorrow, and be the first one in line to do so. Planning his early morning trip tomorrow as excitement coursed through his body when the train stopped behind the terminal proper.

Fddhty saw the silhouettes of the arrivals moving from the windows and towards the main door. Everyone waiting with him stood up in reception, all as excited as he was. The star-lady had found her star-guy, and a group of canines rushed to embrace the Old Man and his missus. And lastly his roommate who spoke with P-Five, the traveling nurse.

"It was nice to meet you, and don't worry I'm fine alright?" Zachary waved the rat off as he caught the eye of the only other person who had been expecting anyone. There was a smile of relief, followed by an uneasiness as he looked around as he walked towards the mouse with the big ears. He had with him a backpack, a duffel bag being carried by his stripes, and a stroll bag with a normal paw.

Fddhty was so distracted with the fascination of stripe-appendages that Zach had smiled as he approached him, and he, in turn, shortened more than half the distance between them while raising a paw. "Hi Zach," his voice was indeed deeper for a mouse. "It's me, Fddhty."

Zach was surprised at first, hesitating to grab his paw. In fairness, he was a city guy with no one else out here so maybe he was shy. But the tinge of fear in his eyes and the slight tremble of his paw was more than just awkwardness. He swallowed it anyway and shook it while feigning a smile. "Hey Fddhty," he sounded softer and lighter in tone compared to their phone calls.

"Do you need help with your bags?" Fddhty already reached out for the orange duffel bag being held up on thin black lines.

"Yes please," Zach handed it to him, and even let him feel his stripes. Colloquial tigers weren't common here, and it showed. He sighed in relief.

Fddhty assumed it was letting off a burden as the bag itself was heavy enough that he needed two paws to carry them. Unlike the sacks of fruit he's used to carrying, it felt heavier yet sturdier as he heaved it over his shoulder. "Where can I get one of these?" He grunted, nudging his head in the direction of his roomie's new home. "C'mon." This would be good for sugar rice, and it was comfier than tweed and rope, his hand easily gripping the nylon.

"BakPak™, not exactly a rural brand. Not exactly cheap either." They started walking down the town's border streets as the train went on towards the golden horizon where the sun was close to kissing the ground.

Fddhty glanced back at him now and then, the tiger fascinated by his surroundings. Brick buildings not more than three stories, even a few wooden structures that he had seen being constructed in his youth. Zach said he was from London, New York where a lot of buildings stood ninety stories tall, and were made of glass when he looked it up. But he got the idea that maybe he would love it here more, indicated by the tiger's wagging tail. However, whenever someone looked their way because he was an outsider, he looked in a different direction as if trying to hide something. So he breaks the ice, "Y'know, a lot of farmers would be interested in hiring you. Those extra arms would be helpful."

"I did get sent a lot of letters, actually." Zach replied, "And not just from farmhands because a... 'Zach- well a different Zach, 'Zachary's Salonsy's' sent me an invitation for an interview, as well as the 'Roast and Rye' cafe. But I turned them down and opted for the post office instead because letters are easier for me to carry around."

Fddhty knew about the salon and the RnR cafe. He had seen the former who had to deal with customers' fur from head to toe. But he noticed how the tiger's fur was not well-groomed in a manner respectable to Zach, the salon Zach, he'd be fired on the spot the moment this Zach would step in. As for the latter, yeah it could get pretty hectic throughout the shift. "That's cool. And I bet you look cute in a postman's uniform." He swiped his tail against the tiger, making him blush and timidly look away.

"I'm not cute," he muttered under reddened cheeks.

"You are. People will see you as the cute mailman delivering their letters." Fddhty nudged.

"Heh," Zach scoffed, seemingly dodging the topic entirely. A bit of silence between them as he contemplated on what Fddhty said. They went through a park, feeling as if this was the center of the town; a town square the thought came to him. The trees here were greener with a tinge of yellow, and the first sign of Autumn as countable leaves were plucked by a gentle draft. Never having seen it in the city, he sat on one of the stone benches, with Fddhty beside watching the same direction he was.

"Yeah, Summer's ending. Growing season's over but there's more work to be done." Fddhty said, feeling the bag on his lap as his paw rubbed over its texture. Still hoped to have something like this in a future harvest.

Zach turned to him, "You guys grow sugar rice, right?" A purple crop covered in golden shells, inedible unless turned to powder. Eaten as is or as an additive and being a substitute for most sugar products. He's had it before as a free sample from weight-loss enthusiasts, and only learned prior to his arrival that they're best grown on its own soil. The best yield and quality comes from repeated growth, as opposed to normal farming procedures. Or at least that's what his initial search told him.

