FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I steadily wake up, my conscious coming out of the fog of sleep. I still don't have the energy to open my eyes. However, I don't feel as strained as I did last night, I actually feel kind of good. Another feeling makes my waking up a pleasant one. I felt as if I was smothered by two warm mounds. The warmth was so welcoming that I nuzzled into them further with my face. They felt fuzzy and fluffy to the touch, prompting me to snuggle in between them more vigorously. They smelled faintly of hazelnut.

With my eyes still remaining closed, I shuffled one of my hands to further prod at the warm sensation. I grasped one of the mounds. Squishy. I continued to squeeze. Fluffy. Another squish. Big. Continuing to feel around the fluffy mass, I notice it has a bump. A bump that is now getting harder. Nipples? Wait, these are breasts.

I quickly snap my eyes open, my gaze being met by smothering white fur. I pulled my head back from the warmth and saw I was nuzzling into Felicity's breasts. She was still asleep on her side. I could see her pink nipples peeking out of the fur. At least she was only topless and still had her pants on. Looking up, I could see the bottom of her fox muzzle. Her whiskers were twitching while her nose began to sniff.

"Mmh." She groaned, stirring in her sleep. "Good morning to you too~" Tilting her head downward, I could see a pleasured grin plastered on her face.

I simply blushed as I sat up, removing myself from her welcoming bosom. Rubbing my head, I noticed that not only I didn't feel strained anymore, but my headache wasn't there anymore either. My body didn't feel weary. That rest really did help. Turning my head, I looked back toward Felicity, who was now grabbing her head.

She intensely rubbed her forehead, groaning all the while. "Hey, Mr. Grabby Grabby, mind telling me what happened last night? My head is killing me," she said with a massive sigh.

Thinking back to how she was practically shit-faced drunk and crying the whole time, I stifled a laugh. "Nothing much, you just got a little drunk," I said, trying my best to not make my lie obvious. "How much of the wine did you drink last night?"

She removed her hand from her head, trying to remember what happened. Her face had a look of confusion. "You have wine?"

"That much huh." I laughed.

"Did I do anything crazy?"

Memories of last night return. "Nah."

She returned her hand to her forehead and resumed to rub it. "Well, my head is still killing me," she said with a groan.

"I have an Idea," I said as I sat up from the bed and started to walk toward the door. "Wait right there."

"Not like I can go anywhere." Her groaning got louder.

I walked out of the room and headed for the stairs. I still can't wrap my head around how good I'm feeling. I was practically waiting on death's door due to how Djura almost killed me, but here I am walking down some stairs just fine. Almost feels like my heart wasn't torn open. Well, the stone is still missing, and I can feel that for sure. Before, I could feel the energy flow through me, but now, nothing. And this weird feeling, it's like something is eating away at me inside, making me hollow. But for now, that can wait, I gotta help Felicity.

Upon reaching the storeroom, I started toward one of the many cupboards. I grabbed an assortment of different ingredients. Herba, flower pistils, mildew, and the most important thing, two eggs.

I heated up one of the many brewing stands and placed a flask within it. Pouring some water into the bottle, it started to heat up. Waiting for the water to boil, I grabbed a nearby cooking pan on a shelf. I set the pan on the counter beside the brewing stand and went rummaging through a nearby drawer. Took me a while, but I found a bottle of orange liquid. Pouring the liquid into the pan, it burst into flames.

I let the flames wane, and then I took up the two eggs, cracked them, and poured the yolks inside the pan. I grabbed it by the handle and tilted and swiveled it, causing the yolks to spread across it. I left the eggs to sizzle and looked toward the brewing stand. The water in the flask now began to boil.

Taking the mildew and flower pistils, I carefully placed them in the boiling flask. The ingredients started to dissolve and I took it off of the brewing stand. Putting my thumb over the lip of the hot bottle, I shake it about. The contents now break down and fully dissipate within the solution.

