FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The roads were dark by the time Max finally started to make his way back towards his home. The two lane road was only lit by his headlights as the heavy snowfall attempted to blind him from where the road ended and the ditches started. Snow-chains gripped the road tightly ensuring that his moderate speed let him have complete control over his small vehicle. “Thank god the heater works well huh girls?" His two dogs didn't even give a whine in response as they stayed huddled together in the flat back of his geo tracker, content with resting on their cotton bed. The miles passed slowly as his haul of groceries and hardware rattled in the back just over the quiet thrum of the speakers playing a news broadcast as background noise to his drive.

“Scientists think they might have figured out the true reason why the transplantation struck the world back in the mid twentieth century. Everything is still a theory but Early CME events point to it not being the first in sentient history but it was the largest seen to dat-" Max shut the radio off and decided to drive in silence. “What's the point of trying to figure out how or why it happened? They're here to stay and we can't really do anything about it." The slightly fogged windows glinted lights from a random house in the distance dragging his mind back to earlier in the day. “At least I met a pretty woman, right girls?" His two dogs stayed still relaxing in the rear view mirror as he rolled his eyes.

Ranches and small homesteads peppered the road as a small smile stayed as a staple on his face as the late october snow came down. This would be the first white Christmas he'd ever had and any of his close friends, local or otherwise, would say he was more than ecstatic. Mountains surrounded him and swallowed the lower portions of the sky in their oppressive presence that only made him think of ski trips and warm drinks on his days off.

That's when a set of amber flashing lights broke his train of thought as he came around a bend in the road raising his eyebrows. His speed slowed as he approached the stopped vehicle as he checked for disturbed snow or any other sign that this was a trap for concerned individuals. Then he noticed the silver paint covering the boxy shape of the car with its small rust spots across the body. He recognized this vehicle from earlier today and immediately the concern over this being a trap was replaced by concern over his new cold blooded acquaintance.

His vehicle came to a harsh stop as he called over his shoulder. “Sig, Sauer. I need you girls to stay here and keep warm. Might need you to warm up someone." Throwing open his door he entered the harsh and bitter elements to help his newly made friend. His boot covered feet hit the snow as he rushed over to the stuck vehicle and noticed it wasn't running. “Shit!" With a swear he tapped on the window and wiped away the thick layer of fresh snow that covered its surface. The interior was already cool enough to allow the previously melted snow to freeze to the glass. Elianora was inside and motionless, still draped in her thick layers of clothing, forcing Max to make a quick and rash decision.

He opened her door and as quickly as he could unlatched her seatbelt and began carrying her over to his still running vehicle. The door was sticky as he fumbled with the older latch with the very light woman in his arms. Her covered tail wrapped around this newfound heat emanating from him and almost strangled his leg as he began to set her down gently into the seat and carefully unwound the clingy appendage. “Sig upfront! Yeah right next to her feet, keep her warm and Sauer, yeah on her lap. I'm gonna check on her car really fast, okay girls?" The door shut behind him with the lightly breathing woman sitting in his passenger seat and allowing the heat to be trapped inside as he made his way the short distance back to her car.

The tire tracks that were cut into the snow were quickly being swallowed by the heavy snowfall that seemed to be getting thicker at every passing moment. From what he could gather she lost traction, over corrected and ended up in the ditch. Her tires were buried and if he had to guess she might have popped a few things loose when she bottomed out in the embankment.

Her door opened by his gloved hand again letting Max slip into her seat and became acutely aware of how her vehicle differed from his. Her seat had a massive hole in the back allowing for her tail to pass through and sit comfortably. The air vents were larger and pointed directly towards his torso and face. Everything was just far enough away to make it uncomfortable to reach for anything and that even included the key. Stepping on the break he wrenched the key over with the vehicle giving a whimpering start before the cough died in its pipes. Pursing his lips he tried again just to see a readout on the gauges. Battery was fine, temp couldn't be trusted and the fuel gauge was resting on the post.

“Out of gas maybe but that'll have to wait until tomorrow." He spoke out loud as he looked back to his small red four by four with a furrowed brow. “Clinic first, no idea how long she's been out here." Saving the current location on his phone he took one last look at the woman in his passenger seat with his two loyal companions keeping her softly breathing form warm before pulling away and heading back into town.

Minutes passed with no changes, focusing on the road before stealing quick glances to his right to ensure she was still secure under the seat belt and his two dogs. The miles of road passed under the constant hum of the engine and snow crunching under the tires of the small vehicle. Broken only by the occasional sigh his border collie and german shepherd made as they voiced their boredom. The faint glow of the streetlights came into view as he drove around the bend of a mountain to the small town he knew like the back of his hand. Streets that were well tread with snow coagulating in patches that fought desperately against the salt and sand the road worker had put down earlier.

