FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"So. You're not mad hun? I know I already asked but..." The unicorn stopped, attempting to hide her guilt. Her eyes shined as she realized how a negative impact like this could have, and shut them tightly while cupping her now lukewarm tea. "I know..." She blurted in hush. "About you and the others, what you did with them. I didn't just see it, I heard it."

A.J. froze stiff, his eyes shot open as he recalled the events that took place the weekend before. Everyone who was a firedog knew.

~[]~

It was a slow night at the firehouse, and it was more crowded than average. A local band was supposed to perform at the town hall amphitheater but it cancelled. Their heavy use of pyrotechnics, and frequent combustion mishaps had given them a reputation of being called "The Burn Outs". They were actually called, "The Barn Owls". If you had to guess on why the show was cancelled, you'd be right. Only this time the fire took place in their tour van. The official report is they hit a pothole that caused their gear to shift, resulting in a switch to flip, which ended in a speedy fireball. The group recovered, as per usual. It's quite astounding, the worst injury sustained from these guys, is burning feathers. They actually wrote a song about it.

The average amount of dogs per shift is about five. Tonight there were a total of 15, and A.J. was one of them. He was also the newest, he didn't appreciate the attention. Not at first. The increased heat, the cramped space and not to mention the loudness of it all. He couldn't deny that he was the least masculine of them, and it was intimidating. He couldn't leave, not until they were given the all clear. At best he could step outside for a smoke on the court, though the more rowdy firedogs were out there, playing.

For over an hour A.J. brooded to himself as he sat at his locker, wishing he was with Tripp, his online boyfriend of about a month. It was Tripp who suggested that they not exchange photos, and instead just talk until they decided if there's something worth investing. A.J. smiled to himself, recalling their conversations, their role playing, and overall time spent together. His reality was brought back to him with an uproarious laughter from over half of the firedogs in the house. It was enough to cause him to suddenly up and head to the shower room, but not before showing a few others his half mast from those previous thoughts. It was agreed that being naked was better than being weighed down for nothing by fire gear, so everyone was naked.

The half breed stepped into the shower room, a simple turquoise tiled room with one shower grounded in the center. It had 6 shower heads attached which was more than enough at any time. He left the light off as he approached the shower, slowly engaging the knob as he release it's pressure. He stepped under the cascade as he drowned out all sound, the rushing water allowed himself to relax and rethink about Tripp. His eyes closed as his hand took hold.

~[]~

"A.J.? You there?" The unicorn asked, with a bored expression. Tracing the rim of her empty mug with a finger, holding her chin up with the other hand. "You've been quietly staring at the table for five minutes now. Please, say something."

The canine shook himself from thought, locking eyes with the mare's as she wore a look of concern. "I'm not mad, I promise. Are you mad..?" He averted his gaze as he asked her, guilt now showing on his face. Leif smiled warmly and shook her head "No.", wrinkling her nose as she did it. A.J. smiled back as they both giggled about it. "So, your my boss?" He asked, hinting a bit of concern.

The unicorn nodded, then looked puzzled. "Well technically I'm your Senior Captain, so.. more like your boss's boss!" She shrugged. "Stop worrying so much! I won't do anything to jeopardize either of our occupations. Though, I cannot deny that there are benefits for being the S.C.." She winked. A.J. gulped. The unicorn stood up at held out her hand to him. "Come, we're here!" The canine took her hand and stood up, he looked at her and smiled, licking her chin.

Moments after a foghorn sounded and the boat was illuminated. They walked hand in hand as they stepped off the deck and onto the dock. A.J. looked around, this wasn't even the island his house was on. Leif whistled, loudly. The tugboat sounded off and resumed towing A.J.'s fire-boat away, they stood holding hands as they watched the lights fade in the early morning horizon. "Where are we?" asked the canine, unfamiliar with any of the terrain, there were barely any lights on the dock.

Leif squeezed A.J.'s hand and started to walk, he matched her speed and walked with her side by side. "Well, you broke my boat. Now you gotta pay for it~" She smiled deviously. The canine was taken back by her forwardness, unsure if she was even serious or not. He didn't ask, and considered it was best to be surprised and worry about it then.

In silence they walked, occasionally squeezing each other's hand with affection. A.J. quietly pondered where they were going, it was still too dark to make out anything further than 20 feet. He glanced over at Leif as he attempted to match her features with his previous expectations. He gave up and couldn't even remember the face of who he perceived as Tripp. All he could see was the mare walking next to him, and it was comforting.

15 minutes of walking had passed as they approached a lighthouse. A.J. wore a look of concern as he looked over at the unicorn. "This is your place?" Leif gave him an annoyed look as she snorted and unlocked the front door with a key. She stepped in and disappeared into the pitch darkness, then it got quiet. "Please. Come inside."

to be continued...