FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was a cold March morning on Long Island, just outside New York City. The ground was covered in a white coating of snow; about four inches fell the night before. The cars were covered, the roads were barely touched, and the sidewalks were nearly invisible in the subdivision. There was little hope for it melting soon due to the gray overcast sky above. The wind was bitter as it cut through the freezing air, it felt like a dagger at times.

On the island was a dead end street, and at the end of the circle was a small two story house with four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The house had a light gray brick and a dark gray stone on a bumped out section in the front. The windows and trim were all painted a bright white and the door was a nice oak wood. The house had two SUV's parked in the garage along with a sports car and a hatchback sitting on the street. A basketball hoop stood beside the driveway, cemented into the ground.

There was little activity on the street in the early morning. One neighbor was already up, shoveling the snow of his newly covered drive. The street lights shined on the snow casting a bright reflection back up in the surrounding area. It was quiet on the cul-de-sac; just the wind and the faint sound of a shovel scraping against the concrete.

Inside one of the three bedrooms in that small gray house, were two Huskies still in bed. They were fast asleep with the covers pulled tight up to their head. The two were brothers who shared a room. The small square footage of the room was mostly taken up by the two beds and dressers. Both halves of the room were decorated slightly differently.

Neo and Leo Sparks laid in their beds. Both were 21 years old nearly identical twins who acted very similar and very different at the same time. Although they looked almost identical they were very much different. Neo was more outgoing and athletic and played a lot of sports in High school and just graduated college with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing. He had a full ride to college on a sports scholarship and was going to start at a marketing firm in Manhattan in just a few days. Neo was usually the popular kid in school and Leo was as well but, only by association.

Leo played a lot of video games and was more into movies and TV. He just came home after he studied acting at Julliard. Acting was the one thing he enjoyed and it helped him come out of his shell in high school. It was hard for him in freshman year to start high school but, also that was the first time he came to grips with being gay. He had struggled with his sexuality for years and it wasn't until recently that he became okay with it. He spent years denying it and trying to pretend he was someone he wasn't. It made him miserable and it wasn't until he came out that he truly felt like himself.

He was very reserved and shy growing up, even around his twin. Acting was what helped him and what he really enjoyed doing so he decided to continue learning more about it. He was the head of his drama club in high school and was in every play he could possibly manage. He sang and danced his way through show choir until he graduated and made his way into Julliard. While in college he had managed to be lucky enough to be in a few commercials here and there, a guest spot on a TV show, and a small part in a movie last summer. He had just signed a contract as a supporting actor in a major motion picture and was supposed to get on a plane for LA in a few hours.

Acting was a gamble, and he knew it. Any career in the arts field was a gamble, it was over populated, over saturated, and underpaid; but, he felt deep down that this was what he was supposed to do with his life. He wanted to make it big in Hollywood and make movies that mattered, that meant something. He wanted to be a role model for another young kid who was in the closet. To help inspire a bullied kid to show them that it truly does get better.

He had saved up a bunch of money to help himself move to LA and he had some money in an account his grandmother set up for him when he was just a little pup. If everything went according to plan, he'd have enough money to last him a year or six months if he couldn't find any job. It would be a stretch but, he could do it. Plus, he was excited to get away from the bitter northern winters.

The clock finally struck 6:30am and Leo's phone alarm began to blare. The sound was up as high as it could go and it sounded like a submarine alarm as it was about to dive into the dark depths of the ocean. His electric blue eyes peered open as he stretched his paw out from beneath the warm covers to hit snooze. He then promptly stuck his arm back underneath the covers and settled back into the bed. After about nine minutes it went off again, except this time he didn't get it right away after a few seconds he reached back out and patted around the nightstand, hitting everything on it except his phone. Finally, he found it, silenced it, and pulled it under the covers with him.

"If that goes off again, I'm going to kill you." He heard his brother Neo mumble in a groggy voice from on the other side of the room. The two had shared a bedroom since they were born. The two of them didn't mind it at all but, some of their other siblings didn't care for sharing rooms as much. Everyone had to share because there weren't enough rooms for everyone to have their own.

Leo and Neo had three sisters and two other brothers, making a large family of nine- including their parents of course. They had a 28 year old sister named, Sarah, who no longer lived at home. An older brother named, Michael, who was 25 and shared a room with their 12 year old brother named, Alexander. Alexander was a fraternal twin with their sister, Alexis. Alexis was sharing the other bedroom with their 17 year old sister named, Kelly. It was a big family but, a well off family.

