FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

As we left the bathhouse, the warmth of the water still lingered on my skin, a pleasant sensation against the cool evening air. I couldn't help but sigh contentedly, feeling a sense of relaxation wash over me. The others seemed to share my sentiment, their expressions reflecting the tranquility of the moment. My body sort of misses the comforting feeling of the water, but we did what we came there to do. With Evelyn now informed, and a plan slowly forming, our eyes met the now evening skyline of the grand city of Hemwick.

"How long were we in there?" Felicity asked, stretching her arms in the air.

"Not long enough," I respond, still missing the feeling of the water.

Evelyn strutted in front of us, practically bouncing with each step. She held her staff behind her back as she swiveled on one foot to turn around and face us. "That was fun! What do you guys want to do next?" she asked.

"Best we go to sleep, big day tomorrow," Felicity responds.

"Yeah, I've actually never gone on a train before," Amelia said, stretching a little. Her pink tail behind her curled as she did.

I tilt my head while looking at the rat. "You sure you want to come with us to the estate? Again, I don't want to rope you into my-"

She cuts me off with a swift but stern "Yes."

I find myself surprised by her sudden response. The confidence lacing her tone almost made me crack a smile. Amelia herself seems to be surprised by her own confidence. Her timid nature returned and she took a couple of steps back while looking at the ground.

She cleared her throat and looked at me. "Well... Of course, I am your apprentice, it's my duty to help you."

My smile did indeed crack as I grinned at the response.

Felicity, standing right next to her, slaps the rat on the back. "Hah, look at you, all determined."

"How assertive!" Evelyn exclaims while offering a faux gasp.

Amelia practically shrivels at their words. Her tail almost twists in a knot as she blushes, her gaze swiftly looking downward.

I walk over to her and pat her on the shoulder. "Thank you, Amelia." I smile. "Seriously."

Coughing, Felicity cleared her through, breaking the moment. "We should start heading off now," she said turning her gaze to Evelyn. "Mind helping us with that?"

The opossum pranced closer to the three of us. "Of course-" She paused for a moment, widening her eyes as her black ears perked up. "I have no idea where you guys live," she murmured with an awkward laugh.

I think for a moment. It would be hard to teleport by verbal description alone. We could go back to the school, but if an hour carriage ride is anything to go off of, the walk will be hellish. I continue to ponder until I think of an idea. "You remember my potion shop?"

Evelyn tilts her head, looking upward in thought. Her pink nose wiggled for a moment before her white face lit up. "The old ringy-dingy place near the Hog's Mead?"

I laugh at the thought that she still remembers that old bar. "That's the one."

"I guess I don't live too far from there," Felicity says, crossing her arms. "Walk shouldn't be too bad."

"Same goes for me," Amelia squeaks, still appearing embarrassed from earlier.

I nod. "Perfect."

"Alright! Everyone gather around!" Evelyn ordered as she readied her staff for teleportation.

Felicity, Amelia, and I all got a little closer to the opossum. She raises her staff, ready to tap it on the ground.

"Wait!" Amelia cried out. She looked at me with her red eyes, almost as if pleading for something. "Can you hold-"

She couldn't finish her sentence before Evelyn tapped the staff on the ground, causing another flash of light. I closed my eyes instinctively as we teleport. As I open them, we are in front of the familiar potion store.

Amelia fell to the ground on her hands and knees, nauseous from the teleportation. She was coughing slightly, accompanied by some groaning.

"Damn," Felicity said, picking her up by the back of her shirt. "You really aren't good with this."

"Next time... someone... hold my hand... please," the rat faintly murmured. She started panting heavily while wheezing.

I give Evelyn a look, assuming she swiftly teleported on purpose. She gave a nervous shrug in response. I scoff and walk toward Amelia, who is still suspended by Felicity. She looked a lot worse compared to the other times we teleported, almost sick even.

"You okay?" I ask, motioning Felicity to put her down.

The rat was lowered and placed on her feet. After making contact with the ground, her legs started shaking and her knees wobbled. This reaction caused Felicity to swiftly hold her by her sides, propping her to stand upright. It seemed that she was, indeed, not okay.

"Uh oh," Evelyn said, walking next to my side.

"What do you mean 'Uh oh'?" I ask.

Leaning in closer to Amelia, she inspected her condition. "Teleportation fatigue." She announced. "We may have done it too many times, especially in one day. It usually happens to people who never teleported before."

I look worriedly at Amelia.

"Is she gonna die?" Felicity bluntly asked while looking down at the rat that she held in her hands. Her head was tilted, causing one of her pointed vulpine ears to flop to the side.

