FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

“I would go out tonight… But I haven't got a stitch to wear…"

"A jumped up pantry boy, who never knew his place..."

The music drifted in and out of his head, the lyrics seamlessly blending together between every song with each blip of consciousness. Stirring awake from his sleep, he could see the sunlight through his eyelids flickering between each tree that passed. With the cool breeze of the AC blasting at his face, he blinked away his fatigue. Man... He must've been asleep for a couple hours. Stretching up into his seat, he swung his legs down on the floor. The thick pine forests he had seen just a few hours earlier had turned into civilization. Thank god. He didn't mind the wilderness, but the thought of being stranded for miles was sub optimal.

Slipping his headphones off, he dropped them to his side as he massaged the soreness off his ears. He flipped his hoodie down, watching as they pulled off from the main city center and began their drive deeper into the residential areas. The houses outside looked more laidback. More... Cozy? Maybe it was just the way the setting sunlight was hitting everything. He took in the scenery around him. Man, it was kind of pretty. Prettier than what he'd been used to, at least. He was across the country from his home, from his friends, and most importantly, McCreary's. It was an old pub he hung around with his buddies, but now it would just be a memory. He felt a pang of regret in his chest. Fuck, he should've taken more photos with them.

"Hey, buddy. How're you holding up?"

Suddenly, he's pulled out of his thoughts. He shook his head and glanced towards the driver's seat.

"Huh? Oh, I'm doing good. It would be nice to stretch my legs though."

"Awesome, we'll be there in five minutes anyways. This is so exciting, isn't it? We get to have a fresh start in a new town. Can't wait for all the adventures to have here, all the possibilities and opportunities."

A slight frown tugged at his lips. Mom had just landed a new job in town, and it paid so much more than anything they had back on the East Coast. He was happy for her for sure, but... was it really worth leaving everyone behind?

"Y-yeah, I guess it is exciting..."

Mom nodded gently, a content smile forming on her lips. She was happy, and that should be enough.

...

Stepping out onto the concrete, he stretched his arms out. He felt his nervous system go electric, his whole body tensing up. Jeez, he could feel every single muscle fiber in his legs. He made sure to articulate blood flow back into his atrophying limbs. Holding himself steady with the open car door, he began stretching his legs behind his back. Man, who knew a car ride across the contiguous United States would be so tiring? It had been like what, four and a half days since they left? He slipped his hoodie off and threw it into the backseat. He looked around, realizing that the U-Haul hadn't arrived yet. It was kind of crazy how everything they'd owned fit into one truck. Granted, it was the biggest option in their fleet, but it was still surprising.

The neighborhood was quiet, save for an elderly rabbit sitting on his porch. Damn, he almost forgot that anthros existed. This town in particular had quite a bit of anthros living in it. Matter of fact, he was pretty sure there were more anthros than humans. This was his new life now. Freshly eighteen, so he can't fuck around like he did with his friends. No more vandalism, no more illegal shit, no more fun stuff.

"Hey sweetie, I'm gonna go unlock the house and make sure all the utilities are up and running, okay? We can unpack in a minute, love ya."

He nods, waving at her as the door clicks shut behind her.

"Finally."

He muttered, patting at his pockets. Damn, where did he put his cigarettes? He turned around, picking up his film camera and slinging it over a shoulder, hoisting his backpack onto the seat and checking its zipper pockets.. Man, it's been a minute since he's had a smoke. Especially being in the car most of the time, he could only sneak one when his mom was sleeping in the motels they rested at. After a second of digging around in the front pocket, he finally located one of the two packs he brought with him. It was an unopened soft pack of Medius, a parting gift from one of his friends back home. They were kinda hard to come by in America, his buddy Kyle had bought it while on a trip in Japan. He took a good look at the pack and sighed, stuffing it deep into his pockets as he shuts the door.

A moment later, he glances up and sees a dog standing across the lawn from him. Kinda lanky, kinda short, tail wagging. He didn't know too much about animal species' (never paid too much attention in class), but he definitely knew he was a border collie. The dog glances over at him, a smile on his face as he waves. He decides to wave back, however the dog takes it as an invitation to approach you.

"Hiya, you guys moving in?"

Not even five minutes in town and you're already making friends, look at you go.

"Yeah."

"Awesome, you guys been in Oregon long?"

"Nah nah, we just drove in from the East Coast. My uh, my Mom got a job here and it was worth the move, so..."

"Wow, you guys really drove all the way here? Man, must've been some job... Anyway, my name is Riley."

He held out a paw gleefully, giving you a big smile. Jeez, this must be puppy boy energy. Back home everybody minded their business.

But he wasn't back home. Just gotta learn to adjust...

"Jake. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Jake!"

He swung his hand out and dapped him up, which was only slightly awkward as Riley was going for a handshake. No matter.

“So, how long have you been living here?"

“Oh jeez, my whole life I guess. Grew up in this here neighborhood, not a bad spot if I do say so myself."

The dog looks around with a hand around his waist, before coming back to face Jake.

“So, what do you do around here? Or like, what is there to do?"

"Hm, not much I guess, ha... Well, I have lived here my whole life so I'm kinda used to it I suppose. There are some like, trails and stuff around here. I've gone through a couple times, really pretty out there."

Well, what could you expect? Maybe there was a mall near by, but you need friends for that. No fun just going about it alone. Plus, even if there's nothing to do in town you used to find shit to do with friends. Drive around, explore at night, go to parties.

"Hey, you take photos?"

Snapped out of his thoughts again, Riley points at the hunk of metal slung around his shoulder.

