FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

[1 unread text from Marin]

M: Heyyyy Lilly, the girls and I are going out to the club downtown tonight! I know it’s short notice, but you should come with us!

>I don’t know... I’m not really a partier, and I don’t think I’m interesting to talk to.

>Wouldn’t I just weigh the mood down?

M: Nah, you’ll be fine. Nothing bad’s going to come of it, just try to enjoy the scene! Besides, I thought it’d be a good chance for you to get out of your ‘den’ (hehe because you’re a dragon, get it?)

>Oh all right. I suppose I’ll go.

M: Great! I’ll swing by your place in an hour. See you then!

Lalita stared at her phone for several minutes. “Ughhh, why did I say yes?” she sank in her chair, regretting her response as soon as she sent it. “I could have ignored it just as easily…” Her mind settled on the ‘den’ joke, gazing across the room. There was a permanently unmade bed, a small pile of clothes on the floor, various prints hung unevenly on the walls, all of which was wonderfully complemented by the near constant dimness, illuminated only by the occasional abstract lamp or whatever slivers of natural light made it past the curtains.

The house itself had been that of her parents’. Her mother and father carried their respective families’ legacy of greatly successful dragons that, after decades of wise investments and business, had retired to a villa in the mountains some years ago. They bequeathed the urban property (as well as their expectations) to their daughter Lalitakateski in the hopes that she’d find a worthy career and partner, but that was yet to be seen. Lalita had scored a part-time job that earned her just enough money to pay for internet and utilities without needing to dig into her savings. This allowed for plenty of time to keep indoors, with her only face to face interaction being that of her coworker Marin, who she only had contact with when it came to covering shifts. Referring to Marin as a ‘friend’ was a bit of a stretch, but they sat in the breakroom together and conversed all the same.

“I could just cancel now, but that would make our next shift pretty awkward.” Lalita sighed. “I guess I’ll get washed up then…”

A half hour later she was standing in front of a mirror. It had been a while since Lalita had properly looked at herself. She wore lilac-purple scales, smooth from a lack of hardship, and rows of pale turquoise bands that ran from her chin to the underside of her tail. She was a little under seven feet, yet presented herself some inches shorter due a mild slouch. Poor eating habits clashed with a lack of decent exercise, the drawbacks of both resulting in a rather thin figure for someone of her height. The dragon girl tried to push this negative self-commentary out of her head, instead focusing on the side of her closet that had been neglected for quite some time. Lalita sifted around a bit, extracting a modest light green crop top. “Hmm, it’s a bit revealing,” she muttered. “Screw it, I’m going to a club, may as well be adventurous!” Then she saw the top was paired with a somewhat short skirt. “Alright, perhaps not too adventurous,” Lalita frowned, stowing the skirt in favor of a pair of jeans. She pondered her outfit for a few seconds in the mirror before a honk outside made her jump. Marin’s here.

The introverted reptile poked her head out the door, taking a deep breath and stepping out into the afternoon sun. A late summer breeze swept across her scales, a feeling she was unused to on account of her normal wear consisting of the inside of a house. Still, she steeled her nerves, attempting a false confidence as she strode down the path. Opening the car door, Lalita had to duck to fit in as she sat in the passenger seat.

“Oh. My. God. You look so… CUTE!” Marin exclaimed, the fox pressing her hands against her cheeks. “I’ve never seen you in anything else other than sweatpants and a hoodie, or your work uniform, but your outfit makes you look absolutely stunning!”

Lalita’s lilac face flushed deeply in embarrassment. “T-thanks,” she murmured.

=====

The nightclub was called “Glacial Thunder”, which sounded like it had no real meaning, as if it was created by mashing results from a name generator together. Two palm trees crossed in front of the awning above the entrance with a decorative neon sign positioned below. The interior was what one could come to expect, a blue and orange theme making up the majority of lights and furniture, the stage and main floor illuminated a bright purple. Marin strolled inside with the uncertain dragon in tow, the energetic atmosphere bearing down on Lalita like a flock of coked out tropical birds hopping around an extremely out-of-place fence lizard. It wasn’t until the two approached a group at a round booth in the corner that she realized she had been covering her ears. At least the music was a little quieter here.

