FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Dad, no! Come back!"

"Be strong, Russ! Be brave!"

"DAD!"

The blue husky's eyes fluttered open, gazing up at the pale ceiling. Golden sunlight reached through the window and illuminated a spot on the carpeted floor. It took him a moment to regain his bearings. He wasn't on a ship with those frightening creatures anymore; that was behind him. He was now in a comfortable bed with a good family, to whom he owed his life.

Russ rolled over and glanced at his alarm clock. 10:30. Had he really slept for over twelve hours? It was probably about time for breakfast. The husky got out of bed, threw on the same borrowed clothes as yesterday, and headed downstairs. As he approached kitchen, he was greeted by a strange...meaty smell that made him salivate. Walking in, he found a plate of striped brown strips of...something on the counter with a note next to it.

It read:

Got called in to work. Made breakfast, pancakes are in the microwave. Leave enough for everyone else (I'm talking to you, Tyler) and I'll see you all sometime later today. - Dad

Russ read the note, glanced at the meat, back at the note, and at the meat again. Breakfast, the note had said. So these oddly shaped strips of brown were...food? The husky was still pondering over the food when he heard a noise behind him.

Tyler had woken and had also come down for some breakfast. His fur and tail appeared soft and neatly brushed, indicating that he had taken a shower beforehand. The wolf wore gym shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt that exposed his muscled arms and showed off his bulky chest and flat stomach. Tyler Mooney clearly had the body to back up his love of sports.

Tyler stopped in his tracks when he took notice of the husky standing in his way. Hazel eyes rose to meet his own blue. The wolf then scowled and pushed past him to collect his own food.

Russ decided to ignore the rude gesture for now. "Good morning!"

"Mmph." Tyler didn't seem to care for his cheerful nature this early in the day. Not a morning person, perhaps.

Russ watched as Tyler reached up into a cabinet to find a glass. From his vantage point next to the sink, the husky couldn't help but stare at the wolf's ass through the red gym shorts. When Tyler turned back around, he quickly looked away to avoid getting caught. It was just as well, too. He shouldn't be looking at one of his hosts like that. Then he remembered that he was still wearing the wolf's underwear, and he stiffened at the thought.

"You gonna get some food?"

Russ looked up to see Tyler watching him looking annoyed. The husky was a bit taken aback at the inquiry. It was the first thing Tyler had said to him directly.

"Um...yeah, I just -" Russ stopped himself before he made himself look too much like an idiot. Just to make sure though...he pointed at the plate. "That's food?"

Tyler glanced at the plate and back at Russ again, confused. "Uh, yeah, dude, it's bacon."

Bacon.Ba-con. How interesting. Strangely enough, the aroma coming off the meat triggered some instinctual desire within to eat it. With some hesitation, he plucked a strip from the plate, inspected it curiously, and took a bite.

Time froze. Russ froze. The meaty and savory taste he was experiencing in his mouth was simply stunning. The unanticipated flavor of fried meat and salt was so amazing that he was left wanting more. He needed more. Eyes dilated, he scarfed down the strip of bacon and proceeded to devour more from the plate. Jaws worked at lightning speed as he wolfed down the savory and salty treats.

Tyler, now at the dining table, gaped at the husky in shock and disgust. "Jeez, what the fuck?! It's just fucking bacon, man!"

Russ came back to his senses, but was unperturbed by Tyler's expletives. "Murf?"

"It's just fucking bacon," Tyler retorted. The word "fuck" seemed prominent in his vocabulary. "You never had bacon before?"

"No!" Russ exclaimed breathlessly, licking the grease from his lips. "I've never had anything before - ooh, I wonder how that tastes?" He said, peering into the microwave and seeing the faint shape of pancakes inside.

Russ reached in, took two pancakes, and hastily applied butter and syrup - something he knew to do after watching Tyler do the same. The surly wolf simply watched in disbelief as Russ devoured those in record time as well. Clearly he had never witnessed someone eating real food for the first time.

