FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Since my last entry into this series was so stale I wanted try skipping ahead in time some for the story. I will try my best to summarize what has happened to and between our characters.

Nearly a year has passed since John came into Scott's life. John has learned a fair bit about human social customs, but some elements of humans still escape and even baffle him and he turns to Scott for guidance or enlightenment. Since John is a nonhuman intelligence and did not grow up with humans he is something of an outsider. John is a different animal and so does things a tad differently and has different ideas and views than the human norm.

Also in this time John has taken up the job as Scott's assistant in his research. Part of John's creation was devoted gifting him with an almost instinctual understanding of mathematics_. In the span of months since his arrival home, John has grown as a individual yet not equally in all areas . Living in a cabin like home in the Canadia_n wilderness many kilometers outside of town has limited his contact with other people beyond Scott and the rare visitor.

*****

Scott was working on the updated list for this months food supplies before going into town. Usually Scott seldom went into town unless he had too, and when he did so he maximized the number of tasks he did to aid in this. During the last eleven months things were easy to accomplish since many of those months were winter and supplies where stockpiled for five months. However Scott had not calculated well enough when factoring in John's food needs properly and things got a little strained towards the end. This winter would be different since Scott would be returning to the research outpost, where he spent his winters normally but had taken the last winter season off to work with John. This year would be different since John would be coming with him.

Scott had worked things out so that John would be his research assistant, since there had always been the budget for one but no one ever worked out or could stand the long term remote cabin fever setting. But there was a snag... John would not be getting paid for working like any other human would. But at least the food budget was expanded to accommodate the needs of Scott's new service pet. This irked him but John did not seem to mind. He expressed his opinion as "I have no need for the money since it would only go to buy my food."

As Scott worked out the menu for the coming month's meals John was busy himself. John was working out his wardrobe needs since he would be required to wear more than just what he felt comfortable in around other humans. Scott was comfortable around him which made him very happy. While he worked out what his needs would be he also went over his worries with being around the other humans at this place he would be going with Scott to.

He had not had a great set of experience so far with anyone other than his human companion. One example stuck out in his mind when he had wanted to help Scott when a delivery had been dropped off. A woman had dropped off a set of large boxes and he went to offer his help. The woman's scream shot painfully through his ears like nothing he had ever experienced before. While he growled in pain and covered his ears she had fled for here life.

Then when he was in town for one of their resupply trips a small group of people had gawked and followed them around like some danger. He new the people where afraid of him, he could smell it off them. But he did also have some positive experiences as well. The smaller humans, children as he learned to call them, seemed to find him greatly interesting and were friendly to him. John sighed and returned to his small collection of clothing and personal items.

He checked his small bit sanding drill he used to trim his claws noting he would need more heads for it. He also made sure his collections of grooming combs, brushes, and scissors were in proper order and he noted that he was due to be trimmed soon. In the beginning months home he had experienced rapid growth of the fur on his head and chest as well as along his neck and upper back. He was surprised by it at first and he and Scott looked up images on the tool called the internet. From what he was shown his new dense fur growth looked like the mane of a male lion though not as dense. It needed grooming ever 6-8 weeks and could take over 2 hours of Scott's time to groom, John rather enjoyed the high detail of attention Scott focused on him and the closeness of that time together.

Life was comfortable with Scott, John had grown very close to the human. He had shown him so many wonderful things; like music, art, reading, and so much more. Scott also introduced him to movies and he had grown to enjoy something called Star Wars and Star Trek. Comic books were also interesting in that the story showed the action he read about in other books.Scott had said he was becoming a real nerd and that appeared to make Scott happy.

Still he was nervous about being around other humans besides his friend. John had grown to feel very strongly about Scott over the past months, He did not want to upset his human. Returning back to his task he also noted to ask for more outfits beyond the three he owned, yet seldom used.

List completed and ordered everything would be ready for pickup in town in a few days.

*****

When everything was ready they hooked up the extra trailer to the cargo van and they traveled to town to pickup their supplies for the month. They would have to stop at three locations to pickup their extensive orders. The two hour drive to town was passed with talk about working at the outpost up north.

To get to the outpost up north would require them to travel by cargo plane to arrive at the remote location. John was very interested at the idea of flying, given his large size he would not ever travel by commercial flights. Scott also explained that not everyone who they meet at the beginning would be there through the entire winter. Technicians and some of the six researchers would leave before the first major snow fall event. Normally only a basic crew beside himself hung around during the holidays and beyond. But by end of the five and a half months some cabin fever would have set in. John was worried about so much time around strangers. He very much hoped their work would keep them busy.

After arriving in town they first stopped at the post office to collect the number of packages that had been delivered to and held for Scott. Then it was off to pick up the grocery and house hold items that were needed. Finally a stop at a hardware and tack supply store for John's grooming supplies. It took a couple of hours to collect and load up everything, and so it was well into evening once they arrived back at their cabin home. John worked unloading much of the stuff while Scott sorted and put things away.

Finally the tasks were complete and a simple dinner of pasta and chicken was prepared and enjoyed. Afterwards they had a shower and retired to bed. It had become habit for Scott and John to shower together so Scott could assist John with the task of shampooing and conditioning his thick fur. Scott had learned in the last year that companion creatures are beings of habit once they learned something. And so once he had showered with John the first day John had awoke it comforted him to have Scott do so afterwards. Not that Scott minded the whole experience since John returned the favor of grooming Scott. After all mutual grooming reinforced bonds and sharing the shower kept water use down. At least that was what Scott kept telling himself.

