FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

ONE

The double-page photoprint of a painting covered the center spread of the textbook. On the right, a close-up: a couple - a fox and a vixen under an umbrella, intimately linked arm in elbow, golden eyes fixed straight ahead as each ignored the other's company. The left side of the piece, however, was strikingly empty. A cropped carriage. Anonymous, isolated figures in the distance, huddled under parasols against the rain. The backdrop of Carrefour de Moscou receding severely into the background. Beneath the print, the caption read:

"Rainy Day; Paris Street, 1877 - Gustave Caillebotte; 1877, oil on canvas 83-1/2 x 108-3/4 inches / 212.2 x 276.2 cm."

Caillebotte's masterpiece was two compositions in one. Bifurcated by a streetlamp, it was a study of contrasts. Light and shadow. Near and far. Intimacy and isolation. The real and the contrived. Tyler first saw the original composition when his father took him to the Art Institute of Chicago as a colt. His fascination with the painting had not faded with the years.

The Belgian horse was running a hooved finger across the pair of foxes when a knock at the front door interrupted his study. the chorus of violins singing La Folia into his ears. After pausing the chorus of violins singing La Folia into his ears, Tyler pulled the buds from his ears and set his cellphone onto the coffee table. He clopped to the foyer and opened the door a crack, using his right hoof as a doorstop. A bear, large and white and bundled in an oversized parka, stood on his doorstep. Snow fluttered around him. Warm, moist breath puffed from his black nose. "Yes?" the equine asked.

"Hey Ty."

Though the bear was big, the horse was even bigger. Tyler pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up the lengthy bridge of his nose until they rested against his brow and peered at the bear. He was familiar. Very familiar. After a long pause, the horse asked cautiously, "Kevin? Kevin Sonnequist?"

The polar bear smiled and nodded. "Yup."

Tyler Practically flung the door open. Stepping into the cold, he wrapped his big arms around the bear, hugging, clapping him on the back. "Holy shit, Kev! Long time, no see!"

"Definitely," Kevin said, the word muffled against the draught horse's big shoulder. He'd forgotten just how strong Tyler Hughes actually was. "Yeah, been way too long."

Ushering the bear inside, the horse took Kevin's coat, boots and gloves, stowing them in the foyer's closet. "What's with the jacket?" Tyler nickered as he slid the closet shut. "I thought you guys liked the cold."

Kevin rubbed his paws together brusquely. Blew into them for comedic effect. "Oh, hell no. Not me. I was born and raised in Hawai'i."

Tyler chuckled. "Whoda thunk it," the horse quipped, playing up his thick Chicago accent. "A polar bear that despises cold..." Walking to the wet bar, the horse gestured to the chairs opposite the sofa. "Make yourself comfortable. Want something to drink?"

The bear nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Tyler opened his snifter and poured a few fingers of brandy, followed with water, into a couple of glasses. He passed a glass to Kevin as he settled onto the sofa, sinking deep into the cushions. The horse sipped his drink. The alcohol tingled on his lips and burned his tongue. "So, what's it been? Five? Six years now?"

The polar bear swirled his brandy, watching the alcohol swill with the water and ice. He nodded. "Closer to seven, really. Last time we hung out was like right after graduation."

The big Belgian draught nodded. "Sounds about right. So whatcha doin' back here? Chicago's the last place you'd wanna be if you ain't particularly keen on the cold, wind and snow."

Kevin shrugged. His chest rippled under his plaid red and black button-down shirt. "We moved here a year or two ago, give or take. I'm an attorney for a law firm downtown.

"Holy shit, Kevin!" the horse whinnied, genuinely impressed. "Weren't you a phys ed major or something though?"

""Kinesiology," the bear corrected. "I went into sports law."

"Well I'll be damned," Tyler mused. "I'da never pegged you for the law school type."

Kevin shrugged again before draining half his drink. "Had to grow up sometime, I guess. What about you? What do you do?"

"I deal in art," the horse nickered with a chuckle. "Don't laugh. It can be extremely lucrative provided you get in with some of the national galleries and auction houses."

And Kevin could tell. Located in Elk Grove, the Belgian's home bordered on mansionesque. A massive cobblestone fireplace was the centerpiece of the living room. On its mantle were exquisite Asian figurines of jade and ivory. A huge Oriental rug with a bamboo design covered much of the chocolate oak floor. Between him and the horse was a Japanese coffee table, low-slung with knee rests tucked beneath it. The sofa, chairs and love seats were a soft, dark leather. Somewhere, a clock ticked while scented oils tinged the air with the fragrance of cherry blossoms and a hint of juniper. "I can see that," the white bear said, finally. "What kind of art do you sell?"

Ty shrugged. "This, that and the other thing," he said with a smile. "That's my way of saying 'whatever comes through my door.' My personal interest, though, is Japanese."

Kevin looked around once more. "I couldn't tell," he jibed.

Tyler leaned back in the sofa. "So, you said 'we.' Who's the lucky lady? Anyone I used to know?"

Kevin shifted in his chair. His mouth opened, then closed again. His eyes were fixed on the brandy in his glass.

The horse watched the bear, tilting his head to the side. "Everything okay?"

The polar bear glanced up from his drink, his eyes meeting Tyler's brown gaze. He forced a smile. "My mate's not female. He's not even ursine." His left paw rubbed repeatedly against his blue jeans, claws scratching nervously into his thigh. "You were the only other person I knew who's..." The words were quiet. "You know...not straight."

A warm, broad smile slipped across Tyler's muzzle. "You know, I never would have pegged you as 'not straight,' Kevin. Never in a million years."

