FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 20

The trip home was much easier than the walk to work had been. After her changed nose had been subjected to a constant barrage of different scents at the store, the outside world seemed much more tolerable. Knowing where the worst smells were located also helped and she was able to avoid any panicked mad dashes this time. Still, her lack of proper protection from the cold spurred her to hurry.

It's just as well I couldn't get laundry detergent, Sophia brought her hands as close to her skin as her pockets would allow. I can't believe how awful the cleaning product aisle was. My nose still feels like it's on fire.

Rounding the corner onto her street, she took a few steps and stopped. Turning her head, she looked past the house on the corner towards the field and mountains beyond it. As cold as she was, she still needed to retrieve her belongings from the field before it got dark.

They should be roughly behind my house, but I don't want Dad seeing me back there, she stood for a moment weighing her options. Might as well get it over with.

Briefly, she checked the windows of the corner house to see if anyone was looking. There were some people in the living room, but they appeared to be entirely focused on their TV. Turning, she stepped off the sidewalk and began skirting the edge of the house's yard.

To her chagrin, snow found its way into her shoes with every step. By the time she made it to the end of the lot, her ankles felt like they were encased in ice and even the bottoms of her feet were getting wet. She tried walking on the balls of her feet as she had the night before but found her shoes prevented her from bending her feet properly. Sighing miserably, she shunted aside the discomfort and soldiered on.

After clearing the house's backyard, the terrain became noticeably more uneven. She stumbled a few times as the ground unexpectedly dipped or rose beneath the snow. The skin on her feet ached, simultaneously feeling frozen and superheated. Forced to keep her hands out of her pockets to keep her balance, her hands were starting to ache. Teeth chattering, she finally stumbled into the part of the field directly behind her house.

What is that..? She stopped and sniffed, surprised. It's familiar.

The scent wasn't very strong, in fact, she couldn't really say there was a smell at all if she tried focusing on it. Yet, her nose and brain assured her it was there and was worth paying attention to.

But where is it coming from? Her brain suggested a particular direction and she resumed walking.

After a few yards, she spied a dark lump lying on top of the snow. Taking a few steps towards, she recognized it as her backpack and she hurried towards it. The main compartment appeared to be open and the bag was surrounded by small imprints in the snow. Heart sinking, she closed the remaining distance to her bag. Picking it up with a grunt, she examined it.

Part of the seam attaching the main compartment's zipper to the bag had been torn open. It was evident both from the tear and tiny tracks that a small animal had found the bag and managed to tear it open. Holding it close, she could even faintly smell whatever had gotten into the bag. She tried for a moment to see if she could figure out what it was, but quickly gave up.

Carefully easing open the zipper, she appraised the inside. To her relief, it looked like the torn zipper was the extent of the damage. Most of the contents appeared undisturbed, but the plastic bag that had held the sausages was missing. Glancing around, she failed to see any sign of the bag. Sighing, she grabbed her gloves and hat out of the bag. They were cold from lying outside, but her hands and head quickly started to warm them. Careful not to do any more damage, she zipped her backpack shut and threw it on her shoulder.

Now, where are my coat and boots? Attention no longer on her backpack, she noticed the smell had become stronger... and identifiable. Oh... that's pee, my pee.

The scent of the urine was markedly different than hers from earlier in the day, but some new recess of her brain immediately recognized it as belonging to her. That recess also seemed to know exactly which direction it was coming from. Seemingly of their own accord, her legs started carrying her toward the smell.

It turned out the hole she had transformed in was much harder to see than she would have expected. The uniform white of the snow made it difficult to judge depth and the overcast sky made it even harder to discern details. Tall grass poking through the snow further obscured the hole and she would have easily walked right past it if it wasn't for the smell. Within the hole, a mound surrounded by disturbed and flattened snow drew her attention.

Hey, I didn't do half bad covering it, aside from part of her coat, which had been partially unburied by whatever animal had found her backpack, it looked like an unremarkable mound of snow.

Huh, that snow is really yellow, she knelt down next to the mound to inspect it.Oh, oops.

Sliding her coat from underneath the covering snow, she was dismayed to discover a fair amount of her urine had soaked through the snow and into her coat. Frowning, she examined the garment. Where the pee had soaked in wasn't visible, but the pungent odor was quite unmistakable.

It smells so much more... wolfy, leaning forward, she sniffed it curiously.

Ew, gross, I can't do that, she mentally told the wolf in her mind as it floated an idea. I should get back home and get these washed.

However, she just sat there holding the coat.

No, uh uh, I'm not going to do it, Sophia tried to force the wolf back again. Alright, I'll admit, I am curious and it doesn't actually feel gross. There's no one around I guess and I do have to go. Fine...

Giggling nervously, she set the coat down and moved to a fresh patch of snow. Briefly, she looked around, half hoping someone was watching, but there was no one in sight. Quickly, she lowered her pants and underwear below her knees before squatting. Immediately, a strong odor filled the air as she heard her stream hit the snow. Finishing, she pulled her pants back up and took a step back. Kneeling, she grabbed her coat and dragged it next to the steaming snow.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

Kneeling, she leaned forward and sniffed at her fresh pee. It was markedly different from that of the previous night, but it still had that indescribable characteristic that allowed the olfactory part of her brain to flag it as hers. Even so, there was something about it that made the wolf now in her mind restless, like there was something wrong with it.

Shifting her knees towards her coat, she bent over and took a long breath through her nose. Despite lacking the rich complexity from the night before, it had a quality she could only describe as feral, even animalistic. There was still a bit of wrongness to it, but much diminished compared to her more recent production. She had to admit she found it pleasant and couldn't help sniffing it again.

You like that? She asked the wolf side of her mind as a burst of excitement radiated from her nose and down through the rest of her body. Okay, I did it, we... uh... I should go home.