There were several others at the table waiting as they arrived. “Hiiii girls!” Marin trilled, addressing the group as they sat down. “This is my coworker Lalita, who I was telling you about! Lalita, these are my friends: Brooke, Gale, Nat…” her voice grew muffled as Lalita retreated to her thoughts. What am I doing here? It’s loud, flashy, I barely know anyone here, and I can’t just bail right away, and I already stand out by being taller than everyone else. Ughh, I knew this was a bad idea. When I get home, I’m never going to leave my house again…

“The drinks are here! Hey Lalita, have you ever tried one of these?”

The dragon girl broke out of her trance. Marin was handing her a shot glass, its clear contents decorated with a crown of flame. Lalita grasped it between her fingers and stared briefly before tilting her head and tossing it back at once. The smoky-sweet flavor of the rum danced across her palate as she swallowed.

“Hmm, not bad actually,” she admitted, lowering the glass only to be met with the shocked expressions of everyone at the table.

“Holy shit, you’re supposed to blow out the fire before you drink it!” Marin yelped.

The other members of the group grew agitated, and for a moment Lalita’s breath caught in her throat as well before managing to recover. “Wait please don’t freak out, it’s fine, it’s fine, I’m a dragon, I can handle it!” She tried reassuring everyone at the table, including herself. “I’m fireproof, so it’s not going to hurt me- urp!” Her explanation was cut short as a small belch of flame escaped her mouth. Lalita quickly covered her mouth and grew beet-red, mortified.

Around the table, panic erupted into cheers as the rest of the band complimented her ‘party trick’ and the friendly mood returned. Still, even as she had salvaged the situation, she had become the center of attention. Her anxiety began to ramp up, but Lalita attempted to mask it and distract herself by accepting the following shots that were pushed her way.

This led to the kindling of a dormant aspect of her anatomy.

In certain draconic species, the body will produce a flammable gas in circumstances of extreme focus or stress that can be expelled through the mouth. The iron-rich rear molars will then grind together, igniting the gas as it turns into a surge of fire; both a hunting and a defense mechanism. In both cases however, this combustion occurs after the gas has exited the stomach.

Upon downing her fifth shot, Lalita felt another burp rising up her esophagus. Determined to not embarrass herself further, she firmly shut her mouth tight. Her cheeks puffed briefly, followed by a wispy column of smoke drifting out her nostrils. This change in performance excited the party further, but as she gave a shaky smile, Marin quietly interjected. “I don’t mean to be rude, but does that usually happen?” Lalita followed her friend’s gaze.

Her top was riding up on her belly, which had grown quite a bit. Lalita felt her heart jump into her throat.

She hiccuped in surprise.

Her belly swelled a few more inches, now lightly pressing into the lip of the table.

“I-I need to go, where’s the restroom?” she stuttered. One of them pointed in a direction. Lalita sprang from the table with astonishing agility and tugged her shirt fruitlessly over her bloated midsection as she hurried, keeping to the shadows as much as she could manage. Dashing into the lavatory, the frantic reptile kicked the door closed behind her just as another belch broke out, intense enough to scorch the opposing wall. Her stomach surged once more, expanding in larger increments and nearing the resemblance of a beach ball. Beneath her stretched turquoise bands of scales, a fiery orange hue was barely visible as a testament to the inferno that was rising within her gut. “What do I do, what do I do?!” Lalita fretted, scrutinizing every corner of the bathroom.

Wait, try the sink! She dove for the basin and shoved her mouth over the faucet. Twisting the handle to full blast, Lalita’s cheeks puffed out as she began rhythmically swallowing as fast as she could.

Glug, Glulp, Glorp…

Her neck bulged as her body rapidly took on water like a ship that had undergone a barrage of cannon fire, all in an attempt to snuff out her insides. Other scales were pushed aside as the cyan bands dominated the surface of her expanding abdomen, and when the front of her jeans finally gave way with a pop! and a zip!, she felt her stomach sway heavily underneath her until coming in contact with the cold tiles below.

Satisfied, Lalita withdrew from the faucet. Legs shaky from the ordeal, coupled with the cumbersome water weight, the dragon sighed in relief as she lowered herself to the floor. Certain that she had dealt with the internal furnace, Lalita took a moment to process the situation. Her stomach, simply put, was huge. Not only large enough for her body to rest against it like a giant exercise ball, it must have been at least four feet in diameter, as it nearly reached either wall of the bathroom! Deep glurps and groans resounded from within, her stomach complaining about the unreasonable burden it was given, while water gently sloshed from side to side as it settled.