Their parents were very successful in their careers. Their mother, Judy, was a big time surgeon in Manhattan; while their father, Mark, was a special agent for the FBI. Judy and Mark didn't want money to cloud their kid's heads as they grew up. They made them work for the things they wanted and helped them out with their college tuitions. By forcing their children to share rooms it helped the kids appreciate what they had. Everything they did was to help their kids, even helping them out with different things from time to time. Judy had a soft spot for Leo in particular though; he wasn't sure if it was because he was gay or something else.

Leo stirred more in bed as he started to wake up more. He struggled to open his eye lids, which felt super heavy. His vision was blurry which didn't matter much because it was hard to see much in the dark room anyway. He stretched out his arms and legs and shifted around his twin sized bed before completely turning off the alarm, with three minutes to spare before the next snooze alarm.

He didn't want to get out of bed, it had felt so comfortable and warm compared to the cold air in the bedroom. He unlocked his phone and opened up Facebook and began scrolling through the nonsense on his feed. He often did this in the morning to help wake himself up. After a few minutes of scrolling and liking status' Leo decided to get out of bed. He whipped the covers off and stood up and stretched revealing his nude body to the cold air. Leo and Neo both slept naked and it didn't bother Neo at all that his brother was gay or if he saw him naked. Leo was still a little shy about being nude around his twin but, he did his best to hide it.

Leo was a toned five foot ten husky. He played video games a lot but, he would still work out every other day. He enjoyed a good run and the workout helped relieve some stress. Plus in the acting world it seemed to be important to have abs, pecs, and defined muscles. His fur was a mix of black and white fur like other huskies. The black covered his feet and legs but left a pointed stripe around his ankles. The black went up his back making its way to the sides of his torso. His tail was also black but, the tip of it was white. Black covered his triceps and shoulders making a point just above his collarbone. There was a band of white which was around his forearm until it reached his black hands. Finally the black fur was on the side and back of his neck, it stretched to the top and sides of his head, ears, and finally coming to a point on the top of his snout. In addition to the white and black, a bright electric blue pinstripe separated the white from the black of his body. This same blue was in a few other spots on his body as well. He had a small blue patch underneath his chin (chin fur); small blue trail of chest fur which only resided below his belly button and trailed downward about two inches. More blue rested in between his pointed ears and was much longer than all the rest creating hair and trailed off midway down the back of his head which got much shorter as it went. Finally there was some blue that lined the inside of his ears as well as his paw pads, nails, tongue, nose, dick and the color in his eyes. His blue was one of his most noticeable features, especially with his family.

Neo looked the same as Leo except he had more muscle than him and all the blue on Leo was actually a lime green on Neo. The patterns and all their facial features looked the same except they had different accent fur colors. It made telling them apart quite easy, otherwise it would had been nearly impossible.

After Leo stretched he headed over to his suitcases which sat on the floor at the foot of his bed. On top of one of the cases was where he had laid a pair of jeans, white t-shirt, dark blue pullover hoodie, and his blue and gray gym shoes. He grabbed his navy blue underwear and the towel which was folded up on a dresser. He wrapped the towel around his waist and folded it over in the front and headed out of the room and down the hallway. Leo and every other fur walked or stood flat footed or, as some would call it, plantigrade. The hardwood floor was cold against the pads on his feet but, the bathroom wasn't too far.

The house was quiet and dark in the early morning. There the sound of the heat turning on in the house and blowing through the vents. His paws made small slapping sounds against the hardwood as he walked. Leo could even hear the faint sound of the TV coming from the living room down stairs.

He made his way into the bathroom, shut the door and locked it behind him. The husky took the towel off and draped it over the metal towel rack and turned the water on. While the water began to warm up he went back over to the sink and brushed his teeth. It was a morning ritual with him except this time once he was done he threw his tooth brush in the trash. He had a brand new one packed and the current one was already worn out anyway.

He stepped into the shower and closed the glass sliding door behind himself. The water was nice and warm as he stood there for a few moments, letting the water warm him up after his journey to the bathroom. After a few moments he took a bottle of fur shampoo and squirted a glob of the white soap into his open palm and started to clean himself. While he was in the shower he started to realize that he was moving across the country. He knew this all along but, it was finally starting to sink in as he showered there one last time. In that moment he started to have slight regrets, moving away from what friends he had, and all of his family. If his siblings had kids of their own, he wouldn't be there for it. If he eventually had kids of his own, his parent's would see their grandpups very often. He was starting to feel it in the pit of his stomach until he finally shook his head and forced himself to think of something else, anything else.

Fifteen minutes had passes and Leo finished up and turned off the water. He opens the door and grabbed his towel and starts to dry himself off. He gets as much water out of his fur as he can off of him before he grabbed the fur dryer from under the sink. Once he was completely dry he grabbed two white cotton Qtips from a clear case and dabbed out the water in his ears. Finally he reached for his boxer briefs and stepped in and pulled them up to his waist, and then let go of the elastic band making a snapping sound. He grabbed his damp towel and tossed it over his right shoulder and opened the door.