The husky finished scarfing down his pancakes and found the jug of orange juice Tyler had left on the counter. "What's this?"

The wolf looked aghast. "Orange juice."

"They can make juice from a color?!"

Tyler shook his head in disbelief, going back to eating his breakfast and shuffling through his phone. He did his best to ignore the hyperactive husky while he minded his own business. His plan worked for a while until he heard the sound of loud gulping coming from the kitchen. He looked up and jumped up from the table in shock.

"Dude, what the fuck?! Put that down!"

The husky had the jug tipped back and was noisily guzzling the orange juice straight from the source. Tyler wrested the jug away from him, spilling some of the juice down the husky's front in the process. Once it was out of his reach, the wolf inspected it and found that nearly half the jug was missing. Russ smacked his lips in amazement. The simultaneously tangy and sweet drink combined with pulp had been delicious!

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Tyler angrily lashed in a raised voice. "Just eat the food like a normal fur!"

Russ shrank back in embarrassment and shame. He hadn't meant to cause such a scene; the food had taken him by surprise, that's all.

"Sorry," he uttered sheepishly, unable to look at the maddened expression on the wolf's face.

Tyler glared at him for a moment longer and scoffed. He set the jug back down and went back to eating his food, once more assuming his strategy of tuning him out.

"Are you two alright? I heard shouting." Abigail had woken and was also freshly showered. She saw the stain on Russ' shirt and inquired, "What happened there?"

Russ shuffled nervously. "I, uh, spilled some juice. Sorry about that."

"He was drinking straight from the jug!" Tyler blurted out. "It was gross!"

"Aw, that's cute," she responded, much to Russ' surprise. "You don't have to do that! The glasses are in that cupboard over there, just so you know."

"What the fuck?!" Tyler was furious. "You used to yell at me all the fucking time for doing that! How come he -"

"Tyler! Language!" Abigail snapped, effectively silencing the young wolf. Tyler huffed and went back to fiddling with his phone. The woman continued, speaking to Russ in a much softer tone, "Did you get enough to eat at least?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Russ gratefully. "It was all very good!"

"I'm glad to hear it! You can tell that to Bryan when he gets back," Abigail replied, taking some food for herself. "If you don't mind, Russ, I'd like to talk to you about something while we're both in the same room."

"Sure, of course!" Russ responded politely. He followed her to the dining table where they both sat down, Tyler remaining transfixed with his phone.

"How is your head?" Inquired Abigail, taking a bite.

Since he had woken up, the husky truly had not noticed the bandage still on his head. "Um, I feel fine. Why?"

The woman swallowed before replying. "Well, I just thought that since it's the weekend and we've got the time, I thought we'd pay a visit to the hospital to make sure you're really okay."

Russ' eyes went wide in fear. Memories of that horrible place had his heart pounding rapidly. "No! Please, I don't want to go back there -"

Abigail did her best to calm him down while Tyler glanced up at them in half-interest. "Russ, I promise they're not going to hurt you. They genuinely mean well. They just want to help -"

"You fucking need it," Tyler muttered under his breath. Abruptly, his mother shot out an arm, seized an ear, and twisted harshly, causing the wolf to howl out in pain.

"If I hear another rude or snarky comment from your muzzle, young man, you will be grounded for a month without your phone! Do you understand?!"

"Ow, ow! Yes, I get it!" Tyler whined and massaged his ear once his mother released it. Snatching up his phone, he gave one last of irritation before storming out of the room.

"Sorry about him," Abigail apologized. "He gets extra grumpy in the mornings."

Russ thought that the display of crudeness he had just witnessed was more than a simple case of morning grumps, but he kept his mouth shut. It wasn't his place to comment.

"Anyway," she continued as if nothing had happened. "I really think it would be a good idea to pay them a visit. After all, you've still got your head all wrapped up," she said, gesturing toward his bandage. "You need to get that checked on at the very least."

Russ tried to think about it rationally. "I suppose I do..." he began. "But I don't like the workers there..."

