FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Leo cruised along a familiar and sparse highway. Most of the sights at this point in the drive were just the ever growing mass of trees, punctuated by vast farmlands that seemed to stretch into the horizon. His own concoction of road trip music added much needed life to the journey. Not that he couldn’t simply enjoy nature in silence, but the poorly arranged meeting from earlier kept knocking at his mind.

Yeah, that could’ve been handled more elegantly, but why wasn’t it? Mia certainly had a notch or two higher on the grating scale than most. Was that really enough to blow up at her like that? The way she was so presumptive and jabbing just had a knife’s edge to it. Someone who clearly liked the sound of their own voice. HR? Please, there was no humanity there, and certainly no relations. Leo shook his head.

Mia had at least some vague reason to act all offensive. It was a bad one, but it was rooted in some facet of feeling. She just had a miserable way of portraying it. Whatever good intentions she had weren’t bubbling to the surface. Leo couldn’t outright deny that she really did want to make things better with Missy. Snaking around intent and putting others down was just however best she saw fit to deal with the issue. Something that should have been wrung out from her forever ago.

That was the big issue, though, wasn’t it? Their little meeting was a sham from the getgo. A bait and switch that reeled him in good, and he bit, even with his reservations. It was hard to know who knew what, anyways. Yeah, and that’s partially why he wanted to meet her, too. Actually, most of the reason.

Both of them were just playing a little friendly game and getting ready for the strike. Leo’s was perhaps more benign. Regardless, neither party could really settle on equal terms, could they? It was a meeting born of false friendliness, so it was bound to crumble either way.

The trees closed in around Leo as he left the highway, creating an arch of foliage to drive under. Should’ve brought a camera for this part, he thought. Maybe for Christmas. A sprinkling of snow would look amazing flittering past the leaves, even if he hated driving through it.

It wasn’t long before more familiar details on the path let him know he was nearing his destination. Leo eased off the gas a little bit.

Leo sighed. The meeting was one he would just have to put down in his mind. There was little he could do now to change things. He wanted something, and she wanted something. Couldn’t apologize. Something told Leo she wouldn’t buy it, or just rag on the point of Missy once again. No, better to leave Mia to simmer down and let her approach him more amicably, if at all possible. Then they could reconnect, if that’s what they really wanted.

The drive came to a stop outside of a modest home nestled in a well-groomed clearing of grass. All was silent, so it was probably safe to say they already knew he was here. Leo pulled up onto a gravel driveway, just behind a lovingly worn sedan. Leo cut the engine and stepped out.

It wasn’t quite as remote as his home. There were clear neighbors on either side of the place, and even on the opposite side of the street. Still, spread out enough to let the homestead breathe. Leo approached the porch. Before he could even take a step on it, the door opened.

“Who goes there? We won’t be accepting any magazine subscriptions, you hear?” a gruff voice said.

“Don’t shoot, just here for the turkey,” Leo replied with a smile.

Leo’s father stepped into the doorway. Age had rounded him off, with apparent muscle still lingering within his body. His face had gained touches of roughness and experience, but his all-too-happy smile betrayed any sort of imposing nature it might’ve had. The two pulled each other into a strong hug, complete with back smacks rough enough to knock a few lungs loose.

“You’re a minute late. They still dock pay for that kind of stuff?” his father asked, pulling away.

“If they do, I wouldn’t mind the stuffing being taken out of my salary,” Leo replied.

“Hey now, don’t let your mother hear you say that.”

They walked inside. Things hadn’t budged an inch since Leo last visited. They never do. That familiar stuffy feeling snuggled against his body. It was much like being in an old parish. A lived in one carried over from the 90’s at that. Bits of modern technology, like a flat screen TV up on the wall broke the ancient facade.

“Your mother’s probably doing the dishes. Again. I keep telling her to let the washer run its course, but needs to be spick and span,” he whispered.

“I can hear you out there, you know!” a voice called out from the kitchen.

“Love you, too, dear!” his father called out. “Make yourself presentable, son, or we’ll be here all day.”

