FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

_ Early Risers _

My sore eyes took a moment or two to fully clock the alarm on the bedside table. Reading the time as a few minutes before 7am, I almost wished they hadn't. "Ugh."

I yawned hard, my whole body shaking underneath these oh so cosy bed covers. An itch under my stomach demanded a deep, kneading scratch. I wondered when I'd finally stop waking up as if it were a workday. My first instincts were to blame jet lag, but then I realised an hour's time difference left little potential for lag. On the other hand, as plush and as pleasant as our roomy hotel suite was, sleeping in a strange place could well have been the culprit. Whatever the case may have been, as I pulled down the sheets and felt more and more of the aircon on my fur, I hoped it would ease off soon. We were away on holiday, after all.

I allowed my eyes some time to stop stinging, peering past my belly through the dim light to the exotic landscape paintings mounted to the pale blue wall beyond the foot of our bed. To my right, past the immaculate three-piece of our sitting area, the matching blue curtains hid us away from all but a slither of a glowing morning and a far bolder blue sea beyond the balcony. Our third morning in Damaras, and I still had trouble believing we'd found ourselves such a wonderful place to stay.

My stomach rumbled hard, as if grumbling in complaint about my obsession over our surroundings. It and I knew only too well there was far more to enjoy at our hotel beyond the rooms and the views. One benefit of waking up early at least meant I could enjoy the breakfast buffet at its freshest.

I rolled across our generously-sized double bed, closing in on Sam's section towards the other bedside table. Lips pursed, poised to plant a surprise good morning kiss upon his firm little stomach, I was surprised to find only Sam's pillow at the head of his thinner section of the duvet. Odd, I thought. My little 'panda had experienced precisely no problem sleeping-in during our holiday so far. Why was he up and about now?

"Sam?" I called softly, searching around for any trace of him. "Are you here?"

Again, I glanced over to the sitting area of our suite. The TV was off and the smaller seats atop the arms of the chairs and couch were empty, too. He wasn't grabbing a coffee from atop the counter of our small kitchen area, either. That left one final possibility.

"Hey, Sam?" I sat up, looking towards the hallway and the bathroom doors out of sight beyond. "Can you hear me?"

Still, I got no answer. For a split-second, I started to worry. Where was he? It wasn't like Sam at all to venture off on his own this early. I squashed that moment of ridiculousness down. He was a grown 'panda and could take care of himself. Plus, first thing in the morning, he might simply have been taking a shower and wasn't able to hear me. Yeah, a shower. That had to have been the answer, no question. Fine, all good. I could grab my phone from the side table and ping Sam a message. Then, once he was all cleaned up and ready to go, he could come down to join me for some breakfast. Besides, I wouldn't have to worry about finishing up way before him. Heh, little Sam was always happy just to grab something light, like a small bowl of fruit or some cereal. Small even by Maleni standards.

I hauled myself up to the edge of the bed, scratching again at an itch through the orange fur of my hip. My old black training shirt sat within reaching distance on the carpet, as did my shorts. Both had felt on the snug side lately, all thanks to the rushball off-season. Even so, tightness around my gut and butt or not, they'd keep me presentable enough for breakfast. As I slipped my shirt over my head, I couldn't stop from snickering over how Sam had said he'd happily help get me even trimmer and fitter for the start of the new season, but in the meantime, he'd be even happier to enjoy what he called my 'extra smooshing power'. Such a shamelessly, lovably horny little 'panda.

The slapping of my flip-flops echoed off the pristine white tiles and warm coral walls of our hotel wing's hallway. There wasn't a soul around at this time of the morning, either up here in the main section, or down beneath the patterned glass of the burrowing Maleni walkway. A part of me resented all the other guests here, no doubt sleeping soundly away behind all these doors I was passing. Another part of me, the part that wasn't excited about the fully-stocked buffet a short walk away, was only too happy to bask in the tranquility of my surroundings.

