FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The apartment was deathly silent as Abby stepped through the front door. She expected it to be, as Cynthia’s car was absent from her usual parking spot. The lynx had left the decorative red hanging lights above the breakfast bar lit up for her though, and they gave the small abode a pleasant and warm glow. Abby locked the door behind her and set her purse on the counter before she returned to her bedroom. There she stripped down back to her bare fur and set her glasses on the nightstand. Her skirt and top she simply put away, as they hadn’t been worn long enough to need a wash. The underclothes she put in her hamper before she replaced them with more comfortable alternatives from her dresser. She didn’t bother with a bra, and simply threw on a t-shirt over a pair of black leggings. But as she secured the loop over her tail, Abby both heard and felt her stomach growl as it reminded the bat that she hadn’t eaten yet. ‘Yeah yeah, alright, point taken,’ she thought to herself as she stepped back out into the common area. The box of pastries that Jason had bought for her still sat where she had left it on the counter. Abby flipped open the cardboard lid to find the contents untouched. She plucked one of the lemon poppy seed muffins out and closed the box. The scent of lemon, complimented with a heavy dose of sweet sugar graced her nose as she lifted it up to her mouth. Abby hummed with delight and wagged her short tail as she took a bite. Like the blueberry one she’d eaten in the cafe, the lemon muffin was perfectly soft and fluffy. Abby took it with her to the sofa. Though as she sat herself down, she heard the front door thud in its frame. The sound was immediately followed by an audible curse from the other side. Seconds later, Abby’s sensitive ears picked up the sound of a key turning in the lock before it finally swung inwards. “Really woman?” Cynthia asked with slight annoyance as her and Trevor entered. “Hey, precious cargo on board, can’t be too cautious,” Abby replied as she took another bite of her muffin. Cynthia playfully scoffed as Trevor eased his way past her. They each carried colorful shopping bags in their hands, one of which the lynx handed out to Abby. “Here, I got ya something,” she said with a smirk on her face. “Oh God, what did you do?’ “Why are you always assuming’ I did something bad?” “Because you’re you.” “Pff, whatever, just open it ya critter.” Abby set her partially-eaten treat down on the coffee table as she took the pink paper bag from her friend. Trevor had disappeared back to their bedroom to deposit his share of their purchases. The bag itself had no branding on it, but did have pink glittery tissue paper inside. “Did you have this gift wrapped?” Abby asked as she pushed the paper aside. “They asked and I said yes before I could think about it. So uh, happy Saturday Abby!” The bat snorted and rolled her eyes as her hands found the contents of the gift bag. The box was much longer than it was wide, and whatever was in it thunked against the inside as Abby lifted it out and into the open. “CYNTHIA!” Abby exclaimed in a panic. Suddenly the unbranded pink bag made sense, as the white box she held in her hand had a picture of a wand vibrator proudly displayed on the top. “I just… figured you could use a helping hand is all. It's the same one I have, you’ll like it I promise!” the lynx said with a wide, smug smile. Abby’s ears folded back in embarrassment as she stuffed the thing back into its bag. “Good lord woman, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” “No, just an orgasm. Because trust me, you need one sister.” “Ugh… you’re gonna kill me,” Abby scoffed and shook her head “Oh hush, you’ll be thanking me later, I promise. Now let me set this on your bed and go get this other stuff put away.” Abby let out a defeated sigh and handed over the bag as Cynthia collected her other things. Abby reached again for her muffin and its comforting flavor, as her friend stepped out of her field of view. She listened, as first her bedroom door, then Cynthia’s opened and quickly shut again. Abby took another comforting bite of the fluffy pasty as the lynx sat herself back down. “I ain’t trying to embarrass ya’ Abbs, just lookin’ out for ya’ is all,” she said as she set the bag on the floor and slid down next to the bat. “Well jeez, you’re doing a good job at the former!” Cynthia playfully chuffed and rolled her eyes. “So, how did it go with Leon?” “Don’t change the subject!” A long pause followed as Cynthia looked at Abby over the bridge of her snout. It took the bat a few more seconds to finally accept that the topic had in fact been changed whether she liked it or not. “It went… fine I guess. I kind of had a breakdown in the middle of his kitchen, but…” “Hey, I don’t blame you.” “He uh… did say that he’d help out though, like, with the baby. He told me that he’d pay out of Reece’s old college fund that he