Leo mock straightened himself, with his father doing much of the same. They shared a chuckle. In came Leo’s mother. She was still a slender figure with a youthful face. Touches of age broke through her visage, making her seem wizened. Her tired yet happy eyes looked to Leo, accompanied by a wide smile. Immediately she raised her arms and pulled him into a hug, one that almost felt like she never wanted to let go.

“Couldn’t bring the girlfriend with you?” she asked.

“Mom,” Leo said.

“Alright, alright. It’s private.” She released her hug on him and held him by the arms. “I’m so happy you could make it.”

“You know I would never miss Thanksgiving, right?” Leo said.

“It’s a blessing all the same, lion! You never know what life will pull.”

“This family has always been blessed. Nothing’s stopping the boy from coming over,” his father said.

“It’d have to be a pretty bad pull for me to not come, Mom,” Leo said. “Even still, I’d probably crawl through the mud if I have to.”

“I’ve crawled through the mud, it’s not all that hard, you’re going to have to pick something else,” she said with a chuckle.

“Full blown war, maybe?”

“Now you’re thinking. Might have to up the ante to impress your mother, though. Alien invasion on Thanksgiving,” his father said.

“Oh, quit it. Point is, no taking things for granted,” she said. “Now come and have a look at the turkey.”

“I think that would spoil the anticipation, don’t you?” Leo asked.

“Go and look at the turkey,” his father said.

“Alright, alright,” Leo said.

The kitchen was adjacent to the living room, with windows that looked out into the wild backyard. The kitchen itself was cleaned to a pristine edge, despite the obvious wear on the machinery within. There, in a small window on the oven, was the turkey, raw, waiting to be cooked.

“And just like you said, no cranberry to go with,” she said. “Sweet meats are forever banned here.”

“It wasn’t a strict ruling, but thanks,” Leo replied.

“So, how are things back at your place, lion? Everything going OK?”

“Everything’s fine, Mom.”

“Didn’t exactly sound like it. I know you’ve got your father’s blood in you, so you try to keep all cooped up, but we’re here for you.”

“I know that.” He was going to append “if anything did go wrong, you would know” but that wasn’t true, was it? “I’ve got everything under control.”

His mother looked to his eyes, a hint of disbelief in her gaze. Even now she was trying to pick something clean from his expression, or his posture, or the way he looked. She crossed her arms and raised her brow. Was some lingering noxious emotion written on his face? Too late to change it now and make it all the more obvious.

“Mom.”

“Lion.” She poked at his chest.

The immovable object now had to deal with the unstoppable force.

“I’ve stood for way longer watching tomatoes grow,” she said.

Leo chuckled and sighed, shaking his head. “I’ve had some trip ups with a girl.” That was too vague. “Not romantic. An old friend wanted to meet up and things got a little heated. Not even sure how she got my number.” If Mia mentioned it, it was buried under all the other words they threw at one another.

His mother nodded, probably more happy to pry him open than to actually know. Then, she pursed her lips and frowned.

“The Mia girl?”

“That’s the one.” And his suspicions grew. He turned his head slightly.

“Yeah, sorry, Leo. I remembered her from way back when and thought it’d be nice for you two to get back together. Figured she could be trusted with a phone number.”

“I’m fine getting dates on my own.”

“Not just playing matchmaker… though I wasn’t against it. I only thought it’d be a nice little surprise. Not that often you get a friend calling you up out of the blue.”

“Definitely a surprise.”

“I’m apologizing.”

“Nothing to apologize for, Mom. You didn’t know how it would turn out, and I set up everything myself. Nostalgia got the better of me, too.”

“Still, I hope dinner tomorrow will make up for it.”

“If the meal is even a tenth as good as it was last time, it’ll make up for years more of happy mistakes.”

“Good, because it’s my job as a mom to make those.”

Leo nodded with a smile. “So how’s life here, then?” he asked. “Doing any more work on your garden?”

“Is that how you usually do office talk?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry.” Leo cleared his throat. “Did you plant those gardenias I got you last year? I was hoping I could bring home some seeds myself. Been wanting to do something with the empty space out back.”

“Why, yes, yes I have. I was going to try making perfume with it, too, but you know how your father is about any strong smells. I can’t have my smelly flowers but he gets to heap on that cologne every Sunday.”