His was one of only three cars that pulled into the emergency clinic and that seemed to almost always be empty. Max found this to be a blessing as he pulled into the covered awning and sprinted to the passenger side to fetch the seemingly hibernating girl. Her thick bundles of clothes bunched up in certain areas exposing her onyx scales to the freezing breeze as he shuffled his way to the automatic doors. The sting of cleaning chemicals and heat burned his nose as he passed through the threshold into the warmer clinic before he called to the lone nurse across from him.

“I need help! I don't know if she's hypothermic or just hibernating!" A gray mouse in blue scrubs jumped up from behind a desk and rushed over urging him to set her down onto the lone stretcher in the small entry room.

“How long was she out there?" Her concern was blanketed by a rushed professionalism that spoke to the urgency of the situation. A heated blanket was pulled from behind the desk in an instant and tossed over to Max. “Plug that in and wrap her tight! I'm getting help."

“On it." A few moments later Eli's body was pulled into a tight cocoon of cotton and heating wires that ensured whatever cool affliction was ailing her would be stopped in its tracks. If he didn't know any better he'd say she was cute wrapped up with only her brow and beyond sticking out of the folds of heat and life sustaining comfort.

Another nurse, a young human male, rushed in and began rolling her stretcher past a set of double doors leaving the mouse and him alone. “What's her name?" Max raised an eyebrow at the question before it was probably for her health information.

“Oh uh, Elianora."

She jotted down the information on a worn clipboard before she motioned to the few waiting seats next to them. “It'll be quick, don't worry you'll be able to move your car and take care of your dogs in a short moment."

“How did you?…ah right, sense of smell." Max confirmed as he sat down on the cheap pleather seat. “Sorry, mind's all over the place right now."

She offered a warm smile before sitting down next to him. “It's quite alright and understandable in your situation." She rested her digitigrade leg on her knee, providing a platform for that scratched and frayed clipboard. “What's your relation to Miss Elianora?"

“Acquaintance, I met her earlier today out at the range." Pursing his lips he thought back to the shot that caused her to faint and ended with the awkward but not unwelcome hug. How many years has it been since someone else had held him in a loving way? He couldn't remember but those feelings welling up didn't matter at the moment.

“How long ago did you find her?" More notes were being written down as Max checked his old scratched up watch.

“Just under twenty minutes ago. I don't know how long she was out there without her car running." His fingers tapped against each other in a new sense of anxiety washed over him. The number of fatalities each year from people thinking their cars were safe in these bitter winters seemed to be going up year by year and he hoped she wouldn't become part of that statistic.

“I'll need your contact information just in case we can't reach her family." She saw the question bouncing around in his head before he even had a chance to speak it. “You're the one that brought her here, probably saved her life. If anything it'll be for her when she wakes up."

Max sunk down into the seat a little further as his pessimistic attitude began to seep through. “ 'IF' she wakes up."

“Hey, don't think like that." Her hand rested on his shoulder and he flinched slightly from the unexpected contact. “She was breathing and her heart rate was stable, if faint. If you found her any later it might've been too late but I've seen this happen enough with reptiles that she'll pull through. By the way, smart thinking with your dogs."

A soft chuckle passed the weak smile that crossed his lips. “They're always just so damn warm when they sleep on top of me. Made sense to use that to try and warm her up." The nurse gave a light laugh in response before politely reminding him about the contact information. “Alright, sure. Maxwell Weniger. Number is…" She quickly jotted down the information he gave before she stood.

“That's all we really need for you." As she walked back to the desk she spoke once more before sitting. “You did a good thing today. Be proud of that."

Max's blue eyes fell to the floor as he silently made his way to his car. Passing back into the sub freezing world he looked up to the orange tinted clouds above him. “I just hope I was fast enough."

-

Light assaulted Elianora's eyes as she slowly woke up in a daze. Itchy sheets clawed at her sensitive scales as she shifted under the foreign covers before sitting up in a flash due to the surprise of the unfamiliar surroundings. Her head panged in a searing and sharp pain as she fell back to the sheets wincing. Her still cold hands moved to her temples to attempt to soothe the pain. “Oh you're awake!"

Eli looked towards the source of the voice to a human female doctor sitting next to her medical bed. “W-where am I? The last thing I remember was I ran out of gas after my car got stuck."

“Lyster medical. Relax, you're still recovering from a moderate case of hypothermia onset by a rapid hibernation cycle. I have a few questions your friend wasn't able to answer if that's alright?" Eli took a few deep breaths before giving a light nod. “Excellent, any known allergies to medication or…" She stood from her seat next to Eli and began rattling off questions about possible reactions to penicillin or a myriad of different drugs and other information they weren't able to parse earlier. “Alright that about covers it. We'll contact your family in the morning and do one final check up before we'll release you. Until then get some rest." She turned to leave before Eli called back to the woman that was now standing in the doorway.