"Neither would I," the Kevin replied. It just sorta...happened...the whole gay thing. I mean, really, it started as a joke. You know, something to do for fun; casual sex between friends. But over time, we developed feelings for one another and without even realizing it, we were in a relationship. Skip ahead five years and suddenly we're living together with a joint check account and credit cards in both our names."

The large horse chuckled. "Yup, you're the homo equivalent of married." He drained his brandy and shook his head, wincing with a snort. "Man, that's good stuff." His eyes refocused on Kevin. "Anyhow, who's the lucky guy?"

"Remember Jon Dalton?"

"Jonny?" Tyler whickered. "Cute, little husky twink? The placekicker? Refused to wear a shoe on his kicking paw?"

Kevin nodded. "That's him," he answered softly.

"Shit, I never picked up on him either..." the Belgian lilted to himself. He laughed. "So much for gaydar."

Polishing off the rest of his drink, the bear set his tulip glass on a coaster on the coffee table. "You weren't exactly out back then either, if memory serves. Most middle linebackers don't swing our way..."

"Well, not that you'd know of, anyhow," Tyler said with a wink. "Majority of the shitheads stinking up the locker room after practice weren't exactly the most open-minded people you can meet." The horse's glasses had started to slide down the nose-ridge of his muzzle. He pushed them back up with a finger. "But c'mon, Kevin, I majored in art history, French lit and theater for fuck's sake. I really don't think I couldn't have been any more obvious than that other than maybe getting caught with on my knees with in the back shower stall Devon Turner's dick in my mouth."

"Yeah, well that's..." The words trailed off. Kevin arched a brow. "Wait... you and... Devon Turner? Left tackle Devon Turner? That massive rhino?"

Tyler's smile transformed into a grin. He winked again.

"Point taken," the bear replied quietly. His eyes flicked to his glass on the table, fixated on it.

Even through his buzz, Tyler could sense something was wrong. It was subtle but there. Cracked. Broken. Setting his own glass aside, he leaned forward, ears up. After a moment, he spoke. "Everything okay, Kev?"

The bear snorted. Tossed his paws out in front of himself. Still, he said nothing.

"I don't understand what that means," the horse said, studying.

"It means 'I don't know,'" Kevin gruffed. He wouldn't look at the horse. "I don't know. I don't understand what it means, either. I don't know.

"Ok," Tyler said with a nod. "Couples fight. It happens. Can I ask what it was about?"

Kevin quirked his muzzle. Rubbed his chin absently. "The usual. Money. Sex. Loading the dishwasher the 'right way.' Not sorting the mail. You know. The stuff that 'matters.'"

"So...pretty much anything and everything?"

"Yeah, I s'pose," Kevin replied. "Thing is, when Jonny gets pissed at me, he visits..." The bear's head drooped. "There's this cheetah boy he's always yammering about. 19 year old kid. Little more than a cub, really. Complete twink. I mean, our relationship is technically open, I guess, and I've known about the kid for a while but I've never said anything about it because I figured 'ok, whatever...' and I promised myself that if I ever found that cheetah's fur in our bed or smelled him on my pillow or clothes I'd say something to Jonny about it but I let him do what he wants because I know that makes him happy and I really just want him to be happy and--

"Kevin?"

Kevin stopped ranting. Looked up. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were glassy. Ty couldn't tell if it was emotion, booze or a combination of the two.

Taking to his hooves, the big Belgian draught horse plodded to the bear, picked him up bodily and hugged him for the second time that night.

Kevin could only sigh and shake his head.

"It sucks. I know. Been through it myself," the horse said, breaking the hug.

Kevin could only look away. "Sorry about that," he gruffed. "I guess I've been sitting on it, bottling it all up for a while now and I just needed to let it out. Here I was, figuring I'd go out, get a little air and hit you up after, man, six years and instead I just end up dumping my relationship bullshit at your feet." The bear smiled meekly. "Now I'm embarrassed."

Tyler gripped the bear by the shoulders. "Look at me." Kevin did. "Don't. Don't do that. We're friends. We may have a lot of catching up to do, but we are still friends. You need something, anything, I'm here for you. Got it?"

The polar bear nodded.

Stepping back, Tyler held Kevin arm's length, shaking him lightly. "Wanna go out, you know, like we used to?"

Kevin shrugged, all the while avoiding eye contact. "I dunno."

"C'mon," the horse ordered with a nod of his head. "We're going out. There's a place called The Phoenix a couple of blocks away. We'll walk. It'll help get your mind off things."

This time, Kevin did smile, flashing his oversized large canines. "What's the Phoenix?"

"Eh, it opened a couple years ago when Hunter's went belly up. It's a place for people like us."

"So... a gay bar."

"Yougodit," the horse lilted with a slightly drunken grin. Snagging his keys, Tyler fetched their winter clothing. They bundled up plodded out into the snow.

(***)

_Oomph-psss-oomph-psss-oomph-psss-oomph-psss. _ The beat of heavy techno vibrated the pits of their stomachs. The air was saturated with the smells of stale booze, sweat and musk. Out on the dance floor, hot, sweaty bodies gyrated against one another while, at the bar, the older males sat gawking, nursing drinks as they longed to be young again.

"Ten bucks to get in? Man, that's steep," the bear growled as he followed the big equine to the counter. They pushed the chairs aside and stood, backs to the bar, watching hips grind against ass.

"What are you complaining about? I covered you."

"Yeah, still. It's expensive." Kevin's gaze swept the dance floor. The overpowering smell of male bit at his nose. Just behind it was something else. Cum. "This doesn't strike me as your kinda place."