Evelyn giggled, causing the mood to lighten a little. "Nothing like that, she just needs some rest."

The rat groaned harder after hearing those words. Her red eyes, now half-lidded, seemed to look at me despite her obvious turmoil.

Filled with pity, I think of something. "Give 'er here," I say while slowly taking the rat out of Felicity's grasp. I sling one of her arms around my shoulder, making sure she won't slip off. After affirming that both of her feet are planted on the ground, I start walking toward the door to the potion shop.

"What're you doing?" Felicity said while walking with me, making sure Amelia didn't fall to the ground.

"I can probably make something for her," I say while feeling around for the keys in my coat. I find the little piece of metal and unlock the door. "Can't let her walk home like this."

"Alright," the fox says while I step inside the potion shop. "Best time for me to get home," she added while yawning. I could see her white teeth for a moment before she shut her maw with a snap.

"Me too," Evelyn said while walking toward Felicity's side. "Oh!" Her face lit up as her eyes widened, allowing me to see the faint blue hue of her irises. "Where should we meet up tomorrow? Before we head to the train station?"

"Probably here, at sunrise," I say while shuffling to let the near-limp Amelia enter the building with me. I took great care and made sure she didn't slip or fall off me.

"Sounds good to me," Felicity said, stifling another yawn. "See you guys tomorrow."

"See you guys!" Evelyn said. "Today was really fun- well, most of it of course."

"Alright, I'll be off," Felicity said as she started walking down the street. She didn't look back but waved at us.

Evelyn waved back and she prepared her staff. Before she disappeared in a flash of light, I seen the opossum give me a wave goodbye with one of her black and pink hands.

I watch her disappear right before my very eyes as the staff hit the ground. I look back toward the dark and empty potion shop, repositing Amelia so she clung better onto me. Walking inside, I notice that it's really hard to see. I look around the walls of the place, the closed curtains the reason for the darkness, as well as the setting sun. With my free hand, I clumsily close the door behind me, hearing it shut with a clamp.

I start walking toward the back store room, until a slight crunch caused me to stop. Looking down, I can barely see what is on the ground in the dim light of the shop. Yet, a distinct red caught my attention. There was some dried blood on the ground near the front counter, where I was bleeding out. I thought I cleaned most of it this morning, oh well. I'll clean that up soon, not now, but soon.

Continuing my walk toward the backroom, I try to start a conversation with Amelia, who has been noxiously groaning this whole time. "How're you holding up?"

"No...Not....Not good." The words slid out of her mouth with a horrible whine.

"Guess all this traveling through space and time made you a little dizzy, yeah?" I say trying to lighten the mood.

She irked. "A little..."

Opening the door to the storeroom, I shuffle inside with Amelia still slung around my shoulder. Rummaging around in the dark for a moment, I move out a small stool with my foot. With great care, I gently sit the rat on the seat. Now with both my hands free, I fumble around to find the lantern that usually lights the room. Twisting the small nob, gas is emitted and the lantern lights up, brightening up the cramped storeroom.

Amelia irked again, prompting me to cast my focus upon her. Her eyes were now shut tightly and her arms cradled her stomach while her head sway back and forth. Usually perky and upright, her pink ears lay flat against her head. The state she is currently in, it's clear she is going through the motions. At least she isn't throwing up.

"Hang in there," I say as I start looking around the various cupboards and shelves of the room. My mind raced through hundreds of potion recipes, trying to think of one to use while my eyes darted about looking for anything to start with. Landing my attention on a portly glass vase full of thistles, leaves, grass stems, and another assortment of plant parts, I got an idea.

Taking a green stem full of leaves out of the vase, I go to one of the nearest brewing stations and turn several knobs, causing it to light it up with an assortment of clicks. Putting the plant on the table near the station, I go to a cupboard and pull out a flask of water. I placed the glass onto the brewer, which now had a small burning flame underneath it, and watched it heat up. It didn't take long before the water started to boil.

Picking up the leafy stem, I pluck it into small bits. Now with an assortment of torn green vegation in my hand, I sprinkle some of it in the flask full of boiling water. After a couple of seconds, a fume carrying an earthy scent wafted out of the lip of the bottle.

"How are you holding up?" I ask while I turn my attention to the sick Amelia.

She didn't look at me, now slouching on the stool. Her snout was buried in her lap as she craned herself forward, ears still flattened. I noticed her tail subtly moving behind her, shifting about. She mumbled something softly, but due to her position, I couldn't hear it, only using it as a sign to hurry up.

Looking back at the flask, I noticed that the plant fully dissolved and the once-clear water had a muddy green hue to it. Taking the almost finished concoction off of the burner, I turn the station off with the flick of a clicky knob. I swirl the flask about, causing the remaining green bits and clumps to break apart.

