FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hello, dearies!

It's time for another chapter of The Hockey Hunk - and I must say, I am thrilled to be here once again! This season has had such a good start, I'm so excited to see everyone back onboard, reading and commenting and cursing a bit, too, of course! Keep it up! Your encouragement always makes me aspire to write even better stories!

Also remember that all votes, faves and watches will help others to find these stories to enjoy as well! That front page time counts!

Have a fun read!

*

"That'll be 19.95, including tax," I happy-happied once the digital numbers popped onto my screen.

The tiger I was serving handed out a silver-colored card to my outstretched fingers.

"Charge from my account, please," the tiger rumbled.

"Of course," I smiled as I swiped the card, printed out the receipt and handed it over to be signed. Our transaction was over within moments, and all I had to do was to pull out one of the red carrier bags from under the counter and stuff his newly purchased copy of A Storm of Swords and the game magazine into the bag. "I put the receipt in here."

The tiger's eyes followed the trajectory of my paw as I lifted the bag across the counter and it was then snatched away. His ears flicked a little in acknowledgement of my politeness, but he didn't say anything else before he was already on his way out.

"Thank you for visiting," I mumbled to myself as I watched the swinging tail disappear out of the front door.

My own tail made a little number 9 behind my back as I stretched out my paws over my head and felt my shoulders pop when the tension was finally relieved from them. I titled my neck from side to side, too, and even adjusted my ass on the stool, which was slightly less comfortable after sitting for three hours on it, but I was surviving, if a bit numb.

It was past three and things had picked up a little, now that the first students had flocked downtown from the campus, and a certain proportion of them were always up to do some book browsing. I was currently manning the counter on my own, since Crystal had just gone to the floor to help someone find a copy of Atlas Shrugged, and Alex was...well, I wasn't sure, but at least he was out of sight and out of mind for now.

At least it was busy enough to keep my mind occupied, though. It'd been all too easy to simply fall back and start dwelling on everything that was going on - namely, me and Victor, Peter's reluctance this morning, and now this whole business with that wolf.

Damn you, Mason, why'd you have to make this even more complicated?

*Ding-dong*

My ears jumped, and I swiveled sufficiently to face the door. A German Shepherd girl just entered. I pulled the corners of my lips up.

"Good day!" I beamed. "Welcome to the Albrecht Brothers! Can I help you in any way?"

She looked like a student, what's with that plaid skirt and a backpack, which were kind of a giveaway, I suspected. She stopped near the counter and we had some eye contact, and she smiled, and I smiled, and flicked my ears politely, and tried to keep myself aligned with her without any risk of falling off my stool.

"Hiiiii" the girl greeted, "do you have anything new on the art section?"

Oh, damn! I made sure not to loose my calm and professional face, which included a perfectly happyhappy smile, a curious head tilt, and ear flick, and a desperate paw dash to the computer keyboard I could pull out from under the counter.

"I could check the inventory for recent acquisitions," I spoke most politely.

"Hmmm, sure!" the Sheppie replied. "I know I could just go down the aisle and take a look, but I come here often so yeah, sure. Rory, isn't it?"

Ohhh, she remembered my name? My ears perked a little more. Of course we got regulars, and of course you started to remember faces after a while, though of course it was the regular customers who remembered us better than we remembering them. We were unique for them, rather than the other way around. You might see a hundred faces pass by every day standing behind this counter. They only saw one Rory.

And heck, it read on my chest. "YOU ARE BEING SERVED BY: RORY" on my nice little utilitarian nametag.

"That's me!" I said as I tapped the computer to narrow down the search. "Let's see..."

I watched the list scroll itself out.

"Well, we've got something new on Matisse, and a new Christo Taschen book...and a Mondriani retrospect...and a new pocket van Gogh...heheh, seems that our shop manager Marge has been busy stocking the shelves again!" I stated, as I voiced my theory on the new acquisitions.

"That sounds nice!" the Sheppie chimed. "I better go and check it out!"

"Just ask any of the staff for assistance if you have any further questions," I smiled.

"Thanks, Rory!" the Sheppie's tail was already flapping about as she headed towards the "ARTSY STUFF" section near the magazine stand.

I let my smile mellow out a bit once she was out of reach, and simply relaxed myself again. I rubbed my thigh a little and felt pleased by the fact that it hadn't been rendered intensely stiff yet. I hoped that the physiotherapist would tell me I had made some progress tomorrow, when I had my next session at the rehabilitation center. That'd be some nice news. I could boast about it to Peter and Victor and maybe even make a Facebook post about it. How'd that be nice! "I heard that my dislocated ass is getting better. Some hard booty action ahead soon :P"

_ _

Hmmm. Perhaps the world could survive without that piece of knowledge.

Knowledge...such a dangerous thing in this time and age of photographs in other fur's lockers.

Huff.

Crystal soon clip-clopped her way back from the "AGELESS CLASSICS" section with a bespectacled otter in tow, who was already clutching his prized paperback in a webbed paw. I let my smile re-polite itself as the otter gave me a passing glance, more interested in Crystal moving behind her own cash register.