Tyler laughed. "And what do you think is my kinda place, bear boy?"

Eying a group of hyenas in chaps and drag laughing in the back corner, Kevin yelled, "I dunno...some chic, pretentious art house where they serve wine and cheese and read shitty poetry?" over the music.

The Belgian snorted and peered at Kevin over the rims of his glasses. "Really..."

"Whatcha guys havin'?" the bartender asked. He was a huge elephant dressed in a cross-harness, tight leather Brazilian shorts and nothing else. Kevin watched Tyler's gaze crawl over the burly male.

"Whisky on the rocks. Well's fine. And..." The horse glanced at Kevin.

"Jackn' Cock... err, Coke."

The elephant rolled his eyes. "Never heard that one before," he quipped with a roll of his eyes as he grabbed a couple of glasses started prepping the drinks.

Kevin shrugged and turned back to Tyler. "Hey, I thought it was funny," the bear growled. "Didn't you think that was funny?"

Tyler just smiled and scrunched his broad nose. "Why you askin' me? I belong inna art house, remember?"

Without warning, lasers suddenly burst from the ceiling, cutting through the haze of fog and smoke like knives of light. They shifted from red to purple to blue and back again. Flicking this way and that, the beams finally focused to a single point, drawing attention to a gleaming, gorgeous orca on the raised dance stage. His oiled, black and white skin glistened under the lights. Beads of sweat, water and oil covered his body. Swinging on the stage's pole, he rubbed his chest against it. Arching backwards. Lifted his tail. The cetacean slid down, grinding his crotch against the slick metal shaft. He gazed luridly at the crowd with cerulean eyes. His thick, pink tongue flicked across his lips. The blowhole topping his head opened and puffed, spraying a fine mist into the red and blue lights as he swung up, rocked his smooth crotch against the metal, humping it, to the delight of his audience. Dollars fluttered onto the stage. So did a used condom.

"He's hot," Kevin growled.

"He's hotter without that thong," Tyler nickered.

The bear furrowed his brow. "Christ almighty. You and him have fu--

"Whiskey on the rocks and a Jackn' cock... errr... Coke," the bartender quibbed, placing the drinks on coasters.

They stirred, sipped and nursed. "Yup, I've slept with him a few times, actually." Tyler said finally. The horse smacked his lips and rolled the whisky across his tongue, savoring it. "God, I love this shit."

"Wait. Wait," Kevin said. "How'd that come about?"

"It just happened. We started talking one night after the show. It was about a half-year ago. We just clicked. It was last call, he asked me back to his place for a night cap. I didn't really have any expectations; like I said, it just happened. He's a hell of a nice guy and an even nicer lay."

The white bear downed a few gulps of his drink and wiped his muzzle with the back of his paw. "What'd youz end up doin'?"

Tyler smiled. He let the minutes pass before responding with a question of his own. "How's your Jackn' Cock?"

"Excellent. Strong. I'm already buzzed."

"You've only drunk half of it..."

"Never claimed I could hold my liquor."

"Finish it. Then I'll tell you cuz you prolly won't remember anyways," the Belgian draught horse nickered.

The bear slammed his drink back and wiped his muzzle with the back of a big, white paw. He shoved the glass in the bartender's direction as he looked at Tyler expectantly.

"I ended up balls deep in orca. First and only guy I've ever met who could take me to the hilt."

Kevin laughed and playfully punched the Tyler in the shoulder. "Dayyyum, good job ya fuckin' stud! It going anywhere?"

On the stage, the orca had his thumbs dipped into the band of his thong, threatening to strip it off before his webbed hand disappeared beneath fabric. Behind the thin sheet of fabric, he fingered his genital slit. "Take it off!" someone yelled from the floor. Tyler drained a finger of whisky. Shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I think it was just a short-lived thing," the horse explained as he watched a feline couple, a lion and a Siberian tiger, pad up to the bar. The fur of the tiger's right arm were died the colors of the rainbow. A black muscle shirt clung to his chest, covering his pecs while leaving his chiseled, washboard midriff exposed for all to see. Loose cargo shorts hanged down past his knees and his foot paws were bare. The lion had a shaved mane and bands of tribal fur tattoos covered his chest. His tight blue jeans left little to the imagination, accentuating the sizeable bulge between his legs. Tyler watched their tails swing lazily back and forth.

Kevin and Tyler relaxed, chatted and watched the crowd. As their glasses stacked, so did their buzzes. By the fourth drink, Kevin was shitfaced. The orca had finished two acts ago and a fox was now on stage, prancing like a queen. "This guy's usually decent," Tyler lilted, the words coming to him slowly. He noticed the polar bear looking past him, behind him along the bar. A wink. The horse turned. The tiger and lion were eyeing them both up. "Thanks guys, not interested..."

"Fuck, your loss," the lion growled. He and the tiger returned to their drinks, laughing.

Kevin, lost in a haze of alcohol, leered at the fox on stage. His eyes were glassy. Unfocused. "Yeah. Thish guy's not too bad, Ty. Betcha he'sh got one of thosh beautiful fox cocks. Little. Red. Knotted wish a cute sheef." The white bear sucked down another hit from his glass. "You ever fuck 'im?"

"No. Can't say I even know his name."

"Ya don't need to know 'is name to fuck 'im, yanno," Kevin growled, slapping the horse on the arm. He drained the rest of his drink. "Anyhow, I gotta hit the head. I'll be back."