All things considered, Lalita thought, allowing herself to crack a smile, it feels kinda nice…

The noises of the club were muted in here, and at this point they faded away entirely as she became lost in her own little world, gently pushing the rest of her frame back and forth against her tumescent belly. Lalita laid across its bulk, giggling as she pressed her hand into her bloated hide, sending ripples across her flank as her arm retreated. When was the last time I felt this relaxed? I could definitely get used to something like this…

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Lalita instantly bolted to attention. “Occupied!” is what she wanted to say, but she was frozen, muscles tensing yet motionless at the presence of someone behind the door; it was her one barrier between newfound tranquility and eternal shame and humiliation. Her anxiety returned anew, her heart thudding against the confines of her chest. Not only that, but she saw her abdomen gain a few inches. HOW?! I get that the gas has returned, but there’s nothing in there to ignite it, I was sure of it! Lalita’s mind raced. Then the frigid chill of realization ran down her spine.

Water cannot extinguish an alcohol fire.

The knock came again, louder this time. “Hello? Are you okay in there?” an unfamiliar voice called out.

This is fine, this is fine! The immobilized dragon repeated to herself. I just have to respond, that will give me more time! Why can’t I bring myself to speak?!

The door opened. She had forgotten to lock it.

=====

Natutska was having a pretty crap experience at the Glacial Thunder that evening. The only reason the bat had attended in the first place was to be the designated driver for the rest of the group, but the inside of the club was truly hell for them. Having left their noise-canceling earphones at home, the loud music was multiplied tenfold for them, not to mention the harsh LEDs that erratically flashed in various areas. In an attempt to avoid the constant headache and future permanent hearing loss, Natutska had resorted to tying their ears down with a strip of cloth around their head like a barbette. As for the lights, they’d just have to squint and deal with it.

Sitting at the booth didn’t make things much better. The table wasn’t suited for clients of a shorter stature. Measuring a little over three feet high, Natutska’s chin barely made it above the rim, but it wouldn’t have mattered much anyway as they were not there for the drinks. Socializing was the only other option, but then again, trying to do so with a bunch of drunkards wasn’t worth it. Of course, that didn’t matter much either, because the only thing on the bat’s mind was what had become of that shy dragon that Marin introduced. Natutska had merely been a silent observer for the most part, but after Lalita had left in a hurry, the rest of the group seemed to have forgotten the strange circumstances that arose entirely, now having lost themselves in their booze and chatter.

“It’s been almost half an hour, I’m gonna go check on her.” the chiropteran slid off the cushion.

“Ooh, what’s thish? I think Natty likes Lilly!” Gale drawled, inebriated past any form of sensibility.

“Oh really? Don’t ya think she’s a little tall for them? She’d absolutely crush that bat,” Brooke chortled, elbowing Marin in the side as the whole lot of them broke into a cackling fit. Natutska grimaced and pretended to ignore the comment, setting off in the direction of the restrooms.

Of all the obnoxious things in the nightclub, at least the loo was pleasant. Rather than a series of stalls, there were two single rooms, each equipped with a toilet, sink, and even an air freshener. In addition, they were located around the corner of a hallway, quiet enough that Natutska temporarily removed the fabric to give their ears a rest. Reaching up, they rapped briskly on the door with the back of their hand. No response. In fact, it seemed like it became even quieter, a silence that the bat noticed right away, contrasted with the noises of the rest of the building. Intrigued, they swiveled their ears, trying to drown out the distracting hubbub and tune in on the room beyond.

Light, quick breathing. Swift, regular pulses, a heartbeat maybe. And… water? Was there a pipe leak?

They knocked again. “Hello? Are you okay in there?” Natty rasped, before clearing their throat, realizing they hadn’t spoken all night.

The breathing stopped, but the heartbeat sped up. Natutska tried the handle; it was unlocked. “God, I hope this isn’t just a random person…” they whispered, opening the door and stepping inside.

=====

Neither of them knew what they expected. Lalita thought it was some stranger waiting in line, but instead it was someone from her group that she vaguely remembered. Was that better or worse?

Natty might have guessed that there was a plumbing disaster, and whoever caused it was too worried to tell a staff member. What they did not anticipate however, was the enormously rotund mass of dragon gut that nearly spanned the width of the room itself. Time came to a stop as the two stared speechless at one another, until Lalita broke the tension with a hiccup as her anxiety skyrocketed. Without warning, her belly surged forward, thumping into the hapless bat as it shoved them against the door, slamming it shut. Natutska barely had time to recover before the wall of scales burgeoned several inches more, pressing into their waist as it rose up, towering over their head like a tsunami casting a shadow on a seaside town.