I place the bottle on the counter. Removing my thumb from the lid, I see that some of the solution clings to me. I lick the liquid. Bitter, but gets the job done. The perfect cure for a hangover. Looking back over to the sizzling eggs. The yolks have scrambled and now have a nice fluffy consistency to them. Incredible. Rummaging through another cupboard, I grabbed a wooden plate and two forks. I put those down on the counter and pick up the pan, tilting it and causing the eggs to slip onto the plate. I then put the two forks next to the eggs. Almost done. Taking the herba, I ripped it into little parts. I sprinkled the little green specks onto the scrambled eggs, the metaphorical cherry on top. Done.

Grabbing the plate in one hand and the flask in the other, I make my way back upstairs. Entering the room, I let the door close behind me and I notice Felicity is still lying on the bed, her head still in her hands.

"Made you something," I said. Walking toward the bed, I put the plate down on the small table and I tapped Felicity on the shoulder. She groggily removed her hand and looked up at me. "Drink this, cures hangovers,” I said while presenting the bottle.

"So you did have a potion for it," she responded with a faint laugh. "Where was this five years ago."

“Never figured out how to perfect it back then.” I grinned.

She sat up and I handed the flask to her. Slowly taking it from my hands, she placed it to her mouth. The fox slowly took a sip and then winced. "Tastes like ass."

"Just drink it," I said while rolling my eyes.

She gave me a glance then fixed her attention back toward the flask. Taking a deep breath, she downed the rest of the flask in one fell swoop. A horrible grimace was on her face as she put the empty flask on the small table.

She still held her head in her hands. Her expression was rife with despair. “It’s not working.” She groaned loudly. Then suddenly, she perked up and removed her hand, a surprised look on her face. “Never mind, that was fast.”

I chuckle at her reaction. ”Made you something else too."

Felicity’s expression soon turned into curiosity as she began to sniff the air. "Are those," She sniffed even more, "eggs?"

"Mhm." I picked up the plate and a fork. Separating the scrambled eggs into two equal parts with the fork, I gave the plate to Felicity. "Just don't eat my side."

She looked at me with a warm smile. “Making me eggs? I’m supposed to be the one looking after you.” Taking up the plate and fork, she began eating away at the eggs. Voraciously devouring the food, throwing manners out the window. Each bite was accompanied by some sort of muffled word. She was trying to say something.

"Try chewing," I say while I begin to remove my shirt. I noticed that I was still wearing the bloodied coat I had on when I was attacked. And it started to stink.

She glanced at me and then went back to her food, which she began to chew now. After she gulped down a mass of eggs she looked up and pointed her fork toward me. "How are you feeling anyway? You had me really freaked out."

"Surprisingly, I feel pretty good." I placed a palm on my chest, memories of the attack filling my mind. "Almost as if I didn't lose gallons of blood."

She handed the plate over to me after she finished eating. What was left on it was the other half of the scrambled eggs. "You sure? You face planted pretty hard last night," she said as she wiped her mouth with her wrist. "Must have been really injured."

Thoughts of that odd experience come back to me. I practically lost sense of myself, like blacking out. But it didn't feel as though it was caused by the lack of blood, but something else. I remember that weird feeling spreading throughout my body as it happened.

"Yeah." I sigh and sit down at the edge of the bed then start to eat my side of the eggs.

"Hey," she said as she shuffled on the bed to sit directly behind me. "I didn't really get the chance to care for you." She put her hands on my shoulders and started to rub. "How about I make you feel good?

This felt familiar. Both shirtless on a bed and a rising sense of lust in the air. Very familiar. "How do we always end up like this?" I chuckled.

"It's a sign~" She started pressing her squishy breasts on my back and began to lick the back of my ear. "It's the universe telling us to finish what we started," she said with a giggle.

Another pang of familiarity riggled up my spine. Images of the sobbing drunk fox last night filled my mind. The pitiful sight threatened to put a frown on my face. Though, that was different. She was stupidly drunk last night, and I felt like shit. But now, now we were both ready. And to be honest, I haven't done it in a long while.