“You love that stuff.”

“I do. He should enjoy mine, too.”

“I’m sure you can come to some sort of compromise. Drop in some sawdust and he’ll be all over it.”

“Good idea. He might take all of it for himself, though, and he’s already full up on that. Anyways, once your dad has his time with you, we’ll head out back and see if we can dig up a few seeds.”

“I should’ve brought more seeds, huh?”

“Would be a weird family tradition to make Thanksgiving seed day, don’t you think?”

“I can’t comment on weird family traditions.”

His mother laughed. “Alright, well, let your father have his turn with you now. I’m sure he has a few things to catch up on.”

“Will do. Thanks, Mom.”

“For what?”

“Saying I’m a blessing.”

“Stop teasing me.” She rolled her eyes.

Leo chuckled and headed out into the living room, past the bedrooms, and into the garage. His father was already positioned by his work table, laying out his projects.

“What’cha got whipped up this time?” Leo asked, approaching the table.

“Wooden carvings,” his father said. “Keep it on the down low, it’s a surprise for your mom.”

“Like, statuettes?”

“Yeah. What, a man can’t make some statues for his wife?”

“I never said that. They’re looking good.”

A few animals and a flower were on the table. Not quite rounded off yet, but clearly had all the little details in place. It required some impressive handiwork.

“Varnish is going to be the annoying part. Have to make sure it gets in every little crack,” his dad said.

“Do you need to varnish it? What am I saying, of course you do.”

“Of course I do.”

Leo gently picked up a wooden rabbit, blowing some sawdust off of it.

“Hey, you know that’s my favorite part,” his father said.

“I figure the guest and son could have that honor for once.”

“Alright, but I get the first pickin’s of turkey, then.”

“That’s more than fair. So, you giving them to Mom after dinner?”

“Yeah, I figure why not, I got something better planned for Christmas.”

“This is a little scheme to get her to enjoy the woodworking, right?”

“You see right past your old man, every time.” He turned his head and raised his brow. “But don’t think I didn’t hear about that sawdust thing. And I’m taking that idea, too.” He cleared his throat. “So, how’s life on the frontier? You take up a fur trade yet? Bring home a few pelts for the winter?”

“You know the moment I’m making a pelt, you get one.”

“A deer pelt would make an amazing carpet.” Leo’s father nodded. “Would if I could. Would if I could.”

“I was thinking more a hat. The raccoon kind, with the little flappy tail at the back.”

“Hey, now, I’m not bald just yet.” His father gave an exaggerated frown and held the top of his head. “Let’s split the difference and go with a raccoon toupee.”

“I’ll have to look up how to do that, but once I do, it’s yours.” Leo set down the rabbit.

“Next time we go hunting, huh?”

“Next time, definitely.”

“Might be sooner rather than later.” He nodded to the doorway. “Check out the garden. Your mom’s been going on about it for months now.”

“You had a gander at it yourself, right?” Leo asked.

“Are you kidding me? We’re still married, aren’t we?”

“Just checking. I’ll get to doing that now. You get to varnishing. I want to see those things shine by tomorrow.”

“You and me both.”

Leo navigated back to the kitchen, where a back door out to the yard was. He stepped outside, greeted again by the cheery forest that surrounded the place. Were it not for someone else’s yard being visible in the distance, Leo might have been somewhat jealous of the locale. A neat array of vegetables sat next to the house right next to Leo. Adjacent were flowers. One bed had all of the same species but arranged by color. Another were the gardenias he gave her, blooming excellently in the dimming, soft light. His mother marched in from the side, hefting a bag of fertilizer and dropping it to the ground.

“Hey, easy on the heavy lifting,” Leo said.

“It’s the heavy lifting that keeps me from shattering, lion,” she replied.

“Still. I’m here to help. You can take a day off at least.”

“No breaks. Keep the muscles going.” She flexed an arm.

Not wanting to delve into exercise routines, Leo nodded to the flowerbed. “Are those hydrangeas?”

“Exactly. The pH in the dirt is what gives them their color.” She immediately knelt down, smattering her already dirty jeans with more of the stuff.