Bright sun poured in through the full-length windows overlooking the huge open air pool and bar area. Not far beyond, past the palm trees swaying and rustling in a gentle breeze, the soft white sands of the beach stretched on towards the sparkling sapphire sea. Oh, how I looked forward to spending some more time hanging out there with Sam after our trip into town. Without doubt, this was by far and away the swankiest hotel I'd ever had the chance to stay in. A chance well worth parting with my annual bonus for, if only to see the look on my Sam's face when I surprised him with plane tickets for our beachfront summer holiday in sunny Damaras.

A door marked 'staff' opened a moment before I strode on by. I caught a glimpse of a gecko backing out into the hall, tugging a housekeeping cart along with her. It felt only right to wish her a, "Good morning."

She turned, peering up towards my chest to reply, "Good..." Then, she craned her neck the rest of the way up to my face, making a second attempt in her thick, warm Damarese accent. "Oh! Good morning, sir."

I smiled as she did, once her obvious shock had subsided. As I carried on past, I couldn't help but grin. Not too many red pandas my size in this part of the world, I figured.

I made it to the dining area a short time later, dipping my head to let only the tips of my ears and headfur brush the top of the double-door frame. As expected, I caught the buffet nice and early, serving trays and dishes packed to the brim while the surrounding tables sat all but empty. Only the clinking and clattering of cutlery and crockery from the kitchen broke the silence in the hall. Perfect.

Doing my utmost not to rush, I homed in on the largest of the service islands, only too ready to check out the goodies they had on offer beneath the heat lamps. My word, there was so much to choose from, from pastries to potato cakes, bacon to bagels. Everything smelt fantastic, fusing together to form the most mouthwatering of aromas. What's more, even the coffee they had on offer tasted almost as good as what I'd brew up back home. I lost myself in a haze, darting about the dishes like a cub in a candy store, working on auto-pilot as I served myself up whatever looked best in the moment. Little Sam didn't know what he was missing.

With my plate fully packed, I wandered through the near-abandoned seating area, eyeing a table under the window looking out onto the hotel's gardens. Everything from the flowering shrubs to the tall olive trees glistened in the early morning sunlight, framing a small fountain sat at their centre. I swear, no matter where you turned, you'd find yourself a pleasant view or a stunning vista. That included downwards, at my pretty plate piled up with breakfast that I'd set down to the table.

I swept my tail aside, lowering myself steadily enough into my seat to space out the screeching creaks and resonant crackles. The quiet emptiness of the hall did a lot to help them sound an awful lot worse than they ought to. A wiggle of my hips, an attempt to get comfy on my solid, somewhat small wooden chair, didn't exactly help matters. A stealthy entrance, this was not.

But, fully settled and chair mostly silent, attempting to tug my shirt looser around my middle and biceps, I took a moment to better assess what treats I'd served up for myself. Two thick pancakes drizzled with blueberry syrup sat front and centre, flanked by a heap of scrambled eggs and a helping of potato and veggie hash. Balanced at the rear, a reminder of home took the form of some Zolnian smoked sausage. I doubted it could ever hope to hold a candle to Ma's, but it looked great all the same. In fact, it all did, and the only possible way my plate could have been improved would have been with some local cuisine. I couldn't and shouldn't have complained. Food to cater for international tastes was to be expected at a hotel buffet. Plus, we'd have plenty of opportunity to find more local food to try when we headed into town later that day. Man... more dishes like the meat-stuffed vine leaves Sam and I had for dinner at that cafe the previous evening would go down a real treat...

So caught up in dreaming about food both sampled and still to be, it took me far longer than it should have to notice something pressing into my hip. I didn't pay it much mind at first, reaching down again to loosen my shirt in the hopes of easing the pressure. Weirdly, it seemed to have the opposite effect. That pressing became squeezing, coupled along with something wriggling away in my fur. My hip started to itch again. I finally decided to look on down.

"What the..." To my shock, I found a bottle-sized lump beneath the black of my training shirt, tucked between my hip and the wall beside me. It shifted again. Then, it slithered upwards, towards my chest. I jolted hard. My tail frizzed something fierce, joined right after by the rest of my fur. I prodded the lump with a finger. A familiar grunt sounded in response. "Sam?"