"We do, but I mostly harvest them." He showed his paws with a few blisters between the fingers. Zach reached out nervously but Fddhty nodded, letting him hold it. Making the mouse blush slightly as he felt a gentle and smooth paw going over his digits.

"How long have you been doing this?" Zach, amazed by the contrast of their textures, kept holding onto it as he looked at Fddhty's eyes awaiting an answer.

And he blushed, making Zachary blush too as he chuckled and let his paws down softly. "About..." he counted his fingers as well as in his head, "...nine years now." The realization hit him, how long he had been working as a farmhand. Zach was impressed by that fact, clapping his paws softly while nodding in approval. He often forgot to give himself credit, and he should do it more often because it felt nice.

"That's amazing." Zachary eyed the town hall, correlating his work, "I've only been a secretary for six years and it's mostly goofing off."

"Oh?" The idea of being one fascinated him. City lifestyle where the urban denizens, particularly those in high places, were too busy to keep up with their own lives they hired people to do it for them. "Who'd you work for?" Tail wagged, leaning forward as he adjusted the duffel bag on his lap.

Zach, yet again, was dismayed by the question. He frowned, Zach frowned worried of offending his newfound roommate. But Zach was quick to grab his paw and assure him, "I'm just not comfortable yet. Got involved in something bad and I wanted to get away from it all, alright?" He tried to meet the mouse's eyes, knowing he didn't mean anything bad.

"Alright, I won't pry." Fddhty patted his paw and gave him a sincere smile, and let it linger long enough for Zach to understand. This wasn't in their phone calls though, and it made him more curious about what happened in the city. He would not pry, not until Zach was comfortable to admit it, or if he would at all. "But I need to know one thing: No one got hurt right?"

"No, no, no," he panicked, tightening his fingers between the mouse's. "I didn't hurt anyone nor damaged anything if that's what you're worried about." And when he realized how firm he held Fddhty's gentle paws, he let go and kept it in his jacket as his face reddened again.

Fddhty chuckled, patting his back satisfied with the response. It narrowed his presumptions and silenced his worry. "Alright," he leaned in for a hug. "I trust you." And the tiger responded in kind, with an extra set of thin arms embracing him tightly too.

Zach whispered as his fingers and stripe-paws gripped him, "Thank you very much." And kept the hug longer than the mouse intended.

Not that it bothered him, even the extra appendages were comfy. Felt like a group hug, now that he thought about it. And after their moment, they continued watching a few leaves fall as their emotions relaxed. Wherever Zach looked and wondered, he would tell him its history. The train station he had arrived in used to be a wooden platform and no more. Or that the town hall was at one point a church that had been rebuilt from a prior town hall.

And when the street lamps lit up, almost like candlelight, Zach and Fddhty stood up together and went on their way. The former asked, "Any do's and don'ts in the apartment, roomie?"

Fddhty felt that warm feeling, smiling, "No smoking, no loud noises after eight in the dark, and no foul-smelling food or substances though it's not like you'd find any here." He looked around at the handful of family-owned restaurants as they neared their home; most of them served modernized versions of farmland food, heavily advertised with sugar rice. Some even sold them by the sack, and by the pouch to season your home meals. "And no vandalizing, Golden Horizon will fine and imprison you for a month if you do."

Zach chuckled, relieved, "I'd think I'm the most foul-smelling thing around," he saw Fddhty about to rebut him with a twitching nose, "because I'm from the city and I haven't showered for hours."

"Don't worry, I had accommodations ready for your arrival, even dinner that I will prepare as you shower." Fddhty made the turn into his street, Zach following close. A familiar row of low-lying apartment buildings, all made brick by brick. Some with a variety of colors, and floral or farmland paintings on them, that were officiated by the town hall. His, well their, home was the fifth one down; three stories and colored blue on top with the bottom half a golden farmland. One of the windows on top had been stylized as the sun with yellow painted around, and streaks of yellow pointing in all directions. He was proud of his handiwork because it was their home.

"That's cute," Zach commented, and he looked at the opposite block with the same fascination. Five apartments in a row had the murals of a picnic in the forest under sea-green skies. And he looked back to his new home, simpler and familiar.

Fddhty walked up the foyer that was aligned with flower pots, each holding a variety of flowers from one stem. He saw Zachary lean down and sniff them, commenting, "Don't sniff the ones closer to the door. Those are mature Baitcrops."