Once the door opened the steam in the small room rushed out into the hallway. He could hear his parents and siblings awake downstairs. The smell of bacon, pancakes, waffles, and various other breakfast foods wafted up the stairs and made the whole house smell delicious. Leo headed into the bedroom and started to get dressed. Neo was still lying in his bed but, he was awake and on his phone. The smell of the foods woke him up but, he still hadn't gotten out of bed.

"Why haven't you gone downstairs?" Leo asked as he put his pants on.

Neo set his phone down, sat up and looked over at his brother. "Because I wanted to be able to talk to you before you took off."

Leo smiled a bit, he kind of liked the fact that his brother was going to miss him. It made him feel wanted, which was what family was for. "You know I'm not leaving this second, right? I'm getting food downstairs with everyone first."

"I know, but, it's not the same as just you and I." Neo shifted and swung his legs over the side of the bed; the sheet still covering his crotch.

Leo now had his shirt and hoodie on and he slipped on his blue Nike Airmax shoes. He headed over to the black nightstand to put his contacts in his eyes. He flicked open the white and green case and plucked out each soft plastic lens and popped it into his eye. He then grabbed his wallet and stuck it in his back right pocket of his jeans. Next he grabbed his phone and stuck that in the front pocket of his hoodie. He grabbed his black and blue smart watch and placed that on his left wrist. Finally the Bluetooth earbuds and placed them on the back of his neck, the device was U shaped and it came around his neck and rested on the collarbone. While he grabbed everything he said, "You know I'm coming back right? It's only like a six hour plane ride. And besides, I'm just a phone call away."

"Are you nervous?"

Leo stopped what he was doing. He thought that his brother could tell he was terrified and that he was covering it up. The internal fight started in his head on whether he should lie or tell him the truth. The battle felt like hours but, was just a few microseconds. He sighed and said, "I'm terrified." He looked over at his brother and suddenly everything came rushing to the surface and Leo started to tear up. "What if I'm not good? What if I suck? What if this isn't worth it, Neo?" He wiped a falling tear from his eye. "I'm leaving everything here behind; the whole family. I'm not going to have anything; no friends, no family, nothing."

Neo stood up and hugged his brother tight. "You aren't going to suck. You're a great actor. This is only the beginning of your new life. Don't ever think it's not worth it. At the end of the day it's your life you have to live; you can't dedicate it all on us." He let go of the hug but held onto both of his shoulders and looked Leo in the eye. "And besides, I'm just a phone call away." He smirked and winked at his brother. He liked to use Leo's own words against him sometimes, especially when it helped the situation.

Neo sometimes knew his twin better than he knew himself. Leo always cared about what others thought of him. That's why he started to work out. That's why he struggled with coming out. That's why he kept to himself a lot. He was always super confident but, he would get into his own mind and second guess everything. He hated looking weak, ever since he was made fun of he always kept a front up. He made it seem like he had his life put together even though behind the scenes he was screaming. Leo always helped others and was good at giving advice but, not at listening to his own. Sometimes he'd get in his own way and Neo had to help set him straight. Except once he's gone he can't do that as much.

Leo wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and looked at his twin and added, "You should probably put some pants and a shirt on. Mom would be pissed if you went to the table like that." The two of them chuckled and Neo threw on some green gym shorts and a gray t-shirt. He grabbed one of Leo's suitcases and his laptop bag and headed downstairs. Leo quickly followed him with his other suitcase and his carry-on.

He stopped in the doorway to his room. He looked at the room as if it were the last time. To him, it felt like the last time. He didn't know when he'd be back. He spent most of his childhood in that bedroom. He played games with Neo, they played with toys, and they were grounded in there. There were so many memories confined to that small space, a space that was going to be hard to leave. He took in a deep breath and headed down the hallway and down the stairs.

Once he made it to the bottom of the stairs he set the gray luggage down with the others. His three suitcases and laptop bag were in a small pile by the door. His whole wardrobe and his sentimental possessions were all confined to such a small space. It was hard to believe for him that he managed to pack as much as he could in there. He shoved a bunch of his clothes, his Xbox One, all of his games, and various other items; but, most of it was clothes.

He made his way down the hallway towards the kitchen, his families voices were very clear now. He didn't rush though; he took his time and looked at some of his families pictures that were on the wall. Memories from when he and Neo were little pups, his siblings when they were little, the family portrait in front of their Christmas tree. He just wanted to soak up as much of everything as he could. It almost felt like he was walking to the electric chair on death row, he just wanted to make it last.