"Morning, big 'panda."

"What in the world!?" I snatched my shirt away from my side with one paw and nudged Sam upwards with the other. His arms and legs scrambled against me to keep up, finally grabbing and tugging at my chestruff once he'd made it high enough. "How did... What are you doing?"

His reddish-furred head poked out from between my collar and chestfur, black-striped white cheeks lifting from the width of his grin. "Just woke up."

"How did you get there?"

"Well, ya kinda rolled over in your sleep, hon. And I ended up... kinda stuck to you."

"Why didn't you buzz me!?" I cried, clattering my cutlery as my elbow bumped the table. "I thought you were away in the shower."

"'cos it didn't hurt?" Sam shot back so casually. "And, in case ya hadn't noticed, I kinda like being smooshed by you."

"Like?" I scoffed. "Understatement."

"A big one. Almost as big as you." He started to stroke at my chest, digging down to my skin. "I'm shocked you didn't notice."

"Same here." The tickling of his claws helped me find a smile. "I just hope that lady I passed in the hallway didn't either."

"Ah, I'm sure you're fine." Sam flopped forward, spreading his arms and squeezing into my chest. "I _was_pressed pretty damn deep into all this soft."

"What were you doing that far down the bed to get stuck there, anyway?" His grin shifted into a cheeky smirk. I groaned deep in my throat. "Actually... don't tell me. Not here."

"Hey, hey." He waved both paws. "Nothing like that."

"No?"

"No. I woke up to go to the bathroom, and on the way back... Well you were right there, so I took a detour, crawled under the sheets and cuddled up with you for a bit."

"Cuddled."

"Yeah, cuddled." Somehow, he showed off even more of his teeth. "Guess subconsciously, you wanted in on the cuddling too. As only a big 'panda can."

I snorted hard, ruffling Sam's bedhead-addled fur. Reaching up to give him a quick, two-handed squeeze into my chest drew out a long rendition of one of his cute signature grunts. They could never not start me smiling. "Since you've come to join me for breakfast after all, would you like something off my plate?"

I loosened my hold, letting him shift around to peer on down past my paws. His answer came as expected. "That's all a little on the rich side for me."

"Even the eggs?"

"...I don't really trust eggs from a buffet."

"Bah. I can't take you anywhere."

"Don't you roll your eyes at me," he cried in mock complaint, batting a paw up against my chin. "I just like to keep it light at breakfast."

"And lunch. _And_dinner."

"Compared to you, sure."

I bumped my nose between his ears. "And what's _that_supposed to mean?"

"It means..." He gave the tip of it a delicate kiss. "You're a whole lot bigger than me."

"Fine." A lick under his muzzle sent him shivering. "What about a little piece of pancake? Without the syrup."

"That's... still not great. But I guess pancake's kinda fitting."

"How so?"

"Since I've spent the last half hour or so being turned into one by this sexy belly of yours." Sam slid on down to my belly shelf, leaving little more than his contented grin on show as he gave the top of my stomach a squeeze, then a wobble... then a less than subtle grind.

"Sam," I grumbled, reaching under my shirt collar, setting my thumb and fingers to his hips and nursing him back out into the open. "We're in public. Not in the room..." It's only then that I realised I could feel his fur against my pads and palm. Another peek down at him confirmed my suspicions. "You're not wearing anything."

"Got my boxers on."

"That's_basically_nothing," I said through a clenched jaw. "Especially with what you've got going on inside them right now."

"It's not like I got a chance to chuck on a shirt and some shorts now, is it?"

Another dawn rose as I remembered how he'd made it there in the first place. "Right--"

"I was buried under my 'panda mountain, remem--?"

"I do, I remember--"

"Just like how I have been most of this holiday so far."

"Hey now, I don't recall hearing any complaints from you."

"Did I say I was complaining?" His smile twisted as he leaned up towards my cheek, whispering, "Lemme tell ya. Getting stuck to that big butt of yours last night was _all_kinds of hot--"

"Public, Sam. Remember?"