"What don't you like about them?"

"I don't know, I -" he stammered, grasping for answers. "I don't like how they look, with their lab coats, and their needles, and all their weird equipment..."

Abigail listened to his words patiently. Then she took a deep breath and said, "Tell you what. I'll go in with you myself, and I won't let them hurt you. Just let them do their job and see what becomes of it. I want you to see for yourself that they don't mean any harm."

Russ weighed the situation in his mind. He certainly would feel safer with Abigail by his side. And after all, they hadn't actually done anything to hurt him the first time...

"Okay, I'll do it," he announced.

"Good," Abigail said. She got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing a coffee pot. "Would you like some coffee?"

Russ decided it was best not to eat anything else lest he lose control again. Besides, he didn't know how he'd react to something called "cough-ee."

"No, I'm okay for now," he replied. "I think I'll go shower and get ready to go."

"Okay, you go ahead and do that." Abigail was turned away from him now, hovering over the pot. "Oh, and could you please tell Tyler to come back downstairs? I need to talk to him."

The husky was afraid of what Tyler's reaction might be, but he agreed anyway out of courtesy. He climbed the stairs and stood outside his door, offering a hesitant knock.

"What?" Tyler shouted gruffly.

"Your mom wants to speak with you!" Russ shouted back. He didn't get to hear Tyler's response because he had already crossed the hall and ducked into his room, shutting the door. Having already been on the receiving end of the wolf's harshness several time, he was not keen on doing so again.

On the contrary, he didn't want it to be this way between them. Tyler was about his age, and Russ desperately needed a friend to talk to. Perhaps with time, things between them would eventually get better. For now, though, all he could do was wait for Tyler to warm up to him.

........................

"I have to say, Russ, you seem to heal remarkably quickly!"

"Really? It's only been a couple of days."

"Exactly! A head injury this severe should have taken months to heal, but you're almost completely healed! You must have some good genes!"

It had been a rather short drive to the hospital. Russ was able to be checked in easily despite not having a medical record and didn't have to wait long with Abigail. When asked to leave with the doctor - a different one than before, this time a skinny raccoon - Russ had bravely told Abigail that he would be fine going on his own. As much as he appreciated her accompanying him on this ordeal, he felt the need to prove to her that he could hold his own.

After some x-rays, it had been concluded that he did indeed heal very quickly. Russ, of course, was not surprised by this; rather, he was more intrigued that people on this planet supposedly healed much slower than Solarians. Russ soon had his bandage and the stitches underneath removed. The latter had been quite painful, but he stuck it out. He now had a faint scar on the back of his head underneath the fur, but that was the only sign of an injury.

"Well, I think you're good to go," stated the doctor, making some final notes. "Just try to be careful around rocks from now on, you hear?"

"Heh, thanks!"

Russ left the doctor's office in confidence. He was proud of himself for doing this on his own. Abigail had been right: they hadn't done anything to hurt him and any pain endured had been for the best. He found her waiting for him in the waiting room.

"Hey there!" She greeted him, closing a book she had been reading. "You got the bandage taken off!"

Russ beamed. "Yup, all done and over with! Good thing, too. That thing was getting really scratchy!"

Abigail laughed at his joke. "Haha, I can imagine! You ready to go?" She became distracted momentarily as her phone buzzed in her pocket.

"Yeah, I'm ready when you are." He watched as she typed something on her phone. "Everything alright?"

"Oh, everything's fine," she replied, concentrating on the tiny screen. "Bryan says he's home from work. That's good, because I need to discuss something with him."

Russ decided it was best no to inquire what it was she needed to talk about, as it was likely none of his business. He waited for her to finish texting and they both left the hospital chatting idly.

.............................

"Russ, can you come downstairs, please?!"

The husky's ears perked as he scribbled something down on a sheet of paper. He consulted the chart he had drawn on a much larger sheet of construction paper he had taped to the wall.

"No," he muttered to himself frowning. "That's not right. What did I do wrong?"

