FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

“Norton. Wake up," a calm voice ordered.

The apothecary stretched and opened his eyes. Lydia towered over him menacingly, causing him to snap awake. She was still in her simple gown, which was a blinding white with the morning sun on it. “Is... Is everything OK Ms. Lydia?" he asked cautiously with a squint.

“Yes. There are no issues, but I had worried you would never awaken within a reasonable time." Lydia nodded and walked back to her bed. Norton sat up and looked about the room. As he rubbed his eyes he realized that Ava was nowhere to be found. The pile of her belongings was similarly gone. He stared silently at her bed, wondering what happened. “She went outside to patrol the perimeter," the cat woman said. That was a familiar excuse.

“Guess we should wait for her to come back," Norton replied with another stretch. “Off to Hull today then?"

“If everything goes according to plan, yes." Lydia sat on her bed, idly looking about the room.

“May I ask you something?"

“You may."

“What did you actually do when you went out to patrol?" Norton replaced his shirt. He wished he had packed more than two.

“While it was a convenient excuse, that is indeed what I did." Lydia nodded. “Though I must admit, I took the time to indulge in a bath." She left an awkward pause. “I do hope this will not become a frequent occurrence between you two."

Norton slowly looked down to the floor. There was a sense of uneasiness, but not embarrassment. He somewhat missed that feeling, since its absence only told his mind he was acclimating to their patchwork relationship. “Well, it won't be. We part ways at Hull." He crossed his arms. “Should be about midday." By saying it, he wanted to make it true. As if that would help.

“Can you afford to leave?" Lydia asked directly. Her eyes locked on to his, though they were soft and open. “I am afraid some of our exploits have affixed you to our side." Norton was beginning to tire from the feline's propensity to be correct. He knew he couldn't leave them, not with a band of murderers nipping at his heels. A funny thought that his choice was between being murdered by savage killers or traveling with a simple pair of killers. Such a wealth of decisions.

“Probably not, no." He grit his teeth. “I guess I'll think about it after we return to the guild." Lydia stood up and quietly walked to Norton's bed. They glared at one another until the cat woman suddenly sat down and wrapped her arms firmly around the man, much to his confusion. It was a familiar feeling, almost like a hug, but being performed by a vise. A fluffy vise. The man merely looked about in unsureness. “Pardon?" he wheezed.

“I noticed you were uncomfortable. Thus, I am soothing your emotions." She relaxed her grip. “Aren't I? Perhaps if you return the expression, it will work." Norton contorted his body to return the favor, while keeping his head focused straight forward. While Lydia was barely larger than him, she felt quite massive, as if she were a purely muscle powerhouse. It made sense considering her occupation, but being covered in an obscuring snow white fur made it hard to see any of that. His imagination had originally painted her in a more soft and curvaceous form. “Did it work?" Lydia asked earnestly.

“I suppose." Norton certainly felt something. Perhaps more awe and slight fear that Lydia could snap every bone in his body. A change in thought and emotion nonetheless. “Thank you."

“Of course." Lydia freed Norton and returned to staring at him. Not at his eyes, no, it felt more like she were looking at him as a whole. “Do you require anything else, then?"

“No." Lydia instantly stood up before he could even finish the single syllable. “Thank“—he watched the feline speedily march back to her bed—“you?"

“You are welcome," Lydia said with a bow of the head — all the way on the other side of the room. “I suggest you be prepared when Ava returns. I am certain she will want to move as quickly as possible." She had already begun removing her gown.

“Right." Norton nodded and turned away.

“I must say, you are not very good at returning hugs."

“S-" Norton started and then stopped to purse his lips. “I'll work on that."

_

“Everyone's ready, then?" Ava asked cheerily. “Didn't forget anything, did we?"

“Not that I can see," Norton replied. He glanced back at the room. Slight disappointment hit him at the thought of having to leave such a nice place.

“Let's give it a once over." She turned to the feline by the door. “Lydia? Care to return the key for us?" Ava held up the tiny bronze trinket. The cat woman snatched the key, nodded, and disappeared through the doorway without a word. Norton quickly turned around to explore the room. “Norton, please. We don't need to do that." He froze and turned back around. Stupid.