Riley's ears perked up and his eyes widened as he bent forward to inspect the camera.

"Whoa, does it shoot film?"

Taken aback by his quick movement, he flinched. Dang, he's kinda fast. He held it up for Riley so he could inspect it. Riley took a step back, giving them some space.

"Yeah, I've got some loaded in there right now. Iadak Gold."

"That's sick, I bet you took quite a few pictures on the way here, huh?"Tl

"Mhm, it was real pretty outside. I've gone through 2 rolls of film on the way here, so..."

His words trailed off as he checked the frame counter.

Thirty five.

Jake, last frame, make it count.

He advanced the film, brought it to his eye, and snapped a frame of Riley.

"Eh?"

Jake lowered the camera.

"Couldn't help myself, the way the sunlight bounced off the trees, you know? Anyway, you'll probably see that as soon as I get this developed."

He couldn't help but offer a small smile.

"Hey, I wasn't ready. Take another one."

The dog smiled wide, posing with his eyes closed.

"Sorry, I'm outta film. Here."

Jake pulled his phone out his pocket, swiping to his camera app as he took a picture of Riley.

"Oooh, let me see!"

Riley rushed beside him, his arms pressed up against his. Wow, his fur was really fluffy. Kinda felt good rubbing against his arm. His tail started to wag, clearly happy with the shot.

"You gotta send this to me man. Here, what's your number?"

Man, now you're _really _making friends. He took his phone typed in his number into Riley's contacts list.

"Sweet. I'll text ya."

"Cool."

"Well, I better head back... My parents are coming home soon, so."

"Yeah yeah, of course. See you around."

Riley smiled at him again (not that he ever stopped smiling), waving as he sauntered off to his home. Huh, interesting guy.

Jake rubbed his arm, walking over to the back of the minivan as he popped the trunk open. Time to be a good son and get these bags inside, hm? It only took about a minute to haul the bags inside. They were pretty heavy but, fucking around in the gym with your friends made it a whole lot easier. Do they have a gym here?

"Oh, thank you, sweetie. You making friends already? I saw you outside with that dog, you guys seem to be getting along."

"Yeah, I guess. Are we good with everything in the house?"

"Yup, all we need to do is wait until the truck gets here with all our stuff and we finally move in!"

Mom smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know this is hard, honey. Being away from friends, your home... But, I appreciate you for being so understanding with it. I couldn't have done it without you."

She hugged him, then walked off with some of her luggage.

"Your room is upstairs and directly to the right, the bathrooms are down the hall. I checked in with the water company and we should be able to shower tonight."

Phew. He felt super grimy, anyways. He carried his bags up the steps and found his room, reluctantly setting them down on the carpet. Whoa. This room was way bigger than the one back home. Lots of light coming in through the windows, a nice view of the road outside, overall pretty cozy. He flicked a switch on the wall, to which the ceiling fan turned on. He flicked the same switch down and then flicked the one adjacent to it. Expectantly, he stared at the ceiling light. Nothing. Oh well, he'll figure that out later. It was time to hit the shower. Unzipping his luggage bag, he sifted through the neatly folded clothes that were now packed tight together, flipping through them like a deck of cards until he felt the towels. Sweet.

The bathroom was pretty clean, it actually connected to his room (as he found out later). He placed his fresh clothes onto the space next to the sink and sat his phone right on top. He then stripped, hopping straight into the shower. There was a new bar of soap there along with fresh bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Hm, Mom probably left them there, especially since it was the brand they used at their old apartment. Jake turned the knob slightly toward the red, allowing the hours of grime to wash off his body. He felt the lukewarm water hit his face and wash away the oils. After he scrubbed his body and washed his hair, he stepped out and began drying off. Wow, it was like he was reborn. Maybe Oregon water is a lot fresher than other states.

Bzzt. Bzzt.

"Hm?"

Jake checked his phone. Thank god for unlimited data.

_ _ruff

heya its me riley

Man, he was kinda irritated. Not by Riley specifically, but jeez... Maybe he's just being a moody bitch right now.

sup, just got out the shower 1 sec

okay ^_^

He wrapped the towel around his waist as he clicked on the photos icon, tapping the photo he took of Riley earlier and sending it to him.

woo! ur da best :P

ye no problem

u busy rn?

na not particularly

He had already pulled his boxers up and gotten his arms into the shirt sleeves, pulling his neck through as he sat down.

whats up?

wanna hang? i got the car for tonite :D

Eh, fuck it. What's the worst that can happen?

ur not gonna take me out back and kill me right?

XD

maybe :3

Well, that's good enough for him.

ok, let me get ready.

woo hoo!!

meet me outside, cant wait 2 show u around town

Jake dried the rest of his hair off, letting the towel drape over his backpack. He then pulled on some sweatpants as he tucked his phone into a pocket. Oh shoot, his pockets. He quickly ducked into the bathroom, patting down his pants as he fished out his cigarettes and lighter.

"Definitely gonna need this for later..."

Tugging his shoes on, he checked the time. 8PM. He saw the last glimmers of sunlight coming in through the blinds.

"Hey, mom? I'm gonna be outside for a bit. I'll be safe."

No response. She must be sleeping. Whatever, he'll text her. He's basically a grown man now. He stood up at the front door, reaching for the knob. Man... He wasn't really too tired after the shower but, he was feeling a new sensation. Was it uncertainty? Excitement? Shit... It's been a crazy couple of days, and it was just now hitting him. With his hand planted around the doorknob, he gave it a twist, the door swinging open as he stepped outside.