"I did say we were going to finish that didn't I?" I said, sighing.

Her response was to massage my shoulders more vigorously.

I finish the remaining eggs. "Yeah, let's do it." I put the empty plate on the table beside the bed.

She stopped her massaging motions and grabbed onto my shoulders. With a gentle tug, she laid me on my back. Looking up, I noticed that she straddled my chest and looked down at me, a mischievous grin on her face. Her large white-furred breasts were hanging directly above me, nipples still hard with excitement.

She put a finger on my nose and gently tapped it. "Leave everything to me, big boy." She giggled.

With that, Felicity started to slide off of me and onto the ground. She got on her knees between my legs, still with a grin on her face. She started to undo the buttons on my pants. Unlike last night, she swiftly undid each of them with an alarming amount of precision and skill. My member, already half-hard at this point, slipped out of my pants along with my balls. I sat up at the edge of the bed to look down at her. She was absolutely transfixed on my penis.

She placed the snout at the base of my penis and inhaled. The sniff caused a shiver to run up my spine. She let her long tongue out at the base of my balls then slowly brought it up to the tip of my member. The action sent another shiver of pleasure coursing through my body. I bit my tongue as she began to repeat the motions, licking my shaft up and down. With each movement, I could feel her whiskers tickle at my balls.

She stopped her motions and pulled back. "Feelin' better?" The way she said her words made it evident that she was exceptionally horny.

I could barely speak as my mind was clouded with pleasure. "Never," I inhaled sharply, "better."

She smirked and opened her mouth, revealing her large maw. Her white ivories were on clean display as she shifted her tongue inside her mouth. Saliva began to dribble onto my now fully erect penis. She grasped my thighs and positioned her open maw directly above my member and slowly closed her mouth, wrapping my penis whole.

I could feel her tongue wrap around my shaft, slithering around it. Her front canines were carefully pressed at the base of my member, she practically stuffed the whole thing in her mouth. Starting to move her head up and down, I felt her tongue and the roof of her mouth stroke my shaft. With each motion, her teeth slide at the sides of my penis. As frightening as the thought of her sharp teeth near my cock is, that did not get in the way of how good her mouth felt.

The pleasure caused me to fall on the bed, my back now laying on the mattress as Felicity continues to work on my penis. Each motion of her head brought with it a plethora of feelings. Her warm tongue, her hot breath, and even her teeth all felt too good.

I can feel myself get closer to my limit as she continues. I shakily go back up to my sitting position, propping myself up with a hand. She shifts her brown eyes to look up at me, all while she has my penis in her mouth. With my free hand, I place my palm on the top of her head. I see a grin form at the edges of her mouth and she speeds up.

A knock on the door brings me out of my ecstasy. Another knock causes Felicity to immediately stop her motions. We both stare at each other's wide eyes with shock. She releases my penis from her mouth and we both look at the door.

"Master Lawrence! I came to check up on you," Amelia called out after another knock. "Can I come in?"

"Uh! One second!" I blurt out as Felicity and I both shot up to our feet, scrambling to get ourselves in order. I hurriedly stuffed my penis inside my pants while Felicity was scurrying to find her coat.

"Are you okay Lawrence? You sound panicked," Amelia asked on the other side of the door.

I started to clumsily button up my pants. "Uh-"

"What's that smell?" she questioned.

Uh oh. Don't tell me she can smell the vigorous fellatio it was getting!

"Did you make eggs?"

Thank god. "Uh... Yeah!"

"Oh, did you already have breakfast?"

"Uh, no, but-"

"Well, if you are still hungry, I brought some food." She turned the knob on the door.

Fuck. I look to notice Felicity rush over to the bed while still putting on her coat. She sat on the edge of the bed. Panicking, I sat right beside her, trying my best to look calm. We both watch as the door swings open.