"Let's see then!" she chirped as she took the book and ran it past the scanner, "that'll be 21.95."

The otter gave her a brooding look.

"A stealing prize, but I understand," the otter replied, searching for his wallet, it seemed.

I gave Crystal a quick look and tried not to smile too broadly while their business transaction took place and she soon had the otter on his way with a series of "Please come back soons!" and big toothy equine smiles. That same blocky smile was soon trained in my direction, however, as the mare observed me on my stool.

"A fun one?" I smirked innocently.

"Modern literature summer course," Crystal replied.

"Heheh," I chuckled. "You ever did one?"

"Not yet at least," she said, "I rather spend my summer working and having fun than reading that brick."

"So you've read it?" I suggested.

"Who hasn't?" Crystal mused with an ear flick to match.

"...happy people paaaas meee byyy....looooking in their eyes..."

_ _

My ears jumped into the direction of the noise, and so did Crystal's, who also used her ambulatory status in her advantage by leaning over the counter to see what was happening.

_ _

" I seee a memory I never reeeealizeeed..."

_ _

Alex appeared from the small steps to the secondhand section, tail flapping of course as he marched along the aisle, now, slowly, muzzle open with song.

"How happy you made meee..."

_ _

What the hell?

"Ooooooooh Rory...you came and you gave without taking, but I sent you awayyyy..."

What

the

fuck.

_ _

" ooooooooh Rory...."

_ _

There he went again.

"...well you kiiiiissed me aaaand stopped meee from shaaakiiiiing

_ _

I wondered whether this stool had an ejection seat function. Here was Alex strutting down the aisle towards me and belting out, off-key and horrible, and swaying his ass to all directions while furs turned their heads and stared. By now my cheeks were ready to cook eggs under my furs, and Alex was standing in front of me, one paw presser his bosom while he still...

"and I need you tooodaayyy Ooooooh Roooooryyyyy...."

_ _

He held the last note until he simply couldn't any longer, and my ears, too, couldn't have become flatter than they were now, pressed against my skull. My heart thumped and I daren't look at Crystal to see her reaction to this impromptu performance.

"Aaaahhh!" Alex sighed after his extra deep, mint-scented breath that bathed my face with a hot puff of air, and then he, standing in front of me, grinning, lifted his other paw and placed a bottle of water onto the counter. "Well that was fun!"

Where did Alex learn of fun? That hospital from One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest?

The customers were still staring.

"Heheh," Alex's tail wouldn't stop wagging. "I brought you some water, Rory, it's so important to stay well hydrated, and I thought, since it's difficult for you to move around, I'd bring you some nice still water from the fridge!"

I stared at the bottle of water as if it was actually a can of cyanide, and then saw his eyes, sparkling and seemingly so damn honest that I couldn't do anything except grab the bottle and mumble an awkward "thanks" under my breath.

"That's...thoughtful of you," I muttered as I felt my paw become damp.

"Anything for a friend!" Alex smirked before swiveling around. "Anyone need any assistance?"

He got a bunch of looks, sure, but nobody dared to speak, and hence our resident Labrador simply tramped in the direction of a hapless coyote browsing the HOMICIDE AND HORROR section.

I wondered if it'd be odd to simply open the bottle and pour it over my face to get some of my flush down a little. Perhaps I would steam, but maybe it'd help.

Maybe.

"Don't worry, Rory," Crystal spoke, and I almost jumped. I turned to look at her, carefully on my stool, and saw that she wasn't exactly too pleased about this song number, either.

"Huh?" I mumbled.

"Last week, when they started doing Barry Manilow at karaokespinning, he serenaded me by singing "while Crystal tried to be a star, Mason always tended bar" and did the same to Marge but sang about Goggy getting shot by Rico instead of Tony."

I frowned.

"How did that go down?" I suspected.

Crystal nickered.

"About as well as Alex trying to teach the cha-cha to Mason."

Could this become any more weird, I wondered.

"He does cha-cha now?" I dared.

Yeeeah, he mentioned that he's started ballroom classes now," she said, "apparently it's good cardio and helps him to 'get in touch with my body in a whole new way', he said."

I shook my head gently.

"Is there a hobby he doesn't do?" I wondered.

"Sitting on the couch drinking beer and scratching his belly while watching American Dad?" Crystal smiled innocently.

I gave a look across the floor and saw Alex's head floating above one of the shelves as he strutted his way along the shorter aisle.

"Well, who knows what he's on...could be Budweiser for all we know."

Crystal chuckled.

*ding-dong*

Oh, thank goodness, customers who didn't hear Alex serenade me, how nice! I immediately snapped into attention and hoped to catch them before Alex could wedge himself in and try to steal my thunder once more...

"STUDMUFFIIIIIIN!"

Well, well, the two "customers" were none other than Marge and a particular leopard with penchant for putting his paintbrush where it didn't belong.

*

Thank you for reading!

Don't forget to comment here, please! All the feedback is always appreciated. Also remember that all votes, faves and watches will help others to find these stories to enjoy as well.

See you on Monday!

Cheerio!