The day after the hospital visit, Russ had taken it upon himself to create a Solarian calendar that aligned with Earth's (what an odd name for a planet; it literally means dirt). This way he could easily keep track of the time as it ran on his home planet, Tessa. It also felt good to have something to remind him of home. Of course, he still had that odd watch his father had given him, but just what it was for completely eluded him. The thing was permanently set to midnight, so it wasn't of any use to him. Still, he trusted his father, so...

Russ shook his head. He needed to focus. Something had gone wrong in his calculations. It was a little difficult to calculate because Tessa had twenty-two hour days as opposed to Earth's twenty-four. He was so close, though!

"It shouldn't be this difficult," he muttered in frustration. "Maybe if I -"

"Russ?!"

"Coming!"

Russ put down his pencil, collected his notes into a neat stack, and stood. Passing by Tyler's room, he found it empty. Not surprising; the young wolf tended to spend a lot of time out with his friends. What he did all day was a mystery to him.

He found Bryan and Abigail both sitting on the couch waiting for him. There was a stack of papers on the coffee table. Upon entering, he was prompted to sit in one of the chairs diagonal to the sofa, which he did.

"Russ, we have some rather good news," Abigail said cheerfully.

"Really?" Russ could think of plenty of news he would have liked to hear, but didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Yup, you'll like it, I promise," she replied, motioning for her husband to speak.

Bryan took a breath. "Well, we realized that you won't be able to progress much without a proper education, so...we've agreed to take you in for a while."

Russ was speechless. Were they saying what he thought they were saying? "You mean I can...live here?"

"Yes," said Bryan. "But only while you're still in high school. The condition is that we'll only take care of you until your first year of college. Once you find a place of your own, we're out of the picture. We don't want to just leave you out to dry, so we thought we'd help you out a little by giving you a place to stay."

Russ was at a loss for words. He had just met these people and already they were offering a temporary place to stay! He hasn't imagined they would be so selfless to a total stranger like him.

"Thank you!" The husky let up off the chair and gave Bryan a big hug, as well as he could with the wolf sitting down. "Thank you so much!"

Bryan appeared startled and surprised at first, but then gave a soft smile and patted the husky on the back. "You're very welcome, Russ. Welcome to the family."

The words struck a chord within Russ, and he cried tears of joy. He held the hug for a moment longer and finally pulled back, wiping his eyes. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's okay! We totally understand your reaction," Abigail reassured him with a wide smile. "I know I'd feel the same way."

Russ stood beaming, ecstatic at the news, before he realized he was the only one standing. He sat back down in the chair and remembered something. He knew that school on Tessa began in a couple of weeks - less than that now. But when would he be starting school? "So when does school start?"

"You'll be starting school in a couple of weeks with Tyler."

That made him a little nervous. Not only was he starting school soon on a foreign planet (was it really foreign at this point?), but he'd also be going with Tyler. He supposed it wouldn't be that bad; Tyler just needed some time to get used to him being around, that's all.

"What grade are you in?"

"Um," Russ began. He wasn't sure how to word what he wanted to say. "Well, I was going to be a senior this year, but," he chose his words carefully. "I may have forgotten a few things since then," he finished lamely.

Abigail cocked her head at the odd excuse, but she let it slide. "That's okay. I'm sure they have a placement testing system we can use. I'll call them tomorrow to see about that."

"Okay," said Russ. "Are you sure it's no trouble?"

"No, not at all!" Bryan waved a paw dismissively. "We're actually doing the paperwork right now," he said, pointing to the stack of papers. "We just wanted you to know about it before we go through with it."

"Well, thanks!" Russ said gratefully. "Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"Nope, just that," Abigail responded. "You're a great kid and we're glad to have you here."

"Well, this is the best news I've heard in a long time, so thanks again," said Russ, getting up to go back upstairs. Just before the first step, though, he stopped. "Oh, and Bryan? The food was great."

Bryan looked confused, but then smiled after realizing what the husky was referring to. "Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it!"