Amelia stepped into the room. She had a giddy look on her face and held a paper bag in one of her arms. "I didn't know what you wanted so-" Once she looked at us her eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry! Did I walk in on something?!"

I look down at myself to realize that I am still shirtless. And sitting next to Felicity. In a room. Just the both of us. Oh.

I can feel myself turn beet red as I begin to stammer. "No! Nothing like that! I just took my bloodied clothes off." I wasn't technically lying.

"Oh," Amelia observed both of us, seemingly unconvinced. "Okaaay?" She continued to walk into the room. The closer she got, the more the room started to smell like cheese. It wasn't her—it was the bag she was holding.

"Why the food?" Felicity asked, probably smelling the same thing I am.

"Well after last night..." Amelia paused. She looked down to avert her gaze, looking as if she had done something wrong. "I thought Lawrence would want some."

Even though me and Felicity both had some eggs, we couldn't hide our hungry faces as Amelia approached. "I would love some," I said as I shuffled into the middle of the bed and pat the spot beside me. "C'mon have a seat."

Amelia nodded and climbed onto the bed and shuffled next to me. The bag was placed in between us. Felicity shuffled from her spot toward the middle and sat on the bed with her legs crossed.

Amelia started to rummage through the paper bag. "I didn't know what you both wanted, so I got a whole bunch." She pulled out some napkins from the bag and placed them on the bed. "I got cheddar," she pulled out a wedge of cheddar cheese and placed it on the napkin. "Gouda." Another cheese was placed down. "Swiss." Another. "And a couple of more, so take your pick!"

"Thanks, Amelia," I say as I start to examine the food. I notice that Felicity is doing much the same.

"Oh, Felicity," Amelia started while pointing toward the fox. "I forgot to ask, but why is your coat on backward?"

I snapped my head to look at Felicity. How did I not notice that? Her coat is completely backwards. Must have been from the rush of getting dressed when she accidentally put it on wrong. I couldn't help myself from stifling a laugh at this realization.

At first, the fox looked completely unphased. She looked down to examine her garb, and then realization set in. Her ears perked up, and I could see her cheeks flush underneath her fur. The tail behind her started to thrash around in embarrassment. She exchanged glances between Amelia and me with wide eyes. "It's... uh... it's comfortable?" she stammered.

"Really?" Amelia tilted her head in response.

"Y-Yeah!" Felicity nodded her head as a way to support her claim.

”Doesn’t look very comfortable,” I said with a grin.

Felicity snapped her head toward me, staring daggers into my soul. Her expression wasn’t one of malice, but I could sense how mad she was. “It’s pretty comfortable,” she declared.

"Well," Amelia cleared her throat, a way to change the topic. "I wanted to talk about last night." Her tone became a bit more serious. She looked toward me, but averted her gaze again, seemingly unable to look me in the eyes. "Lawrence, how are you feeling after the attack? You're not feeling bad are you?"

Felicity scoffed. "All the big guy needed was some rest." She reached over to slap my shoulder, which surprisingly kind of hurt. "See? He's all fixed up!"

"B-But, are you going to get the stone back?" Amelia asked as she began fidgeting.

I sighed. The thoughts of Djura came wriggling back into my mind. This even caused my chest to ache, even though no wound was present. I put my hand to my still-bare chest. "Yeah, there's no way I'm going to let that hyena mug me and get away with it. Old friend or not, I'm getting that stone back." I clench up my fist, feeling a flame spur me within. "I don't know why he did it, but I'm going to beat some sense into him."

"Tell me about it!" Felicity roared. "Showing up out of the blue and trying to kill you like that!" It looked like a fire was in her eyes as well. "Try not to hit him too hard, Lawrence. I still want my fair share of punches."

Amelia let out a small giggle, which she promptly covered with her sleeve. "Well, is there any way to find him?" she questioned.