Almost done.

Setting the still-hot flask on a wooden counter, I look for the final ingredient, ginger root. I searched high and low, but couldn't find it. I usually have a whole box of the stuff somewhere, but it's nowhere to be seen. Wait! I could just transmute... oh right. I softly clutch at my chest, reminded of the emptiness that now resides within my heart.

Sighing, I keep looking for the ginger root. Through cupboards and pantries, I continue my search, and as I do, I glance at Amelia. The poor rat looked worse than she was before. She curled her legs onto the stool while she kept her head stuffed near her knees, taking a type of fetal position. I guess what I have will have to do, despite the missing ingredients. It looks like she'll keep getting worse if I don't do something.

Picking up the warm flask on the table, I look around for a second to find a cup. It took me almost a minute to find one that didn't have potion debris or unknown goo lining the inside. With a nice clean cup in hand, I poured the contents of the concoction into it. Steam rose into the air once the cup was filled to the brim. It isn't fully complete, but it'll probably help with the immediate pain.

Walking over to Amelia, I tap her on the shoulder. She groggily raises her head and looks up at me. One of her eyes are squint shut while the other is more than half-lidded. She was still in her upright fetal position as she wobbled on the stool.

I present the steaming warm cup to her. "This should help," I say with a smile.

Her gaze drifts down to the cup, and she reaches out with one of her soft pink hands to accept it. With both hands now, she cradles the cup, staring down into it with her one open eye.

"It only works if you drink it," I chuckle.

She stares for a moment longer before putting her snout closer to the cup. Poking her pink nose into the liquid, she starts slurping down the concoction. She almost stuffed her entire snout in the thing before recoiling. Her nose, once pink, was now covered in the green liquid as her little whiskers fluttered about. Snapping both of her eyes open, she dove in for seconds.

I watched as the poor girl kept downing the stuff until it was all gone. She sat in her seat, feet still raised onto the stool, panting after downing the drink. Clasping the empty cup in her hands, she looked up at me. While she looked mildly better, she still swayed back and forth.

"How're you feeling now?" I ask while taking the empty cup from her. "Any better?" I knew if I had the ginger root, her sickness would be gone almost immediately.

Nodding her head, the rat repositioned herself so her feet were now on the ground as she sat.

I place a hand on her shoulder and look her in the eyes. "Can you make it home on your own?"

"Mm... Uh... Ye- Yeah," she said while swaying back and forth.

I am left unconvinced. "You sure?"

She rises to her feet, still wobbling. "Ye-" She trips over herself and falls toward me.

I catch her in my arms, making sure she doesn't face plant. She swiftly pushes against my chest to prop herself up, her red eyes staring directly at me. From this distance, I could smell a sweet floral scent coming off of her grey fur. I didn't know she used perfume.

"S-Sorry," she mutters.

I help her on her feet while still keeping a hand on her shoulder, making sure she doesn't fall again. "You sure you can make it home?"

She stumbles again but puts her hand on my shoulder for support. "I-I still feel dizzy. I should make it..." She takes a deep breath. "make it home fine though."

I suspiciously raise an eyebrow and purse my lips. "You can crash here for the night. Don't want you falling on your way home."

Despite her hazy and nauseous expression, her eyes widened a little. "A-Are you sure?"

"Of course!" I gently pat her on the back. "You can use my room."

Her nose twitched as she stayed silent for a bit, eyes still wide as she processed my response. "R-Really?" she blurted out.

"Yeah," I say as I wrap my hand around her back. "Let me give you a hand up the stairs. Wouldn't want you taking a tumble."

"O-O-Okay," she stuttered, slinging her arm around my shoulder for support.

We started walking toward the stairs, and once we made it to the first step, I could already see a problem. The narrow stairs are perfect for one person going up and down at a time but for two people? No way. I try to make it to the first step while keeping Amelia at my side, but to my expectations, the narrow stairwell did not allow such an action. Either she was going to be pressed against the wall, or me.

I sigh in defeat. "This isn't going to work." Looking toward the hazy rat, I get an idea. "Mind if I carry you?" I ask.

She responded with a surprised "Buh?!" and an anxious "Wuh?!". Her eyes darted around as her pupils dilated. "Uh... sure?"

I nod my head and reposition my grasp. Keeping her in a bridal carry would be the most efficient way of going up the stairs. That I do, keeping one hand behind her back and positioning my other behind her legs, I sweep the rat off her feet. She isn't really heavy, actually she's pretty light.