“Then what are we doing?" he asked.

“I wanted to apologize. Properly." Ava took a step toward Norton. “About the past couple of nights." Her ears wiggled ever so slightly as she looked down at the ground.

“You already apologized." He waved his hands dismissively. “There's no need."

“Look, I'd rather apologize while I'm dry and clothed. It's less demeaning." She let out a small, awkward laugh. “So." The wolf's eyes met Norton's own. “I'm sorry. I know what I did was wrong but- but I can't say I didn't like it. Even if it caused you some distress. I have to be honest. I just-" She grabbed Norton's hand. “I just wanted this." Her hand squeezed his. “That's all."

“I understand. I forgive you." It was hard to maintain his gaze on her. It was even harder to restrain himself from saying anything more.

“So then... I wanted to try one more thing." Ava looked back at the open door. Before Norton could ask Ava what she meant, she snapped back to him and plunged into a kiss. Her long animal-like snout met his lips. Gentle licks brushed against his mouth, as if beckoning him to her and then in an instant, it was gone. Norton had no time to return with his own kiss. It was brief, but it was enough to set his mind alight with emotions and sensations. “Let's leave it at that. For now." Then she was gone. Bolted straight out the door.

Norton had little time to gather his thoughts. His brain had wholly focused on trying to recreate that sensation of contact. The way it made every little nerve in his body light up. It felt like forever, but it was perhaps only a few seconds. Consciousness returned to him soon after, bubbling up as he pried his mind away from the contact.

The man was left there, still dizzy with sparks of confusion. Even in her apologies, Ava had him wrapped around her finger. He shook his head and followed after her, nearly tumbling down the stairs in his rush to catch up. The magnificence of the architecture was all a blur now as he rushed down into the lobby.

Lydia and Ava stood near the entrance of the lobby. The concierge paid them little mind, tending to her desk and papers. The cat woman waved Norton over while the wolfess pushed the door open, letting in the blinding light of the outdoors. The smell of the ocean washed in along with it. Ava motioned towards the door with her head.

Norton took one last look at the hotel and then walked through the wooden gates.

The port was far more lively than it was last afternoon. The bright sun brought out the full extent of the settlement. Hundreds of bodies bobbing and weaving in the sea of people, pushing and pulling all sorts of different things about. Some curious beast-men dotted the crowd, but it was mainly a human affair. Norton was stunned for a moment, trying to figure out how best to penetrate or even approach the living mass. His compatriots merely watched for a few moments before pushing forward. Ava grasped his hand and dragged him into the mess. He dwelled on the sensation for a moment before hitting the wall of people at full force.

It was a living jungle of flesh. Not one Norton would ever want to return to. It may have been an interesting experience to observe from on the outside, but the interior was a hellish battle to move forward. From what glimpses he could see between the battle of bodies, the beast-women effortlessly navigated through the crowd. Ava opted to weave and squirm around, while Lydia muscled through, pushing aside the weaker bodies like a boat cutting through water. Norton merely winced and went along with Ava, barreling through everything.

Just like that, they were on the other side of the crowd. A horrible ordeal to say the least. Norton hung his head and gave a sigh of relief. “Here," Ava said suddenly. He perked back up. A familiar pouch came into view. “I don't know what this is, but I believe it belongs to you. Mind yourself in a crowd next time. Dear." The apothecary nodded and took the bag. Where would he be without his bag of fairy wings? He placed it back in its spot and quickly felt up his body for any other missing items. Norton ambled along after his partners mindlessly, checking up on every object he could.

Before long, Norton realized they were back on the road. The gentle cool breeze of the ocean slowly faded away, taking away the scent with it. The familiar green of nature coated the landscape. Norton missed the blue of the sea already, or grey, rather. He rubbed his eyes and continued to trudge forward after his partners. Norton tried to focus on the road, but he found himself lingering on Ava every so often while her words echoed in his mind. His nerves soothed at the thought. He briefly looked at Lydia. Only bone crushing terror was there.