I took up one of the wedges of cheese on the napkin and bit into it. Amelia called this one cheddar. It's a bright orange, and while it is quite pungent, the taste is good. Pretty good. I chewed for a moment then swallowed the cheese. I then looked back toward the two. "Me and Felicity were talking last night." I took another bite. "We wanted to meet with Evelyn, she could probably help me find the stone."

Amelia looked at me quizzically. "Who is Evelyn? Another old party member?"

"Yeah," Felicity said as she picked a small chunk out of the gouda wedge. She threw it in her mouth and chomped down, causing little crumbs to fall to the bed. "The mage of the group, a drunk too."

Amelia picked up the swiss cheese and started to daintily nibble on it. "Well, where is she at?" she said in between bites.

I took another bite out of the wedge in my hand. This is actually really good. "Yeah, Felicity, where did you say she worked again?"

The fox threw a couple more chunks of gouda into her mouth and started to messily chew them. "She's a professor in the Arcane Academy of Hemwick," she said between bites.

Amelia seemed to lighten up after hearing that. "Really? She must be a really good mage if she works there! That place is notorious for having famous magicians graduating that place." The rat practically whips her head to look at me, eyes shining. "I heard they also have a really good alchemy department!"

"Is that right?" I said as I finished the piece of cheese in my hand. My entire focus was on the food and I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying. Feeling slight disappointment as the cheese in my hand was gone, I looked into the paper bag on the bed. My disappointment left as I eyed another wedge of swiss in the bag. I took the wedge out of the bag and examined it. Smaller than the cheddar but it'll do.

"Well, I can get a carriage to take me and Lawrence there about midday," Felicity said as she threw what was left of the gouda into her mouth. She immediately splattered the poor pieces of cheese with a grisly chomp. "Gotta let the commander know that I'll be out for a bit."

A silence fell over the room. Amelia continued to nibble at her wedge of swiss, while I started to put mine to my mouth. Felicity, now with no more gouda to devour, grabbed at the cheese in my hand. I calmly slapped her hand away, but she persisted. She eyed it with a voracious hunger. Our efforts soon turned into a struggle for the cheese.

It started with light tugging and then devolved into a match of strength for the aged dairy. Though I lacked the physical prowess Felicity had, my cheese holding technique was the only thing keeping it in my hand. The fox managed to gain an advantage with a fierce pull. The cheese was now closer to her and she cracked her toothy maw open with a grin, ready to devour the small wedge of swiss. Fool. With a twist of my wrist, I manage to slink the cheese out of the way of her mouth, allowing me to tug it closer to me. Time to finish this. At this angle, I can-

"C-Can I come?" Amelia's voice broke our quarrel over the cheese. "To the school with both of you you?"

Me and Felicity look at each other, at the cheese, then finally land both our gazes on Amelia. We compose ourselves and stop our squabble. However, I managed to quickly swipe the cheese out of Felicity's grasp and throw the small wedge in my mouth. Victory.

Felicity eyed me with contempt then shifted her gaze to the rat. "Why? You got business there?"

Amelia started fidgeting and placed her half-eaten cheese on the napkin. "W-Well, no. But I thought I could just, like, you know, tag along?"

"Sure, I don't see why not," I said after chewing and swallowing the prized victory cheese. "You cool with that, Felicity?"

Felicity let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Sure." Her voice had a deadpan tone. "Might as well go and get a carriage ready now." She shuffled off the bed.

"Leaving so soon," I said with a smirk.

"The school is quite the ride away." She picked up her remaining belongings on the floor and started walking toward the door.

"Hey, Felicity," I said right as she was at the cusp of exiting the room.

The fox turned her head to look over her shoulder. "Hm?"

"Your shirt is still on backwards."

Felicity rolled her eyes again and slammed the door behind her. The rest of her exit was marked by her footsteps slowly fading as she went down the stairs and exited the shop. Soon the only thing in the room was silence.

"What's up with her?" Amelia asked while still nibbling at the same piece of cheese.

"Felicity?" She did seem kind of annoyed. Was it the cheese? "Ahhhhh she's a big sweetie."