Tyler, watching the show, nodded. On stage, the fox was stroking his hard-on as it strained against the denim of his Daisy Dukes. Bass pulsed and Vagina Mine by Pucifer poured from the speakers. The audience was eating it up, going wild. A pair of panties landed on the stage. Gripping them with his toes, the fox kicked them back.

Cock on lock down, she said, "Learn the damn alphabet

_ I cum before you, get to payin' your dues."_

The horse glanced at his cell phone. It'd been ten minutes.

Head down to the tunnel, to get on this Puscifer

_ Tongue roll, call cadence, hear the school bell ring._

_ _ He glanced, over his shoulder at the bar. The felines were gone.

This vagina mine, teach ya patient diligence

_ Keep the chain gang swinging, make a cat-bird sing_

The rush of adrenalin sobered him instantly. "Fuck!" Running, blowing through a sea of grinding, writhing bodies, the horse pushed and shoved his way towards the bathroom. It was at the end of a cramped, dark hall. The air reeked of piss, musk and cum. Slowing, he opened the door and quietly stepped inside. There was grunting in the back handicapped stall. "C'mon, already. You're taking too long," a predatory voice growled. "I want a turn."

"Just shut the fuck up and keep recording this shit. Git a close-up of my cock in his ass."

Tyler was a large horse with big, heavy hooves. He walked as lightly as he could to keep his feet from clopping on the tiles with each step. The stink of animalistic rut burned his nose. The stall door was open as he silently crept towards it. He looked inside. Kevin, semi-conscious at best, was bent over with his upper body draped over the toilet, his jeans bunched in a heap around his ankles. The lion, his jaws clamped on Kevin's thick shoulder in a feral breeding pin was fucking him from behind.

"Get the fuck off him!" Tyler yelled, grabbing the lion by the arm, yanking him up and shoving him hard into the wall.

The big cat slapped the horse's hand away. Took a step towards him. Nose to nose. They bumped chests. "The fuck you gonna do 'bout it, bitch?" the lion growled, eyes locked with Tyler, head rocking from one side to the other with each word.

"Depends on you, asshole," the horse shot back, looking down at the cat. Then it hit him. A sudden, sinking feeling. A sickening feeling. The tiger. He'd forgotten the tiger had been in the stall too. Just as he started to turn, Tyler was struck from behind, pushed hard into the lion. The lion shoved the horse backwards with his left paw, swinging with his right. The fist connected with Tyler's muzzle, snapping his head back and sending his glasses flying. They shattered against the wall.

Instinctively, Tyler covered, blocking a flurry of left crosses and a right hook with his elbows and arms. He bucked forward, dropping slightly before shooting straight up, connecting an elbow to the lion's chin. The cat reeled, staggering. The horse threw a body punch, followed by an uppercut. The blow snapped the feline's head back so hard it cracked the plaster wall. The lion fell forward, limp. Tyler caught him, spun and shoved him hard into the tiger. The striped cat knocked the lion away, letting him fall unceremoniously to the dirty bathroom floor like a bag of rocks. With a furious growl, the tiger pounced. Catching the feline in midair, Tyler pivoted 90 degrees and threw him through the door of an unused stall. The cat crashed against the toilet. The seat snapped off, flying. It landed and scuttled along the floor. The tiger tried to scrabble to his feet, but Tyler kicked out his leg and was on him, punching him repeatedly in the face with vicious right overhands. He felt the cat's muzzle crunch beneath his fist. A wet crack filled his ears. Then another and another. Rearing back, fist over his head, he regained his composure. He stumbled backwards. Collapsed against the sink, staring at the cat. The tiger was unconscious, bleeding profusely from the mouth, nose and ears. His gaze shot to the lion. The beige cat was rolling on the ground, holding his stomach with one paw and his head with the other, groaning.

Grabbing the large white bear under the arms, Tyler hefted Kevin to his feet. He mumbled incoherently. Tyler pulled up Kevin's pants and smoothed out his shirt. The polar bear's eyes cracked open. They were glassy and bloodshot. "Wash gooin' on..." he slurred.

"We're leaving," Tyler replied, gaze shooting from cat to cat. "Now."

"Whyyyyy?" Kevin whined.

Tyler didn't bother to answer. Holding his friend close against his body, steadying him, he led the bear out of the bathroom to the club's front door. A ripped, overly serious bull - the bouncer - eyed them suspiciously. Tyler ignored him and led the Kevin into the cold, freezing night. Their coats still hanged on hooks at the bar.

(***)

Kevin was laid out on the couch, covered with a blanket. He snored quietly. Tyler, hands folded under his chin, watched the polar bear sleep. His mind raced over the events of the previous evening. Those cats. Those goddamn fucking cats. He'd wanted to kill the tiger. Could have. Almost did. _I should have paid attention. Watched him. I brought him there. He was loaded for Christ's sake. My responsibility. My fucking responsibility. This is my fault. _

_ _ Kevin's cell phone was on the coffee table. The horse picked it up. Tapped the screen. It wasn't locked. Scanned the contacts until he found it: JONNY DALTON. Called the number only to reach voicemail. "Yo, this is Jonny. Leave a message and I'll hit ya back. Peace."

"Yeah, hi," Tyler nickered. "My name's Tyler Ackerman. We went to college together. Your boyfriend's at my place. My number's (847) 555-9576. I really need you to give me a call. Thanks." He hit the # and ended the call and tossed the phone back onto the table. Tyler should have gone to the cops. Shoulda. But he'd seriously fucked that tiger up ten ways into next Sunday. It had been two against one and he was protecting his friend. But still, he didn't just knock the tiger on his ass. No, he pounded the shit out of his face while he was unconscious. "Fuck..." the horse whinnied, burying the backs of his thumbs into his eyes, rubbing, as he shook his head. He'd also have to tell Kevin that he was sexually assaulted and that he'd have to get tested. Preferably sooner rather than later.