"Like there's anyone here," he spat past a scoff. "Not like anyone can hear me from all that way over there anyway."

"Still..." I searched around, swiftly realising that Sam did have a point. The dining area had tables enough to fit a hundred Visoka and then some, but we had not even a fraction of that number joining us that early in the morning. A hyena couple sat in deep conversation at a table all the way over near the entrance doors. A few tables along from them, meanwhile, a squirrel appeared to be in a race against time to polish off his breakfast. Further away still were a four-strong group of Maleni, sitting around a table perched atop their little seating area not far from the kitchen. "...Alright. I have to admit, last night _did_get pretty spicy."

"Super spicy," he moaned. "Fuck, I thought you were gonna bust the bed at one point."

"Oh, come on. I wasn't going _that_hard."

"Damn sure felt like it from where I was lying."

"That's because you're such a little 'panda, little 'panda."

Sam chuckled away, nosing deep into my cheekfur with a sneaky, subtle smooch. "But back to food. I think I'm good with a bit of pancake."

"You're sure?"

"Reckon so--"

"You won't suddenly balloon up in weight? Lose that flat little belly of yours from one meagre helping of evil, scandalously unhealthy pancake? I'm not sure I could cope with the wailing."

"...Are you done?"

"Mostly."

"Let me know when you are, and--"

"That tight little butt of yours might suffer from it, too."

"Pfft." He swung an arm around to bop me on the nose. "So suddenly being in public's not an issue, hmm?"

I met his fake annoyance with a grin so wide that I might have pushed it to become more genuine.

"Ah, you big... teasy jerk."

"I know," I sang, nosing at his ear. "So, pancake?"

"Yeah," he grunted, squirming from my attention. "I'm on holiday after all."

"Exactly. That's the same reason why I'm letting myself have whatever I want for this one last week only. Then it'll be time to focus on the new season."

"It'll only mean more to work off before pre-season starts," Sam replied in that warning tone I'd grown accustomed to whenever he donned his professional hat. "You'll wanna stay on top of your game if you plan on keeping that starting spot of yours."

"Luckily, rushball's one of the few sports where some extra weight isn't a bad thing."

"True..." He slipped on down to massage my chest, pushing deep, all the way to my pecs. "Within reason, hon."

"Yes, coach."

He snickered softly, pushing up to peck at my chin. "On that note. Up for another session in the gym this evening? Might as well get our money's worth outta those guest passes." A playful paw reached for my whiskers, stroking and twirling one of them. "Plus I wanna watch you bench the max on their press machine again."

"Sure." I reached around to twirl his tail with a finger. "I reckon that'll make for a nice way to fill out our day."

"Oh? What's the plan for today?"

"There's our trip into Glypoi to poke around and see the Argyllic ruins. After that, once we're back, I figured sunning ourselves some more on the beach would be in order. Maybe cocktails by the pool tonight to finish things off."

"Mmm." He flopped against me, hips rocking in time with my toying with his tail. "Great as that all sounds... I hope that's not how we'll be finishing the night off."

"Hmm?"

"Speaking of ruins... I'm determined to see you break that bed."

"Damn it, Sam." I snorted and grumbled, biting down on my lip while my ears and cheeks grew warmer. "How are you so horn-- Do you not have an off-switch?"

"Pretty sure you busted that, too. Same time as when you flattened that coffee table at the leisure centre."

"Oh, please. You were out of control long before then."

"I thought exactly the same about you when your butt smashed through the table."

"Gods... That was last winter. How long are you planning on holding that against me?"

"I'm not holding anything against you. It was hot as hell. Plus my boss was glad someone 'finally made an effort to dump that tatty old thing'."

"I'm just relieved no-one picked up on the rest of the mess we made that evening. And by we, I mostly mean you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"_You're_the one that mashed that table into toothpicks. Shook the place up like a bomb going off."

"By mess, I was referring more to the... _mess_you made. Probably the most intense mess ever... until the one you made last night anyway."