"She doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Probably just mad she lost the cheese," I shrugged.

"If you say so," Amelia replied as she resumed her cheese nibbling.

The room fell into silence again and my thoughts began to churn. Flopping into the bed I put my hands behind my head and began to think. I haven't seen Evelyn in years. Wonder how she's been holding up, probably living the dream as a professor. I can't wait to see her cute little white-furred face again. In a way, it kinda feels like I am having a big reunion with everyone. Well besides Djura. That thought alone caused me to instinctively splay a palm over my heart.

Turning my head, I see Amelia still enraptured by her cheese. She continued to nibble away, but making very slow progress. Savoring it? I guess rats do like cheese. Maybe I should've slowed down while devouring my own. No, no. That was a fight for survival. If I didn't, Felicity would have taken it away. Yes, I made the right choice.

Interrupting my thoughts, I felt a slight chill nip at my body. Shifting my head down, I realized that I was still shirtless. I guess with the morning friskiness with Felicity and a full belly distracted me from the cold. Might as well put a shirt on.

I started to sit up until I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I look to my side and see Amelia, cheese back on the napkin, staring at my chest.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, voice tinted with concern.

"Yes Amelia, I'm fine."

"Like you're not feeling any sort of weirdness at all? After you woke up last night?"

"I said I'm fine didn't I?"

"B-But, If you do feel anything just let me know, please." Her grip tightened.

I sigh, gently grab her wrist, and place it down on the bed. "Duly noted." I shuffle toward the end of the bed and stand up, Amelia's gaze still following me. I walk toward a small closet to get a shirt. Trying to break up the awkward scenario afoot, I attempt conversation. "So, you have ever been to that big school before?"

Amelia seemed to lighten up in response to what I said. "Well, no. But! I always wanted to go there and study alchemy!."

"Why didn't you go?"

Her chipper expression seemed to sour a little. "Well, I," she shifted her gaze to the side. "I didn't have the money."

Rummaging through the closet, I pulled out one of my many white long-sleeved shopkeeping shirts. I wriggle into the garb and turn back to look at Amelia, who now looked to be on the cusp of sulking by just remembering her financial woes.

I walked over and patted her on the shoulder in reassurance. "Well just so you know, I can teach you everything and them some about alchemy. Much better than those up tight professors." I offered a light smile, hoping to calm the girl. "And besides, you made a revive dead potion all on your own, that takes some people years to do!"

Amelia's face seemed to contort into that of panic and concern. She seemed to avoid my eyes and turned her gaze toward the ground. Did I say something wrong? Finance is a touchy subject, maybe I shouldn't of said anything.

"Hey, are you okay?" I said as I sat on the edge of the bed.

She turned her head to look at me, her eyes looked guilty. "Lawrence, I want to tell you something."

"Yeah?" I tried to keep a calm tone as to provide her something of comfort.

Her eyes darted around, unable to lock onto anything. "Well, I-" She began to fidget and shiver, almost becoming unstable. She took a teep breath and slowly looked away. "N-Nevermind."

"Are you sure? That sounded important."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, it was nothing."

"Well, okay."

An unsettling silence fell on our conversation. Amelia still wouldn't dare look me in the eyes for some reason. Financial issues that bad? I shouldn't press any further.

We continued to sit in the silence of the room. Amelia took up the what remained of her cheese and nibbled into it. Until a crack of thunder broke the mold. Looking out the window, dark clouds slowly rolled in and the feint pitter patter of rain tapped on the glass.

"When do you think Felicity will get here with the wagon?" Amelia asked.

"Soon, hopefully," I replied as the rain started to pick up.

---

It had been some time now after Felicity left. The rain only seemed to pick up in its ferocity, causing the pitter patter of rain to turn into a full on onslaught. I rummaged through the storage room, looking over my stock of various potions. I guess since I'll be out for who knows how long, I won't open up shop for a bit. It's a break from the monotony at least.