The phone started to vibrate. The horse picked it up, holding it to his ear as he hit the Accept Incoming Call button. "Hello."

"You called?"

"Yeah, is this Jonny?"

"Was it you who called me? Message broke up."

"Yeah, something happened. Your boyfriend's at my place. You need to c'mon over."

"This is a shit connection. You got pot?"

"Pot? No, I don't have pot--

"Yeah, hey look whoever you are, I'm kinda busy right--

A purring voice in the background cut him off. "Who is it, babe? Can't it wait until we're finished?"

"Hold on..." Jonny gruffed. Speaking back into the phone, Jonny said, "Yeah, if you ain't got my pot, we don't need to be talkin'."

"What?" Tyler yelled into the phone. "Jonny, I really think that you ought to--

"Yeah, okay, thanks. I gotta go." And with a click, that was that.

Tyler tossed the cellphone onto the table. It clinked against the centerpiece. "Fucking asshole," he said as he let Kevin sleep.

(***)

Lunch was simple - eggs, toast and orange juice. Kevin had a stiff neck from sleeping on the couch was irritable from his hangover. Tyler wasn't much better himself. They ate together in silence until Kevin picked up his phone. Looking at the history, he saw that Jonny had called. And that Tyler had called him. "What's this about," the polar bear asked, showing the phone's touch screen to the horse. Tyler shrugged. "You'd passed out. I called and let your boyfriend know where you were."

"He called you back?"

Tyler shrugged. "Yeah, that was kinda the point."

"He was supposed to be working the early morning shift. He doesn't get phone reception at work."

"Maybe he was on the way."

"At 8:30?" Kevin stared at the horse. Stood up. "Or maybe he fucking lied and is banging that cheetah as we speak." He dropped the phone onto the table. Tyler stood up. The bear stepped towards him, growling, eyes welling with tears as he poked a clawed finger into the horse's broad chest. "And maybe you already knew that and are lying too."

"Kevin..."

Wiping a paw across his eyes, Kevin brushed past Tyler and headed down the hallway. He was unfamiliar with the layout of Tyler's house and didn't know where he was going. He didn't care.

"Kevin."

The bear turned left and found himself in an empty, unused room. He leaned against the wall, arm across his face and paw dangling, breathing hard as he tried to control himself. A pair of big horse hands gripped his shoulders, squeezing. The bear tore away. "You knew."

"I called and told him he needed to come over and--"

"But he didn't. Because he's too busy fucking that twink. And you knew he was fucking that twink."

"I didn't know shit, Kevin, other than he needed to be here for you. I'm sorry he isn't. I tried. He thought I was a fucking pot dealer for Christ's sake."

The bear rubbed his head, hitched. A tear streamed down his cheek, wetting the fur there. The horse, after a moment of hesitation, plodded over to him to wrap him in his arms. "Calling from my phone? That makes lots of sense. He doesn't even do drugs!" Kevin cried.

Still Tyler persisted. Taking Kevin into his arms, he held the bear. He said nothing. There was nothing he could say.

Kevin went limp in his grip. Started to sob.

"Sorry, Kevin. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." Tyler had planned on telling Kevin about the night

before - all of it - but after this...

A knock at the door.

Tyler sighed as he clodded into the living room, leaving Kevin where he was. As he pulled open the door, his heart sank. A couple of canines - a Doberman and a German Shepard. Cops.

"Mr. Tyler Huges?" the Doberman asked rhetorically.

"Please step outside."

The horse looked from dog to dog. "What's this about?"

"I need you to turn around and place your hands behind your back," the Doberman said as he took the Tyler by the arm and turned him. The dog clapped handcuffs around one wrist, then the other. The German Shepard asked "Do you have any weapons on you?" as he did a pat-down.

"No."

"Knives, needles or sharp objects?"

"No."

"Anything else that we would need to know about."

"No. What's this about, officer?"

"You're under arrest on two counts of felony battery."

"They were attacking my friend. They were raping him." Tyler protested.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney--

"Kevin, come out here please."

--one will be appointed for you before answering any questions--

"Kevin!"

(***)

The deputy sheriff passed the manila envelope labeled "Tyler Hughes" under the cage gate. Tyler took it without a word, slipping it under his arm.

"You should have told me," Kevin gruffed. The bear had bailed the horse out of jail to the tune of $2500 on a $25000 bond.

"We're not married." The past 24 hours had been among the worst of Tyler's life. Between the fight at the Phoenix, the row with Kevin at his place, let alone the arrest, he was exhausted. Opening the envelope, he dumped his wallet, cellphone, keys and change into his hand. He tossed it in the trash. "You have your own issues. I wasn't about to dump this in your lap."

As they got into Kevin's blue Honda Civic, the polar bear looked at the horse sternly. "No, we're not married, but it does involve me." He paused. "Look, Ty, as an attorney, I cannot emphasize enough how serious this is. The charges aren't misdemeanors. They're felonies. If you're convicted, it's likely you'll do some jail time. I can handle the legalities for you in the short term, but you're going to need a criminal defense attorney. I know a couple of excellent--

"They were raping you."

The bear stopped. "What did you say?"

"They were raping you. You'd passed out. When I came looking for you in the washroom, they were in there with you. The lion and tiger. The lion was..." Tyler had to stop. Looked away. "I was try to protect you."

Kevin was unable to speak. It had been one thing after the next after the next. He looked at his paws. They were shaking. He sucked down a deep breath. And another. And another. Then the dam broke.