It was Sam's turn to grumble, muzzle deep in my chestruff until he dared peek up and pipe up with a reply. "What happened to 'public, Sam'?"

"What?" My tail swept out from its hideaway between my thigh and the wall. "I'm just talking about a mess. What's wrong with that?"

"Yeah, well..." The heat of his little huff tickled me. "Keep on rolling over and burying me like you did this morning, and you'll end up waking up to another one."

"Maybe I will do then."

Sam burst into an ugly, grunting laugh, kneading and jiggling my chest. That earned him the longest, tightest, full-body cuddle in return. "I do hope you're better behaved when we go visit my parents next month. Otherwise, it'll be cold showers every morning for you."

"Aww..." He nosed between two fingers of one paw, tail swishing against the palm of my other. "And there I was hoping we were in the middle of a world tour of destruction. "Vodaskal, Damaras, Zolnia: not a chair, table or bed is safe from my big 'panda."

"Stop..." I cringed hard enough to start my teeth complaining, too. The chair at the table behind screeched from the connection my tail made with its leg. "Stars above."

"Sorry, hon." Sam giggled away, wiggling and climbing up to nuzzle into my neck. "Just playing. You know I'll be good." His laughter softened to a halt, voice sweetening as he continued, "I just... I'm having such a great time here. With you. I haven't had this much fun on holiday since... ever."

"Same." My tail relaxed back into a steady sway. Sam's mumbled affection tingled so addictively on my skin and fur. "It's been perfect. And we still have half the week left to enjoy."

Taking another steady glance around confirmed that Sam and I remained unnoticed amid the quiet emptiness of the dining area. I doubt my little 'panda would have cared either way. Certainly, it wouldn't have stopped him sharing even more of his tenderness, both in the form of a gentle stroke at my neckfur and his even gentler voice.

"Can't believe it's a year since we first met that night at the gym." His delicate chuckle came with a sweep of his tail over my fingers. "Squeezing and rumbling through that door as only you could."

"Mmhm." I eased him away from my neck to nose into his. "And a year since I first spotted that cute trainer sitting at his desk."

"I'm glad you did." He kissed the top of my nose, rubbing circles into the sides of my muzzle. "I... can't imagine not being with you."

"Fortunately, you don't have to." I nudged at his chin to divert his charming blue eyes up towards mine. "You're going to be stuck with me for a good while longer yet."

He glowed with his contentment. Of course, Sam always had a devious smirk packed and ready. "Or stuck _to_you."

His fur and tail ruffled and flagged from the strength of my snort. My curled paw kept him pressed as close to me as he belonged. "Why not both?"

"Deal." He tilted his head and planted a kiss between my lips. "Thanks for such a wonderful holiday. Not a bad way to mark that year."

"You're welcome, little 'panda." His pretty little ears flicked away as I offered him a kiss in return. "Here's to many more."

Sam's eyes went wide. He checked back over his shoulder before whipping his head back towards me. "Don't let me keep you. Your breakfast's gonna get cold."

"Yours, too."

I helped him back down to his place between my collar and chest, freeing up my paws to grab some cutlery instead. A quick cut with my knife sliced off a Sam-sized serving of pancake. The corner of a waiting napkin would make for a handy way of wrapping it up for him.

"Thanks, big 'panda." He took it gratefully, unfolding the edge and taking a bite as if it were a sub sandwich.

I smiled and nodded, primed and ready to carve up some syrupy sweetness for myself. But, Sam would scupper me all over again. For all the right reasons. His head sank into my chestfur, a slow rub of his cheek and muzzle providing me a whole different kind of sweetness.

Down to the table went my cutlery. Up to my 'panda went my paws. I wrapped Sam up and held him close, petting over him while his strong little heart beat in time with mine. If a cold breakfast now and again was the price to pay to have so much love, so much wonder and joy in such a small, handsome package, then how lucky was I to have won in the lottery of life--?

"Going back to those cocktails to finish things off tonight," he muttered into my chest. "...Wouldn't mind finishing things off instead by grinding my cock under your tai--"

"Dear gods, Sam. Do you never stop!?"