FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Heh, what is she, military? Sure has that stick shoved up her ass, doesn't she?"

Some of the other girls laugh, but Rhannah's gaze turns toward the door to the breakroom, a pensive tapping of her hoof as the pump drains her of her money-making fluid.

Inside the breakroom, Halia makes her way past Bertha and Beth, who take a break from a long morning of milking to enjoy a little snack. Halia stands in front of a vending machine. The horse taps her hoof against the floor and her finger against her elbow, arms crossed over her chest. She stares at the device, not caring about the blur of packaging that's in front of her, taking slow and deep breaths.

Her cheek throbs. She suddenly reaches into her pocket, fumbling around for her pills, but cursing under her breath when she realizes she left them, where? Rhannah's house? Her own apartment?

"So, dear, any exciting plans?" Bertha asks. Halia's ear twitches.

"Oh, yeah, Adaeze wanted to go to the movies, and I was thinking about joining her."

"Aw, that's so good of you, getting out of your shell. You going to tell her about your new job?"

"Mo~om!" Beth whines.

Halia pulls her hand out of her pocket, a crinkled bill in her hands. She slides the thing into the vending machine, mashing any combination she can find.

The machine spits the bill back out.

"Honey, there's no need to be quiet about things. You should be proud of what you do and who you are."

Halia places the bill against the corner of the machine, running it along there to straighten it out.

"Yeah, yeah, it's just that... I mean, it's just so lewd, isn't it? And when I... well..."

Halia jams the bill back in. This time, the item she selects pushes out towards the front.

"Honey, you'll get used to it. Eventually, it'll just be another day at work, and you won't find it so exciting."

The package falls forward, hitting the window and dangling onto its perch.

"Yeah, but... I don't know if I can make it without embarrassing myself again, momma... it's just so hard, and-"

Halia snorts, and connects her hoof to the side panel, cracking the plastic. Her randomly chosen snack topples down, along with a selection of a couple other traits.

The two cows pause in their conversation, and Halia squats down, grabbing the packages with a trembling hand. She stands up, glancing over towards them, first at Bertha, and then at Beth.

"Kid... stop being so scared! Can you fucking hear yourself? Wah, wah, I hate so much, I actually come when I'm paid to sit around and do nothing!"

"Now, wait just a minute here!" Bertha says, pushing herself up. "What gives you the right to badmouth my daughter like that?"

Halia keeps her eyes upon Beth, placing her hand upon the table in front of her. She tosses one of the snacks in front of the younger cow, and she says, "If you have problems with this job, quit. If you aren't a quitter, then suck it up and embrace your feelings. What's the matter, afraid of a good time?"

"I... I..."

A hand clamps on Halia's shoulder.

"Look, you-ah!"

In a blur of motion, Halia gets the attacker in a joint lock, her fist rushing forward, only to stop inches from Clara's throat. Through tiny points of pupils, the horse stares at the disabled cow, her entire forearm quivering with the force that could have sent the bully into the afterlife.

Halia shoves her back, rushing past her with a dark muttering. "I need a drink."

Beth and Bertha sit there in stunned silence. Meanwhile, Rhannah enters, pulling her robe over her shoulders. "Where did she go?" the boss demands.

Clara, sitting on her knees upon the floor, lifts a trembling hand in the direction of the rear exit. Without another moment's thought, Rhannah rushes on out to follow Haliah.

The back door swings open, and Rhannah heads out, still, only in her robe, half undone, but seeing the horse make her way around the corner. "Halia!" Rhannah shouts. "Halia, please, wait!"

Halia stops, clenching her teeth, clenching her fist, her muzzle feeling like it could pop off at any second. "What!?" She snaps. "Why? So you can sweet talk me, some more? Make me feel good for doing a bunch of meaningless nothing and be treated like trash, I... I just!?"

She spins around, seeing the state that the cow is in, so exposed and out in the open. She glances around their locale, the sunny, chilly, breezy day makes her stop and consider a moment something faraway. Something different.

"Halia... you're here. I'm here. You can get through this." She takes a few steps forward, but Halia takes a step back, herself.

"What are we doing here, huh? Trying to mess with me? Trying to make me look bad in front of these... pampered, spoiled... self-centered fucks!" She stomps at the ground, tearing up a clump of dirt. She does it with so much force though that something pops, and she collapses onto the ground, a wail of surprise and shock going through her.

Rhannah stands still there, being a fixture for the horse, even as the tears come down, the mare breaks down, her anger-fueled resolve crumbling.

Perhaps now, progress can actually begin.