Russ smiled back before climbing the stairs once again. This had to have been the best thing that had happened to him since he was crash landed in that pod. He may not have his friends, or his good reputation with the scholars, but he did have a family.

Maybe being on Earth wouldn't be so bad after all.

..........................

A few days later, Bryan and Russ were in the car heading for the school. Abigail had called the school asking about placement testing, and they had allowed them to schedule a session for that Wednesday. So on the determined date, Bryan was to take Russ to the school for his appointment.

Russ had to admit he was a bit nervous, partly because he'd be entering new territory, having never been to the school before, and partly because he had no clue what kinds of things they would test him on. He understood that they would likely test his knowledge of the basic academic subjects, but he had learned that some things on Earth were drastically different than Tessa. He just hoped it wouldn't affect his scores too much.

When they pulled into the front parking lot of the school, Russ was treated to good view of the building. The school was a tall, two story building made of brick and extending far to the left and right. What was visible of the roof was a generic red that clashed slightly with the brown bricks. Above the entrance were golden letters on top of red spelling out "Welcome, Westborrow Knights!" To the right was another visitor's parking lot and to the left was a large football field complete with a track and stadium.

Despite its expanse, Russ thought it looked a lot smaller than his campus. His school had been three story high and consisted of multiple buildings, a structure more akin to a college campus.

He voiced this thought to Bryan and he laughed. "Strangely enough, people say that a lot when they see Westborrow for the first time. I guess their reputation makes them seem much bigger."

"What kind of reputation?" Russ inquired as they pulled into a parking spot.

"Oh, not a bad reputation. Westborrow's just one of the bigger names when it comes to high schools in the area. For example, Westborrow is considered to have one of the best sports teams statewide." Bryan said with a hint of pride.

"Did you go to Westborrow?"

"Yep!" Bryan chirped, grinning proudly. "Played soccer all four years. Met Abigail here, too."

"Oh, cool! You and Abigail started dating here?"

"Well, no. We didn't start dating until much later, but that's another story. Let's go in. We don't want to be late."

Russ stepped out of the car, squinting against the bright sunlight. He had chosen khaki shorts and a green polo today, one that complimented his blue fur nicely. These actually fit him since they had gone to buy him some clothes of his own. His walked with Bryan along the concrete walkway, admiring the colorful flowers and bushes that decorated the entrance courtyard.

The front doors of the school opened into a wide rotunda with halls leading off of either side. Straight ahead, he could see the school library and what he presumed to be the cafeteria. Bryan immediately took him to the left, where they entered the main office.

"Hello," said a friendly cheetah sitting at the secretary's desk. "How can I help you?"

Bryan placed a paw on Russ' shoulder and replied, "I have Russ Talvek here for an appointment. He's here for placement testing."

"Just a moment." The cheetah clicked a few times on her computer before responding. "Yup, that sounds right. We've been expecting you. Wait just a moment and the principal will be with you shortly."

"Thank you."

They didn't have to wait long before a large lion in a shirt and tie walked out to greet them.

"Hello, sirs," the lion said with a pleasant smile. "I'm Fredrick Brown, the school principal. How are you two doing today?"

"Very well, thanks." Bryan replied.

"I'm good, thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Russ said as he shook the lion's paw.

"Likewise," said Brown. "If you're ready to begin, Russ, please follow me to the back." Brown began to back away and stopped, addressing Bryan. "Sir, the placement testing process will take a while, so you're welcome to leave and come back in an hour or so."

"Oh, I'll find something to do, I'm sure," Bryan agreed. He waved at the husky. "Good luck, Russ!"

Russ waved back and proceeded to follow the lion to a back room of the office. They emerged into what appeared to be a conference room, with a long wooden table surrounded by chairs situated in the center. Several desktop computers lined the far wall; the lion pulled up a chair to one of them and logged in.

"The placement test will take place online," Brown explained while opening a browser. "The format is completely multiple choice and will test you in English, Math, Science, and History. Your scores will determine what classes you will be required to take from here on out."