Leo joined next to her, easing into the soil.

“So, I’ve got them all in their own little pots, and I’ve been adjusting the acidity slowly. How’d you know they’re hydrangeas?”

“Really, that’s all I know about them, so I took a guess,” Leo said.

“How come your mother can’t tell you anything cool anymore?”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s still cool, I just already knew.”

“What about the gardenias. Know any cool facts about them?”

“They’re related to coffee?” Leo shrugged.

“That’s definitely weird. I might enjoy coffee if it was anywhere near as nice as gardenias.”

Leo’s mother scooted over to the bed of vegetables and began plucking a few misshapen and apparently half-eaten specimens, sighing all the way. Then, from the kitchen window, his father waved and gave a frankly goofy smile. Leo couldn’t help but laugh.

“Quit it. I don’t need you turning my garden into your personal Vietnam,” his mother said, shooing her husband away.

“So, pests?” Leo asked.

“Yes, but I knew that the moment I married him.”

“C’mon, Mom.” Leo smiled.

She returned the smile, adding a giggle. “Alright, that was a little too mean.”

The kitchen door opened and out stepped Leo’s father.

“So, we busy cooking up battle plans?” he asked.

His mother looked to the intruder and right back to Leo. “Anyways, I’m pretty sure it’s a--”

“Hold on, you can’t just give it away, you have to see the boy work,” his father said.

“Is this detective work now?”

“That’s part of the fun!”

“It’s not like it’s a deer.”

“Shh, you’re gonna spoil it.”

“Can I get a hint?” Leo asked.

“Not a chance,” his father replied.

“Guess I can’t ruin the fun now,” his mother said. A smile and a roll of the eyes broke through.

“I’m alone on this one, huh?” Leo said.

His mother shrugged.

“OK, I’ll have a gander,” he said.

Leo stood up and glanced about the garden for any particular clues. Nothing major stood out, prompting him to tilt his head. “I don’t see any pockmarks or dead grass. So, likely you don’t have a resident skunk.”

“Likely?” his mother asked. “I guess that’s as good as I’ll get.”

“Don’t worry, your composting will draw them over soon enough,” his father replied.

“Don’t scare me like that. I already smell them enough on our morning walks, thank you. They can stick to the park.”

“What about moles?” Leo asked, squatting down to get a better look at the soil.

“Some can be cute. Others, not so much, like the star face one. They serve their purpose in the dirt. Eating bugs and something about aerating.”

“They do all that, and more. Only problem is they bring in worse vermin with their tunnels. Mice, rats, you know, the kind of things you hate. Getting under the garden and even the house.”

“I’d prefer mice and rats to a skunk, I can tell you that much.”

“In any case, I don’t see the snaking ridges, so you should be good.”

Leo walked around the area, looking for any other possible clues to a veggie thief. His mother would occasionally glance at him as he worked, while his father constantly watched with a smile on his face.

“You’re working like a fox,” his father said.

There it was. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Leo asked.

“Just… you know, natural. In your element.” He added a furrowed brow and a shrug.

“Alright.”

Leo’s eyes scanned the surface, just in case the perp was bold enough to step out. While he would snap to every subtle crunch of grass or rustle, he didn’t find them. A few rougher patches of grass stood out that could’ve hidden any number of creatures.

“Stopped mowing the yard?” Leo asked.

“Baby rabbits sometimes get nested in there,” his mother said.

“If you’re willing to have them in the yard, why complain about pests?”

“Look, if a bunny comes by and just happens to leave their kid here, that’s fine. I can’t just tell them no.”

Didn’t make the most sense, but Leo wasn’t about to argue about how cute rabbits are with his mom. His father only offered pursed lips and shrug. Yeah, they must’ve been over it a few times. Leo approached the heavier patches and peered in, brushing aside bits of grass. No bunny bundles of joy inside. Might’ve lessened the chances of a rabbit, but that was still on the table. Something else caught his eye, however. A bit of clumped dirt stuck between blades of grass. Some sort of creature has definitely been here.