Yet, her mental wolf wasn't quite content. At the thought of her home, it grew restless again. The memory of the mountain valley she had eaten the deer with Shadow in the previous night flashed through her mind. Despite the darkening landscape and falling temperature, she hesitated. The wolf had been so caring, so attentive. She had felt so safe and happy with him. Her time with him had been such a contrast to rest of her life.

Then the wind picked up, easily penetrating the thin material of her jacket and sweatshirt, causing her to shiver. Her mind snapped back to the present and she found herself several feet from the depression. Even with Shadow, she wouldn't last long.

I need to go home, reluctantly, she walked back to her things still lying in the hole. I've been outside too long already.

Stooping, she slung her backpack around her shoulders before threading her coat through it. Then she dug up her boots, careful not to allow any yellow snow to touch them. With a regretful glance towards the trees, she headed for home.

The television in the living room was on as Sophia approached her house, but she didn't see any sign of her dad through the window. As she hurried up the driveway and front walk, she stuffed her gloves and hat into her bag. At her front door, she stashed her bag on the side of the door before opening it slowly.

As she stepped in, the strong smell of tomatoes, beef and chilis greeted her. It smelled like any other chili night, yet there was still something off about the smell she couldn't put her finger on. Despite that, the kiss of the warm air on her chilled skin was more than welcome. The sounds of clattering dishes in the kitchen hurt her newly sensitive ears, even in the entryway. Confirming her dad was out of sight, she turned and snatched her backpack and coat from the porch. The closet door was still open and she hid both her bag and coat before shutting the door.

"Is that you Sophia?" her dad asked from the kitchen.

"Yep, I'm home," she confirmed. "Sorry I'm late. I lost track of time talking to some friends at work."

"No big deal," her dad answered, coming into the dining room. "Just finishing Dad's Special."

"It smells delicious," Sophia commented, taking off and hanging up her coat.

"Cold out there?" her dad asked. "You look frozen."

"Yeah, I really missed my winter coat," she commented. "I should probably go put it in the wash."

"Dinner will be waiting," he went back into the kitchen.

Sophia counted to ten and then grabbed her coat and backpack. Adroitly keeping them in front of her body, she maneuvered down the hall. Taking a deep breath, she held it as she entered the utility area. To her dismay, she saw her dad had left a load of his clothes in the washer and had spilled some detergent down the front of it. Rolling her eyes, she popped the lid open and hastily transferred the clothes to the dryer before starting it.

She got to the point of stuffing her coat into the washer before her chest started to demand she breathe again. Backing away, she returned to the main hallway and took a long breath. Even from that distance, the aroma of the detergent nearly made her gag. Holding it again, she plunged back into the laundry room and started up the washer, hoping very little of the spilled detergent had found its way into the washer.

I would much rather smell like pee than have to put up with that.

Closing the lid, she started the washer, grabbed her backpack and hurried to her bedroom. Despite having left her soiled linens and clothes in a garbage bag, the lack of ventilation meant her room smelled distinctly of the deer's blood and other fluids again.

I still can't believe I actually like this smell now, she inhaled sharply to wash out the odors from the utility room. Still, I can't risk Dad noticing it.

Setting her backpack down next to her desk, she walked across the room and opened the window. Fresh, cold air drifted into the room and the smell immediately began to fade.

I'll just let it air out in here and close it after dinner.

Satisfied, she left her room and headed for the table.

"Is something wrong with the chili?" Sophia's dad asked, sounding concerned.

Resting her spoon against her bowl, she tried to compose herself. Her mouth was burning, which wasn't unusual, her dad liked it on the spicier side. Usually, a fair bit of sour cream and cheese was enough to make it manageable and she had otherwise always liked it. That first spoonful, however, had tasted awful. The sauce had been incredibly bitter and her face had apparently made that very obvious.

Sophia took a drink of water and then responded, "oh, it was just spicier than I expected. It's still good though."

"Just right to me!" her dad flashed a rosy-cheeked grin and ate another spoonful. "The burn makes me feel alive!"

Sophia laughed weakly and then took a large scoop of sour cream followed by more shredded cheese. Once they were thoroughly mixed, she tried another spoonful. The bitterness had been significantly reduced but was still there.

"Still no?" her dad asked, seeing her grimace slightly.

"I think my taste is off today," she reassured him, trying to keep her face straight. "It's good otherwise."

I think just today, maybe. Sophia found a big chunk of hamburger, drained the liquid against the side of her bowl and ate it.

At least the hamburger was palatable despite the bitterness. The beans, sour cream and cheese tasted alright too, if oddly weaker than she remembered. It seemed to just be the chilis and spices that had such an unpleasant taste. She was just happy her dad liked to put lots of hamburger in her chili.

"How was work?" her dad asked after a few minutes.

"It was fine," Sophia shrugged, before popping another piece of hamburger in her mouth.

"I want to apologize," he changed the subject suddently. "I'm sorry for being so absent. Trying to find work takes a lot of time and energy."

"Yeah," Sophia stared down at her bowl uncomfortably, idly stirring it.

It would help if you, you know, stopped drinking and actually looked.

"I think I've found something though," he continued, surprising her. "Joe's Autobody is looking for a welder and I've talked to Joe last night. I think he's going to bring me on!"

Surprised, Sophia looked up, "that's great Dad!"

"He'll let me know tomorrow," her dad wiped his brow with a napkin. "Everything is going to get much better around here, I promise!"

For a moment, Sophia forgot all about the strange turn her life had taken. Then she gagged as she bit into a chili that had snuck onto her spoon. She spat the chili out and desperately reached for her glass to wash away the taste.

"Oh come on, my cooking isn't that bad!" her dad protested.