never used.” “Hey! That's great news!” Cynthia said as she shifted in her seat to face Abby. “That dumbass would’ve just spent that money on booze and hookers anyway!” She continued. “Pff, that's what Leon said too.” “Well… he would know, wouldn't he?” the lynx replied with a laugh. “True… I’m just glad he made the offer, you know? It's one less thing I have to worry about.” “Oh, for sure. More stress is the last thing you need right now, girl,” Cynthia said as she reached for the remote. “Tch, tell me about it…” It was then that Trevor returned from the bedroom. He tossed himself down on the sofa next to his girlfriend as she switched on the television. Abby enjoyed the rest of her muffin as Cynthia scrolled through all of the listings before she settled, once again, on the same dating show the two of them had watched earlier. Trevor let out a small, barely audible groan as the player began to load, though made no actual protest. It was enough for Cynthia to notice however, as she acknowledged her mate’s annoyance with a few pats on his thigh as the intro began to play. “Hold on there big guy, only fifteen more episodes left in this season.” Abby smiled to herself at her friend’s tease as Trevor gave a much louder, albeit sarcastic groan. The show was a perfect opportunity for Abby to shut off her over-stressed brain for a few precious hours as she engrossed herself in the thin, drama-filled plot. However, as the episodes rolled on and the afternoon gradually shifted towards evening, Abby noticed that she had more and more space on the sofa. In the span of time since she’d turned it on, Cynthia had slowly scooted herself closer to her boyfriend, and away from Abby. By the end of their fifth episode, the couple were snuggled up close. Trevor had his arms wrapped around her, while she tucked her head into the crook of his neck. Abby felt a bitter surge of jealousy at the casual, almost brazen display of their intimacy. She tried to squash and suppress the feeling, but the potent emotion was stubborn, and only lingered further in her mind the longer she sat there. Abby forced herself to repeat the thought that she was happy for them, that she’d never wish any ill on her friend’s relationship. But the void that Reece had left in her heart seemed to swallow these thoughts, and replace them with increasingly negative and spiteful ones. When the couple began to kiss, it finally became too much. Even though it was still the middle of an episode, Abby crumpled her empty muffin cup in her hand and stood up from the sofa. The sudden movement caught Cynthia’s attention, who turned away from her boyfriend as Abby stepped away. “Everything alright?” She asked with a hint of concern. “Yeah, it's fine. I just want to lay down.” Abby tried her best to sound calm and unbothered as she made her way to her bedroom. Though she hadn’t made it halfway across the short distance before it became clear that she had failed, as she heard the show pause, and Cynthia hoist herself to her feet. “Abby, what's wrong?” “I said I’m fine!” The bat’s response was shorter, and much testier than she had intended, as the aching pain in her heart found its way out. Abby, ashamed at the way she’d spoken to her friend, didn’t wait for a response. She merely turned away and disappeared inside her bedroom. Abby let the door fall behind her under its own weight with a dull thud as silence then dominated the small space. It was thick and strangely comforting, like a weighted blanket for her ears. The pink gift bag sat right on the foot of her bed where Cynthia had left it. Another pang of guilt came over her as she placed it atop the dresser, then sat herself down where it had just been. Abby held her face in her hands as she felt a single tear wet her cheek. It wasn’t Cynthia’s fault, she told herself over and over again. But the sight of the love the couple shared, so plainly and casually displayed right in front of her, almost flaunted, had still driven a dagger into her heart. Abby sniffled back another tear as she heard a faint “let her be” from the living room, before a series of gentle steps that led away from her bedroom door. ‘What sort of terrible person can’t even be happy for their friends?’ The thought haunted her as she heard the television start up again in the living room. The muffled sound of the show spoiled Abby’s silence as she lay back atop her bed. The audible evidence of her friend's presence left her feeling more isolated than ever before, all while the couple in the living room enjoyed each other’s company. The pair were likely already back to their kissing, she thought, unable to shake the image from her mind. She knew that without her disruptive presence, there was nothing to keep the young couple from each other. In a desperate attempt to force the picture out of her head, Abby grabbed her phone. She only made it through a few scrolls through her feed before she gave up, and tossed the device back onto her nightstand. Abby buried her face in a pillow in a vain attempt to shut out the world and clear her troubled mind. But her own inner voice stubbornly continued to taunt and torment with ill, self-loathing thoughts as her eyes wetted the soft fabric of her pillow case. Soon, she lost track of time as she wept into the pillow, until a series of thuds against her door forced the bat to lift her face out of her sorrow. “Abby?” Cynthia’s voice called from the other side, soft and consoling, with only a hint of her accent still present. “Y-yeah?” The bat replied, her own voice shaky and weak as she sniffed back the last of her tears. “Can I come in?” “Sure.” The door eased open slowly as Cynthia poked her snout in. Once she saw her friend laid out on the bed, she opened it the rest of the way and stepped inside. She gently shut the door closed with a click, and softly padded over to the bed. Abby sat herself up and brushed off her cheek with the back of her hand in a hopeless attempt to compose herself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that,” she said as Cynthia gently sat herself down next to her. “Don’t worry about it sweetheart, you’re going through a lot right now, it's okay.” The lynx maintained her comforting tone of voice as she reached out and set her hand gingerly on Abby’s thigh. “No, it's not okay… you don’t deserve that, not after all that you’ve done for me.” Cynthia scooted herself up right next to Abby until their legs pressed against one another. She wrapped her arm around the bat and pulled her in close until she could set her chin down atop her head. With her nose tucked into Cynthia’s chest fur, Abby was forced to breathe in the lynx girl’s familiar and comforting scent. The warmth of her friend’s body, and the subtle beat of her heart finally brought a tenuous sense of calm to Abby’s distraught emotions. She took deep breaths as Cynthia gently rocked the pair of them back and forth. It was only when she sensed that her friend had calmed down enough, did Cynthia release the bat from her grip. “Trevor and I are going to go out to eat tonight if you’d like to come along,” she said with a faint but welcoming smile. Abby thought for a moment before her eyes drifted away from Cynthia, and she felt another small pang of guilt. “That's okay… I don’t want to spoil your date by being a third wheel.” “Honey, it's not a date, it's just dinner,” Cynthia countered. Abby remained silent, there was no argument that she could think of that didn’t sound rude in her head. Cynthia seemed to notice, and gave the bat’s thigh a gentle squeeze to get her attention. “Hey, if you don’t want to go, that's fine. I can bring you something back if you’d like.” Her tone reminded Abby of the times in the past when she’d been comforted by her mother during one of the many harsh trials of youth. It was that same display of a pure, warm love that could be felt by the recipient, even when her eyes were averted. “Yeah… I’d like that, thank you,” Abby replied in a meek voice as she shrunk away from the affection. But Cynthia was determined that her friend should feel it. She gave Abby’s thigh another, harder squeeze. It forced her to finally pick her head up, and look her friend in the eye. With a warm smile still plain to see on her face, Cynthia leaned forward and placed a gentle, brief kiss on Abby’s forehead. “It's going to be alright girlie, just hang in there for me, okay?” Abby nodded her head as another tear rolled down her already damp cheek. Cynthia gave her leg a pat before she scooted toward the edge of the bed and stood up. “We’ll be back in a little bit, okay?” “Yeah… sounds good,” Abby replied as she forced a faint smile. But as Cynthia made her way to the door, Abby let out a faint chuckle as a sudden thought barged its way into her head. “Hmm?” The lynx hummed and spun around. “I was just thinking about how good of a mom you would make… definitely way better than me.” “Oh nonsense, Abby you’re gonna be a great mama bat. I know it's scary but trust me, you’ll do great.” Abby forced another smile at her friend’s words, one that Cynthia met with genuineness as she nodded her head. “Alright, we’ll be back soon,” the lynx said. “Yeah… see you soon.” Abby watched Cynthia leave, but waited until she’d heard the front door close before she allowed herself to stand up. She left her bedroom, and made her way into the kitchen where she found the box of treats that Jason had bought for her. She selected and bit into a chocolate chip cookie, the heavenly flavor of which momentarily drove off her morose thoughts. ‘If nothing else, then at least I know the best place to get cookies now.’ Abby stood in the kitchen and finished her snack. She was tempted to take another, but decided against a third treat. Instead, she returned to her bedroom in search of some way to burn the time before Cynthia’s return. She stood just inside the doorway with her hands on her hips as she tapped a foot impatiently against the floor. She didn’t want to just wallow in bed, and she’d had her fill of television for the time being. It was then that the pink bag she’d left atop the dresser caught her attention. A sudden rush of eager excitement came over the bat as she realized the pristine opportunity she’d been afforded. Such complete privacy was a rare occurrence in the small apartment with its thin walls. ‘I hate to admit it… but maybe it would help me to calm down a little,’ Abby thought as she peeked once more into the bag. The long white box was still sitting atop the crumpled tissue paper from when she’d hurriedly stuffed it back inside. With a small sigh of resignation, Abby lifted it out and carried it over to the bed. As she sat, she lifted the lid and tossed it onto the nightstand. Inside, behind a thin sheet of protective paper, was the vibrator itself along with a chord and plug for charging. The thing was made of white plastic, with the round head covered in bright blue silicone. In the middle there was a small screen with three buttons in a row beneath it. The top two had up and down arrows while the bottom was marked as a power button. Abby pressed it, and the screen lit up to display “54%” in a blocky white font against a black background. ‘Should be enough to get the job done,’ she mused as she set aside the rest of the packaging. Abby scooted herself into the middle of the bed and laid down on her back. She set the toy to the side momentarily as she lifted her butt and unbuttoned the tail-loop on her leggings. In a smooth motion she slid both her pants and underwear off her backside and up legs until they came all the way off, and were discarded. Bottomless, she sat herself down against the covers and spread her legs open. With a sigh, Abby grabbed the toy and stared at it for a moment as she held it in front of her face. Her mind replayed Cynthia’s words from earlier when Abby had first laid eyes on the thing. ‘Alright… you win, let's give this a try.’ Abby pushed the button with the “up” arrow, and immediately the thing began to buzz. She felt a small vibration though the handle as the head of it became slightly blurred in her vision. Thankfully, it was rather quiet, with a simple hum as the only noise. Abby wiggled her hips one more time to get as comfortable as possible as she brought it down between her thighs. She aimed for a spot in the little mound of pudge just above her cleft of Venus. The moment the soft silicone touched her there, Abby drew in a sharp hiss of air as a rush of pure stimulation lit up her nervous system. Her touched-starved body accepted the synthetic pleasure with glee however, as her exhale carried a long and blissful moan. ‘Yeah… you definitely win, holy shit!’ Abby thought as she pressed the vibrator fully against herself. The device proved to be exceptionally good at its singular purpose. Even on the lowest setting the pleasure was intense, far beyond what could be achieved with just her fingers. Abby instinctively bit her lip to stifle her voice as her back arched off the bed and her toes flexed and spread apart. But as Abby moved the head of the vibrator around and experimented with what it could do, she remembered that she was alone in the apartment. She relaxed her jaw, and let her mouth hang agape, unafraid and unashamed of whatever noise might come out. All of the bat girl’s pleasured gasps, moans, and any other sensual vocalizations all came out of her freely, as she moved the toy around her pussy until she found the perfect spot. It was right against the top of her smooth cleft, just above where the most sensitive part of her anatomy was tucked away behind her tight lips. In her mind, she pictured both past experiences and future fantasies alike. All of the ways that past boyfriends and lovers had held, caressed, kissed and made love to her played over in her head. Reece was there of course, they had been together for too long for the memories to simply be ignored. Though she tried not to picture his face, and instead focus on nothing but the physical, carnal pleasure he had given her. The memories were joined by flashes of all the things she had wanted to try, but had never done. Her brain tried its best to imagine all of the subtle, wonderful sensations she might feel, and mixed them with those she already knew. The toy did the rest, and the result echoed in Abby’s ears as she announced her pleasure to the otherwise empty room. ‘Oh fuck! Alright, this thing can stay!’ She mused as hips ground and rolled against the head of the vibrator almost on their own. Abby reached down with her free hand and spread herself apart just enough to give the round silicone head better access. The pleasure was kicked up several noticeable notches as a result. A wide smile then spread across Abby’s face as she fully surrendered to everything the toy gave her. The erotic scenes in her mind complimented the stimulation with a steamy memory of a time when her ex had eaten her out all the way to orgasm. But the image of Reece in her head, inevitably led Abby back to another fateful moment from her more recent past. Deep in the throws of her pleasure, her mind conjured up the scene in Leon’s bedroom. It was raw, almost primal in her memory. In her head she felt again his strength and un-filtered, pent up energy. Then, the climactic moment when she’d felt him throb, and that silky warmth that spread deeper and deeper inside her with every pulse. That had been it, the moment her life had changed forever. The memory replayed over and over again in vivid, almost tangible detail. Each repetition of that moment pushed her closer and closer, until her legs pressed together and her knees bent up towards her chest. Abby’s face scrunched and her eyes clamped shut as the orgasm took her by surprise. Her arms were pinned between her legs as the muscles tensed and shuddered. Her own legs forced her to keep the buzzing sex toy held right against her most sensitive spot. Abby’s lungs tried to force an erotic scream from her, but her clenched jaw held firm. Only a long, slow squeak slipped through her teeth for several seconds before her back arched high enough to lift her butt off the bed. Her legs spread back apart as her whole body tensed up in preparation for something big. It was only then that Abby’s eyes shot back awake and her mouth hung open, and her lungs were finally able to belt out the cry they'd been so desperate for. Her pussy soaked both the blanket, and her inner thighs with an audible gush of squirt. A long, wavering moan eased its way out of the bat as her body relaxed, and she set her butt back down onto the large wet spot she’d left. Some of her muscles still continued to shiver and shake as the rest of her came down from the intense climax. Abby’s breaths came hard and heavy as she lay there spread-eagle, the vibrator still going in her hand. “Woah… never… done that before.” she whispered through panting breaths as her belly and chest rose and fell in her vision. After another moment spent collecting herself, Abby clicked the thing off. She laid there in the warm afterglow for a few minutes until she’d caught her breath enough to move. The blanket would need to be replaced, that much she already knew. And though she had already gone somewhat noseblind to it, Abby could tell that the unmistakable scent of female arousal hung heavy in the room, and likely beyond that. Abby forced herself to sit up and get off the bed. Her legs still trembled somewhat, though still held her weight as she stripped the bed of the ruined sheets. She bundled everything up and made her way into the hall where there was a narrow door to a small closet, where inside were a stacked washer and dryer. Abby knew the washer was a bit too small to handle all over her sheets at once, but there was little choice with Cynthia and Trevor due back at any time. With the washer loaded, Abby returned to her bedroom and retrieved the vibrator along with a new shirt and fresh pair of underwear. She half expected the front door to burst open just as she was making the short crossing to the bathroom. Luckily however, it remained closed. Abby set the toy down in the sink then lifted and discarded her old shirt before she started the water. She returned to the sink and to the toy, which she carefully began to wash clean of her juices. ‘I guess in a way… that is sort of a seal of approval, isn’t it? Covering the thing in ‘coochie spooge’ as Cynthia says,’ Abby mused as she held the end thing under the faucet. Satisfied with the cleanliness, she set it back in the sink just as wisps of steam began to swirl around in the mirror. Abby used a generous amount of shampoo, and was sure to scrub her fur, and all of her crevices thoroughly, especially between her legs and under her tail. It was only when she was satisfied that only the scent of lavender and soft musk from the soap remained in her fur, that she shut the water off. The moment the handle hit the stop and the flow ceased, the front door thudded shut, and Abby heard the voices of her friends as they returned. Appreciative of the lucky timing, she leapt out of the shower and hurriedly dried herself off as best she could with a towel. Her fur was still slightly damp as she slipped into the pair of purple, and slightly cheeky boyshorts along with another old t-shirt. Abby wrapped the vibrator in with her towel and old clothes, and clutched them tight against her chest as she exited the bathroom. “Hey girlie! We brought you back some Chinese food from the buffet!” Cynthia called out the moment Abby stepped into the hall. “Oh, thanks!” Abby replied as she rushed to open her bedroom door and toss the bundle onto her bare mattress. Trevor had already plonked himself down on the couch by the time Abby had finished and turned back toward the common area. Cynthia was sitting on the bar stool closest to the wall, with a white grocery bag set in