FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoed around the bus stop, located at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea. The air was cool and damp from the residual spray, the sky a dark slate grey edging into black as the sun sunk down into the sea. Micah could tell from the loud crashing that the sea was boiling and angry, a storm surely on the horizon. He tugged up the collar of his windbreaker, grumbling about the cold and damp.

It was times like these that he missed his desert home. The warm air, dry wind, the brilliant blue sky. It was almost never damp. Only cold at night in the winter when every good 'lope was in bed already. He did enjoy the sound of crashing waves, but he missed the stark beauty of the desert in the summer. Sage brush everywhere. Scraggly ground cover. The occasional Joshua tree. Birds quietly soaring overhead. Only a few puffy white clouds off in the distance.

A sudden tap on the top of his head broke him out of his reverie. Another, then another, and he flicked his ears in annoyance. Looking up, he saw nothing but dark grey clouds almost fading into the darkening sky. He had to quickly close his eyes before more water droplets could fall into them. Shaking his head to dislodge what water he could, he made his way under the nearby shelter, sitting as close to the wall and as far from the opening as he could.

Micah hated being wet more than just about anything else. He hated the cold. He hated chilly wind that blew right through his bones, freezing him from the inside out. He hated wet, cold, and muddy footpaws. And he hated waiting for the damn bus in shitty weather. At least, for the moment, he was allowed to grump in solitude in a moderately sheltered location ever-so-slightly protected from the breeze...

...Or not. A male fur came jogging up to the covered bus stop and shook his head once under cover. He then proceeded to open his trench coat and shake off the little clinging droplets found there, too. Micah pressed closer to the wall at the opposite side of the shelter to get as far from the flying water as possible. It was like this new fur didn't even notice that he wasn't alone and was potentially getting someone else wet with the water he was shedding. Micah decided that he disliked this new fur, no getting to know him required.

The other fur, a Border Collie by the looks of it, finished shaking himself free of water and buttoned his coat back up, tying the belt at the waist as if only the belt kept the thing closed. Micah rolled his eyes and tried to focus his attention elsewhere. The dog had other ideas, though, and sat right next to Micah, practically touching from shoulder to hip. Micah's hackles rose. The bench along the back wall of the bus shelter was long, going almost the whole length of the seven-foot span. There was no need for the stupid dog to sit so close.

To add insult to injury, in Micah's mind, the Collie thought it would be a great idea to strike up conversation. The fur turned his black and white head with pretty chocolate brown eyes towards Micah, a happy grin on his face, tongue nearly lolling out of the side, and said a simple, "Crazy weather we're having, right?" Micah wanted to explode. He wasn't sure if he wanted to literally explode to get away from the situation or if he only wanted to verbally explode and send the dog running for the hills, but either way, he wanted out of this situation. Neither scenario happened.

Micah instead tried to mumble something quietly, hoping the dog would either give up if he couldn't hear him or assume he agreed or something. It wasn't a well thought out plan. It also didn't work, to no one's surprise.

"Huh? What was that? I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said," the dog replied with the smile still on his face, only slightly dimmed in his confusion.

Micah internally groaned, cursing the weather and his lack of transportation and the fact that the bus hadn't arrived yet. He was not in the mood for chit chat today. He wasn't in the mood for other people's company today. He didn't want to deal with any of this. If only he could have stayed in bed, dreaming of his beloved desert. But work was a thing. Taking a deep breath to steel himself for the conversation ahead, Micah slightly turned his head towards the Border Collie and said, in a slightly louder voice, "Yeah, sure."

Why did so few words require so much effort? Why was it socially unacceptable to ignore people when they spoke to you? Why did he have to go to work on a day like this? The new fur didn't give him much time to contemplate the why's of the world. His smile grew wider and he stuck his paw out towards Micah, clearly intent on introducing himself.

"I'm Mike, how d'ya do?" Micah knew in that moment that the world was fucking with him. It was not coincidence. It wasn't fate. It was the world's way of fucking with Micah to see if he'd crack. And, man, did he want to throw in the towel and call it. Fucking cosmic forces and their stupid senses of fucking humor.

Reluctantly, Micah took the hand offered to him and shook it once, just enough to be polite. It hurt something deep inside of him that he had to respond with his own name. He just new that the other fur was going to blow everything way out of proportion. "Micah." And, just as he expected, the dog's eyes lit up and he took a deep breath as if to begin speaking. Micah braced for a conversation he desperately didn't want to have.

The bus rolled up to the stop, saving Micah in the nick of time. At least someone up there was looking out for him. The Jackalope hopped up from his seat on the bench and hurried into the bus, finding a seat as quickly as he could, hopefully far away from the Collie. There was a seat open near an old mare. Micah took it without making sure it was the only seat available in that area. More's the pity. Mike found a seat directly behind Micah and seemed more than eager to continue their conversation.

Kill me now, Micah thought.

_ End _