FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

FYI: This is not a complete story so don’t expect much; this is just fragments of an idea I might turn into something later. For now, it’s nothing but a few random scrap scenes. I don’t even know how it will end yet. This isn’t something I am actively working on, it’s just something that popped into my head during my lunch break and I quickly jotted down in a few minutes but I didn't want to forget. This might even become the basis for a more wholesome series I might eventually get around to writing. ;3

***

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”

? William Shakespeare

***

Sergeant Addler glared at Pepper, but the dumb animal was too stupid to know how much he hated her; she just smiled back at him with a wag of her tail. She was supposed to be his in-home caregiver and continue on his therapy from the comfort of his own home after he declined an extended stay in the rehab centre. Jeremy had already given so much for the country he loved and called home, but he wasn’t about to give up the last shred of dignity he had staying in that place…full of cripples and mangled bodies that used to be proud soldiers. Sure, he himself had undergone a bilateral amputation of both legs just below the knee after stepping on a landmine, but he was nowhere near as mangled as those walking corpses. God, he hated how movies portrayed landmines, the lucky victim had all the time in the world to find a solution as soon as they heard that click. It was so damn far from reality it made his head hurt; he didn’t even hear the goddamn click. All he remembered was walking with his squad down a goat path, the next thing he knew he was screaming so loud his lungs hurt, while his men tried to hold him down and stop him from moving so they could stop the bleeding until the evac got to them.

Every time he closed his eyes, he relived that moment. He had years of experience, he should have seen it, should have been able to avoid it. This never should have happened, hell, they shouldn’t even have been in that country. It wasn’t even their war, they just got sent in to keep the peace and make the higher ups feel better about themselves for policing the world’s problems while they sat safe and secure in the comfortable offices thousands of miles away from any real danger.

“Easy, move slowly. I’ve got you” Pepper guided his stumps around and through the open door once the van arrived at his apartment complex. He fucking knew how to move, he wasn’t braindead, he just lost everything beneath his knees, not above his goddamn shoulders.

“Jeezus Christ, be gentle you dumb bitch!” Jeremy shouted as the Anthro Blue Heeler helped him slip into his prosthetics. Her ears lay flat for a moment, but she took it in her stride as she continued to help him out of the vehicle and eventually up the stairs to his apartment. “Stop pushing me, I can walk on my own, goddamn dumb dog!” he snarled and shoved the smaller woman back a step, hard enough to nearly send her tumbling backward down the stairs. Thankfully, Pepper managed to catch herself in time and prevent any unnecessary injury to herself.

“I’m only trying to help, Jeremy” Pepper replied back in exasperation. It was evident she wanted to say something more, but she wouldn’t let herself. Instead, she just stuck to the same professionalism her position decreed and returned to her position beside her patient as she helped him climb the stairs. She was a new breed, even though she was employed by the military in a round about way, that didn’t mean she was anywhere close to being a full-fledged citizen with all the rights and privileges that went with it. She was in essence still viewed as a simple animal and it would only take one phone call from Sergeant Addler to put her in deep trouble.

“That’s Sergeant Addler to you, dumb mutt” Jeremy glared down at her before shoving past Pepper and climbing the last few steps unaided. Pepper stood behind him for a moment, watching and making sure he was stable before she collected their bags and carried them upstairs and inside like some sort of glorified porter.

Pepper knew she was in for a long hard road with Jeremy, he hadn’t come to terms with everything he had been through and that had happened to him. He still suffered from PTSD of the day he lost his legs; he was in pain, not just physical either. That much was obvious to Pepper, she had dealt with it before. Despite being considered just a glorified pet, she had studied psychology and everything required to be a physical therapist. Yet, even though she was more skilled and experienced than most of her human counterparts, she was still looked down upon by the greater majority of the populace, simply because she was a different species. Not that she let it stop her though, she knew how much people like Jeremy sacrificed for their country so even she could enjoy the few freedoms she did currently have as well as the ones she would one day have. It was her driving force, her reason for being, to give back to the everyday heroes in her own way, no matter how much they cursed, hit and abused her for it.

Idly she ran her fingers along her left side where a steel toed boot had cracked a rib years ago, along with her tongue running across the fake silver incisor the same boot had kicked free on a different encounter. He had been her first client; things had not started off well between them. But she had won him over in the end, he was now the leader of the local support group in his new hometown and a constant champion for new breeds becoming therapy and support companions.

***

He was reliving it again; she could hear him muttering and crying in his sleep. She knew she shouldn’t, he’d threatened her already not to get on his bed. But she couldn’t just lay there and let him suffer, not if she could help. It didn’t matter if he punched, hit or kicked her, she had to try. Pepper cautiously climbed up into Jeremy’s bed and slipped under the covers beside him. She scooted in as close as she could, wrapping her arms about him and resting her head on his chest as she began to hum a soft song. Even as the wounded soldier flailed and elbowed her in the ribs, almost hard enough to crack them again, she wouldn’t budge. The Blue Heeler would be battered and bruised in the morning, but it was worth it. Eventually she could feel him starting to calm down, his mumbling was beginning to lessen, as were his struggles. Soon he was breathing steadily and seemed to be resting again, which Pepper took as her queue to vacate her position.

As she climbed out of bed, she winced at a sudden pain in her mouth. When she raised a hand to her mouth, she found her fingertips stained red with her own blood. Jeremy must have hit her in the mouth at some point, but she hadn’t noticed. Sure enough, when she looked in the bathroom mirror, she did have a busted lip.

***

“Alright stumpy, come and get them if you’re so sure you don’t need any help” Pepper growled as she sat at the kitchen counter with Jeremy’s prosthetics standing atop the stool beside her.

“Fucking bitch, I’m gonna kick your ass, just you wait!” he shouted while rolling onto his side to try lower himself off the bed to the floor below.

“You can’t kick my ass; you don’t have feet” she snapped back without thinking.

He didn’t know why, but Pepper’s response in the moment just broke through all his anger and hatred for her. Jeremy collapsed onto his back on the floor and began laughing, it must have sounded like he was in pain or something because she was suddenly over him and looking worried. As he stared up into her bright blue eyes, he couldn’t help but notice how pretty Pepper was. Her fur was so soft and fluffy as he brushed his hands through her coat.

“Sergeant Addler, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself, should I call an ambulance?” Pepper whined as she pressed her head to his chest to listen to his heart, but it sounded good and strong. Suddenly his arms were around her, making her tense as she waited for the beating she knew she deserved. But it never came, instead she found herself being hugged tightly to his chest while he brushed his hands along her back and shoulders.

“Call me Jeremy” he finally mumbled as he pulled her up against himself so he could bury his face into her neck fluff. “I’m sorry for being such a dick to you Pepper, I know you’ve only been trying to help. I just…”

“You’re stuck reliving the moment, I know” she replied gently. “It’s what PTSD is, you’re not remembering the moment, you’re reliving it” she felt him grip a little tighter about her middle at that.

“I’m broken” she barely heard him say. “Who’s going to want me now?” the pain in his voice was palpable, it made her heart ache for him.

“I can’t put you back together, but I promise that I’ll try” she whispered back to him.