front of the middle one. “You sound better,” the lynx said as Abby took the seat next to her. “Uh… yeah, yeah… just needed a bit to chill out is all,” Abby responded as she peeked in at her dinner. She pulled a styrofoam container from the bag that was so full it was nearly split across the top, and bursting out at the bottom. “Good Lord Cynthia! I’m eating for two, not two hundred!” “Hey! I don’t know if bats have litters or not! I was just playing it safe,” Cynthia retorted with a playful laugh. “Psh, no. Only one little fuzzy in there,” Abby said as she looked down and rubbed her small bump. “Did they tell you if it's a boy or a girl yet?” “No, not yet. Right now I’m just trying to picture what a half-bat half-opossum is going to look like.” “I dunno, but every hybrid I’ve ever met has been cute, and I’ve met a few ‘out there’ ones. Like, lizard and wolf, or snow leopard and horse, and they all looked fine.” “I guess I just haven’t met that many,” Abby said as she flipped open the warped lid. Beneath was a compressed mountain of fried rice and various types of meat, all covered in decadent and thoroughly unhealthy sauces. Abby knew she’d have to pay for it all at the gym later, but the debt to her diet was the last thing on her mind as she tucked into the succulent meal with a flimsy plastic to-go fork. Cynthia watched her friend eat for a moment before she dipped a buttcheek off the edge of her barstool, and hovered her snout right next to Abby’s ear. “So uh… how did you like your new best friend?” The lynx whispered with a smirk. Abby nearly choked on a piece of General Tso’s chicken as Cynthia situated herself back onto her seat. Abby looked back over her shoulder at Trevor, but the male lynx had his nose in his phone and his earbuds in. “Judging by that reaction, I’d say he did alright,” Cynthia said with a smug smile as she leaned her elbow against the countertop. “S-shut up! And don't call it a 'he' that's weird!” Abby hissed under her breath. “But… thank you.” Abby turned away from her friend’s self-satisfied smile and turned her attention back to her food. Her cheeks were hot with embarrassment, and her tail wagged in short, rapid movements behind her. Cynthia sat there for a few more moments before she eased herself off the barstool completely and stood behind the bat. Gently, she rubbed the girl’s sides up and down, and set her chin down on her shoulder as she ate. “I really wasn’t just tryin’ to embarrass ya earlier. I’m glad you tried it, there’s no shame in some good self-care you know,” she said in a low and almost apologetic voice as Abby’s tail batted her inner thighs. “Thats one way to define ‘self-care’ I suppose,” Abby joked as she tried to reign in her wayward tail. Cynthia gave a soft snort as she retaliated with a playful butt pinch. “You know what I mean. I just can’t stand to see you all down and depressed like you were, it hurts me to see you like that.” “So your idea was to buy me a vibrator?” “Worked, didn’t it?” Abby was silent for a moment. It was just a throwaway comment designed to make her blush, but the more she thought about it, the more Abby realized that her friend was right. The suffocating feeling of despair and dread for the future was gone from her mind. For how long, she wasn’t sure, perhaps it was merely stuffed in a closet somewhere in her mind waiting to reemerge and strangle her again. But for the moment, she felt that the weight was off her shoulders. Cynthia took Abby’s silence for an answer, and slid her hands down to the bat’s hips. “Mhm, that's what I thought,” she whispered as she caressed her friend’s curves. “Your boyfriend is over there by himself, why don’t you go and molest him?” Abby asked sarcastically, her voice low so that he didn’t hear. “Later babe, I’ll just leave the door unlocked for ya,” Cynthia teased in a sultry voice. The lynx leaned in and gently bit the tip of Abby’s ear and she gave her tush another, firmer pinch. Abby swatted at the offending hand at her backside, but missed as Cynthia pulled back out of range before she could strike. She started to retort, but the girl was already out of whisper-range as she strode confidently over to the sofa. She turned back and gave Abby another smug look as she sat down onto her boyfriend's lap. “Oof! Hey there,” Trevor huffed as he suddenly found himself underneath his mate’s ass. Abby rolled her eyes and shook her head as she turned her attention back to her food. ‘She probably fuckin’ will leave that door unlocked too,’ she thought as she stuffed her mouth full of sesame chicken. But as she swallowed the bite, Abby looked over her shoulder back at the couple on the couch. Cynthia was still sitting in Trevor’s lap, and had stolen one of his earbuds as they shared the small screen. ‘I suppose it really couldn’t hurt at this point, could it?’ Abby continued to watch as the couple laughed at a video before she turned back to her food again. ‘Ugh… Alright… I’ll think about it.’