(***)

Tyler sat in the waiting room lobby of Highland Park Hospital's Emergency Room. A magazine was in his hand, but he wasn't looking at it; he was staring off into space. The police had come and gone, but he had yet to even catch even a glimpse of Kevin in over three hours.

He had started to doze when a nurse tapped him on the shoulder. A panda, small and round with a kind face. "They're done with the SART. Mr. Sonnequist asked if you could come back." Exhausted, the big Belgian plodded behind the panda to a private examination room. His eyes were burning and his head felt as if it had been stuffed with gauze.

Tyler knocked and slid the door open. Kevin was sitting on an examining table in a blue hospital gown. He looked haggard. "How you holding up?" the horse whickered gently.

Kevin shrugged. His eyes were fixed on a point on the floor. "Do you know what SART stands for?" the bear asked quietly.

Taking Kevin's paw, Tyler shook his head. "No, hon, I don't."

"Sexual Assault Rape Test." A tear spilled down his cheek. "They found anal tearing, blood and traces of seminal fluid. The police took my clothes."

Wrapping his arm around the bear while squeezing his paw, Tyler closed his eyes and buried his muzzle against Kevin's neck. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I should have told you sooner. I'm a fucking asshole," the horse whispered.

Kevin sighed. "Well, they'll be arresting those two assholes for rape, if it's any consolation. The police are probably hooking them up now. Depending on what they find, you may have an affirmative defense in the criminal case if it can be shown that you were defending me and--

"Kevin?"

The white bear looked up, arching a brow. "Hmm?"

"Shut up." And with that, the Tyler leaned in and planted his big horse lips against Kevin's thick black ones. Slowly, sensually, they held one another, touching gently as they kissed. The horse's bristles ticked Kevin's broad, black nose. After a long moment, Tyler broke away, drawing back smiling at the bear. He looked Kevin straight in the eye. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"Promise you won't freak out?"

"I won't."

"We've only been together for what...a day-and-a-half? and I think I'm falling for you, ya big, dumb bear."

Kevin smiled for the first time in hours. It was small, but still a smile. "I know, don't think I can't tell, you oversized dumb, goofy horse."

Tyler laughed. Gave the polar bear a quick peck on the nose. "So you just about done here? I'm tired. I'd like to go home and go to bed."

The polar bear nodded. "Bed sounds so nice right about now. I could use some sleep."

"Definitely."

The bear slid off the examining table. Slipped into a fresh set of clothes. "Doc's gonna give me an HIV PEP just to be safe. She's also giving me an antibiotic in case that fuck had anything bacterial..."

Tyler wrapped the bear in his big arms and held him, nuzzling his nose against the soft, white fur of Kevin's neck. "Don't worry about any of that, hon. It's all okay," he whispered. "Come on, let's go get your scripts and get the fuck out of here."

The bear nodded. After a quick stop at the nurses' station, they left the hospital arm in arm.

(***)

The horse pushed the polar bear against the wall, smashing his lips against Kevin's. His tongue rammed its way past the bear's sharp teeth. It danced in Kevin's muzzle, tasting the bear, feeling him from the inside out. Tyler's hands quickly slid up under Kevin's T-shirt. Hooved fingers tweeked the ursine's hard nipples. Tugged at them. Kevin groaned. Ground his hips against the horse. Tyler panted into the bear's mouth. His hands felt every ridge, ripple and roll of the polar bear's back, chest and belly. He couldn't take it any longer. Grabbing Kevin around the waist, the horse hefted the bear off the ground, carried him to the bed and tossed him down onto his back. Kevin landed on the squeaky mattress with a loud "Hrph." As he stared up at Tyler, the horse licked his lips as his fingers undid his fly. Deftly, the horse pushed his jeans and underwear down around his ankles in a single move. His huge horsecock sprang up, slapping him in the chest. Kevin grinned.

Climbing onto the bed on all fours, his cock bouncing beneath him, Tyler crawled over the big, white bear. Straddling him, leaning forward, muzzle to the bear's round ear, he whispered, "You still have your clothes on..." Kevin immediately reached for the bottom of his shirt to strip it off when Tyler pushed his paw away. "You take them off when I tell you to take them off." Kevin could only nod. An instant later, Tyler was sitting on his chest, his large, velvety balls pressed squarely against the bear's nose pad. The bear inhaled. Tyler's musk was intoxicating; his head swooned. Shifting his hips forward, rocking onto his haunches, the horse lifted his sack, tickling it against Kevin's lips. The bear's tongue flicked out, tickled the backside of the horse's balls, tasting the salt and sweat and sweet, thick musk. He licked to the front, then side to side. Tyler lowered himself into the bear's muzzle, past Kevin's sharp teeth. Those teeth could do so much damage, but he trusted the polar bear with his most sensitive parts. And when Kevin's mouth closed around them, suckling the right then the left and the right again, Tyler petted Kevin between the ears and groaned. The horse's cock twitched, then jumped, thudding dully between his pecs. Thick bear tongue lashed the septum of Tyler's balls, licking from the divot beneath the horse's sheath to the base of his perineum. Precum leaked from Tyler's flare, the slick clear fluid trickling down his long thick shaft before collecting on the underside of his medial ring and dripping thickly onto Kevin's nose, wetting the fur of his nose ridge and between the bear's eyes.