"Baitcrops?" He cautiously eyed the two petunia-tulip-dandelion bunches in their pots. They swayed against an absent wind, his stripe-arms held his bags close like they were armor. "Do they bite?"

"The mature ones do. Her Highness Vilya thinks of them as bodyguards." Fddhty pulled out a keychain and sorted through it. "And yes, she's an actual queen. Very modest, you'll like her. Just address her title and you will be fine."

"That's cool. Do I have to bow as well?" Zach stood a step before Fddhty, noticing that the Baitcrops faced in his direction that wafted a pleasant scent around his nose. Sugary- no, blazed sugar. Hot like creme brulee, making him realize how hungry he was now that he arrived. His stomach grumbled, and Fddhty's big ears caught on.

"No need. She's more informal than you'd think, other than the title and common sense." He found the key and twisted it into the door knob. "And would you rather eat first or take a shower?" Opening the door and offering him the first step inside. He turned to Zach, resisting the urge to smell the dessert plant as he would call it.

"Shower, I'm lowkey sweating under all this fur." It was rustic, where the wooden walls had the sheen of fresh laminate, A carpet that led to the doorway, and a few decorations that added personality to the presumed occupants. The first door to the left had a small strip of a red carpet that led to Her Highness, Vilya. As well as silvery lamp posts on both sides of the door. Opposite of her room were two doors capable into the walls, no knob. And above the door frame was a camera with a wooden paint job that blended in with the aesthetic. "What?" Zachary walked in and stood in front of it, while Fddhty followed and closed the door behind them.

"That's Caleb's home. Values his own security, and is isolated. Nice guy though, makes good fudgepops." Fddhty said, winking at the camera.

"Thank you for the compliment, Fddhty. Or is the praise an excuse to get more of my desserts?" The robotic voice came from the camera, hushed yet energetic.

"It's genuine," he smiled genuinely and gestured to the tiger. "But maybe you could give our new tenant, Zach, a taste?" And he felt glad realizing that he could satiate his roomie's hunger a moment longer.

"New tenant?" Caleb was delighted, his voice turned normal through the intercom. "Pleasure to meet you, Zach." Though the last syllable was exaggerated. "I am Caleb Vogelson. Would you like some fudge?"

Zach looked to Fddhty who gave him a thumbs up, and back up to the camera, "I'm Renthau 'Zach' Antoinnette, please to meet you." Clasped his hands together for a bow, "And yes, I would like some of your renowned fudge."

A giggle, followed by the sound of functioning motors. "Good, good, praise will get you everywhere." One would guess he'd be smiling behind that camera as Fddhty did, at Zach for making a good first impression.

They felt the wooden floor vibrate, centering from the room in front of them. Zachary stepped back, awaiting his fudge while Fddhty shook his head as he chuckled. And the vibration got closer towards the door, sensing a presence behind it.

"Here's your fudge," Caleb's doors slid into the frame, revealing a long metallic arm protruding from the deep shadows of this tenant's room. At the end were a series of monitors, and a short figured silhouette in front of it.

But Zachary's focus was on the plate of two fudge bars on sticks, hot, steaming, and oozed with chocolate. He went to grab the sticks when the arm aligned the plate to his paws.

"Go on, take the entire plate. Leave it here at the front door when you're done, Zach."

He took it with a free stripe, smiling as the pastry smell made his stomach grumble more. "Thank you so much." And with another stripe, he grabbed on the stick and evened it on his lips, taking a generous bite. Very warm and moist, tail wagging to his delight. Even Fddhty leaned in to try and take one.

"Ah-ah-ah, Fddhty. Those are for Zach only." He separated them by a metallic arm, turning to the mouse and wagging its fingers. "And his stripes are fascinating. What kind of tiger are you?"

He said mid chew, "I'm a Colloquial Tiger." And swallowed, "See?" There were a few more stripes peeking out of its sleeves but he could feel it's tiresome as he prolonged. "But I need to rest soon. Long day and all."

"Alright, I will see you and my plate later. Ta-ta," the robotic arm waved before disappearing back into the room and its doors slid shut.

Zach smiled at him with fudgey lips, licking them as they went their way upstairs. There were two more doors below but was told they were the water heater and supply closet. Skimming past the second floor, he saw the decor of something off-worldly, where one door to the left was encased in stars, and the one beside it was a window. On the right, the entire wall was a door. Looking back to what they were outside, he couldn't recall anything odd on the windows, or maybe they were out on the town?