Finally, Leo made it into the kitchen where his entire family was, including Sarah. She came by the house to see Leo off. He noticed all of the food on the table, all of his favorites, everyone was happy and smiling. No one bickered, which was odd because, a family of their size usually meant some bickering was inevitable. He sat down and everyone was proud of him for taking such a leap. Everything just felt too surreal. It did feel like it was going to be his last time at the family table. His world was basically coming to an end and his next journey was about to begin. Slowly but surely he was becoming more okay with it, mostly because he kept it out of his mind.

The whole family spent as much time together as possible; laughing, telling stories, taking pictures on their phones, and just enjoying spending time together. Sarah had already moved out, Leo was moving across the country, Neo was going to be getting his own place, Kelly was going to graduate high school, and Michael was going to move out eventually. Their family was moving on in different directions and everyone was okay with it. They all loved each other more than anything but; they all grew up with the notion that it was their life and their choices.

It was nearly 9:15 when Leo's second alarm started to go off, signaling that it was time to head to the airport. Everyone stopped talking as the blaring sound echoed throughout the kitchen. It was that moment that the laughing stopped, that reality was setting in and Leo was about to move across the country. He turned off the alarm and stood up.

"Well, I guess it's time to go." He had a smooshed smile on his face. It was a combination of a smile and a frown. His eyebrows were compressed and angled down slightly. He was ready and excited to go but, scared at the same time.

Mark stood up and said, "I'll go warm up the car." And he walked out of the room.

The twins jumped out of their chairs and rushed over to Leo and hugged him. "We're gonna miss you, Leo." The two of them said in unison.

Leo knelt down and looked at them in the eye before saying, "I'll be back. I promise." He wrapped his arms around them, hugging them tight. Once he stood back up, his other siblings walked over and hugged him one by one, each hug feeling different.

Neo was the last one to hug his brother. He wrapped his big arms around him and said, "Don't forget where you came from, bud." He let go and stood back.

Leo looked over at his mother who now had a big winter coat on and said, "Ready?" Leo nodded and the two of them headed out into the garage.

Before shutting the door Leo looked back at his siblings and they all stood bunched up together as if they were taking a picture. Leo quickly lifted his phone and snapped a picture of them and said, "Love you guys." He had a slight grogginess in his voice as he held back tears. He walked into the garage and shut the door.

All of his luggage was already in the trunk of his father's black SUV; Mark had put it in there as Leo said his goodbyes to his family. The car ride was only 30 minutes but, it felt like hours. He kept trying to push the thought of doubt out of his mind. Any bit of doubt he had he had to shove deep because, he could still back out. His mom tried to assure him that everything will be fine and he'd do great. She told him not to worry about anyone here and to focus on him and his work once he gets to LA. She kept reassuring him and that just made him want to cry. He was a bit of a momma's boy and he didn't want to leave her.

The SUV finally made it to JFK and they pulled into a parking spot. Both of his parents got out of the car and helped Leo with his luggage. He slung his orange laptop bag over his shoulder and grabbed his carry on. The three of them started heading towards the terminal, Leo walked a little fast because he was freezing without a coat on. He didn't see a need to have one; it was supposed to be 66 degrees in LA which to him was shorts weather in New York.

The two large sliding doors opened and a rush of warm air flooded out as they entered the terminal. The bright white tiled floors reflected any and all light in the airport. The place was crowded with everyone getting ready to travel to and from JFK and Leo still had to get his ticket. He and his parents stood in line for ten minutes until they made it to the counter.

"I'm here to check in." He told the female bunny as he put his ID on the counter. She promptly grabbed it and found his ticket. He handed over his two large suitcases and watched them disappear behind the wall.

"Enjoy your flight on Virgin America." She said as they walked away.

Leo was getting more and more nervous; his heart beat faster and faster. He took a moment and took a deep breath. He and his parents walked over to the security check point and came to a stop to say goodbye.

"Call us when you land, okay?" Judy said to him and hugged him tightly.

Leo looked over at his dad who hugged him and said, "Good luck." His father was a rather big guy, very macho and masculine. Not the type of person you'd want to mess with. He rarely showed his softer side but, when it came to his pups, it was a different story.

"I love you guys." Leo said as he started to step backwards towards TSA. "I'll call you in a few hours." He waved again and headed towards the security check point. His ticket and ID were checked and he quickly made it to the x-ray machines. He placed his items on the belt and stepped into the machine. Once he was out he grabbed his things and looked back one last time; his parents still standing there, his mother very clearly crying. He waved to them and said softly aloud to himself, "Goodbye, Mom and Dad. I love you guys." And watched them wave back. He turned around and headed towards his gate.