Russ nodded in understanding. It sounded simple enough. Although...what's English?

"Here's some scratch paper for questions that involve math," said the lion, handing him two pencils and several sheets of blank paper. "And don't worry about telling me when you're done. The system will notify me when you've finished. Then we'll begin discussing your course schedule for this year." He left the computer on a screen with a button that read 'Begin Test.' "Any questions?"

Yeah. What the fuck is English? "Nope, I think I'll be alright."

"Great!" Brown smiled and let him have the seat. "Good luck. Just click when you're ready."

The principal left and Russ sat down, clicking the mouse to start the test. First was the English section.

Oh. So English is the same thing as...Solarian? He supposed that made a little sense. Everyone spoke the same language as he did, except they only called it something else. He could only hope that was the only difference between the two, because if not, he was in trouble.

He found this section to be rather easy however. The test began by asking him questions like 'What is the subject of this sentence?' and 'Which of the following is NOT a prepositional phrase?' These were all things he had learned in middle school, so he breezed through that part relatively quickly.

Then came the especially boring part. The second half of the English section focused on reading comprehension, something that the husky had never much cared for. The test would present him with an excerpt of a poem or some prose and ask 'What is the significance of the first two lines?' or 'How did the author use literary devices to emphasize her point?' blah blah blah. It wasn't too difficult, but it was very dry.

Next came the Mathematics section, at which Russ nearly laughed out loud. This was easy! The operations the questions were asking him to perform were quite basic; this was math that he had learned in freshman and sophomore year! The most advanced of the questions in the section involved calculus, which was a piece of cake. Russ hastily scribbled numbers and equations onto his paper and selected the corresponding solutions on the screen. Easy peasy.

After that was Science. This part was easy and difficult at the same time for Russ. He had been taught plenty of science already in his previous years of high school, so he knew his stuff - or so he thought. There were some questions where he would find an answer himself and then not find it on the screen. This confused him. He was absolutely sure that he had the right answer, but the exam seemed to disagree. Befuddled, Russ caved and picked the closest option to it, hoping for the best.

The History section was where it all came crashing down. Russ didn't know a single answer to any of these questions. How could've he? He had only been on this planet for a couple of weeks! How was he supposed to know things that happened centuries ago?

Which of the following is NOT one of the original thirteen colonies? I wasn't even aware there was one!

Which of these countries was NOT involved in World War II? Well, I can think of one World War, but it's not the one you're thinking of!

What is the capital of Brazil? B.

During what year did the Great Depression begin? Probably right about now.

Russ was forced to select random answers for this part, shaking his head in shame. He had been fairly confident about the whole thing when he started, but now it was looking like a disaster. What was going to happen now that he had probably just destroyed his test score? Would they kick him out? How was he going to explain this to Bryan and Abigail?

When he was finished, Russ clicked 'Finish' and waited patiently, fiddling with the mouse cord. He had waited only for about five minutes before Brown came back.

"All finished?" Brown collected the papers and the pencils. "Not too difficult I hope?"

"It was fine," Russ lied.

"Good, good," said Brown. Powering off the computer, he straightened. "If you will follow me to my office, we can put together your schedule. It shouldn't take long."

Russ trailed behind him as the principal went back to his office. When prompted to sit in front of the desk, the husky did so with a little nervousness.

"Okay, so your test scores seem pretty normal," said Brown, settling down in his own chair behind the desk. "You scored highest in Math, then English, then Science, and lastly History."

Russ nodded. That seemed about right.

"So here's what we're going to do. You did exceptionally well in Math, but we need to put you in at least one math class so you have one on your record. Then you'll need two classes each from the English, Science, and History areas as well as an Arts and a Technology credit."

He nodded again, trying to keep up. There sure sounded like a lot of classes for one year. Maybe they'd make an exception for him...

"That said, we'll be placing you in the eleventh grade, a junior. Sound good?"

A junior? He was being held back a year? Well, he supposed he wasn't technically being held back, but still. Logically, it made sense, but he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

He didn't let the lion know that, though. "Yep, sounds great."