"That's Z," Fddhty pointed at the wall-sized door. "One-One-One," the inhabitant of the window. "Smart owl, great tutor. And last but not the least," towards the star-door, "Aex. Moved in last month. You'll always find him on the rooftop."

Lastly, they were on their floor, and Zachary saw his roomie's get-up. A small row of self-grown sugar rice stalks freshly harvested. But when he focused out of it, some of the spots around the room seemed to be shoddily repaired.

Fddhty commented, "Sorry about that. Last few roommates weren't exactly fitting. Big Z could afford half the floor to himself but these people can't."

"Ah. Not like I'm capable of reaching the ceiling anyways." Zach chuckled as he started eating the second fudge pop.

"Hah, and if Caleb likes you I'm sure the others will too." They proceeded to their doorstep, with Fddhty going through his keychain.

Zach saw a bunch of them. Given that he was a farmhand, maybe these were keys to the barn, or silo, or warehouses and such. He looked around again, realizing that there were two other rooms here. One beside theirs, and just one across. The former looked like another broom closet, but the one across had a closed eye on the door. Looking at it longer changed the surface, revealing a body in the mold. Feminine, naked, and human-like except it had more limbs. And it became grotesque the longer he stared at it; gashes and blood-brown color appeared throughout the wooden display.

Fddhty whispered, "That's Qoreya, she is the door. She's resting right now so let's leave her be. She volunteers for the local charity, and is a deputy on Thursdays and Fridays."

"Cool," Zachary commented and stepped in. He looked away for a moment as he stepped into the living room but glanced back to see the eye on a then regular door before he closed theirs.

The interior of his new home was quite spacious, and with a fair price provided they paid their rent together. There was a living room, a separate kitchen, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a storage space. The walls were plastered while its wooden floor had not been laminated in a long while, but he preferred it that way.

"Right this way, Zach," Fddhty led the tiger to his bedroom, turning the lights on as they stepped in. He had prepared it like an inn; amenities on the bed including soap, shampoo, towel, canine toothbrush with toothpaste, and deodorant. On the table at the corner wall, next to the window, was a basket that had two bottles of water, a bunch of locally-grown fruit, and a bag of refined sugar rice, with a card that read 'Welcome Home, Zach!'. He placed the duffel bag at the foot of his bed, while Zachary placed his belongings beside the bed and inspected said greeting card.

"You set up all this?" Zach took the card and read its contents:

Dear Zach,

Welcome to Golden Horizon and the Summer Residence! I hope these fruits are sweet enough. I grew them myself after all. Looking forward to a beautiful friendship where I don't have to repair the floors or windows weekly. The first month of rent is on me, and I normally don't do that. If you have any questions, you can ask me any time. If you wanna go around, I'd be more than happy to join you during friday nights and weekends. We will be celebrating the Harvestival (Harvest-Festival but town hall wanted to get all cutesy with their names. I don't like it.), three weekends from now. I'll treat you to some good pastries :)

_ Fddhty, roomie_

He scoffed at the Harvestival, and was touched by the first rent and especially their impending friendship.

Fddhty saw him smile before turning to him where he had been holding up his towel on one paw, and soap and shampoo on the other. "Bathroom's next to the kitchen. Two laundry baskets inside, one with your name."

Zach approached him, taking off the jacket to a slight-reddened mouse. He took the towel with both paws, and the suds with his stripes. "Thanks, Fiddhy. I'll pay for next month's rent for your sweet gesture."

His ears flicked, both turning to him in surprise as his eyes narrowed, scoffing. "You don't have to," Fddhty's tail wagged, enthusiastic and touched too.

"It's repayment for all this." He turned around, tilting his head towards the basket. "Especially that. You've got a green thumb." Zach rubbed soldiers going past him.

He wasn't joking about sweating and stripe-exhaustion, his fur was smudged with moisture from that. But he was more focused on the compliment that left him speechless, tail bumping against the narrow walls of the bedroom as the tiger walked to the bathroom. When those doors closed, he let out a smile and a silent cheer, thumping about while skipping to the kitchen to start cooking. Face lit up as he chopped the vegetables.

Zachary disrobed himself, down to his fur. All the stripes from his body wiped the sweat off and into the drain as he got a hot shower going on. On the back of his mind was that sweet mouse, and how his accommodation and pleasing personality made his tail wag. Maybe a bit more as he felt his excitement standing at attention where hot water dripped off its tip. Hopefully, he could turn it around here.

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