*****

The weeks passed and a special day had arrived, the anniversary of John's awakening had which was also happen to be Scott's own birthday. John had learned of birthdays and asked Scott about the human ritual. After having it explained John was interested in his own and they both agreed that the same day would be shared as John's birthday as well.

To celebrate Scott prepared a pineapple upside down cake for John, it was his favorite. Along with both their favorite meal for supper, pot roast and veggies, they would have a very splendid day.

While Scott prepared the food John was himself looking for something to be a gift for Scott. After his experience at the holiday of Christmas, he wanted to have something special for his human friend. However ,what to give him was a difficult thing to puzzle out. Over the past year living with his human companion he had observed and learned much about his friend.

One thing was he put little value in material items. He favored items made from natural materiel with a rough look to them. This was easy to see in the log home Scott lived in. All of the furnishings possessed a natural wood surface with little work done to refine them. The dinner table was a sturdy tree trunk turned into a table surface and the benches were crafted from smaller trunks. The home had a real forest feeling to it. The bed that they shared was John's favorite (John never had taken to sleeping alone), it was reinforced with steel cores in the logs, but it still was like sleeping in a tree.

Another thing about Scott was he valued restful quiet and alone time. He never seemed eager to socialize with others of his own species yet greatly enjoyed John's hulking presence around. Thia was something that pleased John greatly. It made him not feel so out of place since someone wanted his company so much.

When he thought about his life with Scott so far, John felt very strongly for his friend. He couldn't keep the smile off his muzzle as he remembered their many hours spent practicing his mathematics skills while they covered the many elements of calculus and related areas of math John would be using to work as Scott's assistant. John was pleased to have a talent for mathematics and was able to puck up on the elements that they reviewed. John's efficiency appeared to please Scott very much.

During the past year Scott answered all of John's questions about the various elements and facets of human culture. He often found many things humans did very odd or silly. Other elements such as birthdays were very interesting, humans really enjoyed celebrating and appeared to find just about any reason to have a social gatherings and eat huge meals.

It was from Scott's stories about growing up and attending school that John learned about his human's passion for astronomy. He focused much of his life on learning about the stars and their many secrets. Space was important to his friend and so he worked to learn as much as he could about it from Scott.

After so much thought John was still at a loss for an idea of what he could give his friend.

*****

The evening was fast approaching and the smells of dinner reached John's sensitive nose. His stomach growled as he inhaled deeply. Following his nose he found Scott in the kitchen removing the roast from the oven.

"Dinner will be ready soon, would you mind setting the table for us?" Scott asked as he tended to other food preparations.

"Of course I can!", he assured him.

After the table was set and they eaten, Scott had brought out the pineapple cake with its large candle alight in the middle.

"Happy Birthday to you!" Scott sang in a loud off key tone causing John to mockingly cover his ears and cringe away.

"And to you as well Scott."

"Blow out the candle and make your wish!"

John made a show of closing his eyes and angling his ears downwards from the effort of concentration. He even stuck the tip of his purple colored tongue out one side of his muzzle. Scott laughed at the sight.

Finally, he opened his eyes and blew out the candle with a great exhale of air.

"Eew, now its covered in bear spit." Scott teased him.

"It adds flavor." He grinned showing his many sharp canines.

John cut a large piece for himself and a non bear sized bit for Scott.

"Before we eat, I have something for you John."

John grimaced as Scott placed a thick gold paper wrapped package before him.

Scott noticed and asked him if anything was wrong.

"I don't have anything for you." He sighed as he hung his head shamed.

Scott stood beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh you silly big hearted bear. " he squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Remember what I told you at Christmas, gifting is not a law. Don't worry yourself, I don't want you to get yourself sick again."

John raised his head. "I know, but I wished I had something to give you." He rubbed a meaty paw at his muzzle where a tear had started to form. "This last year has meant so very much to me, You mean so much to me." He sighed heavily.

Those words so easily spoken would have been hard for just about anyone else to say. But John's unique innocence and inexperience spared him all the emotional hang ups others suffered from.

Scott smiled at his big friend and wrapped his arms around John's thick neck as best he could. John was puzzled only a moment the he huged Scott in return.

"You big hearted thing, your friendship means more to me than anything you could give."

John smiled to himself as he held his friend close. His first real experience at close physical contact. He never thought about hugging someone before. The bear wasn't sure how to express his feels much. He was still learning to understand them himself. However, with Scott the hug felt good and right somehow.

He was lost in thought when Scott ended the hug and stepped back a step.

"You mean a lot to me as well John." Scott told him.

"I love you after all" Scott said somewhat oddly. John looked at him, his head cocked slightly like a dog does when hearing an odd sound.

"You do?" John asked. He had watched several movies and had some ideas about love, what it was and meant. The bear had just not thought about Scott in that context. He would need to give this idea some thought.

"Go ahead, open your gift."

John opened the package, using one finger claw to slice into the paper. Inside was a dark grey metal nearly full circle of metal. He took it out at looked at the thing. Its surface had been worked in detail of some type of scroll work design.

"What is it?" He asked as he examined the design more intently.

"It is a wrist bracer. It is something you wear."

"Oh? What is this pattern, I have not seen it before?"

"That is a Celtic knot pattern of the night sky. It represents the constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor."

John looked it over for a moment, "Its very nice, thank you."

Scott smiled, "its made from a tungsten alloy, very strong so it should be sturdy enough to endure your strength."

The thing was thick and heavy, Scott helped him put it on his wrist.

John smiled, "Thank you very much".

They ate and talked a bit before going to bed. John did not fall to sleep right away. He looked at the bracer on his wrist and thought about Scott and his feelings for his friend. Eventually he fell in slumber but not before looking at Scott's sleeping form one more time.