"Splendid!" The lion reached into a drawer and pulled out a small booklet. "This is a catalogue of all the classes we offer here. For your core classes, we'll be choosing those for you, but the electives are all yours to pick from. Oh, and one more thing! What career path are you thinking about pursuing? We need to know so that we can place you with the right advisor. Plus, it helps with the course selection process."

That was a lot for Russ to process at once, so he just fixated on Brown's question. "Um...I want to be an engineer."

"Any specific kind of engineer?"

"Um...spacecraft."

Brown nodded in approval. "Okay, we can certainly help you out with that. Why don't you go ahead and pick your electives for this year? One from Arts and one from Technology."

Russ took the booklet and began browsing the many classes they offered. It took him a bit to figure out that they were indeed categorized by subject. When he did find the Arts section, none of them immediately caught his eye. Eventually, he found "Concert Band." What in Solarius could that be? After carefully reading the course description, the one word that stuck out to him was "music." Did that mean chiptunes, like the ones he heard in videogames? It didn't appear so based on the way the description talked about it. Still though, it could be interesting; he circled it for later.

The Technology section looked a lot more interesting and was full of classes he might want to take as an engineer. After some thought, he decided on 'Basic Programming,' thinking that it might do him some good to learn a native programming language.

Russ showed his selections to the principal, who again expressed his approval.

"That looks doable." Brown said, setting down the booklet and typing on his computer. "Please wait just a second while I put together your schedule real quick."

The husky nodded and waited patiently while Brown did his work. The job really was 'real quick,' as it only took him a few minutes to compile it. The lion soon turned his monitor so Russ could see it as well to make sure it looked alright. The schedule was complete with Russ' selections and the word 'Astronomy' in particular intrigued him. It would certainly be interesting to learn about space from Earth's point of view.

"That's what your schedule looks like right now," said the lion, turning the screen back. "You'll receive a final copy in the mail. Do you have any questions for me?"

He couldn't think of any. "Nope, not right now."

"Alright, then you're free to go! I wish you the best of luck on your first year here. I expect you'll enjoy it!" The two furs stood up and shook paws, the husky leaving the office. He found Bryan waiting for him there, and the older wolf stood when he spotted him.

"All ready? Did it go well?"

"Yeah, it was fine. I think my classes should be rather interesting this year."

"That's good to hear," Bryan smiled as he signed him out and they left the room.

"What did you do while I was gone?" Russ asked, blinking against the sunlight. It was the middle of the afternoon at this point. "I must have been in there for an hour at least."

"Oh, I kept myself occupied well enough," said Bryan. "I took it upon myself to take a little tour of the school and see what's changed. The faculty seems nice, so that's good news for you!"

Russ nodded. "That's good. I just hope I don't have too much trouble making friends." Having never been the "new kid" at school, he had never had trouble making friends because people already knew him. Now though, he'd be starting from a blank slate.

"I wouldn't worry about that. You're a bright and interesting individual. The other kids would be fools not to see that."

That didn't exactly calm the husky's nerves, but he appreciated the compliment.

They quickly found the car and got strapped in and ready to go. Before pulling out of their parking space, however, Bryan sighed and turned to the husky. "Russ, I'd like to apologize for my behavior as of late."

Russ was confused. Bryan had nothing to apologize about; he had been nothing but nice and supportive of him since they had taken him in. "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"When you first came into the house, I was shocked. I was angry that my wife would bring a total stranger into the house and I took it out on you. I was selfish and harsh towards you and I'm sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me?"

The husky remained shocked for a second and shook his head slowly. "There's nothing to forgive, sir. If I were in your position, I'd have reacted the same way."

Bryan gave a grateful smile. "Thank you, Russ. You really are a good kid. Oh, and you can call me Bryan."

Russ grinned back. "Okay, Bryan."

With that, the two furs drove back home, chatting idly about the classes Russ would be taking. Things were looking pretty positive.