_

The road to Hull was a long one. Norton had already tired of walking everywhere, or running everywhere, or being dragged along everywhere. He looked to his partners walking alongside him. Maybe he could buy a horse with the payment. His thoughts tumbled into one another, suddenly imagining himself atop a equine beast-woman, proudly trotting through town on the muscular female form.

“What will you spend your share on?" Lydia asked suddenly, pulling Norton out of his mess of thoughts.

“Pardon?" Norton asked, surprised.

“I asked, what will you spend your share on?"

“I know what you said, it's just..." He shook his head. “This is living money. I don't know what else I'd spend it on."

“I understand it is not a hefty amount, but I had figured you would purchase something with it."

“What gave you that idea?"

“You have all those small bags with Lord knows what. Surely you wanted something?" Norton looked down at himself. “Something more bizarre than toad vomit, I wager?"

“It's just a job I was good at, not much of a hobby." Norton shrugged. He realized a little too late how careless that made him sound.

“A fortunate soul to choose your occupation like that," Lydia said with a nod.

“Well what are you going to buy, then?"

Ava steered closer to Lydia and said, “A gift for me, of course. What else?" She gave a toothy smile. Lydia gently pushed Ava away, sending her careening off path before correcting herself.

“As you said, living money." The corners of her mouth bent downward ever so slightly, or at least it seemed that way to Norton.

“Is nobody going to ask me what I'm going to spend my share on?" Ava placed a hand on her chest.

“I am already very aware of what you spend your money on. Indeed, I know what you do not spend it on as well." Lydia squinted.

“It gets a little hard to count out the coin sometimes." Ava gave an over-exaggerated shrug. “Not like they'll miss a bottle or two. Maybe three." While they chattered, Norton looked back at the ground they had covered. No murderous pursuers. “You know, if you look back like that, it'll only speed up their hunt."

“What?" Norton asked, somewhat frightened.

“I tease. For the most part." She gently patted his shoulder, causing his muscles to relax. “Ease up." Her smile lessened to a soft calmness.

“Right." He nodded, returning her smile. A nice warmth massaged at his chest.

“I believe we are almost at Hull," Lydia said. “Any following parties would be foolish to follow us this far in. Though that's exactly what Miriam would do, I imagine." She hummed. “I suppose that reflects poorly on us for following through with her plan, hm?" Lydia looked directly at him.

“Desperation can make people do the strangest things," Norton replied.

“Indeed." Lydia nodded. “Indeed."

Bricks started to dot the road. Norton had never been so happy to see masonry. While he had already acclimated to uneven dirt and mud, he relished the feeling of proper ground for every little brick he stood upon. Each one meant he was a little closer to civilization. Just a little bit longer until rest.

“What were you before you were a professional vomit slatherer?" Ava asked with a small giggle.

“What were you before you were- whatever it is your occupation is?" Norton replied.

“Ah, ah, ah, I asked you first. Oh, and my job is expert problem solver. Lydia's is expert knight problem solver." She nodded in agreement with herself. Norton briefly considered lying, but something told him Ava would probably see straight through a lie. Plus, she had seen him in the nude, any embarrassments were already out.

“I was a cook." Norton shrugged. “Mixing things works well for both jobs."

“Really?" Ava exaggerated surprise. “Hey, how about you whip up something with what we got?" She slapped his knapsack, somehow managing to knock the wind out of him.

“I didn't say I was a good cook." He stifled a cough.

“Well, you didn't need to be so down on yourself."

“What about you, Lydia? What were you before?" Norton looked over at the quiet knight.

“I simply am," she said plainly.

“Fair enough."

The group lapsed into silence. Norton was quick to notice Ava didn't expand on herself. He couldn't bring himself to pry any further. She had reason enough to keep her secrets, especially considering their current position. Though, Norton did wish he had something to pass the time. Watching the trees flow by was beginning to lose its luster, and they slowly blended into a greenish-brown blur. Norton yawned.