“Wait! Don't contact my family…I don't want to worry them." Her eyes fell knowing that was a lie and she probably didn't hide it far too well before the next subject picked at her mind. “You said my friend helped me?" Standing in the doorway she gave a warm smile before moving back to sit at her bedside.

“Yeah and fortunately for you it seems that he's your guardian angel. His name was…Max." She double checked her notes. “Maxwell Weniger to be exact and he brought you in at exactly eight nineteen." Eli looked at the analog clock on the wall and noted the time read well past eleven at night. “Nurse noted he administered first aid enroute to us along with being the one to wrap you up in our emergency heating blankets. Seems like he was really worried about you too." The doctor watched Eli as she fidgeted in her bed before pulling out her personal cell phone. “Your phone wasn't in your pockets when you arrived. He might've been too focused on getting you here safely than grabbing your personal effects. You should call him."

Eli locked onto the device before giving a slight chuckle. “I might need you to dial for me, I'm still feeling a bit slow."

-

“Oh no we don't serve you here you know that!" A gruff voice greeted Max over the low droning music as he passed the doors of the small local bar with a smile crossing his face as he threw his arms out.

“Noah you know damn well I'm your best customer! Plus you love the girls!" His dogs jogged past his legs and made their way behind the bar to greet their friend with wagging tails and wide licking kisses. “Careful, the misses might get jealous."

“Oh har har har!" His forced laugh pushed past the human's lips as he shood the two dogs back to their owner on the other side of the bar. “You know damn well Chelsea can smell the difference, perks of being a husky I guess." A glass of amber Ale was placed on the counter in front of the new patron. The frothy beverage called out to Max as he sat down across from his friend. “Usually don't see you here this late, what brings on the change?"

Max shrugged as he took a few mouthfuls of the bitter drink before setting it down and licking the suds from his stubble. “Just needed something to calm the nerves and the range is out of the question tonight unless I want to sleep out there. Been all over God and creation today and something just keeps…nagging at the back of my head."

With a raised eyebrow and sipping from his own drink he asks the obvious question. “What about? You finally got a date?"

Max rolled his eyes at the fairly common question his close friends and family kept asking. “No and I'm still not looking so stop asking." Under his breath he whispered to his friend. “Jesus it's worse than my mom." With a heavy sigh he leaned into the bar more, raising his tired blue eyes to his friend. “It is about a girl, though, met her earlier today at the range. Never shot before and gave her a hand with the basics but she had to leave before the storm hit." Another swig was met by a furrowed brow. “Pulled her out of her stuck car and she wasn't conscious, breathing though so that's good. Just came back from securing her stuff before I head back to the clinic to drop it off."

Noah nodded as his best friend recounted the recent events plaguing his mind. “Well she was still breathing so that's a positive. You did a good thing so what's got you bent out of shape about it?"

“She's a reptile." Noah stood up slightly in surprise as the new information greeted him. “A hognose anthro to be exact. Not sure how much you know about that species but they don't really handle cold all that well. I'm worried I wasn't fast enough."

“Shit." His friend nodded as he thought over what he was just told. “I mean fuck if there is anything to really be worried about that certainly is a good one." The two friends took drinks from their respective cups before they sighed. “Are we still on for this weekend?"

Max pursed his lips together as he remembered Eli was supposed to be joining them. “As of now yeah but let's see how I feel then. Not sure how this might-" His ringtone interrupted his thought before looking to his best friend that gave him a thumbs up. “Max speaking."

A low and slurred feminine voice came across the earpiece. “Good to know my guardian angel can be reached. For a moment I thought you just showed up to help me."

“Oh thank god." His head rested against the bar as a breath escaped him. “I was worried I was too late when I found you."

A soft chuckle escaped her lips and graced his ear. “Well luckily for me I have someone that has great timing." Rubbing his eyes she continued. “Now I owe you twice, if this keeps happening I'll be in debt to you for a while huh?"

Looking up from the bar with a wide smile Max gave a thumbs up to his friend before focusing back on the call. “I mean it when I say this, 'think nothing of it.' You would've done the same for me."

“While true I'd still feel bad if I didn't do something in return." Through the conversation her voice seemed to be becoming stronger and less slurred. As if her body was regaining strength by the moment. “Would lunch be okay?"

Max thought for a moment before nodding to the woman on the other end that clearly couldn't see him. “You won't let it rest otherwise so sure. When will you be available?"