At this point, Lalita lost any remaining composure and broke down completely. “T-this was my first time drinking and I d-didn’t want everyone to think I was weird but I didn’t know this could even happen, I knew I never s-should have the house and… and…” she blubbered, her face in her hands as tears streamed down her neck. Her growth was full throttle now as Natutska scrambled for words along with space, clutching the door handle as a life preserver to pull themself above the billowing tide of flesh.

The hysterical dragon’s gut was truly immense; by now it had taken up the entire floor plan and was climbing the walls, lifting the rest of her body with it as if it were a stray surfboard atop an upwelling, rendered powerless against its environment. Natty only found their voice as their foot was seized by her unstoppable bulk. “Wait, wait, Lalita take it easy, it’s fine! Everything’s gonna be okay!” the bat squeaked as the scaly expanse claimed their torso.

The turgid reptile peered through her fingers. “Wha, r-really?” she sniffled, her growth slowing slightly just as it had forced Natutska’s chin up, mashing them against the wall.

“Yes! No one could have expected this, and I won’t tell anyone what happened here, I promise- mmmpfh!” they flailed, their voice going from constrained to muffled, before being overwhelmed completely.

=====

Loud wouldn’t be able to begin to describe it. An utter cacophony assaulted the bat’s hearing, and the roar of the dragon’s internal inferno paired with the intense heat gave an accurate representation of a firestorm in an echo chamber, were it also crammed with mattresses. The music of the club outside failed to compare to this. A bulwark of scales mashed into their face as their unwilling captor’s scent swept into Natutska’s nose; yet another thing crowding for attention.

Can’t move… too… hot… They were barely able to focus, attempting to stow away in the recesses of their mind, far from the sensory hell.

Suddenly, the pressure lessened, light flooding in as two hands grabbed their arms and yanked the bat out from the crevice, which closed up just as quickly. They gasped in relief and looked up to see Lalita panting from exertion, her grasp having slipped down to their hands. The dragoness’ top half stuck out of her body like it was lodged in a pet door that was several sizes too small. Her growth had stopped for now; the massive reptile had taken up the majority of the room as Natutska glanced up to behold the ceiling, a mere two feet away!

“Hah… hah… Thank goodness you’re okay,” Lalita breathed, lifting her head slightly. “Sorry for almost squashing you just now.” She gazed at Natutska, whose fur was matted with sweat from one of the two, as they lay before her, still short of breath.

“It’s… huff fine…” Natutska swallowed and sat straight, or at least as upright as they could manage atop the curvature of the dragon.

There was a brief silence.

“So what now?” Lalita asked.

“Hmm.” The bat thought hard. “Well, from how it looked before you left, you were able to expel some of the fire when you burped, right? Why not try that some more, at least until you get to a size where you can make it out of the building?” they suggested, endeavoring to ignore the absurdity of the situation.

“I guess I could, but that would scorch the whole room, as well as you! Unless you have some fireproofing…”

Natutska pondered this. “No, you’re right.”

Another pause.

“How about using that vent up there?” they suggested, pointing to the ceiling. “It should lead to an exhaust outlet at the roof of the club!” “But won’t someone notice?” Lalita fretted. Natutska shrugged. “Only from the outside. Anyways, it’s better than the alternative of, y’know… exploding.”

She felt her heart skip a beat. That thought hadn’t occurred to her, but she certainly wasn’t going to entertain it now. “O-oh, right.” Lalita mumbled, craning her chin to face the metal grate above her. Flexing her diaphragm a few times revealed that this time, she found herself unable to muster anything up. “Err, the pressure is making it kind of hard. Sorry to ask this, but can you massage my neck?”

“Oh, uh… Sure!” Natutska sat up and scrambled forward. Every step was comparable to crawling atop a giant yoga ball. The dragon’s turquoise bands provided traction while at the same time giving way, sinking into her tumid abdomen as they made their way to the summit.