The sound of the door to the shop bursting open filled the air, causing me to stop what I was doing. I rushed into the main room and looked toward the door. A soaked Felicity scrambled into the shop and slammed the door behind her. She shook off her wet fur, getting water to go in every which direction.

I waved at the fox and smiled at her. "Hey, your coat is on normal now."

"Yeah, but now it's all wet." She walked over to me. "Rain absolutely came out of nowhere." She shook again, causing more water to spew forth. "Anyway, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I was just looking over all my stuff." I look out of the shop's window to see the carriage Felicity got. To my surprise, the thing was an absolute tank, a military-grade carriage. The guy driving it was in a full suit of armor seemingly unbothered by the torrent of rain. The horses pulling the thing also had some form of metal plates covering them as well. "Felicity, where did you get that thing?"

"Oh, that? I said I was on a strict royal guard mission and they just gave it to me."

"Why? We are just going to the college. No need to bring the full wrath of the royal guard with us."

"The seats are really comfortable."

"So you used your military status as leverage to get more comfortable seats?" I raised my eyebrow as I gave her a look.

"Pretty much." She shrugged.

You know what, I can't blame her. "Nice."

She shook again, attempting to dry her fur. "Where's the mouse? Isn't she tagging along?"

That's right, Amelia is still up in my room. She looked all sad while eating her cheese so I left her be. "Amelia's still probably upstairs. Let me go get her."

I walked back into the storeroom and stood at the end of the stairway. "Hey! Amelia! Carriage is here! Let's go!"

At first, there was silence, only my voice echoing through the stairwell. Then rushed footsteps emerged. Soon enough, Amelia was looking down at me from the top of the stairs. I gave her a beckoning wave and she started to clamber down the steps. She looked a little more chipper than before, that's good.

Amelia made her way down the steps and looked at me with a small smile. "Yeah, let's go."

We both walked out of the storeroom and gave Felicity a wave, who simply nodded in response. We all stopped at the front door, hesitant to leave due to the rain that assaulted everything outside. Looking between each other, we were not sure of who was going to go first.

"Okay, on three we go," I said, looking out at the carriage with determination.

Felicity and Amelia nodded and braced themselves for what was to come.

"One." My muscles tensed and my palm rested on the handle of the door.

"Two." The air was tense.

"Three!" I slung the door open and all three of us rushed out of the shop.

While the carriage wasn't very far, the barrage of rain made the trek feel overwhelming. We tried our best not to get wet, using our forearms and palms to block off the water. But all was futile. As we hopped into the sanctuary of the carriage and closed the door behind us, we were all soaked. The once dry and comfortable seats were now drenched with water. The aura of the interior is now stained with the stench of wet fur.

Flopping down on one of the extremely cushioned seats of the carriage, I notice Felicity quickly sit next to me. Amelia, the last one to enter, sits directly in front of me on the other seat. The cramped interior caused us to be quite close together, almost feeling a little claustrophobic. This also didn't help the smell of wet fur.

Felicity wiped at her face with her palm. "I hate rain."

"I don't mind it, but I dislike getting wet," Amelia said while doing the same.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," Felicity said while smacking the wall of the carriage, probably signaling the driver. "Cooper! Get movin'!" She screamed out.

After she said that, the carriage began to move accompanied by the clops of horses.

"Cooper?" I asked while using the sleeve of my shirt to wipe away my drenched face.

"Yeah, a new recruit. Got him on carriage duty today."

"Cooper doesn't mind the rain?"

Felicity shrugged. "Cooper's a bit weird."

"Uh-huh," I said while shaking myself free of the droplets of water that clung to my hair. "Well, how far is it to this school again?"

"Rain might slow us down a bit. Maybe like an hour or so."

I could almost hear Felicity give a begrudging sigh as she said that. I quietly share the sentiment and look out the small window on the carriage door to observe the streets as we go. The pittering rain barraged the glass as I peeked out. The cobbled road is almost devoid of its usual bustling activity, although a few people are running and darting between buildings, trying their best to keep out of the rain.