Leo walked back to the vegetables. The neat arrangement he noticed earlier was in more disarray than he thought. Visible chunks were torn out of a few of them, spattering their contents to the ground. Rabbits weren’t prone to leaving scraps like that with their smaller teeth. Raccoons might’ve. He had noticed their trash bin earlier on arrival, and it didn’t look messy.

“Any trouble with the trash bin outside?” he asked.

“None,” his father said. “Other than getting up to actually take out the trash.”

So, no trash troubles. Raccoon would’ve at least tried going for a bin snack if one was around. A larger animal like a deer would have left more blatant tracks or impressions in the grass, which would’ve been undisturbed if there was no mowing going on at all.

“And you spray your vegetables with pesticide, right?” he asked.

“Well, yeah, the natural pesticides. Stuff that’s easy to wash off,” she said.

“So, likely not bugs. Not a deer, not a skunk.”

His father perked up with every scratch off the suspect list.

“Definitely not a rabbit or a raccoon,” Leo continued. “Groundhog?”

“What’d I tell ya? I knew he’d get it,” his father said.

“There was no doubts about that,” his mother replied. “It’s a wonder you didn’t teach him to just sniff out its DNA on the wind.”

“Give me time and I’ll figure that out, too.”

“How many hours have you spent out here and you still haven’t figured that out?”

“Hey, my nose isn’t as strong as it used to be. DNA can be hard to pin down.”

“So what do we actually do about it?” Leo asked. “We could wait for it and take a quick shot.”

“Don’t tell me you want to go Rambo on a woodland critter, too,” his mother said.

Leo walked back over to her. “Rambo? A little too extreme for my tastes. I’d say I’m more like the Predator. Systematic, targeted.”

That prompted a chuckle from his dad. “Hold on, now. Rambo uses all the fun toys and the explosive spectacle.”

“Some choice. Silent killer or deranged soldier,” his mother said. “Having my nice garden becoming a hunting ground isn’t what I had in mind when I first dug it out, you know.”

“We need to win this war either way. Can’t have him coming back. Even if we fill the tunnels, he’ll just make a few more. Maybe even harder, and then there’ll be real money involved,” his father said.

Leo raised his hands. “Alright. Let’s just catch it first, then we can decided what to do with it afterward.”

“Land fishing. My favorite.” His father clapped and rubbed his hands together.

“No hooks,” she said.

“We weren’t going to use hooks,” Leo replied.

“I’m not so sure.”

“Harpoon good?” his father asked.

“Now we’re going to Moby Dick?”

“Hey, if I were in that captain guy’s shoes, let me tell you, I’d have skewered that whale before breakfast.”

“And hung it up on the mantle after lunch,” Leo said.

“And then lied about how big it was at dinner,” his mom replied.

Leo chuckled.

“Alright, c’mon,” his father said, “let’s get on this so I can brag how huge this groundhog is.”

“I’ll leave you guys to it. I’d like to keep my appetite for the next week,” she said, departing into the kitchen.

“I’ll be riiiiight back,” his father said, following after her.

Leo stood in the yard, wondering what his dad was cooking up, and his mother, of course, more literally. She had shut all the kitchen blinds. Whatever it was, it would be a nice treat.

The head of the family came back with a stack of traps, setting them down on the ground. He pulled out a spool of string and a set of screw hoops.

“How long have you been planning this?” Leo asked.

“Consider this my early Christmas,” his father replied. He hefted up one of the traps. “I’ve been working on a pin system that locks the springs in place on the door. Then you give them a firm tug and the thing snaps right shut.”

They were finely made, if very utilitarian. Rectangular wooden boxes that had a door on hinges bent upward on the front. There were metal loops at the top of the doors and a pin stuck through them with a hole for the string. The pin was held in place by both the loops on the door, and another on the trap itself. Essentially it was like pulling the pin on a grenade, letting the thing snap shut assumedly instantly.

“We’re going to need bait, too,” Leo said.

“Hold on, aren’t you going to compliment me on my genius?”

“Sorry, Dad. I meant to say this is a feat of engineering.”

“You’re right about the bait, though. I’ll bring in a few tomatoes. We’ll set these around and you’ll listen out for the sucker.”

“And the screw hoops to keep the string taut. Nice.”

“Exactly.”