With a hitch of his hips, the horse pulled himself free of the bear's muzzle. Kevin nipped at Tyler's sack with his lips, tugging at it. Grabbing the headboard, Tyler sat up on his knees and angled his foot-and-a-half long horsedick against Kevin's muzzle. The bear kissed Tyler's flare. The horse pushed forward and Kevin opened his mouth, letting the horse's shaft slip into his muzzle. Kevin's lips sealed around Tyler's cock as the pony slowly but steadily started fucking the bear's muzzle. Kevin met each of Tyler's pushes with a slow, rocking bob. With each thrust, the horse's cock, its flare wide, skirted across the bear's tongue, tapping at the back of his throat. Above him, Tyler gasped. Pre leaked from the horses cockslit, slicking the inside of Kevin's mouth with its salty, bitter taste. The shaft pulsed and twitched and quivered.

Tyler's hands left the headboard, coming to rest on Kevin's head behind the ears. Holding the bear in place, the big Belgian horse started to rut. He snorted. Shook his head. His entire body shook and shivered. Muscles twitched. The grip slid up, covering Kevin's ears. Fingers wrapped around them, Tyler yanked the bear's head towards his hips as he thrust his cock deeper into Kevin's muzzle. Reaching up, the polar bears big right paw gripped the horse's shaft around the medial ring while his left played with the pony's balls, cupping, squeezing and rolling them against his soft pads. The rutting drew heavier, faster. The flair of Tyler's cock butted against the back of the bear tongue and pallet. Another thrust shoved it past the opening, the flare tapping the back the back of Kevin's throat. The bear squeezed hard with his paw around the horse's shaft as he suckled. He wouldn't let Tyler withdraw, holding the horse in place, savoring the sensation of the equine cock filling his throat, leaking down it. Finally, needing to breath, the bear let go and instinctively the horse pulled back. Kevin dropped his muzzle and turned his head, forcing Tyler to slip from his mouth.

With his left hand, Tyler gently took Kevin under the chin and angled his head up. "Everything okay, hon?"

The polar bear nodded, leaned up and kissed Tyler's broad nose. "Everything's perfect. I just didn't want to finish you like that, is all."

Tyler smiled, nickering. "Let's get you out of these." He helped Kevin out of his shirt, followed by the shorts they'd brought to the hospital. Tossing the clothes off the side of the bed, the Belgian horse peered down at the bear. Snow white fur. Stout legs. Strong arms. A padded belly, muscled beneath. Thick ursine muzzle with black lips and wide nose. Lush chestnut eyes. And then there was that black, hard bearcock. Thick and long, it bobbed lightly with the bear's heartbeat. Pre glistened on the tip, at the slit. Kevin's balls were large and covered in white fuzz. The horse ran his paw across them. Kevin shuddered. It sounded like he purred.

Tyler laughed. "What the hell was that? You a cat now?"

"I dunno..." Kevin replied, grinning. "That's just the sound that came out."

"Let's try this again." Tyler palmed the bear's balls and Kevin purred louder this time. "Oh, you're just doing that on purpose now, silly."

"I'll show you 'on purpose.'" And with that, Kevin reached up and grabbed Tyler, pulling the horse down to him, on top of him, muzzle locking with muzzle, cock meeting cock, frotting as they kissed. The horse's tongue pushed into the bear's mouth. Kevin suckled it as it explored every inch inside his muzzle. Breaking the kiss, Kevin's paws settled on Tyler's big shoulders. They pushed, urging the horse lower. Tyler nosed the divot between the bear's pecs. Creeping lower still, his tongue flitted around and finally into Kevin's belly button. The horses nose dipped into the polar bear's downy white treasure trail, snuffling and inhaling, breathing in his lover. Tyler looked up at Kevin with just his eyes, grinning. Before it could even register in the bear's brain, the horse was on his cock, sucking it hard and fast. Kevin gasped, squirming. The horse's thick tongue lashed the underside of the bear's black, sensitive flesh as his hands gripped the white sac, squeezing and pushing up, fingers digging hard into the Kevin's taint.

"Oh my.. holy fuck!" Kevin yelled, bucking his hips hard, burying his cock deep into the horse's sucking maw. Within seconds, the ursine's cock was harder than it had ever been before. It leaked freely, clear, bittersweet pre coating the horse's tongue. Tyler noseplanted into the bear's pubic fur, holding the bear's turgid dick against his tongue, sucking hard. Slowly, very slowly, inch by torturous inch, he drew up. Kevin groaned, thrusting up. At the tip, Tyler buried his nose yet again against the bear's crotch. Again, he drew up excruciatingly slow. By the third suck, Tyler could feel Kevin's cock twitching in his mouth, head completely flared, leaking so much precum that he was practically drinking the stuff. He'd edged the bear to cusp of orgasm.

When Tyler sat up, Kevin frantically grabbed at his head and tried to force the him back down. When that didn't work, the bear pawed at his cock to finish himself off. Tyler batted the bear's paw away. "I don't want you to finish like that either..." Breathing hard, Kevin nodded and laid back. Reaching past the bear, Tyler opened a drawer in his nightstand and rummaged about in it for a moment. He slid it shut and sat back between Kevin's legs. Using his teeth to tear open the foil pack, he pulled out the equine rubber and slipped it over his flare, rolling it down just past his medial ring. With his thumb, he popped open the cap of his lube and squeezed a dollop onto his fingers. "This'll be cold," the horse warned playfully as he then shoved his hand up between the Kevin's legs, up and behind a little, into the bear's crack. Horse fingers found the bear's puckered nub. They massaged the lube against it, spreading. They dipped inside, further and further, working and stretching the bear's tailhole. "You like that?"

Kevin nodded, eyes closed, smiling. "Oh yeah."