The two had never been face-to-face before; this moment felt closer than literally being pinned against the wall moments ago. Natutska broke eye contact awkwardly as they began futzing around under Lalita’s throat. Experimentally poking and prodding, their fingers eventually arrived at the base of her neck, where Natutska marveled at the much softer scales here; the texture was almost on par with bare skin. Before they knew it they had already been kneading this area for several seconds as the muscle tension began to yield. “How’s this, do you feel any better?”

“I don’t think- hurp!” Lalita began but was cut short as her cheeks suddenly ballooned. She managed to toss her head back just in time, unleashing a column of fire into the air vent.

Uurrruup-FWOOSH!

Her size receded a few inches. “Oh geez, that was a lot… but it’s working, try it again!” the dragon cheered. Natutska complied, firmly digging in both thumbs, and her esophagus loosened like the base of an overinflated balloon coming undone.

awoouurrRRROOOUUURRRR-FWOOOSHSHSH!

The flames made haste through the ventilation, rushing out of the exhaust port. Streaks of yellow and orange lashed at the cool night sky, reaching high above the treetops as passersby watched in awe. The display lasted for at least thirty seconds before sputtering out with a puff of steam.

=====

The fire and gas now expelled, all that was left was the steam of Lalita’s first attempt at extinguishing her insides. As the dragon deflated and sank away from the ceiling, any vapor that didn’t already escape through the vent now billowed out of her maw and settled, transforming the bathroom into a sauna.

Natutska slid off the waterlogged abdomen. Now a mere two feet across, Lalita’s gut hung before her as she shakily got to her feet, stumbling and catching herself on the wall as the several dozen pounds of remaining liquid threatened to upset her balance.

“That was… interesting.” The bat gave a quick shudder and glanced back at the relatively mobile dragon. “Well it looks like you can handle the rest on your own, so I’ll just…” they said, reaching for the door.

“Wait!” Lalita yelped, more fervently than she would have preferred. “Th-there’s still some left to go and you’ve done good so far, would you mind if…” she swallowed and lifted her chin. Natutska sighed and climbed atop the sink for ease of access. The dragon backed up to the countertop, but no sooner than they had laid their hands on her clavicle did she let loose a final geyser of steam with apparently little effort.

Lalita felt her belly shrink another foot until it became a rather manageable paunch of the leftover water of which her top hung over limply. With the ordeal finally over, she spun around and swept Natutska off the counter in a tight embrace. “Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou! It was such a weird situation, but I don’t know how I would’ve gotten out without your help, thank you so much!” When the reply was a muffled “Yourf welcomff”, Lalita realized she had been mashing them into her chest. Flustered, she quickly set them down and stepped back. There was a brief pause before Natutska spoke. “So I guess we should be getting back then? They’re probably worried about you.”

“Y-yeah, let’s go!”

=====

The two found their party had all but forgotten about them. Having taken to the liquor in their absence, the group was now overzealously cheering at the entertainers on stage. Gale was the first to notice their return to the table. “Hot dayum, took ya long enough! Were you two lovebirds making out in there or what?” she slurred. Lalita looked down, fidgeting. “Well, um-”

“Yeah sure! Whatever you wanna believe,” Natutska interjected.

The girls then attempted to explain some apparently hilarious act on stage to little avail, before getting distracted with other things while the two sat in awkward silence. Throughout the evening, some newer patrons began complimenting the staff on their ‘pyrotechnics advertising display’, much to their confusion.

=====

It was getting late. After coaxing the rabble outside, they all piled into the car and drove away. Those who were plastered lay in the back, lulled to sleep by the smooth asphalt road.

“Can I have your address?”

“W-what?” Lalita gasped.

Natsuka glanced at her. “I need to know where to drop you off…?”

“Oh, right,” she said. “It’s four miles down this road…”

=====

They pulled up to the driveway.

“Thanks for, you know…” Lalita murmured as she left the vehicle. The bat returned a kind nod. As they started to drive away, she blurted “Feel free to come by anytime, I’m almost always home!” then rushed into the safety of her house. Slamming the door behind her, the dragon girl exhaled in relief. As she plopped down on the couch, the water sloshed audibly inside her gut.

Lifting it exploratorily with both hands, Lalita prodded and squeezed the suppleness of the heft that her lanky form never had previously. “So heavy…” she breathed, captivated. Her gaze drifted from her belly over to the bathtub in the adjacent room. “I wonder if…” she began, before her attention was caught by the mess of the rest of her quarters, and the words “come by anytime” crossed her mind.

“…Damn, I really need to clean up around here.”