The ride itself was quite bumpy. The cobbled road offered no respite to the wheels as they bobbed up and down on the terrain. Despite the rocking, Felicity was right. These seats are very comfortable. The cushions beckoned me to sink into them as we continued the ride. They were so comforting that I felt like sleeping.

"So, Lawrence, Djura came into the shop, right? You know, before the whole ordeal," Felicity said, breaking up my drowsiness.

Just hearing his name makes my heart ache. "Yeah."

"Did he," she hesitated for a moment. "Did he look well?"

All I did was tilt my head in confusion to her question.

"Like, was he under any sort of spell? Mind control? I still can't wrap my head around why he would do that to you."

"If he was under anything, it wasn't very obvious or even noticeable,” I said while shaking my head slightly. "He just seemed like the same old Djura."

Felicity frowned and looked down in thought.

I looked over to Amelia. She had her head leaned against the wall of the carriage as she gazed out of the window. Her nose pressed against the glass as her dull eyes peered out. The rat looked horribly sad.

"Hey, Amelia, you doin' alright? You've been looking down all morning,” I asked.

She raised her head and looked at me while positioning her hands on her lap. "It's nothing."

I wagged my finger in defiance. "Nuh-uh, it's something."

“Well,” she sighed. "All this happening, and happening so fast, I just can't help but feel sad."

I responded with a light-hearted chuckle. "Amelia, these are my issues. This has nothing to do with you, so please don't stress out about it."

"No!" She stopped herself, almost shocked for yelling. "I-I mean, I am you're apprentice now, it sort of does involve me."

Felicity scoffed as she raised her head and glared at Amelia. "How do you even know Lawrence anyway?"

I turned my head to give the fox a confused look.

Amelia began to fidget. "W-Well, I'm his employee and-"

"A little too caring for an employee don't you think?" Felicity cut her off with a snarl.

An awkward silence engulfed the carriage after she said that. The only break was the droplets of rain hammering the top of the carriage. The bumpiness of the ride did little to ease the situation.

Amelia's fidgeting increased as she looked down at her lap. "I don't-"

The fox had a sly grin on her face. "There isn't something you're telling him is there?"

My confused look turned into one of disapproval. "What's gotten into you, Felicity?"

She rolled her eyes and then looked at me. "You're telling me you haven't realized yet?" She put a palm to her head. "God, Lawrence, you are so oblivious sometimes."

I looked back over to Amelia with a confused expression. The rat seemed as if she was about to burst with anger. Her nervous fidgeting turned into furious shaking.

"You've been nothing but rude to me since I met you, Felicity! Did I do something wrong?" Amelia blurted out.

Felicity put her hands on her lap. Her sly smile grew wider. "Don't think I don’t notice you trying to get into Lawrence's pants."

"G-Good heveans! What on earth are you talking about?!" Amelia roared as her face turned pink under her fur.

"Felicity quit being an-" I tried to speak out before stopping myself.

That weird feeling is back, bubbling up inside me. I could feel it spread across my body like it did last time. I began to bob back and forth as my senses began to fade. Why is this happening now? I shouldn't be experiencing blood loss effects anymore and I felt fine a moment ago. I tried to rationalize the sensation but my mind could barely form a coherent thought.

Their arguing continued but I couldn’t discern any of the words.

"Guys wait, I don't-" I tried to say before my voice gave way. The feeling spread quickly, and before I could even finish my sentence, my brain practically turned off. I started to lose my sense of self, my awareness of my surroundings dwindling. My head became light and my vision started to disrupt and devolve into a plethora of colors. Dizziness and nausea consumed me. I didn't know if I was sitting up for falling, all my senses blended together. The faint sounds of ringing began to start filling my peripheral.

"Wait wait wait wait. Lawrence are you-" Felicity's faint voice started before dissipating in the sea of noises, leaving me in darkness.