Tyler poked and prodded, pushing deeper. When his fingers tickled across a hard nub. Kevin practically jumped. The horse grinned and did it again to the same result.

"My fucking god..." the bear gasped breathlessly. His black cock jumped, spurting a squirt of pre into his chest fur.

"I think I know what I'm aiming for," Tyler replied, pulling out to a whimper of protest. He squeezed a glop of slick, clear fluid onto his hard, rubbered horsecock and lubed it up. Even under the thin layer of latex, the horse's cock was sensitive. Small beads of pre tricked into the condom's reservoir tip.

Sliding forward, he pushed Kevin's legs wide, leveraging himself with his knees against the insides of the bear's thighs before hefting Kevin's legs up and over his shoulders. Tyler sat up, pulling down on his cock, pressing it against the polar bear's exposed tailhole. His flare dwarfed it. "You ready, hon?" he whickered. "I'll go slow. This isn't easy at the start, which is why I usually bottom..."

Kevin visibly gulped, then nodded. Tyler rolled his hips forward gently, forcing the flare of his horsecock to push against Kevin's pucker. The bear tried to relax; to tell himself he'd enjoy this. Still, it was impossible to ignore the size of Tyler's flat, knobbed cockhead. Millimeter by millimeter, Tyler slipped into Kevin's tight ring of muscle. The bear grimaced as the crown pushed against him. He yelped when it folded back and finally popped inside. Biting his lower lip, he winced hard. With a hand, Tyler reached forward and stroked the side of the bear's cheek. "You ok, hon?"

Kevin nodded. After a moment, he said "Yeah, just give me a moment,"

"Take all the time you need."

"Go ahead," the bear growled, his eyes still squeezed shut.

The rough part had passed. Kevin had taken his flair. Tyler decided he'd slide in up to his ring and leave it at that; he wouldn't pop it into the bear. Not tonight. Pushing, inches of Tyler's thick, hard cock disappeared into the bear. The head grazed Kevin's prostate and beyond, the bear groaning and shuddering helplessly. Tyler drew back and pushed again, again and again.

Slowly the horse fucked the bear, feeling Kevin from the inside out. The ursine's heat bathed his penis. The hole beneath his tail massaged the horse's cock. Without realizing it, Tyler's pace hastened. On his shoulders, the bear's legs bounced rhythmically in time with the horse's thrusts. Kevin's toes splayed, flexed and curled. His body twitched. Leaning forward, Tyler mated; Kevin was his mount, instinct told him he was the stud. Inside the bear, his cock hardened further still. His flare belled.

Kevin's chest rose and fell in time with Tyler's thrusts. He bucked his hips again and again, trying to take more of the horsecock into himself. White bearpaw stroked black bearcock. Beads of precum formed at the slit and rolled down across the head, only to be smeared across it by soft fur and leathery pads. Tilting his head back, Kevin moaned. His cock twitched, squirting a streamer clear, slick fluid into his chest fur.

As he fucked, Tyler drew closer to the bear, into a compact crouch, as his hips swung back and forth, pistoning his horsecock in and out of Kevin. He snorted. His muzzle dropped down to the side of Kevin's neck. He bit it lightly, holding the bear between his big, blunt teeth. Beneath him, the bear's paw stroked furiously. Breathing grew heavy. Their bodies twitched. In his paw, Kevin's cock flared as Tyler assaulted his prostate.

And then it happened. Pent up, the polar bear heaved, driving his hips up as his paw raced up and down his cock. Then, It let go. Body convulsing uncontrollably, Kevin came. Rope after rope after rope of musky, thick bear cum shot against the big, Belgian's belly. His thick seed dripped from the rutting horse, swinging back and forth, onto the bear. The cock in his paw throbbed and pulse, breeding his paw. The sudden vice-like clench of Kevin's tailhole around his cock sent Tyler over the edge. Tossing his head back, the horse whinnied as he shoved himself deep into the bear one last time, cock spasming and tail flagging, unloading, as the polar bear writhed beneath him in pleasure. The condom filled, the latex stretching with horse seed.

The energy sapped from his body, Tyler collapsed onto Kevin. The two lay panting, Kevin's semen gluing their furred bodies together, spent. Kevin's arms wrapped around the big horse blanketing him, inside of him. Without opening his eyes, he nuzzled against Tyler's neck. Everything about him was perfect. The warmth of his body. The earthy tinge of his musk. The look in his eye and the sound of his breath in Kevin's ear. At this moment, barely two days after wandering back into the horse's life, Kevin understood that Tyler was everything that Jonny was not. A friend. A lover. A mate. Tyler would never use him or hurt him or cheat on him. Holding the horse close, stroking his velvety fur, Kevin whispered, "I love you."

Tyler smiled. "I love you, too, hon."

They drifted off to sleep in their arms, the horse still inside the bear.

(***)

Two months later, Kevin was sitting on the couch in Tyler's living room, flipping idly through the art book on the coffee table. Monet. Renoir. Cezanne. Caillebotte. He had only been back to his apartment long enough to collect his stuff to put it in storage. Jonny, of course, hadn't been there. The husky had phoned him a few times, but Kevin let the calls go through to voicemail. Deleted them without listening to them.

The phone rang. Tyler's landline. "Hello?" the polar bear said. He listened, brow furrowing. "No, Tyler doesn't have any family. Can I ask what this is about? I'm his attorney." As Kevin listened, his paw began to shake. Then his body. Tears. The phone fell from his paw onto the couch. The call eventually disconnected and the bear did not hear the bzzz bzzz bzzz of the fast busy tone as he grabbed his jacket and raced out the door.