"Is this okay?" I ask while looking down at her. What met my gaze was the most embarrassed I have ever seen her. With flushed cheeks and her eyes shut tight, she practically slammed her head into my chest. Her ears fluttered about and I could feel her whiskers twitch on my skin.

Mumbling something into my chest, Amelia nodded. She slowly turned her gaze up to me with an anxious look in her eyes. "This is fine..." she muttered under her breath.

I silently nod my head and start to walk up the stairs. Each step was slow and careful as if I were carrying something fragile. I made sure not to shake a lot, for the sake of the sick rat in my arms. For a split second, I stop in my tracks, feeling something slithering around my waist. Looking down, I see Amelia's lithe pink tail wrap around me. I turn my gaze to her but was met with eyes shut tight and a flustered face nuzzled into my chest. Assuming that she anchored herself to me for extra support, I resume the climb.

Soon enough, the ascent was over, and my feet reached the final step of the staircase. Looking down at Amelia, I notice her face is still pressed against my chest.

"Want me to put you down now?" I ask while starting to walk towards my room.

"Take me to bed."

I stop and look down at Amelia. Her once closed eyes were now wide open, realizing the wording of what she said. I felt her press snout even harder into my chest.

"I-I-I mean! T-Take me to *THE* bed," she hurriedly corrected herself.

I heard her groan but didn't know if it was due to embarrassment or her sickness. Chuckling to myself, I enter the bedroom. Looking out the window next to my bed, I realize that the sun is almost fully set. The reddish-orange light of the horizon filtered through the pane of the window, casting a dim, warm light into the room.

Looking around, I notice that my bloodstained coat is still lying on the floor from the other night. I mentally pray Amelia doesn't notice that and start walking toward the bed. Upon reaching the edge of the mattress, I slowly lay the rat down. Once she was fully on the bed, I looked down at her. Her eyes were practically clamped shut as she moved one of her hands to her forehead.

I start to walk away, to pick up the bloodstained clothes before Amelia notices, but something stops me. Her pink tail is still wrapped around my waist. Despite its lithe appearance, the thing had a pull to it. It was practically tugging me towards her as I tried to walk away.

I chuckle softly. "Mind letting me go now?"

Amelia notices her tail and she swiftly retracts it. "Sorry..." she said in a daze. The pink appendage slinked back to her on the bed.

"It's okay," I respond with a hushed voice, not wanting to make her condition any more unbearable. Slowly stepping away, the only noise in the room was the heaving breath of Amelia and the creak of the wooden floor. I slowly creep over to the dirty coat and pick it up.

She groans a little more before her breath slows down and falls into rhythmic huffs. Sounds like she fell asleep.

I finish creeping out of the room and slowly close the door behind me. With a final creak, I take a last peek into the room. I see the rat sleeping, clutching her tail as she slumbered. It was kind of cute the way she held onto her appendage like one would do with a blanket.

I finally close the door, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Once the door is shut, I look down at the dirty coat in my hand. The dried blood reminded me of the bloodstains downstairs. I sigh, knowing I should clean this stuff up before I go to bed myself. Walking down the stairs, each step was accompanied by a creek. Despite the noise of the stairs, it shouldn't be loud enough to wake Amelia. Well hopefully, at least.

Once I reached the storeroom, I threw the bloodstained coat on one of the many counters and picked up a clean rag. I'll clean that later, but for now, there is still dried blood in the main room. Major health risk.

I look around the room for a bit before finding a cleansing potion. With a rag and flask in hand, I step out of the storeroom. While it was still dark, the light from the backroom allowed me to see the bloodstains that lingered from the incident. Pouring some of the potion in the clean rag, I get to work.

Scrubbing and wiping, the crusty blood eventually came off. It took some time but now there were no traces of the stuff at all. Now all I was left with was a blood-covered rag. I guess it's time to work on the coat.

Walking back into the store room. I pull the stool used by Amelia and put it near the counter with the bloody coat on it. I flopped the rag on the same counter as I sat on the seat. Looking at the bloodied piece of clothing, I stretched it out, analyzing it. Despite the coat already being torn and tattered in areas, it is evident as to what caused the dried blood. A torn hole, caked in red, lay right where the heart would be when it was worn. Djura went straight for the stone, knowing exactly where it was.

"Damn it..." I mutter, the weight of what happened slowly increasing. A searing sensation clutched my hollow heart. Betrayal. Uncertainty consumes me, what to do next veiled in a thick mental haze. I hang my head downward, giving in to my weariness.

Perking my head up, I realize that I started to drift off. I can sleep later, right now I should fix up the coat. Well, maybe I could just rest my eyes. Real quick.